Rustle—.I opened Loen’s diary and checked its contents.I was hoping I might get information about Loen’s past actions or clues to resolve various questions through it, but—"…What the hell."No matter how many times I checked it, Loen’s diary was blank.A notebook with nothing written in it.That didn’t mean it was brand-new either; some of the pages were torn here and there, and there were traces of age and use.Right.This wasn’t a notebook that hadn’t been used from the start; its contents had been hidden with magic.I examined the notebook this way and that and nodded.'So it’s a kind of artifact.'It was the type where you had to inject specific mana or solve a puzzle for the contents to be revealed, an artifact used for important letters or messenger documents that required secrecy.'Just how amazing a secret did you hide that you went to this annoying trouble?'I closed Loen’s diary and stored it in my subspace pouch for now.'I’ll have to analyze it later through Rize.'If I used the Copy Mystic Eye Rize possessed, it should be possible to interpret this artifact’s usage to some extent.Or I could just get Sage’s Glasses quickly and ask the Sage’s spirit.No matter how difficult the puzzle, there were plenty of ways to solve it.'I got quite a harvest.'If I analyzed the diary I’d just obtained, I might be able to grasp Loen’s past actions, thoughts, and principles of behavior.Then many of the questions about Loen’s behavior that hadn’t made sense until now would be neatly resolved.And if I sold all the various luxury items on display in Loen’s room, I could secure at least several billion krone, so there was a big monetary harvest too.After finishing my search of the room, I decided to finally go to sleep.After leaving Moerfit Village, I’d been camping outside for three days straight without getting proper rest.Before falling asleep, I turned my gaze to the pajamas laid out on the bed.Cat patterns drawn on soft silk pajamas.'What’s with these cat pajamas?'The fact that they even had a tail attached pissed me off.Judging from the tasteless pattern, it seemed like Aslan’s doing.She was probably cackling somewhere right about now.I tossed the pajamas aside and slipped under the covers in just my underwear."Lights out."Pop—.At my single word, the magic lamps went out all at once.In the darkness, I fell soundly asleep for the first time in a long while.***Same time. Aslan’s room."…"Aslan silently looked down at the documents in her hand.They were a report that recorded Loen’s actions in detail.From when Loen entered Union up to the recent first semester of second year, everything was written in detail according to time and causal order.Up through first year, he had kept doing the same old dumb crap and never shed his wastrel antics, but somehow, once he became a second-year, his behavior completely changed.Everything he accomplished after that was extraordinary, one thing after another.Of course, to Aslan, who fought monsters with her life on the line every day, they were like children’s games, but that was only because her standards were too high.From a student’s point of view, they were impressive achievements.Flip—.Aslan finished reading the report Ciel had submitted and set it down on the desk."What do you think, Fernandez?"At Aslan’s question, the loyal head steward answered with °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a smile."If Miss Ciel says so, then that’s how it is. Lord Loen’s change is likely real.""Hmm…"Aslan leaned diagonally against the armrest of her chair and let out a small hum.'Well, Ciel wouldn’t lie, after all.'Ciel was a loyal maid who had been raised in House Dvralis for a long time and wasn’t the type to file a false report.If that was the case, then the report of Loen’s actions was entirely the truth, and that was something that could be cross-verified.'There are parts that line up with the letter the Director sent me, too.'The Director had also praised Loen to no end and said she was looking forward to his future.Fernandez said,"Honestly, it isn’t all that strange, is it? Lord Loen has been brilliant since childhood.""That’s… true."'Loen as a child, huh.'Aslan leaned back in her chair as if lying down comfortably and recalled Loen when he was young.Back then, if you taught him one thing, he understood ten, an excellent talent who combined childlike innocence with seasoned insight.And in front of her, he had acted very bright and sweet, which she’d found adorable.Every time she hugged him like a doll and he squirmed in her arms, it had been fun, too.As Aslan recalled those days, she let out a deep