Chapter 15
"What? They can't handle me...?"
Douglas Kim? Me?
Vincent's words left me speechless for a moment.
I searched his expression for any sign that he was joking, but his hardened eyes held no hint of one.
'Beyond what Korea's fourth-ranked family can handle.'
A fact that was simple, in a way.
But what it meant was anything but simple.
Beings who could transcend even the law through overwhelming power. Beings the world supported even when they did nothing.
That was what “nobles” were, and a “family” was a collection of “nobles”; it wasn't something one casually declared beyond their ability to handle.
And this was one of the most powerful families in the country, one of the top five, no less.
"V-Vincent. You're joking about trying to keep me all to yourself right now...?"
"You little punk!"
Vincent squashed both my cheeks. My lips stuck out in a fish pout.
"If you don't believe me, you moron, why the hell did I show you something that incredible?"
"S-sorry."
"You'll be careful, right?"
"Yessir!"
He only let go of my cheeks after shaking my head back and forth several times in that state.
I rubbed my flushed cheeks and thought for a moment.
'......I don't think he's lying.'
Of course, it could have been a trap meant to confuse me. But was Vincent really the type to scheme that much right from the start?
Besides, he didn't show the characteristic trait of nobles—an unnecessary obsession with hierarchy and dignity.
And if he'd intended to do something to me in the first place... he wouldn't have given me this information, either.
"Vincent."
"Huh?'
"You're really not allowed to betray me, okay? If you do, I'll show up in your dreams even after I'm dead and spread the word about every time you fart."
Vincent went rigid. I wondered if such a simple threat had actually worked, but he soon smiled slyly and said,
"Hmm... Now I'm curious."
"About what?"
"Whether you can show up in dreams after you die. Come here. Let's find out."
"Keh-heh! Hey! There's a fight over here!!!"
'You crazy bastard!! A guillotine choke? Seriously?!'
I wasn't seriously asking him to stop,
but showing off his strength on a woman much smaller than himself still proved this guy was insane.
He held me in that position for not just a moment but dozens of seconds. He only let me go after I surrendered.
"Ugh... I'm dying."
"Heh heh, have you felt the difference in our strength now? That's why I told you not to act up."
"That's too much, seriously. Why don't you try doing the same to the family head?"
"Why would I?"
......Fair point.
"Sigh... I guess I'll just have to put up with it."
"Pfft! Why put up with it? If you're really that aggrieved, try it on the family head yourself."
Be reasonable.
I glared at him, seized by a strange sense of injustice.
But his smug, satisfied smile refused to fade, so I eventually gave up on trying to get the better of him and said,
"Fine. Speaking of the family head, how much of this do I need to keep secret?"
He folded his arms and leaned back against the seat. He tapped his elbow with one finger.
"For starters, you should be open about everything the ambassador knows. He probably tried to be careful in his own way, but the family head has more eyes and ears than you might think. Besides..."
"Besides?"
"From the ambassador's perspective, there's no reason to risk breaking his trust with an S-ranker just to protect your secret."
"......."
I know that.
Besides, even apart from power, it was only natural for him to prioritize a longtime friend over someone he'd only just met.
According to Vincent, he'd apparently tried to make at least a minimal effort... but that had fallen through when I ignored him and rushed out.
In the end, there was no way to stop information about me from reaching the family head one way or another.
'Sorry, sir. You must have been tearing your hair out.'
A bitter feeling suddenly welled up.
But time that had passed could not be recovered, so after swallowing my emotions, I nodded in acceptance.
"Phew... I understand. Then you'll keep the rest secret, right, Vincent?"
"Yeah. Though the only thing left is spatial magic."
"......."
"Hmm? What's with that expression?"
"Hehe, no. I just thought, 'Of course he's a Douglas Kim,' when you called spatial magic 'the only thing left.'"
***
A little while later, we arrived at the airport.
Douglas Kim's attendants had come to meet us in advance, and when we followed them, three luxury sedans were waiting.
And there, I met another noble of the Douglas Kim family. Someone was getting out of a sedan as an attendant opened the door.
Vincent spoke with a faint smile when he saw her.
"April...? What brings you here?"
