"Are you serious?"
I had managed to get a word with
Making a sixteen—no, seventeen-year-old kid the supreme commander was hardly sane, and she'd be right to suspect someone who'd dare ask for such a thing.
"I am. I want command authority. Please."
Mylene showed a different face from before. Her calm expression made it seem like all the warmth she'd shown up until now had vanished.
"You lack both trust and track record. If I were to recommend you, people would question my sanity."
"It's about winning. At this rate, we can't win. If you don't want to, I'll just run."
Mylene lowered her gaze and murmured, "So this is what happens when all those debts finally come due."
"His Majesty's plan is to take out the person who used the magic flute that lured out the super-large-class entity and launched a raid on the duchy."
"That won't even get us close. It'll be a complete massacre—pointless."
"...
It was a remark that carried a certain sting toward His Majesty, but I didn't let it bother me and pressed on with the negotiation. I also noticed—somewhat casually—that Mylene's assessment of me was actually quite high.
"If we leave it to someone else, we can't win. We need the royal family's ship. That thing has a special power, doesn't it?"
She made a face like "How do you know about that?" I cornered her against the wall and planted my hands on it.
"You— you know what that ship is? That's—"
"The driving force behind the kingdom's founding. The royal family's trump card... right?"
"Yes, that's right. It's not something I can just lend out easily. That's a lost item."
It was a different kind of lost item from
I was very close to Mylene.
"Lend it to me. I need it."
"But it won't move. Neither His Majesty nor I could get it to work."
"I'll use
"But the Holy Maiden— Marie is awaiting execution."
Marie was absolutely necessary, no matter what.
If Marie died, it wasn't guaranteed that
The ones who could operate the airship and unleash the Holy Maiden's power were Marie and the others.
After that, all I had to do was put Livia on board.
"Luxion, explain it to the Queen."
*"Yes."* Seeing Luxion appear, Mylene was surprised—"This is— the summoned companion from the report?"—but she studied Luxion all the same.
Then, upon hearing that the super-large-class was closing in from both the sky and the sea, sandwiching the land between them, the Queen fell into despair.
"Is that true?"
*"It is. Additionally, communications have degraded significantly since the two entities appeared. We should assume that once we're in close proximity to the enemy, communication will be nearly impossible."* The Queen pressed her left hand to her face.
"The more I hear, the worse it gets. ...Leon, can we win?"
"We'll win. What I need you to prepare is—"
"—the Holy Maiden and the royal family's ship. I see. So that's why you want the supreme commander position."
Mylene tensed her expression and stared into my eyes.
"If I say I'm making you supreme commander, those who oppose it will come forward. The Marquis's faction. I'll need to suppress them. Besides, there won't be many knights or soldiers willing to side with you. You won't be able to gather much in the way of fighting strength."
I looked at Luxion, who nodded with his single eye.
"That's fine."
"...Honestly. As much as it's your own doing, I wish the other knights had even a fraction of your loyalty."
Loyalty? I barely have any.
"My loyalty is that high? And what's this about it being my own doing?"
"The current state of things, where a handful of men have borne too much of the burden. I'll tell you once you make it back safely. Make sure you win and come back. Understood?"
When I nodded, Mylene blushed and gave a cute little cough.
"A-And also, it would help if you could step back."
Oh, right. I stepped back, and Mylene took a deep breath before looking at me.
"I owe you quite a lot, Leon. I'll handle the groundwork on my end. But you really do have very few allies."
"It'll be fine. I have somewhere to turn for fighting strength."
No problem.
Now was the time to use the power of bonds.
◇ The capital was in total chaos.
Among those trying to flee were members of the nobility.
Disgracefully, there were plenty of nobles and knights who'd abandoned their duties—declaring there was no way they'd fight for such a kingdom—and fled with their mistresses.
Incidentally, the wives—the legal wives, that is—had been left behind. Knowing the reason made it all feel rather complicated.
When I arrived at the academy from the palace, the scene before my eyes was so different from the usual that I had to rub them.
"W-Wait! Take me with you too!"
The heir to a border viscountcy roughly shook off a girl clinging to him.
"Don't come crying to me now. You ignored me plenty before."
A male student departing the academy.
On the other side, a wealthy count who lived in the capital was clinging to a girl.
"You're dumping me?! After everything I spent on you!"
"If you stay here, you'll just die! Once the capital's gone, you'll be completely worthless!"
It was a complete role reversal from the usual dynamic.
