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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 53: My Older Sister Also Has Her Adorable Sides
Ulbhild Grunewald.
The third of six siblings, she is the daughter of Georg Grunewald, born to his first wife, Isabella Grunewald and the maternal granddaughter of the Count of Visquera.
From a young age, she was deeply loved by her Clan elders.
Her hair was brown which seemed to blend with her parents' hair colors, and she inherited her father's blue eyes.
Her features, once compared to a doll's, became more striking as she grew older.
"Lady Ulbhild is undoubtedly a prodigy of the sword.”
Moreover, she was blessed with extraordinary talent in swordsmanship. Perhaps because of this, Ulbhild had an extraordinary interest in swordsmanship from a young age.
When she turned 10, she realized her talent surpassed that of her full brother, Karl.
"Ulbhild, how did you do that just now?”
“Hm? Brother, you can’t do this?”
“…I can’t seem to get the hang of it.”
"Let me show you. First, change your grip method and hold the sword lightly..."
While earnestly explaining the basic techniques, Ulbhild suddenly felt Karl's chilling gaze.
She immediately understood the emotion in his eyes. It was the same look he gave to Verdzig.
'He's wary of me.'
Karl saw her as a competitor. Ulbhild realized this was the moment to determine her path.
'Father won't intervene in sibling rivalries.'
And her mother was entirely focused on Karl.
So what should she do?
'Competing for the successor's position through conflict is not my path.'
Ulbhild's decision was based on several reasons. At ten years old, she didn't want to become an outcast by turning both her brother and mother into enemies. More importantly, what truly frightened her was...
'...Brother Verdzig.'
Her fear wasn't just because of his talent in sword.
Ulbhild was terrified of his eerily beautiful appearance, his impeccably soft and gentle speech, and the serpent-like eyes that occasionally pierced her.
She feared his overwhelming presence that made even adults hesitate and approach him with trepidation, and his ability to be more secretive than an assassin.
'Turning Brother Verdzig into an enemy is not a good idea.'
Even if she were to meet him and surpass his martial skills, the physiological fear of making him an enemy altered her path.
She decided to align herself with Leszek, known as the ‘Elder of the Sword’ one of the Clan council’s pillars.
'If I maintain neutrality and live as a sword of the Clan, Brother Verdzig won't consider me an enemy.'
This was the solution ten-year-old Ulbhild discovered.
She maintained neutrality, neither actively helping Karl nor actively antagonizing Verdzig.
'But neutrality without strength is hollow.'
Understanding this, Ulbhild became obsessively dedicated to martial arts, carefully navigating the delicate balance between her siblings. But who truly understood her innermost struggles?
Ulvhild trained in solitude. She refined her swordsmanship, mastered martial techniques, consumed rare spirit medicines, and survived countless battles that brought her close to death.
'I wasn’t lonely.'
She had warriors walking the path of martial arts alongside her.
Before she knew it, Ulbhild had reached a position where she could select and learn the Clan's advanced martial techniques.
She chose the rare 'Snow Blossom Sword Technique' and, through practical experience, became the Commander of 2nd batallion of Special Operations Division.
[TL/N- Snow Academy's Eternal Sword Technique → Snow Blossom Sword Technique.]
During this time, Karl and Verdzig walked their own paths, forming significant forces.
'Somerset lagged behind, and Barclava was essentially left behind.'
Somerset tried to create a third force by following his brothers, but his greed and laziness eventually caused his skills to stagnate.
Barclava was not even worth mentioning. From the beginning, he had grown into a puppet who only followed what Verdzig instructed.
'...And Allenvert collapsed.'
The destruction of his maternal family, his mother's seclusion, and the fate of dying with a limited timeline - ten-year-old Allenvert could not overcome all these trials.
'At first, I sympathized.'
However, as his seclusion stretched into one year, then two, Ulbhild began to privately think he was pathetic.
How could someone be so weak? Everyone faces hardships; not every grave has a story to tell. While it was tragic that the once-kind Allenvert had broken, she couldn’t help but think:
Others with equally heavy burdens fought to rise again, to change their fates, or to support their families.
Look at the employees who dedicated their youth to supporting elderly parents, or those who sacrificed their own happiness to raise children.
'Or look outside the castle walls.'
Countless people struggled day and night just to survive.
And yet you, fed and sheltered in comfort, do nothing but await death. Allen, Allen... how pathetic.
Therefore, when Allenvert broke his seven-year seclusion, Ulbhild couldn't help but be surprised. When was the last time she had even heard his name?
'His speech, uninhibited stride, surprisingly martial talent.'
Everything was strange. He had supposedly awakened from a fever with memory loss, but hadn't he completely transformed?
'The Allenvert I met was already like a young lion.'
Tremendous courage that didn't yield even to his powerful brothers. That was truly the quality of a warrior.
'Most importantly.'
He stood tall, even before Verdzig—the man who had once crushed her own spirit.
'Is it ignorance or audacity?'
Or did he know everything and still show remarkable courage? How could he be so bold?
Even Karl was hesitant to directly confront Verdzig. But Allenvert was different. He was intriguing, repeatedly so.
'Perhaps.'
A significant change might be coming to the next generation of Grunewald, who seemed to easily fall into Verdzig's grasp.
'It's not just your talent that fascinates me, little brother.'