sigh and said,"How did that adorable little brat end up like that."She turned her head and gazed sentimentally out the dark window.Was it because of their father’s death? Or because of the broken engagement with Freya?No, she didn’t know which came first. From some point onward, Loen had gone astray.After that, the clever, kind little brat was gone.Wherever he went, Loen caused incidents and created discord with the people around him.No matter where you went in Dvralis territory, there were nothing but grim rumors about Loen.Later they even sent him to study abroad in the Empire, but his bad reputation continued there as well.How on earth had that sweet, brilliant kid gone so far off the rails?"Haa…"Aslan quietly closed her eyes and thought,'If… I had been by Loen’s side back then, would things have been okay?'Aslan often felt pathetic and full of regret that she hadn’t been able to take care of her younger brother because she had been in such a rush to succeed Kaizel.She frequently suffered from a sense of debt, thinking she had a share of responsibility in Loen going so astray.When Aslan’s expression turned sad, the quick-witted Fernandez spoke up to comfort her."My lady, you don’t need to burden your heart so much. There were many twists and turns, but Lord Loen has grown up this well in the end."'Grown up… well?'It was a bit questionable, but Aslan accepted it for now."Yeah. We still have to watch him a little longer, but it’s a relief he’s finally come to his senses, even now.""And you saw today’s spar, didn’t you?""Right, he fought incredibly well."Aslan silently nodded as she recalled the spar between Loen and Crosen.He might have borrowed the power of artifacts, but he had subdued a Dvralis knight tempered in real combat in a one-on-one fight.Moreover, Crosen was one of the capable commanders Aslan trusted.His personal combat power was a tremendous force that was aiming for high-level Sword Expert.Who would have expected Loen to subdue someone like that."In a close-quarters fight between a mage and a knight, the knight is absolutely advantaged. Some people are belittling Lord Loen’s victory as being thanks to artifacts, but that’s absolutely not the case. On the contrary, it’s an achievement that deserves praise."At Fernandez’s words, Aslan rapped the armrest of her chair with a smack and said,"Exactly, that’s what I’m talking about, Fernandez. You actually get it."Aslan shouted in excitement.Asking a mage to have a sword fight with a knight in the first place was harsh.Rather, Loen should be praised for his quick thinking and battle sense in making proper use of artifacts at the right time to seize victory.Even if he hadn’t chosen the path of a knight, Loen was growing stronger in his own way."So it would be good if you trusted him and watched a bit longer. Lord Loen is definitely changing.""…"These were the words of Fernandez, who, together with Ciel, had been serving Loen up close for a long time.In some ways, he knew Loen even better than she did, so his words were trustworthy."Yeah, that’s enough of that."Aslan pushed the reports on Loen together and moved on to the next topic."They found a high-grade monster habitat near the wall?""Yes, it needs to be wiped out as soon as possible.""That’s nothing new, we do that all the time.""However… there are reports that its time of appearance and behavior differ from usual. In addition to the high-grade monster, we may need to consider the possibility of something behind it. What will you do?"After listening to Fernandez’s report, Aslan slowly nodded."What is there to think about? We’ll head out on an expedition right away."Her gaze lingered on the report she had set aside."And we’ll take Loen along."***Next day. Aslan’s office.Aslan handed a small jewel box to Ciel and said,"It’s a little late, but this is a birthday present, Ciel. Open it.""This is…"Ciel’s eyes widened as she looked at the black-glinting ring.Aslan smiled brightly as she explained,"It’s a custom-made ring from a master craftsman. Our blood may not be mixed, but you’re a member of House Dvralis now, too."This ring was an honorable item bestowed only on those who had built up certain merit together with Fortress Dvralis.It wasn’t a hereditary title, but with this, Ciel would receive treatment as blood kin of Dvralis.'What matters is not bloodline, but will.'The will and resolve to fight without sparing your life as humanity’s shield—that was what truly mattered.As long as that will was carried on, anyone could be one of the Dvralis family.The elders of the house would throw a fit if they heard it, but at