Chapter 29
Arius’s body was still aching from the rigorous training, but even so, he had no intention of turning back from this astonishing situation.
What situation, you ask?
‘Vipera has come out!’
Vipera was a shut-in who had been holed up in her room and hadn’t come out for two years.
She already had a timid personality, and after receiving all sorts of scoldings from Daphne, she had fled to her own sanctuary.
Arius, who understood that feeling a hundred times over, had gone to visit Vipera a few times.
-Hey. Are you really not coming out? I’m going to eat all the cake Pauline bought?
-Why don’t you come out a bit? What are you going to do if you keep holing up like that and get kicked out?
-Ah! Snap out of it! Daphne’s been nagging like that for more than a day or two!
He had tried persuasion and threats, but each time, Vipera remained silent.
So at some point, Arius stopped visiting. Because even he, as an immature child, couldn’t keep shouting into an echo that didn’t return.
But.
It was definitely like that!
“D-Daphne. Y-You should w-worry more about y-your body. H-How long has it been since you c-collapsed……!”
What is this situation?
Not only has Vipera come out, but she’s worrying about Daphne? After crying every day because of Daphne? Arius was just confused, unable to grasp the situation.
“I-I brought some p-potions. D-Do you want to e-eat them……?”
Vipera rummaged around and pulled out a potion bottle, holding it out to Daphne. Daphne, who had been quietly watching Vipera until then, finally moved.
“Is this potion something you learned from that Tate guy?”
“H-Huh? N-No! I-I’ve been m-making them on my o-own from the start.”
Daphne lifted the bottle and shook it in front of her eyes. The clean liquid without impurities looked quite excellent even at a glance.
As expected, Vipera had talent. Even though she probably hadn’t received proper alchemy education, seeing her achieve this much, if she were taught seriously, it was obvious she’d become a famous alchemist in a few years.
This is an unexpected achievement.
Daphne’s lips curled up into a grin.
Daphne is smiling!
A gleam appeared in Vipera’s eyes.
Separately from Daphne bullying her in the past, the current Vipera owed Daphne a debt.
She was receiving direct teachings from an elf, who is hard to find and usually ignores you even if you do!
In fact, she had only intended to ask for inspection of the materials she received from the dwarves. But the elf didn’t seem to plan on stopping there.
-I’m going to teach you.
My goodness!
A human being taught by an elf!
-I really hate humans, you know? But you’re different, Vipera. Why? Because if I raise you well, I can escape. So let’s do well together? Okay? Okay?
That elf seemed a bit strange somewhere, but it’s common knowledge that the more exceptional the being, the stranger they are.
Anyway, this opportunity wasn’t something Vipera had seized on her own.
It was thanks to Daphne.
It must have been Daphne’s order. Because this elf seemed unable to budge at Daphne’s words!
‘It must be a gesture of reconciliation?’
To give the elf’s teachings as a gift……!
Vipera thought Daphne was greatly regretting bullying her, and judged this elf to be a gift of apology.
‘Then as the older sister, I should forgive her……?’
She couldn’t forget Daphne bullying her. Daphne had been truly devil-like.
But Vipera recalled the sincerity Daphne had shown her, and the dying wish her mother left to take good care of Daphne, and decided to take a step out into the world.
That’s why she’s standing in front of Daphne now.
To take care of Daphne as an older sister.
To forgive Daphne’s wrongs as an older sister!
Vipera pulled out more potion bottles from her pocket and piled them into Daphne’s arms.
“It has Yukos leaves, Lisa magic mushrooms, and Modok roots. It recovers stamina and also restores some mana. Ah, and this is a decoction of Tele leaves, good for wound recovery. Ah! And this is made by grinding Madness teeth, good for stopping bleeding!”
Excitedly chattering, Vipera piled several bottles into Daphne’s arms, then shrank her shoulders again and bowed her head deeply.
“S-Sorry. I-I was too f-forward. I-If you don’t like it, s-should I take them b-back……?”
“No. It’s good. Thanks. I’ll use them well.”
Daphne didn’t quite understand why Vipera had suddenly become so friendly, but she brushed off the confusion with a ‘whatever’ attitude.
But Arius seemed different.
“Wait, wait. I don’t understand the situation right now? What is this?”
Arius squeezed his body between Daphne and Vipera and asked.
“Vipera. You didn’t come out even when I went and yelled at you to come out, so what’s this? Since when were you this close with Daphne?”
“C-Close? Does it look close?”
A smile formed on Vipera’s lips.
“I-I’m the older sister…….”
“Oh, bullshit.”
