Chapter 94 :

Episode 94 — Shadow

“If neither is true, then maybe the entire village just enjoyed tormenting one person far too much.”

Some of the people whose eyes met mine avoided my gaze, or left the shop altogether.

Through this match, they must have vaguely realized it too.

That on that day three years ago, Lia might not have cheated.

Because the villagers should know better than Ratel or Jing, who had met her less than a week ago, that Lia was not the kind of person who would secretly hide a weapon and enter the arena.

Even so, the reason their attitude toward Lia had not changed in the slightest might have been because they were watching the temple’s mood, but there were probably other reasons too.

Fun.

It must have been fun.

Having someone they could openly disparage.

In their poor and difficult daily lives, simply watching the existence of someone weaker and more miserable than themselves must have given them a sense of superiority.

Was choosing fun over the dignity of a neighbor they had watched since birth because of brainwashing, or was it simply human nature?

As the people whose excitement had cooled left one by one, those remaining in the shop were only the customers who had really come to buy goods, along with a few spectators.

No one seemed interested anymore in how Lia had defeated Jinger.

Except for Jinger’s father, who seemed dissatisfied with the commotion that had somewhat calmed down.

“Lord Ran, I think it would be best for us to leave now.”

Jing said while pointing at the people leaving.

I nodded in agreement.

Because in a fight like this, the one who remains until the end is usually the one who loses more.

“You seem awfully full of yourself just because you won once. Let’s see how shameless you can be, Lia.”

I heard the man mutter toward the backs of our heads as we left the shop.

Unfortunately, what he brought out was an efficient card.

Because Lia’s face, which had been tightly silent, started to become colored with guilt.

“You haven’t forgotten how many good opportunities your brother threw away while cleaning up after you, have you?”

Every time Edan was mentioned, his face filled with delight as he confirmed Lia’s face turning wretched.

“Go ahead and cling to those guys and leave, Lia. Then Edan, who kicked away his own chance with his own feet to help you, will only become a joke.”

Bang!

The people of this village seemed generally inclined to solve things through violence.

I thought that while looking at the precious shop door of the leather shop owner, which was half-broken.

Then I raised my gaze and looked at the face of the person responsible for making that thick door into such a state.

Lia, who had likewise turned her gaze toward the doorway, also confirmed the cause of the commotion.

“Brother…”

Edan, who had smashed the door in a bold manner, glanced at Lia once, then glared at the leather shop owner again.

“It is not good to interfere uselessly in someone else’s family affairs.”

“Wh-When did I ever interfere…”

“Watch your words.”

Edan interrupted him as he tried to make excuses even while frightened.

“Before I interfere in Jinger’s life too.”

Edan’s threat was more effective than expected.

The man, who was no longer in any state to sell goods, stopped taking out his anger on Lia and sent all the customers outside.

Thanks to that, Lia’s new gloves went out the window.

What stopped us as we were about to return to the lodging empty-handed was Edan’s call, which was as sudden as his appearance.

“Lia, let’s talk for a moment.”

“Do as you wish.”

When Jing asked Lia for her will, Lia thought for a moment, then turned toward Edan as if she had made up her mind.

“Please go ahead first. I also have something I want to say to Edan.”

“Don’t hurt Ran too much!”

After suddenly shouting that, Lia looked at Edan’s indifferent face and lowered her head deeply in frustration at having buttoned the first button of the conversation wrong.

“Did you follow me to ask for that?”

Seeing Edan let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded, it also seemed like it might not have been such a bad choice.

“No, that was the most urgent thing. The thing I want to say most is different.”

When Lia answered while scratching her cheek, Edan’s expression changed subtly.

“It seems you have become quite close with those foreigners over the past week.”

Had she?

Lia looked back on the past week.

They were kind, strange, and a little uncomfortable people, but compared to the past three years, it had been the most comfortable week in her heart.

It was probably because they were foreigners that such a thing was possible.

Foreigners who did not know her, did not blame her, and offered her small considerations.

Objects of admiration who were living the life Lia had once dreamed of.

They were a little strange, but at the same time, they were good people.

A faint smile spread across Lia’s face as she thought of the three of them.

“They are people I’m grateful to. Before you came earlier, they even took my side.”

Lia raised her head and met Edan’s eyes.

“So, Edan, don’t hurt those people. Originally, Lucha is not a tournament meant to injure people.”

At Lia’s earnest request, Edan nodded slightly.

“Thank you.”

“I did not think I would be able to hear you say thank you to me again.”

At Edan’s blunt answer, the corners of Lia’s lips rose.

Lia thought that it felt like it had been a really long time since she had faced Edan like this.

It had only been three days since the Lucha tournament began, but the conversation with Edan felt like it had been three years.

Looking at Edan’s calm face, unlike her own, Lia somehow felt as if she knew the reason, and swallowed a bitter smile inwardly.

Because for the past three years, the one who had been building a wall alone was herself.

She had been sorry to Edan, whose life had been ruined because of her weak mistake, and had never even thought of properly talking with him.

Lia thought that receiving Ran’s help that day was the kind of luck that would never come again in her life.

Thanks to that, she had gained another chance to participate in Lucha, and had become able to face Edan a little more confidently.

“Lia.”

“Wait! Wait a second! I still have something left to say. I said I had something I wanted to say! I’ll speak first.”

For some reason, Lia felt as if tears would come, so she hurriedly stopped Edan’s words.

If she did not pour it all out at once, it felt like she would hesitate again and postpone the chance until next time.

