Chapter 25

I woke up this morning believing that I would have another uneventful day. However, even before I managed to break free from Asulin’s grip, everything had changed.

After finishing my morning training and washing up, even the breakfast I ate felt different somehow. This was because Asulin, sitting across from me during our meal, looked different than usual.

At first glance, there seemed to be no difference at all. She had prepared dishes with medicinal ingredients to aid in my mana core recovery.

“Asulin, you’ve been waiting. Eat before it gets cold.”

“Of course.”

As usual, she hadn’t eaten until I arrived, just like every other morning. Even though she seemed slightly apologetic about the simple meal she had prepared, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“…What’s going on?”

Her gaze was fixated on me more often than usual, which was unusual. I had noticed before that while we went through our daily routines, including breakfast, she would occasionally glance at me.

It wasn’t unpleasant, though. Her eyes, reminiscent of emeralds, were always calm, but they sparkled whenever she observed me.

Today, however, there was something different. Her green eyes, usually so calm, now held a peculiar gleam that caught my attention.

What should I call it? Curiosity, perhaps?

Her eyes, focused intently on me with such precision that it was hard to notice if not paying full attention, conveyed curiosity. Despite watching me eat breakfast almost every day, her eyes seemed to shine like they were casting a spell, making anyone look at them feel at ease.

No joke, even the unexpected event during breakfast today could have been less shocking if she had been awake and looking at me with those emerald-green eyes.

Those eyes carried a kind, unforgettable presence, no matter how many times I met them. No matter how many people I encountered in various social circles, their eyes were often tainted by the world’s corruption. Rarely did I come across truly clean eyes that didn’t make me feel drawn in.

Was it rare enough to say? Well, even though I could count them on one hand, they weren’t unique.

Yes, I had seen beautiful, sparkling eyes like Asulin’s before.

During my wandering days in back alleys and when I had to act like a noble under my father’s guidance, I had seen many people from all walks of life. Most of their eyes were tainted by the world’s corruption, and even the few good people’s eyes were too bright, making me feel like I would get pulled in.

But those eyes were similar to Asulin’s, leaving a deep impression.

The person whose eyes they belonged to—was it a man or a woman? What color was their hair? And what did the rest of their face look like besides their eyes?

While staring at Asulin, forgetting about my breakfast, I tried to recall the person behind those eyes, but…

“I can’t remember…”

Just as I was lost in thought, my reverie was gently interrupted by Asulin, who looked puzzled at my silence.

Shaking off my thoughts, I looked at her. “I was just admiring your eyes while eating breakfast.”

She seemed pleased with my honest response, but then her reaction was somewhat strange. It was as if someone had snuck up behind her, startling her.

“I-I didn’t expect you to say something like that out of nowhere.”

Her ears turned red as she avoided eye contact with me.

Well, regardless, I had managed to divert her gaze. Was that a success?

“Eh… The breakfast you made is wonderful.”

I tried to fill the awkward silence by praising her cooking, hoping to cover up my attempt to avoid her gaze.

Usually, even if she responded with modesty, Asulin would eventually return to her breakfast. But today…

“…”

Her expression remained unchanged, and she continued eating silently, making it difficult to approach her.

After the small commotion caused by my distraction, Asulin resumed her routine as usual.

She, as the temporary head of the Caladborg Dukedom responsible for the Zakarat Mountain Range in the northern part of the Empire, had to review and sort through various documents related to the issues in the territory from dawn till noon.

The number of documents related to compensating the people affected by the demon attacks and the economic losses they suffered…

“I can’t believe this. It’s insane.”

Having received accelerated education under my father’s guidance and struggling to maintain the facade of a noble, seeing such an overwhelming amount of paperwork made my mouth hang open involuntarily.

This was a mountain of thin white paper, so much that servants struggled to move the piles around.

If I had seen this much paperwork, I might have wanted to run away right then and there. Yet, the retainers and servants handled these mountains of documents calmly and efficiently.

