Chapter 1014 – Identifying Value

000

Rattling.

A luxurious teacup is placed on a set of teacup holders.

Selena flinched at that sound, shaking her shoulders, looking up at her and then looking down, like a puppy facing an angry owner who had seen something scary in the world in front of her. I just kept repeating it.

“Then. Properly convey what I said to Mr. Cleon. Please let me know what to do. Do you understand?”

The one who says that is Selena’s mother and former Inquisitor Namiri Regent.

Now that the attack on Asteris by the Expulsion Church was over and the Five Elements System was safely completed, she personally came to Asteris to convey her message to her daughter in order to clean up the matter and finish matters related to Cleon’s treatment. Br〉

“Yes, yes… I understand. But mother, do you really think Cleon wants to marry Princess Amelia?”

Because what she said was quite shocking, Selena was completely intimidated by her momentum.

Nevertheless, when she mustered up the courage to ask her mother as if to find out her true intentions, Namiri spoke with her arms crossed while sounding a bit thoughtful.

“Well. I don’t know that young man very well, but he seemed like a person who wouldn’t hesitate to offer his hand if a way to save a girl in crisis was presented to him. And even if he refuses, it’s probably because he has something in mind.”

“That’s right, that’s right… When he ran away to the East with Princess Amelia, it was undeniable that he was a good person…”

Selena, who said that, seemed to be worried about what would happen if Cleon really accepted marriage to Amelia.

Seeing her like that, Miri blinked her eyes a little, sighed, and shook her head.

Then, she said:

“Now that I think about it. Before she came here, she met Aruru on a visit to the Tromeia family mansion. It’s about Cleon-kun, so we need to discuss it in many ways.”

＂Ah, Aruru?!＂

When Selena said that, she must have seemed a little concerned.

That’s because Selena considered Aruru her rival and tried to compete with her in many ways since her childhood.

However, unlike Aruru, who went to her academy to study after reaching a certain age, Selena stayed in the royal capital and learned her magic from a designated teacher.

Even though she was away, her competitive spirit did not disappear anywhere, and in fact, even before she left for the eastern country, she gave Aruru a shout-out when she met him in person.

… If I think about it now, Aruru saw such arrogance on his part when he knew all this and that.

Selena’s face just turned red as she suppressed the feeling of wanting to die of shame.

No matter what she thought of Selena, Namiri continued to tell her story as she intended.

“You look pretty busy. Well, since Duke of Tromaia-Sir Percy is still recuperating, it is inevitable that she will be busy as she has to handle the matter in his place.”

＂Heh, hehe…＂

My ears hurt.

Of course, her own father, the Duke of Regent, had some idea of ​​what she was doing.

However, work that requires sitting at her desk for a long time requires persistence, and even Selena herself could not guarantee how long she would be able to sit on the chair for a long time and do the work.

When was the last time you heard that she needed to be a little quiet because she was doing you a favor?

… Was it last month?

“Well, in the meantime, is there something about Cleon-kun that we are anxiously waiting for all year round? Although I had cut out the newspaper that he was in.”

“Oh, Aruru? I had heard and knew that the two of them had a good relationship, but… Wow, they were just like that…!”

For reference, the relationship between Aruru and Cleon was quite a hot topic even among noble ladies.

That’s because it was a society where it was natural for noble families to enter the academy, so quite a few nobles had seen Cleon’s face in person at the academy.

There were some who favorably accepted it as a bond that transcended differences in status, but it was still a minority opinion.

In the midst of the tragedy at the Academy, not only those who did not see Cleon’s activities in person and were away from the Academy for a while, but among the high-ranking nobles, Cleon, who was a mere adventurer, met the daughter of the Duke of Tromeia, which could be said to be the pinnacle of the kingdom’s nobility. There were quite a few people who spoke bitterly about being friendly.

If Cleon had not been given the title of hero who saved the academy, the nobles might have launched various sabotage efforts to keep him away from the Tromeia family.

