In the third training ground of the Windstar Academy of Magic, the largest of all the training grounds, many students were working hard on their swordplay and magic, as the Sword Dance Festival was coming up.
Among them was Bradās younger brother, Albert von Pistel.
He and his companion, Dino, were clashing swords and making final adjustments in a match-style practice.
āAha!ā
Albertās spirited voice echoed through the training ground.
Albert pushed Dinoās sword back with his might and at the same time, Dino staggered backward, losing his balance.
Alberto did not miss the opportunity.
The next moment, the tip of Albertoās sword was at Dinoās throat.
The match was over.
āāAmazingā¦āā
When Alberto came down and made a gesture to remove the blood from his sword, the students around him cheered and applauded.
The crowd was made up of participants of the Sword Dance Festival, who had come to observe aĀ potential winner, as well as Albertās fans.
āThat will be all for today.ā
Albert glanced sideways at the spectators and told Dino.
āUm ā¦ā¦theĀ Sword Dance Festival is coming up, do you really want to stop practicing already?ā
āItās over, donāt make me say it again.ā
Albert narrowed his eyes sharply, and Dino took a frightened step back.
āIām so sorry!ā
He glanced at Dino and turned around, making his way towards the exit of the training ground.
But on the wayā¦
āAlbert-sama looks dignified today. It seems that his swordplay is quite sharp and polished. I wonder if Albert-sama will win the sword dance festival.ā
āBut Brad-sama has been stepping up lately. He even defeated a monster that Albert-sama couldnāt defeat.ā
āItās true that Brad-sama is doing his best as well. Iām also in the Brad faction. The brown skin similar to that of his majesty is truly mysterious and his face is just beautiful. I support him because heās such a gentleman.ā
āI get it. Brad-sama is kind to everyone, even āreforming himselfā so he can be a better person to the poor and commoners. Speaking of which, I heard that he formed a guard unit from the people he saved in the square.ā
āOh my! Iād love to be a part of that.ā
The studentsā conversation reached Albertās ears.
Albert smiled nobly at the students, but inwardly he grit his teeth.
Because the sword festival was close by, he was planning to train hard for a long time just as Dino suggested, but he had to interrupt his training because he was disturbed by the conversations of the spectators that he occasionally heard.
(Why is my brotherĀ being praisedā¦ā¦?)
Albert shouted inwardly.
Until recently, his brother Brad had been ridiculed as a āblack pigā and had only been his foil but before he knew it, people started recognizing him, comparing Brad to himself, and even appreciating his older brother more.
And Iām not just talking about a few people.
Not only the students of the academy, but also the people of the court and even the people of the country are beginning to reevaluate Brad.
I wanted to know why this happened.
Brad had always been a proud man. Heās been acting like heās changed a little bit in the last few months, and people are getting won over by his act.
(ā¦ā¦ I have to admit, heās quite skilled.)
Albert shook his head and leaned on the wall after he left the training grounds.
In just three months or so, Brad has made a dramatic change from the bottom of the ladder, where he was mocked and called a āblack pig,ā to the top of the ladder, where he has gained control of the masses.
In the beginning, when he had started to attract the attention of the people as a 'self-sacrificing reformā by investing his personal fortune in education and medical projects, Albert had thought it was too late to flatter the people like that.
However, the people are cash cows.
As Brad continued to invest more and more of the huge amount of money he had collected from somewhere, the peopleās skepticism began to loosen, and finally some of them began to express their support for Brad. As a result, in this short period of time, Brad was able to win the hearts of many people.
Not only the people, but also the nobles.
Nobles are above the people in terms of status, but their stance and behavior is greatly influenced by the peopleās mindset.
In other words, when Brad won the hearts of the people, the nobles were forced to reevaluate Brad when considering their course of action.
And after seeing what Brat had been doing recently, many of the nobles judged that Bradās popularity was not just something on the surface, but something with substance. As a result, not only the people, but also the hearts of the nobility were moving in favor of Brad.
The same goes for the students of the academy.
Most of the students at the academy were favorably impressed by the change in Brad, as their parents, the nobles, were beginning to appreciate it. The ones who used to mock him, calling him a āblack pig,ā seem uncomfortable, but many of them are changing their attitudes.
(I guess this is all part of his planā¦ā¦.)
