Chapter 7
Sier, who had been just listening to Mom and my conversation, asked me.
“There’s an outsider? By the lake? You encountered him alone?”
Sharp green eyes turned toward me.
“If a tiny kid who’s skin and bones and can’t even run counts as an outsider, then I guess he’s an outsider…”
“The lake is right behind the mansion. You’re saying they let someone approach this close?”
Come to think of it, that’s right. Shadi should be standing guard quite widely around the mansion. How did he get in?
While I was looking at Mom with a puzzled face, I heard a knock.
“Come in.”
The one who entered the dining room was Head Butler Simon. His forehead was damp, as if he’d walked quite urgently.
“Head Butler, what’s the matter?”
“My lady, Lord Reyn has contacted us through the communication orb.”
“Reyn? But why do you look so urgent?”
“It wasn’t Lord Reyn who contacted us directly, but Lord Reyn’s aide. He urgently asked to speak with the young lady, so I came here in such a hurry. It seems Lord Reyn is…”
“That’s enough. I understand what’s going on.”
As soon as I heard that contact had come from Reyn, I immediately stood up from my seat.
The fact that it was Reyn’s aide Cente who contacted us, not Reyn himself, meant Reyn wasn’t in a mental state to make contact himself.
“I’ll go communicate for a bit and come back!”
I was curious about how Kallius had managed to approach near the lake, but Reyn came first for now.
What did this crazy guy have a fit about this time… If Cente contacted us directly, it must be serious.
“I’ll contact him with the communication orb in my room. Connect me.”
“All the communication orbs in the villa are already glowing. Miss, they’ll stop once you answer.”
“Huh…”
I quickened my steps toward my room. When I entered, the communication orb on the table was glowing brightly.
When I channeled magic power into the communication orb, a person’s face suddenly popped out from the orb’s screen. It was Cente, Reyn’s aide.
-Miss!!!!
Cente’s eyes were brimming with tears. Cente, who only whimpered no matter how much Reyn scolded him but had never actually cried, looked like he was about to burst into tears.
“Cente? What’s wrong? Where’s my brother?”
I searched around Cente for pink hair.
-Lord Reyn! Lord Reyn! The miss is here. Over here!! Not there! Get a grip! Agh!! Don’t swing your sword! Hey, you bastard!!
Curses finally poured from Cente’s mouth. The screen began shaking violently as if he was running while holding the communication orb.
“Reyn? Can you hear my voice?”
The communication orb hesitated for a moment, then Cente suddenly thrust his face forward.
-Miss! Please keep calling Lord Reyn’s name!!
“Got it. But what on earth is going on?”
-We raided an underground auction… no, a shady rich guy’s warehouse, and there was a young girl who looked like you… no, ugh!! Are you finally going to kill me? You bastard! Where are you going now? Reyn!!
This time Cente was really shouting things like he’d quit, that he wouldn’t care if Reyn starved to death, and I chuckled watching him.
Even when he said things like that, he’d never actually quit.
‘Algenfrina Reyn.’
My eldest brother, six years older than me.
Considering that there wasn’t much difference between my past life family’s tendencies and my current family’s, my eldest brother was definitely confirmed to be a maniac here too.
No, rather, my eldest brother here was more dangerous. In my past life, there were frameworks of society and law. Morality was taught, and there were lines society shouldn’t cross.
But this place is different. It’s a class society where power and strength are stronger than anything.
An environment perfect for a madman to run wild, and that madman is the talented eldest son of a ducal family? I’m screwed…
“Reyn? Reyn!! Can you hear my voice? Brother? Eldest brother!!!”
Something pink that was presumably my brother kept flashing through the communication orb. As I kept holding the orb and calling his name, I was reaching the limits of my patience.
Whether my voice was heard outside the room or not, I shouted loudly.
“Hey, you maniac!!! Get a grip!!”
The noisy sounds suddenly subsided, and only faint groaning occasionally echoed.
-Huh?
