Chapter 37 - Damn Reincarnation

Eward Lionheart (Paid Chapters Begin Here)

CRACK!

The bed shook with a sound so horrific it hardly seemed possible that a slap had caused it. That emotion-laden blow jolted Eward’s alcohol- and drug-addled mind awake.

“Urgh!”

Eward screamed. His mind was awake, but he had yet to grasp the situation. He cupped his aching cheek and raised his head, only for Eugene to push his hand aside.

“Coming to your senses?”

Eugene slapped him again as he asked. Rather than a slap, it would be more accurate to call it a smashing blow. The bed collapsed beneath Eward, and his legs jerked upward.

“Aaargh!”

“Dear brother.”

Eugene raised his hand for another blow, but Eward flailed both arms. He had only been slapped twice, yet fat tears were already dripping down his face. The inside of his cheek had torn open and was awash with blood, and his teeth were shattered. Of course it hurt.

But did that mean he had to cry? A nineteen-year-old man, not from some ordinary household but the eldest son of the Lionheart main family—a descendant of Vermouth himself! Crying because he’d been slapped twice? Eward’s tears did nothing to cool Eugene’s anger. If anything, the sight of him blubbering only fueled it.

“What the hell have you done to deserve crying?”

“Wh-who are you? Why are you... Wh-where am I?”

“Are you pretending not to know me, or do you really not recognize me? It happens. You’ve been guzzling booze and taking drugs, after all. At that point, you wouldn’t recognize your own parents.”

Speaking calmly, Eugene reached out. Eward flinched and curled up. The sight of him pulling the bloodstained blanket over his head was absurd and pathetic.

“... So let’s sober you up first. Turn your head.”

“Who... who are you?”

“This is seriously bad. You still don’t recognize me? Can’t be helped, then. You need another beating. It doesn’t hurt enough yet to clear your head. A few more slaps will bring you around whether you like it or not.”

“S-stop. Don’t hit—”

“Get that blanket out of the way first. Don’t block me. If you get in the way and I hit the wrong spot, you’ll be in real trouble.”

Those were merely words. Eugene did not wait for Eward to move his hands himself. He pulled the blanket down and pried away the hands covering Eward’s head.

The cheek he had slapped was badly swollen, and blood flowed from Eward’s split lips. Eugene grabbed his nose and turned his head sideways.

“Aaaaargh!”

Ignoring his screams, Eugene gave the other cheek two slaps as well, to be fair. Then he took Eward’s head in both hands.

“Coming to your senses now?”

“Ugh... uuuugh...”

“Oh, sorry. I look a little different right now. Maybe that’s why you don’t recognize me.”

The thought had only just occurred to him. Eugene immediately dispelled his transformation magic and returned to his original appearance. Only then did Eward’s eyes fly wide. His tear-filled eyes trembled as he stammered.

“E-E-Eugene.”

“Hello, brother.”

“You... H-how are you here?”

“I followed you.”

Eugene wanted nothing more than to unleash another torrent of profanity, but he graciously addressed Eward as his brother.

“What were you thinking?”

“... Uh... huh?”

“What the hell were you thinking, dear brother? Listen, I heard you were having a hard time, so I did try to understand. Your reality was shitty, so I tried to understand you spending some time in sweet dreams.”

“I... I...”

“It was pathetic and idiotic, but not completely beyond understanding. It’s your vitality the succubus is sucking out, right? You’re the one running away from reality, and you’re the one indulging yourself in dreams. But this crosses the line.”

Eugene pressed both hands hard against Eward’s temples. The pressure turned Eward’s eyes bloodshot. He writhed, trying to escape Eugene’s grip, but Eugene refused to let go.

“Black magic is out of the question.”

“Ugh... uuuugh...”

“You’re a legitimate son of the Lionheart main family. A candidate to become the next family head... And you’re trying to make a contract with a demon? With a mere incubus, at that?”

“Th-that... I had no choi—”

“What do you mean, no choice, you crazy bastard!”

Eugene roared.

“You’re not even learning black magic the proper way. Do you know what happens if you enter into it through a contract? Your soul becomes the demon’s property. You become a slave who has to die if it tells you to die, and kill if it tells you to kill.”

There were two ways to begin learning black magic.

One was to control demonic energy oneself. This was no easy feat. Only a truly exceptional mage could control demonic energy without assistance.

As a result, most black mages used the other method: a contract with a demon. Even someone with meager skills could enter into a contract, receiving demonic energy from the demon they contracted with instead of controlling it themselves.

Most black mages increased their power using the demonic energy supplied by demons. Even with unremarkable talent, they could rapidly reach great heights, but no matter how strong they became, they could never escape their position as a demon’s thrall.

