Chapter 524: Confession Counterattack

Years of socializing had led Roel to a conclusion: Interpersonal relationships are complicated.

Most relationships looked simple enough at first glance, be it the relationship between lovers, archnemeses, or comrades. However, a quick delve into the details of these relationships would uncover many subtler nuances that might explain the quirkiness of their behaviors.

The relationship between parents and their child was a good example.

A child was likely to be a huge mental and financial burden to their parents, but the parents still doted on them because of the blood ties they shared. Similarly, taking care of one’s elderly parents was a burden to a working adult. Still, they might be willing to shoulder the responsibility because of the love that was showered upon them in their younger years.

This was an example of how pragmatism might not be the best gauge of the dynamics within a family unit… and such was the case between Roel and Alicia.

When Alicia asked whether she had been useful to him, Roel’s body immediately stiffened up. He failed to comprehend what Alicia was getting at.

Sensing his confusion, Alicia began explaining her point.

“Lord Brother, you should be able to sense my strength, right?”

“Yes. Congratulations for reaching Origin Level 3.”

Roel could see himself smiling in the mirror when he offered his congratulations, but those were not his earnest feelings. It was not that he was envious of her or that his dignity as the older brother had been undermined, but that he simply didn’t think that her swift growth was a good thing.

Despite being the face of the golden generation himself, he had only made his breakthrough to Origin Level 3 just last year. It was the same for Nora too, and that was due to the awakening of her Angel Bloodline. Charlotte was half a year slower than the two of them. The exceptionally talented Lilian wasn’t able to ride on the waves of the mana flood, so she only became a high transcendent at sixteen years old.

In comparison, Alicia was only fourteen this year, but she had already reached Origin Level 3. This was a miraculous feat that broke the records of humankind. Such swift growth was unthinkable even with the swiftly increasing mana concentration on the Sia Continent.

At the very least, it shouldn’t have been possible for a normal human.

Roel sighed under his breath, having realized that he could no longer see through Alicia. According to Eyes of the Chronicler, which he was practically using as prophetic text, her trajectory of growth was anything but normal.

In the game, Alicia did stand out as a highly talented individual, but she wasn’t a strong character in comparison to the other female capture targets due to her younger age. Yet, the current her was definitely capable of standing her ground against Nora and the others.

Roel couldn’t understand what had resulted in this deviation.

Is it the favorable environment provided by the Ascart House? The macroenvironmental changes caused by the awakening of the Mother Goddess and the Savior? Or does the reason originate from me, the one who is seeking to change fate?

Regardless of the reason, it was certain that the revelation of Alicia’s strength would induce a huge stir in the world. Alicia probably realized this herself too, which explained why she didn’t reveal anything during the earlier banquet.

While Roel’s mind was in disarray thinking about her circumstances, Alicia wasn’t feeling happy at all despite having received his compliment. On the contrary, her expression only sank further.

“Lord Brother, I’m starting to wonder if there’s any meaning in my furthering of transcendent powers.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you still remember what my initial motivation for developing my transcendent powers was?” Alicia stared at Roel through the mirror as she quietly posed her question.

Her prompt gave Roel an inkling into what she was driving at.

“I worked so hard because I wanted to protect you, Lord Brother. I thought that I could keep you safe with my power. But now that I have finally become strong, I realized that things weren’t how I expected them to be.”

“Alicia…”

“Not once have you ever confided in me when you’re in a perilous situation, Lord Brother, be it that time on the eastern border or your recent confrontation with that ancient monster. You knew that it was going to be a tough battle. You knew that you needed all the help you could get. Yet, you still chose to keep me in the dark.”

“…”

Guilty as charged, Roel couldn’t refute Alicia’s complaints at all.

While Nora’s Seraphication had to be kept under wraps, if he had requested it, there was a good chance that Holy Eminence John would have allowed Alicia to accompany him to the eastern border. As much as they were rivals, Alicia and Nora were childhood friends too.

As for Charlotte’s case, Roel had intentionally kept it a secret because he didn’t want his family members to know about the incident. He had no confidence in defeating the Six Calamities, so he didn’t want to scare Alicia or involve her in this matter.

Alicia had hit the nail on the head.

Roel had never intended to allow her to protect him. On the contrary, he saw her as someone he ought to protect instead. This was the gap in expectations between them.

“Lord Brother, am I that unreliable in your eyes?”

“That’s not what I mean, Alicia.”

“What do you mean then, Lord Brother? I’ve already heard the details. You suffered severe injuries in the fight against the Six Calamities and nearly lost your life as a result.”

“That is…”

“I could have replenished your life force before your fight with the Six Calamities. That would have bettered your odds of victory. You would have also recovered much faster after the battle. There’s no way you wouldn’t have thought of that, but you chose to withhold the truth from me. You didn’t even inform me about the condition you were in after the battle.”

Unable to refute any of Alicia’s logical arguments, Roel turned meek. He averted his eyes, not daring to meet the crimson eyes reflected in the mirror.

Alicia’s voice grew increasingly aggrieved as she spoke.

She had been the only one beside Roel at the very start, but when he awakened to the Ascart Bloodline and began entering the Witness State, he slowly grew close to Nora, Charlotte, and the others.

There was a period of time she earnestly wanted to share such an experience with Roel to deepen their bond, but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to activate his bloodline.

She found it aggrieving how the others catapulted their relationship with Roel through their experiences in the Witness State whereas she could only slowly build their bond over time, but there was nothing she could do about it. It was a huge relief to her when Roel’s bloodline finally stabilized in the last two years.

