Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Six: Adventurers’ Problems 7
“For now, could you let down the people you’ve got hanging there?”
“If you say so, Sis!”
Thor grinned broadly and casually cut the ropes suspending the limp men. Though she was startled by them falling with thuds, this resolved the problem.
Thor spun around in circles while still holding Karen.
“Sis! I became B-rank, you know!? And I became the leader of a B-rank party too! Isn’t that amazing?”
“Amazing, amazing! What’s your party name?”
“Crimson Thunder! Cool, right?”
“So it really was your party after all, Thor.”
She’d thought it was an ominous name, but now it turned out to be her little brother’s party name.
“Well, it’s become more like my nickname than the party name, really. Since I was hiding my name, Thor.”
“Oh. Really? Should I not have called you that?”
“It’s fine if it’s you, Sis.”
Thor narrowed his deep blue eyes—much darker than Karen’s—and looked up at her with a smile.
“I just had them call me that so information connecting you and me wouldn’t get out. I didn’t want to cause you trouble.”
Those words carried a hint of the dignity of someone accustomed to giving orders.
After blinking in surprise at how much her brother had changed, Karen felt the passage of time keenly.
“You’ve really… grown up…”
As she stroked Thor’s soft hair, Karen looked down at his cowlick. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been taller than her, but only by a little, yet now he seemed to be even taller than Lyos.
Moreover, to become a B-rank adventurer required tremendous, blood-sweating effort to reach that realm. The last time they’d met, though talented, Thor had still been just a D-rank adventurer. And he’d raised himself all the way to B-rank in the year and a half Karen hadn’t known about. At only seventeen years old, no less.
It couldn’t possibly be ordinary, and as Karen felt relief that Thor was safe and sound before her eyes right now, tears welled up just a little.
Just as Karen embraced her brother’s head once more, the boundary between the camp and forest grew noisy.
“What is this camp—Karen, who is that man?”
“Mr. Julius.”
Karen stopped embracing Thor’s head and tried to descend from his arms, but Thor continued holding Karen without letting go and said:
“Who are you, for that matter?”
“I’m not asking you. Karen, I’m asking you.”
Julius was clearly displeased. Karen immediately realized why. From Julius’s perspective, not realizing Thor was Karen’s brother, it must look like nothing more than his romantic partner clinging to a strange man. Even if he held no special feelings for that romantic partner, it was undoubtedly an unpleasant situation.
And this was exactly the same scene Julius and Therese had shown Karen the other day. Realizing this, Karen, who had been leaning forward to clear up the misunderstanding, smoothly pulled back and clung tightly to Thor.
“He’s an old acquaintance. Besides, whatever relationship this person and I have shouldn’t concern you, should it, Mr. Julius? We’re just clinging like this because he caught me when I was unsteady on my feet, that’s all?”
“…I see, I hadn’t realized I’d made you feel this unpleasant, Karen.”
Julius, who seemed to have immediately noticed Karen’s sarcasm, gave a bitter smile.
“Those tears in your eyes—that man didn’t harm you, did he?”
“I was just crying because I was happy to see him.”
“Even hearing it wasn’t for a bad reason doesn’t make it pleasant.”
Julius pierced Karen and Thor with a sharp gaze.
“Karen, first let me apologize for my thoughtlessness toward you. I never imagined having my own actions returned to me would be this unpleasant.”
Julius apparently hadn’t even noticed that Karen had been feeling bad. No wonder all she’d gotten back were reactions like pushing against a curtain.
“I’ve never met a woman I didn’t want to lose this badly before, so I’m unfamiliar with such feelings.”
“Wait, what do you mean by tha—mmph.”
Just as Karen was about to lean forward, wanting to dig deeper into Julius’s words, Thor covered her mouth.
Julius’s face twisted visibly even from a distance.
“I am Julius Ehlertt. Alchemist Karen’s lover. Would you remove your hand? Crimson Thunder.”
“You’ve got no right to tell me that, got it? Right, Karen…?”
Thor deliberately brought his lips close to Karen’s ear to call her name. Being called by name by her brother felt strange.
Julius clicked his tongue, and Karen glanced at him twice in shock.
“Did you not hear me tell you to let her go…!?”
“Don’t get irritated, bro… Karen’s watching, you know?”
Even with her mouth covered, Karen’s excitement shot up when Thor called Julius “brother.”
Looking down at his sister making muffled, excited sounds, Thor said in a whisper with an exasperated face:
“Don’t get the wrong idea, all right?”
At the sight of the siblings intimately whispering and understanding each other, Julius smoothly drew his sword.
“Draw your sword, Crimson Thunder. I challenge you to a duel.”
“Sounds good. I was waiting for those words!”
“Mmph!?”
“I want to know how strong he really is when he’s serious. So no saying unnecessary things, okay? Ka-re-n.”
Saying this, Thor kissed Karen on the cheek. The gesture filled Karen with warmth; he used to do that often when he was little. Since it had become rare after he grew up, as his sister, she was very happy.
However, from Julius’s perspective, not knowing Karen and Thor’s relationship, this was completely crossing the line.
“I’ll make you regret laying a hand on her…!”
“Eh, but Karen doesn’t mind, though?”
At Thor’s words, Julius’s golden eyes flashed sharply as he turned that glare on Karen, too.
She was just a sister who’d received a cheek kiss from her brother.
Instead of trying to explain, Karen said:
“You’re both only allowed to inflict injuries that can be healed with a mid-grade healing potion!”
“That’s still pretty serious wounds, though.”
“The match continues until one admits defeat, loses consciousness, or I stop it!”
The alluring woman teased Karen, Gunther took command of the situation, and Julius and Thor faced each other.
No one seemed to have any intention of telling Julius that Thor and Karen were siblings.
And since Karen herself was used to battle-hungry adventurers, Julius was the only one in away territory.
“Haah, so you and that pretty boy really are dating, huh. And what’s more, the pretty boy’s fallen for you, Little Karen.”
“That’s definitely going too far, Uncle Sepl!”
“Oh?”
When Karen grew embarrassed, Sepl turned a dubious gaze on her before starting to cheer for Julius:
“I guess I’ll be the only one rooting for Sir Julius then. Do your best, Sir Julius!”
Julius glanced at Karen while furrowing his brow.
“I hadn’t expected to show you this side of me in such a way, but now that you’re here, remember it well. Karen, this is my true self—one quite unlike what you believe me to be.”
“Your true self, Mr. Julius…?”
Averting his eyes from the bewildered Karen, Julius glared at Thor.
At Gunther’s signal, the battle between the knight and the adventurer began.
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