Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: Side Story 15. The Boy and the Girl
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"Ugh... Oppa. Where are we going?"
Erin asked in a sleepy, drowsy voice as she woke up. The scenery around them had already changed to the bustling streets of the capital. The warm spring sunlight made her snow-white hair shine even brighter.
Her platinum hair, inherited from the Savior and resembling neither parent, fluttered gently. Lanse, carrying her on his back as they walked, grumbled curtly.
"Anywhere. Somewhere that guy isn't."
"Does Oppa hate Dad?"
"...Yeah."
Lanse frowned as Ronan's face came to mind. He couldn't understand his father's carefree demeanor, nor why his mother had married such a man. Erin spoke up.
"Liar. You actually like him."
"W-What are you talking about? Why would I?"
"You're just sulking because he didn't come to your entrance ceremony. You finally topped the Phileon Martial Arts roster as valedictorian, but he missed it. I get it, but isn't it time to get over it and go back to how things were?"
"Ugh...!"
Lanse let out a flustered groan. It was a sharp, piercing observation. Thinking back, his relationship with Ronan hadn't always been bad.
In fact, much earlier, he had admired that broad back. Having the world-saving hero as a father was a tremendous source of pride for any son. Ronan had even been somewhat affectionate back then, personally teaching his son how to wield a sword.
But as time passed, Ronan spent more and more time away from home. Even when asked out of worry, he never explained what he was doing.
So Lanse threw himself into swordsmanship. He wanted to mend his distant relationship with his father. If he achieved undeniable results, his father would surely notice.
And early this year, Lanse had finally claimed the top spot in Phileon's Martial Arts Department. But Ronan never showed up to the entrance ceremony. Bitter memories surfaced as he bit his lower lip.
"...You wouldn't get it. Now, get down."
"Hng... Can't you carry me a little longer?"
"No."
"Even if I ask nicely like this?"
Erin's eyes sparkled as she pleaded. The combination of her white hair and sunset-orange eyes strikingly resembled Aunt Iril. Lanse sighed after a moment of silence.
"...Just a little."
"Heehee, Oppa is the best."
Erin cheered and hugged his neck. Lanse headed toward the market. They could kill time eating snacks together before heading home.
"I wish Oppa would grow taller quick. At least as tall as Mom... You'll carry me even when we're older, right?"
"Depends on how you behave."
The weather was nice anyway, perfect for a stroll. As the siblings chatted while crossing the square, a loud girl's voice rang out from nearby.
"Hey! Lanse! Erin!"
"Ugh. Ran into the annoying one."
Lanse scowled. Turning his head, he saw three boys and girls his age. Two short blondes approached first and greeted him.
"H-Hi... Lanse oppa..."
"Huh, Lanse hyung. Not going to the academy today?"
Camilla and Jin, the third and fourth of the Karabel quintuplets. Their shining golden hair was unmistakably inherited from Aunt Marya, even if you saw it upside down.
Their playful personalities leaned more toward Uncle Asel, though. Erin, peeking out from his back, said to Jin.
"It's the weekend today, dummy Jin."
"E-Erin...!"
Jin's face flushed red. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly, making his feelings for Erin obvious. Then the remaining girl strode forward boldly.
"Where are you two off to so chummily? Give me a piggyback too."
"You're too heavy."
"Rude to a lady. Being handsome doesn't make you the whole world."
The girl stuck out her tongue. Her sturdy build for her age and fiery red hair like embers stood out. Sechika Karabel, the eldest of the quintuplets and firstborn of Asel and Marya.
Unlike the sword prodigy Lanse, she had inherited her father's magical talent and had claimed the top spot in Phileon's Magic Department this year.
"Where's Aunt Marya?"
"Home with Dad. They had some 'private talk' and told me to go play. Their chemistry is too good sometimes."
Sechika giggled. A coin pouch from Marya jingled on her wrist. Lanse pressed his hand to his forehead and sighed.
"Just like my house... Even if we're close, do our family schedules have to sync up like this...?"
"Honestly, yours is still fine. Even with one more sibling, you'd only have three. Ours is hitting six."
"What do you mean, Sechika unnie? Am I getting a sibling?"
Erin tilted her head. She was still too young to grasp adult matters. Sechika, grinning slyly, poked Erin's cheeks.
"Hehe, Erin really is a kid. Yeah, something like that. Simply put..."
"Don't say weird stuff in front of my sister."
Lanse cut her off sharply. Sechika shrugged and smoothly changed the subject.
"Anyway, did you hear? That rumor."
"What rumor?"
"Merchants are buzzing about it. The string of disappearances in the capital. You haven't heard?"
"...No."
Lanse tilted his head. He had no recollection. Sechika smiled knowingly.
"Makes sense. Adults don't want us kids chasing rumors. It's only on the outskirts for now, so they're playing it cool."
"Outskirts where? The capital's huge."
"Near the eastern borderlands, I think. Anyway, my info network says it's big. Nearly a hundred missing already."
"...A hundred?"
Lanse's eyes widened. What was this about? He glanced at Erin on his back and spoke.
