0% I went to find the Alpenhauser Twins right after eting Leto.
I didn’t even need to go through the trouble of searching around.
They were visiting professors, and I’d heard they were usually found in their office.
It was an unannounced visit without any prior arrangent.
Nobles prioritize promises and mutual respect. It was considered proper etiquette for the person requesting a eting to ask in advance for a specific ti that would be convenient for the other party.
I had no desire to adhere to that etiquette.
The House of Alpenhauser had always reeked of suspicion.
For starters, their sudden return to the Academy at this exact mont was suspicious.
Additionally, I was also clueless on why they were looking for .
If they were the ones in need, it wouldn’t hurt to show so backbone.
No, in fact, I might have just wanted to blow off so steam.
Celine had t those two and she went missing soon after.
I didn’t know the exact details, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.
What the hell did they talk about?
The ones holding the answers to my questions would soon reveal themselves.
I was able to enter the office after a few knocks.
It was a room bathed in warm sunlight.
Whether it was thanks to the Alpenhauser’s influence or sheer luck, their office had fantastic lighting. It was a room bathed in the friendly glow of the midday sun.
Outside, it was sumr.
The heat should have been sweltering, but the room remained at a perfectly comfortable temperature—probably thanks to so expensive magical tools.
After all, if there was one thing House Alpenhauser had in abundance, it was gold.
The Yurdinas were also wealthy, but Alpenhauser’s wealth was on entirely another level.
There was a saying that there existed no gold coin on the continent that hadn’t passed through Alpenhauser’s hands.
This statent was openly circulated and accepted as fact—that’s how enormous the capital they controlled was.
To my surprise, I received a rather courteous welco.
“Nice to et you, uh... Lian Percus, was it?”
“It’s Ian Percus, unnie.”
The two sisters exchanged soft whispers amidst the clear light.
The woman seated in the chair boasted a radiant beauty.
Her abundant silver hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, following subtle curves. Her silver irises were so faint they were barely distinguishable from the whites of her eyes.
And the smile on her lips that was hard to read.
Her clear complexion and the folding fan in her hand seed to testify her lively and arrogant nature.
In contrast, the woman standing behind her gave a pale and gloomy impression.
First, there were those eyes hidden behind her bangs.
And, as if to differentiate herself from the woman seated In front of her, she even had a voluminous bob cut that slightly covered her nape.
The woman sitting in front greeted , and the woman standing behind corrected her.
If it was such a unique sight, I must have heard about it before.
They were my seniors, after all.
With a wry smile, I slightly bowed my head.
“It’s been a while, Senior Sienne. And Senior Luna.”
The sun and moon of Alpenhauser—Sienne and Luna.
Sienne had poor mory and always relied on Luna’s advice, while Luna had poor judgnt and always followed Sienne’s decisions.
It was as if they had been bound together by fate since birth.
So people never called them by their individual nas. They only refer to them as ‘the twins’.
After all, they were rarely seen apart.
It had been a long ti since I called the twins by their individual nas too.
Senior Sienne gave a vague smile.
“I’m flattered you rember us, Sir Bertas. But have we t before?”
“We exchanged greetings at the graduation ceremony two years ago, unnie. With that wild Lioness... and also, it’s Percus, not Bertas.”
Ahh—Senior Sienne exclaid as if she just realized.
She didn’t seem sorry at all for getting my na wrong.
“That handso junior the Lioness introduced to us! Nice to et you, I’ve been actually looking for you.”
With a grin, Senior Sienne covered her mouth with her fan and gave an eye smile.
“Why don’t you take a seat? Seems like you’ve missed us quite a bit too.”
It was an offer I had no reason to refuse.
As I obediently sat down across from Senior Sienne, I voiced my complaint with a sigh.
“You’re still the sa. Still bad with nas.”
“Because It’s inefficient.”
Senior Sienne asserted while closing her fan with a snap.
Senior Luna was already preparing teacups and a teapot. Her natural movents showed no trace of discontent typical of soone who handles nial tasks.
She had a calm expression, as if this was how things should be.
It was the sa for Senior Sienne.
“Nas, place nas, specific numbers... Why are those trivial things important? What you need to know is just the flow. The majestic current created by countless facts coming together... only those who can read this will hold gold coins in their hands.”
