Joshua Juukulius’s Careful Encyclopedia (Tanpenshuu 11)

Translated by: Garcar, Ringo

Proofread by: Eliman7

1

――In the past year and few months, there had been a few particular things that Joshua Juukulius had thought.
They were things like how Mimi and her brothers would almost always come running to his room together whenever he would take food into his hand.

Joshua: [When I touch food, does it cause my room to light up or something?]

Mimi: [Joshua, why’re you saying such strange things all of a sudden? Did you hit your head?]

In response to Joshua’s suspicions, Mimi tilted her head, her mouth stuffed with little sweets.

Watching as her younger brother, Tivey, gladly and gallantly wiped it for her, Joshua shook his head with a “No”.

Joshua: […I ended up asking something silly. Please forget it.]

Mimi: [Oh, really? In that case, no worries~!]

Forcing a smile at Mimi’s open-hearted answer, Joshua massaged his brow in self-derision. As he did so, a voice called  “Are you okay-okay?”

Tivey: [If you’re perhaps tired, I can talk to the Miss about giving you a break.]

Joshua: [――. Thank you for worrying about me, Tivey. But, I am alright.]

Tivey: [You mustn’t over do things, yes? In the end, it’ll just lead to your overall efficiency falling-falling.]

As Tivey peered at him, the big eye behind his monocle glistened to remind him.

As the youngest of three siblings, and as one who dearly loved reading, Tivey was someone with whom he had constructed an affable friendship; they were fellow younger brothers to elder brothers. Joshua’s own monocle was a representation of the feelings of fellowship and respect he felt towards him, and they were matching articles.

Joshua: [――――]

Adjusting the position of that monocle, Joshua glanced at the ceiling and sighed. The cause of his sigh was not Mimi’s pillaging of his afternoon snack, but rather the overwhelming feeling that had come over him recently.

As a member of the Anastasia Camp in the Royal Selection, Joshua’s days had been busy.

He felt fulfilled by the work being entrusted to him, but the problem was this next job―― the fact that Tivey was worried about him was likely because that gloom was far too apparent through his face and demeanor.

After all, the next job Joshua was appointed to was――,

Joshua: [――Acting as an emissary to one in the same position of Royal Candidate, Emilia-sama. Giving me such an important duty, Anastasia-sama is also quite ill-natured.]

Indeed, as he rubbed his stomach that was gripped by pain, Joshua muttered with a deathly pale countenance.

――Due to the tragedy that befell the Royal Family, the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica persisted in the perilous absence of a monarch.

Currently, the Kingdom was in the middle of a Royal Selection to decide on the next Monarch, and amidst the five candidates gathered, the house of Joshua’s birth, House Juukulius, had declared their endorsement of the Great Merchant from the neighboring Kararagi City-States, Anastasia Hoshin.

For generations, House Juukulius had produced many a Knight in service to the Kingdom. Amidst the household, opinions were divided regarding the endorsement of the Great Merchant from another nation who had established herself as an extraordinary success among her generation. Originally, House Juukulius would have taken a more conservative stance. It was because the choice was in direct opposition to that.

However, Anastasia decided to face those opposing views head on, and standing as her one and only Knight, was of course the Finest Knight, Julius Juukulius.

As a result, now that a year had passed, no longer remained there any who voiced doubt upon Anastasia’s capability as a Royal Candidate. Anastasia and Julius, lord and retainer, had magnificently forced surrender upon the enemies blocking their path to the extent of their resourcefulness and track records, thereby winning support.

As the younger brother of that esteemed Julius, Joshua endeavored to live in a way as to not shame him, and also thought that he gradually had come to win a bit of trust from Anastasia.

After all, this next job was unmistakably proof of that trust, and thus ought to have fired him up, but――,

Joshua: [Even if I am being entrusted with such an important task, can I really say that I had wanted to work my way up and gather experience in a more sequential manner… no, that’s just an excuse. As it is, I will not be able to show my face to Nii-sama or Anastasia-sama…!]

Mimi: [Haa, you seem to be going round n’ round again, Joshua! Don’t you get tired of always thinking that way? Mimi thinks that’s really~ weird!]

Joshua: [Ugh, even though Mimi and I are being entrusted with the same job, this difference is… OW OW!]

With Mimi violently bashing his back as she laughed, Joshua fell into low spirits with tears in his eyes.

For the duty of emissary entrusted to him, Mimi would accompany him as a guard. In a sense, even though the jobs they were entrusted with were the same, Mimi was calm and collected without being under any feeling of oppression.

Hetaro: [Joshua-san, please take good care of big sis. Tivey and me can’t go along with her, so we’ll be counting on you, Joshua-san.]

Joshua: [Counting on me? Um, is it not the other way around? After all, Mimi is my guard… Hetaro and Tivey, you each are also going to deliver official letters to Royal Candidates, correct?]

Unlike how Joshua was being given a guard, the two of them, capable of defending themselves, were each going to fulfill their duty as emissaries on their own. Duties were divided between them so that Hetaro would be going to visit the Valkyrie, Dutchess Crusch Karsten, and Tivey to Felt, the one known as the second coming of the Golden Lion.

Joshua: [But, unlike you two, I’m going together with Mimi…]

Hetaro: [Well, that’s because it was super duper worrisome to let big sis go out as an emissary alone…]

Tivey: [For the Miss’s sake as well, it is vital that we ensure the written invitation is properly delivered. If we left big sis to the task by herself, concern would start even from the point of not forgetting to bring the letter in the first place-place.]

Getting Hetaro and Tivey’s back to back opinions, Joshua looked at Mimi with an “Ah”. Meeting his gaze, Mimi made her eyes big and round as she went “Mhmhmhm~?”,

Mimi: [Something wrong, Joshua? If it’s about your share of the treats, we’re all out!]

Joshua: […I have come to understand this a little better. I suppose I am a chaperone, truly.]

As Mimi puffed her chest out and raised two fingers, her two little brothers on Joshua’s left and right gave him pats of encouragement on his shoulders while he gained a better awareness of his role. He accepted that consideration, however, for a different reason from earlier, Joshua was at his wit’s end from the source of his unchanged sense of being overwhelmed.

That was――,

Joshua: [While I am chaperoning Mimi, we had to be in charge of the half-elf Emilia-sama, of all people…]

Hetaro: [Um, are you perhaps not very good with half-elves, Joshua-san?]

Joshua: [Rather than not being good around them, are they not terrifying!? After all, not only is she a half-elf, I have heard that she possesses all the same traits as the Witch of Envy, you know?]

At Hetaro’s unmalicious query, Joshua preached the common proclivity.

The legend of the Witch of Envy was a primordial fear for every single person living in this world. For a person whose ancestry and characteristics embody that, just imagining it was enough to make one’s blood freeze over.

Mimi: [Nghhh, Joshua you scaredy cat! Honestly, Mimi thinks that Onee-san isn’t scary at all! If anything, I think she’s kind? But scary? Or frightening? Or dangerous?]

Joshua: [Ah, Mimi and the rest of you are acquainted… In that case, Tivey, Hetaro, what do you make of her?]

A year prior, the Iron Fang, to which Mimi and the other two belonged, participated in both the fights against the White Whale and the Witch Cult, and there they had likely come into contact with Emilia and her people.

Dissuading the addition of Mimi’s opinion, Joshua asked thus to the two brothers, and as they exchanged glances,

Tivey: [Unfortunately, we did not come into contact with Emilia-sama as part of the operation. We did once see her from afar at the ceremony, but… there was no impression of anything frightening-frightening.]

Hetaro: [Same for me. Ah, but, I kinda get it if we’re talking about Emilia-sama’s Knight.]

Joshua: [Emilia-sama’s Knight… the one with all those strange rumors about him.]

Hetaro raised a hand up as he spoke, leaving Joshua with a bitter face.

The reason why Joshua felt uneasy at his upcoming visit to the Emilia Camp, stemmed from the pressure of being entrusted with a great duty, and Emilia, who was said to share features with the Witch of Envy. And finally, there was the presence of her enigmatic Knight.

Going by the stories he had heard, this Knight seemed to be an interloper in the event of greatest importance to the Kingdom, the Royal Selection, and without any family standing or supporters, it was utterly incomprehensible how he had gotten into the position he was now in.

But, whenever one searched for information on the Emilia Camp, this black-haired Knight of unknown origin would invariably come up.

Joshua: [He even successfully contributed to the subjugation of the White Whale and a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult… to be honest, if I had not heard it directly from Nii-sama, I would have never believed it.]

Tivey: [To be precise, you still doubted it a bit even when Julius told you, didn’t you?]

Joshua: [Is that not only natural!? Are you aware of the rumors? He participated in the subjugation of the White Whale and Sloth, and while it is unconfirmed, he might have also subdued the Great Rabbit; after becoming the Knight of a Royal Candidate despite his unknown origins, he’s always seen being accompanied by a little girl? Is he not the very personification of a bad dream!?]

