The Male S*ave of the Count Sianella Family

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Shione’s mischievousness was quickly undermined thanks to Orna. The Cotton Puff flitted around energetically, teasing her, but it felt like trying to catch smoke—every time Shione reached for it, it would nip at her hand instead, making it quite bothersome.

In the end, while I was playing outside with Orna, she had managed to change into her outfit by herself.

“…What’s with suddenly throwing Orna like that?”

Unlike the gleeful Orna who enjoyed the game, Shione didn’t seem to be having much fun.

She looked like someone who had suffered all night from mosquitoes, and on top of her existing fatigue, the recent scuffle had completely drained her energy.

“Well, at least it was nice to play alone with Orna for the first time in a while. Orna even said it was fun playing with Shione.”

“No, but…! I think she’s gotten sharper teeth now that she’s a bit bigger. Just look at this bite mark on my hand!”

“Whoa.”

“…It’s not just ‘whoa.’ Ray probably hasn’t been bitten by a Cotton Puff, so he wouldn’t know, but it actually hurts more than you’d think.”

Though I never personally had been bitten by a Cotton Puff, I had experienced a bite from Tania when I was younger.

So, for me, the news that Orna’s teeth had gotten sharper was welcome.

‘It’s about time for Orna to be approaching mid-level spirit status.’

Our Cotton Puff is right in the middle of its growth stage.

It even seemed to have grown a bit larger lately. If it continues to grow at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Orna became a mid-level spirit.

‘I wonder what she’ll look like when she achieves that status.’

From mid-level on, Orna could imitate human forms like Tania or Elvis whenever she wished. Unlike other agile wind spirits, she was cute and fluffy like a small creature.

I could hardly wait to see how she would showcase that unique feature.

Well, time would take care of that. I’d leave my thoughts about Orna here for now.

Shione and I began talking about what had happened at the Cult meeting today.

“By the way, this whole situation feels a bit strange. The only one I sensed magic from was Lady Eleta; I surprised there were others reacting to my magic.”

“Definitely, your magic has the power to annihilate magic itself. I also thought that was odd.”

Rather than praising Shione’s magic, I found it disconcerting that someone had appeared at that timing, looking pale and drinking wine.

Or the one discreetly wiping away cold sweat—everyone at the Kalia Marquis Family hadn’t just been testing Shione’s magic.

Ordinary people had never displayed such ambiguous reactions beneath her magic.

“Of course, since everyone was drinking during the banquet, maybe they simply overindulged and felt sick.”

Surely, there wouldn’t be anyone who would foolishly drink heavily just for gossip.

Considering there weren’t even any pushy people forcing drinks, those with low tolerances, like Shione, probably controlled themselves from the start.

“I personally suspect it has to do with Your Highness, the Princess.”

The reason they were affected by Shione’s magic when there was no magic present. I found the clue from Adelhaite.

“Could you elaborate a little more?”

“Your Highness discovered the presence of spies while eliminating the cultists in the North alongside the Alenarr Marquis Family, so those spies are likely tied to that group.”

Not all cultists wield the same powers.

Just as there are multiple demons, the powers they receive vary depending on which one they worship.

Although the various techniques of cultists look dark and dreary, they all have different strengths and characteristics.

“And we’ve already encountered the cultists that settled in the North at the Royal Academy. Do you remember their characteristics?”

“Of course. How could I forget that?”

Shione’s expression turned icy at the thought of the events that unfolded in the valley near the Academy.

“That shaman handled magic calmly while also effectively working with divine power.”

Although I had heard chilling rumors regarding the current church from the Demonic Realm, divine power is famous for healing wounds and being oppositional to demons. Magic and divine power are notoriously powers that cannot coexist within the same body.

Whether it was through the Demon of Gluttony or their own research. Regardless, they had succeeded in wielding both powers simultaneously.

Thus, my thoughts continued.

“That’s exactly it. If these traitors are connected to cultists wielding such powers, they could have left markings that are difficult to detect, specially designed for their recognition.”

Given that they displayed characteristics entirely different from any cultists we’ve encountered associated with the Demon of Gluttony, the chances seem high.

