OHNIR – Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Contrast

Even as he stood knocking at his sister's dormitory door, Wend still couldn't figure out what madness had possessed her.

The first-year towers at Holy Light Magic Academy were a far cry from the second-year accommodations. Even though Wend was entitled to the best room, shortcomings like cramped space and being on a high floor were unavoidable.

Wend had been clever since childhood, with an extraordinary grasp of magic. When he had taken the initiative to ask his father to enroll him in the Holy Light Magic Academy, he was actually three years younger than his classmates.

For this reason, Duke Silentdis had been quite worried. He had even tried to persuade Gloria to let her younger brother live with her in the second-year dorms, but his eldest daughter had righteously refused her father's suggestion. "Wend is to inherit the family one day," she had said. "If he can't even endure this small hardship, how can he possibly bear the responsibilities of a duke?"

In truth, her words were rather biased. Even in the spire towers, Wend's accommodations were among the best. If this was considered hardship, then Kelusta's living situation was as primitive as a cave.

The nobles from powerful families, however, didn't see it that way. They genuinely despised the poor environment of the first-year towers.

However, after hearing his daughter's words, the Duke had pondered for a long time. Considering that Wend would likely inherit the secrets of the Silentdis family, he ultimately abandoned the idea of having Gloria look after her brother. He arranged for his younger son to follow the standard procedure and move into the freshman dormitories with the other first-years.

Wend didn't consider it a hardship. After their mother passed away, their father was always worrying needlessly. A year ago, when Gloria had enrolled, he had nearly stormed into the principal's office, grabbed the man by his beard, and demanded the school arrange the best dormitory for her. The Holy Light Magic Academy was still shaken by the incident, so this time, they proactively assigned Wend the best possible accommodations without needing to be told.

As a result, he had kept to himself since the start of the school year and had almost never set foot in his sister's room at this hour.

After three knocks, the carved wooden door was pulled open from within. Gloria was still wearing her formal gown, her face exquisitely made up, looking as if she had just left a banquet.

"...Why haven't you changed and washed up?" Wend asked, puzzled.

He knew something major had happened today; Her Highness the Second Princess had even ended the tea party early. But it was nearly dark outside now, so why was Gloria still lingering in her room in a formal gown?

The duke's eldest daughter didn't answer, merely stepping aside to let Wend in. "Remember," she said lightly, "the guest room is yours for tonight."

Wend raised an eyebrow, a strange expression on his face.

It wasn't just her words; he could also hear the faint sound of running water from within the room.

Gloria was standing right in front of him, so who was using the bathroom?

"'The guest room is mine for tonight?'" Wend crossed his arms, his face, so similar to Gloria's, filled with suspicion. He narrowed his eyes, studying his expressionless sister, but could find no clue for the longest time.

There was someone else showering in the room. Connecting that to Gloria's sudden summons and her specific instructions about the guest room... Wend frowned, piecing together a rough idea without much effort. "Are you in a relationship?" he asked, sounding somewhat conflicted.

He couldn't imagine that anyone allowed into Gloria's private bedroom would be an insignificant character.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Wend keenly noticed his sister's expression soften. She even turned to cast an indescribable glance at the room from which the sound of water came before facing him again. She sighed softly and said, "Not yet."

Oh—not yet.

That meant it was only a matter of time.

Wend nodded knowingly, though he was a bit hesitant.

He didn't want to interfere in Gloria's love life, but as a noble, there were always various trivialities to consider. Besides, he clearly remembered that Gloria still held a place in her heart for an old acquaintance she couldn't let go of...

Now, she suddenly had a love interest. No matter how he looked at it, Wend couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

But before he could speak, Gloria, as if reading his thoughts, offered a faint smile. In a rare display of gentleness, she gave Wend an unexpected answer. "It's her."

Wend didn't react at first. After silently mulling over his sister's words for three seconds, his eyes shot open in astonishment. "What—it's her?!"

Gloria nodded, her eyes brimming with a smile as she raised a finger to her lips, shushing him.

"..." Wend was still in disbelief, but his voice dropped accordingly. "I was wondering about the recent rumors that you were dating someone... I never expected it to be her. Does she have magic? What attribute?"

Gloria paused. On reflection, her meetings with Kelusta did seem a lot like dates.

