***
Freya had always been a righteous child.
Even in a dark fantasy overflowing with all sorts of trickery, she was a child who uniquely upheld a noble justice like a star.
A child who chose to walk the right path rather than the easy one.
A child who harbored noble ideals in her heart out of admiration for her father's position as a judicial officer.
If the genre of the original work had been Romance Fantasy, the protagonist would have in all likelihood been her.
Such a girl was now bowing her head to me.
"Older Brother. I'm sorry. I definitely didn't say that with such an intention......"
Profusely offering an apology to me.
"No. You don't have to apologize."
I said, waving my hand.
"I didn't say it to mean you were at fault. Rather, it's more like I'm the one making excuses."
Even though it took the form of me refuting her words.
That doesn't mean I plan to say Freya was wrong.
Rather, even in my thoughts, the one who was right was Freya.
From the stance of a hero who must pursue goodness, Freya is the correct answer.
If I had been a healer, which is practically half a religious person, I would have said Freya's method was right.
But I am a doctor.
To me, medical ethics are more important than religious ethics.
It means those who can be saved are more important than those who are already dead.
The point is this.
"Freya. It's not that you're wrong. I just want to tell you that we are different."
The ideals she and I pursue are different.
Therefore, even if I consider Freya's justice to be dazzling, I will not chase after that light.
To put it another way,
"I also know that this is hypocrisy, but I have no intention of changing my ways."
From now on, I had no choice but to continue prioritizing the people who could be saved.
Being the bright girl she is, Freya would understand the meaning within this short sentence without misinterpreting it.
Soon, a small voice was heard from beneath her deeply bowed head.
"Then what should I do?"
"I want you to stick to your ways just as they are. Even if you and I clash in the process, I want you to keep moving forward."
"But I don't want to fight with you, Older Brother."
"This isn't fighting. It's the process of exploring a better method."
Society is a place where countless ethics and forms of justice are entangled in contradiction.
Just as the ethics of the police and a doctor are different.
Just as the ethics of a soldier and a lawyer are different.
Society is a place where these contradictions intricately clash, and one upholds their own methods.
I hoped Freya would understand that complexity.
But it seemed Freya was not ready for that yet.
"But what if I am wrong?"
"Why do you worry about that?"
"Because since we were young, you were always more outstand... ing than me, Older Brother......"
"You don't need to worry about that."
I understand her fear.
She must be afraid of being wrong without even realizing it.
Because I, too, have often feared making the wrong choice.
"It's the same for me. That's why we have conversations. I want you to tell me every time something like this happens. That way, I can check one more time to see if my choice wasn't wrong."
Freya was speechless for a while.
Then, her voice flowed out from beneath her deeply bowed head.
"I understand. Then...... I will visit Count Barlot tomorrow and try talking to him."
"Thank you, Freya."
Like that, our dinner ended.
For Freya, it was a time to sort out her confusion,
and for me, it was a time to check my methods once more.
***
The morning after having a deep conversation with Yulian.
Freya first visited the mansion of Count Barlot.
She had a duty as a noble to learn arcane magic, but more than that, it was largely to organize her thoughts before having another 'conversation' with Yulian.
'The person Older Brother defended......'
Was this person truly someone worth that much?
To confirm that fact, she decided to meet the count in person.
'This is the residence of Count Barlot's family?'
The first thing that welcomed Freya upon arriving at the mansion was the poorly managed garden of the count's family.
While passing through that garden toward the mansion, a doubt naturally arose in her mind.
'Could the garden of someone who was once a marquis be this poorly maintained?'
The garden is the face of the family.
Because it is the first place a guest sees when visiting the mansion.
Therefore, the duties of the mistress of the house, who manages the household, also include tending to the garden.
It wasn't for nothing that the mistresses of the house took a walk in the garden day in and day out.
At this time, since the garden had to be managed so one could glimpse the family tradition and values, there were always strict management methods passed down through generations.
Freya, who was to inherit the position of family head along with the arcane magic, had not been taught those management methods by her mother.
Because that was the role of the mistress of the house, not the family head.
However, even to her eyes, it was hard to say this garden was well-maintained, even as empty words.
