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 7.1

Midterm Exam (3)

On the second day of the practical exams, and also the final day of the midterms, I stood in the corridor leading to the examination arena.

It wasn’t for the purpose of taking the exam myself. As previously mentioned, I was exempted from it. Only Nina and Orca, both close family members, had exams left. They would be passing through this path soon.

So, was I waiting here to encourage Nina and Orca?

That wasn’t the case either. In a way, my purpose was to support Nina, but it had little to do with the exams themselves.

What was the real purpose then—

“Oh, isn’t that Count Foranada?”

Lost in thought, a figure appeared in the corridor.

A person with a slender yet well-defined muscular body, exuding a gentle expression but also a sharp aura—an individual of martial prowess containing contradictory elements. He had long been known as the right-hand man of the current Holy King and had also served as the commander of the Royal Guard, Count Douglas Demort Saint Czipos.

For us, his image as Eric’s father was particularly memorable. Count Douglas Demort Saint Czipos greeted us with a smile on his face.

“What brings you here, Count Foranada? You should have completed your exam. It seems strange to find you in a place like this.”

“Isn’t that true for you as well?”

I returned a smile, but… I probably wasn’t smiling with my eyes. After all, his condition wasn’t something to smile about.

“You’re not really dressed appropriately for this place,” I said.

Indeed. Count Czipos was clad in an outfit that was far from the light armor he wore yesterday. Wearing a black full-body suit of armor and carrying a buster sword that must have been a meter long, he looked like a knight ready to face a battlefield.

Furthermore, those armaments were not something to be overlooked.

Because…

“Are you planning to curse someone using those cursed items?”

Everything he was wearing, every item, was cursed.

“Huh!?”

“Oops.”

As soon as he finished his sentence, Count Czipos swung down the sword he held in both hands. Just in time, I drew a dagger from the “Phase Concealing Texture” and blocked his attack.

It was a lunge at supersonic speed that a normal body wouldn’t be able to perform. He must have been boosting his physical abilities with cursed items. If I hadn’t also enhanced my body, I wouldn’t have been able to react in time.

The sound of vibrating metal and sparks of scorching heat flew as the overlapped blades clashed. This wasn’t an event produced solely by the physical strength of two humans; it hinted at a realm of strength far beyond the ordinary.

Even with a tenfold enhancement to my body, it felt heavy. He was clearly utilizing powerful cursed items. Using such items would likely come with a strong recoil from the curses, but he managed to remain sane on the brink.

Impressed, I addressed Count Czipos as we engaged in a deadlock.

“You’re the kidnapper of academy students… and the mastermind who targeted Nina’s life, aren’t you?”

“… “

Though he exerted silent force, having equipped himself with numerous cursed items left him no room to deny it. My recent inquiry wasn’t so much a confirmation as it was an expression of intent saying, ‘We’re aware of what you’re up to.’

The trigger for my suspicion about Count Czipos was the attack on the slave containment facility last weekend. The conclusive evidence came from the fact that the perpetrator who killed the slaves was described as a “master of the Holy Kingdom’s swordsmanship and a high-ranking noble.”

Even with just that initial piece of information, the pool of suspects had been narrowed down significantly. However, in my case, I had narrowed it down even further.

This was the fact that the mastermind was targeting Nina’s life. There was enough involvement with her to warrant an attempted murder, and there weren’t many individuals who fit the conditions that were outlined.

Initially, I was concerned that there might be no suitable candidates. The information gathered by the intelligence department didn’t show any nobles who had interacted with Nina.

But then, I remembered. When we obtained evidence that the perpetrator was a master of the Holy Kingdom’s swordsmanship, I recalled that there was a noble who had been associated with Nina.