Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 149
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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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Aster raised her sword in an upward strike, gathering an enormous amount of aura. As such a massive quantity of energy converged in one place, the air crackled and tore with a sharp, sizzling sound.
The Unknown Woman lifted her leg as if to shatter the railing, then swung it down with tremendous force.
“Die, William Brown!”
I could only gasp in shock. The aura radiating from Aster pierced through the sea anemone with a piercing shriek. It was like watching a laser cannon in action.
A portion of the colossal anemone’s body was instantly obliterated, yet I couldn’t believe what I was witnessing—I had no idea what she was doing.
“It works.”
Having confirmed her ability to attack from a distance, the Young Lady swung her sword with satisfaction and bit off a chunk of pork leg. Right, she’d expended a lot of aura, so she must be running low on fuel. Eat up, eat plenty.
“Was Rocksburg secretly raising a human weapon?”
“That’s a misunderstanding. I only learned about this today myself.”
“More importantly, isn’t that thing regenerating?”
What? Did this monster really need to be such a sea anemone in this situation? Yet this ancient marine creature seemed determined to assert its anemone identity, rapidly regenerating its vanished body.
The cells bubbled and divided, quickly reforming into their original shape. As if the earlier blow had hurt, it thrashed its tentacles wildly, creating towering waves.
“Kyeeeeaaargh!”
“What do we do now! We’ve just made it angrier!”
“What do you mean what do we do! Why don’t you try doing something instead! You’ve just been watching this whole time and complaining!”
“That’s because naval combat isn’t my specialty!”
“Combat itself isn’t my specialty!”
I was clinging to the mast screaming, when I suddenly recalled thinking that if I lined up the Princess and Asterion side by side, they’d look like cicadas. This is why you shouldn’t curse people so carelessly. Here I was, clinging to the mast of the Lusilu Ship, looking far more ridiculous than a cicada myself.
“Hmm?”
I glanced over to see if Serena had come up with a plan, and noticed the giant anemone’s trajectory seemed to have shifted ever so slightly.
At this rate, it would head toward the trading port rather than the tourist port of Bienar—and with that realization came the understanding that far greater damage would result, along with a sudden insight into the creature’s behavioral pattern.
“Hey! That thing’s stupid!”
Of course a sea anemone would have no intelligence! It had probably traveled in a straight line from the Empire to Alein Harbor, and while Aster’s attack had slightly altered its course, it paid no mind and continued forward in a straight line.
If that were the case, then by continuously changing its direction, the creature wouldn’t land on Alein. At this trajectory, it would likely head toward Admé, a coastal village on the border between the Cerepia Federation and Noctram Duchy—and once it crossed into foreign territory, it wasn’t my problem anymore!
“Aster! One more William Brown attack! Adjust northwest!”
“Which way is northwest!”
“Tilt slightly from where you’re facing—the direction you don’t hold a spoon!”
“Yes, Young Lady!”
Ah, our lovely Aster follows orders so well!
The Unknown Woman chewed on prosciutto while unleashing William Brown repeatedly. The anemone kept regenerating, but its trajectory shifted exactly as I intended.
“What’s the point of this! Duke’s Daughter!”
This fellow still hadn’t caught on! As the waves calmed with the anemone’s retreat, the man rushed over to protest. Since I no longer needed to cling to the mast playing cicada, I leaped down to the deck and grabbed the Duke.
“Look carefully! Where is that anemone heading!”
“That would be…!”
Now understanding dawned on him. The man’s eyes widened in surprise, then he quickly reverted to his gentle demeanor, his face brightening with joy.
“Cerepia! It’s heading toward Cerepia!”
“Exactly! Now do you understand!”
“Good heavens! I can just picture the shock on those Cerepia Federation faces! Are you a genius, Duke’s Daughter?”
“I’ve been called a prodigy since childhood!”
“That’s absolutely right! The Rocksburg Ducal House truly has no equal when it comes to cunning schemes!”
At Duke Noctram’s praise, I puffed out my chest proudly and laughed with delight—and the Duke himself roared with laughter, thoroughly amused.
Farewell, sea anemones! Perish, Cerepia Federation! Since Capo and her people were inland, I had no qualms about it! I had no idea which coastal nation would suffer the consequences, but they were in for a rough time!
Thrilled beyond measure, I couldn’t contain my excitement and took the Duke’s hand—who had shifted into his gentle mode—and began to sing.
“Oh, the wheat and barley grow!”
“The wheat and barley grow!”
Singing the round, we linked arms and began a folk dance, swaying in circles with rhythmic hand claps. This step—spinning arm-in-arm while snapping our fingers—was a national dance that no citizen of Alein Kingdom could possibly not know. Even a ruthless killer from the northern wastes apparently knew this one, for the man spun in circles with me, stamping his feet, clapping his hands, and glancing about in all directions.