So she didn't refute it, merely instructing, "Water magic... We haven't made it official, so it's not dating. Don't you go saying anything reckless later."

Wend gave a placating smile, his usually cold and stern face now filled with gentleness. "As you command, my dear sister."

This pair of siblings, typically described by others as "mature and composed," were still like two children in private, their interactions filled with the intimacy and immaturity of their childhood.

---

When Kelusta emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, she found a brand-new set of snow-white loungewear laid out neatly on the bed. She reached out to touch the fabric; its soft, skin-friendly texture made her reluctant to pull her fingers away.

Muttering to herself about how wonderful it was to be rich, she changed into the clothes Gloria had obviously prepared just for her.

...Unsurprisingly, it was a perfect fit.

She stood silently before the mirror, adjusting the garment. She noticed its style was somewhat similar to a choir robe, yet it wasn't as baggy. Instead, it was tailored at the waist. This seemingly minor design detail transformed the garment from a simple robe into something resembling a dress—it didn't completely hide her figure, yet it remained comfortably loose.

All in all, it was quite attractive.

Kelusta ran her fingers through her damp hair, picking up the towel to dry it as she spoke to the System. "I'm all done now."

With her permission, the System deactivated its privacy shield. Once it could observe its host again, it offered a simple comment: "White suits you."

"Thank you," Kelusta said. "While we have a moment, go ahead and issue the next stage of the mission."

"Command received," the System said. "Calculating results for the Stage Three mission... Analysis complete. The temporary host has successfully triggered the important plot point 【An Invitation from a Noble】. Objective complete. Now distributing reward..."

"...Confirmed. The Stage Three mission reward, 【Fake Illness Potion Formula】, has been distributed."

The moment the System finished speaking, Kelusta felt a swelling sensation in her mind, as if someone were pouring water from one container into another. In an instant, she had absorbed all the knowledge regarding the "Fake Illness Potion." Her golden eyes flickered, her gaze shifting from unfocused to sharp. With just a moment's thought, she could now fluently recite the potion's creation process.

"A godsend for slackers," she muttered. "Couldn't you just give me all the potion knowledge at once..."

"Temporary host, please stop dreaming. Do you wish to receive the Stage Four mission immediately?"

Kelusta rubbed her temples. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Yes, receive it. Let's not waste any more time."

"Request accepted. Now issuing mission..."

"Main Mission: Open the 【Secret of the Gods】 True Ending route."

"Completion Method (Stage Four): Successfully unlock the important plot point 【Swan's Memory】. Mission Reward: 【Gathering Magic Circle ×1】."

"...'Swan's Memory'?" Kelusta was dumbfounded. "What kind of plot point is that? I've never heard of it! Are there no other clues?"

"My apologies, temporary host. I have already relayed all available mission information."

This was a world of difference from the last mission, "An Invitation from a Noble"!

The Stage Three mission had at least provided a general direction. Kelusta only needed to pay attention to any gatherings attended by nobles around that point in the plot to deduce it. But this time, the System had only given her an ambiguous title with not a single other piece of information.

Swan's Memory?

Swan... The Holy Light Magic Academy had a Swan Lake. Beyond that, the most famous symbol of a swan was the Goddess of Light, Clara... As for "memory," she didn't know of any noteworthy history associated with Swan Lake. Could it be referring to past events involving Clara from the era of the gods?

There was too little information to make a deduction.

Kelusta sighed. She glanced hesitantly toward the door, set down the towel, and touched her hair.

Rivulets of water were drawn from her hair, and her soft brown locks gradually became dry and fluffy. Kelusta flexed her knuckles in frustration, flicking the collected water into the bathroom with a soft splash.

Forget it, she thought. I've wasted enough time. Now isn't the time to be thinking about the mission.

She pursed her lips, slowly placed her hand on the doorknob, and pushed the door open.

"Senior, I've finished my bath. Are you—"

The rest of Kelusta's sentence caught in her throat. Sitting quietly in the soft armchair she had occupied just moments before was a silver-haired young man. He looked up at the sound of her voice, his deep blue eyes like eternal, unmelting ice. They held no emotion, only a critical, scrutinizing gaze.

