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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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—Knock, knock, knock.
Unlike the women who were still soaking their bodies in the humid heat of the bath, Tae-jin, having finished his characteristically male-speed shower, knocked on a door.
He had come to ask what they should do for dinner, but the other side of the door was quiet.
“Hmm, are they still washing up?”
They had rented a total of three rooms.
The largest room was for Hye-seo, Na-yeon, Su-ah, and Renia; a smaller room for Mi-hwa and Yu-ra; and the last one for Tae-jin.
Mi-hwa had wanted to stay with her son, Tae-jin, but unfortunately, due to Yu-ra’s subtle refusal, they ended up in separate rooms.
“I guess I should come back later.”
Tae-jin turned to leave, but just then, the door opened.
Creak~
“Ah. About dinner…”
He turned back to state his purpose, but his words trailed off.
The person who had opened the door was none other than his younger sister, Yu-ra.
Finding himself alone with the person he felt most awkward with, Tae-jin sucked in a breath in surprise before letting it out.
“Ah, hi?”
And an awkward greeting slipped out on its own.
The moment he said it, he felt like his whole body would shrivel up like a squid on a grill, but words once spoken cannot be taken back.
Fortunately,
“Oh, uh. O- no. Hi.”
Yu-ra also managed to share the embarrassment with a greeting like a malfunctioning robot.
Fidgeting, Yu-ra shuffled her feet, her hands clasped behind her back.
Reuniting with a blood relative she had no memory of after ten years was certainly a difficult thing to adjust to.
Even though she had longed for an older brother.
“So… why?”
“Ah, I got the wrong room…”
Tae-jin glanced at the next room and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“Are they all still washing up?”
“I think so.”
“Did you wash up too?”
“Me? No. Mom told me to wash up after the Unnies are done.”
“Ah… right?”
“Yeah.”
Tae-jin glanced inside the room.
He wasn’t trying to peek, but his gaze, which had been darting around to avoid the awkwardness, landed there.
And in his line of sight, he saw various machines laid out on a desk.
“Were you working? Sorry if I disturbed you.”
“Oh, that? I’m developing an explosion device these days.”
“It looks really complicated.”
“The principle is simple. It’s a device that amplifies magic power by absorbing a large amount of surrounding mana at once. It’s temporary, but according to my calculations, I can boost it by nearly double.”
“Oh… that’s amazing. But won’t absorbing a large amount of mana at once strain your core? The body’s filter won’t work properly either, so impurities will be absorbed too.”
“That’s why I attached a specially made mana filter, but it’s not working as intended. If the mana filter works properly, I can test it.”
Yu-ra let out a sigh and shrugged.
As Tae-jin showed interest in her [Machines], the awkward atmosphere passed between them like a spring breeze.
Yu-ra also seemed to enjoy talking about the machines she had made, and for the first time since their reunion ten years ago, she had the longest conversation with her older brother.
“If you succeed, it’ll be a huge hit, won’t it? There have been almost no amplification devices like that until now. Mom was bragging about how talented you are with machines, and she wasn’t kidding. You’re amazing.”
Yu-ra lowered her head shyly and fiddled with her glasses.
Her mother had always praised her, but hearing praise from her own brother felt different.
“I-it’s nothing special. It’s something you can make if you just know the basic theory.”
“No way. Even professional magic weapon engineers should learn from you, Yu-ra.”
“I’m not that good… I’m just imitating.”
“That mana measurement device from before was amazing too. It was much simpler and more convenient than the ones at the academy.”
Yu-ra squirmed at Tae-jin’s sincere praise.
She looked just like an innocent, simple girl.
“Th-thank you…”
Tae-jin smiled warmly.
Even if the packaging was the same but the contents were different, a shy girl couldn’t help but be cute.
“Well, I’ll get going then. I feel like I just got in your way.”
“Mhm.”
Tae-jin turned to leave.
Just having a conversation this long was a huge step forward.
But then,
“O-… Oppa!”
“Huh?”
A shy call from behind stopped him in his tracks.
Tae-jin turned back.
And he had to smile warmly again at the sight of Yu-ra, her hands modestly gathered at her chest, murmuring shyly.
“Um, d-do you want to see more? I’ll give you a tour.”
Brother and sister.
It was the moment the wall of ten years came crumbling down.
Of course, for Tae-jin, it was a wall that had only been there for a few days.
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—This is a mana detector! But it can detect a wider range than the ones sold on the market.
—This is a mana levitation device. It’s shoe-shaped, and you can float in the air using mana. You can fly higher and faster depending on the amount of mana you use.
—Ah, that? Looks cool, right? This is a mana booster! You can briefly increase your output by rapidly consuming mana. I’ve already finished testing this one. Awesome, right?
—Ooh! You’ve got a good eye! That’s a mana storage device! Its name is Mana Super Save! You can store condensed mana from your core in the device. And you can use it anytime. Well, it’s still a prototype, so it can only hold a small amount of mana, but someday I’ll raise its capacity to match the user’s core.
After showing some interest in my dear little sister’s inventions, I had to listen to her brag for a full twenty minutes.
If her mother hadn’t come back, it might have been thirty, no, forty, or even fifty minutes.
Small mechanical devices kept popping out of Yu-ra’s mana pocket like it was Doraemon’s pouch.
But the twenty minutes flew by and Yu-ra’s inventions were truly revolutionary.
They were of such quality, with such novel functions, that I would have believed they were made by renowned magic weapon engineers.
There were some devices that were still in testing or only at the concept stage, but for inventions created through self-study, they were beyond impressive.
What’s more, Yu-ra was only seventeen.
To think that a prodigy who was not just promising but destined to become a world-class genius magic weapon engineer was Tae-jin’s younger sister.
