Chapter 63

Peaceful days continued.

But I had anticipated that such days wouldn't last.

"Big brother, help meee!"

The one who came crying to my house was Marie, being dragged down by those five people.

"What happened this time?"

"Listen! Those five started talking about using the leftover money to make more!"

From what I gathered, they had apparently gotten into some business.

They tried to buy a large quantity of something to sell.

If they had sold everything, it would have been a big profit... but watching Marie, I understood that amateurs shouldn't dabble in business.

Judging by this, they must have failed.

"How did you fail?"

"It's not that! The items I bought did sell! But there were taxes and other things... uwaahhhh!"

It seems that due to taxes and other miscellaneous fees, not only did they not make a profit, but they also lost money.

Those guys are really stupid.

"It sounded like a good plan! But, but! Doing business requires a place and various tools!"

"Yeah. Depending on how you sell, it can cost money. Besides, you were involved too. You got what you deserved."

"Please help me."

"I don't want to give you money because you'll just waste it."

"Big broooother! Don't abandon meee!"

Theoretically, it was supposed to be profitable, but in the end, it resulted in a loss.

Is this guy cursed or something?

The old elf lady said something like...

"Either gain everything or lose everything," right?

From a distance, my sister was watching Marie cry at the front door, holding a case of seedlings.

She looked a bit scared.

"...Ah, it's Reira's sister."

"She's finally starting to feel better. She even goes for walks now. In the mansion's garden, though."

Since it's a fairly large mansion, it should be good exercise.

Her appetite has improved, and her complexion is better.

My sister was a bit afraid of Marie.

"Hello, nice to meet you."

We've met before, but my sister doesn't seem to remember.

Marie grabbed my shirt and tugged at it.

"Are you being nice to her?"

"I try to be a gentleman to everyone else, so don't worry."

Marie pouted and said, "If that's the case, then it's fine. Yeah, no problem!"

What exactly does this girl want from me?

Despite her dissatisfied look, I told my sister it was okay and asked her to come over.

"Are you going to carry those seedlings all day?"

"...They calm me down."

Maybe she has the makings of a shrine maiden?

I felt relieved to see my sister, who was finally starting to feel better.

Lukseon descended from the ceiling and looked back and forth between me and Marie.

"Again?"

Marie waved her right hand in protest.

"What do you mean 'again'! This is a matter of life and death!"

"Considering the amount of money you received, it's strange that you're struggling. Normally, it should have been enough to last a year."

We don't need rent, utilities, or minimum expenses.

We won't die.

"This time, they got into business and failed."

"A new pattern, huh?"

"It's so annoying! Help your cute little sister!"

Cute? Sorry, I can't understand the connection between the words "sister" and "cute."

Is it some kind of philosophy?

"I don't have a cute sister, not in this life or the previous one."

"Please, big broooother!"

As I pushed Marie away, my sister looked worried.

She was hugging the case of seedlings tightly.

"Fighting is not allowed."

At her words, both Marie and I stopped moving.

Marie shook her head.

"This is just a form of physical contact. If I act cute and call you 'big brother,' you'll do almost anything for me."

"You've been looking at me like that?"

Lukseon chimed in.

"It's a fact. Considering how you help Marie, you must be a very kind 'big brother,' right?"

Am I being used?

My sister looked at us with a hint of envy.

"...It's nice, being able to say what you want. If I could have said what I wanted, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

She must have held back a lot.

Marie whispered to me.

"Hey, what's your sister's name? I forgot to ask Reira."

"I've always called her 'sister,' so I don't know. Should I ask?"

Just as I was about to ask, Lukseon suddenly turned one of his eyes toward the front door.

His red eyes glowed.

"Master, I've detected a suspicious person approaching."

"...Really, at this timing?"

Marie was startled and immediately told my sister to hide.

"Sister, go back to your room and hide!"

"Eh? O-Okay."

As my sister headed to her room, the mansion's robots started moving busily.

And then Marie...

"Oh! ...I forgot!"

◇

Outside the mansion.

Greg and Chris were waiting at the gate.

