Chapter 288: Rinella's Destiny is Her Own (81)

Celine sprang up as soon as she heard Arthur's words, overwhelmed with emotion.

"You've really gone too far, old man!"

Celine was already at her mental limit.

Unable to control her anger, she grabbed him by the collar, causing the drawing room to descend into chaos as people stood up to intervene.

Shouts and cries created a dismal harmony.

Beyond the commotion, Ria just trembled while shaking her head.

"N-No... H-How much I love my Oppa... I love him so much, to the point it's hard to bear... S-So how could I..."

As she stared down at her trembling hands,

"I..."

Her blood stained pale hands were reflected in her eyes.

It was the blood of her beloved brother.

"I-I-I..."

Ria shook her head desperately as if trying to deny it, dragging herself backwards. She struggled to get away, but she was already in a corner.

There was nowhere to escape.

The blood-stained handprints left on the floor testified to her crime.

Unable to bear looking at them, Ria closed her eyes and collapsed.

A pitiful, trembling voice escaped her lips.

"...No."

The sounds around her grew muffled as Ria found herself left alone in the darkness.

Only the sound of sobbing remained in the empty space.

"No, no, no..."

The girl struggled for a long time in that place.

"Noooooooo!"

With a scream, she opened her eyes, gasping for breath.

She was in a dark and damp place.

She hugged her still-trembling body with her arms.

Her teeth chattered, producing sharp clattering noises.

Her body was drenched in cold sweat, and tears welled up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks.

She cried.

"N-No... I-I didn't mean to. Hic, heuk... I'm sorry, I'm sorry Oppa. I-I..."

Everything she knew was denied.

Ria was not a 'Percus.'

No, now she couldn't even be sure if she was human anymore.

She stabbed the brother she deeply loved with her own hands.

What kind of human could do such a thing?

So, Ria, with her broken state of mind, pondered.

The more she thought, the clearer the conclusion became.

The words shouted by the imperial administrator, pointing a finger at her.

"...It seems I really am a monster."

Ria was actually missing.

She had been hiding in an unknown place for several days already.

Ria, with her already emaciated body, began to retch.

She hated herself for feeling hungry, despite being a monster.

The girl was slowly starving herself to death.

**

Upon hearing the news of Ria's disappearance, I immediately prepared to leave.

Naturally, there was strong opposition.

"Ian, you can't! Your body isn't fully recovered yet! As you can see, after a long coma, most of your muscles have atrophied...Kyaaaaa!"

As the Saintess's words dragged on, I silently took a potion from my pocket and gulped it down.

It was a strength-enhancing potion given to me by Emma.

Even using mana, it was difficult to stand, but with the potion's effect, I could at least move.

Of course, the Saintess looked like her world was crumbling.

"Y-You're insane! Insane, insane, insane... A-After all that strain, now you're taking more potions...!"

"If you keep trying to stop me, I'll drink another bottle."

At that, she stomped her feet but couldn't stop me anymore.

She just glared at me resentfully with teary eyes.

"...So, my feelings don't matter to you at all, right?"

The words she spat out were laced with a mixture of anger and shame.

The intensity of the emotions in her light pink eyes was palpable.

She looked as if she might start crying at any moment.

I just stared at her silently.

"E-E-Every single time... I'm the only one worrying, feeling anxious, feeling lonely... a-and yet you never care! Do you think I'm that easy?! E-Even though it may not seem like it, I have men lining up for me, you know..."

"Saintess."

She flinched at the seriousness in my tone.

And when I took a step forward, her body involuntarily trembled.

Looking at her quivering pink eyes, I remembered what Leto once told me.

He had told me that there was a way to appease a woman whenever she is angry.

Having found what to answer, I softly spoke.

"...You're beautiful."

The Saintess's breath caught.

Her lips opened and closed.

After a moment of repeating this motion, she finally took a deep breath and spoke.

"W-W-What did you say?"

"I said you look beautiful. Maybe it's because I haven't seen you in a while."

Her demeanour instantly changed.

Her light pink eyes, once brimming with tears, now avoided my gaze as she blushed, looking flustered.

She absentmindedly twirled a strand of her hair with her index finger.

"...R-Really? W-Well, I-I suppose that's only natural."

"Yes, you're really beautiful."

The Saintess, who had been trying to appear calm, began to falter again.

She kept sneaking glances at me, watching my reaction, then fidgeted with her fingers and asked.

"I-I've been stressed out lately, so I might be looking a bit worn out..."

"But you're still beautiful. Just like always."

With my successive compliments, her expression noticeably brightened.

She tried to maintain a nonchalant demeanour but couldn't hide the smile tugging at her lips.

