Chapter 88
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Dorsia von Opstein
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"S-Sisters."
Following behind my sisters, who were radiating terrifying killing intent as they headed toward the Opstein Marquisate, I suddenly spotted something in the distance and urgently opened my mouth.
"Hold on a second."
"...?"
"There are knights!"
The knights, having already noticed the makeshift sanctuary was destroyed, were quickly gathering at the mansion's entrance and forming ranks.
And from what I knew, the Opstein knights were a formidable force made up of magic swordsmen and magical infantry.
Even for my sisters, it might be better to bring the knight order instead of infiltrating with this small elite group...
"Kairen."
"Yes?"
"Did they bully you too?"
As I was lost in such thoughts and gauging their mood, Uriel sis approached me with an incredibly friendly expression.
"When you ran away and got caught."
"Ah."
"They beat me for about an hour in the barracks."
Recalling that day when I failed to break through the makeshift sanctuary, I responded in a sullen voice.
"Intruders, be warned!"
And at that very moment, the booming voice of the Opstein knight commander rang out from ahead.
"If you do not stop right now..."
But the commander never finished his confident proclamation.
- Kurrrr rumble boom!!!
Suddenly, a thunder-like roar shook the Opstein grounds, followed by a massive dust cloud rising ahead.
"It might be a bit tough, but watch closely."
"...?"
"This is the fate of those who dare block the Belverks' path."
As I stared in bewilderment, Uriel sis carefully lifted me onto her shoulder with a chilling smile and began walking forward.
"Uh..."
Only after entering the dust cloud did I realize what had just happened.
"Next."
At the center of the dust cloud, Big Sis quietly rose from where her fist was embedded in the ground, her face eerily cold as she spoke.
"If you're going to step up, do it now."
With a single punch from Big Sis, the knight commander and the front-line knights had their bodies exploded, collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
"Uwaaaaaah!"
And whether it was courage or recklessness, one trembling knight drew his mana-charged sword and charged forward.
- Crunch...!
But before he could swing at us, a black maw burst through the dust cloud and swallowed his head.
- Chomp, chomp...
As the black maw chewed, the knight shuddered violently before going limp and collapsing to his knees.
"Opstein knights are always below average, as expected."
By then, Uriel sis had covered my eyes briefly, retracted the black maw into her body, and resumed walking with a languid mutter.
- Whoosh...!
Beside her, Lilien grabbed the limp knight by the collar and tossed his body onto the growing pile of corpses with a disdainful expression.
"First time something this boring to kill."
And by that point, no Opstein knights remained to guard the entrance.
Having instantly lost their elites, the ragtag remnants fled in terror as we approached.
"Shouldn't we catch them?"
"...Doesn't matter."
The question was whether to just let them go...
"The Third Knight Order Captain's here."
Fortunately, there was no need to worry.
- Creak...
- Groan...
- Squeak...
The moment Big Sis replied, the field behind us turned gray en masse, unleashing a horror-movie scene.
"Wh-What is this!?"
"E-Eek!"
"H-Hiiiik!"
The knights panicked briefly and swung their swords in resistance, but they were soon swept away by the wave of undead bursting from the ground.
"The stronger the grudges or burials in an area, the more potent the Third Knight Order Captain's necromancy."
"... ."
"Though I didn't expect it to be this strong outside Belverk..."
From Uriel sis's words, it seemed the Opsteins had accumulated deep sins over generations.
"Hm?"
Anyway, we entered the Opstein mansion without further interference and strolled through the garden with my sisters.
"This is..."
I was taking in the garden—once so longed for—with oddly mixed feelings when I spotted something utterly ridiculous.
「Kairen Nox Belverk's Tomb」
Why the hell was there a well-maintained tomb with my name smack in the middle of the garden?
"...Forget-me-nots."
"... ."
"Nine piles of them."
As I stared blankly, Uriel sis, still carrying me on her shoulder, leaned down to inspect the tomb.
"Even permanent preservation magic... Only one person would leave this here."
"...Mother, you mean?"
"I always wondered why she visited Opstein once a year despite hating it..."
As sis said, the fake tomb bearing my name bore traces of Mother visiting daily for the past ten years.
"...So you fooled Mother into thinking you were dead for ten years, then secretly kept you alive for horrific experiments?"
