EP.4 [The Grand Duke's Eldest Daughter, Sister Charlotte]
'What kind of appearance is this for an older sister...' The reason Charlotte had to hastily stop Eugene's hands caressing her bare back,
was none other than the pink nipples atop her large breasts. Perhaps feeling her younger brother's touch,
her pink nipples had become erect like a dragon trying to ascend to the sky.
Thus, Bishop Nun Charlotte felt greatly embarrassed by her own appearance, blushing and scolding herself.
*******Do you remember, Eugene? Walking this path together when we were young?"
Uncle Hans, who had been waiting outside the Holy See, returned separately.
Afterwards, Sister Charlotte and I started heading cozily towards the Orléans main house,
The path we're walking on is a field road on the outskirts of the city.
There, spring flowers bloomed in the fields, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scenery.
Nuns from noble families have relatively free living arrangements.
Thanks to the secularization of religion,
This became the foundation for the Light Goddess Religion to be deeply connected to imperial power.
So even after becoming a nun at nineteen,
Sister Charlotte would return home on Fridays or Saturdays to spend time with her family.
Now that she's risen to the position of Grand Priestess,
Sister Charlotte has an even freer environment.
That's why she's returning with me now, enjoying the spring Monday afternoon.
"I remember. You walked two steps behind with the Grand Duchess, while Elizabeth held my hand and walked in step with me. Sister Jeanne d'Arc walked three steps ahead of us, striding confidently."
After attending the Goddess Sunday service at the Holy See when we were young,
The Orléans family, including myself, always returned via this path.
It was the Grand Duchess's intention to shed the usual formalities
And enjoy freedom during that time.
However, once even the youngest Elizabeth entered puberty, even that time was no longer easily granted.
So now it has become quite a hazy memory, like frost filling a dreamlike winter day's window frame.
"That's right. It was truly like a dream. Especially how our Eugene took such good care of Elizabeth. It was the first time that child followed someone so closely besides Mother. That's why seeing you and Elizabeth walking hand in hand was not only amazing but also heartwarming."
The thrill of dusting off accumulated dust,
The subtlety of wiping a frost-covered window,
As if Sister Charlotte was feeling such haziness,
She gazed at the distant sky with a reminiscent expression and spoke candidly.
No matter how much Uncle Antoine was my godfather and we had considerable interactions,
Entering the Orléans family with the heart of someone who lost their parents was clearly a huge intimidation for me.
Of course, I already recognized that the Grand Duchess and her family were such good people.
Nevertheless, since I was only nine years old at the time,
I thought I might drift like an island, unable to melt in as a member among them.
But that was needless worry, and I didn't even have a moment to drift and wander.
Because the family's youngest, Elizabeth, immediately became my charge.
'When I first saw her, I thought Elizabeth was a ghost...'
Elizabeth, who suddenly appeared beside me like a ghost without any presence,
That was my first impression of her.
In the case of Sister Charlotte and Sister Jeanne d'Arc,
Although we hadn't conversed, I had already seen their faces a few times.
But I first met Elizabeth when I entered the Orléans main house.
This was because in Elizabeth's case,
It was so rare for her to go outside the house that it could be counted on one hand in a year.
Rather than being shy,
She seemed strongly uninterested in things outside the house.
Elizabeth's lifestyle was wandering around the mansion corridors like a ghost, hugging a rabbit doll,
And reading books alone in a corner of the study filled with books.
But that Elizabeth,
On the day I entered the Orléans mansion,
When Uncle Antoine turned his head to explain the mansion's structure
And all the other family members also turned their attention that way,
Elizabeth suddenly appeared beside me, holding a rabbit doll in her left hand and looking at me.
After that, the atmosphere at the scene was truly a silent uproar.
I was surprised, but even the other Orléans people were greatly shocked.
Elizabeth's favorable attitude towards me at that time,
It was because it was an attitude she had never shown even to Grand Duchess Marianne, whom Elizabeth had followed best until then, since she started walking.
Thinking about it now, it was a selection,
And as the chosen one, I naturally took care of Elizabeth until she reached puberty, as if it were only natural.
As a result, I was able to become a member of the Orléans family so smoothly that the concept of soft landing was meaningless.
