Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The True Hero's Sister
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The back alleys of the capital were damp and dark at night.
Darcor pulled his robe's hood low over his face.
Drunken revelers shouted from somewhere nearby.
He walked on, listening to the coquettish laughter of the courtesans.
"As expected, it's easier to move alone."
It felt liberating.
Having set aside the weight of being emperor, if only for a moment.
'Edel would freak out and foam at the mouth if she knew.'
She was probably busy recovering the slush funds right now anyway.
With a light heart, Darcor stared at the spot the System indicated.
A weathered wooden sign swayed precariously before his eyes.
[Golden Pig Tavern] What a cheap name.
But the real protagonist of the novel was right inside.
The hero who etched the sorrow of losing his family into his sword, crawled up from the bottom, and would ultimately save the world.
'Luke.'
According to the original story, he should be in a shadowy corner right now, downing strong liquor and sharpening his blade of vengeance.
A lone wolf. A wounded hero.
Brimming with anticipation, Darcor pushed open the creaking door.
Screeech.
The stench of cheap booze and tobacco assaulted his nose.
Amid the noisy clamor,
Darcor's gaze instinctively went to the most secluded table in the corner.
And there...
"..."
"Aaaang~ Mai, give me peanuts, peanuts."
"Open wide, honey."
"Nom nom, hehe... tastes even better 'cause it's from Mai's hand."
At the corner table.
A blond young man lay with his head in the lap of a tavern waitress, goofing around.
Glassy eyes and a goofy grin.
An expression so light and idiotic, as if he'd never faced a single hardship in life.
'No way?'
Darcor gripped his trembling hand and summoned the System window.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Checking character information...] ⚔ STATUS ⚔ Success. Name: Luke Occupation: Unemployed Traits: Handsome (A), Romantic (B), Spine-Breaker (C) Status: Dating girlfriend Mai. Life satisfaction at maximum. Note: The world is so beautiful! Darcor clutched the back of his neck.
His blood pressure shot up.
'This is the hero?'
Loneliness? Hatred? Training?
How could this be.
In the original story, Luke's awakening had been triggered by his family's death and the empire's crisis.
But had the butterfly effect from what I'd done after possessing the body caused this?
The world had become so peaceful that the hero picked up peanuts instead of a sword.
'Talk about royally screwed.'
It was a laughably ironic butterfly effect where excessive peace had ruined the hero.
"Mai, I got a little money. What does my baby want?"
"Oh, honey. Mai wants..."
Watching their lovey-dovey display, Darcor fell into deep thought.
'Who's gonna pull the holy sword then? Should I go do it myself?'
Just as Darcor let out a heavy sigh,
Boom!
The tavern's rickety door burst open as if it would shatter.
"Hey, Luke!"
A thunderous roar shook the tavern.
All eyes turned to the entrance.
A girl stood there.
Red hair tied back tightly, breathing heavily.
Wearing battered leather armor, with a greatsword almost as tall as herself slung on her back.
Her eyes blazing, she stormed forward.
"You dipped into Mom's wallet again, didn't you? I told you not to drink!"
"H-Hic! E-Eris? How'd you..."
Luke jolted up from Mai's lap in surprise.
"You took the money saved for medicine and ran? Are you even human?"
"N-No, it's not like that. I just borrowed it for a bit... an investment, yeah, for our future..."
"Borrowed? Investment?"
Smack!
A crisp backhand slap echoed through the tavern.
"Gaaah! My bones, you hit my bones!"
Luke rolled on the floor screaming.
But Eris didn't stop.
She grabbed her fallen brother's collar with one hand and hoisted him up like a sack.
Wondering where such monstrous strength came from in her slender frame.
"I can't live like this. Taking care of you is gonna ruin my life. All you do is drink. Get up now!"
"S-Save me! M-Mai, help me out!"
Luke pleaded pitifully, but
Mai had already hidden her face behind a tray, pretending not to notice.
'Well, well?'
Darcor's eyes narrowed as he watched the chaos.
His red eyes gleamed with interest.
Luke's little sister, Eris.
An extra in the original story, barely mentioned by name, treated as just one of the protagonist's dead family members.
But the girl before him was different.
'Those movements aren't ordinary.'
Darcor narrowed his eyes and activated the System.
He needed to check her true identity.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Checking character information.] ⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ [Insufficient causality. Information check failed.]
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Target Eris identified as a key figure in the worldline.] A hollow laugh escaped Darcor's lips.
'Hah, so plausibility works like this?'
With her brother turning into dead weight,
had fate hastily found a substitute?
The hero's qualities weren't in Luke,
but in Eris.
This was actually better.
It was an opportunity.
