[You have been rewarded +2000 Plot Points]
'Oh nice, that's a huge one.'
Ruvian lightly shook his head.
'I guess that commission is enough to make him remember. That's good to know. Now, I just need to wait until the time comes when I'll need his help.'
Ruvian wandered through the plaza, weaving between bustling stalls filled with artifacts and trinkets.
He scanned each item with keen eyes, searching for anything of value. Yet, no matter how much he observed with [Identify], it was too early for him.
Too early, because he lacked the means to discern what was real and what was mere deception. His knowledge of this world was vast, but knowledge alone wasn't enough.
Counterfeit artifacts, mislabeled relics, items whose true worth was buried under layers of misinformation, and without a way to identify them more assurely, everything was uncertain.
However, he still need to buy something.
He opened the cramped discount parchment that he had received the other day.
In this world, it's a traditional custom to buy gifts or leave behind something to the family whenever you're leaving them for a long time.
Since he was about to enroll soon, Ruvian decided to buy another 2 items for his father and his little sister. After that, there was nothing left other than practicing his mana control before the enrollment.
After claiming his custom-forged knife and securing the gifts, Ruvian found no reason to linger in the plaza's restless tide.
For the remaining days, he withdrew into quiet discipline, tempering his body through relentless exertion and exercise. Refining his mana with control and planning his future role with carefulness.
==========
{}---『RUNEHEART』---{}
◇ Name: Ruvian Castelor
◇ Age: 17
◇ Spellcore: Tier 1
◇ Rank: Fifth-Class Magus
◇ Magic Affinity: None
◇ Relevance Tier: Stage I – Footnote of Fate
◇ Plot Points: 10720 (PPs)
◇ Current Arc: Arc 1 – The Prologue
[Mana Resonance: (10/100)]
==[General Attributes]==
Strength: F
Agility: F
Endurance: F
Vitality: F+
Perception: E-
==[Mage Attributes]==
Mana Control: F+
Casting Speed: F+
Magic Power: F-
Mental Strength: S
Mana Sensitivity: E-
Mana Essence: [165/165]
==[Innate Blessings]==
- [Blessing of Indomitable Will]
==[Affinity Mastery]==
- [Pure Mana (Basic)]
==========
*****
And then, finally, the day arrived.
Two weeks had passed, and tonight would be his last night with the Castelor household.
Ruvian had finished packing everything he owned and was just about to settle into bed.
"That should be all. I hope I did not forget anything."
He murmured, glancing over the neatly arranged bags.
It felt strange to think that his enrollment was tomorrow. Surreal, almost. As he moved to sit on his bed, a soft knock, tiny and hesitant, tapped against his door.
'Hm?'
Without further ado, he crossed the room and opened it. No one stood there at first glance. He almost assumed he had imagined it, but then he looked down.
'Ah.'
Ciela stood at his feet, rubbing her eyes, her face still hazy with sleep. She hugged a long pillow to her chest.
"And why are you here? It is late. You should be in bed, Ciela." Ruvian said quietly.
Ciela blinked, looking down at the floor, her voice small and muffled. "Are you really going tomorrow? Can't you stay for another day, brother?"
Ciela shifted her pillow in her arms, squeezing it a little tighter. Her eyes were still heavy with sleep, but the worry sitting beneath them was clear enough.
Ruvian sighed softly.
"Yes. I am going tomorrow."
He said, keeping his voice as even as he could.
"I cannot stay another day just because you want me to. The academy does not change its schedule for you, you know."
He did not raise his voice, but the matter-of-factness in his tone made Ciela's shoulders shrink a little.
She lowered her head.
"I… I know. Of course, I know that."
She pouted.
Ruvian rubbed the back of his neck.
'Why did she have to look like a kicked puppy?'
"And staying up late will not help." He added, tapping lightly on her pillow with the back of his fingers.
"If you want to see me off in the morning, you should go to sleep now. Otherwise, you will oversleep and miss it entirely."
"So, go back to bed."
It sounded mean, maybe even cold, but his hand lingered against her pillow for a moment before he pulled it back. He was trying. This was just… the best he could do with the energy he currently had.
More than that, he doesn't really know how to treat a younger sibling…
Ciela looked down at her feet, her braid drooping forward.
"Yeah. I just…"
"Can I sleep with you tonight, brother? Just for tonight? I will not move a lot. I promise. I don't think I'll have any other chance after this."
Ruvian did not like what he had just heard. To be exact, he disliked the idea of sharing his bed, so his first instinct was to refuse without a second thought.
But when he looked at her again, he realised something.
Ciela had not lifted her head even once since she arrived. She kept her gaze low, as if expecting to be rejected by him before he even spoke.
That quiet detail pressed into his chest with an uncomfortable weight.
He thought back on the past several days, remembering how he had not managed to act like the doting brother the original Ruvian had been.
He had kept his distance without meaning to, spending a lot of time in seclusion… for training and working out, and in that space, Ciela must have convinced herself that her brother was simply too busy for her now.
And maybe, without anyone noticing, she had been a little lonely because of it.
'Haa… I haven't been a good brother, have I?'
It was strange.
In his previous life, he had never had a younger sibling before. Yet here, in this borrowed place, the absence of his attention had weight. It mattered. To someone small.
To her…
He tried to recall her expression from the past few days. Children were terrible liars. Especially when they were trying to convince themselves.
A faint, rueful smile formed on his face.
He might not have been her 'true' brother. But, in this scenario, perhaps he could choose to become one.
No, he had too.
It was his responsibility now.
He was Ruvian Castelor, not Yuzuki Nozomi anymore.
Ruvian exhaled a slow breath through his nose, careful not to let her hear anything that sounded like frustration. He steadied himself, reached out, and gently patted her head.
"…Yeah," he said at last.
"You know what? Sure. Come in."
Ciela's head snapped up, her eyes widening as if the words had taken her by surprise.
Then, her expression softened, blooming into a bright, sleepy smile that reached the corners of her eyes.
She nodded quickly, almost too many times, hugging her pillow even tighter.
"Hehe, oki~"
She giggled, barely containing her excitement.
'Huh, was that all just an act?'
Ciela rushed inside immediately. Ruvian stepped aside to let her in and quietly closed the door behind them.
'Ah, whatever.'
They climbed onto the bed, the mattress dipping under their weight, and neither spoke much after that. The heaviness of sleep was already pulling at both of them.
He reached over and switched off the lamp, letting the room fall into a gentle darkness. Pulling the blanket over himself and his sister, he felt the faint movement as Ciela snuggled beside him.
"Thank you." Ciela quietly whispered.
For a moment, he stared at the ceiling, letting his thoughts slowly sink in. Then, without meaning to, his voice escaped in a soft breath as he closed his eyes.
"…Goodnight, Ciel."
Ciela's response came a bit delayed, her voice small and warm with drowsiness.
"Yeah, goodnight…"
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 31: Brother]