[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 8
Esteed Martial Lee Clan’s eldest son—Lee Myeongjung.
My eldest brother was strong.
The title given to him was Twin Stars.
He was an unprecedented powerhouse, Quasi-2nd Rank in magic and Official 2nd Rank in Martial Arts. He had single-handedly slain dozens of Disaster-Class and Nightmare-Class monsters. Because of his overwhelming combat prowess, so even speculated that he might be on par with Father, a 1st Ranked Martial artist.
People revered him.
They admired him.
At the sa ti, many feared his overwhelming power.
But to , he was different.
If Lee Taehong was like a father to , and my nanny like a mother, then my eldest brother was the only one I could truly call family.
"Well, well… What a grand welco for my first visit to my little brother’s room."
A young man blocked my sword strike with ease, brushing the dust off his arm with a gentle smile.
"Myeongjung hyung…?"
My aunt gasped in shock and hurriedly grabbed Lee Myeongjung’s arm, her face filled with concern.
"Are you alright? Myeongjung, are you hurt?"
"I’m fine, Aunt. I sensed an unusual energy fluctuation beyond the door, so I was already on guard."
"I see… Still, I could’ve blocked it! You mustn’t get hurt!"
"Of course. Thank you for your concern."
I stood there in a daze, staring at my eldest brother.
His neatly combed-back hair.
His clear, light brown eyes, reflecting his kind nature.
Yes. Without a doubt. This was my eldest brother—Lee Myeongjung.
"Hmm? What’s wrong? Did you get injured?"
"Ah… No, not at all."
I couldn’t afford to remain lost in emotion.
In this life, nothing had even begun yet between
and my eldest brother.
These feelings—this nostalgia—belonged to
alone.
"Greetings. As the youngest, I formally greet my eldest brother."
I quickly sheathed my sword and bowed my head.
For a mont, Lee Myeongjung widened his eyes in surprise before letting out a soft chuckle.
"Haha! How admirable. At your age, I wasn’t nearly as well-mannered. Did you already know about ?"
"Of course. Even if I’m only a half-brother, how could I not recognize my eldest brother’s face?"
I spoke as respectfully as I could.
But at my words, my eldest brother’s expression twisted slightly.
"…Half-brother? Never say that again. No matter where we were born or who our mothers are, you and I are brothers."
"Ah… I apologize."
"No need to apologize. Just understand."
Lee Myeongjung let out a short sigh as he looked at .
He hasn’t even had his naming ceremony yet, and he already calls himself a half-brother…
It left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The way I seed far too mature for my age.
The fact that I even knew and used the word half-brother at this stage.
"Next ti, no need to be so formal. I’m just your brother—no need for all that etiquette."
"Huh? Ah… Yes, I understand."
I carefully observed my eldest brother’s expression.
The way he furrowed his brows—I could tell exactly what he was thinking.
…Big Brother was always like this, even in the past.
It felt nostalgic.
After leaving the family, I had never seen him again.
But now, here he was, standing before
in his youth.
A stark reminder that I had truly returned to the past.
"I’m sorry I haven’t been around as an older brother. It’s no excuse, but I’ve been a little busy. I’ll be staying at the main house more often now, so let’s have als together whenever we can."
Lee Myeongjung patted my shoulder lightly as he spoke.
"Yes, I’d love that. Just call
anyti, and I’ll co right away."
I nodded with a bright smile.
But my eldest brother looked at
curiously, as if sothing about
was unexpected.
"You… You’re a little different, aren’t you?"
"Huh? What do you an?"
"I don’t know… I just can’t quite put it into words."
Lee Myeongjung couldn’t find the right words and closed his mouth.
No matter how much he tried to reach out, most of my siblings either kept their guard up or pushed him away…
This was Esteed Martial Lee Clan.
Here, instead of grabbing coins or silk threads at their first-birthday ceremony, children grasped their destined weapons.
While others read fairy tales and dread, they studied the art of battle and accumulated knowledge for survival.
In Esteed Martial Lee Clan, sibling affection was rare.
To grow stronger.
To reach greater heights.
They competed endlessly.
And when that competition escalated, they trampled on each other, slandered each other… and sotis even killed each other.
That was the reality of the Esteed Martial Lee Clan.
“No matter how close we are by blood, this is the first ti we’ve ever had a real conversation. Doesn’t that bother you?”
Only then did I realize why my eldest brother seed so perplexed.
“To be honest, it is a bit surprising. But since you’ve acknowledged
as your younger brother, I am simply treating you as my elder brother.”
“Haha… You called
‘hyung.’ I see… Every sibling I’ve t so far only ever saw
as a rival.”
I stared at Lee Myeongjung, who smiled brightly.
“You misunderstand.”
“Hmm?”
“It’s not that I don’t see you as a rival.”
Lee Myeongjung’s eyes widened.
“I was born into this family with the surna Lee. That alone makes you my competitor, whether we like it or not.”
“I… see.”
Lee Myeongjung was genuinely taken aback.
His youngest sibling still had the soft, round face of a child—baby fat barely shed—yet every word was spoken with sharp clarity.
He was far too composed for his age.
