Chapter 27: The Worried Sister

Susan had many friends in the Campus. Unlike her foster brother, Arden, she was someone who had many admirers. From the common healers to the rather rude nobles that surprisingly took a liking to her. They were kind to Susan due to her talents. Susan fit as a ‘minor’ noble due to her last name—Cher—daughter of the Cher duo who once fought in the great war in the middle-continent of old.

Her parents were well-respected people that have earned the right to call themselves ‘Cher’. Due to that her standing at the school was at best neutral. So it didn’t stop nobles from liking her. They like her attitude and outlook in life. And the commoners who saw her talent in the medical arts made her their idol. Due to this, she is guaranteed with a high-position in the Medical Army of Healers. She also has a Bank of Brewrael insignia, which makes her untouchable.

Susan was smart about her goings. Unlike the reckless Arden, her foster brother, she put a lot of work to get connections. She showed her talent and dedication to the instructors who found her work ‘noble’ enough. Her being a ‘Cher’ also made up for standing, without the last name she might have worked harder than she has to. It is a blessing that she is a ‘Cher’. That is why she could reach such heights.

Currently, Susan contemplates on her future. She was assigned to Sena Saclea, a noble daughter of the House Saclea, a mighty house that has guarded the Kingdom of Altria ever since the Southern Continent of Old was still young. Being assigned to Saclea makes her future already bright. Not to mention that the Noble House daughter, Sena Saclea herself, has agreed to let Susan be her attendant until the call of the Medical Army of healers reaches Susan’s ears. Susan is obviously pleased with her results. She didn’t work hard for years just to get some lesser noble. That is why she thinks that she got it good.

The best Knight the Academy has produced in years, which is the title of Sena Saclea in the Campus. Susan thinks that with her leading then there should be no problem about the incoming journey out in the overworld. The overworld is a harsh place. Monsters, Carnivores, predators, bandits, magical beasts, dire animals, Orc Hordes, elementals, fill the place. Even a strong knight could be overwhelmed if the knight travels alone, in likelihood the knight will due to thousand cuts or being surrounded by parties of villains.

Sena Saclea is an outstanding Knight. Her band of escorts is also outstanding. All of them are top tier. So how could Susan ever complain about it? In fact, the most problematic thing she was worried about the most was her foster brother. Reckless, stupid, foolish, naïve, innocent, is what her foster brother is. She has lived half of her life watching her stupid foster brother. Despite the dulled emotion-like demeanor he had. Arden was quite weak. He is tough outside, but his heart is brittle as glass.

There are only a few days until his foster brother will leave the Academy. So Susan has been kind of worried. She knew that she could not stop him from leaving. That is why she could only worry. Her foster brother is a rather stubborn person. He won’t quit when someone asks for his help and certainly he will never refuse to give up until the person who asked for his help is satisfied. He is a person that will certainly find himself in a lot of trouble.

A family is family. She has grown to love her foster brother as a sister. Hence, right now she thought of many ways to make their parting rather memorable. Arden has no taste in anything. He doesn’t enjoy any kind of fun things. He is a very dull person that thinks nothing but saving. Heck, Susan has never seen him smile truly. Most of the time his smile is hollow, there was no joy in it. Susan finds that disturbing. But that is just the way Arden is, he can never be happy until he saves someone and indulges in their smile. If people are addicted to smoking, drinking or taking in drugs, Arden gets his joy in helping people. To Susan, it is a very warped kind of joy.

Once upon a time, Arden helped a drunken man. She saw that the drunken man was very violent. She wanted to tell Arden to back away but Arden didn’t listen because the man cried help. When the man cried help, Arden was dead-set on helping the man. The man was obviously crying help out of his drunkenness. But Arden interpreted that as him wanting help. So help the man only for the man to refuse. Arden was very persistent. He didn’t let the man go until he had enough. The man got angry at him and he hit Arden with his bottle. Arden got injured but his eyes didn’t even move. His lit up eyes that were normally a vacant hollow pit had a fire. The man got spooked by how he kept his face while he bleeds on his head. The man was only a drunkard. He never wanted to murder someone so he just let Arden helped him. Arden then took the man back to his house, making the man smile wearily.

It was at that time that Susan saw Arden smile truly. Seeing the man smile in thanks—even though it is a weary kind of smile made Arden happy, intoxicated with the joy of being able to help. Seeing this made Susan spooked. It was a very weird, eccentric kind of joy that she could not comprehend.

Why does he smile like that when he helps people?

Susan has thought about it for years and asked Arden about it. But his reply was simply ‘I love helping people’, A very bland answer that made Susan worried, so how can Susan not worry when her foster brother acts like that?

Susan went out of the open only to see his foster brother practicing his spell. His spells are rather confusing. It was a spell that usually only the alchemists use. Transmutation and Construct magic, both spells are hard to use. It was far better to enhance the body with mana rather than completely turn it to steel. Arden learned this way of training from his foster father who Susan thinks that was rather an eccentric figure that was quite warped in his own way.

Susan watched Arden practicing in the Inn’s courtyard. The Cher Inn had a quiet large backyard. Usually, it is filled with vegetables and sorts of crops and flowers. But with how winter is, such vegetation could not be grown. He stood up alone in the whitened backyard. She noticed Arden’s body had quite red veins. When he activated his magic, red-vein like lines appeared when he transmuted his arms into steel. Seeing this Susan could not help but walk under the snow and approach Arden.

He noticed Susan approaching so he transmuted his arms back to normal.

“Is there anything wrong Susan?”

“What’s with your arms?”

“What do you mean what’s up with my arms?”

“I mean you have red-like veins. I have green-like veins on me.”

Susan chanted a respiration spell on Arden. The moment she did so green lines appeared on fingers up to her shoulder,

“See? Green, us common blood has green-like arms yet you have red-like lines.”

“Ah, it must be because of the father’s crest.”

“How can that be?”

“My foster father had black-like veins. And since he imprinted his black-like crests into mine to learn all of his knowledge, it must have turned my mana veins into like this.”

“That is hard to believe.”

Arden sat cross-legged on the snow while shrugging his shoulders.

“Who knows really...but still, with the mixing of origin my mana pool became rather large, how about you?”

“Above average...I could cast up to seven lightning miracle now.”

“At best I could turn my arms into steel better now. I can do it easily but the mana consumption is rather high.”

“Well considering that your spells are only that then I am not surprised.”

Susan sat on the snow along with Arden.

There was silence when she sat. Arden spoke up first.

“So it looks like we will be soon separating.”

“I know.”

“I am going to miss you, sister.”

“Me too, I will miss you, little brother”

“I am sure that we are of the same age.”

“True, but with how you cry when you fail and borrow my lap? You’re my little brother.”

Susan said smugly. Arden rubs the back of his head.

“I won’t cry.”

“You better not. I won’t be there to comfort you when you fail that hard again.”

“I...”

Arden frowned.

“Do you think that I will be okay?”

“Nope, you won’t be. That is why I am worried.”

“I see.”

Arden spoke. Susan then said.

“But Arden...”

“Yes?”

“Promise me this.”

“Please help me pray to keep you alive.”

Arden heard the world help.

“I will.”

“Good, so remember that by keeping yourself alive, you are helping me. So please don’t die when we go outside.”

“I won’t.”

“Then that’s good.”

Susan smiled like an angel and patted Arden’s snowy head. She stood up, extended her hand at Arden.

“How about we go inside brother?”

“Sure sister?”

Arden accepted her hand and together the two went to the bar to partake in food.

Sooner or later the two will separate. And only the whims of fate could tell who will be lucky and who will be condemned.