It wasn't that it wasn't managed at all.
It was just that the aesthetic and theme lacked harmony.
Not a single trace of the Barlot count's family's family tradition could be glimpsed in the garden.
'Is the mistress of the house poor at managing it? Or does she just not take a walk very often?'
Harboring a doubt alongside an impression that might be slightly rude, she headed inside.
But that doubt did not last long.
"Hello, Count. I am Freya Nihilrit. I have come to receive learning as discussed."
"Have you arrived, Young Lady? You came earlier than the promised time. He is currently in the backyard, but he will be here soon, so could you wait a moment?"
"Thank you, Madam."
Because the moment she saw Countess Barlot barely walking with the help of a walking brace, she felt like she knew the reason.
'The countess was unwell. I'm sorry.'
With a physical condition like that, it was natural that it couldn't be helped.
To manage it, one had to personally take a walk around, but if she could barely walk without such a walking brace, taking a walk would be difficult.
Rather, the count, who handled the family head duties while also taking over the garden management on behalf of his wife, was the amazing one.
Having confirmed the truth, Freya sent an unheard apology to the countess.
Unaware of Freya's inner thoughts, the countess's attitude towards Freya was incredibly warm and gentle.
"You are Professor Yulian's younger sister, right? If you wait a moment in the reception room, a servant will bring my husband."
"Countess. You don't have to push yourself so hard......"
"It's fine. Director Schun occasionally treats me, and he said I have to keep walking like this for my rehabilitation."
Saying so, the countess personally brought out tea.
It wasn't that there were no servants to serve the tea.
"Professor Yulian is always busy, so I never get the chance to serve him personally. So I wanted to at least serve his younger sister, Young Lady Freya, like this."
The countess merely wanted to serve the tea herself.
Freya felt burdened by the countess's goodwill.
Usually, the mistress of the house personally serving tea was something done only when a person with a higher title of nobility or the parents of both families came as guests.
Or a sign of respect shown to a benefactor equivalent to that.
Either way, it was not an attitude a countess should show to a normal viscount family's young lady.
"I hope the tea suits your appetite, young lady."
"It's really delicious. Thank you, Countess."
"That's a relief."
The woman with a warm impression clasped her hands together and smiled contentedly.
Meanwhile, Freya's gaze could hardly tear itself away from the countess's limping leg.
"......"
"Young Lady Nihilrit. By any chance, are you curious about my leg?"
"......Yes."
"It seems Professor Yulian did not tell you."
"Because our older brother does not share information about a patient or someone seeking a consultation, even with his family."
"Fufu, that is very like the Professor."
The countess burst into a small laugh while covering her mouth.
Every single action was imbued with dignity.
"I had surgery. I don't know if I understood it correctly, but I heard my blood vessels and kidneys were blocked once, so I almost had to undergo an amputation on my leg. Fortunately, my leg could be saved, but because I was lying down for so long, all my muscles had died."
"Would divine magic be of no use?"
"Divine magic doesn't build muscles, does it?"
Is that so?
At that moment, Freya recalled Director Schun's muscular holy knight.
She heard that he wrapped his body in divine power and, trusting in that regenerative power, deliberately tore his muscles to build them up.
— "Mr. Otto! Just one more set!!"
— "Guaaagh......"
She remembered the sight she accidentally saw while passing by the Merkur Trading Company in the past.
The sight of Director Schun's chauffeur, Otto, suffering at the hands of the muscular holy knight.
However, she couldn't imagine the countess imitating that method, so Freya just nodded her head.
As she was chatting with the countess like that, the count, who had been in the backyard, entered the reception room before they knew it.
"I apologize. I needed to check if the tulip I transplanted yesterday had settled well."
At those words, Freya understood.
Fresh flowers, not artificial ones, are very expensive.
Especially for rare fresh flowers, their value skyrockets.
It wasn't to the extent that a noble would rejoice and grieve over it, but it had enough value to make one's heart ache if it withered.
Therefore, the reason the count checked the tulip early in the morning was fully understandable.
"It's a tulip Professor Yulian gave me several days ago. I heard the Nihilrit family's garden is overflowing with fresh flowers?"
