Chapter 81: The Slave Hiding Their Power (1)
Even after two years since Shiron possessed this body, he could vividly remember what kind of character Siriel was in the game. The memory of her was so strong that he didn’t even need to borrow a notebook.
Lucia, prominently displayed on the main screen of ‘Reincarnation of the Sword Saint,’ and…
The supporting characters around her, all putting on airs.
The three elements that make a hero.
[Trials]
[Allies]
[Enemies]
As far as he could remember, there was no hero in the traditional sense who overcame trials and crises with brute force all by themselves.
Maybe it was because ‘Reincarnation of the Sword Saint’ was a game that players had to be immersed in. Despite having a previous life as a Sword Saint, Lucia was not omnipotent.
She was wounded by the calamity that struck her.
She struggled with the secret strife of her adversaries.
She shed tears over the death of a comrade.
Because she had human traits, players could immerse themselves in Lucia, and her humanity inevitably created flaws.
However, those flaws were soon filled by reliable allies. Siriel was one of those supporting characters.
When playing as the protagonist [Lucia], even looking at what Siriel said to Lucia showed how helpful she was to her.
When faced with the situation where the few must be sacrificed for the many.
[Leave this to me and go!]
When Lucia was crying after Shiron said, ‘I never once thought of you as a sister.’
[Are you still worried about that guy? He’s not family, he’s an enemy, an enemy.]
After defeating the last apostle, on the day of the final battle, Siriel said to Lucia with teary eyes.
[Honestly, I used to be jealous of you. But now, it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s strange.]
Sometimes as a rival.
Sometimes as an ally.
But that was only when playing as Lucia.
After clearing the game, when Shiron unlocked and met [Killer Whale Siriel], she was not a rival and ally whom one could trust their back to at any time and place.
What should he call this?
More of a hindrance than an ally? Brat? That would suit her better.
[Get lost, you’re in the way.]
In the city endangered by hordes of monsters, Siriel, ignoring Shiron, the player, acted on her own accord and hogged all the credit. And that was not all.
When she barely killed the first apostle.
[Why are you so weak? I watched over you because you’re Lucia’s brother. I feel stupid for expecting anything from someone so weak.]
When facing the fourth apostle and nearly dying.
[How can the same seed grow into something so different? Oh, is it because the soil where the seed was planted was poor?]
Back then, her scorching verbal abuse left him dizzy. But still, the most impressive scene was just before the clash with the Demon God.
[…Trash without any qualification.]
In the end, Siriel poured insults on Shiron.
Look at the temperature difference with Lucia. Wasn’t this a bit too much? Instead of encouraging Shiron, she was being derisive.
Such baseless hate was unparalleled.
It made one want to say, ‘Shouldn’t you die before becoming a heroine?’
Just to make it clear, his controlled Shiron did nothing to Lucia. And why would he? Lucia was a living disaster, and Shiron’s death flag—why would he provoke her? Of course, he also deliberately did not claim the head of the family title.
Though she did not stab him in the heart like Lucia, indeed, Siriel in the game was nothing but a hindrance. So irritating, it’s as if she was deliberately made to anger players.
If asked why, he would have nothing to say.
It was hard for him to explain as well. But he understood it. Only now, after learning that the game’s creator was Yura, did all his questions get answered, and he naturally found himself nodding in agreement.
“…Huaaam.”
Inside the carriage stuffed with shopping bags, Shiron yawned languidly. Despite having enough sleep, he still felt drowsy and tired.
Shiron was touring various attractions of the imperial city with Shiriel. They saw the fountain that granted wishes, visited a doll shop where artisans stitched every piece carefully, and even stopped by a bakery with a skilled patissier.
However, it wasn’t the extensive walking that made him this exhausted. The culprit was Shiriel, chattering incessantly in front of him without a pause.
“How was it for you, Brother?”
“…Hm? Can you say that again? I didn’t catch it.”
The corners of Shiron’s mouth twitched as he replied to Shiriel. The smile on his face was obviously forced, something anyone could tell.
“That kiwi cake, how did it taste?”
“Ah… it was really good, wasn’t it?”
“Right? Just hearing ‘kiwi,’ I imagined it would be sour and started salivating, but it actually had a restrained sweetness without much tanginess. I can see why it’s so popular.”
