Chapter 22: For My Sister (1)
Chapter 22: For My Sister (1)
“Ronan.”
“Huh?”
“Did you comb your hair?”
“Do you have a problem with it?”
Ronan shrugged dismissively. Aselle quickly averted his gaze.
“Oh, no… Not at all.”
The cool air of the refreshing morning surrounded them. They were waiting for Iril at the carriage station on the west side of the island.
Aselle continued to glance at Ronan’s hair.
If Ronan’s hair was usually a crow’s nest, today it seemed to be neatly braided into a bun. His clothes were also different from usual, looking considerably cleaner.
-Thud!
At that moment, a carriage stopped in front of the station. It was a high-end carriage designed for comfortable stretching and resting.
The door opened, and a woman with white hair stepped out. Iril looked around with her already large eyes widened even more.
“Wow! Is this Jido…?”
“…What’s all this?”
Ronan frowned as he saw her appearance. Iril’s wandering gaze eventually landed on the two men.
“Oh! Ronan! Aselle!”
Iril shouted cheerfully. Instead of replying, Ronan extended his index finger, pointing to the bundles she was carrying in her hands.
“…What’s with all these bundles?”
More accurately, they weren’t just bundles; they were bundles ‘plural’. One in each hand, and one on her back. Iril was enveloped by three large bundles.
“Hehe, I brought these for you to eat.”
Iril opened one of the bundles. It was filled with muddy potatoes. The other two bundles contained various vegetables and things like cheese that she had personally made.
Ronan chuckled wryly.
“Damn, where are we taking refuge?”
“Hehehe, the crops did well this time. And you know how delicious the cheese is.”
Even though he had probably told her not to dig up more potatoes. Anyway, that’s the temperament of the household. Ronan was about to reach for one of the bundles.
“Invisible Hand.”
With a familiar incantation, the three bundles floated in the air. Ronan and Iril simultaneously turned their heads. Aselle had his hands slightly clasped and was giving an awkward chuckle.
“This, I’ll put them in our lodging. Enjoy.”
“Huh? Where’s Aselle going?”
“Oh…! I have something separate to do today. I’ll see you at the enrollment ceremony tomorrow.”
After finishing his words, Aselle began to walk without looking back. Ronan smirked as he watched Aselle’s retreating figure.
“Conceited brat.”
“Well… It’s a shame. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Aselle.”
“That’s true.”
“Well, we’ll see each other tomorrow!”
Iril smiled brightly again. Her words were correct. Ronan had invited Iril under the pretense of having her witness the enrollment ceremony tomorrow.
“By the way, Ronan.”
Suddenly, Iril grabbed Ronan’s hand.
“Have you been well? Did you eat properly? Why did you lose so much weight? Do you know how surprised Noona was when that strange carriage came? Where did you get the money?”
“I’ve been well, ate properly, and the carriage wasn’t a big deal, so don’t worry about it.”
Ronan said nonchalantly. The carriage fee was minuscule compared to the income he had earned so far. In the first place, he had sent that because he couldn’t get a better carriage.
“I can’t believe you… Anyway, I read your letter! You said you got a full scholarship?!”
“Yeah. Martial Arts Department.”
“Really? Are you not lying to make your sister feel better?”
“It’s true.”
Iril looked up and met Ronan’s eyes. After a long time, his sister was still beautiful. Her sunset-colored irises sparkled under the spring sun.
“If you don’t believe me, look.”
Ronan handed her the prepared admission certificate. His name was written on the elegant paper, along with the descriptor “Second place”
Iril read the certificate several times before returning it to Ronan.
“Hehe. It’s true.”
Iril smiled once and lowered her head. She didn’t reply for a while. She spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“You’ve really grown up, my little brother.”
His small shoulders began to shake. Ronan, as if about to say something, hesitated with his lips and then hugged Iril with a very cautious movement.
“…Sister, look up. I have someone to introduce.”
“Ugh… An introduction…?”
Tears welled up in Iril’s eyes as she looked up. Tear marks were visible on her pure white cheeks.
Her younger brother, who had just left, had regained his senses and enrolled in the continent’s top academy. Moreover, he had achieved the highest honors.
It wasn’t that she didn’t understand her emotions, but this couldn’t go on forever. Today was supposed to be a joyful day.
Rolling his hand into a fist and bringing it to his mouth, Ronan shouted to the sky.
“Cita!”
“Beeeaah!”
In response, Cita, who had been circling the sky, landed on Ronan’s shoulder in an instant. Iril’s pupils widened. She had never seen such a creature even in her dreams.
“Wow! What is this? It’s so cute!”
