The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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For the past week, Shione has epitomized laziness.

It seemed as if she wanted to showcase how her entire body was coated in fat, as I had yet to witness her engaging in any proper exercise.

Like the first day, her daily routine comprised simply burying herself beneath the blanket and munching on snacks—a simple yet utterly tiresome spectacle.

However, the fortunate point was that since the incident outside the dining hall, she has been refraining from her usual sharp remarks whenever I show her a smile.

Of course, while waiting for her outside the dining hall, I did receive some unpleasant glances from two men.

But aside from that, things weren’t as bad as I had expected.

So, Shione and I spent our days maintaining our territories without exchanging words.

After observing Shione Shianella for a week, my evaluation of her was simple.

She was, quite literally, a person living each day like a useless bum, devoid of any goals.

Shione was lethargic in everything she did, and she was hyper-aware of maintaining her space, her room.

Strangely enough, today, for some reason, she stepped outside her room.

“The sun is warm and the breeze is cool—what a nice day.”

“It’s perfect weather for a light stroll around.”

“Right?”

Perhaps feeling good, she replied to me quite normally for once.

Not only that.

Though almost hidden beneath her flesh, the corners of her mouth had tilted up slightly.

She began to walk leisurely, unlike her usual hastened steps.

“Where are you headed?”

“I’m thinking of going to the garden. Around this time, the daffodils and irises bloom beautifully.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Anticipation itself can be a form of amusement, I suppose. Not to mention, we might spot tulips and daisies too.”

Without a doubt, Shione was excited.

It was as if her usual dull gaze had suddenly regained its vitality.

By the way, I never imagined Shione would be able to name flowers so easily…

Did she have some sort of story related to the garden? Or is it just a simple hobby?

Whatever it was, it was refreshing to see that she wasn’t solely interested in snacks to devour for herself.

She must have darted back and forth for her snacks too often.

After walking a bit further, we arrived at a small garden.

As Shione said, the yellow daffodils and purple irises adorned the garden beautifully.

In between, the tulips and daisies also bloomed vibrantly.

“They’re in full bloom. It’s indeed worth the wait.”

“That’s a given.”

“Do you like flowers, Princess Shione?”

Shione stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me in response to my question.

Thanks to her sudden movement, I had no choice but to stop as well.

Oh no, did I step on a landmine…?

Shione quietly stared at me.

I began to feel unnecessarily tense.

I had hoped to engage her in light conversation since she looked happy.

Surely, she wouldn’t respond in a grumpy manner again, right?

Fortunately, she silently withdrew her gaze from me and looked toward a wide expanse of blooming daffodils.

“Well, I do like flowers quite a bit.”

What an unexpected revelation.

There are days when even Shione can be this gentle.

It felt like I had stumbled upon an opportunity that rarely took place.

Would it be alright to push the conversation a little further?

“…May I ask why?”

“Because flowers bloom. They break free from their frustrating, dark seeds, take root, sprout anew, and constantly strive until they finally bloom.”

Shione’s gaze returned to me once again.

“Isn’t that quite admirable?”

I nodded in response to her question, which she asked with a smile.

It was hard to adapt to the sudden change in her demeanor, so different from the usual atmosphere between us.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t bring up another word and instead merely admired the garden for a while.

In the midst of that, Shione’s lips, which had subtly curled up while looking at the flowers, suddenly dropped as she noticed another person who had come to the garden.

“Sion…”

A growling tone emanated from Shione’s mouth.

It was the most wary tone I had ever heard from her.

Sion, Sion…

He was Shione’s younger brother born into the renowned Shianella family, famous for their exceptional swordsmanship.

Unlike the sword skills associated with their family, Sion possessed notable talent as a priest.

And not just any mediocre talent; he was undoubtedly someone deserving to be called a genius.

His pure Divine Power was far beyond that of an ordinary priest.

To top it off, he was blessed with striking looks, resembling their mother.

