Subjugation Battle (3)
“...Wow.”
“How many times are you gonna be surprised already? It's embarrassing, so stop.”
“Y-Yes... sure...”
Time flew by in an instant. Before I knew it, the opening ceremony for the magic beast subjugation battle was right in front of us.
The crowd is insane...
A vast expanse of snowy field stretched out wide, packed solid with people standing shoulder to shoulder. Yesterday's procession of carriages hadn't been for show. Most of the folks here were participants in the subjugation battle. Sure, they were tackling low-risk magic beasts, not the high-grade dangerous ones, but a magic beast was still a magic beast. One wrong move, and your life was on the line all the same. This was the crazy world where bears hurled fireballs and wolves summoned blizzards, after all.
I wonder if Ashu's nervous.
An event this massive was probably his first, so he had to be tense as hell. This was exactly the moment to show off some masterly dignity. I straightened my back and said to Ashu,
“D-Disciple... d-don't be nervous. I-I'll p-protect y—”
“...Ugh.”
“D-Disciple!!!”
Ashu turned away from me with a look of utter pity and started walking off. Being left alone in a crowd this huge felt like it could trigger a panic attack, so I desperately scurried after him.
That's when Ashu, who was ahead, suddenly froze in place.
“D-Disciple, what's wrong...?”
As I caught up, panting, Ashu was growling and glaring straight ahead.
“You...!!”
In front of us stood that golden-haired boy we'd seen before. Prince Byrn was grinning ear to ear, waving cheerfully.
“Hey. Long time no see?”
“Get out of my sight right now!!”
“Still got that foul mouth, huh?”
Ashu bared his teeth, bristles standing on end all over his body.
“Hey, sis.”
I-I think I got the honorifics right? I fumbled to adjust my mask properly.
“P-Prince... Y-Your Highness...”
“Nah, no need for that.”
“O-Okay...”
I lifted my head at Byrn's words. Ashu scowled and pressed on.
“So why the hell are you here?”
“Huh? To join the subjugation battle, obviously.”
Sure enough, Byrn was here to participate.
This is dangerous.
No matter how much potential my precious disciple had to become the main villain, Byrn was a real threat. The guy's talent was on par, no doubt.
“Whoa, talk about a shock. Who'd have thought a rude brat like you was Duke Kan Hart's son.”
“...What the hell does that mean?”
Ashu's face hardened in an instant. But Byrn just kept smiling as he laid into him.
“Exactly what I said. You are rude, aren't you?”
“...You.”
Byrn's smug grin clashed in the air with Ashu's icy glare.
Can't breathe...
Even with all these people around, it felt like only the two of them existed. A few quick-witted onlookers had already backed away.
“Enough.”
That's when it happened. A heavy, resonant voice forcibly cleaved between them. A familiar voice I'd heard before. Baldamir Kan Hart, the Duke of the North, had stepped into this soundless war.
“...Father.”
Ashu took a small step back. Baldamir didn't even glance at him, addressing Byrn instead.
“Your Highness, the subjugation battle is about to begin. This is a rare major event in the North—please refrain from causing a disturbance.”
“...Yes, I'll do that.”
The duke was the prince's uncle by blood, after all. With Baldamir making the request, even the prince backed down meekly. Then he returned to his seat without so much as a look at Ashu.
“Disciple...”
Ashu's fists trembled visibly. He was pretending to be fine, but clearly he wasn't. He was such a rotten little brat usually, but moments like this made him pitiful beyond words. Why did the duke hate this child so much? If he'd shown even a speck of love, Ashu Kan Hart never would have become the main villain.
...If my parents had been like that with me.
Maybe I wouldn't have suffered so much in my past life. Predictable story, really. A kid enduring domestic violence ends up in an orphanage—classic cliché. If I'd lived a normal life, I'd have bolted the second I heard about the duke. What was money in a world where you could die any day?
I went through plenty of wars in my past life, though.
Still, the reason I hadn't run was probably because Ashu reminded me so much of my younger self. Life's a long play on stage. Whether it leads to ruin or a happy ending is something only you can know. But a kid who can't even read or write—how's he supposed to get it? A child's script is a blank page. No one knows if it'll char to black or fill with neat lines. So isn't it fine to at least teach the kid how to write?
Above all, a master sometimes has to step in as a parent.
So this is basically self-satisfaction.