“Do you think this is entirely your own problem? What happens if you become a black mage? The family’s reputation—sure, that’ll get dragged into the gutter for a start. But that’s not all. What if the demon you contract with tells you to kill your mother? What if it tells you to kill your father and your siblings, and bring it the main family’s White Flame Formula and treasures? What were you going to do then?”

“I-I was told I wouldn’t have to obey every order.”

Eward protested, looking aggrieved.

“He said he would accommodate me...! He wouldn’t give me impossible or unreasonable orders... Th-that was his promise.”

“Who said that? That fucking incubus bastard? You idiot, do you think demons are dragons or elves? To them, breaking a promise is as easy as turning over a hand.”

“B-but... our ancestor made a pact with a Demon King...”

“Because the other party was a fucking Demon King! Do you think some worthless incubus’s promise carries any great power?”

Roaring, Eugene released Eward’s head and grabbed him by the collar instead.

“You don’t have to obey every order? Sure, you don’t. You can refuse an order if you’re prepared to die. But can you really do that? Can you disobey at the cost of your own life?”

“...”

“Yeah, like hell you can. You can’t even take care of yourself. You just run away into booze and dreams.”

“Y-you...”

Tears dripping down his face, Eward forced strength into his voice.

“You... what do you know about me to criticize me like this?”

“Oh, good.”

Eugene gave a humorless laugh and nodded.

“So you have your reasons? Let’s hear them, brother.”

“Y-you don’t know. You...! For the last four years, you’ve had everyone’s attention... You were adopted into the main family, and received so much support from F-Fath—the family head...!”

“Anyone listening would think you’d been discriminated against. You got support too. You went to the spirit vein, didn’t you? You inherited the White Flame Formula, didn’t you? You said you wanted to learn magic, so they sent you to Aroth and gave you the chance to become the tower master’s disciple. Right?”

“That’s...”

“I got exactly what you did. I’m exceptional because I was born exceptional, not because the family head gave me special treatment.”

Eward’s shoulders shook at those words.

“And I worked hard to match the talent I was born with. I guarantee I worked a hell of a lot harder than you did.”

“Innate... talent... is beyond our control...!”

“So you decided to learn black magic? You were going to contract with some incubus, drag the family name into a cesspit, and hand over everything you have? How much better did you think that would make you?”

Eugene released Eward’s collar. Then, making a show of it, he raised a finger and pointed to the black mage prostrate on the floor.

“That bastard. I could fight him with my eyes closed and cut him dead in ten seconds.”

“...”

“That’s all his black magic amounts to. Do you think the power you’ll get from contracting with some incubus will be anything special? Oh, sure. Maybe you could use him as a stepping stone to a contract with the queen of the dream demons. Deep down, that’s what you were hoping for, wasn’t it?”

Eward’s cheek twitched. Just as he’d thought. Eugene shook his head with a humorless laugh.

“Sure, if you contracted directly with Noir Giabella, you’d become pretty strong. But what would you do with that? Do you think black magic could make you the family head?”

“I-I...”

Eward opened his eyes wide and forced the words out.

“I have... no desire to become the head of Lionheart...!”

“Then what were you planning to do?”

“I... will become a b-black mage and go to Helmuth. In that land of freedom... my worth will be recognized...!”

“Oh, you son of a bitch.”

Eugene’s face twisted as he struck Eward on the head.

“What do you want demons’ recognition for? Is that better than being recognized by your own family? Do you really think they’ll acknowledge you? You’re mistaken about something, brother. Without your background as a legitimate son of the main family, you have no value at all.”

“All the more reason I don’t need it! I never wanted to become the family head or be born the main family’s eldest son! I wanted to be free, doing what I wanted...”

“You’ve had it too fucking easy.”

“What?”

“You’ve been freely using that background and getting all the support you need to do what you want. And now you’re saying what?”

“That... couldn’t be helped...”

“Enough. I don’t need to hear any more. Just know this, brother. I can’t understand you, and I don’t want to. What’s the point of talking to a bastard who thinks he’s the only one who’s ever been wronged or had a hard time? You were born with things other people can’t have no matter how much they want them, and all you do is whine and make excuses.”

Grumbling, Eugene stepped away from Eward.

“While you were drinking, taking drugs, and getting drunk on dreams in Aroth, Cyan and Ciel were working their fucking asses off back at the main family. And that goes without saying for me.”

“...”

“Just so you know.”

There was no point in talking any further. Eugene spun around and kicked the black mage, who was kneeling quietly, in the back.

“Urgh!”

“Stay put. No funny business.”

“I-I haven’t done anything...!”

“I know. But you could have been thinking about trying something, right?”

The black mage flinched. Could that monstrous brat even read other people’s minds? Of course, Eugene could do no such thing. He had simply kicked the mage because he was still irritated.

“Were you really planning something? Got a death wish?”

Eugene hadn’t missed the black mage’s flinch. He kicked the mage again, sending him rolling across the floor with a pitiful scream.

