The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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For a moment, I gently ruffled Shione’s hair and then subtly nudged her shoulder.

Shione, upon feeling my push, released her arms that were softly hugging me and stepped back.

I couldn’t help but check my clothes as she distanced herself from me. I was worried whether the blood that stained her annoying dress had transferred to mine.

It felt a bit gross, but fortunately, it seemed that the blood on her clothes had dried up, leaving my outfit relatively clean.

I tilted my head.

Shione looked up at me with those big eyes, almost like a small animal, as if questioning why I was acting so strangely.

I glanced down at her dress and said,

“First, let’s change out of that dress before we continue.”

“Oh.”

Only then did Shione remember her attire.

The front of her blue dress had not only transformed into a brownish hue from dried blood but her skirt had been torn off during the battle, leaving her slender, pale legs exposed.

Blood splatters were just part of the ordeal when we were clashing blades, after all.

And her bare legs were only just above the knees, so it wasn’t too embarrassing, was it?

“Ugh…”

Seeing Shione lower her head and let out a groan made it clear to me that she had finally realized how she must have looked when she was clinging to me.

I took care of Shione, who required quite a bit of attention, and before I knew it—

She quietly slipped into bed.

While Shione lay on the bed talking to me, she seemed quite exhausted from the day’s events and soon drifted off to sleep.

I, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, was about to stand up and return to my room to rest.

“…Ray.”

In a daze, Shione, with half-closed eyes, looked at me and grabbed my hand.

As I tried to rise, she gently pulled me back, seemingly wanting me to sit again.

“Could you stay next to me?”

Seriously? I’m dying here, and you want me to stick around by your side?

“I’m feeling so worn out that even my body feels heavy… shouldn’t it be better for me to rest a little?”

That was an absurd request.

I’m sorry, but I need a break too.

*

In the end, I stayed by Shione’s side until she fell asleep, and the moment I noticed her breathing become steady, I quickly slipped out of her room and returned to my own.

Thud.

Collapsing onto my bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

I was exhausted.

Even this plush bed couldn’t take away my fatigue.

“If this keeps up, I’d rather go catch one more Arachne.”

After three full days of non-stop chaos, I was completely wrecked.

On the first day, I went with Shione to buy dresses, which led to all sorts of trouble involving Noah.
The second day, we were at the banquet hall only to catch the princess’s attention, not to mention almost losing my dignity thanks to this shameless lady.
And the cherry on top was attending Adelhaite’s coming-of-age ceremony, which turned into this disaster.

“Seriously, what the hell.”

What is it about Shione that, since we arrived in the capital, she manages to create a new task every single day?

Right now, she felt like a bigger headache than the Demon Worshippers.

“Ugh…”

I let out a sigh, finally managing to shake off my pent-up frustrations.

Yeah, it’s too late to regret now. I’ll just have to tough it out.

With that thought, I slowly closed my eyes and checked the newly popped-up status window once again.

[Quest Complete.]

The first thing that caught my eye was the message stating that I had completed a quest.

I cleared out the useless extra info crowding the status window and checked out the reward concerning the historical alteration that had come through.

The reward I obtained this time was:

[Adelhaite Aisiliah begins to take a path different from the existing history.]
[History begins to flow in a more positive direction.]
[Those heroes, who had fallen into obscurity before the light could shine upon them, will have the opportunity to rise again.]

A greater increase in high-level allies who will stand against the demons approaching.

And—

[History begins to be drastically re-altered around you.]
[Your relationships with key figures across the continent will deepen.]
[The chance of intersecting paths with key figures increases.]

“Damn.”

Shione alone is already too much to handle.

Now I’m also supposed to deal with connections to major names across the continent?

I never thought checking the status would just add to my stress.

I irritably closed the status window and buried my face into the pillow.

Please, dear God, I hope tomorrow could just pass quietly.

*

A new day dawned.

Fresh morning air streamed through the slightly opened window, clearing my mind, and the crisp autumn breeze helped me wake up fully as I got ready.

