Little Big Bro
"What the heck!? What the heck!? That girl he brought along didn’t have anything over me!"
Rikka didn't like Iris who had a similar figure as herself. She was so determined to make Margine see her as a woman and went into battle mode. However, he suddenly brought some unknown girl to the diner the next day and even talked about letting her stay at his house. Her anger wouldn’t subside remembering it.
"Rikka, we’re opening the diner soon. Get down here!"
Called by the proprietress, Rikka went downstairs.
"Mom!"
"What is it?"
"If you hire that girl, I won’t be helping out anymore!"
“Good grief, what am I going to do with you?”
The proprietress could only sigh at Rikka's declaration
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~ The Knights' Quarters ~
"Fuhahaha! It’s so light, so light! I’ve never had a sword that fits my hand this perfectly!"
Inside her room at the knight's quarters, Fairyrose swung around the sword she’d received from Margine, unable to stop the smile bubbling up inside her.
"Hey, Rose, what’s with all this noise?"
Suddenly, a man entered her room. The knight's quarters weren’t separated by gender.
"Ah, Little Big Bro...."
The man who entered was none other than his second older brother from the next room.
"Hmm? Where did you get that sword?"
Rose was holding a sword that was clearly not her usual standard-issue long sword.
"T-This is, umm...."
"Let me see it."
Her brother took the sword without giving her a chance to refuse.
"Where did you get this sword?"
"T-This is.... someone gave it to me because they weren't using it anymore."
Hearing her words, he swung the sword once.
"The sword's center of gravity is quite close to the hilt. This seems to prioritize speed over power. Hmm, I see...."
Her brother saw through the sword’s characteristics with just one swing. Thinking that the sword seemed to be made specially for his little sister, he continued to examine the sword closely.
"Umm, Little Big Bro...."
"Which noble family does the person who gave you this sword come from?"
"Huh? No, he’s not a noble...."
"You’re telling me a commoner possessed a sword like this, a sword that the nobles would keep it as their family heirloom?"
Her brother glared sharply at Rose.
"No, umm.... I was asked to keep his identity a secret.... I mean, I've promised to keep his identity a secret.... I can’t break my promise as a knight, so even if it's you, Little Big Bro, there's nothing I can say."
"This is not a stolen sword, is it?"
"N-No way. I don't think he’s that kind of person."
"You're so naive, Rose.... But if it’s not a stolen sword, that’s a problem in itself."
"What’s the problem? There shouldn’t be any problem with using a sword other than the standard-issue one, right?"
"That’s not what I meant."
"Then what’s the problem?"
"Do you understand what kind of sword this is?"
"I was told that this is just a sharp sword that doesn’t break easily...."
"No, this is probably what’s called a magic sword or a demon sword."
"Eh?"
"There's a strange feeling that I can't explain when I hold this sword.... In any case, this sword is clearly not a normal sword."
"What's a magic sword?"
"You've seen the battalion commander's sword, haven't you?"
"Yes, of course."
"That's a magic sword."
"Huh?"
"I was allowed to hold the battalion commander's magic sword before. This is a different kind of sword, but it gives off a similar feeling to the battalion commander's magic sword."
"Then, isn't this such a valuable sword?"
"Of course. The battalion commander’s sword was a gift from His Majesty. It's said that there are only three of such swords in this country."
"What?"
"Apparently, it's something that can't be made with current technology."
"I-Is this really such a valuable sword?"
"I can't be sure either. There's no way to confirm if it's a magic sword or not."
"What exactly is a magic sword?"
"I said earlier that it's also called a demon sword, right? Magic sword, just as the name suggests, is a sword that can be imbued with magic. For example, you can wrap the sword in flames to cut through enemies, or use the power of wind to cut the enemies from a distance."
"I-Is that really possible?"
"Incidentally, the battalion commander's sword can apparently be imbued with wind magic to cut down multiple enemies at once."
"I-If this is really a magic sword...."
"Then this is a big deal. If the battalion commander finds out about this sword, he'll definitely question you about where you got it from. Can you still give the same answer to him?
"T-That's...."
“If you can’t, then don’t draw that sword in front of other people. Even among the captains, there might be someone who will notice it.”
“So I can’t use this sword….”
Rose’s shoulders drooped in disappointment.
“Can you meet the person who gave you that sword again?”
“Yes, I’m planning to decide on a day to guide him to the library on my next day off.”
"To the library? What does he plan to do at the library?"
“He said he wants to look at maps.”
“Maps…. Don’t tell me he’s from another country?”
“Y-Yes. He’s a foreigner.”
“You weren’t being used, were you? This is way too suspicious.”
“No, he just said he wanted to check the shape of the continent, and that he didn’t need a detailed map….”
“He only wants to check the shape of the continent?”
“Yes. I thought that wouldn’t be a problem, so I promised him.”
“If he’s not a noble, then how is he planning to enter the noble district?”
“I thought he could enter the noble district if we ride our family carriage.”
“You’re going to use our family carriage!?”
Her brother pondered. His sister Rose was naive about the world. This situation felt very dangerous.
“Umm, Little Big Bro...."
Rose called out to her brother, who was deep in thought.
“What?”
“I was told to forget about the library if it would cause me any trouble. He also said I shouldn't feel any kind of obligation to him because of the sword.”
"Huh? Didn't he give you that sword in exchange for showing him the map?"
