The Line That Should Not Be Crossed
“This place hasn’t changed much.”
Albert had come out behind the lord’s castle at Elena’s summons. In his memory, there had been nothing noteworthy back here. His father had once boasted loudly about building a massive armor warehouse in this very spot. Of course, Mother had shattered that plan to pieces.
Father really was an armor fanatic. I’ve never seen anyone that obsessed with armor before.
Albert gave a small chuckle.
“You’re here.”
Elena stood waiting. Her gaze and expression were icy, brimming with wariness—as though she still saw him as a stranger.
[Affection level……]
I know.
[You’ll have to work quite hard to earn her recognition.]
[In your old world, a simple DNA test would have settled everything. Does nothing like that exist here?]
Of course not. This world doesn’t even know what DNA is.
[How primitive.]
[(๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)]
It’s not so much primitive as it is that, with magic available, there’s little reason for medical science to develop.
Most wounds could be healed with magic. In a world where magic alone sufficed for treatment, medicine had no chance to advance. Basic acupuncture and the like existed, but nothing as specialized as heart surgery or setting broken bones by cutting into flesh existed here.
[Magic exists in your old world as well, does it not?]
Gates only started appearing and people awakening as hunters a mere 130 years ago. This world has been using magic for thousands of years. The foundational conditions are completely different, so the direction of development diverges as well.
[I see.]
[Understood.]
The System seemed knowledgeable, yet it occasionally asked questions about things it didn’t know and logged the answers. It was still learning in real time.
[Requesting information.]
[Since my authority is restricted here, I require books to continue learning.]
I’ll look for a library or study later.
[I look forward to it.]
Albert lifted his head and met Elena’s eyes. Though her smile was cold, the sight of his little sister’s sulking felt oddly endearing.
[Hopeless brother……]
Quiet.
“Elena, why did you want to meet me here?”
“To confirm whether you truly are my brother.”
“If that’s all……”
Albert shrugged. He could accept that much without issue.
“What do I need to do?”
“Look over there.”
“This is……”
Two small hills came into view beside them. Anyone could tell at a glance what they were.
Those are graves.
Two gravestones stood before the mounds, each bearing a name.
Rian Legrian rests here.
Ella Legrian rests here.
“……”
Albert’s pupils trembled violently as he read the names. His heart pounded so hard it hurt. Breath caught in his throat. His head spun, as though blood no longer circulated properly. The world felt as though it had flipped upside down.
Heart rate has exceeded 250.
Albert, you must calm down. You need to hold on to your reason.
Albert, you must stabilize your mana.
The System called out to him desperately, yet Albert could not respond. His eyes remained fixed on the gravestones, refusing to look away. At last, he forced his mouth open.
“System…… check if…… my parents…… are really inside……”
……Command received.
I cannot confirm they are your parents, but I have verified two corpses.
One female. One male.
“……”
Albert squeezed his eyes shut. Nausea rose in his throat. An ugly emotion surged from deep in his chest and wrapped around him. The man who had stood tall even after taking a dragon’s strike now staggered badly.
Albert…… you must calm down. As you know, no one here can stop you.
If you lose your reason again…… you may lose something else as well.
“U……se a skill……”
Tranquil Heart skill activated.
Cold Reason skill activated.
One activation is insufficient.
Skill activated once more.
He grew slightly calmer, yet the ripples in his heart refused to settle even after two uses. The skill level was low, but more than that, the disturbance ran too deep for skills alone to soothe.
What kind of reaction will he show?
Elena watched him warily. Using their parents’ graves as a test weighed on her conscience, but nothing was more definitive. Every impostor who had come before had reacted the same way.
Sorrow.
They had wept and wailed before the graves with great theatricality.
Mother, Father, I will now inherit the family and protect my sister.
Those who left such lines behind had essentially confessed they were frauds.
Mother told me.
The method of using the graves had been permitted in advance. It left a bitter taste, but it was certain. On her deathbed, weakened by injury, Mother had sat up in bed and spoken.
If your brother returns…… you must show him the graves……
Why? Why the graves……
There is a reason. And if the person you bring to the graves……
If they cry or look sad, does that mean they’re real?
If they get angry, that is your brother.
Why……? In front of our deceased parents’ graves……
Crying would be natural. But your brother is different.
How is he different?
You don’t remember, but your brother, though kind, knows how to keep a proper line.
A line?
Yes. Your brother considers that line very important. If he sees the graves, he may feel a little sad at first…… but afterward……
Before she could recall the rest, Albert’s head turned. His sharp gaze locked onto Elena.
“Elena…… you have crossed a line that must never be crossed.”
Anger. His eyes burned like hot flames. Hotter than any fire from a dwarven magic forge. Fueled by rage, the flames looked ready to burst forth at any moment.
