The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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The third day has dawned.

Usually, climbing the mountain with Shione was a struggle.

But today, I had been struggling since morning.

Siabel kept hovering around me and giving me sidelong glances, all because of what happened yesterday.

Every time I tried to have a brief chat with Bronte, she would subtly approach, claiming to talk to her attendant, yet sneak in a word with me too.

Seeing her smile cheerfully without a care made me shake my head involuntarily.

Just come and talk to me openly already.

Why go through all that hassle?

The hardships didn’t end there.

“Isn’t it too close for comfort?”

“Close? Not at all, so don’t worry about it.”

“But if you’re this close, it’s hard to climb the mountain…”

“I said don’t worry about it.”

The mountain was already rugged, hard to navigate as it was.

Yet Shione was sticking to me like glue, much closer than before, making it difficult to maintain balance.

If we weren’t careful and tripped, we’d inevitably end up rolling into each other.

Despite my many attempts to subtly hint at some distance, Shione clung tightly to my sleeve and cut off my words.

The important part was that this was not the whole story.

Even as Shione and I bickered over this issue,

Siabel was paying an unusual amount of attention to us, even turning her head to stare.

Why on earth were they so interested in me today?

“Siabel seems to have been checking on us quite often today.”

Even Shione mentioned how Siabel was scrutinizing us more than usual.

Now that I think about it, I need to let Siabel know about the magic revelation, but there are too many ears around; that can wait until later.

I came up with a decent response.

“It seems like she’s worried about you, Shione, recalling yesterday’s events.”

“Hmm. It appears she’s as conscious of you as I am.”

“I did throw myself at Shione to save her yesterday. I guess she’s concerned enough to keep an eye on you, after all.”

“True…”

Shione squinted her eyes and stared at Siabel’s back.

As they were looking at us again, Siabel’s eyes met Shione’s.

Siabel greeted us with a small wave and a smile.

Shione awkwardly smiled back and waved at her.

Watching Shione, Siabel’s smile widened, and then her gaze shifted toward me.

What on earth was up with them being so obsessed with me?

I mumbled, “Please stop looking this way. It’s making Shione uncomfortable.”

My request was serious, but for some reason, Siabel found it funny and chuckled, nodding.

Finally, one of those pesky gazes had vanished.

Whenever Siabel turned to us, some soldiers would sneak glances our way, making me uneasy.

Now I could walk a little more comfortably.

Just as I thought this, I noticed Shione, still wearing an awkward expression, despite Siabel averting her gaze, so I spoke up.

“It seems Siabel cares for you greatly, Shione.”

“Yeah, it seems so… It’s a bit awkward for my sister, who barely spoke to me, to suddenly be this kind.”

“You’ve greeted her quite casually every time you’ve run into her, haven’t you?”

“Those were just greetings. But I’ve never received such attention, so I don’t know how to respond. Maybe it’s just my solitary thought, but…”

Shione continued, keeping her tone steady.

“It feels like there’s an unbridgeable distance.”

I quietly nodded.

While I was listening to her with a somewhat calm expression, she suddenly pinched my cheek.

I was taken aback, looking at Shione, questioning her.

“What are you doing?”

“Fufufu.”

Seeing her laugh like that, even though she was my superior, I thought she seemed a bit out of it.

Someone listens earnestly, and she responds by pinching my cheek and laughing?

It’s not exactly harmful, but it’s so deflating that it’s not enjoyable at all.

“Don’t make such a stiff face. Are you worried about me?”

“…?”

“No need to worry. I’ll be just fine.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll make sure you can get close to Siabel again. I can’t believe I was awkwardly trying to figure out how to navigate that myself.”

“Ah.”

Shione’s expression brightened.

The corner of her mouth lifted softly as her eyes twinkled.

A small but deep smile enveloped Shione like soft moonlight.

“Besides… you’ve got me along with Siabel, right?”

“Yes, I’ll do my best to help you quickly get closer to Siabel, Shione.”

When I said this, I noticed a slight crack in Shione’s smile.

Objectively, I thought my response was nearly perfect.

Apparently, it didn’t sit well with Shione.

I had no clue what kind of answer she was expecting.

“Did I say something to upset you, Shione…?”

“Oh, no. It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

Shione waved her hand, blushing lightly.

Well, if she says it’s nothing, then I don’t need to agonize over it too.

Just then…

“Ah!”

Shione, distracted by her hand wave, wasn’t watching her step and stumbled over a tree root.

Since we were walking unusually close today, if she grabbed my arm while falling, we both might end up rolling down the mountain.

I hurriedly caught her with my right arm before she fell.

“Be careful, the ground is rough, isn’t it?”

She must have felt a bit embarrassed for nearly tripping over the tree roots since Shione hung her head low.

Her face turned beet red, as if it were going to burst.

“Uh… I’m sorry…”

“Please be careful next time.”

As I said this, I felt the eyes of someone staring at us nearby.

“Huh…”

Of course, there’s someone else watching us.

Siabel’s gaze landed right on me as I steadied the clumsy Shione.

This time, she wasn’t even glancing at her sister, just staring right through me.

What was more, she had a crooked smile on her face.

What is it with both sisters being so eager to tease me?

After Siabel turned her head away again, I relaxed my arm that was holding Shione.

“Thanks for catching me…”

It would have been better if I didn’t have to get thanked in the first place.

While I thought that, I managed to reply as politely as possible.

“It was nothing, really.”

Hearing that, Shione began to focus on not tripping over tree roots anymore.

With her head downcast, she started walking.

Regardless, what had I done to be this tired, both physically and mentally, as we continued on?

How long had it been since I replied to Shione’s comments while paying no attention to Siabel’s intense gaze?

“I’ve spotted a group of Ashen Wolves ahead.”

“How many are there?”

“There seem to be a little over 10. But they look quite unusual compared to regular specimens.”

“If their condition is strange, then?”

“Perhaps ominous and aggressive… You’ll have to see it firsthand.”

Finally, we had found the monsters.

However, Siabel frowned at the mention of their unusual state.

But making a decision didn’t take long.

“Regardless of how aggressive they are, they are still Ashen Wolves. If we take down the leader, the rest will fall apart, so let’s eliminate them and move on.”

The moment we decided to clear this pack of Ashen Wolves and search for another one, we began to move quickly.

Shione, who had been staring at the ground, took out an arrow and strung it onto her bow, readying herself for battle.

With adequate tension, the soldiers advanced toward the reported location.

Before long, we were finally able to catch sight of the anomalies that were the Ashen Wolves.

“This is…”

The glossy ash-gray fur and the famed cold and sharp eyes of the Ashen Wolves were nowhere in sight.

Rather, they had bloodshot red eyes and drooling saliva.

And their fur was turning pitch black at the tips, appearing brittle and cracked.

On top of that, there was that foul energy that gave me a chill from the past.

My expression soured instinctively.

It was inevitable.

The energy radiating from those Ashen Wolves was.

“Demonic Magic.”

It was akin to the malevolent aura of demons that turned countless worlds into mere dungeons.

Too wild to be called mana.

Something fundamentally different from Divine Power.

The moment I laid eyes on that vile demonic magic, I recalled something crucial I’d forgotten, overwhelmed by helping Shione.

This place was a world that had already perished within a dungeon.

To make matters worse, it was a world destroyed by demons.

I thought of Shione, who was desperately trying hard yet always seemed to be missing a screw.

As one orc charged at us, my master froze in place, unable to move.

How on earth was I supposed to fight demons while escorting Shione?

I sighed inwardly.

Would praying to the gods help?

Not Shione, but I need Siabel to create a main quest that could actually be achieved.