NOVEL WEB Chapter 6 - Being an Older Brother is Even Harder (2)
✦ Chapter 6 – Being an Older Brother is Even Harder (2) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
“Stop them! Stop! Don’t let them into my office! Protect me! That’s why I pay you more than your weight in blood, you useless bastards!” Lang was in a panic, unable to comprehend how a single person had managed to incapacitate all of his guards.
Meanwhile, Swordmaster Parthian snapped to attention at the presence he felt near the office entrance.
*Shing*
Parthian, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, inquired, “Who are you? Do you dare approach knowing that I am Parthian, one of the Empire’s Five Swords?”
“And do you know who I am?”
*Thud, thud*
A man emerged from the dust-filled office entrance.
With pale skin, long hair, and a gloomy expression, he had the appearance of a kept man for widows. However, his shoulders, visible above his leather attire, were broad, and he was tall.
‘He’s holding a sword. But his stance is sloppy. He’s clearly inferior to me. Full of openings. If I wanted, I could have landed five strikes by now.’
Amateur.
Having coolly assessed the situation, Parthian regained his composure, his ferret-like whiskers quivering as he smiled confidently.
“Young man, I don’t know who you are, but don’t hasten your demise. Do you know that a lion gives its all even when hunting a rabbit? I, Parthian, am not a man who knows how to show mercy.”
“Then come at me with your full strength from the start. I have no desire for lengthy conversations with a mere underling rather than the leader.”
Underling? Underling? Parthian couldn’t believe his ears. Though he was employed by Lang for money, he wasn’t to be scorned as a mere underling. After all, he was one of the Empire’s Five Swords.
Lang was merely a source of funding for Parthian’s ambitions, yet to be treated as a common thug of a lowly money-grubber? Parthian was beyond angry; he felt pity for the young man’s ignorance.
“Young man, have you truly never heard of Parthian of the Mind’s Eye, one of the Empire’s Five Swords?”
“Do I need to know that? The way you keep emphasizing it makes it sound like your only claim to fame is your name.”
“This brat, consistently speaking informally… Your ignorance will be your undoing.”
*Shing*
Parthian drew the curved blade from his waist. It was a weapon that shimmered ominously with a blue light, its blade curved like a crescent moon. This sword, with its unique appearance, had allowed Parthian to execute unconventional attacks. Since acquiring this sword, his skills had grown exponentially, reaching the realm of Swordmaster.
‘I shouldn’t just kill this brat. I’ll torment him slowly, make him feel respect and fear me, then behead him. This should be entertaining.’
Pardun decided to start by lightly targeting the young man’s shoulder and wrist. With that in mind, he closed the distance at a speed that ordinary people could not even comprehend and grazed the young man.
“Wind Blade Slash.”
*Swish, swish*
“W-what? What just happened?”
Lang couldn’t even comprehend what had just occurred. 0.5 seconds. Two sword strikes followed in an instant that ordinary people couldn’t even perceive. That was the true power of ‘Wind Blade Slash’.
The young man should now be bleeding and collapsed on the floor, and Parthian would be looking down at him. That’s what he thought as he was about to sheathe his sword.
“……………?”
But then Parthian sensed something was amiss.
Wondering what was amiss, Parthian looked down at the tip of his sword. To his astonishment, the crescent-shaped blade was broken in half, its shape distorted into an odd form.
“W-what…?”
“A crude, cheap sword, I see. I told you to come at me with your full strength. Is this really all you’ve got?”
The broken blade was caught between the young man’s left index and middle fingers.
“My crescent blade, which can even split boulders…?”
“Swordmaster Parthian, don’t you use Sword Aura? Aren’t masters supposed to be able to forge mana into blade? Isn’t that why they’re called Swordmasters, able to cut through anything?”
Though Parthian couldn’t comprehend the situation at all, as a man known as the ‘Mind’s Eye’ for his ability to read the flow of battle, he was quick to grasp the situation.
Parthian believed he had fully grasped the young man’s identity.
