Bahyun gained courage after uttering those words and began to scout the hall of the building, eager to find a spot for them to break through. He planned to hide while searching for the halved stone that was supposed to be easily found - though it was possible that Bahryn had lied to him in order to buy time for capturing him.

However, others didn’t appear as tense as Bahyun, who seemed to be preparing for battle. These few sentences were enough for them to understand the situation - that Bahyun meant no harm to Almandine and, in fact, had been protecting her since the beginning. Otmeen immediately seized the chance to speak, hoping to clear up the misinformation for both sides, “Mr. Qen...and Almandine, I believe we are on the same side.”

“Same side?” Bahyun mocked, “You, who represent justice, would stand on the same side as a creation of the dark realm? Sorry, I don’t think so.”

Otmeen tried to think of something to persuade Bahyun, but was interrupted by Bahryn in her girl form. She signed and said, “My dear brother, I have a question that I’ve wanted to ask you long time...Would you consider seeking help from a therapist or specialist? You’ve been acting strangely since we were kids. Why do you always think so negatively toward the world, believing that something or someone would harm you for no reason?”

Bahryn noticed her brother’s disapproval and couldn’t help but feel helpless. “Ever since I was a little girl, you always warned me to stay close to you and not to run around recklessly because I might be captured by human trafficker and sold to barbarian people living within the mountains, never to return; or my hands or or feet would be cut off and I’d be forced to become a beggar and earn money for illegal mafia; or I’ll be sold on the black market and have my organs dissected for rich people to exchange for their own broken organs*...I was so scared by what you said, so I never tried to go anywhere without permission from you or mom and dad.”

“However, when I finally had the chance to use a computer, I found no such news on the internet. I thought maybe I didn’t have authorization to read such news because I was young, or maybe I was just a normal citizen and those were confidential content. But after I became a Mage and searched again within our database, I still couldn’t find any news similar to what you described to me!”

Everyone started to give Bahyun a weird look, except Almandine, who had no idea about it. Why one earth would this young man have such a horrible imagination of the world, thinking it’s terrible and dangerous everywhere?

“There’s no such thing as barbarians living within mountains who refuse to join modern society. Our education system takes care of everyone in this world. Even people who live in mountain received education; they wouldn’t buy girls and make them their wives!”

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“Beggars are rare, and disabled beggars are even rarer. We have institutions to take care of disable individuals, and they lead normal lives like everyone else. As for organs, we have alchemy to customize organs for implantation if necessary. Although it’s a bit expensive, it’s available. We don’t need to dissect anyone to steal their organs, risking our lives for an organ that might not even be suitable for us!”

“Brother, you’ve been doubting this world without any reliable reasons. You’ve treated this world as if facing a fierce beast that you can’t communicate with.” Bahryn gestured toward her friends and colleagues behind her, “And that’s why you don’t believe us. You don’t report to the authorities for help, because you don’t believe we will help.”

Bahyun was speechless. What Bahryn said was true, but his experiences from his previous life had been engraved deep into his soul. He tried, but he was still unable to change even a bit of it, even during his toddler stage when perspectives toward the world are easily shaped. The only fact he could accept and bear in mind was, “this is a world with MahoShojo, and even MahoShojo would die in this world”. Even now, after his sister’s explanation, he still doubted that the Mages would accept Almandine, a creation from the dark realm.

“I know it’s hard for you to change your perspective because I had a hard time too. The things you taught me deeply influenced me. So I dare you, trust me or not!” Bahryn patted her chest and asked her brother in a serious tone, “I dare you! I’m your sister, the sister you raised from a toddler. You know me. Do you dare to believe me?!”

Bahyun felt his feelings torn. Can the authorities be trusted? Would Almandine be safe if he placed his trust in them? Well, this is a world with magic and MahoShojo after all. He should have some faith in this world, right?

“Almandine?” Bahyun felt his hand being held. Only now did he notice he had remained silent for a long while. He raised his head and found Almandine’s gaze, still sharp and fierce but softened a little. He asked, not sure if he was asking himself or Almandine, in a very soft voice, “Should I trust them?”

Almandine turned around and found Morganite looking at her nervously, with concern evident in her eyes. This contradicted her memories of them battling each other to the death, but she could indeed feel Morganite’s care for her.

“I believe them.” Almandine nodded, though she somehow had a vague feeling that she had made the same decision long ago. So she nodded again, “I trust them.”

Bahyun took a deep breath at her reply, “Okay, Bahryn, I’m making my bet!”

Looking at her brother, a wizard with great skills and the ability to control dark energy, and with high possibility of possessing a highly destructive magical weapon that could easily destroy a city, finally calming down and willing to talk, Bahryn felt a surge of helplessness within her. It was, in fact, a small matter that could have been easily solved if her brother had reported to the authorities in the first place, and everybody could have calmly discussed the best solution in order. Yet she felt like she was playing the role of a negotiator, persuading someone trying to jump off a building no to do so...

I want a brother who could think rationally...Bahryn sighed.