Chapter 14

■ Chapter 13. Training Ground (2) □ ᓚᘏᗢ

“So, what you're saying is...”

“... ...”

“You thought my little brother was a new martial arts student and threw the ball at him? You thought I'd be there to block it anyway?”

“...Yeah.”

The woman answered quietly to Nicole's question, which seemed to be suppressing her anger. By the way, the woman was kneeling in front of Nicole with her head bowed deeply.

I was also standing next to Nicole, looking down at the woman. Glancing around, I noticed that we were on the outskirts of the vast training ground, so there were almost no people watching us. Even when someone passed by occasionally, they would just glance at us and then leave to do their own business.

It seemed they were more focused on the sparring matches happening far away rather than on us.

While I was thinking this, Nicole suddenly shouted at the kneeling woman.

“Is that what you're saying now?! Huh?!”

“... ...”

“Even if it was a joke, I told you not to play such dangerous pranks! Don't you think my words make sense?!”

The woman, who had only seen Nicole's gentle side until now, was quite surprised by this reaction.

Of course, even if it wasn't Nicole, any sibling would be angry. After all, her precious little brother almost got seriously hurt.

Since she had never raised her voice before, this situation felt quite fresh.

“Answer me, Adelia. Am I wrong?”

“S-Sorry...”

The woman apologized in a voice as soft as an ant's crawl. However, Nicole, still not satisfied, let out a long sigh.

“You should apologize to our Isaac, not to me. If you play such pranks again, I'll formally complain to the professors, so be careful. Got it?”

“Yeah...”

“Go on, then. Apologize.”

At Nicole's words, the woman slowly lifted her head. I stared at her as her face became visible.

Her light brown hair was cut short and neatly styled, with a prominent nose and long eyelashes, giving her a striking appearance. Overall, she had a boyish charm.

As I gazed into her nearly sky-blue eyes, she also looked at my face and spoke.

“Oh. Pretty...”

That mouth was the problem. As soon as the unnecessary words came out of the woman's mouth, Nicole's demeanor became even more intimidating. Honestly, she deserved a hit.

The woman, sensing the dangerous aura from Nicole, bowed her head and hurriedly apologized.

“I'm sorry. I went too far with the joke. I won't do it again.”

Her husky voice suited her boyish appearance quite well. The flippant tone she used earlier seemed to be reserved for playing pranks on Nicole.

I watched Adelia, who was still bowing her head in apology, and felt a bit awkward as I replied.

“Ah, it's okay. It's fine. By the way, your name is Adelia, right?”

“Yes. Adelia Cross.”

The lack of a middle name, which is usually given to nobles, indicated that Adelia was a commoner. I was a bit surprised, as I had assumed she was a noble based on her appearance.

‘But she threw a ball at me as a joke...’

This meant one of two things: she was either a close friend of Nicole, transcending class boundaries, or she was thoughtless. However, given that she spoke informally to Nicole, I assumed the former.

I stared at Adelia, who was clearly nervous, and asked a question.

“Are you friends with my sister?”

“Um...”

Adelia hesitated to answer and glanced at Nicole. Nicole, still looking angry, nodded slightly to indicate it was okay.

With this, Adelia forced a smile and quietly answered.

“Yes. We've been friends since we enrolled and have been together ever since.”

“Then just use informal language. Since you're friends with my sister.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

She immediately switched to informal language. I nodded, feeling a bit amused as she asked with a bright smile.

Adelia let out a sigh of relief and started speaking rapidly.

“Really, really sorry. I'll apologize again. I just wanted to see who Nicole brought. I didn't expect it to be her brother.”

“I already said it's fine. It's a thing of the past, and you probably thought Nicole would block it, right? At least you didn't throw a dagger.”

“Still, I'm sorry. If I had thrown it at someone else, I would have been expelled.”

“Does a close friend play such pranks?”

Pressed by Nicole's fierce tone, Adelia couldn't come up with a proper excuse. She just gave an embarrassed laugh, fumbled, and bowed her head in apology.

Seeing that Adelia was genuinely repentant, Nicole sighed deeply and reluctantly forgave her.

“Phew. I've been telling you this, but don't play such pranks from now on. It's one thing if it happens once or twice, but doing it every time we come to the training ground is getting annoying.”

“Sorry...”

“Sis, did she do this often?”

“She always did this whenever I came to the training ground.”

No wonder she reacted so quickly. It seemed Adelia had a history of such pranks.

Given that she played such pranks every time they came to the training ground, Nicole must have been quite annoyed. Especially today, when it was her own brother who was almost hurt.

I watched Nicole, who was running her fingers through her hair, and then looked at the entrance of the training ground. The entrance was a long corridor, and the inside was dark, but I could barely make out a silhouette.

Yet, Adelia had been certain that Nicole was coming, even in the darkness. Even if it was a familiar silhouette, it wouldn't have been enough to be certain.

“Adelia.”

“Huh? Did you call me?”

“Can you also imbue your eyes with mana?”

“Of course. Despite my appearance, I'm quite skilled.”

Her answer was full of pride. Indeed, her skills were already proven by the fact that she was a teaching assistant like Nicole.

