Chapter 29

After dinner that day, Alvis came to the library inside the mansion alone. He casually picked up a book and began reading it while sitting on the window frame. The library, being empty, was dim, but the moonlight provided just the right amount of illumination. Alvis had always particularly enjoyed being alone in the mansion, and he liked this time. Ever since he was young. And just like back then, it was during such times that he would see him.

"Master Alvis"

"Ed"

Although Edward had been taking separate actions since coming to this mansion, he looked somewhat tired. Alvis would not return to this place unless he said so, and Edward would not go home either. Edward probably had not even seen his family. It was almost impossible for his parents to leave this place. In that sense, Edward had been forcibly taken away to Isra. Alvis had heard what he was doing, but he had not seen it himself. If Alvis was nearby, Edward would prioritize him. That was why Alvis had left Edward alone.

Alvis closed the book and turned to face Edward. Still sitting, he looked up at Edward. From the dirt on his face and the scratch on his cheek, Alvis could guess what he had been doing.

"You seem to have been welcomed quite roughly?"

"... I was forced to spar with my younger brothers when my father returned from an inspection."

"Egan? He knows very well that you are not good at that."

"It's all your fault, Alvis."

"? "

Alvis did not remember doing anything. Especially not to Egan, whom he had not seen since they went to Gackle Volcano together. When Alvis told him this, Edward said it was his fault.

"Nothing special happened. Well, we did encounter some monsters, but they were not much of a threat."

"That's by your standards. To begin with, comparing me to you is a mistake."

"That's true, but..."

"I was told that if I am to be by your side, I should at least have the strength to be a shield."

"I won't allow that."

Alvis is proud of being a former knight. He became a knight because there were things he wanted to protect, and Edward was included in that. In terms of sword skills alone, there are stronger people in the royal guard and the knight corps than Alvis, but when it comes to sword techniques using mana, he does not lose so easily. In actual combat, he is on par with Luke, although he knows that it is partly unfair. In terms of overall ability, he might still be inferior to Luke.

"If I have to use you as a shield, I would rather take you and run away."

"Running away would be the best option, but you would never do that."

"... I know that sometimes it is necessary."

But he tries not to choose that option. What he asks of Edward is not that kind of strength. Edward surely understands this. Isra should know it too.

"My father only knows how to protect through force. My mother says that it is unbearable for those who get caught up in it. I am trying to protect you in my own way."

"... Yeah, that's true."

"That's why I didn't want to come back. Apart from my brothers, I don't feel the need to see my father."

Seeing Edward's deep fatigue, Alvis smiled wryly. It had been a while since Edward had shown this side of himself. Recently, he had been spending more time with Elina. This was because he had been away in the Marana Kingdom for a long time, and people around him had been considerate. Edward was the most considerate, and Alvis knew this.

"Ed, come sit here."

"Eh? No, that's..."

"Just do it."

When Alvis said this, Edward reluctantly sat next to where Alvis was sitting. Alvis put one foot on the window frame and rested his elbow on it, then turned his face to the outside. Edward followed suit and looked out the window.

"It was a full moon that night too."

"... Yes, it was."

Without needing to explain in detail, Edward seemed to understand what Alvis was referring to. That night, when they were young, Alvis and Edward spent the night here together. They did not return to their rooms and stayed in the library during a time when few people came. It was during a party at the Belfias Duke's mansion. Alvis had run away because he did not like the attention from the many nobles. He had never told anyone this. He just wanted to be alone, and he came here. In the end, Edward found him, and they spent the night together.

"Did you ever want to be like Egan when you were young?"

"Eh?"

Edward was surprised to be asked about that night. Back then, Edward was not as close to Alvis as he is now. They spent more time together than with their families, but to young Alvis, Edward was still a distant figure, someone he could not treat rudely because he was a servant. Perhaps that was why he wanted to ask. What Edward thought back then. At the time, Edward was also being treated poorly by Egan. As the eldest son of the Hauswork family, Egan naturally expected him to become a military officer. Alvis thought the same. In the end, Edward chose to be by Alvis's side.

"... I never wanted to be like my father."

"Really?"

"There are many reasons, like being the eldest son... but I never found training enjoyable, nor did I ever wish to become strong. I truly hated it."

It was not that he was bad at it, but the premise was wrong, Edward explained. Unlike Alvis, he never wanted to become strong or aimed for it. It was different from the beginning.

"Becoming your squire was not my father's order but my master's. To be honest, I wondered why, but I thought it was because I was not suited to be a military officer."

Alvis and Edward could not build the same master-servant relationship as Rakuwell and Egan. That was why he ended up with Alvis. That was how Edward felt.

"To be honest, I don't know the reason, and now it doesn't matter. What my master or my father thought doesn't concern me now. It was meaningless to me and to you back then."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Alvis, I never thought deeply about my parents or my brothers. I probably seem colder than anyone else."

"That's not true."

"It's the truth. Since then... even when I found you here, and before that, I only thought about protecting you and being by your side. Even when you still had some wariness towards me, I remember that. I didn't care about anyone else."

"You..."

"My father is the same. I have decided to protect my master for life. Similarly, I have decided to serve you for life. My mother said we are exactly the same in that regard."

It was more because he was Egan's son than a member of the Hauswork family. He did not hate his father, and they talked when they met. He did not mind talking to him or seeing him.

"But, my father is different. It's just too much trouble, so I don't want to see him."

"Hearing that, Egan would be shocked, wouldn't he?"

"I told him directly. He didn't say much, and my mother laughed so hard, so I don't think he was really shocked."

"Is that so?"

Alvis and Edward have known each other for a long time. Indeed, but when it came to family, Alvis had only seen his relationship with Isra. That was why this was the first time Alvis saw Edward handle his family in such a casual manner. Alvis could only smile wryly at this unexpected response.