Chapter 53

I've been with my older sister ever since I can remember.

Looking back, I think we lived in a pretty run-down place.

I don't remember our parents. Did they go somewhere after giving birth to me, or did they die? I never had the luxury to think about it deeply, so I never really cared.

What mattered more was how to survive day by day.

My older sister always took good care of me, giving me priority when it came to food. Back then, I never thought about where the food came from; I just ate whatever was put in front of me.

But as time passed, I started to realize that something had to change when I saw my sister coming home in tatters every day.

"I'll help out."

I remember saying that at some point, though I can't recall exactly how old I was.

When my sister heard my words, she looked surprised for a moment, but then she gently told me not to overexert myself.

I rarely defied her, but this time I insisted it wasn't too much for me. We didn't argue, but I was a bit sulky because she wouldn't let me help.

In the end, I started tagging along with my sister, taking on various odd jobs in the back alleys.

It became a routine. Every day, we were worked to the bone, and the only rewards were a little money or enough food to last a day.

We did everything from cleaning gutters to weeding and taking care of pets. Occasionally, someone would treat me a bit better because I was a child, but such people were few and far between.

Still, I wasn't entirely satisfied, but I wasn't completely hopeless either. We managed to live day by day, and I knew my sister would be there when I got home, and as long as she was there, we could make it.

At first, my sister and I often worked together, but after a while, we started taking on different jobs.

Around this time, the quality of the food we got started to improve, even if my sister's expression didn't change.

"Don't worry about anything, Mui."

It was a phrase I heard often since I was little, and it became even more frequent then.

Looking back, I think it was a way to comfort and make up to me, but I never really understood her true intentions, and I never got the chance to find out.

"Here we are. You live in quite a run-down place, don't you?"

One day, after finishing my work early and waiting for my sister to come home, a man showed up instead of her.

"Hey, you must be Mui, right?"

I simply said, "Yes." The man was quite large, but I had dealt with many such men before.

"Your sister... well, it's a pity, but she's dead."

The man said it in a tone that didn't seem to care at all. Questions raced through my mind—why, how, where, when—but none of them ever left my lips.

"Do you recognize this?"

Ignoring my stunned silence, the man threw something at me. I caught it reflexively, and it was the pendant my sister always wore.

Seeing it, I felt a vague sense that I would never see my sister again. It wasn't resignation, but a feeling close to despair swirled inside me.

"She asked me to take care of you. That's why I'm here."

The man seemed a bit bothered as he continued. I didn't trust him, but with the reality that my sister was gone, I didn't know what to do. My thoughts were in a loop, with no way out.

"If you want to bring your family back, come with me. Don't worry, I won't eat you."

It was an unexpected choice presented to me.

I had no reason or pretext to refuse. As a child, I couldn't come up with anything.

From then on, I was able to stop doing dirty and low-paying jobs like cleaning gutters and weeding. Instead, I started doing a different kind of dirty work.

At first, I hated it. But once I got used to it, I could manage on autopilot. There were good and bad days, but it was much easier and more profitable than doing menial labor.

"Here, keep this."

One day, an accessory was thrown at me, just like the pendant. It was apparently a magical device that could produce a magical effect temporarily. It seemed I was being treated better than the minimum.

To be honest, I often relied on it. Mainly when I was about to get caught.

I was just trying to survive day by day. I knew that if I got caught, my future would be even darker.

But I wasn't doing this for myself.

It was all to bring my sister back.

I was prepared to do anything for that.

At first, the man only said it would cost a lot of money.

When I asked how much, he reluctantly said it would be at least five million dalcs.

Five million dalcs. A huge sum.

But for my sister, I could gather it. I would gather it. I even thought about taking more dangerous risks. I was getting used to the work, and with the magical device, I wouldn't be caught easily.

But eventually, I stopped using the magical device.

I could produce flames on my own without it.

At first, I thought the device was malfunctioning. But after a few tries, I figured out the knack of it. I could produce flames instinctively.

I didn't feel particularly happy about it. I could already do it with the device, and it didn't seem to offer any significant advantage.

"Wow, that's impressive."

I reported it to the man who had taken me in, but his reaction was lukewarm.

So what if I could produce flames? That was my exact thought.

I couldn't bring my sister back with flames. It was convenient, but not much more.

The goal was to save five million dalcs. That was my sole purpose.

So, nothing changed for me today.

"―I don't approve of that kind of behavior."

I was shocked. Completely shocked.

I had been caught before after stealing, but never before I actually did it.

"Damn!"

I focused on my captured arm and produced flames. I wanted to praise myself for not panicking.

I managed to escape, but when I returned to my hideout, I realized something important was missing.

"Could you be looking for a pendant?"

The next day, I was searching for my lost item at a place I suspected, and I ran into the same man. I tried to act innocent, but he remembered me, so it was useless. Damn.

After that, I was reluctantly taken to the knight's headquarters, interrogated thoroughly, and a random kid suddenly appeared. It was one of the most chaotic days of my short life.

In the midst of all that, I realized my goal couldn't be achieved.

I wanted to believe it was a lie. What had I been working so hard for all this time?

I was exhausted.

I had no motivation, no energy, or reason to defy the adults.

But.

Even though I was tired, something felt warm.

I don't know what it was, but it was there.

"We cannot ignore a girl like you suffering. We may not be able to be your allies, but we are certainly not your enemies."

Even the noble and revered knight captain, who was the complete opposite of someone like me.

"You must protect your own dignity and your sister's dignity. And the only one who can do that is you."

Even the young-looking head of the mage corps.

"I'll need you to stay a little longer. I want to help you somehow."

Even the seemingly unreliable but incredibly strong man.

They were different from the adults I had seen before.

I was concerned about my sister. Of course, I was. I hadn't seen her die or her body. I only heard it from a man.

But what could I do? I was weak. If there were other options besides believing the adults, I wish someone would tell me.

"What should I do now..."

I muttered after everything was over.

"Well, we'll figure it out. That's the responsibility of adults."

The man responded, as usual.

Trust, I wonder. I think I can. At least, they seem different from the malicious adults I've met before.

Thinking back, he's quite a kind man. Even though I tried to steal his wallet, he's still concerned about me.

I'm not unhappy, but I don't know how to react. It's a bit of a challenge with my limited knowledge and experience.

...But, for now, I don't have any other choice but to follow the adults' words.

Maybe I should give these people a chance.

"See you again, Mui."

After returning from that place, a voice called out to me, incredibly gentle and soft, yet a bit unreliable.

"Hmph."

He's a bit too old to be a brother. If I had a father, he might have been like this.

"Come on, Mui, this way."

Just as I was about to get lost in my thoughts, he pulled my arm, and my consciousness snapped back to reality.

So, this guy is a bratty little sister, huh!

I don't want to imagine being related to him!

...But.

Even if I put my sister aside for a moment.

I felt like I could move forward a little, just a little, that day.

Mui is more of a daughter-like character than a heroine.

By the way, thanks to everyone, the next volume has been decided.

I'm working on it while groaning... I have a plot, I have a plot... Move, my arm...!

Thank you to everyone who bought the first volume.

Please continue to support the old man from the countryside.