25-160

EP.160 [The Scary Little Sister Elizabeth Begins Investigating the Women Around Her Brother.] 

‘While working on the project together, I already sensed she was pretty eccentric, but this…’ 

Victoria looked at Elizabeth with an expression of disbelief. By normal standards, her face appeared calm, but for someone like Victoria to stare at someone for over five seconds was a significant act. 

Elizabeth’s sudden decision to join earlier than planned was both surprising and welcome. At a point when the specific quest party needed to be discussed, having the most difficult mage volunteer to stay for more than four days was a big plus. Preparing her quarters at dawn and maintaining strict security throughout was understandable, given the importance of a mage’s superstitions and personal privacy. Still, showing up in disguise and using the alias Anna Parisienne at meetings was simply baffling. 

Regardless, Elizabeth had succeeded in setting up the stage just as she wanted. 

“So, you’re the Red Fox Mercenary Band’s assault leader?” 

After shaking hands with Marie, Thomas, and Priscilla, she finally stood in front of her beloved brother, Eugene Schneider, wearing a sly expression. 

“Yes, I am Eugene Caesar, the assault leader of the Red Fox Mercenary Band. Pleased to meet you, Mage Anna Parisienne.” 

Sss...! 

Eugene, too, found Anna Parisienne’s personality a bit much, just like Victoria, but quickly composed himself. She was extremely polite while greeting his colleagues, which was unusual for a mage. That was good enough for him. Even if she was eccentric, as long as her attitude was good, he was thankful-especially since the Imperial Knights had verified her abilities. With a slight smile, Eugene introduced himself and reached out to shake Anna Parisienne’s hand. 

“Eugene Caesar… what a wonderful name.” 

Anna Parisienne raised the corners of her lips slightly and looked Eugene straight in the face. The mask dampened the effect, but her eyes still burned with a certain madness and obsession. 

Anna Parisienne was, in truth, Eugene’s brocon yandere little sister, Elizabeth. 

‘Brother, it’s me! I’m your little sister Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Oh my god, brother, what do I do, I get to face you like this! Just like in that beautiful novel! Brother, it’s me, Elizabeth! Brother! Brother! My beloved brother!’ 

Despite her demure and elegant outward appearance, Anna Parisienne-Elizabeth-was in a frenzy inside. 

“Nice to meet you, Captain Eugene Caesar.” 

Sss...! 

Despite her inner turmoil, Anna Parisienne controlled her outer appearance perfectly, raising her left hand to shake Eugene’s hand. 

‘Huh? Is she left-handed?’ 

Eugene had offered his right hand, but Anna Parisienne raised her left. Elizabeth is indeed left-handed, and being so fixated on Eugene’s face, she responded unconsciously with her left hand. 

As Eugene was about to switch to his left hand as well- 

‘What does this mean?’ 

His eyes widened. 

‘Why is she offering the back of her hand? Is she asking for a hand-kiss?’ 

Anna Parisienne’s hand wasn’t positioned for a handshake, but as if to receive a kiss on the back of her hand. 

‘And now that I think about it, this woman hasn’t blinked once and keeps staring at me.’ 

Not knowing her intention, Eugene kept glancing between Anna Parisienne’s left hand and her face. All the while, Anna Parisienne kept her gaze fixed solely on Eugene. This, too, was an unconscious act from Elizabeth, who was so overwhelmed to be reunited with her beloved brother. Normally, when Eugene offered his hand to Elizabeth in formal settings, it was to give her a hand-kiss as his little sister. 

So, Elizabeth naturally offered her hand for a hand-kiss, just as she would to her beloved brother in her heart. 

“Ah... ah!” 

Elizabeth finally realized her blunder when she saw Eugene repeatedly staring between her hand and face. 

“Uh, um... I was distracted for a moment and did it without thinking...” 

Squeeze...! 

Embarrassed, Elizabeth awkwardly switched to a normal handshake with Eugene’s left hand. 

“.....” 

Eugene watched her silently. 

‘This feels familiar, offering the back of the hand...’ 

He felt a sense of déjà vu. That familiarity came from Anna Parisienne, masked and under disguise magic, overlapping with the image of his beloved little sister Elizabeth wanting a hand-kiss. 

“Ah, is this alright, Mage?” 

After the introductions, the first meeting began with the Red Fox Mercenary Band, the drake special quest team, and Mage Anna Parisienne present. 

