Chapter 6 - The secret room

"Hey, Amara... did you kill Ren?"

"What are you thinking? Of course not, it could affect my future and yours. Anyways, what the hell is that? You suspect your sister?"

"I just thought that it was the only way to end your relationship with Ren."

"Gah!"

Amara put her wooden sword right in front of my neck from behind. She emphasized it, it was suffocating.

"From the beginning, who was the cause of this disaster? Why were you so easily fooled and taken advantage of by them? I'm the one who has to bear the brunt, you know!" This girl further added to the blunt wooden sword.

"M-maybe this could be another murder case, Amara!"

Amara let go of the gag of her sword, she looked at me resentfully while snorting. She also seemed to be annoyed about the eyes of the people watching us. Well, we were a bit conspicuous, anyway.

Today is the day when the students practice swords. Now is the dueling session, everyone pairs up for some light sparring. I happened to be Amara's partner. It was just so that no boy would dare to ask her out.

Well, that's the risk of having a beautiful appearance. I was also thinking... if my sister didn't like men chasing her, why didn't she dress up like a nerd when she first entered the academy?

Who was she dressing up for if not to attract the opposite gender?

"You shouldn't have to be friends with anyone!" she said one-sidedly.

"Do you want me to always be lonely?"

"Am I not enough?"

I sighed, giving Amara a flat look. "We've been together almost two decades, I want to have a relationship with someone other than my sister! You don't count!"

"Ugh... at least if you want to be friends with someone, you should ask my permission! I'll judge them, are they worthy of you?! You can't judge others and always end up being used by them!"

"Of course, I'll never have any friends!" I grumbled.

This debate would never end, neither of us would budge from the other. People were interested in our arguments, perhaps we were considered adorable. A pair of siblings who rarely get along.

"After all the activities at the academy are over. Let's go to Megato restaurant!" I asked suddenly. This argument had to stop immediately.

"Huh?"

"Can't you?"

"Heh, all your efforts to seduce me will be useless. I'll still get rid of your useless friends!" Amara then goes away.

Huh, come to think of it... is Amara a Brocon? Well, maybe it could also be called overprotective. The bandit hunt incident when we were kids and Vai and Ren's theatrics.

Ah, I'm making Amara even more so. That's going to be troublesome for me in the future.

"Woi, Rie!" Someone called out to me.

It's a surprise, I thought Vai would skip class today. He left at the last moment of sword practice. Vai immediately asked me to be his duel partner, even though he knew it was too late. The other students had already started to leave the training ground.

"You're already late, fool! And well... I'm warning you! Be careful!" I said walking up to him and tapping his shoulder.

"Huh?"

I immediately go away, ignoring Vai.

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All the activities at the academy were over. I then took Amara somewhere, we separated ourselves from the group of students who were about to return to the dormitory by boarding the steam train.

"Where are we going? Don't be long, the dormitory gates aren't open forever!"

There is such a thing as a curfew, every 9 pm, all students must be required to be in the dormitory. If they are still wandering around the city, they risk not being able to enter the dormitory because it is locked. As a result, they have to sleep outside.

For rich students it was not a problem, they could rent an inn. But, for poor students... well, you know.

"To Megato restaurant."

"Huh? No, no. Just don't go to that place! Don't you have another destination?" Amara shook her head quickly,

Ren had indeed invited Amara to meet his family, as proof of the facility ration that was previously withheld. My sister seemed to be having an unpleasant time there. Being introduced as the girlfriend of a man she didn't like was probably too bad for Amara.

I forced Amara to go to the restaurant. Well, the reason I wanted to go there? I just wanted to eat for free, anyway. I was taking advantage of Ren's relationship with Amara. But, it looks like my wish might not be realized.

"What the hell?" I said with wide eyes, not believing what I was seeing.

"Well, fate has spoken. Let's go somewhere else!"

"Not so fast, sister! Tonight we should be able to have dinner at Megato's restaurant!" I pulled Amara's arm to join the line.

"Thank you for visiting. We're having a special celebration today, so all menus are 60% off." a woman carrying a wooden board was making the rounds.

"Don't they feel any mourning?" my sister wondered. Megato restaurant is currently celebrating an event.

"Oh, are you in mourning, little sister?"

"Of course not. I don't feel anything about his death." Amara looked away from me.

"Really?" I teased her.

"Cih, yes, I'm a bit sad. I still have a conscience. As for you? Are you sad?"

"Does that have to be asked?"

I honestly don't feel anything about Ren's death.

We had been waiting in line for an hour and there was no sign of us getting closer to the restaurant area. We were still on the street.

"Rie, this is taking too long! If you want to eat dinner, you should find another place!" Amara protested.

"Patience, sister! The night is still long!"

"My legs are already screaming from standing too long!"

"Shall I carry you?"

"A-a-a... no! I-I'm not a spoiled girl!" Amara said nervously as she looked away from me.

We remained faithful to the line, even though the line of people in front of us was still very long. Amara was starting to lose her patience again, she was concerned about the late night. But, I didn't care about her.

I just felt that something was interesting about going to Megato's restaurant. That's my reasoning. Instinct can always be relied upon.

'Umm... slightly unusual magic energy?!'

I could feel the surge as if someone was fighting. I felt it deeper and found that it was coming from below.

'Is there anything interesting down here?'

"Umm, Amara. I've got to pee! Gotta pee."

I left immediately without getting my sister's approval, she was in the back yelling at me.

"Rie!!!"

Amara couldn't leave the line because the several hours of waiting would be in vain.

I followed the surge of magic energy from the ground to a narrow, dirty alley. I had already guessed that there was a secret facility hidden under Megato's restaurant.

'There must be treasures or interesting things that can move this storyline along!'

I formed a sword from the Clay Weapon and prepared to crush the cobblestone streets below me.

*Swing!

I slashed through the rocks below the ground very quickly. I was digging.

"Yep, it's true!?"

I landed smoothly in a dark secret passage. I couldn't feel the flow of magic energy earlier while in this dark passage. I guess there was an artifact or something else blocking my sensing ability.

I started walking down this dark passage.

"I wish it could be a little brighter!"

The blue light came out from all sides, it was coming from the blue crystal.

"Thank you."