… Is, after all, the general opinion of nobles.

For girls and ladies of Selena’s age, romance is an element that nourishes the heart even though it is sweeter and more bitter than the expensive black tea they drink every day or the scones that come with it.

A young magic swordsman who seems to have a big secret hidden somewhere and whose dark atmosphere makes it difficult to get close to him.

And, next to him, a warrior and a lady who shows a bright smile like the sun and is respected by everyone, but becomes a delicate girl in front of the young man.

‘This combination is a scam!!’

There was a faction of women from noble families who grew up reading Kanon’s romance novels who would whisper in the shadows that they were their ‘favorite couple’.

Of course, this story was only allowed among girls in a taboo area, an underground community, and should never be spread among men – especially their fathers, fiancés, or husbands.

Selena would have been lying if she said she wasn’t interested in it, but she could at least say that she didn’t view Aruru favorably because of her obsession.

“Huh? Now, just wait a moment! So, while Cleon is in a romantic relationship with Aruru, he is also in a romantic relationship with Princess Amelia…?!”

Selena spoke up to that point and brought both her hands to her cheeks, blushing slightly.

Namiri is talking to Selena like that.

＂There is a saying called heroism. Well, isn’t bigamy that rare even in our aristocratic society?”

“Well, that’s a bit old too! Sir Percy, doesn’t your father actually have a concubine!?”

＂Ah, what is that…

When Selena screamed at her mother’s words, Miri nodded and slightly looked away from her.

＂A situation where another woman would be tempted by him. Do you think I’ll just sit back and watch?”

＂…!＂

“What. Aurelia probably feels the same way. Because she has a stronger desire to be exclusive than me.”

It’s scary, duchesses.

… No, if you think about it, she was a former heresy inquisitor, but she wasn’t the kind of person who would have the courage to have an affair with a woman who was active on the battlefield in Daejeon.

Both of them.

“So, the story returns to Aruru. From what I heard, she was that kid. She said she sparred with Cleon once at the academy.”

That is the story of when Cleon first visited the swordsmanship department.

It talks about a time when sparring was so intense that the place used by the swordsmanship department for training and sparring was completely destroyed.

＂Sparring…? “Isn’t it not that rare for Aruru to want to know the skills of a strong warrior?”

Selena said this, recalling how when Aruru was a child, she used her sword skills to beat up all the noble boys who were her subordinates.

Well… Aruru was back when he was almost as mischievous as a wild child.

“Well, that may certainly be the case. What’s important is what happened after that.”

However, Namiri must have said that while smiling ‘huhu’.

＂What on earth happened…＂

At that moment, Selena seemed a little nervous, and in order to quench her thirst, she lifted the teacup placed in front of her and carefully tried to drink her own tea.

“Well… That kid. Didn’t you say that as soon as the sparring was over, you and Cleon kissed passionately in front of the students?”

＂Puh-eup!!＂

Damn.

Earl Grey liquid spouting from Selena’s mouth.

However, as if she had known about the spray in advance, she deployed a magical barrier and blocked all the black tea that came out of her daughter’s mouth.

Namiri handed her a napkin to wipe her mouth with a familiar gesture, and Selena took it and coughed a few times before finally opening her mouth again.

“That, that, that, that, that door!?”

“Why did you use a slightly difficult word? Just say kiss.”

As if Miri doesn’t understand her daughter’s language system, she tackles her briefly and then continues.

“Well, you don’t know what humans will do when they get excited. In a fight so intense that her life was on the line, wasn’t it necessary to release the heat from her heated body? Born as a warrior in a peaceful era where there were no great enemies like the Demon Sword Emperor. The child who had only been sharpening his sword without using his power to his full potential ended up meeting someone who matched his skills like a lie. It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t excited and my body was itchy.”

Namiri says so calmly.

Of course, if you dig deeper, the reality of the continent is that there are still many uneasy factors. Certainly, compared to the time of the war with the empire, it can be said that things have become a lot more peaceful.

