Chapter 470: Proof of Existence (58)
Chapter 470: Proof of Existence (58)
The answer to my question was provided not long after.
"My sister told me to give this to you. She said it would be helpful... and that she isn't worthy of using it yet."
"Helpful how?"
"I don't know. She said you'd go anyway, even if she tried to stop you."
I found myself holding Sir Reynold’s memento before I knew it.
While I took a swig of booze with my free hand, my eyes remained fixed on the jet-black rod.
Stop me?
As if she knew what I was planning to do.
"My uncle's memento, and his last will... I'm counting on you."
I thought about those words for a long while.
The memento of the departed, the final wishes of the dead.
None of it was light.
It was heavy enough to take my breath away.
Lupin shared another piece of news with me.
He said Ria was holding onto something of mine. If that was the case, she should have come to find me sooner; I wondered why there had been no word from her until now.
Well, the question would be answered once I saw her.
On my way to find Ria, I stopped several times to let out a sigh.
My hand kept wandering to my coat. Tucked away there was the short, jet-black rod.
Sir Reynold’s memento.
I couldn't for the life of me understand Senior Elsie’s intention in entrusting this to me. I wasn't even a mage to begin with—would this rod even be of any help?
Lost in thought, my feet eventually brought me to the place where Ria was staying.
It was a modest-sized shop. It looked a bit larger than the magic materials shop Elf Avian used to run.
It was a decent size for a merchant guild office.
When I knocked on the door, a faint, weary voice drifted out from inside.
"We aren't taking customers today."
"It's me."
Silence fell behind the door.
Sensing a hesitant presence, I decided to just open the door and walk in.
The inside of the shop was neatly organized, reflecting its owner's personality. In the middle of it all, my younger sister was staring down at some documents, looking utterly dejected.
She was trying her best to ignore me.
How bold. I had no intention of indulging my sister's rebellious phase.
"Ria, your brother's here."
"O-oh, yeah..."
Even at my greeting, Ria avoided my gaze, her face flushing red.
It was clear she was reluctant to see me. This was a serious problem.
Isn't it common sense for a younger sister to welcome her brother with joy and affection when he returns?
Feeling a bit slighted, I approached her and began my interrogation.
"Where's my 'welcome home' hug? Are you not going to give me kisses anymore?"
"...Ugh, seriously!"
Finally unable to endure my pestering, Ria slammed her hand down on the table. Bang!
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and a faint shimmer of moisture clung to the corners of her eyes.
It seemed Ria was still capable of feeling shame.
"Wh-why are you being like this? I'm an adult now! I don't do things like that anymore!"
"You were doing them just fine until recently."
"Th-that was..."
The corners of Ria's eyes drooped like a puppy caught doing something wrong.
I watched her without saying a word. Sometimes, a brief silence was more effective than a hundred questions.
I knew Ria better than anyone.
And I knew exactly how to get her to speak her true feelings.
"...Ria."
My low call was the finishing blow.
Soon, tears began to well in her eyes. Her voice came out in broken sobs.
"B-but I'm not your sister... I just stole someone else's life..."
"No, Ria."
I pulled her into a reckless hug as I spoke.
Ria didn't reject my touch. The sound of her sobbing vibrated deep against my chest.
"No matter what anyone says, you are my sister. That's what I believe, and that's how we've lived our whole lives."
"Then, what about that girl?"
'That girl.' It was obvious who she was referring to.
She was talking about 'Greed,' my actual flesh and blood.
"I... I feel so sorry for her. I wouldn't have been able to endure it if it were me. I would have hated myself so much... S-so, is it really okay for me to be this shameless and keep being happy?"
"Of course."
I repeated it with absolute conviction.
"It's not your fault."
"But still..."
"You promised me."
Listening to her tear-choked voice, my mind dredged up a memory from long ago.
"I told you I would protect you... Who was the person who made that promise with me back then?"
"...M-me."
"You know it, right?"
I slowly patted Ria on the back. Her tears soaked the front of my clothes, but I didn't mind.
I just wanted her to stop crying.
"A great knight never lies."
Only then did Ria burst into full-blown tears.
It had been a long time since I'd comforted my sister while she wailed like this. As an older brother, it was a joyful duty.
After I'd patted her back for a long while, Ria mumbled in a voice that was slightly less watery.
"Does she... have to die?"
Of course.
The Dark Cult was the most vile organization on the entire continent. Once someone had been brainwashed and corrupted by their hands, it had to be assumed that there was no way to bring them back.
I had proven that fact without exception until now.
With these very hands, taking countless lives.
It was far too late for me to claim the bonds of blood; my sins were already too many.
And yet, why?
Why did the words refuse to leave my mouth? My throat felt so bitter that I couldn't bring myself to say it for certain.
Mostly because it felt like Ria would start crying all over again.
"...Let's do our best."
This was the best I could offer.
