Chapter 21

"What do you mean, my sister is being held hostage?"

"My sister works at the main house in the capital. She has nothing to do with this, please... just my sister..."

Rita, who had poisoned me, said that her sister was being held hostage by her father. I thought it would be better to consider her treatment after rescuing her sister.

"Then, let's go get your sister. I don't know what she looks like, so you'll have to come with me."

"Eh? I poisoned the young lady..."

"There's no way a back boss can be killed with poison."

"U, back?"

"Just hurry up! Let's go!"

I inadvertently blurted out my game knowledge. Why am I so flustered? Because Rita's sister is in danger? No, maybe it's because I'm about to meet my parents for the first time, and the fact that they tried to kill me is making my heart race.

"Ryu! Come here!"

We mounted Ryu's back and took off into the night sky of the capital. With Ryu's black color and high altitude, it would be difficult for anyone on the ground to spot us.

"Hey, Rita, where is the Dorkness family's house?"

I had rushed out without knowing the location of my own family's house. Rita, whom I had forcibly brought along, had her eyes tightly shut, perhaps afraid of heights.

"Rita, can you tell me the way from the castle? You don't have to open your eyes."

"Y-Yes. Go straight out of the castle gate and turn right at the third main street—"

I traced the route as if looking at a map from the sky. Since it was dark and hard to see colors, I asked her to describe the shapes of landmark buildings.

"—the second house on the left side."

"Is there a detached house to the right of the entrance?"

"Yes, and the main house is L-shaped."

That must be it; it feels larger than the mansion in the territory. They never return to the territory, so that's fine.

"Rita, we're going to land."

"It's not safe. If we land in the garden with a dragon, it will cause a commotion."

Rita must be worried that her sister will be harmed. I want to reassure her.

"Don't worry, we'll land by ourselves. Ryu, fly directly above that house."

"Miss, what are you—"

I'm just going to do a skydiving without a parachute. I've done it many times before.

"I'm going to jump now, but we need to be quiet to sneak in, okay?"

Rita nodded silently, probably determined to save her sister.

"Ryu, thank you. Fly around here until I call you."

Holding Rita, I jumped off Ryu's back. I immediately directed my magic downward to control my descent.

Rita clung to me with her eyes closed, not making a sound.

As we approached the ground, I slowed down even more, and we landed softly in the garden of the mansion.

"We're here. Where is your sister?"

"Probably working as usual. She probably doesn't know anything."

Following Rita's lead, we sneaked into the mansion and made our way to the servants' quarters. She stopped in front of a door and knocked lightly.

"Sarah, it's me, Rita."

"Sister? Why are you here?"

The room seemed to be shared by multiple people, but only Rita's sister was there. I pushed Rita into the room.

"Come on, we need to get in before we're found."

Rita, moved by the sight of her sister being safe, hugged her and burst into tears. Sarah, confused by the situation, looked puzzled.

"Sister? What's going on?"

Since she didn't understand, I explained the situation.

"You were being held hostage by Rita. They threatened to kill you if Rita didn't kill me."

The mention of killing made Sarah freeze in shock. I should have used a softer expression. Maybe something like "snap" or "pop" would have been cuter.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. This is goodbye. Thank you for everything. Miss, please take care of my sister."

"Sister!? What are you talking about?"

Rita was saying goodbye to Sarah as if it were their last meeting. When did this happen?

"I'm not going to hand you over to the soldiers."

"Yes, I understand. If possible, I'd like to do it quickly where my sister can't see—"

"No snapping or popping."

Being shown such sisterly love and still not hesitating to kill—am I a monster? I've never killed anyone before.

She was just threatened and forced to do it, and the only harm to me was that the tea tasted bad for a week. It's not a big deal. No wonder Patrick calls me a good-natured fool.

"I don't intend to punish you. We'll talk about the future later."

"Miss... No, I swear my loyalty to you, Yumiera, until the end of my life."

I feel like I've created a new misunderstanding by clearing up the old one. I'll deal with it later.

"I have something to do, so please wait in this room."

I should probably get the sisters to safety immediately, but I have people I need to meet.

