Younger Brother And Older Sister

View of Haria-Lubaras Fourth Son of Count Harekukku Commander-in-Chief of the Harekukku Expeditionary Force

I was now heading to the battlefield, leading our domain troops under Father’s orders.

Honestly… making me commander-in-chief of three thousand troops for my very first campaign made me think Father might be some kind of demon king, but Father’s words—as head of the count’s house—were… almost absolute.

The reason I said “almost” was because there was exactly one person in our house who could defy Father.

Her name was Eltrise-Lubaras.

The eldest daughter of Count Harekukku, my half-sister, and the person serving as military inspector for this army.

I mean, if my sister is here, I don’t need to be, right…?

Her ability to command an army—and her individual combat strength—were so far beyond mine it wasn’t even a comparison, and even now the soldiers were marching based on my sister’s instructions, not mine.

The fact that she could defy Father wasn’t an empty boast. My sister’s talent was so remarkable it even stirred up debate within the household: didn’t the head of the house not necessarily have to be a man? That’s how far it went.

That debate ended with a single word from my sister, and our eldest brother, Morris, was safely confirmed as the next head… but Father, the retainers… and even me, in my own way, still thought it might be better if my sister became the head.

That was how exceptional she was. People in the house even whispered that my sister might someday reach the level of being called a hero… and I believed that day would come, but in the Lumoria Kingdom, there was strong prejudice against women in all kinds of ways, so it was apparently complicated.

My sister was said to be so perfect—top grades in academics and martial arts—that marriage might be difficult, but among the family and the people working at the count’s estate, they said there was another reason marriage would be difficult for her.

That reason was…

“Haa-kun, are you tired? Are you okay? Make sure you drink water, all right?”

My sister rode her horse closer and spoke to me with a smile. It might be family bias, but I thought her smile was very beautiful and charming.

But I was already fifteen and had come of age. For her to still call me that—wasn’t that a bit much?

Of course, I’d brought it up at milestones—about that nickname… but every time the topic came up, she would get teary-eyed, and it stopped being a fair fight.

“I’m fine, Sister. We’ve been taking breaks according to the march plan.”

“It’s your first campaign, so you’ll be tense and fatigue will build up without you noticing. If you feel even a little off, tell your big sister right away, okay? Actually, want to ride in the carriage with your big sister?”

“No, Sister. We’re marching right now, so the carriage—”

“Hehe, okay. But really, don’t push yourself, all right?”

With that, my sister moved a little away. Watching her go, I let out a small sigh.

The reason they said my sister couldn’t marry at home was… well, she was glued to me. Was there any day where I didn’t see my sister even once? No matter how busy she was, she always appeared in front of me.

She was so kind to me it felt overprotective even to me.

I was the only one among my siblings with a different mother, and my three older brothers were a bit older and distant from me, but because my sister had stayed by my side since I was little… I never had time to feel lonely.

“Haa-kun, are you tired? Do you need water?”

The sister who’d only just ridden away came right back in an instant and held out a canteen.

I truly had no time to feel lonely.

“I’m fine, Sister. I still have water left in my own canteen.”

“I see—then will you hold onto this canteen anyway? And this luggage too.”

“…? All right.”

Sometimes my sister asked for things that didn’t make much sense.

But I’d never lost out by doing what she asked… rather, when something went wrong afterward, her “odd request” had often ended up saving me.

It wasn’t every single time, but it was always safer to comply. And since we were heading into a battlefield, even more so.

“And, Haa-kun, I want you to promise me one thing…”

With my sister’s words, the escort soldiers around us shifted, opening some distance. She had probably arranged for them to move far enough away that they couldn’t overhear.

“What is it?”

“Until this battle is over, I want you to follow my instructions.”

“I don’t mind, but…”

“I promise I won’t lead you wrong… I might give some strange instructions, but I want you to trust your big sister.”

Her expression was utterly unlike her usual laid-back mood—serious to the very end.

Not that I felt pressured, but I answered seriously.

“I trust you more than anyone, Sister. If that is what you say, then I promise I will follow your instructions without fail.”

“Thank you, Haa-kun.”

She smiled happily, but… I felt something off.

“With how you’re acting, it’s not just because this is my first campaign, is it? Is something happening?”

