Chapter 103

Kleio, Asel

"My younger brother, where have you been?"

Vlad, with a wide grin and open arms, hugged Kleio quickly before letting me go. Kleio, staggering back and forth under his reckless hands, barely managed to balance against the mantlepiece. Last time, it was difficult to grasp his intent because it was their first meeting, but it became clear now.

'From the start, it's overpowering.'

"I think you're doing well. Your complexion seems bright."

Kleio was sarcastic, but Vlad pretended not to know anything.

"Haha! I'm always healthy."

"It was particularly cold this year, but I'm glad that it is going away. Is father healthy?"

"As always. It's a little uncomfortable in winter. Kolpos is better because it's much warmer than Lundane, but I'm taking care of the capital's business."

"Yes, you have a lot of work."

Gideon Asel was originally from Lundane but had moved his base to Kolpos. He lived here his whole life before he was married, but now he couldn't come because it was cold? No, it would be the arrangement that he intended to hand over the business to his eldest son.

'But why would he boast like that to me?'

The tea that Mrs. Canton brought out cooled down without either of them touching it. Vlad's attitude was terrible, though he was pretending to be pleasant. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Kleio, too, didn't attempt to be polite or sociable. Vlad held out a box wrapped in colorful silk to Kleio, who sat with his legs crossed roughly. He couldn't even guess what the contents were.

"You said you were getting cold? Father has worried a lot. He knows that the technical officer of the Krater empire, who wants to exchange a state-of-the-art ether battery for mana stone rubies, is in Lundane."

"So?"

"He didn't give detailed instructions, as usual, but this time it was easy to understand. I was told to convey this to you."

Without hesitation, Vlad unlatched the box, revealing that inside was a type of mana stone.

[Pigeon's Ruby

: A gemstone of heat.

*Mark: cold protection]

The message of Promise revealed the truth of the bright red ruby. It was a mana stone that Kleio knew well.

'Before we entered the dungeon, the bracelet that Professor Zebedee lent had a small mana stone like that in it.'

Even so, it was quite warm because it was woven with [Cold Protection] magic. With this amount of magical rubies, it seemed easy to make a few large heating pads. It was a scary treasure, but Kleio quietly turned his hands over in his lap.

'I know there will be some problems after seeing this.'

There was nothing free in the world. That was a grand principle that applied to the entirety of both worlds.

'Moreover, to be given this by a human with this bad personality.'

Kleio, not touching the mana stones, merely observed with a surprised expression. He opened his mouth, ignoring the dissecting gaze upon him.

"Although I don't know its exact price, it's much too high-quality to be wasted for thermal insulation equipment or student experimentation. I don't think it's suitable for me."

"Even if dad speaks little, he worries about you. If it's on his mind, it's also on mine."

Kleio's eyes opened narrowly to look at Vlad's fake smile and his cold eyes. Even now, Vlad was thoroughly evaluating Kleio's words and actions.

'He's supposed to be family.'

Kleio knew that not all siblings cherished each other just because they had the same parents.

'Arthur's family, for instance.'

"I don't know what sort of misunderstanding you have. However, I've never sent a letter to my father to complain of the cold or request a mana stone."

"But the tutor who cares about you very much is sending letters all over the place. Father was worried too. It's a gift with that meaning, so don't refuse it."

In Kleio's opinion, a father who put his child in a distant boarding school and sent nothing more than allowance wouldn't think about his youngest son in such a way.

"I didn't know father would think so. I will have to contact him more often."

"No matter what you do or how you've changed, father has always been particularly fond of you. Although, it is said that rather than a red heart between his ribs, he has one made of lead instead."

Kleio felt something strange in Vlad's words.

"You're speaking of him like he's someone else's parent."

"He is our father, but would he be the same father to you and me?"

"Are you trying to say that he was an unfair parent? But the business he worked on will be yours."

"Kleio, you don't know, but he never asks for anything he needs. When he was younger, lacking in authority and money, he was sick of it."

Gideon was born in the slums and became a great businessman through his skills, so his youth must've contained much suffering.

'But is that my fault? Why are you arguing with me?'

"By the way, that father had to bow his head and curry favor to those who looked down upon him to get you into school."

Now Vlad's feelings were outright hostile. If Kleio were really his timid younger brother, he would likely run away tearfully. Vlad was a young man in his twenties, but he had a strangely oppressive atmosphere.

'Well, he is the successor of Albion's best trade company.'

Gideon was strict even for his weak and youngest son, so it was likely even more severe for the bright and bold first son.

'But seeing this guy's way of doing things, I don't think the treatment for Kleio would've been better now.'

From the eldest son's point of view, perhaps he hated him because he took away their mother and seemed to live more comfortably than him. That was on Gideon. As a father, he had a duty to take care of his children.

'The first son was born in difficult times, so there are many cases when their personalities are more realistic than a second child born when the family situation is a bit more stable.'

That younger brother, who had always shrunk away in front of Vlad, suddenly got up.

'He has that box of ruby mana stones as well. Why?'

Kleio was concerned about it, but he had to own this mansion. It was necessary to play along so that it wouldn't go wrong later. Kleio, who had been lazily stretched out on the sofa, sat straight up. He made up his mind as he turned on Perception. At that moment, Kleio wasn't at all like the Kleio that Vlad knew. Vlad had no etheric sensitivity, but he felt a fierce sense of incongruity with this foe in the form of his brother.

"I don't know when my brother changed."

"What, do you think that just because I lost my memory, I forgot everything?"

Vlad still smiled as he stretched out his hand as if trying to smack Kleio's face. He didn't seem to feel any joy or excitement from using violence, but he didn't hesitate to use it as a necessary method. The strong hand came at him with considerable power, but Kleio wasn't moving as he faced Vlad. With Perception on, he wasn't so helpless enough to be beaten by someone without ether. He didn't want to avoid it, so he held on until the last minute.

'I'm weaker than this guy, but my eyes are good.'

Kleio's elder brother rubbed his younger brother's hair and squeezed his fist, not intending to really hit him. Kleio, who was pulling up his ether with the intent of using a magic shield, soon stopped the flow of power.

'He was testing me. He has a worse personality than I thought.'

He casually raised a hand against his weaker younger brother. Jungjin clicked his tongue.

"You've ridden yourself of all the gloomy habits you had. Looking straight into my eyes, ...father must be proud."

Instead of answering, Kleio stared emotionlessly at his brother. Not knowing that expression set fire to Vlad's anger. He didn't realize it, but it was because Kleio looked very similar to Gideon Asel.

"But is human nature suddenly changed by making a decision?"

Vlad lowered his hand and touched Kleio's shoulder. It held no power, but it was threatening enough.

"You're not my brother. He was an innocent but vulnerable soul."

Vlad's eyes narrow as if digging into what was hidden under that pale, miserable face.

"Your soul is strong, and you know no fear even with that fragile body. You're not even a little bit like the little brother I knew."

"What are you talking about? Who am I if I'm not myself?"

'This child has some keen senses.'

"Alright. Kleio. Who are you? Unlike when you were a child, you've been awkward and unfamiliar with everything in the world like someone who has been misplaced."