Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Playboy
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The next day.
I headed back to the library in the 7th Magic Building.
The dragon's mana enveloping the entire structure gave me the illusion of sinking into a deep swamp with every step I took.
But it never triggered when I pressed forward—only when I considered retreating did it bear down on me with crushing force.
The gaze of a serpent's eyes. The delusion of stepping into a serpent's maw.
And yet, whenever I returned inside the library, there she was—the blue woman.
"Little brother, you're here?"
"Yeah."
"Hee hee. What are you up to? Come, sit down. Big sis has so many stories she wants to hear."
"......Alright. Let's chat, then."
"Yes. Yes."
Saying that, Phil tia rose from her seat. When I tilted my head in confusion, she moved to the chair opposite and sat down, guiding me to the one she'd just vacated.
The seat was still warm from her body heat.
Such thoughtful gestures were Filtia's specialty.
Takes me back to my gaming days.
"Oh my, what's with that look? Staring at big sis's face like that."
"Nah. Just thinking how pretty you are."
Oh crap.
I'd let a game-era pickup line slip out without thinking.
"......U-uh. R-really? W-well, um. My little brother has good taste in people."
As I'd mentioned before, Filtia was weak to "surprise attacks" or "sustained pressure."
But she was incredibly resilient against anticipated assaults. Throw something blunt like this at her, and she'd fluster like crazy.
That was part of what made her such a fun heroine.
Sorry, but I'd fallen back into old vet habits and patterns without realizing it.
"A-hem. So, why'd you come see big sis today?"
"Didn't you... big sis tell me to drop by yesterday?"
"...Oh. Right, I did. Hee hee. Then shall we talk?"
I nodded.
"First, anything you want to ask me? I'll answer as sincerely as I can."
"Oh, what a good boy. Hmm. Alright then... big sis's most important question."
"Mm."
I had answers ready for most questions.
Stories from outside Jefrin. Tales of Hark von Loengrin.
Even how much I knew about Filtia herself.
"Do you have a girlfriend, little brother?"
"......"
One question, and my composure nearly shattered.
Thanks, Imperial Bloodline. Truly... truly. That's all I can say.
"Answer big sis's question honestly."
"Girlfriend... none."
"I see!"
"But I do have a fiancée."
"..........I see?"
What the hell? Why's her speech suddenly dragging out like that?
And those eyes—what's with them? Why's she activating her dragon eyes?
"It's only natural for an imperial scion."
"...Ah, right. Of course. Duty to preserve the bloodline is paramount."
"Mm."
Her words stabbed at my chest.
There were only ten dragons left in this world, destined to fade away.
And Filtia was the youngest among them all. She'd never left Jefrin, never met another dragon.
She simply guarded the eight gates here.
"Any other questions?"
"Huh? Yeah, I do. For example... where are your other little siblings?"
"Other little siblings..."
"Yes! From Papa's sons and daughters to everyone over the last three hundred years—tell big sis all about them?"
"......"
Isn't that way too long?
C-can I go grab the family registry from home?
"That's too much. And Filtia."
"Big sis. You can overlook the casual speech, but if you don't call me big sis, I'll have to punish you?"
"...Big sis. First off, shouldn't we exclude the dead ones?"
"Dead? Why?"
"Lifespan. Three hundred years is long for humans."
"...But big sis still has ten thousand more years to live?"
"Anyway, since you can't leave Jefrin, big sis, doesn't it boil down to just the Loengrins in this world of Jefrin?"
"I see. You're so smart, little brother. Big sis is impressed."
Saying that, Filtia patted my head.
"Right now in Jefrin, there are two Loengrins. One is me, Wolfram von Loengrin... and the other is the current youngest, Eve von Loengrin."
"...Youngest? There's a youngest?"
"Mm. She's the current Student Council President."
"I see, hee hee. Not just one little brother... ho ho ho."
Suddenly, my body floated up.
"...What're you doing?"
"What do you mean? Hurry and guide me."
"Guide you?"
"It's family reunion time! Big sis wants to meet the youngest right now!"
"......"
Ah, I get it.
