The warm, sticky sensation running down her skin made her shudder.

“Ah…”

“But I can’t lift the axe anymore.”

“I cut through the muscle.”

“I was planning to leave one arm until the end and remove everything else first.”

He spoke as casually as if he had done nothing more serious than nick his finger on a sheet of paper.

Shamilia blinked in disbelief.

“Sister. Since it’s come to this… Could you cut off this arm for me?”

“…What?”

“We’ll deal with the arms first. Then we’ll do the legs.”

She couldn’t understand a single word he was saying.

“We… we need a doctor.”

She spoke haltingly as she pressed a cloth tightly against his wound.

The bleeding wouldn’t stop.

Warm blood soaked through the fabric and spread across her palms.

The sensation made her shiver.

“Sister.”

“Your arm… it’ll be all right, won’t it? Right? Or… at least wounds like this can be healed with magic, can’t they?”

“Shamilia.”

“If we go now and have it stitched up, you’ll be able to use it again. What do we do about the wound? It’s still bleeding…”

“Stop.”

Shamilia, who had been muttering blankly to herself, suddenly fell silent.

‘Stop?’

‘Who was the one who needed to stop?’

And yet Lucberk was telling her to stop?

“Stop? You should be the one to stop! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Shamilia threw aside the handkerchief she had been holding against the wound.

It landed with a wet slap on the ground, sending droplets of blood splashing out.

For a moment, anger overwhelmed her.

Then her gaze fell upon the exposed bone and she was brought back to reality.

It was her younger brother’s arm.

Somehow…

She had to save it.

“Get up, Luc. Let’s go to a doctor. Luc… Luc!”

She tugged frantically at his arm, muttering almost incoherently.

Lucberk didn’t budge.

“Lucberk!”

When she screamed his name, he simply looked back at her with an almost cheerful smile, as though asking what was wrong.

“It’s all for you, Sister.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Go ahead and finish cutting it off.”

“Luc!”

“I’m going to attach a new body.”

“The arms and legs are simple. I’ve already made replacements.”

“…What?”

“You only have to cut through the bone.”

“See the joint here?”

“Just drive the blade in right there.”

“If you cut it off for me, I can go back inside and attach it.”

“…”

“Those arms and legs won’t share your bones, your blood, or your flesh anymore.”

“…”

Shamilia tightened her grip on the arm she was holding.

Despite his exposed bone, Lucberk gently wrapped his remaining arm around her shoulders.

Warm, sticky blood trickled down her back.

He smiled with innocent delight.

If it weren’t for the blood splattered across his face, you might have thought it was his birthday.

Shamilia stared blankly into his violet eyes.

A crimson drop slid slowly down the clear lens of his glasses.

“I made those replacement limbs with magic.”

“The torso still needs more research.”

“The head especially.”

“So I thought it’d be better to replace my arms and legs first.”

She couldn’t understand.

What?

What was her younger brother saying?

The arm cradled against her chest was gradually growing cold.

It was as though proving that it was no longer part of a living body.

“I couldn’t wait until I’d finished the head.”

“And cutting off my head carries a bit more risk.”

“So if I confirm the arms and legs work properly first, it’ll reduce the danger.”

Shamilia stared blankly at Lucberk.

Everything he was saying simply passed through her mind without leaving any trace.

“I understand now that blood wasn’t the problem.”

“You’re right.”

“I was the foolish one, Sister.”

“…”

“So I’ll change all of it.”

His radiant smile held not the slightest hint of hesitation.

“A new body is all it takes, isn’t it? A body that shares absolutely nothing with yours. Then it’ll be all right.”

“You’re… you’re insane.”

“I think this is perfectly logical. I haven’t managed to replace my torso or my head yet. But if I replace both my arms and my legs, then more than half of my body will have nothing to do with you anymore. Then you’ll at least be able to accept half of me, won’t you?”

“Right?”

Madness blazed in his violet eyes.

Shamilia stepped back instinctively.

The arm that had almost been cut off slipped from her grasp.

Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.

She could feel the blood gradually growing cold as it lost its warmth.

Her stomach churned.

She couldn’t tell whether this was due to the smell of blood or Lucberk’s madness.

“When it comes time to replace my head and torso, I’ll probably need your help. I can cut them off myself. But I don’t think I’ll be able to use magic for a little while. After all, the heart that contains my mana and the head that gives commands will be separated.”

“So you’ll have to—”

Listening numbly to the excited voice of someone who sounded as though he had just found a brand-new toy, Shamilia bit down hard on her lip.

She tasted blood.

Not hers.

His.

Fresh blood sprayed from the unsealed wound, splattering across her face once again.

“…Even if you do that… It won’t change anything.”

“I’ll explain why I can’t replace my head and torso all at once. Of course it’d be best to do everything in one go, but the amount of research each part requires is completely different. And replacing both the brain and the heart together would mean transferring the very existence of ‘me’…”

“You’re my younger brother!”

Shamilia screamed.

Even if he altered his body…

Even if he replaced every bone, every drop of blood, and every piece of flesh with something else…

Lucberk would still be her younger brother.

That’s how they grew up.

Losing an arm or a leg wouldn’t stop him from being her younger brother, either.

Replacing his limbs…

Or even replacing his head and torso… would never change who he was.

“No matter what you do… You’ll always be my younger brother!”

Her voice cracked.

She lurched to her feet and looked down at the younger brother who so desperately wanted to become a man in her eyes.

“Even if you cut off your head!”

“Even if you cut off your arms!”

“Even if you replace your heart!”

“You’ll still be my younger brother!”

After screaming with everything she had, she finally stopped, gasping for breath.

“So…”

“Please stop, Luc.”

“Please.”

“You can still heal this, can’t you?”

“Please?”

Collapsing back to her knees, Shamilia pressed her trembling hands against his wound.

If only she could stop the blood…

It kept pouring out.

So much that she feared he might die.

Tears streamed endlessly down her face.

“Can’t you heal it with magic?”

“If not, then let’s go to a doctor.”

“Luc… Luc.”

“Answer me!”

“Please.”

“I’m begging you.”

“Stop.”

“Or… I’ll stitch it up again.”

“Will that work?”

“Lucberk!”

She cried.

She begged.

Then, crawling across the bloodstained ground, she reached out to him again.

She felt as though she were losing her mind.

Watching her, Lucberk frowned.

Then, without warning…

He snapped.

“Then tell me what I’m supposed to do! You say this won’t work. You say that won’t work. So what do you want me to do?!”

“Please… Let’s treat your arm first. Please…”

“Lucberk!”

“You’re my younger brother!”

“That’s exactly why I’m trying to stop being your younger brother! If that isn’t enough… If changing my body still isn’t enough… Then what is?!”

“No!”

“It isn’t!”

“No matter what you do!”

“No matter what you become!”

“You’ll always be my younger brother!”

“Sister…”

For the first time, his face seemed almost forlorn.

The madness blazing in his violet eyes softened ever so slightly.

“Then what do I have to change before you’ll accept me?”

“Please…”

“Forget about your arm for now…”

“Please stop the bleeding first!”

“Luc… Luc…”

“Please.”

“Whether it’s magic or a doctor…”

“We have to do something.”

“Please.”

“I’m begging you.”

Panting, Shamilia clasped her trembling hands together.

He had already lost far too much blood.

Lucberk’s face had turned deathly pale, as though the life had been drained from it.

He looked as though he might die at any moment.

Shamilia no longer understood her own feelings.

Was she angry?

Or was she begging?

Her thoughts had become a tangled mess.

She screamed.

She wept and pleaded.

She raged.

Then she fell into utter despair.

Lucberk watched her silently.