“You wicked little brats!”
“Ow!”
“Yowww!”
But suddenly a sharp blow struck my head. It hurt! My head felt like it would split open, so I clutched my crown and crouched down, while Serena let out furious squeaks of anger.
“I thought you were good children, but you’re absolutely rotten to the core! Is it not enough that your own country doesn’t collapse?! What about the people of other nations!”
“Sorceress! Why should our Alein Kingdom concern itself with that!”
“That’s right!”
“These wretches won’t reflect on their actions!”
Ahhhhh! It hurts! It hurts so much! I’m going to die!
Serena showed no mercy whether her target was the Duke or the Duke’s Daughter, and after pummeling us both, she sighed heavily and struck her chest in lament. Perhaps because I looked more fragile, the Duke—who had taken an even more thorough beating—protested through tears streaming down his face.
“This is outrageous! How dare you lay hands upon Duke Noctram and expect to live!”
“Listen here, you fool—if you can kill me, then try.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Honestly, why did he have to provoke her like that and invite more punishment?
Serena cast some sort of magic—without even chanting—lifting the Duke into the air and thrashing him thoroughly with a fierce wind from every angle. Well, Serena was skilled enough to cast most spells without incantations anyway.
“Sage’s little one. Give me your hand.”
“Are you going to hit me?”
“I’m not hitting you, so give it! A tiny thing like you with such a big mouth—smack!”
See, I knew she was going to hit me. Since the woman had raised her fist, I had no choice but to make a pitiful face and extend my hand. Serena grasped it and began draining my mana steadily.
“Wait, isn’t this mana drain? How are you even doing this?!”
“Most mages can do it.”
“No way?! I thought this technique was lost hundreds of years ago, and wait—Serena, are you actually a grand—kyaaahhh!”
Ow! Ow! Don’t pelt my head with hail, it hurts!
My mana was being drained, my head was throbbing, and I felt like I would perish right here on the deck. I wondered why Aster hadn’t appeared to help me, but apparently the woman had collapsed from hunger and was sprawled out on the deck, munching on cured ham and snoring away.
There she lay, snoring contentedly while I was dying in agony.
“The power is a bit insufficient, but it should hold for about two weeks.”
What do you mean?
With barely enough strength to speak, I managed to kneel and lift my head when suddenly a waterspout erupted from the sea, and the water began freezing with a crackling sound. The temperature dropped so sharply that the seawater froze instantly, and as a result, even the Lusilu Ship became encased in thin ice as the temperature plummeted.
It was cold. Bitterly cold—my teeth chattered uncontrollably, and there was nothing I could do to warm my body.
“Well then, wake me when Sage’s little one arrives.”
Was she entering sleep mode too? Serena wrapped her cloak around herself, collapsed onto the floor with a thud, shut her eyes tightly, and clamped her mouth shut.
Regardless, you’re leaving all the cleanup to me, aren’t you? Well, that was always my family’s specialty, so at least you chose your people well.
After composing myself and disembarking, Sage embraced me at the harbor. She’d thought I was dead since the communication crystal wasn’t working—she was crying her eyes out. Right, I’d burned through all my mana; there was no way I could’ve powered the crystal.
I explained the situation and instructed them to move Serena and Aster, who had entered sleep mode, to Rocksburg Duke’s Estate, then took Sage to where the sea anemone lay frozen.
Based on Serena’s assessment, the ice encasing the anemone would last at most two weeks, and when I explained that the creature continued regenerating even after taking a direct hit from Aster’s laser beam, Sage pursed her lips and frowned in displeasure.
“To annihilate something this massive in a single strike without allowing regeneration would require that much thermal energy….”
“You’re saying even Papa, the greatest brain-attribute archmage of the 7th Circle in the world, cannot do it?”
“Your flattery is pleasant to hear, but I’m afraid it’s simply a bit… difficult.”
“Papa, you can’t do it? But Serena was using mana drain earlier.”
“That’s something only old folks like Serena can manage. How would a child like me pull off something like that?”
….
“…Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“Yes, sir.”
Of course. I heard nothing about being called a child, Papa.
“Anyway, we’ve confirmed the anemone’s location. Let’s head back for now. You’ll catch a cold.”
Right. Since we have about two weeks, that does seem like the best course of action.
The chill from Serena’s magic clung to my entire body, and I couldn’t shake the cold. Seeing me shiver pitifully, Sage wrapped me in her cloak and held me close. Even so, with Papa’s body heat, I could feel myself warming up a little.
I nestled into Papa’s cloak and waddled alongside her toward the carriage. For now, I should rest thoroughly today, and we can discuss that anemone starting tomorrow.
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“Achoo!”
The next day arrived, and it seemed I’d caught a cold. Ugh, I ate nourishing food yesterday and soaked in hot water, yet here I am anyway.
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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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