The silence within the horse carriage compartment was broken by my elder sister's voice.
Her tone was laden with dissatisfaction still smoldering beneath the surface, like embers refusing to die beneath a bed of ash.
"I do not understand, Ian. Why did you cauterize the severed arms of those bastards? Do not tell me you did it out of pity."
The carriage swayed gently beneath us, a constant ripple that never truly ceased.
The cushioned seat softened most of the jolts, yet now and then the wheels struck hidden holes or hard mounds along the narrow forest road, making our bodies sway more deeply.
It felt as though this carriage was being rocked by the very breath of the earth itself.
A faint smile touched my lips as I looked at her.
I kept my gaze calm, deliberately steady.
I had expected this question from the very beginning.
She knew me far too well not to be suspicious.
There was always something she noticed behind every action I took.
Something hidden beneath the surface.
Pity for them?
Impossible.
Such feelings had never once been part of this plan.
Those five men could have bled out and collapsed into corpses before everything I arranged had reached its conclusion.
I needed them alive.
At the very least, long enough to play their roles until this little performance reached its final act.
Stopping the bleeding was necessary, though I had not the slightest intention of granting them the mercy worthy of men.
That was why I chose to burn those cleanly severed wounds shut with heated steel.
Fire did not merely close flesh.
It left behind scars that would never be easily forgotten.
The pain they received would sink far deeper.
Not only into their bodies, but into their very souls.
It would take root there and remain like an invisible curse.
Now my sister wore that displeased expression again. Her brows drew together slightly, forming a clear line of annoyance.
If I left her unanswered any longer, her mood would remain dark until the sun itself changed its place in the sky.
And yet, beneath all this tension, there was something I could not ignore.
Her expression was still… rather adorable.
"There was another reason behind it."
I finally spoke, my voice calm.
Almost like water flowing without haste.
"Speak now. Your elder sister may truly lose her temper."
"Calm yourself. It is not as you imagine."
"Do not circle around the matter, Ian! I have shown great restraint not to strike you already. Since earlier, you have done nothing but lecture me, and it is beginning to vex me greatly."
"I thought you did not mind and had already forgotten it."
"How could I? Other than Father and Mother, you are the first person bold enough to lecture me with such unwavering conviction."
"I shall continue to do so. For your own good, Sister."
"Hmph… enough. I do not quite have the heart to harm my little brother either."
I followed her gaze toward the carriage window.
The scenery outside looked painfully monotonous, repeating itself without variation, as though the world beyond had been trapped inside the same painting forever.
Boredom slowly crept in, slipping into my thoughts without permission.
It had already been the second day since we departed from Green Pine Village.
For most of that time, we had remained inside this narrow compartment.
Confined within wooden walls that scarcely changed, save for the single brief night we spent at an inn in the city of Gluthera.
Compared to that, the hours spent inside this carriage felt far longer than that fleeting night in the city.
As though time itself moved more slowly between these wooden walls.
"Why have you fallen silent now? Do you truly think I have forgotten?"
Since our encounter with the bandits at the crossroads earlier, her mood had not fully recovered.
There were still embers of anger glowing faintly within her, waiting only for the slightest spark to ignite once more.
At last, I gave her the answer she had been waiting for.
"I planted a controlling genjutsu within them."
"For what purpose? That is nothing but a waste of chakra."
"Listen carefully. Their hidden camp holds more than stolen goods. There are many innocent people there, victims of their cruelty. We were not their first prey."
"What? You should have told me from the beginning! We could have destroyed their hideout at once and freed them all."
"No. Our time is limited. If we stray from the main road now, we shall arrive late to the lands of Count Flammenberg. Grandmother will surely grow anxious awaiting our arrival."
She fell silent for a moment.
Her breath escaped in a short exhale, as though she were forcing down the unrest still stirring inside her.
"You are right. Then explain further about this genjutsu you placed upon them."
I gave a small nod.
Our eyes met.
The same deep black irises, like two mirrors reflecting one another endlessly.
"I searched through their memories one by one, then confirmed the truth through their own confessions. There are many victims there, especially young women. You can imagine well enough what they have done to those captives."
"Damn them… Had I known sooner, I would have sent them all to the King of Hell to follow their two dead companions!"
She clicked her tongue softly.
Yet the echo of her anger felt far sharper than the sound itself.
The look in her eyes changed.
A chill spread from her gaze, filling the narrow compartment until it felt even more suffocating.
Even the air itself seemed unwilling to move, frozen between us.
Though my elder sister was known for her cheerful nature and expressive heart, there was another side of her just as powerful.
A fire that ignited easily whenever she stood before those she deemed rotten and unworthy of mercy.
Had I told her earlier, before we stepped back into this carriage, she would have already flown back toward those men without hesitation.
Her fists and kicks would have rained upon them without pause, crushing their bodies from within until nothing remained but lifeless ruin.
She was truly capable of sending that foul-smelling pack of men straight to the gates of hell without the slightest regret.
More than that, my sister was obsessed with close combat.
She was the sort of person who found satisfaction in the sound of breaking bones and the violent tremor of physical impact.
That was no empty exaggeration.
"I understand, but Sister cannot do that."
