The Strongest Family Has Arrived!

Chapter 4

—–CROW—– 

“Oh, yeah! See? You’re even prettier when you smile!”

“Th-Thank you! Hahaha…”

“Hahahaha!”

“Haha…”

“Hahahahaha!”

Ryan, laughing heartily, pointed his index finger at the blazing sun.

“Alright, now let’s set off for the mainland, filled with dreams and hope!”

“Yes!”

***

I recalled my lover’s final request before the regression.

“If you go back, stop him from taking revenge, Vania.”

He probably wanted me to resolve the situation before the massacre occurred. Perhaps by eliminating Ryan beforehand.

So… he wouldn’t have imagined.

That after he went through all the trouble of turning back time to help me escape from the jaws of a beast, ensuring my survival…

“Damn it, are you kidding me?!”

Two years later, I would willingly stick my head back into the lion’s mouth.

“Not only am I stuck on this ridiculously crappy boat, but I have to stand here for three hours under this scorching sun? Give me something!”

Ryan flung open the door to the ship’s wheelhouse and yelled, his face red.

“W-Well, what, should I roll out a red carpet for a criminal like you just because you’re getting out of prison? Be grateful I’m even giving you a ride!”

The engineer, sitting in the cramped wheelhouse barely big enough for one person, retorted.

“What kind of ship doesn’t even have a single cabin, even if it’s not a raft? There’s not even a speck of shade!”

“This ship is only meant to carry small amounts of cargo! What did you expect, criminal?”

“Leaving someone standing here in this weather is attempted murder! Attempted murder! If I collapse from heatstroke and die, are you going to clean up the corpse? Huh?!”

Their bickering had been going on for twenty minutes already.

“Ugh!”

Ryan, unable to control his anger, kicked a box rolling on the deck.

I flinched at his violent behavior, as did the engineer.

“I’m not going to die alone, so you better watch out!”

The chilling death threat that followed sent shivers down my spine.

‘There’s no one else to steer the ship, so surely he won’t kill the engineer, right?’

Worry briefly bubbled up, but thankfully, Ryan slammed the wheelhouse door shut and turned around.

And then, he paused as he met my gaze.

He ruffled his hair irritably and fumed.

‘It *is* crappy…’

I looked around the ship. It was called a ship, but it was really the size of a raft and had no cabin. The only place a person could fit was the wheelhouse.

Stuck on the deck with no shade, crossing the vast ocean in the middle of summer, it was, as he said, perfect for dying of heatstroke.

Ryan then began gathering the cargo boxes scattered across the deck and stacking them like a fortress.

I wondered what he was doing, but it seemed he was trying to create some sort of shade.

He really didn’t want to die of heatstroke…

“Should I help you?”

“No. Just stay put so you don’t get in the way.”

Ryan waved his hand dismissively.

…Thank goodness. I was dying of heatstroke too. If I tried to lift those heavy-looking boxes, I would definitely collapse.

‘Let’s review the plan again.’

I shaded my forehead with my hand and fell into thought as I watched Ryan engaged in his unexpected labor.

‘First of all.’

The plan I had diligently crafted for two years.

The ultimate goal of that grand plan was to erase the name of my rotten family, the Vasenbergs, from this Empire.

…

Was I crazy?

Yes. I was crazy.

Who in their right mind would even think of baring their teeth at the Vasenbergs, teeming with ability users?

At a time when magic was a relic of the past, ability users were like gods.

There was no force to stop them from doing bad things, and even if there were laws, they couldn’t be controlled.

Laws were merely a means of punishing humans, not gods.

Unless someone gained military superiority and control, ability users would remain lawless.

My father, the Duke of Vasenberg, who commanded these ability users, would forever be a god.

But surprisingly…

My father, who was a god, died.

At the hands of a single human who had gained “military superiority.”

Ryan Vasenberg.

“Ha. I’m going to die of heat.”