Selling a hollow hope, even though I knew saving her was likely impossible.
Ria probably knew this too. But she couldn't bring herself to burden me again, so she simply nodded her head.
It was a tangled, twisted fate.
I didn't even have the courage to try and untangle this knot.
It felt like it would only end when someone died.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Ria closed her eyes and whispered.
"I'll believe you. You've always kept your promises, Brother... Here."
Suddenly, Ria thrust her palm out in front of me.
Resting on it was a shabby iron cross. It looked like a cheap necklace one might buy at a market.
It was a gift whose purpose I couldn't fathom.
When I looked at her with a gaze that asked why she was giving this to me, Ria gave a small, beaming smile.
"A little boy from the orphanage gave it to me. You know, the girl we saved? He's her older brother."
Right, that child.
The memory flickered in my mind. It seemed he had safely returned to his family's arms, just as the 'contract' specified.
I was glad I could keep that promise.
It was just as I took the cross with a faint smile.
"Just like a great knight. You keep all your promises to protect people, don't you?"
At those words, a sense of nostalgia washed over me.
My eyes froze as I began to scrutinize the shape of the cross. It was familiar—far too familiar.
It was the same item I had given to the Saintess.
The only difference was whether it was made of silver or cheap iron.
They must have thought we were lovers.
"So, I'll believe in you. Because you're not the kind of person who would break a promise, no matter what happens."
Actually, I'd broken many promises.
Especially the ones I made to the Saintess. I remembered breaking my promises to stay away from dangerous places and to rest for a while as easily as I breathed.
But at least one.
I had to keep at least one.
A voice, hazy as a dream, brushed past my ear.
'I... I will make sure it happens, so...'
I tightened my grip on the cross. The metal dug into my skin, stinging with pain, but I didn't let out even a faint groan.
Now it was Ria's turn to speak in a puzzled tone.
"Brother, is something wrong...?"
"Ria."
With a low voice, I steadied my breathing.
"There's something I have to do."
It was a short sentence. But it was enough.
Ria seemed to realize what I was thinking. She was my sister, after all.
"But it's too dangerous. It's impossible. I have to make it possible."
"...What are the odds?"
"To be blunt, less than ten percent."
At my honest confession, Ria's face turned pale.
Her expression contorted, then smoothed out. Her lips parted as if to say something, but she eventually gave up, a shadow of gloom covering her face.
A question mixed with a sigh came back to me.
"...Why do you have to do it?"
"Because I promised."
At my firm tone, Ria's anxiety deepened.
Biting her lip and fidgeting with her fingers, my sister clearly wanted to stop me.
But she knew it would be useless.
Ria quietly kissed my cheek.
"...A 'good luck' kiss."
"I thought you weren't doing that anymore because you're an adult?"
"Every woman wants to be a girl forever."
With that, Ria turned her head away with a huff, pretending to be pouting.
She looked so cute that I couldn't help but laugh for a while.
The next day, I was greeted by an old friend I hadn't seen in a while.
Reto Einstein, my most trusted advisor.
As soon as he heard my story, he clutched his forehead as if it were absurd.
"...Ian, you've really lost it."
"That's a common misunderstanding these days."
"No, seriously, you're insane... Do you really think a plan like this will work? Setting aside the fact that the success rate is barely ten percent... there are too many holes in the logic itself. You think they'll listen to this kind of nonsense?"
"That's why you're going to fix it for me."
Reto looked like he wanted to scream right then and there.
He rubbed his face so hard his eyes nearly rolled back.
"I won't do it! I can't! If I design a plan like this, Celine will pull every last hair out of my head..."
"Reto, I don't want to run away."
Whir, thud.
I murmured those words as if hypnotizing myself.
The jet-black rod spun through the air before being sucked into my palm.
"And I don't want to be a coward."
For the first time in I don't know how long, I made a sincere request to my best friend.
"Please. Just help me this once."
"...God dammit!"
Reto finally lost his temper and scattered the documents in front of him.
Huff, huff.
Breathing heavily, Reto shouted with bloodshot eyes.
"If you die doing this, I swear to God I'll kill you myself."
"You're going to kill me twice?"
"Yeah! I'll follow you all the way to the afterlife and beat the hell out of you!"
Facing my friend who was screaming at the top of his lungs, I could only manage a bitter smile.
The following day, following Reto's advice, I went to find the Alphenhauser twins.
And finally, I was able to stand before it.
The crowd was immense, a sea of murmuring people. Including myself with my hood pulled low, there were so many people they didn't even fit into my field of vision.
They were forming a massive current, heading toward a single place.
Siendel, the capital of the Holy Kingdom and the holy land of the Heavenly God Religion.
On the highest mountain of that city, there existed a sacred place where truth and lies were weighed before the great Heavenly God.
The so-called 'Mountain Court.'
Today was the day of the Saintess's trial.