Siblings Reincarnate as Enemies

Chapter 29 — In which people are… dead?

“You really think that ‘evidence’ you just presented can be used as proof? Sure, I was here yesterday’s night, sure I knocked on that dog’s descendant’s door. But murder? You have no proof of that.”

Spider Golderodi’s eyes were full of spite.

Saffra’s expression was just tired.

“Haa… Do you really think you live in a just world where people need ‘evidence’ to be convicted of crimes?”

Saffra’s expression turned to the sour one.

“Sorry to break it to you, miss, but you’re not. All that matters is who holds the most power. If I say that you committed a crime, you committed a crime. There is no one there who will question me about evidence, because I’m the daughter of the supreme ruler of this land. Until my father holds the throne, I need no ‘proof’.”

“You talk like a tyrant.”

“Yeah, and the world isn’t just and good enough to punish me for being one.”

Saffra crossed her arms, as she looked down at Spider Golderodi, her eyes cold.

“Now tell me, why Miss Craya? Why try to destroy her? Why do you continue to spit on the name of an excellent man like Sir Waxion?”

At the ‘excellent man like Sir Waxion’, Spider Golderodi’s face suddenly twisted and she spit out:

“Excellent man? Yeah, of course, for a tyrant like you, he would be an excellent man. A good dog that followed its owner to rip the innocent to shreds. A bloodthirsty hound!”

“What do you know to speak about him like that?”

Saffra’s voice turned icy cold.

But Spider Golderodi just laughed.

“What do you know? All I need to know is that he was a devoted follower of one of those three fucking bastards.”

As if something awakened in her, she shouted with a burning gaze:

“Did you never think it was weird? The legends say that the three great rulers took control over the thrones and founded the Luminere. But where did those thrones come from? What was there before Luminere, in the history that was erased by those three ‘great rulers’?

I can tell you! There was a great kingdom where no one ever died or suffered. The kingdom with one throne and one benevolent ruler. But those three ‘great rulers’ came and destroyed it and then split the throne into three! They thought they could take all that power for themselves.

But then they discovered that if they split the throne into three like this, that power that makes that kingdom into heaven without death will disappear. And so they tried to take the ‘one throne’ for themselves, but died to each other's blades! As they deserved!

Now, centuries later, there are some bastards who still think about themselves as followers of those ‘great rulers’. Because their dear idols failed, they now prevent anyone from achieving the goal of ‘one throne’. They don’t want anyone to be happy!

Selfish bastards, tyrants’ dogs! They deserve hell!”

Silence fell for a moment as Spider Golderodi caught her breath.

Almost everyone in the room looked at her with murderous gazes and she seemed to be bathing in it with content.

But there was one person who looked at her differently.

Saffra first closed her eyes for a moment and then when she opened them again, she was looking at her with pity.

As if she saw the most foolish person in the world.

“You fool. You utter fool. Do you know what ‘kingdom without death means’? Do you truly think it’s heaven? A heaven worthy of killing your sister?”

“She wasn’t my sister. She was created, just a tool. She didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”

It seemed that Saffra’s gaze made Spider Golderodi uncomfortable.

She blurted out previous words without thinking.

“Really? And what the fool bunch of people like you call themselves? I don’t know about foolishness, but do you want to go to therapy maybe…?”

“We’re not fools! Damn it, we’re the— !”

Suddenly Spider Golderodi stopped talking.

And then she screamed.

Smoke gushed from her lips as if something was burning inside of her.

And then, a mere second later.

She dropped on the floor.

Lifeless.

Saffra was at her side the next second.

She rushed to Spider Golderodi the moment she stopped talking, but was too late.

Saffra cursed.

Or at least, she seemed to, because no one in the passage recognized the word.

(Saffra unconsciously used an old curse from 300 years ago).

Before anyone could say anything, Saffra moved again.

She laid down the body on the floor, then took out a few candles from the supplies that Spider Golderodi kept around.

She put those around the body and lit them up.

Then, she took out the paper, divided it into tree and with a black fountain pen, she drew on the three paper pieces.

Soon, perfect holy symbols appeared on them.

She ignored the bewildered and shocked eyes of those around her.

Saffra quietly murmured something and then burned one of the talismans in the flame of the candle.

The flame shook for a moment and then…

Nothing happened.

The ritual of soul summoning failed.

Saffra repeated the ritual two more times.

It failed two more times.

There was one conclusion.

“Her soul was destroyed.”

The girl nicknamed Spider Golderodi didn’t die.

She ceased to exist.

*-*-*

The following investigation was pure bureaucracy.

As expected, Craya was let go on the basis of lack of evidence.

The appearance of another dead Golderodi caused a bit of confusion, but at that moment Mimosa took over the operation and directed law officials to more… useful tasks.

Like investigating who the two Golderodi girls were.

But the results of that were also very confusing.

It was proven that there was indeed a new noble family, who had a descendant Golderodi written down in the Book of Merits.

But there were a few problems.

First, ‘Golderodi’ was the last living descendant of that family. The investigation showed that her family died during the plague a few years ago.

Second, there was only one ‘Golderodi’ written down in the Book of Merits. There was no mention of any siblings.

Third, when law officials went with the drop of blood of both Golderodis to the Book of Merits, to confirm which one, if any, is a true Golderodi, the answer was…

Yes.

Yes for both. Both of them were recognized as Golderodi.

Which should be impossible, because even twins couldn’t fool the Book of Merits.

But there they were. Two different people were recognized as one person.

It was quietly dismissed as some kind of unknown error with the Book of Merits and put under the wraps.

So though the identity of the two deceased was confirmed, the mystery of the whole incident only deepened.

What were Golderodis doing at the manor? Why Spider Golderodi kill Flower Golderodi? Who exactly stood behind them and who destroyed Spider Golderodi’s soul? How come that Book of Merits recognizes them as the same person?

There were some people who had some guesses about the answers to these questions, but for one reason or another they kept quiet for now

It was only once when Saffra mentioned something related to it.

She was drinking salted cold ginger tea with Mimosa, when she asked:

“Can I ask two questions? Related to Miss Golderodi’s murder.”

“Ask.”

“You knew who the murderer was, right?”

Mimosa, who was about to take a sip of tea, halted and then said:

“I didn’t know the identity of the murderer, but I knew that they must have been closely related. If that investigation became annoying, I planned to direct the search towards the family members… Well, it wouldn’t probably work out in the end.”

“Got it. Second question. About the secret passage. How secret is it? I didn’t know about this one, so I wonder who has access to it.”

“It’s a passage known only to the throne ruler, the ruler’s candidates and their closest confidants.”

“I see… Pretty secret then.”

Then, the two of them returned to quietly drinking their tea.

*-*-*

Like this, two days quietly passed.

A week since the three old rulers of Luminere woke up with their memories of their past lives.

The beginning of a new week.

In the evening of that warm day, when a light breeze was soothing the tired souls.

Three important events happened.

In Rubrun.

Vern, disguised as Crow, made another appearance on the Magic Exchange.

In Purplus.

Amara went to visit the Temple of Dead and Forgotten Gods to hear a report.

In Flavun…

“Do you want to go shopping with me?”

Mimosa made an unexpected offer.