“Today, I’ve updated twice. If you’re visiting for the first time, please start from Chapter 15.”
──At the same time, deep within the forest──
Zeros and I were sprinting through the Kitral Forest. I had grown accustomed to using the bracelet for Boosted. Moving my limbs at double speed and weaving between the trees felt natural now. If Dick the Bat were here, he could have guided us on the shortest route, but that wasn’t the case. It wouldn’t make sense for me to win anyway. So, I had them wait outside the forest since they showed up uninvited.
“Brother Zeros! I have something to discuss. Just hear me out while we run!”
I shouted. Zeros, who was leading the way, didn’t respond. He had to know I was right behind him; he had glanced back several times already.
“Come on!! At least listen to my side of the story! Don’t just get mad and blow up on your own!!”
“Shut up.”
Zeros shot me a cold glare.
“I already know you’re trying to take over the Baronial House.”
“Who is!? When!? What day, what time, what second did I ever plot something like that!?”
“I heard the maids talking!”
“How would I know that?!”
“Professor Kahel told me! He saw you badmouthing me to the maids!”
“So when did this happen!?”
“Multiple times! Almost every day!! Even the night before last!!”
“I wasn’t even at the mansion the night before last!!”
I had been at the inn in town with Martha. Zeros had to know that too.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!! There’s no way I’m handing the Baronial House over to you!!”
“I told you I don’t want it!!”
“You always deny me like this!!”
“Fine, I get it. Let me hit you once, Brother Zeros!!”
“If you’re not plotting to take over the Baronial House, then why would Her Royal Highness call for you!? It doesn’t make sense, does it!? How would she know about a commoner like you!?”
“Then let me tell you the truth! Keep it to yourself! Got it, brother!?”
“Fine. Go ahead, Yuuki!”
“When I snuck out of the mansion and went to the back mountain the other day, I found Clara and that axe-wielding Burns being attacked by a monster! I helped them out a little at that time!! That’s how they found out there’s a child with black hair and black eyes in the Baronial House!! I don’t know what they were thinking, but they called for me, a commoner! That’s all!!”
“Is that true!?”
“If you think I’m lying, ask Burns with the axe!”
“…You always do that…”
“Huh?”
“You always do things I can’t do!!”
I noticed Zeros’ hand making strange movements behind him. Was he about to use Ancient Magic!?
“────Summon Wind Spirit!!”
“Summoning Ancient Magic, huh? Impressive, brother!”
I drew my dagger. Several bluish-white spheres appeared around Zeros. From them, bird-shaped familiars emerged and flew towards me.
With wings as sharp as knives.
Swoosh!!
I intercepted the first bird’s wing with my dagger. I managed to deflect the second one, while I rolled on the ground to dodge the third.
“Why do you care about me when you’re so strong, Brother Zeros!!”
“Shut up! Just stay down!! You commoner!!”
Zeros increased the distance between us. He was summoning familiars while running. He was determined to keep me at bay.
“…I’ve had enough.”
This was it. I didn’t care if my identity was revealed. In the end, I wasn’t cut out for being human. I would stop holding back.
The exam and the Magic Guild didn’t matter anymore. From here on out, it was just a sibling brawl. I would land a punch on Zeros, make him understand, and then take down Instructor Kahel──
I would disappear from the Baronial House.
After all, I was a Nosferatu. I would simply vanish from my family’s sight!
“Boosted!!”
I drew the symbol of Mystel Blood on my left hand. Doubling the Boosted effect.
With that, I kicked off the ground and took off running.
“Listen to me for once, you damn brother!!!”
“Fii!?”
“Shut up!!”
Swoosh!!
I punched the bird that was clinging to me.
“────Gii!?”
The bird made of magic disintegrated with a single blow. With the double Boosted effect, my fist was enhanced too. My knuckles split open and blood oozed out, but whatever!
“Take this, Zeros! Zeros Glossaria!!!”
“Yuuki!?”
“At least hear my side of the story, you damn brother!!”
“Why!? How can you move at such speed!?”
“The effect of the Ancient Artifact Replica changes depending on how you use your magic! Just accept that!!”
“Don’t mess with me!! How can you be better than me!?”
“Fine, I’ll say it! I’m actually the reincarnation of a sorcerer who died 200 years ago! I have a strange affinity for Ancient Magic! Thanks to that, I can double my magic usage, so my speed and physical strength are doubled!! How’s that, you get it now, you damn brother!?”
