The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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“Can you show me once right now?”

“Are you saying to practice magic together in the duel?”

“Yeah. If possible, not just in your body but also in your sword.”

I gently shook my head.

Mixing magic with a sword in combat is quite a dangerous action. Magic that emerges at the end of a formation shows no mercy.

Siabel is a sword expert knight, so it’s only natural she’d react actively to magic. If she somehow fails to dodge or break my attack, she might experience some pain.

For now, I vaguely shake my head to reconsider her words.

“It could be quite dangerous.”

“I figured that, so I’ve adequately prepared. No need to worry.”

Siabel held up her right hand.

On her index finger was a ring. It was the same ring she had gifted me before. A valuable magical tool imbued with protective magic.

“We’re not going to fight to the death, so the magic on this ring should be enough to block your spells, even if they touch me. What do you think, isn’t that sufficient?”

“…Yes.”

I can’t believe she brought such a precious item just to show her magic once.

It seems she was hoping from the start for the auras and magic to clash together.

“Then let’s start slowly.”

Siabel smiled softly and aimed her sword at me.

I too pointed my training sword towards her.

Both of us held our swords in the middle stance. The tips of our blades throbbed intensely, targeting the vibrant heart that filled us with energy before the duel began.

“…Go, Ray!”

Shione’s little cheer echoed in the silence. She was clenching her fists and watching our standoff with an exciting expression.

Siabel merely smiled faintly at her younger sister. After Shione flinched at her look, she redirected her gaze toward me.

“My support to the end is not going to happen, huh? That’s how it goes—”

The atmosphere around Siabel shifted.

While her smile remained, the emotion that had been lingering there had long since scattered.

At that moment, cold brilliance flashed in her eyes, and her attack surged towards me.

Whoosh!

The thrusting sword.

I quickly moved to the side and tilted my head.

“I’ve been feeling a bit lonely; I need to watch your sword in a light-hearted way.”

“…Aren’t you coming on a bit strong from the start?”

“Given what you said, it looks like you dodged cleanly, though?”

“Well… Siabel tends to stab from the head down when dueling. I was just recalling that.”

I pushed her sword back, which was hooked above my nose.

As I directed it away, Siabel’s sword fell, and I dove straight into her space.

With the sword held in the middle stance, I lifted my wrist to direct the sharp blade towards her again.

Siabel’s slender weapon approached with cold steel.

“Hoho.”

Still, Siabel didn’t show any tension.

She seemed to enjoy the path of my sword. Perhaps she hadn’t expected me to thrust towards her neck. There was a glint of interest in her expression.

“A bold attempt.”

Clang!

The two training swords without mana collided with a clear ringing sound.

“It would be better to aim for the blind spots a bit more next time.”

Siabel pushed against my blade as her body shifted.

Did she activate mana? The weighty force made me instinctively take a step back.

I lifted my left heel to prevent my body from getting pushed back.

Finally, I began to redirect my mana. Enhancing my body and quickly forming my magic.

‘First, fire.’

I infused the flame into my long blade.

Normally, I would need to withstand the heat of the furnace and the craftsman’s hammer strike to complete the form, then imbue the warmth entirely into the blade. But right now, in the midst of the duel, I didn’t grant the flames much intensity.

However, the visual stimulus was enough just by having the flickering flames cling to my sword.

“Wow….”

Shione’s tiny mouth slightly parted in awe, her blue pupils shimmering with the red fire. She was so focused on observing the sword that she forgot to blink. Perhaps her aesthetic sensibility was triggered.

Siabel’s eyes widened for a moment as she saw flames soar from my sword, then she broke into a warm smile. The cold and indifferent corner of her mouth lit up with renewed excitement.

‘Next, it’s best to utilize wind.’

Whoosh—

A gentle breeze wrapped around me.

Feeling the wind surge that rustled through my body and brushed against her skin, Siabel gathered her aura and straightened her spirit, staring intently at my sword.

“Ugh!”

I exhaled sharply as I stomped the ground.

With the newly unleashed form, the distance between Siabel and me closed to the wavelength of a single step.

I held no stylized swordsmanship. Yet, with honed experience in real combat, my attacks had no hesitation or doubt.

“…Your momentum is far more impressive than what I saw on the castle wall.”

Siabel wrapped her sword in even denser aura.

As her preparations finished, I drew my sword.

The path my sword cut through blazed with flames. The scattered fire created a vivid veil that danced along with the breezy pathway. Although the spectacle may have vanished, the lingering warmth would surely heat the space up.

Boom—

The clash erupted with a noise like an explosion. Siabel clenched her grip on the hilt, blocking my attack. The shock seemed unexpectedly large, and she displayed even more satisfaction.

Tap… tap…….

Sparks flew alongside our clashing swords, and as they drew arcs, it would blossom into flaming fireworks that engulfed Siabel.

“…!”

The netted remnants of fire briefly obstructed Siabel’s vision.

Whoosh!

I pierced through the wall of flames without a hint of hesitation. Yet my attack fell futile.

Swish!

My sword intertwined with Siabel’s beyond the curtain of fire.

With our bodies leaning toward each other, we engaged in a struggle of strength, swords locked.

“What do you think of the combination of magic and sword?”

“…The technique is more dazzling than I expected. I never saw something like this on the castle wall.”

