Emergency Family Meeting

Until Zeroad-nii-sama and Kairas-nii-sama arrived, we ended up staying at the family home.

That said, all the household really provided us with was food, clothing, and shelter. As always, Tanya was the only one who actively took care of me.

The other maids in the manor basically refused even to meet my eyes.

Incidentally, I had no desire to eat in the dining hall, so I had Tanya bring the meals to my room, and the two of us ate together.

We remembered how often we used to do the same thing in the past and ended up laughing about it together.

Still, if I had to sum up those days in one word, it would be boring. There was nothing for me to do besides sword training.

I eventually grew tired of books, and although I talked with Tanya, we were together every day, so there was only so much we could find to talk about.

One night would have been fine, but once it stretched into two or three, we gradually ran out of topics.

So in the end, I passed the time rummaging around my old room and finding nostalgic things.

Among them were keepsakes connected to my late mother, and some of them left me feeling melancholy.

Lieselotte-sama was not my biological mother.

She was Zeroad-nii-sama and Kairas-nii-sama’s mother, and my stepmother.

My real mother, Celia Fols, had died of illness when I was young.

She had almost always been confined to bed, but she had been a kind mother.

In this manor, Tanya and Mother had been the only ones on my side.

Mother had told me that even if I was a failure, that was all right.

She said that someday, someone would surely appear who would look at me for who I was rather than whether I could use Haki.

Back then, I had not understood just how precious those words were, and there had even been times when I despised myself more than I did now.

Once, I said that someone like me, who could not use Haki, would be better off disappearing, and Mother had scolded me harshly for it.

Mother never rejected anyone, but when it came to war, she often said she wished it would disappear.

Because if war disappeared, perhaps I would no longer have to suffer either.

“…Nova-sama, Master is calling for you. Zeroad-sama and Kairas-sama are expected to arrive shortly, so please come to the great hall.”

Then, shortly before noon one day, one of the manor maids called to me from outside the door.

I answered, left the room with Tanya, and followed the maid—who still refused to meet my eyes—toward the great hall.

The great hall we were heading to was used not only for meals, but also for discussions like this.

Back when I had lived here, though, I had only gone there occasionally for meals. I had never once been invited to one of the family discussions.

Father and Lieselotte-sama were already seated in the great hall, so I headed to my usual vacant seat.

Once I sat down, Tanya stood a short distance behind me with her back perfectly straight.

We waited for a while.

Then heavy footsteps echoed outside before the door opened.

“Father, calling me back again after such a short time? If you had business with me, you could have left a note the last time I was here.”

“Forgive me. It was urgent.”

The one speaking to Father like that was Zeroad-nii-sama.

He had been at the manor only a few days ago, so apparently he resented having to make what was practically a round trip back to the main residence.

I could never speak to Father that way, but Zeroad-nii-sama was practically guaranteed to become the next head of the family.

A certain amount of disrespect was overlooked, and within the household, he ranked second only to Father.

As if to prove it, the moment he sat down, he coldly ordered one of the maids, “Water.”

“Huh? Nova? You’re still here?”

“It has been a few days, Zeroad-nii-sama.”

I quietly bowed my head to Zeroad-nii-sama as he snorted at me.

Neither Father nor Lieselotte-sama said anything about his crude manner of speaking.

The maid placed the water she had brought on the table.

Zeroad-nii-sama complained arrogantly, “Took you long enough,” before gulping it down.

At the same time, I heard footsteps.

Unlike Zeroad-nii-sama’s, they were quiet and measured.

Eventually, the door opened, and a man stepped inside.

“My apologies for being late, Father.”

“Kairas, it has been a while. Come, sit.”

He was a handsome young man with refined features, his medium-length blond hair tied back.

My other brother, Kairas-nii-sama.

Although slender, his posture was dignified, and he gave off an unmistakable air of someone exceptional.

He too was a warrior who had mastered the Aura passed down through House Fols.

Kairas-nii-sama headed toward his seat, and our eyes met along the way.

His eyes widened slightly, so I bowed my head.

“It has been a while, Kairas-nii-sama.”

“Yes.”

Unlike Zeroad-nii-sama, his response was a single concise word.

At least he answered me, but there was coldness in his voice, and his gaze felt like absolute zero.

He was another person who disliked me for being a failure.

Still, unlike Zeroad-nii-sama, he rarely acted openly on that dislike, which made him easier to deal with.

“What the hell are you doing arriving after your older brother?”

“My territory is farther away. I apologize, but I ask for your understanding.”

Sparks practically flew between my two brothers right in front of me.

Zeroad-nii-sama, for whom the word tyrant seemed perfectly suited, and Kairas-nii-sama, who was like a cold knife, had an absolutely terrible relationship.

Still, whenever the two of them were busy fighting each other, I tended to escape unscathed, so in a way it was helpful.

“…Everyone is here. What I wish to discuss today concerns Nova’s engagement.”

Ignoring the two brothers glaring at each other, Father began discussing the main subject.

“Wouldn’t it have been sufficient to notify us in writing rather than summoning everyone here?”

Kairas-nii-sama immediately asked.

Zeroad-nii-sama already had a fiancée, and Kairas-nii-sama was married.

Even so, perhaps this was the first time Father had summoned the entire family over something like this.

“I agree.”

Zeroad-nii-sama answered with obvious irritation.

But Father clearly shook his head.

“That would not have been sufficient. Nova’s prospective bride is the head of House Ark Gate.”

“…What?”

“Surely not…”

Both of my brothers stared wide-eyed at Father.

