“We are dealing with a commoner here. She is not much different from the orphan gray robes. Do you disagree?” asked a noble.
“No, but she is not a gray apprentice. She has the mana befitting of one wearing blue robes. A normal commoner would not wield the power of Crushing.”
As someone who had been hit with Myne’s Crushing, Bezewanst knew that her mana was reasonably strong. He had admittedly let his guard down, but she did not have the sparse amount of mana one would expect from a commoner Devouring child her age. That was proven when she had performed the Dedication Ritual with Ferdinand—a ritual that could not be performed unless the two people involved had reasonably similar levels of mana.
“She is extremely rebellious, and I would not like to face her Crushing again. You all have magic tools to protect yourselves, but I have no means of resisting another’s Crushing. Why would I expose myself to such danger just to sell an apprentice shrine maiden?”
Bindewald, who had been stroking his pudgy chin while listening, took a round, cloth-wrapped something out of the pouch on his hip, then slowly unwrapped it with his plump fingers.
“This is...?”
“A Darkness feystone for absorbing mana. The Crushing of a mere commoner apprentice will mean nothing if you have this. Shall I offer this as a gift to celebrate our acquaintance?”
Bezewanst’s lips curved into a grin as he stared at the pitch-black feystone; no commoner child would be worth fearing with this in his possession. He could make her regret ever standing against one who had archduke blood.
Bindewald, seeing how closely Bezewanst was staring at the stone, gave a grin of his own as he held it out. “Shall we consider the deal done?” he asked, his eyes gleaming beneath the murky haze. It was clear that he was confident that Bezewanst would agree to sell Myne to him.
Bezewanst found it irritating to dance upon the palms of others, but every day he found himself wishing he could sell that brat Myne to another duchy and send her parents—those wretched fools who had ignored his orders and fought back—plunging into the depths of despair. There was nothing he wanted more than the black feystone in Bindewald’s hand.
Bezewanst changed his frame of mind; this wouldn’t be him dancing on Bindewald’s palm, this would be him working for the sake of his older sister. Ferdinand had announced that Myne would be under his custody in front of most of the Knight’s Order. Knowing that she was stolen nonetheless would no doubt send daggers through the High Priest’s heart, and nothing would please Bezewanst’s sister more than witnessing Ferdinand’s suffering. It would also help soothe the grieving heart of Viscountess Dahldolf.
...In fact, allying with Count Bindewald will please all of the nobles I have a deep connection with.
Having established a suitable reason to take the stone offered to him, there was no reason for him not to do so. Bezewanst grinned his own nasty smile while looking into Bindewald’s murky eyes.
“I eagerly invite you to the temple whenever you are able. My older sister will take care of us no matter what happens.”
Bezewanst agreeing to help sent a cheery stir through the gathered nobles. Some spoke of how excellent this development was, and although their enthusiasm was no doubt directed solely to the power of his older sister, he no longer gave it any mind.
“Ah, what the future might hold. I cannot wait to see,” Bezewanst said while raising his cup. His eyes ran along the horizon and saw the rain intensifying over the city of Ehrenfest. But now, even poor weather was music to his ears.
Caring for Kamil
It was my first day as the older sister of my cute little brother Kamil. A day to remember for sure, but despite resolving to act like a proper older sister, my arch enemy—sleepiness—launched a surprise attack. Mom’s labor pains had begun at dawn, and Kamil had been born between second and third bell. By that time I was already thoroughly exhausted from pacing around the well. I got sleepy right after eating lunch.
...No, no! I can’t sleep!
I could bring water to Mom, do the dishes, and handle all sorts of other chores. At the very least I wanted to keep helping until Dad or Tuuli came back from the feast to help.
As I battled to keep my increasingly heavy eyelids from drooping, Mom patted the mattress beside her. “You can sleep if you want to, Myne.”
“I don’t. I need to stay awake until Dad or Tuuli gets back. I’m going to be an amazing older sister that takes care of Kamil all the time,” I replied.
I had no intention of sleeping now that Kamil was finally here. I had already held him once, and I intended to keep taking care of him.
Mom gave a gentle smile after hearing my determined announcement. “I appreciate the thought, but my main concern is you falling ill. You should rest if you’re tired,” she said.
I nodded sadly. Mom was still tired from giving birth; I couldn’t worry her any more than I already had.
I cleaned up the dishes, took off my shoes, and climbed into bed. After scooting to the side a bit so I wouldn’t roll onto Kamil, I rested on my side and watched his sleeping face before closing my eyes.
Your big sister will start working hard tomorrow, okay?
I didn’t last long after deciding to sleep; I felt Mom tuck me in and stroke my head, and then I was gone before I knew it.
But partway through my nice sleep, I started to hear a high-pitched whining, like a cat meowing.
