Chapter 146
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: Sister's Trace
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"The child we're tracking down this time is Arsha Cascadia. Leon Cascadia's little sister."
Rebecca's eyes widened at those words.
"What do you...?"
"I don't know the details myself. But from what I've heard, after that incident, something else happened... and they've concluded he turned because of whatever was tied to it."
Rebecca nodded slowly.
At that moment, a newbie who'd joined around the same time as her cautiously spoke up.
"I understand the Surveillance Corps' policy of leaving alone anyone who hasn't done anything yet... but if every senior here is this worked up, wouldn't it be better to just kill her now and be done with it?"
"No orders from the Chief yet."
"He's probably busy. If all of us mobilized..."
The man who'd spoken first cut him off.
"No. That would be the worst possible move."
"But it's just one girl..."
"Whether he becomes our ally or our enemy could decide our victory or defeat. That's how strong he is."
"But he's still young."
"Age means nothing to him. Even now, he's strong enough to wipe out our entire Surveillance Corps single-handedly."
"No way..."
He stood from his seat.
"Prepare yourselves. We're heading there. Our job this time isn't to kill. No matter what happens, we save that child before she dies."
"Then shouldn't we ask him for help...?"
"We don't know her situation. If we're too late and it's already gone south, it could turn into a disaster. In that case... it might be better if he never learns about this."
In the worst case, they figured they'd have to cover up the fact that his sister had been alive at all.
"And if he finds out later? He won't just let us off the hook."
"That's why we have to save her. By any means necessary. We're not his subordinates to begin with."
They hadn't gathered for fame or fortune in the first place.
Most of them were the type to throw their lives away without a second thought.
As if entranced, I headed to a long-cold room in one corner of the mansion.
Was it because my expression had hardened?
Melissa and Luna, sensing something off, followed behind me.
"Why here?"
This room was currently unused, more like a storage space cluttered with unpacked boxes and belongings.
I rummaged wildly through the stacked crates, searching everywhere.
As I tore through the storage like a madman, Melissa's face took on a look of utter disbelief, like How does a person end up like that...?
How long did I keep digging?
Luna grabbed my arm.
"I'll help. What are we looking for?"
"There's a box with my old stuff stored away."
At my explanation, the two of them stared at me blankly for a moment before silently joining the search without another question.
How much more time passed like that?
Luna let out a giggle, like she'd found something.
"Leon, you were pretty cute as a kid too."
She smiled faintly at a drawing from the box. It was a picture of a young me grinning brightly while hugging Melissa from behind.
Looks like we got along pretty well back then, at least sometimes.
Ah. Found it.
"Why are you looking for your childhood drawings?"
"Not the drawings."
I pulled out a faded scribble from the edge of the album.
A crude little sketch drawn with clumsy skill.
"That thing..."
"Yeah."
The moment I confirmed the drawing, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
The sloppy child's sketch on the old paper matched the one drawn in the angler bird's blood perfectly.
It wasn't some advanced technique or anything mixed in—just that bizarre style of childish scribbling was unique in my knowledge, one of a kind in the world.
The wild strokes of a kid's drawing made it unmistakable.
"..."
Melissa's face clouded with shock as she caught on too.
"Leon. Your little sister... she's alive?"
"Looks like it."
When we recovered our parents' bodies but couldn't find Arsha's...
I think I clung to the faintest miracle back then.
That by some stroke of heavenly luck, our youngest might still be out there alive.
But it was impossible in reality, unthinkable by common sense, so I buried it deep.
Truth be told, it weighed on me the whole time bringing Mother and Father's bodies back to Cascadia territory.
And now, we'd found a trace of my sister.
She's alive somewhere.
That was all that mattered.
"But this... it's blood, right?"
Melissa muttered, staring at the red sketch on the paper with a grim face.
"Yeah."
"It's great she might be alive... but doesn't this mean she's in danger right now?"
At that point, the three of us were in complete agreement.
We had to find Arsha, no matter what, before it was too late.
We hurried straight to Melissa's office and unrolled a world map there.
Central Continent, Eastern Continent, Western Continent, plus countless large and small islands and archipelagos sprawled across it.
"The angler bird habitats are limited, and right now, the only spot that fits is here."
"Phinas Archipelago... A country I really don't want to visit..."
Our destination: the Phinas Archipelago.
The largest island chain in the sea between the Western and Central Continents.
Its defining feature was a loose confederation where allied families ruled individual islands.
And their influence on those islands rivaled or exceeded that of any kingdom's royalty.
Not quite nation-level military might per island, but certainly surpassing most great houses.
Too weak to call a true nation, too strong to dismiss as mere families.
A country forged from such great and minor allied houses.
That was the structure of the Phinas Archipelago.
But Melissa's expression wasn't bright.
"To be honest, Phinas isn't on great terms with the Central Continent. They fought a war not that long ago."
"So entry's impossible right now?"
"Well... not completely. Let me ask Aurora."
Aurora?
Ah, some merchant routes are open, maybe.
"Aurora's Planetaria Merchant Company is based out of the Western Continent too."