As a result, he was an exceedingly mysterious figure who had come to be known as the “Lolimancer”. Emilia too, keeping that incomprehensible individual as her one and only Knight, was thereby difficult to understand and frightening.

Outside of that as well, the dreadful rumors surrounding the Emilia Camp were never ending.

Joshua: [To begin with, the Margrave Mathers endorsing Emilia-sama is widely known as a cheat and a hypocrite. He is even referred to as the “Demi-Human Lover”, and there are rumors that he keeps many demi-human maids dressed in lascivious outfits at his mansion… said to excessively misappropriate so much momentous magical research for himself, he is the problem child of the court!]

Two of the key players under his command were a savage, fiendish half-beast, and a blood-thirsty internal affairs officer. These two also seemed quite like suspicious knaves, the former had a blank history when looked into through Anastasia’s information network, but the latter seemed to be notorious as a wanted man within his own hometown for many years now.

There were plentiful circumstances surrounding terrifying ghost stories, such as: at the location of the mansion, there seemed to be several tens of girls with the same face entering and exiting simultaneously, or, it seemed that everyday there were fumes rising up from the kitchen that smelled like steamed tatoes.

Joshua: [Truly an ominous boundary beyond the human world… Once again, I wonder why Anastasia-sama would send me there as a messenger. Could it be that I was being rude unknowingly, and now to make an example out of me…?]

Hetaro: [No matter how you look at it, that might just be way too pessimistic…]

Joshua: [I mean! Is there any other logical conclusion? Uwaa, uwaaaa, what am I to do? It would be best for me to inquire to Anastasia-sama directly, would it not!? Perhaps it was some sort of slipup!]

Tivey: [But, if it wasn’t a mistake, this might be the Miss trying to silence you from leaking her secrets.]

Hetaro: [Even for you, Tivey, going that far is…]

Joshua went deathly pale, unable to hear Tivey’s voice as he apologized “That was a joke-joke”. Feeling like he had gotten caught up in a grand conspiracy, Joshua tottered towards the door.

Mimi: [Oh? Joshua, what’s wrong? Wee-wee? Are you going to go wee-wee?]

Sprawled on the bed with her belly bulging out, Mimi looked up to Joshua with an upside down view and posed him a question. At her question, Joshua slowly shook his head, and clenched his fist.

Joshua: [M-my heart cannot bear to take on this important role whilst feeling like this. I am scared, but, I am scared, but…! I am going to go hear Anastasia-sama’s true intentions…!]

Mimi: [You going to the Miss? Tell her that Mimi wants meat for dinner!]

Joshua: [Once you deliver the letter to the Witch of Envy and the Lolimancer, you can have meat!]

With most of the information in his head getting tangled up, Joshua hastened to exit the room. Seeing Joshua, beaten down by that overwhelming feeling, the remaining triplets exchanged glances.

Then, after breathing a sigh, Hetaro poked Tivey’s forehead, and,

Hetaro: [Tivey, It’s not okay to tease him so much. After all, Joshua-san is really earnest.]

Tivey: [My apologies. But, I kind of understand how the Miss is feeling, y’know-y’know?]

As an older brother should, Hetaro admonished his younger brother, to which Tivey slightly lowered his eyebrows. And from behind, those two were hugged at their shoulders by Mimi with all her body, and then she spoke thus.

Mimi: [Really, it’s tough being an Onee-chan or an Onii-chan. Must be hard for Julius too, no?]

2

Joshua: [Hence, I wish to inquire about your true intentions, Anastasia-sama. Depending on that, I may lack the ability to carry out this duty…]

Anastasia: [Golly, quite the serious fella ya are, Joshua.]

Still in the same mindset from his exchange with Mimi and the others a moment prior, Joshua visited Anastasia’s office with a meek expression, and was met by the gentle girl’s wry smile.

Joshua’s thoughts, having plummeted further and further into a worse condition whilst thinking this and that, caused Anastasia to cease her hands from her work, and as she placed one to her forehead,

Anastasia: [Even without worryin’ ‘bout all that, Emilia-san’s place ain’t nearly anythin’ that scary. Emilia-san’s a given, but Natsuki-kun certainly won’t pick ya up and eat’cha either.]

Joshua: [But, the Margrave and his two primary subordinates, the ghost stories about the kitchen fumes…]

Anastasia: [Hmm, I was meanin’ well ‘n tryna help ya out, but it seems ya might’ve listened to a few too many rumours and gotten yer eyes all cloudy. This here’s my fault.]

Narrowing her pale turquoise eyes, Anastasia reflected.

That reflection of hers was regarding how the accuracy of the information from the intelligence network she had strewn up was of varying degrees, and how Joshua’s assistance with it had led to an increase of puzzling elements.

For Anastasia, who was a merchant of Kararagi rather than being of Lugunican birth, swift and accurate decisions would be required to stay on top of the Royal Selection, so it was preferable to have a large amount of evidence to make said decisions. For that purpose, it was important to keep the intelligence network organized, and she had grown confident in Joshua’s ability to assist with that.

Joshua: [But, for the time I spent on the waterfront of information, I fell into a dilemma of drowning in the lake of information…]

Anastasia: [Mm, gotcha. My intent wasn’t to torment ya, Joshua, so maybe I’ll rethink the whole messenger thing.]

Joshua: […I am terribly sorry.]

Anastasia: [Ain’t a big issue, really. ――But, ya mind if I just try one thing out here at the end?]

With a single eye closed, Anastasia smiled mischievously. When Joshua widened his eyes with an “Eh?” at that smile, a knock came from outside the door of the office.

Receiving Anastasia’s brief comment, the one who showed their face at the door was――,

???: [Anastasia-sama, you called for me? Just now, I have received tidings from Ia, but…]

Joshua: [N-Nii-sama?]

Politely bowing, the person who showed their face was indeed Julius Juukulius―― the one to whom Joshua bore never ending love and respect, the existence of the Finest, was his absolutely flawless elder brother.

Julius: [Were you speaking with Joshua? Was there something you wished to ask me?]

Anastasia: [Yepyep, exactly. Tell ya the truth, this wouldn’t end up goin’ anywhere without ya here, Julius.]

Perceiving Joshua, Julius enquired as to why Anastasia had called him there. Then, with her mischievous smile intact, Anastasia poked at Joshua with a “Right?”.

Faced with Anastasia’s mischief, Joshua was about to falter, but――,

Anastasia: [Ya see, we were discussin’ entrusting Joshua to go as a messenger to Emilia-san’s place, yeah? We wouldn’t want there to be any impoliteness for that occasion, so we wanted to ask yer opinion.]

Julius: [I see. Henceforth, you have summoned me here.]

As Anastasia’s explanation broke it down for him, Julius nodded in understanding. Then, Julius directed his serene, yellow eyes towards Joshua,

Julius: [That is the correct prudence. No matter the rumors, the real Emilia-sama is of a personality that does not overlap with the public notions conceived of her before the Royal Selection began. Indeed, it would be disrespectful to cross paths with her bearing such a perception.]

Joshua: [――. I suppose… that is correct. Your consultation… is very… encouraging.]

Commended by the smiling Julius, Joshua felt that the image of himself that Anastasia had told him about was somewhat correct, and he felt a sensation as if the dark clouds had cleared from his mind.

Emilia, who he had feared most, had received such a high evaluation from Julius. There was no need to weigh the dubious rumors against Julius on a balance to know which to believe.

At a glance, Anastasia nodded in satisfaction as if to say things had gone exactly as she had planned. As expected, since Julius had discovered her, his insight was outstanding――,

Julius: [Ah, in addition, if you are going to visit Emilia-sama, it would do you well to be wary of her Knight. He is… well. He is an inscrutable personage upon first meeting. However, he possesses extraordinary willpower and decisiveness, and most importantly, he bears an astonishing loyalty towards Emilia-sama.]

Joshua: […Nii-sama?]

Julius: [Hm. Besides, he is a Spiritual Arts User. Given that he was conferred decorations at the ceremony, and has now gained the title of Knight, I suppose he could be called a Spirit Knight, as I am. Though for reasons beside that, he is a person worth taking note of――]

Having just had his doubts cleared up thanks to his elder brother, Joshua frowned quizzically at that brother’s following words.

Eloquently articulated from Julius’s lips was the second highest priority for caution following the most feared Emilia, the Lolimancer―― sharing the achievement of Sloth’s subjugation alongside his elder brother, what an accursed Knight.

To begin with, Julius was sparing with his praise unto others. That was an unmistakable virtue of his, and that humanity was one of the reasons he was known as the Finest.

However, that was precisely why there was no end to the individuals trying to impose on that virtue――.

Julius: [――Joshua?]

