Chapter 38
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: A Brother's Counsel
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TERN’s thoughts were sharp.
He was now a mid-2-Star.
An accomplishment that surprised even himself.
It was an achievement born from training like a madman, spurred on by Chris's transformation.
*'My brother is a low-2-Star at best. I can do this.'*
Once I beat him to a pulp, this irritating feeling will finally vanish.
Just then, the door creaked open.
The training hall's door opened.
TERN's eyes widened at the sight of Chris.
"!!"
Something was different.
He had seemed imposing before, but this was on another level.
It was like a great shadow loomed over him.
"TERN?"
Chris tilted his head towards TERN.
His face seemed somehow more handsome, and yet even more infuriating than before.
"Were you waiting for me because you were itching for a beating?"
TERN gulped.
He felt a surge of tension.
"...Let's have our promised duel."
Chris answered with a yawn.
"Fine. If getting your ass kicked by me is your greatest wish, then I'll be happy to grant it."
An inexplicable anxiety crept over TERN at Chris's dismissive tone.
But no matter how he looked at it, he clearly had the upper hand.
TERN was a mid-2-Star.
Chris was a low-2-Star.
Even if he had been in seclusion, it was only for half a month. There was no way he could have made any significant progress.
Of course, he knew Chris had fought unbelievably well against Melin despite being only a low-2-Star.
Still, TERN was confident. He had grown stronger, too.
But the moment he faced Chris, all that confidence vanished like smoke.
A nagging fear that this wouldn't be a duel, just as Chris had said, but a one-sided beating.
"...But I have a condition."
"What is it?"
"Don't use the holy sword."
"Hmm?"
"No holy sword, and no other magic items either. Nothing but the family's practice swords."
TERN anxiously laid out his conditions.
He was remembering how Chris had used various items to gain an advantage against Melin.
"..."
Chris stared at TERN for a moment.
TERN's face turned red.
"...Those conditions sound like something the bastards from the Alliance would come up with."
"I-It's not because I'm afraid of losing to you!"
Chris chuckled.
As Chris laughed, TERN's face grew even redder.
*'He's surprisingly cute.'*
Chris thought for a moment.
*'Anyway, what should I do about him?'*
TERN was originally 'Christian's' enemy.
But was that still the case?
He saw a red, fuming face.
A face filled with a mix of resentment and rivalry toward an older brother.
The emotions were exactly what you'd expect from a younger brother looking at his older one.
*'This brings back memories.'*
Chris felt a fleeting sense of nostalgia.
In his past life, he'd had siblings, too.
A trash family in a trash house, but there had been one younger sibling who treated him well.
*'I wonder if they're doing okay.'*
They were a different gender, but just as cute as TERN.
*'Since the 'Chris' from that world is gone, I hope they aren't suffering because of me.'*
He had checked once.
He'd looked into what happened to his former self after his regression.
His original family was famous in its own right, so it wasn't difficult to find out.
His original body was dead.
He had died at the exact moment Chris entered this new body, so it seemed the regression had caused it.
*'It's for the best.'*
Truthfully, the original 'Chris'... was someone who would have been better off never being born.
Anyway, that wasn't important.
The memory of his sibling made Chris feel a little sentimental.
*'I suppose there's no need to treat TERN as an enemy.'*
It might be nice to treat him like a proper younger brother.
With that in mind, he spoke.
"Alright, I'll agree to your terms. But I have a condition of my own."
"What is it?"
"The loser has to sit out the Sacred Black Ceremony and attend the next one."
"!!"
TERN's face hardened.
Chris's lips curled into a smirk.
"The Sacred Black Ceremony is a competition. Wouldn't it be better for the weaker of us to stay out of it?"
"..."
"I'm saying this for your own good, you know. You're my brother, after all. I'd rather not crush you during the ceremony."
He was being genuinely considerate.
If they both participated, they would have to compete.
And Chris planned to utterly crush every single one of his competitors.
For TERN's sake, it was better for him to wait for the next one.
But TERN, far from being grateful, gritted his teeth.
"Shut up and draw your sword."
Chris shrugged.
"If you won't listen to reason..."
He picked up a wooden sword from the side of the training hall.
"Then I'll just have to beat some sense into you."
The duel began.
The result... was as expected.
TERN came to learn of his brother's... greatness(?).
* * *
"...That was too harsh."
Count Cazar frowned.
TERN was bedridden from the aftermath of the duel.
"I apologize."
"The healer says he'll be bedridden for half a month. He won't be able to attend the Sacred Black Ceremony."
Count Cazar clicked his tongue.
In fact, it was just as Chris had intended.
He had deliberately left TERN in this state to prevent him from attending.
*'Since he wouldn't listen to reason.'*
For TERN's future, he couldn't be allowed to participate this time.
If he attended, he'd just become another stepping stone. In his own way, Chris was being a considerate(?) older brother.
"May I speak with TERN for a moment?"
"...Yes. He seems quite angry, so try to calm him down."
Inside, TERN was lying in bed.
"Your brother's here."
"..."
TERN didn't answer.
He just turned his head away.
A clear gesture that he didn't want to talk.
