Volume 1 Chapter 34, Part 2 Brother, The one who probed
"I've never had a dream... So, am I just useless as a shield...?"
"Ah, it's okay. There are various theories about shields. We don't even know if they work. It might just be something to comfort you that you've kept by your side."
"If there's anything I can do to help Lady..."
Rolus's face, as he said that, looked somewhat earnest.
It seems he genuinely wants to help Elena.
"Hmm, should I teach you some Defense Magic?"
"No, my magical power is unusually low."
"I see. Then... Hmm, becoming a physical shield... is"
"I am always ready for that."
"Eh, is that so? Thank you."
Rolus's face was so serious that for some reason, I ended up thanking him.
However, I really can't turn him into a physical shield, so it might be better to teach Elena Defense Magic.
"But talking about dreams is new information, thank you, Rolus."
"No problem."
"Having more information is never a bad thing. There are various spells, and not all of them are meant to harm others. There are also spells that can hide something."
"Hide?"
"Yes. And magic that can be used without chanting has existed since ancient times. And yet, chanting was still necessary, so there may have been spells that existed to use magic that required some kind of enormous power."
"I think the Lady would be happy if you told her about it."
"Oh, Elena will be happy?"
"Yes"
I want to do whatever makes Elena happy, so I'll tell her about this.
"Lady is very happy when I talk about Spell-ology and the royal families of the 5th and 6th generations."
"Thank you"
I wrote a list of things that would make Elena happy in big letters on my notepad.
We still have to be apart for a while, so I want to make her happy when we do meet.
And I want to be told that I love Elder Brother.
"Even at school, she get along well with people who choose Spell-ology"
"That's right, I wanted to hear that too."
Naturally, my voice had lowered a little.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
"I'm asking if there are any bad influences around Elena. Does Elena have a boyfriend?"
Upon hearing my question, Rolus looked completely bewildered.
From the looks of it, it seems she doesn't have a boyfriend yet.
"Is there a guy who's been pursuing Elena?"
As I asked, he tilted his head in confusion.
Perhaps I can assume that no one has been pursuing her...?
"Then, tell me about the time Elena was likely to be chosen as a candidate for the next Marquis's bride."
His expression brightened slightly, as if he had something clear to answer to that question.
"Yes. That story faded away because Sir Lorentz, the next Marquis, chose another woman."
"She was the daughter of a wealthy Margrave. Choosing her over Elena shows his lack of judgment."
"I don't know the details, but it seems he chose that woman to avoid inconveniencing the Lady. I think he deserves some credit for protecting her peace without forcing his own will."
"I see, that makes sense."
In response to my agreement, Rolus seemed somewhat irritated and tried to continue, but then seemed to hesitate as if he recalled something.
"I won't tell anyone about this conversation. So please tell me everything that has happened around Elena, for her protection."
"...Yes. When the bride candidate had not yet been decided, that woman, of all people, was trying to harm the Lady."
I see, this is murderous intent.
"Is Elena okay?"
"Yes. We stopped it before Lady noticed."
Elena's friends apparently conspired to protect her from that woman.
I had him write down all the people who had joined the conspiracy on a notepad.
I don't really like the fact that it has a man's name on it, but I can't complain if he protects her.
"Huh? Eliseo?"
"Yes. The teacher also helped her."
I see. I'll have to thank him next time. Eliseo is my friend. A long time ago, when Elena was a sweet, adorable baby, he came over to our house. He said that Elena was a smart girl.
I remember how Eliseo would open and close his hand in front of cute little Elena, and she would mimic him, causing us to melt from the cuteness.
I don't know if Eliseo remembers that.
"So, the only guys around Elena are these friends of hers, right?"
"And then there's the prince. The prince of this country."
"Ehh..."
This prince of the country should be one year younger than Elena.
Why on earth did you have the chance to meet someone like him, Elena?
If it's a prince, how should I meddle in their relationship?
No, but there must be some small loophole even in a crime of disrespect, so I should start looking there first.
"I wonder if those friends, including the prince, have any romantic feelings for Elena?"
It might be understandable for them to have some feelings for that adorable Elena, but as I asked, Rolus seemed clueless and just stared blankly.
I wonder if it's still a difficult age for him to understand people's romantic feelings.
"I don't understand what romantic feelings are."
Ah, so he doesn't understand romantic feelings at all.
So that's the case, huh?
"Rolus has never been in love, huh?"
"No. There are only ladies in my world."
What a narrow world, I thought.
I thought, but he was a child that my father had picked up from somewhere.
He probably wasn't a happy child, since his father probably picked it up to use as a shield against a spell, in other words to sacrifice it to Elena.
But when I think about Elena's death and the idea of following her instead of crying... well, I shouldn't get too involved in this.
"Okay. Then if there's a guy who clings to Elena more than necessary, or who says he likes her or loves her, please let me know right away."
I wrote my current address on a notepad and gave it to him.
"I understand"
"If Elena says she has someone she likes, I want to be informed about that too. I'll investigate thoroughly..."
"Got it."
It's just investigating.
I won't separate them.
I won't.
Maybe...
"Alright, then why are you leaving that one cake? Did you not like it?"
"No... I thought this cake would definitely be a favorite of Lady's. So, I thought I'd bring it as a souvenir."
"I see. Then let's make it a souvenir. I can just say that I came to eat it alone in the middle of the night when I got hungry."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
I won't separate them... I won't separate them...!
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