It was only the first meeting, and Anna Parisienne was still recovering from her journey, so the discussion didn’t go too deep. Most of it was about how to proceed with the quest and how the Imperial Knights were starting to move internally. 

Then, Anna Parisienne made an unexpected statement, and Victoria, who was leading the meeting, reacted with surprise. 

“Of course. I may very well become a member of this quest team. So, shouldn’t I spend enough time with everyone, both emotionally and in terms of time? I think I should make time to talk with the Red Fox Mercenary Band members and answer any questions about magic you might have.” 

Anna Parisienne expressed her intention to actively engage with her teammates. 

Mages usually hole up in their rooms or labs, only appearing when absolutely necessary to give opinions or take action. Victoria and the Red Fox Mercenary Band naturally assumed Anna Parisienne would be the same. But Anna Parisienne was different, even expressing a willingness to have personal conversations. 

‘Wow...! I guess I really had a prejudice! Mage Anna is so warm!! She’s almost like a nun!!’ 

‘Whoa... I had so many questions-can I really ask all of them??’ 

Marie and Thomas were deeply moved by Anna Parisienne’s approach. In this world, the highest social classes are nobles and mages, and mages are even harder to approach. Their fear was considerable. Yet Anna Parisienne, a mage of a level high enough to work with the Imperial Knights, was meeting them as equals. For Marie and Thomas, who came from slum-like backgrounds, this level of consideration was overwhelming. 

“If you’re willing to do that, we’d really appreciate it...” 

“In that case, I’ll make a detailed schedule and send it over.” 

No profession is as dependent on chemistry as a mage’s. But it’s hard to coordinate everything in advance, since mages usually just say, “I’ll handle it, just follow my lead.” Anna Parisienne, however, proactively said she’d match her chemistry to each team member. 

She was eccentric in many ways, but her actions were clearly helpful to the quest, leaving Victoria amazed. 

‘Hmm... another mage like our Elizabeth? If Elizabeth had come, she’d have done exactly this. Even that hand-kiss pose-she really reminds me of Elizabeth.’ 

Eugene, too, watched Anna Parisienne’s proactive attitude with interest, repeatedly thinking of his beloved little sister Elizabeth-because Anna Parisienne was Elizabeth de Sel Oblaing. 

“Ah~ is that so? Then I suppose I’ll need to make custom potions.” 

Anna Parisienne’s “skinship” began in earnest the next day. 

As promised at the previous meeting, the cooperative mage Anna Parisienne gave Victoria a full schedule for one-on-one conversations with the Red Fox Mercenary Band. She actually began meeting with them in her quarters next to the arena, provided by the Imperial Knights. 

In the morning, Priscilla the elf had visited, and after noon, Thomas stopped by. Around five o’clock, it was Marie’s turn. 

“Do you make potions yourself?” 

Marie chatted with Anna Parisienne about various internal matters of the Red Fox Mercenary Band. 

Anna Parisienne, aiming to build a custom support system for the band, responded with wide eyes to Marie’s question. 

“Hohoho...! Normally, I don’t make them myself. But for comrades who might have to risk their lives together, I should.” 

“Wow~ you’re so thoughtful, Mage!” 

How much could an elite academy mage really know about the workings of a hundred-person mercenary band? Not at all, so Marie was surprised. Using generic potions as needed was the norm, but Elizabeth behind Anna Parisienne couldn’t accept that. So Anna Parisienne happily declared she would make the potions herself. Marie found herself increasingly charmed by this unconventional mage. 

“Um, by the way...” 

To the friendly Marie, Anna Parisienne-brocon, eccentric little sister Elizabeth-casually asked about her relationship with Eugene Schneider. 

That’s right. The reason Elizabeth pushed for these personal interviews was, about 60 percent, to ask the women around Eugene about their relationships with him. 

‘The elf Priscilla didn’t seem to have that kind of vibe with my brother at all.’ 

She’d already asked Priscilla a similar question that morning. 

‘I feel like there’s another woman around my brother. When he was with Jeanne, the energy was different from what I sense now.’ 

Elizabeth’s possessiveness toward Eugene had grown so much that the very idea of another woman around him drove her crazy. Still, she was a good little sister who truly respected and trusted her brother. But she couldn’t help but act on her suspicions, since she sensed a different energy between herself and Eugene. Clearly, another woman had appeared around her brother.