SWNOVELXO Chapter 110
110. Sierra-san’s Secret
“…so that’s what happened.”
We had entered Sierra-san’s house and sat on the floor as we explained the events.
“I see… so, Ar-kun met both Laura and Fran when he went to Montrolia, and today, you ended up together for the strategy team’s entrance test…”
Sierra-san nodded, finally understanding the situation. Just a few minutes ago, she was quite upset, but now she was calm, sitting on a pink cushion and sipping tea.
“That’s right. Now, I have something I want to ask you…”
Since she had calmed down, I decided to ask Sierra-san about something that had been on my mind.
“First, I need to confirm… Sierra-san, Laura, and Fran, the three of you are… sisters, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m the eldest, and Fran is the youngest.”
“We used to live together! Onee– Sierra-san was so kind back then!”
Fran hugged Sierra-san from behind. It was the first time I saw Fran, usually so composed, act clingy.
“By any chance… is the reason you went to the capital related to the two of them?”
“Yes… I wasn’t hiding it, but I didn’t tell you, Ar-kun. I’m sorry.”
With a sad expression, Sierra-san lowered her head and started to explain what happened.
“The day I asked you to escort me, I received a letter from Fran. It said our mother’s condition was critical.”
She meant their mother was in critical condition. Sierra-san continued.
“Since I left Montrolia, I’ve been living in Ortia. I only knew about my mother’s condition through letters from Fran. I knew she was sick, and I wanted to see her one last time.”
So, she had returned to her family’s home in the capital to see her mother one last time.
“I’m really sorry for keeping it from you, Ar-kun.”
“Don’t worry about it. More importantly… did you get to see your mother before she passed?”
“No… I didn’t make it. But I was prepared for it.”
With a somewhat forced smile, Sierra-san stood up from the cushion.
“It got a bit gloomy, didn’t it? Everyone must be hungry. Dinner’s ready!”
Sierra-san stepped out into the hallway from the living room, wearing gingham check mittens, and brought a large pot.
At the same time, the smell of spices wafted through the air. This nostalgic scent–
“I made curry since Fran was coming over! It’s my special recipe!”
“Yay! I love your curry, big sis! But isn’t it a bit too much?”
“It’s perfect since Ar-kun and the others came over! Let’s eat!”
Sierra-san looked very happy seeing Fran’s excited face. I stood up from the floor and helped prepare dinner.
After dinner, we talked about Sierra-san’s life in the capital, played board games, and enjoyed our time together.
Sierra-san was constantly at Fran’s beck and call but never stopped smiling.
However, I couldn’t help but notice that her smile seemed just like the one she had the day I escorted her.
Despite her mother being in critical condition, she pretended to be okay to avoid worrying me.
If Sierra-san’s current smile was just a facade, it left a lingering unease in my mind.
After about three hours, it was already past 9 PM. It was getting late.
“Are you guys staying over tonight?”
“No, we’ll head back. We don’t want to impose by staying unannounced.”
“Oh, come on! Stay over!”
Fran tugged at my sleeve, but Sierra-san shook her head and calmed her down.
“Ar-kun and the others might be uncomfortable. Besides, Fran, you’ll see them again soon since you’ll be staying in Ortia for a while.”
“Okay. Goodnight, everyone. Let’s play again soon!”
Fran reluctantly gave up and waved goodbye to me and Raize.
We thanked Sierra-san and left her apartment.
On our way home at night, I was walking Raize back to her house.
Unusually, Raize was quiet as she walked beside me. After a while, she suddenly spoke up.
“Don’t you think something’s strange?”
“What are you talking about? Are you still upset about losing the board game?”
“N-no! Well, I’m not happy about that either, but that’s not it! I mean Sierra-san.”
Raize touched her chin and started muttering as if in deep thought.
“What’s strange? I didn’t notice anything odd…”
“Sierra-san is from Montrolia, right? So why did she become a guild staff member in Ortia?”
“Maybe she was originally a guild staff member in the capital and got transferred?”
“In that case, there’s no reason for her not to return to the capital. Also, don’t you think it’s odd that Laura didn’t come over for dinner despite being sisters?”
Now that she mentioned it, it did seem strange that Laura didn’t join them for dinner if Fran was coming. It felt off.
“So, you think there’s some secret between Sierra-san and her sister?”
“I’m not saying that, but it feels like something is going on. But it’s none of our business.”
Raize concluded, stifling a yawn.
“…So, what are we going to do tomorrow? We didn’t make it into the strategy team.”
When Raize asked, I stopped in my tracks.
All day—when Gerda was berating us, during dinner, and while playing board games—I had been thinking about it.
Everything had been going too smoothly lately. That’s why losing to Laura frustrated me and made me want to win.
It felt like I had a new goal. I wanted to defeat Laura. More than anything, I wanted to get stronger.
“Well, I didn’t need to ask. I know what you’re going to say.”
“”Join the strategy team.””
Our voices overlapped. Raize seemed to know exactly what I was thinking.
I wanted to join the strategy team and explore deeper into the dungeon.
To do that, I needed to become strong enough to surpass Laura before the strategy team ventured into the dungeon.