Volume 1 Chapter 33 The Sisters Who Can't Be Separated from Their Older Brother Are Also Troublesome
After the duel ended, we quickly submitted the withdrawal and transfer requests for Suzu's party before leaving Behmer in a hurry.
Given Suzu's current condition, I wanted to avoid camping. But there was no other choice. If we had stayed in town, Guy—revived by Marie's divine magic—might have sought revenge.
"Big Bro Ryuuji, starting tomorrow, I'll be fine. You won't have to carry me anymore."
"Is that so? You don't have to push yourself, you know?"
"Yeah. Lene's medicine worked really well. Thanks, Lene."
Sitting close to Minori by the campfire, Suzu gazed at Lene as she spoke. Lene smiled.
"You're welcome."
I had carried Suzu all the way to this campsite. After all, many of my bones had been broken, so my recovery took time. But Lene's medicine—capable of healing fractures within half a day—was truly remarkable.
"I'm sorry, Suzu. If only Big Sister had waited for you, none of this would have happened..."
Regret filled Minori's voice as she hugged Suzu tightly. But Suzu shook her head, as if to say that wasn't true.
"Sis Minori, it was my fault for being selfish and staying behind. You're not to blame."
"But..."
Just as Minori was about to protest, I clapped my hands lightly.
"Come on, Minori, Suzu. It's in the past, so let it go. Didn't 'teacher' always say to focus on the future instead of dwelling on what's already happened?"
"...You're right, Big Bro Ryuuji."
"Yeah."
They still seemed to have more to say, but for now, they accepted it and fell silent.
"Anyway, Mr. Ryuuji, that kick—whether during the cliff collapse or the duel—was incredible."
Lene's eyes sparkled with admiration. Well, I hadn't had many chances to show my strength before. When I shattered the rocks during the cliff collapse, even Lene and the carriage passengers had been stunned.
"Thanks. But I could only unleash that much power because of the〈Magic Stone of Fyrel〉."
Lene tilted her head, unfamiliar with the name of the magic stone I had mentioned.
"Fyrel is one of the war gods, right? What kind of effect does that stone have?"
"If I'm not holding anything, it drastically increases my physical abilities. It's one of the divine protections granted by the gods—known as a 'Gift' among bestowal arts."
During the duel, I had used this magic stone along with the〈Magic Stone of Powerful Arms〉. I also had a〈Magic Stone of Anti-Magic〉, which provided effects equivalent to〈Anti-Magic〉. Since there was a chance someone might use attack magic to interfere with Guy's reward money, I had prepared for it. But in the end, it wasn't needed.
"If a magic stone like that could be mass-produced, it'd be amazing..."
"No, since it's called a 'Gift,' it's something that only rarely occurs when using the bestowal art〈Blessing〉, which grants effects at random. It's basically the gods' whim. Besides,〈Blessing〉is an original theory of mine—I'm not sure if other enchanters can even use it."
"...So, does that really count as a granting technique?"
Lene narrowed her eyes at me, unconvinced. Well, in alchemy, even using the same recipe doesn't always yield identical potions.
I also possess a few other 'Gift' magic stones. The〈Magic Stone of Peul〉, which I gave to Lana and the others the other day, was one of them. Although these stones are powerful, they come with restrictive conditions—like the〈Magic Stone of Fyrel〉, which only works if I'm not holding anything.
Back when Guy forced me to create magic stones every day for money, I had used〈Blessing〉to produce the〈Magic Stone of Fyrel〉. Since he didn't know about it, my surprise attack had worked this time.
"But even if the power came from a magic stone, that kick wasn't something an amateur could pull off..."
"Big Bro Ryuuji and I learned martial arts in our hometown. Even as a kid, he was skilled enough to make masters surrender!"
Minori's words confirmed Lene's suspicions. Well, it wasn't like I was keeping it a secret.
"I'm just big, and my skills still need work."
"Oh, come on! There wasn't a single person who could beat Big Bro Ryuuji!"
"It's because I was blessed with a good physique. Even now, my kick wasn't strong enough—I still need to train harder."
"That wasn't strong enough?"
Lene shivered. Well, it's not every day you see plate armor crumpled like that.
Oh, right—I needed to ask an important question.
"By the way, what will Suzu do from now on? Which adventurer guild are you planning to join?"
Just to be sure, I had to ask. Minori had already turned sixteen, but Suzu was still only fourteen. As her brother, I wanted to know where she'd be.
"Eh, you're asking, Big Bro Ryuuji?"
"See, Suzu? Big Bro Ryuuji is weirdly dense about this kind of thing."
...It wasn't just my sisters—even Lene was giggling.
How annoying. Sorry for being weirdly dense.
"Big Bro Ryuuji's place is where Suzu and Sis Minori belong. We're sticking with you."
Suzu's eyes shone as she stared straight at me.
There was no hesitation in her words.
"...Haa, really. You two would do just fine anywhere, you know."
I could only smile wryly at the sisters who refused to leave their brother's side.
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