The Strongest Family Has Arrived!

Chapter 7

—–CROW—– 

“Stay still.”

As Vania fidgeted in his arms, Ryan whispered through gritted teeth, a forced smile on his face.

“You… did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“No? I just wasn’t thinking.”

“I almost went back to prison for child abuse just a day after getting out!”

“Sorry.”

Vania pouted and subtly slipped Ryan’s bag back onto his shoulder.

“Child support…”

“Huh.”

Unbelievable.

“I want to go with Appa…”

Unbelievable… truly unbelievable… but so cute it made him laugh.

What was with this kid?

***

Fortunately, Ryan started walking with me tucked firmly at his side. He seemed worried that I would blurt out something reckless on the streets again.

As expected, it worked perfectly!

“But where are we going?”

“Hold on.”

He looked around for a while, checking the piece of paper he had found earlier, then entered a nearby building. It was an inn.

“Welcome!”

“Give me the reserved room and the things I left. The name is Rivan.”

I was impressed as Ryan immediately asked the innkeeper for the room.

‘As expected, he’s prepared for life after prison.’

Furthermore…

‘That name comes up here?’

Rivan. I knew that man.

According to the information I had gathered, he was Ryan’s prison mate. He had been released a year before Ryan.

“You’re Rivan’s companion, I see. But is that all for the reservation name?  There should be a password or something.”

The innkeeper rummaged behind the counter, found a pair of notes identical to Ryan’s, and read them with an awkward smile.

Ryan hesitated.

“…Can’t you just give it to me?”

“I’m sorry, sir.  Rivan left a substantial amount of money, so we need to confirm your identity.”

“Ha.”

Why was he acting like this?  Ryan glanced at me and then started reading the note he was holding in a tiny voice.

“Yalli yalli yalla sheng yalla ri yalla…”

“….?!”

“Umpapa Lumpa yo yo, yorleihi… o-open sesame…”

“That’s correct!”

The innkeeper, who was reading the note along with him to confirm the password, took out a room key and a heavy leather pouch.

“The money is here, and the rest of your belongings are in the room.”

Ryan snatched the money pouch and strode up the stairs.

“That bastard Rivan. He’s dead when I see him.”

“Pfft.”

No… I couldn’t hold back my laughter, and Ryan whipped around.

“Is it funny?”

“No.”

Ryan stomped into the room.  Inside, there were a few clothes and a bag prepared.

“Here.”

Ryan immediately handed me the money pouch he had received downstairs.

“Why? Should I buy something?”

“No.”

He sighed and said,

“Let’s part ways here.”

“Huh? Again?  Are you mad because I laughed at the ‘yalli yalli’ thing? I won’t laugh again. I’m sorry.”

“Ugh! It’s not that!”

“Then why…”

Ryan looked at me, all shrunk down, for a moment, then turned his head away and said,

“You’re free from Father’s grasp now. Since I’ve already told everyone outside that you’re my daughter, there’s no reason for Father to track you down and eliminate you. So take that money and find your own way.”

“How am I supposed to survive on my own? I’m just a twelve-year-old girl.”

“No. You’re clever enough to scheme your way into clinging to me in the middle of the street, so I’m sure you’ll survive somehow. Goodbye.”

Ryan spoke coldly and flopped onto the bed.

“I don’t want to. I want to stay with Appa.”

“Stop calling me Appa!”

“What if I don’t call you Appa?”

“Even if you don’t, it’s still no. Go.”

“Please. I still need a guardian.”

“Sigh, kid… listen.”

Ryan sat up.

And then he was silent for a long time, as if choosing his words. He sighed, frowned, and scratched his head.

Finally, he spoke.

“I’m going to take revenge on Father.”

“….?!”

I was startled.

‘He’s revealing his intentions this quickly?’

Ryan’s eyes had sharpened.

“I endured twelve years in Abyss with that single thought.”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve.

