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“That is not what I want to talk about.”

She replied something very unexpected. I pondered about what incident she might have wanted to talk about then, but I really had no clue. It seemed that I ought to hear Lady Sophia out first. 

“Yesterday, my older brother, Ernest, told me something.”

“…Yesterday? Could that also be the reason you came to the Student Council’s office yesterday…?”

“Yes. I wanted to consult you about what I had been told.”

“So that’s… I apologize.”

I would have inevitably returned to the mansion anyway. The fact that she went all the way to the Student Council meeting room  where she thought I was, despite it, just for the sole purpose of consulting me, meant that it must have been a considerably urgent or serious matter. And yet, when she found me, I was holding hands with Alicia, looking like we were flirting. No wonder Lady Sophia was in a bad mood.

“Then, what did Young Master Ernest tell you?”

“That’s…”

For some reason, Lady Sophia hesitated.

“What’s wrong? You were looking for me because you wanted me to advise you about it, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. But… yesterday, I wanted to tell you everything, but when I thought about it after I calmed down, I thought that telling you everything probably wouldn\'t be beneficial to you.”

“Won’t be beneficial to me? What do you mean?” I urged her to continue, but Lady Sophia was reticent. Apparently, after a whole day had passed, she seemed to have worked out a solution herself.

“There is just one thing that I want to ask you, Cyril. You promised to always be by my side, correct? Do you regret making that promise?” Lady Sophia asked with a serious expression on her face, but the question she asked wasn’t anything extraordinary. 

That’s right. At this point, it was an inconsequential question to me.

“How could I have any regrets?”

“But that promise might take away your happiness, Cyril.”

“My happiness is to walk together with you, Lady Sophia”

“…Together.”

My Lady’s eyes widened slightly. Then, in the next moment, those amethyst eyes shone brighter and her tense cheeks gently softened.

“Is… that so? As long as you think that way, then I have no doubts.”

“…Have you resolved the issue then?”

“Yes. I’m alright now.”

I could hardly expect the issue to be resolved just by this conversation alone. So, I was sure  that just with this conversation of ours, Lady Sophia must have resolved to deal with it by herself. On one hand, I wished for her to rely on me a little bit more, but on the other hand, I was delighted by my Lady’s growth.

While my feelings were mixed, there was one thing that became clear to me as well. If I was overprotective and pressed her with questions and helped her with everything, I would have failed as a butler. I should operate as myself and enquire whether Lady Sophia was facing something, and lay down the groundwork to save her if she truly was in trouble. Of course, if I were to be honest, I was still a little worried about it.

“Understood. If that’s something you have decided on, then I won’t meddle, Lady Sophia. However, if you find yourself in difficulties, please feel free to rely on me anytime, okay?”

“Of course. I have faith that, if it’s you, you would definitely save me, Cyril.”

She smiled adorably and then slightly tilted her head to the side, her platinum blonde hair swaying with the action.

“Well then, let’s get back to the subject… What were you doing yesterday?”

“–Guh.”

I choked at this surprise attack, for she had made me believe that it was over.

“T-that was simply a health care procedure.”

“…Health care procedure? Is Miss Alicia hurt somewhere?”

I paled before her as she tilted her head to the side, confused. I had inadvertently confused the thing with Alicia with Fol’s incident due to all of these similar actions coming one after the other. 

“N-no, just now, I… mistook…”

“Hmmmm… who did you mistake me for? I would like you to tell me in great detail, please.”

She… she caught me.

“N-no, that’s not it. Actually, I did the same thing with Fol and that really was because of a health care procedure so it’s nothing to hide in the slightest.”

“…In other words, with Alicia, it wasn’t a health care procedure and was something you had to hide…?”

Guh. This was bad, I was quickly digging my own grave here. How should I put it, Lady Sophia’s eyes were tinged red and her magical powers were spilling out of her entire body. Certainly, this was because she had been letting her anger fester inside her all the time since yesterday.

“Please calm down, Lady Sophia. It seems that Lady Alicia guessed that I was the one who saved Fol, and she was just expressing her gratitude for that. There is nothing I have to hide about it.”

I grasped both of Lady Sophia’s arms and forcibly started absorbing her magical powers. Normally, she would calm the reckless behaviour caused by her powers and return to her senses but… that day, Lady Sophia’s state was different from the usual. Even though the amount of power within her reduced, she still kept glaring at me. As I was thinking that she was probably still angry after all, her eyes wobbled as they turned glassy.

“…You’re mean, Cyril.”

“I’m mean?”

I had no clue what she was talking about, but Lady Sophia continued to talk to me, her tone sulky.

“You’ve danced with Miss Alicia, you’ve danced with Fol, you’ve carried Miss Pamela bridal style and you’ve even been on a date with Miss Isabella. Even though you’re my exclusive butler…”

“Um… I’m sorry.”