But first, she wanted to temper Allenvert and observe his reaction.
'The usurpers who stole Eisenach's throne.'
She learned that Allenvert wanted revenge against them, based on what he said before the duel.
'Did he know everything?'
The meaning became even more significant after learning that Allenvert had raged after receiving honey from the mountain tribes, which the second lady had sent mockingly.
'Your thoughts are truly correct. A lion never forgets revenge.'
How could he sit on the great Grunewald throne without avenging his mother? No king ascends the throne while branding himself with dishonor.
Knowing this better than anyone, would it be too much of her imagination to interpret that Allenvert is now quietly sharpening his revenge's blade?
'No.'
Allenvert's gaze, his actions, overflowing confidence, and his mysteriously ambiguous movements... Everything was adding weight to Ulbhild's reasoning.
'I'm not sure if you can become king.'
That would be extremely difficult.
However, even if he ultimately fails to achieve that dream, Ulbhild hoped Allenvert would someday become Verdzig's worthy opponent.
'I don't know what father would think.'
At least she didn't want to see a Grunewald dominated by Verdzig. It would truly become a cold and ruthless duchy.
'A land where even innocent people can die as needed.'
This sentiment became completely solidified today, witnessing Allenvert's talent as he perfectly stole and overwhelmed a Royal Guard's sword.
'Even if you don't follow my intentions, I cannot possibly allow such talent to be left unused.'
She genuinely demanded an instructor from the head butler. ...Yet, she had another underlying motive.
Therefore, Ulbhild decided to move directly. She needed to personally assess Allenvert's capacity and depth.
'How should I proceed?'
Fortunately, she had one card that could provoke Allenvert and observe his reaction.
'The enemy's daughter.'
A hostage sent from the Angantyr family, the usurpers who had desperately sought approval from Georg Grunewald.
Ulbhild knew her well. She led 2nd batallion within the Special Operations Division.
'Allen, how will you react to her name?'
Allenvert's true nature would be revealed through this.
* * *
"Do you know where Eisenach's enemy is?"
"Of course."
Ulbhild nodded.
"The people from Angantyr who expelled your maternal grandfather are undoubtedly within this castle."
I suppressed my emotions with superhuman patience. Failing emotional control twice would be uncharacteristic of me.
"Who might that be?"
"Seven years ago, the mountain tribes' new king sent his youngest daughter here to gain legitimacy. She is a symbol of friendship between Grunewald and Angantyr, essentially a hostage."
"...!"
I suddenly recalled what I had forgotten.
'The woman Peter mentioned.'
The word 'hostage' made me imagine someone insignificant and confined. I've been mistaken by my preconceptions twice.
"So she's imprisoned somewhere in this castle?"
I asked to confirm this point.
"Not at all."
"Then?"
"She's a member of the Special Operations Division, just like me. Essentially, she's the Commander of external unit."
"...!"
"Naturally, we know each other."
I almost glared at Olivier. She was in the Special Operations Division? Why didn't he tell me?
‘...Calm down. Don't take it out on him.’
He might have been worried I'd be upset. Or maybe he simply didn't tell me because I didn't ask.
In the first place, it was me who didn't ask about the existence of the hostage, even though I knew about it. Moreover, that wasn't the important thing right now.
'The daughter of my enemy is nearby. Under the same sky, on the same land.'
Realizing that fact, an icy cold hatred and a burning rage filled my body, as if my flesh remembered that hatred.
An impulse to immediately find the enemy and dismember her surged within me. It was a level of hatred that even surprised me. As Karzan and Allenvert, I embraced those flames of hatred.
“Stay calm, Allenvert.'
A hostage, moreover in the external unit? A strange intuition struck me. I questioned Ulbhild again.
"If I wish, can I meet her right now?"
"She's not here currently."
Ulbhild answered.
"They always take the most dangerous missions. That's true even now."
Look at that. I threw a question bordering on certainty.
"Are they disposable?"
"Yes."
"Then it seems she's been abandoned by both Grunewald and Angantyr."
Ulbhild was surprised for the first time.
"...You have good intuition, Allen."
Should I turn the enemy's daughter into an enemy, or accept her as an ally?
"She must resent her father."
I suppressed my physical hatred with reason.
"You should verify that yourself."
"...If you permit."
"Not now."
Ulbhild firmly rejected.
"When you've achieved the right standing, I'll arrange the meeting."
"Standing?"
Ulbhild extended four fingers.
"You must at least reach the 4th-tier. Right now, you're merely at an incomplete 3rd-tier."
"You know precisely."
Just as Ulbhild said, my current power was quite unbalanced.
"Defeating Keseg in a wooden sword duel was impressive, but far from real combat. You must learn proper mental techniques and sword skills to become a harmonious warrior."
"I understand."
The 4th-tier condition Ulbhild set was no small feat. Only from the 4th-tier could one be considered first-class. Typically, it took about 10 years of dedicated and persistent training to reach this level.
'At my current pace, a month would be sufficient.'
"Well? Are you eager to reach the 4th-tier quickly?"
"With my sister's help, achieving that level seems quite feasible."
At this moment, I finally understood what Ulbhild wanted to hear.
"Please help this younger brother."
Ulbhild then laughed.
"What can I do?"
I finally relaxed and laughed as well.
'Well, well.'
My older sister also has her adorable sides
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Pot]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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