Kwaang!
The wall of the reception room exploded with a huge explosion.
Elric dashed out in a panic, while Heize chased after him with a large hammer in hand.
Unlike Elric, who was terrified as if he had encountered a beast, Heize still wore a bright smile.
"My little brother, you have become famous and gotten stronger, huh? Now you even know how to use magic. So, you dare to rebel?"
Heize emphasized the word 'rebel' as she violently swung the hammer downwards.
'Right, right!'
Elric hastily turned his body to the side, following the tumultuous clamor of the collapsing structure.
Perhaps due to his thorough training in Body Strengthening Art and Magic Martial Arts, his movements were swift enough to rival those of a seasoned knight.
Thud!
The hammer narrowly missed him, striking the ground where he had been standing.
As a result, the marble floor sank, sending shards flying upward.
It was a force so powerful that a mere graze could be fatal.
'I'll really die if I stay here!'
With a sense of resignation, Elric decided it would be best to just run away and quickly began to recite a spell.
However...
Swish!
"Trying to run away?"
"…!"
Elric, who had suddenly dropped the hammer, let out a silent scream as he looked at Heize, who had silently approached him in the blink of an eye.
"Sorry, but you're far from breaking free from this big sister's grasp."
Heize swung his left fist.
Boom!
The hastily erected shield shattered like glass.
Thud!
The fist landed on Elric's face.
***
Elric rubbed his swollen eye like a panda and glanced sideways sneakily.
As Heize delicately placed down the tea cup she had been drinking, she spoke.
"Elric."
"Y-yes?"
"A Radiant Star Duke should show this attitude to others. You should make people look up to you, make them watch their steps around you."
"…"
For a moment, Elric had to suppress the urge to shout, 'It's all because of you!' He had always felt this way, his sister always giving him strange teachings.
Though her advice was valuable—never to bend his pride—even if her methods were questionable. But ironically, she herself became the object of his fear, making him frustrated.
Of course, Sean, who was listening to the conversation between the two siblings, found it quite amusing.
'Elric's unpredictable personality… it all makes sense now.'
If he received such teachings every day, it was natural for his personality to be twisted like this, wasn't it?
"I'll make sure to compensate for any damage caused by us. I'm sorry for causing trouble."
As Heize apologized politely, Sean clapped his hands.
"Oh, no need for that. I've already informed my father about this situation, so it's fine. And as for the damages, Elric can handle that in the future."
For a moment, Sean felt as if he were being glared at with a look that said, 'Why should I compensate for that?' But Sean didn't even bother to glance in Elric's direction.
Heize was the one leading the atmosphere here, after all.
"Thanks for understanding. And I'm sorry. You always have to put up with Elric, don't you?"
"It's nothing serious. Don't worry about it."
"I'll make it up to you someday."
"Just keeping Elric in line is enough."
"You don't know how reassuring it is to have you around. You know how immature Elric can be. I'll count on you from now on."
"I should be the one understanding. I'm sure you have plenty of worries because of your foal-like younger brother, elder sister."
"Even without that, my stomach has been feeling a bit off lately. And my skin has gotten rough."
"Ugh! Anyway, it's all his fault."
"…Are you allowed to say such things in front of the person in question?"
Although Elric looked bewildered, the conversation between Heize and Sean continued without interruption.
"Elder sister Heize, since you've come all this way, would you like to take some herbal tonic with you?"
"Herbal tonic?"
"Yes. There's an elder who's knowledgeable about medicinal herbs among the senate. He's very fond of me... If I ask him separately, he'll gladly give it to you."
"Oh my. Well then, may I ask?"
『You're obviously just a hanger-on here.』
Mephistopheles chuckled beside Elric, poking fun at him.
Meanwhile,
Augustine was observing the Elric siblings with keen interest.
'A genius magician and a martial artist from a prestigious magic family. Even if it's strange for her to wield weapons instead of magic, with her skills, it wouldn't be a problem for Melvinger to rise in prominence in the future, right? Hmhm! It's truly enjoyable to watch as a mentor.'
Heize turned to Elric and asked, "Elric."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"What are you going to do now?"
In Heize's gentle tone, Elric could sense her intention to take him back home.
'She came here to take me back after all.'
As a sister, she must have been worried sick, with baseless rumors circulating about her brother being dead or alive, and constant exposure in the newspapers to various incidents. So, she probably felt a strong desire to keep Elric away from such dangers if possible.
'I have to choose my words carefully. My sister is not someone who can be easily persuaded.'
Even if Elric said he would complete the remaining courses at the academy, she would surely drag him away without a second thought.
So, Elric felt he needed to share his secret with Heize, at least.
'Otherwise, she will surely oppose many future plans.'
Elric clenched his lips firmly.
Reflexively, he used sound conduction.
[I've found the family's arrangement.]
