Molson stood with his mouth agape, staring in front of him.
*Thud! Thump-!*
The sound of flesh striking flesh in a fierce clash filled the air, unceasing. It was an impromptu duel that had suddenly erupted. The participants were Kyle and Breta, whose size was at least twice that of Kyle's.
"Heavy. Pain. Good."
Breta continued to speak in his incomprehensible language. His sullen face was now swollen, but it was also filled with joy.
Molson bit his lip.
They were exchanging blows, but was it really fair?
This was a pure physical fight without weapons or mana. In their teens, when every year counts, Kyle and Breta were three years apart, and that unique, hulking physique would only widen the gap.
The two of them were putting all their strength into their punches as if they were determined to end it. Breta's fist was raised again, ready to strike.
"I-I have to stop them!"
Molson, who had been standing awkwardly, took a step forward. At that moment, he felt a touch on his shoulder.
"Don't go. Ugh. I thought you were teaching them."
It was Gilliam. He was watching the two of them fight with a serious expression on his face. Molson felt anger boiling up inside of him. Gilliam was usually a timid person who always looked out for others, but now he didn't seem to care at all.
*Smack!*
Kyle's cheek was bleeding, and he staggered back. He couldn't just stand there and watch.
"What are you going to do if something big happens? If they get injured before the liberation even begins, can you take responsibility for it?!"
"Look at both of their faces. If you still want to stop this, I'll stay out of it."
"What? What do you mean...?"
With a furrowed brow, Molson turned his head and suddenly shivered.
'Smiling...?'
His cheek was bleeding like he had been cut with a knife, and his lips were red and swollen.
But Kyle was smiling. He was smiling brighter than Molson had ever seen him before.
Why would you try to stop that? He's enjoying himself, isn't he?
"I don't know how he knew, but that's a barbarian tradition. They say it's to make the first meeting with a precious person more memorable. Anyway, their words and everything else are just too······ cool for me."
Gilliam pouted. He couldn't share that kind of greeting.
Imagine having to take a punch like a boulder with your bare body, not protected by mana.
But how does Kyle do it?
He'd have to be prepared to be bedridden for a year, and Gilliam definitely didn't want to do that. He wasn't even all that sad about it.
'Why?'
Seeing him like that made his heart race. It wasn't because he was holding his own against Breta despite his smaller build. He might even have the talent to rival the Cores, but at that moment, he just wanted to be in that place instead of him. That's what Gilliam thought.
Kyle was gradually beginning to feel threatened. In fact, this feeling probably started right after he first received a blow to the ear. A ringing noise - 'Ziiing' - was echoing in his ears.
'This guy... he's going to go easy on me, right?'
Compared to Miley, his attacks were infinitely slow, but the 'power' was undeniable. His training must have focused on maximizing his strengths.
Ending this crude greeting of the barbarians is simple. One of them kneels or loses consciousness. And Kyle could end it right now. He could see the point where ki gathered in Breta's dantian. If he hit that place, which had been accumulating damage, even with the body of a barbarian, he would not be able to withstand it. But...
*Bang!*
Kyle finally gave in and let his body go. He accepted the pain that felt like his bones were going to break. He laughed happily.
It was a greeting he could not share with Aktubaar. To greet a barbarian with the body of a mage, he had to risk his life.
Kyle considered this life to be a blessing for the first time. If there was someone who sent him to the distant future, he wanted to express his sincere gratitude.
Kyle spun around and kicked Breta in the side. Breta's eyes widened at the impact of Kyle's calf, which had been trained by kicking iron bars for years. Even though it wasn't a vital point, it was probably due to the accumulated damage.
For a moment, Breta, who had regained consciousness, punched Kyle in the chest.
*Bang!*
Kyle's body was pushed back with a pain that felt like his skin was being ripped off.
Kyle shook his head to keep his fading consciousness. It was his turn now. But Breta didn't seem to be in the mood to accept it.
'Has he lost his mind?'
Breta charged at him in a stance reminiscent of a rhinoceros. His eyes were rolled back, showing only the whites.
I once heard from Aktubaar that inexperienced children experiencing a greeting for the first time often act like this.
It's a shame, but it's time to end it.
Just before his fiercely charging body could reach, he stepped to the side with one stride. At the same moment, the clenched fist struck precisely at his dantian.
*Thump.*
It was a small sound, unlike anything that had come before, but it was enough.
"Uuuhh······."
Breta crumpled up like a mimosa touched by a hand. Clutching his stomach, he eventually...
"Wha-a-a-a-a-a-ack······!!"
He vomited up what he had eaten for lunch. Seeing that unspeakable sight, Kyle backed away cautiously.
"Kyle!"
Molson stopped him from approaching. The greeting with Breta wasn't over yet. Breta vomited for a while, and Kyle waited quietly.
A few moments later, Breta wiped his mouth with his hand and shook his head. He didn't seem to be coming to his senses, so he slapped his own cheeks several times. When he raised his head again, his face was smiling brightly.
"······Kyle. Victory. Big brother."
Kyle smiled wryly.
Having won, he will now honor him as an elder brother. Even though Kyle is three years younger.
"You weren't bad. You've grown up well."
It was a sincere word. Then, a certain word suddenly flashed through his mind.
-Even though you're younger than me, your speech is so old-fashioned.
He doesn't remember who said it, but it's a word that has somehow stuck in his mind. The root of this thought lies with the old men who used to be at the top of the tower.
They call themselves wise, but they refuse to take a step outside of their rigid beliefs. If we don't change with the changing times, there's no guarantee that we won't become like them.
Kyle nodded.
The way of speaking is a representation of thought, as well as the self that the person has blossomed into. Sometimes, it's necessary to speak in a manner befitting one's age.
