The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

---

The strength possessed by an expert knight.

If you ask the people here how strong that might be, they would respond something like this.

Some might refer to them as a swordsman nearing completion, qualified to join the Royal Guards.

Others might label them as a monster, capable of replacing more than ten sword users and taking on over fifty common soldiers.

And true to the rumors circulating in the secular world, Siabel slashed through orcs with great vigor, weaving through their ranks.

Tchaa!!

Krrrk!!!

The orc’s cries filled the snowy plains. However, their earth-shaking roars, while powerful, slowly began to fade, unable to pierce the sky.

Boom!

They kneel with a single strike.

Swish!

With two flashes, they collapse, leaving behind a brief cry of despair.

“Hah…”

Siabel, having slain over five orcs in an instant, let out a sigh.

“Even if I kill them, there seems to be no end.”

Just where did so many come from? And what had happened in the West that Diolia had overlooked this mass movement, allowing them to invade the North?

In a situation that seemed unlikely to resolve easily, Siabel unleashed her growing strength, willingly throwing herself towards those dark green monsters.

And I was internally admiring Siabel’s combat prowess.

‘She certainly seems more skilled than a year ago.’

One year ago, on a day when Shione first headed to the training grounds under the high sun, I witnessed Siabel Shianella.

Back then, she showed quite a few naive facets, quite unlike now.

In her duel with Diolia, she had struggled to fully wield the expert’s aura blade.

Little by little, I could see her power distribution faltering.

‘Now, there’s truly nothing left to say.’

Just a year later, I could confirm she had mastered the strength she had reached.

An aura blade of an expert consumes a significant amount of mana.
Siabel, usually gathering a small amount of mana into her sword, poured her skill into it only at the moment her strike met flesh.

Hmm, I wonder how Diolia assessed Siabel back then… Surely…

“The speed at which you wield the aura blade was somewhat disappointing.”

She had said something similar.

Even if she wasn’t experiencing the same level of growth as my master, Siabel was steadily moving forward, overcoming her weaknesses.

‘Shione…’

She must have dreamed of being a brave knight like Siabel in the past. I looked at my master, curious about her reaction to seeing a realm she could never reach.

Shione noticed my gaze and smiled gently.

“…My sister.”

An obvious remark.

Where else would a woman with such platinum hair be but Ainel and Siabel?

“My proud sister, who could surely shine anywhere. I’m so glad you’ve become such a splendid knight in my place.”

In Shione’s eyes, there was no trace of jealousy concerning her sister’s talents.

Only admiration and longing—that was all.

“Isn’t that right?”

Feeling her pure emotions, I nodded slightly.

“Indeed, but—”

As I turned my head, I saw something Siabel had not noticed. An excited orc charging towards us, having bypassed Siabel.

“It seems it’s best to stop admiring and prepare for battle.”

They say watching a fight is as entertaining as seeing a fire. That saying could not be more accurate.

While I was mesmerized by Siabel’s incredible prowess, those massive brutes were desperately charging at us for a little fun.

What was even more concerning was.

“…They’re more than I imagined.”

“Indeed.”

Even with Siabel taking down numerous orcs up ahead, their numbers could not be described as small.

An expert knight might reach an A-class level even on Earth—starting from the proficient B-class hunters, they could aim for A-class rankings based on their proficiency within the expert realm.

I had thought Siabel could manage to hold off those orcs all by herself, but deep down, I felt uneasy.

‘Numbers without a sense of reason.’

It seemed one body alone had its limits; she was occasionally letting through those orcs out of her line of sight or those too far away.

From there on, it was the start of an intense melee.

“Chwaiiing!!”

The battle began with the cry of the first orc that broke through the human weapon, Siabel.

Three soldiers took the front line, while Shione, Flora, and the priest held the back.

At first, things went pretty well. The front line exploited the aggressor’s psychological state effectively and continued the assault.

Meanwhile, the three of us in the rear—myself, Shione, and Flora—certainly managed to sap the life out of that orc with our arrows.

The priest also demonstrated no hesitation in summoning divine power whenever a dangerous situation seemed imminent.

However, this did not last long.

At first, one orc came charging toward Siabel, then two. Then three.

