CH 38

My older brother suddenly appeared and made a terrifying sound as he swung his sword. It was a huge sword, about as tall as me, and with just one swing, it was as if a gust of wind had occurred. The enemy soldiers in the area were all blown away together.

“Oh no!”

“What?! What happened?!”

“It’s Slutarch! Vanderlei Slutarch!”

My older brother mercilessly defeated one opponent after another. Each time he swung his sword, people flew through the air like dolls. Kyaran also joined in with magic attacks and the enemy army was in a state of panic.

I was amazed and watched his back. What a powerful arm. It was the first time I had seen my brother fight.

And, almost at the same time as my older brother appeared, something crossed the battlefield making a lot of smoke.

It was a black shadow, too fast to be captured by the eye. But when I thought I saw it in the distance, she was already right next to me.

“?!”

“Hello!”

The black shadow turned out to be Olivier riding on a leopard. She greeted me brightly, but just like my older brother, she began to kick the enemy soldiers.

The opponents were finally in a state of chaos. The two powerful warriors who had appeared one after the other and Kyaran continued to release magic attacks. The enemy camp was on the verge of collapse.

However, the one who was most agitated at that place was undoubtedly me. Why my brother? And Olivier?… And my brother, is helping me?

Suddenly, my brother’s arm reached out and pulled me up onto the horse. I clung to the big back in front of me without thinking due to the suddenness.

This time I tried to call him “Nii-sama,” but my voice was hoarse and it didn’t work. The consequences of avoiding my brother for the past year have caught up to me. It’s been almost 6 years since I’ve seen or talked to him.

My brother continued to swing his great sword without paying attention to me behind him. I have no idea what he’s thinking anymore.

Because my brother hasn’t even looked at me once since just now.

The sight of his back view was enough to dry up my mouth and make me unable to speak.

Then, a voice of a man I didn’t know came. I can’t see anything other than my brother’s back, so I don’t know, but it looks like he’s standing in front to block my brother’s path.

“Vanderlei! Do you know what you’re doing? That woman is a criminal!”

“Hm?”

I heard my brother’s voice and my heart jumped. It’s lower (deeper) than I remember. It sounds like a stranger.

I understand that my brother is helping me now. But what is his motivation?

Did he do it because he was asked by His Highness? Did he come to settle the trouble of a family member as a member of the Duke family? Or, did he come as one of the three strong to end this situation?… Or, like in a game, is he going to abandon me?

I am scared. I can’t stop my body from tensing up. My teeth are chattering, and my arm that I wrapped around my older brother’s stomach is filled with strength.

I tightly closed my eyes and waited for my older brother’s next words.

Such thoughts of mine were blown away by some kind of sensation.

My hand that I had wrapped around my older brother’s stomach without thinking and, something warm.

My older brother’s hand, overlapped.

“If you were to ask me if I understand, I don’t understand at all! What are you thinking, chasing after my little sister like that?”

My hands, my knees, my eyelids trembled.

[Sister], was what I was called.

“That woman committed a crime. We were ordered to capture her!”

“Sure sure! Who told you such nonsense?”

“I can’t tell you, it’s confidential! But even His Highness knows about it! You’re going to be the next Duke, right? You’re not going to let your little sister go unpunished?”

“Isn’t it strange that the person who’s going to be the next Duke doesn’t know anything about it?”

“Ugh,… Vanderlei, have you forgotten the Principal’s words! [A noble is one who saves the weak, protects the weak, and crushes the weak], right!”

“Haha! Sorry, I haven’t heard that! While the Principal was talking, I decided to take a nap voluntarily!”

“Weren’t you always awake?!”

“I was sleeping, but with my eyes open!”

“Vanderlei!”

The man growled.

“You’re mistaken, I am!”

“Oh, that’s wrong! What I was taught by mother is three things: first, save my sister; second, protect my sister; third, don’t let her down!”

The man stumbled backwards, trembling with his lips and raising his voice in disbelief.

“Little sister supremacy, then――――!”

… ?

Forgetting the emotion I had just felt, I was about to say “what?” when I heard a loud laugh from Olivier beside me.

“Hahaha! I told you Miss Rebecca, he’s a good guy but not normal!”

I remembered a conversation with Olivier who had laughed like a prankster at some point.

[Not normal].

I realized it then. Was that what it meant?

“Niesch! Diego Niesch! You, what are you doing this? You were sure to get a high school diploma this year!”

“Olivier, wha-ugh!”

After Olivier’s carefree voice, there was a loud sound and the man was thrown out of my field of vision.

“Hey Olivier, what a coincidence to see you here! Were you whispering something to Rebecca?”

“Hahaha, sorry! I just wanted to give her a little warning about the Siscon.”

I looked up and my eyes met those of my brother who had turned around. I muttered unconsciously.

“Nii-sama…”

“I’m sorry Rebecca, I came to see you too late!”

Before I could even say no to that word, Nii-sama continued on quickly.

“In April, I was planning to go see you, but when I saw you by chance, you had become too beautiful, so I lost my timing to speak up and was surprised.”

“…Nii-sama.”

“So it’s my fault!”

“… “

Saying that, he smiled like the sun, without hesitation. I looked at him silently.

His voice became low. He grew taller. Even his shoulders were much wider than before. There are countless changes.

