Chapter 201: Succession Ceremony (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: Succession Ceremony (3)
"Whew, I had a hard time finding you."
Saki Hina grumbled as she brushed a leaf off her clothes. At least she was dressed more modestly than before.
Yes, that was the kind of traditional Japanese clothing I was familiar with. Not that skimpy, cosplay-like outfit from earlier.
I stared intently at Saki Hina. She did her best to ignore my gaze, brushing off her clothes for an unnecessarily long time as if trying to change the atmosphere.
She had made a sudden entrance, but it seemed she hadn't thought of a plan for what came next. Her eyes were spinning in frantic circles.
I turned my head to the side. Ryozo was glaring at her older sister as if she wanted to kill her.
"Oh, look at you. Is that any way to look at your older sister? You could at least say hello!"
Seizing the opportunity, Saki Hina scolded Ryozo.
Did she really feel the need to boss her younger sister around while constantly stealing glances at me to gauge my reaction? If she was going to do that, she shouldn't have let her lips tremble so much.
Still, her refusal to back down was admirable. Normally, once someone was exposed to my bloodlust, they wouldn't dare face me again. Saki Hina was a rare exception.
"Ha, unbelievable."
Ryozo, who had remained silent, let out a hollow laugh. She ran a hand through her hair, messing it up in frustration.
"Showing up out of nowhere and acting like a sister. How annoying."
Sensing that she had gotten a bite, Saki Hina smirked. She snapped her folding fan open to cover her mouth.
"We may have different mothers, but we still share the surname 'Saki.' Savage as you are, is there anyone else in the family who treats you as kindly as I do, Ryozo?"
Having seized the upper hand, Saki Hina spoke excitedly, repeatedly opening and closing her fan with playful affectation.
"Well, it's good to see you doing well. It looks like you've made a nice friend, too."
With every word she added, the furrow between Ryozo's brows deepened.
"Still, it's quite a surprise, Ryozo. For someone who claimed to love being alone so much, what on earth got into you to make you change your mind?"
"..."
"It doesn't seem to be because of something like friendship. But it's not like you've suddenly become opportunistic either, has it?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Saki Hina shrugged and sneered. She stole another glance at me.
"Oh, nothing much. Just that even though you're only my half-sister, it feels good to see you grow up. That's all."
I just watched the situation unfold in silence. One shouldn't carelessly meddle in other people's family matters or love lives.
But their relationship seems incredibly strange.
Perhaps sensing my unspoken skepticism, Saki Hina flinched and shut her mouth. Then, she stiffly turned her neck to look back at me.
I asked her, "Why stop there? Am I interrupting a family reunion? Should I leave?"
I took a step forward. In response, Saki Hina took a step back.
"N-No, it's f-fine. You may stay right where you are, Lord Geomma."
Saki Hina forced a smile onto her face. Her cheeks twitched, showing just how much effort she was putting into maintaining her expression.
"Actually, I came to find you, Lord Geomma, to apologize for my rudeness this afternoon. My main purpose wasn't to look for Ryozo."
"But how did you know where I was? Surely you didn't tail me. You're not an idiot, and I made myself clear earlier. Right?"
Saki Hina's shoulders tensed. She laughed awkwardly and protested.
"O-Of course! Tailing you? Never. I simply received information from one of our employees that you had headed this way, so I rushed over. Hoho."
"Right. You're supposedly Ryozo's older sister, so you wouldn't be that brainless."
Saki Hina gritted her teeth. Her loyalty to Kojima was second to none.
She was the type who would follow her father even if a blade were pressed against her throat. To gain his recognition, she had to entice Kang Geomma by any means necessary.
But now that she was actually standing before him, her body trembled like an aspen leaf. Her passionate loyalty crumbled like a wet sandcastle.
It felt as though that familiar dark-red bloodlust was undulating around him. The sticky air seemed to cling to her skin.
Framed by the night scenery, Kang Geomma's presence triggered a primal, visceral fear.