Joshua: [Nii-sama, thank you for your kind attention. Thanks to you, I have understood who it is I ought to be careful of. ――Anastasia-sama, I shall be able to perform the duty of emissary.]

Anastasia: [Mm-hmm. I’m countin’ on ya, so do yer best, won’t ya?]

Joshua: [Yes, leave it to me! I will assuredly return with good tidings!]

Firmly placing his hand over his chest, Joshua left the room with his eyes sparkling and his breathing heavy.

Seeing Joshua, hurriedly departing with a sense of duty strewn upon his face, off from behind, Julius turned back around to Anastasia, left alone with her in the room.

Resting her chin in her hands atop her work desk, Anastasia smiled in a truly pleasant manner.

Julius: [So then, has my brother enacted any discourtesy?]

Anastasia: [Hmmm? Nothin’ of the sort. Really now, Joshua’s quite the cute kid.]

Julius: [Far greater of a younger brother than I deserve. Time and again, I am always being saved by him.]

Bereft of flattery or modesty, Julius spoke thus of his relationship with Joshua.

In truth, that was the case. Joshua’s presence and gaze was always straightening Julius’s back. And that was not all. That was precisely why, even now, Julius could be as he was――,

Anastasia: [――Y’all ain’t really siblings, right? To be so close despite that is quite the big deal. ]

Julius: [Indeed. ――Far greater of a younger brother than I deserve, and quite the big deal at that.]

――While Julius and Anastasia conversed, Joshua’s steps through the hallway were restless.

The unease and tension he had felt before visiting the office, in this moment, became a thing of the past. He had finally understood why Anastasia had entrusted him to be in charge of neither the Crusch Camp nor the Felt Camp, but the Emilia Camp.

Joshua: [I must go to firmly ascertain Nii-sama’s enemy…!]

This heavy responsibility certainly could not be entrusted to Tivey or the others. ――The heavy responsibility of defending the name of the Finest Knight, was entrusted to Joshua Juukulius.

After all, that was――,

Joshua: [――The one and only thing I am able to do for Nii-sama, and for House Juukulius.]

Ceasing his step, Joshua suddenly glanced towards the window of the hallway, and narrowed his yellow eyes. Unconsciously, he reached out his hand and touched the window, but the tips of his fingers never reached the scenery that laid beyond.

Among the garden trees swaying in the wind, the tree that bore bright red appas plunged Joshua’s consciousness into a memory of the past―― to a time he would never forget, a time utmost accursed within Joshua.

3

――The scenery outside the window always appeared as a dream his hands could never reach.

House Juukulius was an ancient and honorable lineage, having produced generations of Knights for the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica.

Through various scenes that the history of the Kingdom of Lugunica had marched through, the men of Juukulius followed as Knights, silently supporting the nation’s state of existence.

Their nature was unakin to the likes of Sword Saint or Sword Demon, brilliantly flourishing in the limelight through the turning points of Lugunican history. But, just as how a king with no subjects had a warped view of reality, in the shadows of the achievements of heroes and legends there existed the efforts of many a Knight of no renown.

Likewise, House Juukulius was naught more than a single lineage contributing to those many Knights. Those who pledged allegiance to the Kingdom existed as part of a function to produce more gears to keep the Kingdom running.

So, he had never thought to question the way that his house was.

As stated previously, that was something requisite. In the shadows of the tales of heroes and legends, there needed to exist the stories of ordinary people not of such stature. It was a matter of everything resulting from the right person being in the right place, and the allocation of roles.

To put it in a different way, leading actors and minor roles―― he thought that in reality, there was not a very large difference between those positions,

There was only one problem――,

???: [――Khofghh…]

For no reason at all, the deepest depths of his coughing body creaked, and he understood that what he was feeling was pain.

Unable to contain the urge to cough for a while, he coughed many, many times whilst harboring the pain. Once it finally settled, a cold sweat drenched his body, and his breathing grew rough.

It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just one of the senseless fits that would befall him ten times in a day.

It was no disease. If it was a fit, a cough intendant on fighting against something gnawing at this body, then even if it was a hundred or a thousand times a day instead of ten, he would at least have a feeling of intercepting an oncoming hardship.

But, that was not the case. Only, he was hopelessly weak, and fragile.

???: […Khofghh.]

Thus, the reality of this “weakness”, heavier than aught else in this world, was an unatonable sin.

In House Juukulius, which had produced generations of Knights, the eldest son was born too frail to grasp a sword, sinful to the point of regretting his own birth.

???: […Khofghh.]

Ergo, Joshua Juukulius had been entwined with sin from birth, born into this world a malefactor.

4

???: [――Starting from today, Julius will be living here together with our family. He was originally your cousin but, from here on out he will be your elder brother.]

Indeed, what his father had brought together as head of the household, was his first meeting with his “elder brother”.

That day, Joshua’s condition was miraculously decent, and he could sit for dinner with his family for the first time in a while, but the identity of the unfamiliar boy who would be alongside them would be a question answered by their initial introduction.

As Joshua was bewildered by the sudden affair, his father continued whilst gesturing to his “elder brother”.

Father: [Julius is the son of my younger brother, but the other day, he lost his parents in an accident. Therefore, this house has taken him into custody, but… Joshua, is there anything you would like to ask?]

Joshua: [Anything, I would like to ask?]

Father: [Indeed. Julius is three years your elder… if we raise him under the custody of this household, he will adopt the position of being your elder brother. ――In that case, your own position and circumstances will be altered in no small way.]

“In no small way”, Joshua thought the phrasing was very characteristic of his father.

For a moment, the emotion that flashed through his father’s yellow eyes, were likely something like feelings of guilt that he could not suppress. And, Joshua was perfectly aware of the sin that served as its genesis.

By birth, Joshua’s weak constitution had caused trouble for many people, starting with his parents. Any such child would naturally learn how to read an adult’s complexion.

That was the case for Joshua. Hence, he was able to surmise his father’s true thoughts―― while apologetic to Joshua, he prioritized a sense to fulfill the duty of House Juukulius, feeling the turmoil between his two positions of father and Knight.

In the first place, Joshua bore no right to object to the decision that arose from his father’s deliberations.

If his father truly felt guilt from his deliberations and inner turmoil, there was no need to harbor it. If only he had been born with a decent body from the outset, no such needless discord would have arisen here.

With that being the case, Joshua thought of himself as needless discord incarnate, and derided himself.

Joshua: [It is alright, Father. If that is what you have decided, Father, I will abide.]

Hiding his self derision behind a smile he had naturally become proficient at displaying, Joshua chose to nod as a reasonable child to put his father at ease.

Hearing Joshua’s response, the ends of his father’s eyebrows lowered in relief. To despair, to reproach his father as one who could not even see through to the true feelings of his own child, would be barking up the wrong tree.

That was the extent to which Joshua had perfected his demeanor of hiding the truth of his feelings.

That was why――,

Father: [――Julius, introduce yourself.]

Julius: [Y-yes, Father.]

Encouraged by his father, his “elder brother” nervously stepped forward. As if to prove his lineage as a Juukulius, the hue of his hair and eyes was identical to that of Joshua and his father.

With those gentle features and a nervous air about him, the boy bowed in a respectful gesture, and,

Julius: [As of today I’ll be living as a member of the head household, I’m Julius Juukulius. It’ll be weird calling myself your older brother even though I came here later, but… it’s a pleasure to meet you.]

Uttering the words he had likely practiced many times over for this without hesitation, the boy―― Julius, reached out his hand.

Joshua: [I am Joshua Juukulius. It is I who should be saying that it is my pleasure to meet you.]

As Julius sought a handshake, Joshua politely attempted to fulfill the duty without flaw.

This was his first meeting with somebody he would surely go on to have a long relationship with. For better or for worse, so as to not hinder him from familiarizing himself with House Juukulius, he endeavored to take on an amiable demeanor bereft of personality.

So that unlike before, the sinner known as himself would not senselessly hold back the legs of others.

That was what he had thought, and yet――,

Joshua: [――Eh?]

The moment they shook hands, Joshua blinked his eyes as he bore witness to an unthinkable sight.

Right after taking his hand, Julius had kneeled down before Joshua. Then, down on one knee on the dining room floor, he softly placed his lips upon the back of Joshua’s hand.

――That was a kind of formality that a Knight would perform whilst facing a lady.

Julius: [For the many years to come, I’ll be in your care.]

With that, as Julius said that whilst down on a single knee, his ears flushed red from the deed he had yet to be accustomed to.

His voice had trembled, and his eyes had been darting about, but his expression alone was a Knight’s face, through and through.

At that reality, Joshua gulped, and――,

Father: [――Pffft, haha! Phwahahahahahaha! Julius, that is for when a Knight greets a lady. It’s not the right one to use with Joshua… pfft, ahahahahahahaha!]

