Unexpected encounters always bring a different thrill.
Dismay, joy, or even hatred and anger could all be the results of such coincidences. The emotion I felt right after facing Senior Shiene Alphenhausen over the crystal sphere was no different.
At first, I was flustered.
Why was Senior Shiene appearing here? She should be busy teaching students at the Academy. It was hard to imagine why she would need to contact me privately.
Soon after, questions and unease followed. Not knowing the reason always brought with it a sense of fear. And finally, the feeling that came was ‘composure.’
With a sullen expression and pouting eyes, it was Senior Shiene who called me over, claiming she had urgent business.
Then the answer was clear.
The one with a problem wasn’t me. Senior Shiene must be in trouble and reaching out for help. I had no reason to shrink back.
As soon as I realized this, my expression quickly became calm. Seeing my regained composure, Senior Shiene snorted and turned her head away.
I still found it hard to discern where her gaze was directed. The silver pupils were indistinguishable from the whites of her eyes.
However, her words were clear, penetrating my ears.
“You look well. Living in the Holy Kingdom seems to agree with you?”
“Yet you, Senior Shiene, don’t look well. Also, my name is not ‘Hand-Axe Fool’, but ‘Ian Fercurus.'”
Despite my relaxed rebuttal, Senior Shiene merely pouted her lips.
No, it wasn’t just a pout; it seemed like she was even closing her eyes in distaste. I could almost hear the chorus of accusations ringing in my ears.
As if it were only natural, Senior Shiene’s scolding continued.
“Is that so? I didn’t know. The impression of you threatening a helpless woman with a hand axe is just too strong.”
“I think of it as a show of affection.”
“What kind of crazy person interprets that as a meaning of friendship?!”
The silver-haired woman raised her voice, slamming her hands on the desk. I scratched my head, falling into thought.
Up until now, things had been going well.
Unfortunately, it seemed that Senior Shiene was the exception. Well, one would normally react that way.
Moreover, I had no intention of getting particularly close to her.
“Isn’t it common for young kids to get close by fighting?”
“You really talk like a pubescent child… Generally speaking, violence is a sign of the end of a relationship. Favor? There’s none of that! Our relationship is over, and it’s over in my heart too! Got it?!”
Her gestures of expressing animosity seemed like she still hadn’t overcome the shock of our last meeting. Even though I hadn’t inflicted any harm with that hand axe.
In the end, I shrugged my shoulders and decided to get straight to the point.
“So, is there a reason for us to talk again, having concluded our relationship?”
That was a cutting remark.
Senior Shiene, who had just condemned my rudeness passionately, suddenly sealed her lips. After a moment of silence, a sigh escaped the woman’s mouth.
Then her voice followed, surprisingly meek.
“…What do you want?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do you want’?”
I had to ask back, genuinely confused. It was Senior Shiene who had contacted me out of the blue, yet she spoke as if I were the one who had demands.
My head tilted in bewilderment.
However, Senior Shiene merely narrowed her eyes, looking contemptuous.
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Knowing that our Alphenhausen Clan’s company participated in the bidding to monopolize the supply of monster corpses.”
Ah, I let out a faint exclamation.
Finally, I understood the circumstances. With my and Mr. Raymond’s participation, the Holy Kingdom decided to supply a massive amount of monster corpses to Liya’s company. And this place, where monsters had recently appeared in large numbers, was one of the main supply routes for monster corpses.
For a company dealing in monster corpses, it was nothing short of a shock. During the preparation for bidding, someone was going to monopolize that much volume.
However, I had a point that I couldn’t comprehend.
“Isn’t that just a part of the many businesses Alphenhausen has? It doesn’t really matter if it happens or not.”
“The issue is that there’s a contract.”
Senior Shiene snorted as she spoke.
“Is there anyone who doesn’t know that the monster industry is the most sought-after business lately? Especially near the Holy Kingdom, its popularity is high. There are those who buy monster corpses indiscriminately.”
