episode_0032

“…”

“…”

Two people were sitting around a hastily prepared, somewhat plain table.

There weren’t many people watching. Just the trio of Briwen, Montaro, and Tiller. The rest were secretly requesting Glenn to go away while he was still alive. Thanks to that, there was no one else within three meters of the table besides those five.

Especially for Grimes…

‘Th, th, Glen! My, you’ve been hiding such a beautiful little sister! Why, why! Brother! Even though you and I don’t share blood, aren’t we sworn brothers who shared blood on the battlefield? The world is in turmoil. Morality has fallen to the ground! I can say that this is the first time in my life that I’ve seen such a betrayal! It’s so sad, brother… But, but… If you introduce your own blood relative to someone who is like a brother to commemorate our reunion, then I might forgive you for everything… Heeek!’

‘Get out now, Emma, so I can crumple up your head as a token of my forgiveness!’

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I won’t come within 100 meters! I’m so sorry!’

‘These are your acquaintances?’

‘No, don’t use him as your standard…’

Haa, I couldn’t help but sigh at the farce I had just created while chasing Grimes away. Then, my ‘self-proclaimed little sister’ who had been holding the teacup in front of me flinched.

Of course, he would be anxious. It was obvious that he would be concerned about every move of his brother whom he had just met. It would be strange if he wasn’t. Even Glenn himself, who was excellent at maintaining composure, was so nervous that his legs were shaking.

Slowly, suppressing my own tension, I looked at my ‘self-proclaimed younger sister’ again. Certainly, the black hair and red eyes were the same as mine. However, it was still hard to believe that she was really my younger sister.

‘Are you really my sister?’

No, that was also the case, her appearance was beyond imagination. She was neither short nor looked ugly, and she was a beauty that could be counted among the top 10 in this capital. It was hard to say that she was obsessed with her because she was her younger sister. First of all, just by looking at the nonsense Grimes had been spouting off, his ‘self-proclaimed younger sister’ was definitely a beauty.

However, Glenn had been meeting, talking, and making physical contact with the most beautiful woman in the country for almost two months, so his tolerance for beauties had become quite high. In other words, his standards had become quite high, and he was stuck at the level of thinking, ‘No matter how I look at her, she doesn’t look like me.’

Besides, didn’t you say you were Glenn’s younger sister when you introduced yourself? Even if you were meeting her for the first time, it’s crazy to have such feelings for your younger sister.

Ah, since you said introduction… Glenn cleared his throat.

The silence was broken. The tension boiled over again. Alina, who had been waiting for Glenn’s silence, suddenly came to her senses.

“Oh, yeah. My sister? Is her name Alina?”

“Oh, yes. My name is Alina. I turned twenty this year. Please take care of me.”

“Ah, yes. Please take good care of me… What, it’s not like we’re on a blind date!”

“Oh, yes?”

Glenn felt like rubbing his forehead at his own sudden reaction.

What are you doing? How can you get used to a pretty woman? You’re still nervous!

Unlike Glenn, who was feeling guilty after making a bad joke, Alina looked bewildered. Glenn, who had barely come to his senses, spoke again.

“He’s from Style, right?”

“That’s right. However, we fled south right after ‘that attack’. We settled in a village called Desdo near Kalai. Stylene was probably… in ruins, wasn’t it? ”

Why does it end in a question? Alina finished her speech, tilting her head.

More than that, they had fled. Well, even if the level of invasion and offensive power of the Demon King’s army was better than that of the Northern Kingdom, the northern part of the Southern Kingdom, which was close to the central part, must have been like hell.

Even if it would be difficult to stay there, it would be right to evacuate to the south. In the first place, living in a village that has been devastated by monster attacks is no different from being crazy. Why would there be people ‘purifying’ the territory of the central demon tribe?

“Yeah, I guess so. But, um… This might be a bit of a rude question to begin with, but would you answer it?”

“Uh, rude question? What, what is it?”

As Glenn spoke seriously, Alina blinked her eyes filled with doubt. As Glenn cleared his throat again, the moment he was about to ask a question, an interruption appeared. No, a shout came from far away.

“Glen, Glen, Glen! You told me not to talk nonsense! Rude question? Surely you weren’t going to ask my sister about her body measurements… Kaaaah! ”

The one who started the nonsense was, of course, Grimes, and he was punished. Glenn threw a glass from the table toward Grimes. He hit him right in the face, and Grimes screamed. But he didn’t die, as the moans continued.

The adventurers who realized it only after hearing Grimes’ scream let out a gasp.