“Is that why you don’t rember my na either?”
“There’s a limit to brain capacity, you know.”
Tea poured into the cup with a gurgling sound.
A fragrant aroma wafted up along with the steam. With an elegant posture, Senior Sienne picked up her teacup.
“I don’t want useless facts to distract my concentration. Please understand.”
What nonsense. I thought to myself.
At the sa ti, my eyes glanced to the side. There, I could see Senior Luna quietly pouring tea into my cup.
If information wasn’t necessary, there would be no need to always bring Senior Luna along.
But I didn’t bother to break Senior Sienne’s stubbornness.
Because I had sothing more important to deal with.
“I heard you t my dear junior.”
Senior Sienne’s eyes narrowed as she sipped her tea.
Hmm—A curious sound drifted out.
It was around then that the teacup floating in the air returned to its place with a clink.
“That girl from the Knight Faculty? I think her na was Elin.......”
“It’s Celine Haster, unnie. She’s also from the territory where our family’s gold mine is located.”
“Ah, right. That Haster gold mine?”
My brow slightly furrowed as I eavesdropped on their conversation.
‘Haster Gold Mine,’ they said.
It was shaless for those who forcibly took away a mine that originally belonged to the House of Haster to have such a conversation.
Yet, I deliberately avoided making the mistake of showing my emotions.
They were people living in a different world from anyway.
It would be pointless to point out their wrongs; they’d just say it was a legitimate transaction in accordance with the contract or sothing.
Rather than that, it would be better for my ntal health to finish the conversation quickly.
“Did you have any friction with Celine by any chance?”
What ca back was a scoff.
Blatant mockery.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t displeased, but as soon as I heard that sound, I was certain.
Senior Sienne didn’t touch Celine.
She probably didn’t even feel the need to.
“There’s no way, right? There’s no reason to deliberately provoke that young lady from a minor house. It’s inefficient.”
“Then was there anything strange during the conversation......”
“No, no. I just went to ask about your whereabouts. When you’d return from the North, that kind of thing.”
As Senior Sienne shook her head like that, soone approached her ear.
It was Senior Luna.
When she whispered sothing, Senior Sienne’s attitude softened sowhat.
“Hmm? Co to think of it, she kept asking if we hadn’t seen so woman.......”
“A woman?”
“Yes, it was an empty field, but you know. I wonder if her head got a little strange from swinging her sword too much? No, no! More importantly, you!”
Hallucinations of seeing a ‘woman’.
It was a phenonon I’d heard of sowhere before.
I was so busy rummaging through that elusive mory that I didn’t even hear what the woman in front of was babbling about.
From the way she was flaunting her folding fan with a smug face, it seed she was planning to propose so kind of deal to .
My consciousness, which had been wandering through the past, resurfaced shortly after.
To be precise, it was more like being forcibly awakened.
Anyone would be like that seeing platinum coins pouring down.
With my dumbfounded gaze as the background, the woman held a haughty smile.
“How is it, is it enough?”
And so the conversation continued.
“As paynt for selling out the Saintess.”
That was precisely when I drew my hatchet.
BANG! The impact sent a shockwave through the room.
It happened the instant my hatchet struck the table.
The strength of a skilled knight far exceeds common sense. The white lightning that struck down in an instant shattered the wooden furniture to pieces.
Platinum coins and wood fragnts scattered through the air, along with Senior Sienne’s dumbfounded face.
Without hesitation, I raised my hatchet higher.
It was then that a belated scream burst out.
“Kyaa, KYAAAAAAH! Y-You... what the hell are you doing?!”
“Is that seriously what you’re asking right now?”
I growled quietly and gritted my teeth.
Sell out the Saintess?
How could she say such a thing?
The Saintess wasn’t just my comrade; she saved my life several tis. Just hearing the words ‘sell her out’ made feel like my ears were rotting.
I forced my voice to stay steady as I spoke again.
“Betray my comrade? You surely don’t think you can walk away unscathed after such an insult.”
“I do plan on walking away just fine, actually?! What kind of fucking lunatic swings a hatchet just because of a few words?!”
Senior Sienne scread with a pale face.
It seed she hadn’t still properly grasped the situation.
I took a deep breath—whew.
For nobles, honor was as precious as life itself.
