Ensuring Trust

The Markhat Mountains are located on the western border of the Ardterion Empire. In the game, the surrounding towns were already leveled by the time the protagonist visited them, so it's unclear when exactly these towns were destroyed. Edward is a side character whose background is barely detailed in the game. His inheritance rights were revoked, so Edward is not closely connected to Vallois.

Because his background is unclear, Edward's family is also not detailed. Moreover, I was not an enthusiastic gamer who delved deeply into a character's background. I don't even know if Edward's background as a character is written on the website. Therefore, there are no clues in my memory because I simply don't know.

"Hey? Edward?" Yolina asked, breaking my reverie.

I looked at Yolina and didn't answer immediately. After a moment, I said, "Do you have to always stay in Koasel Creek?"

"If you mean having it as my main base, yes, that's true. But I don't have to always be in Koasel Creek. I can take missions from there and go anywhere as long as I don't stray far from the Western Pletra Province. Also, if the main issues there are resolved within six months, I can go elsewhere or return to the academy," Yolina explained.

"The threat level in that area?" I asked.

Yolina thought for a moment, then took the cup of ice cream and spoon from the tray. She opened the ice cream cup.

"According to the documents, it's rated C. The monsters there are mostly at threat level D, some at level C, and fewer at level B. At least the documents don't list any level A monsters," Yolina answered while scooping her ice cream.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Yolina asked.

I leaned back, furrowed my brow, and sighed deeply. Clearly, the documents didn't show accurate data if they aligned with the game's events. In the game, none of Edward's relatives appeared even after his death. Since Edward died contracted to a demon, the family probably severed ties with him. But for Edward's mother Eilif and sister Yolina, who still cared about Edward, they should have appeared to investigate Edward and his demon contract. Yet, they never did.

'Did Yolina die during heroism practice? And regarding the family's recommendation, is it really a coincidence, or was it planned?' I thought deeply.

"I've heard rumors that the area around the Markhat Mountains has become increasingly dangerous recently. Be careful when you're there," I said after pondering for a moment.

Yolina, still sitting in the same position, said, "Are you saying that the documents sent by the family aren't the latest information? Where did you hear this rumor?"

"I'm not saying that. Just be more careful. And as for where I got the rumor, I have my sources," I replied flatly.

Yolina stared at me for a long time and said, "Well, it's okay to be more cautious."

Even if I didn't say it, I was sure Yolina would remain cautious and vigilant about her surroundings. She is a competent hero candidate. But I couldn't help but worry about why the family recommended placing her around Markhat. If I didn't know the future information from the game, I probably wouldn't be so concerned.

"Was the recommendation document signed directly by the patriarch?" I asked.

Yolina shrugged and shook her head, answering, "How would I know? It was approved by our father, that's all I know."

"Do you have the document now? Can I see it?" I asked.

Yolina didn't answer. Instead, she showed an annoyed expression, as if saying, "Can't you see I'm tired today?" But she still got up and went to her room. Shortly after, she brought a copy of the recommendation document to me and sat down again in the most comfortable position possible. She then continued eating her ice cream.

As I read it, the document began with the Vallois family requesting to recommend their daughter to the designated place to fulfill the local adventurer guild's request. It continued with Yolina's merits as a plus point. There was the patriarch's signature and the family seal. Nothing special.

"No additional documents?" I asked.

"No. That's it," Yolina replied flatly.

"May I take this with me?" I asked again, holding up the document in my hand.

Yolina stared at me for a long time with her annoyed expression returning.

"Whatever. I have another copy," she replied.

I nodded and put the document in my bag. Since it was a copy, I folded it.

"So, did you come here just to ask about this?" Yolina asked, still in the same sitting position.

'Oh, I almost forgot. I'm not here just for that,' I thought.

I nearly forgot my purpose for coming here. Of course, I wanted to visit Yolina before she left for her heroism practice. But my main purpose here was something else.

"Of course not. But before that, when are you leaving?" I asked.

"Probably next week at the earliest," Yolina replied.

"I want to tell you something about my suicide," I said.