Twelve scars.  Their uneven shapes clearly indicated they were self-inflicted.

He must have endured twelve years, bearing the pain of carving into his own flesh.

“I’m going to take revenge on Father.”

Revenge.

Such audacious ambition.

Anyone who knew who our father, the Duke of Vasenberg, was would surely scoff and mock him.

Ryan probably knew that, which was why he was so readily revealing his plans.

But I knew.

That with his ability, it was entirely possible.

“How are you going to take revenge?”

“I don’t know. I’ll try anything.”

Ryan didn’t elaborate further.

But I also knew that he intended to eliminate all the ability users in the family.

Because before the regression, I almost died by Ryan’s hand.

And surprisingly… I wasn’t particularly upset about that.

Ironically, the reason I considered forming an alliance with Ryan was because he had eliminated my siblings.

Why did Ryan do that?

If revenge was his sole purpose, he could have just targeted Father.

Plan A:

Get kicked out of the family by pretending to be incompetent → Success!
Meet Ryan and follow him → Success!
Find out Ryan’s true intentions
…

Finally, it was time for step 3, to find out Ryan’s “true intentions” for wanting to eliminate all the family members.

“All the things you’ve eaten, worn, and enjoyed your whole life… Did you really not know what kind of filthy power you were living on?”

Our first encounter before the regression.  He seemed to deeply despise the family.

“My dreams will be haunted if I kill innocent people along with the guilty.”

The mercy he showed in sparing my innocent lover.

Perhaps Ryan…

…was trying to eradicate the corrupt family that controlled the entire nation with his own hands?

The Vasenbergs, including my father, were almost all rotten to the core.

‘So…’

Even if he eliminated Father, a second Father would just take his place.

‘Knowing that he was the only one capable of stopping the criminal family, he took on the role of executioner and carried out his own justice.’

That was Ryan’s true intention, which I had only speculated about, with the slimmest chance of being correct.

“Now, hand over my daughter’s child support.”

The whim that led him to help me, even though he could have ignored me.

“Did you think I made this for myself? Who else here besides you is about to collapse in this weather?”

He was someone who could treat others like ants, yet he possessed the humanity to pity the weak.

Was he a murderer obsessed with revenge?

Or…

…an executioner with a righteous cause?

“Why?”

I opened my trembling lips.

“Why are you taking revenge? Because Father banished you from the family? Because he didn’t get you out of prison even though he had the power to?”

Ryan looked at me.  His golden eyes flickered for a moment, as if searching through old memories.

“…No.”

After a long pause, Ryan spoke.

“I don’t even remember being angry about being abandoned by Father. I don’t care about that anymore.”

“…”

“You’re still young, so you might not understand, but our family is like a rotten tooth in this Empire.”

His tone was indifferent, but his eyes were blazing.

“If it’s not pulled out, it will eventually rot everything.”

At his words, my heart pounded.

‘As expected.’

Find out Ryan’s true intentions → Success!

“No one else can do it but me.”

Blazing eyes.

“I’m going to destroy the Vasenbergs.”

“Are you Vania Vasenberg?”

Our first meeting.

The same look in his eyes as then.

“Haha, scared? An incompetent destroying the Vasenbergs. You know that’s ridiculous, right?”

Ryan, who had been laughing playfully, suddenly hardened his expression.

“But I’m going to do it.”

He smiled again and placed his hand on my head.

“If I fail, I’ll die, of course.  If you’re next to me then, you’ll die too.  That’s why I’m telling you to go.”

“…”

“If you don’t want to die, you can’t stay with me.  It won’t do you any good to be associated with a criminal like me, for the sake of your future.  You can understand that much, right?”

Ryan ruffled my hair and smiled.

“Oh, and just in case, even if you somehow gain the ability to use your powers later… don’t go back home.”

“…”

Looking at the smiling Ryan, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

This terrifying man was, amusingly, worried about his half-sister whom he had just met, practically a stranger.

—–CROW—–