* * *

Even this disreputable street had laws. Through collusion and unwritten rules, the guards responsible for the street turned a blind eye to its disturbances, but this one had gone too far.

A building shaking and walls collapsing in the middle of the street—this was not a disturbance the guards could ignore while whiling away their time enjoying the street’s pleasures.

“Master... Eugene... Lionheart...”

The captain of the guard, who had arrived with a flushed face, hesitated. He was fucked. That was the only thought circling his now thoroughly sober mind. Incidents were common on Bolero Street, but none had ever involved someone this important. People of such standing generally didn’t cause a major commotion even when they did get involved.

“It was self-defense.”

Eugene pointedly gestured around him.

“I saw my drunken brother being supported and brought here, so I followed, thinking he might be getting kidnapped. When they blocked me from entering, I asked what sort of place this was. And wouldn’t you know it, they threatened me and tried to take my money.”

“...”

“So I fought to protect myself and my wallet. Inside here...”

“I-I understand perfectly.”

The guard captain forced a desperate smile, sweating profusely.

“We’ll handle the aftermath. You may return now, Master Eugene...”

“I’m taking my brother. And that bastard, too.”

Eugene pointed to the black mage, who looked pleadingly at the guard captain.

It was an utterly impossible situation. Drugs were illegal in Aroth too. Illegal in name only, perhaps, since they were discreetly distributed and used, but the exposure of a drug den in the middle of the street was not something that could be brushed aside under the pretext of unwritten rules.

Worse still, a black mage and the Lionheart family were involved. If he simply let them leave, the guard captain’s head would roll. Countless prominent figures had ties to this street, but now that things had come to this, they would try to smooth it over by sacrificing the guard captain, regardless of those ties.

“I’m... sorry, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible. We must interrogate that black mage separately...”

“Hold your tongue.”

The icy voice came from the sky. Eugene, who had been regarding the guard captain with displeasure, looked up.

Lovellian stood high overhead.

“How can I trust you with an interrogation when you’ve turned a blind eye to what happens in the very district you’re responsible for?”

“R-Red Tower Master.”

“I will handle this matter myself. If you have any objections, summon the commander of the guard. Though I doubt he would choose to oppose me over this.”

Lovellian descended. Unable to say a word, the guard captain bowed his head deeply. He was not the only one to lower his head.

‘Damn it, he certainly showed up fast.’

The black mage’s face contorted miserably. Surely word couldn’t have reached the distant Red Tower already? He couldn’t understand how the Red Tower Master, who took little interest in anything outside magic, had arrived so quickly.

“I’m sorry to have called you when you’re busy.”

“It’s quite all right.”

Lovellian answered, steadying his heated breathing. Eugene was the one who had summoned him, sending the guide on an errand through the communicator. He could have invoked the Lionheart name, but he thought relying on Lovellian would be cleaner than throwing his family’s name around in a foreign country.

“What happened was...”

“I have a fair idea of the circumstances.”

Lovellian shook his head.

“... My negligence must be what allowed this unfortunate incident to occur.”

Eward trembled all over.

“... Dallying with a succubus. Forgetting the hardships of reality through dreams. I thought it was respite he needed... But I was mistaken. Master Eugene, I apologize.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.”

“No, I must. Of course, I will also apologize to Lord Gilead and Lady Theonis, but you too have been forced to witness this ugly sight. And you did what I should have done.”

Lovellian did not accept black mages either. Just as Senya the Wise, whom he revered as his grandmaster, had loathed black mages, her disciples loathed them too.

As Gilead’s longtime friend, Lovellian understood particularly well how unthinkable it was for Lionheart to become involved in black magic.

“R-Red Tower Master.”

Eward spoke, trembling.

“This... I mean... I d-didn’t do it. I haven’t begun learning black magic.”

“You intended to.”

Lovellian regarded Eward with cold eyes.

“Master Eward. You have... dishonored the Lionheart name. You have dishonored Lord Gilead, who trusted me enough to place you in my care. You have also dishonored Samuel, your teacher, and me, who accommodated your every need.”

“N-no. That wasn’t my intention. I only...”

“If you make any more excuses, I will... exact the price of that dishonor. I would very much like to.”

Lovellian did not want to hear what Eward had to say.

“Please, say nothing more. If you absolutely must make excuses, do not make them to me. Make them to Samuel, who taught you, and to Lord Gilead and Lady Theonis, who sent you here.”

“Ugh... uugh...”

Eward clutched his head and burst into tears. Lovellian watched him with a look of contempt, then let out a long sigh.

“... Let’s return.”

Lovellian no longer looked at Eward, and neither did Eugene. Shunned by everyone, Eward hung his head.

Through the tears he squeezed out and his trembling, Eward’s eyes grew dull and dark.

The night air was cold.