Seth paused for a moment as he saw the door leading to the house in front of him. He takes a few breaths and slowly opens the door. Several of the servants greet Seth as he returns home.

'Welcome back,'
Yeah, I'm back.

　As they exchanged the usual exchanges, Seth looked around. From the looks of it, there was no sign of Alda. A little relieved, he headed to his room first.

　On the way there, one person came running up to him from in front of him at a brisk pace.

'Welcome back, brother.

　Stopping in front of Seth, Lisha smiled softly. Naturally, Seth's expression also broke down.

I'm back. Did Risha just get back from the academy too?
Yes, just now.

　Lisha was now wearing a navy blue blazer with the school's emblem embroidered on it and a brown skirt.

　The academy was an institution of magic and classroom learning, and Seth had graduated just a year ago. It is a school where most of the nobles are studying and many of them are excellent people.

''Were you hurt, brother?''
'Yeah. It was pretty close, but thanks to Wraith, Raffy and the others, we managed it.
'Well, that's good to hear,'

　For a moment, Seth thought about saying something about Alda's case, but he quickly decided not to. He didn't want to act on an idea he wasn't sure about.

'Did you achieve your goal?'
Well, sort of. There's still work to be done.
It's tough.
Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to do it alone.

　If it was just Seth alone, he wouldn't have even been able to grasp the identity of the thing that was invading the crystal dragon's body. Once again, he was glad to have met Wraith and the others.

''So, didn't you get delirious?''
No, I didn't.

　Seth returned an immediate denial to his sister, who teased him with a mischievous smile. To begin with, he hadn't had a dating relationship since his school days.

　He had been offered a relationship, but most of them involved a calculation. The status of the four noblemen was not so high, and many of them were so-called jade hunters.

　Besides, Seth's ability wasn't high enough to make friends with the few women he met right away.

''Will there ever be a spring in your brother's step?
Well, you know, I just hope you'll meet someone nice.

　They walk around, exchanging light banter.
　From there, they talk to each other about what happened at the volcano and what happened at the academy.

　As they were engaged in this kind of idle chit-chat, the sound of shoes, as if to assert their presence, rang out at a high pitch.

　Unintentionally breaking off the chatter, Seth turns his attention in the direction of the sound. The familiar figure was there.

　Seth gulped and squinted his eyes to see through his mind. The person in charge of receiving the gaze - Alda - didn't move a single expression, and was still making eye contact with Seth.

　Feeling somewhat more acrimonious than usual, Lisha looks at Seth anxiously. There was no room in her brother's profile, and she couldn't see what he was thinking about.

''..........''

　Seth hesitated for a moment, wondering how to say the words. Is it okay to mention the fact that he was interfered with before Risha was there?

''You've returned safely (...), brother-sama.

　The words thrown at a hesitant Seth were still implied. I was tempted to quickly ask the truth of the matter, but I held back with a guffaw.

　Seth let out the air in his lungs as if to relieve the tension and decided to start with what he needed to check first.

'Alda, you cast a spell on me,'

　This is an indisputable fact. Seth was certainly able to cast a jamming spell on Alda. The question is how much malice there was in it.

　If he was really only thinking of sabotage, then it's fine. For Seth, who was aware that he was hated, that much was acceptable.

　But if there was more malice than that - if there was an intent to kill, then it's a different story. At that point, Alda becomes a clear enemy to Seth, rather than a hateful brother.

　The two of them are staring at each other.

　Suddenly, Alda smiles with a huff and shakes her head in dismay.

''There's no way I would do such a thing, is there? It's an awful suspicion, isn't it?

　What came back was a denial.
　Seth couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, although he knew he wouldn't tell the truth from the beginning.

　However, there was no way for Seth to pursue the matter once the denial was made. It was easy to predict that the denial would continue when he pursued.

''So, how's Alda doing with the request?
That's about right. Well, you'll just have to wait and see.
Yeah.

　As long as I'm mulling over the matter of magic, there's nothing more to talk about from Seth. He breaks off his gaze and walks off.
　Leesha follows behind, confused, and Alda looks away without saying a word.

'What's going on?'
A little bit. Don't worry about it.

　Seth smiled as he said that.
　Leesha listens with a blank look on her face and grabs his cheeks with both hands muggy and pulls him as hard as she can from side to side.

''Ouch!''

　Seth let out a reflexive scream at the unexpected attack. He held both cheeks from the stinging pain that stung his cheeks.
　The person who attacked him, Leesha, put her hands on her hips and looked disapproving. Seth scowled in confusion, wondering if he had done anything to offend her.

'Did you think you could fool me with that attitude? 'It's sweet, it's as sweet as sugar candy. Here, quick, tell me what happened.

　Leesha stood taller and turned her head towards Seth.
　The zit-eyes, which had approached at close range, put silent pressure on Seth.

　Seth takes a step back to escape the pressure and sighs.

'Alright, alright. I'll tell you.
Totally. That's because you're trying to hide things from me.
You wouldn't be pinching your cheeks for that...
It's a well-deserved punishment.

　Leesha's attitude, which is twangy, is unlikely to soften. It's an exchange that I can't shake the feeling that I'm on my ass. I sigh, wondering if I'll one day be a respected brother.

'When I tried to use my magic in the volcano, it somehow went out of control and nearly killed me. It wasn't a control malfunction or anything like that, but it felt like something was interfering with me. In light of that, I remembered the conversation I had with Alda the day before I went to the volcano. ........he said goodbye. And I got a really strange feeling in the middle of the conversation, so I think he probably planted something in me at that time.

　When Leesha found out what was hidden, she quietly turned in the direction where Alda was.

''I'm going to go for a moment.''
Wait. Wait.

　Seth grabbed Leesha's shoulders as she was about to start running, limiting her actions. At her brother's restraint, her sister looked back at her in frustration.

'If what you just said is true, then brother Alda is a chastisement.
'Well, this isn't the first time he's harassed me. And you will be punished after I become the master. Or rather, I intend to.
"Well, if that's what you want, brother,

　Yes, after all, that would be the quickest way to go.
　Seth would be the head of the house and would decide what to do about Alda.

　Hence, the priority now is to complete the request. I don't know what method Orda is trying to use to heal the crystal dragon, but it will never be the case that Wraith and the others are inferior.

''For now, since your brother tried to hide something from me, please accompany me on a shopping trip next time.
Yeah I got pinched on the cheek, so it's not a charade.
'I won't be. Or can't you do your pretty sister a favor?
Okay, I'll keep the date open for you.

　Seth looked at Leesha, who nodded hawkishly as if to say it was good, and reminded him that it was not going to happen.