Riot Grasper

One of the characteristics of the Toggolese region is the blessing of the sun.

In other words, it's a land with a lot of sunshine, but it's not a desert surrounded by hot sand, and the moderate rainfall keeps the environment lush and green

It's good for crop protection.

「So the Empire tried to take control?」

「If there was a small country right next to yours, with a rich region, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want it.」

Ren fluttered his hands up and down in the air, maintaining his aloof demeanor.

「Ah, so that's why people from Toggle have a slightly different skin color.」

「Hmm? Oh, you sure do have dark skin. I guess that's what happens when you live in a place with a lot of sunshine. I'm sure you're not the one who has a problem with this.」

Once again, Ren was silenced.

「Shut up.」

The first step in Rei's process of silencing her brother was to hit him. I was getting used to seeing such a scene, but Ren himself seemed to be enjoying it. In reality, it looks so painful that it's not even funny, but maybe it's just a form of kinship between sister and brother.

…an advanced form.

In the end, it took a few seconds for Ren to resume his story.

I heard from Rei earlier that Toggle used to be a small country. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. It's a blessing disguise that it didn't turn into a major conflict.

The king, who did not like conflict, continued to be a mild mannered lord and did his best to make the Toggle region prosperous.

However, not all descendants of mild-mannered humans will inherit the same gentle nature. Some of them may be frustrated with the past tyranny of the empire. Discontent eventually turns to anger, and anger can become a driving force for action.

Once again, the man who wanted to make Toggle and independent country began to gather weapons and soldiers.

「I see. I can understand why you're upset. You've been accused of violence and your land has been taken from you.」

What would I do… if I knew that my ancestors had been forcibly deprived of their land and exploited to my generation? It's a short sighted thought, but I'd probably try to destroy the empire.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Domination for domination.

if you get hit, hit back.

…and well, I guess I'm a child for thinking this way. I don't think it's wrong, but if I do, the world will be filled with conflicts. It's the mature thing to do.

I'll do it, though.

「Haha. I'm kind of happy to hear you say that.」

「Hmm… Why are you so happy Ren?」

「Well, the Lord of Toggle, who was beginning to build up his strength, had a wife and three children. The wife disagreed with her husbands ideas, because it was clear to her that he was trying to do something reckless.」

「Ren. That's enough already.」

Rei, who had been quietly watching, tries to stop her brother from talking.

Ren, however, didn't seem to have any intention of stopping.

「Of the three children, the daughter was very attached to her mother, and naturally took her mother's side. It must have been hard for her to see him arguing with her when se was trying to force the plan through.」

「That's enough.」

Just as Rei was about to raise her voice, the soldier on guard was approaching us again.

It seems that this time they want Rei to fight, and they tried to grab her from the cage.

「Don't touch me. I can walk on my own.」

The way she dismissed the hand that was touching her shoulder in disgust made me glad I wasn't him. It makes me wonder if the soldiers on guard are in good hands.

Unlike her brother, Rei quietly made her way towards the stage.

「Well, well. So there's no one left to stop me. Do you still want to hear the rest.」

「Well… after listening thus far…」

Nodding in understanding, Ren lay down on the other side of the bars.

「I don't know where I'm going with this. The other two sons… are also bad people. The older one is older than me, but he's a real playboy. He drank, made noise, and hit on women every day. He was indifferent to what his father was doing. All he cared about was how to get close to the woman he wanted. There's no race barrier to…. that.」

Ren laughed in amusement, but in the silence of the prison, his voice sounds strangely lonely.

「But for my brother, the playful older brother was closer to him than his father who was busy with his duties. He also taught me many interesting games. So my brother became indifferent to his father.」

「You didn't have anyone around in your family who would agree with your father's ideas?」

If my wife disagreed with me, I'd be even more reluctant.

「Yeah, yeah. That's why I was so happy just now. Your words of understanding and support for my father's feelings made me happy.」

What can I say. Where do I get involved in this?

「Well. There was obviously some personal feelings about the characters in the middle of the story. Does that mean that the brother in that story is…. Ren?」

「Correct answer.」

「So, the daughter is called…. Rei?」

「Yes. It's my sister Rei.」

Hold on a second.

This would mean that the twins are the children of the Lords of Toggle, which means that even though it is a small country, they are originally from royal blood.

Eeeeee!

So Rei is a princess by blood!

A princess is not only a beautiful figure, but also someone with refined language and etiquette, and who has been raised apart from the world. She has pure eyes that never doubt anyone, and a loving gaze that is filled with affection for her cute pets. Even the way she wields her whip in her hobby of horse riding is full of grace.

