Chapter 9: Interlude – Sylvia’s Story

Sylvia did not have a particularly good relationship with her parents.

It could have been due to the rebelliousness typical of adolescence, or perhaps it was because their fundamental values were incompatible.

Her parents, with their typical small-minded, bourgeois mentality, clashed inevitably with Sylvia, who possessed a reckless and headstrong nature.

Given such opposing temperaments, conflict between them was perhaps destined to happen.

However, despite this, Sylvia’s relationship with her parents wasn’t the absolute worst on the surface. No matter how much their personalities didn’t align, they were still the parents who had brought her into the world and raised her.

Out of basic human decency, she couldn’t openly become enemies with them.

So Sylvia had always held back, even when things at home didn’t sit well with her.

Until today.

“Don’t make me laugh!!!”

Crash!!

Sylvia grabbed a water bottle from the table and threw it. With a loud noise, shards scattered in all directions.

She glared at the two people in front of her with hatred in her eyes.

“You sold your daughter…. You sold your daughter?! Is that something parents should do?! Huh?!”

“….Sylvia, as I said, we had no choice—”

“Shut up with your excuses!!!”

Bang! She slammed the table.

Until now, Sylvia hadn’t liked her parents, but she had shown them at least a minimal amount of respect.

 But this time was different. No matter how she thought about it, she simply couldn’t accept what they had done.

“You received 100,000 gold? And you’re proud of that? Huh?!”

“That’s not what I meant, we—”

“This pathetic money!!”

She grabbed the pouch on the table and threw it to the floor. The shiny gold coins spilled out of the pouch and rolled across the ground.

Sylvia looked at the gleam and let out a twisted smile.

“Oh, what a lovely shine. Blinding, isn’t it?

Now we can finally move into the house with the roof we’ve always dreamed of. Right? With the money you made by selling your daughter like a slave!!!”

“Sylvia!”

Her father, Bram, shouted, unable to hold back anymore.

“This isn’t about money! Whether it’s 100,000 gold or 100 million gold, that’s not the point!”

“Then what is the point?!”

“The kingdom wanted Sion!”

Bram clenched his fists tightly.

“Do you think I wanted to send Sion away? My little girl, who I raised since she was a baby…!

But we had no choice… Sion pulled out the holy sword and suddenly became the most famous person on the continent. She had to cut ties with people like us, ordinary folks, or else our whole family could be targeted and put in danger by those with evil intentions…

So, leaving now is for the best, that’s what they said, that’s what they told us…”

Bram’s voice trembled, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

“What could we… what could we have done…?”

“…..”

Sylvia stared at Bram silently. Her expression was blank, unlike before, but her trembling hands betrayed the burning anger inside her.

After a brief silence, Sylvia finally spoke.

“….I understand.”

“Sylvia.”

Claudia looked at Sylvia with eyes filled with hope.

However, in the next moment, Sylvia’s voice cut through that hope with cold disdain.

“I’ve realized just how cowardly and spineless you both are.”

“Sylvia!”

Bram shouted, but Sylvia, paying no heed, grabbed the coat hanging next to her.

Then, she picked up a shortsword lying in the corner of the house, fastened it to her waist, and turned her head slightly as she spoke.

“Take those 100,000 gold coins and go live somewhere in the countryside with fresh air.

 Spend the rest of your lives shamelessly indulging in luxury with the money you earned from selling your daughter.”

“I’m leaving. Don’t ever contact me again. Goodbye.”

“What, wait, where are you—”

Bang!!!

Sylvia slammed the front door with all her strength, then walked out of the house.

Behind her, she could hear Claudia desperately calling her name.

“Sylvia, Sylvia!!!”

Letting that pained cry go in one ear and out the other, Sylvia slowly disappeared beyond the dark alleyway.

Sion, Sion.

Her little sister, so cute and dear, someone she loved more than she could bear.

Was it because of their nearly ten-year age gap? To Sylvia, Sion felt more like a daughter than a sister.

She had been the one who cared for Sion with her own hands since she was babbling and couldn’t speak properly.

That smile Sion would greet her with when she came home after a long, exhausting ‘job.’

