The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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During the time of day when the boundary between night and day crosses, I found a new feeling when I saw the training grounds under the blazing sun.

It was quite amusing to think that a space that would have been lifeless without me and Shione came alive when the sun rose.

But that wasn’t the only source of amusement.

‘…Wow, instead of men, it’s bustling with women.’

It was tough to find even one man in the training grounds.

It was strangely fascinating.

Once any organism starts to accept mana and adapt its body, its physical abilities start to rise along with the mana.

Men, unlike women, apparently haven’t been able to accept mana for a thousand years or so.

Thanks to that, the tendencies based on gender from the past and present have changed as well; not only knights but even what seemed like ordinary soldiers were all selected as women.

I understood it logically, but seeing it directly made it hard to adjust.

Among the many women filling the training grounds, two of them caught my eye.

“Lady Diolia and Sister Siabel. Looks like they’re about to spar.”

The Diolia I met in the early morning and Shione’s sister, whom I’d only seen pass by the dining hall a few times, were the protagonists of the scene.

Siabel had her hair, usually a shade of platinum, tied tightly today.

After all, long hair is nothing but a hindrance when wielding a sword; it’s utterly useless.

Her appearance seemed like a sharper version of Shione when she had lost some weight.

The platinum hair in the Count’s mansion of Shianella made it easy to pinpoint who she was. I realized this a bit late.

“Let’s just watch this before heading to the shooting range.”

I couldn’t believe Shione’s eyes were glued to her sister.

She probably wanted to see Siabel’s level, as mentioned by Sion, and her renowned talent for the sword.

Siabel was known to be very skilled with the sword, just like a true Shianella.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I started watching the sparring match that was about to begin.

“I’ll defer to you. Please go ahead.”

“This time, it won’t be like before.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

At that moment, as they maintained a distance while cautiously pointing their swords at each other…

Thud!

Siabel struck without hesitation.

The moment her sword got near Diolia, Siabel twisted her waist as she stomped the ground.

Following a clean diagonal line, Siabel’s sword came crashing down, aimed at Diolia.

Clang!

It was a clean slash, but it was intercepted by Diolia’s sword.

As their swords clashed, the intensity in Siabel and Diolia’s gazes deepened.

While they exchanged attacks and defenses, adjusting their distances and twisting their swords, a bluish light began to rise from Siabel’s sword like a mirage.

In an instant, Siabel’s sword, which was pointed towards the sky, curved down, aiming for Diolia’s neck.

Bam!

Diolia stepped back as if the ground was shaking, and when she swung Siabel’s sword upwards, a thunderous sound erupted.

Siabel’s sword, unable to withstand Diolia’s strength, drew a straight line upwards, exposing her own weakness to a counterattack.

“The speed at which you infused your sword with the aura blade was quite slow; it was a rather disappointing attack.”

“I’ve only recently begun to use the aura blade, so I’m still inexperienced. I will do my best to showcase a sword that will satisfy you soon.”

“Sounds good.”

Before I knew it, an aura blade had been layered onto Siabel and Diolia’s swords.

Shione watched this with unwavering attention, as if she wouldn’t let a single moment slip by.

“…The aura blade! You’ve really become an expert knight.”

“Would you like to see more?”

“Now that the main event has finally arrived, wouldn’t it be a waste to leave right away? Experts are strong and fight spectacularly, so it’s quite a sight to behold.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

The spar continued.

Siabel mainly took the offensive while Diolia played the defensive role.

However, if there was an opening, Diolia wouldn’t hesitate to counterattack.

Siabel defended and repeated the cycle of raising her momentum again.

Watching their exchange, I could vaguely understand their levels.

Siabel had just stepped into the realm of an expert and displayed some clumsiness when fighting mixed battles.

There were unstable places trembling within her intense aura, and areas where the color appeared faint.

Clearly, her aura blade had not yet reached full expert status.

Even during clashes between aura blades, her inability to control the rebounding of their swords was evident.

On the other hand, Diolia… was just insane.

Thinking that I aimed my bow at such a person sent a chill down my spine again.

When swordsmen using aura blades collide, their swords tend to bounce off each other easily.

The weight and resistance infused with both their mana and sword strikes create a considerable force.

But Diolia?

“Lady Diolia’s sword is always incredibly sublime.”

“Just as Princess Shione says.”

