Chapter 159: He’s Your Brother

In the southern forests of the Empire—

The carriage carrying White Wood Duke and us, along with the full return force of the World, was making its way through the woods.

White Wood Duke’s carriage was heavily enchanted with various magical treatments.
Thanks to that, travel through the forest was surprisingly smooth.

Inside that very carriage—

There were five people inside, excluding White Wood Duke, who was riding in a separate carriage.
And none of them were previously acquainted with each other.

The noble Saintess, Narea of Acrede.
The mad mage Vinesha, and the reincarnation of Aquiline, Musica.
Isabel, who awakened the Wings of the Goddess.
And the reincarnation of Zeryon, Xenia Niflheim.

The only connection they had was in their past lives.
However, both Musica and Isabel were naturally sociable by nature.

So I figured there wouldn’t be any major problems during the carriage ride.

Except for one thing—Musica was unusually quiet today.

She had been staring at me the entire time.
With a very subtle look, she scanned me from head to toe.

Isabel, unlike her usual self, was sitting demurely beside me.
She occasionally cast sideways glances toward Xenia, though I had no idea why.

As for Acrede, it went without saying.
She was the type who couldn’t speak to others well without Narea present.
So she was silently struggling to keep up her saintly act.

And finally, there was one girl who clearly couldn’t adapt to the atmosphere in the carriage.

Xenia Niflheim.

She was dressed in full combat gear provided by her family, sitting tense and stiff.
She kept her back straight and chin lifted the entire time.

She was, after all, the daughter of a count in the Empire.
But the company in this carriage was overwhelming.

A noble saintess.
The reincarnation of the former hero, Aquiline.
One who awakened the Wings of the Goddess.
And then there was me—currently acting as White Wood Duke’s attendant.

No matter how noble a count’s daughter might be, this wasn’t a place where she could carry herself proudly.

Of course, Xenia had the title of Zeryon’s reincarnation.
But without any of Zeryon’s memories, she was simply Xenia—not Zeryon.

For someone like her, with no memories or connections, this was like sitting on a bed of nails.

‘Especially since Count Niflheim must have given her a serious lecture.’

She was accompanying White Wood Duke.
No doubt she’d been warned multiple times not to be a burden in any way.

And to make matters worse, she was the youngest among us.
At this age, even a one-year difference can feel huge.

It must be a lot of pressure.

“Vi—Ka—No, Ryuji. Ryu.”

At that moment, Musica stumbled a bit as she tried to call my name, then finally spoke up.

“What is it, Musica?”
“Have we met somewhere before?”

We’ve met plenty of times, sure.
But it seemed Musica was talking about me in this form.

When she first saw me like this, she had a strange reaction.

「What’s with that look?」

As if she were asking, have we met like this before?
In other words, she was wondering if we had crossed paths while I was in this form.

I tilted my head.

“No, we haven’t.”

The only one I’ve ever shown this form to is Sharin.
No one else in this world knows what I look like like this.

At my answer, Musica tilted her head with a curious expression.

What’s with her?

“Why? You think you’ve seen me somewhere?”
“That’s just it—I don’t know. That’s why it’s so confusing. It feels like something’s in my memory, but it’s not. A weird feeling. It’s like… my soul is reacting. But the fact that I can’t pin it down is kind of irritating.”

Musica stared at me intensely.

I had no idea what was going on.
I gave her a look, urging her to do something about the awkward silence.

Normally, I’d leave it to Isabel to lighten the mood, but she was oddly reserved today.

If I were a girl, maybe I could steer the conversation, but in a group with only the opposite sex, that’s not easy.
So I had no choice but to rely on Musica.

She, at least, could probably break the ice here.

And finally, Musica accepted the unspoken request.

“Hey, you know…”

And just as Musica was about to speak—

Thud!

Acrede’s chest exploded.

Never in my life did I think I’d say that someone’s chest exploded.

Even through her clothes, the sheer weight of it was shocking.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Acrede.
She stood there, mouth slightly open, clearly not expecting this to happen.

It looked like the strap holding her chest in place had come undone.
If it were Narea, she would’ve secured it tightly, but since it was Acrede, this kind of slip-up made sense.

“Th-this is…”

Just as Acrede’s dignity as a saintess began to crumble and her face turned bright red—

“…Acrede, have you been hiding that this whole time?”

Musica jumped in first.

Acrede’s lips parted as if to respond.

But Musica didn’t stop—she went in full force.

“Why would you hide that?! That’s such a waste!”
“W-waste?”
“Yeah! You’ve got a weapon of mass destruction and you’re hiding it? That’s a crime!”

And just like that, Acrede’s chest was promoted to a national-level weapon.

“Hehe… I-I see…”

Acrede, ever the simple soul, took the comment as a compliment.
If being weak to praise was just who she was, then she was certainly being herself.

“If it were me, I’d just—bam—like, flaunt it everywhere!”

Musica was enthusiastically demonstrating something, but it was too painful to keep watching.
I really wished the former hero would stop showing off her knowledge.

‘That’s so Musica.’

Maybe it was because she retained Aquiline’s memories, but she didn’t treat Acrede differently just because she was a saintess.