Since I called her my big sister, she naturally assumes the role for Eve too.
Eve would surely accept her as family once she heard Filtia's story.
"Got it. Let's go."
Filtia walked three steps behind me, glancing around at the stares as we headed to the Student Council room.
'Wolfram's bringing another girl to the Student Council room...'
'How many is this now?'
'From what I know: Sword of Conviction, Abyss Dagger, Black Crystal, magic merchant. Plus the first-year iron fist? And Princess Ha Melody.'
'Didn't he have Jewel Sword as a subordinate before?'
'Is the academy a buffet or what...?'
'He's a good guy, but...'
'Shh. Don't make eye contact!'
The whispers around us were intense, though I couldn't make out the details.
Probably slander about me, but as a villain, I was used to it. I ignored them and knocked on the Student Council President's door.
"It's me."
"Come in."
Inside, Eve was wrestling with paperwork alone.
She glanced our way, then back to her documents.
"This is a problem. Outsiders aren't allowed here. Even if you're blood, I could smooth it over, but..."
"I know."
"Then come back later."
"No, she's not an outsider."
"......Pardon?"
Her hand, busily scribbling with the enchanted quill, froze. Eve looked up at me.
Hm.
How to introduce her?
Ah.
Perfect word for it.
Let's see... in situations like this...
"This is the person who's going to be your new big sister."
"........................Pardon?"
Hm.
Flawless explanation.
But poor Eve, hard of hearing since childhood, apparently didn't catch it.
I cleared my throat with a hem and repeated louder.
"The person who's going to be your new big sister..."
"You mad bastard, I knew this day would come. I trusted you not to go there!"
"Hm?"
"What do you take the imperial bloodline for!? [Light Spear: Non-Lethal: Single-Shot: Speed Spell: Absolute Hit: Stun]"
A light spear loaded in an instant, firing straight at my forehead.
A six-part spell conveying only the intent to stun without damage.
The spear hurtled toward my crown like a flash of light—but
"...Uh, eh?"
"Oh my. Is it our family tradition to greet with spells?"
With a flick from the progenitor of magic control behind me, it stopped dead.
"...Just so you know, big sis Filtia. We don't have that tradition."
"B-big sis!?"
"Really? What a shame. It's such a cool spell from our youngest."
"Youngest...?"
Filtia stepped out from behind me and approached Eve.
Eve sweated coldly, staring at the immobilized light spear no matter how she strained.
"Mana dominance..."
"Hee hee. No good. If you overcome big sis's control without even sleeping properly, it'd ruin big sis's face. Big sis will put in a bit more effort here. You'll understand, right?"
"......Y-yes?"
Hm. Yeah, that tracks.
Their raw mana stats were probably similar, or Eve's even higher, but Eve was in constant Soul Change from overwork, so her total available mana was likely lower than Filtia's right now.
Control snatched in an instant... and then.
"Eep!"
"Yes. The youngest has the same mana wavelength as Papa. Such radiant mana, just like Hark Papa."
"......Wh-who? That name."
"Yes. Big sis loves both her little brother and youngest."
She closed in on Eve, hugging her tight and stroking her hair.
Then slid both hands to her waist and started tickling furiously.
"So give up trying to seize control and surrender to big sis. Heh! Heh!"
"Wait, ah ha, aha ha! Ahahaha! W-Wolfram, th-this is kya ha!"
Had I ever seen Eve break down like this?
No.
Not in the original story.
This was new territory.
But as a D/Z SAGA vet, I couldn't miss out on such delightful developments.
"Heh! Surrender already!"
"Kya ha, W-Wolfraaaam! Help, help me!"
What?
Why would I help the girl who shot a light spear at me on sight?
"Looks peaceful."
"Heh."
"Kya, kya ha ha, W-Wolfraaaam!"
Handle it yourselves.
In the end, Eve relinquished control of the light spear and surrendered, ending the hellish tickling.
After that, we finally got some talk time in. Eve's face paled as she heard the gist.
"So... you're saying she's the adopted daughter taken in directly by the great ancestor?"
"That's right."
