Chapter 105
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Sibling Quarrel
“...”
Silence blanketed the room.
Ariel's reckless outburst had left the three of us family members speechless.
A sight none of us had ever witnessed before.
Forget Mother—even Father and I had never seen Ariel act like this.
“What are you going to do, son?”
Mother spoke up in Father's stead, turning to me.
“I don't know.”
I answered with a troubled expression.
Honestly, I was at a loss.
This was the first time my little sister had ever rebelled like this.
Ariel had always been so close to me and listened so well.
I had no idea how to coax her out of this sudden sulk.
'And to begin with, I'm the reason Ariel's upset.'
She'd asked me to love her, and I hadn't.
That was why she'd gotten upset.
And the reason for that was my rejection.
To soothe her, I'd have to change my mind.
'But is that okay?'
I wasn't sure.
Father, who had been quietly observing the situation, finally spoke up.
“It's certainly a side of her I've never seen before.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I'm hardly in a position to claim I know Ariel best. But I've truly never seen her get this emotional.”
“Hmm.”
Mother seemed lost in thought for a moment.
Then she turned to me.
“Kline. Have you given any thought to changing your mind?”
“...Honestly, I'm not sure.”
I hadn't planned to, at first.
Those were words I'd said fully prepared for how much they'd shock Ariel.
But I hadn't expected such an emotional reaction from her.
And so, my resolve wavered just a little.
Did I do something wrong?
Should I have been kinder, warmer?
Should I have left a little room for hope?
I didn't know.
All I wanted was for Ariel to live a normal, happy life.
Yet here I was, heart wavering after declaring that so confidently.
It hit me anew.
'It's this much, huh.'
How much I truly cherished Ariel.
Just seeing my little sister in tears.
Hearing her say she hated her big brother.
That she never wanted to see him again.
...Well, the last two were things any brother would expect, honestly.
Still, it hurt.
“Kline. Why don't you go after her for now?”
Mother's hand rested on my shoulder.
She stroked it gently, urging me on.
“You can think things over on the way. Go catch up to Ariel first.”
“...Even if I do, I don't have anything to say to her right now.”
“You can figure that out later. Just go see her first. You can talk once you're together, right?”
“Alright.”
I opened the door and stepped out.
The first fight between brother and sister.
I steadied my shaking heart and set off to find Ariel.
I asked the servants once I was out, but they said she'd rushed off somewhere in a hurry.
She hadn't answered no matter what anyone asked and had just vanished.
So now I had no idea where she'd gone.
“Damn.”
I'd stormed out of the manor, but now I was at a dead end.
Thinking of places Ariel might run off to, nothing came to mind.
She'd never been one to venture far from the estate to begin with.
No, she hardly ever left my side.
The thought of my adorable little sister abandoning her brother and heading off to some faraway place made my chest ache for some reason.
'Where do I even start looking?'
Nothing specific came to mind.
But I couldn't just stand around doing nothing.
Ariel was the world's strongest in the original story, so she could probably handle spending the night alone outside just fine.
I just didn't want to leave her like that.
I couldn't stay put as her big brother.
“...”
The problem was, I had no good way to find her.
There was no way to track Ariel down.
I hadn't trained in any tracking skills, after all.
Or maybe she left some unique trace only she would?
She wasn't the type to carry anything distinctive on purpose, so that was unlikely.
If I had to pick something... it would be her connection to the back world.
'Ah.'
Right.
I'd search for her in the back world.
Ariel was practically the back world incarnate.
If I followed that, I'd definitely find her.
'In that case.'
There was only one person who could help me sense it.
I slipped away from the manor to a secluded spot.
Deliberately avoiding prying eyes.
Because I needed to meet someone specific.
'The Prophet told me.'
That if I wanted to meet now, I could.
That if I wished for it, he'd appear right there.
Yes. The one I wanted to see now was the Prophet.
If that back-world expert could teach me how to detect it, I'd be set.
I pictured him in my mind, yearning to meet.
And as I wandered the dim alley, the scenery shifted.
“!”
A gray ripple.
A bizarre sense of space spreading like a puddle in all directions—up, down, left, right.
In the multidimensional haze, there he was.
“...”
An old man shrouded in a deep hood.
His stall in front was empty.
What? Had he cleared it out?
