What else should I tell you, Lucy?

  Since you mentioned today that you want to graduate from being a recruit, should I tell you about how your ‘brother’ graduated?

  It was the day he ‘graduated’ from being a recruit.

  I believe it is also a special day for your mother, too. I am still unsure how to describe that day. Should I call it the day dedicated to only Andres? Or the day dedicated to both of them? Could you help me decide? Please share your thoughts after reading this diary.

  It was a pleasant day. It was neither too cold nor too hot. It was not too cloudy. It was not too sunny. It was a lovely day for a picnic.

  It began when we overheard the rumor around the main church. It spread like wildfire.

  “I heard Duke Melbon is sending one of his sons here.” In a garden connecting my chamber and the Saintess Candidate Hall, some high priests openly talked about something we considered impossible at that time.

  “Why is he doing that?” another high priest exclaimed in disbelief.

  “He wants his son to enlist in the Guidance Knight Order.” A guardian knight chimed in.

  “I wonder what he is thinking?” one of the high priests asked.

  “I also heard that Cardinal Peter is viewing this development favorably.” A nun spoke in a small voice after looking around.

  “Is Duke Melbon lowering his head to us?” one of the high priests said in mockery.

  “It appears to be so.” A nun also spoke out. “Do you remember the girls who were sent to the north?”

  She talked in a lower voice, but loud enough for Paul to hear it.

  Ah, were you wondering how I could hear them? I could not hear what they were talking about. It was Paul who heard them. He was accompanying me on my stroll around the garden. He transcribed it for me in real time, detailing the content of their discussion. It seemed that by becoming a semi-swordmaster, his senses also became more enhanced.

  “Oh, the ones that challenge Lady Aria?” The guardian knight showed his interest.

  “It looks like they were doing a good job there. And Duke Melbon recognizes the worth of the clergy.” The nun turned to face him. Then she added. “I thought they were gone for good. But they still have their worth.”

  Upon hearing this news, we hurriedly went to find Aria, who was putting you to sleep. Then, we sent Paul to investigate it.

  After we confirmed that the rumor was true, I stood up and shouted. “What is that idiot thinking?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  “… he ruins our plan,” Aria said as she cast her gaze low. I could feel her distress. “Now all the attention is drawn to the north. Our action there will be restricted or even terminated.”

  “………………. I think he tried to introduce his son to Lady Aria.” After looking at Aria for a long time, Paul said to me while frowning.

  “What are you saying?” I asked him immediately. I wasn't sure if I had heard it wrong. It was never one of my wildest dreams.

  He did not reply to me. Instead, he turned to Aria. “Milady, do you remember the last question he asked you before we left that abandoned church?”

  After thinking for a while, she said, “He asked me if I was engaged.”

  That part was news to me. I didn't know he had asked her that. I was shocked when I heard that.

  “I thought something was amiss. But I never thought he would charge headfirst like that.” I could see Paul curl his hand resting on the table into a fist. His grip was too tight.

  I felt like if we left him alone, he could go out and find Duke Melbon to settle it with him. Thus, I used my usual tactic to take the wind out of his sails by acting angrier than he was. Oh, you have been asking me how I deal with your grandpa’s anger. I will tell you here. This is the technique I mostly use to calm your grandpa, Lucy. I learned it from many experiences.

  I stood up and hit the table. “What is that idiot thinking? Does he have a brain? Why did no one stop him?”

  “He kind of blurred it during the party.” Paul turned to me and said in a calm voice.

  “… we are short on time. We cannot delay the plan any longer. Father is moving faster and faster.” Yet, Aria became increasingly distressed as time passed. I wonder what she had been thinking at that time. Her hands were restless. Although she was holding her hands together, she kept fidgeting with them. I believed her nerves were about to break down.

  Upon seeing that, Paul and I looked at each other.

  Then Paul came closer to Aria and knelt beside her. “… I asked the sellsword company to move to the South. It seems that Count Issac would take care of them and sponsor them.”

  I, too, placed my hand on top of hers to calm her down. “The guild will move to the East next week. They will be absorbed by Marquise Larose’s man.”

  “…I do not want to do this. But the support to the North will be postponed for a while.” Her voice... Aria said that with difficulty.

  “He reaps what he sows after all.” Paul, too, placed his hand on top of ours and said in a gentle voice.

  “It is the people who suffer.” She was about to cry.

  “Milady,…” We observed her with distress.

  “About Sister Anna and Sister Maria, I will bring them close to me.” After a long time, she looked at us with determination.

  In response, Paul hesitated to inform her of the unfortunate news. “… I think it is too late. Cardinal Peter has summoned them back already.”

  “Are they safe?” Her voice carried uncertainty.

  “… Yes, they are safe. It seems that they will be placed under his direct command.” Paul smiled at her as if to reassure her.

  Then Aria immediately stood up. “I will talk with Uncle about this.”

  She was about to run. However, I grab hold of her hand. “What are you planning to do?” I felt like Aria had become a bit on edge after receiving the news about the West and her father’s action in encroaching on strategic goods. I heard from Paul that she kept writing something and then erased it multiple times. Perhaps things were progressing differently from the revelation she received, for the worse.

  “… it is for their safety.” We could feel resolve in her eyes. She was really determined to do it.

  “….?” Then, Paul and I looked at each other, unsure of how we should approach it. Then, I decided to take the lead. “The saintess will lead the pilgrimage next year. So, we can bring them with us by—.”

  However, before I could finish it, we heard a commotion outside.

  “What is that noise?” I asked Paul.

  Then Paul went out of our room and came back almost immediately. “I think there is an official duel in the training ground. And all the nun apprentices and saintess candidates were frantically rushing there.”

  While I was processing who it could be to attract many audiences from saintess candidates,…

  “… Andres?” It was Aria who said it.