Vol 5: Chapter 58
★ Port Town Zackerhafen ★
Lark was alone in the room. Neither Kook nor any of her other companions were there.
The room was dark as the windows were closed. The food and medicine were left untouched on the table by the bed.
「Why… Why did you do this, little brother…」
Lark recalled the boy whom she met at the Sixth Mine. The boy changed her way of thinking and her life.
「You know how important that is to me…」
The boy whom she thought she had to protect. That was the case when they were living in the mine, and that was still the case even after she obtained the skill.
When she became worried and searched for him in the Achenbach dukedom, a dragon suddenly appeared, and by defeating it, Lark’s feelings became firmer.
That she should protect her younger brother as the older sister.
However, her brother, whom she was reunited with for the first time in four years, had grown up a lot. He was almost as tall as herself, and above all, he was stronger than herself, who possessed a 6-star skill.
「I can protect my little brother again if I regain my energy…」
She had been dreaming for a very long time. That she will meet her younger brother again, and they will spend happy times together again.
Due to killing a lot of people, she became a wanted person and couldn’t be with him at his hardest time. But even that she did to save his life.
She didn’t want such a reunion.
She felt miserable.
For losing her power.
For losing herself to anger.
For acting the way she did towards her younger brother.
「Wow, it’s dark in here.」
The room door opened.
The person who walked in was even shorter than Lark herself. It was Mimino, wearing an outfit of colorful shades that is rarely seen.
Lark was aware that Mimino belonged to Silver Balance, a fellow party member of her younger brother.
「Don’t come in!」
「Ah right, you can’t see. I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s dark.」
「I told you not to come in!」
Lark searched for something nearby to throw at Mimino, but she had already thrown many “get out” at Kook and the others, so there was nothing else left by her side. It was Kook’s foresight to move the table with the meal a little further away from the bed.
Mimino entered the room without heeding Lark’s outburst, and opened the window. The light streamed in to illuminate the misery of the room—pillows, sheets, vases, liquor bottles, etc. were scattered on the floor.
「Ahhh… This is not good. If you sit around sobbing in such a dark place, you will have mold growing on your head.」
「Shut up!」
「And also I don’t think it’s good for a girl to use a man-like tone. We, women, have our own womanly weapons, after all.」
「I told you to shut up!」
Lark stretched out her right hand in a fluid motion — and was taken aback when the accustomed black blade did not manifest out.
「…This irritation is all due to the lack of skill orb.」
Mimino’s words pierced Lark’s chest deeply.
「What if it is? It doesn’t matter to you even if I dropped dead like this.」
「Oh, but it does matter to me. Because Reiji-kun will be sad.」
「I don’t know that name!! My little brother is… my little brother!」
Lark raised her head, sensing that someone was standing right next to her.
Immediately after, the sound of a slap echoed through the room. It took some time for Lark to realize that her cheek had been struck.
「As the older sister, you should be happy with your brother’s growth!!」
Mimino’s voice echoed in Lark’s stunned head.
「Why won’t you acknowledge him!? Reiji-kun did his absolute best so that one day his sister will praise him for the man he has grown up to be!!」
「…He wanted me… to praise him?」
「Of course! Reiji-kun has been saying he wanted to meet his sister ever since he entered our party. That was his most important goal in life.」
「…………」
With a hand on her cheek, Lark turned her hollow eyes toward Mimino.
「…Are you… crying?」Lark asked.
The sound of snorting and sniveling was heard. Mimino’s voice was trembling.
「I’m so vexed! You denied Reiji-kun who worked so hard to meet you! But Reiji-kun was blaming himself for it… he almost seemed like he was going to cry… 」
「…My brother…」
Mimino wiped the tears from her eyes.
「I was asked by Reiji-kun to meet the “Sage of Medicine” for your sake. Medicine is the field of expertise of Halflings, you see. But if you die before we return, that will be troublesome. I wouldn’t know how to face Reiji-kun after that. So we prepared a special treatment for you. A doctor who is versed in high-level【Healing Magic】is heading to this city.」
「…I don’t want–」
「You don’t have the right to refuse.」
「Huh!? Why!」
「Because Reiji-kun said so.」
「…………」
Lark hung her head with an absent-minded look.
「My little brother… what happened to him in the four years I didn’t see him?」
「You should ask Non regarding that. She will be treating you, and she will tell you a lot.」
「…What about you?」
「Hmm?」
「What are you to my little brother?」
After a few seconds,
「Hmm… He relies on me a lot, and we are very close to each other, and if anything happens, Reiji-kun always comes to me first! In other words… I am…」
Lark couldn’t see that Mimino was answering with a beaming smile, but she could easily imagine it.
「His Mama!」
「That’s absolutely weird!」
Lark immediately retorted.