Julius: [Eh… ah… eh… d-did I get it wrong!?]

His blunder pointed out, Julius, having thought he had accomplished it, was tempestuously discomposed.

And as his father pointed it out, he held his sides with the loudest laughter Joshua had ever heard from him. There were other retainers and servants present in the dining hall, and none of them could help but laugh at the scene.

Having won the laughter of his surroundings, Julius only became ever more flustered,

Julius: [P-please don’t laugh! Even though I messed up, I tried to do my best…]

Father: [Ahh, we know, we know. Well, it is fine as long as you learn your courtesies from here on. As long as you are willing to learn, that will be enough.]

Julius frantically tried to explain himself, and his father answered while wiping the tears that had emerged in the corners of his eyes. Becoming increasingly disheartened by his father’s reaction, Julius suddenly turned to Joshua.

It seemed as though he was surely about to apologize due to embarrassing Joshua by getting him caught up in his own blunder. However――,

Julius: [A-are you alright?]

Joshua: […Eh?]

Julius: [I mean, you’re crying… are you hurt somewhere?]

Meeting Julius’s worried gaze, Joshua was at a loss for what to say. But, Julius reached out his hand to Joshua’s cheek, and touching it with his fingers, he spoke, “See”,

Julius: [――Tears.]

At the tip of Julius’s small finger, it was certain that a droplet of water had been wavering.

Joshua: [――Fh… Khhh…]

The next moment, his emotions ruptured easily to an extent that even he himself could not believe.

That was the muddy torrent of unknown emotions that he had not realized were being held back by an embankment.

Unable to do anything about the vigor of that as it all came bursting out, miserable tears overflowed wretchedly.

Julius: [Wah, wa-wah! Uwah-, Father! What should we do!?]

Father: [J-Joshua, what’s the matter!? If something is wrong then say so, what’s the matter!?]

As Joshua suddenly burst into tears, Julius and his father began to panic.

At the unusual behavior of his son who until now had not been difficult to deal with outside of his physical constitution, his father, as well as the other adults, were all discomposed as they gathered all their efforts to stop Joshua’s tears.

――Ultimately, it ended up taking a while for Joshua to stop crying, and the feast meant to celebrate his first meeting with his “elder brother”, was left as a memory of everybody eating a cold meal.

5

――The scenery outside the window always appeared as a dream his hands could never reach.

???: [I wonder, will my condition be fine today?]

With shallow, short breaths, Joshua muttered with his hand over his own chest.

Every morning, it was important for him to ascertain that sensation to determine how well he would be able to move. If one did not discern that, humans were creatures easily prone to error.

All the more so in Joshua’s case, since the degree of that error was directly relevant to his own life.

He exhaled a faint “Fuuu…”, however, Joshua would not overly rely on his self-diagnosis.

After all, in the past few days, Joshua’s physical condition had reached an extremity of violent fluctuation. Immediately after being assailed by feverish nightmares, he was suddenly in the best condition he had been all year, greatly troubling the members of the household. His intention had not been to impose on his surroundings, so he had wanted to remain on either of the two sides.

As for which of the two sides he ought to lean towards, his mind was in a state of indecision, and that indecision ended up being reflected in the state of his own body, so he thought.

Joshua: [――――]

Lying on his bed with his eyes closed, what reached Joshua’s ears was a sound from outside the window he had yet to grow accustomed to―― at some point in these few days, he had learned that it was the sound of wooden swords trading blows.

Slowly taking his time as he got out of bed, Joshua pulled open the shades and narrowed his eyes at the beams of sunlight, ascertaining the scenery outside the window; there were two figures clashing in the mansion’s courtyard.

One of the two figures was the current head of House Juukulius, Joshua’s father, clad in well tailored garments and with a wooden sword in hand, he stood leisurely with such leeway that he had yet to even draw sweat. Facing him, with a white shirt dirtied by sweat and dust after having shed his tunic was Julius, breathing heavily as he clutched his wooden sword with both hands.

――Julius Juukulius’s special training regiment had commenced the very next morning after their introduction.

Every morning, Julius would receive direct tutelage from his father like that, making it routine for Joshua to hear the clashing of wooden swords in the early morning from his bed.

This morning was no exception, with a do-or-die spirit writ upon his face, Julius resolutely brandished the wooden sword――,

Julius: [――Hk.]

Father: [Do not lose focus. Your concentration is yet lacking, Julius.]

The tip of his father’s wooden sword sprang up elegantly, disarming the weapon from Julius’s hand. Then, the fluttering blade was fastened to Julius’s neck, and holding his breath, Julius dejectedly hung his head saying, “I-it is my defeat”.

The voice admitting defeat oozed with frustration, and his father suddenly smiled,

Father: [It takes a great man to feel frustration over a loss against myself. I may look like this, but I too am a Knight of the kingdom. My blade has been honed for the sake of protecting the Kingdom, you shall not catch it lagging behind so easily.]

Julius: [That’s…! That’s, I understand. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating. If I didn’t feel frustration upon losing, then that wouldn’t be me anymore.]

Father: [――. I suppose you have inherited that strength of will from your father. Indeed, you are much like him.]

Hearing Julius’s words, his father held a distant gaze for but a moment. Julius was taken aback by the gaze that seemed to long for someone, and then his father shook his head with a “No”.

Father: [By admitting your inability to defeat an opponent whom you well and truly cannot beat, you may waver in your meaning for holding the sword… I too have had to answer to these words. I wonder when it was that even my frustration faded.]

Julius: [Unc… Father, I’m…]

Father: [It is unavoidable. Well then, go pick up your sword. Get changed, and then it is time to have breakfast.]

Julius: […Yes.]

As his father indicated the end of their early morning training, Julius nodded with a look of incomprehension on his face, and then went to pick up his wooden sword. Then, upon gathering it, he noticed the presence of a spectator watching from the open window.

Joshua’s mouth opened with a brief “Ah” as he exchanged gazes with Julius.

For a moment, Joshua held his tongue at the awkward sensation, and Julius, after blinking several times,

Julius: [Ahh ummm… good morning, Joshua. Did you sleep well last night?]

Joshua understood that this was his elder brother’s best attempt at closing the distance, with it not having been very long since they had become siblings. Hence, as Joshua clutched his pajamas close to his chest, he forged a smile.

Joshua: [Yes, good morning to you. It seems like you have been working hard this morning, Nii-sama.]

As he prayed that no unpleasantness could be heard in that greeting, he wore that artificial smile.

6

Julius: [Originally, I never so much as even thought of anything like becoming a Knight.]

It was after they had finished eating breakfast together in Joshua’s room that Julius began to speak about that.

As long as his days of poor condition continued, Joshua would primarily have his meals in his own room.

The same went for this morning, but this time Julius had brought his own food there, and so they ended up eating together for some unknown reason. ――No, to say it was an unknown reason would be a lie.

Ever since Julius suggested that they eat breakfast together, it had been clear to Joshua that he had wanted to talk about something. Julius’s gaze restlessly glanced at Joshua to hasten him to finish his food, and as soon as they could talk did he begin with those initial words.

But then again, as most could probably imagine, the contents were regarding the special training regiment he was being given.

Joshua’s father―― who was now also Julius’s father, but the head of Juukulius was now absorbed in eagerly training Julius, and his feelings of guilt concerning Joshua had vanished into thin air. Be that as it may, this was the Knightly education his father had been eagerly awaiting to give, so it was no wonder why he was so enthusiastic.

Of course, for Julius, who was actually undergoing that enthusiastic education, it must have been tough. ――But, was it a sin for him to think it a blessing, even if it seemed difficult?

Julius: [I never thought that it would end up being like this. Every day is filled with things I didn’t know.]

Joshua: [――Back when you lived with your family at your old house, what did you spend your time doing, Nii-sama?]

Concealing his own inner thoughts, Joshua provided an outlet for Julius’s woes.

Two siblings, a familial relationship that would go on for a long time, his own position within the family hereafter―― nothing good would come to House Juukulius if he had a bad relationship with Julius.

Joshua had scored his family minus points at the very moment of his birth. He could not afford to incur any further losses.

At Joshua’s innocuous question, Julius titled his head saying, “House?”,

Julius: [At my house, I mostly just did things to help out mom and dad. If I wasn’t doing that, I would play with my friends near my house… I had no idea that I had relatives from such a house this big.]

Joshua: […Did your late father tell you anything of House Juukulius?]

Julius: [Nothing at all! That’s why, when Uncle… when my current father came to get me, I was so surprised.]

Julius threw his arms up in an exaggerated gesture, to which Joshua narrowed his yellow eyes.

His father’s younger brother―― Julius’s true father, the person who was his own uncle was somebody Joshua had heard many stories about. An eccentric of House Juukulius who did not become a Knight, immediately getting married to a town’s woman after his elder brother inherited the family headship, and started life like that without relying on his family.