A scene that brought me zero joy.
Luxion guided me.
*"Master, this way. Everyone appears to have gathered and is holding some kind of discussion."* "You beauty! Luxion, head toward Livia and Ange. Save those two no matter what! And if you run into anyone we know, let them know."
*"I don't mind, but will you be alright on your own, Master?"* I'll be fine.
My bond with everyone—Daniel, Raymond, and the rest—is the real deal!
"Don't worry. Everyone's sure to cooperate."
◇ "No way. That's impossible."
"Yeah, impossible."
The place where the group of guys in similar situations to me—barons from the frontier—had gathered was a meeting room at the academy.
They'd apparently all been hiding there to escape from the girls who'd done a sudden about-face.
They were waiting for their families to send escorts.
When I made my request for cooperation, Daniel and Raymond both refused, saying things like "No thanks" and "Not a chance."
"Why not?"
"The kingdom's army is basically wiped out. How are about two hundred airships supposed to fight a monster that took them all down without breaking a sweat?"
Raymond's cool-headed assessment wasn't wrong.
"Leon, why not just give up? You were arrested on false charges, right? There's no reason to push yourself this hard. If the kingdom loses, we just swear fealty to the duchy."
Daniel wasn't motivated either.
The lords who owned floating islands as territories simply followed the stronger nation.
If the kingdom fell, they'd find the next master to serve.
Everyone around me had the same reaction.
"Yeah, that's right. Hey, did you hear? In the duchy, men apparently have the higher status. When it comes to marriage, it's the women who are anxious."
"For real?! I'm swearing fealty to the duchy!"
"Me too!"
...I understood that feeling all too well, but couldn't you guys show a little more loyalty?!
Well, I don't have much myself, but still!
They'd been killing time playing cards. After all, if they went back to their own territories, they'd be safe. Even if the continent sank, the floating islands—existing independently—would remain unscathed.
They might end up fighting the duchy later, but the truth was none of them wanted to fight for the kingdom.
In fact, the nobles and knights in the capital were fleeing, and the territorial lords were dragging their feet on sending reinforcements.
So this was the "debt" Mylene had spoken of.
I took a deep breath.
The meeting room reeked of guys.
I pulled a document from my coat.
"Take a look at this, all of you."
Raymond adjusted his glasses and read the document.
"Isn't this a purchase agreement for airships? What about it?"
"You guys already received your airships. Were you training your crews?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yep. We were happy about how easy to handle and high-performance they were."
Everyone was thrilled to have gotten their hands on proper military vessels, but Raymond alone went pale.
"Leon, this is—"
"Right. The airships you have can only be serviced at the factory in my father's territory. Try taking them somewhere else? Perfect maintenance would be impossible. There's too much new technology—if you neglect servicing, they'll eventually stop working altogether."
The contract stated something along the lines of: because the ships were equipped with new technology, maintenance had to be left to our factory.
They'd given up their old secondhand airships and bought new ones from me.
If their current airships stopped working, they'd be completely helpless.
"I'm going to fight the duchy. So what happens then? The duchy might ravage my territory and my father's territory. The factory could get destroyed too. And I've already fought the duchy once and made enemies of them. You lot are seen as connected to me. No—I'll go out of my way to publicize my ties with you!"
All of them started hurling insults at me.
"You're despicable!"
"Hey, someone grab Leon here and hand him over to Heltrude!"
"She's already been taken to the palace!"
I pulled out a revolver and fired it into the ceiling.
Everyone fell silent.
"Calm down, you idiots! Do you really think the duchy would accept your surrender? It's the duchy we're talking about. They hate the kingdom. At worst, you could lose your territories and be treated as slaves."
The moment they all realized that possibility, I spoke to them gently.
"Cooperate with me. It'll be fine. All you have to do is hide behind me. If you survive, I'll keep servicing your ships at discount rates. And as a bonus, you'll be heroes! You just sit behind the lines and fire cannons—how is that not the deal of a lifetime?!"
Everyone was giving me resentful looks.
"Trust me. I'm fighting because we can win. When have I ever taken on a battle where I was at a disadvantage? I'm a man who only fights battles he can win."
"Y-When you put it that way..."
"He has gotten us through a lot of tight spots..."
"If Leon says we can win, does that mean we can?"
I'd been counting on the fact that my usual track record would make everyone believe in me.
Daniel agonized for a long moment, then said: "...You're always so underhanded."