“I see. You are a recluse who does not show yourself in the mundane world. I’ve heard there are many strong individuals hiding in various places to avoid prolonged wars. You must be one of them.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because things like Sword Aura are outdated techniques of old-fashioned swordsmen. Recluses don’t know how the world has changed. But I acknowledge you as a strong opponent. I’ll show you my true power.”
*Shing*
Parthian drew another crescent-shaped sword from the opposite side of his waist. This time, he pointed the blade not at the young man, but at himself.
“Did you know? Humans typically use only about 10% of their potential. Strong individuals can exert superhuman strength through training, but…”
“………….”
“Superhumans like me who have reached a certain level can draw out all of their latent potential. Just like this, by entering a state of feigned death – Roar-!”
Slash—!
Parthian’s crescent blade sliced his own neck. Lang couldn’t comprehend it.
“Parthiaaaan! Why are you cutting your own neck, you lunatic!”
*Whoosh*!
What gushed from the cut neck wasn’t blood, as Lang initially thought, but an intense wave of mana.
“Humans break through their limits in moments of crisis and death. Like a woman stopping a carriage with superhuman strength to save a baby, or a child jumping from the third floor to escape a fire.”
The green mana surging from Parthian’s self-inflicted neck wound filled the surroundings. It was so intense that even Lang, unfamiliar with mana, could clearly see it.
“From now on, this is my domain. How about it, youngster? Too shocked to speak? I’ll make you regret stepping on the lion’s tail!”
Parthian made a light leap. Just that was enough to create a crater in Lang’s office floor. Parthian now raised his blade high; a leap beyond human limits, followed by an overwhelming strike that would cleave the youngster in half from head to groin.
Parthian swung his sword in a lightning-fast arc.
“Be split in half and die!”
Clang-!
As the blade cut through the air with a sharp sound, Parthian sensed something was wrong. It was because the young man was blocking his blade that had surpassed human limits with an ordinary longsword.
“What is this…!”
“Your sword is light. Just like the loose tongues of all braggarts. A Swordmaster who can’t even use Sword Aura. The souls of fallen swordsmen must be weeping.”
Whoosh—!
Before Parthian could regain his composure, the young man raised his plain sword high. It was a movement devoid of technique or deception. It was a stance that seemed to announce an impending attack.
‘Why…?! I won’t be able to dodge that attack!’
Parthian had a premonition that he wouldn’t be able to evade such an obvious attack. At best, he might barely be able to block it.
As Parthian quickly raised his sword to defend his head, the young man snorted derisively.
“Good instincts, but let’s see if you can block this.”
Boom—!
“Argh!”
With a tremendous impact, Parthian felt as if his body had become a nail hammered into the floor. Even more horrifying was that the young man continued to strike Parthian’s sword, driving it down relentlessly.
Boom—!
Boom—!
Boom—!
“Without Sword Aura, it seems using my blade like a hammer is the best I can do. Your sword is indeed sturdy, Parthian. I take back what I said about it being a cheap, crude sword.”
“Ugh! Aah! Aaaagh! You monster! Aaaah!”
As his body, which had supposedly transcended its limits, began to scream in agony, Parthian finally collapsed to the floor with an unsightly wail; every bone in his body felt shattered like dry clay.
“Still alive, I see. I suppose your endurance is worthy of your boast as one of the Empire’s Five Swords.”
The young man continued to look down at Parthian with arrogant eyes. Parthian, however, only wished to flee. Mustering all his strength, he cried out, “S-spare me. Please, spare my life…”
It wasn’t the strong who survived, but the survivors who were strong. Parthian was desperate to save his life and seek another opportunity.
Looking down at Parthian, the young man spoke, “I know your kind well. If I spare you here, you’ll harbor resentment and hatred, seeking revenge. You’ll endure the humiliation with a heart full of bitterness.”
“T-that’s…!”
“So I refuse. I’ll kill you and exterminate your children, family, and relatives who might hold a grudge against me. Eliminating potential future troubles is only natural.”
“My children and relatives too…?!”
Parthian was terrified. The man before him didn’t seem like someone who would make idle threats. It seemed this man could erase everything related to Parthian more easily than blowing out a candle.