“Yeah, a little… This battle seems like it’ll be a real pain, or… a bad matchup.”

At her words, I tilted my head.

“…Isn’t the enemy a band of bandits and the civilians they’re threatening?”

“That’s not it. The people in the royal capital didn’t properly investigate the enemy. This time, the enemy is a country called Einheria.”

“A country? But Yōntsu Territory is far from the border.”

It was impossible for a foreign country to suddenly invade a place like that. Of course my sister knew that, too, but it was so outlandish I couldn’t help but question it.

“Yeah, but they’re calling themselves a country, and it seems their king is someone named Fels. I’ve never heard of him, but have you, Haa-kun?”

My sister asked, tilting her head. From her younger brother’s viewpoint, it looked incredibly cute, and I could see why the people loved her. Rumor had it there was even something like a personal guard unit for her among the soldiers…

If I weren’t here… no, if she were just a little farther from me, she could probably marry easily… Wait, I had to answer her.

“I’ve never heard that country name. If it’s a new state I don’t know… could it be in the west?”

“The commercial league? Hmm, it’s true that countries are constantly being founded and disappearing there, but… it might be too far?”

“I agree. And it still wouldn’t make sense for a state founded there to suddenly appear in the Lumoria Kingdom.”

“Yeah. What I’m curious about is… In Yōntsu Territory, there’s a place that’s Yōntsu Territory, but also not really Yōntsu Territory, right?”

“You mean… the Dragon’s Roost?”

The forbidden land, Dragon’s Roost… Was my sister thinking there was a country there?

“Right. It’s land not only Lumoria, but surrounding countries also can’t touch. If it’s land we can’t even investigate, then it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a country there, would it?”

“The Dragon’s Roost area is far too small to call itself a country, isn’t it? No—more than that, I can’t imagine anyone founding a country on land where a Ground Dragon might appear at any time.”

The records said even past investigation teams had been annihilated when they encountered a Ground Dragon. Founding a country in such a dangerous land was madness that even a child wouldn’t consider.

…Though it seemed my sister was considering it.

“Maybe the dragon founded the country?”

“…If that happened, the surrounding nations would be swallowed up in an instant.”

“Right? That’s what I thought.”

My sister said that with a cheerful smile, and a chill ran down my spine.

…Did a dragon really found a country?

My sister—whose talent everyone acknowledged—wouldn’t say it without some basis.

“Well, that part was a joke.”

“…”

She added that with a goofy grin, and all the tension drained from my shoulders at once.

“…Sister?”

When I gave her a flat stare, she apologized, laughing.

“Ahaha! Sorry, Haa-kun. But joking about the dragon aside, the idea that someone founded a country in Dragon’s Roost… actually feels pretty plausible.”

“…Given Yōntsu Territory’s location, that possibility does seem plausible… but is it really possible?”

At my words, my sister shook her head.

“…From what I had investigated, the country called Einheria has no base anywhere in Yōntsu Territory. And yet, every town and village is under Einheria’s control, and their troops are seen all over the place. That’s beyond ‘strange,’ isn’t it?”

“…If you can’t find their base… wouldn’t it be enough to follow their soldiers?”

“That’s the unbelievable part… Those soldiers apparently… vanish into thin air.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s not that people lose sight of them—they just suddenly disappear.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I thought so too, but multiple people I had investigating all said the same thing. People I dispatched to completely different locations, too.”

“Could it be… that the great magic power is involved?”

If it was that country—more skilled in magic than any other—then it wouldn’t be surprising for them to create incomprehensible magic like that.

“Hmm, I’ve never heard that country has magic that makes soldiers disappear, but… I also don’t think they’re a country that would meddle with Lumoria more than the commercial league would.”

“That’s true…”

That great magic power… the nation that ruled the eastern side of the continent… a superpower said to overwhelm other nations with overwhelming magical technology, and rumored to be the country the Great Empire of the Central Plains feared most. They were also far from Lumoria; they wouldn’t waste time bothering with a small kingdom like ours.

“So, we still haven’t solved the mystery of the soldiers disappearing, but… if they’re active in Yōntsu Territory and yet we can’t find their base, then the only conclusion is that their base is in a place we can’t investigate, right? If the base itself is being hidden, then we’re helpless.”