It was customary to return more than received when insulted. I was already annoyed by Senior Sienne’s seemingly contemptuous attitude.
Even if not too severely, I intended to teach her a lesson so she wouldn’t look down on again.
Senior Luna seed to have noticed my intention.
Her voice, which had regained so composure, softly rang out.
“Unnie, Ian Percus is notorious for his violent tendencies. He has a history of inflicting severe injuries—even on high nobles like the Yurdina sisters.”
Only then did Senior Sienne turn ashen as if she finally grasped the future that was coming.
Of course, her mouth was still moving, searching for a way out.
“No, no, no... I’m just a powerless woman! How dare you treat like this?! Don’t you have any knightly honor?!”
My body, which had been about to swing down the hatchet, ca to an abrupt halt.
She got a point.
Until now, I had only swung my hatchet at opponents who were ard. At the very least, my enemies were those who had ans to protect themselves, whether with swords or magic.
But the Alpenhauser twins were different.
They were ordinary people without any martial power, I couldn’t swing my hatchet recklessly just because I was insulted.
After hesitating briefly, I soon devised a suitable compromise.
“Then just enough so that no scars remain......”
“This guy is completely fucking insane?!”
In the end, unable to find a way out, Senior Sienne clung to Senior Luna while sobbing.
Those silver eyes, which couldn’t even seem to focus, filled with tears.
“Luna, this guy is crazy... He’s lost his mind! Why did we try to show goodwill to such a lunatic?”
I was amazed at her audacity to spout such shaless words until the end.
Is this really the level of soone aiming to be the next head of the House of Alpenhauser?
So I could only swallow a laugh and retort.
“Goodwill? What nonsense......”
“Because it’s not betrayal.”
I was montarily speechless and closed my mouth.
My doubtful eyes turned toward Senior Sienne.
By now, those silver-gray pupils were now directed at . There was no trace of the fear or tears from before.
Rather, it was a gaze that even held subtle interest.
“It ans to take proper compensation before being betrayed. Ah, perhaps in the Knight Faculty, even that is taught as betrayal?”
And as a aningful smile appeared on Senior Sienne’s lips, I...
Once again put strength into the hand holding the hatchet.
“KYAAAAAAAH! H-He really is insane!”
For a while, screams echoed through the office.
**
I trudged back to the dormitory.
Familiar scenery covered my retina. Though it had been a while since I’d returned to this room, I simply headed to the cabinet with a tired expression.
There was a bottle of cheap whiskey there.
As I opened the cap and filled a glass, I recalled the conversation I’d heard that afternoon.
“Do you think you know everything about the Saintess? Pfft, hahaha! She’s a tough woman who has been acting her whole life, even abandoning her na!”
“Politics is never easy, but the Holy Nation’s political arena is particularly brutal. It’s a viper’s pit where tongues dance like blades and smiles are considered scabbards... The Saintess, she survived there.”
As if mocking, or perhaps sympathizing.
Senior Sienne dispensed her words to like charity. My hand clutched the glass.
So what did I answer then?
“You believe her? Ah, well. It’s fine. It’s not bad to regret after being betrayed. Youth is the process of learning lessons like that.”
With a grin, the woman said.
“I wish you luck, Sir Periant.”
It’s Sir Percus, I complained to an opponent who wasn’t even in front of anymore.
My mind was tangled.
I wanted to think it was just simple discord, but Senior Sienne was so full of confidence. As if she knew secrets about the Saintess that even I didn’t know.
And as if those facts would be revealed soon enough.
I recalled a certain woman.
Silver hair and pale pink eyes, a pure maiden who received God’s favor.
Gradually, the recollections continued.
mories of her sticking out her tongue to tease , of her crying out asking why I had saved orphans, the sensation of our hands brushing, the warm temperature, the blush on her cheeks and the scent of her skin.
“.....No.”
Muttering alone, I swallowed a bitter smile.
The Saintess was not a villain.
Whatever secrets she was hiding, my faith in her remained unchanged.
Then there was only one thing I had to do.
I don’t know what conspiracy is brewing, but trials will soon co for the Saintess.
So I will protect her.
So that she won’t be hurt.
With that resolution, the night deepened and the next day.
There was an envelope placed at my bedside.
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