Chapter 56

Shaya was quite nervous too. After all, saying she had scared off a Six-Winged Demon head-on… wasn’t that a bit too exaggerated?

Who would’ve thought…

King Celt would actually laugh heartily and slap the armrest of his seat—he was genuinely delighted!

“Ha ha ha ha…! I knew it would be like this! I guessed it exactly right! Looks like even at my age, my judgment hasn’t declined much, huh?”

Oh, wow, impressive indeed!

—You actually guessed my random nonsense on the spot!

In truth, the king hadn’t foreseen everything.

Rather… ever since he witnessed that golden pillar of light shooting up from the palace that day, the entire man, the entire king, had already gone numb.

Couldn’t you see it? Not far from here, at the Cormier Royal Palace—his own home.

The top floor of that castle was still open to the sky. Even now, it hadn’t been fully repaired!

Who do you think was to thank for all that?!

So, when Miss Shaya said she managed to scare off a Six-Winged Demon with sealing magic, the king wasn’t surprised at all.

What’s so shocking about someone being scared off? I myself had nearly died of fright.

Xiarette breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that with this, today’s banquet should be coming to an end, right?

If they headed home now… her birthday hadn’t officially ended yet. She could still sneak in a small cake moment alone with Sheffy—the remaining time was still quite precious.

The king rose, dignified and solemn.

“Good! It’s decided. For this campaign against the Six-Winged Demon in the Royal Capital, all have contributed and will be rewarded accordingly!”

The king raised the royal scepter skyward.

Then slowly, the ruby atop the scepter began to align with Miss Shaya’s sparkling black eyes.

An official in charge of palace logistics, seeing this, quickly moved the amplification crystal beside the king.

In this kind of situation, it meant the king had something major to announce!

As expected, the king’s declaration, magnified through the amplification crystal, spread to every corner of the grounds outside the grand hall beneath the clear, starry night sky. The nobles waiting nearby could hear every word.

“I hereby decree: Shaya, apprentice knight, shall be granted the title of Countess! At the same time, her rank shall be exceptionally elevated from apprentice knight to an official Sixth-Rank Royal Knight! Countess Shaya may continue her studies under the Hero, but from now on, she shall no longer be treated as a commoner. She is the youngest countess in the history of our kingdom!”

“Ha…?”

“Rejoice, my people!”

Young Countess Shaya had no idea what was happening, nor did she understand what her dual status truly meant.

That big fool Xiarette hadn’t quite reacted yet either.

But both of them had already—

Cheers and applause erupted from the nobles’ side, wave after wave, as if their own titles had just been promoted!

But in truth, they hadn’t.

The king had explicitly said to cheer—who would dare not to?

At the same time, it was clear to some that, due to the retreat of the Six-Winged Demon, the king was in an especially euphoric state.

In the kingdom’s entire history, there had never been a time when someone held both a noble title and membership in the Royal Knight Order simultaneously…

The Royal Knight Order referred to the elite among the kingdom’s knights. Most of its members came from noble families, and only the most exceptional among those noble offspring could enter. Commoners weren’t even eligible—its requirements were notoriously strict.

And once those noble scions inherited a title, they had to leave the Royal Knight Order, to prevent major nobles from gaining proximity to the kingdom’s central power.

Someone like Shaya, simultaneously holding the title of Countess and a rank within the Royal Knight Order… it couldn’t exactly be called the highest status, but such a precedent-breaking position was unheard of!

Not to mention, never before had there been a count this young in history…

This alone showed just how great Shaya’s contribution had been—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it meteoric.

It was also a way for the king to make up for the disruption of the Hero’s birthday banquet.

Miss Shaya was someone under the Hero’s care. Since they lived together, they were surely on good terms. Promoting Shaya like this would no doubt improve the Hero’s mood as well.

Well… it didn’t matter much, Sheffy thought to herself. If this noble title could be traded for some donuts, then it wasn’t a bad deal…?

But the king hadn’t finished speaking yet.

“Alright, Miss Shaya, please head to the prepared royal grounds to receive your title conferment ceremony. From this moment… you are no longer a commoner. You are a meritorious person worthy of a noble’s name…!”

Anyone else would likely be weeping with gratitude right now.

But Miss Shaya only had one question on her mind.

“Um… Your Majesty, may I ask, how long does this title conferment ceremony take?”

“Time…? Oh! Not long, not long at all! About an hour or so! Are you worried that the nobles have to stay out there waiting? Don’t worry, they should be standing there for your conferment! You may be young, but your merits fully deserve this honor!”

“One hour…?”

One hour… that wouldn’t do.

Miss Shaya’s little brain began spinning rapidly.

Smart people really were something else—she already had a countermeasure in mind!

She discreetly nudged Xiarette’s shoulder with her elbow, and as Xiarette turned toward her in confusion…

Sheffy whispered just a few words to her.

“Xia, get ready. Hold me.”

“Eh?”

There was no time for her to react.

Sheffy was a woman of action.

As soon as she finished speaking, she leapt into the air, twisting midair straight into Xiarette’s arms.