Sion’s silver hair was neater and prettier than Shione’s, and his gaze was nowhere near as dull as hers was on a normal day.

As Sion gazed at Shione, a smirk crept onto his face.

Shione stood frozen, her expression was cold and devoid of emotion as he approached her slowly.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing my heavy sister here? I didn’t think I’d run into you.”

“…I didn’t expect to see you here either. Unless you have business, I believe I should take my leave.”

“Come on, sister. You have plenty of time, and there’s no need to rush. We’re siblings; can’t we chat without any specific reason?”

Sion began to playfully tease Shione.

It was clear he was out to belittle her.

Shione’s extreme lethargy and apathy, along with the incredible lack of ability that seemed impossible for someone with the same bloodline, were all fodder for his vile jabs.

Seeing Shione, who displayed no reaction to such blatant insults, it was likely that she had persisted through this torment for quite some time.

It was as obvious as could be.

“Oh, by the way, have you heard the news, sister?”

What kind of news could Shione, who had been holed up in her room eating the snacks I brought, possibly hear?

Her source of news could only be the daily assortment of treats prepared for her.

As expected, Shione, with no idea what was happening, remained quiet.

“I heard that our eldest sister is already on par with Lady Diolia in terms of skill. Isn’t that impressive? At this rate, I fear she might become a Sword Master before our mother does.”

This time, Sion’s words elicited a clear response from Shione.

At the mention of “Sword Master,” a wrinkle appeared on her forehead.

Simultaneously, Sion’s smug grin deepened as if waiting for this moment.

“…Sion, what reason could you possibly have to tell me that?”

“Isn’t it only natural for a sister to be aware of how well her family is doing? After all, you are a member of the Shianella family regardless.”

Sion’s smirk twisted almost satirically.

He loomed over Shione, elevating himself above her, along with Siabel.

If only he would tease lightly, it would at least make standing behind them less burdensome…

The oppressive silence made me want to tread carefully as a third wheel in this conversation.

“Furthermore, recently…”

As he continued to boast about his superiority over her, his praise for their achievements didn’t just end there.

He mentioned that Siabel had recently gained insight regarding a new sword technique and bragged about how he himself had further refined his Divine Power’s purity.

With each of Sion’s remarks, Shione’s feelings of inferiority expanded.

It was likely that he had done this to her for ages, which would explain Shione’s growling response the moment she laid eyes on him.

If my own sibling had been this much of a nuisance to me, I would have planted a fist in his solar plexus right there.

But Shione, instead of throwing a fit, merely clenched her chubby fists tightly.

Aside from that, she displayed no further sign of reaction.

“Well, that’s about the gist of it with me and the eldest… You certainly look the same as ever, sister.”

“Is that the end of your story?”

“Yeah, pretty much. It would be nice if you could share something about yourself, but to look at you, it’s hard to see if it’s even worth hearing. Even if you lack talent, wouldn’t it be better to swing a sword rather than sleep all day?”

“…I’ll take note of that. I’ll strive to do better.”

It was a given that her words of effort wouldn’t lead anywhere meaningful.

Though Shione’s voice did not carry, anyone could tell Sion was silently mocking her.

It appeared Shione was tired of listening to the conversation and began to move slowly.

“Looks like there’s no more to discuss. I think I’ll take my leave.”

Sion merely shrugged his shoulders, retaining a derisive grin as his response.

Shione brushed past him, and I followed quietly behind her.

I tried to escape the annoyingly bitter exchange, but…

Sion, who had been consistently bragging about his magic to his sister, decided to speak to me.

“By the way, didn’t our mother mention that your servant possesses Mana mastery? And surprisingly enough, he has a few unusual talents that seem unfitting for his background…”

When I looked at him, he smiled brightly.

“It seemed our mother found quite a bit of amusement in that. Isn’t it tragic how such a talent is merely a servant to Shione?”

I couldn’t respond to Sion’s words.