This is my own image of a princess, but the only thing that overlaps with Rei is her good looks… or perhaps the way she wields a whip against humans. It's not that she's a princess, but that she's a queen.

「Wait a minute, if you say that to Rei nee-chan I think she'll kill you.」

After a few moments of screaming in my brain, Ren quietly muttered to me.

「Yeah… which part of that was in your voice?」

「If Rei nee-chan is a princess than all of the women in the world are goddesses.」

This guy just said something worse than me.

「No, I wasn't thinking about that. I mean, that's Ren opinion isn't it.」

Perhaps amused by my reaction, Ren raised his upper body from his prone position and held his stomach.

But still, you know?

If what you just said is true, why were these guys, the lords children, doing this kind of work?

When I asked this question, Ren responded by laying his body down again.

「I'm sure you can guess by now.」

Imagine, right?

To say that Rei, the daughter, is devoted to her mother is a phrase you would use with a young child. The twins are the same age as me, eighteen years old, so the story they just told me must have happened a long time ago.

If it was… then his father's plan must have failed.

Toggle is still not independent.

「After all, they ended up being caught plotting a rebellion.」

「It's over…」

「It's over, literally. My father and mother were executed in front of our eyes.」

「Yeah, what the heck.」

…Oh, it's a bad habit of mine to get emotionally involved with other people right away.

Just because you have a painful past doesn't mean you can't do anything about it.

「And brother Riku was nominated as the heir to the throne. He was a prodigal son. I guess they figured he was neither a poison nor a medicine.」

Hmm. Didn't it lead to the execution of the whole family.

His older brother, who claims to be a playboy, is named Riku.

It seems that he is the current lord of Toggle.

As for Ren and Rei, they were forcibly conscripted into the special forces.. They may have been used as hostages to prevent Riku, the new lord, from doing anything strange, but I don't know the details.

He had been assigned to a unit after deathly painful training and had been on duty under Serdio.

「Rei nee-chan was most shocked when her mother was executed. She was trying to do her duty in her unit, just like her mother said she shouldn't go against the empire.」

「Yeah, well…. I kind of got a feel for that in the previous incident. But normally, I'd be more inclined to resent the Empire.」

「I wonder…. I think it's more accurate to hear those things from her.」

Ren stood up and made a gesture of dusting off his clothes, as if to put an end to the conversation.

「Well, I guess that's the end of our personal story. Is there anything else you want to ask?」

I wonder. I'm sure it was a very serious story, but it didn't feel that serious because of the way Ren talked.

「How did they know you were preparing for the revolt?」

Ren's face darkened slightly at such a question.

「I'd like to know, too. My sister Rei seems to think that Riku nii-san is suspicious, but I don't think so.」

For someone who was so close to their brother, he probably doesn't want to think that way.

「One last question–why are you telling me all of this?」

Ren turned his head towards the small window to peer into the arena and said a few words.

「Because I wanted you to hear it.」

「… not an answer.」

But it doesn't feel like you're playing dumb either.

「Oh, look. It looks like Rei's match is about to start. The opponent is… some kind of robed man.」

I feel like I've been sidetracked, but after Ren's words, I peeked through the grate at the venue through a small window and saw two people.

One of them is Rei, and the other is–

(disgusting disgusting disgusting)

Rei couldn't hide her frustration, though she didn't say it out loud, on the way to the arena.

Why would my brother talk to that man about his past. Whose fault does he think it is that he is trapped in a place like this?

Even when I try to calm down, those feelings come flooding back.

He also said that he understood what his father was trying to do, how he felt, etc.

From Rei's point of view, it is not the Empire that she hates the most, but her father.

He ignored his wife's warning and recklessly thought about starting his own business, which is what got him into this mess. This is the first time I've seen such a thing.

Rei tried to keep her calm by analyzing the cause of her anger.

By the way… when that guy came to rescue the daughter of the lord of Merveille, he said, "I'm just doing what I want to do. It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of you're money. He knows that he's just taking it out on her, but this part of his personality also subtly overlaps with his father's, which increases Rei's anger.

「… it's still disgusting.」

It's not very commendable to let your emotions get the better of you before going into a match. With those last words, Ray let the whip she had received from the soldier settle into her hand.

–The opponent in the match was wearing a robe, so his expression couldn't be seen.

Rei took a swing to check her whip, and then called out to her opponent.

「It's too hot to watch. Why don't you just take that off and show your face to the crowd.」

The man didn't respond to Rei's words, which resembled a provocation, but he did say one thing.

「Sinners, huh? That's a shabby thing.」

「Ha, ha, ha. You shouldn't use that word with women.」

It was just irritating. It's easy to rise to the boiling point.