‘Monster corpses’.
I suddenly felt the goal I had momentarily forgotten come back to life. The reason why I had followed Liya here in the first place was to hear rumors about a company dealing in monster corpses.
After a brief pause, I pretended to be nonchalant and asked, “I’m not sure.”
“Are you going to pretend you don’t know until the very end? We’re talking about the ‘Shylock Company’! What conditions are you trying to impose…?!”
The name ‘Shylock Company’ sounded familiar. It was a place that dealt with orphanages. Before leaving for the expedition, I had deliberately asked the saint her name, so it was certain. That made me even more curious.
It was a spacious enough company to gather a lot of monster corpses. There was a way to participate in bidding directly without having to go through other companies.
Especially in a place where large quantities of corpses circulate, it would be even more advantageous to do so.
However, after arriving at the military camp, I hadn’t heard the name of the Shylock Company. I probably needed to ask Liya about the details.
Could it be that they were deliberately paying additional costs for the sake of symbiosis with small companies?
That was nonsense. I shook my head with a bitter smile.
As for how Senior Shiene took that, her face turned anxious.
“Why, what’s wrong…? What are you dissatisfied with?”
I didn’t have any particular dissatisfaction. It wasn’t a decision that I could make in the first place, anyway.
The company belonged to Liya. The decision-making regarding matters related to the company lay with Liya and not me.
Yet for some reason, Senior Shiene seemed to be misreading the situation, gradually becoming timid and looking for my reaction.
“Hmm, hmm. My tone may have been a bit rude? I apologize. However, it’s rare for a company to handle that much volume at once. I hope you remember that our Alphenhausen can offer assistance.”
Still, I remained silent instead of responding.
There was no particular reason; it was just amusing to see Senior Shiene anxiously glance at me.
In the end, Senior Shiene ended up pouting.
“I said I’m sorry! I, Shiene Alphenhausen, have apologized, and you’re still going to act like this?!”
Could this woman really be called the ‘Sun and Moon of the Alphenhausen Clan’?
I swallowed a dry laugh, filled with doubt.
Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask Senior Shiene.
Intel related to the Lady Virgin Saint.
Somehow, that conversation never came up, and the meeting ended. I felt a strange discomfort about this and decided to find Liya’s tent.
“I don’t want to.”
It was an unwavering declaration made before I could even utter anything.
I sighed heavily and could only express my sheer despair. I knew well that my little sister’s stubbornness wouldn’t easily be swayed, especially regarding certain matters.
Liya was currently buried in my embrace. She was sitting on the bed, practically clinging to me. It was an undeniably embarrassing position to be in.
Liya’s “I don’t want to” was a refusal of my forthcoming demands.
I already knew the result, yet I had no choice but to make the request.
“Liya, please let go… It’s already been two hours like this. And without saying a word.”
“B-but I’m scared…”
The tremor in her voice momentarily shook my determination. This wasn’t good; the tears welled up in her gaze rendered me defenseless.
In the end, I had to pull Liya into my arms again and gently stroke her head.
“It’s okay, Liya. Nothing will happen now. The Holy Kingdom has sent an investigation team, and they will be escorting us back.”
“Still, I’m uneasy!”
Liya raised her voice, droplets glistening in her eyes. She seemed to be deeply traumatized.
“Suddenly, faceless people barged in, how can I not be scared?! And I couldn’t even speak properly… Ugh, what if monsters rise from the ground?”
I decided to empathize with Liya, who was curling up in distress. It was clear that digging up unnecessary memories to gain detailed testimony would only backfire.
“Yeah, that must have been scary. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Of course, I wasn’t hurt! They kept muttering something to me, and I was so frightened that I couldn’t move. ‘Holy’, ‘Holy’… what were they trying to do…?”
As Liya trembled and expressed her anger, it was right after that when the strength drained from her body.
She recalled the nightmare of the previous encounter and burst into tears once again.
