Chapter 445: Proof of Existence (33)
Chapter 445: Proof of Existence (33)
I couldn't say another word, and the 'Contract' did not press me further.
I simply let out a long, heavy sigh and covered my face with both hands.
This was exactly why I hadn't wanted to talk about it.
Just as everyone was agonizing over how they should react, a voice of pure wonder broke from the girl’s lips.
"……Wow."
Her wide, golden eyes mirrored her inner thoughts. It was the first sign of genuine agitation she had shown.
"That’s really disgusting… How can you sniff your younger sister’s scent like that? Are you some kind of pervert? Do you dream of forbidden love or something?"
"……Shut up!"
Unable to bear the shame, my hand drew my sword like a flash of lightning.
The tip of my blade pointed at the girl, but her expression didn't change in the slightest. If anything, she merely bit back a smile as if she found the whole thing fascinating.
I ground my teeth and threw a question at her. It was in accordance with our 'Contract.'
"Tell me, as promised. Where is my sister? Don't you dare tell me you don't know……."
"Don't rush me. I was going to tell you anyway."
Yawning, the girl slowly stood up.
I felt my companions flinch. After all, there was no telling what she might do next. It was only natural for them to be on high alert.
"Your precious little sister is, you see… right here……."
A seductive, lethal smile spread across her face.
With a graceful movement, the girl placed both hands over her chest.
"Ta-da! She’s right here."
Naturally, silence followed.
My face contorted miserably. To think this was the price for revealing the truth despite my humiliation.
Just as my companions, their patience reaching its limit, were about to act, a voice thick with rage erupted from my throat.
"What kind of bullshit is—!"
Whoosh.
Before I could even finish my sentence, the girl was standing right in front of my eyes.
She wore a smile that was chillingly vivid.
"It’s me, Brother."
Then, crunch—a violent impact slammed into the top of my foot.
I almost screamed but swung my sword instead. It was a high-speed strike, one that seemed impossible to launch from such a broken posture. However, the girl who had just crushed my foot simply burst into a loud laugh and spun away.
Then, she lunged back into my personal space.
Even then, I couldn't put up a proper resistance. This was a first for me. My body was flatly refusing the commands of my brain.
Fumbling, the girl began to guide my frozen hand as she pleased.
"Ahahahaha! Seriously, you still don't get it?"
First, from the collarbone down to the breasts.
My fingers glided over the woman's skin without resistance. I didn't snap out of it even when I felt the supple texture of her flesh.
Regardless, the girl continued to guide my hand over her body.
"Look. Starting from these breasts, to the waist, the pelvis… and even the buttocks you like so much."
My hand traced down her body as she recited each part. From the hips that were too large to be grasped with one hand, to the thighs that boasted a firm yet soft fullness.
Every time my hand was forced to violate her form, the girl’s breathing grew progressively ragged. By the end, she was panting and pressing her thighs together.
At this rate, she seemed ready to move my hand all the way to her crotch.
Hearing her damp breaths fill my ears, I squeezed out a voice that barely wanted to emerge.
"Stop it……!"
"Haah, haah… You still, you still don't know? Hmm? Really? That shouldn't be possible."
A strange heat was burning in her golden eyes.
That emotion, a mixture of desire and obsession, was so intense that it was better described as madness. For a moment, even I was lost for words.
In a voice so hot it felt like it was melting, the girl whispered.
"We came out of the same womb, after all."
It was then.
A flash of blue lightning exploded, searing my vision. The trail of light headed toward the girl with clear murderous intent.
"……Master!"
The girl, however, simply leaned back and easily avoided it.
Only then did I regain freedom over my body. I made a desperate leap to put distance between us.
My ragged breathing rang in my ears.
My head was spinning. It felt as if the girl’s words were rummaging through every corner of the blood vessels in my brain.
What was that?
She didn't look like someone telling a lie or spinning a conspiracy. Rather, the density of her emotions was so high it was suffocating.
It was then that my companions, who had been waiting in the rear, swarmed toward me.
"Ian!"
"Master!"
"Ian Oppa!"
Calling out to me in their own ways, my comrades surrounded me and began their escort. As I stood there with a dazed expression, hand on my thigh, Yuren offered an apology in a voice full of regret.
"I'm sorry, Ian… We wanted to move, but our bodies wouldn't listen for a moment."
So, that was it.
I had wondered why backup hadn't come; it seemed this was another one of that girl's abilities.