A beautiful woman around 165 to 168 centimeters tall. Her neatly arranged hair fell to her waist, and a red dress adorned with frills stood out vividly. She looked every inch the daughter of a prestigious family.
She approached us and answered Vincent with a smile. Her voice was as soft and beautiful as her face.
"Of course I had to come greet our new family member. Especially since she's a pretty jewel personally chosen by the family head."
"Pfft! We'll have to wait and see whether she's a jewel or a cubic zirconia."
Vincent lightly tapped my head. April blinked a few times at that.
"Hehe—what a joke! Surely not. You shouldn't say such teasing things with a lady beside you, Big Brother."
"Is that so? You're considerate as ever. Anyway, good work."
"You too, Big Brother Vincent."
......They must be from the same faction. They look awfully close.
Compared to how he'd frightened me on the way here, the atmosphere was gentler than expected. Their honey-sweet smiles never faded; they must have been quite close.
The two exchanged a light greeting, and Vincent headed toward the car first.
I tried to follow, but Vincent stopped me by the shoulder.
"You go with April. It's better for men and women to travel separately whenever possible."
"Do I have to get in by myself right now?"
'Still, he could at least introduce us properly before leaving...'
Vincent frowned slightly.
"Sorry, but I think something I ate earlier didn't agree with me. My stomach's a little upset, and I feel like my head would hurt if you started talking beside me, too."
"But what did I do...? Anyway, go rest in the car, then."
Well, it should be fine.
She seemed younger than my old self, anyway, so perhaps I could win her over and become friends with her.
There was no need to cower before a girl who looked barely old enough to be in high school, so I decided to let him go without a fuss.
When I thanked him for bringing me here, he turned around and raised one hand.
But then,
-Tap-
"Hmm... Still, it's polite to at least introduce us. Thanks to my useless big brother, you've been put in an awkward position."
April had come up beside me and spoke. Judging by her slightly pouty expression, she seemed disappointed too.
……It was because of me, so I should cover for him.
"Haha... Actually, he overdid it because of me before we came here."
"Oh my, did he? I had no idea..."
"Of course you didn't. Anyway, let me introduce myself. I'm Naraebi."
There's no need to talk about someone else for long.
I slowly bowed with my arms crossed in an X over my chest.
When a lower-ranking noble greeted someone this way, the higher-ranking recipient offered a handshake.
It was a unique greeting custom among the nobles of the new era.
"Naraebi... What a pretty name. Nice to meet you; I'm April Lee. I hope we get along."
As expected, she held out her hand. I took it and gave it a light shake in relief.
"Now that we've exchanged names, shall we go? I had a separate car waiting for each of us, but would it be all right if our cute youngest came with me?"
"Of course!"
‘Actually, I don't need any of this. I just want to be alone.’
I wanted to examine the skill and Shop lists in detail, and I needed time to think by myself.
More than anything, April was such a prim young lady that I felt uncomfortable. I had the feeling she'd look at me with contempt every time I made even the slightest mistake.
……I'm already missing him.
'Come back, Vincent Jo! Yoo-hoo!'
"This way, Youngest."
"......Yes, ma'am."
-Click.
The car set off as soon as the door closed. I wondered if seat belts weren't necessary, but no one seemed to care.
'So even if we get into a traffic accident, we'll be fine? I can kind of understand it, in a way.'
"Youngest."
In the quietly moving car, April spoke once more.
‘I should call her Big Sister, right?’
"Yes, Big Sister April."
"...Youngest, is there anything you're curious about regarding the family? I heard your mana rank is quite low... Is there anything you're worried about?"
......So she knew my rank.
That was unexpected.
She wasn't looking down on me even though she knew I was E-rank.
The hierarchy system had only been in place for four years—‘officially,’ at least.
Even though we were in the same family, it wasn't something one could simply ignore, yet she didn't seem to care.
I answered with a pleased smile.
"Big Brother Vincent already explained various things to me. But I am worried that I may have been adopted into a family far too distinguished for someone of my level."
"...Hmm?"
She gave a quiet, snickering laugh, the corners of her lips lifting.
"What an adorable worry! You're so innocent, Youngest."
"Ah... I hear that often. Thank you."
"......."
