Katahane no Riku

Chapter 34.The anxiety of an elder?sister

Royal capital, Barusak residence.

At the spiritualist arts laboratory, there was a female spiritualist indulging herself into meditation. It was Riku′s elder sister, Raku Barusak. Unusually, she stopped researching and was now silently smoking her smoking pipe.

“What′s the matter, Raku-sama?”

A boy, who was Raku′s attendant, asked her.

Raku was a scientist obsessed in researching. If the attendant wasn′t watchful, she would without even eating her meals. Before he started serving her, there would be times which Raku would remain at her desk without eating or drinking anything for a whole week. Such hardcore scientist had been for the whole day looking at the sky without researching anything. This was an abnormal occurrence.

“Ah, Marius. It′s nothing special.”

While looking at the sky, Raku was smoking her pipe. The thin smoke was slowly raising to the sky in a spiral. , Raku didn′t show any signs of coming back to her laboratory. After pondering for a moment, the boy called Marius put his doubt into words.

“Are you feeling unwell in any way? If that is the case, then I can arrange a doctor…”

“There is no need for that.”

Raku flatly declared. And then, she tiredly shrugged her shoulders.

“Hey, Marius… Don′t you think that recently, Rook had been having a bad luck?”

“Rook-sama′s luck, you say? ….That…”

Marius kept standing without being able to say any following word.

Rook Barusak was a prodigy since he was a child. At any rate, he was so exceptional that by the time he had just become five years old, he had already surpassed his father in achievements.

In special, the management of the territories was going extremely well. Because of his bizarre idea of burying dried leaves and spreading ash at that territory which no kind of crops could be cultivated, it had a rapid transformation of a wasteland to a splendid farmland. At the present time, the territories he governed were all filled with the liveliness of the people.

But his military accomplishments were a different story.

There was no way this was his weakness.

Rook possessed an exceptional talent as a spiritualist. In fact, in the spiritualist tournament which would happen once every two years, in his debut, which was when he was eight years old, despite it being his first time, he advanced to the quarter finals and regrettably lost, but in the one of when he was ten years old, he was able to advance up to the semi-finals, and in the one when he was twelve years, he advanced up to the finals, and finally, in this year′s one, he got hold of the honor of winning the tournament. …Of course, adults were participating in the tournament as well. In other words, he had the strength for it to be to the point of breaking the record in the history of the spiritualists. But…

“Don′t hesitate. Say it clearly. Say that “his last battles were all disappointing.”

Snorting, Raku declared.

He possessed incredible achievements on the tournaments. But his achievements in battle were poor. Of course, he went to many battles. Two years ago, he confronted to Edgar Zerrik′s army and had shown an astonishing hit and run tactic. But recently, all became different.

At the Myuuz castle battle, at the beginning, they had a robust upstart. Everyone thought it was already a won battle. Rook′s “shadow” had shown them the path to the fort and they successfully captured the fort. But after that… Without participating in the invasion of the Myuuz castle, he went back home saying as the reason that the princess had called him and that being urgent.

Perhaps, Rook′s luck started to decline since then.

“At the incident at Derufoi city, it was Rook′s fault. Even though it would have been better if they executed Charlotte right away… Many spiritualists died meaninglessly. The strategy was naive; naive at all points.”

“Ra-Raku-sama? Aren′t you exaggerating?”

“As if, Marius. What else should I speak if not the reality? The head of the Bistolru was killed, the famous bodyguard squad of Cellia Buryuuser was annihilated, the informant that was infiltrated at the Demon Lord army was killed, and the Demon Lord′s sister that had finally been captured ran away; all this was because Rook′s judgment was naive. Because of that, the reputation of the prestigious Barusak household declined by a nose dive.”

It was possible to hear the sound of the smoking pipe cracking.

Somehow, it seemed that Raku was putting too much strength on her fingers. Marius felt like the muscles of his back had frozen.

“Probably, he will lose this next battle.”

“Su-such a thing! There is nothing saying that he will lose.”

“No, he will lose. Marius, do you know the reason why he is attacking Karkata?”

“That would be…”

Raku was silently glaring at Marius.

Raku′s height only reached to his shoulder, but she was giving off an aura that made it look like she was looking at him from above. Desperately trying to make his head work, he started to think about the reason why Rook went to capture Karkata.

“Hm… What should he do to get some sort of advantage…?”

Saying this much, Marius realized something. Opening a map in hurry, he localized the position where Karkata was. Karkata was a hill surrounded by a grape plantation, but going to the other side of that hill, straight ahead, one would shortly arrive at a certain prospering port city.

With his voice trembling because of his own discovery, Marius said the answer.

“Perhaps it is because it is close to the port city of Perikka that had been captured a few days ago since it would be possible to establish a base there for the recapture of Perikka city?”

“That′s only the surface.”

Marius′ idea was rejected. Because he had confidence on that answer, he became a bit down.

“Why would it be?”

“Actually, it is so that he can get his hands on that grape plantation that grows there.”

“I see, it was th… What?”

Marius was about to nod, but suddenly, he noticed something strange. As if how Marius had his mouth wide-open was funny, Raku started laughing.

“Right, right, it′s a stupid reason, right? It seems he wanted to sell the wine made of grape so that he could get some funds. Hey, it′s a stupid reason, right? If it is about getting money, he should already have mountains of it at his own territories…”

“…Hadn′t Rook-sama already been producing strong liquor beverages?

Marius asked full of doubts.

He had never tasted any strong alcoholic drinks, but when he asked his alcohol loving friend that would participate at samplings of newly created products, apparently wine was an drink that would make the throat sting. He laughed, saying it wasn′t to the point of solely being a drink that was agonizing to drink, but he seriously shook his head at that. It was without doubt one that would make you cough, but it was a high-grade beverage that would bring about a smooth and complex taste to the mouth. It was a product of high praise that wasn′t found anywhere else even if one was to search for it around the world and didn′t have enough stocks at the market.

…But Marius didn′t drink alcoholic drinks, so it didn′t matter to him.

“Umu. That′s right. When I asked him about it, he said that beverages were important to receptions and had uses in diplomacy. And so, he needed to get something of good quality. Hmph, even though he said that alcoholic drinks were no good until he became twenty years old. That′s just stupid; he is a really just a stupid little brother.”

Raku kept ridiculing her brother for a while.

But once she stopped smiling, all that remaining was an elder sister full of grief.

“However, although he is a stupid little brother, that′s where his cuteness comes from. …He is worthless, but it would be regrettable if he were to perish at this battle.”

“…If that is the case, if Raku-sama were to rush over there and help him…?”

“What are you spouting? That would be just spoiling him!”

Raku kicked Marius. Taking a sharp blow at his ankle, Marius groaned in pain. Without even looking at the groaning Marius, Raku started to diligently write a letter.

“Besides, if I was to move the army as well, father wouldn′t remain silent. This battle is also for the sake of him clearing his name. It is a fight for Rook, who embarrassed the Bistolru and the Buryuuser and covered the name of the Barusak in dirt, to regain his honor. …It would be a pain if I were to intervene in a bad way just so that I would get father′s antipathy. There is no other way besides secretly helping him.”

Her father′s face came to Raku′s mind.

To be continued… -.-”