But after a moment, Kairas-nii-sama seemed to realize something and nodded in understanding.

“I see. As expected of you, Father. By marrying Nova into House Ark Gate, whose influence is now rising at an unstoppable pace, you intend to prevent our relationship with them from deteriorating any further.”

“What? So this guy’s being sent to House Ark Gate as a sacrifice?”

Zeroad-nii-sama grinned unpleasantly.

I remained silent without responding.

Apparently encouraged by that, Zeroad-nii-sama continued.

“Good for you, Nova. Looks like you can finally be useful to House Fols. A failure like you—”

“No. Their head has said that she intends to marry into our family.”

““What?””

Father spoke over Zeroad-nii-sama before he could finish.

Wait, Shia was going to marry into my family?

I had never heard anything about that.

I looked at Father, but he merely glanced at me for an instant and apparently had no intention of explaining.

“What the hell does that mean…? That makes no sense.”

Zeroad-nii-sama grimaced.

Kairas-nii-sama, meanwhile, looked suspicious.

“Wait. Then what happens to House Ark Gate? She is its head, correct? Will she appoint a proxy?”

“No. Apparently there is no need. Their head can use magic that allows her to move instantaneously between two predetermined locations. She says that ability will make it possible. When she came here to meet Nova concerning the marriage proposal, she used that magic to travel here as well.”

““…………””

Both my brothers fell silent in shock at Father’s explanation.

Thinking about it again, Shia’s power really was extraordinary.

I did not know anyone besides Shia who could travel like that.

As I felt a strange sense of pride in her, Kairas-nii-sama muttered under his breath.

“You’ve effectively allowed an enemy to establish an infiltration point inside the estate…”

I repeated those words in my head and once again realized how incredible her ability was.

Even if someone barricaded themselves inside a castle, Shia could use her magic to send soldiers directly inside.

Shia really was amazing.

“I don’t live in this manor anymore, so I don’t particularly care, but are you really fine with this, Father? We are talking about House Ark Gate.”

The one who addressed Father was Zeroad-nii-sama.

“And I’ve heard the current head of House Ark Gate is a monster. Cruel, cold-blooded, someone said to have no human heart—”

“Zeroad! Watch your tongue!”

I had begun to feel irritated at Zeroad-nii-sama for insulting Shia when an unexpected voice thundered through the room.

Father, who had calmly explained everything until now, had raised his voice.

I had never seen Father become this angry before.

Both Zeroad-nii-sama and Kairas-nii-sama stared at him in shock.

“Never say anything like that again, whether outside this house or within it!”

Zeroad-nii-sama was all but certain to inherit Father’s position.

That was precisely why he had always been granted so much freedom, and Father had even tolerated a certain amount of defiance from him.

Yet this time, Father had shut him down without hesitation.

Zeroad-nii-sama had initially looked stunned, but once he realized Father was genuinely angry, he lowered his head.

“My… apologies.”

“No. I spoke too harshly. But you must be extremely careful.”

“…Yes.”

At least this did not seem likely to turn into a father-son fight involving Aura, so I felt somewhat relieved.

Though Zeroad-nii-sama was glaring directly at me.

It looked like I should avoid him as much as possible today.

“Nova, are you really fine with this?”

Kairas-nii-sama spoke to me, which was unusual.

Personally, I had gone far beyond simply having no objections to Shia becoming my fiancée. If anything, I was wondering whether someone like me was really good enough for her.

And from the family’s perspective, it was obviously beneficial as well.

“Yes. I have met her once, and I thought she was a wonderful person.”

“…You aren’t afraid of the curse?”

“The curse?”

I repeated the unfamiliar word, and Zeroad-nii-sama snorted.

“He doesn’t have Aura, so he’s probably fine. He doesn’t even have the power needed to feel it.”

“…………”

I frowned, having no idea what they were talking about, and Father explained.

“I had not told you, Nova, but the generations-long feud between House Ark Gate and House Fols is not based only on events from the past. The Aura wielded by House Fols and the mana of House Ark Gate are incompatible. They repel one another. …Even earlier, merely having their head inside this manor was enough to make me feel ill. Our ancestors have called that phenomenon the ‘curse’ for generations.”

“You don’t have any Aura, so your body doesn’t react against House Ark Gate’s mana.”

“I-I see…”

Father and Zeroad-nii-sama’s explanation finally made sense.

I had always heard that House Ark Gate and House Fols were like sworn enemies, but I had never known there was such a reason behind it.

Still, thanks to that, I could become engaged to Shia.

For the first time in my life, I felt grateful that I could not use Aura.

“In any event, we do not understand their true intentions, but we cannot possibly treat their offer lightly. I have already warned Nova repeatedly not to show their head the slightest disrespect. You two are unlikely to meet her directly very often, but you must be careful as well. Understand that one wrong move could bring about the destruction of this house.”

“…Indeed. Whether House Ark Gate intends to destroy House Fols or whether they have some other objective, it would be best not to make any careless moves.”

“I’d rather have nothing to do with a family that triggers that damned curse in the first place.”

Father, Kairas-nii-sama, and Zeroad-nii-sama each voiced their opinions as they settled on how the family would proceed.

Shia had no intention whatsoever of destroying House Fols.

She was simply returning the kindness she remembered from when we were children.

Still, I had no intention of explaining that.

No one had asked me, after all.

“All right. Now that we’ve finished discussing the matter, let’s have lunch.”

At Father’s words, dishes began arriving one after another.

Back when I lived here, meals with Father and my brothers had been unbearably painful.

But today, for some reason, it did not feel nearly as bad.