"... ."
"It's a miracle she didn't raze Opstein that day she found you."
Biting my lip with a surge of emotion, I heard Lilien mutter angrily beside me.
"...This might not be something we can just overlook."
Uriel sis responded to Lilien with a suddenly cold expression.
"Knowing Mother, in that situation, she'd have crushed at least half the mansion."
"Ah, but back then I..."
"Even if her own son begged her not to hurt anyone."
Her following words made me pause and tilt my head.
"Then..."
"Several possibilities, but the most likely..."
Even as she stroked my head, Uriel sis continued her deduction.
"Maybe Mother had some restriction."
"... ."
"Or perhaps she couldn't strike Opstein directly unless you wished it."
Honestly, it didn't matter to me, but her words sparked a bit of curiosity anyway.
"The moment you decided, she permitted striking Opstein without hesitation, despite her prior restraint..."
Lost in Uriel sis's eloquence, I was listening dazedly when...
- Kurrr boom...!
A thunderous explosion erupted right before us.
"Little brother."
I whipped my head around, eyes wide, to see Big Sis approaching through the fresh dust cloud with a icy expression.
"I took care of that ominous thing."
Big Sis gazed at me innocently, like a retriever wagging its tail after mischief, explaining the commotion.
"Good job..."
"...Yeah."
As I averted my eyes from the utterly destroyed tomb—now unrecognizable—and its empty pit, stroking Big Sis's head...
Hold on a sec.
Can you grab one item from inside for me?
"Oh? You could've stayed longer..."
"...Pendant?"
Hearing that, I hopped off Uriel sis's shoulder toward the empty tomb and found a half-buried red pendant.
Thanks.
I had no idea what it was, but it seemed important, so I pocketed it.
"Little brother."
As I glanced around and secretly tucked the pendant into my clothes...
Big Sis suddenly hoisted me up.
"My shoulder's comfier."
"Ack..."
"...Ahem."
Big Sis swiftly placed me on her shoulder and, noticing Uriel's chilling smile, hurried inside the mansion.
About 20 minutes after Belverk's little monsters entered the Opstein Marquisate.
"Hiiiik!!!"
"S-Save...!"
"Aaaah!!!"
The servants, clinging to vain hopes of not being attacked and surrendering, now screamed and fled in all directions, abandoning surrender.
"Ow, it hurts..."
"...Ugh, ugh."
"Monsters..."
Anyone seeing the mountain of servants behind the blood-soaked trio—writhing with fatal injuries but barely alive—would react the same.
"Do they think we're mindless killers?"
"Yeah."
"We're just punishing those who bullied Kairen, so why no cooperation?"
Of course, no servant in Opstein hadn't abused Kairen, making this self-inflicted carnage.
"Y-Young Master..."
"Ack."
"Spare me...!"
Surprisingly, the first servant claiming innocence appeared before them.
"I-I treated you well... Gack!?"
"Where'd you crawl from."
Before she could reach for Kairen, the blood-smeared Lilien stomped her head, making the maid tremble.
"Oh, Kairen."
"... ."
"Sorry, but mind if I uncover your eyes briefly?"
Uriel, blood around her mouth and black maw, gently removed the hand covering Kairen's eyes.
"Did she really treat you well?"
"Uh..."
Kairen, recalling uncertainly, muttered hesitantly.
"She was kinder than the other servants, I think."
"S-See!?"
The maid lit up in relief, but...
"But she kept touching my body..."
"Aha."
"...Especially when bathing."
The maid's face paled as Kairen quietly added.
"Wh-When did I ever...!"
She thrashed desperately to rise.
- Crunch...
But just before, the black maw engulfed her head, toppling her.
- Chomp, chomp...
The chewing echoed down the hall.
"Child predators always taste awful."
Uriel muttered queasily, re-covering Kairen's eyes and spitting something from the maw.
- Roll, roll...
Lilien coldly eyed the tumbling object at her feet and muttered icily.
"Curious."
"...?"
"Not one servant among so many who didn't abuse you?"
Kairen tilted his head (Uriel's hand tilting too) and pondered.
"So in ten years here, not even one small kindness?"
"Uh... Hm."
But this time, his contemplation dragged on.
"Probably..."
