It’s a rather surprising fact, but Deneb El Grinevalt, the eldest son of the Grinevalt Dukehouse and simultaneously Serika’s older brother, is an utterly incorrigible little-sister-lover.
So, to what extent did he love his younger sister? If anything were to happen to Serika, it’s probably safe to say Deneb would first head over to build a tower or something.
But even for Deneb, this was unavoidable.
Because, even in Deneb’s eyes, Serika’s beauty surpassed the level of any ordinary human.
To give you an idea, since Serika was little, flies from all across the Empire would swarm around her like a buzzing cloud.
Eventually, both the Duke and Deneb got sick of it and sent Serika to the mage tower, where outsiders rarely gained access, just to keep her safe.
…Though, thinking about it now, sending Serika to the mage tower might have been their biggest mistake—since it led her to that guy.
Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Deneb’s thought process revolved entirely around his beloved little sister, Serika.
What Serika liked, Deneb liked too.
What Serika disliked, Deneb disliked as well.
If Serika showed interest in something, Deneb would follow suit—or at least try to.
But there was one exception to all this:
“Ragnar Terison, you bastard!”
That parasite who latched onto Serika while she was at the mage tower. And that dog of a man who used his childhood friend status to constantly loiter around her side.
If it were any other situation, Deneb would’ve already “cleaned up” that leech so he’d never dare approach Serika again. But alas, with Ragnar Terison, that wasn’t an option.
Because…
“Serika, you seem unusually cheerful today. Did something happen?”
“…Hmm? Even Brother notices? Well, yes, something good did happen.”
Serika smirked faintly as she murmured this.
“You know about the script reading for episode 27 of the ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ right?”
“…Ah, yeah. I’m aware.”
How could Deneb not be aware? Every time Serika went to see that bastard Ragnar, Deneb felt like his heart was being torn apart.
“But during today’s script reading, Ragnar gave me acting guidance and held my hand and shoulder while doing so…”
“What… WHAT!?”
In that instant, Deneb felt like his brain was spinning out of control. So Ragnar had the audacity to pull some nonsense on Serika?
Unfortunately, Serika seemed to think differently.
“How many kids do you think we should have?”
“…What?”
“I think having a daughter who looks like me would be nice, but a son who looks like Ragnar wouldn’t be bad either. Hmm, maybe we can just have two? What do you think, Brother?”
“…”
And thus, it was clear that Serika was already deeply smitten with that bastard Ragnar.
Which meant forcibly separating Ragnar from Serika could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Hence why…
“‘Knight Shin Chronicle’? Honestly speaking, without Serika’s voice, it’s a show completely devoid of merit.”
“That Ragnar guy is undoubtedly creating ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ without a care in the world. There’s no other reason why such ridiculous plots involving blowing up the Earth or humanity’s extinction would appear, right?”
The reason Deneb relentlessly criticized the anime ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ was because, aside from Serika’s voice, everything else about it was purely criticism-worthy in his eyes.
Of course, ignoring the fact that the Duke himself was an absurdly huge fan of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ and that Serika was leading its production team was unavoidable—but still.
Despite deliberately shutting his ears to anything related to ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ or any other anime created by Ragnar, one day Deneb received some news from Serika.
“‘Book of Life and Death’?”
“Yes, it’s Ragnar’s new project after ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’”
With a sigh, Serika continued, addressing Deneb directly.
“I know you don’t particularly enjoy anime, Brother, but I highly recommend giving this one a shot.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because ‘Book of Life and Death’ is quite different from ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’ It includes elements of thrillers and mysteries that you enjoy, so I think you’ll find it worth watching.”
“…Hmm.”
Truthfully, Serika was recommending this out of pure goodwill. She assumed Deneb stayed away from ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ simply because it didn’t match his tastes—and knowing his preferences well, she firmly believed Deneb would enjoy ‘Book of Life and Death.’
‘Brother loves logical and mystery-driven stories. Especially those involving supernatural phenomena—he’s sure to enjoy ‘Book of Life and Death.’’
