Touch Our Brother?
After stopping the assassination attempt on Lucy, the next day. Once my body's fatigue had recovered somewhat, I prepared to be discharged. Thanks to the high-grade potions, my wounds had healed cleanly without leaving a single scar. Even my left eye, which had been nearly sliced in half, only felt a bit stiff—my vision was completely unaffected. Marveling once again at the medical arts and medicines of this fantasy world, I was just leaving the hospital room when two figures standing by the door lunged at me.
"Oppa!!"
"Young Master!"
It was Ariel and Rachel. The two girls who had suddenly appeared clung to me, wrapping their arms tightly around my body. I looked down at them with a startled expression.
"Rachel? Ariel? What are you two doing here?"
At my question, Rachel and Ariel began to sob, their eyes brimming with tears.
"Hic... I was in the dorms when... hic, I heard Young Master had been taken to the infirmary..."
"I was... hic... at school when..."
Both of them had rushed over the moment they heard I had been hospitalized. Since Korn had provided a special room, visitors weren't allowed. Did that mean the two of them had been waiting outside the door until I came out?
"Oppa, you're not going to die, right...?"
"Young Master... you can't leave us..."
"Aigoo..."
I let out a small sigh and gently patted the backs of the two girls crying so pitifully. I felt a bit sorry. I should have given them some warning beforehand. No, that would have been strange too. Tell them I might get hurt and hospitalized, so they should prepare themselves? That would just make me sound insane.
......Still, it feels nice.
In my previous life, even when I got seriously injured during training, no one had ever worried about me. Here, two people had come running the moment I got hurt. Feeling a slight lump in my throat, I hugged the two girls in my arms.
"Die? I'm not dying. I'll live a long, long time, so don't worry."
"Hic, really...?"
"I-Is it not hurting anymore...?"
"Yeah, I'm completely fine."
Truthfully, I still felt like I was going to die from exhaustion. But a few days of solid sleep would fix that. I gently wiped the tear tracks from their faces and playfully pinched their cheeks.
"Then, shall we get going? You both look tired."
"Nngh..."
"Hic... mm."
After calming them down, I walked down the hallway with heavy steps. Rachel and Ariel matched my pace with quick little steps. The rhythm of our overlapping footsteps echoed steadily. Even in that small detail, I found a strange sense of satisfaction.
"How about you two walk a little farther apart?"
"No."
"I don't want to."
"No, what if you trip......"
Once we left the main building, the carriage stop in the distance came into view. At the same time, I made eye contact with the students already waiting there.
"......Huh?"
"That's... Young Master Lisite...?"
Standing there were the main figures from yesterday's incident. The princesses, the Saintess, and Alan.
***
The chosen hero of this generation, Alan Reinhardt. As a key witness to the attempted assassination of the princess, he had been undergoing questioning with the others before returning to the dorms. While waiting at the stop for a carriage, a girl beside him spoke up.
"By the way, Alan. Are your wounds alright?"
"Pardon?"
It was Loraine Marlena, the Saintess—one of the targets of yesterday's attack. She gazed at Alan with her softly glowing white eyes.
"You fought those assailants directly, after all."
At the Saintess's concerned words, Alan bowed his head apologetically.
"I'm fine. It was only a small scratch on my arm at most."
"Still..."
The girl seemed troubled by the fact that the boy had gotten hurt protecting her. Sensing her feelings, Alan offered a gentle smile.
"I'm really alright. There were only three enemies, and... I merely bought time until the professors arrived."
Alan lowered his head as if ashamed. At his humble response, another girl peeked out from behind the Saintess.
"You survived for ten whole minutes against mages who could hold their own against Professor Aaron, even if only briefly. That's impressive."
A girl with hair like shattered sunlight and eyes the color of the clear blue sky. Neria von Lietro, the Empire's Second Princess. Neria gave Alan an incredulous look as he continued to blame himself despite having safely protected the targets from overwhelming odds.
"Those weren't opponents a student could possibly handle."
"Haha... Thank you."
"Just how strong are you? From what I saw this time, you seem at least academy assistant level... Sister, what do you think?"
Neria muttered and turned her gaze to Lucy standing beside her. Lucy, who had been staring blankly into space, reacted a beat late.
"Huh...? Ah, yeah, impressive..."
At her listless voice, Neria furrowed her brows.
"Sister, are you okay? If you're tired, we can rest a day before going."
"I'm fine. His Majesty summoned us—we can't afford to be late..."
"Haa... Why is Father in such a hurry? It's not like anyone got hurt."
"He's probably worried about us."
At her sister's prickly concern, the elder sister chuckled. It was a light laugh, but the trembling corners of her lips revealed it was forced. Neria looked as if she wanted to say more to Lucy, but soon closed her mouth.
"......"
"......"
When the two girls fell silent, the atmosphere sank instantly. In the now-heavy air, the Saintess began speaking again with an awkward smile.
"By the way, Alan... I heard there was an attack on the side where the First Princess was as well?"
"That's correct. Fortunately, Young Master Lisite, who was there, protected Her Highness the Princess......"
Alan couldn't finish his sentence. The horrific scene from that moment, burned into his mind, flashed before his eyes. The surroundings drenched in blood and the terrible stench. The floor littered with mutilated corpses. People burning alive, their bodies twitching in agony. And at the center of it all—a man wearing a thrilling smile. Raiden Lisite. Covered head to toe in blood, burning people with evident joy, his appearance truly resembled a demon from myth descended upon the world.
At the mention of Raiden's name, Lucy—who had also been present—trembled as if struck by the same thought. Alan steadied his shaking heart and opened his mouth.
"......Saintess."
"Yes, Alan."
"The last time you met Young Master Lisite... did you sense anything strange about him?"
