NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: A Distorted Promise
“……Hmm.”
With a slight groan, Ryushi slowly opened his eyes.
His vision was still slightly blurry, but he recognized the familiar ceiling above him this time.
It seemed that he was back in the real world.
Suddenly, he heard a soft snoring sound and turned his gaze in that direction.
Arissa, sleeping soundly and adorably with a “kuu-kuu” sound, came into view.
“Arissa…”
Relieved that they had managed to escape safely, Ryushi let out a sigh of relief.
Although there were casualties, the fact that many had survived was undeniable.
With this thought, even the pain of his wounds seemed insignificant.
Still, he marveled at his survival and looked at himself momentarily.
Ryushi’s entire body was wrapped in an extensive amount of bandages, presenting a painfully injured appearance, clearly indicating severe injuries. Accompanying this was a sharp pain, like being pricked with a heated needle, constantly coursing through his body since he regained consciousness.
Now that he was awake, all his functions, which had been numb, started working normally again.
Enduring the pain, Ryushi took deep breaths to regulate his breathing.
“……Hmm.”
“Arissa…? Sorry, did I wake you?”
“Ryushi-onii-sama… Ryushi-onii-sama!?”
“Guuh…!!”
He had anticipated such a situation upon waking.
With tearful eyes, Arissa hugged him tightly, and Ryushi’s smile was awkward and strained. His face began to sweat profusely, and his complexion worsened rapidly.
However, not wanting to show weakness in front of his sister, Ryushi gathered all his strength.
“I can’t let her see me sad…”
If he were to be honest, he wanted her to let go immediately, but seeing Arissa crying so much, he felt his feelings disappear completely.
“By the way, Arissa, what about Esmeralda and the others who guarded us at that time?”
“Esmeralda is safe… so are the other demons. But, but to see Ryushi-onii-sama so badly injured…”
“That was something I chose to do. It’s nobody’s fault, and you shouldn’t feel responsible for it.”
“But… but if Ryushi-onii-sama had died…”
“I’m not going to die that easily. I have no intention of dying yet, so don’t worry, Arissa.”
“—What’s wrong, Arissa-chan!”
The one who violently stormed in, kicking the hallway, broke through the door.
The metal doorknob twisted out of shape, and the wooden part shattered into splinters.
Tiny wood fragments scattered all over the room, causing coughing.
Coughing from the dust, Ryushi, mistaken for being in critical condition, faced a panicked Astaroth.
“It’s okay, Ryushi-chan! Hang in there! Someone, get medicine for the heart or lungs—”
“No, it’s just the dust from the door, Mom blasted! Ah, Arissa, can you open the window? The window!”
“Yes!”
Arissa hurriedly opened the window.
A pleasant breeze entered, clearing the dust in the room.
Finally, as his coughing subsided, Ryushi spoke to Astaroth.
“…I’m okay for now.”
“Really? You’re okay!?”
“You can see I’m talking to you, can’t you…”
—It hurts a lot, though.
If he told the truth, Astaroth would overreact.
So Ryushi suppressed his pain with sheer willpower.
“…By the way, what happened after that? The adventurers?”
“All those humans were taken care of by Mama. They hurt Ryushi-chan so badly. They deserved their punishment, and death alone isn’t enough for them.”
“Oh, I see…” said Ryushi.
He had somewhat expected this outcome.
A pure demon caring for humans was unheard of. It was astronomically improbable.
“Besides—,” Astaroth began.
“Yes?” Ryushi responded nervously.
This was the main topic. Ryushi swallowed hard.
Astaroth’s face lost its smile.
Her beautiful features showed no emotion, an expression as impassive as an iron mask.
Arissa quickly retreated to a corner of the bed. Even she, still young, could easily imagine what would happen.
“…I’m sorry, Mom.”
Ryushi bowed his head deeply, feeling the tremendous anger radiating intensely. Apologizing was the priority, but it was crucial to understand the cause. A wrong answer would be like pouring oil on the flames of anger.
“Choose carefully, me…” Ryushi cautiously began to speak.
“What are you apologizing for?”
