The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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“…That statement, it must all be true.”

“Of course.”

It is the truth.

I might have exaggerated a bit, but Friel perfectly sees through the underlying meaning of what I said.

Thanks to my abilities, I gave up my connections with eccentric and obstinate dwarves who were hard to convince and unreliable.

I struggled through various hardships to obtain a useful elven bow, only to be treated as a fool who was being taken advantage of by those bastards.

Moreover, I even lost some of my loved ones, including my romantic partner, because of their arrogance.

I’ve been wronged that much.

I can confidently say that few humans understand and convey elven ideology as deeply as I do.

But still.

My radical statements probably didn’t instill solid trust in Ainel.

Ainel couldn’t easily believe my words.

“Do you know what role the Arielte family plays in the Great Forest?”

I shook my head cleanly at Ainel’s question.

How would a servant of the Count’s house in the western part of the kingdom, especially one at the end of it, hear news about the Great Forest on the eastern border?

Furthermore, elves, who rarely come out of the forest, have limited information.

I have no knowledge of the houses or politics of these world’s earring-wearing folks.

“The Arielte family is one of the three families recognized by the High Elves for their authority.”

“Authority, you say…?”

“An authority that grants them the right to guard and manage the World Tree up close, sharing the blessings of the spirits. The highest rank guaranteed under the reign of the High Elves who rule as kings.”

Not only do they manage the World Tree, but they also are a family blessed by spirits, known for their outstanding spirit affinity from birth.

No matter how elven one is, I wondered how they could easily detect the spirit’s scent I purposely concealed.

There was a reason for everything.

They surely enhanced their already sensitive noses with the blessings of the spirits. It would be strange if they couldn’t sense anything.

Friel Arielte was, surprisingly, a daughter of a higher-ranking family than I thought.

“The Arielte family is one of the families managing the World Tree alongside the High Elves. It is a family that the High Elves meticulously selected, renowned for their integrity and willingness to dedicate their entire lives to the World Tree. Do you understand what I mean?”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Then I will ask you again. Did the daughter of the Arielte family truly speak those words?”

Thanks to Friel’s powerful backing, Ainel seemed endlessly suspicious of my words; she might need to get hit in the back of the head by an elf to wake up.

I didn’t shrink back from Ainel’s question and nodded.

“While I cannot speak for the other members of the Arielte family, at least the Friel Arielte I spoke with this morning—”

“Contrary to the commonly known virtue of integrity… she straightforwardly revealed her sticky greed to me.”

“Not fitting with the word loyalty, she stated that whether it belonged to Shianella or not, she would obtain it by whatever means she desired.”

I paused my words briefly and exchanged glances with Ainel.

Not focusing on the atmosphere or emotions, but peering into each other’s true intentions.

The coldness in Ainel’s gaze, which she bore as a knight, or rather, as the head of a family, was quite chilling.

And that was encouraging.

At least it meant she wasn’t brushing my words off as nonsense, but was properly listening.

“I sincerely hope that you harbor suspicions rather than deep trust toward Friel Arielte.”

In this situation, where we were facing each other across the table, a heavy silence hung between Ainel and me.

Swoosh.

Ainel, moving her arm, rested her chin in her hand, lost in her thoughts.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

With her remaining hand, she rhythmically tapped the table with her index finger.

I silently waited for her decision, observing her usual behavior when she got deep in thought.

After a while, still propping her chin, she looked up at me and spoke.

“Can you take responsibility for what you said?”

That was the answer I had so eagerly wanted.

It seemed Ainel had decided to lean towards trusting my words rather than the earring-wearing folk she had never genuinely conversed with.

Well, it’s not like she wasn’t capable of turning the broad-shouldered daughter of a giant into a person, and since I had saved her multiple times from impending dangers, my strength and loyalty had proven enough so far.

Honestly, if she hadn’t sided with me here, I would’ve been a bit offended.

“‘Responsibility’ means—”

There shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Those elves who had nothing to lose were the ones being suspicious.

What Friel told me was all true.

I could just casually say I would take responsibility.

“I will.”

With that said, I momentarily extended both hands towards her.

As if asking Ainel, who was resting her slender chin in her hand, to allow me to take her hand.

“Hmm—”

Ainel let out a disinterested voice, but I didn’t care.

Despite such a reaction, she placed her hand over mine as if to say ‘give it a try.’

I slightly bowed my head to show my gratitude to her.

Then, I put a gentle smile on my face.

At that moment—

“Hmm…?”

I raised Ainel’s small, white hand onto my chest.

Her hand, small and delicate, which one would never suspect could belong to a knight, was paradoxically filled with calluses, making it all the more knightly.

The feel of those hardened hands against my chest was felt surely.

I stole a glance at Ainel’s face, momentarily both startled and surprised.

Her eyelids, which had been thin and long, opened.

From her round eyes, I could see the complex emotions dwelling in her blue pupils.

With that smile remaining in place, I firmly held onto Ainel’s hand as she tried to retract it.

“Responsibility… There’s nothing of value on my part; if you wish for me to be responsible with my body, I’ll gladly dedicate this very body—”

I gently released her hand, which had been resting peacefully on my heart, where the rhythm of life was felt, bringing it to my neck.

The cold sensation of Ainel’s hand climbing my neck was etched against my skin.

I tightly held onto her hand with both of mine to ensure she couldn’t pull away.

“If my body holds no value, I would gladly offer my life to take responsibility for the weight of my words.”

Right now, Ainel could easily snap my neck if she wanted.

