Interlude: At that time, the family…
Around the time Ryu departed from Hinomaru, the Arden Viscounty was experiencing changes of its own…
A single carriage stood waiting before the gates of the manor.
“Then I shall be off, Lady Iris.”
“Take care, Sebas. I imagine this will prove to be an even greater undertaking than you expect, but do your best. And please look after Ryu and little Rena for me.”
“Of course. Though this body is old, I shall devote every ounce of my strength to the task.”
In roughly one month’s time, the former slaves of the fallen Marquisate were scheduled to arrive at the second Arden residence in the capital. They were to become servants of the Arden household. However, every one of them was an orphaned child with no family ties—none had been taught proper etiquette or decorum.
Sebas was heading to the capital to oversee their education.
At present, Sebas and Iris stood before the carriage—but there was another familiar face nearby.
“Mimi-chan, make sure you protect Sebas properly.”
“Yes! I will guard him all the way to the capital!”
“Fufu… how dependable you’ve become.”
Iris gently stroked Mimi’s head.
“Ehehehe…”
Her cat ears twitched happily, and her tail swayed back and forth in open delight.
This cat-type beastkin was Mimi.
She was thirteen years old—the same age as Rena.
Born without any magical power, she had been sold into slavery to the Mantester Baron household because of it. After the war, the Arden Viscount family took her in and employed her as a maid. Unfortunately, her natural clumsiness led to one failure after another. It was Ryu who recognized that she possessed an aptitude for assassination. And so, she had begun training earnestly in that path.
Now, at the recommendation of Silver, Captain of the Arden Knights, and Vice-Captain Dylan, she had been assigned to guard Sebas as part of her ongoing training.
After Sebas boarded the carriage, Mimi mounted a horse and blended into the formation of escort knights.
The carriage set off toward the capital.
Iris let out a soft sigh.
“I’m finally all alone… To think the children and Sebas will both be gone for a while. It feels so lonely.”
A year ago, Ryu and Rena had still lived within this manor. But Ryu had left on extended assignments, and Rena had moved to the capital to enroll in the academy. Now even Sebas had departed for the second residence. For the time being, Iris would have to serve alone as acting Viscount.
She was exceptionally capable—managing the domain was well within her abilities.
But competence did not chase away loneliness.
At that moment, a beautiful knight with silver hair approached.
“Lady Iris, is something the matter?”
“Oh, Sting-chan. You probably know already, but Sebas and Mimi have left for the second residence…”
“It seems the manor will grow quiet until one of the three returns.”
“Exactly… Rena-chan won’t be back for another six months either… ahh…”
“When will Lord Ryu return, I wonder?”
“I suspect he’ll remain in the capital until Rena-chan graduates. That child is an outrageous siscon, after all.”
“I see… Then shall I go to the capital and bring Lord Ryu back myself?”
Iris smiled faintly.
“Honestly… Ryu was never meant to be confined within the role of an Imperial noble. I believe it’s best for him to live freely. So I’ll simply wait until the day he wanders back of his own accord. Both Ryu and Rena send letters every month. That alone is enough for me.”
“You are a remarkable mother… Truly, the members of House Arden are all…”
Stingray’s words trailed off.
“Well then, I suppose I should return to work. Now that the port town and trade ships are complete, the real work begins. Knowing Ryu, he’s likely secured a trade agreement with Hinomaru already.”
“Indeed. I shall resume my patrol as well.”
Iris disappeared back into the manor. Stingray turned toward the town.
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Academy—
Class 1-A was in the midst of a geography lecture.
At the very back of the classroom, Rena—unusually—was slumped over her desk, face buried in her arms.
“Uuugh…”
“Rena, are you okay? You’ve seemed unwell lately.”
The concerned voice came from the seat beside her: Alice Blanc.
Daughter of Count Blanc and top of the entire year, Alice was also Rena’s closest friend. Her ambition was to become the strongest knight, and she kept her beloved sword at her waist even within the academy grounds.
Rena remained collapsed against her desk.
“I’m… not okay…”
“What happened? This isn’t like you.”
“I have a severe deficiency of Onii-sama… If I don’t replenish my Onii-sama levels soon… I… ugh…”
“I—I see…”
(I knew Rena had brother-complex tendencies before, but this might be severe. If I don’t do something soon, it looks like her soul might leave her body…)
“After school, want to check out one of the clubs? There’s a handsome upperclassman in one of them.”
“…No. Not interested.”
“I heard starting tomorrow there’s a free lecture by that super handsome magic instructor everyone’s talking about…”
“…No. He doesn’t even come close to Onii-sama.”
“Doesn’t even come close? All the Imperial Academy’s magic instructors are top-tier, you know?”
“Compared to Onii-sama, they’re dust. Not worth discussing.”
“Eh… is that really true?”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“…Wow.”
(Could Rena be suffering from some kind of mental illness? She never uses aggressive words like ‘dust’ normally…)
“Ugh… I’m dying…”
“You’re not going to die from that.”
(Usually, Rena is the most mentally stable and mature person in our year—arguably the entire academy. To think someone could reduce her to this state… Just what kind of person is Viscount Arden? I’d like to meet him at least once…)
In the end, Rena could not focus on her studies at all that day.
Though, considering that the first-year curriculum posed no challenge whatsoever for her, there was no real cause for concern.