“Oh, if you touch it…”
There was no time to stop her. Iril, who was sniffling, reached out and touched Cita’s head.
“Beeeah!”
“Huh?”
Contrary to Ronan’s expectations, Cita didn’t resist at all. Instead, it made a purring sound as if it was enjoying it.
“So fluffy. What kind of animal is this? What’s its name?”
“Um… Well… its name is Cita. As for what kind of animal it is… I don’t know either.”
Moreover, Cita hopped over to Iril’s shoulder and nuzzled its face against her cheek. It was a behavior that it hadn’t shown to anyone except Ronan. With a look of astonishment, he laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Beeah~ Beeaaah~”
“Ahaha! It tickles!”
…While it was somewhat overwhelming, it was fortunate that their relationship was good. Ronan took his sister’s hand and headed towards the bustling streets.
“Let’s go have a meal.”
Tomorrow was the enrollment ceremony. Today, they were planning to buy the things Ronan needed for the academy. And at the same time, he could repay his sister’s kindness.
Ronan guided her to a restaurant he had known in advance. It was the same steakhouse he had gone to with Marya on his first day in Jido.
“This is the first time I’ve ever eaten something like this since I was born…!”
“Is it delicious?”
With each forkful of meat, the juice burst out as if exploding. Iril nodded quickly with her mouth full.
Ronan smiled with satisfaction. It felt like his stomach was being filled even if he didn’t eat.
“Eat a lot.”
“Yeah, yeah! Ronan, you should eat quickly too!”
Iril started slicing her steak to transfer it onto Ronan’s plate. Resistance was futile. She picked up a piece of meat and brought it near her brother’s mouth, speaking as she did so.
“Ah~”
“Ah~ whatever. I’m not a kid.”
“Ah~~”
Iril was stubborn. Ronan sighed and looked around. Fortunately, there weren’t many customers in the restaurant.
Ronan quickly devoured the meat as if an alligator was devouring its prey. Iril tapped her foot anxiously and shivered.
“How is it? It’s really delicious!”
“…It’s okay.”
Reluctantly, Ronan nodded. Iril handed pieces of meat to Ronan and Cita, one by one.
Throughout the meal, a smile never left her face. When they left the restaurant, Ronan left a few coins under his plate and stood up.
****
After finishing their meal, the siblings headed to a large boutique called “Song of Silk.”
They were here to pick up the uniforms they had ordered and to buy a few sets of casual clothes for Iril, who usually only wore simple attire.
“Ro…Ronan! These clothes don’t suit me at all… Can you please find something else…”
“They suit you.”
“You’re dressing me up too much. I can’t even go to the fields in this outfit…”
“First of all, these aren’t clothes you’d wear while working. By the way, are you still working in the fields? What about the money I gave you?”
“Of course, I used it! I used about three silver coins from the money you gave me!”
Iril had said that she used three silver coins from the money Ronan had given her. She used it to buy seedlings for planting, some new clothes, and to start raising four chickens.
“I bought them with a big heart! You don’t know how great it is to have eggs for breakfast every day!”
Iril said cheerfully, placing her hand on her waist. Ronan sighed.
How much did I give her? I vaguely remember giving her over three hundred gold coins.
He expected it, but he didn’t realize it would be this serious. Ronan clapped his hands to call the waiter. Everyone in the shop was staring at Iril as if entranced.
“Please give us everything she’s chosen.”
“R…Ronan!!”
“Listen well, Noona. I received a full scholarship, and I’ll receive a scholarship until I graduate with honors. On top of that, various grants are pouring in, and I have more money than I can spend. So please, spend the money for me.”
He was sincere. No matter how he thought about it, he had no real use for money.
Aselle had suggested that he equip himself like other warriors. But to Ronan, armor was just cumbersome, and swords were just the same old things. They would become useless eventually, just at different times.
Iril clenched her fist with a serious expression.
“Okay. Then this time, I’ll get geese. I’ll raise rabbits and buy barrels for brewing!”
“…”
“Should I skip the rabbits?”
Ronan paid for the clothes in silence. As they left the store, people’s gazes poured down on them like a waterfall. Iril in her pure white dress looked as beautiful as an angel descending from the sky.
Iril spoke, linking her arm with Ronan’s.
“Hehe, it’s so nice walking with my little brother like this. Where should we go next?”
“Well… Let’s go to the artisan district. I need to buy a sword.”
“Did your previous one break?”
“Yeah. Some guy picked a fight with me out of nowhere.”
Ronan clicked his tongue. After his recent squabble with Shulifen, the black iron sword he had used effectively had become entirely useless.
The two of them walked arm in arm through the bustling streets. Ronan put both hands in his pockets and glared openly at passersby who were openly staring at his sister.