No matter how fierce the winds were blowing, I felt if we used spirit magic so openly at such close range, at the very least our party would have caught on to something suspicious.

‘This is disastrous, truly.’

At this point, there were no real choices left.

The melee had long disrupted our formation. Given this, it seemed like all our party would soon be wrecked by the orc’s fists.

I had no intention of merely watching the snow covered with our comrades’ brains and blood instead of that of the orcs.

Boom!

“Alright! I hit its knee!”

I swiftly grabbed Shione’s hand as she just released an arrow.

“R-Ray?”

“From now on, we’ll swiftly move and take down the orcs. So, Shione.”

The blade was drawn.

Seeing the orc charge at me, I continued urgently without ease.

“Definitely stick close to me and don’t stray away.”

Such a casual order was acceptable considering the urgency and the sibling dynamic we shared.

I let out a sigh behind Shione, who nodded vigorously at my request.

When we return to the territory, I think I’ll need to demand a reward from Siabel that’s not just a small one, but something significant.

…Maybe a month-long vacation would be just right.

*

Vwooom!!

The woman with striking gray hair gazed indifferently outside the window.

The weather outside could hardly be called pleasant.

A gray world devoid of sunlight, along with the howling blizzards.

If I had to sleep outdoors like this, it would be just the right weather to freeze to death.

As she blankly stared outside, the woman quietly muttered.

“…Damn it, if I’m going to be called, it should’ve been in the green spring or summer.”

At her words, the magician seated across from her grinned as if amused.

“Well, there’s nothing you can do about it. Winter’s harsh northern winds reach down to the south. Snowstorms may come and go.”

“Hah.”

The woman let out a small sigh at the magician’s words.

She pinched her brows tightly, easing her frustration before speaking again.

“We can’t be trapped here with the Count’s House just around the corner. Is the carriage able to move on?”

“Of course. Our Marquis’ carriage wouldn’t stop from such a weak blizzard, would it? It’s just another day, you know? Unless the horses tire.”

As he spoke, the magician raised his palm skyward.

Flame!

A small spark flickered above his palm.

“If we just use magic to pull it, that solves everything.”

The woman waved her hand, causing the spark to fade.

At the magician’s words, the woman’s previously sullen expression brightened.

“Thank goodness.”

Her natural expression returned.

With a chill that flowed in normally, she became cold enough to seem devoid of any emotion as she quietly gazed outside again.

The magician, too, maintained his silence unless she spoke first.

No conversation passed between them.

The only sounds left inside the carriage were those of the wind and the rattling of the carriage being buffeted by the powerful gusts.

Though the weather was harsh, the carriage moved slowly yet steadily.

As the magician said, the northern horses, having lived through severe winters, were not affected by a little snowstorm—they could be slowed but not stopped.

How long had it been?

Clunk!

Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt, and a figure approached from outside.

The gray-haired woman questioned the newcomer to her carriage.

“The carriage has stopped. Has something happened?”

“Well… it’s unusually noisy up ahead, so I sent a scout to check and report back.”

Nodding at his words, the woman encouraged him to continue.

“I couldn’t thoroughly observe the situation due to the snowstorm. However, it was clear there’s a group of orcs up ahead fighting with a woman.”

“Oh? A woman, you say? Can you provide a more detailed description?”

“She appears to be a knight who has reached the level of a sword expert. Though her clothes were stained red with blood, her hair shone beautifully like the snow.”

“…Interesting.”

At that, the woman’s lips curved into a smile.

“It seems Siabel has personally come out to welcome her one and only friend.”

Aria stood up from her chair.

As soon as this superior rose, her subordinate, the magician, also got to his feet.

“Since we must pass through this pathway to enter the Count’s House anyway, ready a suitable troop to support the knight and eliminate the orcs.”

“Yes!”

Aria grabbed two spears from her carriage, armed and leveled, and stepped out.

With magic having kept the carriage warm compared to the outside, she felt her skin cool quickly as she stepped into the harsh weather, abruptly frowning.

“Damn it, I have to make sure to settle my debts with that damned girl.”

Saying so, Aria assumed a sullen expression and murmured.

“Ugh… what? Is she expecting me to sit around, punching bears or wasting time?”

Aria Alenarr was a woman of much deeper grudges than expected.