Chapter 235: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (28)
Chapter 235: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (28)
I decided to head to the slums alone.
The main reason was that my companions were still sluggish from the aftermath of last night’s banquet. The Saintess, in particular, would quickly avert her eyes whenever they met mine.
If I even looked like I was about to bring up what happened last night, she would spout nonsense like:
“Hehe, perhaps you had a sweet dream? They say that sometimes strong desires can influence one's dreams. To think Brother Ian had such a dream... this, too, is the grace of the Heavenly God. Immanuel.”
It seemed she had decided to rewrite her own memory out of sheer embarrassment.
If that was her wish, I had to respect it.
Aside from her, the only other notable thing was Senior Elsie.
That day, Elsie followed me around with short, hurried steps, occasionally looking down at her own chest with a sorrowful gaze.
Then, she cautiously asked me, “Ma-Master… you aren’t the type to be bewitched by mere lumps of flesh, right?!”
“No, I am.”
I was a man, after all. It was only natural.
Elsie immediately lost heart and turned away. It was rare for her to retreat so quietly without clinging to me. I tilted my head at her lonely-looking back for a moment, but soon put it out of my mind.
My only sin was telling the truth.
The unexpected obstacle lay elsewhere.
It was my younger sister, Lia Percus.
With a bright smile on her face, the girl blocked my path. She was holding a shovel in her hand.
Thwack! The sound of the shovel blade biting into the ground was sharp.
“And where do you think you’re going, Brother?”
“Let’s put the shovel down before we talk, Lia…”
A sigh escaped my lips, but Lia wasn't about to listen.
Instead, she slammed the shovel into the ground once more, letting out a threatening sound. It was her own cute way of expressing that she was angry and wanted to be coaxed.
Of course, it was a request I couldn't fulfill, given how busy I was. To soothe Lia’s anger, I’d have to spend at least a few hours with her.
Being siblings, Lia was excellent at reading my thoughts.
Seeing my troubled expression, she pouted her lips in dissatisfaction.
“Hmph, you spent all of yesterday playing around with other women.”
“They’re guests I brought here, so of course I did.”
“So you escorted them all the way to the bedroom, too?”
“Hey, that was…”
I found myself at a loss for words at Lia’s sharp sarcasm.
To be honest, I had no excuse for last night’s commotion. Although the matter had been glossed over, it was more like people had chosen to let it slide. It would be a stretch to say the suspicions had truly been cleared.
There was no way the jealous Lia would let this pass quietly.
Lia continued to grumble and vent her frustrations.
“Must be nice, must be nice… while your sister is left to rot in her room alone, waiting only for her brother, someone else is bringing in two women at once?”
“Don’t say things that could be misunderstood. I don’t have that kind of relationship with either of them…”
“For someone who says that, your eyes sure seem to drift toward a certain area whenever you look at the Saintess.”
Ahem. I cleared my throat and avoided Lia’s gaze.
It was a reaction that was as good as a confession.
My honest reaction only made Lia even more spiteful.
“Hmph, so you’re just honest with your desires? At this rate, you’ll be trying to pounce on your own sister soon, won’t you?”
As she spoke, Lia kept glancing at me, checking my reaction.
It seemed she was hoping for a specific answer.
So, I gave her my plain, honest thoughts.
“No, are you crazy? Why would I pounce on you?”
“...W-W-What?!”
Unfortunately, the option I chose seemed to be the wrong answer.
Lia jumped in place, her voice rising in indignation.
“Why, why, why not me?! Do you have any idea how many men in this world are after me?!”
“No, first of all, you’re my sister…”
I felt a sense of embarrassment at having to explain such an obvious fact.
My eyes briefly swept down Lia’s body.
Before I knew it, Lia had grown into a woman of marriageable age. I had to admit that her feminine curves were attractive. But even so, I couldn't exactly feel lust for my own sister.
So, I tried to find an excuse.
“...Compared to the Saintess, you’re not really much.”
“Aaaagh, seriously!”
Lia threw a fit as if I’d said something absurd.
Granted, comparing her to the Saintess was a bit harsh. Even the devout theology students were said to have increased their confessions after the Saintess enrolled.
In the first place, being compared to others isn't exactly a pleasant experience.
I felt a bit sorry deep down, but it couldn't be helped. If I hadn't done this, Lia wouldn't have backed down.
However, Lia was more stubborn today than I had expected.
Clatter. Lia threw the shovel handle onto the ground. It was something she wouldn't do unless she was significantly upset.
As I looked at her with a bewildered expression, she turned around and slightly pushed out her backside, emphasizing her hips.
