kscans

Chapter 46 - The Birth of the Demon King and the Little One

"Oh, it’s that time of year. Congratulations on your enrollment."

On the way back from being summoned by Romel, Harold saw the twins in their uniforms and his eyes softened with nostalgia. He, too, was a graduate of the nobles’ academy. Harold’s children had already graduated, and his grandchildren were still infants. It had been a while since he had seen this sight. Before his gentle, longing eyes, the Little One spun around once.

"Romel said he wanted to see, so I wore it. Does it look good?"

"Very much so. You’ve both grown so much."

Harold, already showing glimpses of a kindly old man, was lost in emotion, feeling the weight of the passing years. It felt like only yesterday that she had stood before him with her lips set in a pout, demanding to be let into the knight order. She had swung a wooden sword with her short arms and legs, falling and getting back up, and he had been on edge the whole time, but now they were both respectable knight apprentices. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he whispered softly in the Little One’s ear.

"Has the dagger I gave you before been of any use?"

"Nyu?!"

Understanding his words, the Little One was struck speechless, her eyes wide. The veteran warrior grinned at her.

He knows?

The Little One couldn’t help but bare her gums in a strained, ambiguous smile.

The dagger Harold mentioned was a hand-me-down he had given her during the pilgrimage ten years ago. For him to mention it meant...

"...Keep it secret."

"I understand."

A suspicious, conspiratorial air flowed between the two. The Little One pulled on the skeptical Chihaya and tiptoed away from the spot.

"What is it? Is something wrong, Hiiro?"

Chihaya murmured, looking at Harold who was still seeing them off in the distance.

"Nnya, it’s nothing, nyo."

"It’s not nothing, not with that look on your face."

Chihaya took hold of his sister’s face and looked at her head-on. Indeed, the usual Hiiro was easy to read. When she wasn't conscious of it, she was incapable of subtlety. Especially with those she was close to. Her emotions were written all over her face. Right now, Hiiro’s face was flushed as if she were about to cry, and her lips were pressed together shyly. As if she were holding something back. Her moist eyes were feverish, exuding a dangerous something.

"Well, you see... It’s like I’m happy. Yeah, it’s not good, but my heart is just so full."

She never thought Harold would have realized. Ten years ago, they weren't particularly close, and he had the impression of being Romel's guard, but certainly, he had been fond of her back then, even giving her his old knife. She had thought it was because she was by Romel's side, but the atmosphere now suggested there was more to it, and the back of her eyes grew hot without her realizing it. In this life, he was her martial arts master. They had been together for a long time, and perhaps he had some thoughts on the matter. The Little One's lips unconsciously twitched. At that bashful, happy expression, Chihaya narrowed his eyes.

"Heeh... You can’t tell your big brother either? You want to keep it a secret? Hmph?"

"Eh?"

Her cheeks still held in his hands, the Little One let out a surprised yelp. Her brother before her had a fixed stare, looking intently at Chihiro. A sharp light glinted in his eyes.

Hey, what’s with that look! Dear brother, that’s not a human gaze!

Chihaya’s face was so sharp, and the dim light burning in the depths of his eye sockets made the Little One shiver, so much so that she mentally reverted to her noble lady persona.

"No secrets, Hiiro. You seem to know a lot, but you can be dense. It’s too dangerous to leave you be."

His brother smiled softly, as if to reassure Chihiro, but the coldness in his eyes did not disappear. She had no idea when he had started looking at her like that.

"Nii-ni?"

"Yes?"

"Your eyes are scary."

"Eh?"

Snapping back to his senses, Chihaya hurriedly covered his face with his hands. Then, after letting out a long breath, he returned to his usual friendly smile. Ah, good. It’s the usual nii-ni.

Letting out a sigh of relief, the Little One linked her arm with Chihaya’s.

"It was about the dagger I got from Harold. I just got a little nostalgic."

"A dagger?"

"Ah..."

Oops, that was related to her past life.

As his sister fretted over what to do, Chihaya gave a wry smile and gently pulled the Little One’s head closer.

"It’s like the secret base, right? I know about your past, Hiiro."

Chihaya had heard about his sister’s past from Romel. He had realized then that the secret base story he had heard before was also from her past life. He planted a kiss on each of the stunned Chihiro’s eyes and cradled her head against his chest. Even though she was so small and thin, she had fought against the gods to save the world. Her past life, which had ended in just two years. When he heard the details from Romel, Chihaya felt something smoldering deep in his gut. A eerie sensation, like being licked by something cold. A loathing and hatred for the gods he had never seen. A clear, sharp malice. Irreverent? Insolent? Who cared about such things. Anyone who harmed his family was an enemy. Hiding that sharp something within himself, Chihaya felt an indescribable love for the sister in his arms.

This time, I will never let her be lost.

"Hiiro. You are very precious to me. I want to know everything about you, down to the smallest detail. So, please don’t keep secrets from me. It makes me feel like I’m going crazy. Really..."

In fact, until a moment ago, Chihaya had felt like he was going mad. The moment he sensed there was something he didn’t know, he lost control. There was no telling what small thing could trip them up. Romel had said that a preemptive strike was the key to victory. That it was important to always prepare for the worst and take every possible measure. And what was necessary for that was information. To gather information, calmly analyze the opponent, and read as many moves ahead as possible. It was infuriating, but the ear cuff bestowed by the gods was proving to be of great use for gathering information.

And he had realized it. The royal palace was filled with malice.

This cuff picked up every little word. It was something that made even Romel say he was envious. He keenly felt that he had been a child until now. A young self who could only take words at face value and couldn't sense what lay beneath.

But it would be different from now on.

To protect his sister, he would resist the cruelty of the world with all his might. However, the seemingly all-powerful ear cuff had a strange weakness. It couldn’t pick up the words of the person Chihiro was talking to. Even when he was close enough to barely hear, it couldn’t pick them up. This was the cuff that could pick up the murmur of someone ten meters away, barely visible, if he focused.

Was it the gods’ influence, or was the Little One just that far outside the norm?

That was why it made him even more anxious.

What are you talking about right now? Are you okay?

Precisely because he could hear everything, the inability to hear made him feel indignant, like he was going crazy.

As he gently stroked Chihiro’s head, a sigh escaped Chihaya’s lips.

"Tell me everything, okay? Never hide anything. I don’t want to scare Hiiro. I want to be gentle. I’ll always be gentle, so you be gentle to me too, Hiiro."

Her brother looked at her with an enraptured gaze. However, his pupils were slightly dilated, exuding something inhuman. Cohabiting with a bone-chilling cold was a meltingly warm affection. What a skilled brother he was.

Nii-ni is broken.

With a vague sense of unease in her heart, the Little One nodded repeatedly. Pleased by this, Chihaya hugged Chihiro with a visibly cheerful expression.

"Nii-ni is here, okay? I’ll never leave you, so don’t worry."

Aren’t you a bit too overprotective, nii-ni?

Resignedly, she patted Chihaya’s back, and the two walked home, hand in hand. A knight who happened to see their supposedly heartwarming figures from behind felt an inexplicable murderous intent, but the two of them never heard it.

Today marked the first small step of Chihaya, who would later be rumored to be the second coming of the Demon King.