6. Proof of Existence (10)
The road by carriage was long. It was a distance of more than three days.
It was because there was no warp gate in the travel route. Warp gates existed in base cities located throughout the continent, but the reality was that even the roads in other provinces were not properly paved.
This tendency was especially strong in remote areas. Not to mention, the place we are heading to now is a place where mass outbreaks of demonic beasts periodically occur.
Not many people could afford to live in such a dangerous area. Most of the personnel living there were usually related to the military.
The Holy Knights and Priests, and even various essential manpower to support them.
The only exceptions were merchants. Because they were a people who were attracted only by the smell of money.
The same goes for the girl sitting right next to me.
In the dark of the night, we sat side by side with a bonfire in the center. The swaying fire shadows created a romantic atmosphere.
Now that summer is approaching, the weather is just chilly. It was around the time that the flying insects were also holding their breath and preparing for the winter.
The girl next to me was charming enough to fit into this wonderful landscape painting.
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Jet-black hair contrasted with pure white skin, and golden eyes that did not lose their light even at night. And the curves of the body that cannot be covered with cloth. Any man would be happy to give up his pride if he could spend a night with this girl.
Of course, that wasn’t the case for me.
Because this beautiful girl was my sister.
My sister, Leah Percus, was hitting the abacus while humming.
It seemed that he was calculating the profit he would gain from trading the beast corpse in advance.
“Okay, even including the freight, the profit should be pretty good. However, since there are so many items, the price should be reduced, right? In the long run, we need to promote relationships with business partners… Assuming you only collect brokerage fees, is it still more than 10 gold per district?”
Leah, muttering about profit, seemed perfectly happy. Those sparkling eyes almost looked like gold coins.
Indeed, a merchant was a merchant. You can’t spend money like this.
As I shook my head like that, Leah spoke to me excitedly.
“Brother, did you hear?! That’s more than 10 gold per sphere! Since the amount of corpses to be traded exceeds 400… An opportunity to earn more than 4,000 gold at once!”
“Why are demon corpses so expensive?”
Contrary to Lia’s expectations, my reaction was only sluggish.
4,000 gold. In simple terms, it was an amount that would allow a commoner family to live for more than 300 years. If it was a small estate in the countryside, it could have lasted a quarter or a half with that budget.
It was normal for me to be surprised too.
Until recently.
However, I had a record of defeating demons worth more than 10,000 gold with my own hands. In addition, he was given a gift worth tens of thousands of gold as a reward, and there were many rewards piled up that he hadn’t received yet.
It was impossible to shake my heart with 4,000 gold now.
Lia raised her voice in excitement at my boring question.
“Of course it has to be expensive! Do you know how useful a demon corpse is? Bones and organs contain magical power, so they become magic tools when processed. It’s also a popular magic ingredient… Even demon meat is popular these days, isn’t it?”
“Celine will really like it.”
Despite my nonchalant reply, Leah’s passion did not stop.
Now I even started reciting my business plan.
“And above all, the beast industry has a high barrier to entry. Don’t demon corpses come from places where demons appear? And as time goes on, the corruption caused by magical powers gets worse, so high-quality manpower is needed to preserve the condition. Not to mention the transportation cost for the escort.”
“Where did you get all that money from?”
Actually, it was a question I had been thinking about for a long time.
Lia suddenly opened a shop near the academy. He said it was to prepare for next year’s academy entrance exam, but if the item he was dealing with was a demon corpse, the cost would be prohibitive.
He even closed a large deal before the store had even been open for several months. This was a problem that required networking before capital or resourcefulness. No matter how smart Lia was, there was no way she could have accumulated that much social resources in a short period of time.
There is someone’s help.
Funds. Even if there were assets hidden before the top bankruptcy, that was the only way to explain the role of a large-scale broker.
Even so, Lia only showed a sinister smile.
“I can do all of them.”
“You, haven’t you fallen for some strange trick? Since ancient times, goodwill without reason does not exist in the world… … .”
“Oh, you don’t have to know! Anyway, there is!”
In the end, I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
Come to think of it, Lia was also an adult soon. Above all, since he had been in Sanggye for several years, he must have had eyes for people rather than mine.
It meant that there was no point in worrying about it.
I put on a sorrowful expression, becoming the heart of a mother bird sending her baby bird away.
“Yes, you are now a full-fledged adult… … .”
“Of course, you didn’t know yet, did you?”
Lia asked incredulously. There was a feeling of pity in those eyes.
My heart ached even more.
“Then I must let you go now.”
“Of course… What?!”
Lia’s eyes widened as if responding to my sorrowful determination.
Seeing him jump up and down almost from his seat, he seemed very surprised.
This is also a kind of growing pains.
“Sorry, Leah. I won’t treat you like a child from now on. Frequently together because it’s scary, or kisses on the cheek because it’s cute… … .”
“Why, why is the story like that?!”
Lia questioned me like a madman. The wavering eyes revealed the girl’s anxious feelings.
Like it or not, I continued my sad resolution.
“It’s natural because I’m an adult. How could I do that to my older sister?”
“Um, what are you talking about… Oppa, so it’s very strange? Oppa, you weren’t always that normal.”
Even the trembling voice did not break my will.
When I silently turned my head and sighed, Leah was now ready to chew on her nails.
The hesitation did not last long.
Lia sneaked up on me and leaned on my arm. I felt a springy texture, but I didn’t react on purpose.
I had just made up my mind to let Leah go a few seconds ago. I couldn’t shake it now.
But Leah was a woman who knew more about my weaknesses than anyone else.
Soon, a soft voice began to tickle my ears.
“Oh, brother… Looking back, I don’t think I’m an adult yet.”
“The body is all grown up.”