"What do you plan to do now after your awakening, our Eugene? Although it's a bit late, would you like to enter the academy and receive formal education?"
After refreshing the mood with stories of the past,
Sister Charlotte brought up a topic that seemed to be the reason she had Uncle Hans return separately.
She wanted to talk about my future regarding my mana awakening.
'Not being able to awaken mana while being a noble is really a painful thing. Even though they didn't say it directly, Sister Charlotte and the Grand Duchess must have worried about me a lot.'
And I fully understand Sister's feelings.
Nobles have good genes.
It's probably because they've accepted capable individuals into the family for generations.
So while mana awakeners are unusual people by commoner standards,
In the noble world, those who can't awaken mana are the unusual ones.
Moreover, since noble families have well-established systems,
They can determine to a considerable extent whether someone will awaken when secondary sex characteristics appear,
And if they do awaken, what level of potential they have.
The reason such systems are well-established is because
Mana awakening is that important for living a proper life and succeeding as a noble.
However, my previous chances of mana awakening were close to zero.
'I'm really glad I made it so the two of them don't have to say regretful things to anyone.'
But miraculously, I achieved awakening.
That makes me feel relieved anew.
Awakeners can enter the academy.
Elizabeth is currently on that course.
In the case of divine power type mana awakeners,
It's possible to become a holy knight or walk the path of a priest.
Like Sister Charlotte beside me.
Or one can enter a knightly order to become a formal knight,
Or join a noble-centered mercenary group and advance through military exploits.
These three routes are currently the most typically guaranteed methods of advancement for nobles,
And if mana awakening doesn't occur, one must resort to lobbying or other irregular methods, or the ceiling for advancement becomes much lower.
Of course, if you look, there might be other paths to success.
But those are methods that only work if one's family tree is very clean in terms of so-called legitimacy,
Meaning that for someone with an unusual background like me, it would inevitably be accompanied by noise.
One could say that being accompanied by noise is a virtue of nobles,
But my adoptive mother, Grand Duchess Marianne, and my eldest sister Charlotte have lived lives opposite to that.
Since I didn't want to cause trouble for them if possible,
Such ideas were never even considered in the first place.
"I'll think about the method slowly, Sister. However,"
Thanks to achieving mana awakening after regaining past life memories,
A path finally opened for me to pull my weight as a member of the Grand Duke's family.
Additionally, I gained unprecedented motivation,
So I even have coordinates for the path I want to take.
"Our father also used a sword, didn't he? I think the blood of a swordsman flows in me too. I'm thinking of wielding a sword."
Before remembering my past life,
My father, Ulysses Schneider, was a trauma for me.
But when past life memories intervened and I stepped back to look at the trauma,
It rather became a vague longing in my heart.
The reason being,
It's essentially the only memory of my birth parents remaining in my mind across my past and present lives.
As that perspective formed, I wanted to create the common denominator of the sword to feel that vague longing more deeply.
"....."
At Eugene Schneider's confessional words mentioning his father,
Charlotte de Sel Orléans looked at him silently with a subtle expression.
And that silence continued until they arrived at the main house.
Before I knew it, the next morning dawned.
That is, the moment I entered my room after arriving at the main house with Sister Charlotte,
I collapsed onto the bed and started sleeping.
I didn't realize it while outside,
But apparently a lot of travel fatigue and stress had accumulated without me knowing.
Despite 2 years and 4 months passing, the all too familiar appearance of my room,
The smell permeating my heart immediately made my eyelids heavy.
"Eugene, I have to offer morning prayers now. I think Jeanne will return around noon? Will you wait until then and have a meal together?"
I slept for a long while after that.
Then, as the morning sunlight shone on my bed,
The loving and affectionate voice of Sister Charlotte gently reached my ears, as if confirming my return to the Grand Duke's house again.
Our sister reflected in my bleary eyes is so beautiful.
"I'll have a light breakfast with the food left in my bag... Then let's all have a meal together at noon, Sister..."
I answered in a drowsy voice to Sister Charlotte, who was opening the curtains here and there in my room.
Jeanne is the nickname of Jeanne d'Arc de Sel Orléans, the second young lady of the Orléans family.
