The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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My interest in Shione’s servant began quite some time ago.

It all started the day Shione threw her sword in front of Diolia, her swordsmanship teacher.

I thought she would never touch a sword again, let alone come near the training grounds.

But after my mother assigned Shione a new servant, she started to change.

It was fascinating.

How could just one new servant lead to such a transformation in Shione?

I wanted to ask her about it immediately, but I couldn’t.

It had been a long time since I last interacted with her.

Moreover, my younger sister felt extremely burdened by conversations with me.

As time passed, I eventually folded my curiosity away in my heart. Then, Shione visited me.

“…Mother has commanded me and my sister to hunt monsters in the Beltlin Mountains.”

On the very day she returned from the Feiosha Marquis Family, Shione spoke words that rekindled my interest.

“Can I move along with my attendant? My mana has awakened… and my archery skills are quite good, so I won’t be a burden.”

What if I refuse? The anxiety crept in.

Yet, I had faith in my servant’s abilities.

What on Earth had happened for Shione to show such feelings?

My curiosity only grew.

“It will be a task to climb the mountain and hunt monsters. I don’t think an untrained man can keep up.”

“He is different.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Shione began to defend her servant.

He had more than enough stamina to climb the mountain and possessed a peculiar archery skill that could pierce moving targets.

She even rambled on about how well he handled a sword, trying to persuade me.

Ultimately, I granted Shione’s request.

“Very well, let it be so.”

I was confident that one attendant was more than capable of keeping up with him.

Above all, I was curious about who could earn Shione’s deep trust.

As we hunted monsters in the Beltlin Mountains together, the sight of him exceeded my imagination.

Not only did he stick closely to Shione, expertly teaching her archery, but when goblins charged at her, he pierced one’s head without a moment’s hesitation.

His demeanor suggested he was quite accustomed to hunting monsters.

“I’m certain Mother said there was nothing special about simply awakening mana.”

His abilities completely contrasted with what my mother had briefly mentioned about him.

Just like the first time I gripped a sword under Mother’s guidance.

Curiosity swelled within me.

Thus, I inquired through Shione’s conversation.

“I remember someone said that it was your servant who taught you archery. Is he the one?”

“Yes. Ray taught me archery separately.”

“A servant taught you archery instead of a dedicated instructor…?”

“He mentioned that he had learned archery briefly in the past. He doesn’t just teach well, but… he’s trustworthy.”

“Oh.”

He had briefly been trained in archery.

But his outstanding skills were hard to believe for someone who had only learned for a short period.

His technique was unlike that of ordinary archers, only sharp and keen like that of the Shianella archers.

“Well, it’s true he had a keen skill comparable to our Count’s archers, if only briefly.”

I crossed my arms and stared at Shione’s servant, Ray.

“Intriguing.”

Everything about him was fresh.

From the way he openly disliked my scrutiny to the moments he tried to hide it.

He was a different type of person I had never encountered before.

Just as much as I observed Shione, I began to carefully watch him too.

And the turning point came the next day when we faced an orc.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

The soldiers failed to stop the orc.

The enraged orc charged toward Shione, who had been shooting arrows from a distance, and she froze in fear, unable to dodge.

Even if I ran toward it, I wasn’t sure if I would reach it in time to slice its neck.

The tension started rising in my chest.

Once I hurriedly took down the orc before me, I realized something unbelievable was unfolding.

“Uh…?”

I let out a foolish mumble.

My gaze was fixed on Shione’s servant.

“Hah…”

As Ray let out a sigh, the wind started to pick up around him.

It wasn’t just any ordinary wind; I had already sensed that.

“No way.”

Though he tried his best to conceal it, the almost imperceptible magical aura revealed that he had used magic.

Moments later, he swiftly saved Shione.

It was unbelievable.

Was he really a man handling proper magic, not just some feeble fire spark?

I stared at Ray, who had rolled on the ground after defeating the orc threatening Shione.

“Magic?”

At my words, I saw Ray’s gaze harden as he held Shione.

Seeing him react, I realized I wasn’t hallucinating.

While I was checking if Shione was all right, my focus shifted back to that servant.

Curiosity and doubt burgeoned within me, and that blossomed interest zeroed in on him.

So when night fell and the soldiers were asleep, I called for him.

