3 bar menu

Chapter 238

While Manos and the other two were engaged in a fierce battle with Lynette and the other three maid sisters of the barony of Bern, Dran spoke with Nelneshia as they watched the fights from the sidelines. There was a hint of doubt in his voice as he asked his questions. Considering the temperament of this girl with whom he had spent so much time together in the magic academy, he was sure that there was no way she would just sit back and watch.

「Are you sure you’re okay with just watching? I assumed you would want to clash arms with Lynette, or do you want me to be your opponent?」

「I do want that, but not now. I’m focused on assessing my juniors’ skills now. Besides, I’ll only be in my best form in two days. I’ll have a mock battle with you then.」

As usual, Nelneshia’s words were as cold as ice—like snow that whitewashed a winter landscape. Yet, her blue eyes were ablaze with a desire to fight, and she made no effort to hide them. It was clear that she had been dying to find another formidable opponent ever since Dran’s graduation until now.

Dran wondered if it had already been more than a year since his first mock battle with Nelnesia. In a corner of his mind, he contemplated the swiftness of time and then turned to ask his dear former classmate.

「Even if Chris and I are gone, you still have Lenia around. Is Lenia not enough as an opponent?」

「Lenia, Christina, and you are all opponents that I can never beat. It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with having mock battles with her. Lenia and you are very different. It’s natural that I wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to spar with both of you using magic since the chances to do so are rare.」

「You’ve become better with your words. If that’s what you wish for, I’ll be your opponent. Though, you’re still the same even months after my graduation. You’re the most senior student around now. How about settling down a little and being a role model for your juniors?」

「I’m not going to live a life pretending to be something I’m not. Don’t worry. Only a few people, like Fatima and Lenia, know about my twisted personality. Most students don’t come close or intervene in my personal life. Therefore, they only think of me as a cold-hearted student who rarely speaks and barely changes my facial expression.」

「Well, that assessment isn’t exactly wrong, but isn’t it rather problematic if that’s all they think? Fatima, do you think that’s fine too?」

Although Fatima had no combat skills, she acted like Nelneshia’s guardian in their daily lives at the academy.

In addition to this impression of Nelneshia, Dran was concerned that Nelneshia, the daughter of the powerful noble family of Apienia, was not building friendships with the children of other noble families in the academy.

Fatima understood Dran’s thoughts and replied with the same gentle, amicable smile that Dran and his friends had seen many times before.

Dran had long since believed with his heart that Fatima’s smile and personality alone were more than enough reason to side with her against humanity. He firmly believed that if such a girl were to be born, even if the gods were to denounce mankind as a failure, there was already meaning and value in humanity’s continued existence to this day.

「Perhaps it’s the culture of the Apienia family. Maybe it’s choosing who you let come close or urging them to come and strike up a conversation first. Besides, it’s not like Nel-chan doesn’t attend tea parties at all. She does the bare minimum for socializing, so it’s fine. Don’t worry.」

「Fumu, that’s true. Sometimes, I just forget that Nel is the daughter of an aristocratic family. I’m sure she’s had that kind of education since birth, and it’s only natural that she’s much more cultured in that aspect than a fake aristocrat like me. I’m sorry for the unneeded worry.」

「I understand your concerns about Nel’s standing as an aristocrat. Yeah, but she’s doing her part in that aspect too.」

Fatima praised Nelneshia in a cheerful voice and started to stroke Nelneshia’s head in joy. She even puffed up her chest, straightened her back, and cleared her throat proudly. Dran instantly noticed Nelneshia bend at the waist to make it easier for Fatima to stroke her head. The sight of this made him smile.

「You two are truly friends for life. I can easily believe that your friendship will last for a long time. I don’t even need to pray for that to happen.」

「Ehehe, I want to continue being good friends too. Not just with Nel-chan, but with Dran and Lenia-chan too.」

「Fufu, I knew it. I can’t win when it comes to you. You’re far stronger than any sword or magic. Moreover, you possess an extremely wonderful weapon. Though, it would probably be wrong to call it a weapon…」

「Thank you for the compliment, but I see that you’ve taken to calling Christina by Chris.」

「Oh, the official announcement hasn’t been made, but we’ve established that kind of relationship. We’re dealing with the incident in the north, new immigrants, and even the issue with Caravis Tower. We also have to greet the Almadia family.」

「Yeah… The barony of Bern is a newly emerged family, but its genealogy can be traced to the Marquise of Almadia. Christina is the daughter of the current Marquise as well. Besides, you were a first-generation noble with knighthood until you married Christina.」

「I don’t mind. I’m nervous, but Selina, Dramina, Diodora, and Christina had all made visits to my home. I can’t just make them do things and skip out on greeting their families.」

「That’s true. Now that I’m hearing this again, I can’t help but think that you’re the enemy of all women. You stole the hearts of those four beautiful and adorable ladies. You must be the enemy of all males as well.」

「Fumu, I’ve thought the same thing a couple of times too. There were a few times Selina even jokingly threatened to stab me. I’m just doing my best to make them think that I’m a man worth falling in love with.」

「Oh… they’ve fallen in love with you now, haven’t they? The wedding seems near. Will you hold one with all four of them?」

「We haven’t come to an agreement on that yet. Christina and I certainly have to host one for the sake of propriety. On the other hand, maybe we should just forget about laws and stuff like that, and hold one for all four together. These opinions have been whirling in my mind for some time.」

In addition, there was a need to consider the individuals from the celestial and dragon realms who would attend the wedding each time a ceremony was held. The wedding schedule would have to be arranged in accordance with them rather than the people in Arkrest Kingdom. The sheer complication of this was an even more formidable enemy than the demon lord’s army in the dark wilderness.

「There isn’t a rule that says you have to have your wedding by a certain time, so you don’t have to rush into a ceremony that will leave you with regrets. But if it’s too late, Nel-chan or I might hold one first. Perhaps even Lenia-chan.」

Lenia raised her eyebrows at the unexpected mention of her name, shooting over a smile that could be taken as either a smirk or a sneer. The kind-hearted Fatima, however, had already forgiven Lenia for the reaction.

「Your thoughts are still so out of this world. Perhaps that’s just a family trait or a unique characteristic you have, but that’s not something I’m interested in. I wouldn’t mind attending your wedding and Nelneshia’s wedding. Fuun, when you hold one, make it a lavish ceremony.」

「Yes, sir! We’ll do that. Fufu, I don’t even have a partner, but I’m already looking forward to it. By the way, Lenia-chan, is it fine for you to go without a mock battle with Dran? You were grinning widely and rushing over just now.」

「Fumu, there’s still a huge gap between my abilities and Dran’s, but I’ve improved and I’d like to ascertain my skills. However, I’m not like that battle-crazed ice queen. I don’t need to show off in battle. A quick spar on the last day is good enough.」

Despite the close relationship of Nelneshia and Fatima with Lenia and their past year together, this reaction was still relatively surprising even for the two of them. They could feel Lenia’s slight drifting apart from Dran—for Dran, the drifting apart from his daughter—which elicited a smile from Dran that was tinged with sadness.