The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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Winter has fully arrived at the Count’s House.

Rising alone in the high sky, the sun, once scattering warm rays, has weakened. As the sun’s height decreases, the bright daylight hours shorten and the moonlit time stretches longer.

From autumn to winter.

As the season changes and the northern cold winds blow down, the people of the territory busily continue their lives in various ways to endure the chilly winter.

Commoners struggle to figure out how to survive winter, while the homeless beggars contemplate how to survive the cold nights without freezing to death.

And as for me, a mere servant, regardless of the changing seasons, I solely worry about one consistent thing.

‘It was right around this time.’

It was a winter day exactly like this when, by Ainel’s order, I was assigned as a slave and exclusive attendant to Shione.

Just a year ago, that Shione was already radiating the thick stench of failure.

I thought there was no way she could become a person of value…

‘What a surprise.’

Though not exceptionally skilled yet, Shione has been developing and growing continuously.

The Shione of a year ago and the present Shione.

Both have one thing in common: neither want to easily get out of bed.

“Uugh… just a little more…!”

The current Shione isn’t mindlessly munching on cookies; rather, she has brought an arrow from the shooting range and is diligently training her mana.

It was during that moment when Shione was struggling with her mana.

WooOOooom!!

“…Huh?”

An arrowhead resonating with Shione’s mana began to emit a beautiful sound.

What was once a weak blue light at the tip of her arrow suddenly transformed.

The light darkened. The feeble energy that had been spreading began to concentrate into a single point, compressing.

‘No, already…?’

This was no mere display of beginner mana manipulation.

At the very least, this was an aura that could be shown by someone on the verge of being categorized as an upper-level mana user.

If anything, it would take more time, and certainly what Shione was showing now was not possible.

I quickly examined Shione’s expression, feeling a rush of concern.

Thick beads of sweat were pooling on her face.

She was struggling to maintain the change developing at the arrowhead, her features contorting with effort, but the joy shone through her expression nonetheless.

WooOOooom……

The mana gathered at Shione’s arrowhead ultimately scattered away.

“Haah…”

With a deep breath, Shione exhaled, releasing the pressure she had been holding while controlling her mana.

She delicately set the arrow down beside her bed and looked at her hands.

A slight smile of joy crept onto her face.

Like a pure child, shining brightly, she suddenly looked up at me.

“Ray! Did you see that!”

I, caught off guard by Shione’s exclamation, slowly nodded, still dazed.

Then Shione jumped off the bed and dashed towards me, hugging me tightly.

Wham!

“Did you see!?”

“Ah… yes, I saw.”

“What do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”

“…I never imagined you could gather that much mana so soon. Can you try again?”

With my words, Shione raised the arrow once more.

Pouring her effort to summon her mana and achieve a meaningful result like before…

“Uurgh…!”

The arrowhead only held a weak blue glow as it usually did.

The vibrant, compact energy from before was nowhere to be seen.

No matter how many times she tried, it was the same outcome.

The aura that had momentarily gathered through Shione’s efforts seemed like a fleeting mirage.

After it scattered, it looked impossible for her to grasp it again.

‘Well…’

Even though I had awakened her talent through quests to speed up her growth, there is a vast difference between coating a long sword with mana and concentrating mana into a small arrowhead.

It’s utterly unreasonable to hope for her to fully awaken aura at this stage.

I gently patted Shione’s head as she seemed deflated.

“Don’t be so discouraged. Today, we caught a glimpse of what you could achieve, Shione. If you continue to advance steadily, you’ll surely master it entirely.”

“…Thank you.”

Perhaps from her intense mana exertion, I felt her sticky sweat on my hand.

Ugh… maybe I shouldn’t have patted her.

But, well, hands could be washed again.

Right now, praising her potential was the right choice.

Thanks to that, Shione was able to regain her confidence.

“Still… I definitely remember that feeling from just now. It feels like I’m finally grasping a clue!”

I nodded at Shione’s words.

Indeed, reaching a level one has experienced is far easier than reaching something beyond the unknown boundary.

Then Shione hugged me tightly and said.

