Love Letter From The Future
Chapter 422: Proof of Existence (10)

Chapter 422: Proof of Existence (10)

0% The path the carriage traveled by was quite long. It was a journey that would take at least three days.

This was because there were no warp gates along the travel route. While major cities across the continent had warp gates, the same could not be said for rural areas, where even properly paved roads were a rarity.

The more remote the location, the worse this problem became. And to make matters worse, our destination was a place where mass outbreaks of demonic beasts occurred periodically.

Naturally, few people resided in such a dangerous area. Most of those stationed there were affiliated with the military—Holy Knights, priests, and various essential personnel supporting them.

The only exception was the merchants. They were a breed driven solely by the scent of money.

Even the girl sitting beside me was no different.

On a particularly dark night, we sat side by side with a bonfire between us. The wavering shadows cast by the flames created a romantic atmosphere.

Despite the approaching summer, the air was chilly. Even the insects were beginning to quiet down, preparing for their hibernation.

The girl beside me was charming enough to blend in perfectly with this picturesque scene.

Her jet-black hair that contrasted sharply with her pale white skin, her golden eyes that retained their brilliance even in the dead of night, and then there were the curves of her body that no fabric could fully conceal. Any man would gladly cast aside his pride just to spend a night with her.

Of course, that didn’t apply to me.

Because this beautiful girl was none other than my younger sister.

My younger sister, Ria Percus, was happily flicking the beads of her abacus, humming a tune.

She seemed busy calculating the profits she could earn from trading the carcases of demonic beasts.

“Perfect! Even after factoring the transportation costs, we’ll still have a nice margin. But since we’re dealing with such a large supply, we’ll probably need to lower the price a bit, right? After all, maintaining good relationships with our clients is important in the long run... Even if I just count the brokerage fee, it should still be at least 10 gold per corpse, right?”

Ria muttered happily about her profits, looking utterly delighted. Her sparkling eyes practically resembled gold coins at this point.

She really was a merchant through and through. To think she could be this obsessed with money....

As I shook my head slightly in disbelief, Ria turned toward me excitedly.

“Did you hear that, Oppa?! At least 10 gold per corpse! And since there are over 400 corpses to trade... this is our chance to make more than 4,000 gold in one go!”

“Why are demonic beast carcasses so expensive?”

Contrary to Ria’s expectations, my reaction was lukewarm.

4,000 gold. To put that into perspective, that was enough money for an ordinary family to live comfortably for over 300 years. And for a small rural estate, such an amount could fund the budget for several months, or even half a year.

By all accounts, I should have been shocked.

And if it had been a while ago, I would have been.

But now, I was someone who had personally slain demonic beasts worth over 10,000 gold. On top of that, I had received Holy relics worth tens of thousands as rewards, and there was still a hefty sum of prize money I had yet to collect.

At this point, 4,000 gold wasn’t nearly enough to shake my heart.

At my indifferent question, Ria raised her voice even more excitedly.

“Naturally, they would be expensive! Do you even realize how valuable demonic beast carcasses are? Their bones and organs are infused with mana, which means they can be crafted into magical artifacts. They’re also highly sought-after as magic ingredients... And lately, demonic beast meat has even become a popular delicacy!”

“Celine would definitely love that.”

Even my indifferent remark did nothing to dampen Ria’s enthusiasm.

Now she was practically reciting her business plan to me.

“Most importantly, breaking into the demonic beast carcass industry isn’t easy. The carcasses can only be obtained from areas where demonic beasts appear, right? On top of that, they decay rapidly over time due to mana corruption, so preserving their condition requires enlisting skilled professionals. And then there’s also the transportation fees to escort them safely.”

“And from where did you even get the money for all this?”

That, in fact, was something I had been wondering for quite some time.

Out of nowhere, Ria had suddenly set up a shop near the academy. She claimed it was to prepare for next year’s entrance exams, but if she was dealing in demonic beast carcasses, the costs must have been astronomical.

And yet, within just a few months of opening, she had already closed a major trade deal. That wasn’t just a matter of capital or business acumen—it required connections. No matter how capable Ria was, there was no way she had built such an extensive network in such a short period.

Someone was backing her.

Even if she had hidden funds from her merchant guild before it went bankrupt, that still wouldn’t explain how she became a large-scale broker.

