The Wind Spirit's Persistent Offer
I had to find some way to navigate this mess. “Lady Anemoi, Lady Ophelia. What brings you both here….” First, I’d try to play it cool and dodge the subject.
[The shadowy spirit, huh… So that’s how she saw me.] She’d spilled everything. Serian was grinning at me like an idiot, and I seriously wanted to stretch those chubby cheeks of hers until they snapped.
“Haha… I was just teasing Serian a little. There’s no way I’d avoid Lady Ophelia or Lady Anemoi.”
The crystal orb floated lazily in the air.
Here it comes. My prediction had been spot on.
Of course it was about that.
“…If it’s about that, I’m afraid it won’t be possible.”
Since we’d come this far, I had to refuse politely.
“The power I would gain from contracting with Lady Anemoi would be far too heavy a burden for me.”
“That power wouldn’t truly be mine. And there are others who need it far more than I do.”
For example, the heroine. Or the heroine. Or, you know, the heroine. The hassle it would cause was only the second problem.
If I ended up contracting with Anemoi, what would happen? The entire progression of the novel’s plot would hit a massive roadblock. The heroine needed that power to gather the male leads around her. Sure, this was a romance-fantasy story, so the plot might limp along even without the heroine having power. But that didn’t mean I could just take it for myself. That strength was what let the heroine carry the main story smoothly and made the male leads cling to her even harder.
“Pardon? What do you…”
Obviously. Becoming special meant shouldering that much more responsibility. And the power the heroine held in this romance-fantasy world was terrifying. There was so much she had to do.
“Yes. I’m scared. Of becoming special itself.”
In my previous life, how hard had I worked to become special? But in the process, my body had gradually turned into a tattered rag. Just thinking about doing it all over again made my head throb.
“You can say whatever you like. I’m not interested.”
What on earth was this old lady going on about? Fortunately, she couldn’t hear my inner thoughts, so she continued explaining her past with great enthusiasm.
“…”
Anemoi kept talking.
Why are you asking me? Of course, I didn’t voice the thought out loud.
It was a bit sad. The child in her story sounded like she suffered from a severe case of “nice guy syndrome.” I’d seen people like that in my previous life too—people who gave everything away to others and insisted they were fine.
“That’s not it. I really have no interest.”
“I don’t need a new version of myself. I’m perfectly fine as I am. And what I said earlier was just advice for your sake, Lady Anemoi…”
“I’m not going.”
Huh? A familiar voice came from beside me.
“Serian?”
“I’m not going.”
“Not going where?”
“The academy. I’m not going.”
What was wrong with this girl?
*
My brother had always taken care of me.
“Serian. Eat this.”
“Ah~”
“You eat so well. My little sister.”
“Hehe.”
Ever since we were very young, Lumian had given up everything that should have been his. Food, snacks, attention, opportunities, status—everything became mine.
At first, Serian had simply loved it all. But at some point, she realized that half of it had originally belonged to Lumian.
“Aren’t you going to eat, brother?”
“I’m fine.”
He probably really was fine. But as Lumian grew more and more isolated, Serian’s heart began to ache.
People always said the same things.
“Lady Serian is truly remarkable.”
“As expected of the jewel of the Cardion family!”
“She far surpasses young master Lumian.”
At first she thought they were compliments. But their words gradually dug into her heart like knives.
“She’s not even comparable to young master Lumian.”
Even when she came home after hearing such things, Lumian never knew.
“Serian. What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Lumian truly had no idea. He wore an innocent face, completely unaware of why she sometimes looked like she was about to cry, or why the more she was praised, the more she suffered. Her brother never understood until the very end. Instead, he only grew even kinder.
“You must be tired today. Let me tie your hair for you.”
How could he be so unaffected? Why didn’t he want anything for himself? But because he looked at peace, she never said a word. And because she liked how he cared for her, she pretended not to notice.
Ah. The moment she heard Anemoi’s words, Serian finally understood why she felt so uneasy. It was because her brother seemed like he would eventually leave. Like he would hand over everything to her and then disappear. Like someday he would break.
Who in this world truly had no desires?
It was true. It was exactly like the Lumian she had watched all this time. It felt as if she had heard about her brother’s final moments through Anemoi.
When Ophelia had come looking for her, Serian had planned to hide her brother.
“Serian, have you seen where Lumian is?”
“Um… well…”
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for him…”
“A wonderful opportunity?”
The contract with the spirit Anemoi.
“This time, Lady Anemoi offered Lumian a contract.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. But Lumian refused.”