As far as Serika knew, Deneb, being a highly accomplished mage, had always shown immense interest in mysterious phenomena that defied physical laws or magical explanations.
Given this, an anime featuring the existence of Shinigami (Death Gods) and the ‘Book of Life and Death,’ which broke all rules of the human world, was bound to appeal to him.
Thus, Serika recommended ‘Book of Life and Death’ to Deneb, who, unable to refuse her request, reluctantly watched the first episode.
And shortly thereafter…
Serika received some truly bizarre news from Ragnar.
“…A Shinigami summoning ritual?”
“Yeah. Lately, there’s been a massive increase in people claiming weird stuff after watching ‘Book of Life and Death.’ They say they’ve made contracts with Shinigami and obtained special eyes. Anyway, just in case something happens, Lady Karlreya is currently talking to a few of them.”
While 99% of these claimants were harmless and not worth engaging with…
There were a few actual mages among them, forcing Karlreya to conduct interviews regardless.
“…Why did you call me? Isn’t Her Highness handling the conversations anyway?”
“Well, the thing is…”
Right as Ragnar began explaining with an awkward expression, a voice unfamiliar yet eerily recognizable to Serika rang out.
“…Didn’t I already tell you multiple times, Your Highness?”
This was a voice Serika knew far too well.
“I merely took a personal interest in researching aspects inspired by ‘Book of Life and Death.’ I assure you, I’ve done nothing to harm the Empire.”
“…Brother?”
It was none other than Deneb, Serika’s older brother.
Realizing this, Serika involuntarily gasped in shock.
So, Deneb had somehow gotten involved in research related to ‘Book of Life and Death’—enough to warrant a meeting with the Empress herself?
What kind of research could possibly require such high-level intervention?
“I understand. The young duke wasn’t malicious; he was simply inspired by ‘Book of Life and Death.’”
Sighing softly, Karlreya continued.
“But… even if that’s true, there’s no way I can overlook what’s written in this notebook of yours, Duke.”
“T-That… Can’t be!”
Deneb turned pale upon seeing the notebook in Karlreya’s hands.
“Surely you haven’t… read that?”
“Yes, naturally. How could I ignore evidence crucial to this matter?”
As Karlreya spoke, she glanced curiously at the title on the notebook’s cover.
“Self-Created Setting Notebook… Quite an intriguing name for a research journal, isn’t it? Is this how modern mages label their notes these days?”
“…”
“Let’s see… Self-Created Setting #17: Copy Eye. A bloodline-bound ability tied to the Grinevalt family, reflecting one’s innermost emotions through glowing crimson eyes adorned with strange patterns around the pupils.”
“Grrrgh…!”
“A basic ability to cast illusions on others, with the potential to activate the higher-tier ‘Ouroboros Copy Eye’ at the cost of immense mana consumption.”
“AAAGH…!”
With each revelation from Karlreya’s reading of the ‘Self-Created Setting Notebook,’ Deneb visibly suffered mental anguish.
Yet, powerless against Karlreya, Deneb trembled uncontrollably, bowing his head in submission.
“But the activation condition for the ‘Ouroboros Copy Eye’ is truly horrifying. To awaken it, one must personally kill someone they love. Moreover, using it gradually leads to blindness—a truly inhumane power indeed.”
“…”
“Duke, no matter how important magical research may be, I strongly advise you stop pursuing studies involving such inhumane abilities. No matter how powerful the reward, what meaning does it hold if it comes at the cost of killing your own family?”
Karlreya’s gentle tone only made the scene more cruel.
Even Ragnar, watching from the sidelines, felt a searing pain in his chest. How much worse must it feel for Deneb himself?
“…Let’s go home.”
“Huh? Why? Maybe Brother really did do something wrong? Her Highness is saying all this, after all…”
In response to Serika’s innocently curious question, Ragnar silently grabbed her wrist and left the scene.
He couldn’t bear to watch another human’s dignity being dismantled before his eyes—not when it was out of respect for his fellow man.
