Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Stroll with Sister
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Haniel hadn’t always been in poor health from the start.
She had originally been healthy.
She was a quiet child who loved reading books, so she wasn’t particularly lively, but whenever I whined, she would hold my hand and walk with me through the rainbow garden.
Just like now.
Of course, unlike when we were kids, we weren’t holding hands.
I was adjusting my stride to match Haniel’s slow pace, following behind her in consideration.
“It’s been a while since we’ve walked together like this. It reminds me of when we were little. I’d always bring you to the garden whenever you were crying.”
“That’s right.”
Whenever my siblings did something mean to me, or when Porto scolded me, or when I despaired after realizing my lack of talent, I always turned to Haniel whenever something sad happened.
Big Sis always embraced me when I cried.
-It’s okay to cry. Crying when you’re sad isn’t anything to be ashamed of.
-You can act spoiled as much as you want. Big Sis is always on Ester’s side.
-The rainbow garden was made by our mother. Isn’t the amaranth so pretty?
When I was little, I relied on Haniel a lot.
She was the only one I could truly call family.
She was the only one who accepted my spoiled behavior.
-Don’t bully Ester. If I catch you one more time, I’ll make you have a terrifying experience.
She even protected me from Felix’s bullying.
Until the day she became bedridden and couldn’t leave her room.
We were the picture of affectionate siblings.
“Congratulations on your junior baronet title. I never imagined the crybaby Ester would become such an amazing person. Hehe…”
“……”
“While I’ve been stuck in bed, you’ve grown so reliable. You’ll be popular with the ladies at social gatherings. Speaking of which, isn’t your coming-of-age ceremony next year? *Cough*…”
I supported Haniel as she staggered.
There was no need to act like a genius mage in front of her.
“Sis, maybe we should head back to your room now…”
I looked at her with eyes full of worry.
Haniel had become frail in an instant one day.
I didn’t know the cause.
Even though countless doctors visited the Tristy estate, none could find a proper treatment.
Unlike me, Haniel was a girl overflowing with talent.
Not just in magic, but in all the qualities needed for a family head.
She was Porto’s most cherished child.
Everyone in the family and the territory thought of her as the next family head.
Porto tried every means possible to treat her.
But even the Red Tower Lord said he didn’t know what was wrong with Haniel’s condition.
No one could help Haniel as she grew weaker day by day.
Not even Nob AI.
“……”
My sister’s beautiful black hair had turned white.
Her weight had become so light that even I, with my weak strength, could lift her in one go.
I walked with her in silence.
“Ester, are you thinking of becoming the family head?”
Haniel suddenly asked me.
I shook my head.
“Are you, Sis?”
“Yeah.”
“May I ask why?”
Haniel looked up at the sky.
Her eyes seemed to be gazing at something beyond the blue heavens.
“I made a promise with Mother. And a promise to myself.”
“I see.”
As if it were a secret, Haniel smiled.
“Hehe, back in the day, whenever Big Sis said something vague like this, you’d keep whining for me to tell you. You’ve changed.”
“I’ll be an adult next year too. I can’t keep acting like a kid forever. Oh, there’s something I want to tell you, Sis.”
“Yeah?”
“For this heir exam… I’ll help you from the sidelines.”
We passed through the rainbow garden blooming with amaranth, symbolizing eternity, and arrived at the annex where Haniel stayed.
Among my siblings, Haniel was in the worst condition.
If even a walk was this hard for her, there was no way she could properly take the heir exam.
Setting off on a pilgrimage in that state would be no different from suicide.
I couldn’t just let my sister die.
Besides, I was already drawing a ton of attention right now.
If Nob AI came up with another brilliant solution during this and drew even more eyes.
I could just pass it off as Haniel’s achievement.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Ester?”
“Don’t worry about me—worry about yourself first.”
Even though she wasn’t well herself, she kept worrying about me.
That was why I’d been avoiding meeting Haniel until now.
I couldn’t burden my sick sister with worries.
“Still…”
“You don’t think Father’s heir exam is easier than the Millennium Problems, do you?”
Haniel let out a small laugh.
“Hehe, you’re right. Then I’ll do my best to help you too, Ester.”
“You don’t need to worry about me…”
Haniel stroked my head.
“As your big sis, I can’t help it. You’re the most precious little brother I have to protect.”
No matter how incredible feats I accomplished.
No matter if everyone acknowledged me as a genius young master.
In Haniel’s eyes, I was still just her nine-year-old little brother.
***
The reason I couldn’t leave the estate was my frail second sister.
The reason I wanted to live as a parasite in the Tristy estate was so I could keep watch over her from close by.
But after hearing the details of this heir exam, I realized something for sure.
The way to help my sister wasn’t by staying by her side and watching over her.
I needed to solve the root cause entirely.
And I had the ability to do that.
Nob AI’s potential was limitless.
If it was trained properly, it could do anything.
After this exam, I planned to escape the estate and search for a cure for my sister from outside.
I had things to receive from Ersp too, and with Nob AI’s power, it should be more than possible.
I had no choice but to participate in this exam.