Looking at Edan’s face as he silently stared at her with surprised eyes, Lia slowly opened her mouth.

“Edan, I’m not going to leave.”

Perhaps Lia’s words were quite unexpected, because surprise spread across Edan’s face, which usually did not show much change.

“…You won’t regret it?”

At Edan’s question, Lia nodded slightly.

“Did you think I would just leave recklessly? So suddenly like this?”

“You have always wanted to leave the village.”

“So you knew.”

Lia, smiling as if embarrassed, tightly gripped her torn gloves.

“This year, I just want to do my best to help those people. I want to put off actually leaving until a little later.”

“Why? This kind of chance will not come again.”

When Edan asked as if he could not understand, Lia gently put forth the sincerity she had been holding inside.

“Let’s leave together, Edan.”

Edan opened his eyes slightly wider and looked at his younger sister, who was clearly nervous.

“Whether it is next year or the year after that, let’s leave the village together and travel around the world.”

“Lia, I…”

“I know you like the village, Brother. But still! Even for a little while is fine! It might suit you better than you think.”

Wouldn’t it be good to think of it as going on a journey?

“What were you going to say, Brother?”

At Lia’s question, Edan moved his lips for a moment.

While Lia was feeling puzzled by that movement, Edan pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket instead of speaking.

“…Your gloves were torn. Use these tomorrow.”

At the gift that let her forget the unpleasant memory from the shop, Lia smiled brightly and accepted them.

Lia returned to the shop before it was too late, and her expression was as refreshed as if she had put down a heavy burden.

* * *

“Ratel and Jing finished their meal and went upstairs.”

When I said that to Lia, who was looking around, she hesitated for a moment, then took a seat on the chair across the table.

“Um, Ran…”

“You decided to stay here?”

When I beat her to it before she could finish, Lia’s eyes widened.

“How did you know?”

“Wasn’t that what you went to tell Edan? If you had told him you were leaving, you would look more miserable than you do now.”

At my explanation, Lia smiled awkwardly.

“I don’t know if talking to Ran is comfortable or uncomfortable, because it feels like you know everything.”

After giving me something that I could not tell was a compliment or an insult, she kneaded the fingers she had placed on the table a few times, then continued speaking.

“I told Edan to leave with me. I know Edan loves the village, but I told him to think of it as a journey and go outside, even if only for a little while.”

Well, it was not the worst result.

Because the option of Edan and Lia leaving with us together would also be created.

Of course, it would create the fatigue of having to be careful so that Edan would not die by Ratel’s hand, but having one more person should carry less risk than Ratel’s companion from the original work being released.

There was one thing that bothered me.

The person who would feel burdened by an adventure with Edan would be none other than Lia.

“Will you be all right? Just because someone is family does not mean you must spend your whole life together.”

“I know. But I also need time to repay the debt I owe Edan.”

Debt, huh.

I could understand what she meant, that there had to be a price paid for the sacrifice of an older brother who had taken care of his younger sister.

But,

“I am not sure that growing up under violence is something that requires repaying a debt.”

A one-sided sacrifice is a condition that is harder to establish than one might think.

At my question, Lia’s complexion repeatedly turned pale and dark.

Soon, having gathered her emotions, she took one deep breath and opened her mouth.

“…Edan is a good brother.”

“For that to be true, you seemed quite afraid of him.”

“That is not because of Brother. It is just….my problem. I am foolishly scared because of something that is already in the past.”

“Something in the past?”

When I narrowed my eyes and asked, Lia let out a groaning sound.

“…When I was young, there were a few times when Brother hit me. Not hard, just lightly… At the time, Brother was young too, and I was young, so I did not listen well. Since there were only the two of us, Brother was taking on the role of our parents too, so he was disciplining me.”

“Does Lia swing her fists when disciplining someone?”

At the ridiculous defense, a sneer escaped me without me realizing it.

“It only happened a few times. Brother regrets it a lot now too. After I grew a little older, he never raised his hand against me even once.”

Perhaps she was deeply uncomfortable with Edan being criticized, because Lia defended him again.

“I suppose so. Hitting a grown adult can no longer even be called discipline.”

Even so, when I did not stop my sarcasm, Lia flared up.

“How many children in the world have never been hit even once while growing up? I said I understood it, so why does Ran keep criticizing Edan?”

It was a sharp point.

True, even in the world I lived in, and even in this world, parents who did not raise a rod against their children would be difficult to find.

“…I’m sorry.”

Perhaps interpreting my silence as something else, Lia quietly apologized.

“…Still, Edan really did nothing wrong. I am just being scared on my own. Edan actually cares about me. The one who ran around everywhere trying to somehow cover up the crime I committed in Lucha was also Edan.”

“Is that related to him winning Lucha?”

At my question, Lia nodded.

“Yes… Originally, Edan never wanted to enter Lucha for his entire life….but because of me, he was forced to enter. Because other people could not be eliminated from the tournament because of me.”

At her explanation, the three years she had spent in Lucha Village unfolded before my eyes.

Lia, who had committed a crime in the tournament held by the temple, must have been on the verge of becoming a public enemy of the villagers together with Edan in an instant.

The anger of the people who had lost their match qualifications along with Lia must not have been small either.

What calmed all of that was probably Edan’s victory, just as Lia had said.

I looked at Lia’s neat eyes, which still did not seem to have any intention of changing her mind.

Would Lia, just like in the original work, become unable to escape Edan’s shadow?