Chapter 19 – The Sibling, Deneb

Chapter 19: The Sibling, Deneb

“All at once, go!”

The moment the healer fell, Mariano finally seemed to grasp the situation and shouted frantically.

At that, all of Mariano’s thugs charged at me at once.

The mage-types chanted spells for long-range support from behind, while the warrior-types swung their swords to cut me down.

I don’t beat around the bush when evaluating others.

So I’ll say it straight.

*SWISH!*

Their movements are far too slow.

“O clear and benevolent Water God, I now borrow your power.”

They take ages to chant a spell, and it’s pathetic at that.

Speaking of which, ‘clear and benevolent Water God’… I almost burst out laughing.

If that Water God saw what these bastards were doing, wouldn’t he be furious?

Well then, I’ll have to punish these fuckers on behalf of that so-called Water God.

[ Swiftness Lv.1 ]

Bestows swiftness magic upon the body.

[ Body Enhancement Lv.1 ]

Also bestows magic to enhance the body.

This isn’t really my specialty, but it should be enough to deal with these scrubs.

These guys won’t even know I used body enhancement magic.

So no need to fake a chant.

*Whoosh—!*

With my body sped up by Swiftness, I easily dodge the swords swung by the thugs.

They have decent fundamentals for C-Rank Hunters, so their stances aren’t bad.

But that alone can’t bridge the overwhelming gap in skill.

I spin my body and land a roundhouse kick on the nearest thug.

*THWACK!*

A satisfying sound rings in my ears.

“Guh!”

The thug, struck in the abdomen, screams and collapses limply.

A body enhanced by magic lets even this small frame exert strength surpassing a muscular adult man.

‘Even considering Swiftness, my body feels pretty light.’

Is it because I’m in a girl’s body? It feels incredibly light and agile.

I guess it’s proof that this girl’s body is healthier than my old one.

My previous body was soaked in alcohol and cigarettes, but since switching bodies, I haven’t touched either once.

Not that I could even if I wanted to.

“Water Flow!”

Just then, another thug’s shout came from behind.

A mage-type Hunter, huh. Looks like he finally finished chanting that spell from earlier.

A water droplet the size of a melon formed on the staff he was holding.

It shot toward me as a Water Bullet.

*FWOOOSH!*

Speed similar to a bullet.

But to me, it looked very slow.

I twist my Swiftness-accelerated body and dodge it without difficulty.

“Die!”

As if used to this kind of fighting, Mariano’s gang keeps up their coordinated attacks without pause.

Another thug shouted and swung a sword at me from behind.

‘So that’s how you’re playing it.’

This time, I didn’t even dodge.

*CRUNCH!*

The moment the thug’s sword struck my head.

The sword he was holding shattered.

“Huh?”

I reached out to the thug staring dumbly at his broken sword.

[ Flame Element — Fireball Lv.1 ]

Again, no chant needed.

But I should at least put on an act.

“Fire.”

I chanted a spell I just made up on the spot, like before.

Was the incantation a bit short?

So what.

WHOOSH—!

Flames erupting from my palm wrapped around the thug’s body, and he screamed as he rolled on the ground.

That makes four. Half of the thugs are down.

‘Honestly, I didn’t even need to dodge.’

I’d wrapped myself in a max-level Mana Shield from the start, so there was no need to avoid these pathetic thugs’ attacks.

Still, I deliberately dodged because, if I had to put it into words, it was my own way of playing up the fact that I’m a D-Rank Hunter.

I know it’s hard to buy at this point, since I’m already overwhelming C-Rank Hunters, but dodging seemed more convincing than just tanking hits.

Besides, if I overwhelmed them from the start, they might give up and run early.

“What the hell are you doing! Can’t even catch one brat!”

See? If I’d just blocked every attack with my Mana Shield from the start, they’d have shut up and run away.

A cornered man will cling to even the slimmest chance.

Mariano’s thugs, now down to half their number, charged at me again.

CRUNCH!

Do these guys never learn?

One of their buddies just tried hitting me with a sword a moment ago, and look what happened to him.

This time, the thugs attacked me all at once.

As expected, their attacks couldn’t pierce my Mana Shield.

“Fire.”

I loaded a Fireball right away and sent it back at them.

WHOOSH—!

Unlike me, who blocked their attacks, they couldn’t even resist and collapsed, burned.

