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 4 Chapter 4.3

After hurriedly touring the capital city, we finally arrived at the last patrol location.

It was a slum area. Even in a thriving capital city – or rather, precisely because it was thriving – slums existed. Where there is light, there will also be shadows, growing darker in its brilliance.

The slum, inhabited by homeless vagrants living day-to-day, naturally had poor security. It was a place one would typically avoid entering, but precisely because of its inconspicuous nature, it was a likely spot for crimes to occur.

The culprits, finding it difficult to commit kidnappings openly, might vent their frustration by acting within the obscure slum where the crimes are less likely to come to light. Kidnapping individuals without stable jobs or residences would often go unnoticed as criminal incidents.

We had already confirmed that the culprit was not hiding in the slums. We had enlisted the help of the intelligence team for the search, but they had not found anyone fitting the description. Hence, our role was crucial in making our presence known, saying, “We are patrolling the slums as well.”

The slums were located deep in the outskirts of the capital, down narrow alleys. The cramped and dimly lit place felt even gloomier during this time of day. While people could be sensed around, they never came into sight. Everyone watched us from a distance, in silence.

“A creepy place,” Nina muttered as we walked along the dirty streets.

I understood her sentiment. The place was unhygienic, with trash scattered on the roadside, and the constant feeling of being observed from afar weighed down on one’s spirits. Describing it as eerie was an apt depiction of this enclosed space.

“We’re a little late,” I decided after carefully considering the situation.

“Agreed. There are no Beastmen around,” Nina had reached the same conclusion.

Our detection spells failed to pick up any Beastmen presence. Even when confirming visually, we could only see humans. There were significant numbers of Beastmen around during our patrol yesterday, but now they had all been taken away by the culprit. The last report, being from daytime, had nearly caught them.

I sighed and scratched my head.

We were often at a disadvantage in this case. It couldn’t be helped since we had very little information about the enemy. The lack of progress was mentally taxing, and Nina’s frustration was growing with each passing day.

We could only hope to gather valuable information from the slum residents. A timely visit from potential customers might provide an opportunity to inquire.

While confirming through detection spells for any approaching thieves, I nonchalantly mulled over our options.

And then, our visitor’s arrived. They deftly ran through our blind spots and attempted to thrust their weapons at Nina’s back.
Regardless, she had also noticed the attackers. She lured them in until the last moment and seemed to have a plan to counter and capture them.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn.

“Ahh!”

“Hmm?”

I activated my detection spell and first noticed it, followed by Nina.

A person jumped out from the shadows and struck down the attacker who was about to stab Nina.

The blow seemed to be delivered with considerable force, as the attacker was knocked away without a chance to groan, crashing to the ground unconscious. He was still alive, but he looked like he would die if not treated.

“Are you alright, Lady Nina!?”

The person who had struck the thief – Eric – asked with a flustered expression while checking Nina’s well-being.

That’s right, it was Eric. It seemed he had relentlessly pursued us and caught up with us just a few minutes ago. He had been waiting for the right moment, quietly hiding in the shadows without us noticing.

Probably, when he saw Nina about to be attacked, he couldn’t stand idly by and jumped out.

“…I’m fine.”

Though Eric had disrupted her plan of capturing the attacker alive, Nina seemed slightly annoyed but couldn’t be impolite to someone genuinely concerned. She sighed and answered.

Hearing her response, Eric heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, he completely changed his expression and glared at me with intense hostility. It had been a while since I had seen such a hostile look from him.

“You! You noticed that Lady Nina was about to be attacked, right!?”

“Ah, I see.”

I understood the reason behind his hostile gaze, which wasn’t clear before.

Eric wanted to say, “You knew she was about to be attacked, so why didn’t you intervene?”

The answer was straightforward.
“I didn’t need to intervene because Nina could handle it on her own,” I replied.

“So, you were careless,” Eric retorted.

“Why did this happen…?”

“You should have considered the possibility and offered assistance! You, being negligent, put Lady Nina in danger.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Although I didn’t intend to be lazy, it was true that I hadn’t fully considered the possibility of danger.

Nevertheless, this kind of situation was something Nina could easily handle. I had trained her to handle such difficulties, or else she wouldn’t grow stronger.

Well, it was a matter of differing convictions. While keeping “what’s important” safe in mind, I also left room for them to grow on their own. On the other hand, Eric would protect them with his life. Even though both had the intent to protect, their approaches were entirely different.

I felt that no matter how many words I spoke, Eric wouldn’t understand. Accepting different values is something that requires tremendous mental strength. It was a challenging issue even in the diverse world of my past life.

“I was worried about Lady Nina and endured it, but I can’t stand it anymore! Can’t you entrust Lady Nina to me? I’m not forcing her to marry me. I won’t meddle in her friendships. I just want her to keep her distance from you. If she stays with you, she might get seriously injured someday, and I can’t overlook that future.”

Eric begged for Nina’s attention in his marriage proposal, but there was no need for her to accept. She could remain friends with Caron and the others. He simply wanted her to cut ties with Zex.

