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Chapter 264: Rinella’s Destiny is Her Own (57)

I drifted aimlessly through unfamiliar memories.

First, the humid tropical air caressed my skin.

A pungent scent emanated from the reddish soil. With each step I took, the sound of the rustling leaves filled my ears.

The blazing sunlight overhead indicated it was noon.

As I pushed through the golden curtains of light, I was walking alongside a small girl.

At first, it was a journey with no path at all. But as time went on, more and more signs of civilization began to appear.

I couldn\'t remember how long it had been since I last walked on such a well-paved road.

I was simply thrilled to leave the wilderness and return to the embrace of civilization.

Even if it was only a brief reunion.

After all, once my Master\'s errand was done, I had to return to the Great Forest.

The time given was three or four days at most, yet I was looking forward to immersing myself in the scent of the city after so long.

Especially since I had a special companion on this trip.

The tip of her pointed hat swayed, followed along by her humming tune.

She was a girl with striking blue eyes and brown hair.

Her small frame and adorable features made her look like a doll. At a glance, she seemed to be in her mid to late teens.

It was hard to believe she was older than me.

As I scrutinised her closely, the girl tilted her head and asked,

“...What?”

"Nothing, you just seem particularly happy today."

At my obvious question, the girl chuckled dismissively as if she found it rather bland.

Her demeanour showed not a hint of respect for her Senior. Technically, I was her Senior Brother, and she was supposed to be my Junior Sister.

Yet, her unrestrained demeanour was part of her charm.

She met my gaze with a gentle smile.

Her eyes were filled with affection.

"If you think about it, isn\'t this our first date, Junior ?"

It was a genuine, heartfelt statement.

I had to look away and clear my throat, feeling my face heating up. She used to feign ignorance until recently, but not anymore.

It seemed she decided that this straightforward approach was more effective.

For me, it was awkward.

Setting aside my own feelings, I was still an apprentice, yet to gain independence under my Master’s tutelage.

In contrast, Junior Sister already made a name for herself as an Archmage. Moreover, she was from a high-ranking noble family of the empire, so her family\'s status and authority was considerable.

Compared to her, I had too many shortcomings.

If we were to be lifelong partners, establishing an equal relationship was for the best.If my Master or my Junior Sister heard this, they might laugh at my petty pride. Despite that, I couldn\'t let go of my stubbornness.

She had already lost someone precious once.

At the very least, I wanted to become strong enough to reassure her.

To do that, I would need to solve the puzzle of \'Shackle and Liberation\' in the manifestation of aura.

Trying to hide my worries, I asked her again,

“...But you do seem especially happy today.”

Hmm, she made a peculiar sound as the corners of her eyes curved.

"I heard you met His Majesty yesterday?"

“Yes, well… Considering that Master sent me on an errand right after, it seems there might be something going on.”

At this, Junior Sister grinned widely and slapped me on the back with a sharp \'whack.\'.

As my back straightened from the impact, she burst into giggles.

"I heard from the Master, you idiot! His Majesty the Emperor took a liking to you!"

“...That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

Literally hearing it for the first time, I could only give a blank response.

Even so, Junior Sister was so excited that she happily skipped along, her inner joy reflected by the smile on her face.

I finally understood why she was in such a good mood.

She was excited by the possibility that I might have caught the Emperor’s eye. Because if that were the case, my path to success would be assured.

To make such a fuss when nothing was certain yet.

Junior Sister had extreme emotional changes, especially when it came to me.

A sigh escaped my lips.

"But what if, just what if, His Majesty decides to place great importance on you?"

"What would make him trust someone he met just yesterday...?"

"I-It could happen! Look, just look! How kind your eyes appear!”

With that, the Junior Sister abruptly brought her face close to mine.

My golden pupils were reflected in her clear eyes.

They didn’t look particularly kind.

My skeptical gaze met hers, but her optimism remained unshaken.

In fact, she clasped her hands together with a dreamy expression.

“All the power in the empire comes from the Emperor, right? So, if you catch his eye, your future will be bright!”

It was an overly optimistic outlook.

So, I was about to have a few more words with Junior Sister but then stopped myself.

The reason was simple; her dreamy, girlish expression was just too adorable.

She was infuriatingly pretty.

In the end, I could only give a wry smile and ask her,

"Does it make you that happy?"

"Of course!"

She replied without a moment\'s hesitation.

She gave me a flirtatious smile and nudged my side with her elbow.

"...Of course, I\'d be happy if my future husband does well."

The closing distance between us left me speechless.

It was always like this.

She would come closer, and I would push her away.

Then, when my Junior Sister would start to grumble, it was like a routine for me to soothe her.

But suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

Despite her frequent displays of affection, I realised I had never really reciprocated.

