The Male Slave of House Sianella - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Return (1)

Time passed quickly after Sione's confession.

She started each day with what had now become a habit of jogging, spending most of her time in the shooting range.

She took her position there and drew her bowstring endlessly without rest.

The one change in her training methods from before was that she now tried to apply mana with each arrow.

Sione only released her arrows after gathering mana at the arrowheads, and many practice dummies had to be replaced, riddled with holes from her shots.

Thanks to her diligent solo practice, her reputation at the shooting range had clearly turned positive.

However, I alone couldn't view her as positively as the others.

'She's only doing this because she wants something.'

I knew well that all of Sione's current efforts were driven by her ulterior motives.

It was just her response to the proposal I'd made as a desperate measure days ago.

What she truly wanted probably wasn't mastery of powerful techniques, but me.

However, if asked whether I felt threatened by Sione practicing like this.

Well, I wasn't particularly tense or conscious about it.

'A few days of practice won't be nearly enough.'

Expert-level mana manipulation wasn't something that could be achieved so easily.

It wasn't possible to master in just a day or two.

Even among knights, Expert was a level that took those with outstanding talent years, perhaps decades of training to reach.

For Sione to reach that level achieved by such individuals.

I figured it would take at least one to two years.

Thinking this while watching Sione shoot her arrows.

"Ugh..."

Sione lowered her bow and arms, letting out a pained sound as the mana wouldn't flow as she wanted.

"Hah..."

She let out a small sigh, then puffed her cheeks full of air with tightly closed lips.

Whoosh-

She released the air and composed herself before raising her bow again.

That unexpectedly cute behavior almost made me smile, but.

"...Should have done it back then."

...Just what exactly should she have done?

The corners of my mouth that had started to rise immediately plummeted hearing Sione's muttered words.

Setting that aside.

Sione repeatedly failed to create the dense mana concentration like that of an Expert knight.

But there were definitely encouraging aspects to her continued practice.

The mana shimmer around her arrowheads had become clearer through constant application practice.

Though she couldn't make it denser or more compressed, the amount she could simply gather had definitely increased.

With the power and sustainability of her mana improving day by day and practice dummies being constantly replaced.

Even when Sione gave them looks to mind their own business, the archers kept stealing glances at her.

Meanwhile.

The sun had risen to its peak and started descending.

"Lady Sione, I'll go see the priest for a moment."

"Is it that time already? I'll come too."

"Are you sure?"

"I was about to take a break anyway since my arms are getting sore from shooting too long."

I nodded vaguely and headed out of the shooting range.

***

Golden light from the priest's hands settled over my arm.

My arm was now perfectly healed, no trace remaining of its previously mangled state.

Just as I was smiling with satisfaction at being able to properly use strength in my arm again.

"All treatment is complete as of today. Good work."

"Thank you for your efforts."

After brief pleasantries, the priest who had finished her work stood up first.

As soon as the priest left, Sione who had been watching the treatment beside me approached.

"How's your arm?"

"Completely healed. Though it might be my imagination, it seems to move even better than before the injury."

"That's a relief. I was worried since the priest had to come for longer than expected."

"Well, the wound was quite deep. But it's all healed now, so that's what matters, right?"

I showed a small smile while waving my left arm.

"Yes, as long as it's healed."

Sione carefully stroked my head as she said this.

It was more like repeatedly messing up my hair then fixing it.

I quietly accepted her touch.

Of course, I hadn't been this compliant from the start.

I'd subtly avoided it whenever she tried to pat my head, but eventually got caught and patted anyway.

I only allowed it since she was just stroking my head, not trying to hug me.

I swallowed a sigh that threatened to escape while observing Sione.

Though she was stroking my hair, she deliberately avoided my gaze, seemingly embarrassed by her own actions.

To think she could be shy about just patting my head when she'd boldly kissed me before.

Sione really was something else.

As her patting was coming to an end, I asked:

"What are you planning to do now?"

"With nowhere else to go, going back to the shooting range doesn't sound bad. What do you think?"

"You've been drawing the bowstring and handling mana since morning until now. I think it would be better to rest more rather than return to the shooting range."

"Hmm."

The weather was nice, and the midsummer heat had abated somewhat.

It might be good to visit the garden after so long.

Though she loved flowers, she hadn't had time to spend in the garden since returning from the Feiosha Marquisate due to being busy.

Thinking it wasn't a bad idea, I slowly spoke:

"How about walking through the garden together? You haven't had time to leisurely look at flowers recently since the marquisate's garden."

"The garden. Not a bad idea. Yes, let's go."

Pleased with my suggestion, Sione started humming as she took the lead.

Her walking pace wasn't particularly fast.

As we made our leisurely way to the garden, the surroundings began growing noisy.

Some walked quickly, others even running.

Seeing the servants, who usually carried themselves with composure, rushing about in apparent panic.

I grew curious if something had happened.

I wasn't alone in this, as Sione was also watching the hurrying servants.

"Has something happened?"

"I'm not sure. Let's ask whoever we meet on the way to the garden."

The servants' movements grew more urgent as time passed.

Most of the hurrying people were heading toward the mansion's entrance.

Our heads naturally turned that direction as we followed them with our eyes.

When even the priests who usually waited inside the mansion all headed toward the entrance together.

Sione and I were no longer interested in the garden.

"Let's go to the entrance."

"As you wish."

We could see more and more people gathering as we approached the mansion's entrance.

Sione caught one of the servants trying to hurry past us and asked:

"Could you tell me what's happening that has everyone rushing about like this?"

Deep wrinkles formed between the elderly male servant's brows at Sione's question.

"...A knight from the cult search and elimination team in the Beltrin Mountains has arrived with a message."

The cult search and elimination team.

That was definitely the suppression force led by Siabel Sianella and Diolia that had gone to search the Beltrin Mountains.

What message could they have sent to cause such a commotion?

Deep curiosity began stirring.

"A message. Could you tell me its contents as well?"

"About that..."

The servant hesitated to speak, as if the words were too heavy for his mouth.

Sione crossed her arms like her sister, glaring at him impatiently.

"Can't you answer quickly?"

"...I'll relay the exact message I heard from the knight."

When Sione spoke somewhat irritably, he took a deep breath to compose himself.

Settling his expression, he quietly began reciting the knight's message.

His manner was deeply solemn as he spoke the words.

"During the operation to eliminate Maines after tracking down cult members, 17 soldiers died in battle against cultists and Maines. Nine were severely injured."

The servant's complexion noticeably worsened.

"...And Lady Siabel Sianella is also returning with severe injuries from combat with Maines."

None other than Siabel Sianella was returning severely wounded.

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