I slowly walked in the direction Rita had told me, but I didn't encounter anyone on the way and quickly reached the target room. I wish I had more time to prepare mentally.

When I opened the door, the two people inside looked at me. They were drinking wine and eating snacks, seemingly on good terms.

"Who are you? How did you get in?"

"Good evening, I'm here to visit. Should I have said 'I'm home'?"

"I'm home? ...Black hair, could it be!?"

"Nice to meet you, Father, Mother. I'm your daughter, Yumiera. The Yumiera Dorkness you tried to kill."

My parents looked more ordinary than I had imagined. I had expected them to be fat or greasy, but they were just average-looking people.

Both had golden hair, and their faces didn't resemble mine at all. If I hadn't been in this mansion, I might have doubted they were my parents.

"Damn it, those people, I paid them a lot of money..."

"So you admit you tried to kill me?"

"It's your fault for betraying us! Was being exiled to the territory that hateful!?"

Actually, facing them, I realized I didn't hate them that much. Of course, I think they are questionable as nobles, but if I had been raised in luxury, I wouldn't be who I am today.

"What do you mean by 'betraying'?"

"We know you're planning a military campaign with the moderates. Because of you, we've been put in a difficult position."

I am indeed more moderate, but that's because I want to keep my distance from the radicals.

"A military campaign?"

"The royal army is preparing for a large-scale deployment. You must be involved too."

The situation was becoming clearer.

The country is preparing for the advance of monsters due to the revival of the Demon King. The radicals, misunderstanding this, thought the moderates, led by the king, were planning an invasion of other countries.

They are worried that this deployment will strengthen the moderates.

The fact that I, a strategic-level weapon, am under the protection of the royal family has probably fueled their suspicions. I had refused all their invitations, which only made things worse.

This has probably worsened my parents' position among the radicals. So, rather than let me fall into the hands of their political enemies, they tried to assassinate me.

"There is no plan to invade other countries. I have no intention of starting a war of aggression."

"Why not! If you achieve military glory, the Dorkness family can become even greater. You might even get a position in the capital. You won't be called a 'pseudo-central' anymore."

If you don't want to be called a 'pseudo-central,' focus on enriching the territory.

"Father, why don't we return to the territory? I think the current territory is large enough, and we could start a new business."

"What nonsense! The territory can be managed by a steward; we just need to collect the taxes!"

"What about you, Mother?"

"Are you telling me to live in the countryside? It's bad enough that you have black hair. Why did you have to be born like this!?"

These parents are hopeless. I never expected much from them as parents, but they are also hopeless as nobles.

I decided to deal with them as a noble, not as a daughter.

"Father, please abdicate your title."

"What are you—"

"This is a usurpation of the title. You can refuse, but there is only one heir to the Dorkness family."

Threatening to kill, my father's face, which had been red with anger, turned pale.

"Someone! Call the guards!"

"Do you have private soldiers who can defeat me? If you did, you should have sent them to assassinate me."

"How can you do this to your own parents—"

"You sent assassins after your own child. Mother, don't try to run."

Mother, who had started to stand up to run, quickly tried to persuade me.

"Yumiera, you have many good marriage proposals. You can be happy if you marry into a big family."

"I'm already happy."

And I might have someone I like... maybe.

"You have black hair. You can't be happy just being normal."

"Someone has told me they like my black hair. Don't decide my happiness for me."

I felt there was no point in further conversation. I floated a black sphere with magic to intimidate them.

"Choose. Live a slightly inconvenient life under house arrest, or die here honorably."

"You're not the type to kill people..."

What are you saying now, like a parent?

"Are you unaware of what happened to the assassins sent to me?"

They probably don't know, judging by their trembling.

"My dark magic eliminates the target. It's convenient because there's no need to dispose of the body."

I used a black hole to eliminate an empty chair, and finally, their resolve broke. They cried and begged for their lives like children.

"O-Okay, I'll do as you say! Just don't kill us!"

Through this series of events, I confirmed that I have a strong aversion to killing. Despite killing many monsters to gain strength beyond that of a human, I was relieved to realize that I still have a human heart.