Acting as a Slit-Eyed Villain Perfectly

Chapter 276

Chapter 276. As an Older Brother (2)

"Y-Yulian!"

In the depths of the drainage system, Herand shouted as he saw Yulian falling below.

Meanwhile, his younger sister, who came with Imperial Knights' Aihan, named Ariam, put a mirror into her bosom and ran toward the drainage.

Stopping at the edge, she aimed downward and drew her bowstring. Herand, surprised, grabbed Ariam's shoulder.

"What, what are you trying to do!"

Whoosh──!

As Herand grabbed her shoulder, the arrow flew off in an unintended direction.

Ariam glanced at the arrow's trajectory, her face flushed with anger. When she turned sharply and met Herand's gaze, her eyes seemed to spark with fury.

"What, what's this?"

Thud──!

"Ugh!"

In the midst of confusion, Ariam's kick exploded into Herand's abdomen.

Despite the overwhelming strength unbefitting of a woman, Herand barely maintained consciousness.

However, doing so turned out to be a disadvantage. Ariam, immersed in intense anger, began to unleash kicks on his chest.

Herand almost lost his breath from the impact.

"Enough already."

Ariam spoke to Herand, who was writhing on the ground in a disgraceful manner.

"If the third prince weren't close with the Cryphart family, you'd be dead by now."

Herand groaned in pain. Ariam grasped his neck, speaking in a low, threatening voice.

"I'm already pissed off enough for having to come to the capital because of my damn brother, so stop meddling uselessly."

There was a murderous intent laced within her words.

Be it the four great noble families of the empire, the acquaintance of the 'third prince', or the request of Aihan, her kin.

She seemed resolute in her willingness to kill if further interference ensued.

"You weak fool."

Ariam spewed out her venomous words scornfully, glanced at the drainage once more, and then walked in the opposite direction.

"Keheuk... Keheuk!"

Finally able to catch his breath, Herand began to cough. A mouthful of blood splattered out, leaving a metallic taste lingering on his tongue.

"Yulian...!"

Even amidst this situation, Herand's mind was filled with the image of Yulian.

Why did Imperial Knights' Aihan attack Yulian? And how did Yulian manage to deal with it as if anticipated?

There seemed to be some reason behind it. Herand couldn't help but think that way.

'That's not the issue right now!'

The bottom of the deep underground canal. The path connected to the drainage is a place where there's virtually no chance of survival for an ordinary person if they fall.

"Keheuk, cough!"

Despite that, Herand couldn't shake the thought that Yulian might still be alive.

The problem was the mirror that Ariam was carrying.

As soon as the image was captured in that mirror, Yulian was rendered helpless without any resistance.

'It's surely a magic tool.'

Regardless of how intact Yulian might be, if he went down with the mirror, he'd undoubtedly be subdued helplessly.

'I, I am...'

Thoughts of being of no help crossed his mind.

He acknowledged that he, who hadn't trained properly, wouldn't stand a chance against Aihan or Ariam.

'... But even so.'

Is that justification enough to turn back now?

Herand thought so and stood up.

'Don't you still regret ignoring Yulian during Lady Milena's funeral?'

Whatever the connection between the third prince and Yulian, it doesn't matter. Defend the family and fulfill his duty as an elder brother.

'Even if it means dying.'

Protect his family.

To carry out this rightful duty, Herand began to move.

***

The sound of wind striking my ears was like a large, rough wave crashing.

That noise ceased as a suffocating shock from the collision with the ground enveloped my entire body.

'Argh...!'

My body was engulfed in severe pain.

Each nerve sent intense signals to my brain, and the world started to turn crimson with agony.

A long, high-pitched ringing echoed incessantly in his ears.

Struggling to hold onto consciousness, I felt as though the gray-bricked walls of the underground canal and the murky stream below were swirling before his eyes.

'I... must get up.'

As I began to remember where I came from and how I ended up in such a state, I tried to pull myself up as much as I could.

'Ugh, aaaagh...!'

However, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible to muster any strength into my creaking body.

'Look at yourself.'

Forcing my body upright, I clenched my lips tight while looking at the pool of water on the floor.

'It's one of the few outfits you valued, you young brat!'

Among the few possessions influenced by 'Yulian' rather than my own, my cobalt blue coat was beginning to get stained, and seeing it like that gave me newfound strength.

"Ha...!"

Barely managing to get up, I immediately looked upward.

The place I'd fallen to was the very bottom of the underground canal.

As it was a site being constructed with the imperial family's power, its scale was tremendous, making it uncertain if even the strongest person could survive a fall.

'Still, I am alive.'

My knees shook like those of a newborn fawn, and my consciousness was dim enough to fade away at any moment, but I was alive nonetheless.

The reason was simple.

As I fell, I cushioned the impact by landing on Aihan, who had fallen together with me.

I hadn't forgotten to wrap 'Angelica' around me, either.

'Because of that, Angelica is in a weakened state.'

