Having Sex with My Sister Isn't a Crime in the Empire (2)
In the outskirts of the Ludwig County hunting grounds.
“Ahaha! Gotcha!”
THUD—!!
With Corelline’s bright laughter, the wolf-shaped monster collapsed onto the snowy field.
Fenrir.
A high-ranking monster that rarely appeared in the northern reaches of the Empire. Even a team of seasoned hunters would struggle to bring one down, yet…
Swish—
The creature lay perfectly intact, without a single scratch on its hide.
Only the precisely snapped neck bone revealed how it had died instantly.
“Incredible. Hehehe…”
One of the three veteran soldiers who had accompanied Corelline let out an admiring sigh.
They had only followed her after she casually suggested inspecting the hunting grounds, never expecting to witness her hunting a Fenrir with her bare hands.
Though the Ludwig family did not worship raw “strength” as openly as the Glacia family, anyone born and raised in the north naturally admired power.
“Ahaha! I’m glad you think so~!”
Corelline brushed her hands off with a laugh.
THUMP!
She tossed the Fenrir’s corpse in front of the veterans.
“Then I’ll give this to you seniors as a gift.”
“…Pardon?”
All three veterans’ eyes widened at once.
A Fenrir corpse in such pristine condition would be worth a fortune. Was she really handing it over so casually?
“In return~.”
Corelline tucked her hair behind her ear and continued.
“You know there’s a family meeting before the Glacia Banquet, right? I’d be grateful if you could mention my name to Father then~.”
Shaaaa—
The air in the hunting ground froze solid.
As expected, Corelline had not brought them here for any simple inspection.
Among the soldiers who held real influence in the family, she had deliberately gathered only those who had not yet clearly aligned themselves with her.
“Why? Does that not sit well with you?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that…”
The oldest veteran wiped sweat from his brow.
“It’s just… how could we possibly dare involve ourselves in the succession? We believe everything should follow the Lord’s will.”
“Ahaha…”
WHOOSH—! CRACK—!!
Corelline snatched up the axe she had stuck in the ground and drove it straight into the Fenrir’s skull.
“Did that comment just now happen to be meant for my ears?”
WHOOSH—! CRACK! WHOOSH—! CRACK!
Corelline’s axe rose and fell without pause.
With every strike, droplets of blood sprayed in all directions, dyeing her face and clothes a vivid red.
“Go on, senior. Tell me. Were you saying I should know my place?”
“N-no! That was absolutely not my meaning!!”
“Would we ever make Lady Corelline our enemy? How can you be so cold to your comrades over a single remark?”
“Comrades?”
CRACK!
Corelline yanked the axe free from what had once been a Fenrir.
Plop.
Shreds of flesh torn loose by the blade slid off and fell onto the snow.
“Then why did those same comrades ignore me all this time? Who was it that pretended not to know their fellow soldier and went crawling under that bastard Istvan instead?”
Thud—!
“Senior?”
Thud—!
“Or was it someone else, senior?”
Thud—!
“Who could it have been, I wonder?”
Each time Corelline pointed at the veterans with her bloody axe, fresh drops of blood fell from its edge.
“…N-no, that’s… Lady Corelline… you misunderstand. The Lord has always doted on Lord Istvan so much that we simply thought… well, that’s how things are…”
“Exactly. No matter what, an arm bends inward… Since you belong to the same military branch, Lady Corelline, and Lord Istvan handles administration, we have of course been supporting you all along!”
“…Ahaha! What a relief!”
The smile that spread across Corelline’s face was so bright it was hard to believe she had been chopping a corpse into minced meat moments earlier.
Slice— Slice—
“Since you answered so well~!”
Handling the axe as deftly as a dagger, Corelline skinned the Fenrir in smooth strokes and spoke lightly.
“I’ll let you live.”
“…”
“…”
“Just kidding! Just kidding! Ahaha! Still, take this with you today as proof of our promise! Seniors~.”
Corelline handed over the chopped and sectioned pieces of Fenrir hide.
“Th-thank you, Lady Corelline.”
The veterans accepted the hides with trembling hands.
At that exact moment…
——Awooooooo!!
Snow piled on the branches cascaded down, and a flock of birds burst into the sky.
When they turned toward the sound, a Fenrir twice the size of the one she had killed earlier stood there, baring its fangs.
—Grrrrrr!!
Its eyes were bloodshot, and drool dripped from its muzzle.
It was in a towering rage at the sight of its mate reduced to ground meat.
“Ahaha! Perfect timing!”
Thud.
Corelline rested the axe on her shoulder and spoke to the Fenrir.