He remembered the match in the courtyard
Even though Albert surpassed Brad in ability, it still wasnāt enough to defeat him. And thatās not all, Albert was almost defeated when he had mistakenly created an opening for Brad to strike.
Looking at his unfathomable intelligence, it seemed that everything was going according to Bradās plan up to this point. What Albert had built up over the years, his brother was gaining in an instant with his brilliant mind. It was tremendous skill.
(And above all, that power ā¦ā¦)
The other day, a werewolf lord appeared in the square.
It was incredibly strong.
The skilled knights were defeated in a single blow and even himself was defeated by the incredibly strong monster. But Brad came along and defeated the monster in one blow.
The reason why the monster was defeated in a single blow might have been the fact that He and the knights weakened it a little bit, but thereās no doubt that heās no longer the Brad of a few months ago.
(ā¦ā¦ just like the older brother he used to know.)
Albert remembers his brother from childhood.
In fact, as a child, Brad was better than Albert. As a matter of fact,Ā Albert was said to be worse.
Ever since he could remember, Albert had had a strong admiration for his older brother, and had followed him around like a chick following its parent.
In order to catch up with his older brother, he had been making desperate efforts in both swordsmanship and magic.
(Brother ā¦ā¦ why have you changed?)
However, it would have been nice if the two brothers could have grown up together in friendly rivalry, but reality did not work out that way.
One day, Brad suddenly stopped trying.
It was probably before he entered the academy. Suddenly, he started skipping swordplay, magic, and schoolwork, and refused to work hard.
I donāt know what the cause was.
Albert and the people around him repeatedly asked him about the cause, but he just replied that it became too much trouble.
As a result, except for going to school, Brad became a recluse in his room, and before long, he took on the appearance of that āblack pigā.
Albert was shocked.
He was shocked to see his brother, whom he admired so much, become so ugly and fallen, but most of all, he was shocked to see that his brother had so easily thrown away the position and honor that Albert had so desperately sought, just like a piece of trash.
It was as if he had been denied everything he had worked for, everything he was.
At first, Albert had tried to persuade Brad somehow. However, Brad never regained his motivation.
Albert gradually became disillusioned with his brotherās decline, and they eventually began to fight every time they saw each other.
The brother he used to know no longer returned. The brother he had longed for was gone.
Thatās what I thought, but nowā¦
(Why now, ā¦ā¦)
Why is he now regaining his motivation and showing signs of the brother I used to admire?
Whenever he thought about Brad, various emotions ran rampant in Albertās mind, and his mind was severely disturbed.
(ā¦ā¦)
No, the reason is no longer important. If my brother is going to stand in my way, Iām going to crush him with everything Iāve got.
(Iāll teach you at the sword dance festival)
Itās too late to get motivated now. He knew that while his brother was slacking off, he was several steps ahead of him.
But just when he had made up his mindā¦
āCan you really win?
I heard a voice.
It was the voice of a somewhat mysterious woman.
It was a quiet voice, but one that I could not help but listen to.
āā¦ā¦?ā
Albert looked around.
But there was no sign of the woman.
He frowned, wondering if it was an auditory hallucination, but as if reading his mind, the woman spoke in a lustrous voice.
āDid you see how he fought the monster in the square? Your brother has become incomparably stronger than before. It seems that the last time you fought, it was a draw, but now that heās all matured, do you think you can beat him?ā
She spoke to Albert as if whispering in his ear.
He looked around again, but there was no sign of the woman.
Albertās eyes narrowed.
āShut up, who are you?ā
āIt doesnāt matter who I am. More importantly, you really think you canāt beat your brother, donāt you?
Albert clicks his tongue viciously.
Iām not sure if sheās using some sort of magic tool or magic that speaks directly to the mind, or if one of Bradās followers is playing a joke on me.
He said, ā Screw that! I know I can win. Itās true that my brother has become stronger, but his strength is only the result of a few months of training. The gods of war are on my side. Just watch, Iāll make my brother lick the ground.ā
āOhā¦ then why is your mind so disturbed? You know the truth, donāt you? You know that youāre no match for your brother.ā
The womanās tone was filled with mockery.
āI said, shut up!ā
Alberto finally raised his voice.
Along with the scream, magic power overflowed from Albertās body. a strong wave of magic power shook the air.
The woman does not stop smiling even after the display of intimidation that would make an ordinary person tremble.
āYou are just like a strong and intimidating puppy. I donāt want to fight with you. I just thought I could help you if you want to beat your brother.ā
āHelp me?āćAlbert furrows his brow.
