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Chapter 31: Brother, Give Me Your Sister

Nia Cynthia assassinated.

This is the story that unfolds in Act 3, Scene 4 of Flame Butterfly.

Act 3, Scene 4 is a relatively relaxed episode where various characters interact, leading to amusing incidents with the heroines.

And here’s where the problem arises.

Nowhere in the game is it written how Nia was assassinated.

Of course, the fact and the reason for Nia's assassination are important.

How he was assassinated, however, doesn’t hold much significance.

Which means...

‘I don’t know how Nia was assassinated.’

If it were simply a matter of sending an assassin, poisoning could be one method to consider.

But Nia is skilled enough to serve as an active Imperial Magic Knight.

The idea of someone like him falling to an assassin is hard to imagine.

He must have been aware of his precarious position and would’ve always been on guard.

He would likely have cast protective magic over himself at all times.

If someone like him were assassinated,

What method could possibly have been used?

It’s already been two weeks since Nia arrived at the academy.

I’m still completely in the dark about how he’ll be assassinated.

If I don’t even know how it happens, how am I supposed to prevent it?

Without any leads, what can I possibly do?

To make matters worse, Nia is an associate professor of magical arts.

I, being in martial arts, barely have a chance to see his face.

‘Then why...?’

Why did Iris tell me Nia would be assassinated?

‘What makes her trust me?’

The only conversation I’ve had with Iris was back in the infirmary.

Iris is the final boss.

At this stage, I’m far too lacking to get involved with her.

‘If she said it considering Hannon’s surrounding circumstances...’

That makes even less sense.

Hannon is affiliated with the First Prince.

If Iris knew this, revealing this to me could inadvertently expose a weakness of the Third Princess’ faction.

For Iris, that would be a reckless move.

‘So does she think I’d be capable of stopping the assassination based on my actions so far?’

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes.

I wonder if I should just go straight to Iris and ask.

But Iris is not someone I can easily approach.

There’s no guarantee she’d even answer me in the first place.

‘Iris must’ve calculated that I’d be able to prevent the assassination somehow.’

But I have no idea what that “somehow” is.

Could it be something in my behavior at the academy so far?

Something connected to Nia’s assassination that I’ve overlooked?

‘At least give me a hint about when the assassination will happen.’

Leaving it vague like this just makes my head hurt more.

Swish!

At that moment, a wooden sword shot up toward my chin.

I quickly tilted my head back and stepped away, only to see a boy in front of me letting out a big yawn.

“The moment you zone out, you’ll get hit.”

The lazy genius, Ban.

Ban was my sparring partner for today.

It was free sparring training today.

If someone requested a duel, you had to accept regardless of who it was.

That was the rule for this lesson.

I chose to spar with Ban.

His sharp swordsmanship was worth experiencing firsthand, no matter how many times it hit me.

That’s why I requested him.

“Sorry, I was distracted. I couldn’t focus.”

“Hmm, that’s rare for you to not be serious in training. Something big must be bothering you.”

Ban, in his usual generous manner, seemed to understand my situation.

He’s a considerate guy in many ways.

“By the way, Ban, I heard you’ve been training with Isabel lately.”

I adjusted my stance properly and thrust a hand chop toward Ban.

He deftly blocked it with his wooden sword.

“Yeah, she asked me directly.”

“How’s it going? Seeing any results?”

“Isabel’s always been skilled. She had a few bad habits, but she’s corrected most of them recently.”

That means Isabel has been growing stronger as well.

“And her determination is different now.”

Ban stared at me intently.

As if he knew who was behind her change in determination.

“These days, I’ve been thinking.”

Once again, my hand chop collided with Ban’s wooden sword.

“That maybe what you said to Isabel wasn’t entirely by accident.”

“I just said what I thought. That’s all.”

“Even considering that, you were unusually harsh on Isabel.”

Why are geniuses always so perceptive?

It must be because Ban observes everything from a step back, detached from the fray.

“Were you acquainted with Isabel before?”

Ban couldn’t think of any reason I’d provoke someone like Isabel without any prior connection.

“Not at all.”

We do have a connection, though.

An old connection built through the game.

But that’s not something I can explain.

“I see.”

Ban and I put some distance between us.

Since the battle with the Forest Guardian,

I’ve grown much more adept at using my body.

I continue to be amazed by Vikamon’s natural talent.

He might've achieved greatness if he had focused on physical prowess rather than magic from the start.

I’ve also grown accustomed to using my body more effectively.

I’ve now far surpassed my prime in the game.

Even I don’t know how much stronger I can get.

‘If I’m to lead the story forward in place of Lucas, I have to keep getting stronger.’

I must continue striving diligently.

“Isabel will grow incredibly strong.”

So will the other key figures in this story.

“Though I feel sorry for Isabel, in some ways, her talent was overshadowed by Lucas. Now, it’s finally starting to bloom.”

Ban evaluated Isabel highly, acknowledging her vast potential.

As expected of one of the main heroines of Flame Butterfly.

I hope she continues to grow steadily without any major obstacles.

“Don’t let yourself get caught off guard either.”

Isabel is living with a burning desire to make me pay for mocking Lucas.

As such, there’s no way I can lose to Isabel.

No matter what, I must defeat her and ignite the anger that fuels her.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Our sparring session came to an end.