“Isn’t it useless even if you grow up? if not… … .”
The girl’s eyes drew an arc. And with an alluring smile, one word.
“Will you make me an adult?”
In the pouring moonlight and bonfire, in the darkness, only the man and woman in their prime remained.
It was a light that made her pale skin stand out. I stared blankly at those moon-buzzing lips, and soon after.
“Ow, ow, ow ow ow! pinch, pinch?! You pinched the cheeks of a grown girl?!”
“I heard you were still young.”
He snorted and pinched Lia’s cheek.
It was still soft skin. When I look at it like this, it seems like it’s still the same as when I was a kid.
A woman has grown so much if I take my eyes off it for a second, so I had no choice but to blame myself for my shaking heart.
Leah was my sister. It didn’t matter if they didn’t bleed each other.
Because I decided to do it.
It was around that time that a heavy voice came from behind.
“The siblings seem to get along very well.”
Even if it was a game that flew to the doll that approached without even a sign, Lee jumped up.
As expected, a tall man was standing there.
Reynold Rainella, an uninvited guest on my little sister’s intimate trip.
Wherever he went, he found a rabbit in his hand.
Mr. Reynolds said in a still nonchalant voice.
“If anyone sees you, they’ll mistake you for a lover.”
“A word that doesn’t make sense… Leah is my sister.”
I felt Leah’s lips pout at my hasty excuse.
I couldn’t figure out what the hell was complaining about.
Even with my excuses, Mr. Reynolds didn’t stop taking turns looking at me and Leah. In my mind, the prowess he showed in the Percus Territory was passing by.
It seems nonchalant, but I heard that Mr. Leonold cares for his nephew dearly. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have offered to help Elsie-senpai in the first place.
But what if, after a strange misunderstanding, you think I had a forbidden relationship with my younger sister over Elsie?
I was superimposed on the figure of the rabbit shaking its head with its ears held.
Of course, I would win in close combat, but it was also true that my uneasy mind secretly reared its head.
Fortunately, Mr. Reynolds did not pursue our relationship further.
“It is good to have a good family relationship. Elsie, that child must also miss the family bond… Nephew, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law. Please take good care of our Elsie.”
At that request, I gave an awkward smile, and Leah turned her head away, revealing blatant displeasure.
According to Mr. Reynolds, the engagement was already confirmed.
Anyway, I was going to talk about this separately. However, it wasn’t an appropriate thing to say in front of the jealous Leah, so I deliberately turned my head around.
“Are you even looking for snacks? There is a lot of food left… … .”
“As I get older, I miss the taste of my youth.”
Then Mr. Reynolds placed the rabbit on a large rock. It seemed that he hadn’t been dead for a while, judging from the fact that his legs were still shaking.
or not yet dead.
Mr. Reynolds was a great wizard. It wouldn’t be a big deal to pass out just enough current to keep him from dying.
Then he pulled out a dagger from his bosom and pierced the rabbit’s throat.
Blood splattered, and an animal-specific smell came up. It was an unsuitable job for a noble aristocrat to do.
For example, isn’t Lia frowning while watching that scene? It was a face that seemed to see the invisible.
Even so, Mr. Reynolds seemed calm. His hand movements were also impeccable.
“Didn’t I tell you before? He once served as a mercenary… At that time, I traveled all over the continent. It was the same around here. It was a very peaceful place at the time.”
“Do mercenaries ever stay in a peaceful place?”
“no.”
As he skinned and tied a knot around his leg to drain the blood, the middle-aged man let out a heavy tone.
“The peace was soon broken. Witchbeasts have appeared.”
A mass outbreak of demons.
I suddenly remembered the phenomenon. Did you say it started decades ago?
“It seems I haven’t forgotten the memory of that day yet.”
There were no hasty words of consolation.
The eyes of a middle-aged man who was sinking into the past added a sorrowful depth. Looking at it, I was just thinking.
There is something wrong.
Mr. Reynolds’ company was not spontaneous. There were already memories related to this area from before that. I was very interested in this.
It was good to say that it was intuition. My next move was decided that way.
The next evening, the wagon safely arrived at the Holy Knights’ garrison.
The head of the Holy Knights welcomed Lia. Lia also responded to the favor with a polite response.
It was a place filled with the groans of the corpses of demons and the wounded. In the meantime, Lia’s appearance shone.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Sir. We will do our best to live up to those expectations.”
“Immanuel! You’re saying something. It happened that the corpses of the demons were piled up and it was in trouble. As you know, the demonic corpse continuously emits demonic energy and contaminates the surroundings. but… … .”
The paladin, who had a friendly smile, glanced over Lia’s shoulder. It was the place where Mr. Reynolds and I were standing.
That’s all I have to worry about.
It didn’t take long for the paladin to put on a puzzled expression.
“By any chance, what kind of people are those two… … ?”
Then Lia’s eyes turned to her back. He was smiling, but the corners of his lips were quivering, so he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
This also deserved it.
It was because Mr. Reynolds and I were dressed differently than usual.
The appearance of the two men wearing their hoods was the epitome of suspicious passers-by.
“Ah, I’m late to say hello. These are the mercenaries who have been entrusted with escorting me. You are sure of your skills, but you do not reveal your face according to your personal beliefs. During the two days we are staying here, we will also inspect the habitats of the beasts.”
“It’s a dangerous area, and you can’t enter without permission…” … .”
I showed him a stamp I always kept in my pocket. A seal engraved with a dragon pattern was a symbol that only one family in the world could write.
The paladin, who had been silent, sighed and placed his palm on his forehead.
“… … I will report to the superiors.”
The authority of the imperial family was invincible.
Even if it’s a ride here.
It was time to dig into the mystery after a long time.