Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 18

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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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Chapter 18. A Dysfunctional Family’s Answer Is Financial Therapy
“…Settlement?”
“You promised before leaving. You said you’d make sure I wasn’t left empty-handed.”
I rubbed my fingers together, mimicking the shape of money. The Emperor stared down at me blankly for a moment, then struck the armrest of his throne and burst into hearty, booming laughter.
“That’s right, I did! The price of my life, and the price of the Empire’s peace. Yes, a hero shouldn’t return empty-handed. How much do you want?”
“Five hundred thousand gold coins. And….”
I paused deliberately, my gaze drifting to a man standing in the corner of the Audience Chamber.
My father, Count Eberhardt.
He stood trembling, his face ashen.
He had believed his daughter would be branded a traitor and executed, only to see her return as a hero who saved the Empire. And now, with this blood-stained hammer resting on my shoulder, he lived in terror, never knowing when it might come crashing down upon his skull.
“…I want the position of head of the Eberhardt Family.”
My bombshell declaration sent the hall into uproar. Whispers rippled through the nobility like waves. The Count cried out as if screaming.
“W-what nonsense is this! Head of the family! You’ve gone mad! You dare cast out your own father and commit such filial impiety!”
“It’s you who’s mad, Father.”
I spoke coldly.
“Everyone knows you sold your daughter, conspired with the Archbishop who made a pact with demons, and provided him with bribes. Where did all that money come from? You squeezed it from the blood of your own subjects.”
“That, that is…!”
“The evidence is overwhelming. Archbishop Cassius in the Inquisition Underground Prison sang like a bird. And you kept such meticulous ledgers.”
Demian Lyart stepped forward beside me, producing a thick stack of documents. Kairik von Herzen stood behind us with folded arms, smiling menacingly as he fixed his gaze upon the Count—as if he might tear out his throat at any moment.
“Your Majesty, choose. Will you keep that greedy old fool as Count, or….”
I drove my hammer into the floor with a thunderous crack. The marble fractured beneath the blow.
“Will you appoint me as the new Count—someone whose abilities are proven—and use me as the Empire’s greatest demon slayer?”
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.
He was a man who calculated quickly. A corrupt, incompetent old man versus a young hero who had struck down the Lord of the Abyss. The answer was already decided.
“Agreed.”
The Emperor declared it.
“Effective immediately, I strip Count Eberhardt of his title and transfer his position and lands to my daughter Violetta. Furthermore, I order the arrest and investigation of the former Count on charges of aiding heresy.”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
The Count collapsed, foam flecking his lips. As they dragged my father away, I smiled.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Please arrange the deposit by today.”
I left the Imperial Palace and climbed directly into a carriage. My destination: the Eberhardt Mansion. My home, and now the last garbage heap I needed to clean.
“Want me to come along?”
Kairik von Herzen asked, draping his arm over the carriage window frame.
“No. This is family business.”
Demian Lyart, now awake, looked at me with concern in his eyes.
“It could be dangerous. That sister of yours—her malice is extraordinary. Don’t they say even a cornered rat will bite a cat?”
I stroked my hammer and shook my head.
“Don’t worry. You saw how I fought out there, didn’t you? In front of me, demons and humans alike fall equally to one blow. Even if a tiger comes instead of a cat, it won’t matter.”
I waved goodbye to the two men and closed the carriage door.
Of course, I knew they wouldn’t obediently head home.
She’ll probably sneak after me. They’re overprotective like that.
The carriage arrived in front of the mansion.
A grand gate. The place that had confined and oppressed me in my past life. But now even the air felt different. The damp, suffocating atmosphere dispersed the moment I appeared.
“Open the gates.”
At my command, the gatekeepers trembled and threw the doors wide. I strode across the garden and entered the main hall.
In the center of the hall stood Laura.
She was no longer the image of a virtuous saint. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes bloodshot, and she clutched a kitchen knife in her hand. Her once-elaborate dress was filthy, unwashed for days.
“You came… Violetta.”
Laura muttered in a hoarse voice.
