[If your charge, ‘Luciana Speda,’ dies, the player dies as well.]
At the Status Window’s notification, its red letters drawing special emphasis, I hung my head.
My lifeline had suddenly been seized.
And because the one holding that line was Luciana, whose death was guaranteed in every route, my own life was a candle flickering in the wind.
The problem did not end there.
[Luciana’s Ruin Progress has been added to the Status Window.]
[Current Progress: 30%]
[If progress reaches 100%, Luciana’s death is confirmed.]
Its meaning was clear.
Her ruin meant death, and her death meant mine.
‘My stomach is burning.’
Her Affection was negative from the start, and her ruin was already underway.
And to think that the little knight who had picked a fight with me was none other than Luciana.
“...Hah.”
Luciana, the very person who had thrown my mind into turmoil, was still blankly touching her own face.
Her blue, sapphire-like eyes trembled slightly, revealing her agitation.
“My defeat.”
She quickly composed herself, then spoke as she picked up her helm, which had been rolling across the snow.
“I never imagined you would target my helm. If you had not been startled upon seeing my face, you could have cut my unprotected throat without difficulty.”
She really was much prettier in person than she had been through a screen.
Silver hair that fell to her waist, skin like white jade, and blue eyes guarded by long lashes.
She looked like a painting.
“Hey. Are you listening?”
“...That was a clean declaration of defeat.”
Thankful that I had managed to keep my face expressionless, I answered in as calm a voice as I could.
I should have been painstakingly accommodating toward the person I was supposed to serve, yet I had stubbornly won after speaking informally to her.
This was a victory that came with the worst possible first impression and nothing but scars.
“I will keep my word. You have earned the right to enter the ducal residence, since you broke my sword.”
Luciana adjusted the straps of her helm to fit her chin again and lowered the visor.
Unfortunately, her perfect face and even her voice were hidden once more.
“Then I will see you inside.”
“Wait!”
Having become the little knight once more, Luciana stopped at my call, her armor clattering.
“At least tell me why. Why did you try to drive me away by going so far as to duel me?”
The guards, who had been relieved that the storm had passed, stiffened again at my sudden action. Their eyes told me not to do anything unnecessary.
But their gazes were none of my concern.
Was she going to leave just like that?
To stop the bad ending, I had to remain beside her as her personal attendant. Could I really leave things like this after ruining our first impression of each other?
I needed to know the reason before I could fix things.
“Hm. The reason, you say.”
She frowned for a moment, then readily answered my demand.
“It is nothing. I only thought that such an important post as an attendant should go to a fellow Northerner.”
An answer as cold as the North’s chill.
-I can clearly see the hardship ahead of you. I hear the North is extremely closed-off and dislikes people from other regions.
It felt as though I could hear my master clicking his tongue all the way from here. The same master who had thrown me a book and vanished without a care.
“...Is that so?”
“Yes. So take my advice. Being a personal attendant will not be easy.”
So the first impression was not the problem. It had been my background from the very beginning.
The person I needed to cooperate with most was wary of me. This difficulty is a fiery hell.
“Ha ha. There isn’t an easy job in the world. Everyone has their own hardships.”
That did not mean I would give up. My life was on the line.
‘And the world’s, too.’
I gave a lonely, self-deprecating laugh.
Not being able to follow the Main Story meant taking the express bus straight to the bad ending.
Those bad endings were all massive storms, far too great for the third son of a mere baronial house to handle.
“I will do my utmost to serve you. I look forward to working with you!”
So there was no time to whine and complain. For my survival and my future, I had to ride the current as best I could.
...And, while I was at it, I wanted to see my rigid but upright favorite character live happily instead of dying.
“I wonder whether you are truly the same person who spoke so harshly earlier.”
“...Please forget it.”
My embarrassed response must have amused her, because I heard a soft chuckle from beyond her helm.
It would have been nice if I could have seen her smile as well.
Unfortunately, her damn helm hid her face so completely that I could only picture it in my imagination.
“Even the brave Northerners cannot match you when it comes to nerve.”
Fortunately, she seemed to like my refusal to give up.
[Luciana’s Affection has increased.]
[-20% (Displeasure) -> 10% (Interest)]
“Do as you please. I have no intention of turning you away if you insist on following me.”
I agreed with that.
Just as the updated Status Window indicated, this was only the beginning.
***
“Do you realize what you did today?”
Luciana missed the plate mail she had worn until just a while ago.
It could have blocked at least some of those stinging looks.
Unfortunately, the person facing her could turn her armor into scraps of paper more easily than a Northerner could pack snow, then continue to scold her.
“Yes, Father.”
The Emperor’s Right Hand, the Sword Saint, the Monster Slayer, the Nightmare of Demonkind, and the War Duke.
Duke Speda, the bearer of all those illustrious epithets, did not hide the anger in his voice.
“Tell me your reasons, at least. Why did you act so rashly?”
“I believed that the attendant’s position in our ducal house should rightfully go to a Northerner.”
Still, though she was being reprimanded, Luciana was utterly resolute about her decision.
Was an attendant merely an ordinary servant or butler who handled miscellaneous work? They were, in fact, the noble’s hands and feet, filling in for the noble’s absence.
How could such a position go to someone from another region? The thought that he was scheduled to become her personal attendant had filled her with such intense revulsion that she had even lost sleep over it.
“You believe the decision made by me, the head of this house, was wrong?”
