Chapter 17: Adult (2)
"I will give you the position of head of the family."
Yeriel was rendered speechless. The lips that had been hurling bold insults at her brother suddenly stopped moving. Her eyes blinked, her mouth opened and closed, and the sound of her trying to speak was almost cute.
"Th-that's bullshit!" Yeriel finally spat out, almost chewing on her words.
"Such language is unbefitting," I said.
"... You're lying!"
"That's a little better."
"... See, it's a lie!"
Yeriel still didn’t believe me.
"I never lie," I replied, shaking my head.
Her hands started to tremble, and she looked around as if searching for something.
"Wh-where are the pen and paper? L-let's put it in a written vow," Yeriel said.
"Maintain your dignity."
"See, you're lying!"
"We can make an oath instead," I said, gently interrupting her before she could accuse me.
An oath holds a special significance for a mage. It's like memorizing a spell and embedding a vow into your heart or head. If broken, you either die or lose your mana completely.
"You, you really mean it?"
"Yes."
"No, it doesn't make sense. Why? Why so sudden?"
I couldn't tell her that it was to calm her rage and eliminate the death variable both now and in the future. To Yeriel, this seemed incredibly sudden. But since it was a position I would have passed on eventually, I could easily come up with a reason.
"I plan to dedicate myself to the Mage Tower and my magical research from now on. I won't have time to act as the head of the family, and you should already be fairly skilled as a lord," I said.
"You only realized that now?"
"I've known for some time. I was testing you."
"Testing me, my ass! I was testing you!" Yeriel flinched, wondering if I was serious, but quickly shook her head and shouted.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"Then... When will the succession ceremony... take place?" Yeriel asked cautiously, still suspicious, licking her dry lips.
Her tongue sticking out at the end was cute, just like a real little sister. Of course, I hadn't thought about the ceremony.
"You probably know the best time," I said, giving a vague answer.
Fortunately, Yeriel appeared to have a plan in mind and nodded seriously.
"Three years from now. On the Day of Exceptions."
I didn't know what she meant, but she seemed serious, so I went along with it.
"Very well then..." Yeriel said. She thought for a moment, then gathered her things. There was a sword and a pistol on the bed. It looked like she had intended to kill me and deal with the fallout today.
"Are you planning to go back right away?" I asked.
"Of course! Who wouldn't hurry to fix things after blowing two hundred million at an auction?" Yeriel shouted, though the fire in her voice had already dimmed.
After all, the role of being the head of the Yukline family was worth far more than two hundred million. The Yukline territory, known as Hakedia, was one of the most fertile regions on the continent. Its location, with mountains behind and a river in front, made it prime real estate, second only to the capital.
Politically, it held a remarkable position—close enough to the capital for easy interaction but far enough to avoid the Empire’s interference. These advantages had allowed it to flourish, hosting both a local Mage Tower and a local knights order, a rare combination. Only the Iliade and Leviaron families could compare.
However, Iliade's territory was slightly lacking in size, and Leviaron was too far from the capital. Being the lord of Yukline meant standing at the pinnacle of power.
"Oh, and you, sir," Yeriel said, pausing at the door and continued, "Don't try to take this back later."
"You, sir?" I asked.
"... I didn't demand an oath because I still have a bit of faith in you..."
With that, Yeriel finished speaking and left the room. No, she stopped just outside the door.
"If this is a lie, I don't know what I'll do..." she said.
The last part was barely audible.
"If you're lying, there will be serious consequences. Got it? Everyone in our territory already considers me the lord," Yeriel continued.
I knew. I knew it very well. There were vassals so loyal to Yeriel that they would poison my food or drink, either on their own or at her command.
"Trust me. It's not a lie," I replied.
"... Hmph."
Yeriel packed the dagger and gun into her bag. She started to leave but paused and turned to look back at me. She stared silently, and I met her gaze without flinching. After a long moment, Yeriel grabbed the doorknob, appearing ready to leave, but then she turned back once more.
"I don't trust you. I'm still suspicious. So—"
"Let's make an oath immediately," I said.
"... There's no need," Yeriel said.
Yeriel opened the door, her face clearly trying to hide a smile. Pouting, she seemed ready to leave.
“Yes? What is it?”
“If anyone were to target Yeriel...” I said.
It was a precaution. If the Deculein from three months ago had tried to harm Yeriel, or if he had harbored any malicious intent that I didn't know about, I would need Ganesha’s help to handle it.
“Oh~” Ganesha said, smiling gently.
Her expression was somehow reminiscent of moonlight, and its mystery left me momentarily speechless.
“... Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew, making the curtains flutter and obscure the windowsill where Ganesha had been sitting. When the wind settled, she was gone.
“... Ha.”
