My ‘real’ little sister.
Until recently, when I was consoling Ria, she ant nothing to .
After all, the only one I ever considered as my sister in this manor was Ria.
Yet, the bond of blood proved to be truly terrifying.
Even though I never t this little sister in my life, my heart was already pounding with anticipation.
I felt an overwhelming urge to open the docunts and discover her whereabouts right away.
But no, not yet.
I moistened my parched lips with a bit of saliva.
“Is she perhaps in a distressing situation?”
It was a straightforward question.
Yet a lot was implied in that simple query and the Sword Duke subtly avoided my gaze.
He, too, was human, and thus, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
“…I’m not entirely sure, but it doesn’t seem so.”
I brushed my chest in relief at the Sword Duke’s response.
Even though she was a little sister I never t, if she were suffering right now, it would have broken the hearts of my family.
Even if it might affect less, my parents and older brother had shared mories with her as well.
The next question was just as straightforward.
“Do my parents know?”
“I’ve inford them… However, the Percus couple has left the decision up to you. I suspect the wounds from the past run quite deep.”
That made sense.
My parents had to pay a heavy price for losing my little sister.
In addition, they must have carried the guilt of not being able to protect her.
In the end, the decision was mine to make.
Before lay the clues to finding a little sister whose na I didn’t even know.
I deeply deliberated.
Suddenly, Ria’s face, whom I had comforted not long ago, flashed through my mind.
Finding my little sister wasn’t a simple decision.
It was a choice that could destroy all the relationships we built up until now.
If I were to find my little sister, how would Ria feel?
And how would my little sister, who supposedly wasn’t in a distressing situation, feel?
I didn’t dwell on it for long.
But that didn’t an I wasn’t troubled.
After a brief but intense inner struggle, I reached a single conclusion.
I let out a brief response laced with distress.
“…I see.”
With a rip, the docunt was torn apart alongside its envelope.
Sword Duke simply watched my actions in silence.
The docunts were then shredded into dozens of pieces. My hand tore the paper in several places, making the text almost unreadable.
Then, with a sharp thud, I placed the shredded docunts down on the table.
Only then did Sword Duke speak.
“Are you sure about this?”
“I only have one little sister.”
Yes, hadn’t I promised Ria?
That there is only one ‘real’ little sister to .
I hoped that this decision wouldn’t disturb the peaceful lives of both my little sisters.
“…Other than her, there is no one else.”
With those words, I quickly stood up.
Even I couldn’t fully grasp my own feelings.
Rather than stay and risk overturning my decision, I chose to leave, even if that ant being sowhat impolite.
Fortunately, the Sword Duke seed to understand my state of mind.
As I bowed my head to show respect, he quietly nodded in response.
“Go on, you’ve done well… We’ll discuss the reward from the Imperial Family later.”
“…Thank you.”
My voice, in response, was already choked with emotion.
I wasn’t terribly sad.
It was just that the longer I hesitated, the more painful it beca.
I quickly composed myself and moved forward.
It was now ti to et Senior Elsie.
I had my own life and so did the little sister I never even t.
This decision is the right one.
Reassuring myself countless tis, I left the reception room.
Even then, the Sword Duke continued to silently watch .
*
Shortly after Ian left, the Sword Duke, who remained in the reception room, slowly moved his hand.
His hand reached for the pile of torn docunts.
He sifted through the clump of papers, searching for any remaining traces of information.
Before long, he found the words he was looking for.
Words that could not be erased, no matter how much they were torn.
“…Only one, huh.”
The Sword Duke muttered as if sighing, holding a bitter smile.
The papers in his hand began to glow with a white light.
The pieces of paper, unable to withstand the excessive infusion of mana, burst into flas. The sudden flas turned the docunts black, causing the printed words to disintegrate. ř�
With a faint crackle, the burnt paper crumbled into ash and dispersed.
The wry smile on the middle-aged man’s lips grew even more bitter.
“May fate spare you, Percus.”
However, even as the flas danced and consud the text, one passage remained.
It was slowly turning to ash, but still readable enough to reveal its contents.
It was an unfinished paragraph.
‘Mitram, I’ll specially allow you to use my clone. Ah, I’m looking forward to it. The day when I can drive that wretched fake out and reclaim my beloved brother…’
But even that crumbled to ash as an inexplicable breeze swept it away.
There was yet another fate waiting for the na of Percus.
**
By the ti I reached the backyard, my mind settled into a calm state.
It seed that Senior Elsie had been waiting for for quite so ti.
She was fidgeting, nervously tugging at the brim of her hat.
It was a habit she displayed whenever she was tense, which her anxious expression clearly reflected..
It was a rather endearing sight.
Feeling the tension in my heart ease a bit, I greeted Senior Elsie.
“Senior Elsie.”
“A-Ah…! M-Master!”
Senior Elsie, who had been fidgeting, was startled at my call and hastily responded.