“This time I’ll make sure the seniors’ gifts don’t get ruined!!”
BOOM—!
The instant Corelline kicked off the ground, the earth caved in and a column of snow and dirt shot into the air.
The next head of Ludwig will be me!
Why did Corelline covet the position of family head?
Because of Rian, of course.
In truth, Corelline and Rian had been ordinary siblings in their childhood, but… at some point, the aura around Rian had changed.
It was as if… he had suddenly become an adult.
Even then, Corelline had not yet realized it.
That she had begun to see Rian as a man.
She simply thought of him as a younger brother who caught her eye a little more than before.
Then one night.
She accidentally witnessed Rian doing something with Topaz.
“D-dedicated… ♥ onahole!! …Oho?! ♥”
A scene glimpsed by chance from the end of the corridor.
At the time Corelline hadn’t fully understood the words Rian was saying, but… she didn’t need to.
Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!
Her instincts had reacted first.
A hot, unfamiliar sensation writhed deep in her lower belly.
In that instant, Corelline understood.
She wanted Rian not as a sibling, but as a man.
Ahaha… Then what should I do?
Despite her somewhat clumsy appearance, Corelline was no fool.
She knew the person she needed to persuade was not her parents.
Although sibling marriage was legally permitted in the Empire, it was hardly common, so her parents would never allow it.
However…
What if Brother Istvan becomes the head?
Of course, Istvan had quite the stubborn, old-fashioned streak himself.
Still, she thought he would be far better than Father, so she went to see him, but…
“Ahaha! So if Brother Istvan becomes the head, I want to marry Rian!”
“Denied.”
Istvan answered instantly, eyes never leaving his documents.
“Why? Don’t tell me you’re also going to lecture me about public opinion or some other boring nonsense? It’s perfectly legal, so what’s the problem?”
“Public opinion is irrelevant. It’s simply…”
Swish—
Istvan set down his pen and continued.
“Both you and Rian possess significant value as marriage prospects. You are tremendous assets capable of expanding the Ludwig family’s influence. For the two of you to marry each other would be an enormous waste for House Ludwig.”
“Ahaha! Fine, I’ll concede that point. But I still think we should do it?”
CRACK—!
The desk Corelline had seized crumbled to pieces in her grip.
“If you won’t allow it, I’ll simply become the head myself and marry him. You wouldn’t want me entering the succession race, would you, Brother?”
Yet Istvan answered without so much as blinking.
“Hm… Do as you please.”
“Are you serious?”
“Since you carry Father’s blood, you have every right to challenge for the position of head.”
“You sound very confident, Brother. But have you forgotten? My talent surpasses yours.”
It was the truth.
Though their sparring record had remained a perfect fifty-fifty so far…
Corelline had simply been yielding victories because she had never cared about the head position.
And Father had known it too.
That was why, even while Istvan received successor training step by step, the management of the soldiers had been entrusted to Corelline instead.
Because when it came to “battlefield talent,” Corelline stood above Istvan.
“The only area in which you surpass me is martial prowess. And martial prowess alone is not enough to become the head of Ludwig. Judgment, political sense, patience… For a head, abilities outside the battlefield matter far more.”
“Ahaha! Can’t I just fill in whatever I’m missing?”
“It won’t be easy. What you lack cannot be acquired in a day or two. On the other hand, although I may fall slightly short of you, my own martial talent is hardly lacking.”
At Istvan’s unwavering declaration, Corelline let out a sigh and asked one final question.
“Haa… Then, Brother, I’ll ask you one last time. You truly have no intention of allowing it?”
“Correct.”
“You won’t regret this?”
“I already possess sufficient qualifications to become the head of Ludwig. If you defeat me fairly and take the position, that too would be a revival for House Ludwig. Why would I have any reason to regret it?”
“Ahaha!! All right, then. Just don’t come crying later, Brother.”
From that day on, Corelline changed.
She took the lead in overseeing the soldiers’ training, sharpened her combat instincts by roaming the hunting grounds, and made her presence known at every meeting and banquet.
All of it was to become the head.
And to marry Rian.
THUD—!! SPLAAASH—!!
The Fenrir whose neck had been severed collapsed, spraying a fountain of blood.
Topaz is one thing, and there’s also that unknown partner of Rian’s, but…
Lick—
Corelline ran the tip of her tongue across the blood that had splashed onto her lips.
I’m special, aren’t I?
Because Corelline possessed something no other woman could ever obtain.
The same blood.
The same flesh.
The same roots.
“Ahaha! Then, seniors, we’ll be withdrawing now!”
No matter what woman appeared, only Corelline could ever be Rian’s “older sister.”