Everyone's gaze turned toward her once more.
The girl, who had been leaning back, slowly straightened her posture. Her eyes were now filled with a deep sense of boredom.
"Ah, how noisy… Did they not receive proper training?"
Senior Elsie seemed more agitated than ever.
To her, it looked like some woman of unknown identity was clinging to the man she loved. It would have been strange if she wasn't angry.
Unable to contain her fury, Senior Elsie’s fists trembled as she spat out a question.
"Hey, you! Who the hell are you?! Were you homeschooled?! What kind of poorly raised bitch are you to go after someone else's fiancé……!"
"……Me?"
The moment I thought a smirk played on the girl's lips—
Senior Elsie was flying through the air.
To say she was caught off guard would be an understatement. It was a speed that neither I, Yuren, nor Celine could react to.
Before we knew it, a blood-red whip was coiled around Senior Elsie’s waist.
The girl’s hand skillfully manipulated the whip of mana.
Like a string on a spinning top, the line of mana wrapped around Senior Elsie unraveled at high speed. Before she knew it, Senior Elsie was forced to spin through the air, unable to even resist.
Then came the heavy strike.
Boom! The blood-red cord slammed into Senior Elsie’s body.
It was a force that her small frame could never hope to withstand. Without even being able to scream properly, Senior Elsie bounced off the ground several times before crashing into a corner.
Fragments of shattered rock rained down.
It was a blow that could crush boulders; it was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Belatedly coming to my senses, a cry of shock burst from my lips.
"Senior Elsie!"
The girl who had caused this carnage seemed entirely unmoved. If anything, she was even humming to herself.
"The world's greatest dog trainer!"
"Ian, take care of Senior Lainella! We're retreating!"
Yuren shouted as he kicked off the ground.
His target was the girl with the blood whip. While I and Senior Elsie recovered, Yuren had stepped up to buy time.
But Yuren failed to achieve his goal.
Clang! Yuren hastily raised his blade to block the incoming whip. Another blood-red whip was already held in the girl’s other hand.
It was a fighting style I had seen somewhere before.
I remembered Mitram fighting in a similar fashion when he possessed the Princess's head maid.
Though the power was worlds apart.
Unable to withstand the momentum of the whip, Yuren’s body was sent flying like a rubber ball. A fragmented groan escaped his lips.
"Gah…!"
"The Saintess who shall save those deluded by lies……!"
In that regard, Celine’s judgment was swift.
From the moment Yuren kicked off the ground, Celine was already following behind him. Using her shorter stature to dodge the whip, Celine closed the distance between her and the girl.
Then, a downward strike with all her might.
Thump! A sound like the air itself distorting echoed out. The wind erupting from the point of impact whipped around wildly, sweeping through the area.
That made it even more surreal.
Celine’s battle axe was trembling. It needed to go down further, but what blocked it was the girl’s slender hand.
No, it wasn't her bare hand. A blood-red whip was covering it.
While Celine was too stunned to even speak, the girl’s kick slammed into her side.
Using her standing foot as an axis and twisting her hips, it was a perfectly executed strike.
Celine’s body tore through the air and slammed into the wall. The shockwave that followed spoke of the pain she must have felt.
"And a peddler who buys the wishes of the talentless!"
I, who had been about to head toward Senior Elsie, had no choice but to freeze in place.
Everyone had already been defeated.
If I tried to save one of them, I would be the next to fall. I had to grit my teeth and hold my ground no matter what.
With light steps, bathed in the blood-red light, the girl walked toward me.
Those golden eyes held a vivid light even in the darkness. A wicked smile, curved like a crescent moon, graced her face.
"Please, call me 'Greed'… or you may call me 'Ria Percus'."
Winking one eye, the girl added playfully.
"Just for you, Brother."
I became even more confused.
No, actually, I already knew. There was a hypothesis already boring its way into my skull.
Because I didn't have just one younger sister.
Out of fear, anxiety, and nervousness, I kept wetting my dry lips with saliva.
No.
This shouldn't be happening. It absolutely shouldn't.
In the end, unable to endure it, I forced out a single word.
"……Ria?"
At that one word, the girl flashed a smile brighter than anything.
"Correct! It’s Ria, who loves Brother more than anyone else!"
Her eyes, smeared with hatred and resentment, flashed.
"……Not some fake, but your 'real' sister."
My mind went completely blank.