135: Leticia’s Resolve
Perhaps I had been… complacent.
Thinking that my sister and I were ‘safe’… within the confines of [Moonlight Liberium]… the game, where our paths were laid out.
My sister would be hailed as the “Saintess Who Saved the Nation,” and I would be sent to the guillotine.
The path to that point was also mostly predetermined.
So…
This current situation, not described in the [Official Scenario]…
This wasn’t an [Event].
――Leticia had fallen ill.
This epidemic presented with symptoms similar to a cold.
Almost everyone developed a high fever. Many had a cough. Joint pain and fatigue were also common.
Because it was initially mistaken for a simple cold, the response in every country had been slow.
And now, the Grim Reaper’s scythe, claiming the lives of the elderly and children, sometimes even healthy young adults…
…was poised above Leticia.
…This wasn’t in the game.
She was currently in the guest room, not the attic—though ‘suffering’ was probably a more accurate description.
The maids’ devoted care for her, despite the risk of infection during a contagious epidemic, was a testament to her popularity.
I wouldn’t receive such treatment.
Now, my face covered with a cloth mask, I was visiting my sick sister.
“…Leticia.”
I gently touched her hand.
Leticia gripped my hand tightly, but her grip was weak, and her skin was burning. …Her fever was much higher than when she had caught a cold.
“Elder Sister… how is the research… going?”
Leticia asked, her voice hoarse.
“It’s progressing… but…”
We might not be in time.
――It was a gamble.
Whether it would be effective.
And whether there would be any side effects or aftereffects.
The ‘clinical trials’ had already begun. While we had confirmed some efficacy… there had been casualties.
We hadn’t yet determined whether the deaths were due to the severity of their illness or to side effects.
It was difficult to obtain conclusive results in pharmacology in such a short time.
Even the Vanderwaals had centuries of accumulated knowledge, built upon the foundation of techniques gathered and practiced by the nomadic people.
Even with all of that, combating an unknown epidemic wasn’t easy. It was ‘unknown’ because we knew nothing about it.
I had focused all our resources on a single possibility.
It was an all-in bet.
Everything was riding on the assumption that Yamaidome would be effective.
On my orders as the head of the family.
Based solely on the inexplicable knowledge that this was how it unfolded in the scenario of [Moonlight Liberium].
Leticia turned her face away, her body curling up as she coughed.
As I reached out to gently rub her back, she held out her hand, palm facing me. A silent plea to keep my distance.
――I understood that I couldn’t afford to get sick.
I understood, but…
Almost everyone in this mansion must be thinking—why her?
Why wasn’t it the older sister who had fallen ill?
…I had been thinking the same thing.
Leticia, her breathing ragged, lay back down.
Her face was flushed, and despite the heat of her skin, she wasn’t sweating. A bad sign.
Even so, there was still strength in her eyes.
“…Use me… as a test subject.”
“…Leticia?”
“If it’s not ready in time… it’s no use.”
I was taken aback.
It was a race against time.
Could we contain it?
Could we focus solely on the epidemic?
“There aren’t any other options… and if it works on me… it’ll be… good publicity…”
…A shiver ran down my spine.
Even while ill, while suffering, she was still able to calmly and rationally assess the situation, including her own condition—perhaps even her life—as just one factor among many.
…She was truly worthy of being the next head of the Vanderwaals, I thought with genuine admiration.
She was the protagonist.
Everyone loved her. They wanted to cheer her on. They felt the strength in her words… they wanted to believe her.
Even without the protection of the scenario, she…
My sister…
“…Alright, Leticia. I trust you.”
I wanted to believe her.
Not the Leticia of [Moonlight Liberium], but my sister.
My sister, though weak, smiled.
“—Yes. Trust me… Big Sister.”
I couldn’t bring myself to correct her.
If calling me that gave her even a sliver of strength…
Leticia reached out her hand, and I took it, our fingers intertwining.
As I smiled encouragingly, I remembered the cloth covering my mouth and tightened my grip on her hand.
Leticia squeezed my hand back, her grip surprisingly strong, and then pulled away.
No more words were needed.
I turned and left the room.
I clenched my fist and pressed it to my chest, as if to solidify my resolve.
It felt like a fire had been lit within me.
――I wouldn’t let my sister’s story end here.
A dark feeling, like a creeping shadow, suddenly emerged.
A wall lizard, lurking in the darkness, its cold, reptilian eyes, with their vertical pupils, watching me.
I truly cared about my sister.
…But I still wanted her to fulfill her role as the [Protagonist].
Because that was the scenario.
And if we followed it, we could minimize the damage.
‘That’s why.’
I unclenched my right fist, which had been clenched tight, to remove the cloth covering my mouth.
I imagined a bandage wrapped around my hand, the one I had injured protecting my sister at the tavern in Vandergant.
It was a phantom pain.
My hand wasn’t bandaged.
I no longer bore that badge of honor.
I clenched the white cloth in my hand, my knuckles white.
I should have moved my sister from the attic the moment the epidemic appeared.
No, I should have been more careful with preventative measures.
…If only I had kept her locked away.
If only I had hugged her that first day and protected her from all dangers.
I couldn’t choose any of those options.
Because they weren’t in the scenario I knew.
I slowly lowered my hand and started walking.
What I had to do remained unchanged.
I should have known… that I wasn’t—couldn’t be—a good older sister.
I would cure my sister’s illness.
And I would use that fact as a weapon.
I would simply… do what I had to do.
