CHAPTER 79: MUCH NEEDED CONVERSATION

Max didn’t want to think too much about his encounter with the Forlorn Mimic, but it was impossible to get that image out of his mind.

His grandmother had died on his eighteenth birthday, making it a little over a year since he’d last seen her.

Finally, he had once again seen her, but he’d had to kill her.

It wasn’t an easy decision, even though he knew everything about it.

[You did pretty good because I honestly expected you to use some tricks to get out of this. But I’m happy you decided to face this head‑on and saw through it.]

There was a long pause before he heard her voice again, this time carrying a hint of happiness.

[I’m proud of you, and I’m sure your Grandma will be, too. From what you said, she seems like the first person who would tell you to kill that illusion.]

’Haha! I can already imagine her doing that,’ Max laughed and leaned back to rest his back against the rock. "She would have scolded me if I hesitated. ’Hesitation is for losers,’ she always used to say that."

Max gave a dry laugh once and closed his eyes. He wanted to settle his emotions once and for all so they wouldn’t hinder him during the coming days of adventures.

Meanwhile, Charlotte had finished making the tent with Stelle’s help.

Camping inside the Labyrinth was one of the many basic things taught to the Ranked Clans and similar organisations, and the two of them were no different.

Max didn’t know anything about it, being the illiterate kid he was, but some things about that part made them confused. Still, they didn’t question it.

During the entire time, they remained quiet, as if in silent agreement with each other.

After everything was done, the two of them entered the tent and sat on the bed while looking at each other.

They had spent their whole lives together, so it was tough to hide anything; they could see that they wanted to talk about something.

"Did you see me, Big Sis?" Stelle asked, breaking the silence.

Charlotte hummed lightly.

"You couldn’t do that?" Stelle asked, but it was more of a statement than a question.

Charlotte looked down and nodded slowly.

Her younger sister sighed and reached out to hold her hands while saying, "Now I feel like I should have trained you to hit me whenever I made mistakes so you would have been at least prepared."

"Haha, what are you even thinking?" Charlotte couldn’t keep her serious face anymore and chuckled. "Well, I’m sure I might have failed even then. But that’s fine."

She gripped her sister’s hands tightly and said, looking into her eyes, "I know this is rather selfish of me, but can I ask you to kill my enemies for me?"

Stelle was stunned by her words, but soon beamed with happiness and launched herself forward with arms wide open.

She hugged her sister tightly and exclaimed, "Did you really ask me that? Really? Are you finally willing to share your responsibilities with me? Really? I’m finally worthy?"

Charlotte patted her back and said, "I never considered you unworthy of anything, but you have been a little irresponsible, though. Still, my decision has nothing to do with that."

She pulled back and added, "I just didn’t want to let you face all those dangers and thought I could face everything alone. I worked hard for that, after all. But today, I’ve seen my own capabilities."

Taking a deep breath, she said, "I need your help, Stelle, so I will ask once again..."

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Stelle chanted while swaying Charlotte sideways. "I’ve been waiting for this. Don’t worry and leave everything to me. I’ll kill anything for you."

She looked at her sister with a bright smile and said, "Just support me from the back, and I will be invincible."

"Of course," Charlotte smiled as well. "I’m not throwing my responsibilities onto your shoulders. We will share them together."

"Hehe, I love you, Sis!"

Charlotte sighed when Stelle hugged her again. The decision wasn’t easy for her, but she had finally made it.

As someone who had done everything for her sister, Charlotte had always hoped to keep Stelle away from the cruel world even if she had to dirty her own hands.

But growing up, she realised she was doing more harm by keeping Stelle in so‑called safety.

So, she had allowed her to train and even helped her become stronger so that one day she could stand against the cruel world herself.

Even then, her feelings as an elder sister hadn’t wanted Stelle to be in any kind of danger, so she’d shouldered everything alone.

Only today had she realised that she wasn’t the only one working hard. Stelle was struggling on her own so she could help her big sister.

Her younger sister wanted to walk side by side instead of being always protected.

Max’s words were the final push that made her decide on this course. He reminded her that there were people who would share her burdens—people who cared for her just as much as she cared for them. It worked both ways, apparently.

Still, seeing the look on Stelle’s face reminded her that her decision was the right one.

’I really am stupid. I have people willing to help me, yet I was ignoring them.’

Charlotte’s eyes burned with determination as she said, "I will make you unkillable, so kill everything for me."

"Hehe, say less," Stelle grinned, showing her pristine white teeth. "Also, we aren’t alone now. We also have Dummy with us."

"I’m really surprised that you’re speaking highly of him," Charlotte said. "Isn’t this the first time you’ve actually spoken for someone else?"

"Hehe, I have a pretty good nose, and I can smell that while that guy is a very annoying pervert, he’s good," Stelle smiled, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks as the scenes of her date flashed in her mind.

Charlotte quickly noticed it and asked, "Do you like him?"

"H‑huh? What are you talking about, Sis?" Stelle stammered, trying to control her facial expressions but failing miserably.

"So, you do like him," Charlotte smiled. "You should have told me sooner. I’ll help you win his heart. It shouldn’t be difficult, considering he knows us and even seems to like you because of his other timeline."

Stelle was tongue‑tied and sighed in defeat. She really couldn’t lie to her sister...

"Say, did you see him in the illusion?" Charlotte asked, curious about how much her sister liked him.

"Yes, but I also saw you," Stelle looked down to hide her face and said. "I had to kill you both."

Charlotte reached over her head and patted it lightly. "But you’re strong because you managed to overcome it."

"I only did it because I knew you must be suffering because of it. That thought gave me enough strength to fight anything," Stelle said, raising her head. "That’s why I said to rely on me."

Charlotte smiled and continued to pet her head. "Max was trying to hide his pain because he wanted to encourage me. Who do you think he saw in his illusion?"

"Probably someone from the other timeline. I hate to admit it, but he has a strange aura that attracts me toward him, so I’m sure there were many people who loved him and vice versa," Stelle sighed.

Since Charlotte already knew about her secret, she decided to let things move naturally.

Of course, she still kept the fact that they were dating a secret, as she wanted to use this opportunity to lure Charlotte into her trap.

’Sorry, Sis. I’ll be a little selfish this time and only this time.’

"So, what do you think of him, Big Sis?" Stelle asked.

"He’s sometimes a little too much for me, but I’ve never really liked extroverts, so I can understand that part," Charlotte responded after thinking for a few seconds. "But he does have a way with words."

"I meant as a person; what do you think of him as a person?" Stelle asked.

"Hmm, he’s responsible, reliable, and pays attention to his surroundings and the people around him," Charlotte smiled, remembering how Max had concealed his pain to comfort her. "He isn’t really that handsome, but sometimes he feels like the most charming person in the world."

Stelle was a little surprised and thought, ’Wow! I guess it won’t be that difficult since it’s clear she also likes him even if it isn’t on the level of love. It’s a good start.’

Suddenly, she remembered something and thought, ’Wait! He helped her while she was down. Ain’t that the script of basically every cringe romance Sis reads? The hell?’

Charlotte lightly winked at her sister and said, "Best thing about him is that he is ambitious and has the potential to become utterly strong, yet he doesn’t let it get over his head. People like him tend to become too arrogant, but I guess it’s the boon of being a regressor."