Brother-in-Law, Give Your Sister to Me
Nia Cynthia was assassinated. That was the rumor one heard during Act 3, Chapter 4 of the Flame Butterfly Chapter.
Act 3, Chapter 4 was a breather episode, mostly filled with slice-of-life antics and interactions with various heroines. And that was where the problem lay. The exact manner of Nia's death was never detailed anywhere in the game.
It made sense, of course. For Nia, the crucial details were the fact of his assassination and the motive behind it. The exact method of his demise simply wasn't important to the plot.
Which meant, in other words: I have no idea how Nia gets assassinated.
If they had simply sent an assassin, poison was a possibility. But Nia was a highly skilled active member of the Imperial Magic Knights. It was hard to imagine someone of his caliber falling to a common assassin.
He surely knew his position was precarious and must have constantly been on guard. He likely kept protective wards active around himself at all times. If such a man were to be assassinated, how on earth would they pull it off?
It was already Nia's second week at Jerion Academy, and I was still completely in the dark regarding his assassination. I needed to know how he would be targeted to prevent it. With zero information, what could I even do?
To make matters worse, Nia was an assistant professor of magic. As a martial arts student, our paths rarely crossed.
But why? Why did Iris tell me that Nia would be assassinated? What did she see in me to trust me with that?
My only conversation with Iris had been back in the hospital room. Iris was destined to be the final boss. At my current level, I was far too weak to be getting involved with her.
If she said it considering Hanon's circumstances... That made even less sense. Hanon was technically aligned with the 1st Prince. If Iris knew this, she was essentially handing over a weakness of the 3rd Princess's faction to an enemy. It would be a terrible misstep on her part.
Then she must have told me based on my actions so far. The more I pondered it, the less it made sense. I considered just going up to Iris and asking her directly, but she wasn't someone easily approached. It was highly doubtful she would even give me a straight answer.
Iris must have calculated that I, of all people, could stop the assassination. But I had no clue what that calculation was based on. Was there something in my actions at the academy that connected to Nia's assassination?
She could have at least given me a hint about when it would happen. Leaving me with half-baked information was only giving me a headache.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a wooden sword swept upward, aiming straight for my chin. I hastily threw my head back and retreated as the boy in front of me let out a wide yawn.
"Keep spacing out like that, and you're going to get hurt."
It was Van, the lazy genius. He was currently acting as my sparring partner.
Today's class was a free-sparring session. The rule of the lesson was simple: if someone challenged you, you had to accept, no matter who they were. I had challenged Van. Experiencing his fierce swordsmanship firsthand, even if it meant taking a few hits, was invaluable for building combat experience. That was why I had chosen him.
"Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind. I couldn't focus."
"Hmm. You're usually so serious during training. It must be something big."
Thankfully, Van was understanding. He was a remarkably easygoing guy in many ways.
"Speaking of which, Van, I heard you've been training with Isabel lately."
I corrected my stance and thrust my palm toward him. Van deftly parried my hand strike with his wooden sword.
"Yeah. She asked me herself."
"How is she doing? Any progress?"
"Isabel was already skilled to begin with. She had a few bad habits, but she's corrected most of them recently."
Which meant Isabel was growing significantly stronger.
"Besides, her determination is on another level."
Van stared at me intently, his gaze silently pointing out exactly who was responsible for that determination.
"Lately, I've been thinking."
Once again, my palm clashed against Van's wooden sword.
"Maybe you said those things to Isabel on purpose."
"I just said them because I was annoyed."
"Even considering that, you were exceptionally harsh on her."
Why were geniuses always so quick-witted? It seemed Van had reached this conclusion because he always observed things from a step back.
"Did you two know each other beforehand?"
Van couldn't see any reason why I would go out of my way to draw the ire of someone I had absolutely no connection with.
"Not at all."
Well, we did have a connection—a long-standing one built through years of playing the game. But that wasn't something I could explain to him.
"I see."
Van and I backed away to create some distance.
Ever since my battle with the Forest Keeper, I had become much more adept at using my body. Day by day, Vikamon's innate physical talent continued to astound me. If Vikamon had focused on physical combat from the very beginning instead of dabbling in magic, wouldn't he have achieved greatness? That was how natural physical movement felt to me now. I had already far surpassed my past peak. I had no idea how much further I could grow.
I have to get stronger to lead the story in Lucas's stead.
I had to keep pushing myself.
"Isabel is going to become incredibly strong."
And the same would go for the other key players in this story.
"It's unfortunate for Isabel, but in a way, her talent was overshadowed because of Lucas. Now, it's finally beginning to bloom."
Isabel possessed immense potential, enough for even Van to hold her in high regard. She was indeed one of the main heroines of the Flame Butterfly Chapter. I hoped she would continue to grow smoothly without any setbacks.
"You'd better prepare yourself so you don't get left behind."
Isabel was living solely for the purpose of defeating me and forcing an apology for my insults against Lucas. Because of that, I could never allow myself to lose to her. No matter what, I had to win and completely burn away the source of her rage.
"I'll keep that in mind."
My spar with Van came to an end. Even after me, many other students lined up to challenge him. Van had only recently begun to take up the sword seriously again. For the students of Jerion Academy, where strength was paramount, there was no better opponent to learn from. Naturally, everyone was eager to spar with him.
