A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"What a hassle." Xiao You pouted, her face full of disgust.

"That's why I said Black Iron species..." Xiao You originally wanted to subconsciously complain about the weakness of lower species, but she swallowed the words back.

Damn it, there's that dead fish eye next door, so I can't say anything out of line.

"What were you trying to say?" Bree looked at Xiao You strangely, who had seemed hesitant to speak.

"Hmph, it's nothing." Xiao You snorted coldly and turned her face away.

“Look, he’s gone in.” Naruko nudged Bray in the waist with her elbow.

Bray stared blankly at the red-haired elf with his right eye, completely lacking any enthusiasm.

Levy, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic.

"Meow~" Fireball yawned, not understanding why its little master was interested in strange things.

I feel like this is a lot like those dead fish eyes.

This is terrible. I hope the little owner will be able to behave better in the future.

Thinking about this now, Fireball began to lick its fur in a melancholy mood.

---

Latis had no idea that he was surrounded not only by people, but also by two people, two lions, and a dragon.

He thought he had sneaked in unnoticed, and was therefore somewhat smug.

Latis glanced at the magic crystal in his hand and sighed imperceptibly.

He is not a sorcerer, so there is no possibility that he could cast spells.

The reason why the sound of movement can be eliminated is due to the magic crystal with patterns.

Latis uses all sorts of methods, all relying on magic crystals, a special skill he possesses as a craftsman.

However, magic crystals are never cheap.

You should know that a magic crystal the size of a fist is enough for the track car to travel once.

Therefore, Latis spent a lot of money on this journey.

"Is it useless now?" Latis put the dimmed magic crystal into his pocket.

He stepped lightly across the balcony, trying to make his movements as graceful as possible.

"Tap." A very faint footstep sounded, startling Latis.

It's all because it was too quiet the whole way.

He stood frozen in place for a long time before taking the next step.

Latis glanced around the room, then froze.

Once a man's gaze falls on a young girl, he can't look away.

A red-haired girl was napping at her desk, which was littered with her manuscripts.

Some of the manuscripts were even pushed to the ground.

The girl's breathing was steady, and she was not awakened by Latis's arrival.

Her bangs covered part of the girl's face, but even so, Latis was certain that the girl was his sister, Tigia.

That short red hair, those long ears, and those features...

She looked so much like her mother. It's kind of funny, but it took Latis over a decade to find his sister.

Latis used to think that people who had been searching for their relatives for decades were foolish.

Looking at himself now, isn't he one of them too?

He was one of those ridiculous people, and the one who had once secretly mocked them now made Latis feel ashamed.

Only when you actually start searching will you realize how time-consuming it is.

Only then will people realize how short their time is.

What seems like a long time will pass in the blink of an eye.

If you count them week by week, before you know it, year after year has passed.

From a baby whose hair hadn't even fully grown in to the age where I have to shave my beard, time really flies.

“Tygia,” Latis blurted out his sister’s name.

Upon hearing her name, Tigia frowned slightly, as if she were about to wake up.

Upon seeing this, Latis immediately shut his mouth.

Latis imagined many scenarios of what it would be like if he met his sister.

There might be arguments, there might be long talks...

But he never imagined that he would meet his sister while she was fast asleep.

Latis never imagined that his first reaction upon seeing Tiggia would be—he wouldn't dare wake her.

At this moment, he didn't even dare to breathe.

Latis helped Tiggia pick up the manuscript from the ground and neatly place it on the table.

He then stood beside the red-haired girl.

Latis's expression was grave; he was unsure of what to do next.

He had originally planned to tell his sister the whole truth after seeing her.

Latis wanted to show her the true face of Badbusch, to let her know that Eors was just a puppet.

But when he actually stood there and saw his sister's sleeping face, he didn't want to tell Tiggia anything anymore.

If I tell Tiggia so much, will I ruin this girl's life...?

Latis was also unsure of this.

In Tiggia's mind, Budbush was probably a kind father figure.

Despite being a despicable and cruel man, he was regarded by Tiggia as a kind father.

At this thought, an uncontrollable rage rose in Latis's heart.

