Volume 3 Chapter 67: Twins

“This is the story of the sacred nation of Kamiten Seikoku and the origins of the Mikos, as that man proudly recounted to me when I was a child.”

It was insane.

Listening to Tesea’s tale, I was left utterly stunned, unable to think of it as anything but madness.

Any trace of the charm I had once faintly perceived in Aizon had vanished entirely. All I felt now was a deep-seated loathing and an overwhelming sense of dread toward the man known as Aizon Sgueharugen.

What kind of mind could take such abhorrent actions—actions so unspeakable that the mere thought of uttering them made me recoil—and then narrate them so proudly to Tesea?

Aizon didn’t see his insanity as evil. To him, serving the gods justified everything he did. His actions were not only righteous but absolute justice. Yet, of course, the will of the gods had nothing to do with it. What drove him was merely the grotesque desires of a twisted man.

And if what Tesea told me was true, then Siara…

I turned my gaze to Tesea, who stood before me, her face clouded with sorrow.

The child born to the Fourth Miko had been twins. The Fourth Miko had fled to the surface, taking one of the twins with her. Kamiten Seikoku—and Aizon—had failed to find the escaped child.

If—just if—the Fourth Miko had acted as a decoy to save her child, placing her in front of a random house in a desperate bid for salvation, then…

Everything suddenly clicked.

Siara had been left at our doorstep one day. There had been no note, no message, just a quiet baby wrapped in a simple white cloth, sleeping peacefully. My father took her in and raised her as one of our family.

She had been a loving and exceptionally talented child. Almost too talented.

If Mikos had indeed honed their abilities over generations, and if this child was among the most gifted of them all, then her strange talents made sense. All too much sense.

I swallowed hard and asked Tesea,

“Tesea, how old are you?”

“Huh? I’m sixteen… Why?”

Ah, there was no room for doubt now.

It was impossible to believe they were unrelated. Tesea and Siara were the same age, and their resemblance was uncanny—so much so that I had mistaken Tesea for Siara at first glance.

What sort of twist of fate could this be?

Tesea and Siara… were sisters.

I had to tell her.

“Tesea, you’re a twin, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah. I hope my sister’s still alive somewhere. If we make it out of here, I’d like to look for her. But honestly… I doubt it.”

“She’s alive.”

When I said that, Tesea gave me a wry smile.

“Are you just trying to cheer me up?”

So, Tesea was the older sister. That made Siara the natural-born little sister. No wonder she was the perfect little sister—she was literally born to be one.

“No, I’m not just saying that. Your sister is alive. Her name is Siara—Siara Arlens. She’s living well as my sister, and she’s the spitting image of you.”

“Huh?”

Tesea’s mouth hung open, emitting a dazed sound of disbelief. At the same time, the descending platform we stood on came to a halt.

It seemed we had arrived at the inner workings of the city’s infrastructure. The door opened soundlessly, but Tesea remained frozen, staring at me in shock. I couldn’t blame her. If our roles were reversed, I would be the same.

Eventually, she snapped out of it, pressing one hand to her forehead and raising the other as if to halt me.

“W-wait… Your sister? Huh? Huh?! Now that you mention it, you did call me Siara at first… Huh? So that means… Huh?!”

Mumbling to herself, Tesea hesitantly looked up at me and asked,

“N-Noir, are you… my brother?”

“That’s not quite the right reaction,” I replied.

She still seemed confused.

“R-right… Sorry, I’m just a little shaken… Whew…”

Tesea placed a hand over her chest, closed her eyes, and exhaled deeply. Then, as if testing the words, she murmured,

“…It’s not… a lie?”

“No. Sixteen years ago, your sister was left in front of our house—not abandoned, but left there for safekeeping. My father took her in and raised her.”

“This is… unbelievable…”

“I know how you feel. But it’s true.”

“…I see… I see.”

Tesea clutched her chest tightly as if trying to contain her emotions, murmuring softly.

“She’s alive…”

When she looked up, her eyes held no trace of doubt. She smiled, a tender expression that seemed to imagine the sister she had yet to meet.

“Heh, then I have no choice. I absolutely have to get out of here. Will you help me?”

“Of course.”

Even in my current state, unable to enhance my body, I couldn’t refuse her request. Knowing the truth about Kamiten Seikoku and learning that Tesea was Siara’s sister left me no choice but to stand by her.

Besides, I had no intention of staying trapped in this deranged place. There was no reason not to join forces with her. Together, we would escape this insane world.

“Thank you. Follow me.”

I stepped through the door behind Tesea, entering a massive, open room. It seemed to be spherical, with a white dome-like ceiling. The walls were lined with doors leading to various other locations.

Turning back, I saw a long pipe extending upward to the dome—our path down to this place.

“This area houses the city’s critical facilities. Although, as usual, most of the rooms are empty.”

Tesea gestured toward one of the rooms as she explained,

“For example, that room produces food.”

“Food?”

“Yeah, there’s this slimy stuff and these rock-hard things,” Tesea explained. “I’ve analyzed them with 《Analysis》, so I know they’re safe to eat and full of nutrients, but I have no idea how they’re made. Looks like they use the fruits grown in the next room as ingredients.”

