The Prideful Oni Clan

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Voices. She would hear voices.

The usual voices. Whenever she walked through the village, whenever they’d see her, everyone would say it.

[???: Rem. You learn from Ram, too. Work harder.]

[???: Rem, don’t look so sad. Both Ram and Rem are my cute daughters to me. I won’t play favorites. …….It’s just that Ram is a little special.]

Her father smiled with a stern look on his face, and her mother smiled while she lowered her eyebrows in a troubled way as they said that.

[???: Rem-chan, is Ram-sama doing well today? See, that girl needs to grow up healthily. Because she is the future of the Oni clan, after all.]

[???: Don’t you forget about it, Rem. A cursed child like you lived this long because Ram was blessed with the Oni God’s blood that should’ve been gone. Never, ever forget to be aware of that, and don’t forget to understand it, either.]

Her race that lived in the same village as her and the chief who governed them said those things to Rem.

[???: Compared to Ram-sama, Rem is still just a no-horn……but that girl is Ram-sama’s sister. The ‘Second Oni God’ might not be just a dream after all.]

[???: They do look like two peas in a pod. I’m sure these two jewels will make the future bright!]

Even though Rem was the very essence of mediocrity, she was compared to Ram, who excelled ever since she was a baby, and everyone had expectations of her.

It was because she was Ram’s sister. It was because she was the Oni God’s twin. It was because she was born along with the Oni clan’s hope.

And so, more than anyone──

[Ram: Don’t let it get to you, Rem. You don’t need to worry about anything people say. I will─Onee-chan will always, always protect Rem. ──It’ll be alright.]

The fact that her most beloved other half with the same face continued saying that made Rem feel pain, like she was being torn apart, but at the same time it made her so happy that it melted her heart.

2

[Rem: ────]

The moment Rem woke up, she truly had no idea what was happening to her.

Her whole body was wrapped in an unbelievably smooth feeling, and she was seeing a white ceiling that she had never seen before. Rem was most likely facing upward, but her back and head felt such a softness that her usual bed could not possibly compare.

Even the material that touched her skin felt unusually slippery, so it felt like Rem was lying on a bed made of sand. She was struck with that sort of anxious feeling.

Like that, Rem looked for someone to rely on, and when her eyes wandered along with her hands──

[Ram: ──Rem]

Her fingers trembling in loneliness get caught by a kind sounding voice and someone else’s fingers.

Rem knew whose fingers they belonged to even without seeing her face. This is because those hands always made Rem feel this way whenever she felt anxious.

[Rem: Onee-chan…….?]

[Ram: Yes, this is Onee-chan. Jeez, you overslept quite a bit, Rem.]

Rem calls out to her, and she responds affectionately. She turned around as she felt awkward. Then, Rem, lying down, saw the face of her older sister right by the bed as she looked at her.

[Ram: ────]

She sees Ram pale, having a haggard face with a pitiful bandage wrapped around her head, and she lost her voice.

The beautiful, dignified face of her older sister wearing a white kantoui1 looked gloomy because of her tiredness, and she didn’t have strength in her light pink eyes; she looked at Rem with only kindness in them.

[Rem: O─Onee-chan, what happ……..e]

Just when Rem was about to say ‘happened’, the memories came back to her mind fiercely.

It was a gruesome memory that started with the night engulfed in flames when she found her parents and her race who were burned to death after their resistance, ending with her twin sister screaming──.

That’s right. Ram looked up at the sky, and she screamed as if coughing up blood. The reason she did was because──

[Rem: Onee-chan, the village…….everyone…in the village……..Mom…Dad……..]

[Ram: ──Oh. You remember. I wish you’d forgotten about it, since it’s too much to handle.]

Rem, voice shaking, suddenly talks about her family, race, and home that were taken away from her. Ram’s sister’s state of confusion makes her lower her eyes, and she hugged her as she leaned forward.

She gently caresses her back, and her unstable heartbeat gradually calms down.

[Ram: It’s okay. Give anything and everything to me. Your crying, your anger, I’ll take it all. Onee-chan will be the outlet for the pain you feel.]

[Rem: Onee-chan…….Onee-chan…Onee-chan…Onee-chan……..]

Rem, sobbing hesitantly, pushes her face onto her sister’s body, feeling it over the light cloth. They went through the same suffering, sadness, and pain, and yet Ram’s heart stayed strong no matter what. She was again spoiling herself with how big it was, just like always.

Like that, the older sister tried her very best to make her sister forget about her sadness. In response to that scene──

[???: ──Just when I was thinking about where you went…so you were here after all.]

[Rem: Ee]

A voice suddenly interrupts them, and Rem, who was burying her face in Ram’s chest, let out her voice slightly. Ram responds to that reaction by caressing Rem’s head, and then she looked back with a displeased expression.

[Ram: An emotional meeting between sisters is going on here. I’d like to ask for no insensitive interruptions from outsiders.]

[???: As long as it’s in times of peace, I highly agree with your opinion. However, the situation isn’t like that right now. …….You should at least know how your body is, too.]

[Ram: You don’t know just how lonely Rem will be if I’m gone…….this girl is my priority.]

[???: Always have something to say…….you sure are a sassy guest.]

The person sighs at Ram’s unwavering protests in an appalled way. Rem stirred in the midst of that interaction and she finally got a look of the person who spoke next to her sister. And then,

[???: Good morning, Guest. I am truly happy to see that you’ve woken up safe and sound.]

The person saying that, politely pinching her skirt as she bowed to Rem while having eye contact, was a girl with beautiful, long blond hair wearing an apron that was based around the color black.

She was around 14-15 years old. She had blonde hair that would glisten in the sunlight, and clear white skin. Combining that with her refreshing, jade green eyes gazing at Rem that sparkled like gems made her looks have a latent, captivating charm. However──

[???: I’ve been ordered by the master to look after you two. My name is Frederica. I’m delighted to make your acquaintance.]