“…Is that so?”
Physical fatigue wasn’t an issue. If necessary, the lemonade that Encia had prepared would take care of tiredness. Unfortunately, Encia’s lemonade didn’t do anything for mental exhaustion.
Having listened to Shiriel’s non-stop chatter since dawn, one would be inclined to ask her to quiet down a little due to fatigue. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. For this one day, Shiron was nothing short of a servant—or slave—to Shiriel.
“…Sigh.”
“Brother, are you sleeping?”
“What? No! I’m not sleeping. I was listening to your story.”
“Good. I thought you weren’t answering because you were asleep and not listening to me.”
“…Of course not.”
Just like that, Shiriel wouldn’t even forgive him for not responding or for just letting her words pass by unacknowledged. She was a lady befitting a noble, knowing fully well how to command her inferiors.
‘I definitely overdid it that time. What’s with the ‘I’ll give you a treat’ thing? Ugh, so tacky.’
He wondered how confidently a ten-year-old child could boast about bossing people around. Shiron felt the regret flooding in belatedly.
“…Huh.”
But this was soon to end. Shiron sighed deeply and looked out the window.
The sun was setting, and the streetlights along the road had come on.
And with nightfall, there was a street that came alive.
The largest red-light district on the continent, Night Rail Street.
Interestingly, this place was a sort of extraterritoriality. Gambling, drugs, prostitution… it was a street filled with harmful things for a child, but these were pastimes enjoyed only by the riff-raff who couldn’t even stand behind the stage.
The purpose of Shiron was separate.
A secret auction was held at the auction house on the first and third Saturdays of every month.
It might seem irrelevant to relieve Siriel’s mood at an auction house, but here, one could find items that rival even Lucia’s elixir.
‘Or, with a bit of luck, perhaps even a holy relic.’
The auction house on KnightTrail Street was a bit different from the usual ones.
‘No need for a separate gambling house.’
In the game, the auction house would randomly present items ranging from normal to legendary grades each time one entered.
From orphans sold into slavery to the holy relics of a hero who died 500 years ago…
All sorts of items appeared, but regardless of how much money a player had, they could not purchase high-grade items without luck. Conversely, it was not rare for a player with little money to walk away with a legendary item if there were no other bidders.
‘With such an overt element of gambling… why didn’t the Game Management Committee slap an [Adults Only] label on it?’
Shiron was distracted by a thought from before his possession, but he decided to focus on the current situation. Emperor Franz, who typically disliked uncontrollable systems or powers, surprisingly allowed such a place to operate openly.
‘Perhaps it’s arrogance, thinking he can control it.’
-We have arrived, miss, young master.
The knight escorting the carriage spoke from the front.
Click-
The door of the carriage opened, and Shiron quickly stepped out, bowing his head and extending his hand to Siriel.
“Please alight, miss.”
An escort for the lady, a kind of servant’s duty…
It seemed like an excessive gesture, but normally, Siriel, who would have asked if they were tired and suggested going home to rest, was still angry. Therefore, Shiron had no choice but to do his best in this manner.
“…Thank you, brother.”
Sure enough, Shiron’s efforts were not in vain. Glancing up with his head still bowed, Siriel’s face was about to burst with delight. Despite her noble, ladylike speech and demeanor, there was a clear smirk on Siriel’s lips.
Shiron and Siriel entered the auction house under the escort of the knights.
There was no entrance fee. The majesty of the knights escorting Shiron and Siriel naturally led them to the VVIP seats.
“…I will guide you with all sincerity.”
A man with a butterfly necktie bowed at a 90-degree angle and handed over a touch panel studded with gems.
‘It looks just like the game control window.’
Shiron marveled softly at the thin board.
Seeing such a game-like element after so long was pleasing.
He had wondered if bringing a squad of knights to the auction house would be problematic, but it seemed the number of escorts was not important.
As soon as they sat down in their designated seats, they looked around like country bumpkins seeing the capital for the first time. Besides Shiron, others also had four or five guards each.
‘More famous people are here than I thought…’
The details of their faces were obscured by the bulky bodyguards, but there were several individuals who could be assumed to be named characters.
A figure presumed to be the Archduke of the Holy Kingdom.contemporary romance
One of the three dukes of the Empire.
And…
An individual presumed to be a terrorist.
done.co