My ‘real’ sister.
Just a short while ago, she was a person who elicited no reactions when I comforted Liya.
The only one I considered as my sister was Liya from the manor.
Yet, the bond of blood was truly terrifying.
She was a sister I had never met even once in my life, yet my heart was already pounding.
I felt a strong urge to open the documents immediately and confront her whereabouts.
No, it wasn’t time yet.
I moistened my parched lips with saliva.
“Are you perhaps in a painful situation?”
It was a straightforward question.
At the weight of that inquiry, the archmage slightly averted my gaze.
Being human, he couldn’t help but feel compassion.
“…I don’t know well, but not particularly.”
At the archmage’s answer, I let out a sigh of relief.
Even though she was a sister whose face I didn’t know, if she was still living in pain, it would have shattered my family’s hearts.
I might feel less of it, but my parents and brother had memories with her.
The subsequent questions were just as straightforward.
“Do your parents know?”
“They mentioned it… However, the Percus couple has entrusted the choice to you. If I’m not mistaken, it seems the wounds of the past are quite deep.”
It was understandable.
My parents must have paid a heavy price for the loss of their daughter.
Moreover, they would carry a sense of guilt for not being able to protect her.
Ultimately, the choice was mine to make.
A clue to find the sister whose name I didn’t even know lay right before my eyes.
I pondered deeply.
Suddenly, Liya’s face from earlier flashed through my mind.
Finding my sister was not a simple decision.
It was a choice that could destroy all the relationships I had built until now.
If I were to seek my sister, how would Liya feel?
And what about my sister, who seemed not to be in a painful situation?
I didn’t take too long to ponder.
But that didn’t mean there was no turmoil.
After a brief but profound agony, I arrived at a single conclusion.
I spoke a word mixed with torment.
“…I see.”
With a tearing sound, the documents were ripped apart along with the envelope.
The archmage silently observed my hand gestures.
Following that, the documents were torn into dozens of pieces. My hand left several scratches on the paper, making it difficult to recognize the text.
And then, I placed the shredded documents onto the desk with a thud.
Only then did the archmage speak.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I have only one sister.”
Yes, I had made a promise to Liya.
To me, the ‘real’ one is the only one.
I hoped this decision would not disrupt the peaceful lives of the two sisters.
“…There are no others.”
With those words, I quickly rose from my seat.
Even I couldn’t keep my emotions in check.
Rather than return and reverse my decision, I chose to leave the place, even if it was somewhat rude.
Fortunately, it seemed the archmage understood my feelings.
As I bowed my head to show respect, the archmage quietly nodded in response.
“Go on, you’ve gone through a lot… We’ll discuss the compensation from the Imperial Court later.”
“…Thank you.”
My voice responding to him was already muffled.
It wasn’t that sad.
It was just that the longer the hesitation lasted, the greater the torment became.
I quickly steadied my emotions and moved on.
Now it was time to meet Senior Elsi.
I had my own life to live, and my sister, whom I had never seen, would likely have one too.
This decision is right.
Reassuring myself countless times, I exited the reception room.
Until then, the archmage was merely watching me in silence.
Right after I-an left, the archmage remaining in the reception room slowly moved his hands.
His hands were directed towards the place where the torn documents lay.
He sifted through the crumpled pile of paper. Then, by feeling, he discovered traces of the information that remained within.
Before long, he was able to acquire the desired words.
No matter how tattered it was, it left an indelible mark.
“…Only one.”
The archmage muttered with a sigh and wore a bitter smile.
The papers that touched his hands began to glow with a bright white light.
The pieces of paper could no longer withstand the injection of excessive magical power and ignited. In the blink of an eye, the documents turned black as the letters scattered.
With a small noise, the ashes of the burnt paper fluttered about.
The middle-aged man’s bitterness deepened further.
“I wish fate would spare you, Percus.”
Yet, even as the flames licked away at the letters, there remained one fragment.
It was slowly turning to ash, but it was still enough to read the information contained within.
A half-finished paragraph.
‘Miltram, may I grant you special permission to use my replica. Ah, I’m looking forward to the day when I can drive that abominable fake away and reclaim my beloved brother…’
That too, suddenly, was swept away by an inexplicable wind and turned to ash.
Another fate was waiting for Percus.
*
By the time I stepped into the backyard, my heart had settled down somewhat.
Senior Elsi seemed to have been waiting for me for quite some time.
She was nervously tugging at the brim of her hooded hat.
It was a habit she exhibited when she was anxious, and true to that, her complexion clearly showed signs of tension.
It was quite a cute sight.
I felt my troubled heart lighten somewhat and greeted Senior Elsi.
“Senior Elsi.”
“Ah, ah…! M-Master!”
Senior Elsi, who had been hesitating, jumped at my call.
It was a strangely tense appearance.
I couldn’t fathom the reason behind it, yet I decided to brush the question aside.
After all, there would be plenty of time to talk.
