Exiting the Count's office, Grandmaster Brian immediately encountered Fabian waiting in the hallway.
"Grandmaster," Fabian greeted, offering a respectful bow.
"You have been working in this estate since before the Count's birth, have you not?" Brian asked, his tone contemplative.
"Indeed I have, Lord Magister," the old butler nodded, falling into step as he followed Brian down the corridor.
"Then tell me, what are your personal thoughts regarding your Lord's sudden adoption of these three young girls?" Brian asked, curious to hear the perspective of someone so close to Ulrich.
"The Count harbors no ill intentions toward them," Fabian replied immediately, without a trace of hesitation.
"How can you be so certain? You were present when the previous Countess had died because of a Witch. I highly doubt such a trauma is easily erased from a son's mind. They may be young, innocent children, but regardless, he brought witches into the very home where he lost his mother. Do you not find that suspicious?"
"Lord Magister, the Count indeed always has, and I assume still does harbor a certain negative view for Witches. But he would never direct that hatred toward these young girls," Fabian insisted gently.
"Hm. He did, however, lead the attack that reduced an entire village of their kind to ash," Brian pointed out, thoughtfully stroking his long beard.
"That assault was carried out strictly per His Majesty's explicit orders," Fabian replied defensively.
"But would the Count have ignored the village's existence had he discovered it himself, without the King's mandate?" Brian asked.
Fabian fell silent, not knowing how to answer that difficult question. Ulrich was certainly no saint, that much was true. But at the very least, concerning those three sisters, based entirely on what the butler had observed...
"He only wishes to see them grow. Perhaps the Count has some grand design in his mind, but until now, he has offered the young ladies nothing but a safe roof, warm food, and the best of education. The Count has not hurt them. He formally adopted them, despite being a high-ranking noble of Skargardia and despite the potential political consequences. Would a man with malicious intentions truly go so far as to put his own territory and public image in such extreme danger just to use them?" Fabian asked softly.
For someone like Ulrich, who typically cared a great deal about his reputation, doing something so reckless was shocking to Fabian. But at the same time, the butler understood it was definitively a calculated method to protect these girls. If he only wanted to use them as disposable tools, why go to such extreme lengths to ensure they were legally protected from the harsh laws and prejudices of his own kingdom?
Hearing the butler's impassioned words, the old Grandmaster merely offered a few more slow strokes to his beard. "You are a very faithful servant," he said with a soft smile.
Fabian simply smiled in return. "Please, help the young ladies," he requested finally.
"I fully intend to. Those three girls are small diamonds," Brian said.
Glancing out a nearby hallway window, he could see them standing out in the yard from afar. They were currently idle, or, rather, not so idle. Esther was on her hands and knees picking up the broken fragments of the shattered Veritas Sphere, while Hermione tugged at her arm, telling her not to worry about it lest she cut herself. Meanwhile, Airam was simply standing perfectly still, shooting a cold, murderous stare at Brian's poor, terrified assistant, who was waiting there with a highly strained smile.
Realizing he needed to intervene before blood was drawn, the Grandmaster hurriedly left the estate and headed back out toward the lawns.
"I am telling you to stop doing this! The maids are here to do these things for us, Esther!" Hermione scolded, yanking on her younger sister's arm.
"B—But someone walking might accidentally hurt himself," Esther protested weakly.
"We are nobles now, do you understand?" Hermione gave her a dead serious look. "Ulrich will be annoying us to see you crawling on the grass like a commoner."
"Ah!"
At the mere utter of the Count's name, Esther sprang to her feet immediately, brushing off her dress. "You are right..."
Hermione gave Esther a very hard stare. As expected, Ulrich's name worked like magic on her.
"Excuse me for my delay, I needed to be absent for a brief moment," the Grandmaster said as he finally arrived back at the scene.
"Grandmaster!" Hermione beamed, her demeanor instantly shifting into a bright, eager smile.
"You went to speak with Ulrich. What exactly did you discuss?" Airam asked immediately, shooting him a cold suspicious glare, completely opposite to Hermione's welcoming gaze.
Brian's warm smile faltered slightly under Airam's black intense eyes.
"Airam! The Grandmaster is here to teach us magic, we must show him proper respect," Hermione scolded, trying to maintain her newly adopted noble etiquette.
Airam merely flicked an unimpressed, dismissive glance toward Hermione before snapping her chilling gaze directly back to Brian.
"I want to learn magic capable of shattering barriers," she asked. "And spells to put people to sleep instantly. Also, magic that kills a man in a single strike."
The Grandmaster chuckled nervously, doing his best to maintain his warm, grandfatherly smile despite the lethality of the young girl's requests.
"Well... for now, we will focus on the basics," Brian deflected smoothly, clearing his throat. "We will learn how to properly control and spin mana, allowing it to flow safely through your standard magical channels so that you do not have to rely on your innate Witch Veins."
"Why?" Airam asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "We are witches. Why should we ignore our own nature?"
"Because the people here really don't like witches, Elder Sister," Esther chimed in with flawless, childish logic, peeking her head out from behind Hermione's shoulder to look up at Airam.
"Quite correct, little lady," Brian praised, his strained smile instantly softening. "And what might your name be?"
"Esther," she replied, a shy smile finally appearing on her face. Her posture relaxed considerably; this grandfatherly old man felt far less tense and intimidating than the strict, looming presence of Ulrich.
"I am Hermione, and she is Airam!" Hermione quickly added, stepping forward to eagerly reclaim the tutor's attention with a bright beam.
"It is a pleasure to formally meet all of you. We have seen each other already before, but allow me to properly introduce myself once more. I am Brian Strelley, a Grandmaster of the magical arts. However, during our lessons, you may call me however you wish," he said stroking his beard with a gentle smile.
"Grandmaster!" Hermione called right after enthusiastically.
"Grandpa...?" Esther asked timidly.
"Brian," Airam said.
Brian's smile twitched with amusement.
In less than a minute, he had already perfectly deduced which sister was going to be a joy to teach, which one needed gentle encouragement, and which one was going to make his remaining years exceedingly difficult…