'What are you talking about, Ars! Are you going to throw this girl out?
Hearing brother Ars's words, Mom was the first to speak up.
I choke on my breath, not being able to immediately grasp what was said.
I glanced sideways at my dad, and he had his hand on his chin in thought.
'It can't be helped. You can't blame me for this one. Why are you telling me so easily?
That's because this kid asked me about it: ......
I've been telling you all along not to tell him just because he asks. It's a hard fact for the child Alphonse, and above all, there will always be people who will take advantage of it. In the first place, they would be treated as an abomination. Information will always be leaked no matter how you look at it.
Wait, Brother Ars. Don't blame your mother. I made him come out of there by force.
I know.
I'm sure my mom had no intention of teaching me at the time.
Maybe I shouldn't have used [intimidation].
Mom is just a normal, ordinary person.
That's what made me answer the question by receiving a shock of magical power that could be used by even a demonic soldier.
Mom is not bad.
''Hmm, that's right. It was wrong to blame Mom. I can't thank you enough for raising Alphonse until now. I'm sorry. But I can't deny the possibility of a family riot. I mean, it's pretty bad to be known as an abomination.
Well, what's this abomination you've been talking about?
'Oh, I didn't tell you that. Alphonse is a twin born at the same time as Alford, you know. And there's an old abominable custom, or rather, twins are treated as a bad thing. Twins themselves are abhorred, and the mother who gave birth to twins is sometimes treated as a bad thing. Moreover, I'm not sure what will happen to me, who hid it from them, or to the Barca family itself, whose abomination is the head of the family.
...... twins. That's all it takes to make it so bad: ......
'I don't think so at all. But, unfortunately, there are many who do. That's why we had to separate you, who were born as twins, as soon as you were born.
It's a lot of information.
I didn't expect to hear all this just by asking about my birth.
If this was the case, it would have been more interesting to hear that I was the same person as brother Ars.
While I was thinking about this, my father, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up.
But you know what, Ars," he said. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't come back to the country. Could it be that Alphonse is required to study in the Brillia Mage Country forever?
'That's one way to do it. 'I'll let Alphonse choose. One is to stay in the country. However, if you do that, I think you'll have to be under house arrest so that there won't be a disturbance at home. You'll have to live in isolation so that you don't see too many people. And, of course, you can't go out into the battlefield to participate in the war, either.
I don't want that.
'Right? So, the other option is to continue to study in the Brillia Mage Country like Dad said before. It depends on the negotiations with Charles, but we can continue the exchange program and take on the role of organizing the foreign students over there.
Hmmm ......
'So, on the other hand, is there something Alphonse wants to do? Depending on that, though, we might be able to move in line with that wish.
I don't like to hear you say that.
I don't really know what I want to do when I'm suddenly asked.
It's because I didn't think that I would be asked to leave the country all of a sudden.
However, brother Ars sometimes makes a decision quite easily.
If you don't express your feelings here, or you might even lose your freedom to really live in isolation.
...... That's right.
When I think about it, the last thing I want to do is lose my freedom.
No matter how good a place it is to live, I definitely don't want to not be able to move around freely.
It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.
...... I want to be strong. I want to become strong and play an active role on the battlefield like Brother Ars and Brother Bite.
Okay. Well, I'll tell you what. You really want to go into battle?
'What? Does that mean you're going to a battlefield somewhere as a soldier of the Celestial Kingdom?
'Not quite. Are you willing to go into battle as a mercenary with no connection to this country at all, Alphonse?
Mercenary: ......
'Yes. A warrior who gets paid to fight on the battlefield. It sounds like you're training like crazy, so I guess that's an option.
I'm in. It's going to be fun.
All right, that's it. Then you'll be a mercenary from now on. But we can't operate in or around the United Kingdom of Fontana. If your activities are known to the public, there will be people who will use it for their advantage. That's why we're going to the small states in the east. We're at the mercy of an Orient diplomat over there, the Bannage. He's been asking me to help him, to send some forces to help him, and I'm wondering if you'd like to go, Alphonse?
All right. I'll be on my way, brother Arth.
I never thought I would be a mercenary.
But it sounds more interesting than living with my freedom deprived.
Thus, I accepted Brother Ars's proposal.