I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 73

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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 73
Olivia skimmed through the notes carefully, then closed the notebook in silence.
“Olivia, what is it? Where are you going?”
“I have some things to think about.”
“You’ve thought about it already, and you still have more to think about?”
“I know. The world won’t let me rest…….”
Olivia waved her hand dismissively and shuffled off toward the Garden.
The days were growing warmer. The sun hung high in the sky, casting shadows so short they wavered back and forth with her every step.
During the week that Olivia spent observing the senior members, the people from other knight brigades had stayed quiet.
They lingered near the brigade grounds and gossiped among themselves a few times, but nothing more than that.
Of course, she couldn’t be entirely sure whether it was because Olivia had been stationed at the brigade constantly……. In any case.
‘My skill isn’t so lacking that I’d lose to people like them.’
Skill was a complex matter on many levels. Olivia understood well enough that winning in sparring wasn’t a perfect measure of ability.
The members of the Lux Knight Brigade all possessed exceptional talent, and their blades were sharp.
……The problem was that this only applied in actual combat or situations close to chaotic warfare. Olivia pressed her forehead against her palm.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
When she heard more details, apparently even the mercenaries they’d captured before……. weren’t in very good condition.
Because of that, even though the mercenaries had died without cause, they couldn’t be entirely free from responsibility.
Which meant they didn’t know how to demonstrate their skill without severely injuring or killing someone.
And that stemmed from not trusting the opponent’s ability.
“Since you’ve taken an interest anyway, Olivia. Would you not step forward and try?”
“Me? Really?”
“It’s also the sole problem of our members. That matter of sparring, I mean. There will be a friendly match in a few months, so analyze the issues for us.”
“……You do realize I’m still an intern student who hasn’t graduated from the Academy, right?”
“Of course I know. And I’m well aware that before you even received proper training, you already identified the weaknesses and habits of the knights so accurately that you demonstrate remarkable insight.”
Thinking about it, Yugin wasn’t in his right mind either. Asking an intern who wasn’t even an official member yet—let alone the youngest one—to take on such tasks.
Of course, Olivia didn’t decline the proposal either.
There were several reasons for this, but if she had to pick just one…….
‘I don’t want them to be looked down upon.’
I don’t want the members of the Lux Knight Brigade to be looked down upon.
To be honest, the sight she had witnessed in the Garden that day was quite shocking to Olivia as well.
Anyone would feel the same emotion seeing a person naturally insulted before their face. Even more so if it were the people you saw every day and worked alongside.
Olivia bit her lip firmly. First, I’ll organize the analysis a bit more, then ask Yugin or Sena for help—
Rustle.
“Hm?”
A rustling sound reached Olivia’s ears as she walked.
The wind picked up just then, and the dense leaves brushed together with a cool whisper. Only then did Olivia realize she had approached the Garden—the place where the incident had occurred a few days ago.
Unlike before, when it had been crowded with people, the Garden today had no visitors.
Or rather, it had ‘almost’ no visitors.
“……What?”
“Ah, well…… Luca?”
“What brings you here?”
A man with grey hair and reddish-brown eyes fixed a sharp gaze upon Olivia.
So that sound from earlier had been him, then?
“I was walking and ended up here. I’m sorry—were you training?”
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.”
He was watching Olivia with obvious wariness. His eyes held no kindness.
Luca glared at her, then brushed off his sword once and straightened up.
There was only one emotion emanating from him.
Hostility.
“Senior, if I’ve upset you, I apologize. I didn’t know you were using this place—”
“I said it’s fine, didn’t I? Is it that being a noble means you can just ignore what other people say?”
“……What?”
“Maybe others fall for it, but I don’t. Don’t bother with cheap tricks. Let’s just go our separate ways. There’s nothing of yours that I’d ever want.”
To be honest, Olivia had never felt hostility of this magnitude in her life.
Even when she had first transferred to the Knight Department, she had never received such looks. Luca’s animosity was that vivid and certain.
Luca turned away, moving with an urgency that suggested he wanted to escape as quickly as possible.
“What have I done wrong?”
She couldn’t help but ask. Olivia took a step toward him and posed the question.
A rather intense reaction came back from the man.
“Listen here, Miss Kishier!”
“Olivia is fine. You can just call me Olivia.”
“No. I find nobles like you uncomfortable. I don’t particularly want to become closer to you.”
Luca finished speaking and took a few more steps away, then suddenly stopped again.
“I’ll offer one warning, presumptuous as it may be.”
“I’m listening.”
“Don’t shake the people here with benevolent help that you’ll take back the moment it suits you……. We’re people with nowhere else to go.”
“……What exactly do you mean by that?”
“It means don’t pretend to be righteous when you can’t actually change anything in the end.”
As Luca spoke, he stood half-hidden in shadow, his fists clenched tightly. A man with long sleeves covering his arms, black gloves on one hand.
Olivia froze at his words. She had realized that what he was talking about was the incident from a few days ago.
“You said you were curious why we always lose in sparring, didn’t you?”
“……Yes. But that’s because I genuinely couldn’t understand—”
“What’s the point of explaining? It’s a lack of skill. But tell me, even if we struggled with all our hearts to beat them……. would anything have changed?”
“Senior.”
“We’d just face more torment for daring to challenge above our station.”
“…….”
“That’s why we can only lose. You can’t even read what’s obvious, yet you poke around everywhere—so that’s as far as you go.”
With that, Luca walked away.
And so Olivia was left alone in the Garden again.
Being lectured and insulted so suddenly wasn’t particularly unfair. But she wanted to understand his words more clearly.
Because his hostility, his emotions—they were the honest truth.
‘Can only lose?’
Olivia’s green eyes grew turbulent with complicated emotion.
* * *
Olivia didn’t fully understand everything Luca had said.
But she was not the type to simply leave something curious alone. If she had been capable of that, she would never have survived the Knight Department, standing out among her classmates.
So Olivia resolved to make another attempt.
“Hello, Luca.”
“……What are you doing?”
“I intend to earnestly help with your duties today. Please let me assist!”
A direct approach!
When Panya and Bennett heard the plan, they said it didn’t seem like a good idea, but Olivia was steadfast. She needed Luca’s acknowledgment.
‘I have to win this bet.’
For that, Luca’s recognition was essential. And she didn’t have much time left.
Olivia steeled her resolve, clenching her fists tightly.
“Don’t you remember what I said yesterday?”
“I remember well.”
“Then?”
“You said I don’t understand what should be obvious. So I’m going to learn by watching carefully, and next time I’ll try to be able to see it.”
It was an unexpected answer. Luca blinked several times, apparently at a loss for words.
But it was only a moment. His eyes narrowed sharply.
“Are you saying you want to try against me?”
He asked sharply.

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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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