BXBX NOVEL Chapter 37: Alicia Arden (6)
Thus, we had to decide the victor of this battle inside the Domain for Alicia to win, and that was why I told her to buy time by solely focusing on dodging and blocking.
By sharing Lunia’s habits that I learned by fighting her dozens of times in the last iteration, I made Alicia last through the attacks while waiting for one opportunity inside the Domain.
And as expected, Lunia’s sword broke during the collision inside the Domain.
“…”
The dojo was covered in silence as Lunia blankly gazed at her bisected sword.
She moved before Alicia did.
She swung the sword first.
She was better than Alicia in both ability and judgment,
But even so, she was slower.
How would Lunia feel after seeing her step-sister suddenly reach the ‘Domain’ fully, which had been her lifelong aspiration?
“Haa… Not enough training, huh.”
Nothing much. Lunia was the type of person to hold her sword again after a brief period of lamentation.
“From this point onwards, my subordinates and I will not interfere with your business.”
Leaving those words behind, Lunia turned around.
“Si,sister…”
Alicia awkwardly called her and carefully walked up to hold onto Lunia’s sleeves as Lunia halted her feet.
“Hmm…”
She turned back and saw Alicia drenched in blood. Lunia hesitated a little before placing her hand on Alicia’s head.
“You’ve grown quite a lot.”
After that, Lunia left the dojo.
It was the end of the fight between siblings.
『Alicia Arden, Lunia Arden』
※ Difficulty: B+
※ Reward:
– Even Distribution of 40 points
– Aura Rank Increase { Lower Medium } -> { Medium }
– 600 Increase in Aura Capacity
– You have acquired ❰Domain Comprehension❱
****
『I’m Lunia Arden.』[]
The first time I met her was even before Marie’s incident. I remember being quite flustered because it was a lot earlier than the original scenario.
In the game, Lunia would join the party if Alicia died so both Park Sihu and I weren’t that confused by Lunia joining the party. However, there was something we didn’t know and it was something Park Sihu, who had killed Alicia, definitely wouldn’t have expected –
『I couldn’t find the guy who killed my sister.』
– The reason why she joined the party.
Lunia looked for Alicia’s murderer the whole time but until the very end, she couldn’t find the killer because Park Sihu was the real killer all along.
We fought together for a long time but Lunia never gave up.
In the third year after Alicia’s death, I had the chance to talk to her who was still looking for the killer.
『I thought you didn’t like your sister.』
『I didn’t. She was lazy, never serious, and only knew how to cling on and be a bother. But…』
『…』
『Who else will avenge that child if not me? The father who neglected her after giving his seed away? The mother who blames the child for the sense of betrayal she feels for her husband? Or the swordsmen of the family who have no respect for her?』
She lamented. By looking for the disappeared demon-slaying sword, she waited for Alicia’s killer to reveal their traces.
『I’m the only one. There is no-one else who can relieve that child’s grief.』
The illegitimate daughter of the family learned the way of the sword because of her immature admiration towards her sister.
By first learning the sword and cutting a person, she realized the dreadfulness of swords. After being named as a successor candidate that she didn’t even want to become and ending up antagonizing the older sister of her admiration, what would Alicia have thought?
That must be why she decided to give up.
Deciding to be lazy, she started straying away from the path of swords in order to relieve her older sister and her subordinates.
Telling them that she wasn’t her enemy.
And Lunia was also aware of that.
『I… thought you didn’t like your sister. There were plenty of reasons for you to dislike her as well.』
『If there is a reason for me to hate that child… then that won’t be because of something useless like succession.』
『What is it then?』
『I had been pursuing grandfather’s sword the whole time. At one point, I gave up on the Domain and yet the realm of my aspiration appeared right before my eyes.』
Seeing that ideal talent choosing to become lazy was an unbearable sight… was what Lunia confessed.
These sisters probably had a very complicated relationship that we weren’t aware of, because the game did not reveal the trivial past of NPCs and their irrelevant relationships.
“Did I… do well?”
Inside the hospital room, Alicia let out a soft mutter while sitting on the bed.
“You did.”
I assured her that she did a good job but in response, she gave a small pout with sulky eyes.
“How can you be so sure? Now, I will probably become an official successor candidate of the Arden family and Sister Lunia and her followers will start pressuring me. The Arden family is full of scary people, you know?”
She was probably right. The second coming of the legend was not important to the members of the family because they were more concerned about their own interests and profit.
Alicia, the illegitimate child of the family head, who had no-one’s support, becoming the next leader of the family was something they wouldn’t be very happy with.
“It’s up to you whether you fight or not.”
“…How would I not fight?”
“Well, you can just leave the family.”
“…!!”
Alicia widened her eyes into circles as if she hadn’t thought of that, but returned to being sulky after a while.
“I don’t want to. If I do that… My connection with Sister will be completely gone.”
“No. It won’t. Your connection with Lunia Arden will stay even if you die.”
“How can you be so sure of that?”
