GalaxyTL
* * *
“Ufufu~! This ring is really cute! The lizard carved into it is so stylish~!”
The first thing I heard when resuming my eavesdropping was Keranko’s delighted voice.
She talks and laughs a lot.
Her leisurely, spoiled-sounding voice leaves a sticky, peculiar impression in the ears.
“I’m glad, Keranko!”
“…Fufufu, Miss Keranko… You must take good care of that ring.”
These next voices were “Mother” and Doj.
“Onee-sama is so unfair, you know! To think she was hiding such a cute ring!”
“Really! For Keranko to hide a ring from me, I wonder why she turned out to be such a poorly-behaved child? Could it be the influence of her bloodline?”
“A cute ring like this should be worn by cute me rather than Onee-sama, right? Right, Doj?”
“Yes, you are absolutely right, Miss Keranko.”
“If your Onee-san bullies you, be sure to tell me. Mother will definitely protect you, okay?”
…Hmm…
Hey, Extra-sama.
<Yes, what is it, Emi?>
The thing is, I don’t have any memories of being raised in a proper family, either in my previous life or this one, so I can’t be certain, but…
<Yes?>
After forcibly taking the ring from her sister, the way she’s talking now…
Wouldn’t you say this family is, to put it mildly, quite scummy?
<Your perception is likely correct. For you to instantly get that impression just from listening to their conversation for a bit, they are indeed dyed-in-the-wool scum.>
(I don’t want to remember, but) my father’s face naturally comes to mind.
The father who abused me when I was a helpless infant unable to even move properly.
In the end, he forgot my face and pointed a spear at me, driving me out of the village.
He was quite the scum too.
But the form of scum here was different…
<And Emi, did you catch that one unforgivable remark from that “Mother” just now?>
Eh? Sorry Extra-sama, I wasn’t listening.
I couldn’t help but recall the face of that worthless scum I never want to remember…
<That woman said to the sister Karashia, “Could it be the influence of her bloodline?”>
…!!
That woman is their “Mother”, right?
Normally, a mother wouldn’t say that about her own daughter, would she?
<Yes. The possibility is… this is another common trope in isekai reincarnation settings, but that “Mother” and the sister Karashia may not actually be blood-related.>
Eh? Eh?
What do you mean?
<In other words, that “Mother” is a stepmother! She was likely the father’s mistress originally before somehow coming to this manor as the stepmother for some reason… Keranko is her stepdaughter!>
W-Woah.
So the stepmother and stepdaughter are ganging up to bully the original daughter in the family?
<That is the classic setup passed down since ancient times as an isekai reincarnation trope!>
Someone stop them… What is the father doing?
<There are a few patterns where the father dotes on the younger daughter and joins in bullying the older daughter, or is completely indifferent to his daughters with no interest even as the older one is bullied. I wonder which it is in this family?>
…………
Curious, I tuned out Keranko and the others to begin searching for the father’s voice through eavesdropping.
What kind of person was this father to begin with? What did his voice sound like?
Not knowing even that, I thought this father search would take quite some time, but my worries were unnecessary.
“Do something, Father!!”
Those hysterical words from Karashia reached my ears.
* * *
“Keranko’s selfishness and violence grows worse by the day! How can you introduce her as the daughter of our Luclees family with that personality! Why do you leave her be like that, Father!”
The ringing, high-pitched voice belonged to Karashia.
“U-Um, yes… That’s true, but, you know…?”
Stammering softly in response as Karashia berated him must be their “Father.”
“She takes my dresses, my necklaces, seizing all my belongings, and the servants don’t even try stopping her! What is the meaning of this! You previously told me I would be the next head of the Luclees family, did you not!? Is this treatment of me, the next head, not absurd!?”
“C-Calm down, Karashia… Ahaha, as the older sister, you should be a bit more generous, right?”
“I have been generous with Keranko! And this is the result! She only grows more conceited, all the servants look down on me now too… Cough, cough!”
“Oh, see, Karashia… Your body is frail… Yes, you shouldn’t get so excited… It’s bad for your health…”
…Hmm, what kind of person is this father?
