They say that within half a day of the rampage beginning, one can still suppress the magic force and maintain control. But once the body begins to change so grotesquely, as it has now, death is the only way to subdue it.
Valentin locked his chaotic, dizzying thoughts away tightly, preventing them from leaking out onto his face. He didn’t pity the fallen demon. They had only exchanged a few words, and he didn’t even know their name.
Yet, he was overcome by a feeling similar to when he first stepped onto the battlefield.
* * *
“Youngest Master! Don’t run! You’ll fall!”
A stout nanny ran after him, clutching the hem of her skirt. The ground was soggy from the rain that had fallen all night. Despite hearing her voice, which bordered on pleading, Leto only quickened his pace, refusing to stop running.
Then, suddenly, an arm shot out and grabbed Leto around the waist.”I told you not to bother the nanny.”
“Waaah-!”
Leto dangled from Valen’s neck, who had just gotten out of the academy. The nanny, who had chased after them belatedly, knelt down, gasping for breath. Valen handed the handkerchief from his back pocket to the nanny.
“Oh dear, thank you… Give me the bag.”
The exam was a week away. Valen’s satchel, stuffed full of textbooks, felt heavier than usual.
He wasn’t particularly interested in studying, but his fierce competitive spirit demanded he secure first place to feel satisfied. Naturally gifted, he could apply ten concepts from learning one, and combined with his relentless effort, first place was practically guaranteed.
That said, it wasn’t as if he just sat at his desk clutching a pen. He was also unquestionably number one in swordsmanship, horsemanship, and games requiring strategy like chess or cards. Professors who had their eyes on Valen as a disciple even argued over him during drinking parties.
However, the reason Valen never let his guard down was because his music grades were abysmal. His dance scores, in particular, barely scraped by to avoid failing.
When performing sword dances, he moved with dazzling, effortless grace, as if flying through the air. Yet, why did he turn to stone the moment he had a partner? His dance instructor took Valen aside for a serious talk.
‘Be honest with me. Do you dislike my teaching style?’
Valentine didn’t seem to think he was incapable of anything.
‘I don’t know how to treat a girl when I dance with her. She’s so short too…’
‘Don’t feel pressured. Many boys would give up points just to dance with you.’
‘Please… I’d rather take the exam alone.’
‘That violates the rules.’
After the counseling session, Valen and his partner both received the lowest possible score on the exam. Because he ruined his partner’s score, he had to go on a date with her for a whole week.
To make up for the gaping hole in his music score, he had to get perfect marks in every other subject just to have a chance.
A month before the exam, Valen began studying alone in the academy’s self-study room. Whenever he didn’t understand something, he knocked on the professors’ office doors.
Because of this, Leto, left alone, constantly craned his neck, staring at the castle’s main gate. The academy closest to the castle required a full two hours by carriage, and to arrive before classes started, he had to prepare much earlier than the other students.
For Leto, suffering from a rare illness, it was like a dream.
Leto hated exam periods. He couldn’t stand it when his only brother and friend, Valen, was late. So whenever he spotted the carriage bringing Valen home, he’d dash over, wagging his tail like a puppy seeing snow for the first time.
Neither Valen nor the nanny could scold him too harshly, knowing how he felt.
Seeing the nanny’s hand reaching for his bag, Valen hesitated for a moment. He had mountains of studying to do, but he couldn’t ignore his brother, who was clinging to his neck and grinning.
“I’ll carry it myself.”
“But it must be heavy for you.”
“The smell of rain is nice, so maybe it’d be better to sit on a bench and study?”
“I can bring it back to you.”
“I don’t want to waste time waiting.”
“Really… Alright. Then I’ll scrub it squeaky clean so you two can sit.”
Valent nodded. Leto tried to snatch
Valent’s bag, but his brother stopped him.
“It’s heavy.”
“I can carry that much!”
“You can’t. You need more muscle.” He cut through Leto’s childish pride with a single stroke. To Leto, Valen wasn’t just a tender, kind, and warm-hearted older brother.
Around Valen were multiple lines. He drew sharp, unyielding lines around every aspect of his life, from relationships to his level of laziness—setting strict standards for everything.
He judged matters close to himself with particular severity. Valen was hardest on himself, and even Leto wasn’t free from his many lines.
As long as you stayed within them, he was the perfect brother. But the moment you crossed even slightly, he became more terrifying than a tiger.
Knowing how strict Valen was, Leto didn’t even try to argue and let go of his bag strap. “I was thinking of increasing my exercise.”
“Not yet. You need more muscle mass.”
“This is no good, that’s no good. Why are so many things no good for me?” Leto spoke in a gloomy voice, his eyes lowered.
But the reply he got was-. “Did you study math?”
It was not just bleak, it was utterly cold. He’d experienced it countless times, yet Leto was surprised every single time. How could he be so devoid of humanity?
To Leto, his brother was perfect. Handsome, tall, with a solid build. The doctor had praised him endlessly, saying he’d keep growing taller and stronger every year. On top of that, he excelled at martial arts and studies, yet his personality was like this. Truly, he lacked humanity. Human warmth.
But that’s why he liked him more. He loved that his brother had zero interest in romance and knew nothing about girls. If his brother ever brought someone home calling her his girlfriend, he couldn’t imagine ever feeling good about it. He wished he could be his brother’s everything.
Leto released his grip from around Valen’s neck and casually backed away. “Maybe we should go for a walk.”
“Where are you going? Come here.” Valet stood there defiantly, waving his hand dismissively.
Leto slumped his shoulders and forced the most pitiful smile he could manage. “But my head hurt.”
“You whine about a headache the moment you see numbers. Who actually likes studying? You do it because you have to, out of responsibility. Solve one problem, then two, and you’ll start feeling that sense of accomplishment. It gets fun.”
“It’s not fun! It’s just hard.”
“You can’t start with that defeatist attitude already. There are things in the world harder to solve than math problems. If you can’t figure out one of those, how are you going to solve anything else?”
“I’ll figure it out when the time comes! Is math the same as life? What do you know, brother? You know nothing!” Leto shouted, covering his ears.
Valen sighed softly. He could have forced him to study, but he gave up. He felt guilty for not playing with his brother much because of the exams.
“Come to my room after dinner. I’ll study for my exams, and you can solve the math problems you’ve been putting off next to me.”
“Okay, okay!”
Why not solve them right now? Leto nodded vigorously.
After that, he played along with whatever Leto wanted. It was role-playing—Valent and Leto would sword-fight over a woman, or act out a reunion with a friend who had once been close but betrayed them. And now, the scenario was that Valen was the enemy who had killed Leto’s parents.
“Die, enemy of my parents!”
Thwack. Valen lightly struck Leto’s wrist with his wooden sword. The sword Leto had been clumsily holding dropped with a clatter and rolled across the floor. Before Leto could react, the tip of Valen’s sword was suddenly pressed against his throat. Leto’s face contorted as if he were about to cry.
“Ah, brother! I have to win here!”
Valen removed the cloth covering his eyes and examined Leto’s wrist. Only a faint red mark remained; it wasn’t a serious injury. It would fade on its own with time.
“You even blindfolded me and held the sword with your left hand so you could win. You picked out a rotten wooden sword to give me, and yet you still can’t beat me.”
“Can’t you cut me some slack?”
“How much more, and how?”
“Stand on one leg.”
Leto steeled himself, gripping the wooden sword with both hands. He opened his closed eyes wide and charged forward again, shouting his battle cry.b”The time has come. The enemy of my parents!!”
Thud.
Once again, Leto’s wooden sword rolled pitifully across the floor.