She could have given them something expensive, of course — but a family that had spent their entire lives bearing the Arachrene name was hardly in a position to feel wistful over costly things.
So she had gathered cloth and cotton and done her best to make something as close as she could manage.
Pernoa wore a blank, sulky expression. Risideon had a gentle smile. Ricador’s face was curved into a mischievous grin. Riscal looked back with a blunt, grumpy stare.
On the whole, it was a faithful reflection of each family member’s personality.
“I wonder who’s in here~?”
Riersha had deliberately dyed all the eggs the same color so that even she couldn’t tell them apart.
Even knowing what the treasures were, she still felt a little flutter of anticipation.
“Oomph.”
She brushed the dirt from her hands and stood up.
Riersha glanced up at the sky — and her breath caught.
The hourglass had already drained almost halfway. At this rate, she might not find all the treasures before time ran out.
“…But where are my brothers, and what are they doing?”
No sounds came from the surrounding forest, which meant they were probably off searching on their own.
According to the rules Milia had explained, the person who ended up with the most treasures at the very end would be the winner. That also meant that if siblings crossed paths, they could steal from each other.
“I need to find one more fast and then hide!”
Riersha quickened her steps.
And behind her, Haydin followed in perfect, silent secrecy.
The others had probably reached their treasure spots early, but…
“If a single hair on the young miss’s head is harmed, you die by my hand, Haydin.”
“…”
“I’m not joking. Decide — do you want to swap your turn or not?”
Haydin had been lucky enough to draw Riersha’s name in the random assignment, and had subsequently been on the receiving end of Sona’s very pointed threats.
Having faced the full force of Sona’s murderous glare since morning, Haydin had briefly wondered whether he ought to swap — but…
How could anyone give this up?
Riersha toddled along on her own, muttering to herself, then fell into deep contemplation, then broke into a radiant smile for no apparent reason. She was, simply put, the most adorable thing in existence.
He had never encountered a living creature so entirely harmless. The corner of Haydin’s mouth lifted, just slightly.
Maybe I’ll help her along a little.
He quietly began to channel his mana. A moment later, a tiny black rabbit appeared and went bounding through the underbrush.
And sure enough, Riersha spotted it almost immediately, her eyes going perfectly round.
“A bunny?”
Rather than fleeing at the sight of a person, the rabbit bounded in circles around Riersha, then pricked up its ears and darted off in a particular direction.
Riersha hesitated — then, as if under a spell, she followed.
The black rabbit glanced back several times to check that she was keeping up.
“Bunny, where are you going~!”
But then, abruptly, the rabbit vanished without a trace. Riersha spun in place, searching for it on all sides.
And then—
“A rabbit? You’re chasing rabbits instead of searching for what you’re supposed to find.”
A familiar voice drifted over from the opposite direction. Riersha startled and turned her head — and there, leaning against a tree with a lazy ease, holding a yellow flag, was Pernoa.
“Daddy?”
“You’re late.”
Pernoa gave a soft smile.
Each time he swayed the yellow flag side to side, Riersha’s head followed. Left when it went left, right when it went right. The corner of his mouth curved upward with quiet amusement.
“Do you want it?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
How much…?
Riersha’s eyebrows drew together in a pitiful little arch.
She had just realized that Pernoa was not going to simply step aside from where the treasure was buried.
“…V-very much. Um… what do I have to do for you to give me the treasure?”
“Well, that depends entirely on what you’re willing to offer, Riersha.”
Riersha seemed to fall into deep thought, her crimson eyes rolling slowly as she considered.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she stepped right up close to Pernoa.
When that clear, earnest little face tipped up to stare at him, Pernoa’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Riersha beckoned him down with a small wave of her hand.
Puzzled but willing, he bent toward her — and felt something press briefly, softly against his cheek and then pull away.
Thud. The yellow flag slipped from Pernoa’s hand and fell to the ground.
“Hehe, gotcha.”
“…”
“Thank you, Daddy~”
Riersha wasted no time darting to the spot where the treasure was likely buried and began digging. Sure enough, an egg-shaped treasure revealed itself in the dirt.
Riersha laughed with delight and held it up triumphantly, shaking it in front of him. Pernoa let out a soft, amused breath.
“I’ve been defeated.”
“Yay, two whole ones!”
She already had two treasures in her possession.
The others have one each — even if someone has two, that’s still the same as me…
That meant Riersha had a real chance of winning.
She finished her clever little calculation and smiled a deeply meaningful smile.
⁂
Riscal watched Ricador go sailing through the air into the distance and flinched.
Risideon, having confirmed that Ricador had been sent flying all the way back to the starting point, let out a quiet sigh.
He turned on his heel and began walking toward Riscal.
A chill ran straight down Riscal’s spine.
To think he would come face to face with Risideon as an enemy — the same Risideon who felt like an impenetrable fortress when they were on the same side.
“D-don’t come any closer. Brother.”
Riscal stepped back, retreating slowly.
The odds of winning against Risideon, who surpassed him both physically and in ability, were vanishingly slim.
And to make matters worse, Riscal’s power was decidedly non-combat in nature.
Phantasmal Sight.
That was the ability Riscal had awakened. It could be called reasonably lethal in its own way — it distorted the senses of his target and made them destroy themselves from within — but even if he managed to successfully cast it, Risideon would break free of the illusion in no time and come after him again.
The reason Risideon had found his treasure so quickly, and had been able to pursue Ricador so relentlessly, was his ability — spatial manipulation.
Risideon could shift to any location he chose in an instant. And somehow — no one quite knew how he had managed it — he had once demonstrated the horrifying ability to slice through space itself.
I’m done for.
Riscal edged back, looking for any opening to run.
“Relax, Riscal. I’m not going to touch you.”
“What?”
“To be honest, I did it because I was annoyed.”
Risideon reached into his pocket and produced another treasure. It was likely the one that had originally been designated for Ricador to find.
Watching two treasures fall into Risideon’s hands at once, Riscal stared blankly, mouth hanging open.
The plan he had put together had fallen apart barely moments after the game began.
I didn’t think Risideon would actually take this seriously.
Riscal’s pride stung at how badly he had misjudged the situation.
“Weren’t you uninterested in this game, Brother?”
“I was.”
“Then you could have just walked past.”
“You know what I found out, Riscal? Apparently Father stationed someone at each treasure location. I nearly came away empty-handed.”
Risideon recalled what had happened just moments ago and smiled faintly.
When he had found his designated treasure, Sona had appeared before him disguised as Riersha, asking sweetly if he would hand it over.
He had nearly been fooled — but it seemed she hadn’t quite managed to replicate that particular sweet scent that only a small child carries.
Hearing this, Riscal went stiff and began glancing nervously around the forest.
Someone had presumably been stationed here as well, waiting to interfere — but with Risideon’s sudden appearance, they seemed to be holding back for the moment.
Riscal scanned the trees in every direction, and when he couldn’t detect so much as a presence anywhere, he bit his lip.
“Can’t very well leave a treasure unclaimed.”
“…You changed your mind over something as small as that?”
“Mm.”
Risideon, whose voice had been warm with amusement up until that moment, let his expression tighten slightly.
“I went to check on Ricador just to be safe, but there wasn’t a single trace of him there. Already scheming away. …How impudent.”
Another chill ran down Riscal’s spine.
In that instant, he understood exactly why Ricador in particular could never seem to hold his ground against Risideon.
Risideon was kind, and gentle, and warm — but he was also…
“Will you try the same thing, Riscal?”
…frightening.
