.

When Kazuya left for his room, he met Julia who had been standing in the hallway. She gave him a look as if she wanted to say something but was hesitating because of the presence of the people nearby.

"What is it?" Kazuya immediately turned to Julia after they arrived in his room.

"You… Do you know what you just said to them? Do you know who Sodina Eberbach treats like a big sister?" After confirming that a sound barrier was in place, Julia tried to convey just how crazy the matter he agreed to was.

She had been silently having a meal in the kitchen when she heard the other servants talking about their young lady finally having the upper hand against Kazuya in a conversation. Though Julia usually ignored the gossip loving servants, since it was indeed a rare occurrence for someone to have the advantage against Kazuya, she listened in.

It had already been a while since she had worked under Kazuya. After coming back to the capital, she had a lot of time to think about her current situation. The princess herself had not made a move while both her father and the king's efforts to take her back were both rejected by Kazuya. Now that the rumors have been spread around by the n.o.bles, she understood that she was no longer someone from that side.

"Oh?" Kazuya was intrigued by her reaction. This was unlike the stubborn knight that he was familiar with. The Julia he knew would only compromise with something if Alicia was involved. In the Eberbach house, the chances of that happening were very slim yet, Julia had just voluntarily expressed her opinion in one of Kazuya's matters.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you even listening to me!?" Julia was annoyed at the way the hero had been looking at her. it's as if he was surprised that she was showing concern over this matter.

"Pardon me, I just did not expect that you would have an opinion on this. Does it really matter who the other person is?" he grinned.

"That woman is not to be trifled with! She was someone who was unofficially adopted by the b.l.o.o.d.y duke himself without the att.i.tude of a parent but a commander! That woman is the current leader of the Steel Wolves!" Julia's eyes showed some fear.

"It doesn't matter who it is. If you were listening to the conversation, I would very much enjoy the company of anyone else compared to Alicia von Lichtenstein and Sodina Eberbach."

"Don't insult Alicisama! What did the princess ever do to you?!" Julia glared at him.

"Your blind loyalty is even more empowered now that the memories you had of the sensitive matters you learned in the castle had been erased. I have to hand it to the royal family for having such a failsafe in place." Kazuya scoffed.

"Even if I did have those memories, I am confident that my loyalty would never waver!" Julia declared with conviction.

"That's because you had been brainwashed since young. You see her in the same way the devout believers in the church of light see the pope. In your eyes, she does no wrong while in my eyes, all I see is a stuck up girl who would do anything or use anyone for her own purpose." Kazuya looked at Julia sternly.

"That's not—"

"You're a good example of this. Not only had that princess not moved ever since you failed to hurt me, but she also acts like you were never her confidant as she has never once mentioned you when she tries to converse with me." He ignored the bitter look Julia gave him as he continued.

"I am used to people trying to curry favor with me. Those hypocrites are only good to you when you are useful but they will not hesitate to throw you away after they've squeezed everything they can from you or your disadvantages overshadow your usefulness. The only thing better about Sodina than Alicia is that she is upright."

"…" Julia could not say anything as she couldn't deny this. She had believed that as a princess, Alicia had the duty to act amiably towards those who worked for her. As a confidante and a friend who had grown up with her, she always thought that she was one of the exceptions to this.

From how things were developing. It now seemed like she was not different from all the other people that Alicia had discarded. This was a bitter pill that she refused to swallow.

"From the way you're looking at me, it seems as though you are having a hard time accepting this?" Kazuya smiled at her as if he was expecting this.

"You… are you enjoying this!?"

"Yes, I am." Kazuya did not hesitate and gave her a reply right away.

"Wha—!?"

"Accept it or not, the truth remains the truth. Should I make it easier for you to believe that this is not my first time encountering such a person?" Kazuya smiled confidently.

"How?"

"When an opportunity presents itself, I expect that princess of yours to make contact with you in some way. You still have a bit of usefulness left in you since you were chosen to remain by my side so, at the cost of angering me or breaking our agreement, the princess will put your loyalty towards her to the test."

"That…" Julia trembled.

Just imagining such a scenario scared her. She was afraid of letting down the princess but after experiencing the pain of the restrictions of the agreement she had with the hero, Julia knew that it would only get worse if she went over what was allowed.

If the agreement between them did not exist, Julia knew that she would not hesitate to betray Kazuya if Alicia asked this of her. She would even provide any information she deemed useful to Alicia just so that her highness would know that her knight was still loyal to her.

But alas, even while being new to the world of Edea, the hero Kazuya was someone who knew how to guard himself well.

-

Meanwhile, while Kazuya and Julia were in their room, Sodina was having a discussion with Zwei. The butler had informed the young miss of everything that the young miss had not been aware of about the hero's activities as well as the reason for his temper.

"This…" Sodina was speechless. She didn't imagine that the prideful and arrogant hero to have cared for the commoners.

This went against everything she understood about him! Despite everything that was coming out of his mouth, he actually cared about other people!