‘This man would crush my ten-year-old son, five-year-old daughter, four-year-old daughter, two-year-old daughter… even my one-year-old daughter like flies! I, Parthian, can see it!’
Parthian, nicknamed “Mind’s Eye” for his ability to read others’ flow and intentions, perceived the man as an unknown monster. As he trembled in fear, Parthian’s once-proud ash-gray hair had turned completely white, making him look years older.
⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆
Seeing the Swordmaster suddenly looking years older reminded me of my father Nimrod’s old age. With a strange feeling, I put away the sword I had pointed at Pardun. It was just a whim.
“Sparing or killing is the prerogative of the strong. Parthian, your life as a Swordmaster ends here. Live the rest of your life quietly from now on.”
“T-thank you! Thank you so much!”
Parthian burst into tears as if I were a lifesaver. Even though I was the one who had knocked him down and caused him pain.
But that’s human nature.
When thoroughly crushed, people lose even the ability to harbor thoughts of revenge. In such a state, if shown mercy or kindness, they may even feel grateful to their oppressor.
It was a method I had used often. And I would continue to use it often.
“Are you Lang?”
“Y-yes, I am.”
“I’m Daniel of Dantalian, Phoebe’s older brother. We need to discuss the debt the Dantalian family owes. I hear you threatened my sister’s safety over this debt?”
“W-well, you see…”
The portly man’s eyes darted back and forth nervously.
He seemed afraid he’d end up like Parthian, crumpled like a piece of paper.
However, I wasn’t entirely without scruples.
“Borrowing money is just that. Lang, I understand your position. In fact, it’s those who borrow and don’t repay on time who are in the wrong, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s right?”
“In that spirit, I won’t ask you to forgive the debt. Instead, how about extending the repayment period? Give us some time.”
“An extension?”
“Yes, about a thousand years should do.”
Lang closed his eyes tightly. It must have been because the amount of money he had lent to the Dantalian family was considerable. But my position was firm.
“It’s not that we’re not going to pay it back, right? We’re going to pay it back, but later.”
“But… I have a payment due in a few days. I need to pay tribute to Agareth, one of the 12 Zodiac families!”
Agareth, one of the continent’s most prestigious families, had introduced Swordmaster Parthian to the loan shark Lang as a bodyguard. I didn’t know why the mysterious and powerful Agareth family, rivaling even Barbatos, was protecting this portly middle-aged man, but it didn’t matter to me.
“So what?”
“If they question me, I’ll have no choice but to mention your name, Daniel of Dantalian. Then the Agareth family might harm you and the Dantalian family…”
“That could indeed be a problem. Let’s do this then. You just disappear from here. If no one knows what happened today, Agareth won’t have a reason to question me, right?”
“Gasp!”
Lang’s eyes trembled violently.
After some quick calculations with his sharp mind, he answered with a deep sigh, “Then, please ensure to repay in a thousand years…”
“The Dantalian family is built on trust and promises. We never break our word. So you can rest assured.”
“But… you changed the repayment date for Phoebe Dantalian’s loan. Isn’t that breaking a promise…?”
“…She’s a woman. Even within the Dantalian family, the words of men and women carry different weight.”
“I see. Indeed. Hehe, hehehe…”
“Don’t laugh.”
“…………….”
Lang nodded as if he understood.
Power had always been my convenient ally.
“Ho? Are you not afraid of us?”
Suddenly, a voice came from behind me.
Turning around, I saw Parthian standing up with an eerie gleam in his eyes, despite his bones having been shattered like a cookie earlier.
“Argh! Sir! Look at that bastard Parthian! Aren’t his limbs bent in strange directions? Look at that madman! Argh! My limbs hurt just looking at him!”
As Lang exclaimed in shock at the sight of Parthian, I shook my head.
‘That’ was not Parthian. It was something more powerful and extraordinary.
— End of Chapter —
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Translator’s Notes :-
I am starting to like this story more and more.
On a side note, I hope you all suggest some free websites to make steller resumes/CVS. Last few days have been really hectic.