Chapter 51

“Did you really ask for…? Such intense training?”

“Yes.”

Isabella blinked her eyes as if she couldn’t believe it and looked at my outfit.

It would look like that.

The training clothes were already in shambles, and the face was openly covered with dirt from the training hall.

The image of the noble young master, Carsein, that Isabella had seen would not be visible at all.

“Why are you pushing yourself this way? There was no need to go this far.”

“…”

“I didn’t send you for such training. This is almost like punishment.”

As if asking me to say something, I did not respond.

“Let me wipe your face first, then let’s go back. Carsein.”

She took out a handkerchief from her pocket and tried to wipe the dirt on my cheek.

But I dodged her hand.

Even though I recognized that the handkerchief was coming, I straightened up my trembling body.

And went where I should be.

I found myself taking a position behind the trainee knights and assumed the same posture as them.

“Halt. Salute to the Duchess.”

With the handkerchief still in her hand, Isabella’s helpless hand stopped there, and her eyes looked at me with a closed eye.

“Carsein…”

“I am currently a trainee following the rules of the training hall. Not the young master of the Bargrand Duke’s house.”

“If you meant to learn swordsmanship, I understand. But this isn’t it. After punishing those who conducted excessive training, I will find a proper master for you. So stop this kind of training, okay?”

-Ding!

Here it comes.

This will end this choice.

“Now you want to punish all the great masters?”

“Carsein…?”

“Who sets the standard for excessive training? Me? Or the Duchess of the Bargrand Duke’s house?”

“That’s…”

Of course, it would be Isabella’s standard.

“I have never complained about training with these people. If there was, wouldn’t you ask me right now?”

Of course, I would say I hadn’t complained.

I really didn’t complain even once.

“Now you want to take away even the training I do alone in the training hall.”

“What do you mean by…! No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what? Why punish those who show me exemplary training? If it’s not taking away, what else can I call it?”

“…”

Isabella couldn’t reply and shut her mouth again.

“You said you’d listen anytime if I wanted something.”

“Carsein. You don’t mean…”

“Don’t mind my appearance. It’s not for me to judge whether the training is too much. Don’t interfere, and let me be treated as a knight in the training hall. That’s what I desperately want as a birthday present.”

Persistently pushing Isabella, she finally couldn’t speak anymore and accepted my will.

“If you say so… I won’t interfere anymore.”

Despite that, Isabella seemed reluctant to give up, trying to wipe the dirt off my face with the handkerchief.

When I turned my head to avoid it, her hand holding the handkerchief naturally lowered.

“Let’s go. I’ll entrust Carsein to you.”

“Yes!”

Isabella left after saying that, occasionally stopping to look back at me.

During that time.

The status window showed the results.

▶Greatly increased recognition within the 1st Knight Order!◀

▶The punishment Isabella intended has been mitigated. The knights heave a sigh of relief!◀

▶Affinity with the knights increases!◀

In reality, the knights heaved a sigh of relief, and some even visibly sighed with relief.

Thanks to this, the gray boxes became noticeably lighter, and the crossed-out boxes noticeably decreased, with the most significant case seeing more than half of its boxes disappear.

‘It seems I’ve handled this well.’

Although this event occurred due to increased affinity, Carsein now had an unbeatable ally in Isabella Bargrand.

One word from her could make the 1st Knight Order hesitate to speak freely to Carsein.

Moreover, Carsein had undergone excessive training and had even intended to retaliate against some of the knights in the meantime.

If Isabella’s power were used in this state, it would be easy to hold the knights accountable for their crimes.

However, as always, there is a trap in this game.

No matter how influential affinity is, this is a clear trap.

If Carsein were to report to Isabella, public opinion in the knight order would rapidly sour, and he would inevitably face death when unable to dodge the Dead Flag approaching him.

Furthermore, he would fail to resolve the hidden Dead Trigger in Episode V.

Naturally, one feels that things are going in the same direction.

At the beginning of Episode V,

It’s exactly the same as before.

The hints are identical.

Just like at the beginning, Carsein shouldn’t receive any reward.

The rule remains intact.

‘It’s time to move on.’

I asked Mark directly.

“Training for today is over, but it looks like tomorrow’s schedule will be difficult. Can I go back first?”

“…Yes.”

Mark nodded without hesitation.

After all, there was nothing to say with Isabella having already caught him.

The other knights were in the same situation.

They couldn’t act immediately since they saw Isabella.

Some even looked regretful.

Probably those who were aligned with Emma. They must have thought it would be easy to drive them away, given the perfect opportunity for bad rumors to spread within the knight order if they reported.

“Sorry, but it’s not just today. For the remaining four days, you won’t be able to drive me away.”

I mocked them internally and left the training hall first.

***

My steps are heavy.

They weren’t light when I came to the training hall, but now, heavier because I couldn’t bring Carsein back.

Arriving at the duke’s mansion after receiving a telegram from Claire, I was late in mediating the argument between Arina and Carsein.

By the time Isabella understood the situation, Carsein had already left for the training hall.

“Mama.”

“Duchess.”

The three daughters came out to greet us upon returning to the duke’s mansion.

What happened to Carsein, who was in the training hall?

That’s what I wanted to ask.

Isabella closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Carsein is living as a trainee in the 1st Knight Order’s training hall.”

“…Trainee?”

“Yes. It’s been three days today.”

Claire frowned and messed up her hair.

“If only we had opened a separate wing… why did he have to stay in a training hall dormitory-like place?”