Under the pressure Duke Speda radiated, Luciana steadied her trembling legs and answered once more.
“...Yes. I dare say so.”
“Why is my daughter so inflexible? This father of yours is deeply worried.”
The pressure that had suddenly weighed down her entire body disappeared.
When she raised her head, the duke who had been frowning fiercely was gone. In his place stood her father, rubbing a hand over his face.
“You take after me in your extraordinary martial talent, yet...”
“I apologize.”
“Enough. I am not much different from you.”
Luciana’s eyes wavered.
It was a weak statement unlike her father, who was so strong that he had established a new standard with the rank of Swordmaster.
“Please do not say such things. You are the person I respect more than anyone, Father.”
“Stop gilding me. My martial prowess may be a little better than most people’s, but there are many things I cannot do.”
The duke’s words were firm.
When it came to research into food self-sufficiency, someone from the East was the best.
When it came to matters related to public safety and the people’s livelihood, someone from the West was the best.
Someone from the South had an eye for the flow of money.
And someone from the central regions had an eye for the political landscape.
Duke Speda knew from experience that even a low-ranking noble from each of those regions would far surpass him in their respective fields.
Concern showed in his eyes.
-The proud integrity of Northerners is on an entirely different level from people of other regions!
For some reason, the foolish younger version of himself overlapped with his daughter now.
What if that prejudice clouded Luciana’s judgment and led her to make a mistake just as he had when he was young?
‘That was why I deliberately hired an attendant from another region. But has it backfired?’
He had hoped she would learn that martial strength was not the only standard by which to judge the world and gain a broader perspective.
He had never imagined that she would reject the person set to become her personal attendant right from the outset.
“Still, you did not manage to drive him away.”
“I could not.”
“What?”
Because he had only heard the reports of guards who had taken Luciana’s side, the duke did not know the full details of what had happened. His voice turned puzzled.
“What do you mean, you could not?”
“I challenged him to a duel and lost.”
“...You lost, Luci?”
He had taught his daughter swordsmanship himself.
This was no empty praise: if limited to practical swordsmanship, he had been certain that there was no one among her peers who could match her.
Yet Luciana had lost.
“Hm. How did you lose?”
“His movements were astonishingly nimble. He dodged every one of my strikes, then undid the straps of my helm.”
The duke narrowed his eyes.
Did Baron Byron’s youngest son have such a talent? Impossible.
He had the skill to defeat his daughter.
It was practically the same as finding a new breakthrough for the baron, whose territory was in poor condition. There had been no reason to hide it.
‘...Did he conceal his true self even from his own father?’
“Father?”
“It is nothing. So what will you do?”
The duke was curious.
Luciana had never experienced defeat except when sparring with him.
How would she view the person who had handed her that defeat?
“If you wish, I will cancel the appointment of Hans as your personal attendant.”
Of course.
He had no intention of giving back such an unexpected talent that had fallen from the sky. He could put Hans in the knight order and work him hard; the boy would become useful.
Still, Duke Speda was a father as well. He had no intention of making his growing daughter relive the memory of defeat.
“No. Please let that man become my personal attendant as planned.”
“...Are you sure?”
Luciana understood what her father was worried about.
The defeat did hurt. But her curiosity about the other person was stronger than that bitterness.
-Who knows? You only know which is longer and which is shorter once you put them together.
In a duel where their lives were at stake, he had evaded the edge of her blade by inches, time and again. His wild manner as he did so was unlike anything she had seen.
No matter which Northerner she brought in, there would be no one who fought like him.
-Ha ha. There isn’t an easy job in the world. Everyone has their own hardships.
Moreover, despite being openly mistreated by the person he was meant to serve, he had shown none of the resentment or indignation one would normally expect.
Composure.
It was as though that was the only thing his narrow eyes revealed to others.
For the first time, her personal feelings outweighed her pride in her house and the North.
“I am fine. A daughter of House Speda will not be discouraged by a single defeat.”
She wanted to watch him a little longer. The desire to keep that mysterious man close at hand welled up within her.
Though Luciana did not know it, that desire was greed: the urge to recognize what was precious and claim it for herself.
“I see. Then I will have him prepared to begin attending to you in earnest tomorrow.”
“Yes, please do.”
Because desire and curiosity occupied most of her heart, Luciana failed to notice the faint tickle in one corner of it.
Her loyalty to her house and the North was too firm for her to recognize that unfamiliar desire.
“Ah, and how are your bridal lessons going?”
“Of course. I am striving to become a bride worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Duke Speda nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. This engagement was forged through the close bond between our house and the imperial family. Do not neglect your training, but be sure to pay attention to that as well.”
“Do not worry. I always keep it in mind.”
“And one more thing. You will enter real combat soon.”
“By real combat, you mean...?”
“Before you come of age, you should hunt at least once.”
Since ancient times, hunting had been a noble pastime. But for the Northern nobility, hunting carried a somewhat different meaning.
For them, hunting was both an act and a duty undertaken to protect the people of their territory.
“Your sword is already sharp enough to pierce the hides of most monsters. I killed monsters when I was your age, so you can certainly do it too.”
Luciana’s eyes gleamed.
She had already lost all interest in matters such as bridal training and attendants.
The honorable duty of proving herself as a Northern noble was all that filled her mind.
“I accept your command.”
Luciana resolved to tend to her cherished slender sword today.