"Oh my, is that a compliment? Rest assured. That underhanded man is your ally. Pretty reassuring, right?"
Raymond ran both hands through his hair.
"That underhanded man is the reason we have to go to war with the duchy! This is the worst!"
Everyone gave up—or rather, steeled their resolve.
They agreed to follow me.
Now that was the power of friendship!
"Thank you, everyone! Let's stay friends forever!"
Everyone was glaring at me, but I didn't care. "Don't mess with us," "You demon!" "So that contract really was a trap after all!"—they were shouting all sorts of things.
Well, complaints of that level were trivial compared to the final boss ahead.
—Now then, let's move on.
◇ Luxion arrived at Livia's room.
"Leon is going to fight the duchy army?!"
While Livia was stunned, Ange was completely exasperated.
"Even if he's a viscount, making a student the supreme commander is unheard of. In name, will His Majesty or Julius serve as general?"
Luxion swayed his single eye back and forth in negation.
*"I believe the plan is for Master to serve as supreme commander. At present, including Partner, we have around twenty ships. It's unclear how many airships the kingdom can ready. The temple's forces can't be relied upon either."* Ange held her head in her hands.
"He intends to take on the duchy with that? What happened to the generals? The lords' fleets?"
*"Whether the kingdom's army mobilizes depends on Mylene's groundwork. The territorial lords claim to be busy with their own theaters. Multiple nations are moving simultaneously, but the lords who can field forces are sitting on the fence."* Livia looked at Ange.
"Why? Why won't they help us?"
"...Do you understand why the lords follow the kingdom?"
"Um... because they've sworn loyalty?"
"No. It's national power. Because of the military disparity, the lords around the kingdom follow along. If the kingdom falls, many of them figure they'll just find the next master to serve. Besides, the kingdom has been mistreating the lords all this time."
"Huh?"
Luxion thought to himself.
*(As I suspected. I thought something was off. Master had stopped thinking because it was an otome game, but it's only natural when you consider it properly.)* The ducal house was deeply connected to the royal family.
Their thinking leaned pro-kingdom, and Ange's attitude toward the lords—it reflected exactly how the royal family viewed them.
"They've been keeping the lords from gaining power. The distorted marriage arrangements were part of that. Someday, this will—"
She caught herself and shook her head.
Then she stood up.
"I'm going to my father. I'll get the ducal fleet moving."
*"Are you sure about this?"* Ange smiled meaningfully.
"If Leon says he can do it, then there must be a chance of winning. ...I believe in him."
Livia looked a bit down but stood to follow Ange.
Luxion said: *"Then please hurry to the palace. The duke is at the palace."* Ange smiled.
"Thank you. Let's go immediately. Livia, what about you?"
"I'm coming too!"
The two of them—along with Luxion—hurried off to the palace.
◇ The floating island near the capital saw far more airship traffic than usual.
So many people had flooded in that it was difficult just to walk.
Waiting there was Nix—my older brother.
"Leon, you're okay!"
Standing near the cheerful Nix was our sister,
"You broke out of prison?"
Nearby was Miorle, the personal maid, whose eyes darted away the moment she saw me.
"Perfect timing. Get on—Father came to pick us up."
Nix pointed to the airship their father had arrived on.
"Couldn't have better timing."
I went inside the airship and asked a crew member where Father was.
"Where's Father?"
"The bridge, young master. What did you do this time?"
"Not me. It's my sister's cat-eared slave who's to blame. Whatever you do, don't let that guy on!"
I couldn't trust the guy who'd betrayed me to remain on my sister's side.
The second sister was making a fuss about something, but I ignored her and ran through the ship's corridors.
When I reached the bridge, Father was consulting with the captain.
"My lord, there's a crowd demanding to be let on board."
"Once the children are secured, pack on as many as you can and pull away! We can't stay in this spot forever. Hmm? Leon!"
Father noticed me and seemed happy for a moment, but his expression immediately hardened.
"What did you do this time?! I heard you were thrown in a cell!"
"Sorry, Father... I need your help."
"What— what exactly are you—"
Anyway, I explained the situation. Why I'd been arrested, what had actually happened—I even ratted out what that bastard Miorle had done.
Father's face gradually turned pale... I almost felt sorry for him.
"...As expected, you really are an idiot."
"I'm going to fight too, but I need your help as well."
"When you could get away scot-free, why wouldn't you run? You really are a hopeless son."
The airship I'd gifted Father—a military vessel—was larger and higher-performance than most. He should have been training his crew. I needed his help.
