I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 38
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 38
At those words, Nick and Kunta tilted their heads in unison, their confusion evident.
“Does that matter?”
“Right! Seniority is what matters!”
It ought to matter.
Aiden had learned a few things since arriving here. First of all—
“So what if they’re nobility.”
“Don’t say something so unlucky.”
“What? That’s pretty rude to say to my face. Are you saying I’m unlucky?”
“You—I mean… didn’t you say you’d severed ties with your family halfway? That makes you practically a fallen noble, doesn’t it?”
If these people were nobility, they’d wash their hands of them entirely.
While it was true that the Lux Knights were composed mainly of commoners and fallen nobility, and that fostered a certain baseline fear and resentment toward the upper classes, there was a deeper reason still.
“Why do nobles even come here? Those people treat us like janitors dealing with their dirty, inconvenient work.”
“Exactly, Aiden. You’re the strange one, you know? Even the Commander is like that.”
“The Commander’s different. You know his circumstances.”
“Hmm… anyway.”
The nobles had tormented the Lux Knights members with a viciousness that was almost pathological.
It was said that since Eugene took command, such treatment had diminished somewhat, but before that, many members had lost their lives carrying out the unreasonable missions the nobles demanded.
Aiden understood their anger and resentment. Because of that, these people would need time to prepare themselves. He had just drawn a quiet breath and was about to open his mouth when—
“Everyone’s gathered here! The Commander says to head to the Training Ground right now.”
“Oh, Vice-Commander!”
“So interns are joining us? Perfect timing. Do you know who’s coming?”
The members crowded around Elle, Eugene’s vice-commander, their innocent faces betraying no awareness of what awaited them, chattering excitedly.
Aiden shook his head and turned his gaze away from them. The sky was unbearably clear—not a cloud in sight on a summer day that should have been humid, the blue painfully vivid.
Unlike him, exhaling a heavy sigh and thinking that his empty future resembled that cloudless sky, the Lux Knights members already had their eyes sparkling with news of new recruits. Elle, who had been watching them quietly, spoke with careful hesitation.
“Well… there are three of them…”
“What? Three? What’s going on?”
“One of them is nobility.”
At those words, a cold silence fell over the assembled members.
“… Nobility?”
“Yes. An young lady named Olivia Kishear—the eldest daughter of Marquess Kishear House.”
“Ki—Kishear?”
A few years ago, they had happened to pass through the Kishear family’s lands. At that time, the Marquess’s gaze upon the members had been… as cold as if he were regarding something worthless.
“That Marquess terrified me.”
“… Me too. Honestly, more than other nobles.”
“If his daughter was raised under such a Marquess, she’s bound to be worse, not better.”
“Why would she even come here? There are plenty of other places!”
Complaints echoed from every direction. These members, who had never even met Olivia in person, were already building up resentment toward her based solely on her name.
Yet this, too, was something Olivia would have to endure. Their animosity toward nobility stemmed from trauma born of bitter experience.
“Ugh… I don’t even want to get involved.”
“What if Luca finds out? Good grief, another person’s going to collapse today.”
“Why would a noble lady even want to come here? Sigh… this is going to be exhausting for a while.”
And their gazes naturally shifted toward Aiden.
“Aiden. Have you met her before? That young lady, I mean.”
Met her before? Had he merely met her? He’d chewed on her cheeks, nursed her, bounced her around—and ended up getting engaged to her.
Unable to speak, beads of sweat rolling down his face, Aiden watched as Sena came to his aid with a sympathetic expression.
“She was an instructor at the Academy. One of Aiden’s students.”
“What, you knew too, Sena?”
“She’s not as bad as you all think. Actually, she’s quite good.”
Not bad? No, she couldn’t be summed up in such meager terms. It was an expression utterly unfit for his little Olivia.
Even knowing he shouldn’t react this way, Aiden felt veins stand out on his forehead.
“Her skills are quite solid, and—”
Solid? Olivia’s abilities transcended any modifier like “quite.” They were simply extraordinary.
Aiden stepped away from the group. He feared he might cry out if he didn’t.
Hold it in, Aiden. Give them time to adjust fairly—
“Can there even be a kind noble? I’ve never seen one. Aiden, she’s not kind either.”
