Chapter 19: Hugo
By the time Lucia arrived at Dawn Castle, dusk was setting in.
She wondered if her pace had always been this slow. For some reason, she felt she moved slower than when she was dealing with the beasts along with Shiron.
The fact that her steps were slower compared to when she had been continuously facing these beasts even to her, it seemed strange.
I mean, even if I walked slowly, still
Lucia raised her empty hand to touch her face. The longsword that Shiron had brought, and even the weapon she took from Berta, were all carried away by Shiron.
Suddenly, she realized her legs were different from her previous life. Lucia was currently 9 years old, looking precisely like a girl of that age. Occasionally, she became aware of how different her situation was from before.
Even though 9 years had passed since her reincarnation, she couldnt shake off the senses from her previous life.
She had short arms and legs and soft hands without calluses, and even the energy circulating inside her was weak and frail compared to her past life.
With this body, Ive done quite a bit.
Looking at it now, she realized shed been quite reckless.
Killing the thieves to enter the cave was somewhat understandable. But overpowering a person like Berta was definitely beyond her current abilities.
Just got caught up in the mood
If she had known that Shirons aim was the Holy Sword, she shouldve beaten up Shiron, knocked him out, and returned to the mansion.
But she didnt.
If you asked her why she didnt stop, even Lucia had many parts she couldnt understand, much less explain. She was at a loss for words.
As if enchanted, maybe she felt that if she did as Shiron said, things would work out?
It made her remember fragmented memories from the past.
She was a passive person who only did as others instructed, to put it nicely.
However, she never felt exploited because she was with good colleagues.
Everyone pooled their strength, always making the best choices in the given situation achieving the best outcomes.
But all of that was now in the past.
What was the point in knowing whether they said that the stars told them or that they spoke words that claimed prophecies about the worlds destruction? From now on, being swayed by others was out of the question for her.
Lucia closed her eyes tightly and reopened them to shake off the continuous stream of thoughts.
Before she realized it, she was near the main gate of Dawn Castle.
Have you arrived, Miss?
Yes.
There was a maid waiting to greet her.
This was the maid who had once assisted Shiron in his training. A woman with black hair and notably upturned eye corners. Her name was probably Dorothy.
Dorothy slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed to Lucia.
You seem quite tired.
Do I look that way?
To Lucias question, Dorothy nodded.
Having always observed Lucia, Dorothy quickly noticed that her demeanor was a bit different than usual. Of course, this also showed in her appearance.
Firstly, your complexion doesnt look good.
Complexion?
Yes. Especially the skin under your eyes; it looks sallow, like someone who hasnt slept for days. There are other signs, too, but you never looked straight ahead while walking here.
I see I looked that way, huh.
Lucia gave the maid a faint smile, imagining how she mustve appeared to someone else.
Chasing after Shiron, who had rushed ahead without the strength or will and reluctantly moved her feet towards the castle how pitiful she mustve looked.
Lucia tightly gripped the hem of her coat and looked up at the maid.
By the way, wheres Shiron? Whats he doing now?
Lucias voice, inquiring about the wellbeing of her step-brother, was somewhat hasty. To this, Dorothy responded with a gentle smile.
Yes, young master Shiron should be asleep by now. He even skipped his meal, which is unusual. It seems hes quite tired, just like you.
I see, so he did.
What could be the intent behind that question? Was it to confirm that Shiron had safely arrived? Dorothy assumed Lucias question stemmed from familial concern.
Dorothy lifted the corners of her lips slightly and asked Lucia,
Would you like to eat first? Or take a bath? But personally, I think you should wash up and go to bed right away.
Then Ill do just that. If I eat now, I doubt Ill digest it properly.
The sun had risen just a tad early.
Shiron got up from the bed and looked out the window. He marveled at the body rhythm that was now completely ingrained in him. He had skipped a meal, and as soon as he washed up, he had fallen asleep, yet he woke up at this exact time, which was astonishing.
I feel like Ill really collapse if I dont use doping.
Shiron thought it was fortunate he didnt fall asleep in the bath.
Still, he couldnt put off what he had to do today. As always, the first place he headed to after waking up was the training grounds.
This time, he felt it acutely. Killing mere thieves was different. Named characters in the game also appeared unpredictably.
To deal with them, if not to challenge them, he had to at least be able to defend himself. Even if today was the day of the inheritance ceremony, he couldnt skip the training he repeated every dawn.
Shiron.
But today was slightly different. Lucia, who had hardly shown up in the training grounds since she began reading, was waiting for him at the entrance.
Did she finally warm up overnight? Shiron approached Lucia with a somewhat happy heart and greeted her.