While Father was deliberating, the second brother and second sister came onto the bridge. Behind them, Miorle's figure was visible.
The second brother reported in a panic.
"Father, Zora and the others are demanding we let them on. I don't know what's going on, but they brought a whole crowd."
Father let out a small sigh and left the bridge.
However, he grabbed Miorle by the head with one hand and dragged him along.
"W-Wait! Why are you being rough with Miorle?! Let go!"
The second sister protested, and Miorle resisted, but Father held him with a single arm without letting go.
"Let me go! I haven't done anything!"
"Shut up, traitor! You think you can just waltz up and show your face to me?! You think I'm soft?!"
Father glared at the second sister and, for the first time, was truly angry. Genuinely furious.
"I'm not letting this trash who betrayed Leon onto my ship! Nix, you stay on the bridge. Jenna, you stay in your room and keep quiet! Someone, get her out of here!"
As the crew led the second sister away, I followed Father to the airship's boarding entrance.
There, a crowd had gathered—noblewomen, slaves, and the lot of Zora's entourage.
Zora was screaming at Father.
"
In the noisy, crowded port, Father shoved Miorle aside.
"W-Wait! Listen to me—"
"Silence."
Then he drew the sword at his hip and, in a single swing, took off Miorle's head and kicked the body away. From the floating island port, Miorle's head and body fell separately into the distance.
Father glared at the eldest brother—Rutearte—who was cowering behind Zora, trembling.
"There's a war coming. Rutearte, you're getting on. You'll experience your first battle."
"N-No! Don't order me around! You savage provincial lord!"
While I stayed quiet, Zora and the others were gradually recovering from what had just happened.
"Balcus, just who do you think you're giving orders to? Who do you think kept you living in peace all this—"
"Hand over Rutearte. There's a war coming."
Facing Father, who radiated a different aura than usual, Zora shrieked.
"Don't get cocky! Rutearte is the child of the man I loved! Your filthy blood doesn't run in his veins! If you want someone to fight, send that worthless thing over there!"
She'd been thrown into confusion and blurted out the truth... What a terrible thing to say.
But Father simply ran a hand through his hair.
"I thought so. But at least now I can let go cleanly. Zora, this is where we part ways."
Zora suddenly panicked.
"W-Wait. What I said just now—that's not what I— Look! If you really want an heir so badly, we can just have a child from now on! Anyway, just get us out of here—"
"Sorry. I'm busy."
Father gave a signal, and armored knights descended from the deck.
"Zora and the rest of you are leaving. Prioritize evacuating those who want refuge. And Leon!"
"Yes!"
The father who'd always been so pathetic looked cool today.
"...Once I've delivered everyone, I'll come right back. And then—are you prepared?"
Seeing Father's worried expression, I thought: there's the dad I know.
That strangely made me happy... and I gave a small nod.
"Good. I'll handle things on this end. You go do what you need to do. Not like you'd listen to me anyway. Honestly, you never stop surprising me."
...I will, Father.
I was truly sorry for all the trouble I'd caused.
In both my past life and this one, I'd done nothing but burden my parents.
◇ Returning to the palace from the port, I received a report from Bernard—Clarisse's father—as he rushed over.
"Viscount, recruitment for the kingdom's army has been poor. Ground forces haven't come together either. We could only manage about fifty airships."
Honestly, I was surprised we'd managed even fifty.
"On our side, including Partner, we have twenty-four. —Oh."
The swaying was getting worse.
Bernard's complexion was quite bad too.
"Viscount, let me ask you directly. Can we win? Depending on your answer, I'd like to evacuate my family."
"...We can beat the duchy army. The only problem is the super-large-class."
To destroy the super-large-class—the power of the Holy Maiden and Livia's own power were needed.
A voice that reached the heart.
Livia had the power to send her voice into people's hearts.
Why? How should I know? That's just how she's built.
Anyway, that power was essential.
The Holy Maiden's power alone wasn't enough.
"You really are something, Viscount. How about this—once this is over, will you take Clarisse's hand?"
I'd been about to laugh at Bernard's joke, but his eyes were serious.
A strange cold sweat broke out.
"...Let's think about that after we win. Right now, there's, you know, a lot going on."
"Fair enough. Well then, please make your preparations here. The audience chamber should be ready soon. Rest until then."
I was shown to an antechamber near the audience hall.
Marie and the others were in that room.
◇ Marie was sitting with her knees drawn up, looking utterly wretched.