Favoring the town life unthinkable for one born a Juukulius, he was a person who had abandoned the path of the Knight and chosen to live a modest and common life. It was not as though he was shunned, but he had little contact with his relatives.

The reason that that uncle and his wife passed away was due to a deluge from a river that had happened in the town where Julius had been living with his family; the two of them had been swept away by the flash flood whilst rescuing others.

Joshua: [They must have been admirable parents.]

Julius: [――――]

Joshua: [Nii-sama?]

If the cause of their death was saving others, it was the result of their just and virtuous behaviour.

In the end, even if he had drifted away from House Juukulius, his uncle had died in a manner befitting a Knight. That in itself could only be described as irony, but Joshua thought he could honestly respect his uncle and his wife.

Only, having hushed silent at Joshua’s words, Julius bit his lip,

Julius: [Dad and Mom, they weren’t anyone so special. But, everyone keeps telling me that they did something admirable, even Father says so. But…]

At that point, Julius sniveled. And then, with tears in his eyes, he continued.

Julius: [But, even if it wouldn’t have been as admirable, I just wanted them to keep living. Is it strange for me to think that?]

Joshua: [That is…]

That was a question which Joshua could not find an answer to.

He had just thought so a moment prior. His uncle had died as a Knight, even if he had left House Juukulius. To Joshua, that seemed like a happiness greater than no other.

Born to a lineage of Knights, Joshua was a sinner who had lost that qualification from birth.

As a Juukulius, if Joshua could live and die like a Knight, then the only possible method to do so would be one akin to his uncle’s final moments, such was how it seemed――.

Julius: [Mom and Dad both died, then Father brought me here to this house, and you became my little brother, Joshua, all sorts of things have changed all at once… however, I’m still worried.]

Joshua: […What, are you worried about?]

Without realizing, Joshua’s question became stiff, and pointed.

He had a body he could move freely, he had a real father who had died like a Knight, Joshua’s own father was happily providing him with the necessary training to become a Knight, the path that was supposed to have been walked by Joshua Juukulius, would from now on be walked by Julius Juukulius without question from anybody.

Even if not a Knight by birth, his elder brother would struggle onwards until he became a Knight. ――Following the path desired of him, just what did Julius have to be worried about?

Joshua: [――――]

With his head hanging down, Julius did not notice the sharp stare of Joshua’s yellow eyes. Only, forcefully wiping his eyes with his sleeves, as his eyes went red,

Julius: [Just, just what am I supposed to do? Is it really fine for me to just keep doing as Father says? If I do that…]

――Would he become someone capable of repaying his dead mother and father?

As Julius could not find the words beyond the pause, in his place, Joshua comprehended the sentiments that he had wanted to say, that had perplexed him, tormented him, and distressed him.

For a discussion between young, newly-made siblings, this was surely a proposition that was too heavy.

However, at this time, Joshua earnestly deliberated. He pondered. Attempting to give the best response that he could to Julius’s anguish, he fretted earnestly.

Why he was attempting to do such a thing, he knew not. ――Only, he suddenly had a thought.

Julius Juukulius was a person who, as a Knight of House Juukulius, would go on to walk the path originally meant to be tread by Joshua Juukulius.

That was something he could curse. But, at the same time, was it not also possible for him to choose to not curse it?

――Despite having been born into a family of Knights, Joshua would live as a sinner who had failed to become a Knight.

――Despite having been raised as a commoner, Julius would go on to live as a Knight from a family of Knights.

These two lives were deeply intertwined by a complex destiny.

However, was that not precisely why meaning could be discovered therein?

The footsteps of Julius Juukulius would surely tread the unfulfilled path of Joshua Juukulius.

Joshua: [Hero…]

Suddenly, Julius widened his eyes with an “Eh?” at the word Joshua had muttered. As Julius looked at him in surprise, Joshua looked back into his elder brother’s eyes, and smiled.

Neither was it a smile hiding his self-derision, nor was it one to keep up appearance; it was a true, proper smile.

Joshua: [Nii-sama, your parents were admirable people. In that case, if you wish to be worthy of those parents, then Nii-sama must become a hero.]

Julius: [He-row… what’s that?]

He blinked his yellow eyes, however, his question harboring an unconcealable expectation, Julius enquired.

At his elder brother’s gaze, Joshua cast his eyes towards the bookshelf in his room. It contained various books from all sorts of times and places that his father had gathered for Joshua’s sake.

Within those books were Joshua’s aspirations, and the history that would become Julius’s ideals.

Julius: [Books…?]

Joshua: [So many histories, so many stories, so many legends. And in all of them, there are heroes.]

Julius: [I don’t get it… Are you telling me to become someone who would be written about in books?]

Joshua: [That is not the number one objective. But, neither is it a dream. If you become a hero.]

Julius: [So then what’s a hero!?]

Smiling at his elder brother, whose eyes were darting about, eager for the answer, Joshua contemplated.

Quietly, leisurely, he would impart unto him the tales of those heroes.

To his new “elder brother”, in order for Joshua Juukulius to entrust him with his wishes, he would sincerely impart them.

Joshua: [To begin with, who should I teach Nii-sama about first?]

When he thought about that, he got a little, just a little, excited.

Ever since this occasion, Joshua would eagerly await Julius’s visits to his room.

Thus, that was the day upon which the two of them became the Juukulius siblings for certain.

――The path for a Knight of House Juukulius to become a hero, the two brothers would thus walk it together.

7

――The scenery outside the window always appeared as a dream his hands could never reach.

Joshua: [Listen up, Nii-sama. A Juukulius must conduct himself with formality worthy of their name. And so, Nii-sama must go above and beyond that.]

Julius: [Even if you say to go above… what should I specifically do?]

Joshua: [Have I not told you many times already? ――It is to be a hero.]

Asserting so, Joshua shoved the thick book in his hands towards the chest of his elder brother.

Even since the morning of the greatest vow of Joshua’s life, it had become a daily routine for Julius and Joshua to eat their breakfasts together, and discuss various things like this as siblings.

Most of the time, the contents of their discussion was Julius complaining about the strict Knightly education he was undergoing, as well as Joshua’s strict lectures brimming with aspiration on what it meant to be a Juukulius.

Thus, the book he just handed over was also a part of those hopeful lectures.

Julius: [Joshua, it can’t be, this book is…]

Joshua: [Indeed, I have finally gotten my hands on the continuation. “The Legend of Reid Astrea”, depicting the entire life of the first generation Sword Saint, Reid Astrea, this is the sixth book of the fifty total volumes.]

Julius: [Ooh, yes! After he beheaded that blight dragon, I’ve been curious as to what happened next!]

Eyes gleaming at the book at hand, Julius’s high spirits caused Joshua’s lips to curve into a smile.

Concurrent with his father’s Knightly education regiment, the progress of the hero education Joshua was giving to Julius was going smoothly. His elder brother, who had initially not been familiar with even the sound of “hero”, had been completely mesmerized by them after a short while.

To begin with, the honest and straightforward Julius was grounded in training. Just as a brand new blank canvas could be painted on, Julius was getting closer to Joshua’s ideal day by day.

Joshua considered that growth of Julius’s as equal to his own growth, and felt as if the adventures unfolding around Julius were great adventures for himself.

The scenery outside the window that he could absolutely never reach, to make it as if his hand was reaching it――.

Julius: […Hm? What’s the matter, Joshua? You’re making a strange face.]

Suddenly, Julius, who had been immersed in reading the book, looked up. Rather than the contents of the book, it seemed like he had been bothered by Joshua’s gaze as it looked at his own side profile.

In response to Julius’s question, Joshua forced a smile with a “No”,

Joshua: [It is nothing important. Only, I am delighted that Nii-sama has taken such an interest in heroes.]

Julius: [That isn’t thanks to me, but rather because of how incredible the people in these books are.]

Perhaps out of embarrassment, Julius averted his gaze and scratched the tip of his nose. Seeing his elder brother slightly flush red in the face, Joshua sighed, and,

Joshua: [Is it not all too much?]

Julius: [All too much?]

Joshua: [You have sword training with Father, as well as learning many other things, is that not so? On top of all that, you also have study sessions about heroes with me, and recently…]

Julius: [Ah, my Divine Protection? Yeah. I was also surprised by that.]

As if to say it was no big deal, Julius laughed off the matter of his Divine Protection of Gathering Spirits.

It was roughly a month prior that Julius became aware of his Divine Protection―― on a day upon which the siblings had ended up talking until it got dark, Joshua had screamed upon seeing the various faint lights accompanying him as they returned through the garden, and it was discovered that they were actually a gathering of Lesser Spirits.

Julius: [Since a long time ago, I’ve always had a vague feeling that I had somebody by my side, but I had no idea that those were actually Spirits. Thanks to them, I was never lonely.]