Kang Geomma was something far beyond any expected boundaries. He was not an existence that even her father could do anything about.
Seduce him by any means necessary? That was utterly absurd. No method or trick would ever work on a monster like him.
"If you're done with your business, leave. Seeing your face for the first time in a while is already giving me a headache."
Ryozo waved her hand, dismissing her. Hina opened her fan to hide her twitching lips. However, she couldn't hide the veins bulging near her pale eyes.
"Hoho, you cheeky girl. Even after entering the Academy, your tongue is as sharp as ever. This is why our other siblings can't bring themselves to treat you warmly."
"Don't make me laugh. It's not that they 'can't bring themselves to,' they just hate me. And I'd rather be alone than play nice with those narrow-minded fools."
"..."
"And Hina, why are you suddenly acting like a sister? It's so obvious you're just putting on a show in front of Geomma. Sure, I'll admit you were the only one who used to look out for me. But in the end, you jumped on the bandwagon with the rest of them, didn't you?"
Saki Hina couldn't find a single word to talk back. What Ryozo said wasn't wrong. Just as she said, their other siblings had been too busy envying Ryozo.
It happened one day, five years ago.
Their father had suddenly chosen a young girl—the youngest child of his fourth wife, sitting at the very bottom of the family hierarchy—as his successor.
It was absurd to everyone. From that day on, everyone turned their backs on Ryozo.
Even Hina, who had been on relatively good terms with Ryozo until then, did the same. Though she felt a pang of guilt, she forced it down.
More than anything, Hina had thirsted for her father's approval.
Her only saving grace, her tiny shred of conscience, was that she hadn't openly crossed the line into bullying like the other siblings.
Of course, she had still participated; she had just been less cruel about it.
Ryozo underwent the murderous training of the Kojima style. It was a brutal regimen that wore down both body and mind, but she absorbed it like a sponge.
Even in her isolation, Ryozo endured. She couldn't care less about her father's approval.
She only endured because the more attention she received, the better her mother was treated within the family.
Even though it made her siblings' eyes gleam with venomous malice.
Ryozo viewed those hostile glares differently back then.
Thinking of it as the jealousy of losers made her snort with laughter.
But in the midst of all this, those on Ryozo's side began to vanish from the estate one by one.
The servants who had shown her kindness, the neighborhood friends of similar age she used to play with—they all suddenly vanished like ghosts.
And just when only one ally remained for her within the Archery Saint family...
Her mother vanished without a trace. At first, she thought her mother had simply gone on a trip.
But it didn't take long for Ryozo to realize.
Just like the others, her mother had vanished like mist. And it was all the doing of Saki Kojima.
Ryozo ran straight to Kojima. Before she could even scream her demands for answers, Kojima readily admitted it.
“Yes. I did it.”
“Why?! I did everything you asked! What did my mother do wrong?! How could you kick out the person you married out of love? Does that make any sense?!!”
“Ryozo.”
Kojima sighed and closed the book he was reading. He walked over, hands clasped behind his back, and spoke.
“The only person I ever loved is no longer in this world. Your mother knew this, and she never expected love from me.”
“B-But...”
“To put it simply, your mother did not love me either. She only married me for her own reasons. Do you understand?”
Ryozo's young face was smeared with tears and snot. Sniffling, she cried out,
“E-Even if you didn't love her, you didn't have to kick her out! Is it because of me? Because you thought she'd get in my way?!”
“Your mother left you of her own free will. I merely granted her request.”
“T-That's... that's impossible.”
Kojima turned his back to her. Shrouded in shadow, he quietly murmured,
“She told me to tell you that she hopes you achieve what you truly desire.”
On that day, Ryozo lost her entire family.
* * *
A sorrowful silence fell. Perhaps due to the chilly night breeze, Saki Hina's head cooled down.
Suddenly, her resentment toward Ryozo felt utterly trivial.