“Huh, huh!”

“Hey, from that far away, so accurately!”

“Hey, hey! Glenn! Don’t break the guild supplies! They’re used for business!”

“The guy who said he’d give it all away, so hang it in front of him. Anyway, what a rude question…”

Glenn said this to the protesting bartender Danielson, then got back on his feet.

But Alina was strange. She blushed slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. What, what? And then, Glenn immediately objected to Alina’s next words.

“Seo, you really don’t want to know your sister’s body measurements, do you? You pervert…”

“No, no! I said no! That’s a question that only a horny bastard knows about. What I mean by rude is…is she really my sister?”

“Oh, I see…pervert.”

“What? Why?”

“Surely, after figuring out whether or not she is his sister, if he decides that she is not, he will reveal his evil intentions…”

“No, no, no! I didn’t have any such intentions!”

Why do you think in the same way as that kid! Is this kid really my little sister?

Glenn continued speaking, not knowing whether to be disappointed or sad, as Alina uttered words that could only be described as rotten.

“I’m asking if it’s a mistake or something. The name Glenn is common. I’ve seen many people with the same name in the capital. I’ve even seen it a few times in other towns and regions. I’m asking if you’re sure it’s the brother you’re looking for.”

“I told you my parents’ names, right?”

“These two names are also common names, right? ”

“…”

Alina remained silent at those words, then raised her left arm. To be exact, she raised her left index finger. She pointed to her short black hair and then her red eyes.

And then he extended his index finger to Glenn. His intention was clear.

“You know that people with this kind of hair and eye color combination are really rare, right? And you’re the only one with the nickname ‘Red-Eyed Glen’.”

“Well…that’s true.”

Yes. Black hair. It was common. Probably about 40% of the people in the Kingdom of Alcrea had this kind of hair. Even in this guild, there were more than 10 people with black hair.

However, red eyes were really rare. There were quite a few albinos with silver hair and red eyes, but the combination of black hair and red eyes was extremely hard to find. In fact, Glenn and Alina in front of him were probably the only ones in this building with the combination of black hair and red eyes.

No, if we expand on this further, it would be the only one in this capital.

“So, when my parents passed away and told me in their will to find my brother, I thought of you. They only told me to find someone named Glenn, but knowing my hair color and eye color, who else could I think of with that name? It was you.”

That’s right… Wait, what?

“What, what did you just say!”

“Oh, really? My hair color and eye color…”

“That, that’s not it! Before that! Your parents…died?”

“Yes… My mother passed away 3 years ago, and my father passed away 6 months ago. It was my father who left a will telling me to look for you. My mother only said she wanted to tell you that she was sorry.”

“3 years ago, 6 months ago…”

Hearing the shocking news again, Glenn felt a hole in his heart. Ah, this is a familiar pain. It seemed like the shock he felt during the incident on the island was back again. Haha, the news of his parents’ death that he heard after such a long time. What a life.

However, perhaps because he had been hurt once and had become immune, Glenn was able to somehow pull himself together. He did not fall into despair as he had before. He was still able to properly recognize the person in front of him.

“I’m sorry, you. You don’t need to say that. Anyway… In this day and age, there are many cases of parents losing their children. There are also many cases where they never see each other again.”

“But…they said that even when they finally confirmed that you were alive, they felt sorry for not going to see you. Even when you became a great adventurer and became famous throughout the country, they said that we had no right to come see you…”

As she said that, Alina lowered her head. Her expression was becoming increasingly gloomy, so it seemed natural that she was feeling sad. Glenn could sympathize with her expression and attitude. That was how it was.

Once, when Glen was actively working as an adventurer, he thought of his parents. If they were alive, he wondered why they hadn’t come to visit him. However, he soon got caught up in countless requests and fights and forgot about them.

Since then, this was the first time I thought about why my parents didn’t come to visit and found an answer.

“Then, you came to me according to your father’s will.”

“Ah, yes… I guess that’s what it is.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s…Actually, I ran away from the village. Hehe.”

Oh, the expression that had been gloomy just a moment ago brightened slightly. No, it was a hollow smile. She began to tell a story from the past while gently scratching her cheek.

Even though her parents passed away, Alina said she had no time to grieve. All they left her was an old house and some money, and she had to earn the rest on her own. Still, she had enough money because she was working at a bar, and she lived like that for a few months without any problems.

Then, her life started to go wrong when someone showed up at the bar.

‘Hmm, how old are you?’

