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Chapter 5
Chapter 5. Big Brother
She reached out and handed over the Azure Crystal. Fick took it.
Brother, do not betray me now.
Fick raised his head and glanced at the excited, expectant faces around him, all waiting to see him collapse.
He stuffed the Azure Crystal into his mouth. It was hard enough to hurt his teeth. When he bit it apart, a thick, cloying sweetness surged up, almost making him vomit on the spot. He endured it, kept chewing it into fragments, and swallowed.
Е nǔ.m̂ ǎ .i̊ ď
That cloying sweetness rolled upward from his stomach in wave after wave. He could not help coughing once, then again, coughing so hard that he could not straighten his back.
“Water.” Someone handed him a cup.
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He felt no abnormality in his mind. It was just so sweet that it was sickening. He did not take the cup and kept coughing until tears came out. His stomach churned violently.
The sweetness truly had twisted his face into a mask of pain, but Fick also added a little acting to it.
The surroundings gradually quieted.
After an unknown amount of time—perhaps one minute, perhaps five—the nausea slowly receded, and at last, he straightened up.
W е̃ḃn̄о̃v̀ él̇ Е̄n um̄ ӓ
Silence.
The girl untied a money pouch from her waist, counted out ten silver coins, and handed them over.
“This is for buying Alice a birthday present, is it not? A little extravagant. But in any case, today this money belongs to the warrior of House Louis,” she said.
Then someone in the crowd spoke.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“He is practically a magical beast…”
“His family must owe quite a lot of money too…”
Е̇ n̈ u m̌а
“His brain has probably been burned into mush…”
“He is a man.”
No one knew who said the last sentence. The voice was not loud, but everyone around them heard it.
I never want to eat anything sweet again in this life.
Fick took the money and stuffed it into his pocket.
Some people in the crowd began applauding. Some whistled. Some threw copper coins at his feet, as if rewarding the victor in an arena.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He bent down and picked up those copper coins as well. The girl even thoughtfully handed Fick her own empty money pouch. Fick, whose eyes were full of nothing but money, finished picking them up, then turned and pushed through the crowd.
Behind him, people were still shouting, laughing, and discussing him. By the time he walked out of the school gate, the sun had already tilted west.
Fick leaned against a wall and took a few breaths.
His stomach was still churning, and that cloying sweetness was still surging upward. He had endured it the whole way, but now he finally could not hold back. He bent over and dry-heaved several times, though nothing came out.
Fortunately, I did not eat lunch. Otherwise, I would have vomited all over someone’s face on the spot.
He took out the money pouch and counted it.
W̆.ё b̀ ǹ о v̈ el En ūm а̃
From Michael: a ring worth five silver Manes, plus one silver Mane and twenty-six copper Manes in cash.
From the wager just now: ten silver Manes.
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From the coins picked up off the ground in the new pouch: two hundred and one copper Manes, equal to two silver Manes and one copper Mane.
It was enough.
He stuffed the money back into his pocket, lifted his legs, and walked toward home.
After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped and lowered his head to look at his twig-like legs. Did they seem a little stronger?
Е̃ n üm̃а̌
It was not an illusion. That morning, his legs had still felt weak when he walked. Now, there was strength in them, and his steps were much steadier against the ground.
He looked at his hands.
They were still pale and still thin. But the blue powder that had been caught beneath his fingernails, left there when he had gripped the Azure Crystal, was already gone.
Other people use Magic Crystals to recover health. I use Magic Crystals to strengthen myself. If the Church discovers this, will I not be turned into a specimen?
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The farther he walked, the wider the road became, and the more houses there were. The streetlamps along the roadside had long since gone out, leaving only moonlight for illumination. Now and then, a dog barked. Now and then, a drunk leaned against the foot of a wall, cursing.
Directionally challenged Fick walked while thinking, took two wrong alleys, and somehow returned to the Louis house before the sky had gone completely dark.
Еn̈ ū m ӑ
The paint on the wooden door had all peeled away, and the window was lit.
He stood at the crossroads and glanced twice toward the wooden window. There was light inside.
That stupid, foul-mouthed younger sister is waiting for me. Come to think of it, the day my old man died actually happens to be her birthday. What a coincidence.
…
My most hated older brother had been possessed by a devil.
Alice sat at the dining table, staring at the flickering candle flame, her mind in chaos.
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When he woke up in the morning, not only had he said all kinds of strange things, he had also boasted shamelessly that he would borrow ten silver Manes.
Originally, I planned to go home first, take my luggage, and then go to the Church to seek help from the knights. The Church should have a way to handle this kind of demonic possession. Even if it did not, at least it could lock him up.
