Chapter 21: Twins (2)

Sion had sworn to herself that she would treat the twins kindly.

If what Thérèse said was true, they were descendants of “Sien.” Unlike her current-life family, they were her true blood relatives.

If she were still a demon, she might have felt differently, but now that she was human and had learned to feel emotions, Sion felt a certain affection for them.

She even considered that after getting close to them, she could discreetly guide them to become stronger.

That was what she had in mind.

But what was this?

“You see, I think an ego sword should always be connected to its master. That’s the proper way, right?

I mean, it feels a bit off if she’s fawning over her master like a puppy and then romantically involved with someone else.”

Thérèse spoke casually with her hands behind her head.

Well, that much was fine. Sion could understand. She’d often thought that the two of them looked good together.

The problem was the other side.

“That’s such a one-dimensional way of thinking, Sister.”

Marianne clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“You should be approaching this from a chemistry perspective, not just position. Where else can you find a pair as perfectly suited as Sien and Exia?

Exia, who is playful yet steadfastly pursues ideals.

On the other hand, Sien is a strict realist with a knack for nagging. They bicker throughout their journey because their hearts are not aligned, but they slowly grow attracted to the qualities in each other that they themselves lack.

And then, as their journey continues, those feelings deepen…

Until one day, they finally realize that they have become indispensable to each other’s lives! Kyaa, that’s it!”

Marianne, speaking in a dreamy, ecstatic tone, began to hop around in excitement by the end.

Sion, on the other hand, felt as if she had stumbled into a nightmare.

What nonsense were they spouting? Who suits whom?

Herself? With Exia?

Why?

-“Wait, what are you—!”

“Silence.”

As Exia tried to step in, unable to hold herself back, Sion cast a silence spell.

Instantly, Exia fell silent, unable to make a sound.

“You stay quiet for now. Things will only get more complicated.”

-“!?”

If rumors spread that a hero was carrying around a sacred sword turned into a bra, things would get very messy.

At the very least, Sion couldn’t think of an excuse that would smooth over such a situation.

‘Alright, calm down, calm down.’

Sion closed her eyes tightly and attempted to regain her composure.

These kids were young. It was natural for them to be lost in silly fantasies at their age.

To get flustered or angry over every little thing would be immature.

As an adult, she should handle this like an adult—by correcting their misconceptions with logical and rational rebuttals.

“Ahem.”

Sion cleared her throat slightly and began to speak.

“Um… Pardon me, but don’t you think it’s a bit disrespectful to view heroes of the past in such a way?”

“Disrespectful? How so?”

“Well, even putting Sien… aside, Exia is still a very real person in this world, isn’t she?

To speculate about who she might like or not like seems a bit… improper.”

Sion’s weapon of choice was common sense. This was the most widely used logic when discussing the harmfulness of RPF (Real-Person Fiction).

It might be different if they were fictional characters, but they were real people.

In fact, one of them was very much alive and well right now.

To concoct romantic fantasies about a real person like that was practically harassment.

In short, it was something that should not be done.

Surprisingly, Thérèse nodded in agreement with Sion’s point.

“That’s true. That’s why we’ve only ever talked about it privately until now.”

“Exactly, so—”

“But then you showed up, didn’t you?”

Thérèse looked at Sion with eyes filled with expectation and hope.

“A person who can directly converse with Exia… The only one who can resolve our curiosity!

Yes! Only you can put an end to the eternal battle between Team LierExia and Team SienExia!”

“So, could you, even subtly, go back and casually ask Exia?

Between Lier and Sien, who does she have more affection for?”

Ah, now Sion understood why they had called her here.

And why they had specifically asked her not to bring Exia.

Well, it wouldn’t be proper to bring up such a topic in front of the person involved. Especially when it was their first meeting.

Their consideration was admirable, but…

The problem was that the person in question was currently right here.

“That’s what they’re saying, you blockhead.”

Sion spoke to Exia through telepathy.

“Let’s confirm this. Did you like Lier?”

-“No, of course not. Besides, that man was already married! I have no idea why such a ridiculous argument is even happening.”

“Is that so? Then what about me?”

-“Of course not! Are you joking? Do you want to make me really angry???”

Exia’s response was rather passionate. 

This reassured Sion. At least her thoughts were aligned with Sion’s own. 

If, by any chance, she had actually liked her, it would have been a nightmare. They still had to see each other for years to come.

-“For starters, I’m a sword, remember? I’m inherently not connected to feelings like love that humans experience. 

The fact that my persona was made female was just incidental. It feels strange to treat me as if I were an actual woman.”

“Exactly.” 

Sion nodded. She was absolutely right.

The hero’s party was never the rosy, romantic group these twins seemed to imagine. They had been too busy saving the world for any sort of romance.

“Um, you two.” 

Sion cleared her throat and spoke up.

“The truth is, I have a special connection to Exia through my hero privileges. A telepathic link that stays intact no matter how far apart we are. 

So I just asked Exia that question through the link…”

“You did?”

“She said neither, and to stop spouting nonsense.”

It was a bit harsher than what ‘Sion’ would normally say, but Sien had deliberately chosen those words. He didn’t want to leave any room for ambiguity that might give rise to more misunderstandings.

The twins widened their eyes in surprise for a moment, then quickly looked at each other, nodding in agreement.

“Oh… She must be shy.”

“Why would you come to that conclusion?!”

Sion, and even Exia who was listening in, internally screamed.

These kids… 

Are they invincible or something?

“Well, if they could have been honest from the start, they would’ve been together already, right?”

