Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 233

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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 was about to voice that question when a glass came flying from somewhere and struck Leon squarely on the side of his head before shattering. Blood trickled from his temple and ear due to the broken shards, and I heard Lucilucil apologizing.
“Are you alright, brother-in-law? My hand simply slipped, that’s all.”
“Ha ha ha ha, tremors come with age, I suppose. It’s fine. It’s just a little blood.”
“I never imagined you wouldn’t dodge it. What a waste of the title you once held as captain of the Imperial Palace Guard.”
“If I had dodged, you would have been hit instead. If you threw it without knowing, that would be most disrespectful.”
“I told you my hand slipped. Are your ears not working properly, brother-in-law?”
“I’m not your brother-in-law yet.”
“Aren’t you going to be? I’m suggesting we become close by dropping formalities. Or is it that you don’t wish to be close with me? Rosalite would be sad.”
“I never said I didn’t wish to be close.”
“Then it’s settled. I want to become very close with you, brother-in-law.”
Leon, who had been biting his lip while facing the grinning Lucilucil, suddenly thrust his head toward me and rubbed his cheek against mine, then complained that his ear hurt from the bleeding and asked me to soothe it. There was no better word than “complaint” to describe it, but since the child was genuinely injured, I obliged and called for the Doctor. Lucilucil, clearly displeased, slammed the table and voiced his displeasure.
“I love my Rosalite dearly, but don’t you think it’s strange? What kind of person coddles their sibling so much?”
“It’s possible. The child is still young, after all.”
“Your sibling will be twenty-three soon!”
Twenty-three… that’s still young.
When I responded in confusion, Lucilucil struck his chest in exasperation, and Jack, understanding the sentiment, brought him cold water to calm himself. Glen, who had witnessed everything, pondered carefully before offering Lucilucil some kind words.
“Well… if we don’t leave it on record, couldn’t we proceed with the ceremony itself? Between spouses, it’s something that will remain for life, so I’m not entirely unsympathetic to…”
“Gazelle, you were trying to charge at me just moments ago. Why the sudden politeness?”
“Charge at you? I was merely concerned about the rumors…”
“In any case, I’m glad we found a compromise. I don’t mind if it’s not recorded in Aleine’s history. But it must be recorded separately in Largol’s.”
“That’s fine. I have no interest whatsoever in Largol.”
“Ha ha ha, this herbivore is putting on airs.”
Lucilucil found it adorable and began patting Glen’s head vigorously, while Glen complained that his hair was getting messed up and asked him to stop.
Hmm… it’s good that the two of them have grown closer, but… why does my heart feel so unsettled? Watching Lucilucil dote on Glen so much, I felt uncomfortable and uneasy. Then, as if remembering something, Lucilucil addressed me.
“Speaking of which, that mage called Sage—he’s supposed to return next month, isn’t he? I overheard something strange about it in passing.”
“It’s not so much strange as… he said he’s coming to help with the birth, so Papa instructed us not to have the child before they arrive.”
“How is that not strange?”
Well… Sage must have his reasons for saying so. I answered casually, and Glen agreed. Jack and Leon both nodded. Papa’s promise to help with my childbirth simply meant he would help with the childbirth. There could be no other interpretation of that.
“Hmm… I think you’re all strange.”
This man certainly has a strong sense of self, or perhaps I should say a clear one. Usually, when one’s opinion is in the minority, doesn’t one suspect oneself of being wrong? Yet he never yields his position—whether that makes him stubborn or endearingly reckless, I’m not sure.
“What is it? Why are you looking at me with such narrowed eyes?”
“I was thinking that Lucilucil is cute.”
“…”
What? Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Why is Jack glaring at me? Is it wrong to say something cute is cute?
“Since I’m apparently not cute, I’ll take my leave.”
Just as I was about to defend myself, Glen pouted and, leaning on his cane, quickly left the conference room. Leon thrust his head toward me again, complaining that he wasn’t cute either, and Jack patted my shoulder, saying “Reflect on this,” before following Glen out.
I was left alone in the conference room with Leon and Aster. Even Lucilucil had threatened me, saying we’d see what happens when I give birth, before leaving.