Maybe it was because her blind loyalty had cleared, allowing her to think straight. If so, she had Kang Geomma to thank.
That annoying little sister. The more recognition Ryozo had received from those around her, the darker her expression had grown.
Could Ryozo actually make a face like that?
Seeing her younger sister for the first time in months, her eyes were full of life. This, too, must be Kang Geomma's influence.
She was still as annoying as ever. They could never go back to being close sisters. But still...
Tch.
Saki Hina spun around. Her scheme to entice Kang Geomma had fallen through anyway.
There was no reason to stay here any longer. Besides, her knees shook whenever her eyes met Kang Geomma's.
As she was about to scurry away, Hina suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, Ryozo."
"What."
"Watch your tone with your older sister. ...Anyway, I might be able to find out where your mother is."
Ryozo's eyes widened like saucers. Hina scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Don't get your hopes up too high. I'm leaving."
With that, Hina disappeared over the hill. Ryozo clicked her tongue and muttered,
"Whatever."
The quiet atmosphere returned. Ryozo spoke to me as I stood there blankly.
"Vixbig told you to come, didn't she? Babbling about the Seven Stars Heroes or whatever."
[Flinch!]
A startled sound came from my pocket. Deflating like a popped balloon, Ryozo pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Seriously, that AI worries too much and has a mouth like a sieve. I'll have to tweak her code this time."
[......]
Ryozo slumped back onto the bench. She patted the empty space beside her.
"This might take a while, so let's sit down and talk."
"Well..."
"I'm not mad. You didn't do anything wrong, Geomma. I'm not a child; I don't misdirect my anger. It's just..."
Ryozo hesitated, taking a shallow breath. Peeking up at me, she grumbled softly.
"I was just a bit hurt earlier. I thought we were close, but I realized I didn't know anything about you."
"..."
"But I'll listen to your story a bit later."
Ryozo looked up. The dark clouds that had shrouded the night sky cleared, and moonlight bathed the Academy.
She looked back down at me. Her sky-blue eyes were exceptionally clear tonight.
"I'll tell you how I grew up, Geomma. So, when my story is finished... tell me yours."
* * *
At the same time, in Room 313 of the Academy Affiliated Hospital.
Manager Seong lay on his hospital bed, deep in thought. His discharge was just around the corner. After that, he was scheduled to take a few months of recuperation leave before returning to the Association, but...
"To think I have to come up with Lord Geomma's 'epithet'..."
The Hero Association had a dedicated department for naming epithets. The epithets of the Seven Stars—the Sword Emperor, the Spear Saint, the Sage, and the Archery Saint—had all been created by that department.
Yet, why was such an undeservedly grand task assigned to Manager Seong, who was currently hospitalized? It was due to a special order from the Spear Saint.
“Aren't you the one who witnessed Kang Geomma's exploits firsthand? Then there is no one better suited for the job than you.”
Manager Seong let out a soft sigh. The workplace was a society where absolute obedience to superiors was taken for granted. Moreover, this was a special mission from the No. 2 of the Hero Association. If they told him to do it, he had to do it.
"Still..."
Kang Geomma was his savior. To be able to dedicate an epithet to such a person... Aside from his worries, his heart fluttered with excitement.
"It must be an epithet solely for Lord Geomma. One that has never existed before and will never exist again."
Manager Seong pondered intensely. Unfortunately, there were already countless epithets containing the word 'Sword.' Sword Saint, Sword Emperor, Sword King, Sword Fiend.
Suddenly, Manager Seong turned his head toward the window. The dark sky, heavily shrouded in clouds, reminded him of that person.
"!"
Manager Seong hastily pulled out a notebook and scribbled down two characters. A look of steadfast determination filled his eyes as he stared at the writing.
Manager Seong grinned, showing his white teeth.
"Yes, this is it."
Manager Seong immediately took a photo of the notebook and sent it to the Spear Saint. A reply came back in less than a minute.
[Make it happen.]