CH 134

“They are not going to randomly drop us from the sky again, are they?” Eugene couldn’t stop his mouth from blurting out this thought.

“Unlikely.” Ciel shook her head while straightening up the collar of her uniform. “If you were going alone, maybe, but you are coming with me. They won’t just drop us from the sky.”

“What do you have to do with anything?”

“Do you have any idea how much the knights and the elders in the Black Lion Castle adore me?” Ciel proudly puffed out her chest and bragged. While doing so, she glanced at Mer, who was only sticking out her face from the cloak.

‘A cunning familiar indeed.’ Ciel grumbled in her thought.

It had been a week since she had come back to the main house, and Ciel could feel how much things had changed after she had left the main house for good. Previously, the servants and the knights used to call Ciel ‘my lady,’ and put her on a pedestal, but now, Mer was the one treated that way instead.

‘I know it can’t be helped.’

She thought that it was inevitable, since she had left the main house for good a long time ago. If she were to be honest, she was also aware of how unreasonable it was to wish that everyone treated her the same way as they did when she was young. She was an adult now.

“Do you need to follow him?” Signard asked from behind. Of course, he was asking Mer, who was inside Eugene’s cloak.

Signard remembered Sienna’s childhood, which made him hold Mer very, very dear. She was the same as Sienna when she was a child, just like Signard remembered.

Regardless of how he cherished Mer, Signard wasn’t good at expressing himself. He couldn’t openly dote on her, much less hug her like Ancilla did.

Instead, he sometimes came up to Mer and handed her a couple of flowers when she walked across the forest. They were the flowers that Sienna liked since she was a child. Although the flowers weren’t supposed to bloom in this kind of weather, they beautifully blossomed in the forest protected by the World Tree.

—Thank you!

Whenever she received the flowers, Mer always smiled and said ‘thank you.’

“Yeah, there is no need to follow him, is there? New clothes will arrive this afternoon…” Ancilla chimed in as if she waited for Signard to say so.

“No, I have to go with Sir Eugene,” Mer firmly answered. “I’m having so much fun wearing pretty clothes with Lady Ancilla, eating delicious food with Sir Gerhard, and strolling in the forest with Sir Signard. However, I exist to help Sir Eugene. ”

“Oh my…You are talking so maturely…!”

‘I think Mother is mistaking something… She just looks like a kid, but she is a familiar hundreds of years old,’ Ciel bitterly thought as she glanced at Ancilla.

No, that was why Ancilla liked Mer even more. Ancilla genuinely thought so. Since she had raised Ciel and her brother herself, she was well aware of how scary demons lived inside cute, lovely children.

“The warp gate is now connected,” the wizard who took care of the gate notified them.

The path to the Black Lion Castle was opened. Eugene shoved Mer’s head back into the cloak.

“Go inside. It’ll be a damn nuisance if you fall out from the cloak while we warp.”

“Okayyy.”

“Wait,” Ciel said as she approached. She grabbed the edge of Eugene’s cloak and swept it back

“I can’t see the symbol if you wear the cloak like this.”

Ciel poked Eugene’s left chest, where a lion symbol was embroidered. Only the main family members could have the symbol on their uniform.

“They are going to be waiting for us at the entrance. You should be proud and show it to them.” Ciel urged.

“It’s not my first time.”

“But it has been a while.”

“Even so, aren’t there only Gargith and Dezra? And Deacon…I don’t even remember his face.”

“There is one more.” Ciel sighed, pulling Eugene’s arm. “Eward.”

“…I see your nasty temper never changes. Do you want to pressure Eward by showing the lion symbol or something?”

“It’s up to Eward on how to take it.” Ciel pouted. “Eward crossed the line. He stained the name of Lionheart. Eugene, you see, I can’t understand how Eward dares to participate in this hunt.”

“Lady Tanis pressured…” Eugene muttered.

“Eward isn’t a child anymore, is he? No matter how strict Lady Tanis is, Eward also has a problem if he’s still under her control.”

“We are not the involved party, so we can’t speak for them,” Eugene grumbled as he wiped the lion symbol on his chest. “…Is Eward already here?”

“Yup.”

“To be honest, it’s a bit awkward for me to meet him. You may have also heard about it, but I beat the shit out of him three years ago.”

“Eward should be the one to feel awkward. That’s why we need to go in confidently. So confident that Eward won’t even be able to hold his head up high.” Ciel scowled at Eugene as she started walking.“I will go first, so follow me with confidence.”

‘What does she mean, with confidence?’ Eugene dryly laughed, shaking his head.

“I didn’t commit any crime.”