“Exactly. Exia also seems like she’s not the type, but she secretly has a tsundere side~”

The twins giggled and shared their conclusion amongst themselves. 

It seemed they no longer had any intention of listening to Sion.

“In that sense, I was hoping you’d prod her subtly, maybe act a bit on the side and see where it goes… 

But I guess that’s a bit much to ask from an upright hero, huh?”

Thérèse shrugged as she spoke.

What nonsense. There was no one in the world better at acting subtly than Sien. Just a glance at his past deeds could tell you that. 

Sion felt like she was about to explode from frustration. How on earth could she correct the misconceptions of these delusional fools?

“Oh, don’t make that face! I’m not blaming you or anything. 

We’ll figure out the rest ourselves, so you don’t need to worry about it any further.”

“Ah, yes…”

Thérèse, noticing Sion’s increasingly sour expression, patted her on the shoulder in a consoling manner. Completely oblivious to her inner turmoil.

But Sion no longer had the energy or will to deny them further, so she simply nodded in agreement.

“Ah, how unfortunate. This was my chance to finally prove Marianne wrong once and for all.”

“Hmph. You were just lucky this time. My instincts are never wrong, you know? 

If you read any stories about the hero, it’s clear as day that the two of them had feelings for each other. No doubt about it!”

What story is she even talking about? An adventure that took place on Elpidion-4?

At this point, Sion began to grow curious. What exactly were these girls basing their assumptions on? 

How had things become so twisted that they were spouting such nonsense?

Sion cleared her throat softly and opened her mouth to speak.

“Uh, I have a question.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“What kind of nonsense… I mean, what kind of story has led you to be so convinced about their relationship?”

“If you mean the relationship between Sien and Exia…?”

“Yes.”

“Hehe, well, you see?”

Marianne grinned, stepping forward. Her supposed shyness seemed to have disappeared.

“There are lots of scenes where their chemistry explodes, but the most decisive one is probably right after the retreat from Eisenberg Canyon. 

As you know, during that battle, Sien made a noble sacrifice to hold back the advancing monsters, right? 

According to the records, after losing Sien like that, Exia supposedly spent an entire week without rest—”

-“Waaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Suddenly, a loud scream erupted from Sion’s chest. Startled by the sudden sonic assault, Sion frowned deeply.

“W-what was that just now?! Why are you screaming all of a sudden?”

-“Don’t listen! It’s all nonsense! Absolute nonsense!!!” 

Exia was shrieking frantically. Her voice was so loud it seemed it might break through even the soundproofing magic.

“Didn’t something strange just happen?”

“Huh? Something strange? Like what?” 

“It sounded like… someone nearby was screaming…”

“Haha, you must be imagining things.” 

Sion dismissed it lightly while casting another spell internally.

“Empowered Silence.”

-“Mmfff?!!!?”

A much stronger silence spell than before. With this, there would be no further interruptions.

Sion turned back to Marianne and said.

 “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat what you said?”

“From where…?”

“From the part about ‘not resting for a week, night or day.’”

“Oh, right…” 

Marianne nodded and continued.

“After Sien passed away, Exia apparently cried for an entire week without rest, day or night. Without a single pause, as if the world itself had ended. 

And she supposedly kept saying things like, ‘If only he could come back to life, I would do anything,’ ‘I’ll be good, I won’t argue, and I’ll always greet him with a kind smile,’ ‘So please, just stay alive,’ or something like that.”

“How could this not be love? Right?! Don’t you agree?!”

Marianne, filled with excitement, kept repeating.

 “Right? Right?” Her tail wagged furiously behind her.

Sion looked down at her chest and spoke coldly.

“Explain.”

-“I didn’t know back then!! I didn’t know you were alive!! And it was the first time a comrade had died!!”

“So, you did do it?”

-“Well… yes… but why do I have to explain this?! Is it a crime to mourn a friend’s death?! 

If anything, you should be the one feeling guilty, you dirty traitor!!” 

“Sigh…” 

Sion rubbed her temples in frustration. 

Right, she couldn’t really blame her. She was always emotional and tearful by nature. 

Besides, how could she have imagined that her actions would be immortalized and misinterpreted 500 years later?

The problem was that it had led to such ridiculously unfounded misunderstandings.

“Sigh, Marianne… I’ve said it before, but that’s not enough evidence. 

Such a reaction could be expected if a close friend had died. It doesn’t prove anything.” 

Yes! That’s the spirit! Keep going!

Sion and Exia cheered Thérèse on in their minds.

But Marianne just chuckled and shook her head. 

“Oh, Sister, you just don’t understand. There’s no such thing as a ‘close friendship’ between men and women. 

If they’re close enough to be completely comfortable with each other, that’s practically dating!”

-“I told you, the only thing that’s female is my personalityyyyyyyyy!!!!” 

Exia let out a soul-crushing scream. Her bra form even trembled from how agitated she was.

Thérèse’s eyes widened as she witnessed the spectacle.

“Uh, Hero, isn’t your chest shaking a lot for some reason?”

“It’s just your imagination.” 

“No, seriously, it’s—” 

“It’s just your imagination. I’m feeling a bit unwell.”

Saying this, Sion pressed her hand firmly against her chest.

“Hey, blockhead. Calm down, or they’ll figure everything out.”

-“Huhuhu… No… I don’t like Sien… I don’t like him, okay… Believe meeee…” 

“Yeah, I know, even if you don’t say it. But why are you crying over something like this…?” 

Sion sighed. 

If she’d known it would turn out like this, she wouldn’t have brought her along. Sion deeply regretted her decision to the core.