I Obtained the Final Boss' Power

Chapter 16 : Elder Sister! (1)

Elder Sister! (1)

Louis was able to ride in a carriage for the first time in a long while.

Actually, he had gotten on one back when he was dragged into the 7th Legion, but that was while he was trapped in an iron cage.

Even though his hands were still in shackles, it had been so long since he'd simply sat in a carriage seat.

While reminiscing about those memories, Silia, who was sitting next to him, asked,

"Why do you want to go to Zodiac?"

"I heard there's a really huge library in that city. There's something I want to look up there."

The city of magitech, Zodiac.

That place was famous as a marketplace where renowned magitech craftsmen gathered to trade magical devices.

In addition, since it was overflowing with books and academic works full of various knowledge, scholars regarded it as something of a holy land.

The great Zodiac Library built in that city also played a big part in its reputation.

Silia was somewhat dumbfounded when Louis said he wanted to go there.

"What could you possibly want to look up there? Are you thinking of studying or something?"

Even if a 7th Legion soldier stopped by such a place, there wouldn't be a single benefit.

Knowledge in that field didn't help at all when facing monsters.

Even if it did, they'd die before putting it into practice. Louis replied to her sarcastic remark,

"I want to learn about monsters. A place like that should have monster or beast encyclopedias."

"Well, that might be a little useful, I guess."

Is he really making a stop in Zodiac just to see that?

Couldn't he just check the monster guide in the fortress for information on monsters?

She had a lot of doubts but, in the end, the future for this kid looked bleak anyway.

Silia lamented Louis's situation as if feeling sorry for him.

"You're really a lucky kid. Miraculously, you survived the expedition and got to go out as a reward. You're probably the first among the youngsters."

"So, there were other soldiers who got to go out like this?"

"If you achieve something great, you can go out as much as you like. But the problem is, that's as hard as plucking a star from the sky."

Achieving something meant, of course, exterminating monsters.

And not just killing one or two, but enough that the corpses would form a mountain.

"So, then, maybe former mercenaries might be able to do it?"

"Ha, that's what you think."

Among the conscripted soldiers, there were often those who'd worked as mercenaries.

Silia clicked her tongue when Louis suggested they might be capable.

"Sure, those people have probably hunted enough monsters to be sick of it during their mercenary days. But the monsters in the demon realm are different. It's an insult to compare them to the ones that show up in the empire's territory."

Even the monsters of the empire's lands could easily threaten human life.

In fact, there were numerous knights who'd died fighting them.

Monsters from anywhere weren't easy opponents. But the monsters of the demon realm completely surpassed those.

"You think mercenaries could handle them? I get why you'd say that since you've never experienced the demon realm. Or no, you did experience it once, didn't you? You were on the recent expedition, weren't you?"

Louis was the only soldier who survived the egg retrieval expedition.

No one knew what happened there, but at the very least, it must have been a big experience for Louis. Especially concerning the monsters of the demon realm.

"Yes. I almost died there, though."

Of course, that was a lie.

Except for the Elite Lizard, nothing had actually threatened Louis.

Not knowing this, Silia scolded him, as if he were pathetic.

"Anyway, you're on this carriage because you're lucky. Whatever happened there, to be honest, you probably don't actually deserve the reward you're getting."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's obvious how a kid like you survived a monster den. I bet you just hid behind the other soldiers and did nothing."

Honestly, just surviving like that was a miracle.

How could a twelve-year-old child protect himself in a situation where all the soldiers and even the officers reportedly died?

"And besides... You seem to be fine, even though you supposedly went through hell on that expedition? That officer, Kelton, kept groaning in his sleep and wasting away before finally killing himself."

Silia's gaze toward Louis sharpened.

If he'd truly gone through such a nightmare, he should be showing some kind of trauma.

Even an officer couldn't handle it and committed suicide—how could a kid be any better?

But this brat, Louis, seemed strangely fine. That fact made Silia feel uncomfortable.

"You really aren't a normal 7th Legion soldier, huh. You're not normal either."

"Well, that's true."

Louis didn't bother denying it.

Could you really call someone "normal" when they'd suddenly transform into a monster?

"So don't call me so familiarly. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Yes, elder sister."

As soon as Louis spoke, Silia's eyes went wide.

"What did you just say?"

Her tone abruptly changed, as if she'd become a different person.

Her face twisted as if she'd been touched on a sensitive nerve.

Thinking, 'This is it!', Louis said it again.

"I called you elder sister. Elder Sister."

At that moment, the carriage stopped, blocked by Silia.

Soon after, Silia pulled Louis out and threw him onto the ground.

"I told you not to address me so familiarly."

With a voice full of venom, Silia raised one arm.

The spell engraved on her palm activated, and Louis was subjected to intense torture.

"You just called me elder sister? Who do you think you are to call me that?"

The madman dragged into the 7th Legion dared to call her elder sister, and that filled Silia with extreme disgust.

It was as if a creepy bug was crawling up her spine.

"You think I'll go easy on you just because you're young? You think you can look down on an officer just because you survived alone?"

Silia paused the torture and grabbed Louis by the collar.

Of course, she shouldn't go easy on him just because he's young!

Any brat who looks down on officers ought to be disciplined!

He's doing great!

Thinking this, Louis grinned and said,

"Then should I call you mom? Mom."

At that, Silia's face twisted viciously.

She threw Louis down again and activated her spell once more.

"Mom...? You brat, do you have a death wish?"

"Aaaaargh!~"

As Silia tortured him in fury, Louis screamed as if in pain.

He didn't know how good his acting was, but at the very least, he had to give a reaction of pain.

