"Your stomach might be growling, so I brought some snacks."
Celine carefully opened the door and came in.
In both hands, she carried a silver tray with cookies and teacups.
"You could just have the servants do it. Why you?"
"A-ah, yes. Everyone said they were busy."
The servants' job is this, so what are they busy with? She really can't lie.
Celine subtly avoided my gaze.
With the duel and the broken engagement, her worries must be considerable.
Her heart, at least, was admirable.
"Good. I was just getting hungry."
Color returned to Celine's tense face.
Tap, tap, tap—
Celine came over in quick steps, set out the snacks, and sat across from me.
The atmosphere changed from the moment Celine entered. How should I put it, it became a little brighter.
Maybe it was my imagination, but even the texture of the air felt different.
This is why you need at least one younger sister at home.
Glance, glance—
Celine stole looks at me as she picked up a cookie.
She looked at me quietly, then carefully held out the cookie.
"Please eat first, Brother."
"It's fine. Just watching you eat is enough. Anyway, you came to talk about Azelin, right?"
Flinch—
A reaction that said she'd hit the mark.
Her inner thoughts were transparent, far too transparent.
"I don't know if I should say this... but from what I saw, she didn't seem like a good woman."
Even in the past, Celine had brought up Azelin very occasionally.
It wasn't outright insulting. It was roughly that she didn't appreciate Brother's sincerity.
But after she got scolded and even hit by me, she never brought it up again.
I wanted to beat up my past self. Why did I do that, really?
"That woman only knows how to use you, Brother..."
Celine trailed off in a shrinking voice.
'What gives you the right to insult my woman?'
There was anxiety that she might get an earful.
"As a fiancée, she was a total zero."
Celine's rabbit-like eyes went wide.
I deliberately tilted my head slightly.
"Weren't you scared back then?"
"Of what?"
"When I beat Azelin. It must've been the first time you'd seen someone get beaten that badly, right?"
"I was a little surprised. I never thought Brother would go that far with Azelin."
"You weren't scared?"
“...Honestly? It was satisfying to watch.”
That was unexpected.
I'd smashed a Young Lady's face in front of a tender-hearted kid.
I'd thought it would be a relief if she didn't end up traumatized.
"I don't particularly like Azelin. I just hate her. She's only ever used you, Brother."
"Your eye for people is good."
"Uh, um. And I thought you did that because of me. You stepped in for my sake, so I didn't need to be scared."
"Who knows."
"Huh. It wasn't?"
She was half right.
I'd wanted to give her a lesson anyway, and in the end Celine acted as the trigger.
I sipped my tea and feigned ignorance.
Celine also silently fiddled with her teacup. The corners of her mouth were faintly raised.
"I thought you liked Azelin more than me. No, I thought you hated me."
"That was true in the past. I won't deny it."
Even before I became aware of my past life, I regarded Celine as a nuisance.
A frustrating, slow-witted younger sister. A bastard child who was a stain on Kardenos.
From some point on, the scent of the tea leaves tasted bitter.
"I'm sorry for all this time."
Even when I left the house, I didn't give Celine a single apology. I left without even looking at her.
There was no particular reason. I was certain I wouldn't be forgiven.
It was a cowardly evasion.
I didn't have the confidence to face Celine's resentment, asking why I was apologizing now.
I even fooled myself into thinking I had no room to care about family.
Under the cause of saving the world, family only made my heart weak.
I made the excuse that even if Celine forgave me, my heart would soften.
"Brother."
Before I could say anything, I felt a soft touch on my hand.
Celine's small hand was laid over mine.
"I know everything."
"...."
She didn't say anything more. Neither Celine nor I.
I just found her admirable.
I quietly placed my hand on her head.
Celine flinched and mumbled softly with her head lowered.
Wasn't she a blockhead? So she wasn't?
I wondered what that sudden remark meant, and whether I'd heard it right.
"Oh right, I have something to give you, Brother."
Celine got up and went outside the door.
She seemed to have hidden something behind the door.
What she brought in was a nicely wrapped gift box.
"A birthday present?"
"I was going to give it to you on your birthday, but you wouldn't accept it..."
It wasn't a Mental Demon?
It almost came out as a shout.
Celine shyly held out the gift with both hands.
