The Sword and The Shadow

Let's Go to the Bedroom?

"Big Brother… I've missed you so much… Sniff… I thought you abandoned me…"

Sasha bawled the moment she leapt into Leguna's chest.

Usually, Leguna would console the pitiful girl if she suddenly leapt into him. But he couldn't do it right now. He couldn't even protect himself.

The moment Sasha came to him, Leguna felt two glares burning holes in him. Even him, a high-order assassin, felt his heart skip a beat.

Leguna was dumbfounded. He looked around and saw that the glow in Innilis's eyes was no longer one of innocence but bloodlust. She looked like a wolf stalking prey in the night.

He tried his best to flex his facial muscles into a smile and turned to look at Eirinn. Eirinn's face was full of smiles. In fact, Leguna had never seen her more beautiful. Her smile shone like the sun and glowed like a rainbow. Regardless, Leguna still found it oddly terrifying.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Leguna warned, cold sweat pouring down his face, "I'm sure you know there's always a reasonable explanation for something that doesn't seem so on the surface. Let's calm down and talk…"

"That's right!" Eirinn said, her smile still just as fatally bright, "Innie, let's have a good talk with Big Brother Leguna!"

"Okay!"

Eirinn nodded cooperatively, but didn't even look at Leguna. She turned to Innilis, who was grinding her teeth.

"Innie, let's have a good, long talk with him!"

"Sure!--" Innilis nodded forcefully and looked at Sasha, who had stopped crying and was looking at them in puzzlement. "--Sorry, Sasha. We have some questions for him. I'm afraid the introductions will have to come later."

"Oh… okay…"

Sasha turned to Leguna, who was gazing at her with a look of despair and venom, as he was dragged into the bedroom by the two other women.

They emerged fifteen minutes later.

Sasha didn't know what had happened, but Leguna appeared a changed man. His hair was a huge mess and his face covered in bite and scratch marks. They almost looked like tattoos.

What did Big Sister One intend by bringing me to Big Brother Leguna? It's as if she only wanted to see him pummeled… Sasha thought.

In fact, she hadn't really cried. She wasn't that emotional. Instead, she was playing a script One had given her.

"Well, introduce her, Big Brother," Innilis smiled, "Since you know each other so well, I'll leave the introduction to you…"

Didn't you already ask about? Sasha thought, but she wisely chose not to speak.

She felt there were questions that shouldn't be asked.

"She…" Leguna murmured like a beaten dog, "I met her in Stok. Didn't I tell you about her? She's the one also corrupted by the voice in her head.

"Her?!" both girls exclaimed simultaneously.

"Yes," Leguna sighed helplessly, "Sasha, why have you come? Don't tell me you're enrolled here. You'd be more convincing if you said you lost your way."

Troubled, she said, "But… I am really here to study…"

"What?!" Leguna's eyes widened.

He didn't think the little girl actually had a talent for magic, and not an average one, either. Second Magic Academy's recruitment was really tough. People without amazing talent could join First Magic Academy, but not Second Magic Academy.

As Annelotte had mentioned in her speech, every single student had a talent she acknowledged.

The thought numbed his head. If Annelotte had investigated the backgrounds of every student, wouldn't she have found out about the matter? How would he face Annelotte, knowing that?

The thought of that caused his expression to sour further. Sasha, however, didn't seem as timid as before, perhaps because she was familiar with Leguna. Sometimes, she behaved even more openly than Innilis. She looked at Leguna and said with a troubled and dissatisfied look, "I don't know what this is about either… Big Sister One sent me here and said I have some kind of ability and can definitely become a high-order magus… What does this mean, Big Brother?"

"Ability?" All three of them looked surprised. Innilis circled Sasha around and asked, "Sasha, by ability, you don't mean a gift, do you?"

"Oh? I think that's it. How did you know, Sis Innie?" Sasha asked curiously.

Innilis looked like she was about to cry and burrowed her head into Leguna's chest with her arms hammering against it. "Waaaaah! It's not fair! Big Bro! Fate is such a bully! I'm always picked on! I'm finally someone who can take care of others, but now even Sasha's gifted! I quit! I want to go home!"

"Come on, Innie, it's fine. Gifts aren't that amazing either," Leguna consoled helplessly.

"No, no, no! You're lying! SIs Annie, you and Saron are all amazing fellows! How can gifts not be amazing? Waaaah…"

"Hey! Remember Sir Kreighdon? He's the strongest person I've met, and he doesn't have any gifts! He's a warrior to boot!"

"Really?" Innilis only stopped her outburst at hearing that.

"Since when have I lied to you?" he said solemnly, "As long as you work hard, you'd definitely become cream of the crop in this academy given your basics. Also, you have Annie's help too, don't you?"

"Hmm…" Innilis thought it over with her finger on her lip and nodded hard. "Okay! I will do my best! Just you wait, Big Brother and Sisters!"

Sasha was speechless. She began to understand Innilis even less. One moment she seemed like a confident elder sister and the next she was a little girl when Leguna was around. Then, she complained about the cards she'd been dealt in life and all of a sudden looked motivated to do her best. She seemed to change according to her whims…

"What happened to One?" Leguna asked, trying to change the subject to keep Innilis's mind off it. He didn't think that would only land him in another fire pit.

"She's doing well! She said I should do what I did when I see you and said you owe her at least that much and should return it to her… She also said something like you shouldn't be allowed to forget her… Huh?" Sasha felt the atmosphere shift again.

"One, you schemer--" Leguna sighed. He turned to the two others. "--Let me guess, let's go to the bedroom?"

"How smart!" Eirinn said, her smile brighter than ever.

……

He looked like a beggar the next time he emerged. There wasn't a single inch of clothing on his body that wasn't in shreds.

"Big Brother, shouldn't you tell us about that big sister of hers?" Eirinn asked with a smile, "Sasha brought it up, but why haven't I hear you talk about it?"

"Well… it's not really something I can discuss--" Leguna shook his head apologetically. "--I'm sorry, Eirinn. It's not that I can't trust you, but I really can't talk about this."

"Then forget it," Eirinn said, poking her tongue out nonchalantly.

Sasha was quite surprised to see Eirinn and Innilis so reasonable all of a sudden.

"Sasha, apart from what she told you, anything else?" Leguna asked. Even though he didn't spend much time with One, he somehow found himself surprisingly trusting of her. It was as if they were old acquaintances. He wanted to see if she had anything else to tell him.

"Not really…" Sasha shook her head before she smacked her forehead. "Oh, she mentioned that half of it is over and you have to be careful or something."

"That again?" Leguna furrowed his brow. One had told him the same thing more than once, but he still couldn't grasp what she was talking about. Half? Half of what? What should he be wary of? A hidden enemy?