Chapter 3 - Everything Within Me (3)
"Yes. It's your brother."
My brother stooped down and examined me.
Rajiks Granvelle.
The eldest son of the Granvelle family.
My strong and reliable older brother.
But my brother's right arm was missing.
"Ah, this."
As if he read my gaze, my brother flapped his empty sleeve.
"I lost it fighting in the village. Too many enemies."
"Ugh..."
"Stay still. You're in more trouble than I am. What kind of poison is this, anyway?"
With his one remaining hand, my brother pried open my mouth and examined my throat.
"Kuk."
Then he closed his eyes and bowed his head.
My heart sank with his.
"Bro..."
"Why can't I feel the leyline?"
My brother gritted his teeth, his eyes still closed.
"I can't use aura, so I can't resist the poison... Cough. Ray? Can you hear me?"
Nod.
"The house... what happened to it? Of all times for this to happen, when I was out in the village... Ah, Lily? Lily went back to the mansion midway because she was worried about you."
"Li..."
Lily.
Lily Granvelle.
My sister, two years older than me.
All I could do was subtly shake my head.
"Phew... And Father?"
I shook my head again.
My brother coughed and sighed.
"They used poison on the mansion. A strong one, too."
That's right.
It was a terrifying poison that paralyzed my whole body.
"Horrible bastards... How did they cross the border and get to the village without being detected...? Cough!"
Then he bowed his head and began to cough up blood.
"Cough! Cough! Ugh... My training was insufficient. To be so helpless just because I lost an arm."
No, that's not it, brother.
Your sudden deterioration isn't because of your arm; it's because of the poison.
Poison had accumulated in the bodies of the dead children.
You might not know it, but that poison is now seeping into your body.
It has been, continuously, and still is.
"Damn it, if my body were normal... No, if I just had one sword, I'd wipe out all those bastards..."
My brother gritted his teeth, looking at the cave entrance.
"I have to kill all those guys and get you out of here... Ugh..."
That was as far as he got.
My brother finally couldn't hold on and slumped down beside me.
Even then, the red smoke continued to gather.
My brother was silent for a moment, then stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
"...Ray."
"Bro..."
"Damn it, it wasn't supposed to turn out like this."
Suddenly, my brother's eyes rolled in a strange direction.
"I, I really excelled at the academy. I kept winning class competitions, and this year I even won the grade competition. A third-year beating a fourth-year."
Then he suddenly grabbed me by the collar and blurted out words.
"Graduating at the top of my class was a given. All the professors praised me. After graduation, I might even have been able to join the Sword King family's special forces, or even the inspection team. Becoming an inspector. Everyone would have looked up to me. But this miserable state... This is ridiculous. I must rise to a high position... Cough! Ah, no, what crazy talk am I spouting..."
His rolling eyeballs returned halfway.
My brother, letting go of my collar, clutched his face as if confused.
"Ugh... Wh-What have I done...? Am I losing my mind...?"
"Bro..."
"...I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wasn't supposed to be like this... I had to somehow... Cough!"
At that moment, a handful of blood splattered on my face.
My brother's blood.
That was the end.
My brother slowly collapsed, burying his face on the ground.
"..."
And then everything fell silent again.
My brother was dead.
Even without speaking to him, without shaking his body with my hand, I knew he was dead.
Red mist began to emerge from his body.
The thick, blood-like aura of poison.
It seeped into my body again.
My vision turned red.
And everything began to be dyed the same color.
The poison was condensed beyond its limits.
"Ugh..."
It hurts.
My body convulses.
-Aaahh!
And then, the hallucinations began again.
Endless screams of children, everyone hurting, everyone in pain.
Everyone afraid to die.
Even though they're already dead.
Then the loudest voice stood tall above the other screams.
-Look at me!
A clear voice rang out distinctly.
-I'm the best!
-Everyone's watching me. Everyone at the academy is paying attention to me.
-I will definitely succeed.
-Just you wait. I'll make the Granvelle family the number one in the Sword King family hierarchy!
It was my brother's voice.
My brother's voice, my brother's heart, my brother's desires...
-Ray. You survive and get out of here.
-Definitely.
And my brother's wish.
But I'm sorry, brother.
I don't think I can grant your wish.
Because I don't have much time left either.
My consciousness slowly fades, and everything becomes distant.
Is it finally over?
"...Cave #2, found one more live frog."
But it wasn't.
I was still alive, and someone grabbed me by the collar and began dragging me somewhere.
"Oh, is this it? Are you sure it's not dead?"
"Are you blind? Can't you see the leyline poison moving here?"
"No, I'm just not skilled in that area."
"Idiot, aren't you something."
"Anyway, good. Gather them all in Cave #1. Hmm? You guys over there! What happened to Cave #3 and #4?"
