Second Semester (4)
“No.”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
“What did you just say?”
“I said no.”
I glanced sideways at Veil. The usual composed demeanor was nowhere to be found, and his face was twisted in a sulk.
“Hey, you aren't mad over what I just said, are you?”
“...No.”
“A guy getting pissy over something that small...”
“I said no!”
Like hell you aren't. If you weren't pissed, you wouldn't be cutting me off and yelling like that. But of course, my inner grumbling wouldn't reach my little brother. It'd just make things worse if I said it out loud.
That's when Evan and the princess pair, who had caught sight of us bickering, chimed in.
“Your Highness, looks like they're fighting.”
“Veil hardly ever gets angry...”
“You can tell right away it's the senior's fault. I've never seen Veil like this before.”
“......”
I was at a loss for words at their comments. To be honest, I didn't think I was entirely blameless. I had been a bit harsh with my words. But that didn't mean my brother was innocent either. He'd been cockblocking me at every turn. I'm human too—I get pissed sometimes.
While we stood there glaring at each other, the two whispered again.
“Veil doesn't seem like he'd fight, so should we just take on the senior? We only need his token anyway.”
“Even so, ganging up 2-on-1 feels...”
“It's fine, it's fine. It's all karma. Think of how much he bullies people with his words usually. Just look at Veil. The senior must've started it.”
Look at this punk talking smack now that he has the chance. I wanted to smack him right then and there.
“Let's finish it quick before Veil changes his mind.”
“Hmm...”
Princess Ariel seemed reluctant but soon made up her mind.
“You're right. We can't drag this out till nightfall.”
The princess drew her sword. She was right—we couldn't standoff like this until evening. The forest got dark fast.
“Heh heh, get ready, bro. Time to pay back all those grudges...”
Evan followed suit, pulling his sword from its sheath. The pure white blade, Raman, gleamed brightly.
“Little bro.”
“......”
I called out to Veil, but he stayed silent.
“Hey.”
At that, he plopped down right there, head turned to the ground, ignoring me completely.
“You're really gonna keep...”
I couldn't finish. The princess and Evan charged at me simultaneously.
I swiftly drew my sword and assumed a defensive stance.
Clang!!
Her blade clashed with mine. The piercing metallic ring assaulted my ears.
But the assault didn't end there. Evan swept low from below, swinging his sword. White mana flared around the blade.
Damn little shit.
Cursing inwardly, I hurriedly drew mana from my dantian. I channeled the surging energy into my joints and muscles. My body, now enhanced with greater elasticity and flexibility, moved at its peak.
I pulled her sword inward to control its trajectory, twisted it again to make it hard to recover, and let it slide downward. At the same time, I infused mana for extra power. The compounded force smashed down on Evan's sword as he pressed his assault.
Boom!!
The overlapping blades slammed into the ground.
But these two weren't the type to panic.
“Evan!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The princess called, and Evan responded. No need for explicit signals—they knew each other's moves.
Ariel released her sword and reached out to grab me. Her grip clamped my arm tight, yanking me toward her. I braced my legs to resist, refusing to topple.
That's when Evan tried to free his sword for another swing. I wasn't idle. I dropped my grip on my sword and shifted my foot. I nudged the hilt lightly to angle the blade upward, then kicked the pommel with a mana-charged foot.
Karsa accelerated in an instant, slicing through the air toward him.
“Guh—!”
The mana concentrated at the tip knocked Raman aside and aimed to pierce Evan's torso. He yelped oddly and retreated in a hurry.
A simple but effective strike. While Evan fell back, I shook off the princess, kicked off the ground, and snatched my flying sword from the air.
One exchange ended, and I faced them again.
“Even 2-on-1, and he's not budging? Wow... what kind of monster is he?”
“Impressive, but he has openings. We've got a solid shot at winning.”
“...Maybe go easy on me a bit?”
The combined assault of a second-year topper and first-year runner-up wasn't something even I could ignore. My pure swordsmanship might edge them out, but they weren't slouches. This was just the opening clash. The longer it dragged, the more it'd tilt against me. Ariel's instincts were sharp, and Evan had talent that could bloom anytime.
“Bro's even begging now. Gotta live longer to see this.”