Junior Sister wasn\'t unaware of the self-loathing or helplessness that I harboured.

Perhaps that’s why she so one-sidedly clung to me.

Wanting me to regain some confidence, fearing that if even that slight advantage disappeared, I might leave her first.

It wasn\'t fair.

Thus, I decided to follow the voice of my conscience.

"...Junior Sister."

"Huh? What\'s wrong, husband... A-And stop calling me \'Junior Sister\'!"

As always, she bantered playfully but quickly got angry.

The term "Junior Sister" often served as a reminder of the nature of our relationship.

Though it suggested a deeper connection, fundamentally, it meant we were just Senior and Junior martial siblings.

It was a comfortable distance.

So, I deliberately twisted that title.

"Then, wife?"

"Yes, that\'s better! Wife, wif... what?”

Her triumphant tone faltered mid-sentence.

Her gaping mouth revealed just how flustered she was.

It was a rare sight to see her like this.

I chuckled.

"If there’s a husband, there has to be a wife too, right?"

"Th-Th-That\'s! That’s true, but..."

For once, she was blushing and trailing off her words.

She belatedly pulled her pointed hat down, but it was already too late.

She couldn’t completely hide her face, which was red up to her ears.

With the roles reversed for the first time in a while, I continued in a teasing tone.

"Why are you so flustered? Weren’t you the one who called me your husband first?"

"...Hey, hey! That’s because..."

She raised her voice, trying to come up with an excuse.

But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with a suitable one.

I was only giving back what I received.

In the end, she had to trail off again.

"I-I was just joking..."

She furtively glanced at me, worried that I might actually take her words as just a joke.

Because if I did, all her efforts so far would have gone to waste.

If I took everything she said as a joke from now on, there’d be no way out.

At this point, I thought it might be fun to play dumb for a bit.

As expected of someone from a high-ranking noble family, Junior Sister had quite a bit of pride.

Unable to take back her hastily spoken words, the sight of her agonising over it for a while was already vivid in my mind.

Of course, I didn’t plan to actually go through with it.

Instead, I leaned in further, bending my upper body.

As the distance between Junior Sister and me closed, my mouth and her ear aligned.

It was around then that I whispered to her .

"...But I’m not joking, Junior Sister."

Junior Sister, on the defensive, was incredibly vulnerable, unlike when she was on the offensive.

Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut and, with her face burning red, exclaimed,

"Ah, seriously!"

The next moment, she grabbed my collar.

I instinctively tried to pull back, but it was useless.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me.

My first kiss in life surprisingly didn’t feel like anything.

There wasn’t even a smacking sound.

I didn’t feel ticklish or sweet.

Just a soft sensation came through, and her scent briefly brushed past my nose.

By then, Junior Sister’s eyes were spinning.

I just stood there, dumbfounded, staring at her.

"D-Don\'t mess with me! How dare you try to stand up to your Senior … A-And besides, you confessed first! Mine was just a joke!"

With those last words, she leaped back.

And then, making a flustered groan, she glanced at me before turning and running away.

Clutching the brim of her pointed hat.

Her face was so red that I could almost see steam rising from her forehead.

Pfft, I chuckled and shook my head.

"...But I\'m the Senior Brother here."

Reciting a fact that I would probably never be acknowledged for until I died, I walked after Junior Sister.

There was much to be done in the city.

The few days spent alone with Junior Sister were enjoyable.

Time seemed to fly by at a much faster pace.

I thought those happy days would continue.

Until the Great Forest caught fire.

And the flickering flames turned my view entirely red.

**

Gasping for breath, I opened my eyes.

My breath was ragged, nightmares drifting through my mind\'s blood vessels like shattered debris.

Memories of an unfamiliar man and the scenes I saw just before losing consciousness mingled together.

For a moment, I couldn’t tell who I was.

Was I the man in the Great Forest?

Or was I the man who pathetically collapsed after getting stabbed by his younger sister?

After panting for a while, I finally regained my senses.

As soon as I did, the first name I cried out was,

"…Ria!"

Despite a fierce pain in my abdomen, I frantically got up.

I had to go find Ria immediately.

Judging by the surroundings, I was lying in a bedroom.

This meant the group hadn’t left the mansion yet.

It also meant that not much time had passed since I lost consciousness.

If it had, I would have been carried along with the evacuation procession by now.

However, I soon had to stop walking.

Thukk, something was caught against my foot.

I looked down in puzzlement.

A woman with blue hair was there.

She was on her knees, with her head bowed to the ground.

I immediately recognized her and had to stifle a bitter laugh.

"...What are you doing on the floor, Dame Irene?"

The once proud and haughty female knight spoke in a trembling voice.

"T-Teacher…"

Her face was like that of a girl afraid of being punished.

It seemed Dame Irene had her own reasons.