“Y-You……!”
Vipera whipped her head toward Arius.
“D-Daphne g-granted my r-request. I-I’m grateful, and s-sorry, and I received a g-gift too…….”
“Request? Gift?”
“Y-Yeah. S-Something I could n-never get on my own……. S-So I’m trying to act like an o-older sister too!”
“…….”
Arius was momentarily speechless. It couldn’t be helped. Because Vipera was sparkling her eyes without cowering even in front of Daphne.
It was true that Daphne had done wrong in the past. That couldn’t be erased.
But the current Daphne was acting as if she regretted the past. Teaching him swordsmanship, elevating the grand duke’s name, and even with Vipera.
Arius felt a slight tingling at the tip of his nose.
“Daphne.”
So he smiled brightly at Daphne and said.
“You’ve really changed. You’ve finally become a person. Before, you were like a devil spawn…… Ah, why hit me!”
“Shut up.”
Daphne pushed away the clinging Arius with a frown, but Arius didn’t back down at all. Instead, he observed the potion bottles piled in Daphne’s arms.
“But what’s with the potions? Since when did you do alchemy? Are these properly made?”
“They a-are!”
Vipera clenched her fist and shouted.
“The e-effects are g-good. I-I experimented on my o-own body……!”
What?
Daphne and Arius both raised their eyes at the same time.
“What do you mean you experimented on your body? You mean you tried all these?”
“N-No! I just made wounds on my body and poured the potion on, exercised really hard and then drank the potion, and drained my mana to exhaustion and then drank the potion. So the e-effects w-were there……?”
“…….”
Arius leaned his head back while holding his forehead, and Daphne furrowed her brow deeply.
They knew Vipera was crazy about alchemy, but to think of experimenting on her own body. Just a 9-year-old kid!
Daphne was a great dragon who thought humans, especially young humans, were more worthless and thus needed more protection. So she couldn’t leave Vipera like this.
“Arius.”
So Daphne poked Arius’s side and said.
“The knights, are they going to train at this intensity from now on too?”
“Huh? Ah, yeah! They said they’ll do it like this every day!”
“Then they’ll collapse from exhaustion every day, right?”
“Right? Stamina will run out, mana will run out, and they’ll get injured too.”
Daphne and Arius’s eyes focused at the same time.
“From now on, do experiments on the knights. Doing it on your body is forbidden.”
“Yeah! Use the knights! They’re sturdy, so they’re useful!”
“H-Huh?”
Vipera was flustered.
“S-Shouldn’t we a-ask the k-knights’ opinions too?”
“Why bother?”
“Why?”
“Who cares?”
“The knights are all focused and training like crazy right now, so let’s not miss this chance.”
“Good idea. Sometimes your thick head has its uses.”
“Hehe.”
Arius, who was briefly happy, became slightly puzzled whether he had been praised or insulted.
But whatever. If he paid attention to every little thing, the current atmosphere would sink, wouldn’t it?
Arius felt great joy thinking about Vipera coming out after a long time, Daphne being rehabilitated, and himself achieving some success. All of this.
“We can’t ruin the mood since the three of us are together after a long time.”
“Th-Three……!”
Vipera nodded with a heehee smile.
“It would have been perfect if brother was here too. Right?”
“Y-Yeah……. B-But it’s g-good even now!”
“Yeah. It’s good now.”
Daphne slightly held her breath as she looked at Arius and Vipera clinging to her.
It was a strange feeling.
Like a fluffy affection scattering like dandelion seeds and touching her skin.
This feeling wasn’t bad, no, it was actually good…… but that’s why her heart felt even stranger.
Because she wasn’t the real Daphne Akion.
***
Heross was leaning his forehead against the transparent window, looking outside.
To be precise, he was watching the training ground that wasn’t too close.
For him, who could see far things accurately with his developed vision, looking at the training ground wasn’t difficult.
Observing Daphne, Arius, and Vipera gathered there wasn’t difficult either.
“Your Grace. Are you slacking off right now?”
Pauline grumbled from behind him.
“Some people have bad eyes and wear glasses, staring at documents all day, while some have good eyes and know everything in the world just by looking out. People without abilities are so pitiful they can’t live. Sob sob.”
“I’m thinking. It’s not playing.”
“It looks like playing to anyone.”
Heross glared at Pauline once, then withdrew his gaze and cast it to the distant sky.
“So, Your Grace. Have you finished thinking? You need to give an answer to the imperial family soon.”
Pauline said urgingly.
“Are you going to participate in the black mage subjugation again?”
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By Anna 💓
