Kill the Author, Then to Hell - Chapter 9.2

So, the magic gauge Johan had handed to nine-year-old Edith was just an ordinary metal sphere.

The real one for Peter, and a fake for me – the evidence was right here.

There was never going to be any reaction at that time. What was he thinking, watching his younger sister desperately rub, throw, and squeeze the ball, hoping for something to happen?

Didn’t he feel sorry for me at all?

‘And then what? You were happy I gave up on my vain dreams?’

Feeling betrayed by Johan, my brain started working fast.

‘Wait, did he know beforehand?’

If he thought I would have no reaction to the sphere, there was no reason to give me a fake.

There was also no reason to hide the sphere used when I was nine in such a secret space.

‘So, the fact that these two spheres were hidden here means…’

Johan knew I had magical potential and wanted to hide it.

‘But… Peter clearly said women can’t use magic at all.’

Peter said that in the two thousand years of Claremont’s history, only men had used magic.

Why then did the sphere react to me, and how did Johan know this beforehand?

Something was off.

But there was no time to ponder the meaning of all this deeply.

Whether because he had vented his anger through enough violence, or because he was tired, Simon stopped the beating.

“…Huu.”

“You’re right, Father. This isn’t ordinary technology. If it were the work of forces we know, it wouldn’t leave no trace.”

“…So, what do you want to say?”

“We should first reassure Edith to get a confession. We need a clue. Punishment comes after that.”

Johan was persuading Simon with chilling words.

“What if she keeps her mouth shut?”

“She will talk. As her older brother, she ran straight to me earlier. And… we’ll make her talk, one way or another.”

“Now you sound like my son.”

Simon’s cruel satisfaction seemed to waft over here.

If I hadn’t found the sphere, I might have believed Johan.

Thinking all his words were just lies to reassure Simon. Believing he was buying time to carve out a path to survival for his sister.

But now…

‘Gah, I need to hide this first.’

While Johan was away, it was crucial that he didn’t find out what I had discovered.

Since the real magic gauge had burst and disappeared, I could only put the fake sphere back into the secret space.

I fit the board back in without gaps and hastily covered it back up with the carpet.

But there was something I hadn’t anticipated.

Whoosh whoosh—

‘Why isn’t this disappearing!’

The firework reaction was lasting longer than expected, and not just one color but the entire spectrum of rainbow colors.

‘It seems like it’s been more than 10 minutes.’

The fireworks Peter set off were large and splendid, but all traces of them disappeared in less than a minute.

<As expected of my son. It’s no surprise he’s good with alchemy given the bloodline… With this level of latent magic power, he’ll at least be mid to upper tier already!>

‘Since Dad said that, the color must signify aptitude…’

So, in my case, where all colors remain equally, does it mean I am well-suited for all fields?

The firework lasting this long surely meant something. Probably a good sign.

If I had been a son, blessed on my birthday holding the magic gauge, maybe Dad would have said something like this?

“I’m proud of you, son. The fire hasn’t gone out yet! Power isn’t just about the strength of the magic but also about how long you can maintain it. I’ve never seen a flame last this long. Plus, you seem to have a very versatile aptitude! You can choose whatever you like! Haha!”

The problem is, I’m not a son.

And Dad is trying to kill me.

And the fact that my brother, who wants to extract a confession from me by any means, has just teleported into the room.

“Edith?”

“Brother, this…”

And Johan seemed to have instantly understood the situation.

“Oh dear, you’ve finally found out, haha.”

Johan swept his hair to one side and smiled beautifully.

“Yes…”

I admitted it half in resignation. Denying it was pointless.

“Right. I always thought this day would come.”

I wanted to ask why he had given me a fake sphere, but…

‘Ugh…’

For some reason, my lips were sealed tight.

“You’ve always been… this kind of child. Unable to distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said.”

A familiar sensation overcame me.

Suddenly, I was bound tight, unable to move a muscle, just like at the end of my last life.

“Always unable to stay still.”

Now, unable to even struggle, I floated in the air.

“And… never knowing her place.”

Johan, who had come closer, manipulated my limbs in the air as if playing with a doll.

“There, done. I always wanted to do this to you. Now, without Mother here to take your side…”

Floating in the air with my hands over my heart, like Sleeping Beauty, I was utterly powerless.

“Listen. To Father, I’ll say you died because you failed to control your power. If we say we got a confession that the Aimesworths were behind the assassination, he won’t be too harsh. It’s probably them anyway, right?”

It was humiliating, but he was right. There was no doubt Simon wouldn’t mourn my death.

Johan now combed my tangled hair, humming a tune.

“See, look how pretty you look.”

“……”

“Edith, if there’s another chance… try to live like this. Quietly, gently.”

Johan leaned in close and kissed my forehead, as a caring brother would give his younger sister a goodnight kiss.

“Ah, but then again, you won’t have another chance. What a pity.”

Then, placing his thumb on the spot he kissed, he began to chant a spell I couldn’t understand.

“…The father’s legacy shall, too, be realized by his son.”

After finishing with the familiar closing line.

A chilling coldness surged from Johan’s thumb, spreading through my entire head.

It was the pain of eating ice cream too quickly, amplified a thousand times.

‘AAAAAH—’

“Instead, I’ll send you to be with Mom. Farewell, Edith.”

Johan’s goodbye was the last thing that lingered in my consciousness.

—Ding!

I found myself returning to the dark waves.