Chapter 42
“Rion, you stay.”
My feet, which had just been about to head off to wash up, froze in place.
Renoa's green eyes were fixed on me, picking me out precisely among the many candidates.
“Just me...?”
“Yes.”
The candidates, along with even Rans, all glanced my way with sympathetic eyes.
'You said you wanted to get ahead! You need to catch Renoa's eye!'
I sent them a silent plea for help. But they just averted their eyes and shook their heads.
Before long, as if by prior agreement, everyone scattered quickly.
In an instant, only Renoa and I were left alone in the mansion's front courtyard.
Renoa stood there, gazing at me intently. With her sharply arched eyes, she swept her gaze over me from head to toe.
Soon she came down the stairs and slowly approached.
As the distance narrowed, a rich fragrance rushed over me. It was such an alluring scent that it instantly erased the smell of blood lingering at my nose.
Renoa stopped right before me. The distance was close enough to touch, yet not quite.
Renoa tilted her head slightly and looked up at me.
My greatest accomplishment over the past three years.
I'd grown taller.
A lot taller.
The result of eating three meals a day—no, almost four.
As if to make up for the days I'd spent writhing through growth pains that felt like my bones were being scraped away.
I'd grown so much that I now stood a full head taller than the once-slightly-taller Renoa.
Now, to meet my eyes, she had no choice but to tilt her chin up.
That arrogant angle from before, when she looked down at me with her chin raised, was no longer physically possible.
That trivial fact gave me a strange sense of accomplishment.
“Are you hurt?”
“As you ordered, I don't have so much as a scratch.”
“Of course not. I've spent so much time on you. If you'd come back scratched by some petty border monsters, I'd have been deeply disappointed.”
During my gladiator slave days, Renoa had tried to kill me. Now she got angry over even a single injury.
For now my goal was survival, but ultimately I dreamed of freedom, and Renoa's obsession was not exactly a pleasant thing.
And even that obsession didn't see me as someone to desire; it treated me like property.
It was like keeping a pet hamster for so long that you couldn't even write it off as a total loss and buy a new one.
“Of course you must have earned top merits again this time.”
“Of course. I handled the boss by myself too.”
“You should have. That's only natural, so don't expect any praise.”
“…….”
“Fine. Go rest.”
“Then...”
Luckily, she let me go quickly.
Since I'd joined back a beat later than everyone else, I hurried to wash up and headed into the mansion's dining room.
A sumptuous feast welcoming the candidates' safe return had been laid out on the table.
Everyone else was already well into their meal.
“Ah, Rion. Over here!”
Helena waved me over. I sat down beside her.
“A bit late, huh? Did the young lady grab you again this time?”
“Yeah.”
“What did the young lady say?”
“Same as always. Asked if I was hurt, if I was the top performer, and said that if I was her slave, that much was only natural. Stuff like that.”
“The young lady really does worry about Rion, huh? Every time, too.”
I shook my head, denying it fiercely.
“This isn't concern. It's twisted obsession. If anyone saw it, they'd think she was my mother or something.”
“My mother...? There was a time when Rion really was just a little kid, but when did you get so tall...? This older sister is so moved she feels like crying.”
Helena made a sniffly, fake-crying show. Watching her, I was at a loss for words.
“Enough. Let's eat.”
We began eating.
When judging how excellent an organization or company is, the most intuitive and reliable metric is none other than meal quality.
Just by looking at how well the members are fed, you can tell at a glance how they're treated.
In that regard, the meals here at Edelheid were unquestionably the best.
Thick steaks packed with juices, freshly baked bread that was warm and soft, richly flavored soup, and fresh fruit besides.
If you wanted more, you could get as many refills as you liked. Food alone put it in the top 1%.
-clink, clink.
They'd put their bodies through so much that you'd think they'd eat like ravenous beasts, but perhaps because they were nobles in name, they all ate politely.
'If this were an arena, the food would be flying through the air.'
Environment shapes people.
“Ah, right. I forgot to mention it—I got a recommendation letter.”
Then the silence was broken by Bern.
“Really? From where?”
“A count's house in the south. They said that with three years of grinding as an apprentice knight here and even joining expeditions, they'd appoint me as a full knight right away.”
“Wow...”
Exclamations mixed with envy and admiration spilled out.
Edelheid's training was hell itself.
But just the fact that you'd endured that hell gave you an enormous premium in any other house.
You were treated as elite talent who had experienced real combat at the empire's greatest noble house.
“I'm jealous. I still haven't decided what to do. What about you, Euclis?”
“I'm absolutely going to become a knight of Edelheid. Rather than going to some border noble house and settling for a cushy life, I'll see this through here.”
“Hmm...”
“What's with that thoughtful hum? You trying to say someone who hasn't even caught a single monster—”
“Ah, I get it, so stop talking about that already.”
The voices of the candidates discussing their futures filled the dining hall.
Some wanted to stay in Edelheid and rise to success, while others wanted to use the value they'd gained here as a springboard to be treated well elsewhere.
Either choice was not a bad one. It was simply each person's way of living.
Of course, becoming a knight of the ducal house would be the best outcome, but unfortunately reality wasn't that kind.
One always had to keep a backup plan in mind.
“Rion, what are you going to do?”
“…….”
