Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 104

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Perhaps it was because of all the commotion we’d caused. As we passed by Peter Brown’s Rabbit Enclosure along the Walking Path, Peter came bounding out of his hutch in a fury. He seemed to have been roused from sleep and grown agitated, so I tried to calm him down, but before I could even step forward, he leaped over the fence and clamped his jaws down on Leon’s head.
“…?”
What on earth? What in the world was happening?
With Leon’s upper body now lodged in his mouth, Peter suddenly jerked his head upward, attempting to swallow him whole.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, you damned beast! Spit him out! Spit out my brother, you idiot!”
I could hear Leon’s muffled voice gurgling from somewhere deep inside Peter, so he was still alive, but no matter how hard I pulled at the rabbit’s fur or kicked at his front legs, the stupid creature showed no intention of releasing Leon.
“Jack! Jack Brown, where are you! Hey! My brother’s dying!”
In my panic, I even kicked off my shoes and ran toward the Brown Estate, pounding on the door. Fortunately, Jack Brown spotted me through the window and leaped out of his room without hesitation.
Once Jack scolded Peter, the rabbit reluctantly spat Leon out with a wet sound. Apparently, he’d never intended to kill him in the first place, for Asterion emerged without a scratch—though he was thoroughly covered in rabbit saliva.
“My apologies. Peter has a habit of swallowing people who carry darkness in their hearts.”
What kind of nonsense was that? How could a rabbit possibly sense darkness in someone’s heart? Was Peter some sort of spirit creature? Well, judging by his size and appearance, he certainly looked like one.
In any case, I scolded them both, saying that swallowing passersby regardless of their inner darkness was absolutely unacceptable. Both of them hung their heads in shame, and Jack Brown promised it would never happen again.
“I’ll apologize alongside you, so Leon, don’t hold onto this grudge….”
Since we’d be living together for the foreseeable future, I tried to convince him to let it slide just this once. But Leon’s demeanor shifted in a peculiar way.
The boy, drenched from head to toe in rabbit saliva, snapped off a nearby branch and let out an enormous battle cry.
Not long after, a violet aura began to ripple across Asterion’s body.
“Wow….”
“This is troublesome.”
Right. Getting nearly eaten by a rabbit and then having his aura burst from frustration—that made perfect sense.
I was standing there in utter bewilderment when I saw Leon preparing to charge at Peter. No, that wouldn’t do. If Peter died, Jack would run away from home again!
“Jack! Bring that here! The rabbit horn!”
“Understood! I’ll hold the line!”
Without hesitation, I threw my entire body forward, grabbed Leon around the waist, and held on as he struggled. Asterion desperately pleaded with me to get out of the way, while the frantic Jack brought over the Deathside, still wrapped in cloth and without even unwinding it.
“Let me go, miss! I’ve disliked that creature since the very first moment I saw it!”
“Oh my!”
Well, yes, Peter had urinated on you or thrown rabbit droppings at you every time he saw you, but he’s just a beast—what could he possibly understand? More importantly, don’t you think the animals dislike you far too much?! Even Elizabeth despises you!
Leon finally broke free from my grasp and swung the branch, determined to kill the rabbit. When Jack blocked it with his machete, the cloth wrapping the blade ignited with a whoosh and burned away.
What abundant and stable aura he possessed. Even that weapon, which had shattered Aster’s aura in an instant, couldn’t completely suppress Leon’s aura. For a child who had only just begun to use aura, his mastery was utterly unbelievable.
“Move! Do you want to die too!”
“Didn’t you hear what the young lady said earlier! Cool your head!”
Oh no, Jack was going to die at this rate. Leon was unleashing an endless barrage of branch strikes with all his might, but Jack, forced into a purely defensive stance, could only accumulate injuries.
Perhaps he’d intended to hold out until Leon’s aura shattered the branch, but it looked like Jack would collapse first. Blood was already streaming from countless wounds across his body from Leon’s swift strikes.
It was clear the boy had more aptitude for single-handed weapons than dual-wielding. During the twelfth loop, when he fought the True Magic Tower Master, if he’d brought a lighter single-handed sword instead of something showy like a claymore, he might have at least survived. And if he was concerned about defense, carrying a parrying dagger in his other hand would provide better balance.
I’d need to discuss this with Jack separately and give him proper instruction. If he wanted to survive, practicality had to come before style.
Just as Jack was about to give way, Aster finally arrived at the Rabbit Enclosure. She’d apparently bolted from her meal—she came running with a silver tray holding a bowl of spaghetti, slurping the noodles as she sprinted. Once she confirmed I was safe, she stopped running, but I had no intention of letting Jack fall.
“Aster. Calm Leon down.”
Aster nodded while chewing her noodles, then with tremendous suction, she inhaled the remaining spaghetti, tossed the empty bowl aside, and hefted the tray.
Clang!
The sharp, crystalline sound of a silver tray striking my younger brother’s occipital bone rang out. Asterion certainly had a hard head. The sturdy tray hadn’t even dented.
“Ugh…, d…, a….”
Finally, he stopped.
I checked that the unconscious Asterion was breathing properly, then had Aster carry him. Jack had numerous scrapes scattered across his body, but he seemed capable of walking, so I asked if he could find the Doctor on his own—he assured me he could.
“Make sure you tell the Doctor about the scratches from the branches. Do everything the Doctor tells you to do. If he says to get an injection, get one. If he says to take medicine, take it.”
“I know, I know. I’m not ten years old anymore.”
Well, Aster won’t even go see the Doctor unless I say something. Jack’s the type who wouldn’t mention anything even when his jaw was dislocated until it healed completely, so he’ll surely handle himself just fine.
Finally, I scolded Peter and decreed that he would receive only bean paste as punishment for the time being. Upon hearing my announcement, Peter let out pitiful squeaks, but discipline was necessary for living together.
No matter how much darkness one feels in their heart, one cannot simply go around swallowing people whole. How could I possibly keep a rabbit in this house if that were the case?
I carefully retrieved the unconscious Asterion and brought him back to care for him and let my anger subside. Regardless of everything else, since Jack was raising him, he was already part of the family. Leon reluctantly accepted my request for him to show some consideration.
And not long after, at a modest twentieth birthday party for Asterion, Leon and I held a ceremony exchanging rings that displayed our fraternal bond.
Though time must have been tight, Asterion had somehow brought a ring that fit my pinky perfectly. He slipped on a ring of the same design for himself and wore a blissful smile all day long.
I’m not sure what magic was involved, but he seemed absolutely delighted to have that enchanted ring on his finger.
I pretended not to know and put on the ring, then sought out Sage to reveal the magic’s nature. Sage said it wasn’t their specialty, but they believed tracking magic had been cast on it. They’d set a colored gemstone into it, and the mana crystal that powered the tracking magic had been dyed in such a lovely hue.
In any case, it wasn’t something that would cause great harm, so I decided to continue wearing Leon’s gift.
He’d grown up without incident until twenty—I could certainly do this much for him. Yet knowing Asterion had turned twenty left me feeling oddly unsettled.
Was this merely the beginning? For a twenty-year-old Asterion, the danger of death was like a lifelong companion, and I needed to keep my wits about me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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