771 – 9. Not a single day goes by without this (20)
My sister arrived at Heavenly Sword Mountain.
I swear it was a story I had never heard of before. This was because there was no reason for the girl who was fiddling with documents filled with numbers to come here.
If there is a possibility, there is only one.
He must have followed me, his brother.
Actually, I was puzzled. On the day I left the academy, I couldn’t see Lia among the crowd that saw me off. It was a neglect of her sister’s duty to send her brother away with her affection.
It was a question that came to mind like a stone from time to time, and it felt like the problem was finally being resolved.
If you had planned on following me from the beginning, there would have been no need to come out to meet you. Furthermore, if I had even noticed, I would have had to face a difficult situation.
For example, like right now.
“…… “Why are you locking me up!”
A place halfway up Cheongeomsan Mountain.
In a house that was originally built to confine criminals, a girl with black hair and golden eyes was trapped. The treatment felt even more cruel as her slender body and pure white skin gave her a sickly appearance.
I didn’t want to do this either. Every time I saw my sister hanging from the rock bars and raising her voice, it felt like her heart was being pierced with chest pain and lacerations.
But there was nothing I could do.
I even handed a prayer card to my junior, who was looking confused.
“Seria.”
“I’ve told you this many times, my name is Gong… ….”
“What if you see someone who looks like you outside? “Kill me right away.”
Seria did not put a word to my instructions. She just let out a small sigh and shook her head.
“I will give you instructions first.”
And she left.
The frequency of Lia’s whining increased as the treatment was far from welcoming.
“It’s too much! It’s been a while since we met, but we’re all locked up… Don’t they say they will kill you if they see you from outside? … !”
“Leah.”
As she sighed, I pressed my fingers to her eyelids. It was because of extreme mental fatigue.
“You are Lia, right?”
“Hmph, have you forgotten her sister’s face now? Who else is her sister besides me…… !”
“There’s one more thing. “Someone you know well.”
Then Lia’s lips closed in dissatisfaction.
Judging by his slightly swollen cheeks, he looked upset, but rationally, he must have realized that my actions were right.
This could be seen just by looking at Seria’s reaction. Despite the somewhat excessive instructions to kill him without asking questions or questioning him, my junior did not complain at all.
Because it was worth it.
My younger sisters were not alone, and one of them was a demon who had the capacity to bring about disaster on her own.
I had to ask again with an embarrassed feeling.
“How did it come out in the first place? The Academy has decided to thoroughly protect your personal safety…….”
“I received help from the Alpenhauser family.”
He was also an unexpected helper.
As my eyebrows narrowed slightly at the unexpected name, Lia snorted and looked away. It’s as if she doesn’t like her.
“Of the Alpenhauser twins, the older one is very cooperative. “I was ready to give you my gallbladder just by saying a word.”
“Senior Siene?”
“Yes, I never knew that Alpenhauser could be so shy.”
Senior Siene, who is good at calculating her profits and losses, releases Lia.
This was also unexpected. Even if building a relationship with the Empire’s new master is a priority, haven’t I and Syene-senpai formed a strong cooperative relationship that makes that unnecessary?
In addition, the liberation of Lia was too risky. Since this is an issue that involves the ‘seven sins’, anyone who can discern between the right and wrong would choose to stay out of the matter.
Was there a variable at work that could have clouded the intelligence of the brilliant senior Siene?
It was meaningless to think about it now. The incident had already occurred, and control had to be prioritized over identifying the cause.
Even so, the actions I could take were limited.
“Anyway, don’t take a single step from here.”
“Why?!”
According to my instructions without the slightest hesitation, Lia showed me something I hadn’t seen in a long time.
If I had to give her a name, should I call her ‘Ruthless Little Sister’?
It was a special move he used when he was unable to persuade me in the end. Anyway, he started whining and begging me to listen to him.
For reference, the success rate was quite high.
How could she utter such cold words when her beloved sister asked her with tears in her eyes? She had no choice but to listen to some of the pressure.
Of course, even this had its limits. In such an important matter, there is no way my resolve could waver.
“Then give me a shovel! Huh? Brother…….”
Wouldn’t one shovel be enough?
As soon as she saw Lia folding her hands and giving her a pitiful look, her heart was immediately shaken. As her older brother who loved her younger sister, she was helplessly distressed.
But I shook off the conflict with iron willpower.
“No, you can escape by digging a hole with a shovel.”
“What are you talking about! “How can you dig this hard ground with these weak arms!”
It was a valid point, but as far as I was concerned, it was a protest that would not stop me.
Ever since I was young, I had worked hard to fill the hole that Lia had dug. There was no way I didn’t know that my younger sister showed off her super strength whenever she shoveled.
However, questions still remained.
“Leah.”
“Let me out! First of all, I came here as a merchant…… !”
“Why are you like this all of a sudden?”
A heavy question weighs down the air of the area.
Lia looked surprised at my eyes, which had already become infinitely more serious.
Soon, the golden eyes turn downward. The more I thought about it, the deeper my doubts became.
“You weren’t this kind of person who couldn’t think clearly. Don’t you know what the situation is now? “If you disappear, don’t you know how much trouble you will cause by coming here?”
Lia was instantly discouraged by the constant scolding.
With a sullen expression on her face, she just kicked the ground with her toe a few times.
It was just before I let out a deep sigh.
“…… “I didn’t want to come either.”
A small talk to myself.
Of course there was no way I could miss that voice. When she met my puzzled eyes, Lia’s gaze fell even lower.
“Just, just…” “I felt like I had to come.”
“Just?”
“Yes, yes!”
Hmm, I swallowed a soft sigh.
Originally, the merchant family was sensitive to their interests. Intuition only sets a direction, but it basically means that the basis for judgment is the numbers written down in the documents.