A knight, bordering on a sword master, possesses monstrous strength even without using mana.

Ainel was likely the same.

I spoke with a smile, accompanied by an act to heighten my persuasiveness.

Ainel lifted one side of her mouth.

“Ha.”

She seemed torn between discomfort and amusement at this situation.

“…So that’s why Shione was captivated by you. No, was that your intention all along?”

“…Huh?”

What on earth was she talking about all of a sudden?

As I stared blankly, Ainel laughed as if she found it absurd.

“You don’t seem aware of your own actions.”

With that, Ainel withdrew her hand from my neck, adding one more remark.

“Should I consider this extraordinary, or should it be deemed foolish…?”

Ainel, once again propping her chin with her retrieved hand, scanned my face one more time.

“I can handle matters concerning spirit magic, so you can go to Shione now.”

Ainel, who had disentangled her legs, stood up from her seat.

“Concerning the daughter of the Arielte family… I shall keep your words in mind.”

Fortunately.

I was able to rise from my seat with a light heart.

*

Now that my conversation with Ainel had concluded, there was no longer a reason to linger in her quarters.

I promptly exited her room.

Unlike the warmth of her room, the air in the hallway felt a bit cold and heavy.

“Phew…”

Having faced off against one earring-wearing girl since morning, and unexpectedly having a private audience with Ainel, I was already drained.

Now, I had to deal with my troublesome master who would want to cuddle instead.

What in the world would I do if I was already feeling this worn out?

I shook my head vigorously to clear away my distractions and stood before the door of the next room.

Shione’s room; knocking was unnecessary.

It was obvious that this girl would have fallen asleep without locking the door.

I could simply barge in and wake her up, thus resuming my disrupted routine.

Just as I boldly opened the door and stepped into her room—

“Nyah…!”

What on earth was going on?

Nyah?

As soon as that absurd sound reached me, something bumped into me, leaving me momentarily confused.

“Princess Shione?”

Having just woken up from her bed, Shione, in a disheveled state, seemed utterly surprised at my presence.

Looking down at her, Shione, perhaps feeling embarrassed about this situation, couldn’t lift her head, fidgeting with her toes, then hurriedly scampered back into her bed.

…What’s wrong with her this morning?

I slowly closed the door behind me and walked over to her bed, asking.

“May I ask if you were planning to go somewhere?”

Shione poked just her face out from the covers.

Lately, she had been so proud and manly… no, womanly.

Seeing her cute reaction after so long made me feel a hint of my fatigue dissipate.

Well, back when she used to hide herself like this under the covers, she didn’t bring around nearly as many obligations as she does now.

As that thought crossed my mind and while I observed Shione, she cautiously began to speak.

“…Ray, I was going to go find you.”

“Me?”

“You hadn’t shown up this morning, so… I was wondering if something had happened…”

Shione covered half of her face with the blanket.

With only her eyes and snowy white hair visible, she started glancing cautiously at me.

That girl, showing such concern.

While I felt a little proud of Shione’s words, I couldn’t quite muster a purely cheerful smile.

Despite her concerns, everything had already blown up.

I breathed out a helpless smile as a sign of my gratitude.

“Thank you for your concern.”

At my words, a bright light flickered in Shione’s eyes.

“If you’re grateful…”

She hesitated slightly before continuing.

“C-could you… pat me a little…?”

Her face turned red for some reason.

Her voice bore a hint of discontent, as if dragging along the floor.

I took a step closer to Shione.

“Could you repeat that, please?”

“I said… to pat me…”

“…Huh?”

“You are planning something, aren’t you, Ray?”

“Your voice is far too soft. I will approach closer to hear you.”

With that, I bent down, reducing the space between Shione, who was curled up under the blanket, and me.

“Now tell me, would you?”

Shione eventually whispered in my ear.

“…Pat me.”

…What? “Pat me”?!

Did she have a nightmare or something?

Why on earth would she make such a request in the morning?

“…Huh?”

I asked again, incredulously.

“Eek…!!”

Unable to restrain herself, Shione ultimately dove back into the confines of her blanket.

I let out a chuckle at her reaction.

Watching her like that sparked a bit of mischief within me.

I decided to say something playfully amusing with an eager smile.

“If you call me ‘oppa’… I’ll do exactly as you wish, how does that sound?”

“…What?”

“Yes, if you call me ‘oppa,’ I’ll gladly pat you.”

“Y-you’re serious…?”

Shione seemed bewildered, falling into a deep contemplation.

Well, I wasn’t sure how something like this could trigger such deep thought.

It seemed like a momentous decision, the kind that required extensive pondering.

As I silently observed her, it became clear Shione had reached a decision, her eyes sparkling with determination.

“…Oppa.”

“Could you say that once more, please?”

“…Ray oppa.”

“…Huh?”

“Ray… you truly wish to die, don’t you?”

With an adequate amount of teasing done, I casually patted her head.

Fortunately, the growling Shione had returned to purring, just like that.

As I stood behind her, gently patting her head, I also tidied her messy hair.

“It just so happens, Shione. Do you mind telling me why you’re unusually late today?”

“That’s because… I ended up talking with Ainel.”

“Your mother?”

“Yes. There was an incident this morning.”

Shione tilted her head, and I slowly responded to her inquiry.

“There was an elf who saw through the spirit power I possess and ordered me to become theirs.”

Upon hearing my words, Shione’s cheerful expression vanished.

The giggles she had just shared were replaced with a deadpan face, her eyes taking on a distant gaze as she locked eyes with me.

“What did you just say?”