“Um... Master? Why are you so angry?”
The man asked cautiously, as if he were scared yet couldn't understand.
At those words, Richard paused.
He calmed down as he slowly exhaled the breath that had grown rough with anger.
As if realizing that his momentarily excited behavior was a mistake.
“O-oh, if you are upset because it is noisy, I apologize...”
The man made an excuse while glancing at Richard, who seemed angry.
"I couldn't meet the deadline this time, so I'm getting some help from a friend..."
It was strange that Richard was angry right now.
My brother couldn't possibly be unaware of what Elliot is doing, and Richard must have turned a blind eye even though he knew everything, just to quietly blend into the family.
If he expressed such hostility, he could instantly shatter the image Richard might have 'created' until now.
Richard, having regained his composure, ran his hand through his hair, pretending to be tired, and pointed at me.
“Untie her. She’s my guest.”
“Yes, yes?!”
The man was flustered.
At this point, I couldn't help but check.
Richard's true intentions.
Even though we were in the same gambling den, how did they know I was in danger so quickly and come looking for me?
I couldn't know what was happening outside since I lost consciousness.
I wonder if Richard came over because it was really noisy, and then looked for me.
Or perhaps all of this is just an act to coax me into joining the family.
“Do you know who I am?”
I stood facing Richard and shouted at the man who had turned his back on me.
Everyone's eyes turned to me.
“I’m Brother Richard’s sister! Father will take me back into the family soon! If I go back, a scoundrel like you...”
"The Shackles of Bondage."
My body froze. I couldn't even move my mouth. Naturally, the conversation stopped.
Richard's eyes were trembling as he hurriedly covered my mouth with his ability.
'The reaction is clear.'
His complexion, which had been unable to maintain a steady expression for a while, had now turned so pale that no one could fail to recognize it.
It couldn't be helped.
'Sorry, brother.'
I apologized inwardly.
My brother must feel like his heart has hit rock bottom right now.
Because an unmanageable situation arose in an instant.
But it's okay.
This is something that will disappear from the memories of everyone here except me.
"Poem of Retrograde ."
I didn't say anything to Christa and Richard.
Therefore, the two people do not know.
The fact that I, Alex, and Ryan are superpowered.
Our attempt to bring down Wassenberg.
Nothing at all.
Christa handed over the materials she stole from the family's supernatural ability research lab to Alex, but...
Of course, she probably didn't give it to us because she thought we needed it.
What use would three excommunicated incompetents have for something like that?
Christa is just...
Because she knew that if she let that data leak to the outside, it would eventually become a means to attack Wassenberg.
Also, to prove to Alex that although he belongs to Wassenberg, he is not of the same kind as they are.
That is why it was passed on.
Because it was certain that the contents of the materials I verified were a secret my father would never have leaked with his own hands, under any circumstances.
“Wassenberg has many ears, so she didn’t say it outright, but Christa definitely wanted to tell you.”
What my poor sister wanted to say, even at the risk of danger.
"Father intends to bring you back to the family. However, you must never return here."
Right, that's exactly it.
They would never have wanted to drag us, who know nothing, into the same hell.
“She probably told you Richard’s location because he thought you wouldn’t understand on the spot. She wanted us to go look for him.”
Compared to Christa, Richard is free to move around from Wassenberg's eyes and ears.
It took several years to build up the image of a prodigal son to get to that point.
So, if Alex and I go to find Richard, my younger siblings know nothing.
He probably planned to arrange a meeting and tell them openly.
My family is more abnormal than I thought.
Father is trying to bring you back now.
You must never come back.
'That must have been the plan, but when I childishly said something like that earlier, everything must have gone black.'
His younger sister, who blatantly showed how desperate she was to return to the family, even with many eyes watching nearby.
Richard probably intended to warn us never to return instead of trying to persuade us as his father ordered, and to report to his father that our resolve was so firm that it would be difficult to convince us.
So, for Richard, it was a situation where everything went dark before his eyes.
On the other hand, for me, he responded so transparently that it couldn't have been a more perfect situation.
I no longer need to dig into my brother's inner thoughts.
Now, all we have to do is go find him again and talk. Put aside our trivial suspicions and wariness. The conversation that we, now 'adults,' can finally share.
“Vania!”
Nike, who had reset the promised 25 minutes, is standing there holding my shoulder with a face full of worry.
“What’s wrong? You couldn’t meet your brother?”
"We did meet, but we haven't been able to talk yet."
"Why?"
“...”
I paused just as I was about to answer.
I'm ashamed to say it.
Even though it has been a long time since I washed my hands of it, the fact that their blood flows through me feels exactly like original sin, and I am ashamed.
“Again, again...”
"Also?"
"Shit."
“...?”
"I stepped in shit at the entrance."
“...”
Nike blinked for a moment, then understood and sighed.
Strategy meeting before retrying.
When the full explanation of what had happened inside was finished, Nike could not hide his astonishment.