How much had that smile saved her? How much strength had it given her?

But now, she would never see that smile again.

Because her parents had sold her away.

“Bastards.”

Sylvia, unable to contain her rage, kicked a rock on the ground with all her might.

Cut ties with Sion, or else the whole family would be in danger? So what?

Isn’t family supposed to stay together, even if it means facing that kind of risk? If family could be thrown away whenever things got tough, then that wasn’t family at all.

Real family stands together, unwavering, no matter what hardships come their way.

The moment they decided to abandon Sion, Sylvia could no longer recognize them as her parents.

“Well, maybe this is for the best. I never wanted to see those damn faces again, anyway. Now I can leave for good.”

Sylvia muttered with a scoff.

Of course, it was all bravado. Even a crumbling shack was still a home, and now that she’d run away, she didn’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.

Should she just find a bar somewhere and lie down there… or maybe find some corner with an old blanket and curl up in a hidden spot…

“Hey, sis!”

While Sylvia was walking with her tangled thoughts, a familiar voice called out to her from behind.

“What are you doing out here at this hour? Are you already heading out for work?”

“Gilphy… No, not really.”

“Is that so?”

The boy called Gilphy glanced at the dagger hanging from her waist. His eyes seemed to ask, “Really?”

Sylvia, noticing his gaze, explained.

“Oh, this? I couldn’t leave it at home anymore, so I brought it with me. If I get stopped for a search, I’ll just hide it.”

“Couldn’t leave it at home? Did you… run away or something?”

“……”

Sylvia remained silent. Gilphy’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

“…Something happened.”

She turned her head away, making it clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

After thinking for a moment, Gilphy nodded.

Everyone in this underworld had their own circumstances. Unless there was a special reason, it was wise not to meddle in other people’s business.

Besides, he didn’t have a death wish.

“Well, more importantly…”

He cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“If you’re free, how about heading to the central square later?”

“The central square? Why?”

“Well, didn’t they say some girl pulled out the holy sword this time? There’s supposed to be an official ceremony in the square soon to appoint her as the next Hero… Huh?!”

Gilphy suddenly gasped in shock.

At the mention of the word ‘Hero,’ an overwhelming aura of murderous intent radiated from Sylvia’s entire body.

The level of bloodlust was so intense that it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had attacked someone on the spot.

“What, what did I say…? Did I say something wrong?”

“No… Phew, it’s nothing.”

Sylvia let out a deep sigh and withdrew her murderous aura. This kid hadn’t done anything wrong, after all.

“So, when is this ceremony happening?”

“Uh… I’m not sure, but probably around noon to 1 o’clock, or so…?”

“Really? Got it.”

She nodded. Gilphy, noticing her mood, cautiously asked.

“Are you really going to go? If it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to…”

“No, I’m going.”

Sylvia declared firmly. There was a determined look in her eyes.

“I need to see her face at least once. Even if it’s from a distance.”

The square was already overflowing with people, to the point of bursting.

Just the people from Ashtaria, the capital, would have been enough to fill it to capacity, but that wasn’t all.

There were residents from other regions who had come upon hearing the news, and even foreign pilgrims of the Goddess flocked there.

As a result, the central square was so crowded that if someone accidentally fell, they could genuinely get trampled to death.

And right through the dense crowd, Sylvia cut straight through.

“Wait… wait up, Sis!”

Gilphy shouted, struggling to keep up with the crowd. Sylvia turned her head and replied with irritation.

“Can’t you hurry up? If you keep lagging behind, I’ll leave you.”

“You’re too fast, Sis!”

Gilphy yelled back, sounding frustrated.

How in the world is she able to weave through this huge crowd so smoothly? Gilphy clicked his tongue in disbelief.

He knew Sylvia had extraordinary agility and balance, but he hadn’t expected this level of skill.

Yet, for Sylvia, who was moving quickly through the throng, it felt far too slow.

“I need to get to the best spot possible.”

The further one was from the center, the smaller the people on the platform appeared. And even if one was close, if the angle wasn’t right, they wouldn’t be able to see the faces clearly.