Was he complimenting me, or was he insulting me to my face?

I couldn’t quite decipher his intentions.

“Eventually, you too will find yourself thoroughly exasperated with Shione. When that time comes, look for me.”

“…….”

I merely nodded my head in silence.

Right now, it was more important to catch up with Shione, who had already distanced herself and fled.

I couldn’t imagine how much she would torment me if I took too long talking to Sion after she had already stormed off.

Moreover, Sion’s chosen servant was someone I had previously played a prank on.

There was no reason for me to walk back into that den of a colleague I had already argued with.

I hurriedly passed by Sion and chased after Shione’s trailing figure.

I successfully pulled up behind her again.

“…If you walk so fast, you might suffocate again, you know?”

Seeing her quickened pace, two-fold and uninterrupted, it’s obvious she’d soon be standing still and gasping for air.

Yet, this time, she wasn’t even huffing and puffing as she moved along, implying that Sion’s words must have really disturbed her mood.

Watching Shione hastily retreat to her room, I shook my head.

“I should bring her some cold water.”

Her method of cooling her anger didn’t seem to involve yelling; rather, she aimed to retreat into her room, which appeared pitiful in my eyes.

It would be best to quietly allow her to sip cold water to ease her mind.

*

“I’ve brought cold water.”

I quietly entered Shione’s room.

I intended to head towards her usual spot on the bed, but to my surprise, she wasn’t there this time.

Wondering what was happening, I found her sitting in the leather chair in her room, deeply in thought about something.

I carefully placed the glass of cold water on the desk in front of her.

In the meantime, I could hear her muttering to herself.

“Has my sister already attained the rank of Sword Expert…?”

It was said that her eldest sister, Siabel, had become skilled enough to spar equally with Lady Diolia.

Even Siabel’s own servant seemed to brag about how exceptional that had become.

It seemed that the knight who had sparred with Siabel was indeed a Sword Expert.

A Sword Expert…

Even in Earth’s Hunter community, particularly among sword users, ranks were often categorized by titles like Sword Runner and so forth.

Among those, the Expert rank sits right below that of a Master.

It seemed that there are distinctions within the Expert rank as well, but to achieve the rank of Expert is indicative of an outstanding swordsman.

In my past, as long as I wasn’t a high-level Expert, I wouldn’t pose much of a threat.

Yet right now, what with not even being able to summon spirits, the prospect of gaining such a level felt utterly distant.

Why in the world has my situation deteriorated to this point…?

Snapping out of my momentary thoughts, I observed Shione once more.

She had her round hands stretched out in front of her, looking at them.

“…Compared to that, no matter how hard I try, I’m merely at the beginning of being a Sword User. Isn’t this just unfair, haha.”

A weak laugh escaped Shione’s lips.

It seemed to her, the level of an Advanced Sword User was a far-off mountain.

Given the very fact that it pertained to an ability utilizing Mana, being a Sword User was not low tier.

However, if that’s the yardstick for the Shianella family, then it does change things.

As far as I know, the members of the Shianella family had always been strong, all reaching at least the Sword Expert level.

Could that be the reason? A sense of self-loathing seeped from Shione’s expression hidden beneath the fat.

At that moment…

[Quest Activated.]

“Persuasion”

“Your Shione Shianella was not always a hopelessly lazy aristocrat from the start. However, unlike my family, she lacked talent with swords and Divine Power despite being earnest and steadfast. Consumed by public opinion and self-loathing, she fell deeper into resentment due to the constant comparisons with her sister. Encourage Shione Shianella within three days and help her regain her former vigor.”

“Success: Increased Affection of Shione Shianella toward you.”

“Failure: Accelerated Collapse of Shione Shianella.”

“If only I had proper talents.”

The sound of Shione’s dejected whisper twisted my heart.

I calmly began to respond to her lament after reading the suddenly appeared status window.

“Then, wouldn’t it be better to find a different talent rather than just focusing on swords?”