Having been affected by 'Isaac's Mirror', depleting his strength, and then absorbing the shock, Angelica seemed unusable for this battle.

"Keheuk, cough..."

After grasping the current situation, Aihan, who had fallen together me, slowly stood up.

"Whew..."

Breathing heavily from a bloodied body, Aihan's erratic chest rising suggested his ribs might have been fractured in the fall.

'Did he use Aura?'

Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.

"Ha."

Our gazes met. We appeared so close to losing consciousness that it was remarkable to remain standing.

However, we held firm to the threads of consciousness to avoid passing out.

The first to lose consciousness would die.

This was the only law carved into the present setting.

'Where's my Moonstone Sword?'

Reaching for my waist with an outstretched hand, I realized the sword was missing from its sheath.

'Threw it when I was falling.'

I couldn't pinpoint the exact location. But one other sword was clearly visible.

Aihan's sword.

It was lodged in the ground between us.

Swish──!

Realizing this, I dashed toward it. Even though Aihan belatedly rushed to reach his sword,

'I'll get there first...'

Thump──!

My foot struck something dull.

'What's that!?'

Looking down, I saw a skull with a caved-in cranium.

Simultaneously, I noticed an insignia on the chest area as well. It was from the Donatien family.

'Aiden!?'

You damned bastard!

Even in death, you're grabbing at my feet!?

Swish──!

In the brief moment my foot was snared, Aihan had drawn his sword, rushing straight towards me.

'Damn it!'

The fence soared into the air, intending a downward slash from above.

Slow and clumsy.

The momentum was unbefitting of the name 'Imperial Knights'.

The problem was, my own body had also become sluggish. With my weight pitched forward, my creaking knees showed no inclination to move.

Splash──!

Fortunately, I could still throw myself. I felt the cool blade graze past my side.

"Damn it!"

The frustration of my fate began to make me nauseous.

"You ruined the clothes I cherished! Are you going to be accountable, Sir Aihan?"

"You crazy... bastard!"

Spewing curses, Aihan swung his sword in a circle and assumed a stance again.

Just before the opponent rushed, I tossed my fouled coat at him.

"Do you think this will work!?"

Rip──!

Despite the obscured view, Aihan's sword slashed through the coat and aimed straight for my chest.

Rather than unnecessarily targeting the head, it aimed where some bleeding could be induced.

It was a sound judgment. Given the state of their bodies, even a little bleeding was enough to potentially induce unconsciousness.

'A sound judgment I was aware of too.'

Having foresight of the trajectory, I barely turned my body, dodging Aihan's strike.

Then, grabbing the coat with both hands, he wrapped it around Aihan's arm.

"What!?"

With a flustered Aihan behind, he grabbed hold of the blade that pierced through the coat.

As his hand was cut by the edge, blood flowed down the blade.

'My mana veins...'

Having been damaged by 'Isaac's Mirror', the veins that channel mana barely recovered to a point where he could use the 'Moonlit Sword'.

"What, what are you planning, Yulian?"

"The Holy Relic and now wielding a weapon by yourself, it's despicable, Sir Aihan."

"So you plan to take it away?"

To prevent losing the sword, Aihan tightened his grip on the hilt. Noticing this, I merely smiled.

"After all, it isn't yours, Sir Aihan?"

Infusing the 'Aura' into the sword he clung onto, the blade stained with blood began to glimmer with moonlight.

"Moonlit Sword?"

As my aura began to illuminate the blade, Aihan was further startled.

What followed was bound to surprise him even more.

'The Moonlit Sword cannot endure the vibrations and cutting force without a Moonstone.'

Just as anticipated, Aihan's sword began to crack.

Realizing this, Aihan tried to withdraw and retreat but couldn't due to the coat binding his hand.

Crack──!

Eventually, the sword shattered.

The serene moonlight lit up the dim drainage momentarily, and amidst the shining shards, he reached for the brightest piece.

"Yulian, this cunning ba...!"

He drove it straight into Aihan's neck.

Stabbing through the heavily vascularized neck with the jagged shard, blood sprayed like a fountain.

"Urgh, cough..."

Aihan's eyes filled with complex emotions as his dying gasps emerged.

Hate directed at me.

Fear of death.

Finally, as his pupils gradually closed, a remorseful love lingered in them.

Naturally, those final emotions weren't directed at me.

"I told you, coming to the capital was a mistake."

No one knows since when she had descended from above, but there stood his sister, Ariam, behind him.

"Such a relationship you two had?"

Haaa.

After barely catching my breath, I spoke, and Ariam nodded her head.

The nod was so emotionless it felt almost businesslike, but soon a burning rage began to fill her eyes.

"You two have a close sibling bond. Perhaps a bit excessively so, but who am I to judge."

In poor condition, struggling with my breath, I perceived the cutting off of oxygen relay to my brain.

The vanity of not appearing weak in front of others began to eat away at my psyche pathologically.

"You'll meet soon. I'll make sure of that."

Even while speaking, I felt it intensely. This trait which had now become my own was truly despicable.

Clacky's Corner:

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