I took it without thinking and opened the wrapping while feeling her burdensome gaze.
"...A charm?"
"Yes! It has dried lilacs and a heart-shaped ruby inside. They say happiness comes to you if you keep it."
No wonder it looked like a lucky pouch.
"I asked around the Ether Market starting last year and placed a reservation order. It was reeeally hard to get."
"The Ether Market? Then it's almost 2 million shillings, isn't it?"
Two million shillings was half a year's salary for an imperial official.
Two million shillings for a single charm? It was possible to say that, but at the Ether Market, each item went for whatever price they asked.
"Don't tell me you spent all your allowance?"
"...Not all of it. About half."
Why burn half your entire fortune on one gift? I was about to scold her but stopped.
It was a gift she'd gone to trouble to give, so I should accept it gratefully.
A gift should consider not only the receiver's feelings but the giver's feelings too.
"Thank you. I'll treasure it."
"Um, there's more underneath."
Underneath?
When I lifted the charm, something like a thread bundle was covering the bottom.
"I made it starting yesterday to give to you, Brother. My skills are sorely lacking, so it's embarrassing..."
A circular Sword Tassel woven from neatly braided pale gold thread.
It was a decorative knot knights hung at the end of their sword hilts to honor good fortune and family pride.
Unlike the charm, Celine kept glancing at me nervously.
There was no need for her to say it was a handmade gift.
A sword happened to be standing by the head of the bed.
In front of Celine, I firmly tied the Sword Tassel to the end of the sword hilt.
Whoosh!
When I lightly swung the sword, the pale gold knot swayed.
"You made it well. I'll keep carrying it."
"There's one more. The real last one."
Celine rummaged through her skirt pocket.
Then, with wriggling fingertips, she took out the last gift and held it out.
It was a palm-sized handkerchief. A handkerchief embroidered crookedly with black thread.
She seemed to have tried to embroider the Black Lion, the symbol of Kardenos.
No matter how I looked at it, it was closer to a cat with bristling fur or a flattened steamed bun than a lion.
"Pfft."
"Aaah! I knew you'd laugh! I shouldn't have shown you!"
"Who said I laughed? It's cute."
Looking closely, there were spots on the edge of the handkerchief where drops of blood had spread.
I could clearly picture her clumsily sewing while pricking her fingers.
A corner of my chest grew warm.
"I feel like I bought the charm for nothing."
"I-is it not good?"
"No. These two are much better."
Celine's mouth corners twitched and danced.
Every time I see her, she can't hide her expression for a second.
"Come to think of it, your birthday isn't far off either."
"Huh. You remember my birthday?"
"It's 15 days away. If there's a gift you want, tell me in advance. I'll give you anything."
To my past self, Celine's birthday was no different from a day that didn't exist.
With thoughts like, why bother celebrating a bastard child's birthday?
Far from giving Celine a decent gift, I only gave her scoldings.
Celine opened her eyes wide and parted her lips slightly.
"I want to receive a letter from you, Brother."
"A letter?"
"Yes, a letter. I've been jealous of Azelin for a long time. Because she received letters full of sincerity."
What's so special about a single letter?
"I'll write you letters until you're sick of them. On top of that, I'll add hard-to-find Magic Tomes and Artifacts. I received three gifts, so I should do at least this much."
"Magic Tomes and Artifacts? Why does that come up?"
She looked like she thought she'd said it casually.
Her rabbit-like eyes, however, were wandering with nowhere to go.
It was no wonder.
Magic items were things that would never be permitted to Kardenos.
Kardenos was a deep-rooted family of swordsmanship.
Anyone of the family's blood was expected to walk the path of the sword.
There was an unwritten rule that magic, standing at the opposite pole from swordsmanship, was taboo.
"You can be honest in front of me. You like magic more than the sword, don't you?"
"M-me?!"
"Your brother knows everything. Especially when it comes to you, I know best."
"I really don't like it... I'm not interested either. I'm just like you and our sister, only the sword."
Celine was already a bastard child with a narrow place in the family.
It was obvious that pressure would hit her even harder.
And above all, she must have feared her ugly brother's scolding.
"Don't mind what others think and do what you like. Touching books is better than being forced to hold a sword hilt, isn't it?"
"...."
