Chapter 16/17: The Hollow/ Clear Skies

When we returned to the orphanage garden after some time, having abandoned the idea of distributing meals, we discovered that the remaining pot-au-feu and bread had all been taken by someone.

It was disappointing, but hardly surprising.

In the midst of this food shortage, expecting starving people to adhere to moral standards about food was simply unrealistic.

Regardless, since we had borrowed the space, we needed to clean up the mess we had made.

Demeter and I worked together to clean the large pot and the scattered dishes, then carried everything back home.

Hecate, however, was emotionally distraught. She refused to leave Nee-san’s side, staying close to the bed where she lay.

It seemed Hecate was deeply affected by being protected by Nee-san.

Even though it was obvious Hecate wasn’t to blame for what had happened, she couldn’t stop blaming herself.

In the end, we didn’t return home that day. All of us sisters decided to stay in the guest room of the orphanage.

However, since we couldn’t risk disturbing Nee-san, who needed absolute rest, the three of us laid out bedding on the floor and slept side by side.

The next morning arrived, but Nee-san still hadn’t woken up.

I had a terrible night, plagued by nightmares that jolted me awake multiple times.

Rubbing my bleary eyes, I got up and, seeing the other two awake as well, spoke to Demeter and Hecate.

“For now, we need to bring Nee-san back home today. We can’t keep occupying this guest room forever. As much as I hate to admit it… we don’t know when she’ll wake up.”

“…Yeah.”

“Understood, Istos-nee-san.”

In response to my words, Demeter and Hecate replied in lifeless voices.

It seemed neither of them had slept well either, judging by the dark circles under their eyes.

Even though we weren’t in great shape, there were still things that had to be done.

So, I packed up the bedding, got ready, and began carrying our unconscious Nee-san back home.

Demeter and Hecate walked beside me, staying close.

The three of us remained on high alert as we walked, guarding Nee-san. The tension was far beyond our usual vigilance.

We couldn’t let anyone harm her again, especially not after what that man had done.

In the current state of the Polis commercial city, it wouldn’t be surprising for a deranged witch-hater to appear out of nowhere.

Fortunately, this time, we managed to bring Nee-san home without any interference.

After arriving, I entered her room with Hecate and laid her down on her bed.

Her bandaged head looked painful, but even as she slept, Nee-san’s beauty remained striking.

Her bright chestnut hair, her dignified face, her slender body—everything about her was exquisite and precious.

But there was a possibility she might never wake up again.

The doctor’s words echoed in my mind.

What would become of us if a week passed and she still hadn’t woken up?

I couldn’t stop myself from dwelling on the thought whenever I let my guard down.

If that happened, I would do everything I could to find a way to wake her, no matter what it took.

But as for my younger sisters… I didn’t know.

Would Demeter’s anger toward the people explode, driving her to harm someone?

Would Hecate, crushed by guilt, break under the weight and lose her mind?

The worry was unbearable, but the only way to resolve it was for Nee-san to wake up.

“I’m going to make breakfast, so Hecate, please watch over Nee-san.”

“Yes, leave it to me. I’ll take good care of her.”

Hearing Hecate’s reply, I left the room.

Now, I had to prepare breakfast in place of Nee-san.

Demeter had no experience with cooking, and Hecate still couldn’t bring herself to leave Nee-san’s side.

Fortunately, I had some experience cooking during my time as an adventurer while camping outdoors. I could at least make something edible.

Using the ingredients we had left at home, I set about cooking. However, the result was subpar.

The grilled fish and vegetable soup lacked the depth of flavor they had when Nee-san made them.

Worse, they seemed to have a slight bitterness.

Since I wasn’t skilled at cooking, there wasn’t much I could do about the taste.

After finishing the cooking, I quietly ate the mediocre breakfast with Demeter.

Then, I brought a portion to Hecate in Nee-san’s room.

Once we were all done with our morning preparations, I left the house to work as an adventurer.

At this point, the only thing I could do was carry on as usual—working, earning money, and supporting the lives of my sisters.

◆　◇　◆

Three days had passed since Nee-san collapsed.

That morning, I was brooding over the thought of Nee-san still not waking up, feeling weighed down by gloom. Still, I forced myself to get ready and head out to work as usual.

Just as I was about to leave, however, there came a knock at the front door.

Wary of who it might be, I cautiously opened the door. Standing before me was a tall woman cloaked in a black hood.

“Pardon the sudden visit. I was told this is the Woolgear residence. Am I correct?”

