Celin immediately felt a surge of emotion upon hearing Arthur’s words and stood up abruptly.
“This uncle is really something!”
Celin was already pushed to her mental limits.
Unable to contain her anger, she grabbed Arthur by the collar, and as people stood up to break them apart, the reception room became a chaotic scene.
High-pitched screams and cries formed a dismal harmony.
Beyond that, Liya shook her head, trembling.
“N-No… I love my brother so much… It was so painful because I loved him so much… But how could I…”
As she looked down at her hands shaking, Liya’s eyes reflected,
“I-I…”
A blood-soaked, pristine white hand emerged.
It was the blood of her beloved brother.
“I-I-I…”
Liya, shaking her head in denial, dragged her bottom back, trying to distance herself. Even as she struggled to escape, she was already cornered.
There was nowhere to run.
The bloodstained handprints on the floor bore witness to her guilt.
Unable to bear looking at it, Liya closed her eyes and fell over.
A pitiful, trembling voice escaped her throat.
“…No.”
The sounds around her faded into silence as Liya was left alone in the pitch darkness.
Only the sound of her sobbing remained in that empty space.
“No, no, no…”
The girl struggled there for a long time.
“Noooooo!”
With a scream, she gasped and opened her eyes.
It was a dark and damp place.
Liya hugged her own trembling body with her arms.
A loud clacking noise echoed as her teeth clashed together.
Her body was drenched in cold sweat, and tears started to stream down her eyes.
Liya cried.
“A, I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, brother. I-I…”
Everything was denied.
Liya was not ‘Percus.’
No, she couldn’t even be sure if she was human.
She had stabbed her beloved brother with her own hands.
What kind of human could do that?
Thus, Liya’s broken mind concluded.
The answer became more and more apparent.
The bureaucrat of the Empire, shouting and pointing fingers.
“…I must be a monster.”
Liya had disappeared.
It had been several days since she had remained in a spot where no one knew.
Liya, already weak, retched.
She resented herself for being hungry despite being a monster.
The girl was trying to end her own life with her remorse.
Upon hearing the news of Liya’s disappearance, I immediately prepared to go out.
Naturally, there were quite a few protests.
“Ian, no! Your body isn’t normal yet! As you can see, most of your muscles have atrophied from a long state of unconsciousness… Aaaah!”
As the Virgin Saint’s words grew longer, I silently took out a potion from my pocket and gulped it down.
It was the strength-enhancing potion Emma had given me.
Even using magic made it difficult to stand, but with the potion’s effect, I could indeed move.
Of course, the Virgin Saint looked as if the world was crumbling around her.
“You’re crazy! Crazy, crazy, crazy… And you’re taking more potions after that ordeal…!”
“If you try to stop me any further, I’ll drink another bottle.”
At that, the Virgin Saint stomped her feet but couldn’t restrain me anymore.
She merely glared at me with misty eyes filled with resentment.
“…Anyway, you don’t care about my feelings, do you?”
Amidst her mixed feelings of anger and shame, the Virgin Saint spat out those words.
The depth of emotion in her light pink eyes was quite thick.
If left as it was, she looked like she could burst into tears at any moment.
My gaze silently fixated on the Virgin Saint.
“Every time, I’m the one anxious, worried, lonely… and yet you don’t even care! Am I that easy? I have men lining up to say they like me…”
“Lady Virgin Saint.”
She flinched at my serious tone.
And when I took a step forward, her body instinctively flinched.
Seeing her quivering light pink eyes, I remembered what Reto had once told me.
He said that when a woman is angry, one should calm her down.
I soon found the answer, and my lips gently opened.
“…You’re beautiful.”
The Virgin Saint’s breath caught.
Her lips opened and closed.
After some time of repeating that motion, she finally took a deep breath and spoke.
“W-What did you say?”
“I said you’re beautiful. Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen you in a while.”
As soon as I said that, the Virgin Saint’s demeanor changed completely.
Her light pink eyes, which were misty, subtly avoided mine, and she showed signs of blushing and hesitating.
Her index finger nervously twirled her hair.
“…Is that so? W-Well, it’s something that goes without saying.”
“Yes, you’re beautiful.”
The Virgin Saint, who was trying to act nonchalant, began to hesitate again.
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, then fiddled with her fingers before asking.
“I-I’ve been feeling quite rough lately, so I may look a bit haggard…”
“But you’re still beautiful. Just like always.”
With each compliment I threw her way, the Virgin Saint’s face brightened considerably.
