The Weight of Three More Years
Three years passed, and then another three.
“After that brutal battle, Lord Luke became the debt collector for Babbage City in the County of Conbereg.”
“Is that actually true?”
The man with the veiled face paused for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“Yes. In truth, he beat the man until his leg broke. But it’s also true that Countess Emesh nearly died.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
The girl made a face of utter disbelief and swung her sword through the empty air. If any knight or instructor had seen her form, they wouldn’t have been able to hold back their criticism.
“Well, the rest happened exactly as Lady Eres already knows. He subdued every organization in Babbage, got dragged back here, and has been working as the Countess’s watchdog for the past three years. The support money sent to you comes from the profits he earns there.”
“So it’s blood money. I’m not the least bit grateful.”
“Your vocabulary has improved considerably. It seems you’ve been putting the money to good use.”
“I’m giving it back to society.”
“Haha… You’re joking, right?”
She didn’t answer. She simply continued swinging her sword with clumsy, unrefined motions. Unlike her younger sister, whose mouth was constantly full of contempt and insults, being ignored seemed to grate on his nerves. Cardo made a show of letting out a deep, audible sigh.
“Do you have any intention of rescuing your sister?”
“I will save her.”
“That’s all?”
The answer came without the slightest hesitation, followed immediately by another. In Cardo’s eyes, she had no talent. Even taking her young age into account, her swordsmanship was below average. Her lack of strength was already a problem, but choosing a longsword instead of a dagger only made things worse. Against an ordinary thug or street thug, maybe she could manage something. But her opponent was Luke Colwen.
“It seems you don’t understand. Do you really think you’re in any position to be picky about your methods? You should be supplementing your nutrition with the food that’s provided and leaving this village immediately to find a proper teacher and gain experience. Yet you choose to waste your time in a place like this?”
A foolish girl lost in old stories. But romance and fantasy had no place in the world they lived in. Clinging to upright and righteous methods would earn her nothing. She didn’t even understand something so simple, which was why she was wasting time like this.
“I don’t understand why Lord Luke still has expectations for you. Or perhaps you only plan to find motivation after he takes your last remaining sibling as well?”
Even when faced with the worst possible threat—that he would take her younger brother too—Eres didn’t stop moving her arms. She simply repeated those irritating, stupid motions over and over.
“What a waste. If Lord Luke had chosen to train someone more talented than you, our future would have been so much brighter.”
“Mister.”
“Have you finally decided to respond?”
“Have you ever seen that guy’s training method?”
“……”
Of course he had. He was still watching it recently. A brutally simple yet incredibly powerful training regimen. If she succeeded, she would undoubtedly grow strong. Just watching it made him understand the source of that monstrous strength. If she had failed, she would already be dead.
She claimed she had no talent, but the fact that she could push herself to her limits, tormenting her own body again and again, was talent in itself.
‘He said he taught her the training method…’
Yes. She had seen it. Lifting rocks until the muscles throughout her body tore apart. Running without stopping even as her lungs felt like they were ripping open. Striking rocks, trees, and the ground with increasing frequency every second. Beating herself to the brink of death and enduring it all.
It was no different from a piece of paper that read, ‘I will kill you.’
“……I’m sorry.”
“If you understand, then get lost.”
‘What the hell am I supposed to tell him when I get back…’
My ears are itching.
“Mel. In my hometown, there’s a saying that if your ears itch, someone must be badmouthing you.”
“It’s me.”
“You already have your hand… raised.”
Melina clicked her tongue and turned her gaze away. Good. The dislike operation was proceeding smoothly. Although I hadn’t managed to make her any friends in this rotten city of Babbage, I was instead treating her with deliberate cruelty so she could never possibly develop any affection for me.
Wherever we went, I dragged her along but never gave her a chair, forcing her to stand. I frequently raised my hand or showed off my training to flaunt my power. Even while sleeping, I made sure to hold onto her so she couldn’t run away. Lately, I hadn’t even been calling her by her proper name.
These were horrific, evil acts designed to shatter a child’s self-esteem. It broke my heart, but there was no other way if I wanted to prevent the bad ending. The results had been a resounding success. These days, she was actively trying not to make eye contact with me.
“Anyway, the only punishment you ever give is this much.”
“What did you just say?”
“If your ears are that good, why don’t you train them to hear it directly?”
“You’re getting more and more insolent with each passing day. Should I hang you from the roof again?”
“Why bother? If you want to see me cry, just hit me with that so-called great power of yours and be done with it.”
“Tha—”
“If you do that, you’ll die. Right?”
“……”
A thirteen-year-old kid shouldn’t be casually talking about dying like that!! Who taught her this?! Was it the bastards from Babbage?! Damn it, this city full of blood and profanity is terrible for a child’s emotional development. If I hadn’t been kicked out of Colwen, she could have been raised with care in a warm environment, but because of that bitch Layla…!
No, more importantly.
“Luke~ Are you training again today?”
“Get lost.”
“How rude to your boss. I had some free time, so I came to accept your challenge.”
Rin Emesh. If this damn woman had just let me leave, I would have been in a much better environment than this. Do not leave Babbage without my permission. If you do, I will crush Colwen. Now that Eres’s identity had been exposed as well, I was in no position to defy her any further.
“You brought that little brat again. I still don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with her. Do you actually like her or something?”
