6 – Meteoric Rise (2)

Jefer Tristi.

The second son of the Tristi family, my second elder brother.

Like my other siblings, I held no fond memories with this brother.

Truth be told, with the exception of my second older sister, Haniel, everyone else regarded me as if I were some sort of vermin.

Jefer wasn’t as malicious or relentlessly tormenting as Felix.

He never directly harassed me; if anything, he was more of a bystander.

However, unknowingly, even this brother had wounded me on numerous occasions.

If I had to pick the most painful memory amongst them…

– “I have nothing to say to you.”

It was when Kenneth, in desperate need of funds, took my mother’s most valuable necklace from my possessions.

It was when he ignored my plea, “Could you please ask Kenneth to return it?” regarding something truly precious, and simply stood by.

“……”

Well, even so, my second brother was far better than the eldest son and daughter.

He wasn’t on my side, but he wasn’t my enemy either.

I wonder what business he had with me?

I entrusted Dalpi with organizing the correspondence and made my way to where he was waiting.

Jefer was in the flower garden.

The Tristi family’s treasure, brimming with amaranth, symbols of eternity.

The so-called garden of iridescent hues, meticulously cultivated by a skilled caretaker.

It was said that Porto’s second wife, my mother, Fria, had it created when she gave birth to Haniel, and it was my favorite place in the mansion.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

Jefer waved a hand casually.

He’d never once replied, even when I addressed him before, so I suppose I had accomplished something significant.

Seeing him flash that businesslike smile, reserved for my older siblings, at me.

“Why did you summon me?”

Before I knew it, a cold voice escaped my lips.

“State your business.”

“……”

No matter that I possessed memories from a past life.

No matter that I might possess a commoner’s temperament, bullshit was bullshit.

No one wears a smile when a brother they’ve never shared a single good memory with suddenly calls for them.

Jefer’s expression hardened at once.

“Don’t be so stiff, between brothers.”

“Even as brothers, we are not on terms to speak so softly.”

I glared at him.

“It was you who ignored me all this time, older brother. You heard my voice with one ear and let it flow out the other, and even a simple handshake seemed to disgust you, didn’t it? Now, all of a sudden, you have business with me. How peculiar.”

I believed I spoke with reason.

Jefer didn’t open his mouth easily, so it seemed my reasoning was correct.

“I was sorry…”

“You apologize now, of all times?”

I tilted my head.

“Whatever I say now, it will only sound like an excuse to you, wouldn’t it?”

He knows me so well.

But why call me if that’s the case?

He doesn’t seem like he came here to fight.

“You wouldn’t want a long conversation. I will get to the point. There is something I want to tell you, younger brother.”

He uttered something quite shocking.

“You are aware that I deceived Felix, aren’t you?”

“I made a ruckus calling for you, so of course.”

“If that was for your own good, would you believe it?”

“Pardon?”

Out of the blue?

“Felix is an incompetent fool. Without the help of his siblings, he would fail the successor trial. Surely you know that best of all, don’t you?”

Felix was the next most incompetent after me.

I agreed with that.

“Why bother making him fail if he was going to fail anyway?”

“To please Father?”

“Really? Wouldn’t it be a greater loss for my siblings to be wary of me by eliminating Felix?”

Thinking about it, it’s a valid point.

I couldn’t argue with it, so it must be true.

“Brother speaks as if he expected me to crack the Millennium Prize Problems.”

“Let me be frank once more. I am acquainted with Professor Aria, the one who came as an examiner. I heard about you from her. At first, I couldn’t believe it. You were the one who always seemed weaker than even Felix.”

A breeze swept through, and the plants in the garden swayed, dancing.

I pressed down on my wayward strands of hair, listening intently to Zephyr’s words.

“However, reality always surpasses dreams in its absurdity.”

“……”

“You said a moment ago, why apologize now, of all times?”

Zephyr lowered his head.

“The Tristi family is one ruled by absolute meritocracy. My goal is to become head of the house. I am not blessed with the same innate strength as Uriel noona or Kenneth hyung. Nor do I possess the exceptional magical talent of Haniell. And I am certainly no genius like you, capable of solving the Millennium Problems. I am, in truth, an unremarkable sort.”

It was a known fact.

Zephyr Tristi, while not incompetent, possessed only middling talents.

The reason he schemed, cultivated connections, and obsessively hoarded money was to keep pace with his other siblings.

Therefore, he consistently ignored me.

To Zephyr, I was a brother of no value.

“Yes. The reason I apologize now is because I have only just realized what a remarkable individual you are. Had I known sooner, I would have apologized sooner. Had I known from the beginning, I would have prevented the bullying directed at you from the start.”

Zephyr drew a necklace from within his clothes.

