The clashing of swords echoed throughout the courtyard of the Ashbourne household.
Servants carried out their duties while quietly admiring their young master and young miss’s dedication.
The sun was rising from behind the mountains, and the cool morning breeze caused the leaves on the trees to sway gently.
Life itself seemed to be waking up to greet the dawn as the golden light steadily climbed higher into the sky, blessing the world with daylight.
Solomon stood covered in bruises from the countless places where Silvia’s blade had struck him over the past ten days.
He paid them no mind and devoted all his attention to his opponent.
Today was his final day of training with his sister.
It was also the last day of the system’s mission, and he was determined to perform well enough to earn the hidden reward the system had displayed previously.
A thin layer of dust rose beneath their feet as they moved across the training grounds.
He panted heavily as he watched Silvia circle around him with measured steps.
Sweat rolled down the side of his face and dripped from his chin onto the ground below.
He knew she was waiting for him to catch his breath.
“Again,” he said through clenched teeth.
A faint smile appeared on Silvia’s lips.
Without hesitation, she took the initiative and struck with a flurry of blows all at once.
The wooden swords collided repeatedly.
Clack!
Clack!
Clack!
The force traveled through Solomon’s arms, making them tremble slightly.
He had improved every single day.
He could block and counterattack now, though his timing and accuracy were still lacking.
Even so, it was becoming something he could genuinely take pride in.
“Lumen.”
A sphere of light appeared before him.
Silvia twisted her body out of the way with practiced ease.
The orb brushed past her training clothes, barely grazing the fabric before disappearing into the distance.
She remained completely unfazed.
Instead, she continued her swift yet relentless assault on his fragile body.
Solomon gritted his teeth and blocked another strike before narrowly avoiding a second one.
His feet slid backward across the ground.
A moment later, Silvia stepped forward.
Tap.
A wooden sword stopped against his throat.
The duel was over.
Silvia had won once again.
“You’ve improved.”
Solomon blinked.
For some reason, hearing those words from her felt surprisingly satisfying.
He lowered his sword and stared at his sister.
Silvia Ashbourne.
The legendary woman who would one day be recorded in history books as the greatest knight of her generation.
Yet now that he stood before her, he couldn’t understand how someone like her could claim she had no dreams, desires, or ambitions of her own.
Sometimes, Solomon found himself wondering whether she knew what had become of the brother who had remained hidden between the pages of a story.
“Still…
I can’t ask her about the past.”
His grip loosened slightly around the practice sword.
Some questions simply weren’t his to ask.
He was happy and relieved that the tenth day of training had ended without a hitch.
His sister’s praise was simply a small cherry on top that he could enjoy.
Ding.
Daily Reboot Completed
Quest Completed
There was a brief pause.
Then…
Hidden Reward Unlocked
Solomon immediately rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Thankfully, winter was slowly approaching, so Silvia didn’t think his behavior was strange.
She merely glanced at him before stretching her shoulders.
Instead of receiving an item, however, another window appeared on his status page.
His excitement faltered.
He expanded the notification and carefully examined its contents.
Heroine Record No.
1 Discovered
The Path to Restoring Forgotten Desires Has Begun
“…Huh?”
Solomon froze where he stood.
“System, tell me you’re joking.”
The training grounds remained silent.
The system offered no response.
His eye twitched.
“That’s not a reward.
Who cares who she is?” Solomon cried inwardly.
Once again, silence answered him.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and released a long sigh.
Then he grabbed a bottle of water for himself and another for Silvia.
She accepted it with a nod.
“Thanks.”
She removed the cork and downed the contents without hesitation.
Solomon did the same.
The cool water washed away some of the exhaustion clinging to his body.
After finishing, he poured a small amount over his head and neck.
The refreshing sensation helped cool both his skin and his increasingly chaotic thoughts.
The system was determined to give him a heartache and a headache simultaneously.
He wasn’t sure which one annoyed him more.
A walk sounded like a good idea.
After all, what better way was there to clear one’s mind than taking a breather?
He turned toward Silvia.
“Want to come with me?”
She immediately shook her head.
Then she raised the wooden sword beside her and gave it a small shake.
Solomon stared at her.
“More practice swings, huh?”
Silvia grinned.
She gave him a thumbs-up before pushing herself off the ground and returning to her stance.
A moment later, her blade sliced cleanly through the air once more.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
The movements were fluid and precise.
Even after ten days of training, she still hadn’t grown tired of practicing.
Solomon watched her for a little while longer.
Five swings.
Ten swings.
Fifteen swings.
Eventually, he shook his head and turned away.
“She’s definitely a machine.”
The amused mutter escaped his lips before he could stop it.
The distant sound of her training gradually faded behind him as he began exploring the estate. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
As he wandered through the estate, he noticed countless scenes unfolding around him.
Knights drilled in formation.
Stable hands tended to magical steeds.
Gardeners maintained enchanted flowers.
Servants carried out countless daily tasks.
Everywhere he looked, people were moving with purpose.
Several servants greeted him as he passed.
Solomon awkwardly returned their greetings before continuing on his way.
The entire estate felt alive.
For the first time, he found himself feeling genuinely grateful that he hadn’t been reborn somewhere worse.
Here, he could be himself.
Well…
mostly.
Even if half the people still looked at him like he was a complete weirdo.
A strange laugh escaped him as Jessica’s face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Whenever she had to deal with him, she always wore the same conflicted expression.
It was as though she couldn’t decide whether he had become wiser or simply stranger.
For some reason, Solomon found it completely endearing.
“A lot of people put in their best effort to keep this house running, huh?”
His gaze drifted toward his bruised palms.
The marks had begun fading, but they were still visible.
He slowly curled his fingers into fists.
The familiar ache remained.
Good.
It reminded him that he was moving forward.
A cool breeze swept through the courtyard, brushing against his bruised skin and carrying away some of the lingering heat from training.
Silvia’s face surfaced in his thoughts once again.
He reaffirmed his decision.
He would help her recover her dream.
That was something he had genuinely come to desire during his time in Elaria.
Solomon Ashbourne’s sister acted like a soldier.
Yet beneath that image, she was far more feminine and kindhearted than most women he had encountered since arriving in this world.
Silvia smiled.
She laughed.
She giggled.
She wore frilly dresses.
She read books.
She enjoyed taking walks with him.
She blushed whenever she felt embarrassed.
There were countless things about her that Solomon had come to appreciate.
And because of that, he wanted to become strong enough to carry some of her burdens alongside her while helping her discover the one thing she truly wanted most in the world.
If his knowledge of transmigration stories was even remotely accurate, then the moment he arrived in this world and began changing Solomon Ashbourne’s lifestyle, he had already diverted the story away from its original destination.
That meant the future was no longer guaranteed.
The ending he remembered might never come to pass.
“Now all I have to do is make sure it doesn’t follow a path I’m not prepared for.”
His expression grew more determined.
He knew he needed to become stronger.
Faster.
Smarter.
If he wanted to protect the things he was beginning to cherish after spending two weeks as a resident of the world of Elaria.
The breeze rustled the trees overhead.
Solomon lifted his gaze toward the sky and smiled.
“Guess I’m in for a lot of fun.”
A confident smirk spread across his face as he continued walking through the estate.