A Good-for-Nothing Brother, a Good-for-Nothing Friend (Part 2)
"The Harashin. Unless they all suddenly decide to hold hands and commit mass suicide one day, we Libringers are bound to clash with them eventually. When that day comes... between the Harashin and us, who do you think will have the upper hand?"
It'll be the Harashin, obviously. Those bastards know swordsmanship, but the Libringers don't know a thing about assassination arts.
"...I fail to see the point of your question." I turned my head away, doing my best to look like I wanted absolutely nothing to do with this conversation.
"Setting aside whose raw combat power is superior, the Harashin will naturally have the advantage. Why? Because they can freely study swordsmanship, whereas assassination arts are strictly forbidden among us. That is why I need you."
"Are you saying... you want to raise me as a weapon to counter the Harashin?"
"If you know your enemy and know yourself, you can win a hundred battles out of a hundred. The most efficient way to eliminate poison is with poison. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I am simply trying to put into practice the teachings our ancestors emphasized so heavily."
"And what if I study the assassination arts and turn traitor? What then—"
Redar extended his right fist, showing me the ring once more—the very artifact that had summoned us here.
"As you probably know, our family has a rather long history. Consequently, we possess quite a few treasures. Among them is a ring called the Promising Pinky. Do you know what its effect is?"
The legendary-grade artifact, the Promising Pinky. I've never seen it in the game myself, but it was a frequent topic of discussion among the degenerate community forum addicts, so I know what it does. It forces absolute compliance with a promise, right?
"Absolute compliance."
"Absolute... compliance?" I asked back, feigning ignorance.
"Yes. It's a pair of rings. If two people wear them on their pinky fingers and make a mutual vow, they must keep that promise. No, rather, it becomes physically impossible to break. Their very bodies are bound to prevent any violation of the contract."
Redar raised his right pinky and wiggled it.
"A pinky swear, essentially. If you wear the Promising Pinky and vow never to betray me, promising to eternally fight the Harashin as a dark knight on the side of the light..."
Next, he raised his left pinky and wiggled it as well.
"Then I, in turn, will swear to protect you no matter what. Well? Isn't it an enticing offer? You would enter an equal contractual relationship with me—the eldest son of the Libringer family and its presumptive heir."
It was certainly an enticing offer. One that nine out of ten, ninety-nine out of a hundred, or nine hundred and ninety-nine out of a thousand would accept.
But I happened to be that one absolute exception.
I haven't even seen half the story, let alone all the endings, and you want me to derail the quest line?
Do you want me to ruin my character build?
Actually, a ruined build would be a mercy. What if failing this quest leads straight to a Bad Ending?
Come to think of it, what actually happens if you fail a quest?
Surely the Bad Ending screen won't just pop up, the credits roll, and the world ends, right?
Nah, no way.
Yeah. No matter how heartless this world is, it wouldn't be that cruel. Still, just in case, I had to clear the quests no matter what.
To do that, I couldn't leave Arien and the Academy, which were currently the main stages of my quests.
And above all, if I go to the Great Demonic Realm, I won't be able to see Lady Drin, Lady Aidrin, and Lady Miz anymore, will I?
"Well?"
So—
"Hmm... I am truly grateful for the offer, but I must politely decline."
I spoke the answer that had been decided from the very beginning, only after pretending to agonize over it for a long moment.
"Why?"
"Why, you ask? Well, that's because—"
I lowered my voice significantly, pausing for dramatic effect before speaking.
"I-I'm scared!"
"...What?"
Redar, who had been leaning in with intense focus to hear my grand answer, looked utterly dumbfounded.
"The G-Great Demonic Realm...! I appreciate you holding me in such high regard, but I'm simply not brave enough to willingly throw myself into such a dangerous place..."
"Hahaha." I laughed obsequiously, scratching the back of my head.
"Above all, I am greatly looking forward to my life in Arien and at the Academy. So, while I am deeply grateful for the offer, I must politely decline."
Redar stared at me silently for a moment, then let out a soft smile.
"Sillon."
Though his smile was gentle, his aura shifted instantly. As if his previous easygoing demeanor had been nothing but a mirage, an eerie, unsettling pressure radiated from his four-white eyes, locking onto me.
"To be honest, I don't really care about your abilities."
"Pardon...? What do you mean by—" I let my voice trail off, shrinking back as if terrified by his sudden change in attitude.
"It was you, wasn't it? The one who introduced Drin to those friends today."
As if he already knew the answer, Redar didn't wait for me to reply.
"The reason I am trying so hard to keep you by my side is because you are my sister's friend. Sillon, let me make this easy for you to answer."
Redar took a step closer. Taking that as my cue to look terrified, I took a step back, trembling even more.
"You are my sister's precious friend. I do not wish to kill my sister's precious friend. So, accept my offer."
It seemed this was Redar's true motive. All that talk about a countermeasure against the Harashin had been a mere excuse.
Now that I thought about it, Redar had always been this kind of guy.
