"Onii-sa—ma!"
A voice drenched in maximum clingy sweetness, coming at me with such wholehearted affection it might as well have had a heart mark at the end.
With a radiant smile blooming across her face like a flower in full bloom, she comes running toward me.
The expression and voice she shows only to me—one she never wears otherwise, unlike her usual flat, emotionless way of speaking.
Not long ago, this was something I'd seen and heard as a matter of course.
But if there's a difference between now and then, it's that she's got a weapon gripped in her hand, and she's come to kill me.
"Guh!?"
"Onii-sama! Onii-sama!"
I block the barrage of blows with my sword.
Why?
How did it come to this?
After things fell apart in the worst possible atmosphere, we were separated. My former classmates who'd been held captive in this
What becomes of us from here—I have no idea. It all depends on what
I'd thought I'd been doing everything in my power to the best of my ability.
And this is the result.
I couldn't stop Hugo and he died. I meant to protect the Elf Village but ended up wiping out the Elves instead. The reincarnators' fates now rest in Wakaba's hands.
I'd thought I was trying my hardest.
And yet, the result is the worst.
No—now that I know the contents of the Taboo, I understand this isn't the worst outcome. The Elves I was trying to protect were the root of all evil that would bring this world to ruin.
But so what if I know that now? In the end, nothing has changed about the fact that I couldn't do a thing.
Within the great currents of the world, I was nothing but someone who didn't even know what was happening, flailing helplessly in the whirlpool.
It's so absurd I can't even laugh.
I may have been deluding myself without realizing it.
No—there's no "may have been" about it. I was deluding myself.
Becoming the Hero and believing that I alone could stop Hugo. Believing that with my power, I could surely do something. Convinced that I could become a figure who moved the world, just like
Julius-niisama had been shouldering his responsibility as the Hero since childhood, working tirelessly all along—that was why he was someone who could move the world. But I'd simply inherited the Hero's Title and somehow convinced myself I was standing on the same stage.
That arrogant thinking was thoroughly crushed not long ago.
I couldn't do anything.
I couldn't say a single thing back.
I wasn't even given the opportunity to try.
Even if I'd screamed at the top of my lungs, nothing I said would have reached Sophia. She would have just sneered, and that would have been the end of it.
And that's my limit.
I don't have the power to move the world.
No power, no prestige, nothing at all. I'm just tossed around, used, or—no, simply ignored by the people who actually are moving the world.
The ones moving the world are Wakaba and the others. Not me.
Maybe that's fine, then. Originally, I never harbored such grand ambitions about changing the world or anything like that. I'd only vaguely thought that someday I wanted to become someone who could support Julius-niisama.
Julius-niisama died. I became the Hero. And from there, everything went off the rails.
From that point on, I was just charging blindly ahead, thinking I had to somehow deal with Hugo. But maybe I should stop here and take my time thinking about what to do next.
What I can do. What I can't do.
It's all things I can't do.
But maybe the only path forward is to properly accept that and keep doing what little I can, one step at a time. I don't even know what that is yet. But even so, I have to do what I can.
Because I don't want to make another sacrifice like Julius-niisama.
"Kathia."
"Hmm?"
"I want to talk. Is that okay?"
"Sure, of course."
Kathia and I decided to sit down together and discuss what comes next. We returned to the room where I'd been sleeping and settled in.
"Are Ana and
The first thing I asked about was the two comrades I still hadn't seen since waking up. Ana in particular—she'd lost her life once in that battle. My Mercy Skill had barely saved her—or rather, I'd succeeded in resurrecting her, but the backlash from gaining the Taboo had knocked me unconscious, so I didn't know what happened after that.
"Both of them should be fine. Apparently they're being held in a separate location from us. I can use Thought Communication to contact Hyrince, so if you're worried, you can check in with him later."
Oh, right. Hyrince has the Thought Communication Skill. That means they can stay in touch even at a distance.
"So Hyrince knows our situation here?"
"Yeah. I've been giving him a full report of everything I know. Their situation is pretty similar to ours—they're being detained, but they're getting proper meals and not lacking anything. Ana's awake too, and apparently in good health."
That's a relief.
As for other things on my mind...
"Kathia. Have you heard anything about
Sue—my little sister who'd been brainwashed by Hugo and taken away. The last I'd seen of her was when she'd been brainwashed by Hugo and killed our father. After that, I'd heard she'd gone with Hugo to the Empire, but I'd lost track of her entirely. I hadn't seen her during this battle either.
"I don't know. I haven't heard anything."
"Right. But since Hugo is dead, Sue's brainwashing should be broken too, shouldn't it?"
"It should be."
"Can she... come back to herself?"
Even I could hear the anxiety leaking into my voice.
Sue had been brainwashed by Hugo and had killed our father with her own hands. Even if she'd been brainwashed, she'd still killed her father with her own hands. And even if the brainwashing is broken, the memories won't disappear. Yuri had been brainwashed in the same way and apparently became emotionally unstable as a result. Right after the brainwashing wore off, she'd been on the verge of suicide. They'd had to forcibly put her to sleep to stop her, and some kind of care would definitely be necessary going forward. If Sue was in a similar state, she could be in danger too. And even if she made it through that, I wasn't sure they could go back to the way things were.