"Hey, Breta. You're pretty good, huh?"
This wasn't it. The children's reaction was lackluster.
* * *
The house was dark. Han-ya paced back and forth inside. His movements seemed agitated, but there was not a sound to be heard. A natural assassin is often calm when his mind is racing.
Today, the liberation that had lasted for decades was about to change. This would be an opportunity for his younger brother, Miley, who was not as talented as him. The blood of Tabas would shine brighter in a place full of variables than in a sparring match in the breeding ground.
"Perhaps, he might even outshine the younger sister of that damned guy, Edwin."
The problem began with the fact that this matter was proceeding without a single word of notice to him. Normally, he would have overlooked it, as Zahar often takes unilateral actions. However, Edwin, he definitely knew something. After all, he, who normally shows no interest in anyone except his siblings, was in communication with Finelli.
This was certain information obtained from his own followers who had been trailing him. Just the day before, a secret meeting between Edwin and Finelli had taken place. Due to their keen senses, his followers could only watch from a distance, so it was impossible to know what was discussed. However, there were some speculations. April, she was quite different from the other Lutentus bloodlines.
The aura she emitted was 'cold' that could freeze the air. This could be called 'magical'. It worked on the outside, beyond the category of strengthening the body. She could not have stayed away from Andoria, where people are obsessed with magic to the point of madness.
It could be an exaggeration, but maybe Zahar's long-standing contact and relationship with Andoria is for April alone. If Zahar is willing to put in that much effort and attention...
Han-ya closed his eyes. He once had no doubt that he would be the successor to Lutentus. But he soon realized that was the thought of a child who knew nothing of the world.
He thought it was different now.
Even if the path he was walking was a path of evil, even if he was still living in the cesspool where no light could reach.
He thought he would be the one to rule as Lutentus. But... this unpleasant feeling that something big was happening without his knowledge.
The dirty feeling of being just a pawn on a chessboard.
And another variable that appeared recently. The guy who he tried to ignore but kept thinking about flickered in his mind.
He had the skill to scratch the redwood target and shatter the Ki stone in one strike, and the boldness not to cower in front of Zahar. All these qualities were possessed by someone who was only thirteen years old. According to Miley's words, he was supposedly severely scolded by Zahar, but that was nonsense. Given Zahar's innate nature, he would never let go of such a guy.
"This liberation will be a turning point."
If, just if, he shows prominence comparable to the core people in this liberation, then it would become an unstoppable tide. There's no need to just leave someone who could act as an unpredictable variable.
"The forest of Mipar······."
The liberation is not taking place in Levido. In other words, it is in a blind spot where the executioner group, the Phantom Guild, cannot see. Could there be a better opportunity than this?
"Berto."
The darkness on one side of the wall rippled, and a heavy body suddenly appeared.
"Yes?! Just tell me what to do!!"
"Spread poison in the forest."
It wouldn't be real poison. Berto, who deciphered the code, laughed weakly.
* * *
*Crackle- Hoot, hoot-!*
On a peaceful night with a crackling campfire and the occasional hooting of an owl, Kyle looked at the unwelcome guests sitting across from him.
"Don't you have a shelter of your own?"
Breta and Gilliam. They were given a pretty good tent, although it was not as good as the Seeds of the Core. But they came to this place where they had to sleep with the sky as their blanket.
"Hmm. Since we're here, we might as well make it feel like a campfire."
"Sweet potatoes. Roasted. Delicious. Sweet. Big brother. First."
Breta was roasting the sweet potatoes he had received from the servants on a stick over the campfire, and Molson was swallowing his saliva as he watched him.
Kyle shook his head. Then he turned his gaze to Gilliam.
"Just eat that and go. If you have something to say, say it now."
"How did you know?!"
"It's written all over your face."
Gilliam covered his mouth and opened his eyes wide. He couldn't believe that Kyle could see through him so easily. Breta, who was staring blankly at the sweet potatoes and burning logs, might not have noticed, but Kyle clearly had a purpose in coming here.
"Well, where should I start? First of all, about the liberation······."
"Just the main points. Make it short."
"Right. I'll get straight to the point. You know about the first prize for this event, right? That thing called L-wagen or something. Anyway, I saw greed flicker in April's beautiful eyes when she looked at it. Ah... If I give it to her as a gift, she'll smile at me, won't she? That alone would give me enough courage to go on living... Ah, you're not interested, are you? No, if you are interested, I'll buy you something else! That's something I..."
Perhaps due to his upbringing, he seemed to lack the fear of liberation that other children from the indirect branch exhibited. To summarize his lengthy speech, he wants to gift the L-wagen to April and suggests that by joining forces, they might even defeat the core power. Though, he didn't seem particularly interested in the latter. The bottom line is the plan to pool the scores in favor of Kyle himself and take the prize.
"Are you stupid, or are you so caught up in your emotions that you can't see reality?"
"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Do you think we'll just stand by and watch the Lutentus join forces?"
It couldn't be. Even though the overall educational environment was in a deplorable state, they were obsessed with proving their strength. There must have been some device that had not yet been revealed.
And above all else.
"The L-wagen is mine. No one can take it······."
He started.
'I shouldn't be saying such unrefined things.'
At that moment, the fire crackled. Molson, who was about to reach for the sweet potato, raised his head.
"Kyle. Are you hot? Your face is really red right now!"
"······ It's a little hot."
91Please respect copyright.PENANAUSfsx3MJ8b
Author's Note:
Be a VIP reader! Binge 10 chapters & join the ToodatFiction adventure. Like, comment, or rate. Screenshot & enter our exclusive club!
91Please respect copyright.PENANAm8sDClHyyB