Vol 1 Chapter 32: Hugo’s Loneliness

Hugo

Haah….

I sighed yet again. For what must be the 20th time now.

As you can see, I am quite in the dumps right now.

And as you can probably guess, it's because of Sherry.

Her letters… they came less and less frequent as the months went by. And I expected them to stop coming entirely soon enough.

And my mood slowly soured with that, to the point that I wasn’t that spirited anymore to continue my daily training.

Goddamnit, Hugo. She’s out there training to be strong for your sake and yet you’re just going to laze around? I scolded myself.

If only Marina was here, I would no doubt feel refreshed in an instant. She always knew how to cheer me up. But it was still a couple more months until she returned in the summer.

I missed Sherry. I really did. I missed admiring her long and smooth black hair that shone under the sunlight; I missed her cute little smiles;

And most of all, I missed the rivalry between us.

Guess the saying was right. You don't know what you have until it slips out of your hands.

At first, I thought that I could get through it just fine. I thought I could just replace her presence with Erika’s. But, as cute as my little sister might be, she was still too young to have a meaningful conversation or interaction with  She just wanted to cling to me and that’s it. Nothing else. She asked me to teach me magic once, but she immediately gave up and cried when she found out she couldn’t learn any of the basics immediately. Not that I would expect her to be, with her still being one and a half years old. I doubted she could even understand my instructions. She was just swaying her arms around, spelling the chant slowly as the words were still too complex for her.

Yeah, she’d been watching me train with Mary accompanying her. I heard from the maid that she demanded to be brought there, and she wouldn’t stop crying until she did.

I’m starting to worry that she’s going to grow up to be a spoiled girl who thinks she can get anything with her tears.

I was happy, of course, when she declared how cool I was after I finished my training. Who wouldn’t? My heart immediately felt like it was fluttering to the heavens, seeing my cute little sister praise me like that.

She’s a mile away from how the other little sister I used to have in my old life. That one was far more reserved and quiet, and she rarely smiled. And she started looking down on me the moment my downward spiral began, saying how embarrassed and disappointed she was to have a loser as a big brother like me.

I never blamed her though. It was only normal for a genius like her to be ashamed of a failure like me.

And so, seeing Erika being proud of me like this, it was an absolutely exhilarating feeling to have. It made me renew my promise on becoming the best big brother to her that I could yet again.

And yet, I still craved for companionship from a girl closer to my age.

Father told me half-jokingly with a grin that I should just go to the village and get some girls to play with there, so that “you would stop looking so lonely”, he said. “Or maybe some boys, since you've always been surrounded by girls since you were born. Get some of that manly bonding for once,” he continued, before laughing at his own joke.

I tried to do it, but I immediately realized the gap between me and the kids out there.

First of all, even when they’re near my age, they were far less mature than I would like them to be. The boys would still just spend their days playing the common children games like hide and seek, something I quickly found to be a very dull thing to do. I always won every time, and they quickly got discouraged by that fact as well. The girls on the other hand, well, they were all pretty much just all flirting to be my future wife. They talked to me like I was the king’s own son, and they all brought up to the fact how I was apparently this genius mage. Hmph, I suspected Mary was behind this. She probably told the entire village about my training.

I was flattered of course, especially since some of them were quite cute indeed, but it was all that they knew. I didn’t know whether they were told to do it by their parents or they were doing it out of their own volition, but after being given ten separate lunchboxes by ten different girls, that I had to finish or else they might cry, I had enough. I just felt suffocated to be around them.

Heh, ironic. I ended up in the same situation as my old child self.

However, I didn’t intend to repeat the same mistake. So when they asked whether I already had a girl that I liked, I proudly answered, “Yes! Her name is Sherry! You all know her, right?”

And this was the moment where my view of them dimmed. They immediately went on to badmouth her, saying how they couldn’t believe that I would like a bad-mannered and bad-tempered girl like her. They even thought that Sherry was only living with us as a servant, and not as part of our family.

Hearing it, flame seemed to rise up from my stomach. With a stern frown, I told them that they had insulted me and our entire family by insulting her, before taking my leave. Naturally, they immediately tried to apologise for it but I paid them no heed, leaving them behind using my wind magic.

Huh, so this is how it feels to have a girl you like being insulted…

Oh, and I also heard that some of the older boys had left to become soldiers. They would go to Aarom and receive training there, if they could pass the entrance exam. For most peasants in rural villages like this, it was their only other option, other than following in the footsteps of their father. Though I suppose they could also be adventurers, but with no previous training on how to fight, well, only the bravest, or most foolish, would attempt such a thing.

I think the kid that used to hit on Marina is one of them, since I don't see his big figure anywhere in the village. Who's his name again?

--------

Finally, summer came, and with it, Marina's return home.

And you can't imagine how happy I am for it. I wore this stupid grin on my face throughout the morning, knowing that she most likely would return today, according to her letter.

At first, Erika was just as excited as me for her. But she quickly got bored of waiting and ended up taking her day nap. Just when she actually arrived. Heh, that girl really got no patience, huh?

When she was descending down her carriage however, I was taken by surprise.