To see a face properly, you needed to claim a prime spot in the narrow area of the best vantage point.

Considering that, even the time she spent stuck here seemed like a waste…

“Huff, huff… You’re too… too fast…”

“Maybe I should just leave you behind, for real.”

Sylvia muttered in annoyance, looking back at Gilphy.

It was then that—

“The Hero has arrived~~~!!”

“!”

One of the priests standing on the platform announced the Hero’s arrival through a voice-amplifying magical device.

At that one word, all eyes, including Sylvia’s, turned toward the platform. Everyone’s expressions were filled with anticipation and curiosity.

Moments later, the temple doors at the front of the square opened, and a grand palanquin emerged.

And at the very top, there was a familiar silhouette.

“…”

“I’m going ahead!”

“Huh? Wait a minute, Sis?! Siiiiiis?!”

Ignoring Gilphy’s desperate call from behind, Sylvia pushed through the crowd and ran. Her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of her sister.

Sion, who had suddenly become more mature and no longer whined or threw tantrums.

But Sylvia knew. Even though Sion seemed to have grown up, deep down, she was still lonely.

The fact that she tossed and turned every night, unable to sleep properly, was proof enough of that.

She was still a child. She needed someone by her side.

Someone had to be there…

“Sion!!!”

Sylvia ran and ran, trying to get just a little closer to her.

And finally, when the palanquin was fully outside and bathed in sunlight—

“…Ah.”

Sylvia’s hands fell to her sides as she murmured blankly.

Sion, positioned at the very top of the procession, had changed so much in just three days that she was almost unrecognizable.

The ragged clothes had been replaced with a priest’s robe radiating holiness. Her hair, which had been greasy from lack of washing, now gleamed as silver.

Her already beautiful features had been polished and refined so much that she looked like a goddess descended upon the earth, exuding nobility and divinity.

But that was all.

The most important thing…

Her face was completely devoid of any smile, empty and hollow.

“……”

Thud. Sylvia’s legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot.

It was too late. Far too late.

Everything was already too far gone.

“We thank all the devout believers gathered here today. Now, first, the Holy Father will deliver his speech…”

The priest playing the role of the emcee was saying something, but none of it reached Sylvia’s ears. Her gaze remained fixed solely on the silver-haired Sion on the platform.

Her eyes, from which the light had vanished, reflected nothing but emptiness. Total void.

“…I’m sorry.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

If only she had come home a little earlier, if she hadn’t taken on another job for no reason, if she had just held Sion’s hand tight and taken her to the temple when she had expressed her wish to go…

Then, none of this might have happened.

“…..”

Looking at Sion, who was being paraded like a wax doll on display, Sylvia clenched her fists tightly.

Hatred boiled up within her heart.

Hatred toward her parents, who sold their daughter for a reward. Hatred toward the royal family and the temple that snatched away someone else’s family. Hatred toward the crowd cheering without knowing anything.

And, most of all, hatred toward the goddess who had imposed the unreasonable fate of being a Hero on such a delicate child.

Grit.

“Absolutely…”

Sylvia gritted her teeth.

“No matter what it takes, I will get her back.”

She would save her.

To reclaim her sister, the pure and innocent Sion of the past, from those who had reduced her to a toy of the gods.

Even if it meant selling her soul to the Demon King.

“I swear.”

Meanwhile, atop the palanquin—

-“This is so disgustingly boring and sleepy. Why do humans enjoy these pointless ceremonies so much? It’s truly irrational.”

-“As much as I hate to agree with you, that’s exactly how I feel. When is this going to end already…?”

-“This won’t do. I worked too hard gathering magical energy yesterday and now I’m exhausted. I’m just going to take a nap.”

-“What?! Are you crazy?! Everyone’s watching you right now!!”

-“Relax. I’ll cast an illusion to make it look like my eyes are open. I’ll put on an appropriately solemn and dignified expression.

If someone talks to me or calls my name, just wake me up. Alright then.”

-“Wait, Sion! Sion!!”

-“….”

-“Hey, you’re not really going to—”

-“……”

-“……….Zzz….”

-“Hey, you idiot!!!!!”