Eward was the one who had committed a sin.

‘Maybe the Council Head also did,’ Eugene thought as he smirked.

Considering how the Council Head had gone through every kind of hardship the world had to offer, it was unlikely that he would get cold feet and be unable to make eye contact with Eugene.

‘Wouldn’t he rather ask me with a smile, ”Was your trip fun?”’

Eugene took a few steps forward, and Doynes’ faded gold-colored eyes crossed his mind.

Since he had no reason to bow his head, he puffed his chest out and straightened his posture. Thus, Eugene walked forward.

The usual feeling of being afloat overwhelmed Eugene when he stepped into the warp gate. Since he was warping to a faraway location, the feeling lasted for a long time.

‘I wouldn’t fall from the sky like last time, would…’ Eugene thought.

He didn’t. As he exited the warp gate, he found himself standing firm on the ground.

Tap, tap, tap.

Eugene took several steps forward and balanced his wobbling body.

“Hmm.” He lifted his head up and looked forward.

He could see the Black Lion Castle, which he had last seen several months ago.

The Black Lion Knight’s flags were standing tall on every castle wall. Underneath the dozens of flags, a couple of people were waiting.

“Hey.” Cyan stopped leaning against the railing and approached Eugene. He was smiling, feeling good to see Eugene. Organizing his hair that had gotten disheveled during warp, Eugene stared at Cyan.

“What are you staring at? Are you feeling great to see your brother again? It’s only been a couple of months since we last saw each other, you know?” Cyan excitedly asked.

“…”

“Well, we had shared drinks and finished the ritual to become adults before you left. So I also feel the same as you, brother.” Cyan dramatically wriggled his upper lip as he spoke.

“…You.” Eugene also approached, frowning. “Speak after you cross your heart. Do…do you really think your mustache looks good on you?”

“…”

“I’m saying this as your brother. It doesn’t suit you one bit. I get that you are excited since you’ve become an adult, but why would you fucking grow that shitty mustache?”

“Isn’t it cool though?”

“It’s the polar opposite of cool. Right now, I am fighting with a strong urge to tear out every single strand of that ugly hair on your upper lip.” Eugene held up his clenched fist right under Cyan’s nose.

“Yeah…anyway, you aren’t the one to be blamed, since you’re stupid. If there is anyone to be blamed, it’s you, Ciel. Why would you let your stupid brother grow that bullshit mustache?”

“I am also really surprised right now, you know?” Ciel shouted. She had arrived a few moments before Eugene and her fuse had clearly snapped already. “Cyan didn’t have that weird mustache a week ago.”

“Then are you saying that his mustache grew in a week? That doesn’t make any sense. You don’t have that much body hair.”

“…I’ve put on hair growth solution,” Cyan mumbled as he turned his head to the side. “I can at least grow a mustache, since I’m an adult. In some countries, adult men have the right to grow a beard.”

“It looks ugly on you.”

“He said it looks good on me…”

“What kind of psycho said that mustache looks good on you? Where did you even get the hair growth solution in the first pla—”

Thump.

Hearing heavy footsteps, Eugene stopped talking and looked up. A big man revealed himself from behind a high spire.

Why was he standing on top of the spire? Why was he wearing a sleeveless top, which revealed a large part of his chest and his armpits, when he was at the top of the cold, windy mountain?

Any person with common sense would have asked these questions, but Eugene didn’t bother. Common sense was altogether foreign to a guy who was willing to spend 300 million sal to buy a giant’s testicle.

“It’s me.”

ㅡThud.

Jumping down from the spire, a giant man landed upright on the ground, and as he did, Eugene was forced to look upward again.

…He was big. He had also been big three years ago, but now, he was a head taller. He was almost as big as Evatar of the Zoran Tribe.

“…You’ve gotten bigger.”

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“It’s all thanks to you, Eugene.”

Gargith Lionheart smiled, and his healthy teeth were revealed below his voluminous mustache. It was hard to believe he was just twenty-two years old.

“Can you see?”

Wriggle.

Every time Gargith raised his arms, Eugene could see his pectoral muscles wiggling through the gap of his embarrassing sleeveless top.

“The giant’s testicle that we bought together has made my body more beautiful.”

“…It’s not beautiful.”

“I see you haven’t been slacking off with your training. You are wearing a cool uniform, but I can see how diligently you trained your body.”

“Why don’t you also wear that cool uniform, huh? And I would like you to put down your arms and not lift them anymore.” Eugene didn’t want to see Gargith’s armpits, openly revealed right before his eyes.

“Also…why did you give Cyan the hair growth solution?” Eugene asked with difficulty.