The bell sounded, signaling the start of the match, and Rei readied her whip.

But don't be so foolish as to rush forward in anger. Keep a good distance, as they may have a weapon hidden under their robes.

(… a small test first)

Several icicles form around Rei. This is the first time I've seen such a thing. It's a trick that can be down in order to change water magic into an attack.

「Eat it up」

The icicles were released with great force and headed straight for the opponent, but none of them were able to hit him. The last one was also avoided, but the man last his stance there.

「Nuh-uh…」

A whip is wrapped around one of his ankles. As soon as he turned his attention downward, a block of ice flew in front of him and hit him. It was an even bigger blow than the icicle that had just hit him.

No workaround.

「You can't avoid this one.」

Timing wise, it should hit for sure.

But with one big swing of the man's arm, the block of ice shattered into pieces without a second though. The ice grains that misted up in the air reflected the sunlight and disappeared.

「Stupid power. Then…」

The man tried to step forward, but this time his legs wouldn't move.

What happened? The man looked over and saw that the leg the whip was wrapped around had been covered in ice. She must have used water magic to materialize ice on the tip of it through the wip.

「How about this?」

Small grains of ice formed around Rei. It is a kind of ice shot, and is impossible to avoid if fired at you from all directions.

「–I'll make you look shabby.」

Muttering, Rei mercilessly shot all the bullets into the stuck man.

The sound of stomping glass continuously echoed, and the scattered bullets that were unleashed one after another turned into mist, scattering dust in the air.

Whoever was in the center of the white mist was undoubtedly hit by a decent attack.

「Well, you seem to have a strong body, so you won't die.」

Mentioning it disinterestedly, Rei considered it while keeping her attention forward.

–My brother is right, I'm not going to sit here and be a freak show forever. There are things I have to do.

「Riku nii-san…」

As soon as the muttered words melted into the air, something jumped out of the white mist. A green breeze pushed through the air and ran in a straight line towards Rei.

Did her bright green hair, reminiscent of a prairie, remind me of the wind?

The outstretched arm caught its prey with such speed that the distance between them was instantly reduced to nothing.

「Huh…」

Rei was grabbed by the throat, and the sensation of her body floating in the air made her realize for the first time what kind of state she was in. She could only breathe slightly, and the suffocation accelerated her heartbeat.

The man looked at his prey with his azure eyes and was completely unharmed. He must have taken a decent hit from an ice pellet, judging from the bits of robe stuck to his body.

「… Do you admit defeat?」

A low tone of voice was directed at Rei was if to threaten her. There are few people who can resist overwhelming violence in front of them. The weight of the pressure, which would immediately take away their lives if they resisted, took over their bodies.

In her fading consciousness, Rei suddenly though, "I'm not sure what to do."

Her father was a fool for trying to start a reckless war against the Empire. It is safe to say that he despised the man who ignored his mother, who tried her best to stop him because she could see the consequences.

There are certain actions you should take in your current situation. All you have to do is admit defeat.

Then Rei gave a self-mocking smile.

「What are you laughing at?」

The man's question was met with a brief echo of a reply.

「I wont admit it…」

「… I see. Then die and atone for the sins you have committed.」

As the muscles in my arms expanded, the tightening force increased all at once. It wasn't just hard to breathe, but the supply of oxygen to my lungs was completely cut off. On the contrary, my heart seemed to be beating even faster.

（painful…）

This guy is serious. Probably in the next moment my cervical vertebrae will shatter and break.

Even though killing opponents in the arena is forbidden, it doesn't have to be strictly adhered to if you're dealing with sinners.

（That White Silver Peach… was delicious.）

How can you even think such a thing under such circumstances, Rei thought to herself.

Taste is sometimes a reminder of the past.

Who was it that bought my mother and myself souvenirs when we went away for work, etc… when we had a sweet tooth?

（Oh, I remembered something bad. I knew that guy was disgusting.）

「–The end」

Just as the man was about to say a few words and expand his arms further, Rei's body fell in accordance with gravity, as a jet-black trail of glitter passed over the spot where the mans arm had been.

Instead of being thrown to the ground, Rei was held up by someone.

As she became able to breath, her hazy vision became clearer and clearer, and you she understood who it was.

「is… you, why?」

The person didn't answer Rei's question, but looked at the man with a disapproving look on his face.

「I thought I'd be fighting you a little later?」

「It would be against the rules to kill them.」

「…I'm not sure what you did was in compliance with the rules either, though.」

「All I've been asked to do is defeat the desired person in the arena.」

I don't know the details of Rei's situation, but it's a very forceful theory. It sounds like the selfishness of a child.

That's the part–

「After all, Muka….」

Rei lost consciousness there.