They categorized the documents first, placing those they could handle on the left and those requiring higher authority on the right. Once sorted, they passed the right pile to other servants who then delivered them to higher-ranking retainers.

By the time the final documents reached Asulin, who sat quietly sipping tea at the end of the room, they had gone through countless layers of sorting.

“…Even more than what my brother used to deal with.”

Seeing the sheer volume of documents made my forehead sweat.

Even when my brother, wearing his iron mask, dealt with matters from the Sword Mansion efficiently, the sight of the papers covering the desk was overwhelming.

Now, seeing the servants struggling with such a massive amount of documents, it seemed even my brother’s workload was laughable in comparison.

“If only I were sitting there instead of Asulin…”

Thinking about it, the sheer volume was staggering. But then, Asulin picked up a document, examined it quickly, and stamped it with the emblem of the Caladborg Dukedom, a dragon bleeding and roaring.

She repeated this process rapidly, handling each document with speed and efficiency.

It was as if her work had the intensity of a battlefield, where she wielded her sword to defeat both enemies and allies alike.

And she seemed to enjoy it.

“Now I finally feel like I’m working. There was so little to do before.”

With a stretch, Asulin remarked that this was the proper feeling of work.

“Still, I need to finish quickly today.”

Her eyes and hands moved in perfect harmony, faster and more precise than ever.

Before long,

“Phew… Finished.”

The stack of documents that the servants had brought in was quickly sorted and placed on the table, either processed or deemed unnecessary.

“You’ve worked hard. Let’s stop here for today. Staying here won’t change anything.”

“Understood!”

Asulin’s morning work ended quickly, thanks to her remarkable efficiency.

It was 9:30 AM, and normally, this room would be filled with her reviewing documents leisurely. Today, however, the room echoed with the sounds of retreating footsteps as servants and retainers left early on her orders.

“Now that it’s over, let’s spend some time together.”

Asulin’s voice, filled with an innocent expectation, asked me to join her for the rest of the day.

“Would it be okay to ask what you want to do with me?”

Hesitantly, I asked her what she had in mind.

“Hmm, what do you think I would be doing?”

Instead of answering directly, she responded with a question.

Usually, this kind of response didn’t bode well, but coming from Asulin, it didn’t anger me at all.

“Um, are you planning to start serious sword training that you couldn’t do properly before?”

I was curious about her intentions.

“That’s right! Even though my retainers and servants tried to stop me, it’s not right to leave a healed body idle.”

She agreed with my guess, showing a happy expression.

“Would you like to join me in my training?”

“Sure, why not? I don’t have much to do here anyway.”

I accepted her request without hesitation, even though I knew better.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have…”

Only after accepting did I realize my mistake. By the time I snapped back to reality, I found myself already in the training grounds of the Duke’s Residence, training with Asulin.

…It wasn’t exactly intense training, but I was struggling to keep up with her.

She was impressive, warming up by running with metal plates attached to her legs, making them heavier. It was breathtaking.

But what came next was even more surprising.

“As you know, no one in my family except my father can help me with my physical training. Even enthusiastic knights try to join once but end up avoiding me the next day.”

Despite the intensity of her workout, her breathing remained steady.

“…Are you really not tired?”

Even after rigorous training to recover from my damaged core, her ability to speak without breaking a sweat was astonishing.

From the moment I woke up, this day had felt different, and now it felt like it was pushing me to make it a special day.

“No way am I going to give in to a little physical training!”

Determined, I tried to close the distance between us, but…

“Andrew? Andrew?!”

Suddenly, Asulin called out urgently.

Before I could react, my vision shifted from Asulin to a clear blue sky. Then, I crashed onto the floor of the training ground, landing on my back.

Bang!

The sound was so loud because the metal plates attached to my legs, mimicking Asulin’s, hit the ground heavily.

In my dazed state, the last thing I thought was a curse directed at myself.

“What a pathetic thing to do…”