Chapter 13

"So what you're saying is…"

"… …"

"You threw the ball because you thought my brother was a freshman in Martial Arts? And you thought I was next to him anyway, so I'd stop it?"

"…yes."

The woman quietly answered Nicole's question, which seemed to contain her anger. For your information, the woman had her head bowed and was kneeling in front of Nicole.

As I stood next to Nicole, I peered down at her. Being outside of the large gymnasium, there weren't many people around who were looking at us. Sometimes people would just glance at us as they passed by before continuing with their work.

It appears that they were concentrating on those who were competing at a distance rather than on us.

While I was thinking about it, Nicole yelled at the kneeling woman.

"You say that now?! Eh?!"

"… …"

"Even if it's a joke, I told you not to play a joke like that! My words don't mean anything to y'all, do they?"

As Nicole yelled, the woman on her knees trembled. For me, who has only seen Nicole's kind side so far, this was quite an unexpected reaction.

Hell, not just Nicole, but any sibling would be angry. After all, the youngest sibling she cherished was almost seriously injured.

She had never raised her voice before, so the situation was just new to me.

"Answer me, Adelia. Am I wrong?"

"I-I'm sorry…"

The woman apologized in a voice like an ant crawling. But Nicole let out a long snort as if her anger still wasn't resolved.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Isaac. If you joke around like that next time, I'll officially complain to the professor, so be careful. Okay?"

"yes…"

"Well, now apologize."

At Nicole's words, the woman gently raised her head and I watched as she revealed her face.

She was a beauty with a boyish vibe, with light brown hair that was neatly cut short to the neck, a pointed nose bridge, and impressively long eyelashes.

While I was staring into her blue eyes, she also stared at my face and opened her mouth.

"Oh, pretty…"

That mouth of hers was the problem. As useless words came out of the woman's mouth, Nicole's momentum grew even more terrifying. To be honest, I had nothing to say about it.

The woman bowed her head when Nicole exuded a dangerous aura and urgently apologized.

"I'm sorry. I was joking too much. From now on, I will never play a joke like this."

Like her boyish appearance, her tone of voice was husky, which suited her quite well. That frivolous way of speaking seems to come out only when she's playing a prank on Nicole.

I answered with a slight daze when she apologized with her head down.

"Oh, yes. It's okay. By the way, did you say it's Adelia?"

"Yes. My name is Adelia Cross."

Considering that there is no middle name that is given only to aristocrats, Adelia was a commoner. I thought she was a noble just by looking at her beauty, but I was a little surprised because she wasn't.

'But she said she was joking and threw a ball at me…'

Then it's either one of the two. Either Adelia and Nicole are best friends, or she's thoughtless. However, it is presumed to be the former when you see that she is talking nonsense to Nicole.

I looked at Adelia, who looked nervous and asked a question.

"Are you friends with my sister by any chance?"

"Huh…"

Adelia looked at Nicole as she was about to answer. Nicole still had an angry expression on her face but responded with a flick of the chin.

At this, Adelia gave an awkward smile and answered quietly.

"Yes. We are friends. We've been together ever since we entered school."

"Then just speak informally. You're my sister's friend."

"Really? Is that okay?"

But I said without honorifics right away. When Adelia asked with a broad smile, I nodded, though I was dumbfounded.

At that, Adelia let out a sigh of relief, as if she was finally going to live, and started to speak at a rapid pace.

"I'm really, really, really sorry. I'll apologize again. I did it because I wanted to know who Nicole had brought. But I never dreamed it would be her brother."

"As I said before, I'm fine. It's a thing of the past, and you threw it with the expectation that my sister would be able to block it anyway, right? I am glad you didn't throw a dagger"

"I'm sorry, really sorry. If I threw it at someone other than Nicole, I would have been expelled"

"How can a girl who knows me play such a joke?"

Adelia couldn't come up with a good excuse when Nicole pressed her with a ferocious voice. She let out an embarrassing laugh and hesitated, then bowed her head in her apology.

Nicole, too, sighed heavily when Adelia seemed to be reflecting on her sincerity and reluctantly forgave her.

"Huff. Like I said before, don't play a prank like that from now on. I don't know if it's only once or twice, but every time I come to the gym, I get annoyed too."

"I'm sorry…"

"Sister. Have you been like this since the beginning?"

"It's always been like this every time I come to the gym."

Somehow the reaction was quick. It seems that Adelia's criminal record was more than once or twice.

Nicole must have been quite annoyed when she joked around like this every time she came to the gym. Besides, today, even more so, I, not anyone else but her younger brother, was almost in danger.

I looked at Nicole who was scratching her head, and suddenly a question came to mind, so I looked toward the entrance to the gym. The entrance was in the form of a long passageway, and it was dark inside with some light, but I could barely make out the figures.

But Adelia was certain that Nicole was coming from the darkness. Even if a familiar silhouette was walking, she wouldn't be convinced by that alone.

"Miss Adelia."

"Huh? Did you call me?"

"Can Adelia-san also grant mana to the eyes?"

"Of course. Even if it looks like this, it's as good as one skill."

It was a response full of pride. Obviously, seeing that she follows my older sister as a teaching assistant, her skills have already been proven.

If you're asking what the ability to inject mana into the eye has to do with skill, just think about how sensitive our eyes are.

Being able to check objects straight in the dark by injecting mana into the eyes proves that they are excellent at mana control.

