I, too, had a younger sibling.
One whose voice I can no longer even remember.
At times annoyed, at times sulking for reasons I couldn’t fathom, and when I called his name, he would glare back sullenly. A brat I despised.
Of course, that brat is not Yeriel.
And Yeriel is not that brat.
That their personalities seem vaguely similar—or rather, that they feel similar—might simply be my own delusion.
It may merely be my selfish desire to replace that brat with Yeriel.
From the very first time I met Yeriel, perhaps I had harbored that egotistical thought without realizing it.
However, nothing is more foolish than wandering in search of the root of an emotion one cannot even comprehend.
I detest philosophy or doubts that ruminate and explore the self.
I do not waste time seeking the reason behind my emotions.
I am ageless, and I take pride in this ego; thus, I never speak falsehoods.
Therefore, I can say this with certainty.
Yeriel, who found me first after I became Deculein from Gim Ujin.
Whether Yeriel is Jeokgwae or not, nothing changes. I already regard this brat as my younger sibling.
These are the words of one who was Gim Ujin and became Deculein.
“Yeriel.”
I looked at Yeriel. The brat pressed her lips tightly together. Her large eyes trembled like those of a cartoon character.
“Go back now. Go and take charge of your territory. Yukraine needs you.”
“…….”
At that, Yeriel gulped. She wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“……What did that Jeokgwae demand?”
Yeriel seemed curious about that, but what Ellesole had demanded was not much.
Do not operate the gas chambers in Rohallak. Do not execute the political prisoners held there arbitrarily. Tolerate communication with the inside of Rohallak once every three months.
“There is no need for me to know.”
Yeriel asked again cautiously.
“Then…… what are you going to do with Jeokgwae from now on?”
“The current cannot be resisted. Right now, the Empire, the Continent, and the Emperor desire the oppression and annihilation of Jeokgwae, and I too cannot swim against that tide.”
Sofien holds a grudge against Jeokgwae. The only way to reach the altar, and to make the Emperor ‘reach’ the altar, is through Jeokgwae.
“Jeokgwae and the Empire have gone too far. I will continue to oppress Jeokgwae, but someday, when the time comes, I will be able to convey one truth to His Majesty.”
Sacrifice Jeokgwae to clear the main quest.
Naturally, this may not be an entirely righteous method, but a villain does not discriminate between means and methods to achieve a goal.
If I can destroy the altar most efficiently, I will gladly do so. Even if I must pay the price someday, I will be more than satisfied.
“……I, I have something I’m curious about.”
Yeriel approached my side and stammered.
“You hated me before. But…….”
A voice that trailed off, unable to finish.
My answer was short.
“All siblings grow up fighting. You just go back to your territory.”
“……Hmph.”
Yeriel returned to her usual self, her eyes swollen as if stung by bees, yet forcibly crossing her arms.
“What are you doing.”
“……You told me to go. But I have no idea how to get back from here. I’m thinking.”
That was when a cheerful voice called out from the nearby mountainside.
“Ah! So you were here, Professor!”
Yeriel and I turned to look.
It was the adventurer. A capable adventurer who had delivered my official letter and other correspondence to the Emperor, and who had brought the Emperor’s letter back to me.
“……Here. This is His Majesty’s reply.”
The adventurer knelt on one knee and offered the imperial letter. I received it with courtesy.
“Wow, Professor, your official letter was truly well written. I couldn’t help but admire it as I read.”
The adventurer stood up and smirked. I stared at him intently.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“……Wait.”
I grabbed the man as he turned to leave. I asked the tilting-head adventurer.
“Is it possible to transport people as well?”
“Transport people, you say?”
I looked at Yeriel. Sensing my intent, Yeriel furrowed her brow.
“Huh? Ah~ It is possible, but—”
“What? You’re leaving me with a postman?”
“Not an ordinary postman, but an adventurer.”
“No, but still—”
“Quiet.”
Ignoring Yeriel’s words, I examined the commission form offered by the grinning adventurer.
The price was quite steep, but—
“What?! Five million Elne?! I’ve never seen such a highwayman! Even VIP transport doesn’t cost this much!”
Yeriel, who had glanced at the commission form, glared. I covered the brat’s mouth and signed.
“Take her.”
“Yes! I shall escort you very safely and comfortably, Miss Yeriel!”
“…….”
Yeriel looked at me with a complex expression—somewhat dissatisfied, somewhat reluctant, somewhat apologetic, and somewhat sad.
I spoke to Yeriel.
“Yeriel.”
“……Yes.”
“That expression is revolting. Maintain decorum between siblings.”
“……What is this—”
“As if nothing happened.”
I removed the snowflake stuck near the brat’s head with 「Telekinesis」.
“Live like that. From now on, as before, as now.”
Yeriel looked up at me without a word. The brat clenched her teeth and gripped her fist tight.
She soon lowered her head toward the ground, then let out a deep breath and looked at me again.
“……I got it.”