Chris chuckled and sat down beside him.
"Are you sulking? You're acting like one of those prissy Alliance bastards. Maybe you should just join them."
"How could you say something so vile!"
Like a child, TERN immediately rose to the bait.
TERN fumed.
"Why did you do it?"
"What are you talking about? You said you wanted a beating, so I went to all the trouble of giving you one. Why are you mad?"
"That's not what I mean! You did this on purpose so I couldn't attend the Sacred Black Ceremony, didn't you?!"
Chris didn't deny it.
TERN, unable to contain his anger, glared at Chris with reddened eyes.
*'Careful now, he might actually start crying.'*
Truthfully, he could understand TERN's frustration. The Sacred Black Ceremony was an incredibly important ritual for members of the Dark Magic Houses.
Being forced to miss it by someone else's hand, his reaction was only natural.
He decided to placate him a bit.
"I did it for your own good."
"Don't give me that!"
"I did it because I want you to be my strength."
"..."
TERN snapped his mouth shut.
"What are you even talking about..."
"Have you heard my goal?"
"...You mean becoming the Young Lord?"
"That's right. I intend to take control of the Dark Magic Houses. But I can't do it alone."
This was true.
No matter how exceptional he was, he couldn't achieve his goal alone.
His goal, after all, was to stand at the pinnacle of not just the Dark Magic Houses, but the entire Magitech Empire.
He couldn't do it as a lone wolf.
He needed people to help him.
"I want you to be my strength, as my brother. But if you participated in the Sacred Black Ceremony with me, you would have been crushed in the competition and lost your chance to obtain Dark Magi."
"..."
TERN couldn't say anything in response.
He remembered what Chris had been like during their duel.
He was overwhelming.
Could he really have stood a chance against Chris at the ceremony?
"More importantly, you don't really need Dark Magi."
"...What do you mean?"
"I'm saying Dark Magi isn't compatible with your aptitude. What suits you is 'Ash Magi.'"
"!!"
TERN's eyes widened.
Just as Radiant Mana split into various branches, Magi, too, had many different types.
Up to the 2-Star level, everyone learns a common attribute. The specific type of one's Magi is determined when advancing to the 3-Star level.
This was why the Sacred Black Ceremony was held for those at the 2-Star level.
Once you reached the 3-Star level, your attribute was fixed, which limited your ability to accept Dark Magi.
"Dark Magi is a great attribute, superior to any other type. But that's only if it's compatible with you. If it isn't, you're better off without it. What suits you is Ash Magi."
Ash Magi.
A type of Magi specializing in curse-based black magic.
"...How do you know that, brother?"
TERN growled, finding it hard to accept.
Chris thought to himself.
*'Because I saw it in the future.'*
During the Age of Ruin, TERN had been famous for his powerful curse-based black magic.
But he never managed to ascend beyond a certain level, and the reason was the type of Magi he possessed.
To reach a high level with curse-based black magic, one's Magi absolutely had to be the Ash attribute.
"Isn't learning curse arts far easier for you than swordsmanship?"
"...That is true."
"It's because of your aptitude. I'm not forcing you, of course. But think about it. Consider which path will be more beneficial for your future. Learning Ash Magi doesn't make it impossible to accept Dark Magi later."
For a member of a Dark Magic House, giving up on Dark Magi was a difficult decision.
Fortunately, since Dark Magi was a superior attribute, it was possible to learn it alongside other types.
However, if one had already learned another type of Magi, the efficiency of accepting Dark Magi would naturally be lower.
"I'd prefer it if you learned Ash Magi first, then accepted Dark Magi later. That's my advice, as your older brother."
"..."
TERN was silent.
He was lost in thought.
Chris shrugged.
"Think it over carefully. Oh, and this is a gift."
Chris casually tossed him a small pouch.
"It's an Ash Pill."
TERN's eyes widened.
"Found it lying around. You can have it."
"W-Why are you giving me such a treasure...?"
Chris thought to himself for a moment.
*'Because I already had something better.'*
Having already consumed the Black Pill, the effects of a lesser elixir like the Ash Pill would be diminished for him.
Rather than take it himself for little to no effect, he figured it was better to give it away and earn some goodwill.
"Because you're my brother. There's no other reason."
"!!"
TERN's eyes trembled. He bit his lip hard.
"You... why... just what..."
He hated his brother, Chris.
He was infuriating. That hadn't changed.
*—Because you're my brother. There's no other reason.*
That's not all.
He even knew about his aptitude for curse arts.
That was something you could only know if you'd been paying close attention, even while pretending not to.
*'...As if doing this will make me forgive you.'*
TERN squeezed his eyes shut.
But he could feel it himself.
The old resentment he held for his brother was fading.
"...Apologize."
"For what?"
"...For how you lived before, like a scoundrel. For all the heartache Mother went through because of you. Apologize for all of it."
Chris looked slightly surprised.
He hadn't realized TERN felt that way.
"I refuse to apologize."
"...!!"
"But I'll make you a promise instead."
Chris grinned.
"From now on, I'll show you, Father, and... Mother something that will make your eyes pop."