I Thought Your Friend's Sibling Wasn't a Girl? - Chapter 99

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 99
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Yugin sometimes found himself thinking that his remaining lifespan was being consumed two, or even three times faster than other people’s.
It was actually manageable when dealing with other order commanders who gnawed their teeth whenever they saw him, or when he had to face the heads of the Guardian Stone families.
What truly made him feel as though his years were being carved away piece by piece wasn’t that—it was this:
“…Hands up straight.”
“Commander. I’ve been with the order for years now. Surely this punishment—”
“Properly!”
Snap.
The two arms that had been carelessly raised skyward snapped into place against his ears as if struck by a command. Yugin pressed his temples with a wince, massaging the area as a sharp headache bloomed.
“How is it you manage to cause trouble even after coming all the way out here?”
“Commander, if you’ll just hear me out. To be honest, this wasn’t really our fault so much as… we were innocent victims caught up in the whole thing!”
“Please, just close that mouth of yours. Please.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll follow your orders.”
Yugin’s muddled gaze settled on Aiden, who had become an absolute wreck.
He was beaming with the innocent delight of a puppy who’d been rolling enthusiastically in mud, and watching that expression made Yugin’s irritation flare so sharply he had to release several more heavy sighs.
What was even more absurd was that another person had been dragged into this particular disaster.
“…Olivia.”
“I have no excuse, Commander…”
“I trusted you.”
Olivia, who had been called out, lowered her head dejectedly—not quite as filthy as Aiden, but still visibly disheveled.
One of them looked as though he’d been rolling in a heap of earth; the other, while in slightly better condition, had dirt smudged across her hair and the hems of her clothes.
“Commander, Olivia has an injury and her arm is too painful to raise. Couldn’t you let her lower it?”
Yugin’s stomach turned sour. He looked at Aiden with eyes that were completely dead, and seeing the earnest way the young man’s eyes widened in an attempt to convey sincerity, Yugin simply waved his hand. He no longer had the energy to argue.
“Both of you, lower your arms.”
Just what sins had he committed in his past life to deserve being stationed out here and left cleaning up after these walking disasters?
Feeling as though gastritis that hadn’t existed before was about to bloom, Yugin took another deep breath and sank back into the couch.
“…You’re certain no one found out those two were there?”
“Yes, don’t worry, sir. You know I’m an expert at that sort of thing, don’t you? We slipped away without anyone noticing.”
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
A massive crater had opened up in the Earl of Arel’s Estate garden, swallowing the earth below, and of all things, members of the Lux Knight Brigade happened to be present at the exact moment it collapsed. Yugin was beginning to dread what disaster Aiden—that one—might cause next.
Whether Aiden sensed his thoughts or not, the young man crawled forward on his knees and whispered urgently.
“Commander, that’s not what’s important.”
“Then what—”
Thump.
The moment Aiden held out what he’d found in that place, Yugin’s words died on his lips.
“It’s a Magical Stone.”
Just as he said, something properly classified as a Magical Stone emerged from the pouch Aiden extended.
* * *
Meanwhile, around the time those two were just beginning their conversation, Olivia was lost in thought, blinking blankly.
‘How could the ground have collapsed so easily?’
Olivia’s gaze drifted from her shawl, which had now become little more than a tattered rag, with a heavy sigh.
She could scarcely face Yugin. Watching his expression darken in real time made her conscience ache so badly she thought she might be sick.
That was when she heard Aiden—who clearly bore none of the guilt despite having caused the same disaster—shuffle over to Yugin and pose another question.
“Does this look familiar to you?”
Right. That wasn’t what mattered right now.
Only then did Olivia’s reason return to its proper place. The real issue wasn’t the fact that they’d caused an accident. No, that was certainly serious, but there was something far more pressing.
It was the fact that they’d discovered something quite unusual in that place. With that thought, Olivia abruptly rose from her seat.
“…I never told you to stand.”
