The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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“Unlike all the other fakes, this one is real.”

“……”

I had planned to rush back to my lodging and collapse on the bed, lost in thought. But thanks to the unexpected visitor, Ainel Kalia, my plans were completely upended.

Mana collects and is stored in the heart, the source of life. So when she fixed that lingering gaze at my chest, it was hard to believe she was implying I was a genuine knight unlike other impostors.

‘I think she’s one of those who have certainly figured out my level, just like Ainel mentioned.’

It seemed Eunice Kalia could discern my true capabilities among those who knew.

Otherwise, in this twisted world of gender reversal, there’s no way she’d gaze so confidently at a man’s chest and whisper into his ear without hesitation.

‘But then again, she’s the eldest daughter of the Kalia family.’

Moreover, Eunice was publicly recognized as a sword expert, comparable to Siabel.

Renowned as one of the exceptional knights from the Eastern lands, she was nearly beyond the entry-level realm of swordsmanship.

If she had witnessed my swordplay during yesterday’s chaotic encounters with demons, she would have surely grasped my skill to some extent.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

How was I supposed to overcome this trial and return to my room to sneak in a nap? After deep contemplation,

“Ray, do you still need a little more time to think?”

Seeing that intense look on Eunice’s face, I decided to drop a hint.

“That’s not fair at all. And furthermore… it seems difficult to discuss this right now.”

Eunice had mentioned Mana, which Ainel would eventually help me sort out, so there was no need to agree to anything right then.

Though I was indeed a cowardly, weak slave. I carried the Shianella insignia over my heart, and as a legitimate member of the Count’s House.

I thought if I gently declined, Eunice would eventually let me go.

“That’s not fair? But you mentioned it. Mana. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Eunice drew even closer, with what could only be described as an insistence.

At this rate, just like that ear-pierced girl, it was obvious she’d rush over to cling to me as soon as word spread I’d shown my face at the royal castle.

I shook my head with an awkward smile, formally ending our conversation and began to walk away again.

Eunice’s voice came from behind me once more.

“Sell me your time.”

“……?”

“The Shianella and Kalia families had an unusually prominent feud in the past. Hence, the relationship between our two families has been murky ever since.”

“…What do you mean by mentioning that to me?”

“If you were to sell me your time, the Shianella family could win my favor as the next head of the Kalia family. As you mentioned, forging a deep connection with the young lady of the Marquis family, who is indefinitely close to the Duke’s family, would be a missed opportunity if it slipped away.”

…It seemed there had been some sort of incident between the Shianella and Kalia families.

Ainel simply introduced Eunice Kalia as the noblewoman Shione should talk to, without providing any further details about the Kalia family.

I paused at her words.

“That’s not all. If you grant my request… I’ll prepare a small gift for you as well. It’s not a bad deal for a brief conversation, is it?”

Eunice seemed pleased that I was now paying attention to her, smiling with a subtle allure.

“If Lady Shianella asks about your whereabouts, I’ll gladly mention my name. After all, it’s something that can’t be helped, right? Who could refuse such an invitation from a young lady of a prominent family? Even if—”

“…….”

“I am just a commoner without a surname, serving as a maid to Shianella.”

Eventually, I found myself accepting Eunice’s implication as she began to boast about her status.

“…If you’re referring to yesterday’s events, you must mean the incident that occurred during the coming-of-age ceremony.”

Upon my remark, Eunice began to radiate a sense of satisfaction.

It was only natural. My acknowledgment of being a genuine knight without dismissing it outright implied I could handle Mana too.

Eunice hurriedly replied to ensure this chance wouldn’t slip away.

“Yes, and among those, I want to hear about your achievements, not the feats of Shione Shianella or Ainel Shianella─”

She pulled back slightly, distancing herself as if to create some space.

“I’d really like to hear about your accomplishments. Would that be alright?”

“My only achievement is that I took down a couple of demons during a sword clash… it probably won’t be a very thrilling story.”

Eunice shook her head at my words.

Her brown hair swayed gently in the sunlight.