It wasn’t to disparage the knights’ quarters. As loyal servants of the Bargrand Duke’s house, their quarters ranked among the best in the empire.

But Carsein is a noble.

He is part of the Bargrand Duke’s house.

Claire thought it would have been better to open a separate wing for him, considering that the young master of the house is staying in the same room as the knights.

Isabella comforted Claire, saying that it probably wouldn’t have made much difference even if they had opened a separate wing.

The image of Carsein dodging the handkerchief to clean his face still lingered.

It seemed he was genuinely angry about this incident.

Isabella composed herself and asked Arina.

“What about the culprit?”

“We’re still investigating. Based on Heron’s testimony, we suspect the maids in the utility room near Carsein’s room.”

“Mama. Come on, think about it. It’s definitely Emma!”

“Claire. There’s insufficient evidence.”

Arina tried to stop her, but Claire insisted.

“Sister, why is there insufficient evidence? I clearly saw Emma picking on Carsein when he came back from an outing!”

“Even Carsein deserved it. There was a ban on going out at that time.”

“Even so, does it make sense for the head maid to pick on you over your sister’s outing? She must have been harboring ill feelings!”

“People with a negative view of Carsein are plentiful in the duke’s house. Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment when identifying the culprit.”

“The maids who visit the utility room the most are also Emma, right? She’s plenty in range, Sister.”

Seeing the two daughters bicker, Isabella advised them to find common ground.

“I understand what you both want to say, but it would be best to reach an agreement regarding Emma.”

“How?”

“Heron suggested keeping Emma confined in a solitary cell. After all, it’s the head maid’s fault for failing to control the maids in the utility room.”

“…I agree with that.”

“Heh. That girl is 100% guilty.”

Arina somewhat agreed, while Claire remained uneasy.

Though their reactions were opposite, there was no further agreement to be reached.

“But, Mama, you mentioned that Carsein has become a trainee. How was he today?”

“…He was sprawled out on the playground covered in sand.”

“Was that after training?”

“Yes. Specifically, it looked like he had undergone quite intense training.”

“I knew it.”

Arina seemed to understand something as she rubbed her head.

“Mama. It’s not just intense training. It’s more like a rite of passage for new knights… From what I’ve seen, it’s best to bring him back to the duke’s mansion quickly.”

“But he wants to stay in the training hall. Arina.”

“Such grueling training will continue every day. For a noble, finding a proper master is—”

“I tried to persuade him the same way.”

Isabella cut off Arina.

“I conveyed exactly what you said… but he doesn’t want to.”

Carsein didn’t want to return to the duke’s mansion.

He wanted to train with the knights.

Isabella relayed Carsein’s words verbatim to Arina—that he wanted to judge the intensity of the training himself.

“Heh… His stubbornness hasn’t changed. He’s digging his own grave. Even if it’s a knight’s culture, he doesn’t seem to have the means to endure it.”

“How bad is it?”

“It’s a bad custom, Claire.”

After giving a few examples, Claire and Isabella’s faces darkened, and they began to worry about Carsein.

“…I’ll go tomorrow.”

“Sister? You can’t bring him back.”

“Yeah, I can’t bring him back. But I can stop him from doing such things during training if I’m right there.”

“Oh, that makes sense!”

“Tomorrow, you’ll go. And I’ll buy him a training suit. Perfect as a birthday present.”

“Ah, a birthday present?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Claire and Isabella’s faces brightened.

Not only would this prevent a bad custom, but it would also allow them to keep an eye on Carsein. Since they knew his interest lay in the training hall, they could use this as an opportunity to give him a birthday present.

They could also try to ease his mood slightly by talking to him at the right time, making their worries dissipate.

The three of them started planning with laughter and joy.

Specifically, they discussed how to satisfy Carsein and when would be the right time, almost turning into a meeting.

Suddenly, the youngest child’s attention was drawn.

“Mama, Sister. Let Florra handle the last day.”

“Eh, eh? Me?”

“Yes. Florra hasn’t given Carsein a gift yet. This is our chance to get rid of it once and for all.”

At this, Florra trembled.

She was supposed to harass him rather than give him a gift, which was a natural reaction.

However, unaware of Florra’s thoughts, the family didn’t notice as she contemplated.

Still confused about Carsein, she was swept up in a whirlwind of turmoil.

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Which is right…!”

Florra heard nothing at that moment.

She just wanted to alleviate the unpleasant feeling she felt.

***

Click! Click!

The blonde girl’s room was filled with the sound of her thumbnail breaking repeatedly. The nail bitten several times was now short, dangerously close to bleeding.

Biting it again, the skin beneath her nail began to tingle painfully.

“Aah.”

The broken nail began to bleed, and the liquid started to flow down the flesh.

Continuing to bite it made it impossible to reverse the damage.

Quickly grabbing a tissue, she tried to stop the bleeding by wiping it.

But the blood only stained the tissue red more and more.

No matter how much she tried to stop it, the blood kept flowing, making her feel a sense of fear.

Now she couldn’t bear it anymore.

“…That person will tell me the answer.”

After the family discussion ended, Florra silently headed somewhere.

…

“Why is no one here?”

Wearing a cozy shawl, Florra tilted her head, looking at the unusually empty training hall.

“Oh, sometimes the schedule changes to outdoor training, right?”

Usually, the training hall was empty when there was an outdoor training schedule.

Thinking she might have come back empty-handed, she considered heading back to the mansion.

Changing her destination slightly, Florra soon spotted a knight.

“Miss Florra?”

“Sir Theo!”

Flora ran over with a broad smile.