“Ah, right. You were a slave.”
Of course, there were also people who had no choice at all.
I wasn't disappointed anymore. I'd already been crushed enough when I first came here.
“Helena, do you have something in mind?”
“Me? Well... I think I'll probably stay here? You're the same, aren't you, Rion?”
“I don't have any other options.”
“If I'm in the same place as you, I think it'll help a lot. In many ways.”
“Hmm...”
Helena's future was clearly promising. Among the apprentice knights, she was on the stronger side. I, Rion, can vouch for that.
I didn't know what she had been like in the original story, but I figured she couldn't be too different from now.
She'd probably become an official knight of Edelheid without much trouble.
That was certainly something worth celebrating.
“How about going somewhere other than here? I think I'd like that better.”
I didn't want her to become a knight of Edelheid. I wanted her to leave this place as soon as possible.
Three years.
The reason I declared to Renoa that I would become the strongest knight within three years was because this was the year Renoa came of age.
Furthermore, it was also the year the original story's protagonist, who was the same age as her, entered the academy.
'Renoa would be the same, too.'
The real story would begin.
If I had managed to remove the root cause of all this over the past three years, there would have been no problem, but I couldn't do that.
I was too weak, and above all, as a slave, I couldn't even leave this place.
If things went wrong and the ducal house were wiped out, Helena would not come away unscathed either.
So at the very least, I wanted to get her out of here before anything happened.
“Rion... do you hate being with me?”
“Huh?”
“You suddenly said I should go somewhere else... I thought maybe you meant being in the same place as me was burdensome...”
But it seemed Helena had heard it in a different sense. The look she gave me turned forlorn.
I hurriedly explained.
“Why would I hate Helena? If it were for Helena's sake, I could throw away every candidate here.”
“What the hell, why are you picking a fight with us all of a sudden?”
“It's just a figure of speech.”
Of course I really meant it.
“Edelheid may be a ducal house, but it's still a mage house, right? The status of knights is higher in other knightly houses.”
“I guess that's true...?”
“With Helena's skills, somewhere like that should be perfectly possible. I, Rion, guarantee it.”
That wasn't empty talk.
Helena could do it.
“What about us?”
“What is it with you guys not knowing when to butt in and when to back off...? Want me to put you to the test?”
“No.”
Helena fell into thought.
“If Rion says so that strongly... okay. I'll think it over.”
“That's a wise decision.”
***
After finishing the hearty dinner, I came out for a walk to help digest it.
An evening walk through the forest manor is quite scenic.
A manor like a castle, trees all around it. Looking up at the sky, you can see countless stars twinkling.
It was a very good environment for quietly sinking into thought.
Over the past three years, I'd worked myself like a madman.
If I messed things up because I hadn't prepared, even though I knew full well what future was coming, it wouldn't end with just being called lazy.
I did my best so that even if I failed later, I could at least say, “I did everything I could.”
This was the fruit of those three years.
======
Name: Irion
Status: Apprentice Knight
Master: Renoa Edelheid
•Skills Acquired
【Chivalry】
Physical ability increases in proportion to loyalty to the master. (Current loyalty: 50%)
【Duel Mastery】
Concentration increases dramatically during one-on-one duels.
【Guardian's Oath】
A sanctuary is declared. If the user remains within the sanctuary, physical abilities increase in proportion to the sanctuary's size.
【Blessing of the Chain】
Growth efficiency increases dramatically when in slave status.
•Proficiencies
【Basic Fitness Lv.MAX】
【Top-tier Swordsmanship Lv.2】
【Mana Breathing Lv. 8】
【Mana Sensitivity Lv.7】
【Unyielding Lv.5】
【Status Effect Resistance Lv.4】
======
If I narrow it down to the useful proficiencies, it's about this much.
The key thing to point out was that my loyalty to Renoa had reached 50%.
Eating the meals she faithfully gave me for three years made it rise on its own. Like a dog that thinks the person feeding it is its master.
But that seemed to be the limit. It never rose above 50%.
Maybe because deep inside me, in some corner I wasn't even aware of, I held some resistance toward Renoa.
The Renoa now and the Renoa I knew were different, but even so.
Just as she couldn't trust me and treated me like a contract, I couldn't truly devote my loyalty to her either.
'Still, well, it's not like it has to reach 100%.'
It isn't something that rises just because I try, so I don't really mind.
Next is [Top-tier Swordsmanship], the foundation of my strength.
I figured there'd be a top tier since there was a lowest tier, and sure enough there was.
Once [Intermediate Swordsmanship] ranked up to [Advanced Swordsmanship], proficiency hardly budged, but if I kept grinding away, it still went up.
'Now it won't go up even with the Blessing of the Chain.'
It would take months of training just to get one level up, if that.
No matter what kind of training I do, it's the same.
Sparring with Zain is no different.
There's nothing left in this mansion that can teach me anymore.
So this is my best.
This is my limit for now.
I'm not sure whether I can become the strongest knight in Edelheid, but at the very least, I should be able to say I know how to handle a sword, right?
'If even this doesn't work, well, that's unfortunate.'
I've done everything I can.
A few days later, Renoa called me in. She was holding a letter.
“A letter came from the duchy. It's an order for you to come to the main house.”
At last, that day had come.