The Male Slave of House Sianella - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: My Knight (1)

The death of Sione Sianella could never be taken lightly.

In the short term, it would mean the death of a noble count's second daughter who had only just begun to reform herself. But looking at the bigger picture, it would mean this world walking its destined path toward destruction.

Sione's death would not only prevent my return to Earth but threaten my very life. Even if it was just text in a quest notification, it wasn't exactly pleasant to see.

"Demons and fanatics..."

They were just the types to destroy a world. Among the many worlds I'd cleared, quite a few had met their end starting with demon worshippers and ending in unstoppable demon invasions.

This world was probably one of those that had been destroyed that way. The hellish future where I'd lost my life had certainly been overrun with demons.

I retrieved my sword that I'd set aside and ran my hand along the hilt. Clearly, I couldn't afford to let my guard down. This was an S-rank dungeon world after all—carelessness was forbidden. Even the minions of S-rank dungeon villains were incredibly vicious and cruel.

Despite how peaceful things seemed right now, it would be foolish to underestimate these fanatics just because they weren't demons themselves.

I looked at Sione, who had drifted into deep sleep, breathing softly.

"You lucky bastard."

She should consider meeting me a blessing from heaven. The more I thought about it, the more irritating it was to see her sleeping so peacefully, completely unaware. She wasn't even my fiancée—I couldn't believe I was going through all this trouble just to help her meet her own.

"...Still."

There were some fortunate aspects. First was that Diolia, a high-ranking Sword Expert knight, was accompanying us as Sione's guard. No matter how fanatical these cultists were, they wouldn't dare attack Sione openly on the road in broad daylight.

With luck, we might be able to quietly slip out of the village without incident.

As I was organizing my thoughts while repeatedly running my hand over the sword hilt, I finally spotted what appeared to be quite a large village through the window.

Hadn't Sione said we'd be arriving at a small village? It seemed she had casually relayed Diolia's comparison to the Sianella territory without much thought.

Well, this seemed like a good time to wake her up.

I shook Sione's shoulder.

"Lady Sione, please wake up. We've arrived at the village entrance."

"Yawn... Thank you for waking me."

Sione smiled faintly and stretched. After fixing her disheveled hair, she folded the blanket and sat in her chair.

She eagerly took in the village scenery like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time.

"I thought Lady Diolia said it was a small village. It looks quite large."

"I believe Lady Diolia was comparing it to the city of the Sianella County."

"Ah, now that you mention it, I think you're right."

Indeed, when Diolia had mentioned it being small, she must have been comparing it to the count's territory.

Sione turned away from the window she had been quietly observing.

"Since this is my first time leaving the count's territory for another village or city, I can't help but feel excited."

"You mean you've never left the count's territory before?"

"That's right."

Sione nodded slowly.

"When I was young, I swung a sword in the territory, and for a brief time I held a spear and books... but after that, I hid away in my room. To be honest, even my memories of playing outside the lord's castle have grown dim now."

Well, it made sense. Having her pride completely stripped away through constant comparisons, falling into self-loathing, and then developing an aversion to others that led her to lock herself in her room with her defenses up—and this hadn't just been for months, but years.

It was somewhat painful to hear her speak of these facts so matter-of-factly.

Yet this same Sione now showed an innocent, bright smile.

"That's why I'm quite looking forward to this place. Aren't you excited too?"

"...Now that you mention it, Lady Sione, I am indeed looking forward to it."

"Yes, exactly."

With those words, Sione quietly curved her lips upward and closed her eyes.

Her expression was as peaceful as the smile she had shown that day when she cut away her long-held past.

***

We stopped and dismounted from our carriages at the village entrance. The roads weren't well-maintained enough to take the carriages deeper into the village.

We arranged to meet the coachman here at the entrance tomorrow afternoon, and he departed to attend to his other duties.

"I know of a decent inn here, so let's head there."

Having visited this place several times before, Diolia quickly led us to an inn where we could stay the night.

The rooms inside were clean and free of any musty odors—perfectly suitable for an overnight stay.

Even Sione, who was used to spending her days rolled up in blankets on a luxurious bed, didn't seem to have any complaints about the inn.

Sione and Diolia each got their own room, while Ian and I would share one.

Since Ian said he would visit the church during the day, I could choose which bed I wanted.

After being assigned our rooms and unpacking all my belongings near the bed by the window, Sione and Diolia came to visit.

I would have gone to them myself once I finished here—I wondered why they had come to find me first.

As I was pondering this, Sione spoke up.

"Have you finished unpacking?"

"Yes, I've unpacked everything I brought."

"Then let's go explore the market together."

So they had come to invite me out.

Well, it wasn't a bad suggestion, but I couldn't accept.

We needed to replenish our food supplies since everyone had been eating my cooking for all three meals, and we needed to shop for Sione's snacks and other necessities as well.

"I apologize, but I need to buy preserved foods for the journey and things for Lady Sione to eat..."

"That won't be necessary. Lady Diolia has offered to handle the supply procurement."

"Pardon?"

"I'm saying you can leave today's tasks to Diolia and take a rest."

I barely managed to keep my expression from hardening at Sione's words.

"But to leave my duties to Lady Diolia while I accompany you, Lady Sione... Wouldn't it be dangerous to walk around without a guard?"

The only reason I had been able to stay somewhat calm after receiving such an ominous quest was based on the assumption that Diolia would be by Sione's side to protect her.

It would be problematic for Diolia to be separated from Sione.

I shot a meaningful look at Diolia, who was quietly standing behind Sione.

"I will handle your duties today, so do as Lady Sione says."

"...While I'm deeply grateful for your offer, shouldn't you be guarding Lady Sione, Lady Diolia?"

"Lady Sione has already promised to carry weapons for self-defense and stay on the busy market streets, and it's broad daylight now, isn't it?"

Diolia's gaze on me deepened, as if trying to see through me.

"Moreover, from what little I've seen of your sword skills, even though you're a man, you seem capable enough to handle common thugs, so I don't see any problems."

"However..."

"Also, Lady Sione said she has something she wishes to discuss with you privately."

"...I understand."

...Right, as Diolia said, what could happen in broad daylight like this?

Besides, even though Sione had once despaired over her talents, she had still reached the level of Sword User.

If she were serious, she would be stronger than my current self.

But even if it was high noon, there was always that small chance...

I should probably arm myself lightly as well.

"May I change clothes first?"

"Yes, go ahead."

"I'll change quickly."

After checking the quest again, I put on the leather armor I had brought separately from the carriage.

I could feel the cool leather settling against my skin.

After making sure I had put it on properly and securely, I strapped my sword to my waist.

I didn't bring my bow.

It was obvious Sione wouldn't allow me to follow her around carrying a bow with a quiver of arrows on my back.

My mind grew sharp and clear.

Quests didn't appear without reason.

At least once, there would be a point within this village where Sione would cross paths with these demon worshippers.

It was obvious things would get more troublesome if I didn't stay alert, so I couldn't let my guard down.

When I finished preparing and left the room, Sione looked me up and down and said:

"You even put on leather armor. Aren't you worrying too much?"

"Didn't I say I would protect you? Everything I do is for your sake, Lady Sione, so I hope you'll be understanding."

"...Thank you."

Sione whispered softly while avoiding my gaze in response to my words.

I asked her about one of the things Diolia had mentioned.

"Lady Diolia said you had something you wanted to discuss with me... What might that be?"

"Ah, that, well."

Sione hesitated, stumbling over her words.

Instead of answering my question, she grabbed my sleeve and said:

"L-let's go outside first and talk about it later...!"

As she pulled me along, she wore a faint smile on her face.

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