"That guy is difficult to understand!" Sodina stomped her foot in frustration.

"While I do not refute that statement, I believe that in this instance, we can catch a glimpse of the true nature of Kazuysama," Zwei commented.

He looked warmly at Sodina as this was a rare moment for her. While she would usually interact with people honestly, she would rarely stop to think so that she could understand a person more. Without being told by anyone, the young miss had begun thinking about a.n.a.lyzing a person. This was a huge step for her.

"What do you mean by that, Uncle Zwei?"

"Kazuysama has most experienced a betrayal that made it difficult for him to trust people again. Though I do not have any evidence of this, from his actions, I can say that what he may have experienced cost the lives of people he cared about." Zwei told the Sodina his conjecture.

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Kazuysama never tells anyone about what he thinks or plans. He has yet to trust anyone in this world and even while Julia Tisdale is under a soul binding contract, she is no different.

It may be understandable since he was called to our world so suddenly but from what I can tell, Kazuysama does not want to let anyone know that he cares about something. I believe that this was caused by something that made him act as cold and uncaring as he does today."

"This…" Sodina was speechless.

She didn't doubt Zwei's words as he was someone whose opinions even her father considered seriously. They were people who she knew that were rarely wrong because of the various experiences they had on the battlefield so Sodina had begun to think more deeply about the enigma that is Kazuya.

"I'm not saying that Kazuysama is without flaws, but please do understand that every person has their own experiences, difficulties, and circ.u.mstances," Zwei explained. "I hope that the young miss would remember this whenever you find a person that you cannot understand. Your father and I myself will one day not be here to explain such matters to you."

"Uncle…"

"With the new territory, your father and my time will be very busy. We might not be able to visit you once you leave to attend the Academy in Vane." Zwei explained.

Elrich had yet to return from the battlefield because he had been dealing with the a.s.similation of the new territory. Without Zwei by his side, the duke had a lot on his plate. While Zwei does send a bit of a.s.sistance through messengers and carrier fowls, there was a limit to how much he could support Elrich.

The reason why Zwei had to remain in the capital was because of Sodina and Kazuya. There was no one else the duke could entrust the matter with. The b.l.o.o.d.y duke's right-hand man was like a s.h.i.+eld that prevented any of the n.o.bles from scheming or doing as they pleased while Elrich had been busy.

"I don't understand why I have to go to that academy in the first place! I would much rather train with everyone else at the fort or gain experience by going on missions myself!" she complained.

"Young miss, you are underestimating the Academy of Vane too much. That place is unlike the school of n.o.bles in the capital you attended when you were still young." Zwei looked at her sternly.

"Elrich-sama, your mother and myself met in that place. Though your father and I were unable to graduate because the kingdom needed us, the reputation we gained on the battlefield was undeniably because of what he had learned and experienced at that academy."

"This… I've never heard of this before." Sodina was a little startled. While she knew that her father had once attended the Academy in Vane, she did not give it too much attention as Elrich was known to have studied there for less than three years.

"The world is a much bigger place than you can imagine, young miss. Even you or the princess can only be seen as newcomers in that place." Zwei confidently said. "It is a place where people that define the era are nurtured."

What Zwei said was the truth. People like Sodina who had little understanding of the city of Vane were not aware of what that place represented after the advent of the last hero. It was a place that only those who have been there could understand as mere words would not make people believe the wonders of the city that have lasted centuries while being neutral territory.

"People that define an era…" she couldn't help but mutter.

"Of course, the duke will not be sending you alone. This is also why he is placing a bit of importance towards our house's relations.h.i.+p with Kazuysama."

"What does he have to do with all of this?"

"There is no doubt that Kazuysama will be invited to go to the city of Vane. It was a place that was founded by his predecessor after all. I don't think that Kazuysama will decline such an invitation as there wouldn't be a better place for him to improve the skills he can lean in our world." With Kazuya's dedication, Zwei couldn't think of a reason for him to decline.

"So, father wants the hero to... for that guy to watch over me!?"

"Do you think Kazuysama would agree to that?" Zwei retorted.

"But…"

"We have already made arrangements even before the hero was summoned. What the duke wants from Kazuysama is to be able to give you support in case you are in need of it."

"Support?" Sodina was confused.

Knowing her father, the arrangements he should have made would be for people to attend the academy with her. She would have the support she needed if that were the case so why was there any need for the hero?

"Remember, Vane is a place that cares not for backgrounds nor influences. They look down upon people who use their status and encourage students to prove their worth through skill and talent. Even if you are the daughter of the most famous duke in the Zweifel kingdom, Vane is a neutral territory. Many people of the same standing from different countries can be found there as well."

"I see…" Sodina understood.

She had always been in the confines of their kingdom and her name alone was enough to deter many forces. Once she went to Vane, she would be a student just like any other person there.

"There is only one influence in that place that the people in charge may recognize, and that is—"

"The successor of the hero that had founded the neutral city itself…"

-

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