Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: The Crybaby's Empathy and Understanding
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In practical combat classes, getting healed by the Church priests who are always on standby clears up bruises and any visible wounds.
But it doesn't restore mental fatigue, or replenish depleted stamina and vitality.
I've heard there are Church figures capable of that, but there's no reason for someone that extraordinary to be at the academy, and as a mere cadet, Chloe had no chance of meeting them.
"Huuu..."
Supported lightly by Rike and Seria, Chloe returned to the Knight Department classroom. The moment she sat down, she lacked the strength to stand again.
With remaining classes ahead, this was a sticky situation—she'd exhausted herself completely in practical combat without thinking ahead.
Her body felt like it would plunge into sleep the instant she closed her eyes and lowered her head...
But purely by coincidence, she remembered the potion her sister had packed for her at breakfast.
Click.
She undid the clasp and reached into her bag.
Deep inside, her fingers closed around a glass vial wrapped in cloth alongside some medicine.
'It has to do with conditioning. Maybe some kind of vitality potion?'
She'd learned basic potion knowledge from textbooks, but her sister's potions always looked like nothing she'd seen before.
This glass bottle, with its gold cap and ornate embossing, would draw every cadet's eyes if she pulled it out openly.
She slipped both hands into the bag, twisted off the cap, turned her head, and downed the potion in one go.
Gulp. Gulp.
"Puha!"
After swallowing the modest contents, Chloe stared at the empty bottle in her hand, pondering.
'Should... I bring this back?'
She knew market potions had standardized shapes by type for easy identification.
This flashy bottle felt downright luxurious, a reminder that her sister's status was on another level—even here, she could feel it.
She rewrapped the empty bottle in cloth and tucked it away.
A moment later, the potion's effects began to spread through her body.
"...!"
She didn't know just how amazing the potion her sister had prepared was, but it was already clear it was no ordinary item.
The heavy drowsiness weighing on her eyelids receded, and her foggy, clouded mind cleared.
Her utterly drained vitality, parched like cracked earth without a drop left, began to return, moist and soft.
Thanks to her improved condition, she wouldn't doze off in class—a relief.
So while waiting for the next lecture, she replayed the events of practical combat.
In today's spar with her big brother, the answers he'd given to her issues felt more like private counseling.
Using unique metaphors, he'd scratched at the parts she'd overlooked and felt stuck on.
And for the areas she'd unconsciously avoided due to low self-esteem, he'd gently admonished her without aggressive tones, protecting her feelings.
Even if scolded, she had no counterarguments—and she'd received comfort and solutions too. Even for a class, she definitely felt favored compared to other cadets.
'I need to thank him properly and apologize...'
Still, mustering the courage to make that appointment was a huge gain, a real step forward.
As they say, the beginning is half the battle.
No exact date set, but she'd gotten permission—now she just needed to organize her thoughts well.
Back at the mansion after academy, Chloe confirmed through the servants that her sister hadn't returned yet. She headed to her room and shut the door.
She quickly changed into comfortable clothes, sat at her desk, and pulled out the book she hadn't gotten to in the study that day.
An adult romance novel tucked between decoy books. Starting from the first page, she moved her eyes across the text once more.
Flip. Flip.
"...?"
As she focused on turning the pages, Chloe's impressions were utterly different from her first full read.
Because she knew the ending and conflict resolutions? No.
Because it was afternoon with the sun still up, not late night when emotions ran deep? No.
She tamped down excitement, reading calmly and deliberately.
Now, the risqué illustrations, raw moans, and outbursts of desire didn't catch her eye.
Instead, descriptions of emotions—opening one's heart to a stranger without a drop of shared blood—pierced deep.
———
The time spent with Rebecca, who embraced freedom, brought me catharsis—a 'liberation of emotions.'
As a knight bound by solemn duty, I couldn't complain to others, but my shoulders were always heavy. Time with Rebecca let me forget all binding chains and feel true happiness.