When I said that, Yolina froze. She stopped eating her ice cream. Then she looked at me seriously. She immediately put her ice cream cup on the table and changed her sitting position. After that, she activated a soundproofing spell.

'Her attitude changed. She still cares about Edward, judging by her reaction now,' I thought.

"Did you find something?" Yolina asked seriously.

"Not yet, but I suspect someone," I replied flatly.

"Who is it?" Yolina asked.

"You know Mia, right? My maid. According to Alfred, her behavior has been a little different lately. And after we talked, we agreed to put Mia on the list of suspects to be watched," I explained.

Yolina wasn't surprised or anything. I guess she thought suspecting the closest people was a reasonable decision. After all, Mia and I only had a master-servant relationship. Considering how I treated Mia before, it would be very reasonable for her to hold a grudge.

"Mia, huh? She's a sweet and kind girl. It's a shame if she really wants to kill you. But I guess it's reasonable to suspect those closest to you," Yolina replied.

I looked at Yolina with a flat and slightly melancholic expression.

Yolina is my older sister. And in my eyes, she is someone who cares about Edward no matter how trashy he is. That was also proven by her actions when she scolded and beat me when she visited my dorm unit.

But I am someone else now. I am not the real Edward. Although I am tied by blood with her and may have an emotional bond due to Edward's childhood memories, I am still a stranger residing in her brother's body.

"Sis, I want to apologize," I said.

Yolina, who was serious, slightly softened her expression when she heard me.

"What is it?" Yolina asked.

"I want to say something, but I hope you won't be angry, disappointed, or anything," I said.

"Just say it, it's okay," Yolina replied.

I looked at Yolina for a long time. My eyes met hers. At that moment, Edward's childhood emotions and memories leaked out. I took a deep breath. I ignored those emotions. After all, I am not Edward.

"I trust you. But I also need assurance that you truly have no ill intentions towards me," I said with a stable tone.

Yolina remained silent for a few moments and didn't answer. Her expression didn't change. There was no trace of anger, disappointment, or sadness. She just stared at me with a flat look.

The room became quiet. No one spoke.

After a while, Yolina smiled. Her smile was bright and sweet.

"You had me worried. Turns out it's just that," Yolina became more relaxed. It was visible from her sitting position, leaning back on the sofa comfortably.

Then she got up and approached me. Her right hand reached out.

I looked at her hand and then asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making sure if you can trust me or not," Yolina replied with a thin smile.

I looked at her in wonder.

"You're not doing a magic contract?" I asked.

Now it was Yolina's turn to look confused.

"I would if I could," she replied.

"Wait, you can't do it?" I asked, slightly surprised.

"What are you talking about? I can't," Yolina replied with a confused look.

"Isn't a magic contract not requiring mana to cast? You just need to have a body and soul?" I asked.

Yolina's face clearly showed she was thinking, 'What is this kid talking about?' She then sighed and her expression looked like she was advising me.

"Of course, that's true. But you need to have complete knowledge. You must be able to control the mana outside your body so the contract can appear. And to control mana outside the body, it's easier if you have high mana and mana control."

"And if you don't have mana or if your mana quantity and quality are low, you must be able to control the mana flow outside the body using soul power. A magic contract is sacred. So it's not that easy to cast."

"However, even though it's sacred, it's not impossible to break a magic contract. To break a magic contract, you must have high soul power and high mana control too. And finding such people is very difficult. Didn't you know that?" Yolina explained at length.

My eyelids twitched when I heard Yolina's explanation.

'Is my information wrong? What I know from the game is like that, although it wasn't detailed. The activation conditions are too ideal, indeed. If it were that easy, this world would be peaceful. Even though I used to be a strong mercenary. Damn, did I become dull because I focused too much on wanting to retire?' I thought with frustration, still maintaining a calm facade.

"You didn't know that?" Yolina asked after seeing me silent for quite some time.

"Haha, I knew, but...well, there was some misinformation," I answered, averting my gaze and turning slightly to the left.

'Damn, I'm so embarrassed by myself,' I thought.