I nodded silently. Yeriel trudged over to the adventurer and spoke in a whisper barely loud enough to hear.
—Excuse me. Five million is too expensive no matter how you look at it. Can’t you give a discount?
“Professor! Miss Yeriel is—”
“Aaaah! I got it! Let’s go! Hurry up and let’s go!”
I watched for a moment as the brat covered the adventurer’s mouth and began her descent.
* * *
A northern night where stars and the moon rose in abundance. Beneath that sky where the Milky Way flowed like a waterfall.
Returning home with the adventurer, Yeriel thought. She blankly repeated Deculein’s words.
—Someday, if by any chance Yukraine abandons you. I will not abandon you.
The all too unrealistic heart he had shown her.
A voice she had clearly heard with her own two ears, yet still felt like a dream.
That is precisely why Yeriel began to doubt instead.
“……Do I have the right?”
Do I have the qualification to hear such words? Do I have the worth to receive this kind of love?
I was someone who truly hated Deculein. Who hated him so much. Who detested him like mad, and even harbored thoughts of killing him…….
Yeriel clutched her heart, which felt sinful from that thought alone.
“……Since when.”
Since when had Deculein been like this?
Could it be that he had known of my bloodline from long ago, from when I was very young?
Couldn’t he have at least vaguely noticed?
Wasn’t that why I hated him, why I disliked him?
“Sigh…….”
When I was young, I wanted to be loved by him.
I truly tried, but gave up thinking it was impossible, and protected myself by hating him fiercely.
While I remained stagnant like that, he lost someone he loved, matured and matured further, and eventually forgave me and accepted me as a younger sibling?
Without even knowing that, had I mocked him when his fiancée died, saying it was his punishment?
“……Sniff.”
Yeriel blew her nose for no reason. The adventurer walking beside her turned and asked.
“Are you crying?”
“What. Why would I cry. When do I ever cry. My nose is just briefly stuffed, that’s all.”
“Hmm~”
“More importantly, let’s renegotiate, shall we?”
“What negotiation do you mean?”
“I mean…… don’t rip off my brother.”
“Come on. From here to Yukraine, this is easily seven million Elne. That’s for guidance and escort.”
Yeriel puffed out her cheeks. She narrowed her eyes to slits and glared.
“In return, I shall escort you as safely as possible!”
“……You know the Yukraine family is a major patron of the Adventurer’s Guild, right?”
“Come on. Still, the Professor trusted me and all—”
“No, I mean, he trusts you, so why is the price going up? It’s normal to give regulars a discount. If you do business like this anywhere, you’ll get stoned.”
“Come on~”
“What ‘come on’. Then I’ll just ask this. How much did you get from the Imperial Family?”
“……Huh?”
Yeriel tapped her hand and said.
“I mean. You must have gotten money from the Imperial Family too while delivering the letters. The Imperial Family sets high prices for commissions, so that’s the maximum market rate, right? But if a single noble family pays more than that, it could cause problems, that’s what I’m saying.”
“Uh…….”
“More importantly, does the Adventurer’s Guild know you’re taking this much?”
“…….”
“You didn’t report the amount, did you? Trying to evade taxes.”
“……Ahem.”
The adventurer coughed loudly and said.
“Five mill…….”
“What?”
“……Let’s make it four million Elne.”
Four million was still unsatisfactory, but he was someone to travel with for at least a day.
“……Hmph. Fine then. Rest in Yukraine after the mission is over. We’ll pay for all of that.”
* * *
……Deculein had buried alive the Jeokgwae who infiltrated Rekordak. That shocking rumor spread across the entire continent in an instant.
The cruel professor who had buried forty members of Jeokgwae alive.
It was enough to become a topic of conversation even in a winter swarming with magical beasts, and debates arose in the imperial court, the Magic Tower, and various territories of the Empire…….
CRAAAAASH──────!
A giant meteorite struck the ground. Immense magical power surged forth like a shockwave.
The spell’s name was 「Meteor」. An overwhelming bombardment that only one person on this continent could manifest.
“……Hah!”
Adrinne shook the embers gathered in her hand into the wind.
“Now it’s a bit cleaner!”
Crackle— A scorching wind rushed past. Embers clung to the earth, flickering black.
On the other side where countless magical beasts had been roaring just three minutes ago, there was now nothing. All living things were dead, and only a massive crater remained in vain.
“A-as expected, Adrinne, you are the Great Mage Adrinne……!”
Adrinne had come to support the north.
Her position was the northeast. Alone and unencumbered.
“It’s easy! Ah, more importantly!”
Adrinne quickly pulled out a thick sheet of magic paper from her bosom. It was Deculein’s ‘Advanced Lecture’ exam.
This exam, approaching one month since it began, still remained an unsolved mystery. Even those addicts still couldn’t solve it.
“……Ah, it’s hard! Really headache-inducing!”
Adrinne read the formulas several times and furrowed her brow.
“It’s hard, right? I told you it was hard.”
She glared sharply toward the direction of the voice.