When the thugs’ movements finally stopped, I withdrew the flames burning them.

With the weakest level of Fireball and C- to D-Rank Hunter gear, they’d just get full-body burns. If a healer treats them, they’ll recover.

Of course, the mental trauma that’ll keep them from ever being bandits again… that can’t be healed.

I could kill them if I wanted. But I don’t plan to.

Bandits are a blight on this world.

Killing them might benefit the world.

But.

—You killed them!

—Murderer!

I’m a Hunter, not a murderer.

Of course, none of the people who cursed me out are watching this scene.

But still, I wanted to claim it, even like this.

That I’m not a murderer.

…

That took care of Mariano’s thugs.

I turned my gaze to where Mariano had been standing. But…

‘Where’d this bastard go?’

I looked around, but there was no sign of Mariano.

“Uwaaah…!”

That’s when it happened. At Deneb’s scream from behind me, I quickly turned around.

“…”

The sight before me made me frown involuntarily.

Mariano was holding a dagger to Deneb’s throat.

‘I wasn’t paying attention while dealing with the thugs.’

Did he use Stealth?

Come to think of it, that bastard Mariano was holding a dagger.

So he’s a thief-type Hunter. Fits his behavior perfectly.

“Hey, miss! If you try anything funny, this kid’s dead!”

“I-I’m fine, so please take this bastard out!”

Deneb shouted bravely at Mariano’s threat. Admirable.

‘But you… your body’s honest.’

Deneb’s legs were trembling like an earthquake was about to hit.

His face looked like he was about to cry—no, he’s already crying.

Water was streaming from every hole on his face. It was pitiful.

‘What do you mean you’re fine…’

I let out a sigh inwardly.

‘Well, I planned to save him if something happened from the start anyway.’

I was the one who brought him into the party, but more than that—

I recalled what Deneb had said to me before I ended up in a girl’s body.

—No matter what anyone says, hyung-nim, you’re my hero!

A faint smile naturally bloomed at the corner of my mouth.

“You, why are you suddenly smiling? You planning some trick?! If you try anything, this kid will…!”

Mariano’s words didn’t finish. More precisely, he couldn’t.

“Mmph…!”

I reached out and released a faint amount of mana, sealing Mariano’s mouth shut.

The moment Mariano panicked, covering his mouth, Deneb quickly slipped out of his grasp and ran to my side.

Deneb’s expression, relieved like he’d crawled back from hell, was so funny the corner of my lip twitched.

But I couldn’t laugh in this atmosphere, so I barely held it in.

“You, you bastard! What kind of trick did you pull!”

Whether my concentration wavered from holding back laughter, Mariano, freed from my Binding Spell, shouted in a startled voice.

Mariano’s whole body was drenched in cold sweat, and his breathing was ragged.

It must have been his first experience.

That horrible feeling of being bound by magic, unable to resist at all.

Terror. Fear.

Bandits have no qualms about others’ deaths, but they’re endlessly afraid of their own.

“You guys are at most D-Rank anyway…!”

Mariano’s figure began to fade little by little.

‘He used Stealth.’

His body, blending into the surroundings, vanished from my sight.

But.

‘But it’s just a piece-of-shit stealth anyway.’

I only missed it earlier because I was worrying about the lackeys — it’s not that I couldn’t sense it.

I can use stealth magic myself, after all.

And way better than some piece-of-shit thief-type like you.

You think I, who can use stealth that good, can’t detect a piece-of-shit stealth like yours?

I reached out into the air.

“Sword.”

Ah, even pretending to chant is annoying. This should be good enough.

[ Mana Sword Lv.1 Set ]

I grabbed the Mana Sword I’d conjured and swung it to the right.

*CLANG—!*

With the sound of swords clashing, a dagger flew through the air and stuck into the ground.

“Wha, what the…?!”

Mariano’s form appeared right where my Mana Sword was aimed.

The bastard was staring at my Mana Sword with a dumbfounded look.

I didn’t miss the opening.

*Thump!*

I struck Mariano’s neck with my wrist.

“Eok.”

Mariano collapsed to the floor with a thud.

“…”

I shook my hand once. Dealing with people instead of Demon Beasts always leaves this gross feeling behind.

“M-Ms. Verdi!”

Once all the bandits were down, Deneb ran over with a beaming smile of triumph.