“Well then… our promise is nearing, right?”

Before I knew it, she had shifted to a gentle and soft tone, carefully addressing me.

I could sense a deep affection in her gaze as she looked up at me.

That master of mine was gauging how I would respond, anxiously trying to read my thoughts.

Quietly, I gazed into Shione’s expectant eyes.

‘…’

What would be the best answer to her feelings which I could no longer delay or ignore? I pondered the question again.

Honestly, I had given this some thought a few days ago.

Thanks to the clarity of my feelings and thoughts, my inner conflict didn’t last long.

‘Because it’s Shione.’

Since the moment she confessed her love to me in the shooting range at dusk, she has consistently sought my affection.

Having turned from a wild beast into a beauty, it’s been a while since then. She’s also made efforts to adjust her demeanor toward me.

Transcending the divides of noble and servant love? This isn’t some romantic fantasy.

This is in fact a world set in a dark fantasy full of bloodshed from a war against demons.

How on earth did it come to this?

It’s hard to believe I would end up like this with Shione just a year ago.

I chuckled softly, lifting Shione’s bangs with my hand.

Her lovely forehead was cutely exposed.

It’s a small gesture, but my choice was to respond to her heart just a little.

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“…Onii-chan?”

Startled by my sudden action,

I smoothly ignored her reaction and quickly pecked her forehead.

“Eh?”

Shione’s bewildered voice echoed in the quiet room.

For a moment, unable to comprehend the situation, she stared blankly at me before suddenly hugging me tightly.

Her cheeks flushed a bright red, and for a while, she listened to the beating of my heart while purring contentedly.

Then, curled up in my embrace, Shione quietly whispered.

“…I love you.”

*

A few days later.

I received a letter from Sion Shianella, who had begun returning from the Academy in the eastern part of the kingdom to the Count’s House.

Around the same time, Aria, who was to come down from the north to the Shianella household, was also expected to arrive in a few days.

And as for the state of the Shianella territory—

“The fortress territory is rather noisy.”

It couldn’t be described as a good situation.

“…Are they coming down again?”

“Yes, this time, it’s reported that orcs are simultaneously coming from the west and north.”

They didn’t do this last winter.

What is going on this year?

Primarily orcs coming down from the Beltline Mountain Range, as well as every monster that lives around here, have been causing trouble in the territory without rest.

The massive, sturdy castle walls protecting the Count’s House only shield the central area with essential facilities and residential quarters.

For those hunting or farming outside the walls, the frequent disturbances from monsters like orcs can be seen as a catastrophe.

“This is troubling. We haven’t even dealt with the wolves and kobolds that came down previously, right?”

“Exactly, most of them fled north into the territory and are causing more ruckus. The orcs coming from the Beltline Mountain Range have returned to fill in the western area that was already tidied up.”

“Seriously…”

This is chaos!

Thinking of the knights and soldiers who would suffer even more in this chilly winter made me feel nothing but pity.

I remained in the warm mansion, feeling grateful that I could hear news of the territory through Shione’s words.

“I hope the situation resolves without severe damage.”

May this winter peacefully end without a blizzard and lead to a warm spring full of life.

*

Woosh!

I tossed my clothes, indicating I was a servant of Shianella, roughly onto the bed.

After putting on the winter clothes handed to me by Shione in several layers, I strapped on the cold leather armor, which lay near the training ground.

The thin plate attached to my chest bore the Shianella crest.

The sword pattern piercing through a demon’s horn looked wonderfully ornate in its own right, but unfortunately, I was far from being in a mental state to appreciate such designs.

Clang.

I fastened the sword at my waist.

It was a sword given to me by Eunice Kalia.

Then my hand gripped the bow.

It was the elven bow I received after rescuing Adelhaite and being recognized for my efforts.

Feeling the cold wood texture under my fingers, I whispered nervously.

“……Damn.”

As a mere servant, did I really have to go this far?

It seems the territory had been noisy for some time, and inevitably, I was decided to head out.

Thinking about shooting arrows while facing the cold wind head-on made me ready to cry already.