The cause of his concern was his older sister, Veena.
Thinking back, how many times had he already arrived at that conclusion?
He has always looked down on his sister, but that girl was still a member of the Lilyfall family.
(Even if sheâs worthless, sheâs still the eldest daughter of the family. She wonât just let things lie.)
As someone who took great pride in his lineage, even if he didnât want to acknowledge Veena as a person, he still had to acknowledge her bloodline.
(Where have you gone? Iâll kill her myself once I get my hands on her. But, sheâs hard to find.)
He doesnât think for a moment that he could lose. If they fight, he will definitely win. Heâs confident.
(Hmph, you might not have much talent for magic, but you certainly have a knack for hiding.)
Her grades at the academy werenât the only reason he looked down on his elder sister.
Another reason he thought Veena was worthless was because, despite being a member of the Lilyfall family, she had no singular sorcery of her own.
Of course, he hated her personally as well. But, itâs not unfair to say that the thing that sparked his disdain for her was his sisterâs lack of a unique magical gift.
Glenn gazed at a map on the wall and thought to himself.
(No matter how much we searched around the capital, we couldnât find her. Just which way did she go?)
Gazing at the map, his thoughts wandered. And, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
(Who?)
Glenn lifted himself off the bed and opened the door. And was greeted by Abel.
âItâs been a while, hasnât it Glenn?â
That face that could rival any girlâs, but that still belonged to a man, and that man was his older brother.
ââŚOnii-sama, it has been some time. Itâs a rare thing for you to visit me. Can I help you with something?â
Glenn spoke without any affection.
âEven though itâs been so long since we last saw each other, youâre so cold to me, arenât you? Do I really need a reason to come and see my cute little brother?â
Taking is elder brotherâs words as mockery, Glenn grit his teeth.
He couldnât stand this elder sibling of his either, though for entirely different reasons to Veena.
âYou never do anything without a cause. What are you plotting this time?â
âI think my reputation is deeply unfair. Iâm not planning anything in particular. But, I am really interested in that person. And so, I was hoping to figure a few things out. So I ran a few of my harmless experiments, nothing dangerous. Thatâs all.â
Thatâs all. Certainly, for him, it wouldnât be any big deal, but that could scarce apply to anyone else.
One time he caused a natural disaster, the other time he turned an entire city into a stage to conduct experiments on creating monsters.
The most heinous and brutal of all the Lilyfall family.
To say that about him is no exaggeration.
Glenn glared at Abel.
âYou sure can say that calmly. Just how many people do you think have suffered and died because of you?â
âDonât say such callous things. I have never had a subject of my experiments suffer before they die, I donât have the time for that.â
Abel said as if it were nothing.
ââŚIs that so. So, what are you really here for? Iâm not buying that you came here just to say hello.â
Despite his discomfort, Glenn managed to ask why Abel had visited.
âFufu, thatâs right. Of course, thereâs something more.â
As he said that, Abel snapped his fingers. And a figure that made Glennâs hairs stand on end emerged from behind him.
It hundreds of footless legs like a centipede attached to a body that resembled a red snake and whilst its head was that of a wolfâs, there were countless human faces embedded into the length of it. It was a truly horrible thing to behold.
Glenn always thought it looked creepy and disgusting whenever he had to see it, but Veena never thought of it that way.
She called it cute.
Once again, Glenn couldnât understand his sister.
Glenn took a step back.
âWhat are you planning to do, Onii-sama? Donât tell me that father ordered you toâŚâ
âItâs nothing like that. My little monster and I are here on motherâs orders.â
Glenn looked perplexed.
âMotherâs ordersâŚ? For Onii-sama?â
Ever since Abelâs âexperimentsâ had come to light, he no longer stood in the public eye. He now acts from the shadows. But, he continued to experiment, and since he several times interrupted his motherâs plans as a result, and essentially became ostracized.
âWell, I donât really understand it myself, but itâs all been very troublesome. I would be declining a direct order from her if I refused. And if she thinks Iâm not useful, she might truly look to get rid of me in earnest.â
Glenn thinks that only serves him right.
âTherefore, I have a request for you, dear younger brother.â
Abel had a grin on his face. He hasnât heard the request, but he has a good idea of what it is.
âWill you not fulfil motherâs intentions in my place?â