Better than coaxing and coddling that hopeless idiot into becoming a hero.
'Let's test it.'
Eris was still yanking Luke's ear and dragging him along.
"Aaaah! My ear's gonna rip off! Eris, talk it out, please."
"Shut up. Explain it to Mom at home."
Darcor picked up a battered fork from the table and tossed it.
Not at Eris.
Whoosh.
Her target was Luke, gripped in Eris's hand.
Thud.
Eris didn't even look back.
She just instinctively reached out.
The fork slicing through the air lodged perfectly between her index and middle fingers.
Stopping right in front of Luke's eyes.
"..."
Silence fell over the tavern like a bucket of ice water.
Eris slowly turned her head.
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
"What the hell are you?"
Crunch.
She crumpled the fork in her grip and glared at Darcor.
Killing intent.
The hero's killing intent rose from her body like a heat haze.
"Bingo."
Darcor curled his lips into a sly grin.
She passed.
Darcor rose from his seat, slightly parting his robe as he approached.
"What's your name?"
"Why do you wanna know? And where'd you learn manners like chucking forks at people's heads?"
"My bad. Hand slipped."
"Hand slipped? You messing with me?"
Eris advanced, looking ready to draw her greatsword any second.
Darcor just stood there, arms crossed, scanning her appearance.
Armor covered in signs of wear,
callused, rough knuckles.
And a gaunt face worn down by life.
"Looks like you've got a mountain of debt. Bet cleaning up after your brother's messes is breaking your back."
Eris froze at Darcor's words.
Her eyebrows twitched violently, struck right in her sore spot.
"W-What's it to you?"
"It's not nothing to me."
Darcor reached into his bosom.
As Eris flinched and went for her greatsword,
what emerged from Darcor's hand was a heavy leather pouch.
Clink.
A clear, resonant sound that lifted the spirits just hearing it.
Jingle. Jingle.
Darcor casually tossed the pouch,
and Eris caught it reflexively.
The substantial weight transmitted vividly through her hand.
The tied opening loosened slightly, spilling golden light through the gap.
"Gasp."
Eris's eyes shook wildly.
This was enough to pay off all debts and live leisurely forever.
Her fingertips trembled.
"W-Why are you giving me this..."
"Advance payment."
Darcor answered flatly.
"I'll cover your debts. In return, work for me."
"Huh? Who the hell even are y—"
Eris tried to hand the pouch back.
Her face said her pride wouldn't allow it.
But her hand clutched it tight,
white-knuckled, refusing to let go.
"With that, no more annoying debt collectors. And no more worrying about Mom's medicine for life."
"H-How do you..."
"Take it or leave it. I'll find someone else."
Darcor made a show of reaching for the pouch.
Slap.
Eris reflexively turned away, hugging it to her chest.
"W-Who said I don't want it?"
Realizing what she'd done, she cleared her throat awkwardly,
putting on a stern face.
"I mean, uh... it's not about the money. Consider it settlement for chucking a fork at my brother."
A cute rationalization.
Darcor chuckled.
"Sure, settlement fee. A very expensive one."
Contract sealed.
It was a completely different development from expected.
But so what.
As long as the goal was achieved.
"Let's go."
"Huh? Go where? Right now? Wait, I haven't even mentally prepared..."
"No prep needed. Just bring your body."
Darcor grabbed Eris's collar like a sack and dragged her out.
"W-Wait a sec, hey!"
Luke, who had been staring blankly from behind, finally grasped the situation and cheered.
"Eris, have a safe trip! Bro's gonna live happily with Mai, so don't worry about me!"
"W-Wait!"
Eris flailed in midair.
Her brother waving cheerfully as she was dragged away.
A truly tear-jerking sibling farewell.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [System: Encounter with new hero.] [Main scenario reconfigured.] Emerging from the dark alley, Darcor inhaled the night air and smiled in satisfaction.
"Hey, mister. Where are we going? And what the hell are you, anyway?"
Eris demanded, flailing like a sack in his grip.
A suspicious man tossing around thick pouches of gold.
'Is he gonna sell me at a slave market? Or organ trafficking?'
People had been vanishing from the back alleys lately...
All sorts of grim thoughts raced through her mind.
Darcor replied flatly without breaking stride.
"To pull it."
"Huh?"
Darcor gazed at some point in the night sky.
"The thing your idiot brother didn't pull. Gotta go get it."
"W-What's that supposed to mean? At least explain..."
"You'll see when we get there."
Darcor's steps quickened.
With Eris tucked under his arm like luggage.
Her grumbling echoed loudly through the night streets.
"Come on, you gotta explain before we go, you thug!"