Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: 13. Life and Death Ledger (2)
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Though it was hardly news to anyone, Deneb El Grinebalt—the firstborn son of the Grinebalt Ducal family and Serika's older brother—was an utterly shameless sister fanatic.
Just how far did his love for her go? If anything happened to Serika, he'd probably start building a tower to the heavens on the spot.
But even Deneb couldn't help it.
Serika's beauty, in his eyes, far surpassed anything human.
To give some idea, ever since she was little, swarms of flies from across the entire Empire had buzzed around her relentlessly.
In the end, fed up with it all, the Duke and Deneb had shipped her off to the Magic Tower—a place where outsiders were strictly barred—to keep her safe.
...Though in hindsight, sending her to the Magic Tower and letting her cross paths with that bastard might have been their biggest mistake.
At any rate, it was undeniable that Deneb's entire mindset revolved around his adorable little sister, Serika.
What Serika liked, Deneb liked.
What Serika hated, Deneb hated.
If Serika took an interest in something, Deneb would too—or at least make an effort to.
But there was one glaring exception to all of this.
'Raguna Tersion, you bastard!'
The parasite who'd latched onto her while she was at the Magic Tower.
The dog of a man who kept hanging around her side, exploiting his status as her childhood friend.
If it had been the usual Deneb, he'd have "cleaned" that parasite out of her life in an instant, ensuring he never came near her again.
Unfortunately, he couldn't use those methods on Raguna Tersion.
Because...
"Serika. You seem in an unusually good mood today. Did something happen?"
"...Hmm. Does it seem that way to you too, Brother? Well, something good did happen."
Serika murmured as she lifted the corner of her mouth in a sly grin.
"You know about the script reading for episode 27 of Mecha God Chronicle today, right?"
"...Ah, yeah. Of course."
How could Deneb not know?
Whenever Serika went off to see that bastard Raguna, Deneb felt like his heart was being torn apart.
"But during the reading today, Raguna was guiding my acting, and he grabbed my hand and shoulder like this."
"W-What?!"
For a moment, Deneb felt like his head was spinning.
That bastard Raguna dared lay hands on his Serika?
Unfortunately, Serika's thoughts diverged sharply from his own.
"How many kids should we have?"
"...What?"
"I'd love a daughter who looks like me, but a son who takes after Raguna would be nice too. Ah, but doesn't having two solve everything? What do you think, Brother?"
"....."
And so, Serika was already head over heels for that bastard Raguna.
Forcing him away from her side could trigger who-knows-what backlash.
That was why.
"Mecha God Chronicle? Honestly, without Serika's voice, it's worthless trash."
"That Raguna punk is just throwing Mecha God Chronicle together on a whim, no thought behind it. How else do you explain that garbage plot with Earth exploding and humanity wiped out?"
Why he'd relentlessly trashed the anime Raguna was making, Mecha God Chronicle.
To Deneb, the show was nothing but a target for criticism once you subtracted Serika's voice.
Of course, he had to conveniently ignore that his father, the Duke, was an insane superfan—and that Serika herself was spearheading the production.
Having willfully tuned out anything related to Mecha God Chronicle or any other anime Raguna made, Deneb lived in blissful ignorance.
Until one day, when Serika brought him some news.
"Life and Death Ledger?"
"Yes. It's Raguna's latest project after Mecha God Chronicle."
With that, Serika let out a sigh as she turned to Deneb.
"I know you aren't big on anime, Brother, but I really recommend watching this one at least once."
"...Why's that?"
"Because Life and Death Ledger is quite different from Mecha God Chronicle. It has a lot of thriller and mystery elements that you'd like, so give it a try."
"...Hmm."
Truth be told, Serika had said it out of pure goodwill.
She figured Deneb avoided Mecha God Chronicle because it didn't suit his tastes.
And knowing his preferences well, she was confident he'd love Life and Death Ledger.
'Brother likes logical, deductive stories. He's especially fascinated by supernatural mysteries, so he'll definitely enjoy Life and Death Ledger.'
As far as Serika knew, Deneb—the accomplished high-level mage—was deeply intrigued by enigmatic phenomena that defied physical laws or magical explanations.
So a show featuring a Death God and a 'Life and Death Ledger' unbound by the rules of the human world? Right up his alley.
And so Serika recommended Life and Death Ledger to Deneb.
Unable to refuse her request, he decided to watch episode 1, figuring he'd been had.
And not long after...
Serika heard some utterly absurd news from Raguna.
"...Death God summoning ritual?"
"Yeah. Lately, tons of people watching Life and Death Ledger have been making wild claims. Like they've contracted with a Death God and gotten Death Eyes or whatever. Anyway, just in case, Kaya's chatting with a few of them."
Truth be told, 99% of those making the claims were harmless lunatics not worth the time.
But a few real mages were mixed in, so Kaya had no choice but to meet them.
"...But why'd you call me? Her Highness is handling the talks, right?"
"Well, that's—"
Raguna was about to explain with an awkward look on his face when...
"...As I've told you several times already, Your Highness."
A voice all too familiar to Serika rang in her ears.
"I was simply intrigued by the lore of Life and Death Ledger and conducted some personal research on it. I've never plotted anything harmful to the Empire."
"...Brother?"
It was Deneb, Serika's older brother.
Realizing this, Serika's face involuntarily twisted in shock.
Her brother was in a meeting with Kaya because he'd done some research related to Life and Death Ledger?
What kind of research warranted the Imperial Princess getting personally involved?
"I know. I know you don't mean any harm, Little Duke. You just got a powerful inspiration from watching Life and Death Ledger."
Kaya let out a quiet sigh as she said this.
"But... everything else aside, I can't just overlook what's written in this notebook."
"T-That... No way!"
Deneb's face went deathly pale at the notebook in Kaya's hand.
"Y-You... saw that?"
"Of course. How could I ignore key evidence in this case?"
Kaya read the title on the notebook's cover with keen interest.
"Self-Made Setting Notes... Quite the unique title for a research journal. Do mages these days name their logs like this?"
"....."
"Hmm, let's see. Self-Made Setting #17, Copy Eye. An ocular power linked to the bloodline limit of the Grinebalt Ducal family, reflecting the depths of the heart. Upon activation, the iris turns red, and strange patterns form around the pupil."
"Kuh...!"
"It fundamentally casts illusions on the target, and under heavy mana drain, it can evolve into the superior 'Uroboros Copy Eye.'"
"Grahhh...!"
With every line Kaya read from the so-called Self-Made Setting Notes, Deneb winced as if taking a mental blow.
But powerless against her, he could only tremble and bow his head.
"That said, the awakening condition for 'Uroboros Copy Eye' is downright horrific. Killing a loved one with your own hands? And the more you use it, the more your eyesight deteriorates. Truly inhuman power."
"....."
"Little Duke. No matter how vital your magic research, I recommend dropping any work on such barbaric Death Eyes. What's the point of power gained by killing your family?"
Kaya's voice was gentle and persuasive.
Which only made the scene all the more cruel.
Even Raguna, watching from the side, felt his chest tighten in pain—what must Deneb be feeling?
"...Let's go."
"Huh? Why? What if Brother really did something wrong? Her Highness is saying—"
To innocent Serika's question, Raguna silently took her wrist and led her away.
He didn't want to witness any more of a man's dignity being dismantled in real time.
That was his final act of mercy as a fellow man.