Wasn’t this a long-awaited rendezvous for just the two of us?
I decided to clear up the topics that I had postponed for so long on this occasion.
Regardless of that, Senior Elsi approached me, wobbling.
“Are you alright? Oh no… You still look so pale.”
Despite being infamous for her fierceness, she was merely a gentle lamb in front of me.
The sight of Senior Elsi pouting and clenching and unclenching her fists was utterly adorable.
She was undeniably a lovable maiden.
It would have been better if she had kept her mouth shut just like that.
However, the person standing before me was Senior Elsi.
She couldn’t merely be cute.
Her expression quickly turned serious.
“Anyway, you’re such an unhelpful bitch, aren’t you? Who was flaunting about being a saint not long ago, yet now you’re all talk about dying… When I see you next time, I swear I’ll pop those melons of yours like a watermelon!”
“Please don’t, Senior Elsi.”
Naturally, I could only respond with a bitter smile to her stream of expletives.
She was always a woman of much surprise, contrary to her appearance.
At first, I was a bit taken aback, but having spent a long time together, I had no choice but to get used to it. Lately, it felt strange if Senior Elsi didn’t curse.
There were few occasions when Senior Elsi refrained from using foul language.
Whenever she was feeling down, had made a mistake, or faced someone she felt she couldn’t manage, she would usually keep quiet.
Even that had been becoming less of an exception recently.
Whenever someone touched on me, Senior Elsi often lost even her minimum restraint.
That was also the reason why her relationship with the Lady Virgin Saint had rapidly deteriorated.
“It’s thanks to the Lady Virgin Saint that I’m still alive.”
Senior Elsi couldn’t quite deny my statement.
She only grumbled her dissatisfaction instead.
That was true.
If there had been no Lady Virgin Saint, I would have probably been dead or long since maimed.
In this recent serious injury, I should have lost my life without a chance.
The contribution of the Saint to my survival was immense.
At the very least, it wasn’t to the point where I had to hear nonsense like “popping your melons like a watermelon.”
Why would someone pop such precious things in the first place?
It was rather the opposite; it should be preserved and protected.
Yet, it seemed Senior Elsi was somewhat disgruntled at my praise for the Saint.
“Hmph, I don’t like her. No matter how I see it, she’s just a dark-hearted girl…”
Before Senior Elsi’s complaints could continue, I took decisive action.
My hand landed with a smack on top of Senior Elsi’s hooded hat.
After not so long, her frown disappeared.
She simply leaned her head against my chest while grinning.
Joy filled the face of Senior Elsi, who was rubbing her cheek against mine.
“Ehehe, hehehe… M-Master…”
“So, why did you call me today?”
It was then that the main topic slipped from my lips.
Of course, even if there was a business matter, it would have to be addressed.
And I could see for the first time in a long while, Senior Elsi’s expression stiffen.
No matter how much I patted her head, the frozen girl did not melt away.
Thus, Senior Elsi blinked vacantly for a while. Only after a while did she snap back and pull away from my embrace.
Judging by her cough, it seemed she was feeling somewhat embarrassed.
For some reason, she seemed to be attempting to create a serious atmosphere.
Since she had never done this since she had declared herself my pet.
Today was indeed filled with many unfamiliar experiences.
“Um, um… Master? There’s something I really want to tell you…”
She cast glances at me, cautiously throwing out the topic.
There was nothing I couldn’t afford to entertain.
However, I suddenly had a thought flash across my mind, and I inadvertently interrupted the girl’s words.
“Ah, I actually have something to say too.”
Her clear, blue eyes turned toward me.
The look on her face seemed to say she hadn’t expected that I would have something to discuss as well.
It was just a misunderstanding.
There was something I had always wanted to tell Senior Elsi. I had simply been postponing it because the opportunity hadn’t arisen.
So, I decided to resolve this issue right away.
“…Do I have to call you ‘Master’?”
With a sound like something splitting apart, I heard an auditory hallucination.
Senior Elsi’s eyes widened as she stiffened. A gaze filled with disbelief was now directed at me.
I had mentioned it before, but every time I brought it up, Senior Elsi’s reaction remained the same.
She looked as if she were a puppy abandoned by its owner.
If it had been in the past, I probably would have softened and stopped there.
But now, I and Senior Elsi were growing as potential engagement partners.
If I didn’t normalize this relationship, it would lead to future problems.
Especially, I was most worried about the upcoming meeting with Count Rainelle.
He was the archmage who had placed the Rainelle Clan on a solid foundation. I didn’t want to experience firsthand how great his power was.
In this determined state, Senior Elsi looked at me with tears welling in her eyes as she replied.
“…W-What?”
“And using honorifics is also prohibited.”
After my string of declarations, Senior Elsi began to pout.
“From now on, you can only use casual speech. I mean, I’m your junior, right?”
And Senior Elsi was not a puppy.
With that obvious statement, tears began to well in her eyes.
It was truly a pitiable sight.
