Don't Take What's Mine! (2)
The question from Liberio left Arhen momentarily speechless. Of course he was. He hadn't called the man over because he actually had something to say. Cain had ordered him to get rid of the guy, so he'd dragged him out in a hurry. If he ended up beating the Saint as well, things would become a massive headache.
At that moment, Wilhelm shot him a pointed look, signaling him to send the man away quickly. So he'd brought him out here. But he hadn't thought about what came next.
"Didn't you say you had something to tell me about Sister Estelle?"
"Um. Well. You see..."
What was he supposed to say? Should he claim he'd forgotten? Arhen couldn't easily open his mouth.
"...As I thought."
But Liberio nodded as if he understood everything.
"It must be that topic."
That topic? What topic?
"Don't get too close to Sister Estelle. Isn't that what you wanted to say?"
"...Huh?"
"I've heard the general story. That Brother Arhen had some connection with Sister Estelle in the past."
"That was..."
"Connections between people are truly beautiful things. The Lord has commanded us to cherish the bonds between people above all else. However, forcing those bonds onto others is the wrong path, Brother Arhen. Just as you have a connection, others may have the same kind of connection."
You don't seem to know anything. Because of that connection, I almost got beaten to death...
Arhen barely swallowed back the words he couldn't say out of pride.
"Sister Estelle is an incredibly precious person to you, isn't she, Brother Arhen?"
"...Yes, she is."
He'd moved somewhat beyond the 'unconditional' level from before.
"It would be extremely unpleasant if I told you to give up, wouldn't it?"
"..."
I thought so too, but lately I've been thinking I might actually be able to give up. If you get beaten by Cain enough times, wouldn't you start to feel the same?
"That's how everyone is. So please, don't try to force it, Brother Arhen."
To Liberio, that silence seemed to be taken as agreement. He drew the sign of the cross, saying he would return to his quarters first, then turned away.
Watching him leave, Arhen clutched his throbbing head. He didn't want to let go of his first love, Estelle. He couldn't. But when he remembered the brands of pain that had been seared into his body, he wavered.
'Estelle... what should I do...?'
Suddenly, the Estelle in his heart became unbearably missed. It was Arhen, overwhelmed by longing.
With light, graceful steps, Elsir left the conference room. Her mood was excellent. What she'd gained just now wasn't one or two things.
First, she'd managed to send her kin to the Continental Academy. The reason the non-humans had initially refused the Academy's invitation was a kind of test. Would the humans show the courtesy of inviting them once more?
Unfortunately, the humans had simply said 'okay' and turned away at their refusal. Thanks to that, only the non-humans had been left in an extremely awkward position.
They couldn't change their minds now without losing face. And at that very moment, the Academy had been devastated by demons. Rumor had it that it wasn't demons but Cain who'd done it, but anyway.
'Thanks to those demon bastards, we got a perfect excuse. Our entering the stalled Academy became one of the reasons it had to reopen, didn't it?'
Next, she'd met face-to-face with the infamous Demon Slayer. At first she'd thought it was impossible. Then she'd thought it was incredible. And finally, the man called Cain was beyond anything she'd imagined. So a human could be like that. He could be that impossibly strong.
And last but not least—
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Luciel followed behind Elsir with a nervous edge to her voice. Elsir turned around to face her furious little sister.
"What's wrong, Luci? Is it because I revealed that you're my sister?"
"No! Not that!"
"Hmm. Then is it because I played a little prank?"
She poked her sister in the side, and Luciel flinched again. She trembled, her face flushing red with embarrassment.
"Stop it."
"Really?"
Poke—!
"I said stop!"
Poke—!
"..."
Grind—
The terrifying aura of a powerhouse instantly froze the surrounding air. Oh, how scary. Elsir thought as she stopped poking her sister's side and instead—
"...?!"
—provocatively poked the tip of her own breast.
"Hey!!"
Luciel finally exploded, grabbing Elsir by the collar with a huff.
"I told you to stop!!"
"Ufufu! Why? Did it feel good? Did it tingle? My pure little Luci doesn't do things like this. What should I do with my adorable little sister?"
Among elves, they were especially rare. Children born with the Twin Star Destiny. Those born beneath the light of the twin stars gain special abilities. They become stronger when together. They can see each other's futures. Or they share the physical sensations each feels.
Yes. Just like these two half-elf women standing here.
'So annoying...!!'
Sharing sensations was annoying enough, but when the other person did it, the feeling got amplified. What was just playful poking for Elsir became a rush of heated sensation for Luciel.
Crucially, the two sisters had completely opposite personalities. Luciel was quiet, calm, and slightly conservative. She'd even left home to settle in the Holy Kingdom and become the Holy Knight Commander.
On the other hand, Elsir was mischievous and extremely open-minded. She had no trouble doing the things Luciel was too embarrassed to do—like poking sensitive spots or stroking them. And sometimes going even further with more explicit and intense methods...
"Stop it. This is my final warning."
"Hehe. You're finally talking to me comfortably like you used to? That's right. That's why I did it. If you'd treated me like before, I wouldn't have played these naughty pranks, you know?"
Elsir covered her mouth and pretended to sob as if she were truly heartbroken. It was enough to trigger the instinct to comfort her in anyone watching.
"Take your hand away."
But Luciel, who'd been through this many times, wasn't fooled. When she forcibly pushed the hand away, sure enough, Elsir was laughing. Even as Luciel's face hardened, she showed no sign of stopping her smile.
