chapter 23
23. Evan Peiosha (1)
The next morning, we were able to leave the village without incident.
Dioria sent a separate letter to the Count’s family to inform them of the remnants that would remain in the village.
Since it’s not a private matter, it’s a devil-related matter, so if it’s a devil-related matter, Cianella with twin wicks in her eyes will take care of it somehow.
I watched the village slowly receding from the wagon.
Now, a status window should appear telling you that the quest has been completed.
Sitting still and waiting for the status window, I asked Shione, who was staring blankly at the empty space.
“How about refreshments?”
“Huh? Oh, you mean refreshments. Just a little please.”
If you literally asked for a little bit, it was obvious that if you gave me a little bit, you would look at me with eyes that said it was not enough.
I took out a fairly generous amount of refreshments from my bag and handed them to Sione.
“Isn’t the amount a bit more than usual?”
“Isn’t it a long way to go? If the portion is large, share it slowly.”
“…Well, since it’s a bit large, I think we should eat together.”
“Can I?”
“Of course. You’re not someone who’s stingy enough not to hand out a snack.”
… At first, as if he didn’t want to show me the cookies, he ate them all as soon as he brought them.
I couldn’t be too proud of my master’s changed appearance.
Although it took words that she seemed to have washed the past of those stingy days.
I just quietly nodded my head without complaining.
“I’ll eat it thanks.”
“Until thanks.”
Only then did Shione pick up a chocolate cookie and start eating it.
Omnyomnyomnyom.
I wonder if I don’t get tired of eating that much.
Eating refreshments, she had an expression of happiness in the world.
Then I only have one.
As I bit into the cookie, there was a rich sweetness.
Two or three can be eaten deliciously, but more than that was too sweet to be burdensome.
I must have gained so much weight because I always put this into my mouth like drinking water.
You can’t keep your guard down just because you’ve become a human by dieting these days.
In the future, I will try to reduce the amount of cookies given little by little.
Around the time when you get tired of continuing such nonsensical thoughts.
I was finally able to see what I had been waiting for.
[The quest has been completed.]
[The bond with Sione Cianella rises.]
[Her resonance with her unlocks a small amount of your original power.]
This is the end of the status window that I was expecting.
For some reason, this was not the end of today.
[Shione Cianella’s reliability has exceeded a certain level.]
[Sione Cianella’s evaluation of you is ‘an article you can trust more than anyone else’.]
[When you defend her from her enemies within a certain distance of her from her cionesia nella, a part of her limited power is unlocked.]
I stared blankly at the status window for an unexpected additional reward.
I was happy about Shione’s evaluation of me.
I wondered what part of my strength was in being open to her when I tried to protect her.
But other than that, I need to check the small amount of power that is definitely open.
I closed my eyes and began to contemplate my condition.
Status is… It’s much better than I thought.
A total of four spirit magics, and even though he used wind, which had a low mana consumption rate among spirit magics, the amount of mana that showed the bottom was doubled.
With this amount, it should be able to deal with winds that are a bit stronger than gusts of wind.
But that wasn’t the only thing that changed.
Not only did the amount of mana increase, but I thought I would regain other attributes as well.
In the dungeon, after the wind, I can use the fire spirit magic that was so useful.
Fire consumes more mana than wind, but its power is certain.
With the amount of mana you have now, you should be able to cast magic twice.
Other than imitating the spirit like this, when will I be able to summon my spirit again?
Think blankly for a moment.
I used a very small amount of mana to create a spark to confirm the fire I had recovered.
Hwareuk!
A small spark appeared on my index finger.
A flame that burns mana.
At this size.
With the current amount of mana, it won’t be too much of a burden, so it should be useful.
Especially from now on, the corner of my mouth went up thinking that I wouldn’t have to bother lighting a fire when I was cooking soup for Sione.
I extinguished the small flame on my index finger.
As I was smiling lightly at the result I was quite satisfied with, I caught Shione’s gaze staring at me from the opposite side.
“I thought I could only handle wind, but did you know I could handle fire as well?”
“I didn’t mean to hide it.”
“Hmm…”
Shione again twisted and untwisted her silver hair with her index finger.
Her expression looked very unsatisfied, as if something was caught.
“Never show that flame in front of others. The same goes for the wind you use.”
“You mean Dioria?”
Dioria still doesn’t know how I handle the power of attributes.
When I asked, Shione nodded her head after thinking about it.