“I’m sorry. The Prince warned me several times to be careful... Honestly, I didn’t expect you to act that boldly.”
“No. I think this is my fault.”
"Yes?"
Nike grabbed his head and burst into a hollow laugh.
“Just like you said, no matter how desperate the situation is, I aren’t the type to act this boldly. I’ve just lost my mind.”
Nike, having said that, looked at me.
My face.
Staring intently.
"Ha."
"Why?"
I failed to consider such an obvious variable. It's my fault.
Second attempt.
Nike said it was a mistake not to cover my face.
He says it's all his fault.
Anyway, I wrapped myself tightly in the robe I had hurriedly obtained and re-entered the casino.
'I actually thought I would stand out more if I went around hiding it like this, so I was trying to blend in naturally.'
The moment I was about to quietly enter, dressed in a suspicious outfit with a robe pulled down over my head.
"Excuse me, Lady."
A female employee approached me and blatantly lifted my robe.
'What, are you crazy?!'
I was dumbfounded that my face was revealed before I could even react, but the female employee didn't bat an eye and asked the same question as before.
"Did you come here to play games? Or are you looking for someone?"
"I came because someone is looking for someone. I know he is inside."
"Ah, I see..."
It seemed like it didn't matter whether my acquaintance was inside or not.
The female employee looked back and forth between the smoke-filled raccoon den and me with a worried expression, then spoke.
"In that case, I'll at least get you a mask."
“I don’t need it. I’m a smoker, you know. I demolish a pack a day.”
“...”
She froze, flustered for a moment.
Now is the time.
I walked quickly into the building as if running away, zipping up my robe to cover my nose and mouth.
I pushed through the thick smoke and rolled my eyes to look for Richard.
I found him only after passing a few tables.
A poker table with four people gathered around it.
I saw Richard sitting crookedly.
With a bored expression, as if uninterested in the affairs of the world, with a few buttons of his white shirt undone.
He is holding a card in his hand and has a cigar in his mouth.
'...Oh my God.'
To think a person could become that decadent.
From his facial expression to his behavior, he was so worn out that he didn't seem like the frail and gentle older brother I used to know at all.
As I got closer, the people sitting at the tables turned to look at me one by one.
The moment my eyes met Richard's.
I lifted the robe I had fastened and called out to him.
"Brother."
“...”
He looked at my face, but there was not the slightest wavering in Richard's expression.
Without taking his eyes off me, he sucked on the cigar he was holding until his cheeks were sunken.
He just mindlessly stubbed it out in the ashtray.
The man asked cautiously, as if he were scared yet couldn't understand.
At those words, Richard paused.
He calmed down as he slowly exhaled the breath that had grown rough with anger.
As if realizing that his momentarily excited behavior was a mistake.
“O-oh, if you are upset because it is noisy, I apologize...”
The man made an excuse while glancing at Richard, who seemed angry.
"I couldn't meet the deadline this time, so I'm getting some help from a friend..."
It was strange that Richard was angry right now.
My brother couldn't possibly be unaware of what Elliot is doing, and Richard must have turned a blind eye even though he knew everything, just to quietly blend into the family.
If he expressed such hostility, he could instantly shatter the image Richard might have 'created' until now.
Richard, having regained his composure, ran his hand through his hair, pretending to be tired, and pointed at me.
“Untie her. She’s my guest.”
“Yes, yes?!”
The man was flustered.
At this point, I couldn't help but check.
Richard's true intentions.
Even though we were in the same gambling den, how did they know I was in danger so quickly and come looking for me?
I couldn't know what was happening outside since I lost consciousness.
I wonder if Richard came over because it was really noisy, and then looked for me.
Or perhaps all of this is just an act to coax me into joining the family.
“Do you know who I am?”
I stood facing Richard and shouted at the man who had turned his back on me.
Everyone's eyes turned to me.
“I’m Brother Richard’s sister! Father will take me back into the family soon! If I go back, a scoundrel like you...”
"The Shackles of Bondage."
My body froze. I couldn't even move my mouth. Naturally, the conversation stopped.
Richard's eyes were trembling as he hurriedly covered my mouth with his ability.
'The reaction is clear.'
His complexion, which had been unable to maintain a steady expression for a while, had now turned so pale that no one could fail to recognize it.
It couldn't be helped.
'Sorry, brother.'
I apologized inwardly.
My brother must feel like his heart has hit rock bottom right now.
Because an unmanageable situation arose in an instant.
But it's okay.
This is something that will disappear from the memories of everyone here except me.
"Poem of Retrograde ."
***
I didn't say anything to Christa and Richard.
Therefore, the two people do not know.
The fact that I, Alex, and Ryan are superpowered.
Our attempt to bring down Wassenberg.
Nothing at all.
Christa handed over the materials she stole from the family's supernatural ability research lab to Alex, but...
Of course, she probably didn't give it to us because she thought we needed it.
What use would three excommunicated incompetents have for something like that?
