'I feel like I’ve aged ten years.'

I had drained far too much of my mental energy.
All I did today was negotiate with the dean and face off with Irene, and already I was exhausted.
Not only was I stuck with an impossible task, but now I was being pressured to deliver results.
I’m not exactly sympathetic to Aslan, but this is a bit much.

'I just want a peaceful life where I don’t have to worry about getting murdered or blackmailed...'

Gold and jewels? A life surrounded by beautiful women?
I don’t even want that.
I’d be content just living out my life without getting killed before my time.

Is that such a humble dream?
Why does it have to be so hard?
I was lost in thoughts of self-pity when the carriage arrived at the estate, and the door swung open immediately.
...It opened way too fast to be the coachman.

"Mister, mister!"
"What’s going on?"
"You’re just in time! I have something to show you! Come on, hurry!"
"..."

Charlotte hopped into the carriage and grabbed my hand, pulling me along.
She was so excited she could hardly stand still.
Come to think of it, I’m already living a life surrounded by beautiful women.
Well, that is if you don’t count the part where they might want to kill me someday.

"What is it this time?"
"No time to explain! Quick, quick!"

Something about Charlotte’s urgency seemed genuine, so I let her pull me along.
I activated my Emotion skill once more.

[Charlotte]
[Age: 13]
[Affection Level: -1]
[Wants to believe you’re a good person.]

Considering that her Affection Level was -5 on the first day, that’s quite an improvement...
But it’s still in the negatives?
Unbelievable.
What would it take to get a positive Affection Level around here?

'She might seem to trust me, but clearly not enough to feel positive yet.'

Outwardly, Charlotte appeared cheerful and carefree, like a child without a worry in the world.
But "wants to believe" implies that she hasn’t fully let her guard down.
There’s still a barrier in her heart.
Perhaps even more impenetrable than Yulia’s.
A cautious approach is needed.

"Look! Watch closely!"
"...!"

Charlotte led me to the training grounds, where she picked up a wooden practice sword.
Both she and Sylvia were drenched in sweat, so they must have been training for a while.
Charlotte took a deep breath, assuming a stance.
Her demeanor changed entirely.
I’d never seen her look so serious.

Sylvia, too, had a focused expression.
Is she about to show me something impressive?
I swallowed nervously, waiting.

"Ultimate Downward Slash!"

Swish.
Honestly, it was a fitting scene for an onomatopoeia like "swish."
She looked like someone who had learned how to properly swing a sword.
But was it impressive? Hmm...
Having seen Yuri’s flashy moves in the game, I wasn’t particularly moved.

'Is it actually impressive, and I just don’t realize it?'

I’m not exactly versed in swordsmanship, so I glanced at Sylvia.
But Sylvia only sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead.
Charlotte turned to gauge Sylvia’s reaction, so I quickly called her to divert her attention.

"Charlotte."
"Did you see? I practiced that downward slash all day today!"
"Excuse me a moment. I need to have a word with Sylvia..."
"Where are you going, mister...?"

I signaled for Sylvia to follow me and moved away from the center of the training ground.
The sunlight was too harsh for Aslan’s skin, so I took refuge in the shade of the building.
Sylvia joined me shortly, wiping sweat from her brow.

"May I speak frankly, Young Master?"
"You never hesitated before. Speak freely."
"Charlotte lacks any talent as a swordsman. I think it would be wise to end her training, as it’s pointless."
"..."

Just as I expected.
No talent, huh...
Watching Charlotte swing that sword tirelessly under the sun, my heart sank a bit.

"You know, as someone once hailed as a genius, I’ve seen many prodigies. Not just myself, but countless others. And in Charlotte, I see no trace of the talent they had."
"Are you sure? Not even a little?"
"Her perseverance is commendable, certainly. Kids these days rarely have such dedication. Back in my day..."
"Get to the point."
"Ahem. Charlotte is diligent, which is unusual for her age. She gets up before dawn to wake me up, skips breakfast and lunch, and spends all morning practicing. Thanks to that, her form and basics are already impressive. But the most crucial trait for a swordsman, mana manipulation, is entirely absent. I checked her heart, and her mana core is less responsive than my own injured one. I suspect she may be incapable of wielding mana naturally..."