April fell silent for a moment. She watched me quietly with the corners of her lips raised, as if observing me.
I returned a polite smile, and then she raised a hand, gently stroked my hair, and spoke.
"Don't worry. Do you really think the family head would adopt an ordinary E-rank? You should learn to recognize your own worth, Youngest."
"Haha, is that so?"
"Of course. You must have something special about you. Right?"
"Ah... But there's really nothing particularly special..."
"Come on, don't be like that. Think hard. You have a special skill, don't you? Tell your big sister. I'll give the family a glowing introduction so it'll be easier for you to fit in!"
Sorry, April. I already know my worth.
It's just that I can't tell you about it.
This was awkward. She was being so considerate—how would I comfort her if she found out later and got upset?
I was starting to worry that I might hurt this innocent girl.
As she continued trying to boost my confidence, all I could do was offer an awkward smile.
"Hmm... All right. You're very humble, Youngest. And quite confident, too. I suppose I was only burdening you with needless concern."
In the end, she gave up dejectedly. She seemed to have been trying to encourage me and grow closer, but I appeared to have disappointed her by putting up too much of a wall.
‘I can't let things go wrong right from the start.’
I quickly took her hand.
"Oh, no! I'm really grateful that you even took the time to talk to me."
"Hehe, are you? Anyway, if you ever have trouble later, be sure to come to me. I'll welcome you anytime."
"Thank you, Big Sister!"
'Phew... I managed to get through that.'
But then, this time, she let some of her smile fade and looked at me.
"But... Raebi. What did Big Brother Vincent mean when he said he'd overdone it earlier? Should I be worried?"
"Ah, there was a dungeon break in Egypt. I guess the news hasn't reached here yet."
"No, I heard about it too. But Big Brother Vincent isn't exactly the sort to protect commoners there..."
“Ah, well...”
Oh no. This was dangerous too.
Of course, what she said was a fact, but if I told her one thing, the truth would keep spilling out one thing after another.
It couldn't hurt to be careful, so I decided to gloss over it appropriately.
"That's just how the situation turned out. Anyway, Big Brother Vincent was really impressive."
"Hmm... Even so, he didn't need to fight there with you present. He should have evacuated you first."
But April continued muttering to herself.
The conversation suddenly seemed to be turning against him, so I tried adding one excuse after another, but she wasn't convinced.
Her main complaint was that he'd wasted his strength in Egypt, which had nothing to do with the family.
But even so, when I continued defending Vincent, the blame shifted elsewhere.
The embassy, which had been slow to receive the news and respond; the Egyptian government, which had failed in its duty to evacuate a noble from another country; and so on.
She still wanted to lodge a complaint against someone and demand that the embassy be held accountable.
As she kept finding fault with everything I said, I began to feel a little annoyed.
‘It's nice that she cares, but come on...!’
......No, no.
Still, she was only doing this because she cared about me as the youngest, so I shouldn't hate her too much.
In the end, it came from a good place.
I convinced myself of that and added one more thing.
"The embassy wasn't at fault. The ambassador personally stepped in to protect me."
"Exactly. Instead of protecting you there, they should have taken you somewhere safe. Civil servants are so narrow-minded. What fools."
Crack.
"Um, Big Sister."
"A-anyway, you worked so hard, Youngest! Look how gloomy you've become after all that hardship. It breaks my heart..."
April hugged me tightly as she spoke. I wanted to press the issue clearly in case it caused trouble later, but she kept rubbing her cheek against mine, cutting me off every time I tried to speak.
...Hah, would you look at this?
Somehow, it felt as though she was deliberately ignoring my attempts to call her out.
I began to sense something fishy. Even an idiot could feel it.
She was picking a fight with me. Her expression had clearly curdled from the moment she started badmouthing Lee Chang-jin, so how could it make sense for her to pretend not to know anything and comfort me?
‘There's a limit to treating someone like a sucker.’
Ding-
[The Pygmies have sensed anger. You have entered the 'Battlefield Turmoil' state.]
Ding-
[The highest-grade Pygmy 'Set' requests to speak with you.]
......This could turn into a disaster if I handled it wrong.
"Big Sister."
"Mmm?"
"Hey, you crazy bitch."