Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“You are...”

“Greetings, Third Young Master.”

His face was hidden beneath a hood and a loose robe, but Alex recognized who the other person was.

After all, he had recently met a man dressed the same way.

‘A black robe... Black Moon?’

He had revealed his identity to them, but he had never expected them to come directly into his room like this.

Alex frowned at the thoughtless behavior.

“Why did you come all the way here? Did you not say you would contact me through the communication orb?”

“I lost the communication orb, so I came to see you directly.”

“Even so, how could you just barge in? If someone sees you, they will find it suspicious, will they not?”

“Do not worry about that. Not even a rat will know I came here.”

Black Moon was an assassination organization made up of mages.

Alex knew they could use Invisibility, but even so, he could not help feeling displeased.

“So? Why did you come all the way here?”

“I came to report the results of the assassination you commissioned.”

“You are certainly quick to report. I already heard about that. Peter is alive, and Zeke is dead.”

“...So you already knew.”

“I heard Black Moon was an assassination organization recognized in Deccan, but I am extremely disappointed. How exactly do you people handle your work?”

“I apologize. I have no excuse.”

“Of course you should have none. My hard-earned money was wasted! What are you going to do now?”

“We will finish the job.”

“Even if you do, do not expect the remaining payment. I even told you their route, yet you failed!”

“Understood. But before that, there is something I would like to ask.”

“What is it?”

The man in the robe suddenly removed his hood.

The face that had been hidden was revealed.

“Y-You!”

When Alex saw his face, he was startled as though he had seen a ghost.

Dalton, who stood beside him, could not hide his shock either.

“Why did you try to kill me?”

“...Zeke!”

The man he had thought was an assassin was none other than Zeke.

“Wh-Why are you here...?”

“Please tell me, Third Brother. Why did you try to kill me?”

Perhaps because Alex was so flustered, his mouth opened and closed like a goldfish’s.

But only for a moment.

“I-I do not know what you are talking about.”

When he feigned ignorance, Zeke let out a derisive laugh.

It was an unpleasant smile, as though he had expected this all along.

At that moment, Zeke took a small rod from the pocket of his robe.

It was a recorder powered by a mana stone.

“Do not even think of playing innocent. Everything you just said is recorded here.”

“…….”

“Or should I play it back so you can remember? What you said just moments ago?”

“I-I do not know what you heard, but this is a misunderstanding. You have misunderstood something terribly.”

“A misunderstanding? After you hired an assassination group to kill me, Eldest Brother, the guard knights, and even the servants?”

“I told you, I never did anything like that. Why would I try to kill you?”

“You would know that better than I would, Brother.”

“I truly have no idea what you mean.”

Alex continued denying it until the end.

‘There is no clear evidence, so if I keep playing innocent, he will have no choice.’

There was a recorder, but if he insisted that it, too, was a misunderstanding, could he not somehow move past this?

However, Alex soon realized his thoughts were wrong.

“Hmm. So you intend to keep pretending not to know? Very well. Then would you hand over the communication orb you are holding?”

“What? Wh-Why this?”

“I am going to give it to Father. If he contacts whoever is connected through it, he will know. He can also trace the magical energy signal and determine the location.”

“…….”

“Please hand it over.”

‘Are you insane? As if I would give this to you.’

There was no way he could hand it over.

If Father investigated this communication orb he had received from the assassination group, it would surely connect to Black Moon.

And if Black Moon, in an effort to wash their hands of the matter, admitted that Alex had commissioned them?

‘It is over for me. I will be destroyed.’

It would not end with his father’s anger alone.

He could never allow that to happen.

“Little brother. I am sorry, but I cannot give you this. It is mine. Rather than that, why do you not hand over that recorder?”

“No. It could become evidence, so why would I be mad enough to give it to you? Especially to someone who tried to kill me?”

“Do not jump to conclusions. You are misunderstanding.”

“In that case, I should take it to Father all the more. I will submit this as evidence and tell him the truth about what happened to me and what happened here. That you hired assassins to kill Eldest Brother and me.”

‘This bastard... I have tolerated him long enough. A half-wit without even a Circle dares glare at me and talk back?’

He was furious, but Alex suddenly realized something important.

‘Wait. If he says he will tell Father... that means he has not told him yet, does it not?’

Seeing an opportunity, Alex asked to confirm.