But then, just as I was thinking, ‘Why isn’t that kid stopping?’, it happened.

Deneb suddenly grabbed me and hugged me tight!

‘Is this bastard crazy?!’

Do you have no brain? I’m a girl!

Ah, no, I’m a guy, but still.

Anyway, hugging me out of nowhere like that—

“Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, Ms. Verdi, I would’ve…!”

“Uh, uh…”

It was the moment I blurted out in fluster.

‘…?’

What is this, this soft feeling?

A plump and squishy feeling… that’s not belly fat.

It’s too high up to be belly fat.

This sensation coming from Deneb’s upper body…

“You’re a girl?!”

I shouted in surprise, forgetting even my act.

“Ah, well…”

Before Deneb could speak, I used my strength to push her off me.

“…Yes, I’m actually a girl.”

The answer I got back shocked me more than I usually would be.

To think the kid I’d always thought was a guy turned out to be a girl.

‘…No wonder he — she — looked too delicate for a man.’

I’d never once doubted Deneb’s gender until now.

I guess I just didn’t care enough about anyone beyond ‘person I know #1.’

Anyway.

‘…I never even hugged a girl when I was in a man’s body.’

And now I end up hugging a woman like this.

No wait, I’m a girl now.

…Fuck!

To shake off the frustration, I turned my gaze back to Deneb.

“So why are you dressing like a man?”

At my question, Deneb gave a faint smile and answered.

“I have two hyung-nims.”

One was her real brother, the guild master of Royal Knights and S-Rank Hunter, Lucius Wilhelm.

And the other was me. More precisely, not the current me, but the past me — Yoschuko Verdiol.

When my name came out of Deneb’s mouth, the corner of my lip twitched.

This kid will never know. That I’m that older brother.

“My dream is to become like those two hyung-nims.”

“But is that a reason to hide your gender?”

“Wilhelm hyung-nim said that if people knew I was a girl, I might get looked down on in society. So he told me that if I really wanted to become a Hunter, it’d be better to dress as a man.”

What an outdated way of thinking.

I don’t know about other fields, but in the Hunter industry, if you’ve got skill, they don’t care about gender — they treat you well.

…Well, that stuck-up bastard would say something like that.

Or maybe he just didn’t want to hand his little sister over to other guys.

Either way, it’s none of my business.

“I love adventure! Someday, I want to become an S-Rank Hunter just like my two older brothers. Especially, I want to use cool and amazing magic like Verdiol!”

“…Is that so?”

It’s hard to keep my mouth from twitching. How long has it been since I last heard a compliment like this?

I felt a little better. So he does have an eye for talent, after all.

But it didn’t last long.

“Of course, Wilhelm hyung-nim is just as amazing as Verdiol hyung-nim. Hyung-nim’s swordsmanship…”

My praise ended in a flash, and then came an endless stream of praise for Wilhelm.

…I don’t care about that. I’ve heard it enough times before to be sick of it.

‘…Huh?’

But when I actually tried to recall it, nothing came to mind.

I guess back then, I had absolutely zero interest in other people.

I can’t even remember what Deneb, one of my few acquaintances, said.

…Whatever. Who cares.

More importantly.

“As you just experienced, becoming a Hunter means putting your life on the line.”

I’d said this before my body changed, but I said it again anyway.

“Aren’t you scared? Dying in an unknown space?”

I don’t show it on the outside, but even I get a little shaky sometimes.

Who wouldn’t be afraid of heading into an unknown world where you have no idea what’s waiting?

But even so, we head into Gates.

The reason is simple.

Because we have to make money.

That was the same before I possessed this body and in this world.

Even if you feel scared, terrified, and full of fear.

Without money, a person can’t do anything.

But what about this kid?

She’s a child of the famous Lucius family,

And her older brother is an S-Rank Hunter and the guild master of one of the Five Great Guilds.

A hothouse flower who’s never known lack in her life.

She doesn’t need to risk her life by becoming a Hunter.

Deneb, who had been silent, slowly spoke up, as if she’d been weighing her answer.

“Of course I’m scared. But.”

In that voice,

“More than that, I learned from Verdiol hyung-nim that adventuring is a joyful thing. Just like Verdiol told me, I want to become a great Hunter and boast about my adventures to others.”

Unlike the scared tone from just moments ago, her voice was filled with strength and conviction.