The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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Allen Kalia, the second son of the Kalia Marquis Family and my younger brother, had always been at odds with me.

Or rather, it was the moment our mother, Ileyana Kalia, put both of us in the competition as heirs to become the next head of the family that defined our relationship.

The once smooth bond of brother and sister began to slowly but surely crack and fracture.

“Allen has changed.”

Indeed, under his name, the seasoned soldiers of the Marquis family seemed to have arrogantly aligned themselves with him.

Or perhaps he had been plotting some sinister scheme that I had never detected before.

The quiet and timid brother I once knew had transformed completely.

“And of all things, into the worst possible version.”

While it was nice that he started talking more, his shy nature shifted into a lewd and extremely pretentious demeanor.

The problem was not just his attitude; he was tangled up in troublesome situations involving the Imperial Army probing our Marquis family, and he often seemed to retreat when assistance was needed. On top of that, he was showing deep desires towards the first army that came to fill his gaps.

It was no wonder that Allen and I could not find harmony.

“And moreover—”

I calmly reflected on the past.

A past that I could never forget.

“Just before coming to the Great Forest, I heard something that might relate to Allen.”

It was whispers of doubt shared by the loyal ladies of my second army, who followed my command.

In their attempts to elevate me as the head of the next generation of the Kalia Marquis Family, my retainers had been monitoring and gathering evidence against Allen.

They had proudly neatly summarized their urgent secrets onto that written message.

“Allen might be connected to demons, or to a group that worships them, they said.”

Women with sharp instincts from the second army had subtly informed me that they felt an unsettling aura coming from the knights under Allen’s complete control.

And that letter too, though it may not have lived up to the generations of Elven history, bore the names of my retainers, trusted individuals who had devoted themselves for a long stretch of time to the Marquis family.

I could neither ignore nor forget their words.

How long had it been since I arrived in the jurisdiction, carrying worries in my heart and complexity in my mind?

Finally, a chance came when I could get a solid lead.

“If it’s Count Shianella…”

That house was more sincere than any in hunting down demons.

If the Marquis Family defended the eastern front, the Count of Shianella, who exterminated monsters swarming beyond the western borders in the chaotic demonic realm, had inherited an ancient power specifically against malign forces, much like how our current princess, Adelhaite, carries mysterious strength in her violet eyes.

“When I faced Allen, there’s something I sensed from him.”

Just as elves can sense the essence of spirits by their unique fragrance, she too must have been able to discern it with her own sense.

Even during the meeting just now, she had proclaimed that she could instinctively feel magic when the elders posed questions… and indeed, after joining the exorcist unit, she had subtly shown confidence regarding demons.

Setting aside doubts about her long-held abilities.

I asked with a serious tone.

“Can I hear Lady Shianella’s first impression of Allen?”

This became the most crucial question for me at this moment.

Lady Shianella hesitated for a moment before answering.

“The first impression of Allen Kalia… I would say there was a sense of discomfort.”

Discomfort.

That single word grabbed my full attention.

“Discomfort… you say?”

“I first met Allen and Lady Diolia together. The sense of discomfort was felt by both me and Lady Diolia.”

“I would appreciate a more detailed explanation…”

“…Is that all right?”

Enchanted by her words, I nodded.

The suspicions aroused by her words began to morph into instinctual conviction.

“That subtly perceivable intuition hinted at something strangely off about him. At that time, Allen was hastily leaving with a priest, yet that priest’s pupils looked oddly unfocused.”

“……”

“That’s right. The focus was easily lost, and the chaos within them was apparent, and you left with the priest almost immediately—”

Taking a step forward, Diolia, whose name had just been mentioned.

As the conversation between Shione and Eunice deepened.

Tania, who had been quietly listening to Shione, tilted her head.

“Park Shin-woo, what’s ‘young master’?

‘It’s something similar to Lady; it refers to the sons of high-ranking people.’

“Hmm, so…”

Tania gazed at Diolia’s back.

No, to be precise, she was looking at the Cotton Puff that was being petted against its will by her left hand.

“What about the spirit’s name? Let’s nickname it the same as Changsik, calling it Young Master too?”

“No, that’s a bit…”

“Why? Young Master sounds good. It’s easy to remember, and the meaning is fairly nice. After all, it implies they’re a precious being.”

Now that I’ve gotten used to that nickname you gave it, its original name is Elvis.