Alan asked with a hardened expression. The Saintess tilted her head in confusion.
"No... not particularly? He was the same as before."
"I see..."
Alan let out a small sigh. If Raiden were connected to something sinister, the Saintess would have detected it. Then what exactly was that person? Alan muttered inwardly.
-Alan Reinhardt.
-Third son of the Reinhardt family... and the chosen hero of this generation.
-The trials will soon begin.
-At the academy banquet in one week, never leave the Saintess's and the Princesses' sides.
Raiden had clearly known about this attack in advance. Even details the academy itself hadn't noticed. Of course, considering he was the heir to the most influential family in the Empire, it might have been possible somehow. But the unease remained.
'Besides, it's strange. That person......'
There were too many strange things. Raiden had known Alan was the chosen hero of this generation as if it were obvious. He had also displayed absurd strength, single-handedly defeating seven enemies of a level Alan had barely managed to handle. And that hideous aura only visible to Alan's eyes. Every time he recalled the cold energy surrounding Raiden, Alan felt a chill run down his spine.
'......He's dangerous.'
The Saintess's assurance had confirmed Raiden wasn't connected to any sinister existence, but that didn't mean his wariness disappeared. Especially since the Raiden he had faced at the banquet had been truly shocking. Alan organized his complicated thoughts and classified Raiden as a "target of caution."
'If we meet again, I need to be properly on guard... just in case.'
With that thought, Alan nodded. But he didn't know. That this meeting would happen so soon.
"......Huh?"
"That's... Young Master Lisite...?"
Neria and the Saintess let out dazed sounds. Alan raised his head to look ahead. There, pitch-black eyes were staring straight at him.
"......"
Raiden Lisite. The "target of caution" Alan had just been thinking about had appeared right in front of him.
***
Why are these guys here?
I muttered inwardly as I looked at the four pairs of eyes fixed on me. I had come to catch a carriage back to the dorms, only to find all the key figures from yesterday's incident gathered at the stop. The princess sisters, the Saintess, and our protagonist. Did they have business near the main building too? It was strange to run into them all at once like this.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses."
I immediately bowed my head in respect. The stars of the Empire and the Saintess. Even as the eldest son of a ducal house, these were people who naturally commanded a bow.
"Hello, Raiden. What a strange coincidence to meet like this."
"......"
"......"
"......"
Though I had clearly greeted everyone, only the Saintess responded. The other three simply stood there without a single word.
So they won't even acknowledge my greeting now...
Just a few days ago, they had at least shown their dislike openly instead of ignoring me. I let out a short breath at the sudden wave of disillusionment. Pushing my complicated feelings into the back of my mind, I raised my head again to meet their eyes. But the way they were looking at me felt strange.
"......"
The Saintess and Neria wore reluctant expressions. Alan was biting his lip hard, his eyes narrowed. Lucy had shrunk back, desperately avoiding my gaze.
......What is this.
Even someone as socially inept as me could tell. The signals were that blatant. They were wary of me. Or afraid of me. Realizing this, I turned my gaze one by one with a doubtful heart. The moment the children met my eyes, they flinched. As if they were looking at a monster. The heart that had been warm just moments ago instantly froze over.
Why?
Why were they looking at me like that? I clearly hadn't done anything. I had even burned my entire body to save them.
-Don't get close to that guy if you don't want your athlete career to end...
-How many kids have ruined their lives by being nice to that thing? Changho's one of them...
-Ha, fuck... I wish he'd just disappear.
It was the same as back then. Cold gazes pierced through me. As I stood frozen for a moment, Alan—who had been glaring at me—stepped forward. His expression was tense.
"What business do you have, Young Master Lisite."
A sharp tone. A trembling voice. A ruthless wave washed over my ears. I felt confused. Seeing Lucy's fear-filled reaction. Seeing the Saintess and Neria wearing awkward blank expressions. And seeing you now, with your hand on your sword sheath right in front of me. I felt strong confusion. What had I done wrong this time? What mistake had I made again? I thought I had done enough—where had the hole appeared? I steadied my unstable breathing and took a step forward.
"Everyone... why are you......"
-Shing...!
My question never finished. The clear sound of a sword being drawn cut it off.
"S-Stop...! Please stop right there!"
Alan shouted and pointed his drawn sword at me. His expression was colored with panic, as if the action had slipped out unconsciously from fear. I stared at him blankly. It was a strangely familiar stance. A posture I had clearly seen recently. After a moment of thought, my mind traced the origin of that familiarity.
......Ah, that time.
Yesterday, when I had been wrapping things up. The scene where Alan had pointed his sword at me with a horrified face. Now that I thought about it, it was the exact same standoff.
'Back then too, he was glaring at me while......'
I stopped my moving feet. In the place where my question had been cut off, only doubt remained.
'Just what... did you all see in me.'
What had they seen that made them fear me so much? I stood there motionless, simply looking at them with my swirling questions. Several minutes passed like that. What broke the deep silence that had settled over the carriage stop was none other than......
"Ice Spear."
A single line of incantation. At the same time a chill mana rippled through the air, an ice spear flew from behind me toward Alan. Immediately after, Alan's sword and the ice spear collided violently.
-Kagagak...!
Thud!!
"Kugh...?!"
Having barely deflected the attack, Alan looked toward where the spear had come from. There stood a red-haired girl radiating blue mana. Her red eyes were covered in a blue aura, giving off a faint purple hue. Ariel glared at Alan with a murderous aura.
"Hey, who the hell are you?"
The surrounding air, tinged purple, seemed to announce that her mood was extremely foul. The girl spat out a thick curse while wrapped in a chilling cold.
"You fucking bug-like bastard, touching our brother?"