“I saw Master Cyan looking at my beard enviously,” Gargith said, stroking his voluminous beard. “All men idolize this kind of beard. Of course, this beard suits me because my body is beautiful.”

“Cyan, I'm telling you before anything happens. I will kill you myself if you take any muscle enhancer from this bastard,” Eugene spoke in a fast tone after turning his head to Cyan.

“Why? I think Gargith’s body is pretty cool—”

“How is it cool? It’s just gross.” Ciel looked as if she had seen a most hideous object. “You were always like this, but you are too gullible. You fall for really weird stuff. If you bulk up and grow a beard like that pig, I won’t think of you as my brother anymore.”

“I’m not a pig, my lady,” Gargith spoke.

Maybe because of his childhood memories, Gargith was very respectful to Cyan and Ciel. Eugene just looked forward, ignoring Gargith who was flaunting his muscle after quietly approaching Eugene.

“Is she Dezra?” Eugene asked, pointing at a tall woman leaning crookedly against the wall. Her skin was nicely tanned and looked healthy, and she had long, slender limbs. She still had the same characteristics that Eugene had seen seven years ago.

“Hmm.” Gargith nodded as he stroked his beard. “She must be feeling shy, judging from how she is keeping her distance.”

“I’m not here because I’m shy, you idiot!” Dezra screamed after hearing Gargith’s murmuring. “I’m staying on guard against you guys!”

“Can it be called ‘being on guard’ when she actually said it out loud with her own mouth?”

“Although she pretends that she’s not, she is pretty stupid. And she has a wicked heart to boot…”

Cyan hadn’t forgotten the time when he got humiliated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. At the time, Dezra had tried to ambush Cyan by approaching him after pretending to be a ghost. Thanks to her, Cyan had ended up shrieking in front of his younger siblings.

“Are you still misunderstanding me, Master Cyan?”

“What misunderstanding?! It’s true that you tried to ambush me!”

“You…are right…”

“I am right?! You said I was wrong at the time?! How dare you lie to me!” Cyan yelled, his mustache trembling.

Eugene paid no attention to the stupid argument, instead, he looked forward.

Someone was standing on the rampart across from them. Eugene had never seen him—bushy hair and a scraggly beard surrounding a face with droopy eyes. However, in spite of his overall easy-going looks, he clearly had a firm body. His posture was perfect, straight and sharp like a well-honed sword.

“…So he is Hector.”

“How did you know?” Cyan asked surprisedly.

He had stopped grilling Dezra and turned back to Eugene.

“Have you met him?”

“No, I only heard of him. I’m seeing him for the first time. If someone is that talented, I can recognize them instantly,” Eugene answered.

As he stood still, Eugene’s gaze met Hector’s. After a few moments, Hector grinned and waved his hand at Eugene.

“…He is a famous one among the collateral descendants,” Cyan grumbled. “He has been training in Ruhr for over ten years. He isn’t even a citizen of Ruhr, but he still became an honorary White Fang Knight. The White Fang Knights are some of the best on the continent.”

“An awesome relative,” Eugene casually answered.

“You must be so happy because you don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Why are you whining all of a sudden? Haven’t you already gained enough guts to grow that shitty mustache?” Eugene smiled, slapping Cyan’s back. “Are you feeling pressured by the fact that you have to do better than Hector in the hunt?”

“Nah, not really.”

“Not really, my ass. There’s so much pressure on you I can almost feel it myself.”

“Why are you feeling pressured by Hector?” Gargith asked, unable to understand the situation. “You must be mistaking something, Master Cyan. Hector is from the same Lionheart house as we are. Besides, this hunt is not about making the main house and the collateral descendants compete, is it?”

“I somehow envy the fact that your brain is made of muscle.” Cyan shook his head, chuckling. “In some way, this hunt is a test for me, the next Patriarch. In addition to that, there are collateral family members who are participating in the hunt. Although there are few of them, they still volunteered. I think we can say that they will be leading the next generation of collateral families.”

“Really…”

“I have to get some respect from the collateral descendants as the next Patriarch. Let’s say Hector does better than me. Then will the young collateral descendants like you or Dezra respect me or Hector more?”

“I will respect both of you,” Gargith answered, wriggling his chest muscles.

After blankly watching the bulging muscle wriggling for a moment, Cyan nodded with a bitter face. “Yeah… Thank you…”

“Cyan,” Eugene spoke, looking around. “Where is Eward? I heard he has already arrived.”

When he mentioned Eward, Cyan’s face crumpled up more.

“Eward arrived three days ago. He was summoned by the Council of Elders on the first day, and he’s shut himself in his room ever since.”

