Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 220
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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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I browsed through weapons at the Royal Armory, explaining the Pope’s plan that I’d deduced. I told Nerva that the Fourth Prince’s timely appearance was crucial to thwart it, and that for the sake of peace between Largol and Aleine, the death of the sorceress masquerading as Pope was necessary.
Nerva, whose years of struggle against Lucilucil had not been wasted, immediately grasped the importance of timing.
“By that timing, you mean after His Majesty the Emperor passes away?”
“You seem displeased, sir?”
“Not at all. If you return safely, send word. I’ll grant you a formal title.”
“Oh my, your generosity is boundless.”
This bastard also has Largol in his name, and he’s just as sinister as his father. A title from Largol, though… it wouldn’t hurt to have one tucked away. I don’t know what the future holds anyway. One must prepare for all contingencies, after all.
From a building some distance from the Emperor’s Throne Hall, we watched the situation unfold as an elephant methodically demolished the palace and trampled it to dust, waiting for the Pope to appear.
Jack used the magnifying lenses of his gas mask, but Aster, with his excellent eyesight, spotted the Pope immediately and alerted everyone.
“Young Lady, there she is! That old woman! She tricked me into thinking she’d buy me galbi with flowers, but she only bought me plain galbi!”
You poor thing… deceived while being deceived, and swindled on top of it all. No wonder your eyes are glistening with tears.
As I comforted Aster and looked out the window, it was complete pandemonium. Attendants screamed and fled in all directions, while the Imperial Guard, who had been chasing the elephant, called out to His Majesty.
Well… realistically speaking, anyone inside that building would have little chance of survival. Even if the Emperor somehow used a secret passage and survived, in the chaos we could simply declare him dead and be done with it.
“Nerva.”
“What.”
“Later, if Father happens to be alive, you understand?”
“Do I look like a fool?”
“No, sir. Why would Nerva be a fool? You’re quite brilliant. Where else could one find such a virtuous ruler?”
“I offer my deepest condolences to your nation’s Crown Prince.”
Why did that man suddenly come up? I wonder if Capo handled her business well. By now, she should have completely destroyed our position through a proper rendezvous.
‘The power of Joraab Faith distinguishes not between life and death!’
My, this old woman even crafted her incantation specifically for Joraab. The Church will be milking this for a thousand years.
“Let’s go, now is the time to leave!”
This old woman is finished. Right now, we possess bodies completely immune to her magic, and once we deal with that elephant, handling the rest would be child’s play.
Even if someone tried to defend the Pope, we had the justification of protecting the Fourth Prince. Silencing everyone would be simple. It was my usual method—the dead tell no tales.
As I stepped outside, there came a thunderous crash, and the rotting elephant collapsed. The stench was overwhelming. What a terrifying spell. Now that I think about it, if that man’s aging has stopped, he must be at least a Sixth Circle mage, right? My opponent is a Grand Mage. But even a Grand Mage couldn’t cast such massive spells consecutively. Only Serena could pull off such acrobatics, and she’s already gone from this world.
I pushed through the wounded attendants and Imperial Guards. They revered Grandmother’s achievements with fervent admiration, and some priests wept with joy at the appearance of the next Pope. Even if commoners didn’t understand, priests of that caliber clearly knew the Pope’s true power.
『Wait just a moment!』
Before that old woman could open her mouth, I had to speak first! The Emperor is already dead. Even if he weren’t, I’d kill him later. That man no longer exists. And I have a very precious card in the Fourth Prince.
The stage was set. The witnesses had gathered. Now I stood alone on the world’s stage, a solitary actor. A show—it has no ending, only this moment exists.
『You’ve revealed yourself! Leader of the Heretical Sect!』
To convince people that she wasn’t the Pope, calling her the Heretical Sect Leader was the right move. That was actually her true title, and that monster was unmistakably an elephant created by the Heretical Sect. Since it was a creature of the Heretical Sect, it was easy for the Heretical Sect Leader to control and kill it. Moreover, I could plant the additional grievance that the Heretical Sect had attempted to be recognized as the next Pope.
So I continued speaking. Presenting my best move, Nerva Tianuus Largol, I raised my voice.
『Your schemes will never succeed! The Pope is alive! And he sought refuge in Aleine, entrusting his protection to me!』
The crowd murmured. Some rejoiced at the Fourth Prince’s survival, while others fell into confusion at my words. There had never been two Popes in a single era. Then what was this blue-haired woman before them? Was she the Heretical Sect Leader as I claimed? Such suspicion spread, and they took a step back to observe the situation.
『My name is Rosalite Rocksburg! I currently hold the highest position in the Internal Affairs Bureau of the Largol Imperial Palace! I’ve come not only to safely escort Nerva but also to expose Lucius, who falsely accused my husband of assassinating Prince Marius!』
Ah, now this is it. Even if I can’t solve the regression problem, I can at least resolve the war situation before I leave.
My declaration first moved the priests. Since they knew well of the Heretical Sect’s existence, they were easily persuaded by me. The Heretical Sect was certainly capable of orchestrating such a theatrical performance. And though they’d gone into hiding now, the Pope had been alive and well just days ago, and there could not exist two Popes in a single era.
Second, the attendants moved. They had merely forgotten their suspicions while I was causing chaos in the Imperial Palace, but they harbored doubts about Marius’s death and Lucius’s smooth ascension to Crown Prince.