I loved Nii-sama until I was 10 years old. This past year, I thought of Nii-sama from before and now as if they were two different people. I couldn’t believe in Nii-sama since the first time I read the strategy book. Now I finally understand what I was thinking.

I thought Nii-sama had betrayed me.

Both Oswald and Lancelot condemned Villainess Rebecca as a traitor, but at that time I didn’t know them yet, so the shock was less. The reason I only avoided Nii-sama was because I loved Nii-sama so much.

Even though Nii-sama’s true self hasn’t changed at all.

The way he speaks louder than others, the way he talks with such gusto. But even before, my Nii-sama had sweet spots that were just for me.

That’s right, Nii-sama had always praised me, calling me cute, smart, a good child, and then cute again.

And now, he’s trying to spoil me again.

“I was planning to go see you.” That’s a lie. Nii-sama is smart. He must have noticed that I was avoiding him and had been avoiding me to make it easier for me.

Suddenly, my vision was blurry.

What have I done to Nii-sama?

“…Nii-sama, I’m sorry…”

“Rebecca, what are you apologizing for! You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“But…”

“But, that’s true. Because of me, there has been a little bit of distance between us! But it’s okay. We have all the time in the world. We can start over as many times as we want. Because we’re family! I love you, my little sister, from the bottom of my heart. Let’s slowly fill in the time we’ve missed together. If you’re okay with that.”

“Yes, yes.”

I answered while trying not to cry, and I was suddenly embraced tightly and moved in front of my older brother.

This position reminded me of when I used to sit on my older brother’s lap. Was I still being treated like a 10-year-old child? I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Well, good! Leave the rest to me and take a break.”

“Yes. Nii-sama, thank you for coming to help me.”

“Ah!”

[Your mother, father, brother, everyone loves you]. The words of my mother came to mind. It was true. I was loved. Mother, I’m sorry for not being able to believe it.

I closed my eyes and leaned on my brother, feeling like a child. Even in this situation, I was comfortable and felt sleepy. Am I really that naive?

“That’s right, I haven’t asked yet! Who is the person who gave you these orders?”

“Ow,ow,ow,ow!”

My body shook. My brother, who was still holding me, seemed to have twisted one of the enemy soldiers.

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you, let go of me, it hurts!”

I opened my eyes slightly, feeling numb. “Noble.” I heard and thought it was probably someone from the powerful nobility, like Slutarch or someone who thought I was a nuisance. But I was interested in who would do this to me.

But then.

When I heard that man’s words, my consciousness would suddenly wake up.

“It’s the Prime Minister! We were all given special orders by the Prime Minister!”

…What.

Thud.

My heart made a terrible noise.

My brother was looking at me as I suddenly stood up. I jumped off the horse by myself and approached that enemy soldier.

I don’t know why they believed it, but it’s obvious. The Prime Minister wouldn’t give such an order.”

“The Prime Minister?”

But if that’s the case.

Because, the [Prime Minister].

“…Who said that the order came from the Prime Minister?”

[Him].

“Eh? It’s,”

Dokun.

“It’s his son, Lancelot Charity.”

When the man spoke, one of the enemy soldiers raised his arm, pointed to the sky and made a hollow sound.

The [familiar name] I couldn’t remember earlier was him, I realized in confusion.

“…Lancelot?”

The man who was still pointing to the sky, facing this way. The smile on his face doesn’t seem fresh at all. I suddenly missed the freshness he had only yesterday.

And then I immediately noticed something abnormal. Magic disappeared from my body. No, it’s more accurate to say I can’t feel it anymore, I can’t use magic. I also feel a slight breathlessness.

“Hello Miss Rebecca, I’ve just targeted everyone here for [magic jacking] (魔力ジャック?), not just those who are communicating with the faculty. In addition to not being able to use magic, people with a lot of magical energy should be quite uncomfortable.”

When I looked at Nii-sama, Nii-sama was holding his chest and breathing heavily. Olivier was also suffering, but not as much as Nii-sama. Kyaran was sitting down and breathing heavily, and it looked like they were about to collapse.

Many of the enemy soldiers had calm faces. Due to the three strong ones causing chaos, there were only about 50 people left standing, but the situation had still turned around.

What is this? Lancelot was good at magic, but was it really possible for him to do this?

But if this is possible,

“…Did you do something to Cectiara-sama?”

“Yeah…yes, I just made her disappear and made her faint by getting close to her. We did a sudden attack with a large group while Miss Rebecca was hiding in the mountains. The other soldiers are probably still running.”

“…Disappear, and make her faint?”

“It’s my magic. It’s pretty difficult.”

“…Where is Christina?”

“She’s in [the sealed box]. I have it. The box was originally mine.”

“…What about Oswald Ceden?”

“He was strong. It took a long time to make him faint. Right now, he’s sleeping with the Phantom Beast, but he’s safe.”

“…What is the purpose of doing this?”

The more I ask, the more scared I am of the answer coming back to me.

But since I asked, I decided to ask the core question,

“It’s because I like you.”

I was answered with a nonchalant attitude.

“…I’ll ask just in case, but what do you mean?”

“Haha, it doesn’t seem like you want to know. But I’ll still tell you.”

And something strange has been happening since earlier.

Lancelot, why are you so happy now?

“I fell in love with you the day I met you (in spring).”

Lancelot’s long story of one year began.