"Yes. We've received many gifts from those around us, so thankfully we have many."
A special fresh flower blooming in a backyard also acts as a symbol for an alliance between families.
For example, if a black rose bloomed in a certain count's family's garden, it means that the ducal family with a black rose garden and that count's family are close.
Conversely, if they were growing a black rose without even being close, they could potentially get scolded by the ducal family; such was the ecology of nobles.
For reference, there were dozens of such unique fresh flowers in the Nihilrit family's backyard.
They were fresh flowers sent by families indebted to Yulian.
"Haha. Madame Nihilrit must have a hard time managing them."
"Thanks to that, mother also told my older brother to stop accepting them."
"She earns my respect. My back hurts just because of one flower."
The count patted his back while letting out a hearty laugh.
Freya returned an awkward smile.
It was because it was difficult to genuinely smile for the count.
'......I know he is a good person, but.'
Looking at the count, the images of the graduated seniors going in and out of the Meyer Infirmary kept coming to mind.
Although the count didn't harm them directly, they were the ones who received scars and pain that would last a lifetime because of him.
Thinking of them, it was because the count did not entirely feel like a good man.
"Now, as promised, I will pass down the arcane magic to you, young lady."
Unaware of Freya's inner thoughts, the count immediately announced the start of the class.
It was right when such an uncomfortable class was about to begin.
"......Huh?"
While moving to the training room to learn arcane magic.
Freya ran into an unexpected person in the hallway.
"Senior?"
"Hm? Do you know me, friend?"
"Yes. You're Lady Isolde!"
It was Isolde, a senior who had graduated from the Hero Department.
Having replaced her right leg with a prosthetic leg, she scratched her cheek awkwardly and said.
"Umm...... You seem to be a junior, but I'm sorry. I don't remember people well. Have we met somewhere before?"
"No. It's just that I know the graduated seniors one-sidedly."
"Did you find a yearbook from somewhere and look through it?"
"No? I want to become a great hero like you seniors someday, so I just kept a clipping whenever your great performances were published in the newspaper."
"......What?"
This was Freya's hobby.
Also known as hero fangirling.
Liking justice, she also liked collecting the great performances of heroes who embodied justice.
Her room was to the point where books filled with newspaper clippings of various heroes' great performances were lined up like grimoires.
Of course, the one that took up an entire shelf among them was undeniably the book about Yulian (Director Schun).
Hearing about Freya's hobby unintentionally, Isolde was flustered for a moment.
"Uh...... What an earnest junior...... By the way, what brings our junior to the count's mansion?"
The one who answered Isolde's question instead was Count Barlot, who was accompanying Freya.
"She is Professor Yulian's younger sister. I am personally acquainted with that professor, so I plan to help with her training during the summer vacation."
"So another person has been added?"
"Haha...... You could say that."
Another person?
While Freya harbored that doubt, Isolde waved her hand at Freya.
"Well then, junior. Learn a lot from the count. I learned a lot too. I'll be going now."
Leaving those words behind, Isolde left the hallway with a stride so natural it was hard to believe she wore a prosthetic leg.
After Isolde disappeared.
Freya asked the count a question.
"What do you mean, another person? Are there other seniors learning arcane magic like me?"
"Something similar."
The count said with a bitter smile.
"Although Director Schun treated them, it's because I have committed many crimes. So I'm teaching martial arts to the graduates."
"What!?"
Freya was astonished.
"All those many people? Do you even have time to rest?"
"Where would a sinner have time to rest? Even a lifetime of atonement wouldn't be enough."
The count formed a bitter smile.
"Of course, I know this won't be a reward for them. Even so, I must do it. It's not an atonement I started to seek forgiveness anyway."
The bitter smile had naturally turned into a self-deprecating smile.
"The Imperial Court didn't order it, but I intend to support them personally as their guardian."
"Do you plan to support all those many people?"
"I may look like this now, but I was a marquis of the Academy Territory. I have the ability to support at least one knight order."
Freya stared at the count, lost for words.
It felt as though a corner of her heart was throbbing.
"The introduction was long. Let's get going. I must make an apology for causing trouble for Professor Yulian."