Feigning a haughty tone, she spoke again.

Lifting her head once more, she crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, looking quite pleased with herself.

"W-Well, it seems like there's nothing wrong with your eyesight? After all, when it comes to beauty, at the academy, I never..."

"Well then, I'll be off."

Leaving the now smug Saintess behind, I jumped out the window.

As going to the first floor would likely mean running into Senior Elsie, who always sought an opportunity to latch onto me.

Or perhaps Seria, who always followed me closely, or even Celine, who would make a big deal out of anything I tried to do.

Thus, enduring a bit of the impact was a better option.

The Saintess realized my bold escape a moment too late.

"I-Ian! Where do you think you're... Kyaaaaah! I-I told you that you absolutely need to rest...!"

She screamed again as soon as she saw me falling.

Thud. The impact reverberated through my body, making my bones ache.

If my body were in normal condition, it wouldn't have hurt, but now, even with the use of mana, falling from just the second floor left me in this state.

Kugh, I let out a light groan but quickly got up.

I waved at the Saintess to signal that I was fine.

Though she seemed about to cry, she ultimately allowed me to leave.

The threat to drink another potion seemed to have worked.

She claimed she wasn't an easy woman, but she certainly seemed like one from my perspective.

Which made her all the more endearing.

I dragged my sore body and immediately started walking. If anyone came after hearing her scream, it would be troublesome.

They would try to stop me, most likely.

As I crossed the backyard and made my way toward the back mountain, I sensed a presence following me.

It was a familiar one.

I abruptly stopped, and a name escaped my lips.

"...Senior Neris."

"Yes, Master Ian."

A shadow descended, revealing the figure of a woman.

She was a beauty with brown hair and dark green eyes.

Senior Neris, an agent of the Imperial Intelligence Department.

She deeply bowed her head, as if she didn't dare to meet my gaze.

It was a posture of complete submission.

As I watched her for a moment I suddenly recalled something.

I had something to tell her.

The Sword Duke of the Empire was said to be affiliated with the Imperial Intelligence Department.

So it was clear who had brought the Sword Duke here.

"I owe you for last time."

Senior Neris was silent for a moment.

She merely lifted her head to blankly stare at me, and only after our eyes met did she become startled and quickly bow her head.

"N-No! I was merely following your orders..."

"Still, thank you."

With a wry smile, I added,

"...For doubtlessly trusting me ."

She blushed at the continued praise and averted her gaze.

It seemed even she could feel embarrassed.

Though it was a natural reaction, considering she was human.

With that, I gave Senior Neris a brief look and was about to continue on my way when she suddenly spoke.

"Are you looking for your little sister?"

Her unexpected question made me glance at her.

She bowed her head even deeper.

"Just in case, I already tracked her whereabouts in advance. If you'd like, I can guide you right away..."

"It's alright."

I smiled gratefully and resumed walking.

"...I have a good idea where she might be."

As her older brother, for me to know her whereabouts was only natural.

Soon, I began ascending the back mountain.

Perhaps due to my body not being fully recovered, my breath was already laboured.

At this rate, I couldn't boast about being an Expert anywhere.

Any student from the Academy's Knight Division should be able to run up mountains steeper and rougher than this without breaking a sweat.

I could almost hear Professor Derek's booming reprimands echoing in my ears already.

'Resolve, resolve!'

The words that once seemed so dreadful the first time I heard them now seem to make a bit more sense.

Yes, resolve.

I dragged my already heavy legs up the mountain.

Past the middle, on the path leading to the peak.

Around that point, I veered off to the side of the hiking trail.

And after walking for a while, I arrived at a secret spot only known to the local kids.

A field full of blooming sepia flowers.

In the middle of it, there was an unexpected pit dug out.

A wry laugh escaped my lips.

As expected, the place she chose and her actions were predictable.

I estimated the depth of the pit.

It was deeper than I had expected.

It meant Ria was more distressed than I had thought. Seeing that the pit led to a cave, it was clear that she was deeply hurt.

So, I jumped down into the pit.

Then, I cleared away the dry leaves blocking the entrance of the tunnel and peered inside.

There, I found a girl huddled and trembling.

At that moment, she didn't look much different from a wild animal.

Momentarily blinded by the pouring sunlight, she squinted her eyes shut and then slowly opened them.

Golden eyes met golden eyes.

And then silence filled the space.

Ria was frozen in disbelief.

So, I had no choice but to greet her first.

"....Hello, Ria."

To my little sister, who had become thinner but was still just as lovely.

"Have you eaten?"

I repeated the question I asked her many times before.

Ria's eyes slowly began to redden.

It was a reunion between siblings in the middle of the summer.