“Wait. We have something to discuss, don’t we?”

“Discuss something?”

“Don’t play coy. Follow me.”

We ventured into the woods away from the camp, where we began to talk.

“I’ll be direct. That magic you used earlier today. How could a man like you possibly wield it?”

“Magic? You mean when I threw myself to save Shione?”

“Exactly. You understand.”

“…It is said that when a person is desperate, they can unleash superhuman strength.”

“It seems you have no intention of confessing the truth.”

“How could a man like me handle magic? That’s impossible.”

He clearly had no intention of easily agreeing to my inquiries.

With a nonchalant attitude, he denied my question.

Yet despite that, I remained unshaken.

“So, are you saying the mana I felt moving wasn’t real and that what my eyes perceived was an illusion?”

He had used magic, something I had witnessed and felt firsthand.

“Don’t try to evade. It won’t work on me.”

Unfortunately for him, his flimsy excuses didn’t hold any weight with me.

“…Please keep it secret from others.”

“I vow by the name of Shianella. I shall keep your ability to wield magic a secret.”

Finally, I got the answer I desired.

A thrill surged through my heart at the thought of something new.

A male wizard.

Wasn’t that something that had only existed in legends or stories now standing before me?

What I briefly witnessed of his magic was insufficient.

I wanted to see more of his magic.

“Can you show me your magic?”

Ray nodded.

“Of course.”

With that, a flame appeared atop his hand.

It was definitive magic. But this alone was not enough.

Creating a single flame might be rare, but I’m sure some men could manage it.

What I wanted wasn’t this trivial magic.

Once again, as if to prove that was just the beginning, a gentle breeze began to flow around him.

The mana-infused wind spun around us, and the flame he conjured beautifully soared along with it.

“Wow.”

I found the sight immensely beautiful.

Under the faint moonlight, a delicate veil of fire surrounded us, creating quite the mesmerizing scene.

Soon after he extinguished the magic.

I quietly watched him.

I felt a craving.

Until now, I had only felt this depth of excitement with swords.

But at this moment, nothing was as fascinating as the man in front of me.

I felt sorry for Shione, but—

“This is fun.”

To the point I wanted to possess it.

*

I stared blankly at the status window for a moment.

So merely feeling this sense of fun would improve my mana efficiency?

Not to mention,

Not just Shione, but my abilities had also improved concerning matters related to Siabel—something I could never have imagined.

‘Well, there’s no harm in that.’

Regardless of the reason, improving mana efficiency would certainly be a significant help.

The spirit magic I practiced inherently relied on summoning spirits.

When I summoned without spirits and drew on only my mana, the amount required doubled.

That meant I was always low on mana.

But as my mana efficiency improved, I would be able to handle the spirit magic more adeptly, which had always been a burden.

‘Then… what about Sion or Ainel?’

When I completed quests related to Shione, both my spirit magic and total mana increased.

When I captured Siabel’s interest, my mana efficiency improved.

Based on my relationship with the people of Shianella, my abilities continued to develop…

Perhaps there was something hidden about Sion Shianella or Ainel Shianella as well.

Just then, as I got lost in thought in front of Siabel, she approached me with a warm smile.

“You’re impressive. You’ve never received formal magic training, have you?”

“…My background is humble, so I’ve never received formal training.”

“Is that true?”

“How could I possibly lie to you, Lady Siabel?”

Siabel chuckled softly.

“Didn’t you just say you couldn’t handle magic until a little while ago?”

“That was—”

“Well, I’ll let that pass.”

“…Thank you.”

Hearing her tease me seemed to amuse Siabel greatly, and as I suppressed my rising irritation, she suddenly spoke up.

“In the future, when it’s just the two of us, I’ll expect you to speak more casually.”

“Eh? Just the two of us?”

“What? Are you dissatisfied?”

“No, not at all.”

I pondered whether there would really be times when it was just Siabel and me, but since there was no need to provoke her mood, I chose to obey her words for now.

Thus, I conversed with her, answering her questions.

As the conversation wrapped up and time passed comfortably, I finally spoke up.

“Please keep it a secret that I can handle magic.”

“Don’t worry.”

With those words, Siabel’s previously cold demeanor vanished, and she smiled like an innocent child.

“I have no intention of telling anyone.”