“Why…”
Yet Lumian had turned down her proposal. Why? This wasn’t consideration for anyone. It was a one-sided rejection. Refusing it didn’t benefit anyone else. Why had her brother refused the offer?
In the end, she had ignored her brother’s request and brought Lady Ophelia and Lady Anemoi to him. His face had filled with betrayal, but believing it was a good opportunity for him, she had tried to ignore that expression.
Even when Lady Anemoi offered the contract again, he refused. Why was Lumian showing consideration that benefited no one? His behavior didn’t look like the generosity of an adult. It looked like the rejection of a wounded child.
“I’m not going.”
“Serian?”
Lumian looked at her with a flustered expression.
“I said I’m not going.”
“Not going where?”
“The academy. I’m not going.”
Lumian rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders.
“What do you mean you’re not going? Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Hm? Is there something you don’t like?”
He stroked her hair, trying to persuade her. Seeing him so flustered made Serian’s heart feel uneasy again. The way he never thought about his own benefit and only looked at her gave her a strange sense of déjà vu. His attitude toward her was abnormally focused. In truth, hadn’t all of this behavior been created by her own talent and the reactions of those around them?
Hadn’t she been the one hurting her brother? Making him think he shouldn’t have anything, that he wasn’t qualified?
“That’s right, Lady Anemoi. Please contract with Serian instead of me.”
“Serian is a genius mage. If you contract with her, she will surely be of great help!”
“Still…!”
Again. Even in this situation, he was trying to yield again.
“If brother doesn’t contract, then I won’t go to the academy either.”
“What…?”
Lumian stared at her with a dumbfounded face, but Serian deliberately turned her head away.
Her brother needed to learn how to benefit himself now. Not just look at her.
*
“If brother doesn’t contract, then I won’t go to the academy either.”
Why were they all acting like this? I looked at Ophelia, but she turned away from me.
Anemoi not contracting with the heroine? That was fine. The main story at the academy was mostly handled by the supporting characters rather than the heroine anyway. Even without Anemoi, the story would somehow proceed.
Anemoi contracting with Serian? That was fine too. Actually, it was better. Since Serian did most of the work anyway, the story would manage to progress even if it was a bit creaky.
But Serian not enrolling at the academy? That would prevent the story from progressing at all. In order to defeat the demon race and the various enemies that invaded the academy in the novel, Serian’s presence was absolutely essential.
“Serian, you still have to go to the academy.”
“Then brother just needs to contract.”
“How could I go to the academy? I’m twenty-two years old.”
“Lady Ophelia said earlier that it would be possible.”
“She was just joking with you. At this age, how could I possibly…”
“It is possible, Lumian.”
The words that came from Ophelia’s mouth rang in my head.
Huh?
“Lady Ophelia. What do you mean by that…”
“It is an extremely rare case, but the Special Admission does exist.”
“Special Admission?”
The Special Admission that didn’t even exist in the novel. In this world, it was common sense that once you passed the enrollment age of seventeen—the age of adulthood—you could no longer enter the academy. It should have been that way.
“If you come with me now, I will help you with the Special Admission.”
“Lady Ophelia. It’s really fine. It would be better if you focused on Serian instead of…”
“Lumian. At this point, it would be best if you just accept it.”
“Pardon…?”
Ophelia frowned and approached me.
“Stop yielding to other people.”
Why was this person acting like this? What was I even yielding?
“I have never yielded to others. I…”
“That is exactly the problem. That’s why.”
Ophelia let out a deep sigh.
“Before coming here, I already received permission from the Cardion family head.”
“From Father…?”
Even Father had betrayed me. At this rate, I needed to change my strategy. Even if I ended up contracting with Anemoi, enrolling in the academy was the worst-case scenario. I had worked so hard to protect my peaceful life until now.
This was Plan B. I’m sorry, heroine. It looks like you’ll have to handle the academy on your own. It’s okay. As long as you have Serian with you, you can do anything!
“I understand. Serian. I was thinking wrongly.”
“Brother! You finally changed your mind?”
“Of course. It seems I’ve been yielding too much to you and ended up burdening you instead.”
“Brother…”
Serian looked at me with a touched expression. Maybe I had planned the strategy wrong from the beginning. Should I have just gone along with it moderately? Or had she noticed my intention to live an easy life?
“I will contract with Lady Anemoi. But the academy will be difficult. I’m too old, and if I go there, the other students probably won’t like it.”
Give up the flesh to take the bones. At this level, even Serian should understand. After all the homework I had done for her and all the desserts I had given up.
“No. If brother isn’t going, then I’m not going either.”
It looked like my shield was planning to take my bones as well.