Right after she bowed perfectly, she took a look at the woman who lifted her head──at Frederica’s mouth. She saw a full set of fangs that were sharp enough to make her forget about what she thought of her hair and eyes.

The feature that changed even her graceful smile turn into something ferocious within an instant made Rem widen her eyes unconsciously in shock.

Frederica, upon seeing Rem’s reaction, looked down just slightly as she said,

[Frederica: My dearest apologies for startling you. I was born with these fangs, and they became really sharp because of my growth period……]

[Rem: Eh…ah….u……..]

Rem, hesitant to speak, sees Frederica’s lonesome reaction and she regretted her surprise.

She was an adolescent girl. Frederica had her own inferiority complex because of her mouth. And Rem also knew how it felt to worry about having a hopeless nature. She knew the feeling so well that it hurt.

Apologize. I should apologize. Rem immediately has those thoughts, and she tried to move her tongue. And yet…

[Rem: ──u]

Unable to express her thoughts in words, neither an apology nor denial came out of her mouth.

[Frederica: Alright, Ram-sama. Your sister is awake now, so please return back to your room. Next time I really will tie you to the bed since you’ve sneaked away so many times like this.]

[Ram: How uncivilized. If the blood of half-beasts makes you do that, how about you go lose some of it?]

[Frederica: I’d like you to kindly join me as a part of that suggestion.]

Even while Rem was mumbling, Ram and Frederica butted heads with each other. It seemed that Ram continued to behave recklessly to visit Rem as she slept.

In reality, her older sister standing next to bad looked pale, and even her breathing sounded beat. However, Ram, being the firm one that she was, rejected Frederica, who reached her hand out anxiously, and she said,

[Ram: I can walk by myself. Don’t touch me like you know me.]

[Frederica: Quite the stubborn one, aren’t you.]

Ram, acting stubborn in her kantoui, let out a sigh. Then, she looked back at Rem, lying down on the bed, and she smiled slightly.

[Ram: Rem, you can sleep a little longer. Let’s talk when you wake up again.]

[Rem: …….Onee-chan, I can’t be with you?]

[Ram: ────]

Rem shakes from her recalled memories, sense of loss, and the loneliness of being left behind at an unfamiliar place. Seeing Rem like that causes affection and hesitation to go through Ram’s eyes. However, before she used that as a reason to pamper Rem…

[Frederica: Master told me firmly, “Make sure to bring Ram-sama back to her room”.]

[Ram: Frederica…….]

[Frederica: Even if you glare at me like that, I feel conflicted. ──You can’t control your power after having your horn broken, right? It’s awfully unreasonable to let you do what you want if you’re like this.]

[Rem: ──Horn]

Frederica says that to Ram, who wouldn’t back down, and tried to persuade her. However, the one who had a strong reaction to that persuasion wasn’t Ram, but Rem, who was there listening.

A horn, the Oni horn. ──The broken horn.

In the last piece of her recalled memories, there was Ram screaming as her horn broke──

[Rem: Ah…Aaaahhh!?]

It came back in her memory. Ram’s broken, white horn fluttered down in the sky illuminated by flames.

The sense of helplessness she felt when she saw it, the feelings of guilt she had for letting it happen, the silence she had for the broken horn, all of it agonized Rem to the core, and her heart was smashed into pieces.

Rem, arms swinging mindlessly, screamed to fight against the flames that shouldn’t have been there.

[Ram: What happened!? Rem, pull yourself together! Look at me, at Onee-chan!]

[Frederica: I─Is it my fault……..!?]

[Ram: Whatever, just hold down her legs! Rem! Can you hear me!? Rem!]

The bed towel gets sent flying. Ram and Frederica hold down Rem as she struggled with her swell of emotions. However, Rem couldn’t be stopped, horn formed on her forehead as she fought back with the power of an Oni. Rem forcibly shakes them off in that state.

[Rem: ──Ka…u]

The next moment, her arms that she uncontrollably shook stop, and Rem lost the strength in her body.

The cause was the horn──the organ that was the source of an Oni’s strength, and the thing that had to be what made Rem go out of control. Ram, having responsibility for that horn, bites on it as she stimulated it to caress it with her tongue.

Rem gives in to that electrifying, sweet feeling, and she breaks down. Because of that and her chaotic state of mind, Rem fell onto the bed sideways.

[Frederica: H─Has she calmed……..down?]

[Ram: Probably. Sheesh, she really is a troublesome girl…….]

Lying on the bed, Rem’s expression turned back to her sleeping face that she had just before, and in contrast with her tone, Ram affectionately caressed her sister’s forehead.

Immediately after that, when Ram turned around to face Frederica, she said,

[Ram: Frederica. I’m going to pass out, so I’ll leave the rest to up to you.]

[Frederica: Okay, understood…….wait, ‘pass out’!?]

In front of Frederica, who agreed with her in the heat of the moment, Ram wobbled as she made a firm assertion. The peach haired girl collapses to lay next to her sister who looked just like her, and she fell asleep at once.

Frederica, who was pushed around by the Oni sisters, opened her mouth with visible fangs and she said,

[Frederica: ……..Seriously, what selfish guests!]

Then, raising her voice angrily, she spit out her rage.

3

Fortunately, the second awakening didn’t cause as much confusion to Rem as the first awakening did.

[Rem: ────]

A soft bed and pillow, and the feeling of the smooth silk, wrapping her body.

The feelings she perceived even though she was barely awake made Rem understand that what happened before she fell asleep was not just a dream.

She woke up to a room of an unfamiliar building somewhere in the world. Ram, who waited for Rem to wake up, and Frederica, dressed as a maid while having an angry look, had called out to her. And then──

[Rem: Onee-chan’s…horn…….]