She appeared oddly nervous.
I couldn’t quite understand why, but decided to set that question aside for now.
We had plenty of ti to talk, after all.
And it wasn’t every day we had a private eting like this.
So I decided to take this opportunity to clear up so of the topics I had been putting off.
Regardless, Senior Elsie hurried towards .
“I-Is your body okay? What should I do… You still look so pale.”
Though Senior Elsie was known for her fierce nature, she was nothing but a gentle lamb in front of .
The sight of her clenching and unclenching her fists with a worried expression was utterly endearing.
She was undoubtedly a lovely girl.
It would have been even better if she had just kept quiet.
But the person standing before was none other than Senior Elsie.
She couldn’t be rely cute.
Her expression soon turned fierce.
“Seriously, that useless bitch! Acting all high and mighty just because she’s a Saintess, and then going on about how you might die or whatever… Next ti I see her, I’ll pop those titslike waterlons…”
“Please don’t, Senior Elsie.”
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile at the stream of expletives that naturally flowed from her.
No matter when I saw her, she was always a woman full of surprises, contrary to her appearance.
It startled a bit at first, but after spending so much ti together, I had no choice but to get used to it. In fact, nowadays, it would feel strange if Senior Elsie didn’t curse.
There were only a few instances when Senior Elsie refrained from swearing.
She would usually only beco reserved when she was feeling down, when she made a mistake, or when faced with soone she couldn’t handle on her own.
But even those instances have beco increasingly rare lately.
Lately, whenever soone tried to ss with , Senior Elsie would often lose even the last bit of self-restraint she had left.
This was also the reason her relationship with the Saintess rapidly deteriorated.
“It’s thanks to the Saintess that I’m still alive.”
Senior Elsie couldn’t outright deny my words.
She rely grumbled, expressing her displeasure.
As it was the truth.
If the Saintess hadn’t been there, I would have died long ago or been left crippled.
With the serious injuries I sustained recently, I would have surely lost my life.
The Saintess made an enormous contribution to keeping alive.
She, at the very least,didn’t deserve to hear absurd remarks like ‘pop her tits like waterlons.’
Besides, why would anyone want to destroy sothing so precious?
If anything, it should be preserved and protected instead.
However, Senior Elsie seed deeply upset by my praise of the Saintess.
“Hmph, I just don’t like her. No matter how you look at it, she’s just a rotten wench…”
Before Senior Elsie could voice any more complaints, I took decisive action.
With a gentle tap, I placed my hand on top of Senior Elsie’s pointed hat.
As I patted her head for the first ti in a while, her grumpy expression quickly disappeared.
She simply leaned her head against my chest, grinning.
Her face, as she nuzzled against , was filled with happiness.
“Ehehe, hehehe… M-Master…”
“So, why did you call here today?”
It was at that mont that I brought up the main issue.
Naturally, if she had sothing to discuss, it had to be about that.
And for the first ti in a long while, I saw her expression harden.
No matter how much I patted her head, the frozen girl remained stiff.
Senior Elsie blankly blinked for a while. It was only after so ti that she snapped out of it and pulled away from my embrace.
The way she cleared her throat suggested she was a bit embarrassed.
For so reason, Senior Elsie seed intent on creating a sowhat serious atmosphere.
She hadn’t been like this since she declared herself my pet.
Today was full of unfamiliar experiences.
“S-So… Master? There’s sothing I really want to say…”
She cautiously brought up the topic, gauging my reaction.
There was no reason I couldn’t play along.
However, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I inadvertently interrupted her.
“Oh, by the way, I also have sothing to say.”
Her clear blue eyes turned toward .
Her gaze suggested she hadn’t expected that I would have sothing to say as well.
But it was just a misunderstanding.
I had always had sothing I wanted to say to Senior Elsie, but the right opportunity never ca, so I kept postponing it.
So, I decided to resolve this matter once and for all.
“…Can’t you stop calling ‘Master’?”
I could almost hear a faint, imaginary sound, like sothing cracking.
Senior Elsie froze, her eyes wide open. She stared at with disbelief.
I had ntioned this once before, and every ti I did, her reaction was always the sa.
She looked like a puppy that had just been abandoned.
In the past, my resolve would have weakened, and I would have given up by now.
But now, Senior Elsie and I were being considered potential fiancés.
If we didn’t set this relationship straight, it could likely cause problems later.
I was especially worried about eting Count Rinella.
He was the Archmage who solidified the foundation of the Rinella family. I definitely didn’t want a firsthand experience on just how powerful he was.
In response to my firm stance, Senior Elsie asked with tears in her eyes.
“…W-What?”
“And no more formal language, either.”
At my continued insistence, her face crumpled in dismay.
“From now on, just speak casually. I’m your junior, after all.”
And Senior Elsie isn’t a puppy, either.
Hearing this simple truth, Senior Elsie couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
Truly, it was a pitiful sight.
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