May 21st, Friday.
“Brother, do you think that stinky old man and his group got lost and won’t come here?”
“Why would you think that?”
“It’s already been three days. We’ve seen plenty of monsters, but not a single person. Ah, I don’t really hate this nature photographer lifestyle, though. It’s not boring at all. I’d prefer if they never showed up.”
Hill drizzled mayonnaise over her golden-brown toast and took a happy bite, her left hand busy clearing daily quests on a mobile game.
‘Nature photographers don’t stay at the Jungle Hotel,’ Siloque thought, picking up a cherry tomato from his salad.
It had indeed been quiet for the past few days.
Instead, he was woken up every morning by Hill pressing down on him.
To be more accurate, as he slept, Siloque was starting to get used to his sister waking him up like that.
He’d actually worry if she wasn’t by his bedside in the morning.
‘Habits are a terrifying thing. Am I being domesticated by my sister?’
‘No, it must just be that I’m highly adaptable.’
Back to the targets they were monitoring.
Since the game text only mentioned “A few days later, several figures appeared near the castle,” it was difficult to pin down exactly when Andre would show up.
At the very least, it shouldn’t take more than one week.
‘We’ll wait another day.’
If they didn’t appear, he might have to risk sending his sister into the castle using “Stealth Walker” to check the situation.
This was the method Siloque was most reluctant to use.
If Hill’s actions provoked the Master of the Castle, Siloque could ensure she escaped, but that would mean this entire line of the story would be ruined.
The Master of the Castle was named Inefa Einsealion.
She was also the master of Tiana, a tiny vampire.
Inefa and her parents used to live on the Sixth Floor — a layer much deeper than what the current Explorers had discovered.
They were vampires living in seclusion from the world.
A disaster resulted in the death of both her parents.
They used Transfer Magic to send Inefa and Tiana, who was just a dragon egg at the time, to this castle on the Fourth Floor.
It was once one of their family’s territories.
Inefa was only an 11-year-old at the time.
There, in her territory, carrying her longing for her family, she began an immortal life that lasted 100 years.
Though it was called a “life,” she spent most of her time sleeping in the castle and never left its walls during the day.
While she sounded like a gloomy person, she was actually very strong.
Although she was proud, she also had a cheerful personality.
Others might not like her personality, but Siloque quite liked Inefa.
Because “legal lolis” were cute.
He liked both Beiren and Inefa equally.
However, in the original line, Inefa’s fate was miserable.
In that version of events, since Andre and his group couldn’t make contact with Tiana to implement their “gentle” strategy, they switched to a direct offensive.
They would kill Inefa, seize her magic skills, and have her brain removed by a psychopath in their party.
As for the “gentle” strategy…
Don’t think it was actually kind.
It was only “gentle” in the sense that death didn’t come immediately.
Andre and his group’s original plan was to find and kill Tiana.
By killing the emotional pillar that accompanied Inefa, they would fuel her hatred.
Then Andre would lie.
During the period when Inefa’s mind was most fragile, he would approach her under the guise of helping her get revenge.
He would redirect the rage she felt after Tiana’s death toward the targets Andre wanted to attack.
To put it bluntly, he was using Inefa as a tool.
Once the Pastoral Service was completed, Andre would backstab her.
Using silver weapons soaked in holy water, they would split her open from her heart to her head.
During the gaps in her Resurrection, while her consciousness was still clear, they would chop off her limbs and turn her into materials for a Refined Tree Nest.
Whether Andre used the gentle approach or the forceful one, Inefa could not escape death.
Clack —
The fork in Siloque’s hand missed its mark and hit the bowl.
Only then did he realize he had finished his salad.
‘Those bastards.’
‘Young girls are meant to be cherished, yet they would kill her and turn her into a human stump.’
‘She’s a petite, cute, flat-chested, and blonde vampire. Those are top-tier, adorable traits!’
‘I absolutely will not allow such a waste of something precious to happen!’