He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself to prepare for some vague, looming threat to the world. After all, this was the guy who had abandoned everything to shut himself in the Demonic Realm just to look at pretty light rays.
Yet, that very same guy had abandoned everything in the Demonic Realm and rushed to Arien. All to celebrate Lady Drin's admission to the Academy.
If there was anything he prioritized over himself, it wasn't some vague threat to the world. It was his family. His younger sister. Drin Libringer.
The series of actions Redar had displayed jogged my poor memory, allowing me to piece together a fairly complete profile of him.
He's actually a good guy.
The reason Redar wanted to leash me instead of killing me, despite my talent for assassination, wasn't because he coveted my skills.
"I'll explain it well to Drin."
It was because he didn't want to make Drin sad.
At this very moment, I shared the exact same sentiment. No matter what, I didn't want to harm this guy.
If this good-for-nothing but ultimately loving brother got hurt, Lady Drin would undoubtedly be devastated.
"You might feel this situation is unfair, but there is something you must understand, Sillon. I could have simply killed you. But I didn't. Because I respect you as my sister's friend. Therefore, you owe me your life. And now, the time has come to repay that debt. Sillon, I will offer this to you one more time. Come with me to the Demonic Realm."
Right on cue, Redar laid out a crazy—no, highly convenient—logic that would allow us to resolve this situation amicably without anyone being dissatisfied.
"A debt of a life... I suppose I have no choice but to repay it. Isn't that right?"
"Haha, Sillon. Now you're talking—wait, what?"
The satisfied smile forming on Redar's face froze awkwardly.
The lines of light surrounding the man before him, Sillon, began to ripple unnaturally.
"Lord Redar?"
The moment Sillon called his name, another layer of light wrapped around him.
"I have a reason why I absolutely must remain in Arien."
And then, another layer.
"Yet, there is someone who is trying to drag me out of Arien and into the Great Demonic Realm by any means necessary."
And then, yet another layer.
"..."
While Redar stood speechless at the absurd sight, Sillon continued without a care.
"What would be the easiest way for me to deal with this unwelcome situation? Yes, it's the method you're thinking of. Simply eliminating the source of the problem. However, I won't do that. Why, you ask?"
He raised his index finger in an exaggerated gesture, bringing it in front of his face with a playful smirk.
"Because that person happens to be the precious brother of my precious friend. So, I've decided to take the long way around, even if it's a bit inconvenient."
The lines of light had multiplied to seven layers.
But it wasn't just the number of layers that had changed. The very shape of the light had transformed.
There was no room for doubt. The shape perfectly matched the form of the assassination arts wielded by the direct heirs and masters of the Harashin, which Redar had witnessed firsthand in the Great Demonic Realm.
No. That wasn't right. Looking closer, it was subtly different.
To call it the assassination arts of the Harashin direct line... how should he put it?
Yes. It was far too perfect.
It was the original archetype. Compared to this, the assassination arts of the Harashin's direct descendants were nothing but cheap imitations.
The ultimate peak that the current, imperfect Harashin assassins strove to reach—this was it.
Beautiful. Redar couldn't help but marvel.
If he had been an assassin, merely witnessing these lines of light would have granted him profound enlightenment.
It was a shock unlike any he had ever experienced from any other light ray.
"Redar? Let me make a proposal. From this moment on, we are going to be the best of 'friends.' Trusting each other completely, never betraying one another. For instance, yes... a relationship like the chef and guide, or master and disciple in the Great Demonic Realm that you mentioned earlier?"
The owner of those lines of light flashed a mischievous, playful grin.
"As a token of our friendship, let's see... Ah! That ring, the Promising Pinky, would be perfect. I know it's a precious treasure to you and your family, but I trust you will gladly hand it over for the sake of our friendship. After all—"
The urge to protest welled up inside Redar. At that exact moment...
The two narrow slits on Sillon's face opened.
Revealed beneath his squinted eyes were golden irises with sharp, slit-like pupils, resembling those of a serpent.
"You owe me your life, don't you?"
At the same time, his lines of light, which had already reached seven layers, added one more, swelling to eight.
Redar squeezed his eyes shut.
Terrified that Sillon's lines of light might multiply even further, defying all reason.
Sillon stared at him with clear, piercing eyes, just as Redar had done to him moments ago.
And Redar, now with his eyes tightly shut like the squinty-eyed Sillon of before, spoke in a trembling voice.
"Who... who on earth are you...!"
What is his true identity? He hadn't spoken expecting an answer. But a moment later, Sillon's reply reached his ears.
Whisper, whisper.
"...!"
A whisper, accompanied by a chilling breath of air, brushed directly against Redar's left ear.
Startled, Redar recoiled and snapped his eyes open. There, standing right before him, was Sillon, who had just whispered in his ear.
"That's a secret."
Sillon, who had just whispered those words, had already reverted to his usual frivolous, goofy self, holding his index finger up in front of his face.