Chapter 20: Twins (1)

On the second day after arriving in Anatolia, Sion received a letter.

“What’s this?”

There was a folded piece of paper on the desk when she arrived at school in the morning.

It was a plain white paper folded in half, with no special decorations.

When she opened it, the following message was written:

[To Hero Sion, 

I wish to meet you in secret. 

Please come to the garden behind the Estel Hall at 4 PM after school. 

However, come without Exia. 

From T]

That was it. No self-introduction, no further explanation.

-“What are you looking at?” 

“Well…”

At Exia’s question, Sion frowned. 

It was a strange letter. Throughout her past and present lives, she didn’t know anyone whose name started with T. And yet, someone was looking for her? 

Moreover, why tell him to come without Exia? What’s the reason?

Exia, who had read the letter as well, frowned inwardly.

– “This feels suspicious… Could it be someone who knows your true identity?”

“Hmm…..”

-“How about going? I can wait nearby, quietly.”

Sion stared at the letter for a moment.

And then.

“No, I won’t go.”

Whoosh!

She conjured a small flame in the air and burned the letter on the spot.

-“Eeeh!? Are you sure you can just ignore it like that?”

Exia was startled. What if it was someone who knew Sion’s true identity? 

However, in response to her concern, Sion snorted and shook her head.

“If it were someone who truly saw through my essence, the letter would have had some hint of that. For example, they would have written ‘Sien’ instead of ‘Sion.’ 

But there wasn’t a single hint like that in those sentences. Meaning it’s just some clueless person playing a prank.”

-“Uh… But isn’t it dangerous to assume that? Maybe it’s best to go and see just in case…”

“Above all else,” Sion said, scattering the ashes of the burnt letter into the wind, 

“It’s disrespectful. I’m not some stray dog they can summon at will. There are manners to observe when calling upon an elder, and this letter lacks that. So, I won’t go.”

-“…Sometimes, you have a strange sense of pride about unnecessary things.”

 Exia muttered. 

-“And yet, you have no problem throwing it away when you’re actually in danger.”

“In any case, unless that person drops this pretentious tone, I’m not going. Besides, it’s too hot to be sweating outside.”

-“Ah, yes…”

Exia replied in a reluctant voice. 

‘Well, whatever. If things go wrong, it won’t be my problem.’ 

Sion will handle it herself, she thought, as she leisurely drifted back to sleep.

The next day.

[To the Great Hero Sion, chosen by the Heavens.

I hope you are in good health. As spring approaches, I wish you well in this time of peace. 

The last message was filled with mistakes, and I cannot express how sorry I am. Seeing the face of the legendary hero left me so flustered that I lost my composure and acted rudely. I know I should come to you in person to apologize properly, but I hope you will forgive me for doing so in writing. I humbly ask that today, you calm your anger and come to meet me…]

“That’s too much!!!”

Sion threw down the letter she was reading.

“I asked for respect, but I didn’t mean this much! 

What is this person!? Do they have a split personality?!”

-“A person who only knows the extremes and nothing in between…”

Exia muttered behind her, looking equally baffled.

The content itself was similar to the previous day’s letter, asking to meet at 4 PM after school behind the Estel Hall. 

The difference was that this time, the message was surrounded by two pages of flowery praise, filled with embarrassing compliments like how beautiful Sion’s appearance was or how radiant her presence was.

“It’s like they smeared butter all over the sentences. I’d prefer yesterday’s simple message to this. What is this?”

Sion made a disgusted face. As an efficiency-minded person, she despised overly embellished writing like this. 

Exia glanced at Sion’s expression and cautiously asked.

-“What are you going to do? Are you going to ignore it again today?” 

“No…” 

Sion sighed and looked down at the envelope that had contained the letter. 

Unlike yesterday, it was a luxurious envelope, filled with gold leaf and embroidery, practically shouting, “Please notice me!” 

“Regardless of my preferences, if someone goes through this much effort, I should at least show my face. If I leave it alone, they might turn to the dark side.” 

Jumping from that arrogant attitude to this in one step, who knows what will come next?

And Sion had a feeling that if it went further, something big would happen. 

Meanwhile, Exia, who had also read the letter to the end, said.

– “It says to leave me behind this time as well… What will you do?” 

“Well, what do you want to do?” 