"And right now, she's carrying out the ancestor's orders here in Jefrin?"
"So call me big sis already. Come on."
"H-how could I dare..."
"Then big sis'll have to tickle you again?"
"Filtia... big sis."
"Good girl."
Eve flinched but accepted the hand stroking her head.
Such a scene was "utterly impossible" in the main story, so seeing these two together was pretty novel.
"Um, Filtia big sis."
"Yes? What is it, my youngest?"
"That... command from the great ancestor. Could you tell me what it is?"
"Hmm? You don't know, youngest? I see... Papa didn't tell you."
"......"
Filtia's face darkened excessively.
I clicked my tongue. So that's how it lines up.
Filtia was a hidden heroine.
Fittingly, she became routeable from the 2nd playthrough onward.
Her assumed knowledge of the 1st playthrough, loaded with extra lore.
But in reality, with no playthroughs, she was a heroine born to a fate where [Hark forgets to pass it on in the future].
"No, that's not it. Hark von Loengrin definitely passed it on."
"Huh? R-really?"
"Me finding you, big sis Filtia... that's the proof."
"I see. Papa didn't forget big sis."
"Mm. So don't get too upset."
"Hee hee. Little brother's so mature."
Filtia smiled with a much brighter expression.
"Does little brother know why big sis is in Jefrin?"
"Roughly, yeah. The eight. Right?"
"You really know almost everything. Big sis is shocked. Hee hee. But it's hard to tell the youngest?"
"Huh?"
"It's that heavy and dangerous a story. Got it?"
"......Ugh. Understood."
"How about other stories instead?"
"Other stories?"
"Stories of Jefrin. Big sis is too busy to wander much."
"......"
"Youngest. What kind of place is this cradle Papa made for humanity's prosperity and future? An amazing one?"
Filtia gazed at Eve, eyes sparkling.
Eve responded with a gentle smile—the kind a Student Council President gives to a hopeful freshman.
"Yes. Jefrin is a truly amazing place."
"I see, hee hee... Could you explain how it's amazing, Student Council President?"
"Of course, big sis."
As she explained, Eve shot me a pointed stare.
Spill everything later.
I nodded.
And replied with a middle finger.
Forget that light spear grudge from earlier?
The conversation after flowed more amicably than expected. Leaving Eve to her work, Filtia and I headed back to the 7th library as sunset fell.
On the path at dusk, Filtia walked ahead with hands behind her back, then spun around to face me with a grin.
"The youngest is such a good kid, isn't she? Pure eyes for her convictions. Makes big sis want to tease her so bad."
"Agreed."
"But that those convictions are genuine—that surprised big sis more. The youngest... really loves this cradle."
"When it comes to convictions, no one beats big sis Filtia."
Three hundred years dedicated to one purpose, after all.
"How much do you know, little brother?"
"Guardian of the [Eight Gates of the Demon Realm]. The youngest dragon. Filtia Bluebreeze."
"And more?"
"Plus, bound by oath, unable to leave Jefrin. The only way is to fully seal the [Eight Gates of the Demon Realm]."
"You really know almost all of it. Big sis wants to stamp you with a 'good kid' seal."
Almost all?
The hell. What do you take me for?
Yi Young-jin.
The guy who memorized every scrap of D/Z SAGA lore.
Died thousands, tens of thousands of times on her route alone—20,000 hours sunk in.
Of course I knew how to the Eight Gates.
"Do you want to be free?"
"Of course... of course big sis does. Dreams of soaring the skies, wandering the world, meeting other dragons. Big sis dreams them every day. But they're just dreams?"
"I see. What if someone could make that dream real?"
"Then... big sis could give everything. Truly everything. All of big sis."
"No need for that much."
Just a scale or item per gate would do?
As I pondered rewards from Filtia,
"..........Huh?"
A weird noise drew my eyes sideways. There was Filtia, her face blending with—and redder than—the sunset.
To be precise, a dragon redder than sunset.
She fell silent a moment, then poked my waist with her finger, just like she'd done to Eve.
"Little brother. Little brother."
Ow. What the hell!
That actually hurts!