“Sniff, I was scared… O-oppa…”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m here now… Let’s talk about work tomorrow.”
At that moment, Liya’s demeanor changed dramatically.
It was a dramatic shift that occurred the moment she heard the word ‘work.’
Her ears perked up at the mention of ‘work’, and it wasn’t long before she’d stopped crying.
“…What do you mean by work?”
“Of course, it’s about your company. While you were gone, I discussed things with the Holy Kingdom.”
I could hear the sound of dry swallowing.
It was undoubtedly from Liya. Soon her eyes, filled with a mix of anticipation and excitement, turned toward me.
“W-what did you discuss?”
“About how to handle the monster corpses. Also, with Mr. Raymond, we need to receive rewards for our efforts. But what would I do with the money?”
Liya’s heartbeat began to accelerate rapidly. The brilliance of her glimmering eyes was so intense it was almost dazzling.
With her hands clenched into fists, she asked me.
“S-so what did you decide?”
“We decided to leave it to your company.”
Hah, hah. Now even Liya’s breath was becoming heavy.
My little sister, flushed and trembling in my embrace.
It was genuinely a sight I didn’t want anyone to see.
Liya’s voice was filled with excitement as she asked again, “You don’t mean all of that volume…?”
“Yes.”
And the next moment.
“Kyahhhhh! My Oppa is the best! I knew it was only you for me! I want to marry you, Oppa!”
The tears had vanished without a trace, and Liya was now exuberantly nuzzling against me. Up a notch, she even kissed my cheek.
Zkiss, kiss, kiss.
If this continued, my face would be covered in Liya’s lipstick marks. I had to stop her with a resigned smile.
“Enough, enough… Anyway, you’re not displeased anymore, right?”
“Of course not! We were attacked just once and can earn this much? I can endure more attacks! Should I even write a letter to the Dark Cult?!”
Only a hollow laugh escaped my lips instead of an answer.
She was still very young. She didn’t yet understand how terrifying the Dark Cult was.
Of course, I wouldn’t directly criticize her. I wasn’t so insensitive as to ruin my little sister’s joyous mood.
Instead, I merely asked Liya, who was filled with excitement as she embraced me.
“By the way, Liya. Have you heard of the ‘Shylock Company’?”
“Yep? Of course, I know them, they are major players in the monster industry.”
Liya answered without a hint of doubt, as if she didn’t even have the curiosity about why I was asking.
That allowed me to ask for information even more freely.
“Did that company come here too?”
“No, I didn’t see them on the list of bidders. More importantly, Oppa, let’s calculate our money! Look, tell me how much we need for a comfortable retirement…”
Liya continued talking about the calculations, but my mind drifted off elsewhere.
‘Shylock Company’.
It seemed enough of a reason to dig into it more seriously, even if I had to be a bit forceful.
The day after we finished the necessary discussions with the Holy Kingdom, we finally set out on our way back to the orphanage.
Even though we didn’t show it, everyone was quite fatigued. The Holy Kingdom would provide the escort, and we spent the day dozing off intermittently. However, Mr. Raymond exhibited somewhat unusual behavior.
“So, Mr. Raymond, what was up with that ‘maiden’s’ eyes?”
It was a question that popped up suddenly. At my inquiry, Mr. Raymond let out a light exclamation. He glanced back and forth between me and Liya for a moment.
From his mouth came an indifferent voice.
“…I don’t know. It was probably just an illusion.”
It was a disappointing conclusion, but interrogating Mr. Raymond about it seemed comical.
Above all, it wasn’t long before a situation arose that completely captivated my attention.
On the day we arrived at the orphanage, amidst the chaotic atmosphere, the Lady Virgin Saint approached and said.
“A masked stranger has appeared.”
All I could do was laugh out loud.
“They really won’t give us a moment of peace.”
It seemed like it would take a bit longer to shake off the weariness from the journey.