She now had a large staff with her in her right hand. It was made out of wood—oak if I were to guess. It spread like a branch at the end, before curling back into a hole where a green gem was placed.

“So, how do I look?” She asked with a not-so-subtle grin.

“Wow, you look even more like a mage now, Big Sis!” I replied to her with a big smile.

“Thanks! I got it as a gift actually! Got first rank in my final exam so the teachers decided to give me this staff! And it’s not just an ordinary staff either! Look!”

Suddenly, the staff shrinked, reforming back into a wand.

“It’s a transforming staff! Or wand, whichever you prefer! Some staves have the capability to do this, if the mage really wants that extra versatility. Though naturally, enchanted staves like this are much more expensive than run-of-the-mill ones.”

“And they gave you that for free?” Mother spoke, clearly astonished judging by her expression.

“Yes, they did! They said they saw my potential and they hoped that I could use the staff to reach even greater heights with magic! Not to mention that it fits perfectly with the fact that starting from fourth year, we’re going to start learning how to use staves instead of wands to cast our spells. I already told you about the difference between the two, right Hugo?” She suddenly asked.

“U-uhh—” Taken aback, I couldn’t just instantly recall what she had told me about the matter. “—Right… Staves can draw out and channel mana even better than wands, right? So technically it’s the better weapon for a mage. Only that it’s cumbersome to carry around and certainly not very stealthy. You can’t hide it under your robe to hide your enemy, for example.”

“Correct!” Marina replied, raising her index finger. Aah, she’s gone back into her teacher mode again. “Although there’s this one thing that you couldn’t do with a wand.”

The staff then transformed back into its original form, before she raised her other hand—the free one—and conjured a simple Fireball on it, though she kept it there instead of firing it.

“Notice how my mana is circling around from my body, into the staff, and then to my free hand? That’s another thing wands can’t do. You can only fire your spell with a wand from its tip. But with a staff, you can do it with the hand that is not wielding the staff.”

She then closed her hand, extinguishing the Fireball.

“There are more advanced applications of this, of course, but I have yet to be able to perform it, unfortunately. I just got the staff recently after all.”

Oh Sis. You really don’t have to try justifying yourself like that. You’re already a genius just like this!

“Hmm, I suppose I’ll have to send a letter of thanks to the Academy for that staff,” Father commented. “That kind of a magic staff is really expensive. To think that they’re nice enough to just give it to her.”

At first, I was of the same opinion of him. But then… Marina revealed the full truth to me when we were on our own.

------

That night, she visited my room once we had our baths and dinner. After knocking and excusing herself, with a serious look on her face, she took a seat on my bed before she began her tale.

“I promised you to not hide anything from you again, right?”

My heart immediately dropped. Don’t tell me that another girl has started to bully her yet again!

“That staff… It’s true that the teachers gave it to me for being the first in my exams. But, they also mentioned that it was also a gift from a certain person that had taken quite an interest in my progress.”

“A certain person?” Uh oh. That expression on her face. I’m not sure if I’m going to like who it is.

“Vera Marjoram. One of the ruling Council members. And that hobbit’s grandmother.”

She didn’t need to say anything else. I could already piece two and two together.

It’s a bribe. For her to accept her grandson.

She had talked about him further in her letters. Apparently, she caught him being a patron in one of the city’s brothels when she was doing a quest. Not in the middle of him actually doing it, thankfully enough, but she certainly got enough proof to see that there really was nothing innocent about him. He was a perverted little hobbit who would ask prostitutes to pretend that they were his big sisters before teasing him.

Now, ignoring the quite disturbing fact that Marina dared to go to a shady establishment like that on her own, even for a quest, I had both a scowl and a grin on my face when I read the letter. How dare that pervert try to go after my big sister, I thought to myself. But at the same time, I was also happy that whatever chance he had on getting close to her had just burned into ash. Marina never liked perverts after all. Especially one that pretended to be the opposite.

“So, what do you think? Should I just… throw away the staff?” she asked with a wry smile. She didn’t bring it with her of course, as she had put it in her room.

“N-no! That’s a really good staff, isn’t it?” I replied. “That would be a big waste, especially since you like it so much.”

“I suppose… I just don’t like taking someone’s bribe like this… it feels… dirty.” She averted her gaze, looking straight to the bookshelf instead.

Putting my hand on her shoulder, I gave her a grin. “Think about it like this, Sis. You might be accepting her bribe, but you have no intention in paying any attention to her grandson even after the fact. So instead of her controlling you with the bribe, you’re the one using her instead. So you shouldn’t feel bad. Instead, you should feel happy that you just tricked a big wig like her to give you an expensive staff.”

Her dry smile turned into a genuine one, and she gave me a pat on the head. “You’re right. I shouldn’t overthink it. I should just take the staff while not giving anything in return to her or her grandson.”

“Now I can’t help but feel a little bad. Just a little bit though.” She giggled.

“Anyway, let’s talk about something else.” Suddenly, her expression turned serious all over again. “How are you dealing, Hugo? With her being gone?”

She didn’t need to tell me who this “her” was. It was all too obvious.