“Have you seen him?”

“We even said hi. I didn’t really want to say anything, but Eward approached me first—” Cyan stopped speaking and turned away, revealing clear hatred on his face. It wasn’t just Cyan, Ciel also did. Although they weren't as severe as Cyan and Ciel, Dezra and Gargith also looked sideways with uneasy faces.

Wearing a big robe, a young man was approaching. He was Eward Lionheart. His ash-colored hair was tied into a ponytail. Underneath his forelock, his gold-colored eyes reflected off sunlight.

“Long time no see.” Eward faintly smiled at Eugene.

Eugene suddenly felt as if Eward had changed a little—no, a lot. The Eward that Eugene had seen in Aroth three years ago never smiled at him like that. At the time, a succubus had sucked so much of his lifeforce that he looked as if he was ready to knock at death’s door. The only smile of Eward that Eugene remembered was the empty smile he showed while wandering in the succubus’ dream. He had never shown a single smile other than that one. He had just leaked tears from his eyes and blood from his nose.

—You… What the hell gives you the right to judge me?

—You, you have no idea. You—! Ever since four years ago, everyone has been paying attention to you. Since you were adopted into the main family, fa—fath—the Patriarch has been raining down support on you, so how could you—?!

—Just because… you’re innately talented… it’s impossible for me to compare to you…!

—I never wanted… to become the Lionheart clan’s Patriarch…!

—I… I wanted to become a bl-black wizard and go to Helmuth. In a place like that, I’d be free…, and my worth would be recognized…!

—I never wanted to become the next Patriarch, and I never asked to be born as the eldest son of the direct line! I want to be free, to be able to do what I want to do—.

“Ah…” Eward awkwardly smiled and scratched his cheek as Eugene stared at him.

“Have I acted…too friendly? I’m sorry, you must be ashamed of me… I know you would be, but I really wanted to say hello to you.” Eward was flustered, unable to continue speaking. As his arm flew around, his robe was lifted for a moment. There was no Lionheart symbol on Eward’s left breast.

“Ciel… Yes, long time no see to you too. I haven’t met you since I left for Aroth. Haha… It has been seven years since I last saw you. You grew up a lot…”

“You changed a lot, too,” Ciel answered, unstiffening her face a little bit. She had also seen how Eward didn’t have the Lionheart symbol that only the members of the main house were allowed to carry.

“Hmm… Yes, I did change a lot. I had to. Seven years is a long time.” Eward cleared his throat and straightened up his posture.

“You’ve greeted me first,” Eugene said. “Actually I should be the one who greets you first, Big Brother. I’m younger than you.”

“It doesn’t matter who’s older when it comes to who greets first.” Eward shook his head.

“It’s a relief to see you well.”

“It’s all thanks to you.” Eward beamed.

‘It doesn’t look like he is being sarcastic,’ Eugene thought without saying anything.

As he kept staring at Eward, the latter hurriedly added, “I don’t blame you for what happened in Aroth. I’m rather grateful to you, Eugene.”

“Grateful?”

“If you hadn’t knocked some sense into me at the time… I would have still been trapped in pleasure-seeking at Aroth. Your punch…haha, it really hurt, but it was a valuable lesson to me.”

Although he was stuttering, Eward didn’t let his shoulders slump.

“Thanks to you, I am working hard now. It’s all thanks to you.”

Three years ago, Eward had only been at the Third Circle. Technically, Third Circle wasn’t low. However, he had been personally trained by the Red Tower Master and other well-respected wizards. On top of that, he was the firstborn son of the Lionheart family. Such an achievement was far from enough.

‘It seems that he hasn’t been wasting his time…’

Eward was at the Fourth Circle right now.

‘He made progress, but… No, my standard is too high.’ Eugene straightened his face and nodded. “Thank you for putting it that way.”

“Yeah, yes… I really wanted to say that.” Eward turned away, smiling. “The wind is cold. Haha…I’ll head in first. It’s really exciting to meet my siblings…after a long time.” Eward walked away.

“He does have a conscience,” Ciel quietly spoke as she watched Eward getting further away. “If Eward had embroidered the main family’s symbol on his uniform, I would have said some pretty mean things to him. Wait…. You didn’t give him a heads-up, did you, Cyan?”

“Why would I do that?” Cyan grumbled, stroking his mustache. “I haven’t seen him carry the symbol since he first came to the Black Lion Castle. He can take a hint.”

“But you can’t take a hint.”

“What did I do?”

“Go shave off your mustache.” Eugene chuckled and slapped Cyan’s back.