Chapter 4: Big Sister

“…Ah, the smell of grilled skewers.”

The mansion owned by the Willard Marquis family in the royal capital—where my sister Shia was currently staying—was actually quite a long walk from the restaurant where Lauren managed my shop.

So instead of rushing, I took my time strolling through the streets.

Occasionally I stopped to browse small stalls, buying snacks here and there as I slowly made my way toward the mansion.

“Still… the backstreets are as bad as ever.”

If you looked toward the main avenue, the capital city looked every bit as magnificent as one would expect.

Elegant buildings lined the streets, their polished facades gleaming in the sunlight. Noble carriages rolled by, well-dressed citizens chatted happily, and fashionable storefronts displayed luxurious goods.

But if you turned your eyes toward the back alleys…

A completely different world appeared.

Workers caught in the relentless tide of industrial capitalism struggled through brutal labor conditions. Their lives were reduced to the bare minimum needed to survive.

Dirty brick housing. Smoke-stained walls. Thin, exhausted people trudging through the streets with hollow expressions.

It looked exactly like London during the Industrial Revolution.

Honestly, it felt like the rise of communism was only a matter of time.

“And yet it’s still such a strong aristocratic society. Hard to believe.”

Despite all this industrial development and cultural change, there were absolutely no signs of revolution in this world.

Not even a hint of democracy.

Every nation was still ruled by monarchies.

“…Magic really is something else.”

In the end, it all came down to magic.

The powerful spells wielded by kings and nobles gave them an overwhelming advantage.

When the ruling class could literally wipe out armies with magic, the possibility of revolution was crushed before it could even begin.

“There you are!”

“Whoa—!”

Just as I was leisurely walking through the street, lost in my thoughts about the differences between this world and my previous one…

A loud voice suddenly rang out.

Before I could even react, someone grabbed me from behind and lifted me straight off the ground.

“…Shia-neesama.”

For a moment my legs flailed helplessly in the air, confusion written all over my face.

But the moment I realized who had picked me up, I sighed and called her name.

“You’re late!”

When I looked up, the face of my sister Shia loomed above me as she glared down in annoyance.

Even though I had turned twelve, my growth had stubbornly refused to cooperate.

Meanwhile, Shia—now fifteen—had grown remarkably tall for a girl.

The height difference between us had become almost ridiculous.

She was literally holding me up while I had to tilt my head upward just to meet her eyes.

“I went out of my way to call you here, you know! Even if it meant sacrificing everything else, you should have come straight away!”

“Well, I have my own things to take care of too, you know.”

Her expression clearly said unbelievable as she looked down at me in exasperation.

I responded calmly.

“I’m actually pretty busy. My business is growing, and I’m trying to expand it even further.”

“There’s no need for that!” she declared immediately. “I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life! Looking after my little brother is an older sister’s duty!”

“Yeah… that’s not really how life works.”

Honestly, Shia had always been strangely overprotective of me.

But eventually she’d get married and start her own life.

There was no way she’d be able to keep fussing over her so-called failure of a little brother forever.

“What are you talking about?” she scoffed. “Someone born with the earth attribute could never become a normal, functioning member of society. Just behave yourself and stay under your big sister’s protection, okay?”

“…Did you really have to go that far?”

“Yes, I did!”

What a forceful declaration.

Seriously… was there no way to fix how twisted my sister had become?

This ridiculous brother complex needed some serious correction.

And while we were at it, maybe she could stop looking down on me too.

At this point, I felt less like a person and more like some kind of fragile pet she had to protect.

“Well, I’ll let you off the hook this time,” she said cheerfully. “Now come on, let’s hurry back to the mansion.”

Still holding me in her arms, Shia began walking briskly through the street.

“…Hey. Could you put me down?”

“Hm?”

I was being carried through the middle of the street like a child.

People were staring.

It was incredibly embarrassing.

But my completely reasonable complaint was utterly ignored.

And so, without any chance to escape…

I was carried away like livestock being hauled off to market.