Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist?

Darphy’s Darkness

Inside the carriage traversing along the road in the forest leading to the national border, everyone was comforting the dispirited Sophia.

「Still, I wonder why Sophia’s brother ended up having that attitude?」
「Yeah. Even if it is said that Elves were unsociable, Dante-san and Freesia-san weren’t that extreme.」
「That person looked at Lulu, Laeva-san, and Marnie-san with bad eyes.」

Sophia’s expression darkened as Akane and Lulu-chan spoke of their discontent towards Darphy-dono.

「The Darphy I remember was the little kid always clinging to my back. These 50 years…… I suppose it was impossible for that child to remember me.」

Sophia muttered, dejected. Given how she didn’t meet Darphy-dono when we visited last time, it was even more than 50 years since.
It was great that she met that tiny younger brother who had become an adult, but that younger brother directed hostility towards his sister. We could tell it was an unbearable feeling.

「It is a fact that there were still plenty of bigoted individuals that believe in Elven supremacy among the Chivalric Order and vested nobles in the Royal Capital even now. Darphy must have also been tainted by that……」

According to Sophia, the knights of common origins were still better, but a certain number of individuals among the group of knights who were sons of nobles that were like that.
She said that they wouldn’t accept her, a prisoner of war that was sold to a slave company in the human nation by an enemy nation.

「Sophia wasn’t responsible for being taken prisoner after being betrayed by her comrades though.」
「To Darphy, it must not matter who was responsible. To that boy, the only facts were that I had become the prisoner of war of the enemy nation and then sold to a slave company……」

Neither Dante-san nor Freesia-san knew that Darphy thought badly of Sophia. Even though he must have hated seeing his parents worry over Sophia and reminisce for over 50 years, he could not stop them.

Hmm, I wonder why that was. I hope Sophia wouldn’t beat herself over how ridiculous Darphy was being too much.

「Now, let’s leave Darphy-dono to Dante-san and Freesia-san.」
「Yeah. It’s not a problem that could be solved immediately either.」
「……yes.」

Sophia nodded at what Akane and I said. Though it felt like she was forced to agree. Man, just when I thought we managed to make our greetings, something this worrisome had been waiting for us as we were about to leave……….

According to Sophia, Yggurle Kingdom was different from other countries, aside from the King, the Elders possess tremendous powers. Prime Minister Balza was one of them. Some elders perceive other races to be trash. Moreover, that elder faction were affiliated with many of the vested nobles in the Royal Capital, and Darphy must have been affiliated with such factions.

◇

.
Coming to, his body relayed pain from all over.

「Kuh!」

For the time being, he would use recover using restorative medicine, but it didn’t seem to be the type of item that recovers completely.

As his consciousness cleared, he knew that this was inside his room in his parents’ home.
And at the same time, he remembered. He met the sister he could barely even remember from his childhood.

The sister who left for war over 50+ years ago that did not return. His position as the heir of the Sylphide family who had become territory-owning nobles was thanks to this sister.
Darphy grew up being teased by his school friends about his sister.
The younger brother of the sister who became a prisoner of war of humans that became a slave, a disgrace to the Elves.
Yet on the other hand, he was compared to this sister who was extoled as a great war hero.
Darphy grew up exposed to the pressure of being compared to this sister extolled as a hero, as well as the complete opposite pressure of being a disgraced elf that that became a prisoner of war ever since he was a child.

At home, his father and mother always mourned the sister that didn’t return, irritating Darphy.

And Darphy’s torment continued as he entered the Chivalric Order in the Royal Capital when he became an adult.
Many of the knights in the Order had fought alongside his sister. They evaluated his sister highly, that she was a beautiful prodigy of a knight. And each time, Darphy would be compared.

Darphy worked harder than others in order to succeed his family. However, those around him compared him to his sister, patting him on the shoulder and telling him to do even better.

The contemptuous evaluation as a disgrace to the Elves, and the praiseworthy evaluation as a beautiful prodigy of a knight. The inferiority complex that did he did not want to accept. Darphy’s emotions regarding inheritance of the territory they gained thanks to his sister were always unstable.

It did not take long for Darphy to incline toward the Elf Supremacy faction that denies his sister.

(Shit! What the hell was that!? Why was she that strong!?)

It was like all the effort he’s exerted thus far had been a joke.
Though it was entirely due to his persecution complex, Darphy could no longer make the correct judgments calmly.

(I’ll wreck you up. Getting married to a Human? You think I’ll let you pile on more shame on top of everything?)

Darkness fell upon Darphy’s bitter eyes.
Darphy wanted to destroy everything, including the territory they gained because of his sister and his position as the successor of that territory. He wanted to destroy it all.
Hoever, Darphy did not realize.
That Sophia is loved by the Spirits……
That is, that any disturbance would very likely end in failure……