The Worst Villain's Biological Older Brother, Chapter 49 (Part 3)

In any world, the protagonist's role is of utmost importance. From one perspective, it is truly as inevitable as an apple falling from the top downward.

The Grimoire was no different. Without the role of Eiden Cashmil, the hero, the Imperial Academy would have turned into a complete battlefield from the very first chapter onward.

The first chapter would have been ruined by Arietta's Ice Binding, turning the freshman welcome party into chaos.

The second chapter would have seen the old elders tear the academy's main building to shreds.

By the time the fifth chapter rolled around, with the addition of the Demon King Worshipper, the Army Commander, and the One Moon, even the sixth chapter's Black Prince would have been wiped out entirely.

No... if Eiden hadn't stepped up to play his part, the entire world itself might never have progressed past the fourth chapter.

The reward I felt for dragging our younger sister around for five years, barely managing to stop her from becoming the Blood Witch in the ninth chapter, would have been nothing more than a faint whisper of emptiness.

So I hoped, above all else, that Eiden would fulfill his position and his role to the best of his ability.

I would handle my own business, and he would handle his.

And if, during the fight against the Sephirot, I found myself with the strength to lend a hand, I would have chosen that path without hesitation.

"Why do you want to create a half-breed like me?"

The moment Eiden insulted her, all my plans and preparations had lost every ounce of usefulness.

Because I had already decided I would no longer let him walk away.

Chapter progression? The erasure of a branching point?

What did it matter.

I could handle it. From the very moment of my first reincarnation, my only goal had been my own survival, and over time it had become the only thing I truly cared about.

And now the protagonist standing right in front of me had humiliated the one person most precious to me, right inside my own fence...

Was there any value in him at all? Where could I possibly find a reason to leave him alive and well?

Crack. Snap.

Even at the tips of my fingers, the mana was still flickering like aftershocks of lightning. A single lightning bolt had been released, yet the proof that I could do the same thing at any moment remained.

"Ah... ah, this is..."

Lyla's face had turned completely pale as she stepped in front of me. She pulled out a massive staff from her personal space and pointed it straight at me.

I simply moved my lips.

"Step aside, Lady Lyla."

"...Duke, please calm yourself. This is very unbecoming of you."

"I am in the most perfectly calm state."

I glanced sideways and looked down at Eiden. His shoulder, bleeding non-stop, was clenched in agony while he let out weak "kuk, kuk" gasps.

It wasn't enough. He had dared to disrespect my treasure without a single shred of sense, and the crime was thick and heavy enough to crush mountains.

"Should I take the other arm too?"

I muttered this to myself and seriously considered it. His right arm was already gone; holding onto the Holy Sword would be impossible now...

In any case, handing the Holy Sword to Eiden had already placed him under the Church of the Heavenly Gods and the Vatican.

And the Pope or Holy Saint-level high-ranking holy mage was a miracle worker capable of regenerating even the loss of limbs.

If I wasn't going to kill him, I shouldn't expect permanent damage either.

So at the very least, I would make sure he tasted the full intensity of physical pain.

"..."

I finished my short deliberation and raised my hand. Lyla widened her eyes and hastily deployed a barrier—

Boom!! Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!!!

The next instant, lightning exploded from all four directions without regard for the laws of physics, slamming into her barrier.

The deep blue current of my mana was so thick it looked like liquid. Even the usually unflappable black-haired woman had to swallow a gasp at this moment.

"Duke...! I understand your feelings completely. When a family member is insulted, how could anyone stay calm?"

I ignored her and flicked my fingertips. Crack-crack! Spikes erupted from the ground to pierce the barrier, devouring Lyla's mana in the process.

"...Cough! Ack."

Her complexion had grown terribly pale from the mana consumption, but still...

"You wouldn't actually kill someone right here... a student, at that, Duke Havertz."

She was equally stubborn. The second-in-command of the Imperial Academy who oversaw the entrance ceremony.

Given her position, Lyla stared at me with wide, defiant eyes.

"You already cut off one arm. The inspector's arm, no less. Even if we finish treating him, there will be lasting effects—physically and mentally."

"...!"

"Although it may seem rude... I believe that is more than enough punishment for someone who dared to speak out of turn, Duke."

I had to close my lips again. The heat still burning at the tips of my fingers showed no sign of cooling.

Yet I had not been completely unmoved by Lyla's words as the true elder.

"I am in the most perfectly calm state."

I pressed my forehead with my free hand and sighed. The words I had just spoken now came back to me.

They were a lie. If I had truly been calm, I would never have cut off his arm so easily.

"...I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠excited."

I had regained a measure of composure. Still, not all the rage could be dispersed, so I remained lost in thought.

Should I stop right now? Or deliver a firmer warning this time?

If I chose the first option, my intention would be poorly conveyed... and what if Eiden opened his mouth again?

In that case, could I really let him live? We weren't even at the entrance ceremony yet.