"...Cave #3 has four!" "...Cave #4! Five survived here!"
"Haha. The harvest isn't bad."
Beyond my fading consciousness, the men's laughing and chattering slowly receded.
"Good! Gather everyone in Cave #1! The poison leyline is about to burst in Cave #1! Gather them all before that and evacuate outside!"
"Quickly, quickly!"
"No time! This is a deadly poison that even a poison demon can't withstand! Move quickly if you don't want to die! Quickly!"
In my hazy consciousness, someone moved busily.
"Phew... Good. About a dozen after gathering them all."
"The poison leyline is about to burst! Escape!"
"We'll be back in 24 hours! Everyone escape!"
"Escape!"
"Escape!"
And then it was quiet again.
Without sound, reality felt distant.
Am I already dead?
But why...
Am I starting to hear someone's voice again?
"...Ray."
"Ray?"
"Ray..."
It was a familiar voice.
A desperate voice I couldn't ignore even in death.
I gathered my remaining strength and barely managed to lift my eyelids.
"Ugh..."
"Ray? It's Ray, right?"
There, I saw my sister's face.
Lily Granvelle.
My one and only sister.
"Sis..."
"Yes. It's Ray. My good little brother. But I can't see very well right now."
My sister blinked her clear eyes, then stroked my head.
"Thank you, Ray. For being alive."
"Sis..."
"A few pits just merged. Thanks to that, we met again. It must be heaven's will."
My sister smiled as she embraced me.
Is this really reality?
Or is it a hallucination I created?
But it didn't matter.
It just felt good.
It was simply good to see my sister again.
Although her face was pale, unlike usual, and her skin was glistening reddish...
"Something exploded in this cave."
My sister turned her head and looked to the side.
"Something's flowing, right? They say it's a poison leyline. It's clear water with no smell."
That's not true.
That wasn't clear water; it was scarlet poison.
I didn't even dare to imagine its true nature...
But I could just choose not to look.
Rather than wasting time looking at something so horrifying for even a moment, it would be better to spend that time looking at my sister's face a little longer.
"Water keeps flowing from behind. The air is getting worse too. Every time I breathe in, my head..."
My sister blinked her reddened eyes a few times, then closed them.
"Ah, no. This is bad. After finally meeting again... I should only think good thoughts."
At the same time, a reddish liquid poured down behind my sister.
Splash!
"Ray."
My sister embraced my body and fell forward.
As if to block the poisonous aura pouring from all directions on my behalf.
"Ah..."
My sister convulsed.
"Ray. My one and only brother. There was so much I wanted to tell you when we met..."
My sister spoke with her eyes closed.
"That time, a long, long time ago. At the end, Mom asked me. To take good care of our youngest. I did I do well? I put in a lot of effort. But I too..."
My sister tried to say something, then closed her mouth.
And again, she tried to say something, then closed her mouth.
My sister just kept smiling silently.
Until her last moment.
Splash!
Again, the reddish poisonous aura burst forth.
And how much time passed after that,
The strength began to drain from my sister's body covering me.
My sister was dead.
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see the poisonous aura seeping from my sister's body into mine again.
But I knew without looking.
My sister's voice began to echo in my head.
-Ray, my good little brother.
-I could have done so much more for you.
-I'm sorry I went to the academy. It would have been good if I could have stayed by your side.
-But I also had things I wanted to do.
-Make many friends, create more family...
New friends, new family.
Was that my sister's dream?
Like my brother wanted to make the Granvelle family the number one in the Sword King family hierarchy?
I don't know.
My sister rarely spoke about what she wanted.
If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to the village with her that day.
We could have gotten some fresh air, eaten good food, and spent time together...
-I want to make many friends.
-Good friends.
-I'll introduce them to my little brother later.
-How can I spend more time with my family?
My sister's voice continued to echo in my head.
It wasn't a bad feeling.
Even hallucinations were fine.
If only I could keep hearing their voices.
And it wasn't just my sister's voice I was hearing.
-What should I eat today?
-Ugh! Every single meal is so precious!
-Bread made with lots of butter is the best!
Tiber.
-Hmm, the professor officially asked for a sparring match, what should I do?
-What if I win? That would be a big problem, wouldn't it? It would be awkward if I got a scout offer before graduating.
-I have to elevate the name of Granvelle. Even more than now...
Brother.
-The kids in Class A are too strong-willed, it's hard to get close to them.
-How can I get closer to the kids in Class B or C? They all seem like good kids.
-I wish I had a bigger room. Then I could invite more friends.
My sister again.
Everyone had things they wanted to do.
But they put all those desires aside and sacrificed themselves.
They all must have wanted to live.
Now vanished, everyone's voices echo futilely in my ears.
But I can't possibly be hearing that.
Am I really going crazy?
Or has something of everyone truly entered me?
If so, then I...