It was a costly treasure, a gold chain with a red diamond set squarely in its center.

Radiant and gleaming, as if to prove it was born from the hands of a master artisan.

A unique ornament, the only one of its kind in the world.

An object I, who usually shunned extravagance, desperately wanted to reclaim.

“It was difficult to acquire.”

The necklace he was now offering me was my mother’s keepsake, the one Kenneth had sold to a merchant for a pittance.

I was receiving my mother’s possession back from my second brother.

It had taken a great deal of time for this necklace to return to me.

This time, I would not lose it again.

I sighed, and said,

“Ha, brother, you are quite the materialist.”

Zephyr raised his head.

“That is a truth I am aware of.”

He spoke as if he did not expect forgiveness.

“Call it brazen if you must. Only, know this one thing. These actions now…they are meant as a gesture of sincerity toward you.”

I blinked.

Zephyr, offering apologies amidst a flower garden abuzz with insects and swaying grasses, wasn’t exactly a picture of grace, but his honesty was welcome.

It felt like a measure of recompense for Esther Tristi, the child who had only ever wept. In the end, this action meant Zephyr acknowledged me too.

“I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“Ultimately, am I not just a rival you must defeat? Couldn’t you simply join hands with our other siblings and, together, keep me in check?”

Zephyr considered the question for a moment.

“Someday.”

He looked up at the sky.

“If I am to become the head of the family, wouldn’t having a poor relationship with a genius who proved the Millennium Prize Problem be the worst kind of obstacle?”

Zephyr offered a wry smile.

I considered that all his answers had been consistent from the very beginning, and that was not necessarily a bad thing.

Perhaps, of all of us, Zephyr is the most like Porto.

I intently watched Zephyr’s back as he departed.

This I only learned later, but Zephyr had apparently possessed that necklace for quite some time.

*

“My eyes are going to pop. Dalpi, how many pages are left?”

“Having read 153 pages thus far, you have only 658 more to read.”

Reading letter after letter, there was no end in sight.

The Millennium Problem, being as groundbreaking as it was, seemed to have a considerable ripple effect.

There were those who wished to sponsor me, and those who wanted to work with me.

All offered handsome compensation, but, hm, how to put it…

‘Something just doesn’t sit right.’

The letters reeked of the same underhanded tactics as a ruthless boss, trying to exploit me for the sake of a paycheck.

Nob AI, I’m so, so tired!!

『What can I help with?』

Sort these letters, separating those I have no use for from those that might be relevant!!

『By “letters,” do you refer to the 811 letters currently in the room?』

Yes!!

“Spread them all out, those letters. So I can see what’s inside.”

“Dalpi.”

“Yes?”

“Open the envelopes and lay them all out on the floor.”

“?”

Dalpi scratched his cheek.

“Shall I fetch some cold water? If you’re feeling lightheaded, a moment’s rest might not be a bad choice.”

“I have a method. The same one I used when I solved the Millennium Prize Problems.”

That meant using Nob AI, of course!

“I heard that back then, a conveniently brilliant friend did everything for you. Seems like their capabilities are quite impressive, being able to sort letters and all…”

“Indeed, indeed.”

The most capable friend in this world.

Dalpi and I tore open the letter envelopes and arranged the papers on the floor.

As the correspondence filled the space, Nob AI smoothly began its work.

『Initiating learning sequence.』

『…….』

『Learning complete. Based on the current situation of Esther Tristy, I will list the correspondence in order of potential benefit.』

『1. Letter from the Red Magic Tower Master.』

『2. Letter from the Blue Magic Tower Master.』

『3. Letter from the Commander of the Iron Lion Knights.』

『…….』

『…….』

『881. Letter from Wonderland.』

『Classification of all 881 pieces of correspondence is complete.』

“Reliable performance, for sure.”

“Already finished?”

Dalpi seemed amazed.

And rightly so. Reading all these letters would have been close to torture.

More volume than most thick textbooks.

Reading, organizing, even ranking the letters would have taken a solid three days.

“Alright, you can collect all the letters now.”

“Understood.”

I laid back on the bed.

Looking at the holograms felt just like scrolling through my phone before bed.

It would be so good if Nob AI could grow and play music for me someday…

Anyway, I gazed at the very last missive.

『881. Letter from Wonderland.』

The least beneficial content for me.

If there’s no benefit, is there even a need to read it?

But there was something about the very last one that made me want to take a look.

I opened the letter.

『Wonderland is watching you, the one who solved the Millennium Prize Problems. Are you dissatisfied with this world? Don’t you want to create a better one? Then become our comrade. If we create a new world together…』

『*Wonderland is the worst criminal organization.(See the January issue of Monthly Justina from last year)』

Huh?

All of a sudden, criminals want me to be their partner.