"Isaac, Havertz-yoooo!"

The dilemma was resolved almost instantly. A sudden, furious shout exploded from somewhere, and Lyla turned to look behind her.

"...Ah, please..."

And her expression turned to one of sudden dread, as if she desperately wanted to knock the man unconscious.

But Eiden didn't seem to notice her at all.

Whoosh...

The Holy Sword that had fallen to the ground rose into the air. With his right arm severed and nerve connections broken, he had no choice but to rely on his left arm.

Thud!

Eiden gripped the sword hilt so tightly that it threatened to crush it.

The remaining left arm, however.

It appeared the title of "Hero" had been obtained by some means unrelated to the Emperor's favor.

Swoosh!

It was only half a sword. Eiden Cashmil without a single Grimoire was utterly harmless, even if he held the Holy Sword.

I summoned a gale, and the change in atmosphere became invisible blades that settled around me.

The mana was more than enough to tear Eiden's body apart if I wished.

Lyla seemed unsure whether to intervene. She swallowed hard between me and Eiden.

"One step."

The moment Eiden extended his foot forward, I released every compressed wind blade the instant it touched the ground.

I wouldn't kill him, but I would carve enough depth to neutralize him for now.

That was my intention.

Crack-aaaack!!!

"...!"

An ice wall shot up. It was stained a deep crimson—the color I was most familiar with.

My magic was completely sealed by it. One ordinary-looking ice wall had drained all my power.

I opened my eyes wide and stared at the frozen wall. Lyla also looked back at me with considerable astonishment.

It was clear who she was watching.

A moment later, a light breeze stirred, and a figure shot past me and Lyla in a flash, stopping right in front of Eiden's nose.

And—

Crash!!!

"...C-Crap!?"

Loti kicked Eiden's chin straight up. She raised her leg at a perfect ninety degrees, with enough force to snap his head around.

I, Lyla, and the nearly hundred students watching the scene all gaped at her in shock.

She left an unforgettable impression. Eiden staggered for a moment before collapsing heavily.

"Hah."

Loti blew a short gust to blow her bangs upward.

Despite having felled one person, she showed no satisfaction and simply glanced at me with a mischievous little smile like a little devil.

"Oppa."

"Eh... huh?"

She called me that. I answered with a dumb, startled voice, and Loti continued in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"I was so glad that Oppa got angry on my behalf... it warmed my heart."

"...!"

"Still, your pride is a little hurt, isn't it? This is something I could have properly punished myself."

She spoke gruffly, then kicked Eiden's bottom with her toes. The man with his eyes rolled back and consciousness fading ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠simply swayed weakly.

Loti passed the dumbfounded Lyla and came straight toward me.

And in a tiny voice that would be inaudible to others, she muttered.

"I hate seeing Oppa suffer because of me. From now on, don't step in for me."

"...Loti."

I looked at her with a slightly troubled expression. Loti raised her heels at the perfect timing and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.

It was the moment Lyla's expression became completely unreadable again.

Of course, the other spectators were doing the same.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Loti paid no attention to the gazes and slipped into the moment with me.

She gently stroked my cheek.

"Don't try to carry everything alone. I'm no longer the helpless me from back then."

...It was a phrase that made me feel an entire variety of emotions. In more ways than one.

Especially since she was still keeping the Sephirot topic strictly hidden from me.

I couldn't come up with an answer and only moved my lips. Loti's sharp eyes spotted the opening and pressed in.

"We're married, dear brother-in-law. Right?"

"...!"

"A married couple should always bear burdens together. Helping each other when times get tough."

"...!"

"According to my common sense, that was how it should have been... hmm. But not with you?"

"...!"

"...Hurry and nod your head if you want to talk nicely, Isaac."

Loti smiled gently and showed her teeth. The pressure suggested that if I didn't give an answer right then, things would truly spiral out of control.

I had no choice but to swallow and nod.

"...You're right, Loti."

Loti's face brightened instantly, and she flashed a bright smile.

"Huh, right?"

"Right... yes, that's how it is for married couples."

"Mm, that's right."

I looked away from her sparkling eyes and surveyed the surroundings.

My rationality had already returned—

"...What do I do about this?"

Because of it, there were far more things I needed to worry about. The hero had collapsed with one arm missing, and the one responsible was me and Charlotte.

In other words, the infamous Havertz siblings.

And right now, the scene of me and her whispering was unfolding right in front of nearly a hundred students.

Leaving everything else aside, the academy life ahead suddenly seemed far more worrying.

I looked down at Eiden once more with a pained expression—

"What in the world is this...?"

The person who stepped in to sort out this absurd situation was none other than the one who appeared at that exact moment.

Dressed in green-tinted wind, she flew over and landed gracefully between me and Eiden.

...I had never been as glad to see this green lizard as I was today. In truth, this was only the second ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time we had properly met, but it felt like forever.

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