“Even now, you’re saying ridiculous things!!”
Zeros kicked off a tree and changed direction, coming toward me.
“I’ll shut that mouth of yours for good!! Yuuki!!”
“Finally looking my way, Brother Zeros!!”
“Yeah, I’ve never liked you from the start!!”
“I know! You hate commoners, right!?”
“That’s not it!! You just irritate me when I look at you! I aimed for the Magic Guild to prove myself against you!! It’s such a hassle! Ancient Magic, studying!! If you weren’t around, none of this would have happened!!”
“Don’t blame me for this!!”
“Shut up!! Ancient Magic──Summon Wind Spirit, Summon Fire Spirit!”
Zeros’ fingers traced complex symbols. Two of them. One with his right hand in front of his body, the other behind him with his left. Two different symbols.
“Gigi! Gyuoooo!!”
From the two magic circles, a wind bird and a fire-wreathed lizard appeared.
“Summoning magic!? Isn’t this supposed to be a fistfight between us!?”
“I’m the legitimate heir! Zeros Glossaria, who will elevate the name of the Baronial House by joining the Magic Guild! So I will give it my all to defeat you!!”
“Bring it on!!”
I activated Boosted again. With double speed, I charged toward him.
“Go! Wind Spirit, Fire Spirit! Make Yuuki kneel before me!!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! A weakling like that can’t take on a Nosferatu!!”
I struck the blue bird with my fist and slashed at the fire lizard with my dagger. In that moment, I closed the distance by a few steps. Zeros was summoning more familiars again.
As expected of the summoning technique of Ancient Magic. It was fast. He could use it continuously. But I was a Nosferatu. I could ignore minor injuries. My cheek was cut by a bird’s wing, but it didn’t matter. My clothes were singed by the flames, but that was fine. I was saying goodbye to the Baronial House here anyway.
With no regrets, I would take down Zeros and Kahel!
“Yuuki… you… your hands… they’re bleeding!!”
“Did you finally understand I’m a Nosferatu, you damn brother?”
“No, that’s not it. You’re my family, and I… I…”
I closed the distance. I pulled back my fist. I couldn’t hit him with double Boosted power; he’d die. Zeros had to manage the Baronial House.
Like a proper human sibling fight, I would only hit him enough to avoid serious injury.
“Brace yourself!! Don’t bite your tongue!! Keep your feet steady!! Brother Zeros!!!”
My fist connected with Zeros’ stomach.
“Guh! Yuuki──you…”
Zeros’ body rolled and came to a stop on the grass. The amulet he had been holding flew away.
“…That hurt.”
Blood was oozing from the wound on my right hand. Ah, it splattered all over Zeros’ face and arms. My right hand hurt like hell. I guess it was too reckless to fight familiars barehanded…
“…No… I never intended to hurt my family… Yuuki… your blood… your injury…”
“Get up, Brother Zeros.”
I grabbed Zeros’ arm and helped him sit up.
“Do what you want with the Baronial House. I’m a commoner. I’ve said it many times, but I have no interest in titles. If you think I’m lying, then go ahead. Instead, I will disappear from the Baronial House just like a Nosferatu.”
“…Yuuki. You…”
“If you want to reshape the Baronial House as you please, go ahead. But I won’t allow you to lay a hand on my family. If, in the future, I come back here and something has happened to Lumia or Martha, I won’t forgive you, Brother Zeros. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Baronial House or the Magic Guild. I will use every last bit of my lifespan as a Nosferatu… to crush you.”
“…Ugh.”
Brother Zeros’s body began to tremble. As I released my grip, he slumped weakly to the ground.
…I’ve done it now. I’ve revealed my true identity and used double the Ancient Magic. I’m completely done for.
…Should I escape before someone arrives?
“What are you two doing over there?!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out. A figure was approaching from the direction of the forest exit—it was Burns, wielding an axe. …Damn it. I might be too late.
“Combat between those taking the exam is not permitted! What on earth is happening here?!”
“…W-well, this is—”
Brother Zeros looked between me and Burns.
I had revealed my true identity to him. Brother Zeros would certainly tell Burns about it. He has no reason to protect me.
My life as a human ends here. Burns is a guard for Her Royal Highness. He won’t let a Nosferatu like me go free. I should ask the Bats, Dick and the others, to hold him off while I escape into the mountains. After that, it’ll be a life of wandering. What a hassle. I would have liked to say goodbye to Martha, at least.