“Commander, Aiden was right. That’s not what matters.”
“Olivia, I hope you and Aiden don’t become too close. They say bad water contaminates quickly.”
“Look at this.”
Olivia approached the table and opened the pouch’s opening a bit wider. Yugin’s gaze shifted back to the pouch.
Because the ground had collapsed and created such a commotion that people rushed immediately to the scene, a thorough investigation was impossible. But even amid such chaos, a true Knight retrieves what must be retrieved, doesn’t he?
Olivia was a true Knight of this age—one who, despite being caught in an unfortunate accident, never abandoned the virtues of knighthood.
Yugin released another short breath and answered in a low voice.
“It’s a Magical Stone.”
“To be precise, it looks less like a complete Magical Stone and more like something that was becoming one.”
“Something that was becoming a Magical Stone?”
Yugin withdrew what was inside the pouch and grasped it. What he held looked less like stone than ‘deposits’—they crumbled in his hand.
“The space we entered didn’t appear to be simply caused by weakened ground. It looked like an artificially created chamber.”
“Explain further.”
“It appeared to be an Underground Reservoir. It was presumably constructed to store water drawn from somewhere, and below we could see artificial structures alongside pools of stagnant water.”
What he said was correct.
At first, they’d thought it was simply a matter of ground instability. But the landscape that unfolded inside painted a different picture.
“This place…it looked like a reservoir.”
“It’s artificially constructed. The water has mostly dried up, but not completely.”
“Senior, look over there.”
“There? What do you— Wait.”
“Isn’t that a Magical Stone?”
Where the remaining water pooled, the boundary between water and earth was thick with layered deposits—as though soil had simply accumulated there. What made these deposits different from ordinary ones was that they seemed to be suffused with Magical Energy, faintly radiating power outward.
“It appears the source dried up—or for some other reason—it’s no longer in use.”
Aiden explained methodically.
Now Yugin also listened to their report with a serious expression. The discovery of something emanating an aura similar to that of Magical Stones meant something very significant.
“What’s the likelihood something exists at the water source?”
“I can’t be certain, but we can assume there’s at minimum a monster colony.”
“The quantity of deposits was considerable. Either they accumulated over a long period, or a sudden influx of Magical Energy occurred in such volume as to cause this effect. Both possibilities must be considered.”
Olivia added her own assessment.
“If the Sirius Contamination is related to the Red Stone Mercenary Company, then it’s possible these deposits triggered a stronger reaction.”
Of course, why he had attacked her so frantically the moment he saw her remained a mystery, but he was certainly being continuously affected by these deposits.
Where there was Magical Energy, monsters were born. And within a monster’s body, Magical Stones formed.
Monsters weren’t immortal, so plenty died of natural causes without ever being hunted. But if Magical Stones exposed this way had accumulated into ‘deposits’ that flowed here in such quantities…
“The Northern Region falls under the protection of the Page Duke House.”
“They were the only ones who never showed us a Guardian Stone. We really must consider the possibility that there’s a problem with their Guardian Stone. If it weren’t, it would be difficult for Magical Energy to accumulate to this degree.”
“…The Imperial Court’s suspicions are certainly understandable now.”
Yugin slowly crossed one leg and settled back. His gaze drifted toward the window, where commotion still echoed from outside, then fixed back on the two of them.
“The other squad members? They haven’t returned from the scene?”
“No. Should I call them back immediately?”
Aiden asked as though he were a capable vice-commander, but Yugin’s eyes had turned cold as ice as he regarded him.
“In that state? Never mind. I’ll go retrieve them myself.”
Yugin’s usually gentle gaze sharpened slightly. He massaged the bridge of his nose once more before speaking to Olivia and Aiden.
“The two of you…”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Go change your clothes and start the cleanup. I want it finished before I return.”
His eyes conveyed a perfectly clear demand: ‘Do not let anyone suspect you were at that scene.’
Olivia nodded dejectedly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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