"Marie is taking too long. Could it be that Baltfalt...!"

"Calm down. If that were the case, Marie wouldn't be quiet about it."

"Idiot! If they threatened her with money, even Marie would...!"

The two were getting worked up.

Approaching them was a red-haired man with a dazed look in his eyes, muttering to himself as he headed toward the mansion.

Greg noticed the oddity.

"Hey, you there, stop!"

The man, who was giving off an eerie vibe, glared at Greg.

"Don't touch me!"

As the man's right hand glowed, roots sprouted from the ground and knocked Greg back.

"Ugh!"

Greg, who had been thrown back, rolled on the ground and quickly got up, glaring at the man—Erik.

Wiping his mouth, Greg saw blood on the back of his hand.

"You... I won't let this go!"

Greg lunged at Erik, and Chris joined in.

"Again, the power of the Sacred Tree. Greg, don't respond rashly!"

Chris, holding a hidden weapon—a knife—cut through the roots and joined Greg in attacking Erik.

Erik's yellow eyes were watching Greg's approaching fist.

◇

Greg and Chris, who had been thrown through the front door, burst in dramatically.

"Both of you!"

Marie rushed to the battered duo and started healing them.

I took the shotguns and pistols brought by the robots, loaded a shell, and aimed.

On the other side of the broken door, roots were writhing around Erik.

—I knew you'd come, Erik.

"Again, it's you guys. The Six Great Nobles seem to enjoy starting fights."

I was trying to provoke him or gauge his reaction.

Erik looked up and raised his right hand, directing the roots at me.

Sharp roots attacked, so I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger on the shotgun.

The robots floating around me formed a shield to protect me, and Lukseon burned the roots with a laser.

Marie was protecting the injured duo.

"Take them and run!"

"O-Okay!"

Erik, who was watching Marie run, raised his left hand.

Vines entered through the front door, trying to bind us.

"Come at meeee!"

Marie swung her arm, using magic to blow them away, but...

"Idiot! You'll start a fire! Don't use fire!"

"But!"

She was trying to burn them away with fire magic, but I stopped her to prevent the mansion from burning down.

Drones and robots from the mansion gathered to eliminate the roots and vines.

As a vine broke through and tried to grab my leg, it stopped and retreated at the last moment.

"What's going on?"

'Master, as the guardian of the Sacred Tree's seedlings, you are a different kind of existence. The Sacred Tree can't easily attack you. Didn't I tell you that?'

I just wanted to say it looks different when you see it with your own eyes. Really.

While reloading the shotgun, I smiled at Erik.

"Hey, your trump card is nullified. If you back down now—"

Erik was also smiling.

"I see. Then, the next move."

Erik's red hair swayed, and a flame appeared in his right hand, converging into a sword-like shape.

Unlike Greg, Erik had red hair and was holding a flaming sword.

"What's that?"

Erik had a faint smile.

"—The Flame Sword, burn my enemies!"

In a cool pose, Erik swung the flaming sword, which extended to try to cut us.

'Shield deployment'

Lukseon stepped in front of me and formed a shield, preventing the flaming sword from reaching us.

But—the surroundings were a different story.

I clicked my tongue.

"What a waste for a new house."

Erik, holding the flaming sword, was looking at us.

"Hmm, you managed to block that. But I won't stop here. I won't give up until I burn you all to ashes—until I get her back!"

Her... my sister?

"You're so persistent!"

"Say what you want. I'll burn you to ashes for standing in the way of our love."

Lukseon explained.

'He's enhancing his abilities with the power of the Sacred Tree. He's very troublesome. The mansion will burn down before he gets tired.'

"...You guys, seriously, cut it out!"

I threw the shotgun, and the roots moved to block it and bounce it away.

"That's all you've got!"

Yandere, in real life, is a no-go.

"The Sacred Tree is troublesome."

Lukseon agreed.

'The roots for defense, the flaming sword for attack... a troublesome combination. More importantly, the mansion is in ruins. We need to prioritize Marie and the target's protection.'

Having Lukseon around really makes things easier.

The problem is Erik.

If the Sacred Tree protects him, he might die if I get serious.