“Did you get a good look? Staring so blatantly at someone else’s family.”
“”Beeaah~!”
Passersby moved aside hesitantly. Cita on Ronan’s shoulder puffed up its fur, looking as if it would explode. Just then, he caught sight of a familiar sight out of the corner of his eye.
“Hmm?”
The deep blue hair stood out prominently amidst the bustling crowd.
The intuition that reacted faster than sight halted Ronan’s steps. He muttered a curse under his breath.
“Damn.”
“Huh? Why did you suddenly stop?”
At that moment, the blue-haired figure also came to a halt. It was as if he was about to turn around. Ronan urgently grabbed his sister’s arm and pulled her away.
“Noona, let’s go this way. It’s a shortcut.”
“Sure?”
Ronan turned into an alley. It was a bit narrow, but it connected to the artisan district.
“Why is that lunatic here?”
They passed by corroded pipes and torn-off posters on both sides. It was a gloomy scene, but Iril was even enjoying that. It was the moment they left the alley.
“Long time no see, Ronan.”
“Ugh… Shit.”
There, Shullifen stood, his head held high. His tone seemed to imply that he had been waiting for quite a while. He stared directly into Ronan’s eyes as he spoke.
“Why hide like this? You must know that feeble attempts at hiding are useless.”
“This damn… I mean, no. Don’t cause a scene in broad daylight, just go your way.”
“Did you come here to prepare equipment? Our goals are the same. I’ve also come to pick up the sword I ordered.”
“To pick up a sword?”
Shullifen nodded and drew the sword hanging at his waist, showing it to Ronan.
It was the same sword that Ronan had clashed with. Made of mithril, it had a tiny scratch on its gleaming blade.
“Yeah. The blade got nicked during our last bout. To think a mithril sword would get scratched…”
“Such a pain… You call this a scratch? Let me show you what a real scratch is.”
Ronan laughed as he drew his black iron sword.
A seriously looking swordsmanship was revealed in front of Shullifen. The sharp blade looked like it had been used to cut through thick corn stalks, and the tip of the sword was blunt.
In a way, it was only natural. After all, he had relentlessly struck the mithril sword repeatedly.
“So this is what you call a scratch, you bastard? Show me what a scratch really is.”
Ronan laughed as he shook the black iron sword in front of Shullifen.
Just as he was about to respond, Iril, who had been quietly standing there, grabbed Ronan’s arm and shouted, “Ronan! Even if you’re angry, you shouldn’t use such harsh words!”
“What? But this guy started it…”
“Ronan!”
Shullifen, who had been focusing solely on Ronan, finally noticed Iril’s presence.
“Hmm?”
His brow furrowed slightly. The woman who barely reached his chest like a child was now standing before him, lecturing Ronan as if she were calming a child.
“Okay, fine. I won’t swear.”
Ronan scratched his head while still holding the black iron sword. It was a strange sight. He couldn’t believe that the person before him, who had given him a swift slap, was the heir to the Grasia Dukedom.
Then Iril turned her head toward Shullifen.
“I’m sorry… My sister taught me that swearing is always bad.”
Shulifen’s time seemed to stop.
With a slight bow of her head, Iril began to speak.
“It’s just that, as his elder sister… I feel like I’ve been lacking… so… education… Swearing… it’s…”
It was a decent apology that mentioned morality and responsibility appropriately. However, Shullifen’s ears couldn’t catch a single word. All of his senses except sight seemed to be blocked.
Her snow-white hair was as beautiful as silk drawn from starlight.
Her delicate yet vibrant features possessed a beauty that not even the most skilled sculptor could mimic.
It was an emotion he had never felt before. It felt as if a liquid other than blood was coursing through his veins.
After finishing her apology, Iril looked up at him and said, “Uh… Have you calmed down a bit?”
“…”
Shullifen remained silent, prompting Ronan, who was at a loss for words, to speak up.
“Answer, damn it. My sister is asking.”
“Sis…ter?”
Finally, Shullifen’s mouth opened. He stared back and forth between Ronan and Iril with movements as stiff as a log.
It was only after a few more seconds of silence that he seemed to recall how to speak.
“Uh… No. It’s all my fault.”
“…?”
“Because I was arrogant. It’s my responsibility.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. His usual air of authority wasn’t present in the downward gaze. The change in his demeanor and speech was somewhat strange.
Iril giggled brightly and reached out to shake Shullifen’s hand.
“Wow! Really? Thank you! You’re such a wonderful person!”
“…!”
Shullifen’s time froze once again. Seeing his ears turn red, Ronan cursed under his breath.
“Damn it.”