How can someone like that still live in this world? Latis clenched his fists tightly, his frustration finding no outlet.

Even so, he still didn't want to tell Tiggia everything.

Even if you tell Tigia, she probably won't believe you.

Even if she believed it, it would only add to Tiggia's sorrow.

Latis covered his face, caught in a painful decision... Choosing is indeed very difficult.

"Hmm...who is it..." Tigia was slightly awakened by Latis's rather loud movements.

Tiggia opened her sleepy eyes and asked in a soft voice.

She had just woken up and was still in a daze.

"..." Latis paused for a moment, then looked down at Tiggia.

Upon looking up, his eyes met those of Tiggia.

Time seemed to freeze around them, and both of them paused for a moment, even their breathing stopped simultaneously.

When Tiggia saw the people in the room, her first reaction wasn't fear, but surprise.

She was surprised that the red-haired elf man who came into her view looked so much like herself.

Although outsiders would say that the two are very different.

However, Tiggia was able to keenly perceive that the other person had many things in common with her.

"Who are you?" Tigia climbed up from the table and noticed the neatly arranged manuscripts on it.

Latis pondered for a long time.

"I am your brother... Latis." After a long pause, Latis finally uttered that hilarious line.

That's true, it's really funny to inexplicably claim to be someone else's brother.

However, for some reason, Latis felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart the moment he said those words.

He feels incredibly relaxed now.

"Brother?" Tiggia was clearly taken aback when she heard Latis's words.

It would be rather strange if she could accept it instantly if the other person suddenly said something like that.

"Never mind... just pretend I didn't say that." Latis shook his head, took a few steps back, and prepared to leave.

When he actually faced his sister, he found that he couldn't say anything.

There are so many things I want to say, but now they're all bottled up inside me.

Latis quietly retreated to the balcony, and only then did Tigia realize that the other party wanted to leave.

"Wait a minute, what's with you saying you're my brother?"

"Thump~" Tigia quickly turned forward, but she tripped over something on the ground after taking a few steps.

"How clumsy..." Latis was worried about what his clumsy sister would do in the future.

Latis instinctively wanted to help her up, but he held back.

He sighed, intending to jump, but just then, the door to the room was pushed open.

Latis immediately became alert. Could it be Bud Bush who opened the door?

"Tygia, I love this song of yours so much~" A cheerful voice came from behind the door, and Eors walked into the room with a look of excitement on his face, carrying a lot of manuscripts written by Tygia.

"..." But as soon as Aeolus entered, he saw Latis.

"..." After seeing Eors's appearance, Latis fell silent.

Sure enough, Eors really was that puppet.

Eors's appearance overlapped with my childhood memories; she was exactly the same beautiful.

The difference is that the girl in front of me is full of life, rather than a cold doll.

“Brother…brother…” Aiors stared blankly, and the words slipped out.

Then both Tiggia and Latis were stunned.

After saying that, Eors realized he had said something strange.

But that last sentence was almost instinctive for Aeolus after seeing Latis.

Without even thinking, he blurted out the word "brother".

While she was still lying in bed, unable to move or speak...

She vaguely heard someone say that she had parents and a brother.

Unfortunately, Eorth only has fragments of memories left behind and does not know who his parents are or who his brother is.

All Eorz knew was that he had these relatives.

Her clear memories are only of what happened after she was adopted by Bud Bush.

However, for some reason, Eors had a strange intuition that told her that the unfamiliar young man in front of her was her brother.

Upon hearing Aiolos's words, Latis frowned, filled with doubt.

Being called "brother" by a doll just feels a bit off.

Was it Bud Bush who arranged for her to say that?

He simply didn't have the time to think things through or ask any more questions. Staying any longer wouldn't be good; Latis didn't want to run into Budbusch at all.

"Goodbye..." Latis gave the two girls a deep look before jumping off the balcony. "Hey, don't run away!" Tigia scrambled to her feet and ran to the balcony after seeing Latis jump.

When she looked down, Latis had already disappeared around the corner.

"They run way too fast," Tigia sighed.

"Tygia...who was that person just now?" Eors asked, placing his hand on his chest and lowering his eyelids.