Chapter 13: Opposition

My resolve was set.

There was no longer any hesitation left within me—no doubt, no wavering. I had already steeled my heart.

I would go to the battlefield as well. With Father’s approval secured, the matter was no longer up for debate. It had become an unchangeable decision, something already set into motion.

“How—what do you mean!?”

But when I told Shia-neesama, she reacted with fierce opposition, her voice rising in panic.

“N-No…! Absolutely not. I won’t allow it!”

“Right now, not a single member of the Willard Marquis family is standing on the battlefield. In a national crisis like this, for us to have no one fighting—”

“That doesn’t mean you have to go, Noah! Y-You’re still so young!”

“I’m already fifteen. That makes me an adult.”

In this country, adulthood came earlier than it did in Japan—at fifteen. By all legal standards, I was already considered a grown man.

“In other countries, adulthood is at eighteen. Even here, many still believe a person isn’t truly mature until then. And besides, someone your age going to war is—”

“It’s rare, but not unheard of. There’s no issue. I can go.”

“…Y-You’re just a lump of earth…! Noah, there’s no way—no way you can handle something like that!”

“I’ll prove that I can.”

“…It’s impossible. I won’t accept it… I refuse…!”

Shia-neesama shook her head desperately, as if trying to deny reality itself.

“…Ha… haha…”

And then—she laughed.

A broken, fragile sound, devoid of warmth.

“I-If I burned off your limbs… would you stay with me? …Yes, that’s right. If I protect you for the rest of your life, then the two of us could go anywhere together…!”

It was an outpouring of emotion.

Not a controlled spell, not a deliberate incantation—just raw feeling erupting unchecked. Her magic surged wildly in response, flames roaring to life and rushing toward me.

“…Hah.”

But before those flames could even reach me, they vanished—snuffed out as though they had never existed.

A single spell was all it took.

Once, those flames had been powerful enough to incinerate enemies, a deadly force that shone brilliantly on the battlefield. Now, they left nothing behind—not even a trace of heat.

“…Ah…”

The magic faded into nothingness.

Shia-neesama stared blankly at the disappearing flames, her expression frozen in disbelief.

“…An anti-magic barrier. It really is powerful.”

“A-Ah… no, I… I didn’t mean—!”

Her face shifted rapidly—shock giving way to confusion, confusion collapsing into horror.

Regret spread across her features, draining the color from her face as tears welled up in her eyes.

“That’s not—I didn’t mean to hurt you, Noah! I would never—never do something like that!”

“It’s okay… I don’t mind.”

I stepped forward and gently pulled her into an embrace.

Her body trembled in my arms, fragile and unsteady.

“It’s alright. I’m fine… Just like how you came back to me, Shia-neesama, I’ll come back too. I promise.”

“Uah… uuu… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…!”

It was the first time she had ever apologized to me.

The sister who had always stood proud, always certain of her own strength—who had stood before me as someone unshakable—was now trembling in my arms, her body incomplete, her spirit broken.

“…It’s okay.”

I held her tighter, as if trying to return even a fraction of everything she had once given me.

“…This is… my fault, isn’t it?”

Her voice quivered again, barely holding together.

“There’s a marriage proposal, right? To protect the standing of the Willard Marquis family… to gain even the slightest advantage, to secure allies… I’m being offered up for that, aren’t I?”

“….”

“It’s because of me that you’re going, Noah… Even though I swore I would protect you…”

“….”

“Y-You were so adorable, you know? …More than anyone else. And yet, no one tried to love you. But you… you always smiled at me. That’s why I thought—I have to protect him. As your older sister, I have to stand in front of you, always. I have to be the one who loves you, who keeps you safe…!”

“…Thank you for loving me.”

“I—I…!”

“This time, I’ll protect you. For everything you’ve done for me—this time, it’s my turn. I will, no matter what.”

“…I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay strong… that I couldn’t protect you. I’m so weak…!”

“It’s okay. You’ve always been my strong, dependable sister… someone I’m proud of. So just wait for me. I’ll definitely come back.”

I will fight on the battlefield.

For the sake of my family.

While I fight, Shia-neesama will be protected—and that alone is reason enough for me to go.