Chapter 60: Behemoth (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 60: Behemoth (2)
After finishing his story about the Behemoth, Duke Oller arranged for rooms where Cloud and his party could stay.
This, of course, had nothing to do with Eri.
This was her home, and she had her own room.
Eri went to her room.
Returning after several years, she found it hadn't changed much from when she'd left. The only difference was the thick layer of dust covering everything.
‘…Have they just left it untouched since I left?’
Wow, this was a bit much, wasn't it?
The absurdity of it made her let out a hollow laugh.
Eri considered cleaning the room but quickly shook her head. She was only staying for a short while; there was no need to go to that trouble.
She brushed the dust off the bed and lay down. As she stared blankly at the ceiling, the events from earlier began to trouble her mind.
‘…I can’t believe he didn’t even spare me a glance.’
Her father, Duke Oller.
Throughout his entire conversation with Cloud in the reception room, he hadn't looked at her once. He treated her as if she wasn't even there.
‘I feel like an idiot for being so nervous.’
Might as well get some sleep.
Just as Eri was about to close her eyes…
Knock, knock.
“May I come in?”
The knock was accompanied by the voice she despised hearing most.
She wanted to tell him to get lost, but her current reality didn't allow for it.
“…Come in.”
As soon as she gave her permission, the door opened, and a man and two women entered the room. They frowned as they took in the dusty interior.
“Just like a half-breed’s room. It’s as filthy as her blood.”
“Still as shameless as ever, Callion. You’re the one who told the maids not to clean my room, aren’t you?”
“It seems that even after a glorious adventure with the Hero, your filthy habit of slandering others hasn't changed.”
At the words of the eldest son, Callion Oller, the eldest daughter, Marlin Oller, and the second daughter, Jerina Oller, snickered.
Their mockery was blatant, but Eri felt nothing.
Not only was she used to this kind of treatment, but she had endured far worse in Lorian’s party.
“You’re right. I have a filthy personality. That’s why my room is filthy. So, if my pristine siblings have nothing more to say, why don’t you get the hell out of my room?”
“Oh, dear. Did you really think we came all this way just to complain about your messy room?”
Eri scoffed at Marlin’s words.
“Then why have my oh-so-great siblings decided to grace me with their presence as a group?”
“Oho? Your wit has improved a little. You’re using far fewer vulgar words than before. How admirable!”
“Get to the point.”
Eri’s short reply made it clear she was tired of the conversation. The smug smile on Callion’s face vanished.
“What gives you the nerve to come back?”
“…I’m not back. I’m just staying here for a while for the Behemoth subjugation.”
“I certainly hope so. No one in this family wants to see this house sullied by a filthy bat.”
“A filthy bat…? Are you trying to cross the line?”
Eri reached for the staff she had placed beside her bed.
She had no intention of harming them. As detestable as they were, they were still her blood, and more importantly, she would be the only one to suffer if she laid a hand on them.
She just planned to use a simple wind spell to drive them out of her room.
She began the incantation in her mind.
It was a simple spell, one that would only take five seconds to cast.
“Cloud and Lorian. Are you, the one who flew back and forth between two Heroes, really going to deny being a bat?”
Flinch.
Her body trembled slightly. Her concentration broke, and the wind spell fizzled out.
Casting magic required immense focus, which was why mages had to be masters of their own minds. Eri was an exceptional mage and rarely had her incantations interrupted.
But this time, she couldn't help it.
Callion had just struck her most sensitive nerve.
“Seeing your reaction, I’m glad you at least have some self-awareness. It’s a relief that my half-breed sister isn’t completely shameless.”
Seeing that his words had hit their mark, Callion smiled inwardly and continued.
“Ever since you were a child, you’ve craved the approval of others to an excessive degree. Most people thought it was just the eccentricity of a genius, but our family knew the real reason.”
Eri’s eyes widened, as if asking if he was serious.
“Did you really think we wouldn’t notice after seeing all those obvious actions? Actions that practically screamed, ‘Please look at me’? The members of House Oller are not fools.”
“You knew? Then tell me. Why did I want to be acknowledged so badly?”
“Wasn’t it because you wanted to be accepted as a member of the Oller family? As a real family member, not just a half-breed.”
“If you knew that, then!”
Eri raised her staff and pointed it at Callion’s throat. The indigo crystal at its tip began to glow.
“Why! Why didn’t you ever acknowledge me?! Even if I’m a half-breed, we share the same blood! You could have accepted me as family!”
“Because you’re a monster.”
Despite Eri’s outburst, Callion didn’t even flinch.
She let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha…! A monster?”
“Yes. When you turned eight, you awakened your talent for magic and went to the Magic Tower. But you returned to the family in less than two years. I was curious. Your talent was something even I had to acknowledge, so why were you kicked out of the Magic Tower? To solve the mystery, I sent a letter to the Tower, and it wasn't long before I found out the reason.”
He let out a smirk.
“Your track record was quite spectacular. It was enough to understand why you were expelled even from the Magic Tower, where competition is the motto.”
“…”
“Take recent events, for example. You were in Cloud’s party, yet you arbitrarily moved to Lorian’s. Why? Because his party was better. More suitable for making your name known to the world.”
“…”
“But now you’ve returned to Cloud’s party. And at the perfect time, right when unbelievable rumors of him beating Gis to a pulp started spreading. In a way, it’s quite impressive. You… no, your party members must be the first to switch Hero parties twice. You filthy bat.”
