Upon spilling the wrong words of choice, the conversation about making Mary immortal eventually turned into my own interrogation. Now, my sister smiled scarily as if she were waiting for me to respond to her inquiry.
"Why are you not answering? Am I not trustworthy enough for you to reveal your secrets?"
"Not at all, Sister. I have trusted you since then until now. But I need time to think about this. For now, let's go back to your problem first."
"Yeah, let's talk about that first. So, how would you prolong Mary's life?"
I set aside my interrogation for a while and went back to my sister's problem before the flow of the conversation got derailed. Sister's happiness and joy come first.
"Like I said before, I will use my Unique Skill Bestow to prolong her life, but it takes great effort and time."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Bestow allows me to bestow a skill of mine on an object or person, right?"
"Yeah. Ah! Great effort and time means you need to acquire that skill first?"
"Exactly. That's why I need to slay an indefinite amount of monsters and level up. After I level up to Level 1000, I will evolve into a High Human and obtain the Longevity Skill."
"Then, all you have to do is bestow it on her."
"That's right. And that's why it takes a tremendous amount of effort and time to achieve."
The method that I will use to prolong the life of her future concubine is to evolve into a High Human and acquire its Racial Skill Longevity.
"Does your Bestow skill have side effects?"
"No. It does not have any side effects. But it had limited usage. While it can enchant weapons and items many times based on its materials, it can be used only trice on living beings. The orichalcum bracelet you're wearing right now was a product of Bestow."
She stared at the golden bracelet on her left wrist and caressed it. It was enchanted with spells Warp, Skill Ownership and Disguise. With Disguise hiding its effects, it looks like an ordinary, plain bracelet, even with Appraisal Skill.
Unique Skill Bestow could enchant objects many times depends on the quality of its materials. I once attempted to make an exploding paper bomb just like in anime. I successfully enchanted it with Level 5 Fire Magic: Fire Bomb. But when I enchanted it with another spell, the paper suddenly shredded into tiny pieces.
"Have you tested it on living beings?"
"I have, and I confirmed that it obtained the skill via Analysis and I saw it using the skill."
"Is this Analysis one of your secrets, too?"
"… Yeah, something like that."
"It looks like we have a long talk later."
"Haha."
My tongue slipped again, and it sparked her desire to have a talk with me. I made a dry laugh as I felt the guilt of having a secret or two behind my family's back.
I bestowed a skill on a monster before while experimenting with my new skills. I captured a goblin as my guinea pig for my experiment. I used Bestow and gave it Regeneration skill. I used analysis on the goblin and confirmed that it received my blessings.
As a clinical trial, I captured two more goblins and did some physical tests. I scratched a thin layer of their skin, and it instantly healed. I sliced it deeper, and it completely healed in a matter of seconds.
For their contribution to my research, I released them back to the wild. This is what veterinarians on discovery channels do after they test a wild animal.
Months later, high-ranking adventurers in the city warned other adventurers about a new variety of Goblin Lords that could regenerate like Trolls. I just averted my eyes from the issue and pretended that I had nothing to do with it.
(I guess I need to be more mindful when releasing pets.)
I don't want to be like those irresponsible pet owners who throw away their pets if they have no use for them. But it's too late; I am one of them now.
Releasing pets anywhere can affect the environment and cause a change in ecosystem afterwards. Like in my past life's hometown, the local waters in our country were slowly infested by invasive species.
The invasive species was said to have been brought from abroad and made pets by pet owners. After getting bored with it or realizing they could not take care of it anymore, they released their pets into our local waters. The released pets will repopulate the area and slowly damage the local ecosystem. Until the locals got irritated by it and called them pests.
(From pets to pests.)
"Hey, what's the matter?"
"Hmm? Ahh, nothing."
As I was lost in thought of the effects of releasing those bestowed goblins, my sister's words snapped me back to reality.
"You just need to Level Up and evolve, right? Then, slay monsters and level up faster for me."
"Do you really think it is an easy feat? Even our mothers slew uncountable powerful monsters for many years just to reach Level 1000, you know?"
"I know. But if it's you, our parent's child, I know you can achieve it faster than them."
"I will do my best for my family's happiness."
I can actually level up faster than the average with my blessings. My body gained additional stats, and I can use them to slay more powerful opponents to get more EXP.
"You didn't offer this solution for free, right?"
She asked that question with a dubious look on her face. I put both my elbows on the metallic chair and do a shrewd merchant pose.
"Well, I want you to owe a favor to me."
"I knew it. I had suspected you when you offered that suggestion. You are rather clever for a thirteen-year-old kid."
"I wanted you to do something for my own good in the future."
"But what and when will that be? Is it my body you want? Maybe you just wanted to use my body to do the things that you can't do with Mom?" She said this while wrapping her arms around her body.
"I never said that! And why would I do something like that to my own sister?!"
"Because I looked like Mom?"
"Why mom have something to do with it?!"
"Hah? I thought you had a mother complex?"
"Ack!"
Our exchanges got heated, and the tense atmosphere of the gazebo lightened a bit. I raised my voice as I refuted her impure thoughts. Well, I had to admit that I had a mother complex because mom was my preferred type of woman in my past life. Sister's appearance greatly resembles Mom's.
Silky long straight black hair, porcelain-white skin, the perfect body shape, thicc thighs, blessed bosoms, and bewitching beauty. One of the differences was that her sister had toned muscles due to her physical training.
With my mental age, I sometimes fantasized about them in my mind just because they were my type. Mother wasn't inferior to them, and I also did the same. We are bonded by blood, so I have to stop my mind from thinking those impure thoughts and fulfill my role as a member of this family.
"Hmph. Whatever it is, I will repay this owed favor to you in the future."
"Thank you for your understanding."
I bobbed my head as I was thanking my sister. With this, the issue about my sister and Mary had been settled. Now, I have to prepare myself and face my own issue.
"Now that my problem's already settled, how about we have a talk about yourself."
"About that, can we discuss it later? I want to reveal my secrets to you in private. And I think I need some time for what I have to tell you."
"I don't mind. But that later should be today, not tomorrow or the day after that."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
In our household, there was hierarchy within our family. Our mothers were at the pinnacle, then my sister and me at the last. But I will do my best to rank up. I absolutely don't want to be in the bottom caste forever.
I think I've lived long enough in this world with burdens on my shoulders. I truly wanted to open up more to my family, to shrink the indistinguishable proximity between us.
"When do you think you can have a conversation with me?"
"I think this night."
"Then come to my room tonight."
"But a man in a maiden's room..."
"We're siblings, so it's going to be okay."
"If you say so... "
After I told her what time I would be ready, my sister suddenly invited me to her room tonight. She said it's fine, but I still have doubts in my mind. It's not that we will do something indecent; all we have to do is talk.
Sister stood up from her chair and walked towards my left side. She bent her upper body and whispered something in my left ear.
"I'll be waiting for you tonight."
I can feel her breath brushing my ears as she whispered those words. She stood straight again and walked away from the gazebo.
"Sigh."
I let out a long sigh when her presence disappeared from my sight. I stood up from my seat and followed her behind.