I sighed. “Well, I get by. But if I say I don’t feel lonely, then I would be lying,” I admitted with full honesty. “She’s the only friend that I have after all.”

"How about Erika, hmm?" She placed her left hand around my shoulder.

"She's cute and all, but it's just not the same… She's too young, you know..." I sighed again.

"And the kids in the village?"

"I don't like them unfortunately. I feel bad for saying this but there's nothing that interests me about them."

"Ah, I understand." She released her hand with an understanding smile. She then looked away from me, back to the bookshelf. "I'm like you as well, you know. Barely any friends. I suppose I'm what you would call an introvert. I'm comfortable with just Alincia being my friend. And my books as well, I suppose." She added with a wry smile.

It was then her turn to sigh.

"I wish I could spend more time with you, Hugo. You won't feel lonely with me around, would you?" she asked with a smirk.

"Of course not, Sis..." I replied, looking down at my knee. "That's why I've been looking forward to you coming back so much."

“...Well, at the very least, you have my panties to accompany you.”

Wait, what?

She broke out to a grin. “You haven’t thrown them away or anything, have you?”

"O-of course not! I got them safely stored inside the box all this time, just like you wanted! Look! It’s in the back of my wardrobe over there!” I pointed forward.

“Eeh, I actually expected you to just throw it after a month or so when you got bored. To think that you’re this much of a pervert to keep them all this time…” She looked away with a disappointed expression.

"I-it's not what you think! I-I was just—" Wait, that smirk… "Hey, Sis! You're just messing with me, aren't you?" I pouted.

"Aaw, and here I thought I could have some fun teasing my little brother like usual. You really are growing up quick, aren't you, Hugo?" She ruffled my hair.

Hmph, time to go for a counterattack!

“Sis, know you like seeing me all flustered but you nearly made me go on a panic attack there. If you start hating me because you think I’m a pervert, then I wouldn’t know what to do…” I trailed off my sentence, before putting on the saddest puppy look that I could muster.

As expected, she was the one to panic this time around.

“Oh, you silly goose! I’ll never do that to you!” She immediately went for a hug, wrapping her arms around me. She then released her grip just as quickly, putting both of her hands on my shoulders instead, staring at my eyes. “I know perfectly well that you’re a good kid, Hugo. And there’s nothing wrong with keeping a girl’s used panties around if she already consented to it. Or at least, that’s what I believe.” It seemed even she wasn’t quite 100% sure if what I was doing counted as a morally deplorable act or not. Which was completely understandable, of course. “In fact, in a certain sense of way, you could see it as a romantic act. You want to be with her so bad that you want a memento of her lovely scent that you carry around everyday.”

Welp, that logic sounds quite perverse if I were to be honest. But since it was her who was saying that, I somehow could accept it as a normal, completely non-perverse truth.

Is my big sister slowly turning into a pervert too? She already has her puberty, right, at that age? Her boobs are still growing bigger, and even now, being this close to her, I can take a peek down her loose blouse to see the two naked mounds.

“In fact, Sherry gave you hers as well, didn’t she? Hmph, why didn’t you tell me?” She huffed.

Ah, this is her trying to tease me again. Not going to work this time, Sis!

“Well, Sherry is going to be my wife in the future, right? So it’s a private thing between us. It’s none of your business, Sis,” I answered sternly.

...Oh crap, I might have gone too far. Immediately she got this pained, hurt look on her face.

“R-right, o-of course. I-it’s none of my business. Sorry…” She withdrew.

“W-wait, that’s not what I meant, Sis! I-I was just too shy to tell you! That's all!" I quickly corrected her. I didn't want to upset her for real.

And then, that hurt expression immediately transformed into a smirk.

"Hehe, gotcha!" She stuck her tongue out.

...You—aargghhh! Why am I being outwitted by a 13-year old girl?

Afterwards, we had our talk for a little while more, mostly talking about my progress in magic. And then, she bid me goodnight, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

As she left the room however…

"Oh, one more thing…"

What?

Without any warning, she started to lift her dress upwards on the sides, bending over a little in the process. And then, she made a movement that could only be described as her pulling down her panties.

"Hey, Hugo." She stopped, looking back at me with a naughty smirk. "Do you want a new fresh pair for your little collection? I sat on them all day in the hot carriage, you know. Should have my big sister scent all good and nice."

W-whaaatt?

“...Hehe, now that’s a good expression.”

She then pulled her panties back up. I didn’t get a good look on them but I was pretty sure she wore a pale green pair under her dress.

Argh, it’s another tease from her! And I completely got fooled by it! Again!

“Well, good night, Hugo,” she said, still with a smirk. “Sorry, but I can’t give another pair, not when Sherry is doing it as well. Don’t want to upset her after all.”

Without waiting for my response, she left the room, just like that.

I was lucky that I had yet to hit puberty, or else I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night for sure.

And I couldn’t help but wonder how Marina would make a perfect succubus with how good she was at teasing.

...Nah, she’s too serious and reserved outside. She’s just like this when she’s with me, and when she’s with her boyfriend/husband in the future, I imagine. That’s not an attitude a succubus would have for sure.