[???: ──It’s an honorable injuuuury. Or at least, that’s what your sister keeps saying. So, you don’t need to feel responsible at all.]

[Rem: ──]

Someone replied to her when she was talking to herself, making Rem jump in surprise as she looked to the side. Then, her eyes met the eyes of a white faced man looking at her as he sat in a chair next to the bed.

It was a man who had long indigo blue hair and an aura that strangely stood out. Looks that were too well kept. Heterochromic eyes that released the charm of his magical looks. But what made his aura seem even stranger was the eccentric, excessive amount of clown makeup that vividly colored his face.

Clown makeup painted his face white and colored along his eyes and lips. He had clothes to go with it, based around stimulating colors, and he wore many unnecessary ornaments.

[???: You look surprised. Well, it makes sense. You just had all these cumbersome incidents happen one after another. Not being able to understand everything right away is natuuuural.]

[Rem: Eh…u─um………]

[???: No no no nooo, you don’t need to force yourself to speak. I’ll wait however long it takes, even if you take your time. Even if it’s after your body heals, again I’ll…..]

Putting up his hands, the clown interrupts Rem, who was confused, and he continued speaking. Rem, still feeling the shock from waking up to a clown, becomes flustered by his pushiness.

And then──

[Frederica: ──Master, you’ve gone too far with your jokes. Just watching it makes me feel bad for her.]

[???l: …….Sheesh, what a kill-joy. Frederica, you are excellent, but you don’t loosen up enouuuugh. And wouldn’t that make you butt heads wiiiiith Clind?]

[Frederica: You don’t have to tell me about my poor compatibility with that thing, Master. Anyways…….]

The one who sighed at the smiling clown and lastly looked at Rem was a blond haired maid with an evil face──it was Frederica. Frederica, having her face seen by Rem, did everything she could to speak without showing her fangs.

[Frederica: I’m very glad to see that you’ve woken up again. ──You won’t act up this time, right?]

[Rem: …….Where’s Onee…-chan?]

[Frederica: ──She’s currently in her room. She snuck out of her room many times until you woke up. …….You sure are loved.]

[Rem: ────]

The word ‘loved’ makes Rem hang her head.

Even she herself didn’t know if it was out of shyness, or if it was out of shame. However, she wanted to see Ram so much right now. I have to go see her, is what she thought to herself.

[Rem: Let me…go see Onee-chan. See Onee-chan…….]

[???: Beeeeefore that…]

Rem, removing the blanket as she tried to get up, felt a gentle poke hit her forehead. It was the finger of the clown sitting beside the bed. Rem knew she couldn’t move because of that one finger.

It was a simple touch to the forehead. That was it, and yet she couldn’t move as she shuddered.

[???: I am very aware that you are full of unease from waking up at an unknown place, not seeing your sister, who is your other half. However, that doesn’t mean I can just leave you to do whatever you want……..theeeere’s no way I can give you permission to do that. Can I get you to understand that?]

[Rem: ────]

[???: Good girl.]

The clown smiles at Rem, who was unable to move her head as she showed approval with just her eyes. And then, once the clown took his finger off her forehead, he waved his finger left and right.

[???: By the way, Rem…….or, is it okay if I call you that? Do you remember and understand the truth of what happened to you guys?]

[Rem: ────]

[???: Do you know what happened at your guys’ village and why you’re here?]

Rem concentrates on her forehead that had been touched as the clown continued asking her questions. The memory she recalled was one that came back to her from touching Ram when she woke up.

[Rem: …….The village…burned. Then, Mom, Dad, Chief, everyone, all of them burned.]

Rem, while searching through her memory with difficulty, imagines the scene of hell in her mind.

The village dyed in red engulfed in flames. Her race so burned that it was impossible to distinguish who was who. Setanta, bursting into flames with a yell. And Ram, horn broken as she screamed, covered in blood──.

[Frederica: …….So cruel.]

The memory of the disaster Rem talked about makes Frederica knit her brows sorrowfully.

She talked about it indifferently and emotionlessly, but on the contrary it showed the depth of the emotion scar of the girl who happened to be at the scene.

[???: I seeee. It seems you remember more than I expected, so I guess you understand the situation, too.]

However, the clown nods at Rem’s recollection without batting an eye, and something convinced him. That tone and behavior had neither pity nor sympathy, and as for proof, he clapped his hands lightly and said

[???: Your memory is pretty much accurate. Your village was destroyed, and the only survivors are you and your sister. It’s no longer an exaggeration to say that death is right around the corner for the Oni clan, who have been said to be on the verge of the extinction.]

[Frederica: Master!?]

Frederica shrieks at the clown’s words that summarized the tragedy lightly to object. However, the clown shook his head at the maid’s reaction.

[???: The truth is no different even if I change the way I put it. Beeeesides, the only survivors are the twins Ram and Rem. Surely they know this as well.]

[Frederica: But, even so……]

[???: You cannot mix up kindness and spoiling others. The former shows composure, while the latter is a misinterpretation of arrogance.]

Frederica keeps silent in response to the sharp speaking, and the clown continued to look at Rem. The clown’s behavior didn’t hurt Rem, nor did it make her feel sad.

The clown’s points were the truth.

She and her sister were the two survivors of the Oni clan now. You could say that her race was practically deprived of their hope and dearest wish. To Rem, that was──

[Rem: As long Onee-chan is there…….]

[???: The Oni clan will be peaceful? Sorry to say this, but she lost her horn. An Oni without a horn is not an Oni…….that’s your guys’ unwritten rule, isn’t iiiiit?]

[Rem: ──]

[???: Or is your sister special to the point of absurdity? It may be true that she had the appropriate qualities to be called the reincarnation of an Oni God before she lost her horn. Hooooowever, that’s now just a dream that faded away like heat haze…….the current Ram is a mere no-horn.]

[Rem: ──! What could you possibly know about Onee-chan!?]