“Well, back then, I was too busy shooting arrows imbued with magic, so I didn’t have the leisure to infuse magic into my sword.”

“Hmm….”

For a moment, she looked at my sword before raising her gaze to meet mine.

In that instant, a relaxed smile emerged.

“However, it seems to me—”

Siabel began to push my sword fiercely.

“It feels like my sword is light and lacking in depth for magic. Is that my misinterpretation?”

Knowing full well this flame barely bears this level of heat, and understanding that wind magic can be used both offensively and defensively, Siabel saying this is clearly a provocation.

She likely wants me to utilize magic a bit more fiercely.

I gripped the hilt tightly, breaking her pressure as I replied.

“Then from now on, let’s crank up the intensity of the fire a little more.”

“Come at me.”

The duel between Siabel and me surprisingly continued for longer than expected.

*

“Ugh….”

Shione rubbed her eyes with little hands. Admiration echoed as she watched the dazzling sword dance performed by the one she liked.

Even though it was wonderful to see the harmony of sword and magic in every stroke, the prolonged battle showed no signs of ending.

“Yawn….”

Shione let her little mouth yawn widely.

The repeated flares of flames… And the warm air coming from Ray wielding the wind.

Although fierce clashes were resonating, I had already gotten used to this noise to a degree….

It was only natural that boredom and drowsiness crept in with the soft temperature of the training ground.

“…Hmph.”

Shione puffed up her cheeks, watching Ray and her sister who were too busy sword fighting to notice her presence.

“When is this really going to end?”

I’ve grown weary of waiting.

*

Finally, the duel reached its conclusion.

When we briefly exchanged swords, I didn’t feel anything, but the accumulated fatigue rushed in all at once afterward.

I cleaned up the sword after its use and packed my protective gear before bowing my head to Siabel.

” Phew… Thank you for your hard work.”

“And you too. Your sword isn’t bad. Let’s call it a day for now.”

“Thank you.”

“Nonetheless, you still have quite a bit to improve. Your innate sense is excellent, not overly noticeable. But there were times when things got thrown off, leading to weaker attacks due to lack of technique.”

“…Is that so?”

I merely thought I was enjoying the duel. It’s impressive that she identified my lacking points amid such a heated battle. But it seems she genuinely aimed to teach me as she nodded in response to my reply.

“Yes. I think we should mainly train on that aspect and solidifying your magic control. The schedule for coming here… Wouldn’t it be alright if I have a servant inform you by tomorrow morning?”

“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”

“Mm.”

Siabel crossed her arms and smiled softly.

Just then, the status window, which usually appears right when forgotten, popped up.

[You have completed your first lesson with your mentor, Siabel Shianella.]

[As your duel with Siabel continues, your swordsmanship and magic enhancement skills will increase.]

The improvement of swordsmanship and magic enhancement skills. It seems the status window is telling me that my technique will surely improve through practicing with Siabel.

“I’ll need to visit the library a bit more frequently.”

“The library?”

“Yes, since I’m a novice to magic. It would be beneficial for you to learn at least a bit as you teach me.”

“…….”

For someone who swung swords every day, the idea of also exploring magic at the library feels quite earnest. It seems Siabel truly is serious about teaching me.

“Thank you.”

“By your expression, it seems you don’t understand why I’m insisting so much on this.”

“To be honest, yes.”

“Hmm… No need to think too deeply about it. The reason is—”

Siabel made a playful grin, like when teasing Shione.

“If you keep attending your classes diligently, I’ll reward you later.”

“…Yes?”

“Better not run away when things get tough.”

Saying that, Siabel calmly walked over to where Shione was dozing off and squatted down in front of her.

With the clash of swords and their intense strikes, I thought it would be quite a ruckus, but her ability to sleep through all that noise is quite impressively remarkable.

As I smiled broadly at my wonderful mentor, Siabel playfully tugged at Shione’s cheek.

Stretch—

As her cheeks squished out like a rice cake, Shione’s tightly closed eyelids slowly opened.

“Ugh… Big sis…?”

“The duel’s all done. We’re about to wrap up and head back.”

“…Duel? Ah…!”

“Shione, you were calling Ray’s name in your sleep… Did you have a bad dream?”

“……?”

Shione, having a moment of confusion understanding her sister’s words, tilted her head before her cheeks flushed deep red.

“Um, big sis, did I call out Ray’s name while sleep-talking?”

Flustered and forgetting her usual formalities, Shione stammered.

Siabel witnessed this and shrugged her shoulders, nodding nonchalantly.

“You were smiling a bit, then suddenly turned gloomy again. Your expressions were quite a variety.”

“Ah….”

With trembling pupils, Shione quickly scanned the surroundings before spotting me and cautiously asked.

“R-Ray… Really……?”

Her face flushed bright red as embarrassment radiated off her.

In front of her, Siabel turned her body to shield her face while sending me a playful wink.

Seeing Shione’s reaction was quite cute and amusing, I willingly went along with Siabel’s intent.

“Yes, you did.”

“Eh… W-uh….”

In the end, Shione was left with no choice but to bow her head low, overwhelmed by the embarrassment.

Afterwards, to soothe her once she realized it was all in jest, I had to spend the next thirty minutes meticulously brushing her hair.