Yet Ria simply flashed a sly grin.

“I have my ways.”

“You didn’t get caught up in some shady scheme, did you? Remember, there’s no such thing as kindness without strings attached—”

“Ugh, you don’t need to know! Anyway, I have it all figured out!”

In the end, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.

Now that I thought about it, Ria would be an adult soon. Besides, she’d been involved in business circles for years already; surely she had a better eye for people than I did.

Which meant worrying about her was pointless.

Feeling like a mother bird reluctantly watching her chick leave the nest, I gave her a wistful look.

“So, you’re all grown up now... huh.”

“Well, obviously! Don’t tell me you just figured that out?”

Ria asked in disbelief, her eyes filled with sheer exasperation.

It only made my chest ache more.

“Then I suppose it’s finally time for me to let you go.”

“Of course you shou— W-Wait, what?!”

As if in response to my sorrowful resolve, Ria’s eyes widened in shock.

Judging by how she almost leapt from her seat, she must have been really shocked.

Well, I suppose this, too, is just another part of growing up.

“I’m sorry, Ria. From now on, I promise I won’t treat you like a child anymore—no more sleeping together just because you’re scared, or kissing your cheek just because you’re cute....”

“H-hold on! How did the conversation even get here?!”

Ria shot back almost in desperation. The way her eyes wavered betrayed her nervousness.

But regardless, I continued my sorrowful resolution.

“Well, you’re an adult now. How could I act that way toward my little sister now that she’s all grown up?”

“W-What are you even saying... This is so unlike you, Oppa. You were never this normal to begin with, you know!”

Even as her voice trembled, my resolve remained unshaken.

When I silently sighed while turning my head away, Ria was already gnawing anxiously at her fingernails.

Her hesitation didn’t last long.

Before I knew it, she was leaning against my arm. Her soft, supple body pressed against me, but I deliberately ignored the sensation.

I had just made up my mind to let her go a few seconds ago. I couldn’t waver now.

But Ria was the one who knew my weaknesses better than anyone.

Soon, a delicate voice began to dig into my ear.

“O-Oppa... On second thought, maybe I’m not an adult just yet.”

“Didn’t you just claim that you’re already fully grown?”

“Even if I’m all grown up physically, I’m still no good. Unless....”

Her eyes curved into a seductive arc. Then, with an alluring smile, she whispered,

“...you help me become an adult, Oppa?”

Under the pouring moonlight and flickering campfire, a man and a woman in their prime were left alone in the darkness.

The lighting accentuated the woman’s pale skin. I found myself staring blankly at her softly moving lips until, suddenly...

“Oww, oww, owowow! Y-You pinched me?! Did you seriously just pinch a fully grown woman’s cheek?!”

“Didn’t you just say you weren’t fully grown yet?”

I scoffed and continued to tug at Ria’s cheek.

Her skin was still as soft as ever. Moments like this made her seem just like the little girl she used to be.

Women grew up so fast the moment you took your eyes off them. I could only chastise myself for the brief wavering of my heart.

Ria was my little sister. The fact that we weren’t blood related didn’t matter.

Because I had decided it wouldn’t.

It was around that moment that a deep voice rang out from behind me.

“You two siblings seem quite close.”

I jumped up in alarm, as though having a fit, at the presence that had approached us without so much as a sound.

As expected, standing there was a tall man.

Reynold Rinella—the unwelcome guest intruding upon what was supposed to be a private getaway with my younger sister.

He held a rabbit in one hand, having apparently returned from somewhere.

Sir Reynold spoke again in his usual indifferent tone.

“Anyone watching might mistake you two for lovers.”

“That’s absurd... Ria is my sister.”

At my hurried excuse, I could feel Ria pouting beside me.

I couldn’t fathom what exactly she was dissatisfied about.

Meanwhile, Sir Reynold continued glancing back and forth between me and Ria, undeterred by my explanation. In the back of my mind, I recalled the divine might he had displayed back in the Percus territory.

Although he seemed indifferent, I’d heard that Sir Reynold cared deeply for his niece. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have agreed to help Senior Elsie in the first place.

But what if he got the wrong idea and thought I had abandoned Senior Elsie to instead pursue a forbidden relationship with my own sister?

I couldn’t help but see myself in the rabbit, hanging by its ears and dangling helplessly.