At the very least, he doesn’t seem to be someone ganging up with the stepmother and younger daughter to bully the older daughter, but…
<In any case, he’s unreliable. I see, so it’s the pattern where he’s far too submissive and unable to stop his wife and daughter’s rampages.>
“Haah… Haah… In any case Father, this cannot continue. Do you know what it was that Keranko took from me earlier? The ring, Father!”
“A r-ring? Isn’t that just the usual…”
“It is no mere ring! The ‘Ring of the Ranrananga White Lizard’! The signet ring proving the head of the Luclees family!!”
Hah?
“Eh, wh-what!? Wh-Why did you even have that…!?”
“Because you were not properly handling it! I found it lying in front of my room! I was about to return it to you when Keranko spotted it and took it! Why are you so incapable of even safeguarding the head’s signet ring properly! You should always wear it, so why don’t you!”
“W-Well, umm, that is…”
“In any case, about that greedy younger sister. If she realizes that ring proves the family head, do you understand what she will desire next?”
“……..”
“Oblivious to her station, the headship itself. She will covet that. And Mother and Doj will surely support her claim. Do you know what future awaits the Luclees family as a result?”
“………”
“Ruin. For they are fools. With brains only for wasting money.”
<That ring theft incident earlier… seems to have been a far more serious matter than we thought…>
“Now is the time for you to demonstrate the dignity befitting the current head, Father… That ring is yours for now, is it not? Just tell Keranko ‘Return it’ with those two words, and that will suffice.”
Slowly, almost lecturing, Karashia spoke to her father.
The father’s reply was:
“…But…”
Just that single word.
“……………………”
Silence enveloped Karashia and her father.
Gririri.
The sound of grinding teeth could be heard.
“You are… truly… hopelessly foolish and incompetent.”
Karashia muttered with a trembling voice.
And then…
“Fu… ufufufu… ahahahaha…”
She started laughing.
Unlike Keranko’s carefree, bright laughter, this laughter carried a dark, heavy tone laced with sorrow and anger – a dejected laugh.
“That’s it… Never mind. I don’t care anymore. How foolish. I’m the only one enduring…”
The sounds of footsteps could be heard.
Then the clattering of metal rubbing together.
“Eh… Karashia, ah, watch out! What are you going to do with that thing? That is…”
“A magic sword, right? The magic sword ‘Agzeliary.’ A confidential magic tool meant to aid in physical control for the user, allowing even weaklings like you, Father, to fight to some extent by pouring in magic power. Just for show.”
“Wh-Why that…”
“If you examine the appearance, you’ll see. It’s quite a stylish sword.”
“That’s not it! Karashia… Th-That thing, what are you intending to…”
“Intending, to?”
To her stammering, frightened father, Karashia replied in a chillingly cold voice full of scorn:
“You don’t even understand that? Incompetent. I’ll use this to eliminate those in the way. Everyone in this manor lacks any combat ability. Even my frail self can carry out a purge with this magic sword.”
“W-Wait! Stop! Calm down, Karashia! Keranko is your sister!? Your family!? To kill her… That, that…”
“You are mistaken, Father.”
Bushun.
“…Eh?”
“When I said ‘eliminate those in the way’, why did you assume I only meant Keranko?”
“Ah… Ah…”
“You who put on airs as the head despite being incompetent are quite the nuisance yourself. The Luclees family would fare far better if you died.”
“Ah…”
“Die.”
Dosan.
The heavy sound of something falling to the floor resounded.
The father’s stammering voice could no longer be heard.
“Ufu, ahaha… What a fool I am. I should have done this from the start…”
With a clacking of footsteps, Karashia began walking away.
“…Hih!? Lady Karashia!? That blood, what is… Ah!?”
The next voice I heard was an unfamiliar woman’s, but after a zashu sound, it fell silent too.
Clack, clack, clack…
“Ah!?”
Zashu.
“Hieh…!?”
Zashu.
Accompanied by Karashia’s footsteps, short screams and the sounds of something being slashed periodically rang out before falling silent again.
I was stunned, frozen in shock by the sudden turn of events.
But after a slight hesitation… I stood up and punched the stone storehouse wall I had been leaning against with all my might!
Doooooon!!
The wall was blown away, opening a large hole in the storehouse.
Outside was a snowy landscape.
The whiteness of the accumulated snow was blinding.
I leapt out through that hole and started running toward the manor!