Joshua: [Is that so…? But, because of that you now also have more training for your Divine Protection, correct?]

Julius: [Ahh, you were asking if that was all too much? Hm, it’s a bit troublesome, but it’s not too much. For me, I think a little bit of troublesomeness is just right. I feel like I’m suited to doing troublesome things.]

Joshua: [Suited to doing troublesome things… fufu-, what is that supposed to mean, silly?]

Hearing a pride of the sort he had not heard before, Joshua involuntarily chuckled. Seeing his reaction, Julius folded his arms, saying “Ah, you laughed”,

Julius: [Listen, just think about it. It even applies to this book, but aren’t all the heroes always going through troublesome things? They overcome them, and have their names left in history… all of them are experts on troublesome stuff!]

Joshua: [So you mean to say, that being suited to troublesomeness gives you the makings of a hero, Nii-sama?]

Julius: [Exactly! That makes you glad too, doesn’t it Joshua?]

With a cheerful smile, Julius pounded his chest. That attitude made Joshua half-exasperated, and half-hopeful, so he nodded with an “Indeed”.

Regardless if that was truly the case, the fact that Julius was being spurred on by his own perception was more important than anything else. Joshua wanted his elder brother to walk the path of the Knight, the path to become a hero with his chest puffed up in pride, not reluctantly.

In order to grant the dearest wish of Julius Juukulius, and by extension, of Joshua Juukulius, that would surely play a part.

They were both still children. Without rushing, they would steadily progress step by step.

That was the siblings’, Joshua and Julius’s, path as Knights of House Juukulius.

That road, steep and long, they would take their time and walk it together――,

――The moment he laid eyes upon the boy of red-hair, he realized that such an ideal was entirely naive.

Joshua: [――――]

Blazing red hair, and blue eyes that captured a clear azure sky. Treading with a gallant air atop the carpet laid out was a child the same age as Joshua, yet to even turn ten years old.

Ascending to the Royal Castle, and granted an audience with the King to receive his exalted words, it was an important occasion.

Once a child born of the lineages of Knights and nobles serving the Kingdom reached a certain age, they would be brought before His Majesty the King in a ceremony held for them to pledge their allegiance into the future.

On this day, the siblings Joshua and Julius were brought by their father to ascend to the Royal Castle.

Originally it was supposed to be an opportunity to unveil Julius, but wanting to see his elder brother’s big moment, Joshua had begged and pleaded to be taken along.

The King and the old men of the Council of Wise Men, the audience gathered of the people at the center of the Kingdom of Lugunica, Joshua proudly awaited the moment to find out what sort of evaluation they would give to Julius.

That young, naive outlook was shattered without a trace by the mere sight of a “hero” walking.

Joshua, who admired “heroes”, and had aspired to tailor Julius into one, clearly understood.

Unmistakably, that was a “hero”. That was the very definition, of a “hero”.

He might have been a child, but a child was naught more than the form he took. He might have been a human, but a human was naught more than the form he took.

Joshua: [――Ah.]

Chancing upon the intensity of such a “hero”, Joshua felt a violent sense of suffocation, and cast his gaze down. Immediately after looking down, he became curious as to the reaction of Julius beside him, and peered his way.

Joshua thought his elder brother might be experiencing the same level of impact as he was, wondering if his eyes had maybe clouded over――,

Julius: [――That, is the real deal.]

Indeed, as Julius unconsciously vocalized his admiration, none of the selfsame humiliation felt by Joshua tarnished his side profile.

――Humiliation, realizing his own thoughts to be such, Joshua was astonished.

Joshua: [――――]

Humiliation, yes, it was humiliation.

What Joshua experienced upon witnessing the sight of that “hero” was unmistakably humiliation. Today, all of Joshua’s diligent studies up until this very moment were entirely denied by the nature of that “hero”.

The matter of still being a child, the matter of only having just begun learning, all of that was nothing more than excuses, the existence of a “hero” who ought to have had the same amount of time denied him.

Then, Julius, who ought to have received the same impact as Joshua, was watching with eyes gleaming. ――It was just as if he had ended up discovering a different dream, a different ideal, a different path to walk than those belonging to Joshua.

Father: [――Hk, Joshua!]

It was too late by the time they noticed.

Unable to breath, Joshua clutched his chest and collapsed, his father’s arms promptly supporting him. However, Joshua’s consciousness faded away, and his world went black.

His father’s voice, Julius’s voice were both calling out to him, but he could muster no response. ――In truth, he had no proof that Julius had actually been calling out to him.

Perhaps Julius was not even looking at Joshua, and was even now staring at that “hero”.

To be able to say that such was not a possibility, Joshua could not find enough value in his own existence.

Only, if there was anything he could say for certain, there was just one thing. ――The path walked by Julius Juukulius, and the path walked by Joshua Juukulius, were by no means the same.

8

After that, Joshua’s physical condition rapidly declined.

Unable to get out of bed, his days assailed by feverish nightmares continued for a while.

The healers and members of the household all told him to rest well, but he could not rest. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would recall the events in that audience chamber, destroying Joshua’s heart many times over again.

The catalyst, had been the existence of that “hero”.

But, what truly shattered Joshua’s heart was not the nature of that “hero”, but rather――,

???: [――Joshua, how are you feeling?]

Joshua: […Nii-sama.]

Opening the door of the room by a crack, the voice that came in was Julius’s, worried about Joshua. Having received a response, his elder brother sighed, braced his expression, and walked over to him.

So as to not show Julius his weak face, Joshua clawed at his own arms and forged an expression.

Joshua: [Today is, somewhat, I guess… Nii-sama, how are you?]

Julius: [I’m… no, I am progressing favorably. Father also seemed quite surprised that I had changed.]

Whether it was to relieve him, or if it was just his true feelings, Julius’s expression had a certain strength to it.

His elder brother’s demeanor had somewhat settled, clearly distinct to before when his objective had been uncertain, it now appeared as the strong will of one who had firmly decided on the path they were striving towards.

And, the moment in which Julius had determined his path was one in which Joshua had also been present.

And yet, even though they ought to have beheld the same sight, why, for Joshua, was that path――,

Julius: [Joshua, is there anything you would like to do?]

Joshua: […Anything, I would like to do, is it?]

With a neat expression, Joshua regurgitated the question, and Julius nodded as a Knight would.

As that reaction caused his heart to ache, Joshua pondered for a moment, and then glanced outside the window.

Outside the window of his room was the courtyard in which Julius would be instructed in swordsmanship every morning. There was an appa tree growing at the edge of the courtyard―― it was something that had been planted to celebrate Joshua’s birth.

Currently, he could see that the appa tree was bearing fruit of a bright red hue.

Joshua: […Appa.]

Julius: [Hm? Appa… ahh, those appas!?]

Following Joshua’s line of sight, Julius clapped his hands when he noticed the appa tree. Then, Julius forcefully pounded his chest, saying, “Alright, got it”,

Julius: [Leave it to me. After all, this Nii-sama of yours will make you happy!]

Jumping to conclusions, Julius vigorously charged out of the room. To his back, Joshua reached out his hand with an “Ah”. But, it did not reach him.

The hand that had failed to reach him, was not something that Julius even noticed.

Joshua: [What a fool I am.]

In high spirits, with vigor, the back ran off. He had been mistaken to think he was the same as him.

Having gotten the mistaken idea in his head that he could be the same, he was laughable, utterly foolish, stupid, and pitiful.

Swiftly climbing up the distant garden tree, Julius quietly secured the appa.  As if to celebrate the deed performed out of consideration for his younger brother, the radiance of Spirits could be seen surrounding him.

Unable to bear the sight of that, Joshua covered his face with his hands, averting his eyes from the window.

And then, for the first time in a long while, he keenly felt it. ――That he, was a sinner by birth.

Joshua: [――Ah, why is it that I am still alive?]

As soon as he admitted his own sins, his foolishness, Joshua felt his body getting lighter, and laughed.

As the tears besmeared his cheeks, he laughed, laughed, he continued to laugh.

――Ever since then, Joshua had firmly reevaluated his own existence.

He must never get the wrong idea. He must never set his sights too high.

He must never disdain that wonderful elder brother, Julius Juukulius, as being the same as himself.

In place of his inadequate self, all the righteousness, all the magnificence of a Juukulius, would be fulfilled by Julius. Accomplished, by Julius. Proved, by Julius.

It was fine for Joshua Juukulius to be nothing more than a straw mat to be walked over on that path.

9

???: [――――]

Alongside the old, nostalgic memory, Joshua recalled an ache in his heart, and narrowed his eyes.

Having departed Anastasia’s office, Joshua had come to a halt in the hallway, and at the sense of deja vu from the scenery outside the window, he perceived the presence of a red appa similar to back then.