Though she seemed to want to act indifferent, she couldn’t stop her rising smile.
Adopting a haughty voice, the Virgin Saint exclaimed.
“W-Well, it seems my eyesight is still fine? After all, as for my beauty, I never… in the Academy…”
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
I left the now proud Virgin Saint and leaped out the window.
Once downstairs, I was likely to be ambushed by Senior Elsi, who was always eyeing her chance.
Or perhaps I might run into Celin who would fuss if I tried to do anything.
I figured it would be better to endure a bit of shock.
The Virgin Saint belatedly realized my bold escape.
“I-Ian! Where do you think you’re… Aaaaaah! I absolutely need to keep myself stable…!”
As soon as she saw me falling, she screamed again.
With a thud, the impact shook me to my core and ached all the way to my bones.
If my body were normal, it wouldn’t have hurt, but having fallen from the second floor and used magic to boot, this was the result.
I let out a faint groan but quickly stood up.
I waved at the Virgin Saint to signal that I was fine.
Though she was teary-eyed, she ultimately let me go.
It seemed that threatening her with another potion had been effective.
Claiming she wasn’t an easy girl, from my perspective, she certainly appeared to be one.
But that also made her a bit adorable.
I moved briskly, already feeling the urgency. It wouldn’t do to have anyone come rushing in after hearing the scream.
Most likely, they would try to stop me.
As I crossed the backyard toward the mountain behind, a strange presence followed behind me.
It was a familiar presence.
Stopping abruptly, a name slipped from my lips.
“…Senior Neoris.”
“Yes, Ian…”
As the shadow settled, the shape of a woman emerged.
She was a beauty with brown hair and deep green eyes.
It was Senior Neoris, an agent of the Empire’s Intelligence Department.
She dared not even make eye contact with me, bowing her head deeply.
It was a clear sign of submission.
After watching her for a moment, I suddenly recalled something I had forgotten.
There was something I needed to convey to her.
The Empire’s swordsmanship experts were said to belong to the Empire’s Intelligence Department.
So it was obvious who had brought the expert in.
“I’m grateful for what you did last time.”
Senior Neoris was momentarily silent.
She simply looked up at me blankly, and when our eyes met, she flinched and lowered her head.
“Ah, n-no! I only followed Ian-nim’s orders…”
“Thank you.”
I flash a wry smile and repeated,
“…For believing in me without suspicion.”
Senior Neoris blushed at the continued praise and averted her gaze.
It seemed that she too felt the emotion of embarrassment.
It was natural, after all, since she was human.
Just as I was about to continue on my path after glancing at Senior Neoris…
“Are you looking for your sister?”
I glanced over at Senior Neoris in surprise at her sudden question.
She bowed her head even deeper.
“I might have tracked her whereabouts just in case. If you wish, I can guide you immediately…”
“It’s okay.”
I smiled with gratitude and stepped forward again.
“…I think I know where she is.”
As an older brother, it was normal to keep track of his sister’s movements.
I could soon climb the mountain behind me.
Since my body hadn’t fully recovered, my breath was already becoming ragged.
At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to boast about being an expert anywhere.
If I were a student of the swordsmanship department at the Academy, I should be able to laugh and run up even steeper mountains.
I could almost hear Professor Derek’s booming voice echoing in my ear.
“Will, will!”
It had been a horrid phrase the first time I heard it, but now I understood it a bit more.
Yes, will.
I pulled my heavy legs up the mountain.
As I passed the halfway point and approached the summit, I veered off the main path.
Walking and walking, I found a secret place known only to the neighborhood brats.
A flower field bursting with sepia flowers.
Right in the middle, an unexpected pit had been dug.
A helpless laugh escaped me.
It was clear where I had come and what I was doing.
I cautiously estimated the depth of the pit.
It was deeper than I expected.
It meant that Liya had been more distressed than I had thought. The pit leading into the tunnel suggested that Liya was deeply hurt.
So I promptly jumped into the pit.
Afterward, I cleared away the dried leaves blocking the tunnel’s entrance and peered inside.
There curled a girl, trembling.
Looking at her, she was hardly different from a wild beast.
She squinted against the pouring sunlight, then slowly opened her eyes.
Golden eyes met golden eyes.
And then silence.
Liya froze in place, seemingly unable to believe it.
So I had no choice but to greet her first.
“…Hello, Liya.”
To my dear sister, who had grown thin but was still adorable.
“Have you eaten?”
I repeated a question I had asked once before.
Liya’s eyes started to redden slowly.
It was a midsummer reunion between siblings.
