Chapter 54. < 25. You've Changed a Lot >
"Brother, brother! Please calm down!"
Morgan called out to Lumian while sweating a drop of sweat. It was to stop him.
Why on earth would someone who should know better act like this?
Just as that question rose in his mind, his eyes met with Lumian, who had turned his head.
And then he realized.
The fact that Lumian was completely drunk.
'Damn, now that I think about it, his body changed!'
No wonder. There was no way the brother would be so relaxed and cracking jokes without a hint of tension.
He belatedly realized his mistake and moved to contain the situation.
"Brother, let's go outside for now. Put away your Aura Sword."
"What? We're leaving? Why?"
"It's your younger brother's earnest request. Please."
"But……"
Lumian trailed off, looking toward the women.
He didn't seem like he'd move easily.
Morgan tried to persuade Lumian once more.
"Let's go outside and have a strategy meeting. If you listen to me, it's 100% success today."
"Really? Then we have to go. Let's go."
"......."
Morgan had a hollow expression as he watched Lumian immediately head outside the shop.
He didn't even pretend to hear his younger brother's earnest request. But the moment he mentioned a strategy meeting, he moved right away.
Of course, that thought was fleeting. He moved quickly.
He caught sight of one clerk heading outside the shop. Probably to call the security force.
The moment they arrived, things would become extremely troublesome.
If the investigation took too long, it could disrupt his brother's schedule.
'It's a shame about the women…… but let's give up. Today isn't the only day.'
Morgan dragged Lumian and quickly disappeared.
Even by then, Sir Lynnell hadn't come to her senses.
'A kid who doesn't even look 20…… an Aura Sword……'
It was an incident that defied description, beyond merely surprising.
In fact, he looked not even 20, but mid-teens at most. But since that couldn't be possible, it was only natural for her to be this dumbfounded.
'Not just the aura, but the swordsmanship too…… it was amazing.'
It wasn't simply about speed.
The storm of swords pouring from multiple angles in an instant was such that she, who had reached Expert level quite some time ago, wasn't confident she could have blocked it.
The fact that he did that while drunk meant there was no need to even explain how remarkable the boy's skills were.
'The person next to him also seemed unusual…… who on earth……'
"Ah! Damn!"
Sir Lynnell, suddenly coming to her senses, stood up from her seat.
There was no time to be sitting around like this. First, securing their whereabouts was important.
She quickly left the shop and looked around.
But they were already gone.
She chewed on her lower lip as she headed toward the castle.
It was to make a report and then launch an investigation with official support.
If they had slipped out of the city, checking the entry and exit records would also be necessary.
'Hopefully they don't have any affiliation. Though the probability is low……'
But that didn't mean she could just sit idle. Moving first and thinking later wouldn't be too late.
Knowing about such a talented individual was unconditionally beneficial.
And so, another nation came to recognize Lumian's tremendous talent.
The Knight Kingdom Zenas.
The Women's Kingdom Rodizia.
Thanks to Lumian showing off in front of women, they came to discover this.
It was truly a bizarre and absurd coincidence.
***
"Damn, damn, damn……"
"Brother. It's okay. These things happen."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck……"
"Everyone makes mistakes once in a while when drinking. Since the brother from your previous life never got drunk, you probably didn't know…… anyway, you just need to be careful from now on. And it's not like you made some huge mistake. The ones who caused the scene were on the other side."
"……Sigh."
Lumian let out a deep sigh.
Morgan's words were hardly any comfort.
His previous self was a 60-year-old man.
Of course, he now had the body of a 15-year-old boy, but the fact that he had shown such behavior in front of his younger brother was hard to accept easily.
'From now on, I need to drink while controlling myself……'
One dark history was enough.
As he secretly left the trade city, Lumian resolved not to forget today's events for a long time.
"Hoo......."
But the memories of the drinking party weren't entirely filled with just embarrassment.
Regret just as great also lingered.
Lumian quietly closed his eyes and thought of a certain woman.
A female mercenary with lustrous black hair and slightly upturned eyes that were charming.