He would not think of that as a bitter memory. He considered the accompaniment of pain as a necessary wound.

Joshua: [Though, it is ironic that ever since that happened, my constitution has stopped breaking down.]

The members of the household joked that it was the effect of the appa that Julius had given him.

In actuality, that day had been a turning point for Joshua’s condition to dramatically improve, and he was no longer assailed by fevers in bed. ――As if his feelings to not get in the way of his elder brother had borne an effect on his body.

And now, Joshua’s way of living ceasing at that alone was nothing he would deem acceptable.

Joshua: [No matter what, I need to be useful to Nii-sama.]

That was the best course of action that Joshua could take as the younger brother of Julius Juukulius. For him, unable to reach the “Finest”, it was the “Best” he could do.

???: [Golly, Joshua, why’re ya standin’ ‘round like a fool ‘n yer face all pale! Not feelin’ well!?]

Then, upon renewing his feelings, a voice boomed so loud that it made the window he was touching shake. When he turned around, there was a large dogman striding towards him with large steps.

Joshua: [Ricardo-san… I am actually surging with energy. Can you not tell by looking at me?]

Ricardo: [Ohh, that so? Couldn’t tell in the slightest! Yer face is way too pale as always!]

Joshua: [Hmm, that is a bit upsetting…]

Upon Ricardo’s words that sounded like an angry shout, Joshua adjusted the position of his dislodged monocle.

In reality, it was the truth that motivation was welling up inside him. Since a long time ago, Joshua’s body would begin to produce energy the moment he decided on something as his objective. There was no doubt that this was of the same pedigree.

Ricardo: [I’d completely thought that ya’d be in a huge panic over bein’ sent over to the elf lady’s place! If ya ain’t down in the dumps, then I can rest assured even with Mimi goin’! Countin’ on ya!]

Joshua: [If it was just a bit prior, I would not have been able to earnestly accept the encouragement, by my current self is alright. Please leave it to me. I will firmly fulfill my role in supervising Mimi.]

Ricardo: [Gotcha, gotcha, that’s darn wonderful! Well, go do yer best without overdoin’ yer best, yeah!?]

With a bit of difficult advice, Ricardo clapped Joshua on the back with his huge palm.

Crying out a “Gyan!”, Joshua’s monocle fell off and tears emerged in his eyes as he stared at Ricardo. As expected, he did not have any energy to resist physical damage, so he burst into a coughing fit.

Joshua: [Ghoghhh, Ricardo-san! If you act like that to everyone, the reputation of our Camp will…!]

Ricardo: [Darn it, happened again! My bad, my bad! Wahahahahaha!]

Joshua: [This is no time to be “wahaha”-ing, truly!]

Ricardo patted his own head casually, prompting Joshua to take a very deep breath.

However, contrary to Joshua’s feelings, Ricardo’s expression was somewhat amused. Joshua glanced back with a “What is it?”, and,

Ricardo: [Nothin’, ain’t nothin’, I was just impressed at how familiar ya’ve become with the lot of us, Joshua.]

Joshua: [That is… well, now that you say it, I suppose that is so.]

Ricardo: [See? That’s the spirit. Even if they’ve got beef with the Miss over at the elf lady’s place, they ain’t gotta have beef with us.]

Joshua: [――――]

Ricardo laughed as he flashed his fangs, and when thinking back on it, even this smile had been something he had been afraid of.

That had also been the case with the triplets of Mimi, Hetaro, and Tivey, and it had even been the case with Anastasia. To begin with, Joshua was not good with the world around him expanding, and many times had he stopped in his tracks.

Only, it was Joshua’s doctrine to have just the right amount of caution so as to ensure prudence, without going too far and ending up with cowardice.

Joshua: [Hence, I will humbly be taking that with a grain of salt.]

Ricardo: [Kah! Now ain’t ya a cheeky one!]

As Ricardo heartily burst into laughter, Joshua did understand his point. But, it was fine.

Led by Julius’s hand, those present in his unexpectedly widened world were Anastasia and the members of the Iron Fang, so Joshua would not think to desire more than that, nor would he wish for it.

――Even if he reached his hand out towards the appa, he would never be able to reach it, such was Joshua’s life.

 

10

――Via such ideas, Joshua Juukulius’s job as an envoy was fulfilled.

There should be no problem in asserting such. In truth, Mimi’s worried-for rampage or the danger of the Emilia Camp per rumours, had not exhibited enough hazard for Joshua to be on guard.

Above all, it was not that there had been no problems.

The run-in with the “Lolimancer” in question had left him with an unanticipatedly queer impression, Mimi recklessly getting entangled with the combat attaché of Emilia camp, many scenes had wracked his nerves.

But, looking at the overall picture, with there having been no obstructions on the way to and fro, and having safely delivered the letter, he could praise himself as having scored perfectly as an envoy.

However, what was delivered to Emilia was only an invitation―― as a member of Anastasia camp, whether it would serve useful to his master and affiliated Julius would come down to what happened thereon.

――A convening of the Royal Candidates, in the Watergate City of Priestella; the success of which would determine that result.

And right now, with the reassured addition of Emilia Camp, the day after confirming the arrival of Crusch Camp and Felt Camp, Joshua had been entrusted with a vital task from Anastasia and was currently away from the inn.

His mission was――,

???: [――So it was very much this letter! Then I would very much be honoured to have been of help!]

Faced with the youth smiling from his heart as he pronounced so, Joshua responded with a “Yes” as he lowered his eyelids in relief.

Joshua: [It was an extremely, exceedingly, invariably important letter. I would not be able to show my face before anyone had I been unable to return with this. You are, um…]

Schult: [Ah! I very much am Schult, Onii-san.]

Joshua: [――Schult-kun. Had you not been there, House Juukulius would have faced an enormous blemish to its name on this day. Thank you for safeguarding the history of my family…!]

Schult: [It is very much my honour!]

Before the bowing Joshua was a youth embarrassed but not fully unwelcoming of the gesture―― Schult. Whilst expressing gratitude to the sheepish boy, Joshua ascertained a sensation on his chest.

In the interior of the coat his hand touched, was a singular letter―― which he had received from a messenger at one of the city’s great entry gates under Anastasia’s instruction.

Unsealed was the letter. Its particulars even Joshua ignorant of, he knew on this day it would bear an important integrand to the assemblage of the Royal Candidates invited to Priestella. Such that one candidate had carried themselves all the way for the purpose of this very letter’s content.

Only this crucial, vital letter could he not lose――,

Schult: [But, when I saw Onii-san speed walking after the letter flitting about in the air, I was very much surprised as well!]

Joshua: [Ugk! I-I apologize for the tremendous inconvenience… for the record, I was not speed walking but sprinting.]

Schult: [Is that very much so! Thanks to Onii-san’s slow scuttle, I’m very much glad I was able to catch up timely! I was very much able to deliver the letter as well!]

Schult with his wide smile bore no ill-will, the cause of his perturb fully being Joshua’s deficit stamina and slow feet, so he resignedly perturbed.

Anyhow, Joshua was rescued from a self-induced failure by Schult thanks to him picking the letter kidnapped by the mischievous gale. He could do anything to repay the favour.

And to Joshua’s subsequent proposal, Schult bashfully covered his eyes,

Schult: [The truth is, very much embarrassingly so, I got lost. Should it pose no problem, I’d very much like if you could find my master with me…!]

Alongside the boy who gave an unprayed opportunity for repaying a favour, Joshua walked.

Coincidentally upon hearing the details, the place Schult strayed away from his master seemed to be in close proximity to the Water Plumage Pavilion where Joshua and everyone else were lodging, relieving him that he could guide him there.

Joshua: [To propose repaying a favour and then being of no assistance, precisely that would make me lose face.]

Schult’s circumstance of being a lost child was capable of eliciting smiles, but this was Priestella, counted among the five great cities of Lugunica. Pathways complicated connected to the waterways spread throughout the city, and with no signboards, it was an artificial labyrinth where grown adults could lose sight of their destination.

Joshua: [The truth is, the city was structured as a trap against hostile, apparently. Therefore, the complicated routes are an arrangement to that end.]

Schult: [Whoa~, Onii-san, you are very much extremely knowledgeable. Where did you learn of such a thing?]

Joshua: [All of it is what I have picked up from books. Not something I learned from personal firsthand experience, none whatsoever.]

Waving one finger, as he recited a part of Priestella’s history, Joshua then expressed a bitter smile. But to his bitter smile, Schult enunciated a “Is that the case?” as he tilted his neck,

Schult: [My master also often reads books. And, often says this. ――True knowledge is to haul substance what is learned from books at the necessary moment.]

Joshua: [――――]

Schult: [Therefore, Onii-san, who properly apprised me of what he studied from books, is an upstanding and cool person is what I think!]