Even if it was the brainwashing, too much had happened. I just couldn't believe they could go back to being simply brother and sister like before.
"I can't really say anything about that. It's between Shun and Sue—what Shun wants to do, how Sue reacts. That's what it'll come down to."
I nodded at Kathia's earnest answer. Even in a time like this, the fact that she spoke thoughtfully about our situation made her feel dependable.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
When I conveyed my sincere gratitude, Kathia gave an embarrassed little laugh, like she'd been tickled.
"Yeah. Ideally, I'd want to go back to being the close brother and sister we once were. That said, I know we can't go completely back to normal. For now, reconciling would be enough. If I'm being greedy, I'd wish she'd finally grow out of this dependency on me. Either way, I guess I won't really know until I actually see her."
"Grow out of this dependency..."
Kathia reacted to my words about Sue growing out of her attachment. Her face practically screamed, "Yeah, right."
...I think so too.
Sue is a massive case of brother complex. There are times when she seems to look at me not as a brother, but as a member of the opposite sex. Meanwhile, I can only see Sue as my sister, as family. I don't think I could ever reciprocate those feelings. But if she can't let go of the brother attachment, then that's just how it is. I genuinely want her to grow out of it—but if the alternative is that she pulls away because things got awkward after all this, I'd rather she still came running to me like she always did. I can't see her as a romantic interest, but as a sister, she's someone I love and cherish—family.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
When I answered, the one who opened the door and stepped in was Wakaba.
"Would you like to see your sister?"
And right on cue.
"I can see her!?"
"Yes."
"Of course I want to see her! Please, let me!"
At my urgent plea, Wakaba nodded and extended her hand.
There was no explanation, but I assumed she meant for me to take it.
Somewhat hesitantly, I grasped her hand.
The next instant, the scenery before my eyes changed.
"Where is thi—"
"Onii-sama!"
Before I could even finish the question—and before Wakaba could answer—Sue's voice reached my ears.
I turned around, and there she was.
She showed none of the awkwardness or avoidance I'd been worried about. She came running toward me with a smile on her face.
"Onii-sa—ma!"
With that sweetly clinging voice, she raised her weapon.
"Huh?"
A dopey sound escaped my lips.
The only reason I reacted in time was thanks to everyday training. Sue's blade descended toward my heart without a shred of hesitation, and I instinctively drew the sword at my hip to parry.
"Sue!? Are you still brainwashed!?"
"No! I'm perfectly sane!"
Sue showed no signs of easing her assault. Blocking her strikes, I reached the pinnacle of confusion.
She says she's sane, but by anyone's reckoning, this doesn't look sane at all!
"Sue! Stop!"
"I've figured it out! This is the only way to have Onii-sama for myself!"
Sue's attacks were aimed squarely at my vitals. There was no mercy in them whatsoever. She was genuinely trying to kill me.
"Using this 'Conquest' Skill, I'll have everything that belongs to Onii-sama! Your soul, your heart, and of course I'll preserve the empty husk of your corpse too!"
My blood ran cold.
I couldn't understand the meaning behind Sue's words.
I didn't want to understand.
There was a madness coming from her unlike anything I'd ever felt before.
As I suspected—the brainwashing at Hugo's hands must have had an adverse effect on her. And then there was the matter of this "Conquest" Skill. I used Appraisal on Sue, and there it was—a skill I'd never seen before: Greed.
It was one of Hugo's Seven Deadly Sins Skills.
"Sue, since when did you—?"
"Before that guy even brainwashed me, I'd already met the conditions. I just couldn't obtain it because he owned it. He died, I became free, and I gained Greed!"
Even as she spoke, Sue's attacks didn't stop. While parrying, I confirmed the effect of Sue's "Conquest" Skill.
*Conquest: When Greed is activated, absorbs the entirety of the target's soul.* What did this mean exactly?
Greed had the effect of partially inheriting the defeated opponent's Skills and Status. Did this "Conquest" supplement that, allowing her to take everything?
But if such a thing were possible, I couldn't understand why Hugo hadn't used it.
No—Ruler Authority!
Among the pieces of knowledge I'd gained through the Taboo, there was something called Ruler Authority. A special privilege accessible only to those who possessed the Seven Deadly Sins Skills or the Seven Virtues Skills, granting the ability to interfere with the system. Certain Skills couldn't be activated without establishing Ruler Authority. Hugo had the Ruler Skill but hadn't established Ruler Authority, which meant he couldn't use "Conquest."
So had Sue established Ruler Authority?
No—Sue's Skills don't include Taboo Level 10. She shouldn't have Ruler Authority. Which meant she couldn't use "Conquest."
"Sue! There's no point in doing this!"
"Onii-sama! This is all I have left!"
It's no good. She won't listen. What do I do?
"Get away from Shun!"
Flames surged toward Sue.
Behind those flames stood Kathia.
"Kathia!"
"Come, Sue."
And then Sue shifted her target from me to Kathia and lunged at her.
How did it come to this?
What are we supposed to do?