Because I saw it –
I saw the sorrow of that one person which was triggered from your death lasting all the way until my final breath,
And I saw the only person who felt remorse for your death, persistently chasing after the traces of your killer.
“The thing called siblings is very strange. Sometimes, you fight as if you want to kill each other and at other times you’re even closer than your parents.”
『It’s my time to use the computer!!』
『Fuck off. Or I’ll bash you up.』
『Mom! He’s not letting me use the computer!』
『You fucking dog!』
The memories of that time were becoming faint over time, but I still remembered how my older brother reacted when I returned home after being bashed up by the bullies of the town.
『Who the fuck hit my brother!』
Isn’t that how siblings are usually like?
“You might feel a sense of distance and you might feel awkward, but a blood tie is not something that disappears that easily.”
Even though it may become a memory of the past, I still remembered my brother, and he probably remembered me as well. In fact, he could even still be looking for me.
“Do you also have a sibling?”
“……I have an annoying younger sister.”
I had become way too used to this world. The younger brother who used to have the computer taken away, who used to be bashed up yet protected at times, was now the older brother of an annoying kid who constantly whined for expensive candies.
“We’ll be siblings no matter what happens.”
I already acknowledged the memories and emotions left behind by Korin Lork. And from that point on, I stopped worrying about my sense of identity.
“You are a really strange person, Mr. Korin.”
“Hnn?”
“Aren’t you the same age as me? Why do you act like an adult all the time?”
It was because I lived at least 14 years more than you did. I was at least 30, and if I added Korin’s memories on top of that, you could say I was almost in my 50s.
“Do I sound old?”
“Yes! Like a veteran soldier who went through all sorts of hardships? I can kind of feel that from you!”
How sharp.
While fixing the bandage around her head that was starting to fall loose, Alicia said with a bashful smile.
“Thank you.”
“About what?”
“About what happened this time and back in the forest.”
Mhmm?
“It was you who saved me in the forest, right, Mr. Korin?”
How did she notice that? I wasn’t planning on telling her though…
“How did you know?”
“Umm, first is that your voice is similar, and second is your belt. Boys don’t really… change their belts too much right?”
“Hmm…”
She was right. I never worried about it before but I couldn’t really remember changing my belt that much. In fact, I used to use this cheap belt back in the previous iteration as well.
“And I became certain just then thanks to your honest reply,” Alicia added.
“……Who are you?”
“Ehh?”
“There’s no way Alicia could be this smart…”
“…Hmph.”
She pursed her lips before asking a question.
“Is there anything you want from me, Mr. Korin?”
“Yeah.”
“That was quick…”
What; were you expecting me to say, ‘No’?
“Yes, of course! I know I am in great debt to you Mr. Korin! Y, you can tell me anything you want!”
“Anything is okay?”
“…Except for the demon-slaying sword.”
“Why; do you think it’s too expensive?”
“No. Grandpa is the legal owner of the item so the tax…”
Apparently there was a 20% tax when reassigning the owner of the item. The official price of the demon-slaying sword was… over 20 white gold coins if I remember correctly. That meant the tax alone was at least 400,000 dollars.
“Seriously, the things you talk about and stuff… You are a very realistically poor person, aren’t you?”
“…Unlike Sister, I didn’t receive any property from the family either.”
“Anyway, of course I’m not gonna ask for your help when it comes to money or connections.”
“I might be able to help you a little bit though?”
“I doubt it.”
She pouted her lips again, perhaps from thinking that she was being looked down on. I really wanted to slap those lips with a straw or something.
“Let’s become friends.”
“……Is that all?”
Becoming friends with True Alicia, the greatest counter to bosses, who can use Domain Severance with ease?
It was a huge bargain for me no matter how I saw it.
“Why? Do you not want to become friends with me?”
“Ahht! O, of course not! Friend! Friend, huh! It’s my first time having a boy friend but I think that sounds good! I, I mean, a male friend!”
“Yes yes.”
Alicia reached her hand out with her cheeks tinged in a shade of red due to excitement. Thinking that she was asking for a handshake, I grabbed onto her hand and gave her a smile.
“Let’s get along well, buddy.”
“Mhmm…! I’m also glad to have a reliable friend like Mr. Korin!”
It was an innocent smile that was far from bad intentions and ulterior motives. This girl would probably now have a better future ahead of her unlike the last iteration just like Marie.
Let there be punishment to the evil and a brighter future for the good.
And let children have a better set of choices for them.
“I… am scared of fighting,” said Alicia.
“I know.”
“But I smile for some reason during a fight.”
“I saw that too.”
“So… I avoided fighting all the time. Because it didn’t feel like me… and I was also scared of fighting against Sister. I wasn’t as serious as other people, and I was always looking for an easy way out.”
“Everyone does that.”
Alicia, who had constantly been pressed down by the environment and her own talents, shared her honest agony and concerns that were normal for girls of her age to have.
Both Marie and Alicia… and even Hua Ran were just young girls.
As we age and as we go through a set of small misfortunes and incidents, we start to build experience.