Setting aside the details, on a whole, what she said was true. I couldn’t say that she was misunderstanding anything—which was painful—but it also wasn’t the job of an exclusive butler to dance with her, to carry her bridal style or go on dates with her. Of course, I wasn’t reckless enough to point that out.

“I always consider you my number one priority, Lady Sophia. I mean, I kept regretting that I’ve caused you to misunderstand all throughout today’s classes.”

“…Really?”

“Yes, I wouldn’t lie to you about this. So, please don’t cry.”

I gently wiped away the tears that had welled up in my Lady’s eyes. She squinted her eyes, as if the touch tickled her but soon after, her eyes widened before she took a quick step back as if she had been burned.

Huh, what happened? Lady Sophia was looking… behind me? When I turned around, thinking no way, I caught sight of Young Master Ernest.

“Cyril… what are you doing?”

I looked up to the heavens, thinking: Not again, not me again!

These days, I hadn\'t simply been unlucky; I had been super unlucky. When I was with Fol, it caused a misunderstanding with Prince Lancelot and Alicia, and when I was with Alicia, it caused a misunderstanding with Lady Sophia, and when I was with Lady Sophia, it caused a misunderstanding with Young Master Ernest. So I was sure that it was perfectly reasonable for me to want to lament: Just how many times do I need to get misunderstood?!

Also, every time this happened, I insisted that it was all a misunderstanding, but… just this time only, I was unlucky. I allowed someone to witness me–a servant–making my Lady–my master–cry. And, as a result—

“The first person to strike the other with their blade during the match wins.”

I ended up facing Young Master Ernest in the middle of the courtyard. I naturally appealed to him that it was all a misunderstanding, but it was as if he had gone deaf.

“Come, grab your sword.”

I grabbed the sword he tossed mid-air in my direction before twirling it around and looking at the hilt. I happened to recognize the devil stone that was inserted into the hilt along with the magical array carved into it.

“…Is this a no-kill sword?”

Its appearance and weight were the same as that of a real sword but it was bestowed with the power of being unable to injure your opponent. In short, it was a very convenient item with which people could duel without hurting each other. It was an expedient magical tool in the original game—but it apparently actually existed?

“If you already know about it then that makes things much easier. Nonetheless, if you mean that you don’t have the courage to fight then you’re not worthy of being a knight that protects Sophia. Step down from your position as her exclusive butler immediately!”

“I cannot back down now that you’ve said that.”

The reason didn’t matter. If he was telling me to prove that I was worthy of being Lady Sophia’s exclusive butler by fighting him, I would simply have to show him the proof. 

We both activated and readied our magical swords and faced each other in silence. Incidentally, Lady Sophia, who had in a sense become the trigger for this fight, encouraged me, her eyes sparkling.

“Do your best, Cyril.”

Apparently, me being in a situation where I had to fight for my own sake struck a chord with her. I was happy that she was cheering me on but there were veins showing up on Young Master Ernest’s temples, so I wished for her not to agitate him any further.

“So-Sophia. Is this not a situation where you should cheer on me, your brother?”

“Of course I am cheering you on as well, big brother. If you were to lose right away, I would only be able to see Cyril in action for a little bit.”

…She was awful. In response to Lady Sophia’s unfeeling support, Young Master Ernest placed his tightly clenched fist to his chest.

“Sophia… are you angry for some reason?”

“Oh, I think you’re just imagining it, big brother.”

Lady Sophia sharply tilted her head to the side with a smile on her face–but her eyes weren’t laughing in the slightest. This was definitely her response when she was angry. I had a pretty good idea as to why she was angry, but… as it would only pour oil to the fire, I decided to abstain from pointing it out. “…tsk. Cyril, do you think that you can win… just by- just by gaining Sophia… as your ally?!”

“No, I would never do such a thing.”

‘If anything, aren’t your intentions to lose, Young Master Ernest?’ Naturally, I didn’t point this out. 

I mean, Young Master Ernest was one of the capture targets of ‘The Eve of the Festival’, right? He was certainly very capable, had a high status and he was unfairly handsome. But he was this much of a siscon. I had a feeling that he would become a rather interesting character. But, were the players really satisfied with the capture target being a guy like this?

…Ah, wait, that wasn’t right, was it? In the original game, Lady Sophia had a brother complex while Young Master Ernest must have been rather normal. If that was the case, then most of the affection he was currently showing Lady Sophia must have been originally aimed at the heroine.

A capture target that was capable, handsome, as well as one who loved the heroine blindly and was very possessive of her. When I thought of him like that, he certainly seemed like someone who’d be in high demand. 

“Ghn! I wonder how long you’ll be able to keep this composure of yours for! I’ll show you the difference between our true strengths! Here I come!”

He was purposefully telling me when he’d attack. Although he might have been brimming with a chivalrous spirit, when you were protecting someone, there was no need for this kind of uprightness. That was what my arrogance led me to think.