And, in such a peaceful era, the power of the Holy Sword was merely a ‘symbol’ to symbolize that peace.

It would be ‘luck’ for humans not to be swayed by that power.

However, as Aruru, who was born with quite a martial nature, she may have been looking for someone who could wield that power with all her might.

It would be even better if the other person did not have malicious intent toward you but was rather friendly.

“When I hear things like that, it reminds me of my younger days.”

I, Miri, said that while putting her hand on her face as if she was missing it a little.

What would she hide, for she had tested her own husband, that is, the Duke of Regent, by exercising her power.

Of course, Duke Regent himself is not a martial artist, so if he fights with force, Namiri will definitely win, but what she wanted to see was the courage of Duke Regent.

In other words, can you show that you are a strong person who does not back down when faced with someone who is an object of fear?

That was exactly the part.

There is no need to explain what the result was, but you can tell because the result, Selena, exists.

For reference, this was 10 months and 10 days before Selena was born.

＂…＂

“So? What are you going to do?”

As Selena listens to her words and stays quiet, Miri asks her a question.

After hearing her question, Selena slightly raised her head and made eye contact with her.

＂How can you say…＂

“You’re worried too, right? Something about him. What. A girl’s heart is vulnerable to pounding. When we solve problems like this together, it would be a lie to say that it doesn’t bother us.”

Selena did not deny Namiri’s words.

She has always shown her honest side.

It was impossible for her to lie about her own feelings.

But she is herself. She’s just having a little trouble figuring out what kind of feeling this is.

Her liking was clear, there was no dislike.

It’s reassuring to know that we can do something together, and I wonder what she’s doing when she’s not looking at her face.

And… And…

＂Because it’s okay just once. I want to know what will happen if we put our all into it.”

That’s what Miri said to Selena, who was thinking about it.

＂Huh… Yes, eh?!＂

Selena nods her head and looks at me with a surprised expression.

“Hehe. It may be hard to notice because it’s mixed in with other favors, but I thought it would be because you’re my daughter. It’s a tradition for the women of my family to want to see how far a man they care about or like can do.”

When Namiri said it as if it was natural, Selena asked her with a puzzled expression.

“But… What can I do if I know that…?”

“Of course.”

In response to Selena’s question, Namiri smiled with her bright face and spoke as if she were teaching her daughter.

“If it’s a man of this caliber, I can lie down underneath him.”

＂Mother!!＂

Selena screamed and screamed at Namiri’s words, and Namiri just laughed and smiled.

001

In the end, even after Namiri went back, and even after she went to Cleon to see if he would marry Amelia.

Selena kept what Miri said in her heart.

In front of Cleon, she was trying to show her anger as little as possible, but…

“Selena, are you worried about something?”

She couldn’t fool Diora’s eyes.

＂Actually…＂

For some reason, Selena thought it was okay to just share her thoughts, and after she told everything about what happened to her mother.

＂Huh. Selena too.”

“… Selena ‘Do’?”

When Selena asked again as if she was interested in Diora’s answer, Diora smiled and nodded.

“Huh! I’m also worried about what will happen if I fight against Cleon with all my might!”

＂Eh, that’s…＂

Are these really similar feelings to yours…

It was a bit questionable, but Diora continued talking without stopping.

“Then. This is what happened, should I give it a try? Cleon and real sword battle.”

＂… How? If you fight inside Asteris, you will definitely cause a lot of damage to those around you, but if you tell him the truth and ask him to go outside, you will likely be rejected…”

“Hmm, Cleon is also quite a battle fanatic, so I don’t think there’s any chance of him getting rejected, but… Don’t worry. Because I have a method for everything.”

As Diora said that, she patted Selena’s shoulder as if telling her to leave it to herself.

… If she talks like that.

Selena nodded her head as if she understood, and decided to leave her operation to Diora.

And this was the whole story of the Cleon attack.