And maybe because of that, Acrede quickly warmed up to Musica.
After all, people tend to open up to those who approach them without pretense.

“Don’t you think so too, Ryu?”

At that point, the flow of conversation came back to me.
A masterful way of keeping everyone involved.

“Yeah, Lady Acrede is amazing.”
“Hehehe…”

As expected, Acrede beamed like a fool at the praise, clearly flustered.

At that moment, Isabel suddenly elbowed me in the side—hard.
When I turned to look at her, she quickly looked away as if nothing had happened.

There was sweat forming on the back of Isabel’s neck.
Even she seemed unsure why she’d reacted that way.

As I stared at her in confusion, someone else caught my eye.

Xenia was still quietly watching the situation unfold.

Her eyes darted around, unsure where to settle.

She was technically my younger sister by blood—which made me feel a bit bad for her.
I figured I should look out for her a little.

“Lady Xenia, how’s your preparation going for entering Zeryon Academy next year?”
“Ah, oh—yes, yes, it’s going well!”

Startled by my question, Xenia quickly replied.
It was a rare opportunity to bring her into the conversation.

I could sense how tense she was.
Her perfectionist mindset probably told her she couldn’t make a single mistake here.

“I hear next year’s first-year class will be very competitive. And you’re planning to take the regular entrance exam, not come in by recommendation?”

To help ease her nerves, I continued the conversation naturally.
Xenia gave a sheepish smile.

“If I get in by recommendation, I can’t prove my ability. I want to earn my spot with my entrance exam scores, fair and square.”

Her voice carried a strong conviction.
My little sister was determined—and admirable.

“Lady Xenia, that’s very impressive.”

Even Isabel, sitting beside me, nodded in agreement.

“…‘Lady’?”

I turned to look at Isabel.

Normally, she would’ve tried to befriend Xenia, saying they’d be upperclassman and underclassman soon.
But for some reason, she was speaking unusually formally.

Even when our eyes met, Isabel kept a composed, lady-like smile on her face.
I had no idea what was going on with her today.

I looked away from the odd Isabel and turned back to Xenia.

Maybe because I had eased her perfectionist tension a bit, she seemed visibly more at ease than before.

“…Still, to be honest, it doesn’t feel real. That I’m the reincarnation of Zeryon…”

Xenia still looked uncomfortable with the title of Zeryon’s reincarnation.

“It’s okay. Everyone reacts that way. If I didn’t have my memories, I probably would’ve had the same reaction.”

Musica nodded in agreement.

After all, their talents could all be dismissed as something they gained just because they were reincarnations of heroes—
Abilities granted without effort.

That situation likely didn’t sit well with them as reincarnators.
Which is why Musica felt a sense of kinship.

“Um… would it be alright if I asked one question?”

It seemed Xenia had finally managed to break the ice, and she was the one asking this time.

“As many as you like.”

Musica replied boldly.

Xenia hesitated for a moment before asking,

“Are there other heroes besides us?”

There were indeed more heroes beyond the ones present here.
It was a perfectly natural question for her to ask.

“Hero Parazon is Prince Ergo.”

That was something I could answer.
Ergo—someone with whom I had a rather unfortunate history.

He was the reincarnation of Parazon.

“Prince Ergo… I see.”

Ergo was already quite well-known, even in foreign countries.
Xenia nodded, seemingly understanding.

Ergo was one of the kingdom’s most important figures.
Unless it was a highly unusual case like Acrede’s, kidnapping him wasn’t going to happen.

Which is why, naturally, we had thought of Xenia—the easiest target.

“As for the hero, Ordo…”

I paused for a moment and looked at Musica.
She gave a bitter smile before continuing.

“He’s already been killed by Vulcan.”

The leader of the Mystics.
And the reincarnation of Rosli—Vulcan.

He had already killed and absorbed the reincarnation of the hero Ordo.
Xenia fell silent.

She had realized… that the same thing nearly happened to her.

This was also why I had acted so quickly.

Among the many bad endings in Blazing Butterfly, there was one: The Fallen Flame.

Once Vulcan devoured all the reincarnations, he would become an unstoppable monster.

As the Fallen Flame, he would incinerate the entire world.

That’s the Bad Ending: Fallen Flame.

“Um… Lady Xenia, may I ask you something too?”

At that moment, Isabel chimed in with a question.
Still uncharacteristically formal.

“What kind of person is your brother, Vikarmern?”

She probably wasn’t actually curious—she just wanted to tease me.

I caught her sneaking a mischievous glance at me with a faint smile.

Isabel knew my identity.
So she was curious how Xenia saw her brother.

“Vikarmern…?”

At the mention of his name, Xenia’s demeanor changed.
She dropped all honorifics and her discomfort was obvious.

She didn’t try to hide how unpleasant the topic was.

“He’s a fool ruined by self-loathing.”

Xenia responded curtly.
Isabel turned to me, her eyes wide in surprise.

It seemed she hadn’t known what kind of relationship we had.

“He was okay when we were kids, but after I started showing magical talent, he couldn’t handle the jealousy and gave up magic altogether. He had perfectionist standards but no skill to back them up—a pathetic man.”