“This is… just a sibling quarrel, Burns.”
…Brother?
“I was just provoking Yuuki, and Yuuki retaliated. It escalated from there.”
“…Hey, Brother Zeros.”
I leaned in close to his ear.
“…Are you sure you don’t want to reveal my true identity?”
“…There’s no way I can say that! Are you stupid?!”
I was scolded.
“…If it were known that a Nosferatu was in the Baronial House, our family could be ruined. As the heir, I have to protect our house.”
“I see.”
“…Besides, I have no way of confirming who you really are. But… I lost. I clearly understood that you are someone I cannot defeat… and that feels refreshing.”
Brother Zeros slumped his shoulders tiredly and picked up the Amulet that had fallen.
“I knew it was a lie when you said bad things about me. But I have to elevate the Baronial House to be comparable to the high nobility. For that, I need to follow Professor Kahel. So, I had to believe his words. While I was thinking that… I started to believe what he said was true…”
“…You’re too serious, Brother.”
“…Shut up, be quiet. You’re my little brother.”
“You haven’t called me that in a while, Brother Zeros.”
“Yeah, you’re my little brother. So don’t just disappear on your own.”
“…Hey.”
“I don’t want Lumia to cry after you leave. It would raise suspicions with Her Highness Iris as well. I have a duty to protect the Baronial House. I can’t let it be destroyed because of me. So… for now, don’t go disappearing.”
“…………Fine. Seriously, humans are such a hassle.”
It seems Brother Zeros won’t tell anyone about me. If he’s okay with that… then I guess it’s fine. I also have no way to prove that I’m the reincarnation of Dean Nosferatu. Living a life of wandering at thirteen sounds tough. I can always disappear later.
“Is the conversation over? What will you do now? Will you continue the exam, Zeros Glossaria?”
Burns planted the handle of his axe firmly into the ground.
“The aptitude test includes fighting me. You don’t have to defeat me. Just avoid my attacks with magic and make it through the forest. If you can do that, I will allow you to enter the Magic Guild.”
“I forfeit.”
Brother Zeros brushed the dirt off his pants and stood up. He then bowed deeply to Burns.
“I am not worthy of entering the Magic Guild. I… have used Ancient Magic in a cowardly manner to strengthen myself—”
“Are you absolutely sure? You want to forfeit?”
“Yes. I’ve made my decision.”
“Understood.”
Burns set down his axe and instead pulled a small bow and arrows from his back. He then produced a red cloth and a black cloth from his pocket. He explained quickly: the red cloth signifies passing, while the black cloth signifies failing.
Burns slowly tied the black cloth to an arrow. As if waiting for Brother Zeros’s reaction, he aimed the arrow skyward and drew back the bow. Brother Zeros said nothing. Burns then released the arrow into the air.
“This way, Her Royal Highness will understand. Good work, both of you.”
“May I ask you something, Burns?”
“What is it, Zeros Glossaria?”
“Is it true that Yuuki helped you?”
“Yes.”
Burns nodded easily. I had hoped he would gloss over that.
“That is indeed the case. Therefore, Her Royal Highness and I mistook Zeros Glossaria for Yuuki Glossaria. There was no ill intent on her part. I will apologize for the rudeness.”
“No, that’s fine.”
Brother Zeros smiled, as if the tension had lifted from his shoulders.
“…I just thought that I couldn’t compete with Yuuki.”
When Brother Zeros uttered such words—
“──────!!”
Suddenly, a scream echoed from beyond the forest. It came from the area where Her Royal Highness was.
“We’ll talk later. We need to return to Her Royal Highness. Follow me!!”
Burns took off running toward the forest entrance. Brother Zeros and I exchanged glances before chasing after him.
For a moment, the face of Her Royal Highness flashed in my mind. It resembled that of Alice, the daughter of Lyle, who had been like a child to me in my previous life.
“Sorry, Brother Zeros, I’m going ahead.”
I activated Boosted again. Brother Zeros couldn’t keep up. Perhaps it was because of the blow I dealt him; he was staggering on his feet. I left him with a quick, “Sorry. I’m going ahead,” and increased my speed, overtaking Burns and pushing further ahead.
“…It’s Princess Iris.”
Seriously. If she didn’t look so much like Alice, I could just leave her be. Lyle and Alice… they prick at my memories. What a troublesome pair of children you are!
Next time, Chapter 17 is scheduled to update tomorrow.