The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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I rolled my eyes and glanced aside.

Deolia’s sword passed close to my head, reflecting my bewildered expression.

I turned my head to look back at her.

“Well…”

She was genuinely surprised.

Not just by my swift reaction to deflect her sword aimed directly at my throat.

I clenched my jaw at this sight of hers.

Her reputation was well-known in the Count’s House, and during her journey to the Feiosha Marquis Family, I had thought of Deolia as an honorable and trustworthy knight.

But looking closely, that didn’t seem to be the case.

If her character were genuinely honorable, she wouldn’t be trying to stab the weaker neck of a man, right?

I held back my rising anger and spoke.

“That’s dangerous, you know.”

“Of course, I intended to stop my sword right in front of your neck. But—”

Deolia pulled back her sword and continued.

“I didn’t expect you to deflect it so easily.”

“Easily,” huh?

That was quite an understatement.

Deolia wouldn’t know how my heart raced to get that sword aside before it was too late.

“Is it because you awakened your mana? You seem faster than the average men who react.”

She nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied with her own deduction.

I asked her in a nonchalant tone.

“Was there any specific reason you aimed for my neck right from the start?”

“Of course.”

What on earth could justify creating such a heart-pounding situation?

I steadied my breathing and waited for her answer.

“Lady Siabel wants to take the initiative in the sparring match starting with this swift thrust right off the bat.”

“…”

“Get ready. I have many more things to teach you.”

Saying that, Deolia grounded her sword on the earth, waiting for me to take my position.

That calm appearance was rather irritating, but what could I do?

I suppressed my heart that was racing and got into stance.

“Then let’s begin again.”

Fwhoosh!

Cutting through the air, Deolia’s long sword was once again aiming for my head.

“Gah!”

Clang!

Clang, clang, clang.

This time, without the help of mana, I clashed fists with her using sheer physical strength.

I managed to redirect her sword’s trajectory, more stable than earlier.

The cold whistle of her blade rang in my ears.

And soon, I felt Deolia’s weighty interference from our blades connecting.

‘Where do you think you’re going…!’

The blade that went off course corrected itself and aimed for my neck.

She must have intended to tilt and twist it to pressure my throat in an instant.

Thinking this while trying to prevent her sword from getting close to my neck, I exerted strength into my legs and tightened my grip on my sword.

But instead of piercing through my neck’s defense—

Deolia straightened her sword.

“There’s an opening ahead.”

In a moment, Deolia dove into my space.

Thump!

She nudged me lightly with her shoulder, disrupting my balance.

Swoosh!

Seizing the moment I created while off-balance, she pressed in even harder.

‘Check this out?’

With precise but deceptive movements, I realized I had to amp up my momentum or I’d fall victim to her.

“Your spirit has changed. Can I go again?”

“Please do.”

A gripping clash initiated a fierce game of nerves between Deolia and me.

This was not a spar leveraging the enhanced physicality and aura granted by mana, but purely fencing as it was.

Controlling the backlash generated from our mana collisions wasn’t going to be a flashy contest of grand moves.

Yet, mentally, it was as demanding as ever.

“The Shianella family’s swordsmanship creates openings to strike at demons, penetrating right in like a demon itself. For example like—”

“Lady Siabel doesn’t hesitate to switch to hand-to-hand combat in the middle of a match, so it’s wise to prepare for that.”

“Sometimes she may pull back, but if a chance arises, she will surely latch on relentlessly. Be careful not to give her an opening.”

Deolia’s numerous pointers buzzed around my ears.

But those words mostly faded, scattering before they could reach me.

I focused on the sword.

Drawing on every ounce of strength in this pitifully weakened body, I maneuvered the blade.

Twisting and evading, I struck whenever a gap appeared, blocking anticipated attacks in advance.

As we exchanged blows quietly, Deolia also contained her words, honing in solely on the situation at hand.

It was ferocious. At times, it was endlessly cunning and petty, while at others, it was maddeningly violent.