The collar of being the eldest son of a prestigious noble house and a promising imperial knight kept me from acting freely.
Contrary to others' views, my heart was fragile; even managing my own body felt burdensome.
Yet mismatched talent and my position as eldest son pushed me up a steep cliff against my will.
An endless uphill climb.
Walking a hopeless path with no end in sight, I anticipated—accepted—that my heart would break today or tomorrow.
Perhaps so my mind shattering would let me drop the burdens I carried.
A perfect excuse to garner others' pity.
A heart on the verge of shattering, which I couldn't even show my expectant parents who bore me.
Ironically, the only place I could bare and refresh that near-broken spirit was before a blood-unrelated adventurer.
———
Why hadn't she felt this on her first read?
This one page seemed to voice her sister's inner thoughts perfectly.
"..."
She was a crybaby who teared up easily.
She'd sobbed alone in her room countless times, empathizing with novel characters. But the emotions flooding her tear glands now were completely different.
Not pity or for a character—but realization of the hardships her sister must have endured all this time.
She knew her sister had it tough, but she'd never truly pictured or imagined how or to what degree.
"Hic... Huu..."
Tears welled and rolled down her cheeks.
Today, through her big brother, she'd learned the warmth and strength of empathy and understanding.
As a sister, she wanted to empathize with her sister's toil, to understand—but even that wasn't allowed to her.
"Sister..."
Sniff!
Wiping tears with a handkerchief and blowing her runny nose, Chloe pulled out a notebook to jot down Rike's advice, determined not to forget.
From Rike's words, she understood there was no need to rush in the next few days.
With a studious mindset, she neatly recorded memorable conversations and tasks ahead.
"Big brother~ A letter from sister!"
Rike called out to me as I swung Gleipnir in the yard.
I knew she and Eclair exchanged letters often, but calling me meant it was addressed to me!
"Hold on, let's head inside."
Shhh!
I stroked Gleipnir gently as I spoke, and the chain pierced the air, swiftly coiling around my body.
'Getting pretty friendly now...?'
It'd be nice if intimacy showed as a number... Gleipnir's feelings trickled through subtly, but saying our bond had progressed? Hard to confirm.
It hadn't demanded anything yet, purred happily when petted, and performed perfectly as a weapon—satisfying, yet oddly unsettling.
Did it obey because it liked the petting sensation?
Or had even a speck of intimacy or trust formed? Still unclear.
"Hoo."
I draped my shed shirt over my shoulders and entered the house. Rike trotted over, handed me the letter, and hugged me.
She buried her face in my chest, sniffing, then licked my skin with an itchy swipe—absurdity made me chuckle.
"I'm sweaty; must smell."
Rike looked up at my words, flashing her pale pink tongue with a mischievous eye-smile.
"That's why I like it."
I stroked her head as she nuzzled back in, then tore open the letter and read Eclair's distinctive handwriting.
"Hmm..."
I let out a hum, and Rike looked up again.
"What's up? A letter from sister, but you look disappointed?"
"Not personal... It's about additional rewards for that joint mission finalized, so meet at the Adventurer's Guild."
I preferred letters brimming with personal affection over material rewards—a bit disappointing.
'But the chance to meet matters most.'
No love confessions made it lacking, but the meetup opportunity still thrilled.
Rike, knowing me well, poked the key point with a playful smile.
"No 'I love you' in the letter?"
"Nope~"
I played up the regret in my tone to match her tease.
"Eclair-sister's such a shy one. That's what makes her cute."
Seeing Rike genuinely call her elder Eclair cute made their closeness feel good to me too.
"Right? So disappointing—gotta hear it in person."
"Hear it a hundred times over."
My hand slid down to squeeze the butt of Rike, who was cat-like licking my body. She let out a pleased moan.
"Hnng...!"
"Equality today—maybe hear it a hundred times from you, Rike."