“Hill, you’ve memorized all the intel I gave you about Andre and his group, right?”
“I memorized it ages ago, Brother. Even if Andre and the others are beaten to the point where they can’t move, I have to deliver a finishing blow.”
“Exactly. Don’t be stingy with those seventy Fire Talismans I gave you. Just throw them all. That stinky old man and his partners must not be left alive.”
“I get it, I get it. Pull the grass out by the roots! I actually think I should use the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.”
“If you do that, you’ll need to hibernate for 6 hours to recover your strength.”
Hill used her fork to pick up a sandwich and put it in her mouth.
“By the way, Brother…”
“Don’t rush. Finish eating first.”
Siloque was just thinking that the bacon he had grilled tasted pretty good.
He checked the strategy plan displayed on the Status Window while handing a glass of orange juice to the hurrying Hill.
Hill gulped it down and let out a strange “Pu-ha!” sound.
Then, with her eyes sparkling, she said, “Can Hill help clean Brother’s ears?”
“Huh?”
***
“Brother, I’m going to clean your ears now.”
Hill smiled gently as she sat upright on the bed, her cheeks flushed.
“I can’t clean your ears if you’re standing. Please lie down here and let Hill see your ears.”
She wanted Siloque to put his head on her lap.
“Well, would my head be…”
“Don’t be so talkative, Brother. It’s different from before. My Lv is as high as yours now. Besides, it’s not like your head is as heavy as a Gundam’s.”
‘Why does she suddenly want to clean my ears?’
According to his sister, she wanted to thank him for taking care of her and do something small for him.
‘In other words, when she offered to scrub my back the other day, she just wanted to reward me and help relieve my stress?’
‘I actually looked at her through a biased lens back then. That was really wrong of me… I’m truly lucky to have such a considerate sister.’
“Fine. But if it feels too heavy, tell me immediately.”
Driven by a slight sense of guilt, Siloque accepted his sister’s request.
After checking the surveillance to make sure nothing else was happening, Siloque laid his head on Hill’s gray pajama pants.
Because of Siloque’s weight, Hill’s knees sank slightly into the soft duvet.
“Okay, don’t move, Brother.”
The way she looked down at him seemed quite mature, and Siloque’s heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
‘Girls sometimes make unexpected expressions that catch you off guard.’
‘Oh no, even my heart rate is speeding up.’
‘Calm down. Think about the photo Beiren took for me. That amazing photo!’
The effect was powerful, and his mood immediately became relaxed and clear.
‘Come to think of it, Hill is only 14, but sometimes she suddenly shows an expression like a mature woman…
Right, she’s growing up too. She’ll definitely be a great beauty in the future — wait, don’t imagine it.’
Siloque shifted his body, startling Hill just as she was about to insert the ear pick.
“Does… does it hurt?”
“No, I’m just a little nervous.”
“Then, I’m going to start.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
Hill was probably nervous too.
Holding her breath, she carefully inserted the ear pick into Siloque’s right ear with a serious gaze.
Then, she began to scratch the ear canal with a stroking motion.
‘Wow, I feel a shiver running down my spine.’
“Is this amount of pressure okay?”
“Mmh… yeah.”
“Mom often cleaned my ears, so I learned a lot.
I’ll definitely work hard to make you feel comfortable, Brother.”
“…You don’t need to be that motivated.”
It definitely wasn’t because it was uncomfortable… if anything, it felt quite good.
However, this kind of comfort felt like it could lead one astray. It was scary.
Every time Hill lightly brushed the ear pick against the inside of Siloque’s ear, he felt goosebumps on his neck and back, falling into a state of anxiety.
‘Ah, right there.’
‘A little deeper.’
‘Ahhh.’
Siloque got goosebumps again.
‘No, continuing this behavior is too dangerous.’
“Hi-Hill, that’s about…”
“Please don’t move. I’m about to dig out a really big piece.”
‘My ear isn’t for you to play Golden Miner with!’
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