“Don’t say such disgusting things. Are you trying to call me a perverted bastard who lusts after children?”
“There’s only a two-year difference between you two.”
Oh right. I’m fifteen now. Whatever. In this world, fifteen is considered an adult.
“I don’t like younger girls.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Good thing. If I did, I’d have to bite my tongue and die.”
“Cough…! Hey, a child shouldn’t casually talk about dying! That’s why you—”
“Why I what?”
…
For the first time in a week, Melina met my eyes. Of all times. I was trying my hardest, but my concept still slipped occasionally. Still, it couldn’t be helped. Melina’s death in the original story remained a trauma for me.
“It means you’re pathetic. While your sister is probably still out there shedding blood in training just to save you.”
“What power does my sister even have? She’s probably just living comfortably off the money you sent her, along with the blood money.”
I flinched. Melina’s words made my body freeze for a moment. It reminded me of her monologue from the game—the line about how as our bodies grew distant, so did our hearts.
“I can barely even remember my sister’s face anymore.”
Slap!
When I came to my senses, I was standing right in front of Melina. One of my hands was being held back by Rin right beside her.
“I stopped you from killing her. You don’t commit murder, after all. If you’re grateful, just obediently call me Boss.”
“I would have stopped myself anyway.”
“What an honest-to-a-fault guy. After three years under me, I thought you might have warmed up a little by now.”
“……Just because our bodies are close doesn’t mean our hearts are.”
Melina’s eyes widened, blinking rapidly. It was as if she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. That made sense. I had never once tried to lay a hand on Melina before.
Once she finished processing the situation, the look she gave me wasn’t one of fear, but of pure rage and resentment. Yes. That’s how it should be. You should hate me.
But even this relationship wasn’t enough.
“You don’t know your place. You are a hostage. A hostage meant to give your sister a reason to grow stronger in order to save you. The only reason you are alive is for that purpose alone.”
“Sister this, sister that. Don’t you like my sister?”
“I simply believe in your sister’s potential.”
Well. I do like her. She’s our protagonist, after all. But saying it outright would only make things harder later. I had to phrase it this way so that Eres could become Melina’s hope. That way, when she was rescued, she would treat her sister like a hero.
The important thing was never giving up until the very end. That was all that mattered. Besides, once the original story progressed a bit further, I planned to lose to her anyway. If she had other reasons to fight besides Melina, there would be no need to keep her around. I could let her go at the right time and quietly transition into a supporting ally.
But for that to happen—
“If you’re that concerned about a girl named Eres, why don’t you go see her yourself?”
“You’re the one who’s been preventing me from moving freely.”
“Then win. Use that move you did the first time we fought. You haven’t used it even once since then, have you?”
“I simply decided it held no meaning.”
My current record was 65 fights, 65 losses. Even with the stats I had built, I couldn’t overcome her overwhelming talent for unique magic. Eres used a sword, but no ordinary weapon could possibly block that woman’s magic sword. There existed an opponent I could not defeat without unique magic or a magic sword. If that premise held true, my plan would be over.
Therefore, I had to prove that I could grow even stronger from here.
“I will not settle our match until I can block your sword with my bare body.”
“If you keep staying under me, I have no complaints.”
For some reason, the gaze on my back felt painful. It was like the sensation of someone smearing mud on me and then stabbing it with a spear… What the hell was that?
“Now that I think about it… you’re an adult this year, aren’t you?”
“That’s correct.”
Why was she asking if I was an adult? Surely she wasn’t about to say that she had been going easy on me because I was a minor until now? It was possible. The way she looked at me these days was increasingly like a snake staring at a baby chick. That crazy battle maniac—had she been planning to raise me up just to fight me with everything she had and crush me?
Ugh. For some reason, my side felt itchy too.
Not a chance. Before entering the Academy, I would defeat her with my base specs.
“If you have nothing to do, leave. I’m busy.”
“I do have something to do. Since I was coming anyway, I brought the letters that arrived for you.”
“……From the Countess?”
“The senders are all annoying people. One is from the Second Prince, Ragrelt. Another recruitment attempt, no doubt.”
“Again? I’m an adult now, yet he’s still talking about ‘reforming’ me?”
The warmongering Second Prince Ragrelt kept trying to recruit me. No matter that he was a prince, trying to drag away a lord’s subordinate under the pretext of reformation was going too far. If he was so confident, he should denounce Rin herself—the root of all evil.
“And the other one?”
“This is the problem. It’s from the Count of Colwen.”
“The Count? Give it here.”
Since coming here, I had received no contact from my family. I had no idea how they were living now. And now, out of nowhere, a letter had arrived from the Count himself—my father. It couldn’t be asking for money, could it? Had he finally sent a letter of disownment?
“Rin.”
“Have you finished reading? What does it say? Since it was from your father, I made a special effort not to read it.”
The content of the letter was extremely simple.
Come home.
At least let me witness your final moments.
Come home.
At least let me witness your final moments.
From that moment, another three years passed.
Now, even the moment I first realized I had transmigrated felt distant.
“Mel, are you ready?”
“What could I possibly need to prepare? You’re the one enrolling.”
I had finally reached the starting point of the game.
“Of course I’m preparing to meet your sister.”
I had enrolled in the Academy. Not as Rin Emesh’s subordinate, not as the Second Prince’s subordinate, and not as an executive of Nine’s Piece. But as the temporary Count of Colwen.