Then, she pulled her skirt tight against her front. It was the moment Lia’s hidden curves were fully revealed.
Lia’s face was already flushed a deep red.
She shouted, huffing and puffing.
“There, look! My upper body might be a bit lacking compared to the Saintess, but my lower body is fully grown!”
“Hey, what kind of grown woman acts like…!”
I immediately covered my eyes at the scandalous sight.
Seeing the curves of her backside, which had been hidden by the wide folds of her skirt, the sense of depravity was no joke. She had pulled the skirt so tight that I could almost see the crease of her buttocks.
No matter if she was my sister, when a young woman in her prime takes such a posture, one has no choice but to look away.
However, seeing me turn away only made Lia more triumphant.
“...Oho, what’s this? I thought you didn’t feel lust for your sister?”
I felt a bit annoyed seeing Lia with a seductive smile, covering her mouth with her hand.
Seeing me unable to look her in the eye, my sister seemed to get even more excited, bursting into giggles.
To make matters worse, she was now playfully swaying her hips as if she were trying to tempt me.
“Oh dear, this is bad… at this rate, I might get pounced on by a perverted brother who lusts after his sister. Oh, what should I do if I get pounced on~? Should I tell him to take responsibility for the rest of my life~?”
In the end, I couldn't endure Lia’s continued provocation.
My palm immediately came down on Lia’s plump backside.
Slap!
The sound echoed, and Lia’s body jumped as if she’d been electrocuted.
“Kyaak!”
With a short scream, Lia scurried away, covering her bottom with both hands. Then, she glared at me and raised her voice.
“...W-What do you think you’re doing?! Spanking your grown sister’s butt!”
“Then who told you to provoke me first?”
My voice, tempered by Senior Delphine, showed no sign of agitation.
The sensation had been good, but she was my sister.
I had to forget it, of course.
Thinking that, I brushed off my palms. Lia, who had finally suffered a blow from me, shouted at the top of her lungs, her face bright red.
“I-I’ll make sure you take responsibility! No one has ever laid a hand on me before!”
“As if that’s ever stopped me before.”
At my indifferent reaction, Lia puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
I let out a faint laugh at how cute she looked, then suddenly remembered something and asked.
“By the way, Lia.”
“...Hmph, what is it, you perverted Brother?”
Still, ‘Brother’ was a step up from just ‘Oppa.’ It was a title she mostly used to keep her distance when she was sulking.
Of course, Lia was a good sister, so she wouldn't give a half-hearted answer to my question, no matter how angry she was.
With that trust, I asked her again.
“Have you heard of the ‘Swindlers’ in the slums?”
“...The ‘Swindlers’?”
Lia, who had been grumbling with her lips pouted, immediately straightened her posture upon hearing those words.
Then, she looked at me with a suspicious gaze.
“What about those people?”
“Oh, nothing... I just have some business with them.”
My obvious excuse didn't clear her suspicion.
Lia had been staying at the Percus Mansion and, having run a merchant guild, she was well-versed in the affairs of the territory. She might even know more than our father.
So I had asked just in case, and seeing Lia’s reaction, it seemed I had hit the mark.
Lia spoke in a reluctant voice.
“...You’re not planning on doing something strange, are you?”
“Why would I do that? I’m Ian Percus. I’m a pacifist who hates violence.”
Lia stared at me for a long time, letting out a skeptical “Hmph.”
But no matter how hard she stared, she couldn't read my inner thoughts.
In the end, Lia let out a deep sigh and gave me the information.
“Are you sure? I’m really, really trusting you... Brother? Don’t go looking for trouble. Those guys are more dangerous than you think.”
I nodded with a reliable smile, as if telling her not to worry.
“Don’t worry... you know me, the gentle lamb of the Percus family.”
*
A few hours later.
Flash! A streak of light sliced through the air and struck down. Blood sprayed, and fingers flew into the sky.
A man with a bushy beard stared at me blankly.
Looking at him, I wore a bright smile.
“...Who do you think you’re trying to swindle?”
It was only a moment later that the man collapsed with a scream.
Unable to bear the sudden pain, the man rolled on the ground, his veins bulging.
“K-Kill this bastard! He’s a noble, so don’t hurt him too much!”
“Why are you telling them that...?”
A lightning-fast kick smashed into a wooden desk, sending splinters flying everywhere.
A few thugs who were about to rush me instinctively hesitated.
That was their mistake.
Crunch! A hand axe crushed one man’s shoulder. The man stared at his dangling, useless arm with disbelief in his eyes.
Meeting that gaze, I let out a half-hearted chuckle.
“...You should be asking me.”
It was the moment a pacifist appeared in the back alleys of the Percus Territory.