The clown looks upon her sister, and it makes Rem have an outburst of emotions for the first time. Anger returns to her eyes that looked like they were dead up until this point, and the clown delightfully shakes off her hand.

Rem, in her night clothes, shrieks and she messes up the bed sheets. Then,

[???: You finally have a nice expreeeession. Having a conversation with a corpse is no fun. For better or worse, we’ve finally talked nooooow.]

[Rem: You…….what? What are you talking about!?]

Rem shows her anger with a loud voice at the clown who made exaggerations frankly as he fixed his collar.

When he listened to that comforting angry voice, the clown got up from his chair and looked down on her. The eyes of the skinny but tall clown make Rem flinch just a bit.

That reaction makes the clown look more and more entertained, while Frederica, standing next to him, sighed and said,

[Frederica: My apologies for introducing him late, Guest. This man is the owner of the mansion and my master, Mr. Roswaal L Mathers the Margrave.]

[Rem: Margwabe……]

It was a formal introduction by Frederica, but it was all Greek to Rem.

This place is what she said was a mansion, and the landlord was the clown right before her. Also, if the clown’s name was that long, she wouldn’t be able to remember it. That’s all she understood.

In response to Rem pronouncing the title poorly, the clown looks at Frederica with one eye closed.

[Roswaal: Looks like you’re strict with what a standard response is, even though there’s no way a girl raised in a hidden village deep in the mountains could understand a title of the kingdoooom.]

[Frederica: Urgh……]

Frederica, getting told that, frowns, and then Roswaal looked at Rem as he said,

[Roswaal: To tell you this frankly in a way that you could understand…….hmm. I am you and your sister’s benefactor. That should do it, am I riiiiiight?]

The clown──Roswaal says that, and Rem was reflected in his yellow eye while he had his other eye closed. It was a radiance so beautiful that it was entrancing, and yet it was disturbing.

I’m not going to like this man, is what Rem thought to herself.

4

[Roswaal: When I came running to the village, it was already wrapped in flames. I barely managed to find Ram at the mountain path holding you and lying down on the ground. Bringing you home was all I could doooooo.]

Roswaal explains the details of the rescue simply to Rem, who sought an explanation for the truth.

In Rem’s memory, Ram’s horn was broken by shining steel, and it ended with the moment when she witnessed her sister screaming from pain and emptiness. She had no clue what happened to them or how they survived after that.

Roswaal’s explanation was also very much just a summary. However, Ram carried Rem when she was unconscious and fled. ──That part felt very believable.

[Frederica: Basically, consider all the factors and believe in Master. That seems to be the conclusion here. Thank goodness there wasn’t anything like denial right off the bat, right Master?]

[Roswaal: Trying to get revenge earlier was quite bold thooouuugh. Anyhow, it’s a good thing that you believe me. As long as you guys are in this mansion, I’ll guarantee your safety.]

[Rem: ……..So, where is Onee-chan?]

Frederica looks at the master with indifferent eyes, while Roswaal responds to that with a deep nod. Rem skipped over their interaction and prioritized getting back together with Ram, who wasn’t there.

If Ram was in her position, she would be thinking carefully without caring about the lack of a horn. Rem should just follow her sister’s way of doing things and her way of thinking. Just like she always has. Thus──

[Rem: Let me see Onee-chan. I’m worried about Onee-chan.]

[Roswaal: Worried about Onee-chan, you saaaay.]

Roswaal repeats Rem’s words that showed her concern for her sister, and he squinted slightly. Those heterochromic eyes and speaking that sounded like ridicule make Rem feel discomfort once again.

Once Roswaal responded to Rem by placing his chin on top of his stacked hands, he said,

[Roswaal: Aren’t you really doing this because you yourself can’t stand being anxious………miiiiight that be it?]

[Rem: ──]

[Frederica: Master, I’ve been watching, but what is the meaning of all this?]

The one who took Rem’s place, holding her breath, and spoke out against Roswaal’s behavior was Frederica. Forgetting to hide her sharp fangs, she lashes out at the master.

[Frederica: Doing something like digging into the emotional scars of a very young girl over and over…….Master would never do such a thing back then.]

[Roswaal: “Be nice to little girls”, have you been influenced for worse by Clind?]

[Frederica: This is common sense, and it has nothing to do with that thing’s thoughts whatsoever. Don’t say such disgusting things plea…….wait, Master?]

Frederica, who talked back reflexively, had a face that indicated that she noticed he changed the subject at once. She glares at Roswaal with a frown on her face, and she had anger in her jade green eyes.

[Frederica: Just what are you thinking about exactly?]

[Roswaal: About what you call common sense, making sure to be nice to very young girls, of couuuuurse. You know it too, riiiiiight?]

Stopping himself there, Roswaal dares to pause for a moment, and he says,

[Roswaal: ──That even if this child were to meet with Ram, it wouldn’t be the result everyone wants.]

Frederica looks down, unable to refute Roswaal’s words. Rem felt like it was an awfully alarmed reaction, and she looked at their faces alternatingly.

She didn’t comprehend the flow of the conversation very well. But, there was something she understood.

Roswaal wouldn’t let Rem and Ram see each other right now. It’d be best for them to not see each other. That’s what he said.

[Rem: Don’t mess with me……]

There was no way in hell she could accept an opinion like that.

Rem stares at Roswaal, voice suppressed while holding grabbing onto the sheets.

[Rem: Let me…see Onee-chan……! Onee-chan…if Onee-chan……]

[Roswaal: You want to see Ram, no matter what?]

[Rem: I─isn’t that…obvious…….? I want to see Onee-chan…let me see her……]

Rem tops off her hostile tone with a question, and she made an ashamed expression unintentionally.

And then, while staring hard at her face, Roswaal said,

[Roswaal: ──Sure thing. Well then, let’s bring you to heeeeer.]

[Rem: …….Huh?]