Joshua gulped a single breath before Schult, who clutched his hand to his chest in emphasis.

No superfluous concern or pity towards Joshua lodged in the words of the sincere youth. Schult was merely vocalising the philosophy he had learned and believed in.

And that was something Schult had learned and received from his master.

Joshua: [Schult-kun, you respect that person, do you not?]

Schult: […Yes very much! So much so that the word “respect” is insufficient to convey it! Do you also have someone you respect, Onii-san?]

Joshua: [――. Hehe. I was awaiting that question.]

Schult: [Oh! I am very much glad I was able to live up to expectations!]

Joshua nodded as Schult pleasedly raised both of his arms, subsequently pointing his palm towards the sky. Pulled along in the same direction, Schult raised his face, ahead of his sight the sun.

Of course, peering directly at the sun would scorch the seer’s eyes.

Joshua: [And, for me, my Nii-sama is truly someone of such radiant gleam.]

Schult: [Onii-san’s onii-san is it! He very much seems amazing somehow!]

Joshua: [Precisely! Nii-sama is amazing. He can do anything, and he is endeavouring to be capable of doing everything. His way of being, his stride of life, his will, truly the Finest!]

Schult: [That is very cool! Radiant like the sun… very much like Priscilla-sama!]

Joshua’s mood also ascended as Schult listened on in high spirits.

Yes, Julius was amazing, wonderful. Despite befitting such indefeasible commend, his elder brother’s evaluation of himself was far too low. He wished for him to recognise his own efforts, his devotion more.

Therefore, he must in perpetuity keep saying, you are amazing.

In Joshua’s stead who was a disappointment for an heir, this was the elder brother’s, House Juukulius’s successor’s–,

Schult: [Truly, you love your brother, Onii-san!]

Joshua: [――――]

Schult: [Listening to it, I very much became happy as well! Ugh, I would very much like to meet Onii-san’s onii-san!]

In obedience and innocence had Schult taken his words, to which Joshua blinked a few times and subsequently inhaled, deep.

It was truth that whenever he thought of Julius, ancillary noise he did not wish to listen to conjured within him. However, in response to Schult’s sincere reply, he had a singular thing he could say.

About what Joshua thought of Julius, his upstanding, apogee-willed elder brother.

Joshua: [――. Yes. My Nii-sama is perfect, so once you meet him, Schult-kun, I’m sure you would become incapable of withstanding his charm. You might start wanting to change where you serve.]

Schult: [T-th-th-that very much is not true! I am singularly devoted very much to Priscilla-sama!]

Joshua smiled as Schult bashfully flurried his limbs and exclaimed.

The thought he had of wanting to have him meet his elder brother, was true. Having delightedly listened to the anecdote of his elder brother, he would assuredly immediately get along with Joshua’s elder brother whom he took so much pride in. Finding it heartwarming, just by the anticipation Joshua felt his chest lighten.

Naturally, he must prioritize his work pertaining to the Royal Selection, including delivering the letter, so he must consider Schult’s matter afterwards–,

Joshua: [――――]

It was an instant afterwards that an abrupt sensation of unrest tickled Joshua’s tympanic membrane.

Schult: [――? Huh? What, happened?]

Noticing the same aberration as Joshua, Schult too halted his march and tilted his head.

Ahead of the two who had been heading towards the inn, a commotion proliferating in an avenue of the lively city, feeling its progressive augmentation was drawing imminent to them–,

Joshua: [Schult-kun, please make haste and run.]

Schult: “Onii-san?”

Upon discerning the identity of the uproar, Joshua addressed Schult. To the perplexed youth who rounded his eyes, Schult, Joshua proffered a hand.

What lay present in his hand was the vital letter Joshua bore the responsibility to deliver.

Joshua: [Please take this. Such that your master, delivers it to my Nii-sama.]

Upon Joshua’s voice that allowed neither assent or dissent, Schult accepted the letter with a trembling palm. Joshua then took a further step forward of Schult, and loudly vociferated,

Joshua: [Run!]

Abiding by his voice, Schult dashed in the opposite direction as though strummed. As though pursuing the scurrying young boy, in the same direction a stampeding crowd hurtled.

Whilst crossing against that shrieking crowd, Joshua advanced towards the other side all the more.

And――,

???: [――Gluttonous drinking-! Gluttony-!”

Brutish and violent, resounding a voice oozing with arousal, his short limbs swung and spattered blood onto the avenue.

Leaking a bitter grumble, flicked away were the guards charged with protecting the city. The soldiers, armed with swords, armour and will, however, were minced and diced like scraps of paper in atrocious cruelty.

The one to execute this, was a lump of black agilely crawling like a worm. ――Not a clod of mud or shadows, but a being with hair grown long enough to veneer his short frame, abetting notice of the maleficent glint in his wicked glare.

???: [Haha~! That won’t do, won’tdowon’tdo, completely won’t do-! Even though there’s so many people, doesn’t alleviate our starvation at all-! If it’s like this, we won’t be fulfilled-!”

Tenaciously expressing so, the proprietor of the ominous glint lorded over his surroundings. Colliding with his line of sight, was a crouched and cowering woman delayed in her escape, shouting “Hk”. Seeming as though her legs were incapable of harbouring strength, towards the shrunken lady, slowly and steadily, footsteps drew closer.

???: [Judging from looks, Onee-san seems to be more the type to be Roy’s responsibility, isn’t i~t. But, there’s also the possibility of perchance being a delicacy, for the sake of trying let’s just try and see~.]

???: [P, lease… please! Please, forgive m… ~hk.]

???: [――Nope.]

The plea of the tearful woman resolved for death, the short frame, whilst exhibiting his sharp fangs, blasphemed upon.

His slender hand slowly reaching on, lethal weapons that had turned the soldiers into piles of blood, and the woman in identical manner, would afterwards be ended. ――Right on its verge.

Joshua: […That is, not beautiful.]

???: [E~h?]

One eyebrow raised, the blasphemer of life leaked an utterance doused in keen interest. His evaluating gaze, towards Joshua, who had broken into the space between him and the lady.

Of course, merely wedging his body in between, he could never obstruct the blasphemer’s intent of hazard. Henceforth, Joshua borrowed the sword of one of the collapsed soldiers, and repelled the opponent by charging at him with a blade.

Joshua: [Even if you can only manage crawling, please run. While I, have his attention at me.]

???: [――~Hk, I’m so sorry!]

Positioning his feet forward, Joshua faced off against the blasphemer, and the woman understood to leave that behind to run and escape.

He received an apology, but that was fine. He wanted her to run. Should the blasphemer attempt to obstruct her escape, he would――,

???: [A~h, it’s unneede~d, that concern. That kind of prey seeming to be so sticky compared to that flavour, it’s not worthy of being placed on our platter either you see~. Rather than that, it’s you, yo~u.]

Joshua: [What about, me?]

???: “Feels mellow and rich. We love, people like Onii-san who have various emotions like condiments or spices abou~ndingly mixed in. Gonna start drooli~ng.”

In the eye of the blasphemer sticking his tongue out and licking his lips, witnessing a marked appetite overflow in literal accordance with his words, chilling shivers assailed Joshua’s spine.

Though he did not possibly want to consider being the target of a will to seriously eat a human――,

Joshua: [Even if that is taken to be the case, that is all the more reason to not leave you as is…!]

???: [Though the might didn’t seem any good, the might is ni~ce. Even if that is serious or bluff, it’s a pleasing touch of seasoning for enhancing and augmenting the scent and flavour you see~! Gluttonous drinking-! Gluttony-!]

Clasping his hands to which daggers were tied, before his chest, the blasphemer clanged a shrill note of applause. Listening to that, Joshua quietly calmed his own heart.

Joshua: [――Nii-sama, please remain safe.]

Gripping fast to the sensation of the sword, Joshua comprehended that his worst moment was right before his eyes, imminently approaching him.

What awaited him, was the ineluctable end. Yet, Joshua’s heart had fallen lifelessly silent, even though his self was normally scared by everything, he was unable to understand himself.

――Merely, sword in hand, at this very moment of confronting the blasphemer of life that terrorised people, he surmised.

Joshua: [Someone like me, seeming as though I were a Knight…]

In days past, when he was yet a child, when his mistaken self had spoken to his elder brother, he thought back to.

Just as Julius’s father, who had stepped away from House Juukulius, Joshua’s uncle had lost his life, his stride of death befitting that of being a Knight, that alone was the solitary way, Joshua Juukulius could become a Knight.

???: [――Let’s eat-!]

The irony, cognising the arrival of that moment, Joshua smiled, and raised his sword overhead.

Gallant, unwavering, the sword’s shimmer drawing an arc, was unmistakably the sword of Juukulius swung to protect people, to protect the weak.

――A younger brother worthy of the “Finest”, the guardian sword of Joshua Juukulius.

《Fin》