A familiar face gradually appeared in the communication orb, and half-unfocused green eyes appeared between disheveled pink hair. Reyn, who had rubbed the blood on his left cheek with his palm, stared at me blankly.
-Ari?
“What are you doing?”
I asked with an indifferent face, supporting my chin with both hands. Reyn, who had been looking around, received a handkerchief from Cente and wiped the blood splattered on his face.
-I was working. Ugh, so tiring. I got so angry I lost my mind a bit. I said let’s resolve this peacefully, but they attacked me. My little sister, did you eat dinner?
“It’s morning now.”
-Huh. Did you eat breakfast?
Reyn narrowed his half-unfocused eyes and smiled. His grinning face clearly showed he was Algenfrina blood.
“Yeah, I ate. You stop that and eat too.”
-Right, right. Nothing happening at home?
There is. Of course there is. The Grand Duke who will kill our family in the future is hiding in the mountains behind our house!
If I told Reyn this straight, Kallius might really die.
“Nothing’s happening at home. When are you coming home?”
-Well. I don’t think I can come for a while. Should I buy you a present when I come? Is there anything you want?
Just as I was about to say no, I thought of one thing that flashed through my mind. It wasn’t something that would be sold in stores.
But if it’s Reyn…
“Brother.”
-Yeah?
“Could you make something for me?”
Reyn’s half-closed eyes shot open. He looked both happy and puzzled. Every time Reyn asked me what I wanted to eat or if there was anything I wanted, I always answered ‘it’s fine.’
Before my memories returned, I really didn’t need anything. But now it’s different!
-Oh my! Cente! Ari says there’s something she wants!! Oh my! Ari! Oh my! What do you want? Huh?
Reyn shook the communication orb wildly with sparkling green eyes. He’s so happy—is it okay to ask him to make something like this?
“Um… so.”
-Yeah yeah!
“A pitching machine.”
-Huh?
Ugh, really. How do I explain this?
-What’s a pitching machine? Is it something trendy these days? Cente, do you know what a pitching machine is? What? You don’t know? Why don’t you know? Is there anything you don’t know?
Seeing him harass innocent Cente, I hurriedly stopped Reyn.
“Brother! It’s just a name I made up!”
-Ah, right. You said to make it?
“The thing is, I don’t care what it looks like.”
-Yeah yeah.
“A tool that shoots out stone-like things quickly when you inject magic power…”
-Huh?
Reyn tilted his head sideways as if he didn’t understand at all. I don’t know how to explain this either.
“You know my club.”
-Uh-huh?
“My magic club!!”
-Right, the club. Ari has a magic club. Very sturdy. Hmm…
Reyn’s wide-open eyes darted around busily. Our family was careful even about uttering the three syllables of the word ‘club’ because of my peculiar club phobia.
But the current me is different! Knowing how amazing this unique magic is, I had to use everything I could.
“I want to hit away anything that comes flying at the club. I don’t have anyone to help me practice.”
-You could ask Aisa to help.
Aisa’s unique magic as the ducal family’s Shadi was a bow. And an incredibly fast and accurate one at that.
“Do you know how fast that is? How can I hit arrows from the start?!”
-Is that so? I think I caught them on the first try.
Reyn muttered quietly while scratching his chin.
Geniuses are really annoying.
-Anyway, I understand what you want. Should your brother try making it?
Since he said he’d try making it, something would definitely come out. His brain for making magical tools is unparalleled.
“Thanks, brother.”
-Mm.
“What?”
-I feel like I can finally breathe easy.
Reyn, who had returned to his drowsy half-closed eyes at some point, spoke as if muttering.
-Only you yourself can develop your unique magic. But since Ari hated her unique magic, do you know how upset your brother was?
“…At least be surprised when I come back.”
-I knew it wasn’t just an ordinary club. Right? Ari had more abilities she liked, right? I’m really relieved. So relieved. I don’t have to forcibly twist your mana circuits.
Crazy, what did I just hear?