Today, unlike yesterday, I planned to leave my black ensemble behind.

That said, I certainly had no intention of taking my bow along.

Who in their right mind would stroll around the royal castle equipped with a bow and quiver?

The castle guards must be on high alert, and since no quests popped up, I doubted I’d run into any danger.

There’s no point in carrying around that sharp hunk of iron when all it would do is be a burden.

I stepped out of my lodging and walked over to Shione’s quarters across the way.

Since it was early morning, there were hardly any people around besides the occasional visible guards.

I wasn’t hearing or seeing any of the stares or whispers that plagued me yesterday, so I took the opportunity to enjoy the warm morning sunlight while strolling leisurely.

“Wait, is that…?”

An elf.

It was the same elf who smiled brightly and waved when our eyes met, gliding toward me from a distance.

My eyes narrowed as I watched the elf approach slowly.

‘Oh crap. Really.’

This could be troublesome.

Elves can sense spirits, after all.

To put it in their own words, those bound to the spirit of the wind smell like fresh grass, while those tied to the fire spirit might carry the scent of burning wood.

If this elf got close enough, she’d probably catch a whiff of grass burning.

‘No way around it… sigh, it’s probably too late.’

The elf’s turquoise eyes were already locked onto me, capturing each of my movements.

Elves do not easily let go of things that pique their curiosity.

If I tried to escape, she’d likely follow and strike up a conversation.

I did my best to hide the presence of my spirit, ignoring her gaze entirely as I continued to move forward, focused only straight ahead.

But of course,

Just as I was about to pass by the elf—

“Excuse me—”

With a bright, playful smile, as if she’d found a delightful new toy, the elf turned her body toward me, her melodious voice reaching my ears.

“Weren’t you the one who took down the demon yesterday?”

I met her gaze, doing my best to maintain a calm demeanor despite her words.

“…Yes, I got lucky and managed to take down a few.”

“Ah, I knew my eyes weren’t deceiving me! Your performance yesterday was incredible. If I were to borrow a human phrase, you were like a knight in shining armor!”

“You’re too kind.”

“Too kind? How could that be—”

I noticed the glint in the elf’s eyes start to shine mischievously.

“A mere human like you, not even a beastkin, accomplishing such feats all on your own? Especially when that dreadful creature tried to attack the princess.”

Clearly, this golden-haired elf had been quietly observing everything from the start.

“That demon’s attack was swift and heavy. I thought there was no way you could withstand it.”

With a smile frozen in place, her scrutinizing green eyes sharpened.

“You, however, managed to easily parry it.”

Those piercing green eyes felt almost sharp against my skin.

“I thought you must be handling mana at quite the proficient level.”

Of course. It seemed this elf had noticed I could wield mana when talking about Adelhaite.

That made things even more complicated.

Elves can be quite possessive and greedy regarding their prowess.

An ordinary human who decisively slain two demons could certainly catch the attention of an elf, who would likely see me as a prized pet or treasure.

Knowing the kind of trouble that could arise by getting entangled with an elf, I tried to play it cool, responding to her compliments with a natural smile.

“Oh, just a simple man like me wielding mana? You flatter me far too much.”

Grooming her hair, which shone even brighter in the sunlight, the elf began to stroke her chin leisurely.

“Considering what you just said, it seems your smile is much too stiff, don’t you think?”

“Uh…? What do you mean by that…?”

“Well, I imagine you hold even greater strength beyond mere mana. Saying you only have a proficient level of control over it wouldn’t quite satisfy you. So I will ask,”

The elf took a step closer to me, closing the distance with each movement.

I stepped back little by little, trying to keep my composure.

But then, whoosh!

The elf grabbed my collar, pulling me toward her.

Inhaling my scent, she presented a captivating smile as those cherry-like lips parted.

“Okay, I’ll let you slide with the mana… but how is it possible that a human, and not even an elf, is exuding the essence of a spirit?”