āYesā¦ power. You have as much talent as your brother. Itās just that you donāt know how to use it. So Iāll help you.ā
āStop it. I canāt borrow power from someone or something I donāt know. In the first place, I can never lose to my brother. You must be one of those in my brotherās faction. Say one more trash word to me and Iāll make you regret getting on my bad side with your life.ā
The woman laughed happily as Albert barked with intimidation.
āOhā¦ Thatās scary. You seem to be very stubborn. I wonder if I should pull back for today. There are other things I need to do to get the show going. But if you need my help, just reach out to me, Iām always watching you.ā
As soon as she said that, her presence vanished immediately as if she were a ghost.
I waited for a while, but I didnāt hear her voice again.
āI seeā¦ā
Albert took a deep breath as though he just finished an intense workout.
His mental strength had been drained greatly.
(What on earth was that?ā¦)
Albert, who had survived a lot of hardships, should not have gotten tired as easily as he did now.
I thought that maybe one of Bradās followers was playing a trick on me but that didnāt seem to be the case.
(Iāll defeat my brother without anyoneās help and maybe then, this uneasiness in my mind will disappear.)
Albert clenched his fist and made up his mind to do so.
*****
<Dinoās POV>
In the third training ground after Albert left, his companion Dino Schwazer was still there.
However he wasnāt enthusiastic about training anymore. He was already out of his training clothes and was putting on normal ones and was already leaving the training ground.
(Albert-sama isnāt doing it, so I donāt see any reason why I should either. I guess it wonāt be a problem if I go home.)
Dino snorted at the students who were training hard and left the training ground.
I donāt think Iāll do very well anyway.
Training hard wonāt change my ability in a day or two and even if it does change, I canāt beat someone whoās naturally talented.
(Oopsā¦ Before I go back, I have to do my daily routine)
Dino suddenly thinks, and runs up the stairs of the school building with bouncy footsteps.
He came to the rooftop
From its spacious location, which was also treated as a ball room during the most recent night of Alyar, Dino looked down on the outdoor training ground no.1.
It was crowded with many students.
While other training grounds are basically not available without permission and reservation, the first training ground is always open to all students, so the threshold is low.
(Uhyo! Jessica-chan still has a pretty body! No, Mira-chanās ass is irresistible!?)
Dinoās line of sight wasnāt the tough boys who were likely to be rivals at the sword dance festival, but the pretty girls.
After school, Dino made it a daily routine to watch pretty girls who sweat while training from the rooftop.
Whatās more, he wasnāt satisfied with just looking at them and even used a spell to strengthen his eyesight, and stretch down his nose towards the girls who are struggling to train.
āAh ā¦ If I win the sword dance festival, I wonder if Iāll be able to get a good woman! But I canāt win the championship, even by mistake!ā
I muttered such a stupid thing and clicked my tongue.
āAre you going to participate in the sword dance festival?ā
Suddenly, a voice called from the side.
Dino quivered and hurriedly turned his gaze toward the voice.
There was a male student there.
He was a boy of medium height with no distinguishing features.
If I had to put it in another way, Iād say he was ordinary in every way.
Dino was a member of nobility, so he would know.
āHmmmā¦ Thatās right and youāre talking to Dino Schwazer, Iāve never seen you before, so I donāt know if youāre new or not, but you should watch how you speak.ā
āIf youāre going to participate at the sword dance festival, then youāre in luck.ā
Dino makes a threat but the boy ignores it as if he didnāt hear it and approaches him with an eerie smile.
āWha- what are you?ā
Dino was shaken by the boyās strange atmosphere and took a step backwards.
It was at this point that he finally discovered some features on the boyās body that seemed ordinary in every way at first, but were far from ordinary.
First, the ears.
The ears on his head were clearly not those of a normal human. They were those of an animal.
Next are the teeth and eyes.
The canine teeth peeking out of his mouth were unusually sharp, and the eyes, with their amber color and black pupils, were sharper than those of the human race.
Looking at those characteristics, Dino guesses the identity of the male student.
āYouā¦ Youāre a beastman? But a while agoā¦ā
The moment Dino raised his voice in confusion.
The end of the male studentās mouth spread eerily as if it were torn, and immediately after that, a tremendous shock came to his abdomen, and Dinoās consciousness was blown away in an instant.