Chapter 63

A blue window appeared before her eyes.

A blue window bearing an ominously foreboding story hung before Hannah's eyes, enough to make her frown.

[Q. If he hadn't been there...]

Histania Hannah, cursed with tragic fate. She was originally destined to die.

Despite her father's continuous discrimination and her blood relatives' indifference, Hannah ran desperately forward, looking only toward gaining recognition.

She held onto the single belief that someday she too would receive the same treatment as them.

She had been steadily improving.

She possessed exceptional talent in swordsmanship and had excellent learning ability.

However, her father never gave her the attention she desired.

He thought focusing on Malik rather than Hannah was what served the family's interests.

Hannah was starved for praise.

If just one person had been by her side to tell her she was doing well, she might have avoided tragedy...

On a hot summer day.

Hannah made an extreme choice.

Knowing it was an opponent she couldn't defeat, yet seeking growth in swordsmanship and her father's recognition, Hannah climbed the Hamel Mountains.

1. Read the letter sent by Histania Rowen. (0/1)

2. Meet Histania Rowen. (0/1)

3. Subjugate Elite orc warriors in the Hamel Mountains (0/30)

Reward: You can access 〈41st Side Story〉 'If he hadn't been there...'

Hannah blinked.

What was this situation? Why could she see such a thing? Though her body could understand it, her mind could not.

Was it because she had trained too hard?

Or was it because she had skipped meals?

She blinked deeply, but the blue window before her eyes did not disappear.

'What is this...'

Goosebumps rose all over her body.

The blue window contained ominous content saying that if she hadn't met the butler, she would have died.

She had swung her sword thoughtlessly. She had swung her sword looking only toward her father's recognition, and at this content that pierced through her past self, Hannah's fingers trembled slightly.

'Why would I die...'

Hannah thought of herself as a strong person.

In the past and now.

She believed the reason she had been able to endure a lifetime of being ignored was her strong mental fortitude.

The idea that she, who had never broken under her father's neglect, had made a foolish choice was unimaginable, but because Hannah knew herself better than anyone, she couldn't hide her trembling heart.

With an ominous premonition, her gaze kept looking at the blue window.

Inwardly she denied it as nonsense, but thinking of herself at that time, perhaps she might have done something foolish.

If...

If she hadn't sought out the butler then...

Hannah shook her head, trying hard to shake off the thoughts.

- Clap!

Hannah struck her cheeks with both hands. To snap out of it. Thinking that she was seeing strange things because she wasn't concentrating on training and was only thinking about the butler, Hannah shook her head and thought for it to disappear.

When she opened her tightly closed eyes, the blue window that had spoken of ominous content had vanished.

"It's because I'm tired... because I'm tired."

Hannah, struggling to rise from her spot, stood up gripping her father's letter tightly in her hand.

'It'll be nothing.'

With an uneasy feeling, Hannah went up to the dormitory.

*

Three days ago.

The knight-commander of the Empire, Histania Rowen, sat at his office desk, holding a pen for the first time in a while.

Rowen, holding a pen instead of a sword for the first time in ages, pressed his throbbing forehead and was lost in thought.

[To Hannah...]

The hand holding the pen wouldn't move.

What words should he write?

What words should he use?

Unable to think of anything, Rowen let out a deep sigh.

"Huu..."

The words that red-haired boy had said wouldn't leave his mind.

- Coming to hunt Elite orcs at this age is something only madmen would do.

- Isn't that impressive? Why aren't you clapping?

- You've never even tried something like this...

That boy who had defended Hannah with upright eyes. It was something that couldn't have been done without considerable courage.

Probably, that brat knew I was the knight-commander of the Empire.

The fierce killing intent he had been radiating disappeared as if it had never existed the moment he saw me, and I confirmed with my own eyes that he cleanly erased the aura that had been subtly rising. It was a situation I could somewhat deduce.

Even so, the words of that boy, who spoke without his gaze changing even once, kept remaining in my memory.

"Insolent brat..."

Today especially, the pen in Rowen's hand felt heavy.

He had faced countless strong opponents and fought battles crossing the line of death, but the pen in his hand felt heavier than the sword he had held hundreds of times.

'Huu...'

The letter paper, on which nothing had been written, became soaked with the pen's ink.

Rowen crumpled the letter paper and sighed again.

"This is maddening."

Behind Rowen was a mountain of crumpled letter papers.

Starting with 'To Hannah.'

It took an hour just to write asking 'How are you doing?' but even that, Rowen tore up.

Where had it all gone wrong?

Rowen, who only thought of the best course, couldn't understand.

Around him, praise for Hannah was abundant. They said it must be reassuring to have a daughter who awakened aura at the youngest age.

His colleagues and nobles who praised her as the family's great fortune spared no compliments, but Rowen himself didn't welcome their praise.

'Did I do something wrong?'

Even when he asked himself, the answer that returned was a strong denial.

Because he wasn't wrong.

When he tried to write letters, only sharp words came out.

- Give up the sword.

- It's dangerous, so giving up the sword would be helpful for you.

If it had been before Hannah awakened aura, he would have written letters mentioning talent, but now his daughter had achieved accomplishments that couldn't be dismissed with talent alone, so even this was impossible.