But he had actually come back early.
Not only had he borrowed the money, he had even tried to persuade me to send Father directly to the crematorium, saying that the two of us should split the money and run our separate ways. Even if the Lord of Demons had personally possessed him, would they really throw away noble dignity to this extent?
“Eat. This meal costs eleven copper Manes. If you do not eat, then you are refusing to give me, Fick, face.”
Fick chewed his plate of roasted meat in salty sauce with great force.
W ebn о v̆е̇ l Е̊ nú ṁ а́
Alice lowered her head and looked at the plate in front of her. The meat was hot, and the sauce smelled fragrant, but she had no appetite at all.
She only hoped that he would not mention the oath she had made that afternoon. Calling him Big Brother for life had only been angry words.
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“The money… I do not want the money. Just use it to bury Father properly. After we part ways, do not smoke Magic Crystals anymore.”
As soon as Fick heard the words “Magic Crystals,” his expression changed. He immediately felt that foul sweetness spilling up from his stomach.
“BLECH!”
He vomited all over the floor. Yellow stuff, white stuff, everything he had just eaten came out, mixed with stomach acid and spreading across the ground.
Е n_úm̆_а́.і d
Beside the wine barrel, the tavern owner, who had been wiping a barrel, and the server both rolled their eyes.
“Are you all right?” Alice was startled. She quickly stood, grabbed the straw paper on the table, and went over to wipe the stains from his collar.
The vomit had splashed onto his collar and was sliding down his neck. She wiped it with the straw paper, suddenly paused for a moment, then continued wiping.
“How did you get this money?” she asked, her voice low. “Did you really sell yourself?”
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Fick also picked up some straw paper and wiped his mouth. “How much could I make selling my ass? Those thirteen silver Manes were borrowed purely through my personal charm.”
“I have friends at the academy,” Alice said, staring at him.
Ŵ ébn̄ǒv̄е̇l̃ Е n ǔ m_ӑ
Why is she making such a fuss? Which one of us is the older sibling? If I had known, I would not have come home.
“All right.” Fick wiped his mouth again and tossed the straw paper aside. “I performed the feat of chewing a Azure Crystal raw. A rich young lady and some kindhearted nobles rewarded me.”
The moment he said that, the large man at the neighboring table, who had been drinking with great enjoyment, suddenly fell silent.
The tavern owner, who had been watching the whole time, put away his rag and was the first to ask, “Proof?”
The large man asked in return, “What other way is there to earn thirteen silver Manes in one day? Those bloodthirsty royal nobles love watching people make fools of themselves, do they not? Taking Azure Crystal orally—this skinny monkey noble’s life is completely finished. Look at him now. He can live half a year at most.”
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible,” Fick retorted. “With my tenacious will, I can live to at least sixty-six.”
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The area fell silent. Some of the diners looked regretfully at the ice fiend before them.
Sixty-six? Whether he could live six months was uncertain. Another young life had been ruined in body and mind by the royals and Magic Crystals.
The large man stood, slapped one silver Mane onto the table, and walked straight out, leaving behind one sentence.
“I will pay for the table beside mine.”
Alice, who had been silent all along, suddenly recalled the doctrine the knight had recited that morning.
【Even the kindest deity will not personally reach out to those who have fallen into ruin. They must suffer before they can go to heaven. All of it is part of the trial.】
W ëb̌nо́v̂ě l̀ Е n̂ ů m ӑ
Those regretful gazes from the diners, that silver coin slapped onto the table… She raised her head and looked at Fick’s pale face.
The gods did not help people, but devils did. They simply collected interest afterward.
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Most likely, Father had made a deal with a demon, and so this devil had come to help handle his remains.
If this devil left, I would probably be sad. After all, he was dying for Father. That made him a good devil.
Then where is my devil? Would they also be so diligent and devoted? As a foster daughter with the lowest status among nobles, what price would I have to pay?
Seeing that everyone was looking at him and that the atmosphere felt wrong, Fick hurriedly stood, protected his money pouch, and at the same time took a wooden box from his tattered pocket.
W̆е́ḃ nоv ěl. Ёnū m̀a
“This is the birthday present I bought for you with two hundred copper Manes. It was ridiculously expensive. Inside is a somewhat old-fashioned plush raccoon-cat doll. The owner actually said he had sold it to me cheaply. He nearly made me die of anger. Then I will be leaving now. See you in the next life!”
Fick stood and walked toward the tavern entrance. The owner and the server made way for him.
“Big Brother, please do not leave yet.” A pair of fair, soft hands caught Fick’s hand.
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