"No, it's nothing like that. I somehow ended up telling him about my troubles, and he said he had a sword that would be perfect for me. I refused at first because it was clearly an expensive sword, but he said it was just an old sword he used when he was around the same height as me, and he wouldn't be using it anymore. He also said the sword would be happier if someone used it rather than just collecting dust."
“I see.… But whether he has any ulterior motives, I can’t tell just from your story. Did he say this sword was a magic sword?”
“He talked happily about the beauty of the ripple pattern and so on, but he never mentioned it being a magic sword….”
“The beauty of the ripple pattern, huh. It’s true that this sword has a strangely captivating beauty. Even if it’s not a magic sword, it’s definitely a fine sword.”
“Yes. Just looking at this sword makes me really happy.”
“Okay, I won't pursue it any further."
Rose felt relieved that her brother seemed to have come to an understanding.
"But next time you meet, confirm whether it's a magic sword or not."
"O-Okay."
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~Spellbook Store ~
Margine returned home with Iris.
"Umm...."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry. It's my fault things got so complicated."
Iris was filled with guilt, knowing she was causing a lot of trouble. However, with no money and no acquaintances, she had no choice but to rely on Margine.
"Don't worry about it. That's just how things are with Rikka. More importantly, are you really okay staying at my place? I don't think Boss Lady was serious when she said you wouldn't be able to get married, though."
"I-It's fine. I have no plans to get married anyway."
Iris understood that she was treated like something delicate in her hometown. Her father, the lord, had an affair with a commoner woman, and Iris was born from that. But his legal wife, who mostly lived in the royal capital, did not recognize her as a member of Voltia Family.
Her father stayed in his territory from spring to autumn, and from autumn to spring, he stayed in the royal capital. Whenever her father came to his territory, he would always secretly come to see Iris and dote on her. He also gave her a pendant, telling her to show the crest of the Voltia Family if she was ever in trouble.
Though it was not made public, almost everyone in her hometown knew about the situation and who Iris's father was. Because of this, she was treated as someone who was better to get involved with.
“Of course, you have no plan to get married yet. You are still a child, after all.”
"No, I probably won't ever be able to marry anyone...."
Hearing that, Margin could somehow imagine Iris' life in her hometown. She was a noble's daughter, but she couldn't call herself a noble due to circumstances. She was a girl who might burn a commoner if they carelessly approached her.
The noble system is truly such a pain, both then and now. They should just abolish it.
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~ The Hero Party Era~
"Misty, the noble system is such a pain, isn't it?"
"Don't say unnecessary things. You never know who might be listening."
"I've already checked with presence detection and no one's around."
"Even so, if you say something carelessly, you might one day be charged with lèse-majesté."
"If that happens, can't I just fight back?"
"Are you planning to make the whole country your enemy?"
"If they're trying to kill me, it's only natural to fight back, right?"
Hearing Margine’s answer, Misty's face became unusually serious.
"Margine."
"W-What?"
"What do you think magic is?"
"W-Well, I think it's a convenient power. I can defeat enemies with magic, and I can easily do things that are troublesome to do by hand."
"Margine, magic is a power to make people happy. It's true that it's also a power to defeat enemies. But don't ever let yourself be consumed by that power."
"I know that."
"No, if you stay the way you are now, that's what will happen. One day, you'll start killing people with magic for some stupid reason like you just don't like them."
"T-That won't happen!"
"Is that so? If someone overheard what you just said and you were to be punished for lèse-majesté, what would you do?"
"W-Well, I guess I'd fight back. But if it's to protect myself, I can't help it, right?"
"If one person's can't punish you, a group will be sent. If a group still can't punish you, an army will be dispatched next. Will you kill them too? Just how many people are you planning to kill?"
"I-It's the fault of the ones trying to punish me unfairly, isn't it?"
"The guards and the soldiers are just following orders. There are bad people, but there are good people, too. Some of them might be people you could have a drink with and have fun together. Are you going to kill even those kinds of people?"
"So, are you telling me to just quietly let myself be killed!?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I'm telling you to not create a situation that leads to that. Even the people who would be ordered to punish you wouldn't want that to happen."
Margin felt like he understood Misty's point, yet also didn't.
"So, if we abolish the nobility system, there won't be any lèse-majesté charges, right?"
"Did you hear what I just said about not creating the situation!? This country is built on the nobility system. How many times do I have to tell you that criticizing it is considered lèse-majesté!?"
Misty yelled at Margine. Having grown up in a country without a nobility system, Margine didn't understand what nobles were. He only saw them as arrogant people.
"What the hell!? Then, once the Demon King is defeated, our roles are done, right? Let's just make our own country so we don't have to worry about such a thing!"
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Misty was bewildered by Margine's sudden, outlandish suggestion.
"I mean, there are tons of orphans and people who can't find work and are struggling to make ends meet. This country probably doesn't need those kinds of people anyway, so why not gather them all together and create a new country? Then we could make lots of rare magic tools, make a fortune together, and live happily ever after."
"That's such a pipe dream...."
"Is it? If we work together, I think we can achieve it. Just imagine --- a magic country like no other in the world, surrounded by convenient magic tools, a free and fun country where no one will be punished for lèse-majesté."
Even after that, Margine continued to innocently talk about how things could be, what would be great if they did this or that, and everything that would make their magic country the greatest in the world.
"Honestly, this guy...."
Misty was exasperated, but at the same time, she was incredibly happy that Margine included her in his plan.