If you ask how imbuing the eyes with mana relates to skill, consider how sensitive our eyes are. Being able to see objects clearly in the dark by imbuing the eyes with mana demonstrates excellent mana control.

I knew this fact because I received advice from my father when I first wrote the biography of Zeon. My father also happily told me about other abilities, and I used my memories from my previous life to create the rest.

I quietly watched Adelia, who seemed to have regained her energy, and asked her.

“Can you also distinguish body heat?”

“What? How can I do that? That's a skill only a Knight Captain or higher can use.”

Adelia replied with a tone of disbelief. My father said that anyone could do it with a bit of effort, but it seemed to be based on his standards.

“Nicole's little brother, right? Just a word of advice, don't even think of comparing your father to anyone else. He's the kind of person who can change the map with a single sword stroke. How can you compare him?”

“Father is that good?”

I already knew my father was an incredible person, but I didn't realize he was that good. I looked at Nicole with a face that said, "Is that true?" She shrugged and replied.

“I don't know. When has our dad ever said anything about himself?”

“He never has. But why are you saying this?”

“Every time his achievements are mentioned, he says the faces of the knights who sacrificed themselves come to mind. Isaac, you wouldn't know, but before you were born, he couldn't sleep at night without alcohol.”

Judging by the symptoms, he was a typical soldier suffering from PTSD.

Moreover, my father was not just a Knight Captain but a member of the Navy Knights, so he must have had twice as much combat experience as others. The Navy Knights, being the strongest knight order in the Minerva Empire, are assigned various missions.

One of these missions involves hunting down demonized demons. While demon hunting is also done by other groups, it's seen as a last resort, and the Navy Knights are often the ones to handle it.

Despite this, he managed to raise three children safely, which shows his remarkable mental strength.

“Anyway, Adelia, are you going to prepare for the sparring now?”

“I have to. There are many new students, so it'll be quite busy.”

“Then today, you'll do it alone as punishment. I'll be taking my brother around.”

“What? Wait a minute. Even if that's the case, that's...”

“What?”

Adelia immediately protested, and Nicole raised an eyebrow in response. In the end, Adelia, who had committed a serious offense, had no choice but to submit.

“...Alright. But just today?”

“I'll think about it.”

“Oh, please. Don't do that.”

“Who almost gave my precious little brother a black eye?”

It seemed Adelia had been caught in a weak spot. I alternated my gaze between Adelia, who was pleading on her knees, and Nicole, who was crossing her arms and thinking.

Indeed, they were close friends who transcended social status. While our family generally doesn't care much about authority, Adelia's actions would be shocking to others.

If she had threatened a noble's life, she would have been expelled at the very least and possibly even imprisoned.

‘How did she become friends with my sister?’

While I was wondering this, the situation ended with Nicole agreeing to Adelia's request.

“Then let's go to the sparring now. I'll be in the audience, so make sure to explain the situation to everyone.”

“Got it. Isaac, right?”

“Yes. My name is Isaac.”

“Watch your sister spar. She'll make you fall in love with her.”

“Stop talking nonsense and get going.”

Adelia caught the training sword Nicole had thrown and waved her arm playfully as she walked to the training ground.

She was a carefree and mischievous person, but strangely, she wasn't annoying. I waved back to Adelia, who was getting farther away, and asked Nicole a question.

“Sis, how did you become friends with her?”

“It just happened. She kept hanging around when we enrolled, so I talked to her, and it's been like this ever since. She's a bit... no, she's strange, but her skills are guaranteed. She just went too far with the prank, but she's not a bad person.”

“Nicole?”

While we were talking, someone called Nicole from behind. It was a man's voice, deep and pleasant to the ear.

Nicole and I turned to see who it was.

‘...Oh.’

As soon as I saw the man's face, my brain froze. It was a face I knew too well, a face I never wanted to see again.

While I was frozen, Nicole, who seemed to know the man, greeted him warmly. Unlike the informal tone she used with Adelia, her tone was full of respect.

“Lord Leort? You're here early today.”

“This week is the start of the new semester, so I had nothing to do.”

Golden hair that shone like Lina's and clear blue eyes. While Lina had a delicate and puppy-like face, this man had a strong, tiger-like presence.

The man, who had been talking to Nicole, shifted his gaze to me and spoke quietly.

“And the one next to you...”

“My little brother. Say hello, Isaac. This is Prince Leort of the Minerva Empire.”

Without knowing my feelings, Nicole patted my back and urged me to greet him. I faced Leort, feeling extremely nervous.

Although the unexpected meeting was quite unsettling, I had to greet him. Moreover, there was no need to be nervous since I was meeting Leort for the first time, and he had no idea I was the author of Zeon's biography.

There was no risk of being trapped in the palace unexpectedly.

With this thought, I greeted Leort with the etiquette I had learned at home. It was important not to raise any suspicions.

“Hello. My name is Isaac Duker Maysal. It's an honor to meet you, Lord Leort.”

“Ah, so you're Nicole's brother. I thought you looked like her. Nice to meet you. I am the rightful heir to Minerva, Leort Urmis Jackles. By the way, Isaac?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Why? Why is he making that exclamation? It's unsettling.

As I muttered to myself, feeling anxious, Leort asked me with a very friendly face.

“Are you the student Lina talked about?”

...Damn. Life.