◇ ◆ ◇

Labor came earlier than expected. When I let out a piercing shriek, clutching my belly as I collapsed, the Duke’s Mansion descended into emergency chaos. From Brown to Rocksburg, not a soul remained unaware of the commotion. I was rushed to a delivery room hastily converted from the head physician’s private surgical suite, where I focused on my breathing. Before long, Sage arrived at the Mansion and was absolutely furious.
He had explicitly warned me not to give birth until after returning from the True Magic Tower, yet here I was, already in labor. As if I could control the timing of childbirth! How was I supposed to delay or accelerate such a thing?
Even lying still was agonizing, and Papa’s irritable nagging only made it worse. When I cried out in protest, Sage said that wasn’t the issue and introduced me to a female mage wearing a crimson shawl. A crimson shawl from the Magic Tower meant… a 1st Circle mage? What was he thinking, bringing such a novice to help with this?
“I’ve rushed here at your summons! A brilliant prodigy of the True Magic Tower, shining like a comet! I am Ling Ling, spatial mage! Yay!”
“….”
“….”
Could this really be the mage who was supposed to help with my delivery? When I asked hesitantly, Papa wiped his brow and explained carefully.
“She may look like this, but she possesses a genuinely rare attribute. You remember teleportation, that lost magic from long ago, right? Well, it turned out that’s a spell used by high-level spatial mages.”
“Yay! As for me, I am Ling Ling, a promising prospect of the True Magic Tower who will one day master spatial magic! Today, despite my busy schedule, I’ve rushed here to assist the True Magic Tower Master’s Doctor!”
“Hey, Ling Ling, close your mouth. You’re good at what you do, but please, just keep your mouth shut while you live.”
“Understood. People from the Magic Tower have strong personalities—that’s nothing new.”
So what exactly is this woman supposed to do for me?
As I spoke through the agony, actually pulling at Sage’s hair, the woman called Ling Ling suddenly thrust her right arm toward me and spoke cheerfully.
“I am one who transfers space, Ling Ling! My specialty is transferring objects from my right hand to my left hand!”
“….”
Wait… hold on. Something is starting to occur to me. Surely… surely she doesn’t mean she’ll grab my child from inside my body with her right hand and transfer it out with her left hand?
“Yay! Correct! As expected of the True Magic Tower Master’s Doctor! You understand everything from just one hint!”
“Is there truly no other method, Papa?”
“Better than dying during childbirth, isn’t it?”
Well… that’s true.
“Besides, Doctor, if the birth canal is too narrow, don’t they deliberately cut to prevent tearing? Tearing causes tremendous pain? In the worst cases, it doesn’t even heal properly?”
“Let’s just trust in this once!”
Right. It’s better than having my flesh torn open.
I chose to entrust my body to this scatterbrained woman rather than endure this agony any longer. Never in my life did I think I’d find myself relying on a woman’s forearm. The psychological shock was devastating, but Ling Ling assured me there would be no significant pain.
From what I’d heard in rumors, Glen’s reputation was far more terrifying than this… Had Glen’s notoriety already spread all the way to the True Magic Tower?
“My right hand is the noble gateway to heaven! All paths lead through my left hand!”
“Papa, is she perhaps a direct disciple of Serena? Why does her incantation sound like that?”
“No, she… that’s original. She came up with it herself thinking it sounded cool. I tried to stop her, didn’t I? I really did try to stop her.”
Of course you did… you’ve watched Serena for decades right before your eyes, so you must have tried your hardest. The one consolation was that unlike Serena, this Ling Ling seemed like someone who would never know shame in her entire life. Someone incapable of shame could use that incantation until she died of old age without a shred of embarrassment. She would recite it proudly every single time.
“Ta-da! Success!”
What? Already?!
While I’d been chatting with Sage, the situation had concluded. A crimson newborn with an attached umbilical cord was held in Ling Ling’s hands, my belly had collapsed inward, and amniotic fluid was gushing out—a grotesque scene unfolded before my eyes.
Not that I’m complaining about the easy delivery… but is this really okay?
“The True Magic Tower’s prodigy, Ling Ling, has done it again! Yay! Father! Where is Glen, the one with the fearsome reputation? The umbilical cord needs to be cut!”
“Y-yes! Coming! The father is coming!”
When Ling Ling called for the baby’s father, Glen and Lucilucil, both freshly sterilized, entered the delivery room together. Glen was already crying profusely, trembling as he held the scissors with hiccups, while Lucilucil steadied him and held the scissors with him.
I barely managed to hold onto my fading consciousness, feeling that strange, uncomfortable sensation again. Why were they working together, completely excluding me? Why was Lily washing the baby in warm water and wrapping it in swaddling clothes before handing it to Glen? Wasn’t that normally done for the baby’s mother first?
“You’ve worked hard, Gazelle. You’ve been through so much.”
“Yes, yes! Thank you, Lucilucil. I’m truly, overwhelmingly happy—I keep wondering if I even have the right to be this joyful…!”
“Don’t say such things. The child is entirely yours and Rocksburg’s heir. I have no interest in the succession dispute of Rocksburg, so raise them well.”
“Lucilucil…!”
So why are you two acting like a married couple?! Who’s going to encourage me for all my hard work?! Why is Glen crying so innocently?! Anyone seeing this would think she’s the empress who just gave birth! Though she is beautiful, I’ll admit!
“Ling… Ling Ling…”
Right, I didn’t have the luxury to waste energy on such trivial matters. Before I lost consciousness, there was something I needed to tell Ling Ling.
“How about you and I go into business together? I’ll manage it for you—we’ll split it seventy-thirty.”
“Yes! The True Magic Tower Master has spoken! She said the Doctor would definitely covet my abilities and want to make money, so I must refuse unconditionally! I shall return to the True Magic Tower at once! The Holy Expectation, Ling Ling, has much work to do!”
“I’ll concede to eighty-twenty. I won’t go lower than that. And if you run, you die. I’m not joking. Unless you’re going into business with me, you’re dead.”
“Y-yes…?”
Once word spreads that childbirth can be managed this way, the demand will be astronomical. The fertility crisis in noble society will be solved, and people will even travel to Rocksburg for childbirth. Most of them will be wealthy and powerful—so I can simply sit back, work Ling Ling, and watch the money pour in.

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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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