What brings you here? Its been a while since you came to the training grounds.
Speak properly. Not too long ago, I was here before you. Ive just been busy recently.
Lucia gave Shiron a sideways glance, indicating her displeasure, and opened the door to the training grounds.
After waiting for him, she didnt expect to be teased.
With that thought, Lucia raced to the storage room ahead of Shiron.
A moment later, when Shiron arrived at the storage room door, Lucia looked at him expectantly and handed him a wooden sword.
Take it!
Shirons eyes widened as he took the wooden sword.
Whats this all about? Out of the blue.
Shiron was indeed puzzled about why she was acting this way.
You said to hit you if you acted up yesterday, right?
Wait, are we going to spar?
Shirons face momentarily hardened. Was she thinking of beating him up with this wooden sword because he told her to hit him?
Hey, I never said to hit me with a wooden sword.
What do you think I am? Even if its me, I wouldnt resort to hitting with a sword.
Then?
After seeing you fight yesterday, I thought you might need some swordsmanship training.
And, I can teach you how to swing a sword So what is it
Lucia turned her face away from Shiron and scratched her cheek.
Could we perhaps train together?
Well, Id be thankful if youre offering to teach me.
Shiron let out a resigned sigh. What had changed in her while they were apart that she was now so willing to cooperate?
I hadnt even hoped for this much.
It actually lightened the workload for him.
Speaking of which,
As he was sweating profusely while swinging the sword, Lucia, who was watching from the side, approached and spoke.
I dont see the maids who always attend to you today?
Ah. About that.
While continuing his sword practice, Shiron responded,
The inheritance ceremony is tomorrow. Initially, they helped me out when they had some free time, so I have to manage on my own when its this busy.
By the way, is it okay to be training so leisurely?
Lucia stopped her sword swings and looked beyond the mansion.
It seems someone has arrived. And many of them, it seems.
Is that so?
Shiron wiped his sweat-drenched forehead with a towel. It seemed the expected time of arrival was near.
Looking up, the sun was already high in the sky.
Being personally mentored by Lucia had been quite intensive. Contrary to his expectations, Lucia was very good at teaching. He had assumed she would teach instinctively, given her genius reputation.
Lets go check it out.
Shiron buried the wooden sword in the snow and handed the towel that had been around his neck to Lucia. Hesitating for a moment, Lucia accepted the towel and wiped the sweat off her face.
The two hurriedly headed towards the main gate of Dawn Castle. As expected, all the mansions servants were lined up, waiting for someone.
Have you arrived, Young Master?
Among them was Yuma, the chief steward of Dawn Castle, and
Good day.
Bowing slightly was Berta.
Berta appeared more human than she had in the Brothers Tomb, with makeup on and a slight scent of perfume on her.
It seemed she was preparing for the ceremony of greeting the person who was approaching the castle.
Soon after, the gates of Dawn Castle were fully opened. Lucia surmised that the individual making such a grand entrance must be quite important, as the gates had never been opened entirely before.
Above all, the aura emanating from that distant figure was truly immense.
A man in armor approached where Shiron and Lucia stood.
He had red hair, like Lucia, and was a middle-aged man with a beard so long it almost covered his chin.
Hugo Prient.
The commander of the Sky Knights and the elder brother of Glen Prient, the head of the Prient family.
Shirons eyes widened at the sight of one of the most powerful figures in this world. Would this be enough to save the empire from destruction? Meeting him in person, his massive size and overwhelming presence were undeniable.
Its been a while. My nephew.
Greetings, Uncle.
Ha-ha. You, little rascal. Youve grown so much since I last saw you. It feels like just yesterday when you called me Uncle and toddled around.
Though he had a rough exterior, the man bursts into laughter upon seeing Shirons face and warmly embraces both Shiron and Lucia. Lucia, for her part, wasnt socially inept enough to reject his affections. At the very least, she understood the warmth that was given to a child.
And who might this be?
This is Miss Lucia, whom the head of the family has recently taken in.
Greetings. My name is Lucia.
I see. Nice to meet you. I happen to be your fathers elder brother.
Upon Lucias introduction, Hugo laughed heartily and looked at Yuma.
Yuma. You never seem to age, do you?
Regrettably, thats true.
So? Is this the end of the welcoming committee for me?
Hugo glanced around, looking beyond the entourage he had brought with him. The person he was looking for wasnt among them.
A key figure, one who must show up at the important family event of the succession ceremony, was missing.
Glen Where is Glen?
As for the head of the family.
Where the hell is that son of a bitch, Glen?
Upon saying this, Hugos face contorted, resembling a furious goblin.