With her starry-blue evening dress, she looked like a blooming blue rose suspended in the sky.

Xiarette’s gaze sharpened as she recalled Sheffy’s words. She reached out with both hands and caught Shaya in a perfect princess carry.

While everyone else stared in confusion—

Miss Shaya raised her finger, pointing into the distance, and said something shocking!

“Ah…! I can sense it! Jeffriel hasn’t gotten far and could attack again at any moment! Xia, we must press the advantage! There’s no time for the title conferment ceremony! Sister Xia, run!”

“Got it!”

【Speed Boost】【Endurance Boost】【Super Enhancement】

Xiarette unleashed her full power, paying no mind to the fact she was wearing high heels. Practically hovering, she dashed forward with Sheffy in her arms like a shooting star, vanishing from the grand hall entrance and leaving the nobles and the king staring at one another in stunned silence.

See?

Being the Hero wasn’t easy.

Defending the country day and night—this was real dedication!

…………………………………

Xiarette carried Sheffy, firmly wrapping her arms around her slender waist and calves. With blinding speed, they zipped through the forest and along riversides, beneath the moon and stars. Though the air was serene, a hint of tension lingered.

“Sheffy…! Which way do I go?”

“Toward home, of course! Are you dumb? You’re going the wrong way!”

“Eh…? But didn’t you just say Jeffriel…”

“Of course that was fake! If I didn’t say that, would you have made time for your birthday? Hurry home—we’ve only got half an hour left!”

“Sheffy… ugh… I get it! You’re really reckless, you know that?!”

“Hahahahahaha! If I weren’t reckless, what would be the point of running away from home and living free? Being reckless is exactly the point! You should learn a bit from me!”

61. Butterfly

“Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday dear Xiarette~~ Heehee, blow the candle now, don’t forget to make a wish.”

This was a birthday celebration belonging solely to Xiarette and Sheffy.

At the riverside villa, under the peaceful night, candlelight flickered gently.

Sheffy sang the birthday song from their previous world—something unique to that life.

Every time someone had a birthday… someone would sing that song, and then the birthday person would blow out the candles while the melody played and make a wish. Only then could the wish come true.

But Xiarette’s way of wishing… seemed a bit unconventional?

“I hope all of Sheffy’s dreams come true… I hope everything goes smoothly for Sheffy…”

“Ah—idiot Xia! You’re not supposed to say your wish out loud! If you say it, it won’t come true!”

“R-Really?! Then I’ll do it over. Good thing I haven’t blown out the candle yet.”

“……”

Watching the blonde girl close her eyes again, pressing her hands together in prayer and silently repeating a wish that was already known, then slowly blowing out the candle—

Sheffy rubbed her forehead and shook her head, unsure if the wish could still come true after all that.

Twisting a strand of silver hair around her finger, Sheffy turned to glance at the wall clock.

Fifteen minutes to midnight.

—They made it just in time.

Pfft… but seriously, Xia, what kind of wish is that? Who makes a birthday wish and prays for someone else instead of themselves?

Sheffy picked up a piece of cake from the table and sat down directly on the floor, propping herself up with one hand, her eyes drifting to the bright moon outside the window—though her peripheral gaze never left the devoutly wishing Xiarette.

You, you…

Calling you an idiot really isn’t wrong.

At least today—on your birthday—you should think more about yourself.

Because of the earlier battle and the mad dash back home, both Sheffy and Xiarette’s gowns were covered in dust.

Celebrating a birthday looking like this? That wouldn’t do.

With a casual raise of her hand, magical energy gathered at Sheffy’s fingertips. In an instant, Xiarette’s wine-red gown was spotless once more.

Just as Sheffy nodded in satisfaction, she happened to glance down—and noticed her own gown was still filthy.

Tch… Looks like I forgot to take care of myself.

After channeling magic again to clean her dress too, Sheffy looked up—only to meet Xiarette’s blue eyes, gleaming mischievously.

“Hehe… Sheffy, you’re really careless, huh? Thinking only about your sister and forgetting yourself?”

“Just a slip-up, that’s all!”

“There’s no such thing as a ‘slip-up’ like that.”

Xiarette had already blown out the candle.

Seeing Sheffy sitting so casually, she also tossed aside the formalities, picked up her own slice of cake, and sat right beside Sheffy.

From this angle, tilting their heads allowed them to admire the moon together.

When Sheffy tilted her head, she saw the moon.

But when Xiarette tilted hers, what she saw was a profile more radiant than the moon.

Some eyes… were just brighter than moonlight.

“Sheffy… thank you.”

“Huh? Thank me for what?”

“If you hadn’t thought of that plan earlier, we wouldn’t have made it back in time to blow out the candle. Now that I think about it, we used to be like this in our past life too, didn’t we? Whether it was my birthday or yours, we always just bought one small cake, cut it in half, and shared it. Never bought a big one.”

“Because a big cake was too much—we couldn’t finish it… I didn’t eat as much back then as I do now.”

“Pfft… maybe it’s because you didn’t get enough cake back then that you eat so much now, Sheffy!”

Neither of them said it aloud—

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