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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Three Siblings
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Though his body still throbbed from the arduous training, Arius had no intention of turning his back on this astonishing situation.
What situation, you ask?
‘Bipera came out!’
Bipera was a shut-in who hadn't emerged from her room in two years.
Her already timid nature, coupled with Daphne's constant torment, had driven her to escape into her own sanctuary.
Arius, who understood her feelings all too well, had tried visiting her several times.
"Hey. Are you really not coming out? I'm going to eat all the cake Pollin bought, you know."
"Why don't you come outside for a bit? What are you going to do if you get kicked out for holing yourself up like this?"
"Ah! Snap out of it! It's not like Daphne's been a monster for just a day or two!"
He had tried persuasion and threats, but Bipera had remained silent every time.
So, at some point, Arius had stopped visiting. He was still just an immature child, too young to keep shouting into a void that offered no echo.
And yet.
That’s how it had been!
"D-Daphne. Y-you should be m-more worried about your o-own body. It hasn't b-been that long since you c-collapsed...!"
What is this situation?
Not only was Bipera outside, but she was worrying about Daphne? After crying every single day because of her? Arius was completely bewildered, unable to grasp what was happening.
"I-I brought some potions. D-do you want one...?"
Bipera fumbled for a potion bottle and offered it to Daphne. Daphne, who had been watching Bipera silently, finally moved.
"Did you learn to make this potion from that Teiti fellow?"
"O-oh? N-no! I-I've always m-made this on my o-own."
Daphne held the bottle up, swirling it before her eyes. The liquid was clear, free of impurities, and looked quite well-made even at a glance.
Just as she'd expected, Bipera was talented. To produce something of this quality without any formal alchemical training meant that with proper instruction, she would undoubtedly become a famous alchemist within a few years.
This is an unexpected achievement.
A grin spread across Daphne's lips.
Daphne is smiling!
Bipera's eyes lit up.
Regardless of how Daphne had tormented her in the past, Bipera now felt indebted to her.
She was being taught directly by an elf, a feat that was difficult to achieve, and even if one managed it, they were usually ignored!
Initially, she had only intended to ask for an appraisal of the materials she'd received from the dwarf. But the elf seemed to have other plans.
"I will teach you."
My goodness!
A human being taught by an elf!
"I really hate humans, you know? But you, Bipera, are different. Why? Because if I raise you well, I can escape. So let's do our best, shall we? Huh? Huh?"
That elf seemed a bit strange, but it was common knowledge that the more brilliant someone was, the stranger they tended to be.
In any case, this was not an opportunity Bipera had earned on her own.
It was thanks to Daphne.
Daphne must have ordered it. That elf seemed completely under Daphne's thumb, after all!
‘It must be a gesture of reconciliation, right?’
To give her the gift of an elf's teachings...!
Bipera concluded that Daphne must deeply regret tormenting her, and that this elf was a gift of apology.
‘Then, as her older sister, I should forgive her... right?’
She couldn't forget how Daphne had bullied her. Daphne had been a true demon.
But recalling the goodwill Daphne had shown her, and her mother's dying wish that she take good care of Daphne, Bipera resolved to take a step back into the world.
And so, here she was, standing before Daphne.
To look after Daphne as her older sister.
To forgive Daphne's wrongdoings as her older sister!
Bipera pulled out several more potion bottles from her pocket and pressed them into Daphne's arms.
"This one has Yukos leaves, Lisa magic mushrooms, and Modok root. It restores stamina and a bit of mana. Oh, and this is a decoction of Tele leaves, it's good for healing wounds. Ah! And this one is made from ground Madness Fangs, it's great for stopping bleeding!"
After chattering excitedly and placing the various bottles in Daphne’s arms, Bipera’s shoulders slumped again as she ducked her head.
"S-sorry. I-I got too carried away. I-if you don't like them, sh-should I take them back...?"
She wanted to fix her habit of rambling on whenever a topic interested her, but it wasn't easy, and she'd made the same mistake again today. Bipera's cheeks flushed.
"No. It is good. Thank you. I will use them well."
Daphne didn't quite understand why Bipera had suddenly become so friendly, but she brushed the thought aside, figuring it didn't matter.
Arius, however, was a different story.
"Wait, wait. I don't understand what's happening right now. What is this?"
Arius squeezed himself between Daphne and Bipera, demanding an answer.
"Bipera. I kept coming to your room, yelling for you to come out, and you never did. So what is this? Since when were you and Daphne so close?"
"C-close? Do we look close?"