"Erin. Wanna get down for a bit?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Gotta talk with Sechika alone. Here, some money—go buy treats with your friends."
Lanse pulled out a silver coin from Ronan. Erin's eyes went wide.
"Wow, really? I can spend it however I want today?!"
"Yeah. Be careful."
Erin hopped off his back and grabbed the shy Camilla and Jin's hands, dashing to the market. Once they were gone, Lanse turned to Sechika.
"So. What do you want?"
"Sharp as ever. Hey, Lanse—don't you wanna be a hero?"
"What?"
"Feels like now or never. Our parents made the world too peaceful. Solving a case even the star-slaying swordsman and archmage couldn't? That'd be legendary."
Suddenly, Sechika pointed to the square's center. Following her finger, a majestic marble statue stood tall—a man raising his sword over a giant's severed head. It looked just like the uncle who had been sprawled on the floor at Lanse's house earlier. Staring at it, Lanse slowly shook his head.
"...Don't be ridiculous. Mom would faint if she knew."
"Did Uncle Ronan or our parents ever worry about that? I doubt it."
"That's different. We don't need to take those risks to be great."
"Wait, Lanse!"
Lanse turned to leave. Sechika called urgently, but he ignored her. It was a foolish idea, no matter how he sliced it.
Smart as she was, why push this? Mumbling to himself, he headed to the market. Sechika cupped her hands to her mouth and yelled.
"Didn't you hear me?! This is our only shot!"
"What an idiot."
Lanse scowled. Like Aunt Marya, her voice carried far. Eyes turned their way, but Sechika kept shouting. Ignoring it, Lanse passed Ronan's statue.
"You shrimp! You'll live forever in your parents' shadow!?"
"...What?"
Lanse froze. Sechika, not expecting him to stop, faltered.
"W-What... He stopped?"
Lanse stood dazed, like he'd been hammered. Parents' shadow. The words spun in his young mind.
It wasn't entirely wrong. Sure, disappearances were stirring things up now, but his great parents would fix it soon, and peace would return.
Maybe his father skipped the ceremony not from busyness, but boredom. Looking up slowly, Ronan's marble face seemed to mock him.
-Now that's a face. Scaredy-cat. Shit your pants?
"...Damn it."
Lanse clenched his fist. Sechika floated over cautiously with telekinesis. He had sensed her but waited until she spoke.
It was a moonless night, clouds veiling the sky. No starlight pierced the dark; only streetlamps cast artificial glows on the streets.
Their meeting happened in a back alley beyond even that feeble light. As Lanse rounded a narrow corner, a familiar girl's voice echoed.
"Heh. Not a coward after all. No tail, right?"
A girl in a dark blue robe emerged from the shadows. Two beggar-like men lay unconscious at her feet. Lanse glanced around and nodded.
"Clear."
"Impressive. Not easy."
"No big deal. Dad's out, Mom's asleep with Erin."
"Sita?"
"Out with Ophelia noona since three days ago."
"Perfect." The girl removed her hood. Her red hair gleamed vividly in the gloom. Smiling brightly, Sechika faced Lanse's question.
"So, those two?"
"Just petty thugs. Didn't rough 'em up too bad."
"They look pretty foamy..."
Lanse clicked his tongue. Their limbs were twisted oddly—not unscathed. Wrong guys to mess with.
Sechika giggled.
"Mine's secure too. Alright, Lanse. Let's make history."
"Whatever. What's the plan?"
"All set. Ghost horses waiting at the west gate. We ride them first and... Hm? What's in your pocket?"
"Huh?"
Sechika paused, staring at his coat pocket.
"Oh. This?"
Lanse shrugged and pulled it out—a dull, scaly orb like shark skin, no ordinary item. Sechika narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah. Mana pulsing from it."
"Suddenly? I've carried it forever."
"Forever...? What is it?"
"Dunno. Gift from when I was little."
Lanse said. Ronan had given it to him young, just told him to keep it. Staring at it, he muttered oddly.
"Huh, color seems different... Nah, imagination."
"Whatever. Back to the plan. We take the ghost horses and..."
Sechika chuckled dismissively and continued. Her plan was meticulous, befitting the top merchant heir. Lanse nodded attentively—until something odd caught his eye.
"Huh?"
"What?"
No answer. A shimmering flow drifted through the alley's dark, like a misty galaxy. His brow furrowed.
"What... is this?"
"What? Something there?"
Sechika turned but saw only shadows and the idiots.
"You can't see it?"
"See what... What're you pointing at?"
Perplexed, she asked. Only Lanse saw the glow. Drawn to the bizarre sight, he approached—then footsteps echoed behind.
"Hm?"
Snapping back, Lanse turned and froze. Sechika, who had been there, was gone.
"...Sechika?"
No reply. Only her lingering presence, the dark, and the shimmer remained. Sensing wrongness, his hand went to his sword hilt.
"What the...!"
A chilling whisper rang in his ear. Lanse drew and swung reflexively. Slash! A low whoosh cut the shadowed alley.
Soon, the glow faded. No trace of the boy and girl remained.