"My ninja way again, is it?"
"You grasped it faster than I expected."
"Go on."
"Very well. After obtaining information from them regarding the location of their hideout and the number of innocent captives…"
"…"
"I planted a genjutsu of mental control within them. I ordered them to return to their hideout and release those they had kidnapped and imprisoned."
"And?"
I understood the dissatisfaction hidden within her tone.
She expected more.
Something sharper. Something far more convincing.
Before continuing, I leaned my back against the wooden wall of the compartment.
The rough grain of the timber pressed faintly through my clothes, as though reminding me to keep my feet firmly planted in reality.
"It does not end there. I also planted another command within their minds, ordering them to escort every victim safely back to the city of Gluthera. It is the nearest city, and Baron Glutherz is known as a just man. I chose to place my trust in him."
"You sound remarkably certain of that city lord, as though the two of you have known one another for years."
"In truth, I have already met him."
Her gaze sharpened.
It pierced through me, as though she wished to tear apart every layer of truth behind those words.
"When? As far as I know, you have never met any noble."
"Last night. I slipped into the castle atop the hill where he resides, and I planted a genjutsu upon him."
"Hah! You truly went that far. It would become a disastrous matter if that were ever exposed."
"You know I am always careful. Every step was measured long before I took it. And I am certain all of this will bring us benefit in the future."
"Benefit? With the ruler of Gluthera standing on your side, you are practically the shadow ruler of Baron Glutherz's domain."
"More than that."
My sister fell silent for a moment.
A faint confusion crossed her face before curiosity took its rightful place.
"How far does your genjutsu influence Baron Glutherz?"
"As you said, I am nearly like a shadow ruler. But it is more than mere influence. Even if I were to give him an order that endangered his own life, he would obey without hesitation."
"Did you torture his mind with genjutsu until he became that obedient?"
"No. I had no need for methods like that. Baron Glutherz is merely a nobleman ruling over a peaceful, distant city. He never once imagined that he might one day become someone's target. That sense of safety made him careless, and it was that carelessness I took advantage of."
"From the way you speak, it seems you analyzed far more than I expected before planting that genjutsu."
"Correct. I began with his subordinates, one by one, until I finally reached him."
"So you spent the entire night doing that. You should have taken me with you. You did all of this alone without my knowledge."
"I apologize."
"Forget it. Continue with your plan regarding those bandits."
My sister sighed once more.
The edge of her annoyance had not completely faded.
Both of her hands rested together upon her crossed thigh, a small gesture that revealed the impatience still lingering within her.
The riding dress she wore was a deep shade of blue, smooth and elegant as it followed the lines of her figure with natural grace.
It was the kind of dress she wore daily, versatile and practical.
Its long skirt was split subtly at both sides, allowing freedom of movement no matter the circumstance.
A perfect balance between beauty and purpose.
Long ago, Father had been the one to choose such things for her.
He would travel from village tailors to city craftsmen in search of the finest garments.
But time had changed.
Now she chose for herself, walking by her own will, deciding with her own hands how she wished the world to see her.
"My plan is simple, Sister. Not only will they free those who were taken captive and escort them safely home, I also commanded them to provide proper compensation to every victim."
"That will not be enough. Those rotten bastards have surely squandered much of the wealth they stole from those people."
"I know. That is why the compensation will be adjusted accordingly. For those who were imprisoned and forced to suffer in captivity, freedom from the grasp of such criminals is worth far more than piles of gold."
"…"
"And I have also ordered that bandit group to confess every crime they have committed before the ruler of Gluthera."
"Will that truly be enough? That Baron will act only according to the laws of his domain. It would be another matter entirely if you were to meet him again and give the command directly."
"You are right, Sister. Yet there is one reason why I said I trust the ruler of that city."
My elder sister frowned.
She studied me with a sharp, searching gaze before speaking again.
"Genjutsu again? You did it before we left the city of Gluthera. Unless you possess the gift of foreseeing the future and had already commanded that city lord that bandits would soon arrive seeking confession."
A quiet chuckle escaped me.
Not because I meant to mock her reasoning, but because hearing it felt unexpectedly amusing.
She looked genuinely perplexed, enough for her thoughts to leap that far ahead, when in truth, the answer was far less complicated.
"Why are you laughing? Is something amusing?"
"No, Sister. But what you said just now… it is not quite like that."
"Then what is it?"
"I left a clone near the bandit group. A precaution, in case some unforeseen variable were to disrupt this plan. At the same time, that clone serves as my link to the ruler of Gluthera."
"I see. With that clone, you can manipulate the city lord into delivering a punishment severe enough to satisfy both the victims and the people of the city."
"You are correct. The more satisfied the victims and the townspeople are, the more the Baron's name and reputation will flourish. That will become an advantage for us in the future."
"Hehe… It is no mistake that you are my little brother. You truly think and plan several steps ahead."
I was pleased to hear such praise from her.
For me, it never grew tiresome.
It was not that I hungered for acknowledgment, but hearing appreciation from my own elder sister always managed to warm my heart and settle the noise within my mind.
And so our conversation continued, filling the emptiness of this carriage compartment, which had begun to feel almost suffocating, with calm and steady words that flowed like quiet water.