“…Difficult for me to detect? Well, they had brought strange potions with them, after all.”

Still, even so, I find myself unable to be certain of anything at this point.

“For now, let’s check the points you mentioned after Princess Rephelia’s interrogation is finished.”

We’ll consider arriving at the conclusions after we gather enough useful information.

After some heavy discussions filled with uncertainties, as the serene autumn night began to spill out of the window, we finally transitioned to a lighter topic.

And that topic was none other than Leona Rephelia.

“I was completely shocked when Princess Rephelia casually addressed Your Highness like that. I can’t be the only one who felt that way, right?”

“Are you talking about when she called out to Adelhaite, or when she said Adelhaite had been harassed before us?”

“Both! I could never have imagined that the Princess would speak so informally to Your Highness.”

I naturally clipped my thoughts onto hers.

“After all, Princess Rephelia claims to be a friend of Your Highness. It works in our favor since she seems quite friendly toward us.”

Adelhaite’s goal was to elevate the kingdom to the status of an empire while eliminating all demons threatening the kingdom.

If Shione and I became friends with her with an aim to eliminate demons, then Princess Rephelia might have drawn that friendship to establish the foundations for a future heading towards the empire rather than against demons.

“The fact that she also became a friend of Your Highness means that the Duke’s family will eagerly participate in the future.”

Still, that’s just talk of two goals. If either one is neglected, nothing will come of it.

We can’t help but feel reassured knowing that the Rephelia Duke’s House is monitoring the demons along with Adelhaite.

Of course, with us being tied to the Princess’s friendship, I expect to be kept in the loop as well.

So, with a heart full of gratefulness in this misfortune, I whispered.

“Looking at it that way, it seems we did well to befriend Adelhaite.”

Shione, who quietly approached and had tried to wrap her arms around me, abruptly halted her movements.

“…Is it really okay to address Your Highness like that?”

“Our lodging is perfectly soundproof, so it doesn’t matter, right? Besides, Adelhaite was the one who suggested being friends first. Princess Rephelia seems comfortable with it too, so why shouldn’t we?”

“True, but…still, she is none other than Your Highness.”

For a moment, she appeared mildly flustered, yet Shione ultimately sat close beside me.

Gently, I blew a little wind in her direction.

“Listening to Princess Rephelia, it feels like we have an abundance of sudden tasks to complete, just like when we receive secret orders. This could be our way to get back at them, even if just a little.”

“……”

“Why don’t you give it a try as well, Shione? Speaking informally could actually create a point of connection with Princess Rephelia.”

Hearing my words, Shione seemed to be deep in thought.

“Indeed… It did seem a bit strange when I received my secret orders so suddenly.”

She slowly began to speak.

“Though I called her my friend, I received no reply for the letter I sent. Adelhaite was at fault this time.”

“……”

Uh, well, I didn’t expect her to approach it this strongly.

And a letter?

“Did you write a letter to Adelhaite or something?”

“I entrusted my mother with sending it, talking about the Demonic Realm, since I thought she seemed quite interested in it.”

“And the reply was nonexistent?”

“……”

In an instant, Shione deflated like a puppy that had just been told to go home from a walk.

If she had a tail like a puppy, it would be drooping down sadly.

After a moment, Shione began brushing her hair and leaned her head on my shoulder.

“I’ll write to Ray next time. He better send a reply.”

“…I’ll try to make it as long as I can.”

“You said it? I knew I could count on you!”

*

Before a woman stood Leona Rephelia.

There was none of her usual demureness or deep grace.

She merely gazed down at a person who lay unconscious with determined eyes.

“…Adelhaite keeps assigning me increasingly difficult tasks. With such hidden markings, it’s hard to find.”

With a small sigh, she drew forth her mana, calming her beating heart.

“Seal them away. They must not escape.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Oh, and don’t forget to have a trustworthy wizard watch over them to prevent suicide.”

With smooth and confident movements, she swept her bangs back, and after ensuring all activated mana was settled, she slowly left the scene, whispering.

“It would be amusing to confront the Young Lady and Baron about this later. I’m definitely going to mention it tomorrow.”

She seemed to look forward to what awaited the next day.