Who could have thought that she was still the first one to be excluded in the face of danger?

“Lord Brother, do you really see me as a family member? Am I still useless to you despite all of the effort I have put in?”

“Alicia, you are my family member. Not once have I ever thought that you are useless.”

“You say that, but why is it that even outsiders know more about your recent situation than me? Sometimes, I wonder if I’m actually the outsider here.”

“…”

Alicia stared intently at him through the mirror, and Roel slowly lowered his gaze. There was a long standstill between the two of them before Roel finally revealed his innermost thought.

“…That’s because I’d rather be the one getting injured than see harm befall my beloved younger sister.”

“!”

The rebuttal that was sitting on the tip of Alicia’s tongue suddenly vanished as a shudder ran through her body. Her face heated up, and her lips began to quiver.

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“B-beloved?”

Alicia was thrown for a loop by the unexpected confession. The words she had prepared beforehand escaped together with the fluttering butterflies in her stomach.

“Alicia, I know that you want to help me deal with my enemies, but you’re of the greatest help to me not when you’re on the battlefield, but when you’re at home.”

“Hm?”

“I find courage in the knowledge that you’re somewhere safe. No matter the enemy I am facing, as long as you’re waiting for me, I’ll overcome all adversaries in my path and return to you.”

“!”

Alicia’s heart was thrown into disarray.

I-is this a confession?!

As she stared at Roel’s earnest face in the mirror, her crimson pupils dilated and her mind went into overdrive. Despite having initiated this conversation herself, she was utterly flustered.

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In her scenario, Roel should have admitted his mistake and apologized by now… and her prediction would have been on the mark if Roel were in his normal state.

However, under the stimulation of the life force suffusing the room and Alicia’s persistent questioning, Roel cast aside his previous inhibitions and revealed his innermost thoughts, resulting in a completely unintended counterattack.

“I don’t expect you to accept my feelings, but Alicia, I want you to know that you’re irreplaceable to me.”

“L-Lord Brother…”

“The incident with Charlotte made me realize that no amount of tribulation can make a human’s heart infallible. Everyone has a tender spot, and you are mine.”

“I-I understand, Lord Brother. You don’t have to say anything more. I understand it now…”

Under Roel’s relentless confessions, Alicia’s face turned scarlet as her heart went bonkers. Unfortunately for her, Roel was like a train that could no longer be stopped under the effects of the life force.

Compelled by his own emotions, he put the comb down and embraced Alicia from behind. He kissed her cheek before whispering into her ear.

“I love you, Alicia.”

“!”

Time seemed to have stopped for Alicia in that instant. Her heart skipped a beat. Her breathing came to an abrupt pause. Her eyes widened like they never had. Before she knew it, she had already turned around to return the embrace.

“Lord Brother!”

She had already made up her mind to walk down a different route. She was well aware that it was unwise for her to accept his feelings as they were. She knew that doing so would only cement their ties as siblings.

But those were the words she had awaited for many years.

No matter how many schemes she had concocted, she was still an adolescent in her first love. How could she possibly sit still after hearing a profession of love from the man she loved?

She dived into Roel’s arms and cuddled up to him.

Roel smiled at her and patted her head.

“All right, all right. Now that you know how important you are to me, I hope that you’ll never say such words in the future.”

“Mmhm! I’ll never say them ever again. Lord Brother, I love you too!” Alicia replied as she gave him a tight hug.

She then leaned back a little and stared at Roel’s lips, mentally preparing herself to return the earlier favor. However, before she could make a move, Roel hesitantly spoke up.

“Alicia, I’d like to request something of you. Will you hear me out?”

“Request?”

“…I hope that you can refrain from revealing your Origin Level for the time being.”

“Ah?”

Alicia was baffled by Roel’s request.

There was no doubt that her remarkable feat of reaching Origin Level 3 at such a young age would stir a huge commotion and bring honor to the Ascart House. On top of that, this prestige could expand the influence of the Ascart House, giving it more say in international affairs.

The benefits of being the most talented transcendent in history in a tumultuous era couldn’t be overestimated.

Knowing what was going through Alicia’s mind, Roel sighed to himself before explaining the matter.

“Alicia, there’s only one outcome awaiting those who garner attention in this era. They will be embroiled in the upcoming racial war.”

There were only three people in the present-day Ascart House.

Carter was one of the commanders leading the Theocracy’s forces at the frontlines. Roel was the face of the golden generation and a hero who had eliminated one of the Six Calamities. If Alicia stood out at a time like this, she would likely be pressured into joining the battlefield too.

If so, the Ascart House would be fully embroiled in the war.

To be fair, there was no way the Ascarts could steer clear of the war, but it was another matter for all of them to be caught in the center of the storm. Even a fool could tell that it spelled disaster.

For the survival of the Ascart House and its people, someone had to stay behind and pull things together, not to mention that Roel was strongly against putting Alicia in a dangerous position.

“I know that it’s unfair for you, but Alicia, I really hope that you can stay somewhere safe. Someone has to hold the fort in the Ascart House. Furthermore, the revelation of your strength is likely to bring more trouble than what it’s worth.”

“I understand, Lord Brother. I’ll listen to you and hide my Origin Level from others. However, I have a condition for that.”

“A condition? What is it?”

Roel heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing those words. He smiled at Alicia and asked her what she wanted. She smiled back and revealed her true goal.

“Allow me to attend the ancestral ritual.”

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