Behind her, a shadow far more grotesque and viscous than the demon of greed I had expelled from the Wedding Venue writhed and flickered. She had clearly sold away her remaining lifespan and soul to make one final, desperate stand.
[Kill her… Kill her…]
The shadow whispered. Laura’s eyes had lost all reason.
“You ruined everything for me. My position as Empress, my honor! How dare you!”
Laura raised her knife and lunged at me.
“Die! Just die!”
I didn’t dodge. I simply lowered the hammer I had slung across my shoulder with deliberate slowness.
“Sister.”
I spoke flatly.
“Do you still not understand the situation?”
I lightly deflected Laura’s blade with the hammer’s shaft as she rushed toward me.
Clang!
The kitchen knife flew through the air and embedded itself in the corner. Laura’s wrist snapped, and a scream tore from her throat.
“Agh, ahhhhh!”
Laura flailed with her empty hand, but I seized her by the collar and lifted her effortlessly. The black shadow extending from behind me opened its maw to devour her.
“Tsk. Wait.”
At my glare, the spirits clinging to Laura flinched and froze. After I had defeated the Lord of the Abyss himself, mere lesser demons could never dare to challenge me.
They instinctively recognized the apex predator and trembled.
“Sister, I told you before.”
I stared directly into Laura’s eyes.
“Brush your teeth and live decently. Your breath reeks to high heaven.”
I threw Laura to the ground and pulled a piece of paper from my pocket, letting it fall across her face.
“See this?”
It was a fresh appointment letter the Emperor had just stamped for me.
「Heir to the Title of Count Eberhardt: Violetta」
“I own this house now. Get out.”
Laura’s eyes trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
“This can’t be… Father would never… Father would never approve of this! This is a forgery!”
“Father is probably preparing for his bean rations in the Imperial Prison by now. You should join him.”
I snapped my fingers. Immediately, the Heretic Inquisition officers waiting outside the mansion poured in. They were reinforcements Demian had sent.
“Arrest that woman. Charges: use of dark magic and attempted murder.”
“Let go! I said let go! Do you know who I am? I’m a Saint! The Empire’s Saint!”
Laura was dragged away, thrashing and screaming.
The shadows clinging to her shoulders shrieked as they burned away in the holy knights’ sacred power. The foul stench that had oppressed the mansion dissipated like morning mist.
“A Saint? More like a villainess.”
I clicked my tongue. The hall was mine alone now. The mansion, silent and serene. The chandelier glittering overhead. This home I had coveted so desperately in my past life, yet could never possess—now it was mine.
“…It’s over.”
Absurdly simple, really. Of course, the journey required slaughtering thousands of demonic beasts and enduring the hellish Northern Region, but it was worth every moment.
“Congratulations, my lord.”
A familiar voice reached me from behind.
I turned to find Kairik von Herzen and Demian leaning casually against the doorframe.
Of course they followed me.
“An uninvited intrusion, I’m afraid.”
I let out a soft laugh, and Kairik von Herzen shrugged.
“I brought a housewarming gift. Didn’t want to show up empty-handed and get thrown out.”
He tossed something from behind his back—a heavy leather pouch. Inside were premium-grade mana stones from the Northern Region and gold coins, overflowing.
“Mined it myself up north. A bonus for my bride…. No, my partner.”
“I’ve prepared something as well.”
Demian produced an elegant jeweled box from his coat. Inside lay a silver ring suffused with sacred power.
“The Ring of Purification. Now you won’t need to hold my hand to sleep peacefully. No nightmares will trouble you.”
His words carried a hint of melancholy. I looked between their gifts, then broke into a radiant smile.
“Thank you both. I’ll put them to excellent use.”
I claimed the pouch of gold coins and slipped the ring onto my finger. Then I walked between the two men.
“Now, shall we have a real celebration? The cleaning’s done, so let’s enjoy some fine food and raise a glass.”
I linked arms with both men simultaneously.
On my left, the beast-man. On my right, the holy knight.
And in my account, six hundred thousand gold coins.
This is what a happy ending looks like.
“Shall we go, my benefactors… or rather, my partners?”

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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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