“Hey, Selian? What’s going on all of a sudden…?”

“Haha. It seems I’ve kept our guest waiting.”

I was about to ask Selian about the situation when Lucas walked into the dining hall.

However, Lucas, upon seeing Selian in the same seat he had occupied just yesterday, didn’t say anything and instead chuckled cheerfully.

Then he casually took a seat next to Selian, across from me, which was originally his spot.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

Even though Luke hadn’t come down yet, Selian announced the start of breakfast as if everyone were already gathered in the dining hall.

“Um… Selian? But Luke hasn’t come yet?”

“Oh, big brother has stepped out for a moment. There was an urgent matter at one of our business locations, so he left early in the morning. You probably missed him.”

The eldest son of a noble family certainly has a busy life.

But if Selian is the head of the household, what does being the eldest son even mean?

“Then, Selian, when do you think the formal succession ceremony should take place?”

During the meal, Lucas spoke to Selian. Judging by his words, it seemed the headship had definitely passed on to Selian.

“During the academy semester, I’ll be busy, so aside from a few important matters I’ll mention, Father will continue managing the family. The formal succession will take place either during the break or after graduation.”

“Let’s not delay it. Since you’ve reached the level of a Sword Master, the academy has become insignificant now, so what do you think about returning to the family right away?”

“…That’s not possible. You don’t just learn swordsmanship at the academy.”

…? Did I just mishear that?

“I’ll support you with whatever you need. No wait, since it’s practically your family now, saying I’ll support you is wrong. Hahaha! For a Sword Master to come from our family. Yeah, who would oppose a Sword Master becoming the head?”

The mention of a Sword Master, again confirming it to me.

Is the Sword Master Lucas is talking about the same one I know of?

If it’s the Sword Master I know, there are only eight in the entire continent, and all of them are much older than Selian, several generations ahead in terms of experience.

Of course, it’s true that just being skilled with a sword does not guarantee the title of Sword Master, and it’s also not something that one can suddenly realize in an instant. But this sudden declaration?

The gap with Selian, which was already significant, seems to have widened even further. At the very least, I feel I need to reach a similar level of power that I had when borrowing strength from the future to be a rival.

“Well then, I look forward to your support.”

After finishing the meal, Selian said as she put down her dishes.

“Are you kidding? I’m doing what I usually do, so there’s no need to call it a favor. I won’t forget what you asked, so don’t worry.”

Is it really okay to so readily pass the headship to a Sword Master? But it would also be absurd to interfere with the family matters.

Selian and I, having left the dining hall, headed to our room.

“Have you really become a Sword Master?”

As soon as we entered the room, I asked Selian the question that had been on my mind the most.

“Yes. I had an epiphany while training last evening. When I told Father, he transferred the headship to me.”

So, not even a full night passed after our conversation yesterday, and immediately she achieved that. Once again, I got a chance to realize how monstrous Selian truly is.

“Then there will now be nine Sword Masters on the continent?”

“That’s true, but… I’m not planning to officially announce it.”

“Why not? If people find out you’ve become a Sword Master, they’ll surely be shocked and it would cause a stir…”

Especially with the war against the Demonic Race heating up, now would be a favorable time to make a name for oneself.

“It will just make things more exhausting.”

“But don’t you desire fame or anything?”

If it were me, I would announce it immediately. The troubles from fame would be far outweighed by the additional benefits that would come from it.

“…I have something that’s more important to me.”

However, Selian simply stared at me and said calmly.

Perhaps unlike me, who has no background, with the Deretia family backing her, having enough wealth and honor, it’s only natural for Selian to have a different value system.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, I’ll keep my mouth shut. So this will be our little secret?”

Of course, those from the Deretia family probably already know, but among the academy folks, I would be the only one who is aware that Selian is a Sword Master.

“A secret just for us… Hehe… Yes, just our secret.”

For some reason, Selian seemed to giggle happily.

Since it’s better to keep it a secret, I’ll need to be careful not to accidentally let it slip.

“Oh, by the way, I totally forgot to refuse Lucas’s proposal.”

The shocking news about her becoming a Sword Master made me completely forget that I had planned to bring it up subtly during breakfast.

As I pondered whether I should still go to Lucas now, Selian opened her mouth first.

“Don’t worry. I already mentioned it to Father beforehand. So there shouldn’t be any more bothersome engagements regarding El.”

“Um… Is Father okay with that? Would he be uneasy or anything?”

“Yes. And even if he were uneasy, as long as I’m here…”

“Hm?”

“…As a Sword Master, there’s really no need to obsess over a Hero. It would be nice if I had one, but it’s not something I need…”

For a moment, I was surprised as it sounded like Selian was saying something outrageous.

I mean, a Sword Master certainly doesn’t pale compared to a Hero.

“Anyway, I need to start getting ready to leave soon if we’re going to head back today.”

“Ah… Speaking of which, I forgot to show you the materials related to the Hero. I got so busy with other matters…”

After starting off with such shocking conversations since yesterday, it’s understandable that I would forget.

“No worries. I forgot too, so whatever. We’ll just talk about it next time. You wouldn’t deny me an invitation, would you?”

“Of course not! As for El, she’s always welcome anytime. I’ll tell Father, so come by whenever.”

“Okay. I’ll need to postpone greeting Luke as well.”

“…It might be hard to see big brother. His future business obligations are particularly demanding…”

Since the Deretia family is large, the business that supports the family must be busy too.

“Really? Being a noble isn’t as great as I thought. If I had known, I would have greeted him earlier… But since it was urgent, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Yes. So you don’t need to worry about big brother.”

With that, Selian hurriedly gathered my luggage and called the butler to discuss something.

“Alright. The carriage is ready, so let’s go.”

“Right away? I didn’t even get to say goodbye to Selian’s father.”

“It’s fine. I’m the head, after all. You can skip that. If we dawdle, we might…”

“Hey, it wouldn’t be respectful to leave without expressing our gratitude after such hospitality.”

“…Just a moment.”

Selian called the butler once again and said something.

As soon as Selian finished speaking, the butler left the room.

“Okay. Let’s head downstairs. I’ll let Father know to come to the carriage, and then we can greet him and head off.”

…Now that she’s the head, should I say she’s gotten bold, or rather, seems more straightforward?

When we got down to the yard, thankfully, Lucas did not seem upset and still welcomed us with a cheerful grin.

“Alright. You two be careful on your way back. Though, of course, who would dare threaten a Sword Master… Haha!”

“Thank you for the warm welcome. We’ll see you next time. Until then, take care.”

While Lucas saw us off and I was saying goodbye, Selian was looking around as if she was searching for something in the distance.

“Come on, get in. Father, we’re off then.”

Selian pushed me into the carriage, casually waving goodbye to Lucas.

“Hey! Is that a carriage coming over there…? Yikes!”

As I was about to say it might be Luke coming back, a sudden strong shove from Selian sent me stumbling into the carriage.

“Goodbye!”

Bang!

The carriage door slammed shut as if it would break.

“Wait, that carriage…”

“Sir! Please leave quickly!”

“Selian?”

I called her name, seeing her shouting loudly as she opened the window connected to the driver’s seat.

“…I forgot I had urgent business at the academy. I need to get back as quickly as possible…”

How urgent can it be that Selian only sighed in relief after confirming the carriage had finally set off?

If it was that urgent, she should have mentioned it earlier…