She was rambling on just fine until the very end when she trailed off.
No mana talent at all, she says.

In this world, if you can’t wield mana, it’s hard to excel in any field.
Whether you’re casting spells, wielding a sword, or healing, it all requires mana.
How can she be a protagonist’s companion with no mana ability?

'Maybe she’s a late bloomer.'

Is this a cliché where the character is weak initially but awakens later on?
To someone like Sylvia, who’s unaware of such tropes, Charlotte must seem hopeless...

"Does she enjoy the training?"
"Sorry?"
"Does she enjoy the swordsmanship training?"
"Well, she’s certainly enthusiastic about it. She pushes herself harder than I expect, and she seems to genuinely enjoy it."
"Then keep training her. If there’s no apparent talent, dig for it. Make sure you find it. If I catch you slacking, I’ll cut your pay by 100 percent."
"..."

Sylvia gave me a blank look, as if she was in a daze.
I’m starting to question her supposed genius status from her past.
If she doesn’t work out, maybe I should hire a Sword Master to train Charlotte.
It’d cost a fortune, but a well-trained Charlotte would be worth a hundred Sword Masters.

Unfortunately, there are people who wouldn’t allow that...

"Why should a girl wield a sword? I saw your friend quietly tucked away in the library; why don’t you go play with her instead?"
"Hey! Sylvia gave me this wooden sword...!"
"What’s that? She calls herself a knight? A cripple who can’t even use mana?"

Who does this guy think he is? Breaking Charlotte’s wooden sword with his massive hand, leaving her in shock and despair.
Time to use the Emotion skill.

[Leon Berkus]
[Age: 34]
[Affection Level: 12]
[Generational knight of the Vermont family. His unknightly behavior has drawn ire from many.]

Ah, him.
I’ve noted him down before.
One of the few retainers with a positive Affection Level.
Having a high Affection Level with Aslan is basically synonymous with being a villain.

Great, I really didn’t want to step out into the sun, but...
I reluctantly pulled my hat low and walked over.

"Is there a problem?"
"..."

Charlotte didn’t respond, just stood with her head down.
Or rather, she was deliberately keeping quiet.
That’s the look of a child who’s learned the hard way not to snitch.
I don’t like it.
Kids should act like kids.

"Young Master. It’s you. Can you believe this girl was hogging the training ground in the middle of the day for sword practice?"
"I told her to. Do you have an issue with that?"
"Oh. I didn’t realize that. But, Young Master, don’t you think it would be better to raise her as a maid? She has no talent anyway."
"How would you know? What do you know about Charlotte, Leon?"
"Shut up, you halfwit. What do you know? A cripple who can’t even use mana?"
"What...!"

Sylvia, who had just been claiming Charlotte had no talent, turned red with anger.
I guess she didn’t like hearing it from someone else.

'This guy... He’s not picking a fight with them. He’s picking a fight with me.'

While his attitude towards me was superficially respectful, it wasn’t.
By insulting Charlotte and Sylvia, he was really insulting me.
And it was blatant enough to be infuriating.

"Do you have a problem with me, Leon? Stop being so roundabout and speak plainly."
"Ha! Of course not, Young Master. I just have one piece of advice. I’m worried you’ll mess things up by meddling in unfamiliar matters. Why this sudden interest?"
"Oh, you’re talking about those documents I handled last night."
"Yes. Everything was proceeding smoothly without your interference, so please, leave it to me. I’ll take care of it."

Ah, I get it now.
Now I understand why this waste of space, whose only achievement in life is inheriting his father’s knighthood, is so mad.

"I didn’t do anything special. I just noticed some funds were flowing into unknown accounts, so I confiscated them all. Someone seemed to be embezzling. Do you know anything about that?"
"Young Master!!!"

Leon clenched his fists and shouted.
Why’s he so mad? He got caught red-handed, but he’s acting like the victim?