Sister, Don't Be Annoyed

Flowing Frost City.

Doge Bart's ducal residence.

It had once belonged to the former lord of Flowing Frost City, the Fallen Demon King.

After Barte Lei became a duke.

The former lord's residence naturally became Duke Barte Lei's residence.

At that moment.

The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy, even a little strange.

Doge Bart sat in the seat of honor.

He shifted his backside, seeming to search for a more comfortable position, yet no matter how he moved, he could not settle.

"Your Grace, regarding Duncan's affair..."

Seated at the lower left was a fat man dressed in a dark purple brocade robe.

His small green eyes were crinkled with a smile, and he clutched a thick sheepskin scroll in his hands.

Count Terse.

An old nobleman of Jade Orchid City, his family dealt in magic crystal mining and was obscenely wealthy.

If this had been in the past.

A nouveau riche upstart like Barte Lei, who had risen through military merit, would not have even been worth a glance from Count Terse.

But now.

Count Terse wished he could paste that fat face of his right onto Barte Lei's shoe.

"Lord Terse."

"Matters of business are beyond me, and I do not wish to understand them."

"If you want to discuss how to forge heavy armor, or how to pull out a beast in a monster den, I could keep you company for half a day."

Barte Lei interrupted him somewhat impatiently, his fingers tapping meaningfully against the armrest.

The meaning was quite clear.

There was even a hint of dismissal.

"Your Grace truly has a sense of humor. Too much of a sense of humor!"

"I came today not only to offer these humble gifts and congratulate you on your elevation to duke, but also... to make a small, presumptuous request."

The smile on Count Terse's face stiffened.

He pulled out a snow-white handkerchief and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead.

Here it came.

Barte Lei snorted inwardly.

Ever since yesterday, the threshold of the ducal residence had nearly been trampled flat.

Everyone came bearing gifts from every corner of the city.

And every "presumptuous request" they made pointed to the same person.

"Count Terse wishes to see Lei Wen, doesn't he?"

Xue sat beside Barte Lei, dressed in a pale blue gown cut with exquisite elegance.

She lifted her teacup, concealing the smile at her lips, her gaze like that of someone watching a clumsy play.

"Madam is wise!"

"I had long heard that the young master was extraordinarily gifted."

"Now he is... ahem, now he is renowned throughout Magic City."

"I have an unremarkable daughter, sixteen this year, who greatly admires Lord Lei Wen's bearing..."

Count Terse hurriedly rose and answered.

As expected.

Barte Lei rolled his eyes.

The same old routine.

A marriage proposal.

Trying to latch onto the thigh of a Saint Domain Expert.

These old foxes would even throw away their faces for it.

"No."

"That brat is terribly impatient right now and is in seclusion."

"You know it too—cultivation is most taboo when it comes to being disturbed."

"..."

Barte Lei said seriously.

He leaned back slightly and assumed a posture that clearly signaled the guest should leave.

An undisguised threat.

A naked threat.

The flesh on Count Terse's face trembled.

He naturally understood that this was an excuse.

So what if it was an excuse?

In the Sword Saint's mansion, he had personally heard the sound of that young man slaughtering a giant dragon outside the courtyard!

But did he dare force his way in?

He did not.

A Saint Domain Expert was an existence standing atop the continent's pyramid.

To refuse an audience was merely refusing an audience.

Even if Lei Wen came out right then and beat him to a pulp.

The imperial family of Magic City would probably just laugh and ask Lei Wen whether his hands hurt.

"Since... since that is the case."

"Then I shall not disturb him."

"Another day, another day I will come calling again."

The back garden.

It was completely different from the solemn main hall.

Artificial hills and flowing water wound through secluded paths.

One could not help but admit it.

The former lord truly had a knack for enjoying himself.

Every plant in the garden had been meticulously pruned, arranged with an orderly beauty.

Lian Qiu sat on a swing.

She wore an elaborate court gown, its layers of lace piled high around her, like an exquisite cream cake.

Beautiful, certainly, but far too heavy.

"Ugh..."

The girl's groan rang especially clearly in the quiet garden.

Her toes pressed lightly against the ground, making the swing rise in a small arc before falling heavily back down.

So bored.

Terribly bored.

"I might as well go out and slaughter some monsters. That would be more satisfying!"

Lian Qiu kicked a small stone on the ground.

With a clatter.

She irritably raked a hand through her hair, ruining the carefully styled look.

"Want to slaughter monsters?"

A gentle voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

Lian Qiu froze, her feet slipping off the swing.

She abruptly turned around.

Only to see Lei Wen sitting atop a nearby artificial hill, smiling at her.

"Brother!"

"When did you get back?"

"How come I didn't hear a thing?"

Lian Qiu's eyes lit up, and the gloom from before vanished in an instant.

She skipped over to the foot of the hill, raising her head to look at Lei Wen, her face blooming into a happy smile as well.

"You silly girl."

"Look at you sighing and whining here like a little old lady."

Lei Wen leaped down from the artificial hill.

He landed without a sound, as light as a feather.

"Isn't it because of those annoying matters?"

"Mother insists on finding me some noble young masters as marriage prospects."

"Compared to those useless fops, I would rather cultivate and improve my strength."

Lian Qiu complained with dissatisfaction.

She truly disliked those messy, troublesome affairs.

"Haha..."

"Those marriage matters only need to be dealt with casually."

Looking at his sister's lively little face.

Lei Wen reached out and rubbed Lian Qiu's head, turning her already messy hairstyle into a bird's nest.

"As for cultivation..."

Lei Wen paused, his gaze sweeping over Lian Qiu's slightly delicate shoulders.

Upper-grade Water affinity, upper-grade spiritual power.

At eighteen, she was already a late-stage Magic City mage.

In the eyes of ordinary people, she was already considered an exceptional genius.

But in Lei Wen's eyes, that was still far from enough.

This world was far too vast.

Below the Saint Domain, all were ants.

Most importantly.

Only upon reaching the Saint Domain could one possess an eternal lifespan.

For Lian Qiu, cultivating into the Saint Domain through her own efforts would not be easy.

However.

Lei Wen had never said this outright.

Even if he had to pile up mountains of resources, he would raise Lian Qiu and his family into the Saint Domain.

Only then.

Could their family remain together forever.

Of course.

The premise of all this was that Lei Wen became powerful enough.

Afterward.

The siblings chatted for a while longer.

From which Flagrant Beast's meat tasted best to the latest popular dress styles.

For most of the time, Lian Qiu spoke while Lei Wen listened.

Moonlight filtered through the leafy branches, casting dappled shadows that swayed gently over them.

The night was beautiful.

"Brother."

Suddenly.

Lian Qiu stopped swinging her legs.

She stared fixedly at Lei Wen, the smile on her face slowly fading.

"Are you... leaving again?"

The air suddenly fell silent.

The smile on Lei Wen's face did not disappear, but his expression became somewhat distant.

He did not answer.

Yet that silence was itself the answer.

Lian Qiu pursed her lips.

She might usually be loud and carefree, but she was not foolish.

Ever since Lei Wen had returned, although he seemed to spend every day accompanying them at home.

Lian Qiu could sense that her brother's heart was not here.

Or rather, not entirely here.

His gaze would always drift toward the sky from time to time.

That direction...

This ducal residence...

This remote city of exile...

Even the grand royal palace...

To her Father, they were all a little too small.

Like a dragon, he could not remain forever curled up in the shallows!