It was like I was an unscrupulous noble who didn’t protect the heroine, while Eric was a righteous knight who would protect her till the end.

As I mentioned before, this was a matter of differing convictions. Women who wished for a cool knight to protect them would find Eric more attractive.

In fact, my philosophy of “letting cute girls go on journeys” might apply more to parents than lovers. Eric would probably be more appealing to women in this world.

However, it seemed Eric’s words didn’t affect Nina at all. Despite his passionate speech, her expression and emotions remained unchanged.

“I’m not just a princess to be protected,” Nina calmly and clearly stated.

“I think when we first met, I was like a weak little puppy chained in a cage. My parents and servants treated me coldly, and my only reliance was my sister, who was entirely dependent on me. I was a complete mess during my noble days. When you saw me like that and thought, ‘I want to protect her,’ I genuinely felt happy. It meant that even back then, there was someone who wanted to support me.”
At that moment, she paused and looked straight at Eric. Then, with a powerful tone, she continued, “But…”

“I’m no longer trapped in a cage. I am now a free wolf, running through a vast world. I am no longer a weak person content with being protected. What I seek is a leader or a reliable companion I can trust my back to, not a knight who will protect me entirely. Relying solely on being protected will lead to failure eventually.”

The conviction that came from her experience of falling even into slavery lent weight to every word she said. Her statement carried an unquestionable sense of intimidation.

“Guuh…”

Eric gritted his teeth with a groan. His core belief of being a knight had been denied. I believe he realized that there was no way to change Nina’s mind at this point.

“I love Lady Nina. I genuinely want to marry her.”

Even though he knew it was futile, he couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer and expressed his feelings. Perhaps it was because he wanted to protect the feelings he had held onto for over ten years.

Biting his lips, clenching both fists tightly, Eric trembled with frustration all over his body.

Seeing him like that, Nina let out a sigh.
“Zex, take out your sword,” Nina suddenly said.

“Ah, I see,” I quickly understood her request.

I retrieved the two wooden swords I had kept hidden using the “Phase Concealment Cover Texture” and handed one to Nina.

She tightly gripped one of the swords and threw the other towards Eric. With a dry clatter, he looked at the rolling wooden sword in bewilderment.

Nina calmly declared to the dumbfounded Eric, “This is your last chance. If you can land even a single hit on me before I bring you down, I will accept your proposal.”

“R-Really!?”

“No second thoughts.”

While I thought, “She’s not holding back,” Eric seemed to have the opposite impression. His eyes gleamed as he picked up the wooden sword.

Hmm, could it be that he underestimated Nina’s abilities? I thought being a knight and protecting her was a matter of spirit, but did he genuinely intend to protect her with all his might?

I don’t know where the misunderstanding arose, but there was only one thing I could do now – ensure that no irregularities occurred during their one-on-one duel.

The two of them readied their swords, facing each other with a distance of about ten meters between them.

I stood in the middle and raised my hand lightly.

“I’ll give the signal. We don’t have much time, so no need for long-winded explanations. Now then, let’s begin!”

“Uoooohhh!!!”

Immediately after the signal, Eric charged towards Nina with a resounding cry.

He’s quite fast. I could see that he’s been training hard. However, it’s only his raw physical strength. For Nina and me, who have acquired the skill “Body Strengthening,” it was too slow.

A moment later, Nina also took action.

With just a single step, she slipped into Eric’s guard.

“Wha-”

“Too slow.”

Eric’s eyes widened in shock. His stiffness was fatal.

In the next moment, Nina swung her sword, and he fell to the ground.

He seemed to be conscious, but there were no significant injuries. She didn’t forget to hold back. Impressive. It looked like she could inflict bruises with her strength, but she managed to leave him unharmed.
Eric lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unable to comprehend what had just happened. He stared blankly at the dirt.

Nina spoke firmly, “I can’t rely on you as you are now. Even if you become stronger, I don’t want you to protect me… I’ll be clear. I won’t develop feelings for you. Please give up.”

Her rejection was unequivocal. Her voice, which is usually as calm as a calm sea, was filled with passion at that moment, making it even more evident that she was speaking from her heart.

Eric seemed to understand. He didn’t have anything to say in response.

After standing still for a moment, he suddenly stood up and said, “I understand your feelings, Lady Nina. I’m sorry for causing trouble until now. I promise not to do anything that bothers you anymore.”

With those words, he turned on his heels and ran away. His steps were confident, so I didn’t think he would wander into any strange places. After years of unrequited love, it’s probably best to leave him be.

“Phew,” Nina sighed, looking somewhat tired.

I understood well how much mental burden rejecting a confession could bring. I could sense what she was feeling right now.

“Good job,” I said, not wanting to say anything unnecessary, and patted her shoulder to offer some comfort.

In response, Nina nodded slightly. “Yeah.”

Afterward, we continued to tour the slums a little more and asked the residents for information, but we didn’t gain any significant leads.

Where did the kidnapper vanish to, I wonder?

It seems that solving this case will take more time.