“Do not tell me you have not contacted Father yet?”

“No. I could not be certain it was your doing, so I came straight here.”

At Zeke’s innocent answer, Alex nearly laughed.

‘This bastard, is he stupid? To tell me such important information so readily. Is it because he is still young?’

If Zeke had not gone to Father, then Alex still had a chance.

A chance to silence him and correct the situation.

‘First, I will put him to sleep with Sleep magic, then deal with the aftermath.’

Having made his judgment, Alex let out a bitter sigh.

At the reality that he had to kill his own younger brother with his own hands.

“Youngest. It seems you really are still young. You cannot even grasp reality.”

“Pardon?”

“That must be why you foolishly wasted your life holed up in the magical archive. Clinging to the absurd hope that your talent would awaken.”

“What are you trying to say, Brother?”

“What I mean is...”

Killing intent appeared in Alex’s eyes.

“In your next life, do not be born so unfairly.”

At some point, magical energy had formed in Alex’s grasp.

***

‘I knew he would act like this.’

Seeing Alex openly reveal his killing intent, Zeke did not panic.

It was already within the range of what he had expected.

To be honest, he had provoked Alex to make him do this.

‘I cannot just let myself be attacked.’

Having already detected the magical energy in Alex’s hand, Zeke immediately responded with Mana Absorption.

“Sleep.”

Alex, who had spoken the activation word, extended his palm with a smile.

“For now, go to sleep. I will take care of your corpse prop— Huh?”

Alex let out a foolish sound and blinked as though he could not believe it.

The magical energy that had gathered in his hand had vanished without a trace, so his surprise was understandable.

“Wh-What happened?”

He looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Alex gathered magical energy again.

However.

[You have absorbed 2 mana.]

[You have absorbed 2 mana.]

[You have absorbed 2 mana.]

As Zeke absorbed it as soon as it gathered, there was nothing Alex could do.

“Brother.”

“Huh?”

“What are you doing? Were you perhaps trying to use magic on me?”

“Why, why will it not manifest? This has never happened before...”

“I am disappointed. To be honest, I did not want to believe it, but now it has become clear. I will report this to Father.”

When Zeke turned away without hesitation and tried to leave through the door, Alex immediately gave Dalton an order.

Unaware that it was bait.

“Dalton! Catch that bastard!”

Thud!

“Kugh.”

When Dalton shoved him, Zeke deliberately fell and pretended to be in pain.

With his Vitality stat already over 2,500, there was no way it could hurt.

Believing he had subdued Zeke by climbing on top of him, Dalton turned to his master.

“Third Young Master. What should I do? Shall I kill him here?”

“Knock him unconscious first.”

“Understood.”

“Guh, cough!”

Dalton’s large hand tightened around Zeke’s neck.

Because Zeke had protected his body with aura, he felt no pressure at all, but on the outside, he acted with all his might as though he were suffocating.

“Br-Brother... save...”

It was then.

BANG!

“What are you doing?”

At the timely appearance of Russell, the Second Young Master, Dalton flinched and pulled his hands away as he stood up.

When Peter, the First Young Master, entered behind him as well, Dalton had no choice but to back far away.

“Zeke! Are you all right?”

‘Why are you so late, Second Brother?’

Unaware that Zeke was reproaching him with his eyes, Russell shouted at Dalton and Alex, who had tried to kill his younger brother.

“What is the meaning of this? You tried to kill your own brother!”

“Elder Brother. That is not...”

“I hoped it was not true, but it was all something you plotted. The claim that you requested an assassination was true!”

“Pardon?”

At that moment, Alex’s eyes turned toward Zeke.

Only after seeing Zeke smiling subtly did he belatedly realize it.

That he had been fooled by Zeke’s acting.

“You clearly said you had not told anyone...”

“And you believed that? Are you a fool?”

“You bastard...!”

“Alex!”

Alex, who had been about to charge like a wild dog, flinched.

Because Russell was glaring at him with a fierce aura.

‘Damn it.’

Zeke aside, Russell was a 4th-Circle mage.

Alex, who had only become 3rd Circle this year, could not defeat him.

Moreover, behind Russell was Peter, who was on the verge of reaching the 6th Circle.

‘He cowardly dragged our brothers into this.’

But Alex did not know.

That Zeke had brought in someone far more terrifying.

Step. Step.