-“Me? Of course, I’d like to go with you. I’m curious about what this is all about.” 

If someone specifically excluded her, it was natural to be curious. Given Exia’s usual curiosity, even more so. 

Sion nodded. 

“Right? I think so too. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, it’s better to have you by my side.” 

-“But they said to come alone, so I can’t go in my human form, right? What should we do?” 

“Oh, that’s easy.” 

Sion pulled out a small pouch from her pocket. 

It contained a sample of the Perfect Polymorph spell.

“It’s not like it only transforms you into a human.”

After school. 

-“…Is this really the best solution?” 

Exia, transformed by Sion’s magic, asked in disbelief. 

Sion shrugged. 

“Unfortunately, you don’t usually wear accessories. And since your holy body makes magical artifacts ineffective, this was the only way to keep you with me without altering your outward appearance. I hope you understand.”

-“Really? Hand on your heart?” 

“Of course.” 

-“……..”

Exia remained silent. Sion tilted her head and asked.

 “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” 

-“Like it?! How could I possibly like this?!”

She yelled, nearly losing her mind. 

-“No matter what, why a bra?! I mean, really, a bra?! You could have at least turned me into a sacred sword!” 

Indeed, Exia’s transformed appearance was that of a woman’s bra. A cute one with white frills. 

It was a choice that seemed to be made with nothing but malice. 

Sion, struggling to hold back her laughter, covered her mouth as she watched Exia (in the form of a bra) rage.

“Pffft… Why are you so mad? It actually suits you quite well… Haha…!” 

-“Laughing?! You’re laughing?! You did this on purpose, didn’t you?! You did it on purpose, you jerk!!” 

“Ahahaha!” 

Unable to hold back anymore, Sion burst into laughter at the sight of the shouting Exia. 

To realize it only now, this one really has some remarkable intelligence. 

“Haha… so, what will you do? If you don’t want to come along, I can undo it for you.” 

Exia let out a groan and then sighed.

-“Ha… I guess there’s no choice. I’ll come with you like this. I can’t bear to miss out on what happens.”

“Oh? You’re not going to ask to be turned into a necklace or a ring?”

-“You wouldn’t grant that wish anyway. You’d probably say something like ‘if you don’t like it, don’t come.’” 

Oh, so she’s caught on.

Sion smiled as she lifted Exia. The usual weight and hardness were gone, replaced by a soft touch. 

“Come to think of it, if I don’t undo the magic, you’ll have to live as a women’s undergarment forever. That could be fun, don’t you think? How about it? Ready for a new life?” 

-“Please don’t… Just imagining it is terrifying…”

Exia muttered in a voice drained of all energy, and Sion burst out laughing again.

Indeed, teasing this stubborn girl was always the most fun. 

At 4 PM, in the garden behind the Estel Hall. 

In a secluded place where people rarely came, two girls were waiting. 

“You don’t think we’re going to be ignored again today, do you?” 

A girl with a side ponytail tapped her fingers nervously, her arms crossed.

The girl with her hair in two buns standing next to her glanced over and said.

 “Stop being so anxious.”

“If you had just sent the letter properly yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened… Seriously…”

“…What are we even doing for two days straight?”

“W-what’s wrong with the letter I sent yesterday? It was great for stirring up both competitiveness and curiosity!”

“It wasn’t great! It was like a challenge to a duel! She probably thought some thugs were picking a fight with her!”

“Ugh…”

At her younger sister’s scolding, the elder sister raised an eyebrow. 

“And you weren’t exactly normal either! Was that an invitation or a New Year’s card? Anyone would think you were announcing some grand event!”

“Hmph. I was just trying to make up for the rudeness of my foolish sister yesterday by writing a longer letter, okay? Don’t lump me in with you!”

“You little…!”

As the older sister was about to pull her younger sister’s hair, they were interrupted. 

“Pardon me…”

!? 

At the sound of a voice behind them, both girls jumped like startled cats. 

When they turned their heads, they saw the person they had been so eager to meet standing there. A silver-haired, red-eyed girl with an elegant and pure aura. 

It was Hero Sion. 

“W-what do we do, Sister…?! I’m not ready for this…!” 

With the sudden appearance of their idol, the younger sister quickly hid behind her sister, her earlier bravado gone. 

The older sister also took a deep breath, placing a hand over her chest to calm her racing heart. 