Ryan, groaning as he stacked the heavy boxes, ripped off his sweat-soaked shirt.

…

…To see my half-brother’s naked torso less than an hour after meeting him…

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Where was I?

Ah.

So, for my ultimate goal, I had to meet Ryan at least once.

Ryan’s was currently the only means of subduing other ability users.

In other words, in order to secure a means of defending myself and fighting against the enemies I would face in the future, I came to steal Ryan’s ability…

‘I came here to steal it.’

Haha, I really…

‘Even thinking about it again, I’m crazy.’

Not only was the audacity of wanting to bring down the Vasenbergs absurd, but to willingly walk into the lion’s den for such a preposterous goal…

If my lover knew this, he would surely regret sending me back, lamenting my stupidity.

But what choice did I have?

I only had two options:

Stop Ryan’s revenge and simply live as Villain #1 in a corrupt family.
Escape the corrupt family and live as Good Citizen #1.

Between 1 and 2, I made the choice any decent human being should.

Of course, I added the ambitious goal of “crushing the corrupt family,” but…

‘It’s doable!’

Yes. It’s doable.

My family, which seemed absolutely indestructible, was destroyed. Knowing a future where they could be brought down, any sensible person would naturally try, wouldn’t they?

However, the variable was that man, Ryan.

Actually, I had considered forming an alliance with Ryan, and I had prepared what I would say when I met him.

“Greetings. I am someone who almost died by your hand and miraculously regressed.  Actually, even before the regression, I harbored rebellious intentions against the family. So, taking this regression as an opportunity, I intend to bring down our wicked family.  However, if you simply kill all the ability users, you’ll only become another criminal, won’t you? So, why don’t you join forces with me, who knows the future, and bring down the Vasenbergs in a more peaceful way? When everything is over, you can become a hero of justice! By the way, I possess a decent ability, enough to be called the princess of the family before the regression.  Now, take my hand!”

And then, the Ryan in my imagination would reply,

“Oh! You’re so righteous! Alright! I’ll lend you my strength! Let’s eradicate corruption and build a healthy nation together!”

‘Yeah, no.’

Even though it hadn’t even been an hour since we met, I had already analyzed Ryan’s personality.

He was extremely violent, hot-tempered, and probably because he spent half his life in prison, his personality was also twisted.

So, the probability of getting the reaction I expected was less than 1%.

Rather…

“Greetings. I am someone who… (omitted)”

“What? If you have such a great ability, become my slave! I intend to eliminate corruption and become the new corruption!”

The probability of him making me his slave was 50%.

“Greetings. I am someone who… (omitted)”

“What? I went through all the trouble of killing the Vasenbergs, and you regressed and undid everything? Come here, today’s your death day.”

The probability of him wiping me out on the spot was about 49%.

‘Yeah, let’s not get our hopes up.’

Presumably, an alliance was out of the question. So, I would just get Ryan’s ability and run. And do it alone.

‘I can do it!’

It seemed daunting, but in the end, everyone comes into this world alone and leaves alone.

Ryan was a terrifying man who wiped out not only his father but also any ability user he could find.

Although it resulted in the elimination of an evil group, Ryan, who actually brought down the family, probably didn’t have such a noble cause.

Given his personality, he must have been driven by…

…revenge.

A murderer obsessed with revenge.

I couldn’t reveal my secrets and propose a grand scheme to such a man.

“Phew, done!”

At that moment, Ryan finished his makeshift one-person shade by covering the neatly stacked boxes with his clothes.

I hadn’t expected much, but it was a bit disappointing that he made it just big enough for himself.

I was hot too.

Perhaps I would die of heatstroke on this ship without even trying anything…

“Hey, get in.”

“Me?  You mean me?”

Did I hear wrong? I asked again, and Ryan frowned.

“Did you think I made this for myself?”

He pointed at the blazing sun and added,

“Who else here besides you is about to collapse in this weather?”

“…”

—–CROW—–