Chapter 20
—
Serupe, caught up in his chat with Dorothy, had missed his chance to hide.
It couldn’t be helped…
“Se. Ru. Pe.”
This was the fate he had to face one day.
But that face, as if plotting how to devour him, was far too terrifying!
“Should I come in and get you, or will you come out on your own?”
“Haha… I’ll come out on my own.”
“Good boy.”
As the oak barrel tipped and rolled onto the floor, his neck was promptly grabbed.
Dragged away in this state, Serupe noticed that the mercenaries’ casual chatter had turned rather serious.
“You know what’s wrong with kids these days? No sense of loyalty. A mercenary’s greatest strength is their loyalty. Sure, looking out for yourself is important, but if you lack basic loyalty, you’re no mercenary—you’re just a thug!”
“Exactly, absolutely.”
The mercenaries paused their discussion to look at Serupe and Deruna before breaking into amused grins.
“How’d you catch him?”
“Serupe, we had nothing to do with this—Deruna caught you herself.”
Traitors!
“Please, save me!”
“Stay still, will you?”
“…”
The mercenaries shook their heads, laughing.
“Kals, Kals! You promised to help me! I even bought drinks for all of you!”
“Well, yeah, I did. Haha.”
“Hey, Kals, weren’t you just ranting about loyalty as a mercenary?”
“Lady Deruna, please let Serupe go already.”
“Ooh, so cool!”
Kals stood, resting a hand on his sword hilt.
Deruna smirked, lowering Serupe to the ground before drawing her own blade.
Wait, they’re seriously fighting?
Kals swiftly drew his sword, clashing with Deruna’s a few times.
Hanson, watching from the side, nodded in approval.
“Not bad, kid.”
“Lady Deruna! Please go easy on me!”
“Fine, I’ll hold back a little.”
——Clang!
As sparks flew from their blades, Kals’s sword was knocked away, spinning into the air before Hanson deftly caught it and polished it with his towel.
“Gah!”
Kals groaned as a kick to the stomach sent him rolling across the floor…
“I’ve upheld my honor, Lord Serupe. You should’ve hidden better—like you did in the forest…”
“Wow, Kals, way to show mercenary loyalty!”
“That’s not loyalty, that’s stupidity.”
As the mercenaries and Hanson burst into hearty laughter, Deruna grabbed the back of Serupe’s neck again.
“You bought drinks for the mercenaries… huh?”
“Haha… it’s not like that.”
“Just come along quietly.”
“Yes…”
Dragged along, Serupe eventually found himself back at home…
“Oh… brother?”
Seria, who had come out to the living room, looked at Serupe, then back at Deruna, before clutching her cheeks in disbelief.
“That’s impossible!”
She’s still at it…
With Elenien merely pretending to be my girlfriend and Deruna still mad…
Ugh… what’s going to happen to me?
“Miss, even your brother can find love.”
“But someone as beautiful as Lady Deruna being with my brother… I just can’t imagine it! What’s there to like about my ugly brother?”
“Well, you’re beautiful yourself, Seria.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It’s only because you’ve grown up alongside your brother that you don’t realize it, but Serupe is handsome too.”
Still lying in defeat, Serupe couldn’t help but overhear the unexpected conversation.
Wait… that’s Deruna’s voice?
Since when does she sound so sweet and soft?
Not in any novel, and certainly not in real life…
“…Excuse me?”
When Serupe asked, baffled, Deruna ignored him.
Did I hear that wrong…?
“So, Lady Deruna, will you really marry my brother?”
“Yes, I will.”
Deruna, with a gentle and feminine expression he’d never seen before, answered calmly.
Seria rushed over, clinging to Deruna as she poured out her concerns.
“But my brother! He doesn’t even eat properly on his own! He never leaves his room, and he’s surprisingly sensitive, so you have to be gentle with him when you talk! Oh, and you’ll have to sing him lullabies to help him sleep!”
Lullabies? Seriously…
“That’s not true! I’ve just been busy with fertilizer research! And Seria, you’re just exaggerating!”
“He always acts so smart, but he’s a complete idiot. He knows what he knows and doesn’t know what he doesn’t. Sometimes, he makes ridiculous mistakes, so you’ll always have to look after him.”
“Don’t worry, Miss Seria. I’ll take good care of him.”
“And when he insisted on going to the Academy alone, we were all so worried…”
“You’re such a kind, caring little sister. You must love your brother very much.”
Deruna patted Seria’s head as Serupe sat there, utterly bewildered.
What… what’s even happening?
I have to get out of here!
The world’s ending!
Something is happening!