The dress that should have been white was filthy, and she wouldn't lift the face she'd buried in her knees.
Julius and the rest of the group were at a loss.
When I approached
"Are you cursed or something?"
"Not me. The one who's cursed is your master. More importantly, what happened?"
Kyle, looking thoroughly tired, explained the sequence of events.
"Our master declared she wasn't the Holy Maiden, and all the people who'd been her entourage started hurling abuse. Temple priests and knights stormed in, arrested her, and threw her in the dungeon. I don't know what happened after that—we were suddenly summoned and ended up here."
"What the heck? That's almost funny."
"I'm not laughing at all. She's been like that ever since. ...Is our master really going to be executed?"
She was a criminal who'd impersonated the Holy Maiden. Naturally, the temple wouldn't forgive her.
I was honestly impressed that Mylene had managed to pull her away from the temple at all.
"The palace only delayed the execution temporarily. Win or lose, her life is forfeit."
At my words, Julius glared at me.
I quickly addressed Marie.
"Marie, it's fine. We're with you."
But Marie— "—Shut up."
"Huh?"
"I said shut up! What do you mean 'it's fine'?! Are any of you actually okay? You saw that monster—you really think you can win? What a bunch of delusional idiots."
"Marie?"
—She'd finally shown her true colors.
"Get out! All of you, get out! I—I hate every last one of you!"
Carla rushed to Marie's side.
"What? Marie, you and I are friends—"
"That was obviously a lie. Are you stupid? That's exactly why you're isolated and get bullied—you're so thoughtless. The only reason I used you was because I figured tormenting a little idiot like you would be entertaining. You're not... my friend."
Carla burst into tears.
I clicked my tongue.
"So that's your true self. You were pretty good at playing innocent, I'll give you that. But the mask came off today."
Marie glared at me, and
"Bartfort, enough!"
But it was Marie who started berating him.
"Ugh? I'm the one who wants you to stop. All you're good for is swinging a sword, yet you act so high and mighty."
"What!?"
She turned to
"You're all talk too. Something about 'real combat experience'—you're completely useless. That purple one over there is a narcissist who gives me the creeps. And you in green—I can't tell what you're thinking, which is unsettling. And you! You! The biggest problem is you, the former crown prince!"
"Marie? What on earth is wrong with you?"
Julius asked, and Marie answered with a laugh.
"The title of prince is the only thing that makes you useful, isn't it? You're all such idiots. Status, honor, even your fortunes—you threw it all away because you thought it would make a woman happy? I honestly don't understand."
Cackling, Marie turned her gaze to Kyle.
"And you, that noisy little brat. Acting all cocky and important. If I hadn't allowed it, you'd have been sent back to the slave merchant. Show some gratitude!"
Everyone present was completely stunned.
I shook my head.
"How pathetic."
"Shut up! Get lost! It's because of you that I can't be happy! Give it back. Give it back! ...Give me back my happiness!"
Just as Marie broke down crying, Ange and Livia entered the room.
"Leon! You're safe— what happened?"
"Marie, why are you crying?"
I ran a hand through my hair and ushered everyone except Marie out of the room.
"Give us a moment alone. I need to talk with her."
Marie gradually quieted down and then collapsed as if losing consciousness. She'd fallen asleep—she must have been utterly exhausted.
...Absolutely infuriating.
◇ —Marie was dreaming.
That day too, she had been abandoned by her brother and left crying.
Memories of her past life.
The memory of scraping her knees, sitting down, and crying until she fell asleep.
*(I really am stupid. I should have just gone home, but I was too stubborn. Come to think of it, how did I even get home from there?)* While she was gazing blankly, a boy approached, muttering complaints.
*"What an idiot. If you're going to cry until you're exhausted, you should have just walked."* Her brother had come back and was carrying the young Marie of her past life on his back.
*(Oh, right. He ended up carrying me after all. If that's the case, you should have carried me from the start, you useless brother.)* She wanted to complain, but tears flowed instead.
The carried version of herself was relieved and asleep.
She drooled, dirtying her brother's clothes.
She'd been expecting complaints, but instead: *"...Why do you always rely on me?"* Seeing her brother's face look slightly pleased, Marie clutched her hand to her chest and squeezed.
Yes. Her brother—his mouth was harsh, but he was kind, she remembered.
*(Useless brother... why did you have to die?)* What she remembered was the day her brother died.
