The Person I Loved Asked Me to Die in My Younger Sister’s Place

“Apprentice…what did you say?”

“I will become your apprentice. You have a far advanced knowledge of magic, and the holy sword has made it clear to me that I must master this <Black Lightning>. Of course, while I’m here, you may use me as you like, whether it’s as a servant or something else.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t go deciding things like that on your own! I don’t need an apprentice or something like that, and I can’t look after you! Go back, now!!”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll go outside and wait until you accept. Outside, where you say it’s filled with miasma that will threaten my life.”

Lloyd said, conveying each word clearly–emphasizing the word “outside–and grinned.

It was the first time she had seen him smile.

Wisteria’s face tensed, and she recoiled greatly.

——It was just like the brilliant smile of Bright, the living jewel of Reuning.

But, Lloyd’s smile immediately looked somewhat hollow, as if he was trying to forcibly cover up the intention he had in his mind with the power of his overly-blessed face.

“You…you sure have a nice personality…!!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Wisteria cursed in frustration.

It was Salutis who vented a truly disgruntled voice.

“Do as he asks and throw him out, Irene. It’ll all be put in order soon if you do that.”

“There’s no way I can do that!! And it was your big mouth that got us into the mess!!”

“Hmph, I just answered him because he asked me, and whether or not you’ll deal with it is another matter. You’ll get taken advantage of because you deal with it seriously.”

The holy sword said sulkily like a pouting child. How irresponsible, Wisteria raised her eyebrow.

“J-Just go home!! There are people waiting for you, aren’t there!?”

“I’ll go home, once I completed my objective. It doesn’t matter if I’m a little late.”

“It’s not going to be just ‘a little late’! Go home!”

Wisteria couldn’t do anything except repeat that.

After all, this was the <Grey Lands>, and the outside air was filled with miasma. The <Gate> could only be opened from the other side, but Lloyd had the means to return, so he should be sent back as soon as possible.

However, Lloyd seemed to well aware of this, and no matter what Wisteria shouted at him, he looked as if he didn’t feel anything more than a gentle breeze.

He tilted his head slightly, shook his silver hair, and smiled.

“I’m in your care, Master.”

His golden eyes weren’t smiling at all, and that never-receding fire was burning.

“…So, what’s the reason you’ve gone this far to seek Salutis, young man?”

Wisteria asked languidly. She hadn’t felt so mentally exhausted in a long time.

Right now, Lloyd was seated at the table in the living room like a guest she was entertaining, and they were sitting facing each other. It couldn’t be helped, so she even ended up serving him a drink.

Salutis made fun of her a lot, but in the end, she couldn’t make Lloyd change his mind, nor could she get him out of her house.

After leaving the room where he had been laid down, Lloyd looked around with a mystified expression.

It must have been very novel for a son of a noble who was raised in an aristocratic estate, and what’s more, the Reuning estate.

The ceiling, walls, and floor were all irregular and uneven. The amber wood grain was exposed. But perhaps it was the color tone, or perhaps it was the decor or furnishings, that gave the place a strange warmth, making it look like a building from a fairy tale.

Wisteria couldn’t help but interject.

“I couldn’t exactly live in a cave. But all I had was time, so I used this wooden hollow to adjust and arrange things little by little.”

“…All by yourself?”

“Well, after I learned how to use magic partway through, that made it much easier. Here, I can basically use anything however I liked.”

Wisteria smiled bitterly.

It was originally just a wooden hollow–a large hollow in the center with three smaller cavities adjacent to it.

The center was made into a kitchen with a hollowed-out stone sink and a kind of hearth, and a small living room with a table and chairs for eating food she had immediately cooked.

The other three cavities were connected to the center and used as a bedroom, storage room, and bathroom, respectively.

Waiting for Lloyd to speak, Wisteria tilted her cup. The cup, too, was of rugged stonework, nothing compared to the one she had used when she was a noble lady.

The young man’s gaze fell to the rugged cup offered to him. Sensing a faint hint of scrutiny, Wisteria let out an “Ah.”

“That’s made from purified water and boiled with medicinal wood. It’s not poison. It’s temporary consolation, but it does neutralize the miasma. Be careful, it might sting your mouth wounds a little bit.”

Lloyd lifted his face, and his eyebrow moved slightly, as if to say, I didn’t expect to be told something like that.

“It’ll cause trouble for me if you fall ill. I can’t guarantee the taste, but your body is more important.”

“…You’re already becoming an overly helpful old lady? This is going to speed up your senility.”

“What’s that? You want some of this hot tea too? I’ll pour some over you with a small pot.”

“D-D-D-Don’t do it, you evil wench!”

When she threatened the sword, which called her names without a moment’s delay, Lloyd reached for the tea.

He tilted the cup and gulped it down in one go. His face twisted a little, perhaps because of the tea stinging his wounds.

Wisteria was a little surprised.

(Is he reckless or daring?)

She didn’t intend on poisoning him, but she thought he would resist a little more. She had even thought of offering him water if he refused.

He soundlessly put the cup down and spoke with a sharp expression on his face.

“The holy sword Salutis is a necessary token of my courtship. That’s why I came.”