Slimy stuff… could it be like jelly? And rock-hard things? Were they meant for jaw training or something?

Still, if this city could even produce its own food, then the “Floating City Pharamment” probably had no need to descend to the surface at all.

Tesea chuckled and asked, “Wanna try it?”

“…Does it taste good?” I hesitated.

“It’s tasteless. I’ve never had anything else, so I wouldn’t really know.”

“Wait, what?”

“Food from the surface is considered impure, so it’s never brought to the Floating City. Dumb, right? Anyway, it’s supposedly good for your health,” Tesea added with a grin, emphasizing her chest in an exaggerated manner.

Well, she certainly seemed well-developed, but I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.

The idea of growing up never having a proper meal—never even knowing the sensation of taste—was heartbreakingly sad.

Even with my dull palate, I still found joy in food, whether it tasted good or bad. Even the garden-grown mana bottles back home evoked some emotional response.

To live a life devoid of any flavor or enjoyment in meals… it was a fate I found harder to accept than eating the most grotesque of dishes. If it was by choice, that was one thing. But to be forced into such a life? That was cruel.

I fell silent, and Tesea, noticing my expression, waved her hands with a nervous smile.

“H-hey, why the face? Don’t worry! Once we get out of here, I’ll eat lots of tasty food!”

“…I’ll make sure you can try everything,” I promised.

“Really? Yay!”

At this rate, I’d probably spend every last coin I had to make it happen.

Still, the thought that she didn’t even know what “delicious” meant… Maybe I was her first real conversation partner too. How had her heart endured until now?

And then, before I knew it, my hand reached out.

“Huh? W-what are you…?”

“Ah, sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

I had instinctively patted Tesea’s head, and she jolted in surprise. Quickly pulling my hand back, I apologized profusely.

What the hell was I doing?

Tesea wasn’t Siara. She wasn’t my sister. No matter how much I wanted to dote on her, patting the head of a girl I wasn’t close to was crossing a line.

Especially given my current appearance… I looked like a creep. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t hesitate to report me to the authorities.

Would groveling work here? Should I try the Kiss-the-Ground Dogeza? Even if she didn’t understand the gesture, it should convey my remorse, right?

“N-no… it’s okay. Actually, could you… do it again?”

“Huh?”

As I hesitated, Tesea bashfully leaned her head toward me. Tentatively, I extended my hand once more, lightly patting her head.

Both of us flinched at the contact—her body trembling, and my hand pulling back almost immediately.

We froze.

And then…

“C-could you… one more time?”

…Another replay.

“…One more time.”

It was a replay for sure.

At this point, I resolved to keep going until Tesea was satisfied. After all, this whole situation was my fault. For the third time, I placed my hand on her head. Though her body trembled again, I kept my hand there this time, gently stroking her hair.

Gradually, the tension drained from her body.

“…Aside from that guy… no one’s ever touched me like this before. So this is… what it feels like.”

She murmured, a small sigh escaping her lips.

“Heh… It’s so different. I’m glad I got to know this feeling.”

Tesea looked up at me with a soft smile.

“Thank you.”

I nodded with a smile of my own, withdrawing my hand. Unconsciously, I clenched my fist tightly.

Tesea absolutely had to escape this place. She deserved to break free from the curse of being a Miko and find happiness—simple, everyday joys that should have been hers all along.

Even if the Sacred Nation of Kamiten Seikoku was the reason she existed, I could no longer forgive it.

At that moment, something pulsed deep within me. The sensation was so powerful it left me momentarily breathless, and I staggered slightly.

“Guh…”

“A-are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just felt a little dizzy. I’m okay now.”

What was that just now?

I shook my head lightly and flexed my hands to check for any lingering effects, but my body felt normal again.

“If you say so…”

Looking concerned, Tesea activated 《Analysis》 and studied me closely. From her expression, I gathered the skill could assess someone’s physical condition as well.

If there was some hidden illness I wasn’t aware of, it would be better to know. I waited quietly for her results.

“What the…?”

Tesea’s eyes widened, and she stared at me in shock.

What was it? Did I have some deadly disease? Was the dizziness a symptom? Unease gnawed at me as I asked,

“Uh… Did you find something?”

“Noir…”

Tesea reset 《Analysis》, her expression growing more serious.

“Stay calm and listen, okay?”

“Uh, okay…”

Oh no, this was bad. This was very bad. People only preface things like this when it’s serious. Cold sweat trickled down my back.

I prayed that even if I were harboring some life-threatening illness, I’d at least survive long enough to escape this place with Tesea and punch Aizon square in the face. Bracing myself, I waited for her to speak.

Tesea exhaled lightly before revealing the results with perfectly shaped lips.

“Noir, there are multiple souls inside you, besides your own.”

“Wait, what?! That’s horrifying!”

Forget diseases—this was on a whole other level.

“S-sorry, sorry!”

As if apologizing to the strange presence inside me, I muttered a meaningless apology to no one in particular.