My Sister Is The Villainess

By the time I returned from the academy, evening had already begun settling over.

The last traces of sunlight stretched between the buildings, turning the windows of the neighboring houses into dull mirrors. I went upstairs without lingering, changed out of my academy uniform, and spent some time in the bath until the day’s noise finally seemed to fade.

When I eventually came downstairs, everyone was already seated around the dinner table. Father was speaking quietly with Mother about something concerning the household, while Sera was listening to them with interest. I took my usual seat and joined them, though my attention kept wandering despite my attempts to focus on the conversation.

Father noticed before anyone else did.

”Is everything alright, Edmund?”

I looked up from my plate and found him watching me with a faint crease between his eyebrows. For a moment, I considered asking what had given me away, but the answer was probably obvious enough. I had been staring at the same piece of food for longer than necessary.

I gave him a small smile, leaning back against my chair.

”Yeah. I’m just thinking about ways to earn a thousand pounds, you know.”

Father’s expression softened as he nodded.

”You already are an Inferior Awakened, at the same level as me, but the academy still requires the money before granting you a license.”

”Exactly.”

He placed his fork down and thought for a moment.

”Do you have any ideas?”

”Not really.”

”Then I could speak with one of my friends. He might know of a shop that’s available, and if there’s something suitable, I could buy it for you.”

I looked at him.

Father continued before I could answer.

”You could sell something there. Sera managed to turn her own interests into a business, after all.”

His gaze shifted toward my sister.

”Speaking of which, how are your sales going?”

Sera raised her eyes from her plate.

”Pretty well, I suppose.”

”How much have you earned now?”

She paused, apparently deciding whether she wanted to answer.

”I started two years ago as you may know. I’ve earned around four thousand seven hundred pounds so far.”

Mother smiled.

Father gave an approving nod.

”That’s impressive.”

”I still need three hundred more before I reach the amount I want.”

Sera pushed a strand of hair away from her face before continuing.

”Last month I made three hundred and fifty pounds. Most of it came from the Twilight Order because they were dealing with an emergency and needed a large number of charms.”

Father chuckled.

”There is no reason to look so disappointed. It took me four years to earn two thousand five hundred pounds, which was the required amount back then.”

Sera glanced at him.

”That’s because you weren’t selling anything and trying to do a scientific discovery.”

”Precisely, and I succeeded at it didn’t I?”

Father smiled and picked up his fork again.

”So I learned something else along the way. Don’t spend all your time looking at the amount you still need. If you turn everything you enjoy into a burden, you’ll eventually stop enjoying it.”

Mother nodded in agreement.

”Your father is right.”

She paused for a moment before adding, ”Although I only needed two years to earn that amount.”

Father stared at her.

”You don’t always need to mention that.”

Mother smiled.

Sera laughed quietly, and after a moment, even I found myself laughing with them. The conversation drifted elsewhere, but when I looked around the table afterward, I found three pairs of eyes resting on me.

They were waiting for my answer...

”I... I’m thinking of writing a book.”

Father smiled almost immediately.

”That’s a rather good idea.”

Mother nodded.

”I think you might enjoy it.”

Sera tilted her head slightly, though she didn’t say anything.

”What kind of book?” Father asked.

”Fantasy.”

His smile widened.

”Then I look forward to reading it.”

I nodded, and the conversation gradually moved toward other things. Nobody questioned me further, which I appreciated more than they probably realized. By the time dinner ended, the strange tension that had followed me home had settled somewhere beneath the surface again.

Afterward, we separated and went to our respective rooms.

I closed my bedroom door behind me and stood there for a while. The quiet felt different from the academy’s silence, where every corridor seemed filled with footsteps and distant voices. Here, I could hear the faint movements of the household staff below and the occasional creak of the old manor settling.

I eventually pulled out a chair and sat beside my desk.

My eyes remained fixed on the wooden surface.

A few minutes passed before I stood again.

I walked down the corridor and stopped outside Sera’s room.

Knock! Knock!

”Come in!”

I opened the door.