With a long sigh, Luciel took a step back. She took a deep breath. Calm down. If she didn't, she'd keep getting played by this woman.
'I can't cry in front of her again...!'
In the past, she'd once burst into tears from sheer frustration without realizing it. Even Elsir had been greatly flustered and didn't know what to do.
Her sister had apologized, but Luciel had only felt more ashamed. It had seemed like she'd surrendered by crying. So that very day, she'd left home and wandered around.
Later she'd settled in the Holy Kingdom, trained herself rigorously, and reached her current position. It was also from then that she'd kept her sister Elsir's existence a secret.
Because she'd cried in front of the sister who always treated her like a child. It was Luciel's own dark history that she never wanted to recall.
"Be honest. The claim that you came as representative because mixed-bloods are considered better than pure elves in the human world was a lie, wasn't it?"
"Wow! As expected of my little sister! You figured it out right away? That's right! I knocked out everyone who applied for the representative position and came instead."
"Why would you..."
"Why? Because my adorable Luci is at the Academy, of course! I came to surprise you!"
Pure belief with no malice, from a sister who thought she was doing it for her sibling. The problem was that while that might be true for Elsir, it wasn't for the one receiving it, Luciel.
"I'm so relieved to see you're doing well. This big sister feels completely at ease."
"Now that you've confirmed it, let's go back to pretending we don't know each other..."
"This big sister has something she's curious about. May I ask?"
Even if Luciel refused, she'd ask anyway. Luciel gave up and nodded as if to say 'do as you please.'
"What's your relationship with the Demon Slayer?"
"Huh?"
But the next moment, she regretted that choice.
"The Demon Slayer. That human man named Cain. What is your relationship with him?"
"...Why are you asking that? What do you mean?"
"Earlier, whenever I tried to talk to him, you were extremely wary of me, weren't you? It looked exactly like a partner getting jealous when another woman talks to her man."
Partner?
"Are you engaged or something?"
"No? While I was running around trying to get selected as representative, I temporarily acted as his partner for a ball to get some help. Sigh. For someone who was just a dance partner, he was so wary of everyone around us."
She claimed it was all because this big sister of hers was too outstanding. My dear little sister!
Elsir spun around gracefully, striking a elegant pose. Of course, Luciel responded with a disgusted 'ugh' as any proper younger sister should.
"Anyway, your behavior earlier was exactly like my partner! Looking around everywhere with such vigilance! Shouting 'Don't eye what's mine!' That exact look!!"
"It's not like that."
"But don't worry! This big sister has absolutely no intention of stealing what's yours, Luci!"
"That's not what I mean."
"Hmm. But that man named Cain was honestly pretty cool. Much more manly than those elf men who always act so refined and elegant. So, Luci, couldn't you share him with your big sister just a little? Just a tiny bit!"
"I said no!!"
Whoosh—!
Luciel's shout, infused with mana, swept through the surroundings. The wave of power was so intense that dust piled on the walls floated up.
"Luci?"
Elsir looked greatly flustered. This had never happened before. Not because of her sister's usual pranks. But because of someone else. Had Luciel ever shown such a sudden emotional change?
"It's not like that! Sir Cain! Sir Cain is the person I respect and admire the most! The coolest and most perfect person in the world, the very proof and embodiment of what the Lord has bestowed upon us!"
"L-Luci? Wait, calm down first..."
"He's the one who's slain the most demons! Never lost once and never will lose! The undisputed strongest in the alliance—no, the absolute strongest in the entire history of the continent!"
"I get it, I get it, so..."
"How dare you speak of such a person! Such a Sir Cain like that?! Say it again! I said say it again!!"
True to her prank-loving nature, Elsir knew better than anyone where the line was. At this timing, she absolutely, positively should not joke around. Her senses were screaming that doing so would lead to real trouble.
"Haa! Haa...!"
Catching her rough breath, Luciel continued as if making a declaration.
"Don't compare Sir Cain to others. And don't talk about him as if you could possibly have him."
"Y-yes, I understand, Luci. So please calm down..."
"If you act rudely toward Sir Cain one more time, I really won't stay quiet."
At those words, Elsir almost said it without thinking: My little sister is in love with that human named Cain. It's not just simple affection, is it? She's already fallen for him, hasn't she?
'Hold it in. You have to hold it in, Elsir. If I say that now, Luci might really declare she's cutting ties with her sister.'
But seriously. Was Luci really her sister? How could they match so perfectly?
She had good taste. Truthfully, the moment she'd seen that man named Cain, she'd taken a liking to him too.
'He's so tempting... He's such an amazing man.'
Overwhelming power. A domineering presence. And even the madness that came with true qualification. She wanted him. He was a thousand times better than those elf men. So she'd approached him with interest, thinking she might properly pursue him. But to think her adorable little sister Luci had already set her sights on him first!
'What should I do...?'
A more and more captivating smile slowly spread across Elsir's lips. She didn't want to just hand him over. But snatching him away would make her feel bad for her sister.
The two sisters had always been so different that they'd rarely fought over anything. She'd never imagined they'd end up wanting the same man.
Her dilemma grew. This was truly the first time in her life she'd faced such a problem. Naturally, Elsir's irritated response was—
"...Hmph."
Poke—!
"Hey!!"
Luciel, poked in the chest once again, turned into an angry cat.