A smile touched Bipera's lips.
"B-because I'm the older sister..."
"Oh, bullshit."
"Y-you...!"
Bipera whipped her head around to face Arius.
"D-Daphne granted my r-request. I-I'm grateful, and s-sorry, and I even r-received a gift, so..."
"A request? A gift?"
"Y-yes. Something i-impossible to g-get... s-so I'm trying to act like an o-older sister now!"
"..."
Arius was momentarily speechless. He couldn't help it. Bipera was standing before Daphne, her eyes shining, without a hint of fear.
Daphne had done wrong in the past. That couldn't be erased.
But the Daphne of today was acting as if she regretted her past. Teaching him the sword, elevating the Archducal House's name, and now even this with Bipera.
Arius felt a slight sting in his nose.
"Daphne."
He turned to Daphne with a bright smile.
"You've really changed. You've finally become human. Before, you were like a little devil—ow, why'd you hit me!"
"You are noisy."
Daphne pushed away the clinging Arius with a scowl, but he refused to back down. Instead, he examined the potion bottles in Daphne's arms.
"So what's with the potions? Since when did you get into alchemy? Is this stuff even made properly?"
"I-it is!"
Bipera shouted, her fists clenched.
"Th-the effects sh-should be good. I-I tested them on m-my own body...!"
What?
Daphne and Arius's eyes widened in unison.
"What do you mean you experimented on your own body? You drank all of these?"
"N-no! I just cut myself and poured the potion on, and worked out until I was exhausted then drank a potion, and used up every last drop of my mana until I collapsed and then drank a potion. A-and it w-worked...?"
"..."
Arius pressed a hand to his forehead and tilted his head back, while Daphne's face hardened into a deep frown.
She knew Bipera was obsessed with alchemy, but to think she would experiment on her own body. A mere nine-year-old child!
Daphne was a great dragon who believed that humans, especially young ones, were all the more fragile and thus required greater protection. She could not let this continue.
"Arius."
Daphne nudged Arius in the side.
"Did the knights say they would continue training at this intensity?"
"Huh? Ah, yeah! They said they'll do this every day!"
"Then they will collapse from exhaustion every day, will they not?"
"Right? They'll be low on stamina, low on mana, and they'll get injured."
Daphne and Arius's eyes met, a shared understanding dawning.
"From now on, experiment on the knights. Experimenting on your own body is forbidden."
"That's right! You can use the knights! They're sturdy enough to be useful!"
"H-huh?"
Bipera was taken aback.
"Sh-shouldn't we a-ask what the knights th-think first?"
"Must we?"
"Why?"
"Does it matter?"
"The knights are all fired up and training like mad anyway, so let's not miss this chance."
"A good idea. Sometimes that thick skull of yours is useful."
"Heh heh."
Pleased for a moment, Arius then paused, wondering if he had just been complimented or insulted.
But it didn't matter. Dwelling on such things would only ruin the current atmosphere.
Arius was filled with a profound joy, thinking of Bipera finally coming outside, of Daphne's reformation, and of his own recent accomplishments.
"We can't spoil the mood when the three of us are finally together after so long."
"Th-three of us...!"
Bipera giggled and nodded.
"It would've been perfect if brother was here too. Right?"
"Y-yes... b-but this is g-good too!"
"Right. This is good."
Daphne held her breath for a moment as Arius and Bipera clung to her.
It was a strange feeling.
Like a fluffy sort of affection, scattering like dandelion seeds and landing on her skin.
The feeling wasn't unpleasant—in fact, it was quite nice... which only made her heart feel stranger.
Because she was not the real Daphne Akion.
***
Heros pressed his forehead against the clear windowpane, gazing outside.
To be precise, he was watching the training grounds, which were not far off.
With his enhanced vision, seeing distant objects with perfect clarity was no difficult task.
Nor was observing Daphne, Arius, and Bipera, who were gathered in those training grounds.
"Your Excellency. Are you slacking off right now?"
Pollin grumbled from behind him.
"Some of us have bad eyes and have to wear glasses while staring at documents all day long, while others have such good eyes they can know everything that's going on in the world just by looking. It's a sad life for the untalented. *Sob*."
"I am thinking. Not slacking."
"Looks a lot like slacking to me."
Heros shot Pollin a glare before turning his gaze back to the distant sky.
"So, Your Excellency. Have you made up your mind? We must give the Imperial Palace an answer soon."
Pollin urged him.
"Will you be participating in the Black Mage subjugation again?"