“Live long? You're just 17, punk.”
Extra cocky today. Gotta put him in his place soon...
I snuck a glance at my brother. Veil had moved a bit farther away, still turned, ignoring us. You'd think he'd peek once seeing his bro on the ropes. Arden blood's so damn stubborn.
But if this kept up, the outcome was obvious. I tried soothing him, but this time I couldn't even speak.
Whoosh!
“Eyes on the enemy, bro!”
Immense heat surged from ahead. I snapped my gaze forward—Evan's magic hurtled toward me. Not huge, but enough to incinerate a person.
Evan's spellcasting was solid enough for a proper mage. Protagonist material, alright.
“Here comes more!”
He conjured and hurled several more fireballs. Ariel charged behind them, Evan supporting with buffs as he followed.
This... is gonna be rough.
The spells left no gaps, no room or time to dodge. Blocking would just invite Ariel's follow-up, and surviving that meant Evan's tag-team. Then their combo.
The battle flow played out in my head. Even reading dozens of moves ahead, countering was tough. Simulations ran the same: with my unfinished body, victory wasn't guaranteed. Best case, a draw at 10% odds—and that's assuming luck.
Decision time: lose to Evan like this, or drag my brother in?
Answer was set. My competitive streak didn't do losses.
Buy time first. I backpedaled, dodging spells. Ariel pursued closely but couldn't breach my deliberate defense.
In that moment, I called to him.
“Little bro. You cool with me losing and getting pushed around like this?”
Veil finally glanced over, replying in a sullen, hurt tone.
“Do whatever. You never listen to me anyway—not even with half an ear.”
“......”
No way normal persuasion would work. But faking emotionless logic hurt too—blood's thicker than that. Veil was my brother, no matter what.
So for this sibling spat, I'd concede with family love.
“Sorry.”
“......”
“Sorry. For talking shit.”
Then Evan yelled from ahead.
“Your Highness! Shut his mouth!”
“Got it!”
Ariel pressed harder. Her swordplay unfolded from her grip—the technique she'd gained in the library incident. She'd mastered it quick.
I wasn't idle. I poured mana into Karsa and spun mana threads from my fingertips.
Threads scattered around. A flick of my wrist manipulated them. They coiled around Ariel's limbs and neck, binding her tight.
But the princess didn't flinch, countering with veteran poise. A wrist snap sliced the threads away.
Snap!
I yanked before she could fully recover. She stumbled toward me but regained balance fast.
“You know, bro? Not all magic explodes!”
Evan synced with his own spell's wavelength, wrapping his blade in matching mana, and smashed it full force.
Boom!!
Accelerated fireball. Doubled speed made it urgent. At this rate, defeat was certain.
I accepted minor damage and unleashed an Arden sword form. Neutralize the magic first.
But—
“Argh, that ungrateful bastard...!”
“Haha, that's a compliment, right bro?”
Evan repeated the trick, gunning for the kill. Now quadrupled speed, the fireball closed in.
Too slow for swordplay, Ariel still pressing. No choice—raise a shield to block.
That's when—
Arden Sword Form 2, Variant: Magic Cleave
A single line of light slashed from above to below. Everything in its path vanished.
“Huh?”
Evan blurted dumbly, baffled as his magic disappeared.
And there, before me, stood a familiar figure.
My brother, Veil.
“You came.”
“...Yes.”
He extended a hand.
“I'll accept your apology this time... but don't do it again. It hurts me too.”
I chuckled softly, grabbing his hand and standing.
“But you're not innocent either.”
“...Then handle it yourself.”
He turned away. I stopped him.
“Fine, fine. No more of that. And I apologized first.”
Veil halted, facing Evan.
“I'll take Evan.”
“No interfering this time.”
“...Agreed.”
Reconciliation didn't mean instant teamwork. For the fight, we'd split.
We clashed with our chosen foes. Midway, Ariel spotted our weakness and tried forcing a team battle, but we carved out 1v1s and held.
Soon after—
“This can't be! What an opportunity we had!!”
“Hoo... facing an Arden's no joke.”
Sweat-drenched and exhausted, Ariel and Evan collapsed to the ground.
Victory belonged to the brothers.