*(Just complain like you always do, won't you?)* When she returned from a trip, Marie was slapped by her parents.
After the funeral, she was thrown out of the house.
*(If you were still around like always, things would have worked out somehow. It's because you died that I ended up unhappy. Why did you die... big brother.)* They argued and complained at each other, but they'd been getting along.
Most things, she'd push onto her brother, and even if he grumbled, he'd do them. He'd solve them.
That was why Marie had been spoiled. She'd pushed the game on him because she'd been spoiled.
But when the brother she'd relied on died, everything started to fall apart.
Marie hadn't truly hated her brother in her past life.
He complained, but she hadn't hated him.
She couldn't remember the face of the dependable brother she'd once known.
*(Help me. Why won't you help me...)* She couldn't recall the face of the kind brother who always complained but came to her aid.
◇ "...Big brother."
Sitting in a chair, looking at Marie's sleeping face, I thought about my detestable sister from my past life.
That girl was always causing trouble for everyone, and I was always the one cleaning up after her.
Even in my second life, I was busy covering for Marie.
*"Master, shall I let her continue sleeping?"* I removed all the bullets from the revolver and set it on the table as a show of force.
"Let her sleep a little longer. We still have time."
*"Wouldn't it be more efficient to wake her by force and compel her to comply?"* "What do you take me for? Actually, never mind. You'd just call me an indecisive coward or something."
*"What a pity. An indecisive, pathetic loser. That was a close one."* It wasn't close at all. She didn't even graze me.
Frankly, being called evil and ruthless would have been better.
While I was glaring at Luxion, Marie sat up. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her hair was disheveled—she looked frightening.
I picked up the revolver and held it where Marie could see.
"You're awake. Now then, it's time to negotiate."
"...No. I'm not doing anything until my brother gets here."
What's with this girl? Did she break? Brother? Who's that?
She was absolutely hopeless.
"Your brother? He's probably some worthless trash."
"Don't you dare mock my brother!"
Marie threw something at me from nearby, so I grabbed Luxion and used him as a shield. He protested in a voice dripping with resentment—*"Master... I will not forget this"*—but I ignored him.
"He really is trash. And here I was, projecting you onto my own sister. I'm the fool. He was better than you, at least."
"Shut up! Your sister is probably some crazy, selfish, brainless woman!"
She was crazy, selfish, a fool, and infuriating—my sister was all of those things. But Marie had no right to say that!
"Don't talk about her! She's a hundred times better than you! Sure, she's dumb, has a terrible personality, is rotten to the core, and the absolute worst—but she's better than you!"
"My brother is a hundred times—no, a thousand times better than you! He's got a plain face, is obviously unremarkable, has a foul mouth, and a terrible personality, and— and— anyway, don't you dare mock my brother!"
I was getting angry.
Why did I have to argue with this girl about something like this?
We were both out of breath from the shouting match.
I asked Marie.
"Why did you become the Holy Maiden? If you'd cleared that otome game, you must have known that Livia's power was necessary. Besides, you challenged a war without even the royal family's ship? Are you stupid?"
Marie answered between heavy breaths.
"I didn't know! I... had my brother... my big brother clear the game for me! He died right after, and when I'd finally settled down, I checked the save data! I only knew about it from screenshots and videos!"
This girl hadn't even cleared the game herself, and she'd built a reverse harem with nothing but half-baked knowledge?!
...W-Wait. Hold on. I had my brother clear it for me?
"...My sister was going on an overseas trip, so she pushed that otome game on me and told me to clear it during her absence? Wait— could you possibly be...?"
Marie also said "Wait—" and looked at my face.
I looked carefully at Marie's face, and traces of her past life were clearly visible.
That infuriating face was unmistakable. Marie was my sister!
"B-Big brother?! Onii-chan— Ouch!"
When she tried to leap at me, I smacked her on the head with the grip of my revolver.
"It was you this whole tiiiiiime!"
I screamed, and there was a rattling sound from the other side of the door.
But what mattered more than that was the woman in front of me—Marie.
"That's a pretty harsh way to greet a sister you haven't seen in ages."
"I'd already decided that if we ever met again, I'd get my revenge on you."
"It's because you kept complaining to Mom that everything got so complicated!"
"That's your fault to begin with! W-Wait— what happened to Mom and Dad?"
Luxion observed our exchange: *"Well, this is quite something. I don't think either of them is acting, and the 'past life' story is starting to ring true."* ...Was this guy actually still doubting me this whole time?