‘What is with this family’s genes?’
Even a game would get flamed if it were made like this.
Life ultimately comes down to genes, but this was a bit much.
“Oppa, try this. It’s good.”
Well, anyway, the important fact was that I had such a genius for a younger sister, right?
She said she would ‘definitely’ give me the first finished product, so I felt like I had gained a thousand troops.
Besides,
“Thanks, Yu-ra.”
With that short machine appreciation session, the ten-year wall had crumbled quite easily, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Of course, I felt a little guilty about the possession, but what could I do?
Cherishing and caring for Yu-ra as a real younger sister would be the least I could do for Han Tae-jin.
So, I smiled at Yu-ra as she put some of her food onto my plate.
At the same time,
“Oh my~ when did my little ones get so close~?”
My mother was watching us with the most heartwarming smile.
“Ah, well. We’re siblings, you know? Right? Yu-ra?”
“O-of course! We’re siblings, so of course we’d get close quickly. Geez, Mom.”
“Hoho, this is nice to see. You know your personality is a bit… so I was a little worried…”
“W-what are you talking about…!”
Yu-ra flared up.
But it was just a cute rebellion.
The Unnies(?) also just watched with warm smiles.
“Hoho, anyway, listen to your Oppa and get along well.”
“I’m doing fine even if you don’t tell me, Mom. Here, have some of this.”
“Ooh, thank you~ I was about to feel left out since you were only taking care of your Oppa.”
“Yeah, yeah. Eat up.”
A warm and friendly meal.
It was so relaxed and comfortable that it felt like a story after the ending had begun.
Renia and the others had also set aside the tension of the upcoming battle for a moment and were enjoying a ‘proper’ meal for the first time in a while.
The dishes weren’t luxurious, but they were plentiful.
There were quite a few customers, but no one paid us any mind.
There were quite a few who looked like mercenaries, and some of them recognized Na-yeon and Hye-seo and whispered amongst themselves, but thankfully, no one made a scene.
Thanks to that, we were able to enjoy our feast.
The reason we, who had been avoiding gazes, had deliberately come into the spotlight was because this place wasn’t a normal city, but a [Satellite Town].
Satellite towns were small villages located near cities, communities formed by wanderers and nomads who couldn’t settle in the cities.
In other words, it was a place where those who couldn’t afford the high prices of the city or were blocked by the cliquishness of the slums settled near the city.
They built small walls and lived a life similar to the Middle Ages; that was a satellite town.
They periodically hired mercenaries from the city to subjugate the surrounding monsters.
That was why there were so many mercenaries in the restaurant.
Therefore, one couldn’t use the culture or civilization of the city here, and since they didn’t use terrestrial repeaters either, they were bound to be slow on information and news.
That was why we chose this place as our final resting spot before the decisive battle.
As long as we passed the villain inspection, we didn’t have to record our personal information, and since they were slow on news, no one would recognize us.
And that was why we were eating in a warm place for a change, instead of getting delivery.
“Mm, this is really good, Yu-ra.”
“Hehe, right?”
“Hey, you’re going to burn a hole in the young lady’s face. Mr. Tae. Jin.”
Just then, Renia, who was eating across from me, grumbled.
Of course, it wasn’t a complaining face, but a warm, motherly one.
“Was I?”
“What are you going to do if you wear out the young lady’s pretty face~.”
Renia praised Yu-ra slyly while airing her own grievances.
We hadn’t had much time alone together recently, so I hadn’t been able to pay much attention to her.
Also, my ex-girlfriend(?) Na-yeon was with us, so I had to be careful.
So, I smiled with a mix of apology and sheepishness.
“Haha, was I?”
“Well, the young lady is so cute, it’s only natural that your eyes would be drawn to her.”
“Hee…. I-I’m not that cute…”
Just then,
Renia stood up from her seat.
‘What, she’s not angry, is she?’
“Mother, I’m going to the restroom.”
“Ah, alright.”
‘Phew, right.’
Our Renia wouldn’t get pouty over something so small.
But the way she looked down at me and lifted her chin primly didn’t seem entirely pleasant.
‘Hmm, is she telling me to follow her…?’
Probably not, right?
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‘Haa, I have to pee.’
Arriving at the restroom, Renia hastily pulled down her pants and sat on the toilet.
Given the shabby exterior of the restaurant, she had worried it might be a traditional squat toilet, but thankfully, there was a sitting toilet.
Of course, it wasn’t very clean.
And since it was located outside the restaurant building, it was a bit chilly.
Tinkle~
But all that discomfort was offset by the refreshing feeling of a good pee.
She had wanted to avoid going to the restroom during the meal with Tae-jin’s mother to maintain a certain decorum, but she had drunk a lot of water out of nervousness and her bladder was full. She had held it in for quite a while, so the refreshing feeling was indescribable.
“Haaa… I feel alive.”
Drip!
After finishing her business and wiping herself clean with toilet paper, Renia washed her hands at the sink and left the restroom.
She was about to hurry back to the restaurant, but.
“Kyaaaaaa-!!”
A bloodcurdling scream that shattered the tranquil darkness made her stop in her tracks.
“Wh-what was that?”
The scream came from the alley on the opposite side of the restaurant.
It was clearly a woman’s, and it was closer to a desperate shriek, so Renia had no choice but to head there immediately.
And then,
“…Huh? H-Han-na? Is that you, Han-na?”
At the end of the dark alley, she found Han-na, collapsed on the ground, crying.
“Sob… Unnie…”
“H-Han-na?!”
And next to Han-na lay a corpse, its eyes gouged out.
It was one of the Hunters who had been escorting Han-na.
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