For a moment, Heize was slightly surprised to hear Elric's voice in her ears, but soon she fixed her expression and stared at Elric intently.
It was a request for more details.
From that moment on, Elric began to talk about everything he had experienced.
From the events at the Dragon's Nest to the present, he recounted everything.
There was no need to hide the truth from his only blood relative, and besides, he needed to soften her stubborn heart.
However, he didn't mention the fact that Mephistopheles was roaming by his side separately.
He didn't want to worry her about that.
'And I don't want to mention that I'm seeking knowledge from him.'
From birth, Melvingers are instilled with negative values towards outsiders through early education.
Even though Heize said he should quit magic as he had no talent for it, he didn't want to hear nagging about it.
When all the stories were finished,
Heize's firm pupils were trembling slightly.
[I'm going north. There is the arrangement left by our ancestors.]
"…."
Heize seemed to want to say something, but
Elric continued without listening to her words.
[Of course, it could be dangerous. No, it will be dangerous. Our ancestors had quite a temper. Who knows what will happen if the descendants are too pampered... Sigh!]
"…."
[But still, I'm going. That's the only way to revive the family. You know that, right, sister? How much I've hoped for it.]
Heize bit her lip tightly.
[Look at us now. Can we really be considered heirs of the magic royal family, the offspring of a duke, and the bloodline left by the Magus of Star?]
"…."
[I'm going to turn all that upside down. Just like our grandfather said, I'll make the family shine like a 'star' again. So, watch me, okay?]
Heize wanted to say so much, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.
Instead, she just felt sad.
Her younger brother was running around so diligently, and she couldn't help at all.
-Heize, you are…!
She remembered her father, who had passed away long ago, holding her hand tightly and saying those words.
It had been so long, and Elric was not even five years old at the time, so he probably didn't remember, but those words had been deeply engraved in her heart.
'If I don't want to hold him back... I should at least support him.'
In the end,
Heize had to let out a sigh.
Elric could tell that was his sister's answer.
***
"Then, I'll leave it in your hands."
"Hoho! That should be my line. Leave everything to us, and have a safe journey. If you say it's for academic research, the Academy will recognize your attendance, so don't worry."
Throughout Elric's departure, Tasha's mood was soaring.
'I can finally get my hands on the Dragon's Book of Darkness!'
Elric had just entered into a contract with the "Firebird's Nest," the organization led by Tasha.
Her proposal had been quite favorable, and Elric judged that he could receive a lot of assistance in his future activities.
Moreover, regardless of other factors, she had the largest amount of funding for research, so he had absolutely no reason to refuse.
And for Tasha, it was a joyous fact that she could finally get close to the Dragon's Nest.
In truth, it hadn't been confirmed that the "Dragon's Book of Darkness" had been found in the nest.
But she was already excited as if it were in her hands.
'And on top of that, Elric Melvinger said he's heading north without even waiting for the nest to be excavated. That alone is surely a significant clue.'
Tasha was curious about what could possibly be in the north, but she didn't bother asking.
She knew Elric wouldn't answer, and she preferred to save interesting things to enjoy later with a fluttering heart.
So Elric continued to chat with Tasha about various topics until he finally boarded the waiting carriage.
But then, his expression suddenly turned sour.
'I wanted to go alone as quietly as possible... .'
"I said stop making that face. I don't like trailing behind you either, you know?"
The first person Elric's eyes met was the one who grumbled in an annoyed tone, Sean.
He had also decided to accompany him on this trip to the north.
Despite his reluctance to get involved with Elric too much after the turmoil of the headmaster election incident, he had ultimately been ordered to accompany him by his father, Guy Nerester, head of the Nerester family.
The reason was very simple.
They had to fulfill the treaty between Melvinger and Nerester, and apparently, accompany the lord senator who had come forward to follow his disciple.
"Haha! It's been a while since I went on an outing like this. My mind has been feeling cramped lately, but once I breathe in the cold air of the snowy plains, I'm sure I'll feel better. Thanks to my disciple, I'll probably get much healthier."
Augustine chuckled amusingly, and Heize, who was sitting across from him, gestured for Elric to come and sit beside her.
After much deliberation, Heize said she could not continue to expose her younger brother to danger alone, so she accompanied him as an escort.
Elric, who wanted to send his sister back to his hometown, naturally became depressed at the thought of the Great Nagging Demon King nagging by his side the entire time he was moving.
And to add to that, Gility, who had already brought a tiger the size of a house, and stood next to the carriage, and Carl, who volunteered as a coachman.
With Elric included, the party already had six members.
'No, wait. Seven….'
『It's going to be unnecessarily noisy. I can't stand overly spirited people,』 grumbled Mephisto from one side.
It seemed that heading quietly to the Temple of the Flowers in the north was out of the question.
"Well then, let's get going now! Here we go!"
With Carl's enthusiastic shout, their journey to the north began.