Jeanne, who is one year older than me,
Due to her own growth narrative,
When it's just the two of us, I call her Jeanne without the "sister" title.
Swoosh!
'As expected, the shower facilities in a noble's mansion are top-notch.'
I satisfied my urgent morning hunger with the small amount of food left in my pilgrim's bag.
Then after spacing out for a while,
I started showering to drive away sleep about an hour before Jeanne was due to arrive.
This fantasy world is quite well-equipped with irrigation and shower facilities.
It's due to the dramatic development of alchemy magic
Since the time when the academy and magic tower were systematically established with imperial support.
Of course, commoners' homes and rural areas are underdeveloped regardless of that technology, as they lack the financial resources.
However, the level of shower rooms and bathrooms in noble mansions is no less than that of any civilized country on Earth.
'When Elizabeth comes and hears about my awakening, she'll probably mention the academy,'
While showering,
I mulled over the conversation I had with Sister Charlotte yesterday.
I'm not sure what's keeping her so busy, but
Jeanne is scheduled to return to the Grand Duke's mansion today.
And the youngest Elizabeth is currently at the Elysium Empire Academy's affiliated magic tower.
For reference, she is a mage class awakener.
According to Sister Charlotte, that Elizabeth has already notified the magic tower head of her vacation a week ago to see me, who has returned after completing the pilgrim's path.
Although affiliated with the academy, mages in the magic tower have researcher status, so such vacations are possible.
Thus, Elizabeth de Sel Orléans, the youngest of the Orléans Grand Duke family, will arrive at the main house soon.
Then, I suspect that if Elizabeth's personality hasn't changed much over the past 2 years or so, she will try to scheme to get me enrolled in the academy.
It's a bit embarrassing to say it myself, but Elizabeth has quite strong brother complex tendencies towards me.
'Would academy education suit me?'
I think I need to start preparing counterarguments for that now.
If it were my previous self, having awakened,
I would have gladly gone along with that scheme.
But my thoughts changed while performing the pilgrim's path.
I think an intuitive system would suit me better than systematic school education.
'If I go to the academy, it'll be harder to see Sister Charlotte and the Grand Duchess.'
Also, after wandering outside for a not-so-short time,
I felt like I wanted to continue spending a long time with the family who raised me and grew up with me.
'Hmm... Sister Charlotte.'
I clearly recalled my sister and adoptive mother with a warm and longing feeling.
But unfortunately, that pure state of mind couldn't last very long.
'The touch on my palm is still vivid. And Sister's moans that tickled my ears.'
That's right.
A masterpiece crafted by the goddess,
Yesterday I experienced a new side of Sister Charlotte that I had never felt before.
Of course, at the time, since it was such a direct encounter, I was so flustered
That I showed a foolish appearance desperately trying to ignore the masterpiece before my eyes.
But if I hadn't fallen into a very deep sleep last night due to the severe accumulated travel fatigue,
This guy probably would have done the embarrassing act of having a wet dream
While savoring Sister Charlotte's beautiful naked form again in my dreams.
"Ha! This guy."
While recalling such impressions,
I looked down and simultaneously let out an exasperated exclamation.
"It's amazing it didn't stand up right then. To think it reacts like this just from imagination."
As soon as I recalled Sister Charlotte's honey-like skin
And lustful sighs,
My dick immediately became erect like that of a stallion about to mate.
As I felt myself getting aroused towards the precious Sister Charlotte like that, unable to contain my bewilderment,
Tap tap tap tap!!!
The sound of extremely quick footsteps was heard.
'What? Is Jeanne here already?'
The person who could take such steps inside the Grand Duke's mansion,
It was clearly Jeanne d'Arc de Sel Orléans, the boisterous second daughter of the Orléans Grand Duke family.
'No way, even if she's boisterous, she's still a young lady from a noble family. She wouldn't be crazy enough to barge in here, right?'
It was the nuance of footsteps that seemed like they would cause a big commotion no matter what.
From the sound, it seems she's looking for me.
She'll undoubtedly end up realizing I'm in the shower,
But no matter how much of a wild horse Jeanne is, I don't think she'd suddenly open the shower room door of her now grown-up younger brother.
But my thoughts
"Hey Eugene Schneider! Are you in here???"
Bang!
Were completely off the mark.