Roswaal makes a complete 180 in his opinion, and he approved of Rem’s request just like that. Rem, surprised by that change in attitude, could no longer tell what was Roswaal’s true motive.

[Frederica: I understand your confusion. I feel the same way, after all.]

Frederica lets out a sigh mixed with sympathy and resignation, and she put a thin shawl over Rem’s shoulders. Then, leading Rem by the hand naturally, she makes her stand up next to the bed.

[Frederica: Well then, may I guide Rem-sama?]

[Roswaal: Do as you wish, of course. Hoooowever, don’t forget to do it with caution.]

[Frederica: Yes, I am fully aware. Alright, Rem-sama, come this way.]

Frederica receives the approval from Roswaal, waving his hand, and she guides her out the room. Rem looked back at Roswaal, still feeling unsatisfied while obeying her.

The man dressed as a clown smiles at that look as he went “Hmm?” with a friendly attitude. That smile makes Rem feel the chills. Once she hurriedly turned away, she ran after Frederica who went ahead.

──The sheer size of the Roswaal mansion went far beyond the limit of Rem’s little imagination.

Long, spacious corridors, and red, ankle-deep carpet. To the left and right, there was a multitude of doors to rooms lined up in the stone passageway, and there were furniture and paintings arranged equidistantly.

The scenery outside clearly showed the they were as high as the second floor or above, and the differences between this place and her home that just had one-story houses made the common knowledge inside Rem collapse noisily.

The building chief Sentana lived in was the type of residence Rem was familiar with. It was a house that was just a little big in comparison to Rem’s home, but this mansion was a whole new ballpark.

[Frederica: ──Please don’t think too badly of Master.]

Frederica suddenly stops walking and said that to Rem as she was captivated by the scenery that went beyond her imagination.

Those words make Rem look stupefied for a second, and she quickly realized she was having a misunderstanding; a misunderstanding in which she thought that the reason for her silence was because she distrusted Roswaal.

[Frederica: He may behave like that, but Master is a generous and compassionate person. I’m certain he will treat you and your sister well.]

While having that misunderstanding, Frederica carefully defends the master that wasn’t there.

Frankly speaking, Rem was not interested in Roswaal and Frederica’s opinion. The only important matter to Rem was Ram, who should’ve been in the same mansion.

Roswaal would treat Rem and Ram well. If that was the case──

[Rem: Let me see Onee-chan please.]

For now, she just had to prioritize that over everything. She wouldn’t ask for anything else.

Frederica responds to Rem’s request by closing her eyes, and after that, she continued guiding her again. She exits the corridor along with her, and they used the stairs to head down. She guides Rem to a place very far away from the room she had been in, and Frederica stopped walking as she said “We’re here” to Rem who felt doubt.

[Rem: ────]

Rem becomes dumbfounded in front of the door she was guided to, and she was at a loss for words.

In front of her, there was a door with many tightly wound chains with locks, and in addition, even the door itself had a magic circle drawn on it because it provided a perfect seal.

[Frederica: It will take just a minute to open it, so please wait.]

In front of Rem, who was dumbfounded, Frederica used the keys in her hand to undo the chains. Once the chains were unbound with an extremely heavy sound, Frederica put her hand on the door, and she whispered something.

Right after that, the door’s magic circle emitted faint light, and some sort of technique was canceled out. The subsiding light takes Rem’s breath away, and when the light finally completely disappeared from the door,

[Frederica: You’re free to come in.]

Frederica goes off to the side of the door, and she made way for her. Rem blinks her eyes in response to those words, and she timidly reached out for the doorknob as she pushed it open while the wooden door creaked.

[Rem: O─Onee-cha…….]

Rem tries to look inside while calling out to her, and the next moment, she bent backwards in a sudden gust. ──Actually, it was not wind, but an illusion. Nevertheless, it was so strong that it felt like that.

[Rem: ──]

Rem, grinding her teeth, stood firm at that spot. All of her downy hair stood on end, and her instincts ringed an alarm that told her to get out of there as soon as possible. That was Rem’s survival instincts; the Oni blood inside her urged her, and she bravely called out to the being she sought for.

However, Rem calms her shaking legs, clenches her chattering teeth, and she held in those desires.

Because inside of the eyes of this girl nearly in tears, her sister suffering in the middle of the room was reflected.

There was an aberrant mana torrent that gave off an oppressive feeling, surrounding the room. The one who was distorting the space into a such a dangerous state that the door had to have a seal applied, was Ram.

[Ram: Aaaah!!]

An empty room with a bed in the center, all other furniture removed. Ram was lying down on the bed, her limbs tied to it with chains, and she was twisting her body vehemently.

It was not movement wanting to be released, but writhing to endure pain. It was almost as if there was something like a raging mabeast kept inside of Ram, and it startled her back many times.

The bandage on her forehead wrapped around the wound from having lost her horn was now covered with blood, and her beautiful face transformed entirely into an evil, bloody look with the bleeding still not stopping.

[Rem: ────]

She was speechless. Rem no longer had any other reaction besides that.

It was the first time Rem saw her sister have an uncalm expression and her being on a rampage. The feeling of oppression that pierced her whole body and even aroused her survival instincts was undoubtedly caused by Ram’s Oni nature. It was something Ram, who spoiled her sister, never directed towards Rem up to this point.

Unexpectedly, the proof of this was that Ram wasn’t able to recognize Rem at this time.

[Frederica: …I’m sure that she won’t harm you if you get closer.]

Frederica calls out to Rem, who stopped at the entrance, not stepping into the room. Her low voice makes Rem come to her senses, and she looked back at Frederica while being focused on her sister.

[Rem: Why…is she like this……..she was calm when she woke up earlier…….]

[Frederica: She continued to steel herself until Rem-sama came back to her senses. Meanwhile, she had many impulses that were like seizures, but she would pull herself together through sheer force of will. She has a strong heart. But even then…….]