"I'll take responsibility and let you live doing everything you want. I'll speak to Father properly too, so don't worry. I've only made your life hard until now, but I should act like an older brother at least now."
The life of the first playthrough in the past.
This small, frail child was fated to become a monster.
After I killed Celine with my own hands, the infamy attached to her was 'Witch of Kardenos.'
Luna had a habit of cleverly digging into the host's suppressed desires and deficiencies.
To such a Luna, Celine was a host rich in potential.
Celine not only drifted on the outskirts of the family but was rotting inside.
Her suppressed magical talent and extreme stress were enough to become the root of a disaster.
-Ah, Brother....
A bastard child who was never loved by her family her whole life.
Perhaps Celine's deficiency was not only in magic.
"I'm saying this out of concern, but never think about opening your Mana Circuit. I'll let you learn magic with peace of mind. It won't take long, not long at all."
Celine looked at me and dropped her head. She hid her feelings, however clumsily.
Her two hands, placed demurely on her knees, were trembling finely.
"You're right, Brother. I've always wanted to learn magic, but how could I? I'm a Kardenos too..."
"You don't need to worry. From now on, live doing everything you want. I'll make it so."
Celine's eyes grew watery.
I was the one who'd just received gifts, but Celine seemed to be the one moved.
"...Then, I."
Celine parted her lips with difficulty.
"Could I enter the Academy? I want to study in the magic department."
"No!"
I was surprised even as I said it.
It was only after seeing Celine's widened eyes that I calmed down a little.
"Anyway, the Academy is a no. Absolutely not."
"W-why?"
"If you go there, you'll only do romance; that place should be closed down. I'll send you to the Magic Tower instead. If learning magic is the goal, the Magic Tower is much better."
No matter how much she cried, begged, or pleaded, I had no intention of sending her to the Academy.
Absolutely not even if dirt were put in my eyes.
***
"Sob, sob... Daddy..."
The head of household's office of the Rosenthal family in the southern Empire.
Only a woman's mournful weeping flowed out.
What kind of woman was Azelin? She was the precious jewel of Rosenthal, who dominated the Empire's social circles.
Her tears could never be an ordinary matter.
"Kardenos, those bastards dare...!"
Victor Rosenthal, the Head of Household of Rosenthal, ground his teeth.
His daughter's cheeks, once like white jade, were bruised blue-black and swollen. Her fine features were covered in scratches.
Victor was aware that the cause of the broken engagement lay with Azelin.
She had brought in an outside man and even gone to a duel, so there was no room for excuse.
But Kardenos's retaliation had gone far beyond the line.
Astin. That bastard had kicked his daughter's stomach and trampled her face several times.
This was a clear provocation and insult to the family.
"Kardenos has no fear of anything. They don't even know to fear heaven!"
They were in a position to rival Rosenthal, but that didn't matter.
Rosenthal, the ruler of the South.
Except for the imperial family, there was nowhere in the Empire that Rosenthal's claws could not reach.
"How should I tear these fearless wildcats apart..."
Bang—!
At that moment, the mahogany door of the office was thrown open roughly.
Three men rushed in frantically.
"Azelin!"
"My sister! Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Out of the way! Azelin! Your older brothers are here!"
Azelin's three older brothers. They were the eldest and third sons, born a year apart.
"O-oh, brothers! Waaah!"
Azelin began to wail sorrowfully.
As soon as the three brothers confirmed their younger sister's face, they could not hide their shock.
"What happened to our youngest's face?!"
"It's Astin! That bastard did this to Azelin's face! Isn't that right, Father?!"
"I-I was wrong, sob, it's true... but how could he trample a lady's face? What if I can't go out into society anymore? How, how am I supposed to live...!"
The faces of the three brothers burned with murderous intent.
"That bastard Astin dares!"
"It was already irritating that her fiancé was that kind of trash. He doesn't even know his place, daring to lay a hand on Azelin!"
"Father. We must march on Kardenos at once and tear that bastard limb from limb. This is a grave matter involving the family's honor!"
The three brothers wanted to retaliate with force immediately.
If it were up to Victor's feelings, he wanted to mobilize the entire Gryphon Magic Corps and wage an all-out war.
But the two pillars of the Empire waging all-out war was something that must not happen.
The imperial family would not stand by idly, and even if they did, it was realistically impossible.