least, that was how Aslan thought.And those who inherited that noble will had to be given appropriate rewards.Those who retired after fighting on the wall received a pension for life, and if they died in battle, their families received the pension in their place.It was one of the reasons Dvralis knights fought without sparing their lives.Anyway.Ciel was also one of the core people who had served House Dvralis for a long time, so Aslan had always planned to bestow this ring on her someday.She had watched Ciel for a long time, so she felt like a little sister, and she’d worked herself to the bone cleaning up after Loen, too.It was just that Ciel had no experience fighting monsters on the wall, so Aslan had been a bit troubled over the justification for giving her the ring.But after hearing the reports about the battle with the fishmen during the summer training camp, she’d decided the justification had finally appeared and gave her the present like this.Where the battle took place didn’t matter. Ciel had stood against the darkness and protected others."Hey, don’t you have something to give her?"After giving Ciel her present, Aslan turned to Loen, who was sitting beside her.Loen took a sip of tea and rummaged in his subspace pouch.And what he placed on the table was—"Gauntlets?"When Aslan tilted her head, Loen answered,"Yeah, considering Ciel’s fighting style, there’s nothing better.""Right, Ciel’s the hand-to-hand type, isn’t she?""She is."The servants of House Dvralis didn’t learn swordsmanship.Longswords were inconvenient for servants to wear every day. It was also annoying to draw them quickly in an emergency.And with so many knights around, there was no need for the servants to use swords, too.So the servants of House Dvralis mainly learned martial arts, dagger techniques, and assassination skills.Why assassination skills, on top of martial arts and dagger techniques?Because to respond to assassins, you had to study them."Take it. It’s a little late, but it’s a present.""Thank you, Lord Loen."Ciel’s expression was calm, but she accepted the gauntlets with both hands, politely.Loen added,"Don’t thank me. I should apologize for giving you something so grim as a birthday present."Aslan seized the moment to chip in."Yeah, you punk. Who gives a girl a weapon for her birthday? You’ve got no sense.""…"Loen didn’t seem to have anything to say to that; he just kept drinking his tea with an awkward look.But Ciel didn’t seem to feel that way, judging by how she was examining the gauntlets Loen had given her, her eyes shining as she turned them over.When Ciel showed interest in the gauntlets, Loen added more explanation."They’re gauntlets made from drake scales. Unlike my suit, which is made from spun fiber, I kept the scales as intact as possible. They’re much tougher and stronger.""Ah.""With those, your fists won’t get torn up anymore."Loen recalled Ciel’s fists pouring blood during the fight against Gon.If she fought while wearing those gauntlets, that wouldn’t happen again.Ciel held the gauntlets Loen had given her and bowed her head again."Thank… you.""Don’t thank me. Just make sure you have something ready for my birthday."When Loen grinned slyly, Aslan slipped in."Idiot, dream on. Ciel staying by your side is the best present you’re going to get. You think it’s easy to serve someone like you?""…"Loen scratched his head, unable to come up with a rebuttal.Aslan looked at her embarrassed little brother and spoke."Anyway, that’s enough about presents. Loen. Are you interested in participating in a real battle?""You planning to take me outside the wall?""Yeah, I heard a high-grade monster is prowling nearby. If we leave it alone, the soldiers on the wall will be in danger."At Aslan’s words, Loen recalled the battle with the fishmen on the jungle island not long ago.It sounded like a similar situation to when the students on top of the Cube fortress had been put in danger because of the high-grade monster called Gon."It’ll be good for you to gain combat experience and see what it’s like outside the wall. Your combat skills have already been proven, so it wouldn’t be bad for you to join this expedition.""Do I get a choice?""You think you do?""…"After a brief silence, Loen asked,"If I head out on the expedition, can I get dark magic stones too?"At Loen’s question, Aslan winked one eye as she answered,"Of course. But this big sister doesn’t plan on handing them over easily. You’ll have to fight and take them yourself."Take them. Nice.Loen answered readily."That’s exactly what I wanted."

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