Tania, just stay quiet. Some things are simply not meant to be.

*

The conversation between Shione and Eunice Kalia had drawn to a close.

Before long, with Diolia joining in, the three had a deep discussion about Allen Kalia, and after enough thorough dialogue, the atmosphere returned to a much lighter mood.

During Eunice Kalia’s time in the Great Forest, I was able to neatly wrap up our conversation by discussing some rather famous matters occurring outside the Great Forest.

However, the problem was.

“In the end, she was definitely looking straight at me.”

As I was heading from the barracks to the Arielte Family’s lodging.

For some reason, it was through Tania that I realized Eunice Kalia’s suspicious gaze was briefly fixed on me instead of Shione, who had piqued her interest… but, for now, it seemed like no troublesome events would come my way.

“Well, for now, I don’t need to worry too much about that.”

It seemed far better to focus on tidying up matters regarding our imminent entrance to the eastern forest than to waste my mind on unease regarding Eunice.

Upon arriving at my residence, I began to take off my armor and place my sword in a corner of the room.

The moment I felt the heavy armor lifting off me and my body becoming light.

Boom!

“Ugh.”

—Meow?

Tania, who had been playing quietly with Cotton Puff, transformed back into a smaller girl.

This wasn’t the side of the World Tree; perhaps it was due to that strange quest from earlier. For a while, Tania had kept her top-level form, but now, seeing her spirit return to a lower grade was no surprise.

—Meow meow.

“Does it hurt? Hehe, are you really worrying about a mere low-grade spirit?”

—Cough…!

Cotton Puff puffed itself up and charged toward Tania.

However, since Cotton Puff was already quite small compared to Tania, it was less of a charge and more of a full embrace.

“Just playing, just playing. It’s nothing to worry about since I returned to a high grade like yesterday.”

—Meow?

“Yeah, really.”

—Heh…

Cotton Puff pulled away from Tania.

“…What? Can you say that again?”

Boom!

With its tiny wings flapping, Cotton Puff rose into the air again.

—Heh.

“This is….”

Cotton Puff swooped directly toward me.

Using me as a shield, Cotton Puff, claiming to be a wind spirit, created a small updraft and floated up, then suddenly dropped back down in a repeat of the trick to taunt Tania.

“You…”

With her arms crossed, Tania puffed out her cheeks and flew over.

—Meow!

“Just stay still!”

Suddenly, a game of tag began as Cotton Puff and Tania spiraled around me.

Using its little body and wind power, Cotton Puff navigated with remarkable desperation, dodging Tania’s outstretched arms.

Thanks to this, rather than catch Cotton Puff, Tania ended up wrapping her arms around my left arm and whining.

“Park Shin-woo, you’ve got to catch it!”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Because when I asked if it hurt when it changed from high to mid-grade, it shot back that it’d rather it was in pain!”

“Ah.”

But still… that was Tania; you stirred things up with Cotton Puff, who’s really just a low-grade spirit—

“Park Shin-woo, you’re thinking about something else again.”

“…I’m not.”

“Hmph, just look at your eyes; it’s so obvious!”

The fiery trouble now landed on me as well.

“Ugh.”

Tania began to pull my cheeks, stretching them.

Meanwhile, Cotton Puff, watching the absurdity unfold, suddenly swooped down to attack the hand of Tania pinching my cheek.

Seeing my thumb and index finger slip free from Tania’s grasp, Cotton Puff took the chance to chide Tania.

—Heh.

“…You just wait there.”

—Meow.

“No way! I can catch you! I caught Changsik, right? There’s no way I can’t catch you!”

—……Heh.

“Why did Park Shin-woo even bother to contract with that one while leaving Changsik behind…”

—Meow?

“You’re just not cute at all!”

The second game of tag began between the two.

It seemed Tania had retained her tracking skills honed through playing with the top-grade wind spirit, Changsik, as she increasingly adapted to Cotton Puff’s size and movements until she eventually caught it.

Now thoroughly exhausted after Tania’s ‘mental education’, Cotton Puff lay helplessly in her hands.

“Park Shin-woo, do you have time now?”

“Right. There’s nothing particularly scheduled after this afternoon.”

“Good. Then…”

She held out Cotton Puff to me.

“Let’s name it now.”

A name.

The moment that single word lit something in Cotton Puff, it rose like magic with sparkling eyes.

—Meow!

As if it had been waiting for this moment all along.