“That was what she dealt with until Rem woke up”, is what Frederica said with her eyes, not her mouth. That truth shattered her, because after all, Ram simply wished for Rem’s recovery, who continued to sleep, staying by her side while holding back her impulses.

[Rem: …….]

Even after knowing that truth, Rem didn’t try to run up to Ram. Rem’s survival instincts, of course, made her fully realize her own powerlessness.

Ram was currently like this because of the disruption in mana circulation due to losing her horn.

As an Oni, Ram’s body was extraordinary enough to be classified as something supernatural, and even maintaining it required an enormous amount of mana. Originally her horn would be there to make that mana circulate efficiently.

However, Ram lost her horn, and even then her body raised a voice of hunger, seeking mana.

Mana gathered accordingly with that scream, but the horn to take it in wasn’t functioning. Therefore, the mana drifted into empty space, having lost its place to go, and it generated a semi-artificial mana storm.

At this rate, a colorless power would rage in the middle of this room before long, and destruction would commence. And when that happens, the one to be damaged would be Ram, who was in the middle of the room──.

[Frederica: Fortunately, it’s never gotten to the point of a mana storm occurring. This is because of the she’s held down by force just before that happens, scattering the collected mana.]

[Rem: But that’s…….]

[Frederica: …….I know. There’s no way it could be done so many times.]

Sooner or later, failure would arrive. And from seeing how Ram was currently, it wasn’t going to be later.

When failure arrived, in that moment, Ram’s life would──

[Frederica: Rem-sama!?]

The instant Rem came to that conclusion, she shook off her hesitation and ran. That behavior makes Frederica raise her voice, but Rem put her call behind her and ran as fast as she could.

She was…not headed towards Ram’s side as she continued to suffer. Rem, rushing out of the room, dashes through the stairs and the corridor she had used to walk over there, and she tumbled into the very first room she woke up in.

She opens the door violently and looked inside angrily. Inside there was still a man dressed as a clown. He looks towards the door, as if he knew that Rem would return, and he smiled at the girl breathing heavily.

[Roswaal: Look at what we have here, why are you in such a rush? Didn’t you say that you wanted to see your sister?]

[Rem: ────]

Roswaal’s superficial words make Rem open and close her mouth repeatedly while sweat showed on her forehead. She had words in her head that needed to be said, but there was also slight hesitation in there as well.

However, the hesitation was smashed by her sister’s look of anguish that came to her mind, and it vanished.

[Rem: P─Plea…se. ……Save…Onee-chan.]

Rem, blue eyes filled with tears, desperately begged Roswaal while her voice shook.

She had no definite proof, and not even a basis that said this was the right choice. And yet, Rem was naturally convinced by her instincts.

──If it was Roswaal, Ram could be saved.

He could save her sister, who lost her horn and was suffering from her body that was out of control, and the mana that couldn’t be taken in.

Roswaal closed one eye in response to Rem’s begging. Once again, being stared at by his yellow eyes, Rem summons her spirit that cowered in fear, and she faced him. There were several tens of seconds with them being like that.

[Roswaal: I took you guys out from the burning Oni village. At that point, I’ve already saved your lives once. You still have something to ask of me on top of that?]

[Rem: ────]

[Roswaal: If I do that, I would then have saved your guys’ lives not once, but twice. In that case, what can you do for me? What would you have to offer?]

Roswaal’s words demanding compensation make Rem stiffen her startled face.

Requesting something, and wishing for something. It would be natural to have to pay the price if one wanted to do those things. Rem realized that obvious fact just now.

It was proof of how much Rem had been spoiled growing up thus far.

All throughout Rem’s life so far, she would always──no, she would receive things only from her sister Ram. She never begged for something from her parents and her race. However, Ram was the only one who was different.

Rem was always spoiled by Ram’s love, and she lived her days only being the receiver.

That’s why not even one of the vital words were prepared when this natural fact was in front of her.

[Rem: ────]

Rem kept silent in front of Roswaal, while he stayed silent and waited for an answer. He wasn’t doing it in a hurrying manner or a shocked manner, but the clear feeling of impatience burned Rem’s heart.

Even now, at this very moment Ram was still suffering in that room. And each second of this hesitation and doubt could be something fatal to her sister.

She couldn’t stand it, and it was something that couldn’t happen. So, before it did──

[Rem: What I…can give……]

[Roswaal: Go on.]

His urging words make Rem gulp, and she wets her dry lips as she closed her eyes.

Then, she immediately opened her eyes, and she stared at Roswaal from the front and said this.

[Rem: ──What I can give…is only myself. I’ll do…anything. I’ll do anything you say. So, please. Save…Onee-chan.]

[Roswaal: ────]

[Rem: Please. Please. Plea…se…….]

Rem gets on her knees, and she begged while rubbing her forehead against the floor.

The reason tears welled up in her eyes wasn’t because she felt miserable or pathetic. It wasn’t even shame or chagrin. She didn’t know the reason. The tears just welled up.

Rem begs him again and again and again while dirtying the floor with tears and mucus.

Just how many times did she repeat her words while being like that? Suddenly, the presence of a person stood in front of her eyes. When she nervously lifted her head, she saw Roswaal.

[Roswaal: ──Those are the words I wanted to hear.]

[Rem: ………Ah]

[Roswaal: Offering yourself for your sister’s sake. Truly beautiful. That’s my type of answer.]

In front of Rem, her eyes blinking, Roswaal brought out a handkerchief from his pocket. He puts that on Rem’s cheek as she sobbed, and lifted her small body sunk down to the floor.

Roswaal winks at Rem, who was carried in his surprisingly sturdy arms as she held her breath.

[Roswaal: Well, let’s go. You seeee, I am used to becoming the benefactor of someone’s life. I’ll work something out somehow right away. After that, let’s talk about you guys.]