Christa is just...
Because she knew that if she let that data leak to the outside, it would eventually become a means to attack Wassenberg.
Also, to prove to Alex that although he belongs to Wassenberg, he is not of the same kind as they are.
That is why it was passed on.
Because it was certain that the contents of the materials I verified were a secret my father would never have leaked with his own hands, under any circumstances.
“Wassenberg has many ears, so she didn’t say it outright, but Christa definitely wanted to tell you.”
What my poor sister wanted to say, even at the risk of danger.
"Father intends to bring you back to the family. However, you must never return here."
Right, that's exactly it.
They would never have wanted to drag us, who know nothing, into the same hell.
“She probably told you Richard’s location because he thought you wouldn’t understand on the spot. She wanted us to go look for him.”
Compared to Christa, Richard is free to move around from Wassenberg's eyes and ears.
It took several years to build up the image of a prodigal son to get to that point.
So, if Alex and I go to find Richard, my younger siblings know nothing.
He probably planned to arrange a meeting and tell them openly.
My family is more abnormal than I thought.
Father is trying to bring you back now.
You must never come back.
- he said.
His younger sister, who blatantly showed how desperate she was to return to the family, even with many eyes watching nearby.
Richard probably intended to warn us never to return instead of trying to persuade us as his father ordered, and to report to his father that our resolve was so firm that it would be difficult to convince us.
'Since he says he wants to come back without me even having to coax me, he can’t exactly say he failed to persuade me.'
On the other hand, for me, he responded so transparently that it couldn't have been a more perfect situation.
I no longer need to dig into my brother's inner thoughts.
Now, all we have to do is go find him again and talk. Put aside our trivial suspicions and wariness. The conversation that we, now 'adults,' can finally share.
“Vania!”
Nike, who had reset the promised 25 minutes, is standing there holding my shoulder with a face full of worry.
“What’s wrong? You couldn’t meet your brother?”
"We did meet, but we haven't been able to talk yet."
"Why?"
“...”
I paused just as I was about to answer.
I'm ashamed to say it.
In Nike's realm, this empire, wherever you go, you're trampling through Wassenberg's filth.
“Again, again...”
"Also?"
"Shit."
“...?”
"I stepped in shit at the entrance."
“...”
Nike blinked for a moment, then understood and sighed.
***
Strategy meeting before retrying.
When the full explanation of what had happened inside was finished, Nike could not hide his astonishment.
“I’m sorry. The Prince warned me several times to be careful... Honestly, I didn’t expect you to act that boldly.”
“No. I think this is my fault.”
"Yes?"
Nike grabbed his head and burst into a hollow laugh.
“Just like you said, no matter how desperate the situation is, I aren’t the type to act this boldly. I’ve just lost my mind.”
Nike, having said that, looked at me.
My face.
Staring intently.
"Ha."
"Why?"
I failed to consider such an obvious variable. It's my fault.
***
Second attempt.
Nike said it was a mistake not to cover my face.
He says it's all his fault.
Anyway, I wrapped myself tightly in the robe I had hurriedly obtained and re-entered the casino.
'I actually thought I would stand out more if I went around hiding it like this, so I was trying to blend in naturally.'
The moment I was about to quietly enter, dressed in a suspicious outfit with a robe pulled down over my head.
"Excuse me, Lady."
A female employee approached me and blatantly lifted my robe.
'What, are you crazy?!'
I was dumbfounded that my face was revealed before I could even react, but the female employee didn't bat an eye and asked the same question as before.
"Did you come here to play games? Or are you looking for someone?"
"I came because someone is looking for someone. I know he is inside."
"Ah, I see..."
It seemed like it didn't matter whether my acquaintance was inside or not.
The female employee looked back and forth between the smoke-filled raccoon den and me with a worried expression, then spoke.
"In that case, I'll at least get you a mask."
“I don’t need it. I’m a smoker, you know. I demolish a pack a day.”
“...”
She froze, flustered for a moment.
Now is the time.
I walked quickly into the building as if running away, zipping up my robe to cover my nose and mouth.
I pushed through the thick smoke and rolled my eyes to look for Richard.
I found him only after passing a few tables.
A poker table with four people gathered around it.
I saw Richard sitting crookedly.
With a bored expression, as if uninterested in the affairs of the world, with a few buttons of his white shirt undone.
He is holding a card in his hand and has a cigar in his mouth.
'...Oh my God.'
To think a person could become that decadent.
From his facial expression to his behavior, he was so worn out that he didn't seem like the frail and gentle older brother I used to know at all.
As I got closer, the people sitting at the tables turned to look at me one by one.
The moment my eyes met Richard's.
I lifted the robe I had fastened and called out to him.
"Brother."
“...”
He looked at my face, but there was not the slightest wavering in Richard's expression.
Without taking his eyes off me, he sucked on the cigar he was holding until his cheeks were sunken.
He just mindlessly stubbed it out in the ashtray.
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