“It's been a while.”
I approached and greeted him first.
The Prophet nodded as if this was no surprise at all.
“You've come.”
“How've you been? Feels like ages since we last met.”
“Well enough, if you can call it that. After meeting you, I've been little more than a shut-in old fogey, doing nothing.”
“What? You're not prophesying anymore?”
“I am. I simply couldn't. Ever since you, all I've seen is back-world visions tied to you.”
“Hmm.”
I sat down in front of the Prophet.
Only stuff related to me, huh?
Works in my favor.
Whether he gave prophecies to others or not didn't matter to me anyway.
“Good timing, then. I was looking for you because I need your help.”
“Something you're curious about?”
At that moment, the Prophet spoke in a heavy tone.
“What?”
“You've already wrapped up the entire tale. Defying the fated future and destiny. Drawing the curtain before the protagonists even appear.”
“...”
What the hell was this nonsense?
I sat there, trying to parse his words.
Roughly speaking, it meant I'd taken out all the villains before the original story even started.
“Isn't that a good thing? The world's at peace now, right?”
“True enough. But it seems you haven't realized the unexpected variable it's created for you.”
“Variable?”
“The Blood Demon has taken notice of you.”
“!”
Even I couldn't help but be startled by that.
The Blood Demon.
This world's final boss.
The enemy I had to defeat had caught on to me.
“What? Then what do I do?”
“I don't know.”
Why so nonchalant, you bastard?
“No, don't you have some plan? I can't beat the Blood Demon right now, you know. If you don't want to see humanity wiped out, you need to give me something.”
“...”
The Prophet furrowed his brow—or at least, it looked that way under the hood.
“There is a way.”
“Good. There is. What is it?”
“But you can't intend it yourself.”
“What?”
“The Blood Demon is the back world itself. Just like your sister. But haven't you already made your sister human?”
He knew.
“Think carefully about what 'back world itself' means. It's a natural disaster no mere human can withstand. To overcome it, you must gain power on its level.”
“Wait, hold on. Then what was all my training for up till now?”
“Just to defeat the Blood Demon's minions. It won't fell the Demon itself.”
“Son of a... Then what am I supposed to do? How do I win?”
“Become part of the back world yourself.”
“Speak plainly.”
“Become like your sister.”
“...”
I narrowed my eyes at that.
What did the Prophet mean?
Did he want me to become inhuman too?
To become the world's strongest like in the original story?
“Remember this: Humans cannot defeat the Blood Demon. You're different species entirely. It takes a monster to hunt a monster. You must become the same monster for it to even be a fight.”
“Then tell me how. I'll think it over.”
“I don't know.”
“You...”
Helpful one second, useless the next.
What was the point of this guy?
“I told you. I only peek into the back world. I don't know any secret arts.”
“Sigh.”
“But one thing's certain... You can't obtain it just by wanting it.”
“Fine, I get that. Now listen to my actual problem.”
Enough side chatter—down to business.
“I need a way to detect the back world. Can you help?”
“Not hard to teach. Just needs a condition. What's your reason?”
“A reason?”
“Can't provide it if it's not something the back world would find amusing.”
“I need to find my sister. She ran away after our first sibling fight.”
“Hmm.”
The Prophet fell silent.
For a few seconds, maybe.
Then he spoke again.
“Very well. That's enough. I can tell you.”
“Jeez... What kind of crowd is the back world that a sibling spat gets their interest?”
“No idea. Now, hold out your hand.”
I did as told, and he brushed his hand over my palm.
“Done. Now go.”
“What? No special effect? Explain.”
“Step outside, and you'll sense the back world's aura. Follow it.”
“Easier than I expected for all the buildup.”
“Who knows if that's the result you hoped for.”
“Cut the ominous crap. Good seeing you.”
I stood to leave.
As I waved goodbye, the Prophet spoke up.
“This may be the last time, so I'll say it now.”
More foreboding words.
Or maybe it meant I could beat the Blood Demon now?
I gestured for him to continue, and he left an enigmatic piece of advice.
“The Blood Demon is fundamentally the same existence as your sister.”
“What?”
“You'll understand when you meet her. What she truly is. And how you should treat her. This world's ending depends on your choice.”
With that, I was ejected from the Prophet's world.