[Rem: About…us…….?]

[Roswaal: You said that you’d do anything, didn’t you? Then that means you are mine. And if that’s the case, then it’s natural to talk about how you’ll be treated. ──Is it not?]

While walking, Roswaal continued with a face that made it seem like he’d already saved Ram. Although that behavior and details made Rem open her eyes wide, she understood him.

There was no doubt that Rem chose the best hand she could get to save her sister.

However, that might’ve been as reckless as voluntarily taking the hand of a devil.

[Roswaal: For maid clothes that suit your physique……that’s something that should only be discussed with Clind, yeeeees.]

Then, that’s what Rem thought to herself while looking up at Roswaal who walked as he hummed a tune.

5

[Rem: ────]

Rem, sitting on a chair next to the bed, stared at her calm sister’s sleeping face like a hawk.

This was the first time in her life Rem got the chance to see her sister’s sleeping face. Long eyelashes, and small, thin lips. She vaguely thought that her sister’s sleeping face was cute, contrary to her gallant behavior.

Ram, breathing in and out on the bed, was taken out of that firmly sealed room, and she was now put to sleep at a place next door to the room Rem first woke up in.

This was also proof of Roswaal guaranteeing that Ram wouldn’t randomly damage her surroundings with her power.

──Roswaal dealt with Rem’s appeal way too easily.

Roswaal, who had headed towards the room with Rem in his arms, had walked up to Ram as her power went out of control and put his hand on her forehead, using an enormous amount of mana. The treatment finished just like that in a matter of seconds, and when she realized it, Ram was already sound asleep.

However, even Rem, a failure as an Oni, understood at a glance just how unorthodox that treatment was, which was performed in mere seconds.

Roswaal made the enormous amount of mana Ram pulled in harmless, and at the same time he did work that sent in the mana necessary to maintain Ram’s body. He was practically using multiple magic all at once, and it was basically a feat that could only be pulled off by someone that was far more skilled than others.

[Frederica: Master is the head of the Mathers family and the best magic user in the kingdom.]

That was Frederica’s prideful sounding explanation to Rem, who was amazed by that act.

She didn’t really know what the extent of a kingdom was, but at the very least, she understood the fact that Roswaal was the best out of the many people he was compared to.

Having qualities of excellence, that basically meant he was the same as Ram, who was a top Oni.

She was forced to realize it at the Oni village, but it was the same deal even with the outside world. Rem was forced to realize that in this world there were many people out of her reach with extraordinary wit.

Even among such great men, Ram’s qualities should’ve been conspicuously excellent, and yet──

[Ram: ……..Rem]

[Rem: ──!? Onee-chan, you’re awake!?]

A voice slipped into Rem eardrums as she went into deep thought, and she jumped on the bed. Then, Ram, lying down, opened her eyes slightly and Rem reflected in her light pink eyes.

Her face still looked tired from suffering, but Rem was relieved by the fact that she woke up.

[Ram: I…….]

[Rem: Y─You should get more rest. Ummm, it was really bad until just now, but…erm……..]

[Ram: …….Rem, you don’t to have to hurry yourself. Take your time speaking.]

Seeing Rem not having the words come out of her mouth while being flustered, Ram says that to her as she had a slight smile on her face.

Rem received care from Ram who had been sleeping just a moment ago, and she felt so pathetic that it was unbearable, just like always. However, she didn’t want to look down here.

Because if she made Ram worry by doing that, she would forget why she was even there.

[Rem: Onee-chan’s…body…….it went through…a lot of trouble.]

[Ram: …….That seems to be true. It troubles me that it didn’t listen even though it’s my own body. Though it was troublesome when it happened, what’s gone is gone, and that bothers me.]

[Rem: You mean….your horn?]

[Ram: Yes, my horn. Without that, my body can’t be maintained properly. This’ll even cause trouble for Rem. I’m worried about the future…….]

[Rem: If you are! If you are…don’t worry, it’ll be fine……]

Rem made her voice louder in response to Ram, who touched her forehead wrapped in a bandage while making a pensive look. That makes Ram open her eyes wide as Rem continued while having her hands on the bed.

[Rem: It sucks that Onee-chan’s body…lost its horn……..but I…made a request. And so, he’ll take care of it from now on, is what Roswaal-sama……..]

[Ram: ──’Roswaal-sama’?]

However, in the middle of that statement, Ram’s very displeased voice interrupts her.

When the sound of that dangerous voice made Rem gasp, Ram touched her cheeks softly with her eyes squinted. And then, while Ram gently caressed Rem’s cheeks she said,

[Ram: Tell me, Rem. Why did you say that man’s name with a ‘-sama’?]

[Rem: Because, erm…….Onee-chan…looked like she was in pain…….]

[Ram: I looked like I was in pain, and what else?]

Rem answers while being startled from her worry about if she had did something bad. She presses her to continue by saying “and what else?”, then Rem said this while looking down.

[Rem: I told him I’d do anything to save Onee-chan…….and then Roswaal-sama…said that he wishes for me to work at this mansion…….]

[Ram: …….He said that he wishes for you to become his?]

She nodded. To put it accurately, he didn’t say it to her; Rem said it herself. However, there was a peremptory force in Ram’s voice, and so Rem nodded to end with a brief answer.

That answer makes Ram closes her eyes for a brief period, and after that, with a low voice as if forced out of her lips, she said,

[Ram: ──That man really is toying with us.]

[Rem: ……..What?]

[Ram: Him taking advantage of Rem’s kindness and using me to make you his is proof that his heart is rotten to the core. And on top of that, he has a twisted personality and he’s a sophist……..aah, damnit!]

Ram expressed her emotions to an unusual extent and she clicked her tongue as she threw her head onto the pillow.