‘Hello, customer! This store does not disclose personal information about employees. I will take your order~’

‘Ha. You seem to be saying that because you don’t know who I am. I’m the second son of the Viscount Leicht family? I can take someone like you to the mansion with a single point of my finger.’

‘You’re still pointing your finger, but I’m moving on my own initiative? Okay, I’ll take your order~’

A young man wearing a rather cute outfit suddenly came and tried to make a move on her, but she ignored him. Anyway, she had been tried once or twice by people she knew in the neighborhood, and she had been on a few dates. Well, that was the end of it.

There was no young man in the neighborhood who had the upper hand over her, who had a rather refreshing personality and a clear opinion. She was full of marriageable energy and had a shining appearance, but at that moment, no one approached her carelessly, like a flower on a high cliff.

However, this person was different. As if to prove that he was really different from the other common youths, he came to see me every day with all sorts of words wrapped in a sweet tongue.

However, there was nothing I liked about the content. I am not lacking in producing a successor. Although I am the second son, my power is sufficient. Do you not think of working as a maid in the mansion other than this? You can also rise in status later. Etc.

‘If he was the eldest son instead of the second son, I would have been a little more lenient… but there’s no way I’d get excited if you said it like that, you idiot!’

Alina was secretly complaining, but outwardly she was a noblewoman, so she politely declined. Then one day, a bar owner who was an acquaintance of her parents called her aside and whispered to her secretly.

That guy asked me a while ago how much he had to pay to take you out. He even asked for your home address. He kept quiet, but I told him that there were other guys who were so distracted by a few coins that they would tell you their addresses.

Alina was horrified. This is crazy. What are you going to do with my home address? There’s no one else in that shabby house but me.

Even if they were nobles, the Kingdom of Alcrea was not a country where the commoners had extremely strict manners toward nobles. To be frank, there was no problem treating them at the level of government officials dispatched by the state. Of course, the power of nobles could not be ignored, so if it came out like this, Alina had no clear solution.

In the first place, there were no nobles who would try to capture commoner girls so aggressively, and there weren’t many commoner girls who would resist the temptations of such nobles. Most of them were girls who had dreams of rising in social status.

However, Alina, who had forgotten her dreams and was busy earning a living, rather than rising in status, quickly packed up and left home, thinking she couldn’t hold out any longer. She heard that a carriage to the capital was leaving from the nearby port city of Kalai. With the help of the bar owner, she obtained a pass and left Desdo straight away, arriving in Kalai, and then boarding a carriage to the capital.

He wore old clothes and pulled his hood down low so that his appearance would not be known to the outside world. He rolled his head like crazy as he got into the carriage. What should I do? I came out in a hurry because I was afraid that he would get bossed by that bastard, but what should I do to eat and live when I get to the capital?

I tried to think about my own talents, but apart from working as a waitress at a bar, I didn’t have much. I was good at cleaning, laundry, cooking, etc., but these were the skills needed for a maid in a real nobleman’s mansion.

‘Oh, shit. Should I have just closed my eyes and given in to that bastard’s temptation? Even if I went to the capital right now, there’s nothing I can do! If I make a mistake, my body might be sold. That’s an even more terrible future!’

When I think about it, I really don’t have any special abilities or anything. My parents are dead and I don’t have any acquaintances in the capital. Since I have no connections, I should have some education, but other than learning letters from a kind retired teacher, I don’t have any special knowledge. I’m not good at dancing or singing, and even if I liked those things, it would be the same as selling my body.

Just when she was about to fall deeper and deeper into the pit of despair, Alina remembered her father’s will.

‘Red-Eyed Glen…’

Alina also vaguely knew the name. It was rumored that he was a famous adventurer who had gone to the faraway Northern Kingdom and played a part in ending the war by defeating the demons. However, she had not heard a single word about what he had been up to recently, and it was uncertain whether he would be there if she actually went looking for him. He was an adventurer who moved from region to region according to requests.

Above all, if you go to him right away and say, “Hello, I’m your little brother. Please give me something to eat and a place to sleep,” will he readily accept your favor? Will he resent his parents for leaving him behind? How should I tell them about his parents’ death? Is he really a skilled adventurer? Are the rumors not exaggerated?

Such worries lingered in her mind, tormenting her, but one thing was certain: the die had already been cast. From now on, it was all or nothing. The only thing that remained was to either turn back or move forward.

Yeah. I guess we should just go and meet them. If there is one.

So, holding on to a glimmer of hope, she arrived in the capital.

And surprisingly, as soon as he arrived, he met his own blood relatives.