“…I have plenty to say about this, but what’s your purpose in coming here, Bronte, the Thunder Witch?”

“Oh my, so you know of me.”

The woman before me removed her hood, revealing her face.

I’d heard about her often at the adventurers’ guild.

Her disheveled golden hair and black hood matched the rumors exactly.

“I’ve come today to check on Woolgear and to extend an invitation to you all.”

“Check on her? An invitation? You’ve got some nerve. Thanks to your actions, the reputation of witches has sunk to the lowest depths. If it weren’t for you, Nee-san wouldn’t have ended up like this…!”

“No, you’re misunderstanding something. While it’s true the timing was accelerated because of my actions, events like this would have happened sooner or later. The people have a tendency to direct their grievances and frustrations at outliers like witches. In other words, the true object of your hatred shouldn’t be me—it should be the people.”

Brazenly, Bronte spoke to me like this.

Her confident, charismatic tone carried a peculiar aura that was hard to ignore.

As expected of the leader of a rebellion.

“Who was it that hurled cruel words at your sister? Who was it that threw stones at her? It was all the work of foolish commoners. …You might already know, but I’m leading a rebellion to elevate witches to nobility. If this plan succeeds, witches will be able to influence the kingdom’s politics. We’ll be able to enforce laws that punish discrimination against witches. Even so, you won’t join me, Istos?”

“Sure, I despise the people who hurt Nee-san. But I hate you just as much, Bronte! No matter how you try to justify it, your actions created the chaos that led to this.”

“So negotiations have broken down, I see.”

“No, this won’t just end with words.”

I drew the one-handed sword at my waist and slashed at Bronte.

She evaded my attack with a backstep, leaping outside the house.

I followed her, stepping out into the street in front of my home.

“You’ll die here. No one among the people will care if a criminal witch like you perishes.”

“…I didn’t expect this. I have no desire to fight another witch.”

Even as she said this, Bronte donned iron gauntlets on both hands, cloaking herself in lightning.

I cast several enhancement spells on myself and charged at her again.

I swung my sword from the top left to the bottom right, but Bronte deflected the blow with her gauntlets.

Thus began a close-quarters battle as my sword clashed against Bronte’s gauntlets, scattering sparks.

“Judging by today’s events, you must have tried to recruit Nee-san too and been rejected. Did you think now, while she’s unconscious, was your chance?”

“Ha, is obeying your sister all you’re good for? You’re like Woolgear’s loyal lapdog.”

“You’ve got some nerve. Weren’t you the kingdom’s lapdog once?”

“I didn’t serve the kingdom willingly…!”

As we exchanged heated words, one thing became clear.

In terms of raw power, I was superior. In terms of speed, Bronte had the edge.

Overall, our abilities were about evenly matched.

My sword strikes were deflected by Bronte, while her punches occasionally grazed me. But with my body enhancements, those minor blows were meaningless.

Time and energy drained away as neither of us could land a decisive hit.

It was Bronte who made the first move to break the stalemate.

“I’m afraid I’m too busy to linger. Let’s end this.”

She crouched low, aiming to close the distance between us in a flash.

I moved to intercept her with a punch from my left hand, but she countered with her right hand aimed directly at me.

The moment our fists collided, lightning burst forth from her gauntlet.

But the lightning didn’t affect me.

Spotting an opening, I grabbed Bronte’s right gauntlet with my left hand, and she visibly flinched.

“What?! That lightning hit you for sure… Don’t tell me—you enhanced your resistance to lightning?”

“Correct. But you figured it out too late.”

As a child, my enhancement magic could only strengthen basic physical traits like muscle strength, hearing, and vision. But now, I could enhance natural recovery and even resistances to elemental attacks like fire, water, and lightning.

Knowing Bronte wielded lightning, I’d already fortified myself against it.

“This is for Nee-san. Die here, Bronte!”

“Damn it. I can’t die just yet—”

Still gripping her gauntlet, I raised my sword to strike her down.

But just before the blade reached her, her gauntlet slipped off her hand, and she broke free, putting distance between us in an instant.

“Pant… Pant… The strongest in the city isn’t a title you wear lightly. I underestimated you. Let’s hope we meet again under different circumstances.”

With those parting words, Bronte vanished, leaving her gauntlets behind.

Left standing there, having failed to finish her off, I looked up at the sky in frustration.

In stark contrast to my heavy heart, the sky above was clear and bright.

If I’d succeeded in defeating Bronte, would my heart have felt as clear as that sky?

The thought lingered for a moment before I realized something: as long as Nee-san didn’t wake up, none of it would matter.