Among them was Isabel. She hadn't spared me a single glance lately, and now she stepped forward to challenge Van.
"Don't those two look great together?"
"Maybe spring is finally coming back to Isabel's life."
I could hear the girls whispering in the distance. Just as Sharin had mentioned, Van and Isabel seemed to be spending a lot of time together lately.
Spring, huh...
If Isabel fell for Van, would things get a little better for her? Whatever the reason, as long as she found a purpose to keep living, it was a relief to me.
"Hey, Princess Sweet Potato! Let's go! Today, I'm going to show you exactly who's boss!"
Right on cue, Seron lunged at me. My mind was cluttered with all sorts of complicated thoughts anyway. I might as well clear my head by beating her up.
After giving Seron a thorough thrashing until she was on the verge of tears, I left the academy feeling refreshed. Watching her storm off while screaming that she would get her revenge next time brought peace to my mind. For the sake of my mental health, maybe I should make it a daily routine to make Seron cry once a day. It seemed like an excellent idea.
I walked down the familiar hallway toward the Student Council Room. Sliding the door open, I found two familiar faces inside.
"Ah, Junior, you're here."
The vice president, Nikita, welcomed me with a bright smile. Sitting across from her was another familiar face—one that instantly scowled the moment our eyes met.
Nia Cynthia. He was Nikita's older brother.
My, what a cold welcome from my future brother-in-law.
"Are you joining the Student Council too, Assistant Professor Nia Cynthia?"
I asked casually, since he seemed to be dropping by the Student Council Room almost every single day lately.
"I am only here to see Nikita."
To state so proudly that he was only here to see his sister... his sister-complex was truly something to behold.
I walked over to Nikita, and she handed me my tasks for the day as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Nia's eyes bored into me. He seemed highly displeased by how seamlessly and comfortably Nikita and I interacted without even needing to speak.
"If you keep staring at me like that, you're going to drill a hole in my face."
"A hole might actually be an improvement."
He really didn't like me.
"By the way, Assistant Professor, have you noticed anyone watching you lately? Or perhaps felt any kind of threat?"
When I subtly probed him about the assassination, Nia tilted his head.
"People staring at me is a daily occurrence. As for recent threats... I suppose a love letter accompanied by a doll made of human hair counts?"
I had just heard something I definitely shouldn't have. Love is terrifying. Is this the kind of stuff handsome noblemen have to deal with?
"And there is always one bastard who constantly poses a threat to me."
Nia smiled thinly as he looked at me.
Wait, was the assassin actually me?
"Brother, why must you always be so mean to my junior?"
Nikita scolded him. It seemed she couldn't stand by and watch him nitpick everything I said anymore.
"N-Nikita?"
Nia's lips parted in shock, utterly devastated that his sister was taking my side over his.
"Junior always helps me with my work. He goes out of his way to come here even though he's busy with his own training."
She was telling him to stop being so petty. Yet, the look of sheer betrayal remained plastered on Nia's face. He turned to me, his expression trembling with indignation.
"T-That fellow... he harbors ulterior motives toward you!" Nia squeezed out the words, practically on the verge of tears.
Nikita blinked her large eyes and turned to look at me. Meeting her gaze, I promptly gave her a thumbs-up.
"Yes, I am harboring them at this very moment."
"See! I told you!"
As Nia shouted in outrage, Nikita let out a long, weary sigh.
"Junior always talks like that, but he doesn't mean it. And besides, he isn't my type. Though, I might consider it once he grows up a bit more."
Two confessions, four rejections.
"C-Consider it?"
Nia, however, seemed to have latched onto the wrong word entirely, muttering blankly.
I bowed politely to Nia.
"Brother-in-law, please give Nikita to me—"
"Shut up!"
He snapped. Nia bolted upright. He clearly didn't want to leave the two of us alone, but the psychological shock was apparently too much for him to bear.
"I... I shall take my leave now."
Nia stumbled out of the room. Watching his retreating figure, Nikita let out a soft sigh.
"He used to be such a cool brother... but he's been acting so strange lately."
"Doesn't that just show how much he treasures you, Senior?"
"I suppose so. My reputation within the family was never very good, but I was only able to do what I wanted because of my brother."
Nikita had originally been raised to be nothing more than a pawn for a political marriage. However, Nia, the heir who would eventually lead the Cynthia family, had always protected her. He had even gone directly to the family elders to negotiate. He threatened to throw away his position as heir and ruin everything if they didn't let his sister do what she wanted. That was how deeply Nia cherished Nikita.
Nikita smiled softly, lost in her memories. "It's probably because of the responsibility our mother left him with before she passed away."
Nikita's mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her. On her deathbed, she had asked Nia to take good care of his little sister. Nia had promised to keep that vow for the rest of his life, dedicating himself entirely to Nikita's well-being.
"He's a good brother."
"Yes. Even if he goes a bit overboard sometimes."
Nikita chuckled and resumed her paperwork.
It was clear that just as much as Nia treasured Nikita, Nikita cherished her brother in return. Seeing their bond, I couldn't help but recall how Nikita would spiral into absolute despair following Nia's death in the original story.
Faced with that tragic future, would I really be able to just stand by and watch?
I honestly didn't know.