Xenia clearly had long since given up on Vikarmern.
Musica, watching the whole time, cleared her throat awkwardly.

“B-but still… surely he had some good points? Or maybe he was trying to figure out another path?”

“I wouldn’t know. He started avoiding all conversation with me after a while. Honestly, I’m more curious now—what was he even thinking all that time?”

Isabel tried to soften the mood with her question, but Xenia just looked troubled.

“…He’s not really a bad person, though.”

Isabel murmured, her voice tinged with guilt.

“I don’t even know where he lives now, and I don’t care anymore. He ruined his own life chasing after some woman.”

“That’s…”

Isabel turned toward me.
Her expression had shifted from confusion to something more sullen.
She pouted slightly.

“…She’s right.”

Why are you agreeing with that?
When I looked at Isabel, she quickly turned her head away.

“I wish my brother could be just half as capable as you, Mr. Ryu.”

For some reason, I suddenly ended up getting complimented.

“You don’t even look that much older than me, and yet you’re already serving Her Excellency White Wood Duke. I really respect that.”

Asian faces tend to look much younger to Western eyes.
So my face, which already looked young, must’ve seemed even more so to them.

“You’re right. Ryu is amazing.”

Isabel chimed in again.
Strangely, she seemed even more proud than I was.

Isabel’s mood swings are especially dramatic today.

“Lady Xenia, I’m not that young, actually.”
“Is that so? My apologies. But the respect I feel is genuine.”

Maybe it’s because I went out of my way to encourage her during the journey here.
Without realizing it, I must have earned a lot of points in her eyes.

To be acknowledged by a perfectionist like her—
I must be quite something.

‘Maybe I really could replace Lucas.’

Of course, if it’s revealed I’m Vikarmern, none of that will matter.

‘Getting insulted as Vikarmern and praised as Ryu… what a joke.’

Still, the insults didn’t bother me—probably because I’ve never actually lived as Vikarmern.
If anything, I felt bad for Xenia.

In the strict House of Count Niflheim, blood relations are all one has to rely on.
And yet Vikarmern, who should’ve been that support, turned his back on her.
She must’ve felt like she lost the world.

“I want to grow up quickly. I want to become someone strong, even if I’m on my own.”

A true perfectionist’s answer.
Rather than remaining in the uncertain state of childhood, she craved the stability of adulthood.

‘Though in reality, adults aren’t much different from kids.’

As life gets harsher, you tend to miss the innocence of childhood.

“…I don’t want to become an adult, though.”

That was when Acrede whispered quietly.
Luckily, Xenia didn’t hear her.

When I glanced at Acrede, she quickly straightened her posture and pretended like nothing happened.

She kept folding her arms across her chest, clearly bothered by how much it was exposed.
Honestly, I wish she’d stop. It was starting to make me uncomfortable, too.

Clunk—

Just then, we heard the carriage ahead of us—White Wood Duke’s—come to a halt.
Ours followed suit and stopped as well.

“Musica.”
“Hehe, yeah. It’s about time we arrived!”

Acrede exhaled nervously.
Soon after, Cardinal Centriol opened the carriage door.

In the original storyline, this was supposed to be a stealth infiltration event.
The Winter Event, where Lucas would get the Veil Bandages from Vinesha and start digging into the Mystics.

But this time, the situation had changed drastically.

After all, I already know everything there is to know about the Mystics.

The infiltration event was really just prep work for the next scenario.
It had little to no effect on the main story.

In other words, this is one of the few scenarios that can safely be skipped.

‘This is my compromise.’

I can’t guarantee how the flow of the world will change after this scenario ends.
But even without Lucas—the key player—I’ve managed to guide things to this point.

‘I can do it again.’

There’s nothing I can’t do.
All I can do is move forward.

Thump—

As I stepped down from the carriage, I felt a strange current in the air.
A thoroughly unsettling atmosphere.

Before me stretched a vast and sheer gorge.
The cliffs yawned wide, like the very mouth of hell.

Strange creatures, the kind you’d never see in the real world, soared through the chasm.

Among them was one shaped like a dragon.
Or rather, something mimicking a dragon.

Winds blew up along the canyon.
At the bottom, a roaring river rushed by.

This gorge had once been a glacial path. Over time, as the glacier melted, it carved out this natural canyon.

The Earth Dragon’s Gorge.
Home to one of the three elder dragons—the Earth Dragon.

Mystical energy stirred, and my steel skin of mystery instinctively reacted.
The danger radiating from the mystical force within the gorge was palpable.

I know Vulcan’s goal.
And I also know the being he hates most.

‘Felling the Goddess.’

That’s Vulcan’s true aim, born of his hatred for the world.
He plans to erase the goddess from existence.

“Young man.”

Which is why I’ve gathered the best team to stop him.

Boom—

White Wood Duke clapped her hands together, her eyes burning with fierce intensity.

“You’d better keep up with all you’ve got.”

The accelerated Act 5, Chapter 5.
Now to be rewritten as Act 4, Chapter 7.

Operation: Annihilate Vulcan.
Today, a new scenario begins.