Of course, I would win in a close-quarters fight—but still, a vague sense of unease crept up inside me.

Fortunately, Sir Reynold didn’t press our relationship further.

“It’s commendable for family members to be close. Elsie, that child must be longing for that kind of warmth too... My dear nephew-in-law, and my future-in-law young lady—I’ll be counting on you to take care of our Elsie.”

At his request, I forced an awkward smile, while Ria openly expressed her displeasure by sharply turning her head away.

From Sir Reynold’s words alone, it sounded like the engagement was already a done deal.

While we were going to have a separate discussion about it later anyway, since it wasn’t exactly the best topic to bring up in front of the ever-jealous Ria, I deliberately changed the subject.

“Were you out looking for something to snack on? We still have plenty of food left, though...”

“As I get older, I find myself longing for the flavors of my younger days.”

With that, Sir Reynold placed the rabbit on a flat rock. Its legs were still trembling slightly, suggesting it hadn’t been dead for long—or perhaps wasn’t dead yet.

Sir Reynold was an Archmage. Knocking it unconscious with a precise jolt of electricity without killing it would’ve been easy for him.

He proceeded to pull out a dagger from his robes and pierced the rabbit’s throat.

Blood splattered, accompanied by the pungent gamey smell.

It was hardly a task suitable for a noble.

Take Ria, for example—she scrunched up her face with a disgusted ‘Ugh,’ looking as if she had just witnessed something unpleasant.

And yet, Sir Reynold remained completely unfazed and his hands moved with flawless precision.

“Didn’t I mention it before? I used to be a mercenary. Back then, I traveled all across the continent. This region was no exception. It used to be a peaceful place.”

“Would a mercenary even have a reason to stay in a peaceful place?”

“No.”

Skinning the rabbit and tying a knot around its legs to drain the blood, the middle-aged man spoke in a deep, steady voice.

“But that peace didn’t last. The demonic beasts came.”

A mass outbreak of demonic beasts.

That phenomenon suddenly crossed my mind. Hadn’t it started decades ago?

“I suppose I still haven’t forgotten that day.”

I didn’t offer any empty words of comfort.

His eyes, sinking into the past, carried a sorrowful depth. Seeing him like that, I simply had one thought—

There’s more to this.

Sir Reynold’s presence here wasn’t merely a spur-of-the-moment decision. He held memories of this land long before our journey began. That realization piqued my interest.

You could call it intuition. But with that, my next course of action was decided.

The following evening, our carriage arrived safely at the Holy Knights’ garrison.

The commander of the garrison welcomed Ria warmly, and in return, she responded with the same polite courtesy.

The area was filled with the stench of demonic beast corpses and the groans of the wounded. And yet, in such a grim setting, Ria’s presence stood out brilliantly.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Sir. I will do my best to meet your expectations.”

“Immanuel! There’s no need for such formality. In fact, your arrival is quite timely—we were struggling with the sheer number of demonic beast corpses piling up. As you know, they continuously release mana, contaminating the surroundings. However...”

The knight, who had been smiling kindly, cast an uncertain glance over Ria’s shoulder—toward the spot where Sir Reynold and I stood.

Understandably, he was concerned.

It didn’t take long for the knight’s expression to turn awkward.

“By the way, who might those two gentlemen be...?”

At that, Ria subtly glanced back at us. She maintained her smile, though the slight twitching of her lips suggested she wasn’t exactly pleased.

And understandably so.

After all, Sir Reynold and I were dressed quite differently from usual.

The two of us, with our hoods pulled low, looked every bit like the stereotypical suspicious travelers.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce them. These are mercenaries assigned to protect me. They’re highly skilled, but due to personal beliefs, they prefer not to reveal their faces. While we’re here for the next two days, they’ll also be surveying the demonic beasts’ habitats.”

“That area is a restricted zone. Without proper authorization, you can’t just—“

Before he could finish, I pulled out a seal I always kept with me. A crest engraved with the image of a dragon—a symbol that belonged to only one family in the entire world.

The knight, who had fallen silent, soon pressed his palm to his forehead with an audible thud.

“...I’ll report this to my superiors.”

The Imperial Family’s authority was absolute.

Even here, in this foreign land.

It had been a while since I last had a mystery to unravel.