Lia was no exception.
Still, you came to Cheongeomsan Mountain for no reason.
Looking back, it was the first time that my sister showed such extreme behavior. Before, there was at least an acceptable reason.
Even as she was immersed in worry, Lia’s confession continued.
“I don’t know, but… “I felt like if I didn’t come here, something big would happen.”
“Who says it’s a big deal?”
“To my brother.”
It was an even more ambiguous answer.
Various words come into my head and then disperse. Dark Church, genuine and replica, homunculus.
It was an awkward topic to bring up in front of the person involved.
“Trust me, brother… “I should be here.”
The worries did not last long. Using my brain wasn’t my specialty anyway.
“But I can’t help it. “I have no choice but to stay here for now.”
On hold for now.
I needed to discuss this with my group and the instructors in the ‘sword circle’. Also, according to the letter, it wasn’t long before Cheongeomsan Mountain burned down.
It meant that Lia’s anxiety was not just unreliable nonsense.
But at this point, I wonder if I knew that my intentions were firm.
The girl sighed and sat down on the bed placed inside her bars. While showing a slight disapproval.
“Hmph, I’ve changed.”
It was something that could only be said between lovers who have been together for several years.
I had no choice but to swallow my laughter and ask again.
“What am I?”
“It wasn’t like this before… He listens to my opinion as much as possible, sympathizes with me, and even kisses me when I get upset…….”
“It’s different now than then.”
Then I smiled bitterly. Although the playful tone was still there.
“Anyway, we have to put an end to the ‘Dark Church’ first. “Soon, I also have to fulfill my duties as a ‘master’ of the empire.”
Soon there was silence.
Lia said nothing for a while, staring at me blankly. A faint look of astonishment passes through her golden eyes.
It was an incomprehensible reaction to me. So, until the girl got up again and arrived in front of the bars.
I had no choice but to maintain a puzzled gaze.
“…… “You’ve really changed, brother.”
It was a different impression from the first time, starting with the tone. It wasn’t a sign of disappointment, it meant sincerity.
So, my voice is also bound to sound a bit intimidating.
“What am I?”
“Since when do you care about that? Rather than finishing something, becoming a ‘master’… ….”
“I’ve been like this from the beginning.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Lia’s tone of voice was firm when she said that. Without a single doubt, as if he was sure of what I said.
“Well, I’m the one who knows you better than anyone else… “Oppa, he wasn’t like that before.”
“Then how was it?”
“I did whatever I wanted.”
I chuckled and burst into laughter. It seemed that Lia had made a serious mistake.
“No, no…” I’ve been like this for a long time. When I was young, I was the second son of a country homeowner…….”
“It’s not time to be young.”
Not ‘when I was young,’ so when?
I was just before I threw that rebuttal.
“Brother Ian! Please come for lunch soon…… !”
When the door suddenly opened, her dark blue hair stuck out. It only takes a few seconds for the smiling face to harden.
Silver gray eyes and golden eyes intertwine in the air.
Of course, I was not the owner of that gaze. Shien’s complexion gradually turned pale as she made eye contact with Lia, and then she hesitantly came inside and took a cautious stance.
“Oh, are you here? Sister-in-law… ….”
“Who is the sister-in-law?”
In the end, I ended up using words that irritated my younger sister, who loved her older brother so much.
Hike, the princess made a gasping sound and began to tremble. As she passed by, I whispered in her ear.
“No matter what I say, never let me go.”
With this, I left the house. Lia was very angry, gritting her teeth and making her hair stand on end, but what?
Sien would be able to solve it well.
From Noble mtl dot com
One way or another, she was the future sister-in-law and the future step-sister.
There was another more urgent matter.
Go to ‘Great Master’.
I needed to look a little deeper into Cheongeomsan Mountain.
**
The curtain of night falls. The twilight stretches out its long feet and connects the earth and the sky.
Cheongeomsan Mountain was quiet at sunset. After work, it’s time for everyone to eat or take a short break.
Three unfamiliar people were looking at the top of the mountain.
“The surveillance system is surprisingly detailed… Above all, ‘Cheongeomam (天劍岩)’ is tricky. “It’s a material that disperses magical power.”
These were words I uttered upon seeing the distant mountain peak, in a place that wasn’t even the entrance to the mountain. Originally, it would have been nonsense perfect for ridicule.
But among the three, no one burst out laughing.
The man with his hood pulled down was the one who made the comment, the golden-eyed girl sitting on the rock next to him could only yawn, and the woman with the impressive attitude on her back made an unpleasant face. Because he was chewing his thumb.
Despite the insincere attitude of the listener, the man’s old voice did not waver. On the contrary, she even seemed relaxed, smiling faintly.
“But since we are humans and not gods, we are bound to leave some loopholes.”
“So how long does it take, old man?”
The girl who asked that question had an extremely bored expression. The woman, with her jet-black hair and impressive golden eyes, looked bored to anyone who saw her.
“I can’t wait to go see my brother…” “It’s already been 24 days, 21 hours, and 13 minutes since I haven’t seen her face!”
“Don’t fuss, ‘greed’… Anyway, wouldn’t it take a few days? From now on, we must destroy thousands of years of history.”
“I like it anyway.”
Ew, ugh.
These were the words spoken by the woman who was chewing her thumb. Those tawny eyes sparkle with negative emotions.
“Let’s go burn everything.”
In the end, the man with his hood down sighed deeply. She touched her forehead and shook her head.
“Anyway, I’m being reckless… “I told you repeatedly that there was a ‘master’ there.”
He laughed.
“It’s only half-hearted.”
In the darkness, the purple eyes shine for an instant and disappear.
The night was getting deeper. Keep going, keep going.