And most importantly, this situation looked like Lucius would be finished and the Imperial Palace would revolve around the Fourth Prince, while I’d be returning to Aleine—which felt refreshingly satisfying.
The majority believed my words. At this moment, I could kill that woman without facing consequences.
『I see I’ve been outmaneuvered. I’ll look for another opportunity then.』
Huh? Where exactly do you have another opportunity? I was about to order Mother and Aster to charge forward when that old woman started muttering something.
It was a magical incantation. Had I dragged out the show too long? But in this situation, that old woman had no means of escape.
Buoooooo!
Wait, why is there an elephant’s cry?!
My ears rang from the deafening sound as the massive, rotting elephant blocked the path in front of Grandmother. What? Why is it moving? This—I had no prior intelligence on this!
“Gasp! That’s right, Doctor! That old woman can even control dead people!”
“That’s correct, Young Lady! The burning people were even casting defensive magic!”
“That’s right, Rosie. Mother forgot about that.”
You should have told me that, you burn victims!
Just as I was about to lose my temper, a large shadow suddenly fell before my eyes. And I heard Leon’s cry.
“Sister! Danger!”
The elephant was rotting, but its claws and soles remained intact. As the massive foot came down to trample me, Leon stepped in front of me and unleashed a violet aura. Wait, from how the elephant barely took damage earlier, it seems Aster’s aura beam didn’t work either. If you act recklessly like this, what will we do?!
“Electromagnetic conversion! Maximum output! Concentration!”
I gathered all metal objects and magnetic iron to block Leon’s front. Wow, this is absurd. It was a force I couldn’t handle with Third Circle magic. If my concentration wavered even slightly, the iron fragments would scatter.
“Please dodge, Sister! I’ll hold it!”
“No! You can’t hold it! Just get out of the way!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Sister!”
“You’re the one being ridiculous!”
“Dying for you is my wish, Sister!”
“Shut it, you fool! You’ve never wanted that even once!”
If your true wish was to die for me, my regression would have been solved long ago. When you were stabbed by Luke, when you died from lemonade, and what else was there? No, I’m losing focus—I need to stop thinking about this.
“Both of you! Hold on with the Doctor and that creepy sibling! If either of you breaks, you all die!”
“Rosie! Rosie, just hold on a little longer! Mother will cut this damn thing down!”
What do I do? It seems Leon and I need to exert our full strength just to withstand this force.
As the ground caved in under the weight and I nearly buckled to my knees, Jack and Aster stepped forward to try pushing the elephant’s leg aside, but their efforts fell short. Sage’s lightning didn’t work. Aura didn’t work either. The fact that even Aster’s intervention didn’t budge it meant one thing—human strength alone couldn’t lift it.
Wait. That means most of the force supporting this elephant is coming from my electrokinesis, doesn’t it? No matter how hard Leon tries, his strength is weaker than Aster’s. Which means… I’m the only one who can’t escape.
“Leon, you have to get out of here! I can buy us time!”
“No! I’d rather die! Why would you die, Sister!”
“Why would I die, you idiot!”
“You’ll die if I leave! You’ll die without any regrets! You’ll just die!”
This boy sees right through me. Truth be told, I had no regrets about dying now. I’d already lived a long life, and death would just mean becoming a battery. So Leon had to live. It was a choice between two outcomes. The right answer was obviously to save Leon.
I didn’t need to turn my head to know Leon was crying. The boy was sobbing loudly. If this continued, we’d both be crushed. I hoped he’d accept it and leave.
“Even if I had regrets in my life, I would have saved you. What reason does a sister need to save her brother?”
“You know I’m not your real brother! You know that! Why are you doing this when you know!”
“You are my brother. Even if I can’t marry you, I can love you for the rest of my life, Asterion Rocksburg.”
So please, I’m dying here, just stop arguing and get out of here…
“…?”
I did, but? Wait? What? Hold on, right now?
Suddenly, my neck felt light. And mana surged within me. What? That’s strange. I’m defending with all my strength right now, so mana should be draining away, not building up. When would that happen?
“Whoa! Incredible! Papa, I’m at the Fourth Circle!”
“What?!”
And I can split this. I can sense it instinctively. Ah. So that’s why Double Casting can’t be learned privately? This is the realm of instinct. Dividing all mana and pouring a portion into a different spell—that was an unconscious level of control.
“Electrokinetic conversion, manual control, release.”
I manipulated Aster’s sword with my power, driving it deep into the wound my mother had created on the elephant. The exterior deflected aura and magic, but what about the interior? Of course, I didn’t know the answer, so I had to test it.
“Aster!
Die, William Brown
!”
“Yes, Young Lady!”
Aster leaped up and grabbed the sword at my command. After that,
”
Die, William Brown!
”
he shouted. Mercifully—so very mercifully—the elephant’s leg was severed. Losing its balance, the elephant collapsed.
This attack method works. Perhaps it was because the creature had already been weakened and rotted from Grandmother’s magic before. I ordered them to defeat the elephant using this strategy and caught my breath. I sank to the ground. Leon was clinging to my arm, whimpering about how grateful he was to be alive, and suddenly my chest ached.
“…Huh?”
Something was wrong. A long object was lodged in my chest. Bad luck, I suppose. It looked like debris from a building or perhaps a decorative spire from a tower.
“Cough.”
As I coughed, unable to breathe, blood kept flowing. The red stain on my chest grew larger and larger. Sensation faded from my fingertips. I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear anything.
I died.
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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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