[Elena’s (Sister’s) Perspective]

“Celica-sama… can people really change overnight?”

Inside the carriage heading towards Glorious Knight Academy, I consulted Celica-sama. She was the princess of this country, and, like myself, a fourteen-year-old first-year student at the Knight Academy.

“Eh? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

“Actually, my Weiss-nii-sama gave a ring to Tia, the maid, for free to help her mother. Tia was so moved that she cried…”

Celica-sama blinked in surprise.

Ugh, and yet, because of a misunderstanding, I ended up pointing a wooden sword at Weiss-nii-sama. That was a grave mistake. But instead of getting angry, Weiss-nii-sama said it reminded him of our old sword training sessions.

Such a warm gesture… It was an unexpected event.

“This might be wishful thinking on my part…but maybe Weiss-nii-sama has returned to the serious and kind self he used to be…”

“Well… I’m sorry Elena, but no matter how you look at it, that’s impossible, don’t you think?”

Celica-sama waved her hand and gave a wry smile.

“I mean, Weiss is a habitual peeping tom and skirt-flipper, right? He even boasted, ‘My dream is to peek at the panties of every female student in the knight academy!’”

“Ugh… t-that’s…”

++It’s embarrassing to have my own brother pointed out like that by someone else.++

“Remember the other day when Weiss was caught peeping on us girls changing? I got really angry. Even if he’s your brother, honestly, I thought that was unforgivable.”

“Urk…”

“When you tell me someone like him helped a maid, I can’t help but think he must have some ulterior motive, you know?”

Celica-sama argument was spot on.

“That might indeed be the case.”

“You should probably warn that maid too. It’s a common tactic for villains to do small favors and then demand excessive repayment later. He might even ask for her body, you know?”

“Y-yes, you’re right.”

Celica-sama, having been a victim of peeping, was harsh in her assessment. Her points were entirely valid, and I couldn’t disagree.

However, there’s something that still doesn’t sit right with me.

That ring was quite valuable. Moreover, that document: ++”Weiss Sylphied transfers ownership of the ruby ring to Tia free of charge. No compensation is sought in return.”++

The fact that he gave this to Tia suggested that Weiss-nii-sama didn’t have the kind of malicious intent Celica-sama suggested.

What bothered me the most was…

“Actually, I fought with Nii-sama this morning, but he completely outmaneuvered me.”

“Huh? Elena, the one ranked number 3 in the Glorious Ranking of the academy?”

Celica-sama was dumbfounded.

“Yes, it’s an undeniable fact.”

Glorious Knight Academy, the institution tasked with training knights to protect the Roland Kingdom from demonic incursions, held strength above all else. Its very system was designed to encourage students to compete with each other independently.

This was embodied in the Glorious Ranking, the [Glorious Order], which ranked every student according to their strength.

“I-if, for example… if, by any chance, Nii-sama has changed his mind and started to work hard like he used to… I think it wouldn’t be a dream for him to take the number 1 spot in the Glorious Ranking, the [Glorious Order].”

“H-huh? You’re really going that far?”

“Yes. He used appropriate magic in that situation and neutralized me without hurting me… It was incredibly calm judgment.”

That’s something difficult even for seasoned warriors.

“The most important thing in battle is to be able to make the right decisions without being overwhelmed by fear or anxiety. Only true strong individuals can reach that level.”

I had never spoken the words aloud, but I always wished for my brother to return to his old self.

And this morning, he showed me a glimpse of his talent, exceeding even the days when he was hailed as a prodigy. I couldn’t help but feel excited with anticipation.

“Hmm… Unfortunately, the reason why Weiss became corrupt is well-known, right? It’s because he was given the [Super Heavy] skill, which is the worst match for the wind magic of House Sylphied that values speed above all else.”

“W-well…”

Celica-sama patted my shoulder as if to console me.

“It’s cruel to expect the lowest-ranked student in the academy to surpass you, Elena, who’s ranked 3rd, don’t you think?”

“Ugh…”

“More than anything, I have expectations for you, Elena. If you can beat all the boys and become number one, I won’t have to get engaged!”

“Ah.”

I felt ashamed for saying something so thoughtless.

“…Leave it to me. I swear on my family name that I will obtain the number 1 spot in the Glorious Order.”

“Yay! Elena, you’re so dignified and cool! I love you!”

Celica-sama excitedly hugged me.

Unfortunately, Celica-sama had been ordered by His Majesty the King to become engaged to the strongest student in the academy, the one who held the number 1 spot in the Glorious Order.

When I received the skill of [Sword Saint] at the age of 10, the king himself asked me directly to be Celica-sama’s friend and bodyguard. The pride I felt at that time is something I still remember vividly.

Since then I had been working hard to live up to His Majesty’s expectations, and after spending four years together, I had become very close friends with Celica-sama.

Now, even if it meant going against His Majesty’s wishes, I wanted to protect Celica-sama from an unwanted marriage.

“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will protect you, Celica-sama.”

“Yes, thank you Elena!”

But there was a thought lingering in my heart—I wish I could have protected Celica together with my Weiss-nii-sama…

++DOOOOOOOOOM!++

At that moment, our carriage overturned with a thunderous noise. Unbelievably, a giant arm made of earth had struck our carriage.

!next

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