As Kairen sighed and shook his head...
"I'm different."
A chilling voice echoed from behind them.
"...!!!"
The three sisters whipped around, eyes wide, doubting their sight.
"From the day I first met Kairen, I've always liked him."
One of Kairen's chief abusers, Dorsia von Opstein, stood openly with hands behind her back, smiling.
- Hummm...
Chilling red killing intent filled the hall.
"Sorry, but."
"... ."
"You shouldn't attack me carelessly."
Dorsia, smiling faintly as if amused, raised her hidden magic staff at Kairen.
- Crunch...!
But before it glowed, Lilien darted forward and snapped Dorsia's wrist.
"Ack!"
"Kid?"
Shockingly, the scream came not from Dorsia, but from safely protected Kairen.
"What I'm best at is making curse dolls."
"... ."
"So I made myself Kairen's curse doll."
As the sisters retracted their killing intent in shock, Dorsia proudly waved her broken hand.
"I have plenty of your hair, after all."
She pulled a familiar silver strand from her bosom, chewed, and swallowed it.
"Over 30 strands already."
"Crazy bitch."
"Attack me, and Kairen suffers 30 times worse."
Dorsia flushed, passing the horrified Lilien and cold sisters.
"So obey me."
"What do you want?"
"Just one thing I want to show you."
Beaming excitedly, she ascended the stairs assuredly.
"You'll admit it then."
"... ."
"That only I treated Kairen well."
Exchanging glances, Belverk's little monsters silently nodded and followed.
"Got the workaround, right?"
"...You okay, kid?"
"Little brother, you can handle it?"
In pained grimace but nodding quietly amid their whispers, Kairen endured.
How much time passed?
"Ta-da!"
Beaming with anticipation, Dorsia stopped at her room.
"Wh-What is all this...?"
"...Tasteless hobby."
"...Hm."
The three sisters entered quietly behind, scanning in shock.
"...Photos Lady Dorsia took of me."
Kairen explained darkly the photos plastering the walls.
"She took them every day because she liked me so much and displayed them."
"Right! You remember well."
Avoiding her beaming gaze, he eyed the opposite wall.
"And..."
"Yes, yes."
"Uh..."
His face paled, muttering blankly.
"I don't remember this one..."
In view: him shivering asleep on the cold floor, Dorsia beside him flashing a V-sign.
"What do you think?"
Kairen surveyed the secretly snapped photos with a chill.
"Convinced now?"
"... ."
"That I really, really like Kairen?"
Dorsia watched fondly, blushing.
"Why..."
"...?"
"Did you think this would convince us?"
Uriel narrowed her eyes coldly.
"Huh? Well..."
Dorsia tilted her head, then clasped hands happily.
"You love Kairen as much as I do."
"... ."
"So you know how perfect he is as a toy!"
The sisters' eyes reddened further.
"But your toy was originally mine."
Undeterred by the eerie sight, Dorsia continued with equally chilling eyes.
"So give him back now?"
Finishing, she moved to a drawer.
"You know?"
"... ."
"Kairen was always so cute I wanted to hug him, but..."
Rummaging, she revealed secretly cherished photos.
"...His crying in pain is the cutest in the world?"
The photos showed Kairen in unspeakably horrific, wretched state.
- Step, step...
The sisters froze en masse.
"Hm?"
Dorsia, re-framing and cleaning the photos, looked up at the voice ahead.
"I'm back, Lady Dorsia."
Blinking, she spotted Kairen and beamed radiantly.
"Hahat..."
Arms wide in heated smile, she embraced him, whispering huskily.
"Welcome home, Kairen."
"... ."
"Tonight, let's play puppy like we couldn't before."
Hearing that, Kairen let out a low chuckle.
"Haha..."
His eyes slowly turned red.
- Hummm...
But embracing him, Dorsia noticed nothing.
"And tomorrow..."
She continued her happy musings, hugging him.
- Slap...!
A ear-splitting crack echoed in the room.
"...Huh?"
Dorsia realized too late her cheek stung, head turned from Kairen's slap, touching her swelling face in confusion.
"Listen."
Kairen, having instantly nullified her self-curse with Crimson Eyes...
"Why the hell should I?"
For the first time, wearing pure fury, he snarled up at her savagely.