For the family's sake, supporting Hannah would be the right thing to do, but the hallucination he had seen then made him write negative words in the letter.

- Please save me... Dad... please save me...

Hannah dying...

It was something he had never thought about.

That's why it was more disturbing.

What father in the world would think of his child dying? Rowen couldn't make rational judgments.

For the family's glory, supporting Hannah would have been the right thing to do.

Although Malik had awakened aura and was showing excellent performance, compared to Hannah's reputation, it was a shabby level.

If he thought rationally... that would be the right thing to do.

But when he thought of Hannah holding a sword, his heart trembled.

- Please save me. I don't want to die like this.

Crack... Rowen broke the pen in his hand.

"...I need to think of another way."

Rowen sighed and took out new letter paper.

- To Hannah.

'...'

The letter paper was once again soaked with ink.

*

[Please read the letter sent by Histania Rowen. (0/1)]

- Crumple.

Hannah, sitting at her desk, was looking at the letter before her with eyes filled with complicated thoughts.

A letter full of traces showing she had tried to tear it but couldn't bring herself to do so.

Hannah irritably slammed down on the desk.

- Crash...

"What are you trying to say now, coming at this time."

Her clenched fist trembled.

She didn't want to see it.

Because she felt like it would contain obvious words even without looking.

- Put down your sword

- You have no talent.

Hannah was certain such words would be written there.

What kind of words would wound her this time.

Hannah was afraid that he might tell her she was a disgrace to the family.

She was also scared of her father.

Because she disliked her father who hadn't changed despite her showing her worth.

Hannah could only look at the letter before her with a troubled heart, not opening it.

"I proved myself..."

I proved myself, but what more could he want from here... Hannah couldn't understand.

Hannah glared at the blue window before her with tearful eyes.

[Q. If he hadn't been there...]

1. Please read the letter sent by Histania Rowen. (0/1)

2. Meet your father, Histania Rowen. (0/1)

3. Subjugate Elite orc warriors in the Hamel Mountains (0/30)

Reward: You can view the 〈41st Side Story〉 'If he hadn't been there...'

"I won't do it."

Because it's better to avoid endings you don't want to see.

She was already living a sufficiently happy life. She didn't want to dwell on the past, and there were people who supported and believed in her, not a father who coldly rejected her.

Hannah coldly rejected the blue window before her.

But.

She couldn't help but glance at it with anxiety.

If. She were to hear the story the blue window would show...

It felt like she would never be able to look at her father's face again.

Hannah looked up at the sky with a troubled heart.

"Sigh... I miss the butler."

Today especially, Hannah found herself missing the red-haired butler.

***

"Sit!"

The peaceful Young Lady's room.

The Young Lady, with a more serious expression than ever, was holding jerky in her hand and conducting what could be called education on Gomtangi, who was sitting under the bed.

Gomtangi, not understanding what was happening, tilted his head while looking at the Young Lady's hand, and the Young Lady's displeasure index was rising to an uncontrollable level.

The Young Lady shouted at Gomtangi.

"Sit! You lowly beast!"

- Woof?

Gomtangi completely ignored the Young Lady's words.

Gomtangi's gaze was fixed solely on the jerky in the Young Lady's hand.

Gomtangi waited, drooling.

The Young Lady spun the jerky around in front of Gomtangi's eyes and said.

"I'll give it to you if you sit."

- Chomp!

Gomtangi ate the jerky along with the Young Lady's hand. The Young Lady, unable to match a beast's reflexes, was looking at her right hand soaked in saliva with a dumbfounded expression.

The jerky that disappeared in an instant.

- Woooof!

Gomtangi wagged her tail, saying she was happy.

"Eeek...! This bear cub!"

"It's a dog, not a bear."

"Bear or dog! It's annoying!"

The Young Lady threatened Gomtangi by waving her hand around, but to me, that sight only looked cute.

It was a peaceful day.

The sun shone brightly.

No visitors came.

A lazy day like a NEET.

This is life.

I want to live like this forever.

Doing nothing, playing and eating, enjoying a peaceful NEET life while throwing work to Mikhail... a gentle NEET life...

That's when it happened.

Gomtangi, who had been playing well with the Young Lady, climbed onto the bed and started barking while looking outside.

- Woof! Woof!

"Eek!! Where are you going! You need to be scolded!"

The Young Lady, shouting at Gomtangi who had ignored her, looked out the window that Gomtangi was staring at and tilted her head, going 'Huh? Who is it?'

"Ricardo. A thief has come."

"Huh? There's nothing to steal in our house."

"There is."

"What?"

"The most beautiful me in the world."

I lightly ignored the Young Lady's words.

"Why are you ignoring me!"

"..."

"Eeek!!"

I shrugged my shoulders.

Who could have come to this estate that seemed like ghosts would appear.

I cursed the sinner who had disturbed my happy NEET life in my heart, and resolved to put up a warning sign at the estate entrance saying [If you enter, the villainess will bite you.]

I slowly looked out the window.

A brown-haired man standing in front of the main gate, waiting for someone to come out.

With a giant stature.

And handsome features.

The person who would become Mikhail's master.

Histania Rowen.

I said to the Young Lady.

"Air-raid alarm!!!"

"Hieeeek!!!"

We lay flat on the bed and hid.