Eri bit her lip hard. In a barely audible voice, she said, “I didn’t come back just because of Cloud’s power…”
“Do you know why our family doesn’t accept you? It’s because, on top of being a half-breed, you’re insincere. You’re overflowing with ambition, but you try to hide it, to wrap it up in pretty packaging. You’re the kind of bitch who would kill me and seize the position of family head if you were ever accepted as family.”
“That’s not true! I have no such intention!” Eri shouted.
She meant it. All she wanted was to be acknowledged by her family; she had no desire to harm her brother and take over the family.
Callion smiled warmly at Eri’s desperate cry.
“Thoughts can always change. But one’s true nature never does. Eri, you’re a monster consumed by your lust for fame. You’d do anything to achieve it.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s not? Then what if Hero Cloud were to become weak again? What if he could no longer make a name for himself like the other Heroes? Would you still stay by his side then?”
“What kind of ridiculous question is that! Cloud forgave me. I swore I would never betray him again!”
“I wonder… Do you really think a single oath is enough to change your filthy nature?”
“Shut up! Don’t you dare insult me any further!”
The crystal in Eri’s staff began to glow even brighter.
It looked as if she would unleash a spell at any moment.
Callion raised his hands and slowly backed away.
“Alright. It seems my dear sister is quite angry, so we’ll stop here for today. I hope you get some rest, despite the filthy room.”
Callion led his sisters out of Eri’s room. Just before leaving completely, he turned back as if he had forgotten something and added one last comment.
“My dear sister, the bat and the monster. You will never be acknowledged, just as you never have been. And it’s all because of your own filthy nature.”
With those final words, they disappeared from her sight.
Long after they had gone, Eri remained standing, staff aimed, her breathing ragged.
Only after a long while did she calm down enough to lower her staff.
She climbed onto the bed and sat with her knees drawn to her chest.
—Hey, Eri. Why didn’t you trust me?
It was a voice that had faded away after she rejoined Cloud’s party.
Now, it returned to stir turmoil in her heart.
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I believe you now. I have no doubt that you’re the greatest Hero of all.’
—Eri. You’re a monster consumed by your lust for fame.
The voice in her ears changed.
A detestable voice.
Don’t be ridiculous.
You’re the ones consumed by the honor of your bloodline.
I… I just wanted to be acknowledged.
I’m not a monster!
—Then what if Hero Cloud were to become weak again? What if he could no longer make a name for himself like the other Heroes? Would you still stay by his side then?
Of course, I would. I swore it that day. The day Cloud came to find me.
That I would never betray this man again.
—I wonder… Do you really think a single oath is enough to change your filthy nature?
Shut up.
My nature isn’t filthy…
—My dear sister, the bat and the monster. You will never be acknowledged, just as you never have been. And it’s all because of your own filthy nature.
‘…’
Eri buried her face between her knees.
Her body trembled with small, choked sobs. The sound of her weeping lingered in the room for a long, long time.
*
As Callion left Eri’s room without a second glance, Marlin shot him a dissatisfied look.
“Brother, are you just going to let it end with a few words? That bitch has made a fool of herself twice now!”
Eri had abandoned the Prona Kingdom’s Hero, Cloud, to join a Hero’s party from another country.
For a time, Duke Oller’s family was condemned not only by the king but by the other nobles as well.
The honor of the great House Oller had been tarnished.
She deserved to be torn to shreds for that alone, but soon, the situation changed.
Hero Cloud disappeared.
Meanwhile, Hero Lorian’s achievements grew more prominent by the day.
Deciding there was no longer any hope for their own Hero, the Prona Kingdom resolved to align itself with a Hero from another nation.
As a result, Eri’s value—and by extension, the value of House Oller—skyrocketed. If she played her cards right, she could secure a promise from Hero Lorian to protect the Prona Kingdom.
But that foolish bitch couldn’t wait and switched back to Hero Cloud’s side.
How could she manage to make only the most idiotic choices?
It was enough to make one doubt if she, a half-breed, truly shared the same blood.
Callion smirked at Marlin’s disgruntled expression.
“Of course not. What just happened was merely for my own amusement. The real show starts now.”
“What do you mean, ‘starts now’?”
“After discussing it with Father, House Oller has decided to sponsor Hero Cloud.”
“Sponsor him? Is that wise?”
Even if a kingdom fell, a noble house could endure.
That was the nature of a feudal society. It meant that even if the Prona Kingdom were to be destroyed by another kingdom, House Oller could survive through careful negotiation.
However, sponsoring Cloud would change the story entirely.
The moment they offered him funds, they would become his backers, tying their fate deeply to his.
It was no exaggeration to say that the rise and fall of their family would now depend on Cloud’s future actions.
“Is there any investment without risk? Besides, Father said that Hero Cloud has changed. You’ve heard about the incident with the Church of Heresy in the Empire, haven’t you?”
“Yes, it’s quite a famous incident…”
“He is a rising star. Shouldn’t we be the first to extend a hand before anyone else gets to him?”
“I understand what you’re saying, Brother. But what does this have to do with Eri? If Cloud rises, that bitch Eri will gain fame alongside him. I don’t want to see that happen.”
“Marlin. Do you really think the Hero, after receiving our massive sponsorship, would refuse one small request from us?”
“A request? Don’t tell me…”
“Your guess is correct. No matter how hard Eri tries, she will never achieve what she desires.”
As Callion finished speaking, the siblings burst into laughter that echoed down the hallway.
And the next day.
“I don’t need it.”
The offer of sponsorship was rejected flatly.