With a bright yet warm color, her charming smile grew wider as it transformed completely.

As her smile solidified, my intuition began to alert me.

Something more troublesome was about to occur.

“Don’t worry. There’s a much more fun way to hear Ray’s heroic tale than just sitting and listening.”

“Excuse me…?”

“Isn’t the heroic tale just that—something to hear while sitting still? What else could there be?”

By now, she had completed her smile and was tugging on my sleeve, pulling me in.

“Follow me!”

“…Where are we going?”

“My room!”

“Uh… Eunice’s room?”

“Yes! Is there a problem with that?”

If there were problems, there would be plenty.

Why couldn’t we just finish this conversation where we were instead of going all the way to her room?

And why was she dragging someone she just met?

If my status had been suitable, I could’ve interrogated her about it right now.

As I silently frowned at her absurd behavior, Eunice seemed to realize it with a mischievous smile.

“Ah—. Don’t worry. I won’t do anything strange. I’m not that kind of daring girl, you know?”

“…….”

…Despite thinking I had adapted enough to this madness already.

What on earth had I just heard?

It seemed I was destined to never adapt to this insane world of gender reversal.

*

Eventually, I found myself dragged helplessly into Eunice’s room.

Eunice swiftly entered her space, heading towards one corner, while I followed slowly, surveying the layout.

The structure itself wasn’t too different from Shione’s.

Except, Eunice’s room had remarkably fewer pieces of furniture.

It looked like she had cleared out everything aside from essentials like a bed and wardrobe. I couldn’t find a single decorative item. Consequently, the space felt relatively vast.

Just as I finished observing the room, Eunice returned to me.

“So, shall we start the conversation?”

Sure, starting a conversation sounded good… but…

“What’s that you’re holding in your hand?”

“This is a practice wooden sword. I feel uneasy if I don’t train at least once a day.”

Why on earth would someone mentally unstable bring a wooden sword to a conversation? And not just one, but two, one in each hand.

As I watched Eunice, I could feel a slight headache beginning to brew.

“Talking about heroic tales is dull when sitting idle. I’d rather hear it while you reenact the events.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course! And… about Mana too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Please handle Mana at the same level as you did at that time.”

“Ha.”

Eunice Kalia was a special case. Not just any kind of special, but an extraordinary one.

“I genuinely don’t understand what you mean by that request, Eunice.”

Eunice didn’t care for my words, handing me one of the wooden swords.

“Didn’t I tell you? Ever since I was little, I wanted to see a genuine knight.”

“And what does that mean?”

“It means I want to witness the fact that you are a true knight. A knight who wields mana and cuts down foes for my lord.”

After saying that, Eunice backed up and began to loosen her wrist.

“I’ve heard that long ago, in the age of myths when demons and monsters appeared, the sacred powers and mana emerged. Back in those days, everything related to knights and war was reserved for men.”

She loosened her wrist and performed simple stretches to invigorate her body.

“Even if it all sounds like a tall tale. Men were revered for fighting on the front lines, especially knights, who were honored to die defending their beliefs.”

Eunice’s words were laced with a deep-seated resentment.

As I ruminated on the knight from the Marquis family towards whom she held this grudge, Eunice began drawing her mana and building up her momentum.

“I told you. I’ve always wanted to meet a true knight, whether in days gone by or now.”

“……”

“I hope you’re not a fraud like Allen Kalia, but instead reveal the real potential you possess as a knight.”

“……”

“A proper assessment of that wouldn’t come without crossing swords, would it?”

She smiled sweetly at me as she finished speaking.

“Unlike our Allen, I expect to see the true knight I admire. Is that expectation reasonable?”

I nodded vaguely at Eunice’s words.

Her speech dragged on, and I missed a few parts, but I grasped her intent.

What she wanted was to see a proper knight, unlike her brother flaunting his nonchalant demeanor.

The reason she handed me the wooden sword was likely to gauge my ability to wield mana and swordsmanship as a proper knight.

With the thought of appeasing her and returning to my lodging swiftly in mind, I began to operate my mana with a lackluster expression.