What I'd desperately wanted as a kid in a similar mess. What I'd envied like crazy watching other children. I walked slowly toward Ashu and stretched out my arms, pulling him into a soft hug.
Ashu jolted in surprise at my sudden move.
“W-What the hell are you doing!!”
“Just...”
His face flushed beet red, clearly embarrassed.
“It's a bit cold. Guess I haven't adjusted to the North yet.”
“What kinda... excuse...”
I hugged him tighter without a word. The warmth of a child's body seeped into mine. Ashu was starting to quiet down too when—
“Oh, uh... so, you and sis are like that?”
A raccoon-like voice shattered the silence.
“N-No, we're not!!”
“Gah!!!”
Ashu flung me away with unbelievable strength.
“Why're you suddenly groping me!”
His eyes spun in circles. A first—I'd never seen him this flustered. Must've been super embarrassing. Hell, even I'd be mortified if someone hugged me in front of everyone.
“Yeah, I get it, disciple.”
“What the hell's with that gentle tone all of a sudden!”
“Hmm... guess I ruined the mood. You two have fun.”
“We're not like that!!”
Byrn slunk off with a sly grin. Ashu exploded and tried to chase him, but Byrn was already gone without a trace.
“You—don't touch me without permission next time! Got it?”
“Sure, I totally get it.”
“I said drop that damn tone!”
At least his sulky look had faded a bit—small mercies. As I smiled contentedly, Ashu started thrashing even more.
That's when a knight's bellow echoed from afar.
“Participants in the magic beast subjugation battle, please gather over here!!”
“I'm going ahead.”
Ashu turned his back coldly. I reached out frantically and chased after him.
“W-Wait, disciple!!”
Don't leave me alone in this crowd!!
As people gathered at the knights' shouts, the opening ceremony kicked off immediately. Northern soldiers were breaking a sweat keeping the haughty nobles in line.
Serves 'em right.
Let the trash suffer a little more. That's when I spotted the duke emerging from afar. His build made even a bear look puny. Byrn, as a VIP, was seated behind him.
“First, welcome everyone to the Kan Hart Duchy.”
The greeting was a bit rough around the edges, noble etiquette notwithstanding.
“Our North stands at the forefront of the empire's magic beast frontlines, so it's dangerous—but that makes it safe too.”
The duke gestured to himself and his soldiers.
“Our troops' skills are top-notch, after all.”
A confident declaration. Everyone knew what the North was like, so they nodded along.
“So the rest of you young ones, don't stress too much. Just show us your best.”
After the brief welcome, they moved to the rules. Kill counts were based on magic beast cores' sizes and numbers. Some competition between participants was allowed, but nothing that threatened lives.
“And on that note, the children of our ducal house will be participating in this subjugation battle.”
What...? My eyes went wide at the duke's words. I was shocked they were even introducing them, but 'children'—plural—made me doubt my ears.
“Children...?”
The duke only had one heir: Ashu. As far as I knew, there weren't any others. Ashu looked confused too, his training meter visibly flustered. The crowd's murmurs were palpable on my skin. The duke's heir, who'd never appeared in high society, naturally drew all eyes.
“First, Ashu Kan Hart.”
Ashu stood frozen, unresponsive. Polite applause rippled through the crowd.
“And Sihan Kan Hart.”
Ashu's head creaked toward the direction the duke indicated. His face was so emotionless, it gave me chills.
Wait...
Sihan Kan Hart. A familiar name for sure. In the future, he'd kill his father, take the duke's seat, then rebel against Ashu and side with the protagonist. Sihan Kan Hart—the guy who joined the protagonist's party to punish Ashu's villainy. A sub-male lead who ends up as the next duke after defeating the main villain Ashu.
Why the hell is Sihan Kan Hart here?
And then the duke dropped a bombshell that made me question my own ears.
“Furthermore, Sihan Kan Hart is the official successor to the Kan Hart Ducal House.”
The venue erupted in shock at the sudden announcement in front of all the nobles.
“Ha, haha.”
Ashu let out a hollow laugh. This was bad. Really bad. The kid's mentality was already fragile, and now it was shattered.
...This is seriously not good.
I didn't know if this was the original story's flow. Ashu's backstory had never been detailed. But I could tell the plot was twisting wrong, veering off course.
I glared at Baldamir, who was smirking from afar.
...You crazy bastard.
What the hell is your game?