When he approached her, she showed a slightly surprised expression, then softly closed her eyes—that image kept lingering in his mind.
'If I had just approached then…… could I have had my first kiss?'
Probably so.
Of course, it was an action possible only because he was drunk. He would never do such a bold thing with a sober mind.
In fact, now that he was sober, Lumian's mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts.
His first kiss.
Furthermore, was it right to offer his purity to a member of the opposite sex he just met at a drinking party?
Was my view on romance far removed from such things?
But even so, wouldn't it have been right to just go for it in that moment?
Isn't that what a man should do?
'If I hadn't been drunk, I probably would have frozen up from overthinking and done nothing. Like a sack of barley left out in the rain.'
Damn.
I don't know. Lumian continued his silent contemplation the entire way to the territory.
It was a fundamental worry about whether he had been assigning meaning to useless things all this time.
'Does a man's first time have value?'
Honestly speaking, a woman's first time might have value, but who would appreciate a man's first time?
Isn't there an extreme difference, like between a castle that has never fallen and a soldier who has never charged?
Of course, he had lived believing in his own values differently from such public perception.
But after the drinking party in Rodizia, those thoughts began to waver slightly.
'What's the right answer.'
He couldn't know.
But one thing was certain—he regretted not being able to crush those squinty-eyed and bearded bastards.
As he was burning with anger and hatred toward those two, Morgan, who had been quiet for several days, spoke in a low voice.
"Brother, you think too much."
"Hmm......."
"I'm not saying that's wrong…… but if you want to date, it's advantageous to empty your head a bit. Just let it all go. Though that's not easy."
"That's true. It seems especially difficult for me."
"I think so too. Brother, you've always been someone who thinks a lot…… well, don't worry too much."
Morgan pulled out a leather pouch.
After gulping down water, he wiped his mouth and continued speaking.
"Still, a personality like yours will be advantageous when it comes to marriage."
"……Marriage?"
"Yes, well. Dating is whatever—meet casually, break up casually, no big deal. But marriage is different, isn't it? A careful personality like yours is good."
"Is that so."
"To be honest, I don't really know either. I just think that's how it would be, that's about it? I don't have any plans to get married anyway. Ugh, my butt hurts from riding this horse the whole time!"
Morgan suddenly shouted loudly and leaped down from his horse.
Then he smacked the horse's buttocks with a sharp slap!
Neigh—!
The horse disappeared into the distance. Morgan grinned widely.
"Ah, what a satisfying sound."
"What are you doing?"
"Come down too, brother. You're in a sour mood anyway, how about a run?"
"Why bother with something so troublesome. I'm not in the mood for that."
"Hey, maybe you're not confident you can catch up to me?"
At Morgan's provocation, Lumian let out a hollow laugh.
He spoke with an expression of disbelief.
"You rascal, you've gotten quite cocky?"
"I am a Sword Master, you know. Maybe in the past, but now it's a fact that I'm above you."
"Heh heh."
"If you're not confident, you can chase on horseback. I'm going ahead!"
Whoosh—!
Morgan shot forward at a tremendous speed the moment he finished speaking.
Watching this, Lumian burst into a chuckle.
His attitude of treating him much more casually than before. Of course, it didn't feel bad.
Partly because he knew he was looking out for him in his own way, and partly because his own personality had become more easygoing.
'Shall I play along?'
Lumian nodded and leaped down from his horse. And just as Morgan had done, he struck the buttocks with all his might.
Neigh—!
He didn't regret the horse. He had plenty of money.
More than that, his competitive spirit had ignited after a long time.
As I am now, just how far can I go against a Sword Master?
To find out, Lumian pulled up his aura with full force.
And he stomped his foot powerfully.
Boom!
Whoosh—!
In an instant, Lumian caught up behind his disciple.
Morgan pretended to be surprised.
"Quite fast for an Expert?"
"Hahaha."
"Oh, you even have the leisure to laugh. Shall I increase the speed a bit?"
"Let's go, give it a try."
"Alright. Here I go!"
Boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
"……He's really improved a lot, that guy."
Lumian murmured with an expression of admiration.