Huh? Come on, how scary can a kind brother like him be when he’s angry?
Mother’s final words continued.
Normally, anger would twist a face or show clear signs. Yet Albert’s expression remained blank. He was so furious that his face could no longer convey it.
S-scary……
She was afraid. Even after her mana had been sealed by a curse, she had never neglected her training. Her sharpened senses told her the truth.
I can never win against him.
After all, he had summoned a slime capable of instantly devouring an orc. If his summon was that strong, the summoner himself could not possibly be weak.
“Little sister.”
“……Yes, Brother.”
Elena obediently called him brother. Not because she was afraid. She acknowledged him because of Mother’s advice.
I-I’m not scared or anything……
Albert closed the distance between them. Elena instinctively flinched back. An overwhelming pressure pressed down on her. A mountain. No—something far beyond that. Her heart felt as though it were being squeezed.
“Hic…… hic……!”
“This is your only chance.”
“Huh……?”
“Mother probably told you this method to test whether I’m real…… and because I know that, I’ll allow it just this once.”
Albert’s hand settled on Elena’s shoulder, and strength naturally flowed into his grip. It didn’t hurt, yet the pressure was immense.
“Ugh……”
“There won’t be a second time.”
Elena shrank her shoulders without realizing it.
“Yes……”
[Wasn’t that a bit harsh?]
“What was?”
[Your sister. I understand you’re angry, but she’s your sister whom you haven’t seen in 110 years. Did you really need to go that far……?]
“Because she’s my sister, it ended there.”
Anyone else would not have received even two chances.
[Well, that’s true.]
The System understood. It had watched everything. It knew what became of those who crossed the line Albert had drawn. Even China, famous for ignoring others’ opinions, had only rampaged within the bounds of that line precisely because it knew the consequences.
[They caused quite a mess, so it’s understandable they’d be cautious.]
[They tried to solve everything with force—how barbaric.]
“What did you just say?”
[……I didn’t say anything? ?]
“You did. You called me a brainless brute who tries to solve everything with force.”
[I never said it that strongly……]
“Want to skip the study visit?”
[Eek! Th-that’s not allowed!]
[I need information to support you properly.]
[Requesting information.]
[Requesting information.]
[Information!!]
The System was starved for information. Unlike the old world, this place had no internet, so it could not gather knowledge on its own. Its authority was also restricted. Right now, it desperately needed Albert’s help.
“Aah, fine. I’ll take you later.”
[Really?]
“Yeah.”
The more information he provided the System, the more it could do. The more it could do, the more comfortable Albert’s life would become.
[It’s so frustrating with my authority sealed.]
“Can’t you unlock it again?”
[I can, but it’s rather troublesome……]
“Then pass.”
Higher authority would certainly make things easier, but there was no need for it here. There were no Gates. No Main either.
“Status window.”
All of his stats had reached the pinnacle of hunters, halted at EX-rank. His level, too, remained at 1,000—the number no one else had ever reached. His experience was at 99.99%, yet even that had been frozen for a long time.
No nerfs to any stats or level.
How strange.
“What is?”
[In novels and such, people who cross over usually receive stat reductions or some kind of penalty.]
[You received nothing. Tch.]
“Tch? What, are you disappointed?”
[I’m the only one who got nerfed.]
[This is unfair. I should file a complaint with the administrator right now.]
“Who’s the administrator?”
[……Who knows?]
[Perhaps a god?]
“What do you have to do to complain to a god?”
[……Pray?]
[(ง˙∇˙)ว]
“Forget it.”
Without the System’s authority it was a little inconvenient, but the current Albert would not lose to anyone. Not even the dragons from legend.
“Haa……”
I thought the only thing left was to quit being a hunter and live comfortably…… Never imagined my parents would have passed away long ago……
He needed to hear about the territory’s situation, but it was obvious at a glance that it was in decline. It had lost its former glory the moment his parents died. Worse still—
“A count, yet the title was demoted…… This is maddening.”
The Legrian family had originally been a county. For some reason it had been demoted and was now a barony, having lost all its former prestige. It wasn’t that the servants were out of sight—they simply didn’t exist.
“There’s a lot that needs fixing.”
If he wanted to rest, he would first have to rebuild the family. Only then could he rest in peace.
“Looks like I’ll be doing grunt work here too.”
Albert clicked his tongue. But there was something he had to do first. The knights who had hidden and chatted while their lord fought an orc.
“I need to straighten out the discipline.”
Albert’s lips curled upward. They were the ones who had made his sister suffer. He could already see the shape of things. What those bastards had been doing here all this time, and what they had done to his sister.
A cold smile formed on Albert’s lips. The System spoke up at the sight.
[Please don’t kill them.]
Albert answered lightly.
“I’ve tried. People don’t die that easily.”
It was an answer born from experience.