Time…
“And besides, all the students’ skills are roughly the same. Especially since she’s noble on top of that. She’s an ignorant frog in a well— argh!”
Who cares about that? Aiden’s eyes finally rolled back in his head.
The bet with Olivia—that mattered. Watching her prove herself on her own merit? That was certainly important too.
But if something mattered more than that, it was Olivia’s honor, wasn’t it?
Aiden gritted his teeth.
“Does my training look like complete garbage to you?”
“Wh—Aiden. Put that down. Put it down and talk.”
“I rolled and polished and shaped them myself, sent them out on practical exercises, and you’re saying it’s all the same?”
“Aaah! Someone stop him!”
Aiden lunged at the members.
Because of that, only Sena, who had been doing her best to salvage the situation discreetly, found herself floundering.
“She’s a genius! A genius! Come here. Say it again. That thing about the well—what was it?”
“I misspoke. I misspoke!”
“Repeat after me. Olivia Kishear is a genius.”
“Olivia Kishear is a genius!”
“Your voice is too quiet. Again!”
“Sh—she’s a genius!”
Sena, watching the scene unfold, clicked her tongue and shook her head.
“What is this… does he even plan to hide anything?”
Who knows. I should just go and welcome the new recruits.
Sena tore her gaze from the chaotic scene and made her way toward the Training Ground.
* * *
The Knight Uniform fit as though it had been tailor-made.
“This is destiny.”
“Sure it is. Never mind that we sent in uniform sizes a week ago!”
Panya responded brightly, but Olivia let the remark pass lightly. It wasn’t important.
Olivia kept turning to the mirror to admire herself in her white uniform, matching Aiden’s, with the Sky Blue Ribbon marking her as a Temporary Member.
Before coming here, she’d had all sorts of thoughts, but now that she held the uniform in her hands, she felt as though she might float away on pure joy.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Commander!”
“The uniforms look wonderful on all of you.”
“Thank you.”
As Eugene swept his satisfied gaze over them, his eyes met Olivia’s, and he offered a bright smile, expressing his own warmth.
“The Confidentiality Oath is a precaution. Since we conduct many sensitive missions, it’s an unavoidable formality. I hope you’ll understand.”
“No problem at all. Not divulging information learned during duties is a given.”
“I’m glad you see it that way.”
They had signed the Confidentiality Oath before receiving their uniforms. Panya and Bennett had seemed somewhat taken aback, but Olivia felt relieved.
Finally. Finally she would be able to properly understand what Aiden and the Lux Knights actually did.
Of course, as merely a Temporary Member, what Olivia would be permitted to see would be just the tip of the iceberg, a small corner of the whole picture.
Her excitement must have been obvious, for Eugene’s smile lingered.
“Well then, shall we go meet the senior knights?”
The three followed Eugene outside. The day was clear, and with a gentle breeze, it wasn’t as hot as it might have been.
The lush green surroundings and the sunlight pouring through them sent Olivia’s spirits soaring.
She decided to push the bet with Aiden to the back of her mind for now. For the moment, she simply wanted to savor this.
After all, this was a great achievement she had accomplished through her own strength—for the first time.
“Ah, there they are, all gathered.”
“The Training Ground.”
“Yes. Miss Olivia, or—should I call you Lady Kishear?”
“Olivia is fine. My older brother is the one called Lord Kishear.”
“Then, Lady Olivia. You’ve been here before, of course, but allow me to formally introduce you. There is our Training Ground, where our members conduct their practice.”
It was true. Though the feeling was entirely different.
Before, she had only watched from a distance, but now she was stepping into the Training Ground as a rightful member of the Lux Knights—full of confidence. Even if she was still only a Temporary Member.
Her heart raced. She was thrilled at the thought of the people she would meet and the experiences that lay ahead, and a smile she couldn’t suppress spread across her face.
And finally, their steps came to a halt at the front of the Training Ground.
“As you’ve all heard by now, these are Academy students who will be spending the next six months training with us as knights. Let me introduce them one by one.”
“Should I go first?”
“Yes, Lady Olivia first.”
At his word, Olivia stepped forward boldly.
“Hello, everyone! My name is Olivia Kishear—”
“Gasp!”
The moment she spoke her name, a sound of shock echoed across the Training Ground.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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