That way, an officer would feel there was a point in activating the spell.

"Then how about grandma!!"

"...."

Louis shouted loudly, and Silia showed a look of utter dismay.

Maybe she was too tired to even get angry, as she slumped her shoulders and heaved a sigh.

"Haa...."

At this point, Silia realized. This kid was beyond saving.

In the end, Silia left Louis there and boarded the carriage alone.

"Huh? Where are you going, elder sister! I mean, mom... grandma!!"

As the carriage began to leave him behind, Louis had to run and cling to it.

.

.

.

As dusk set in, the carriage stopped briefly at a small domain.

The destination was close. After passing through this domain, Zodiac would appear soon after.

The carriage stopped at a small inn in the domain. The coachman led the horses to the stable, and Louis and Silia went inside the inn.

"Welcome! Just the two of you?"

The innkeeper, standing in the kitchen, greeted the arriving guests. Silia simply ordered dinner and sat at a table with Louis.

"Why didn't you order my food?"

But Silia had only ordered for herself. Louis, curious, asked, but Silia sent him a look filled with contempt as she spoke.

"You really need to ask? Think about what happened on the way here."

"Still, not feeding a soldier seems a bit much. If people find out, you could get punished, you know?"

Embezzling a soldier's meal fund was a serious crime. Even in Louis's original world, getting caught meant prison.

"I'll give you a leftover piece of bread, so don't worry."

But not so in the 7th Legion.

As long as soldiers didn't die, they could just be worked to the bone or thrown to monsters as food.

"That's not enough for me."

"It's fine. No one dies from missing one meal."

"Elder Sister. Please. Okay?"

At those words, Silia put on a very stern face.

"I think I'll just eat that piece of bread myself, too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm going to eat every last crumb."

Just watch me eat while you suck your fingers.

That's how Silia tormented Louis.

"Here's your food!"

At that moment, the innkeeper brought out the food Silia ordered.

When the dish with meat stew and a sandwich was placed in front of her, Silia flashed a triumphant smile at Louis.

"This one's on the house!"

But an identical dish was also placed in front of Louis.

Silia scowled again and asked the innkeeper,

"I didn't order anything for him."

"I said it's a service. From your conversation, you sounded like siblings, so you have to take care of your little brother, you know?"

At these words, Silia's expression twisted.

"No, I never had a little brother like this!"

Silia protested, pointing at Louis, who had already started eating.

But the innkeeper just kept smiling cheerfully.

"Siblings always bicker. Don't be too harsh—encourage your little brother as a good elder sister."

After the innkeeper left, Silia's pupils trembled.

"Little brother...?"

She felt as if someone had hammered her brain.

Did I really give this psycho the impression of being his sister?

"Ha... hahaha...."

Silia let out a hollow laugh, feeling as though the world's injustices were being heaped upon her.

Why was she subject to such a terrible misunderstanding?

Did she sell out her own country in a past life?

"Damn it...!"

In a fit of rage, Silia bit into her sandwich with enough force to grind her teeth.

Taking out her frustration on food, she began eating without hesitation.

"But vice-major, I don't think you should eat this."

Louis spoke as he finished off his meal.

What was he talking about, when he'd already eaten everything—even in shackles?

"Shut up."

Louis's words didn't reach Silia, who was already at her limit.

He tells me not to eat? Is that even worth saying?

Feeling spiteful, Silia stuffed the sandwich into her mouth in one bite. She washed the stew down as if it were a drink.

"I already ate it all, you brat!"

She held up her empty plate and shouted. Soaking in her own sense of triumph, Louis clicked his tongue.

In the end, the two got a room for the night. Silia purposely picked one with only a single bed.

Sitting alone on the bed, Silia began to lay out the rules for Louis, who sat on the floor.

"If you want to live as long as possible, listen up. If you think about slipping away when I'm asleep, forget it. This spell can control soldiers from a distance."

"But if you're asleep, you can't control me."

"Don't worry. I can set the spell to auto-activate."

Silia pulled a rectangular, flat spirit stone out from inside her clothes.

It was a magical device for tracking soldiers—something only 7th Legion officers could use.

"This is a magitech device that lets you check on those marked with a stigma. Think of it as a tool to make it easier to keep track of soldiers."

Silia touched the surface of the device with the hand inscribed with her spell.

A light shone from the spell on the back of her hand, and a display appeared above the magitech device.

On the projection, a blue dot signaled Silia's position, with a red one for Louis.

"There's more. It can also track a soldier's location and control their marks. I just set it so that if you move more than 50 meters away, you'll be tortured automatically."

"Could someone else use it?"

"No, it only responds to the magic power of a 7th Legion officer. And if you get more than 50 meters away, this thing sets off an alarm."

In short, Louis couldn't use it.

And even if he tried to move an officer's finger while they slept, it was useless.

Only an officer's magic power could trigger it, and if they were sleeping, they couldn't exert magic power.

"Oh, and if you think of killing me while I'm sleeping, forget it. If a soldier kills an officer marked with this spell, unbearable pain will be transmitted to every part of your body—the pain alone will be enough to kill you."

A soldier could never harm an officer.

An absolutely sensible rule in the 7th Legion.

"So quit thinking about running away and get some rest."

What an innovative magitech device, Louis thought.

If he went more than 50 meters away, he could get support anytime he wanted.

But there was a problem before any of that.

"But, vice-major, I don't think either of us will get much sleep tonight."

"What are you talking abou—koff!"

In the middle of her sentence, Silia suddenly coughed up blood.

At the same time, she felt something squirming irregularly in her stomach.

Realizing it was poison, Silia was horrified.

"I told you not to eat it."