Even a layperson could immediately recognize the magnitude of her skill.

Without even a twitch, she handled Siabel’s strike and, worse yet, pressed down on it while maintaining contact, scraping its edge.

Her mana and control abilities were several stages above those of Siabel, showcasing her exceptional skill.

While Siabel seemed to have considerable talent as well, it was still premature to think she could surpass the years Diolia spent honing her skills under Count Shianella’s tutelage.

If we were to compare it to Earth, Siabel was like a newly promoted A-rank hunter, while Diolia was already a skilled A-rank hunter.

That would be a sufficient assessment.

As I focused on their spar, I suddenly realized their intense match had come to an end.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Siabel turned her body, and her eyes met those of Shione, my master.

“Uh? Shione? What brings you here?”

“I came personally to practice in the shooting range.”

I observed Shione’s demeanor.

Unlike when she had that fierce aura during her conversation with Sion, her reaction to Siabel wasn’t bad at all, save for her overly stiff tone.

“It seems you haven’t handled a sword in a while. Hmm, looking closely, it seems like you’ve lost some weight… Have you started picking up the sword again?”

“I’ve put away my attachment to the sword a long time ago. The reason I came here is the shooting range.”

“Shooting range?”

“Yes, I came to practice archery.”

“Archery? You, Shione, use a bow?”

“I heard rumors about a ghost appearing at the shooting range every morning. Sister Siabel, have you heard of it?”

Siabel tilted her head, evidently puzzled.

“I’ve heard that rumor too. Is the ghost…?”

Shione merely smiled faintly without a word.

Reading her smile’s nuances, Siabel quietly nodded.

After a few cliched comments and as awkwardness began to settle in, Shione’s gaze turned back to me.

“Now, let’s go.”

As Shione slowly guided me, Diolia watched us from a distance.

I gave a slight bow to Diolia, who smiled softly at Shione, before following her behind.

*

When we arrived at the shooting range, the archers at the entrance showed signs of surprise upon seeing Shione.

Their expressions varied, but the reason behind those expressions was the same.

Huh? This brat shouldn’t be here.

One of the women, her true feelings almost showing through her facade, asked hesitantly.

“Is that you, Princess Shione…? What brings you here…?”

“What brings me here? Isn’t it obvious that I’m at the shooting range to practice?”

“Uh?”

“Stop asking obvious questions and get out of the way. I want to enter the shooting range.”

“Y-Yes!”

The flustered woman stepped aside to open the entrance, and Shione strode inside the shooting range.

At the same time, her gaze briefly shifted to me and then back to Shione.

The shooting range was somewhat similar to the outside situation.

There were more women, but there were still relatively more men than in the training grounds.

As soon as Shione scanned the shooting range, a woman who seemed to be the instructor hurried over.

Her gaze briefly rested on Shione’s face before shifting to the color of her hair.

“Uh, um…?”

I understood the instructor’s reaction.

After all, who would ever expect the Shione Shianella to come to the shooting range?

Until now, no one had informed anyone that Shione had been practicing shooting, nor had she made any indication of exercising hard in her room.

In reality, she should have been at home, munching snacks or bullying her servants, not here.

“I think it’s not good to stare at someone’s face like that.”

“…Are you truly Shione Shianella?”

“Do I look like Siabel Shianella or Sion Shianella?”

“N-No, not at all!”

“Then why did you ask such a question when you already knew the answer?”

“Well, that is…”

Isn’t Siabel the only one who usually visits the training grounds? So now Shione has decided to show up?

With the renowned Shione Shianella appearing in the sweaty shooting range alongside a new man, it’s no wonder everyone’s interest was drawn.

The archers inside the shooting range began to subtly shift their gazes towards us while pretending not to.

“Why has Princess Shione come all the way here…?”

Haa.

Shione let out a sigh that seemed exasperated, crossing her arms.

Her displeasure was clearly evident on her crumpled face.

“Is there any reason other than practice for me to come to the shooting range?”

Shione gestured towards the weapon display where bows and arrows were neatly arranged.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh…?”

“Quickly get the bows and arrows.”

Clicking her tongue in irritation, the instructor, with a frightened expression, hurried towards the display.

Amidst that, Shione turned around and gave me a mischievous grin.

…It reminded me of Shione blatantly gesturing when it was time to change the bed sheets.

No matter how I think about it—

This brat is a total troublemaker.