Kenneth Ouriel was a bastard, but not an easy opponent like Felix.
My older brother Zephyr was just as capable.
If I didn’t help Sis in this exam, a dangerous situation could arise.
It couldn’t be helped.
Honestly, I wanted to take Sis and Dalpi and just leave.
But Sis wanted to stay in the Tristy estate to become family head.
I respected her wishes.
She would respect mine if I left the estate without a word.
So the best I could do was find some way to cure her no matter what.
Porto didn’t consider his children’s conditions or wills at all.
Under the pretext of the exam, he only encouraged even fiercer competition.
He was a total piece of shit.
I had no desire for the family head position.
I didn’t particularly want revenge on my siblings either.
I avoided stepping in shit not because I was scared, but because it was dirty.
If I wanted, I could use Nob AI to send Felix straight to hell anytime.
But as long as they didn’t cross the line, I saw no reason to waste my precious time on them.
This confirmed I had absolutely no reason to stay in the estate anymore.
After this exam, I’d settle down in a nice city.
Cure Haniel, then spend the rest of my life playing around carefreely.
“Young master.”
“Yeah.”
“Why are we suddenly heading to Daebo Village?”
I was riding in a carriage.
My destination was a wasteland in the Tristy territory infamous for frequent demon appearances—a place where mercenaries who hunted demons and sold loot for a living mainly resided.
And the place where people who did business with those mercenaries gathered was Daebo Village.
It was also the base for the nearby famous Carlson Mercenary Corps and Johnson Mercenary Corps.
“It’s perfect weather for dying, but I want to live.”
“Who said we’re going to die?”
“I’m still a virgin. If I die, I might come back as a virgin ghost and curse the Tristy territory.”
Ugh.
Dalpi had been blatantly showing she didn’t want to go ever since we left.
She was pulling the carriage with a scowl on her face, sighing heavily every minute.
“If you hate it that much, you should’ve just stayed behind.”
“You told me to come, young master…”
I was flabbergasted.
“When did I? I said since we’re going somewhere dangerous from now on, stay at the estate if you want. And look, Ian’s coming too—what are you even worried about?!”
Riding a horse behind the carriage was Ian, Haniel’s guard knight.
To introduce him: he was a retainer who’d served the Tristy family for about ten years, and I knew he was a knight from the Steel Lion Knights whom I’d helped before.
Ian was also my swordsmanship instructor.
Of course, thanks to my pathetically weak physical abilities, I hadn’t learned any proper swordsmanship yet.
The reason Ian was following me was because Haniel was such a worrywart.
-You can’t go to a dangerous area without a guard knight, Ester.
-I have Dalpi, so it’s fine…
-Dalpi’s just a frail maid. What’s fine about that? Is Dalpi going too? Then Ian’s even more necessary.
That was the situation.
Sis still didn’t know what kind of maid Dalpi really was.
This girl had the monstrous strength to lift the Tristy estate with her bare hands.
Why was someone like that working as a maid?
Beats me.
“If you drop dead on the road, young master, I’ll be unemployed. Starving to death or dying to a demon—it’s all the same. I have no choice but to follow.”
“I think Dalpi could survive alone even if thrown on a deserted island.”
“What do you even think I am, young master?”
A pretty gorilla.
“It’s for the heir exam, so no helping it. Just bear with it for a while.”
“Sigh, understood.”
The reason I was heading to Daebo Village was for Nob AI’s training.
『I need information related to demons.』
Know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll win every battle.
Unfortunately, there were no biology books on demons in the library.
There were plenty of history books, but I needed science texts, not liberal arts.
Nob AI had also explained that the Daebo Village area was where the curse’s influence was strongest in the Tristy territory.
“Young master Ester!! Demons spotted 300 meters to the rear!!”
I turned my head at Ian’s voice coming through the window.
It resembled a wolf, but its hide was an eerie bright red.
“Chainsaw Wolf. Its teeth rotate with a whirring sound—that’s the telltale sign.”
Dalpi explained in detail.
“How do you know about stuff like that?”
“Basic maid knowledge.”
Anyway.
We hadn’t even arrived yet, and demons were already welcoming us with open arms. Nob AI was spot on.
Whirrr—The Chainsaw Wolf’s teeth began rotating just like Dalpi described.
It was as loud and noisy as a chainsaw.
We were still quite far away. Did it have some trick up its sleeve?
“Oh, and one more thing: the sound of a Chainsaw Wolf’s teeth attracts other nearby demons.”
Huh?
A bad premonition hit me at Dalpi’s follow-up explanation.
Sure enough, the ground began rumbling from all directions.
“You should’ve said that sooner!!”
“I forgot for a second. Normally, you snap their necks the moment you spot them, but things just got annoying.”
Demons started appearing from east, west, south, and north.
Their number was roughly…
『36 of them.』
Yeah. Thanks, AI.
Ian drew his sword, and Dalpi clicked her tongue while pulling out knives.
‘Perfect timing.’
Thanks to the Red Tower Lord, I now had mana in my body too.
Let’s test my power, then.