Her tone was emotionless and terrifying, like a judge from hell.
In front of his mother, lies were futile. After taking a deep breath,
“I went beyond the castle’s visible range, breaking Mother’s instruction…”
Immediately after speaking, Ryushi braced himself.
Everything started with this act of Ryushi’s. This situation may not have arisen if he had returned to the castle instead of the forest when Esmeralda was hungry. Of course, regretting now was too late. Even the Demon Queen Astaroth couldn’t reverse time once it progressed.
Yet, he could learn from regrets.
Learning from mistakes to avoid repeating them.
“Please let this be right…”
“That’s true, but that’s not why Mama is angry.”
“——?”
“First, I want to ask. Did the guard demon leave Ryushi there?”
“Huh?” Ryushi was taken aback.
Why had the conversation turned this way? Ryushi’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Then, a hypothesis crossed his mind.
The guard demon had lied. Why they did so didn’t need to be said. They played the villain, considering Ryushi, trying to lessen his punishment.
Half happy, half angry at the guard demons, Ryushi clenched his fists tightly.
They shouldn’t have interfered. Ryushi chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“It was my own doing. Staying there was the best option. No one else’s fault.”
“But if Ryushi-chan had died, it would’ve been pointless!”
“That’s…”
Ryushi hesitated, and Astaroth gently took his hand.
Tears fell on her hand.
“Promise me never to do such dangerous things again…”
“Mother…”
The nightmare still haunted Astaroth, a mother deeply afraid of losing her child. Ryushi, acknowledging this as a son, looked down.
If he was to behave as a child, causing his mother sorrow was forbidden.
“Indeed, my reckless actions caused this. But I must become strong to protect my sisters and others. That’s my role as the eldest brother.”
“Ryushi-chan…”
“I’ve learned a lot this time—I’m still weak.”
He was lucky to survive this time, but there was no guarantee for the future.
To protect himself and others, he must grow stronger.
“I’ll start with mental training…”
“Ryushi Onii-sama! Are you alive?! You’re alive, right?”
“Don’t die, please!”
Ryushi was interrupted by his sisters’ chaotic entrance: Esmeralda, Eltruge, Carnaza, and Amon, holding Kururu.
“Are you hurt, Ryushi Onii-sama?”
“I’m fine, just can’t move much yet…”
“Don’t die, Ryushi Onii-chan, please!”
“I’m alive, see?”
“Sorry, Carnaza, too.”
“Ryushi Onii-sama, I need to talk to you.”
Arissa spoke as if waiting for all sisters to gather, with Kururu looking unusually serious.
“What’s up?”
“After you collapsed, we sisters discussed our future actions.”
“Hmm…”
Ryushi casually listened but soon paid full attention due to their serious demeanor.
“If Ryushi Onii-sama had died, we wouldn’t have been able to bear it… so we’ve decided to protect Ryushi Onii-chan from now on!”
“We’ll protect Ryushi, brother, from now on!”
“We’ll support Ryushi Onii-sama in everything, including dressing, bathing, sleeping together…”
“——?”
The proposal was baffling.
In summary, Ryushi’s life would be entirely managed by his sisters.
Mother seemed unopposed, even praising them. The only sensible person, Amon, holding Kururu, was visibly disappointed, comforting Ryushi.
“This is absurd. That’s too much.”
“No, we’ve all agreed on this. You’re important to us, Ryushi Onii-sama, so we’ll protect you.”
“Where in the world does a brother get protected by his sisters? If there’s such a case, show me.”
“We’ll be that case!”
“What?” “That’s right. If there’s no example, we’ll be the first!”
Eltruge smiled at Ryushi’s dumbfounded reaction.
“That’s right. If the role of the brother is to protect his sisters, the opposite can be true. If there are no examples, we’ll be the first. History and values are born from pioneers.”
Ryushi felt fear towards his sisters for the first time.
Their eyes, clear yet like a deep, murky swamp, held a disturbing conviction.
“Ryushi Onii-sama, relax. We’ll always be by your side to protect you.”
Ryushi could only close his mouth tightly in front of his sisters, whose even smiles seemed ominous now.