-710- The completely different sisters

"Patter... pitter-patter..."

This is the sound of stones rolling in the pitch-black underground.

Here, there's no light, and nothing else but the echoing sounds, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

And in this place, where a heap of rubble buried the location, a cloak suddenly rose, pushing away the rubble that had covered it, causing a loud and continuous sound of rolling stones.

"Whoo..."

Not long after, a relieved sigh came from within the cloak.

"Well, everything should be fine now." The one saying these words was naturally Rozen.

You could see Rozen emerging from the dark cloak, turning it back into a coat, which he wore.

And in Rozen's arms, there were two young girls.

Yes.

Two.

Although initially Rozen had been holding Charl alone, in the middle of it, he discovered that another girl recklessly ran into the battlefield and got swept into the collapse, falling to the underground along with them.

In such a situation, Rozen naturally couldn't just stand by, so he used his power to bring the girl over, holding her in his arms as well, both protected by the coat transformed from Kinu.

And now, the two young girls in Rozen's arms were both in a deep slumber, closing their eyes tightly, looking as if they had fainted.

However...

"What in the world is going on here?" As Rozen looked at the two girls in his arms, his expression seemed somewhat uncertain.

Upon closer inspection, the two young girls lying in Rozen's arms had astonishingly similar appearances.

Rozen shifted his gaze to the girl other than Charl.

This girl had an extremely similar appearance to Charl, from her facial features down to her hairstyle. She was wearing the school's female uniform and, just like Charl, had a beret on her head. Their body shapes were also strikingly similar, making them appear like twin sisters.

However, Rozen could clearly tell which of the two was which, not because he could see people's auras and distinguish between Charl and the stranger but because of a crucial difference between the two girls.

The difference lay in the color of their hair. Charl had shiny golden hair, while the other girl had chestnut-colored hair, and her beret almost covered her eyes, giving her a somewhat homely appearance.

This homely feeling created a considerable gap in charm between the two girls, despite their strikingly similar appearances.

Rozen believed that if he were to walk with these two girls on the street together, people would undoubtedly gaze at Charl in awe and admiration, almost ignoring the other girl.

If this girl was indeed Charl's sister, this situation would be undeniably harsh. After all, having such a sibling by your side for comparison would undoubtedly lead to feelings of disappointment and differential treatment, which anyone could easily understand.

Of course, this wasn't the main issue.

The main issue was...

"I've heard that Charlotte Belew has a sister, but I had no idea she was here at the academy," Rozen furrowed his brow.

Charl had always been alone at this academy, feared by others and without a single friend, a fact known to the entire academy.

In this situation, combined with Charl's status and reputation at the academy, if her sister were here, it would have been widely known long ago.

Not to mention...

"Weren't Charl's father, mother, and sister all missing after the Belew family's downfall?"

In that case, how did this sister suddenly appear here?

"Could it be..."

A certain possibility flashed through Rozen's mind.

"Mm..."

"Ugh..."

At that moment, both the young girls in Rozen's arms seemed to have synchronized, simultaneously groaning as they slowly woke up.

Both of them opened their eyes together, first looking around in confusion and then fixing their gaze on Rozen, who was holding them.

"Good morning."

Rozen said with a wry smile.

"You... you you you you you...!?"

It was only at this moment that Charl first reacted, noticing that she was in Rozen's arms, and her cheeks instantly turned red.

However, before Charl could make any moves, the other girl went berserk.

"Ahhhhhh!"

As if she had been touched by a terrifying presence, the girl fiercely struggled in Rozen's arms.

"NOOOOO! A man! Yahhhhhh!"

The girl screamed in panic while struggling violently.

Caught off guard, Rozen was pushed away by her, rolling to the side along with Charl.

The girl, on the other hand, jumped up directly, instinctively trying to run. However, due to the pitch-black surroundings and her inability to see the path, she stumbled over a stone and let out a painful groan.

This made Charl jump up.

"Henri!"

Calling out to the other girl, Charl hurried over and helped Henri up.

"Are you okay, Henri?"

Charl asked Henri with extreme tension in her voice.

Seeing Charl, Henri seemed to calm down as if she had just found her pillar of support. Although her face was filled with timidity and unease, in stark contrast to Charl's usual strong and proud demeanor, she hugged Charl tightly as if she had found her only sanctuary.

"Onee-sama...!"

Henri addressed Charl this way.

"Henri!"

Charl immediately embraced Henri tightly, as if she had let out a sigh of relief and shed tears of joy. Two girls who looked remarkably similar but had vastly different personalities hugged each other tightly, not willing to let go of each other as if they were each other's only emotional support.

Seeing this, Rozen finally confirmed.

Henriette Belew.

That was the name of the girl.

She was Charl's biological younger sister, the second daughter of the Belew family, which had fallen into decline. After the Belew family's downfall, the current Earl Belew went to France in search of a livelihood and subsequently disappeared. Charl's mother also went missing, leaving only Charl as the last member of the noble family.

Her nickname seemed to be Henri, and, like Charl, she appeared to be a student at this academy.

The issue was...

"I've never even heard about this."

Rozen spoke confidently.

"Shouldn't you explain it to me then?"

Rozen suggested this way.

Upon hearing this, the two sisters who were hugging each other realized that it wasn't just them present and quickly turned to Rozen.

However, there was a difference in their reactions. Charl protected Henri behind her, looking at Rozen with a very cautious and vigilant expression.

Henri, on the other hand, without much thought, hid directly behind Charl and only stuck her head out, her eyes filled with timidity and fear.

The contrasting behavior of the two girls vividly demonstrated their distinct personalities.

"This has nothing to do with you."

Charl said this in a cold and guarded manner.

Unfortunately...

"How can it have nothing to do with me?"

Rozen directly asked.

"Because of your sister, you were manipulated into appearing at the Night Party and becoming my opponent, right?"

With these words, Charl's expression froze, and even Henri, who was behind her, held her breath.

It was a confirmation that hit the mark.