Ram was always calm, and she was never infuriated. That’s exactly why she had never seen her raise her voice besides the night when the village was destroyed. And yet…

[Rem: Onee-chan, it’s okay. I can…do my best. For Onee-chan’s sake……]

[Ram: You can’t, Rem. That won’t work. The two of us have already been set up by that man.]

[Rem: ──?]

A question mark floated on Rem’s head as she couldn’t understand the reply. When Ram sat up again in response to Rem being like that, she brushed up the hair over her ears as she said,

[Ram: Let me rephrase that. The two of us have been set up by that man…….by Roswaal-sama.]

[Rem: By Roswaal-sama…….ah]

Rem thinks over the way Ram said that, and that’s when she too finally realized it.

Ram let out a long, deep sigh at Rem as she made that enlightened reaction.

[Ram: ……I said it when I ran away from the village and was found by that man. “Save Rem, I beg of you.” And then that man asked me what I could do for him.]

[Rem: ────]

[Ram: Even when he said that he wouldn’t force Rem to do anything…he set us up good.]

Ram clicks her tongue, feeling regret from the bottom of her heart. She understood that she did this because Ram herself was the cause for Rem seeking help from Roswaal, and that it wasn’t even because Roswaal violated the words “I won’t force Rem”, which he did because she sought help.

Ram’s body going out of control, Rem’s begging, none of that mattered to Roswaal. That was the truth──.

[Ram: And that’s how that man successively made you and I his……that’s how it is, huh.]

[Rem: ────]

[Ram: Rem, why do you look so happy from listening to what I’ve said?]

[Rem: What?]

Rem puts her hands on her cheeks, flustered from her sister’s point, and she was surprised by the fact that she looked happy. Then her eyes wander as she tried to figure out what to say to Ram, who looked like she wanted to hear her reason.

[Rem: I was happy…that Onee-chan did the same as me. And, um…….]

Just like she did, Ram also said that she’d offer herself for Rem’s sake. That was crystal clear, and yet she was so happy that she wanted to cry.

[Ram: ……Good point.]

Ram, upon hearing Rem’s reply, nodded with a dumbfounded look on her face. The anger that she had in her eyes just now vanished, and she gazed at Rem with only the color of love in them.

[Ram: I’m happy, too. That Rem said such a thing for Onee-chan’s sake.]

[Rem: Yes, me too. ……I’m happy, too.]

Rem climbs onto the bed, and she embraced Ram, who was smiling. And then Ram hugged her spoiled sister as she patted her head affectionately.

Something terribly heart-breaking happened, things were only being lost, and the pain that hurt them wasn’t healed. But even then, their existences for each other, that most precious thing in this world wasn’t lost.

The Oni sisters embrace each other to confirm that, and they spent a few moments together with just the two of them in the world.

Yes, they were two people in the world, not just twins who were irreplaceable to each other. Rem and Ram were now the only two left with the Oni blood.

Even in that sense, they were alone──.

[Ram: ──The four people.]

[Rem: ……Onee-chan?]

An impurity gets mixed into their time of love and embracing.

When Rem raised her face in response to Ram’s murmur, she saw her sister’s facial expression with her lips closed. And then Ram said this while keeping the same expression.

[Ram: The four people that attacked the village got away. We must find them.]

[Rem: The four people…that attacked the village……]

Upon hearing the details contents of Ram’s words, Rem opened her eyes wide and repeated them.

The damnable people who burned the Oni village with fire and killed her parents and her race. Those enemies were the four people.

Find them, is what Ram certainly said. And then Rem agreed not with her emotions, but by instinct. ──That had to be accomplished.

“Since the four people who got away were trying to exterminate the Oni clan, they might be going for them, the survivors.” It wasn’t a self-protective idea like that. The matter was much more simple.

[Ram: Retribution. We have to obtain it. ──We must wreak the grudge of our kind.]

Call it revenge, reprisal, retribution, vengeance, whatever. It didn’t matter.

In any case, it had to be done. It needed to be done.

Rem didn’t think this because her sister told her; it was the instincts that slept inside Rem as an Oni. It screamed loudly and spoke to her. Get revenge, get retribution, show your pride──.

[Ram: All of them will be found and killed. Otherwise, the disgrace of the Oni clan won’t get wiped out.]

[Rem: Find them…….?]

[Ram: To do that, let’s use whatever’s available to us. ──We might as well even use Roswaal-sama, who should be elated right now.]

Find the four enemies in this wide world──just how difficult could that be?

Ram nods reassuringly at Rem, who still had anxiety while her Oni instincts were pushing her. Seeing her sister’s determination, Rem felt the very same sense of security she had once felt before.

Even if she lost her horn, Ram was still Ram, and she was the noble “real deal”, stronger than everyone.

Thus──

[Rem: Yes, got it. ……I’ll do my best along with Onee-chan.]

Rem’s sister simply having one word to say ignited her soul, even more than her instincts as an Oni did.

It came from Ram. Ram was always right. That’s why she was right now, from now on, and forever. Her sister would continue being Rem’s guide, no doubt about it.

The Oni village was gone, Ram lost her horn, but they could still be together.

If that was the case, then nothing would change. Rem believed that, and it was engraved in her mind.

With just a quiet voice──

[Rem: ……I’m sorry.]

The village burned away, her parents and race were killed, and yet she didn’t feel any deep sorrow.

So many things were taken from her, but she was saved by the fact that Ram would still stay by her side.

[Ram: It’ll be okay, Rem. I will…Onee-chan will always be with you.]

Ram, without questioning her, said that in response to Rem’s words that were just an apology, just like always.

Closing her eyes from the feeling of her sister’s warmth and the gentle touch of her hands, Rem leaves everything up to her.

Praying that she could keep doing so from now on, just like she always has up to this point.

──Embracing each other, the Oni sisters both swear to get retribution in the world with just the two of them.

1. [Clothing that is simple cloth with a hole for putting the head through, worn like a poncho. ]↩