I know this because I had asked my father when I first wrote Xenon's biography. My father was also delighted, and he told me that he had this and other abilities. Other than that, I created it separately by borrowing memories of my past life.

I looked quietly at Adelia, who seemed to have regained her energy, and asked her.

"Then is it okay to tell the body temperature?"

"What? How do I do that? It's a skill that can only be used by at least a Knight Commander."

Adelia responded in an absurd voice. My father said that with a little effort, anyone can use it, but it seems that was my father's standard.

"Didn't you say you're Nicole's little brother? I'm saying this out of spite, but don't even dream of comparing your father to anyone else. He's someone who changes maps with just one knife, is that comparable?"

"Is my father like that?"

I already knew that my father was an amazing person, but I didn't know he would be that amazing. When I asked Nicole if it was true, she shrugged her shoulders and replied.

"Well. I don't know. You know. When was the last time our father said anything with his mouth?"

"No, but why?"

"He says that whenever that achievement comes out of his mouth, the face of the knights who sacrificed themselves comes to mind. Isaac, you don't know, but before you were born, he couldn't sleep at night without alcohol."

Judging by the symptoms, he was a soldier with PTSD.

Moreover, since my father was the Knight Commander, and also belonged to the Navy Knights, he must have had more than twice as much experience in combat as others. I heard that the Navy Knights are given various missions as they are the strongest knights of the Minerva Empire.

Among them, there is a mission to subdue demonized demons. In fact, it is clear that the subjugation of demons is the last resort, not only in the Navy Knights but also in various places.

Despite this, seeing that he raised three siblings safely, he was a man of great mental strength.

"Anyway, Adelia. You're going to prepare for the sparring now, right?"

"I have to. There are a lot of freshmen, so it's going to be pretty busy."

"Then, as a punishment, do it alone today. I'll take my younger brother with me."

"What? Wait a minute. But that's still…"

"What?"

When Adelia protested, Nicole instead raised one eye. In the end, Adelia, who had committed a mistake, had no choice but to lower her tail.

"…okay, but only today?"

"I will think about it."

"Oh, please. Don't do that."

"Who was the one who almost made my precious brother get a black mark on his face?"

It seems that Adelia got her weakness captured properly. I looked between Adelia kneeling to her knees and Nicole, who was pondering with her arms folded.

If I look at it this way, it was true that they were best friends who transcended social status. It may be because our family was generally distant from authority, and Adelia's actions were enough to frighten others.

As she said earlier, she would have been expelled from school and even sentenced to prison for threatening the life of a nobleman.

'How did this person become friends with my sister?'

The situation ended with Nicole granting Adelia's favor while I was thinking.

"Now then, go to sparring. I'll be in the audience, so explain the situation to people well."

"Okay. Did you say it's Isaac?"

"Yes. My name is Isaac."

"Watch carefully how this older sister fights. I'll make you fall in love right away."

"Don't talk nonsense and just go."

Adelia lightly grabbed the training sword Nicole had brought in advance. She waved her arms in a calm manner as she moved her steps into her gymnasium.

Like an immature child, she was a rude person, but strangely, it didn't feel hateful. I asked Nicole what I was curious about, as he waved her hand to Adelia, who was getting farther away.

"Sister. How did you become friends with that person?"

"It just happened. I've been walking around since I started school, so I started talking to her and it continued until now. Her personality is a bit vulgar… No, even if it's strange, I can guarantee one thing. She was mischievous earlier, but she's not a bad person."

"Nicole?"

While we were talking, someone called Nicole from behind. It was a man's voice and a low, low-pitched voice.

At this, not only Nicole but also I turned my head to see who it was.

'…Huh.'

And as soon as the man's face caught my eye, I felt my brain freeze in real-time. He was a face I never wanted to see because he was too familiar to me.

While I was stiff, Nicole said in a nuance that she was glad to see a man. Unlike the man who spoke informally, Nicole's accent was full of courtesy unlike before.

"Leort-nim? You came early today."

"Because this week was the beginning of the new semester. I wasn't busy at all."

Like Rina, he had golden hair and clear blue eyes. If Rina had a neat, puppy-like face, the man in front had a strong impression of a tiger.

Meanwhile, the man talking to Nicole turned to me and quietly blurted out.

"But next to…"

"This is my younger brother. Say hello, Isaac. This is Leort-nim, the Crown Prince of the Minerva Empire."

Not knowing what I was feeling, Nicole patted me on the back and greeted me. I was very nervous face-to-face with Leort.

I was very embarrassed by the unexpected meeting, but I have to say hello somehow. Moreover, there is no need to be nervous, and Leort and I are meeting for the first time, and he has no idea that I am the author of Xenon's biography.

This means that there is no fear of being imprisoned in the imperial palace all of a sudden.

With that thought in mind, I greeted Leort based on the etiquette I had learned at home. It is important that there be no suspicions now.

"Hello. My name is Isaac Ducker Michelle. It's an honor to meet you, Leort-nim."

"Aha. It's Nicole's brother. That's why I thought you resembled each other somehow. Nice to meet you. Minerva's rightful heir, Leort Urmi Jacqulis. By the way, Isaac?"

"Yeah."

"Ho."

Why. Why are you exclaiming like that? Uneasily.

As I was muttering in anxiety, Leort asked me with a very happy face.

"Were you the student Rina was talking about?"

…Fuck. Life.