“…I understand. In other words, the enemy in this war—Einheria—is violating the taboo established by treaty among the surrounding nations. That’s what you’re sure of, Sister?”

Seeing my sister nod slowly with a smile still on her face, my grip on the reins tightened.

“Does Father know?”

“He probably doesn’t. More than that, he’s underestimating the enemy… Honestly, Father and the others will likely lose before we even reach the battlefield.”

“W-what!? Sister! Is that true!?”

“There’s probably a hero among the enemy. And our troop numbers are even… The national army won’t have a chance.”

“A hero… like you, Sister?”

My sister shook her head.

“No. I can’t become a hero. A hero isn’t just someone who’s a bit better than others. A hero is someone who can change the course of a war alone. That’s a hero. I don’t know how much I can grow from here, but even if I keep growing, I don’t think a hero exists along the path I’m on. It’s like the road is different, or the dimension is different… something whose very existence is different—that’s what people call a hero, I think.”

“…A-and the enemy has someone you’d talk about like that?”

My mouth and throat were bone-dry and my words wouldn’t come smoothly. Even so, when I forced out the question, my sister nodded without hesitation.

“We should speed up the march! Sister! At this rate, it’ll be terrible!”

“Haa-kun, calm down. It’s already too late. No matter how much we speed up, we’ll arrive two days after the battle begins… and in my prediction, Father’s side won’t last even a day.”

“N-no…”

Why could my sister say something like this so calmly, as if it were nothing?

My always-kind sister looked like a completely different person…

Perhaps she sensed what I was feeling, because my sister gave a slightly lonely smile.

“Haa-kun, do you care about House Lubaras and Harekukku Territory?”

“…Of course.”

“Would you hate it if they disappeared?”

“…”

“What are you most worried about, Haa-kun? House Lubaras? Harekukku Territory?”

“…The people living on Harekukku’s land.”

“If the people could live the same as before—or even happier than now… then you wouldn’t need the names ‘Lubaras’ or ‘Harekukku’?”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say I don’t need them, but… I think I’d be fine even without them.”

“Hehe! Haa-kun, that’s old-nobility thinking.”

“Is it? Then, Sister, what do you think?”

“Me? I’m not really new-nobility or old-nobility. If anything, I think I’m closer to how common people think.”

“Common people?”

“Yeah. If the people I care about are safe, that’s enough. I don’t care who’s on top or what the frame is called. If I can stay by the side of someone important, if someone important smiles, if someone important looks at me—then that’s enough.”

That really wasn’t the mindset of a noble who had to kill personal feelings to protect the people. But it also felt very much like my sister.

“And so, Haa-kun—if you say the people’s lives matter… then yeah, I think it’ll be fine! Leave it to your big sister!”

All of a sudden, as if she’d reached a conclusion, my sister lit up with a bright smile.

“Um… Sister?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine—your big sister will wrap it up nicely!”

“Could you explain the steps in between?”

“Huh? Oh, right. If I jump straight to it, it’ll surprise you. Um, I think a messenger will arrive soon. The message will be a report that enemy troops have been sighted.”

“…What!?”

“At that point, we stop marching. Then your big sister and you will go to the enemy army together, and we’ll leave this force to the deputy commander!”

“…No, um, Sister?”

“After that, it depends on how they respond. Worst-case worst-case, we’ll have to run away together, but that probably won’t happen, so it’s fine! No matter what happens, I’ll absolutely protect you, Haa-kun!”

“…Well, I did promise to listen, and if you say so, Sister, then I think that’s the best option.”

When I said that, my sister smiled happily, then fidgeted shyly.

“I’m happy you trust me enough to entrust a choice that could cost you not just your life but your very existence, but… y-you still have to think things through more carefully! If you don’t, you’ll get tricked by some weird person!”

“I told you earlier—there’s no one I can trust more than you.”

When I said that, my sister’s face turned bright red and she smacked my shoulder repeatedly.

If my sister said this, then the enemy was probably already close to us.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t tense, but if my sister was beside me, then all I had to do was give everything I could do. I didn’t need to overburden myself.

Thinking that as we kept marching, just as my sister said…

A messenger came rushing to us.