As Serupe grabbed his things and opened the door to escape, a soft and startled voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Ser… Serupe?”
“…Elenien? What are you doing here?”
Elenien was sprawled on his bed.
With her elven aura, she exuded an ethereal and dreamlike presence, as if she’d just woken up.
Is this really my room?
With the spirits floating gently around her, it felt more like a forest sanctuary.
——And my back felt a chilling presence…
“Where are you going, Serupe?”
“Haha… the world is ending…”
“Stop talking nonsense, you. Get it together. We need to talk.”
“Talk? Like… body language? I don’t want to die…”
“Body language? Do you even hear yourself?”
A flick to the forehead brought him back to reality.
“Ahk.”
I fall backward, and someone catches me.
“Se… Serupe… please don’t hit me.”
“Hm.”
For some reason, it feels hot around me.
Deruna’s gaze, directed at someone behind me, is unusually sharp.
And just as I think it feels hot, it truly is. A fire spirit in the shape of a flaming salamander is flicking its tongue.
The house isn’t going to catch fire, is it…?
I mean, there are water spirits, so they’d put it out immediately, but still…
When I turn slightly to see Elenien’s face, who is holding me protectively, I see her glaring back at Deruna as well.
I appreciate you protecting me, Elenien, but you might die if you do that!
Someday, you’ll surpass Deruna in strength, but that day is not today!
“Le… let me go, Elenien.”
“No…”
I plead with Elenien, but her response is a firm rejection.
I’m scared!
I glance nervously between the two women.
I mean, Deruna isn’t really going to kill me… right? But her current expression makes me feel like she just might.
Even Elenien’s gaze is full of unwavering resolve. She won’t back down either.
Why is this happening…?
As the tension peaks to an unbearable level, just as Deruna seems about to speak—
A saviour arrives.
The door opens, and my mother sticks her head in.
“Time to eat~ Serupe, come have dinner. Don’t put it off, saying you’re busy.”
“Mom!”
Mom is the best!
At her words, Elenien lets go of me, though I can still feel the sharp gazes on my back as I follow my mother safely to the dining table.
“What’s wrong, Serupe?”
“It’s nothing.”
Rihana, setting down the last pot on the table, takes a seat.
At the same time, Elenien and Deruna pull out chairs and sit on either side of me.
The uncomfortable atmosphere returns.
“Haha, Serupe. You’re pretty capable.”
“Yes, yes… haha…”
I laugh weakly at my father’s remark, and then my mother suddenly speaks as if she’s remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, dear.”
“What?”
“I think it’s better if we only have one daughter-in-law. If they fight, it’ll be hard on Serupe.”
“Haha, is that so?”
With that, my mother smiles brightly and picks up her spoon, as if nothing unusual had been said.
“Well, it’s nothing much. Everyone, enjoy your meal.”
After that, silence falls.
The only sounds are of utensils clinking against dishes.
Usually, meals at home would involve some light conversation. Even Seria, who always bickered or chattered, is completely quiet.
Without the mercenaries, who are likely eating, drinking, and carousing at the tavern, the house feels eerily subdued.
‘Let’s just eat…’
There’s no point running away from whatever’s happening.
Whatever it is, I’ll just have to deal with it as it comes.
‘I just hope I don’t die. Sob…’
It was truly the calm before the storm..
* * *
After dinner, I returned to my room.
“What did you mean earlier…?”
“Well, what do you think I meant?”
There wasn’t much to it.
Except for Deruna and Elenien clinging to me all the time, which was quite bothersome!
‘Is this how Karon must have felt…?’
I have to establish a fertilizer factory for the village!
To shake off Deruna, who had been giving me a meaningful stare, I mustered my courage and spoke up.
“Uh, uh… are you mad at me?”
“Hm? Why would I be mad? Just call me your sister properly.”
“Yes… sister.”
“Fufu.”
Her mood is suddenly entirely different from usual.
Even someone as oblivious as me can’t miss this level of obviousness.
I suddenly recall what the protagonist once said to me.
“Deruna seems to like you, doesn’t she?”
…Seriously?
Now that I think about it, even Elenien’s gaze toward me has a peculiar quality.
My mother’s words also come to mind.
“I think it’s better if we only have one daughter-in-law. If they fight, it’ll be tough for Serupe.”
Don’t tell me this is…
A heroine battle?
I glance at Deruna in a daze, and she responds with a sly smile.
“Fufufu…”
At me…?
No way… right?
“Why do you keep staring at me like that? It’s embarrassing.”
Deruna’s face turns slightly red.
A look that anyone would find captivating, a sight you’d never see under normal circumstances.
Is this… for real?
Why…?
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment