Enrico had always been considered the useless one in the Solcren Ferreira family. His parents were not the only ones who saw him that way; Taíra shared the same opinion, especially after witnessing the countless humiliations he had suffered at the hands of Lan Arvok.
For a long time, everyone believed that Enrico would eventually be expelled from the family. After all, his existence was considered a stain on the Solcren Ferreira name. This perception only began to change when news emerged that he had survived a dangerous dungeon and started climbing the ranks rapidly.
"It must have been luck."
That was the explanation Taíra came up with to justify her brother's achievements. No one in her family seemed willing to believe that he had truly changed, and she was no different. She knew the weakness he had displayed in the past and believed that if the two of them fought, she could defeat him without much difficulty.
In fact, Taíra had even imagined that Enrico would die someday because he would be unable to defeat a truly strong opponent.
"He defeated Lan? Lan must have gotten sick, and Enrico simply took advantage of his moment of weakness."
She always found an excuse to diminish her brother's achievements. After all, she had despised him for so long that accepting his growth would mean admitting she was wrong.
Taíra had heard that when they were babies, she used to cling to Enrico. However, that distant memory meant nothing to the girl she had become. As the years passed, she developed a rigid view of the world: only the strong deserved recognition, while the weak should accept their place. And in her opinion, Enrico had always belonged to the second category.
"This must be a mistake, Platinum. Or perhaps he made a contract with some demon."
When Platinum mentioned the possibility that Enrico had genuinely improved, Taíra could not accept the idea. Even so, her older sister did not seem willing to completely dismiss the information she had received.
"Perhaps... I'll keep an eye on him."
Taíra respected Platinum, but she could not agree with her. To the girl, her parents were the strongest and most experienced people in the family. If they believed Enrico was a disappointment, then they had to be right.
'As my parents always say, only the strong members of the family deserve recognition. Not someone who probably made a contract with a demon.'
The idea that Enrico had resorted to some forbidden method seemed far more plausible than accepting that he had simply grown stronger.
Her parents were never wrong. Even if the story about the demonic contract was nothing more than a suspicion, Taíra believed it with conviction.
The problem began when Platinum occasionally started defending Enrico. Her older sister insisted that he had genuinely changed and that his achievements could not be ignored.
Taíra did not like contradicting her, but she also could not abandon her own opinion. If Platinum believed in her brother, then perhaps she was being deceived.
'It must be the fault of that demon he made a contract with.'
For some time, the family continued treating the news about Enrico with suspicion. However, as new reports arrived from the academy, Matteo and Titanza began to consider that there might be some truth to those stories.
That was when they decided to act differently.
They began sending a little more money to Enrico and used the information received from Platinum and other contacts to spread the word that the young man had reached a respectable level. Although they still did not completely believe in his transformation, they realized they could take advantage of the new situation, perhaps even arranging an advantageous marriage alliance for him.
The next piece of news, however, made it much harder to continue ignoring his achievements.
"He reached Rank 7?"
Matteo and Titanza were surprised when they received the information from Astrong Academy. At that point, they could no longer simply attribute everything to luck. Enrico had advanced too far for his achievements to be dismissed so easily.
Therefore, they decided to summon him home, sending Platinum to deliver the message.
The family had to wait several days before he finally returned. During that period, his parents displayed an unusual curiosity about the son they had ignored for so long.
Taíra, however, did not share their enthusiasm.
'He's receiving our parents' attention and still takes so long to come back? That bastard... When he arrives, he'll continue to be a disappointment. I'm sure of it.'
To her, Enrico would always be the same boy who had failed to live up to the family's expectations. The disappointment had been so great that his parents had sent him to live in another residence, far from the main house. It had been years since he last occupied a place in that mansion.
When the day of their reunion finally arrived, Taíra was prepared to mock her brother. She had always made comments about his appearance and had no intention of changing her attitude just because he had gained a few ranks.
'I'll surpass him easily in the future. He can't do anything to me.'
The girl's confidence, however, disappeared as soon as she saw Enrico enter the room.
He had lost weight, developed a well-built physique, and changed his appearance in a way she had never imagined possible. That could not be her useless brother.
Instead of mocking him, Taíra decided to observe him silently during dinner, trying to discover whether there was any way to expose the impostor.
'I'll follow him everywhere. I won't let this impostor deceive my parents.'
When Enrico left the residence the following morning, she did not miss the opportunity to follow him. Unfortunately, she had never imagined that she would end up caught in an attack that would put her life in danger.
Her older sister found her in the middle of the chaos and took her to a shop, where a girl named Alenya had just bought some clothes. At first, Taíra believed she might even be able to use the situation to demonstrate her strength, as long as she remained protected. Then, she received that blow.
The impact had nearly killed her, and for the first time in her life, Taíra experienced a sensation she had never truly known before.
Fear.
It was not only the fear of the enemy who had knocked her down. It was also the fear of her own brother, someone she had always mocked and who was now demonstrating strength far greater than her own.
"B-Brother?"
Enrico noticed the state she was in and approached without rushing.
"You don't look well. Let's sit over there."
To Taíra's surprise, he took her hand and led her to a chair inside the shop. The establishment sold clothes and had several mirrors near the fitting rooms, but much of the place had been destroyed after the confrontation.
While Enrico apologized to the owner for the damage, Taíra continued looking at him, trying to understand how someone could change so much in such a short time.
'Why has he changed so much?'
It had been years since she had last paid any real attention to her brother. It was possible that he had changed during that time, but it was still difficult to accept that her parents could have been wrong about him.
Enrico returned a little later, carrying a glass of water.
"Here."
Taíra accepted the glass with trembling hands and nodded in gratitude. She drank slowly, trying to regain her composure, while the explosions and sounds of battle continued echoing outside.
[She seems to be quite frightened.]
'Of course. Facing someone at such a superior level is frightening for a child.'
[You're right.]
Enrico knew the fate that awaited Taíra in the original story. After the deaths of her parents and siblings, she would join the Shadow Circle Cult in search of revenge. However, her first true encounter with fear would occur when she faced Kai, who would already have reached a level far superior to that of everyone else.
On that occasion, Taíra would be defeated without being able to offer any significant resistance. Her inability to overcome her own fear would lead the cult members to use her as a sacrifice to strengthen the vessel of the evil god Umbryel.
It was a fate Enrico was thinking of changing if she managed to take a different path. Taíra possessed the greatest potential among the members of the Solcren Ferreira family. However, that potential did not mean she was a true prodigy.
To Enrico, she belonged to the intermediate-level prodigy category: people capable of advancing rapidly as long as everything went well, but who lost their confidence after suffering their first significant defeat. It was similar to what happened to the girl who held Rank 1 in the first year.
'I'll try to bring her over to my side.'
While Enrico reflected, Taíra continued trembling. It was not the pain that made her act that way, but the memory of the moment when she had believed she was going to die.
She did not want to experience that sensation again. At the same time, she did not want to disappoint her parents.
What would they say if they saw her like this?
Throughout her life, she had been taught to believe that the strong should not show weakness. Now, however, she could not even control her own breathing.
Enrico noticed that the emotional pressure was becoming excessive and let out a sigh before sitting beside her.
"You must have been very scared, weren't you?"
Taíra remained silent, holding the glass with both hands.
Enrico continued speaking without demanding that she answer.
"Don't worry. One day, you'll overcome that fear."
Upon hearing those words, Taíra felt her chest tighten even more. Her brother, whom she had always called useless, seemed to expect great things from her. And that was far more frightening than she had imagined.
Would she end up disappointing someone she considered inferior, too?
The girl's breathing grew heavier and heavier. She tried to hide it, but she could not stop her nervousness from increasing.
Enrico noticed the change and gently placed a hand on her head, trying to calm her down.
"...But you don't need to force yourself. Until you manage to overcome that fear, let your big brother take care of everything. All right, little sister?"
Taíra raised her eyes for a moment.
The pressure in her chest began to slowly ease. She lowered her head before Enrico could notice the tear threatening to roll down her cheek, quickly wiping it away with her finger. Then, she nodded.
"O-Okay, brother."
Enrico stayed beside her for a little longer, making sure she was calm enough to remain with other people. When he finally stood up, he called Alenya, who had been watching everything from a distance.
"Alenya, could you look after Taíra for now? Stay on guard with her, Kaela. I need to go to the bathroom."
Kaela nodded immediately.
"All right, Professor."
Enrico cast one last glance at his sister. She still seemed shaken, but she could already breathe more calmly. Now, he needed to take care of the rest of the situation.
Given his location, it was quite likely that Valerio had already found the other person involved in the incident. Knowing his brother's personality, Enrico doubted he would allow anyone to die before his eyes, since that would tarnish the family's name. Even so, he did not intend to rely solely on that possibility.
After informing the shop owner, Enrico headed toward the bathroom.
'Time to let the mercenaries do their part.'