At the terrifying surge of magical energy entering the room, everyone turned their heads.

“A. Lex.”

At the voice alone, which made his chest tingle, Alex’s face turned pale.

Because Gerard, the Lord Patriarch and an 8th-Circle archmage, was walking in while glaring at him.

***

Three hours earlier.

Gerard, who had been handling work outside the family estate, was forced to hear shocking news.

“What did you say? What happened to Zeke?”

-Hic, sob, what should I do? Our Zeke went into the Forest of Magical Beasts...

“Dana! Calm down and tell me properly. What in the world happened?”

-Well, Peter returned...

After hearing the story step by step from Dana, Gerard ended the communication.

‘Zeke is dead? I cannot believe it. I must return to the family immediately.’

Abandoning the work he had been doing, he hurriedly returned and was able to hear the full story directly from Peter.

“...So you only saw him enter the Forest of Magical Beasts, but you did not confirm the body?”

“Yes, Father. I truly have no excuse. As his elder brother, I should have protected him...”

Peter lowered his head and performed with all his might, but Gerard had no room to pay attention to such things.

Because a passage he had seen in his private study not long ago flashed through his mind.

-Monsters instinctively fear dragons, the apex predators. The same applies to those who have awakened dragon force. If you intend to subjugate monsters, it is recommended that you do not bring a Dragonian. The monsters will open the path on their own.

‘Zeke is a child with the talent of a Dragonian. I cannot conclude that he is dead simply because he entered the Forest of Magical Beasts.’

If the monsters sensed Zeke’s dragon force, they might have opened the way for him on their own.

That thought planted hope in Gerard’s mind.

Seeing his father suddenly pick up his coat, Peter voiced his doubts.

“Where are you going?”

“I must go to the Forest of Magical Beasts. He may need my help.”

“Pardon?”

Peter, startled, tried to dissuade his father.

“It has been two days since the incident occurred. It would not be strange if he were already dead.”

“Even so, I must see it with my own eyes. Should I not at least recover his body?”

“…….”

His father’s active concern for the youngest only stirred Peter’s jealousy and inferiority complex.

Unaware of this, Gerard was about to move when he had no choice but to stop.

The door opened, and someone he thought was dead had come to find him.

“Z-Zeke!”

“Father. Eldest Brother is here too.”

Peter forced himself to avoid Zeke’s steady glare.

He had run away after abandoning everyone else to save himself, so if he had a conscience, he would be unable to lift his head.

“Zeke! Are you all right? Are you injured anywhere?”

“Yes. As you can see, I am safe. More importantly, please do not make too much noise. I came in secretly.”

“You came secretly? Why?”

“Because I did not want the culprit behind this incident to know.”

“What? Does that mean you know who the culprit is?”

“Yes. The person I suspect is Third Brother, Alex.”

“Alex?”

Gerard doubted his ears, wondering whether he had heard wrongly.

Alex had tried to kill his elder and younger brothers?

“Why do you suspect him?”

“Because of the successor competition, I suppose. I was probably not the first target. Eldest Brother, who is the leading candidate, was likely the target, and I was next. Third Brother disliked me.”

“But that alone is not enough. No matter how much Alex dislikes his younger brother, he is not enough of a scoundrel to hire an assassination group, is he?”

“I am not certain either. I am only at the stage of suspicion. However, it remains true that we suffered serious damage from an assassination group hired by someone inside the family. And Alex is the most likely suspect.”

“Then what do you want? Do you want me to interrogate Alex?”

“No. I only wanted to inform you of the situation and receive your permission.”

“Permission?”

“I intend to conduct a sting operation. I will disguise myself as an assassin and record the conversation. If I record evidence, will that not strengthen my claim?”

“It is too dangerous. If Alex is the culprit, would your safety not be at risk?”

“Then please watch me go in, and if it seems there will be a disturbance, come inside. Together with First and Second Brothers.”

“Very well. I will do that.”

***

After finishing his recollection, Gerard’s gaze was colder than ever.

To think the one who had hired the assassination group was Alex.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“F-Father.”

“You incited an assassination group and tried to kill your brothers?”

He knew the entire situation.

The moment Alex realized that, the action he took was to deny everything.

“This is a misunderstanding! I would never do such a thing...!”

“Here is the evidence, Father.”

As though he had been waiting for this moment, Zeke played the recorder.