Following Eunice’s instructions to unleash the full extent of my mana wasn’t necessary.

Even if she requested so, I had no obligation to comply.

After all, this wasn’t even training that mimicked a genuine duel; it was just a suitable explanation and reenactment of what occurred yesterday.

All I needed was to display convincing swordsmanship and an adequate level of mana control—that would suffice.

“Initially, the enemy attempted to harm the princess with a short blade.”

“In this way?”

“Yes, then I—”

Clang!

The sound of the wooden swords clashing erupted loudly.

Thanks to the mana-augmented body, I possessed strength exceeding the usual.

I didn’t know how long the swords could hold up, but the quicker they broke, the quicker this would all end.

I continued narrating as Eunice matched my actions.

“To evade the thrust aimed at my throat, I swung my sword to strike at his wrist, but he succeeded in blocking.”

Clang!

“I then aimed for his neck, and he tried to deflect my sword as he closed in.”

Creak, creak.

Eunice’s wooden sword slid against mine.

“Simultaneously, he deflected my sword to the side.”

Clang!

“I aimed to slice across his torso, but that too was thwarted.”

Thud!

“The next moment turned into a contest of strength.”

“…You’re strong.”

“I’ve reinforced my body using mana.”

With both of us locked in a distance where we could feel each other’s breath, I wondered why I was embroiled in this ridiculous situation instead of heading back to rest.

After chuckling at the absurdity of it all, I resumed my explanation.

“So I parried his blade with the bridge of my nose, using the sword’s hilt.”

Whoosh!

Suddenly increasing my speed, I twisted my sword thanks to the mana flowing rapidly.

Caught off guard by my sudden attack, Eunice moved her sword.

Clang!

Creak…

The wooden sword Eunice was holding cracked, before ultimately breaking and cascading to the floor.

“…And thus, I took his neck.”

Unlike Eunice’s broken sword, mine halted just before her throat.

She looked into my eyes while surveying the wooden sword positioned so closely to her neck.

“Ray, it seems you truly might be the knight I’ve been admiring.”

She raised her hands in playful surrender.

Taking a step back, Eunice slowly exhaled, closing her eyes and dormanting her mana.

“Ha…”

Upon releasing her breath, she opened her eyes again.

Her obsidian-like gaze was focused solely on me.

“It makes me envious of Lady Shianella. To have a knight like you at her side.”

“……”

“I also wish for someone like you… If only the Kalia family had defended the kingdom against the Demonic Realm, like the Shianella family, perhaps I could have had you.”

I answered her in silence.

Despite my lack of response, Eunice skillfully continued the conversation.

“Well, for now, I’ll be content creating a connection like this. After all, obsessive women aren’t held in high regard.”

With her closing remarks, we exchanged a few more words before concluding our dialogue.

Finally, just as I thought about turning to leave,

“Oh, Ray.”

Eunice called my name.

“I caught a glimpse this morning from a distance and didn’t catch the full story, but—”

Whatever I had discussed this morning, it definitely seemed related to that ear-pierced girl.

Without any hesitation, I turned back to face Eunice again.

“You should avoid being charmed by the elves. It’s best not to trust them too deeply.”

Her smile held a chilly demeanor as she spoke.

“The elves I’ve witnessed while guarding the borders… despite what is commonly believed, they have surprising cunning and self-serving traits. Do you understand?”

“…I’ll take it to heart.”

I responded to her words with a light smile.

How could she see through the true essence of the elves?

I found myself nodding in agreement with her statement, feeling compelled to give her a perfect score of praise.

*

After Ray left, Eunice Kalia sat on her bed.

Looking at the broken sword, she broke into a faint but bright smile.

“I’ve finally seen the real thing—”

Smiling softly, Eunice lay back on her bed, gently closing her eyes.

As she brushed her hair aside, she whispered in peaceful tones.

“Now I won’t even care about pretentious fakes anymore…”

Then, she quietly gazed at the door where Ray had exited.

“I hope we can meet again in our territory next time.”