“Because it’s not an ordinary physical strengthening, it’s definitely magic. Magic is generally not allowed for men. You know what I mean.”
“…If you carelessly look at it, you might get into trouble.”
“Yes, unless it’s really dangerous, try to hide it as much as possible.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll keep it a secret between me and Sione-nim.”
“A secret between you and me?”
“Yes. Shione-nim would be able to keep this much of a secret.”
Shione nodded her head with a smile as if she found it very interesting at my words.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Saying that, Shione put a cookie of hers into her mouth—
“…Why shouldn’t it be known and taken away?”
Muttered something.
I think you said something. The voice was small and I couldn’t hear it.
“What did you say?”
Shione just tilted her head and gave me a bright smile.
“No, it’s not a big deal, so don’t worry about it.”
Well, she even said she wasn’t talking much.
Omnyomnyomnyom~
When I see him laughing and eating cookies happily without thinking.
As she said, it didn’t seem like it was an important story.
I just bowed my head once and looked out of her window.
And that day, for some reason, Shione didn’t sleep and spent time with her eyes open.
And that day was also the day when she was looking at me with her eyes, uncharacteristically for Shionega, who had quietly sunken eyes.
Of course, with an omnyom cookie in his mouth.
* *
The life in the carriage, which seemed like it would never end, finally came to an end.
I looked at the road where many carriages and people intersected.
I hadn’t even entered the manor yet, but unlike other places, the roads outside the manor were neatly organized.
I heard that the Marquis of Feiosha, which is famous as an excellent commercial city, has a lot of wagons and supplies.
It seems that the roads near the Marquis’s house were well-maintained.
“Finally, you are the Marquess of Peosha. The meeting with Prince Evan of Feosha is coming soon… Are you ready?”
Shione’s fiancé’s name, Evan Peiosha.
As the name came out of my mouth, Shione’s forehead wrinkled.
What the hell is it with such a face when you came all the way here to see your fiancé?
She seemed to still harbor her hopes of breaking up.
Could breaking up marriage be easy?
Now that we’ve come this far, let’s accept reality.
“What is the preparation of the mind. Even Prince Evan Peioxia won’t like me very much.”
“Yes? Young master doesn’t like Sione.”
“My reputation and rumors must have reached Evan Peiosha’s ears…”
Shione continued to speak casually.
“I’ve been ignoring all the letters Young master sent me for years. I think that’s enough to earn a man’s hatred.”
“……You ignored all the letters?”
“Yes.”
“All of them…?”
“I locked myself in my room, was busy eating cookies every day, and am not an arranged marriage that I didn’t want. Do you think I would have picked up a pen and wrote on paper and sent it off?”
“…….”
… What a fresh kid.
I thought he broke up the engagement with words just because he was shy.
What on earth did Evan Fey Osha commit in her previous life to get her involved with Shione?
At this point, I can’t think of anything else to say.
I can only assume that he will take care of things with his fiancée.
“Now that things have turned out this way, even if I came to see you this time, it seems like Young master will talk to me about breaking up the engagement first.”
“…Aren’t you making that conclusion from the very beginning?”
Shione shook her head at my words.
“No, that’s how it will be. There was something related to it in the last letter that was sent to me.”
“Really?”
“Even in the last letter he sent to me, he turned around and expressed the contents of the breakup. You’ll have to meet and talk about the proper thing, but you seem to have thoughts about breaking up the engagement as well.”
“I see.”
After those words, Shione began to let out a deep sigh.
Either way, Cianella’s carriage entered the estate and arrived in front of the marquis’s mansion.
After adjusting our outfits, we got off the carriage.
Shione’s face darkened when she saw the splendid mansion, as if she were showing off her wealth.
While passing through the castle gate, the fact that Cianella’s person had arrived must have already been known to the lord.
Apart from that, Shione will have to meet and talk to the lord on her own about her visit.
I’m sure this isn’t the only thing I’m worried about.
“Ray.”
“Why is that?”
“Can’t we go back to the Count’s house right now?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
How did I bring you here?
It’s embarrassing if you frown to go home already.
“Since you haven’t seen Prince Evan Feiosha, Shione’s fiancée yet.”
I made a declaration while clearly making eye contact with Sione.
“Please don’t think about going back to the Count’s family, at least until the story with him is concluded.”
Punishment of good and evil.
This is more than the karma of what Shione did in the past.