Rogerio. She held the same paper in her hand.
“Wouldn’t it be better to submit this as an unsolved problem to the symposium? I mean, really. I tried my best to solve it for the first week or two, but if it’s this damn hard, what the hell are we supposed to do?”
“Right! This seems like the fault of the person who made the problem!”
Swish—! Adrinne and Rogerio put down Deculein’s exam papers.
[Advanced Lecture Final Exam]
The Advanced Lecture Final Exam. This simply named test was currently receiving more attention in the Floating Islands than the magical beast migration.
Of course, since Deculein did not distribute the exam papers, those who could not attend the class could not officially see the problems, but because the difficulty was so insane, they were inevitably being shared.
Because they couldn’t solve it alone.
It was no exaggeration; they truly couldn’t solve it.
Because even problem number one, which should be the easiest, wouldn’t budge.
“……But! There’s a lot of talk about Professor Deculein burying people alive!”
“With Deculein’s personality, it’s only to be expected. And the opponent was Jeokgwae, right? Of course. Burying them alive does seem a bit extreme, but since they invaded first…… More importantly, please take a look at my solution for problem one.”
Rogerio offered her solution to Adrinne. The solution was also written on magic paper, and the volume was three hundred pages.
“Three hundred pages! That’s too many! Shorten it!”
“I’m showing it to you because I can’t shorten it.”
“Argh, I don’t know! If I look at someone else’s solution, it gets mixed up with mine! Take it away!”
“…….”
Rogerio pouted and put the solution back into her bosom.
“Ha, really. How did he even create something this difficult…….”
Boom—!
A loud sound boomed out then. Rogerio and Adrinne furrowed their brows deeply.
“Ah…… acting up again.”
It was the thirtieth vibration today signaling the magical beast migration.
* * *
……Mages were gathering in Reccordak.
They were breaking through that treacherous road teeming with magical beasts—even mages who ought to be living on the Floating Island—and, one by one, drawing near to Deculein’s Reccordak.
Julie did not know the reason. At the very least, the knights did not know.
“……Mages from the Floating Island. Lumiere rank. Is that correct?”
“““Yes.”””
Three visitors had arrived again today. Even as Julie received them, her expression was somewhat puzzled.
“……If it would not be rude, may I ask why you have come?”
As a knight, Julie did not commit discourtesies. She did not say things like if it would not be rude.
But when this strange procession continued not for one day, not for two, not even for three, but for an entire week, she could no longer hold back.
Beyond that wall, there were still many monsters, and the air was filled with their cries—Kraaaaargh~—as they roared.
Why, seeing that, knowing that, would they risk every danger to come to Reccordak?
And mages, no less—not adventurers or knights who enjoyed danger, but people extremely sensitive to their own safety.
“Yes?”
“Reccordak is extremely dangerous, is it not? You may not make it out of here alive.”
“Ah~ we know. But…… we came in search of knowledge.”
“……Knowledge?”
“Yes.”
The three young mages craned their necks toward the other side of Reccordak.
“There are books that can only be read here, and they say that if we come here, the professor will give us exam papers.”
“By professor…… do you mean Professor Deculein?”
“Yes.”
The three young mages craned their necks toward the other side of Reccordak.
“There are books that can only be read here, and they say that if we come here, the professor will give us exam papers.”
“By professor…… do you mean Professor Deculein?”
“Yes. Since you’re a knight, I suppose you wouldn’t know? So…….”
The mages kindly explained.
Why mages were gathering here, and why the procession would continue in the future as well.
“Professor Deculein’s unpublished writings. They’re in the library here. That’s the first reason. We absolutely have to read them. The second reason is similar. The library has all the exam papers the professor has set so far, and apparently anyone can view them for free…….”
In other words, Deculein’s writings and exams—things impossible to access even with money—were here in Reccordak.
Because of that, these days, not only on the Floating Island but even in the Magic Tower, Reccordak was being treated as a frigid Eldorado, a frozen island of gold.
“……Yes. I understand. First, here is your entry pass. Do not lose it.”
Julie nodded with a reluctant expression.
“Yes! Thank you!”
The mages even clenched their fists, showing their enthusiasm, and Julie watched them leave with an expression that still said she could not understand.
“……Mages who come all the way to this deathtrap in search of learning.”
Still, there was something romantic about it.
Hiring mercenaries solely for the sake of the mathematics of magic, coming to Reccordak—a place where one might die—to study.
If only because of Jeokgwe, the road here must have been terribly rough. How had they even found the way?
“…….”
Julie glanced at Deculein’s mansion in the distance. Then something curious happened.
She saw Deculein standing by the window. More precisely, their eyes met.
He had been looking at her as well.
“……!”
Julie hurriedly turned her gaze away.
Fortunately, there was work to do.
A guard pointed to the slope beyond the entrance and said,
“Knight-nim. Another mage is coming over there. With an escort knight.”
“……Yes. I see them too.”
Julie replied rather awkwardly and straightened her back…….