Unconsciously, I moved my sword to the side. For a moment the blade of my sword collided with Young Master Ernest’s. However, his attack didn’t stop, his sword fast approaching my neck.

The force of the blow was too strong to block!  

While reducing the strength of the blow with my sword, I immediately bent back my upper body. This blow that sent the blade gliding my way swung through, grazing past my bangs. 

Young Master Ernest’s body had both unimaginable speed and strength. But there was a moment of lag caused by Young Master Ernest shifting positions from having just swung his sword to a stance for his next attack. Although my posture had been broken, I still had my sword in hand. Setting power aside, I was faster in sending out the next attack.

As I concluded that, if I switched from defense to offense at that moment, the match would be decided, I kept the momentum from when I bent backwards, and thus I used it to jump back. Young Master Ernest’s sword slashed at the spot where I had been standing just a moment ago. Astonished, I placed my hand on the ground and put some distance between us with the help of a backflip.

I readied my sword in position again while staying cautious of pursuit while being deeply impressed by Young Master Ernest’s attack.

He was fast. He was moving at a speed that far surpassed my expectations.

As there is a quality to muscles, there definitely are people who can demonstrate speed and power that feels unimaginable compared to their outer appearance. However, even when taking that into account, Young Master Ernest’s physical abilities were even more extraordinary. 

Of course, it would be different if his sword was simply a light training sword, but it was unthinkable that he could have such sophisticated swordsmanship. 

Assuming that–

“Are you by any chance enhancing your physical abilities with magic?”

“…Oh? You know of the lost magic that was just rediscovered in the Flamefield Empire? As expected, no wonder the Imperial Princess is interested in you.”

Apparently, I said too much. But lost magic that was just rediscovered in another country? Was it just a coincidence that magic that didn’t exist in the original game was being rediscovered in the Flamefield Empire at the moment or was this a result of my actions…? Either way, it didn’t seem like I had the time to think about it.

Young Master Ernest was closing the gap between us once more. Right after I realized this, the tip of his sword was quickly approaching me. I swept it aside at the last moment.

He was really fast. Ah, perhaps I should say ‘very skilled?’ 

I had sparring matches with people my age numerous times but their movements were much easier to read. Because Young Master Ernest didn’t telegraph his moves, he felt much faster compared to them. That simply meant that Young Master Ernest was a cut above people his own age.

“I didn’t know that you’re this good at swordsmanship, Young Master.” I spoke words of admiration as our swords met and locked. Young Master Ernest responded by making a sour face.

“That’s my line. I heard that you were working as Sophia’s guard as well, but I didn’t think that you’d be able to stop an attack accelerated by magic even though this is the first time you’ve seen it.”

“…That’s because there’s no next time for a guard.”

If I couldn’t avert an attack because I was seeing it for the first time, I couldn’t be Lady Sophia’s guard. When I said this, Young Master Ernest muttered, “You really might be Sophia’s knight as well.”

“Young Master?”

“Let me ask you one thing. You are ultimately a butler, so you cannot always be by Sophia’s side. How do you plan on protecting Sophia in a position like that?”

He got pretty off track there. But I was sure that this was what Young Master Ernest really wanted to ask. Wasn’t his acting enraged and challenging me to a fight for the sake of asking this question? I didn’t understand why he was asking me such a question, but I had decided on an answer for it a long time ago.

“It’s certainly true that I am a mere butler, so I cannot always be by my Lady’s side.”

In fact, I couldn’t object when I was told by the son of Count Ares to remember my place, and when my Lady was summoned by His Highness, the King, I was ordered to wait in another room. Situations just like these would come again in the future.

“However, butlers have their own way of doing things. I will definitely protect Lady Sophia by making full use of these methods.”

“No matter who your opponent might be?”

“Even if the gods themselves were my opponents, I wouldn’t let them hurt Lady Sophia.”

I looked straight at Young Master Ernest with our swords still locked. In the next moment, Young Master Ernest slowly took a step back and withdrew his sword.

And as if to say that the match was over, he sheathed his sword.

“Prove your words to me. If you manage to do that, I shall consider ack… ackno… acknowledging your relationship with Sophia.”

Make up your mind, do you acknowledge it or not? And actually, he was just acknowledging our relationship as a master and butler. Why was he going about it in such a roundabout way? Could it be that he wasn’t talking about a relationship between… a master and a butler?

Speaking of, the key to getting the capture target of ‘The Eve of the Festival’ was to basically get acknowledged by the villainous daughter. For example, in Young Master Ernest’s route, by gaining the approval of Lady Sophia, they could receive her support.

Thinking of it in this way, it was only appropriate that, as someone who took on the position of the heroine– huh? At this rate, wouldn’t I end up capturing Lady Sophia?

There have been issues with viewing this chapter so I hope it works now!

Cyril: why do I hear boss music?

I for sure wasn\'t expecting a sudden duel this chapter! Thank you for reading and for all your support!