“You scared me… Please give a little warning before you show up like that. My heart almost stopped.” 

“Sorry, I’ll be more careful next time.” 

Sion nodded slightly. Even her slightest movements radiated elegance and grace

“Did you two call for me? Pardon me, but for what reason?” 

“Ah, before that…” 

The older sister cleared her throat.

“Can we introduce ourselves first? We didn’t mention who we were in the letter…” 

“As you wish.” 

Sion nodded, saying she was curious about them anyway. 

“Alright.” 

The girl took a deep breath, seemingly to steady herself, and then boldly declared in a loud voice,

“My name is Thérèse Valois Rambouillet! The future successor of the Rambouillet Grand Duchy, which governs the demonic realm of Sanchina! A descendant of the fearsome Demon King! 

And above all, I am the one who will one day carve a legend even greater than yours or Lier’s!” 

She struck a dramatic pose, pointing a finger toward the sun. 

In response, the hero… 

“Um?” 

For some reason, Sion frowned slightly, tilting her head. 

“Wait a moment. Did you say you’re a descendant of the Demon King…?” 

“Oh, well, that’s because…” 

From behind the girl who called herself Thérèse, the younger sister timidly poked her face out and spoke in a small voice. 

“Our ancestor, who settled here 500 years ago, was actually carrying the child of the Demon King when they underwent a humanization procedure… So, that’s why the bloodline still flows through our family…” 

“I see.” 

Sion nodded. 

Indeed, it wasn’t surprising. For demons, marriage didn’t exist, they sought only the strongest among them to sire heirs. 

And the Demon King, who had endlessly powerful abilities, would have left many descendants. 

“Oh, but we are practically human now, so please don’t misunderstand us…” 

“I won’t. It’s fine.” 

Sion smiled reassuringly. For some reason, her expression softened a bit. 

Seeing this, Thérèse grinned triumphantly.

 “Hmph… That look on your face… Are you curious about the history of the blood flowing through my veins? Very well, I shall explain it to you as much as you desire! At the age of five—”

“Ah, you can ignore everything from here on out. Once she gets going, she starts rambling like this.” 

“Hey! Don’t cut me off!” 

Thérèse shrieked in protest at having her speech interrupted. 

But her younger sister ignored her and, with her hands politely clasped, addressed Sion. 

“And, um… My name is Marianne Valois Rambouillet… I’m the twin sister of this foolish one here…” 

Marianne’s fingers fidgeted in embarrassment, the confidence from earlier completely gone. 

Then, with a quick turn of her head, she hid behind her sister again. 

“Oh no, I can’t do this… Sister, you do it for me!” 

“I always think this, but could you at least give me half of that shyness of yours?” 

Thérèse sighed and looked at Sion, shrugging. 

“As you heard, this shy one here is named Marianne, my twin sister.” 

“Thérèse and Marianne… I’ve remembered your names.”

Sion nodded.

“So, what exactly is the reason you called me here…?”

“Ah, well, that’s…” 

Thérèse looked around, as if checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. 

After confirming that no one was around, she leaned closer to Sion.

 “The truth is, the two of us had no choice but to call you here.” 

“For a topic you were arguing about?” 

“There’s a certain topic we always argue about, and it seems like we just can’t reach a conclusion on our own. So…” 

Sion tilted her head, wondering why these two were involving her in their quarrel.

Noticing Sion’s confusion, Thérèse continued.

 “Ah, because this is a matter that only you can definitively settle. Or rather… how should I say… ‘help us reach a conclusion’ might be more accurate.” 

“…?” 

The more Sion listened, the less she understood. What exactly could she help them decide? 

Thérèse cleared her throat with a slight cough. 

“But before that…”

“Yes?” 

“You’ve definitely left Exia behind, right?”

“You haven’t hidden her somewhere around here or anything? This is a really important question, so answer honestly.” 

“Of course not. Why would I do such a thing?”

Sion answered calmly, without a hint of deceit. Her expression was perfectly sincere. 

Reassured by her answer, Thérèse slowly began to speak. 

“Good. Then, since you’ve spent a lot of time with her, I want to ask you a question…” 

Thérèse glanced around one more time, then lowered her voice to a near whisper, as if revealing a hidden secret. 

“Which do you think is more real: Lier x Exia or Sion x Exia?”

“…What?”