I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 3 Chapter 6.22

“I have something I want to ask you, is that alright? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

After witnessing Zex’s eyes returning to normal, I threw a question at him. It had been on my mind ever since I met him. On the other hand, the content of the question made me hesitate to delve into it.

Why ask at this moment? It’s because we are now in an equal position. With the difference in our abilities before, my question would have had an unavoidable force. That was something I wanted to avoid. I genuinely thought, “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Receiving my sincere attitude, Zex took some time to contemplate. Then he replied briefly, “Go ahead.”

I gathered my courage and asked, “Why are you willing to risk your life for your sister?”

It was a question that touched the core of who he was. Therefore, it was an aspect I couldn’t delve into for a long time.

Zex displayed a perplexed expression. “Why?… Is it not enough to say it’s because I love her?”

“That may be true as well. But it wasn’t always like that, was it? You made the decision to help your sister right after she was born. In that case, it doesn’t add up.”

It was a fact that Zex loved his sister. I understood that more from his actions and words on a daily basis.

However, that love didn’t lead to a reason to “overturn the fate of his sister’s death.” It’s impossible to have such a deep affection for a newborn sister to the extent of risking his life. It was certain that he had motivations other than “love for his sister.”

“Huh!?”

I gasped. It was because all emotion seemed to drain from Zex’s face. His eyes were so empty that he could be mistaken for a dead person. Despair was lukewarm in comparison. The current Zex was something like an endless swamp.

Stunned by the situation that surpassed my expectations, he muttered quietly, “…”

“That’s a boring story.”

His voice lacked any emotion, just like his expression.

“I had a sister in my past life as well. She was a frail child. Most of the time, she was confined to her bed.”

The story of his past life, revealed by Zex, was quite fresh. It seemed like he separated his current life from his past life, as he never mentioned topics like memories. If it were a different topic, I would have been less interested, without a doubt.

“That’s why it was inevitable for me to be drawn to indoor hobbies like being an otaku. I particularly loved games and had to accompany her with them countless times. In fact, it was my sister who started playing Brave Saint Chronicle… the game based on this world.”

“Didn’t you say before that you started playing it because you were interested in the story from the hero’s side?”

I managed to recover and threw in a question, including a prompt for more information.

In response, Zex gave a wry smile.

“Well, it’s not really contradictory. I became interested after seeing my sister play it.”

“I see.”

“Well, as for where this story leads…”

Zex clenched his teeth and spoke as if he could vomit blood at any moment.

“I associated Caron with my past life sister. I couldn’t protect her back then, but this time I can.”

“Which means…”

“My past life sister died. Right after I entered university. She had an accident in front of me, and she died due to the resulting complications.”

“…,”

I had no words to respond.

I had no idea about the relationship between Zex and his past life sister. He must have intentionally avoided discussing it. However, from his demeanor and the fluctuation of his magical power, it was clear that they were very close. The shock of losing someone dear in front of your own eyes is an indescribable pain.

I bowed my head.

“I’m sorry. It wasn’t a question I should have asked so easily.”

In response, Zex gave a dry smile.

“Hey, lift your head. It was me who chose to share that. You don’t need to apologize. I’ve come to terms with my past life. Don’t worry about it.”

“I see…”

I managed to nod, barely.

It was quite a statement to say that he had come to terms with it. In reality, the fact that emotions could be sensed indicated that his heart was greatly disturbed.

Perhaps realizing that I could see through his inner thoughts, Zex tightened his grip on his magical power. There was no longer any sign of emotional turmoil.

Then, he smiled wryly.

“It’s true that I’ve come to terms with it. It’s been a while since I recalled my past life sister. And at first, I did see glimpses of Caron in her. But now, it’s different. I genuinely cherish Caron from the bottom of my heart and wish to protect her.”

His voice as he spoke held no hesitation or confusion. It seemed like genuine words from the depths of his heart.

I let out a sigh and nodded.

“I see. That’s good then. I apologize for asking such a dull question.”

“It’s fine. I said it before, but I spoke of my own accord.”

“Understood. I won’t say anything more.”

Zex’s presence returned to normal, and the tense atmosphere dissipated.

However, deep down, I felt a sense of anxiety. I might have made the wrong choice.

The emotions Zex invests in his precious person are beyond what I anticipated. If anything were to harm that, would he be able to stay sane?

If he were to lose his sanity, it would result in the strongest being in the world going on a rampage. I didn’t even want to think about such a worst-case scenario.

Sigh

A sigh escaped me naturally.

The dice had been cast. Since it was impossible to weaken him, all I could do was hope that he achieves his goal.

May Zex and “his precious person” find peace.

I made a wish to the heavens, feeling somewhat detached.