The swordsmanship she exhibited, taught by Siabel, shifted rapid-fire, making me feel dizzy.

The moment I lost my rhythm, it choked my breath as if waiting to crush me.

However, there was no way I could just roll over and give in, right?

The blades that had clashed parted, and we both took a step back.

I felt winded, pondering that my stamina was at its limit.

With a final thought of giving it one last blow, I concentrated my nerves.

Fwhoosh!

Deolia’s long sword descended vertically.

It was an authoritative strike.

Determined to finish within a breath, I gripped the hilt over my head.

“Hah!”

Creating a line from right to left below, I block the descending blow aimed at my head.

Clang!!

With a sharp ringing, metal reverberated through my grip.

With my wrist vibrating, I figured it might be better to avoid larger clashes from now on.

I slipped past her deflected sword into close quarters.

I moved assertively, ensuring she had no time to react.

Lowering my hand for a mid-stance, I found the blunt edge of her sword at her throat.

It was a split second. At least, that’s how I felt.

“Whew…”

Moving my body so much took its toll on every limb.

Given that I should be back at the rear firing arrows, it’s no wonder I was struggling to handle a blade like this.

“Good work.”

I realized I had no confidence left to wield the sword like a person should and signaled the end of our spar.

I lowered the blade that had been aimed at Deolia’s neck.

I felt intense gazes from all around, but oh well.

After all, I was already dubbed the knight who single-handedly defeated Arachne in the Count’s House.

I thought, having shown a knightly appearance once, that would suffice.

The cool breeze blew gently.

“…Feels refreshing.”

The chill in the air cooled my burning skin.

But more than that, the breeze gliding over my face also brushed against Deolia and loosened her hairtie.

Her long hair, dyed with the colors of the bright night sky, swayed in the wind.

“You were impressive. The title knight wasn’t given for no reason.”

Deolia, who had been continuing my praise, nodded with satisfaction.

“Then we shall meet around this time tomorrow again.”

“Excuse me? Are you referring to tomorrow?”

“It would be wise to continue facing me with swords until the day before the spar with Lady Siabel. She also mentioned it would be challenging for her to make it to the training hall for at least a week… Sparring with you during this time wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“Ah…”

“I’ll be looking forward to it tomorrow.”

As she reached out for a handshake, I clasped her hand affirmatively.

Though I may be holding a sword right now…

Let’s not forget.

I am an archer.

—

“Ray, you don’t look so well…”

“Don’t worry about it. I just got a bit worn out from having a… vigorous spar with Deolia.”

“Hmm…”

Shione gazed at me with a worried expression.

Then she tugged my hand, sitting me down on a chair.

“Just wait a moment!”

With that, she patted my head gently before rushing out of the room.

I closed my eyes, waiting for Shione’s return.

How long have I been waiting for my lady?

Creak.

The door opened again, and Shione appeared.

“May I ask where you went?”

“To the kitchen! They say eating something sweet is good when you’re worn out, right?”

Shione said, showcasing a plate filled with cookies she had brought.

She placed the cookie-filled plate on the table before me.

“…Did you bring too many?”

“This is just enough to share; it’ll be gone in no time as we eat together. I’ll have the leftovers, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Oh, yes…”

Shione smiled bashfully.

Holding a round cookie sized for a single bite, she offered it to me.

“Um… Onii-chan… take one…”

She buried her face, unable to lift her head after that statement, causing me to chuckle softly.

I accepted the cookie from her.

The cookie was sweeter than I had expected, almost to the point of being overwhelming.

Since this was the case, I considered asking her for a slightly bitter tea while I took a moment to think.

“…How is it?”

I didn’t mind savoring something sweet for the first time in a while, smiling a little.

“It’s sweet. It’s delicious.”

Only then did she reveal a bright smile, and we started eating cookies together.

And eventually…

Omnomnom, Shione, who had been gulping cookies without pausing, ended up devouring the mountain of cookies stacked on the plate.

“….”

I had only eaten four.

Well, when it comes to cookies, she remains unfailingly consistent even after a year.