"Calm down, you fools. Do you think I want to leave those brats alone?"
At the Head of Household's roar, the three brothers snorted and swallowed their anger.
Victor was piecing together a framework in his mind.
There were many chances to crush those bastards without shedding blood.
"Kardenos are beasts who know only how to swing swords. When hunting beasts, there's no need to face them head-on. Just slowly tighten the leash from all sides and drain them dry."
The South's retaliation would rust the tip of the Black Lion's blade.
"Ernan. Send word to the major merchant groups in the South by today. Have them completely block all distribution routes to Kardenos territory. Warn them that any merchant group trading even a single coin will be cut out of the southern market forever under the Rosenthal name. We'll have to accept losses on our side too, but we hold 70 percent of the southern trade. Don't forget that we hold the knife."
"Yes!"
"Albert, when you attend social gatherings, spread the scandal. Say that Kardenos's scoundrel cruelly smashed in the face of a delicate Young Lady. Make them see him as a savage worse than a beast. So that he can be thoroughly isolated in noble society."
"I will keep that in mind, Father."
This alone was not enough.
He could also scrape together large assassination guilds from the back alleys and mercenary bands that did anything for money.
If he used them to attack and plunder Kardenos's outer territories, magic stone mines, and merchant groups day and night.
Furthermore, if he kidnapped Kardenos's lower-ranking knights and administrators and made threats.
Victor shook his head.
If he pushed such shadow retaliation, it was highly likely to go beyond revenge and become a preliminary battle.
Economic and political retaliation would be overlooked by the imperial family.
If force was mixed in, then even the imperial family would impose sanctions.
'No. There was that option.'
There was one opportunity to retaliate with force legally.
"When was this year's Magic-Military Exchange with Kardenos?"
"....! In half a year!"
The Magic-Military Exchange was an exchange between magic and martial arts.
The two houses were the dignity of the Empire's swordsmanship and magic.
Because of that, they had held friendly sparring matches every year to improve each other's skills and exchange knowledge.
It was definitely a 'friendly match.' In the past, at least.
"We'll punish them thoroughly then. Under the pretext of a sparring match, we can break their arms and legs and they won't be able to say a thing."
Kardenos must have had the same thought.
Victor looked at the three brothers and twisted the corners of his mouth upward.
Rosenthal's sons were elite mages with high reputations even within the Empire.
On the other hand, what about Kardenos?
The bloodline of the current generation of Kardenos was thin.
A scoundrel who did nothing but indulge in pleasure instead of swordsmanship. A bastard girl whose presence was barely noticeable.
There was at least the eldest daughter roughing it on the northern front, but she was alone.
'That scoundrel Astin may have beaten a knight of the Three Paths.'
It wouldn't work at all against the three brothers who had reached 5th rank.
Julian was certainly a promising talent.
But a 'young' promising talent.
"It doesn't matter even if Kardenos's eldest daughter returns. With the three of you, you can ravage Kardenos's wildcats. Especially that scoundrel. That one must be half-killed so he can't walk out on his own feet."
"Of course, Father."
"They must realize their disadvantage too. If they run away, that would be a good thing in its own way."
The Black Lion of Kardenos tucks its tail and runs? That would only bring disgrace.
The conflict between the two houses spread as fast as wind, and the nobles turned their attention to the confrontation.
It was only natural that attention would focus on the upcoming Magic-Military Exchange.
Even if Kardenos made all sorts of excuses, the nobles knew.
The Black Lion had gotten scared in advance.
Kardenos was no match for Rosenthal after all.
As expected, Young Master Astin was a coward who wouldn't even show his face.
"Don't let your guard down. The Kardenos I know will surely be sharpening their blades. For that day, focus only on training."
"I will keep that in mind, Father."
"When my turn comes, I'll tear that scoundrel's face apart."
"We should make him a total cripple. Even then, I'm not sure I'll be satisfied."
"Sob, sob...."
Azelin still covered her face and poured out tears.
She acted the part of a wounded woman, but her true feelings were completely different.
'Astin, I will never forgive you. I'll repay this humiliation a hundredfold, a thousandfold. I'll tie you to your little sister and make you crawl like a dog for the rest of your life...!'
She was not just Azelin.
She was Rosenthal.
Azelin's venomous eyes were hidden by her hands.