episode_0011

Anna looked completely intimidated.

Well, it made sense—no matter how skilled an assassin she was, she was still far outclassed by Chris, who had once been a member of the hero’s party.

“Anna, I know you’re worried about me. I also know that if I die or get hurt here, it’ll bring a huge crisis to the family. But what we’re discussing now… is about the family.”

“…Understood. If you insist to that extent, then I have no choice.”

Whoosh—

With a light gust of wind, Anna leaped up to the ceiling and vanished.

“What the—?!”

“Sleep well, Anna.”

“Yes. If anything happens to you, my lady—no, I’ll make sure nothing does! But if anything does happen… you know what I’ll do, right, young master?”

I know, I know—enough with the bone-chilling threats already.

Anna’s voice echoed from the ceiling, followed by a few thud-thud sounds before everything fell silent.

“…I have a lot to ask, but first—what the hell was that? Since when do maids climb up to the ceiling?!”

“A secret passage, doubling as a decoy. Assassins wouldn’t ignore a route like that.”

“Assassins? But Anna is—”

“Ah.”

Chris’s eyes widened as if she’d just realized something, then explained Anna’s true identity to me.

I already knew, of course, and Chris’s lengthy detours into her own memories dragged it out, but hearing it firsthand was still on a whole different level compared to just reading about it.

The fact that it lowered her guard around me was just a bonus.

“But isn’t that dangerous? If Anna’s gone, who’ll protect your—”

Chris set down her pen and lightly tapped the empty space beside her.

Thunk—

Her body was already under protection.

“Thanks to Cecile—no, I have my own ways of keeping myself safe, so don’t worry, Oppa.”

As she spoke, the surface of the magical barrier sharpened, and countless magic spears bristled outward like a porcupine’s spines.

What the hell did you teach that kid?

With a proud expression, Chris continued,

“So… is that really the only reason? I mean, I’d welcome you no matter why you came, but still… if there was a reason, I’d like to hear it. Like… if you’ve started feeling something special for me…”

Watching my sister squirm like that, I thought:

If I said it’s because I find it hilarious how you pace outside my room every night, I’d get murdered, wouldn’t I?

In the end, I dodged the question.

“I told you. For some reason, I felt like I had to come. But I don’t really know why. It’s like… like a fading emotion.”

Even as I said it, I had no idea what I was talking about—but Chris didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s okay. I understand, so you don’t have to force yourself to explain. Just sit comfortably.”

Chris flicked her fingers lightly, and a chair slid over in front of me.

“Impressive. I didn’t think you could control mana to that extent already. As expected, someone like me could never—”

“Don’t say that. You’re far more amazing than you think, Oppa. You should have more confidence in your—yawn.”

Perhaps staying up late had taken its toll, as Chris let out a small yawn mid-sentence. Well, she had been working all day.

I’d come to tease her lightly, but it seemed I’d underestimated things.

“You okay? From what Anna told me, you’ve been really busy. If you’re tired, I can just—”

“No, no, no! I’m fine. Totally fine!”

“Really? But you’ve got the academy tomorr—”

“If it gets bad, I can just skip a day! Yeah! You don’t have to worry about me at all. Just relax.”

“Oh?”

Seems like Chris was living more comfortably than I’d thought. Having attended the academy myself, I knew skipping wasn’t something you could just do on a whim.

Well, good for me, I guess. It’d be cruel to keep a tired person up just to chat.

“So… um… how’s the academy these days?”

I regretted it the moment I said it. That sounded like something a parent would ask. But Chris, just happy to be talking to me, answered without hesitation.

“The academy? It’s great! The classes are easy to follow, I’ve made lots of friends, and…”

Nope. If I let this topic continue, it’s a one-way trip to Awkwardville. I forcibly changed the subject.

“By the way, how are Mom and Dad? I should go see them soon, but I’m a little worried.”

Even if I’m more at ease now, I’m not that relaxed yet.

“They’re both fine for now. And now that you’re back to normal, they’ll be happy. They’ve been stressed with all sorts of problems lately, so your timing’s perfect.”

“Problems?”

“Uh… well…”

Unlike before, Chris seemed reluctant to speak.

Huh?

“What’s wrong? If it’s something hard to talk about, you don’t have to. If it’s something dangerous for me to know… I’d rather stay in the dark.”

“……”

“Guess it’s one of those things, huh.”

If Chris couldn’t talk about it, and if it was happening now, the answer was pretty obvious.

The Demon King.

The Demon King and his forces began moving in earnest after Luciella was chosen by the holy sword and graduated from the academy.

But that was only referring to full-scale invasions. Small-scale attacks and demons infiltrating human society had been happening all along.

The damage was so sporadic and minor that nations decided it’d cost more to deal with it than to just turn a blind eye—an unspoken agreement.

If one country took a hardline stance, its people would demand to know why others weren’t being protected.

And then, when the Demon King’s forces launched a surprise attack, they got wiped out.

As I spaced out, thinking about what to do next, Chris suddenly appeared right in front of me.

“Oppa? You okay? Did you remember something? Or are you hurt somewh—”

“Nah. Just felt a little dizzy for a second. I’m fine.”

I felt bad for Chris, who clearly wanted to talk, but it was time to get to the point.

“Ah, Chris. Speaking of which, about the next family head position—”

“I’ll be the one taking it.”

“Huh?”

“Oppa. Look at these documents.”

Chris pointed at the stacks of paperwork on her desk.

“Even as just a candidate, this is the amount I deal with daily. If I become head, it’ll be twice this much.”

Thud—

I staggered back slightly. I should really look into that strength potion.

Being shaken by a single finger was less about pride and more about basic dignity.

“Do you really want this job, Oppa? Or do you just want the title of Duke Grave? If you truly want the position, of course I’ll step aside. But…”

“You take it. That settles it, right?”

No, in fact, if you don’t take it, I’m screwed.

I’d rather listen to nonsense than suddenly get saddled with the family head position. The thought of holing up in the mansion handling paperwork or being dragged around to tedious parties while the hero’s party grinds at the academy made me nauseous.

Chris looked stunned for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“Thanks. I thought convincing you would’ve been way harder. Oh, but don’t worry!”

Thinking I might demand something in return for giving up the position, Chris hurriedly added,

“Even if you’re not the head, I’ll make sure the official documents state that Eric Grave holds the highest standing in the family. I’ll handle all the family business and political paperwork. You just relax! So… don’t worry about what the family does, okay?”

Ah.

Now I got why she was being so insistent. Straight up, she was telling me to sit pretty and be a figurehead.

Any sane person would refuse.

“Why are you being so good to me…? I haven’t done anything for you.”

Of course, I’m different. If an ordinary person wanted the position, I’d stop them—but this was Chris.

If anything, I should be thanking her for going this far.

Chris seemed bothered by the “being good to me” part.

Sigh… “Right. Why am I so good to you? Are you sure you want to know?”

“Huh?”

I thought it was a normal question, but apparently, I’d stepped on a landmine.

Chris took a slow, deep breath. Her eyes gradually softened.

They looked like the eyes of a death row inmate confessing all their sins.

Stop.

“Yeah. Hiding it any longer would be wrong. I should just admit everything and accept my punishment.”

I shot up from my chair. I’d seen Cecile’s magic enough times to dismantle it blindfolded.

“The truth is, I—”

THUD!

“Ghk?! Mmmph!!”

I tore through the barrier around Chris with my bare hands and clamped them over her mouth.

Then, the recoil sent us both tumbling to the side.

Reveal—STOPPED!