Sera was sitting near her desk with a book in her hands, one leg crossed over the other. She barely looked up when I entered, turning another page with the same calm expression she had worn at dinner.

”What are you reading?”

”Invincible Galaxy Saviors.”

I stepped farther inside and glanced at the cover.

”That’s science fiction, right?”

”Yes.”

”You actually like science fiction?”

She looked over the top of the book.

”I never said that.”

I laughed and pulled a chair closer to her desk.

She watched me sit down before returning her attention to the page.

”What are you thinking of writing about anyway?”

”Fantasy, as I told before.”

She nodded once.

For several seconds, the room became quiet again.

Sera’s eyes moved across the page then she finally lowered the book.

”Is there something?”

”I want to buy something from your shop,” I replied instantly.

Her eyebrow lifted.

”What?”

”Some charms.”

”Which ones?”

I leaned forward slightly.

”The ones with offensive capabilities.”

The expression on her face changed immediately.

”No.”

I blinked.

”That was fast.”

”Because I already know what you’re going to ask.”

She placed the book down.

”Those charms aren’t sold to people without licenses. If someone uses one irresponsibly, I’m the one who gets questioned.”

”I know.”

”Then you also know the answer.”

I leaned back in the chair.

She picked up her book again.

”It’s against the rules, Edmund. I can’t sell them to you.”

I stared at the floor for a moment before looking back at her.

”It is an emergency.”

Sera slowly lowered the book.

”What happened?”

I looked toward the closed bedroom door.

Then back at her.

”There is someone named Ethan Meuskate and he recently came to Kingsmere.”

Sera waited.

I continued only after a few seconds.

”I think he’s planning something that could put people in Shanshin in danger.”

The room became noticeably quieter.

Sera’s fingers rested against the edge of her book.

”How sure are you?”

”Very.”

After a moment, she closed the book completely.

”Then I’m coming.”

She stood before I could respond, opened the drawer of her side table, and pulled out a revolver. She checked it briefly before placing it into a holster.

I stared at the weapon.

”Isn’t that illegal too?”

”Only for emergencies.”

She frowned at me.

”You just said this was one.”

She opened another drawer and began taking out several charms, arranging them carefully rather than simply stuffing them into a pouch.

I watched her for a moment.

”You’re actually coming?”

”Did you expect me to stay here?”

”I wasn’t sure.”

She finished gathering the charms and looked at me.

”Are you certain about this?”

”One hundred percent.”

She studied me for another moment before nodding.

”Alright.”

She slipped the charms into her coat.

”Do we have to kill this Ethan person?”

I frowned.

”I don’t know.”

Sera waited.

”If he’s actually planning something that will get people killed, and there’s no other way to stop it, then we deal with him.”

She nodded slightly.

”And if his plan can be stopped without killing him?”

”Then we stop him.”

”And if you’ve misunderstood?”

”Then we can leave.”

Sera seemed satisfied with that answer.

”Wait.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

”Is he an Awakened?”

”Yeah.”

”Do you know his affinity?”

”No.”

She frowned.

”That’s inconvenient.”

She reached for her coat.

”Do you have anything besides that revolver?”

I hesitated.

”What?” she asked.

”Can you keep a secret?”

She stared at me.

”Yes?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the revolver.

Her eyebrows immediately rose.

”You brought one anyway?”

I ignored the question and lowered the weapon.

”That’s not everything.”

I summoned The Breathing Fire Glove.

Sera stared at it for several seconds.

”Since when did you have that?”

”It’s complicated.”

She looked at the glove again.

”What does it do?”

”It throws fire.”

Her expression became slightly more interested.

”And the drawback?”

”When I wear it, I feel spiritual pressure.”

I put it away before reaching for the other item.

”I also have a bell.”

”A bell?”

”It carries Whispers of Death.”

Sera’s expression changed.

”And the drawback?”

”My physical strength drops whenever I ring it.”

”Anything else?”

”The armor, as you already know.”

Then she looked toward me while stretching her arms.

”Let’s go.”