He was definitely not the younger brother he knew. He had already become a strong warrior who wouldn't be outmatched anywhere on the continent.
Of course, that didn't mean he could show weakness.
Lumian pulled up his aura even more strongly.
Wooooong
The mountain's aura that had been coiled in his dantian was released. Feeling his entire body become refreshed, Lumian also stomped his foot powerfully.
Boom!
Seeing Lumian successfully catch up behind him once again, Morgan let out a laugh.
They raced across the plains without stopping for a single moment.
No monster, no band of thieves dared to even think about following the two of them.
***
"Hoo, hoo, haah."
"Haha. As expected, you can't keep up with a Sword Master."
"Damn, hoo. Fine, you're great, hoo."
"This means I'm no longer the me from the past."
After the race ended, Morgan spoke with a confident tone.
But contrary to his bold attitude, he was actually very surprised inside.
Because he hadn't expected at all that Lumian, merely an Expert, could keep up this well.
'No, how is this even possible.'
Of course, depending on how efficiently one handles aura and how appropriately one utilizes it, there would be differences in efficiency…… but no matter what, catching up to a Sword Master's heels?
This made no sense.
Considering his aura reserves, he should have collapsed hours ago.
'The monster became even more of a monster, is that it?'
Morgan felt goosebumps.
He thought that if he stayed complacent, his brother might catch up to him in less than 2 years.
"Hoo, hoo. Ah, now I feel like I can live."
Lumian said as he calmed his breathing.
He too was somewhat satisfied with his own condition.
Drawing on the energy of the vegetation blanketing the mountain, borrowing the earth's energy that sustained it.
While alternately drawing power like that, continuously gathering aura from flowing water and pouring sunlight, his endurance had improved incredibly. And that wasn't all.
During the hellish race, Lumian had also realized a completely different way of using the mountain's aura.
Although it was still too unstable to use in actual combat…….
'It'll definitely be worth researching.'
He couldn't help but laugh.
Morgan looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
"What's so good?"
"Hm? Ah, of course it's good. I've come home."
"Home…… now that I think about it, brother never really had a place to call home."
"That's right, I can't remember. Now this is my home. Small as it may be."
Lumian said as he looked at the territory spread out before his eyes.
Like a rural territory, the scale wasn't large. It wasn't splendid either.
But such things weren't important.
Even though he was seeing it for the first time, his homeland had a mysterious power that put Lumian's mind at peace.
A feeling he could never experience in his previous life as a war orphan.
'Not bad.'
"Let's go."
"Yes, brother."
Lumian wiped the sweat from his forehead and strode toward the castle gate.
At the entrance, small but neatly maintained, two guards were standing.
Both were people he knew.
Lumian called their names.
"Edward, Evans."
"Huh, uh? Young master?"
"Has the young master arrived?"
"Yes. Father called for me. You've worked hard."
Lumian praised them with a refreshing smile.
The guards looked dazed as the young master patted their shoulders.
Then, coming to their senses with a start, they bowed politely.
"It's fine, fine. Enough of that. Keep up the good work."
"Ah, by the way, the person next to you is……"
"My guest. I'll handle it so don't worry. Well then, I'm going in."
"Yes! Loyalty!"
The two guards saluted with disciplined movements. Lumian nodded and disappeared inside with Morgan.
The guards stared blankly at Lumian's retreating figure for quite a while.
One of them, called Evans, spoke with a bewildered expression.
"What is this. Is it really the young master?"
"It is him but…… still……"
"He's changed a lot, hasn't he?"
"Right. He's changed a lot. His body has gotten so much better. His face still looks gentle though."
"His atmosphere is different too? Yeah. How should I put it…… hmm……"
"He looked more confident."
"Yeah, that's it."
The two nodded at each other.
Then they turned their gaze again to where Lumian had disappeared.
After standing there for a while, one of them, Edward, spoke up.
"Well anyway, he looks good."
"True. His confident appearance is definitely…… Lord will be pleased."
"He was very worried."
The two guards nodded their heads again.
Unaware of their reaction, Lumian Carad made his way straight toward the lord's mansion.