I didn’t have to think of an amazing reply. The advice that could help these young kids who had just hit their puberty didn’t have to be that grandiose.
As someone who was born a bit earlier than them, it should be fine for me to cheer them up a bit.
“Don’t think of this as something too difficult. I just helped you with the catalyst.”
“Catalyst?”
“You see, when I was young, I got beat up by the bullies of the town one day.”
“You did?”
Her eyes widened into circles as if she couldn’t believe my words.
It was more than 10 years ago. I was pulled by some smoking high schoolers into the back alleyway. It was very commonplace and was something that could happen to anyone.
『Dude, you got some cash?』
They stole my money after that. It was back when I was in middle school, and it was an embarrassing event in the past which still embarrassed me whenever I reflected on it.
“I tried to stop them from taking my money as they ganged up on me, so I had to take a few days off from school.”
“…Was it very painful?”
“Just a bunch of kids so of course it didn’t hurt that much. It was painful not because I got bashed up, but because I didn’t even raise a fist to fight back.”
“…”
I took a few days off of school not because it was painful, but because it was embarrassing. I did nothing wrong and it wasn’t me who was in the wrong, but I was still very embarrassed for being unable to be proud during that moment.
“Alicia. You’re a lot stronger than someone like me who used to be a powerless kid back then. I want you to become someone who can be proud of themselves all the time.”
Alicia Arden’s greatest weakness was her confidence which had plummeted into the ground. As long as she had the catalyst to reveal her talents without holding them back…
Then there would be nothing in this world that Alicia Arden could not cut.
****
A beast frantic for the sword was living inside Alicia’s heart.
She knew that this too was a part of her.
However, she spent her entire life denying that part of her which was possessed by the sword like a fiend.
Until now, she had never made the swordsman living inside her heart content. She wanted to satisfy its desires. Her honest senses wanted her to wreak havoc by swinging the sword to her heart’s content.
But she was scared.
Could I really make use of this talent? What about Sister? What about the people from the household? Will they let me be? Will they bless me, and cheer for my success?
Alicia knew how that couldn’t be any further from the truth.
That was why she made herself content with small things for self-satisfaction. By fighting against nothing but low-graded demonic beasts, she enjoyed the campus life and wanted the Academy to revere her while being unaware of how much of a coward she was.
Playing around like a hero, she wanted self-satisfaction without going through pain.
Like what cowards tended to do.
By looking for prey weaker than themselves, they pretend to be tough and cool in safe places and dump whatever is dangerous onto others.
At one point, Alicia began to think to herself that this was her limit, and that what she had was already more than enough.
Even she herself started to believe that and yet…
『You can do it. You can do a lot better than what you’re doing right now.』
A boy cheered for her.
A peer whom she hadn’t even known for that long showered her with blind trust.
We hadn’t even known each other for that long, so why did he believe I was more gifted than my sister even after seeing her?
The girl, Alicia, was still unsure about the answer to that question.
Born as an illegitimate child that was constantly compared and disregarded, who always thought to herself ‘this is enough’ and stopped herself from growing from the past, Alicia wasn’t used to unconditional trust and support.
Her blood-related father, step-mother, and countless senior brothers and senior sisters – because Alicia Arden had never heard of anything remotely close to ‘You can do it’ from any of them, she…
“…He’s like an uncle.”
The reason she didn’t say ‘dad’, was because her perception of her blood-related father couldn’t be considered positive by any means.
The most positive image of an adult that she could think of was an uncle whom she had never even seen in her entire life.
If I had an uncle; an adult who always cheered for me like that, how would it feel?
『Alicia. You’re a lot stronger than someone like me who used to be a powerless kid back then. I want you to become someone who can be proud of themselves all the time』
“Hehe…”
She grinned with a wide smile that seemed slightly foolish at a glance.
The only person that was close to her – her older sister – wasn’t the type of person to say such warm words to her, so she couldn’t help but flush her cheeks and feel restless after hearing such heart-warming words from an adult for the first time in her life.
Without her noticing the nature of the emotion that was making her heart thump and jolt, her teenage life began to unravel.
〚Korin Lork (Hero)〛
Class: {Knight}
Personality: { Justice }, { Kind }
Talent: { Spear Specialization }
Aura Rank: { Medium (5,530) }
Mana Rank: { Low (2,870) }
Specialities: { Regeneration of the Tenacious Warrior, Pain Tolerance, Domain Comprehension }
〚Stats〛
Strength: 59 -> 67
Agility: 58 -> 66
Vitality: 60 -> 68
Aura: 56 -> 64
Mana: 56 -> 64
【Regeneration of the Tenacious Warrior】 – When your HP falls below a certain level during a fight, your HP Regeneration speed will increase tremendously. 【Pain Tolerance】
– Gain tolerance against attacks deemed lower than [Grade 4]. Significantly lowers the chance of having a stat debuff from poison or contamination.
– Gain increased tolerance against the same attacks.
【Domain Comprehension】
– Increases the chance of entering the Domain.
– Increases the user’s comprehension of the Domain with every entry.