Kelusta frowned for a moment before smoothing her expression and offering him a graceful, natural curtsy. "Mr. Silentdis... Hello. I am Kelusta Breviou, a friend of Lady Gloria's. I am here today at her invitation."

Though she was in loungewear, a slightly improper form of dress for the occasion, Wend clearly didn't mind. He merely gave a faint nod, curtly introduced himself as "Wend Silentdis," and then lowered his eyes again, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.

Kelusta didn't mind his cold reception. Although she still wanted to ask for his help in making the potion, trying to cozy up to him rashly might have the opposite effect, so there was no need to rush.

She looked around but didn't see Gloria. Just as she was about to ask Wend where she was, she heard a soft click as the study door opened behind her.

Kelusta's eyes lit up. She turned to see Gloria emerging from the room. The silver-haired girl's face held a faint trace of fatigue, but it vanished the instant her eyes met Kelusta's.

"That looks very pretty on you," Gloria said with a smile.

Kelusta pressed her lips together, a little bashful. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced into the study and saw that it was unusually dim, as dark as if there were no lights on at all.

She didn't think much of it, assuming Gloria simply hadn't lit any lamps. She casually averted her gaze and said with concern to the silver-haired girl, "Senior, you should go change as well. It must be uncomfortable to stay in that formal gown for so long..."

Gloria was accustomed to formal attire and didn't really mind, but she was always happy to indulge Kelusta's concern. She nodded and replied with a smile, "Alright."

Behind Kelusta, Wend quietly rolled his eyes.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and gave Gloria an expressionless nod. "I'm going to make dinner," he said.

"Mm, go ahead."

The duke's eldest daughter replied with perfect nonchalance.

With that, Wend turned and walked toward the kitchen, completely ignoring the brown-haired girl who stood frozen in shock at his words.

Huh? Cooking?

Isn't he the heir to the first ducal family of Nobili? How could he do something so... mundane???

Kelusta stared in horror at the duke's son's retreating back, as if doubting her own ears. She turned sluggishly to Gloria and asked dryly, "Did Mr. Wend say...?"

"Hm? ...That he's going to cook," Gloria's smile deepened. She reached out to ruffle Kelusta's hair and teased, "Why so surprised? Does being a noble mean one can't know how to cook?"

Ah, so does that mean you can cook too? she wondered. Well, that makes sense. Otherwise, the kitchen would just be for decoration...

"No... that's not what I meant..." Kelusta said with a wooden expression, glancing hesitantly toward the kitchen. Even she could tell how insincere her words sounded.

Why would a noble learn to cook? Are the servants just for show?

Even though the Holy Light Magic Academy didn't allow personal servants, the dormitories of these young masters and ladies were cleaned regularly. At mealtimes, all they had to do was ring a bell, and someone would deliver exquisite, delicious food right to their door.

She knew this from observation, if not experience; Kelusta had lost count of how many times she had seen such delivery staff at the tower entrance.

Perhaps sensing the disbelief written all over her face, Gloria raised an eyebrow, her expression growing inscrutable. Her fingers moved down to gently pinch the brown-haired girl's cheek as she said suggestively, "There are plenty of nobles who are skilled at cooking... Perhaps there's even someone you know among them."

Who? Starangui? Satrick? Give me a break. The children of a duke cooking could, at a stretch, be explained as a hobby. But if a prince and princess also had to live so miserably, she would have to wonder if the royal family was too poor to put food on the table.

Avia, on the other hand, was a possibility. I've heard fire mages are quite skilled at cooking... Who knows if that pampered young lady secretly bakes bread and cookies in her spare time?

If Wend—the famously unapproachable "flower on a high peak," the super-popular and most difficult capture target in Oceanum—could roll up his sleeves to wash vegetables, then what in this world was impossible?

Seeing Kelusta lost in her strange speculations, the duke's daughter sighed softly. In that brief moment while the brown-haired girl was distracted, her butterfly-wing lashes trembled, concealing the complex emotions that had inadvertently surfaced in her eyes.

Gloria suddenly took her hand. When Kelusta looked over in confusion, she loosened her grip slightly and gave her the same natural smile as always.

"Your formal gown was covered in dust and couldn't be worn again, so I had it thrown out," she said lightly. "Come to my room... I'll pick out a couple of new outfits for you to try. Consider it an apology gift."

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