For the first time, my steady posture faltered. I raked my fingers through my hair randomly. Yeriel. I had thought she was my half-sister, but she wasn’t related to me by blood. I clasped the back of my neck with both hands and looked up at the ceiling.
“It was a fact I really didn't need to know,” I said.
There was no need to know. It wouldn’t change anything. If I thought about it, it wasn’t much of a revelation. Well, it was a twist, but not a significant one. Since I wasn’t Deculein to begin with, whether Yeriel was Deculein’s real sister or not wouldn’t change my attitude.
So, I decided to keep it hidden. To me, Yeriel would still be Deculein’s sister. For some reason, I felt affection for her—a cute kid. Ganesha was trustworthy, so this secret would be kept for a long time...
***
Meanwhile, on the roof of a house in a residential area near the capital.
“Professor... he’s changed a lot. Has he really changed? Or... is someone else pretending to be the professor?”
Ganesha sat casually on the sloped red brick, recalling the recent scene. It was an exceptionally impressive scene that she wouldn’t forget for a long time.
“Indeed. The professor does seem to have some human side,” her subordinate Rohan replied.
“Exactly. Maybe that’s why people talk about bad boys. A man who’s been a jerk his whole life says one kind word and suddenly seems charming,” Ganesha said.
"... He's just good-looking. Everyone knows, Captain, you're a huge sucker for pretty faces. You even took this mission because of his looks."
“Then should I tear your face apart for being ugly? I was broke back then, okay? What else could I do when the debt collector insisted?”
Ganesha was with her adventure team, the Red Garnet Adventure Team, which consisted of three men and two women. One of the women had traveled a long distance to reserve accommodations.
“Remember, this is an absolute secret. You must keep it until you die. Revealing it would betray our trust as adventurers. You would no longer be my comrade, and I would have to kill you myself,” she said.
“Of course. We’re not animals. Only a dog would betray a secret like that,” Rohan replied.
“Dozmu, you too,” Ganesha demanded.
The hooded man named Dozmu yawned and nodded.
“You...”
Ganesha glared at her arrogant subordinate before turning her eyes to the distant Yukline mansion. All the windows were already covered with curtains, but the way Deculein had acted there was truly captivating. It was very human of him to say that.
He had poetically declared that Yeriel would always be Yeriel. In the past, she would have dismissed it as ridiculous acting. But Deculein had promised to make Yeriel, who wasn’t even related by blood to the Yukline family, the head of the household. Even she, who prided herself on being progressive, couldn’t have made such a decision.
"... Anyway, it seems we no longer need to be wary of Deculein. He doesn't seem fixated on those kids anymore," Ganesha said.
“Yes, that’s right,” Rohan replied.
"Alright then... So, what has he been up to all this time?"
Ganesha glanced at the burly man nicknamed Boar, clinging to the chimney on the roof and wailing loudly.
“He’s crying,” Rohan answered.
"I see that. We're both looking at the same thing, aren't we? But why?"
“He says he was touched by what he heard,” Rohan explained.
"... Sigh. He’s built like a barbarian, yet he cries like a baby," Ganesha said.
Ganesha sighed and lay down on the roof, staring at the bright moon in the clear, cool sky. The scene felt fleeting, as if it would soon disappear.
The reason she had come to see Deculein, or rather, had been keeping an eye on him, was to determine if he still had any lingering attachment to the Talents of the Archipelago. She couldn’t directly ask if he was still seeking magic slaves. Depending on his answer, she might’ve had to consider him an enemy.
But it seemed Deculein had decided to change in many ways. She didn’t know what had prompted this change of heart, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“What did Reylie say? Has she found a place for the kids to stay?”
Soon, those children would be arriving by boat. Ganesha was both excited and worried about that moment. They needed the kids' talents to fight those people. However, if the ultimate purpose of training the children was for the war, it raised doubts about whether it was the right choice.
From a strictly moral standpoint, it wasn’t. They were still just children. But if, when they grew up, those children could save tens, hundreds, or even thousands of lives, it would be a clearly just cause.
“Yes. So, we have no money left,” Rohan said.
At that moment, a vein in Ganesha’s temple throbbed.
“What? Don’t mess with me.”
“I'm being serious,” Rohan replied.
"How can we keep running a deficit no matter how many missions we complete? Did you embezzle funds? Tell me the truth."
“We canceled the Deculein mission and had to pay a huge penalty fee and compensation,” Rohan said.
"Oh, you’re right." Ganesha clicked her tongue and shook her head. “... Alright, everyone. Let’s head back,” Ganesha continued.
"Yes. Everyone, gather up," Rohan called to Boar and Dozmu.
They huddled together like little rice balls. Rohan fiddled with something, and soon, the four of them transformed into blue particles and were transported elsewhere.