"Heee~ As expected of the famous White Devil. You really live up to your name."
A girl's elegant voice rang out from the forest.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
An ivory-haired girl stepped out from between the trees.
"Should I say nice to meet you," she smiled faintly, "or nice to meet you again?"
Serene Aidark.
Knox, who had already sensed her presence long ago, remained completely calm. He took a relaxed sip of his tea.
"Hmmm~ as expected of tea made by me," he said cheerfully. "So refreshing."
Then, he tilted his head slightly, smiling.
"How about it, Miss Aidark? Why don't you sit down and try my tea?"
For Serene, the situation was… strange.
Just moments ago, she had been carefully watching Simon approach the ruins where the Seventh Legion's administrator was sealed.
And then—someone appeared. Without her noticing. That alone was surprising enough to make her wary.
But the next scene made her mind freeze for a brief moment.
Instead of attacking, the intruder calmly set up an afternoon tea—table, chairs, desserts, everything.
And then she realized who it was.
Knox Aznable…
At that point, the matter became far more serious.
What caught her attention most, however, was the detail she noticed next.
Two chairs.
As if he had already been waiting for someone. For her.
Serene straightened slightly.
She possessed a strong sense of pride—enough to make her look down on most people. And she trusted her own intelligence.
If she failed to realize that Knox Aznable had been waiting for her to show up…
Then she might as well step down from her position as the successor of the Ivory Tower.
"Hii~. Nice to meet you again, Miss Aidark. Shall we introduce ourselves properly this time? I mean, we never really did, right~?"
Knox smiled. "My name is Knox Aznable. I'm just a humble, ordinary student, so… just call me Knox~"
It was a cheerful smile. The kind of smile that usually made girls blush—or at least put people at ease.
Unfortunately, the current setting was the middle of a restricted forest.
And in this situation, that smile didn't work the way it usually did. In fact, it only made things worse.
Serene's vigilance shot through the roof—especially after hearing that single word.
Ordinary.
…Ordinary?! (＃￣д￣)
If you call yourself ordinary, Serene scoffed internally, her temple throbbing, then what does that make people who are actually ordinary? Stray dogs?!
Despite the irritation boiling inside her, her lips still curved into a smile—though it was stiff and slightly twitching.
"Ahem. Nice to meet you again, Mr. Aznable—no, nice to meet you again, Knox."
Serene smiled. "My name is Serene Aidark. I'm just a mere, ordinary successor of a certain magic tower, so… you can simply call me Serene."
Of course, that was after she had forcefully calmed herself down inside her heart.
Knox blinked. The moment he heard the words mere, ordinary, and certain magic tower strung together like that, his heart twitched slightly.
My god… Knox thought.
You really just called yourself "mere" and "ordinary," and even downgraded the Ivory Tower to "a certain magic tower"?
If I didn't know your true nature, I might've actually believed that self-humble brag!
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately—Knox's skin was thick enough to take her counterattack without flinching.
Of course, taking it didn't mean he wouldn't fire back.
"HAHAHA~ Serene, I never knew you had such a great sense of humor!" Knox laughed.
"You'd make a fantastic comedian."
"If people actually heard what you just said, they'd probably die from sheer anger, you know~?"
Comedian? Serene snapped inwardly. (＃￣д￣)
Comedian your head! Try listening to your own ridiculous words first!
Naturally, she kept those thoughts to herself. For now.
"Hehe, surely you jest, Knox," Serene replied smoothly. "I already knew you had a funny side, but seeing it in person really is different."
"Oh my~" Knox placed a hand on his chest dramatically.
"Looks like someone's been watching me pretty closely. Even someone like me might get shy, you know~?"
Despite his words, neither his expression nor his demeanor showed even a hint of embarrassment.
"Ha… ha," Serene laughed lightly.
"Hehe~" Knox answered back.
If anyone were to witness this scene, they would swear sparks were flying between their gazes.
Though, to be precise—
From Serene's side, it was a sharp, dangerous spark.
From Knox's side, it was a teasing one—sparkling, kirakira, dokidoki—
…Ahem. Wrong kind of sparkling.
More than anything, the scene looked like a clash between a scummy white-colored fox vs. an equally scummy ivory-colored fox.
"Alright, alright~ Serene, how about you try these desserts and the tea?" Knox said with a confident smile.
"I'm very confident in my cooking skills, you know~!"
Serene's forehead twitched at his blatant topic change. Just for a moment.
Then she smiled and replied calmly, "Oh~ I've long heard about your amazing cooking skills. To think I'd actually get the chance to taste them myself… it's my honor."
She reached for one of the red macarons and took a bite.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"This… it's more than I expected," she said, genuinely surprised. "Truly delicious."
Then she noticed the cup of hot, beautifully brewed black tea in front of her. Lifting the cup, she took a small sip.
"!"
Her expression shifted once more.
"With my position, I've tasted countless delicacies and fine teas," Serene continued. "But this tea—and these desserts—are truly magnificent."
"Hehe~ I'm glad you like them, Serene," Knox replied cheerfully.
"If you have any suggestions or ideas—especially about cooking—feel free to tell me anytime!"
After wiping her mouth elegantly, Serene's smiling expression slowly faded.
Her face turned serious.
"Rather than suggestions," she said calmly, "I have a question. I'll be direct."
She looked straight at him. "Knox Aznable—why are you here?"
Knox smiled. "Why?" he replied lightly. "Of course, to have a chat and afternoon tea with a pretty girl like you~"
Serene stood up.
"Stop joking. Don't think I'm stupid," she said coldly. "With the timing of your appearance, I don't believe it's a coincidence that you showed up the moment he entered the ruins."
"Well," Knox said with an easy smile, "fate is truly unpredictable—and romantic. Don't you think?"
He stood as well. In the next instant, the entire afternoon tea set vanished without a trace.
Serene's gaze sharpened. "You do realize what is sealed beneath these ruins, don't you?"
Knox tilted his head slightly, smiling teasingly.
"Guess~?"
She stared at him. Before she could speak again, Knox cut in cheerfully.
"How about you, Serene Aidark? Why are you here~?"
"And don't answer me with 'guess~'. Copying someone else's words isn't very creative."
"…Sigh. I give up," Serene said flatly.
Feathers bloomed into existence behind her—countless, radiant, and sharp.
"Looks like I'll need to use another method to open that mouth of yours."
Knox, already knowing exactly what those feathers were, smiled calmly.
In response, condensed swords of mana materialized around him, hovering silently in the air.
"Hmm, looks like you have an impulsive side too," Knox said lightly.
Serene's feathers and Knox's swords hovered in the air, pointed at one another—
As if glaring at each other.
"To be honest," Knox continued casually, "I'm kind of curious about No. 2's strength."
Serene's lips curved upward.
"Wow. What a coincidence," she replied. "It seems we really are fated."
"Because I'm curious too."
She met his eyes. "About No. 1's strength."
And then—
The feathers and swords clashed.
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Character Voicelines · Knox: About Serene
Knox: Prideful, a bit tsundere, occasionally annoying… but a caring sister nonetheless.