章節 7: Siblings

Raven tapped his cane on the door softly, "Violet, please let me in. I really need to talk."

"Get away, you idiot! Why even bother with your annoying sister? Just go get killed for all I care." Her voice was soft, barely a whisper.

Before Violet realized what he was doing, Raven sighed, pulled out his picklock, and unlocked the door.

"You can't just storm in here! Wait until..." She halted when she noticed the look on his face.

Raven quietly walked in and shut the door after him. In a corner of her slightly bigger room, he placed the bag. The basic arrangement was identical to his, aside from a few extra shelves.

He approached a shelf and took a magnificent silver rapier off of it.

"Do you continue to practice?" His voice had a neutral timbre.

"I only trained for myself so I can cut any boys balls off who try to make a move on me, as I have already stated a thousand times that I do not intend to comply with father's demands."

Raven watched as she turned her head and lowered her gaze. He approached her and tightly hugged her. She yelled in shock before returning the embrace after a brief second.

They remained like that for a short while before soft sniffs could be heard. Her body, which was quite muscular for a girl, began to tremble.

As he slowly stroked her back and ran his fingers through her fine blonde hair, Raven said, "You must have worked really hard." She wanted to say something, but her voice was drowned out by her own sobbing.

He also began to tremble as he struggled to contain his tears, saying, "You know, you do not always have to be strong. You always maintain your composure, whereas I always cry when they hit me. I was so proud of you for that. But I think I finally understand. I'm so sorry, Violet. I'm a really bad older brother." When he finished speaking, his voice broke, and the siblings clung to each other while letting their tears flow.

He handed her his handkerchief after they had finally calmed down. He leaned over and whispered in her ear while she was cleaning her face.

"I'll be gone for a while, my dear sister." She froze on the spot.

"But as usual, right? You will appear beaten to a pulp and pursued by a mob after a few weeks?"

She made an attempt to smile at him, but it seemed to make his heartache worse.

"I can't tell you where I'm going or how long I'll be gone because that would put you and possibly the others in danger."

You do realize that you aren't making me feel better? If you tell me, I won't tell a soul. " She clung to him once more while gazing up at him. Her still-reddened eyes undermined her best efforts.

He raised his hand and caressed her cheek.

He said with a firm voice, "I need strength, Violet. I can't protect anyone right now, not even myself."

"You've never previously made such a big deal out of your adventures, but you always came back with one or two knives in your back. This time, are you going to rob a dragon?" She jabbed her finger at his forehead.

He gave a soft chuckle before holding her head and gazing into her eyes.

"I must still leave. This is something I'm doing for you and everyone else I love, not for myself." She tried to turn her flushed face away.

"H-How can you spout such cheesy lines with a straight face?"

She hit him softly on the shoulder.

"Just promise me to return in one piece, alright?"

"I swear by the great merchant explorer, our glorious ancestor." The door abruptly swung open as she was trying to contain her laughter.

"Am I interrupting something?" A tall, young man with blonde hair entered the space. The only armor he was wearing was a gray gambeson, and he held his sheathed sword in one hand.

"Have I not repeatedly warned you to keep your distance from my beloved little sister?" She resisted his attempts to pull her away, which caused her to trip and fall to the ground. She frantically scanned the room while hissing in agony until her eyes fell on a vase close by.

"Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you get too close to the fucking thief? You'll be brought down with him. I bet he would even sell you to a whorehouse if the need arose." He knelt down in front of her and tried to help her stand up, but when he reached out his hand, she merely slapped it away.

Raven always protected me from our own parents, yet you just stood by the side. You have no right to say such cruel things about him.

Felix stepped backward before turning to glare at Raven.

"You turned her against me." As his voice grew quieter, he found himself reaching for the handle of his sword.

"You have done that yourself." Raven readied his cane.

"You will not take her from me." Felix's eyes glowed with malice.

"Your cowardice and anger have already done that." He maintained a steady tone, surprising not only them but also himself.

"You have allowed the free company to corrupt your mind to the point where you are now the very same person you vowed to destroy." Although Raven seemed to be in a calm state, sweat did appear on his forehead.

Felix's expression darkened. He spit on the ground and made a disgusted face. "Why seek vengeance for a dead man? He was just too weak."

"Was this not the reason you worked so hard to enter the free company? He was your best friend, and you swore to avenge his unjust death. Do you still remember how the berserker tore out his heart inside the arena? How even his own family was made to witness his brutal execution as these thugs cheered?" Raven's voice got louder as he made an effort to control his shaking.

"Raven, don't lecture me. Now I am aware of the truth. Only strength can make things right. My new family business's success and stability are the only things I am concerned with." Felix paced the room without turning to face anyone. He had a crazy look on his face.

"Your new business?" Raven could not believe his ears. Even Violet had a baffled expression on her face.

"Don't make me kill you." He spoke in a low voice as he stopped walking, yet he still did not glance at him.

"Felix, my loyalty lies with our family." In order to remove his short blade from his cane unobserved, Raven moved his body away from his brother.

"Since you filth are useless to me, I might as well amputate your limbs and legs so that you can at least utilize you to beg for money." Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder as he was about to pull his own sword. When Felix looked up, Raven was looking back at him with steely eyes, and his hand was firmly grasping the cane's handle, which was buried deep inside Felix's upper body.

"I will make your life a miserable hell if you harm anyone in our family, I promise by all the gods."

When Violet snuck behind him to put an immediate end to the fight, a vase struck his older brother in the head. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.