I held a pistol and looked at the back of my right hand.

"...I'll believe in the seedling's blessing and charge in."

As I ran, Lukseon followed.

'Even though there are plenty of ways to stop him, Master chooses the troublesome method.'

I know it's troublesome, but he's one of the targets.

"Follow me and shut up!"

The roots tried to attack me, but the seedling's blessing made them hesitate. Erik raised his flaming sword.

"Die!"

"Not a chance!"

I aimed the pistol at Erik and fired as the roots stopped moving. The bullet hit Erik's right arm.

"Ugh! ...N-Not yet!"

I acknowledged his determination but said,

"It's over."

I continued firing, and when Erik fell, I kept shooting. When I ran out of bullets, I quickly reloaded and aimed at Erik, who was lying on the ground. The flaming sword had disappeared, and the roots had stopped moving.

Erik was trying to stand up, trembling.

"Let me see her. This is our problem. I came to take her back."

"You burned someone's house and came to take her? That's already a no-go. It's so bad, it's laughable. And the only thing you can do now is stay away from my sister."

As Erik tried to stand up, I aimed the pistol at him.

"I... I can't live without her. She's the first person I've ever loved."

I pulled the trigger, annoyed.

The bullet hit his forehead, and blood flowed.

Erik was still enduring the pain.

"I see. I'm glad. My sister doesn't want to see you—"

As I said that, Erik looked behind me.

I turned around.

There was my sister, protected by the robots, holding the case of seedlings, slightly dirty from soot.

Erik's face broke into a smile.

"I see. So you were being held captive. It's okay now. I came to take you back."

To which my sister replied clearly,

"...I won't go back to you."

Erik's face twisted.

"What did you do to her! She wouldn't say something like that. Did you brainwash her? I'll wake her up right now. I'll burn you away and wake her up. Wait for me. I'll bring her back soon."

My sister shouted.

It was the first time I saw her raise her voice.

"I don't like you! I told you I hate you!"

Erik was stunned.

...She really rejected him.

"I... I wanted something more normal. To eat together, talk about the day, and laugh... But being with you was suffocating. When I cooked, you only complained. You got angry over the slightest thing. When I talked about my day, you just complained and got angry. ...You hit me so easily."

Erik was flustered.

He must have realized his mistakes.

"I, I understand. I'll be more careful from now on."

"Stay away from me."

As my sister said this with tears in her eyes, Erik's face twisted in an ugly way. The symbol on his right hand glowed, and the roots started moving again.

This time, Marie walked over in large strides.

Marie, whose face was dirty from soot, punched Erik in the face.

"You piece of trash!"

"Oof!"

Erik was thrown back. I couldn't tell where she got such power, but Marie was breathing heavily and shouting.

"Snap out of it already. You're finished!"

Erik, holding his cheek, said,

"It's not over. It's not over at all! I love her!"

Marie kicked him in the face without hesitation.

I went to my sister, who was trembling and sitting on the ground.

She must have been scared to see Erik, but she still came out.

The seedling she was hugging was glowing slightly more than usual.

Marie was scolding Erik.

"Love? You're a joke. That's not love. Look at your 'ex-girlfriend.' She's trembling and crying."

As Erik tried to say something,

"You're the one who pushed her to this. If you really loved her, you'd stay away from her. If you keep this up, you'll end up killing her one day."

Erik immediately denied it.

"I won't do that!"

Marie grabbed Erik's hair and showed him the burning mansion, where the robots were putting out the fire.

"It's useless for someone who burned down someone's house to say anything. Understand already. You're just being selfish. That's not love. And stay away from her. If you come near her again, I'll kill you to stop you."

...She must be angry, seeing herself in my sister, another victim of domestic violence. But is it right for someone who created a harem to talk about love?

Erik, looking up at Marie, tried to say something but stopped. Then he looked at my sister.

I was helping her stand up.

He tried to say something but looked down and started crying.

I sighed and looked at the burning mansion.

"...I think I'll stay at Einhorn tonight."

The nobles of the Republic are so violent.

It's really unbelievable.