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Even after that, many students lined up to spar with Ban.

Having recently resumed wielding a sword in earnest, Ban is now the best opponent for students of Zerion Academy, where strength is everything.

As a student at Zerion Academy, where getting stronger is the most important thing, there couldn’t be a better opponent than him.

So, everyone—including Isabel—took this opportunity to challenge Ban for a duel.

These days, Isabel, who doesn’t even make eye contact with me, had also challenged Ban.

“Don’t they look great together?”

“Could this be the start of a new spring for Isabel?”

I could hear the girls whispering from afar.

As Sharin said, Ban and Isabel seemed to be getting entangled more often lately.

‘Spring, huh.’

Would things get a little better if Isabel liked Ban?

For whatever reason, if she could find a reason to live, that would be good enough for me.

“Princess Sweet Potato, let’s fight! Today, I’ll finally show you who’s superior!”

At that moment, Seron came rushing at me.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess.

Let’s beat Seron and clear my head.

* * *

After scolding Seron until she cried, I left school feeling refreshed.

Seeing her storm off, swearing revenge, left me oddly at peace.

For the sake of my mental health, maybe I should make it a daily routine to make Seron cry.

It doesn’t seem like a bad idea.

Walking at a steady pace, I made my way to the student council room.

When I slid the door open, I saw two familiar faces.

“You’re here, junior.”

The vice president, Nikita, greeted me with a bright smile.

In front of Nikita was another familiar face, which immediately frowned upon seeing me.

Nia Cynthia.

Nikita’s older brother.

What a harsh senior.

“Professor Nia Cynthia, are you also joining the student council?”

I asked innocently, noticing how often he’d been around lately.

“I’m just here to see Nikita.”

To say so openly that he came to see his younger sister—his sibling love was extraordinary.

I walked over to Nikita and received the day’s tasks from her.

By now, she was quite accustomed to handing me work.

Nia glared at me intensely, as if he could drill a hole through me with his eyes.

He didn’t seem to like how naturally Nikita and I interacted without even needing to talk.

“If you keep staring like that, you’ll pierce my face.”

“Piercing it wouldn’t be so bad.”

It seemed he still didn’t like me.

“By the way, Professor, have you recently felt like someone’s been watching you or threatening you in any way?”

I casually brought up the topic of assassination, testing the waters. Nia tilted his head.

“Being watched is nothing new. As for threats… love letters and dolls made of hair, maybe?”

I heard something I shouldn’t have.

Love is terrifying.

Is this the sort of thing noblemen have to endure?

“And there’s always one person who makes me feel constantly threatened.”

Nia smiled and looked directly at me.

Was the assassin… actually me?

“Brother, why do you always act so mean whenever you see my junior?”

At that, Nikita scolded Nia.

She couldn’t just stand by anymore when he kept picking apart everything I said.

“N-Nikita?”

Nia stammered, shocked that she was defending me instead of him.

“My junior always helps me with my work, even though he’s busy with his own training. He comes here deliberately to assist me.”

It was her way of telling him to stop being petty.

But Nia didn’t seem able to process this; his stunned face didn’t change.

With a trembling expression, he turned to look at me.

“T-That guy is harboring ill intentions toward you!”

Reluctantly, Nia blurted out his accusation.

Nikita blinked her large eyes and turned to look at me.

When our eyes met, I gave her a cheerful thumbs-up.

“Yes, I still harbor them even now.”

“See?!”

Nia shouted with a flustered face, but Nikita let out a long sigh.

“My junior always talks like that, but he doesn’t mean it. Besides, he’s not even my type. Maybe if he grows up a bit more, I’d consider it.”

It was her fourth rejection.

“C-Consider?”

But Nia seemed stuck on a different word, mumbling blankly.

I bowed my head politely toward him.

“Sir, please allow me the honor of Nikita.”

“Shut up!”

He scolded me.

Nia stood up.

It seemed he didn’t want to leave me and Nikita alone, but his expression showed he couldn’t stay here any longer.

“I… I’m leaving.”

Nia staggered out of the room.

Watching his retreating figure, Nikita let out a short sigh.

“He’s always been such a cool brother. Lately, he’s been acting strange.”

“Maybe it’s because he cares about you so much, Senior.”

“Probably. I wasn’t exactly well-regarded in the family, but he made sure I could do what I wanted.”

Originally, Nikita was meant to grow up as nothing more than a puppet for a political marriage.

But Nia, the designated heir of the duchy, always looked after her.

To the extent that Nia had directly confronted the family elders, threatening to throw everything away if they didn’t let his sister do what she wanted.

That’s how much he cherished her.

Recalling the past, Nikita smiled faintly.

“Perhaps it’s because of the responsibility our mother entrusted to him before she passed away.”

Their mother had passed shortly after giving birth to Nikita.

At that time, she had asked Nia to take good care of his little sister.

Nia had promised to honor that wish for life, devoting himself entirely to her well-being.

“He’s a good brother.”

“Yes, though sometimes he goes overboard.”

Nikita said that as she resumed her work.

As much as Nia cherished Nikita,

it was clear that Nikita also deeply cared for Nia.

Watching them made me think about how much Nikita might be devastated by Nia’s death in the future.

Would I be able to stay silent when that happened?

I didn’t know.

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