“But don’t see
as just a cute little kid. One day, I may beco your greatest rival.”
Lee Myeongjung’s view of his youngest brother shifted.
He had heard about the unprecedented incident that happened during the Steel Selection Ceremony.
And now, to see such a fierce and determined gaze from soone so young…
He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew—his family was obsessed with blood purity.
The boy must have faced overwhelming discrimination.
A normal child might have broken under that weight, turning bitter and twisted.
But this boy… he possessed unyielding strength and an unshakable will.
This kind of person would never be easily broken.
Calling himself a half-blood earlier…
Now, Lee Myeongjung understood.
It wasn’t self-deprecation. It wasn’t submission.
It was simply a fact—one that didn’t define him or hold him back in any way.
That strike from earlier…
Lee Myeongjung recalled the weight of his youngest brother’s strike.
A child with no formal master… A boy who taught himself martial arts… Yet, he can already wield a sword like that?
“Just what kind of monster is he…?”
His gaze darkened with deep contemplation.
And then, the boy spoke again.
“But at the sa ti, you are also my brother. I hope we can be worthy rivals.”
“Hahaha.”
How many tis had he been surprised today? At this point, all he could do was laugh.
“Aaaahhh! Enough, enough!”
Suddenly, their aunt shoved Lee Myeongjung aside and stuck her pale face between them.
“Ugh, it’s dragging on! Stop talking already! I want to talk with Yeol too! Yeol-ah, what was that just now? You saw my present, didn’t you?!”
“…Huh?”
“Aaaah! I found it! But… maybe I didn’t? Yeol-ah, tell
what it was!”
Like a child, she began throwing a fit.
I let out a long sigh.
“…Aunt. My childhood na is ‘Young.’”
---
After that, my eldest brother lingered for just a mont longer before leaving due to a summons from the administration.
“Consider this a gift to commorate our first eting. I obtained it around the ti I entered the Eiffel Tower Academy of Magic in France. It seems more suited to you than to .”
He handed
a small glass vial.
“I look forward to it, little brother—the day you beco my greatest rival.”
At first glance, it was nothing more than an ordinary glass bottle.
A tiny flask, small enough to fit perfectly in my child-sized hand.
“What the—? It’s just a glass bottle. There’s nothing inside.”
My aunt tilted her head in confusion, examining the bottle from different angles.
But I knew exactly what it was.
“No. There is sothing inside.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s just… invisible.”
It was a liquid clearer than water.
The mont I swirled the vial, the seemingly empty bottle shimred, revealing tiny fragnts of light.
I stared at the glowing particles, montarily lost in thought.
I can’t believe he gave
sothing like this.
The Divine Liquor—Nectar.
Of course, it wasn’t actually the mythical drink of the gods.
It was simply nad that.
At this point in ti, it shouldn’t even be fully developed yet… This must be a prototype.
It was an incredibly rare elixir, produced in limited quantities—only 500ml every ten years—by the Magic Tower in France.
What my eldest brother had given
wasn’t even 50ml, just 10ml, but that alone was an astonishing gift.
He didn’t give
any warnings or instructions… Does that an it has no side effects?
Whether or not the true nectar of the gods existed, the future version of this potion would certainly live up to its na.
Which ant that even this early prototype must be extrely potent.
“Thank you, big brother.”
At this mont, there was no better gift for
than this.
Before I could fully process my gratitude, my aunt—unable to contain her excitent—grabbed my arm and shook
back and forth.
“Forget that! What was that thing earlier?! You saw my notebook, didn’t you?! That was amplification magic, wasn’t it?!”
“…That’s….”
I hesitated for a mont.
Even if she was acting favorably toward
now, I couldn’t trust her completely just yet.
If I answered her question, would I still be able to hide my abilities?
Even if I could, would telling her be beneficial to ?
And if I didn’t tell her, could I still get what I needed?
Then again… knowing her personality, it’s not like she’d give up just because I refuse to answer.
In that case, I might as well take control of the conversation and turn it into a bargain.
I slowly nodded.
“Yes. It was amplification magic.”
“How did you do it?! How?!”
My aunt practically bounced in excitent, her voice full of energy.
“It just… happened.”
“Co on! Tell
how you did it!”
“Why should I?”
At my response, my aunt’s eyes went wide.
“Because you figured it out using my notebook!”
“You gave that notebook to
as a gift. Besides, the words inside were too complicated for
to fully understand.”
“Still, my notebook helped you! So tell !”
“Would you ask for an entire building just because you lent soone a single screw?”
My aunt stared at
in stunned silence before fidgeting anxiously.
“I—I’ve spent my whole life chasing this! I’ve been looking for more than ten years! Even when I was kicked out of the house! But I never found anything! It’s maddening! So you have to tell !”
She was so worked up that her words ca out jumbled and frantic.
When I didn’t respond, she began stomping the floor in frustration.
There wasn’t even any magic in her movents, yet the entire room seed to vibrate slightly.
I felt a little guilty watching her like this, but I couldn’t afford to give in.
“Even so, I can’t tell you.”
“Urgh!”
Her sharp glare shot up at —but then, just as quickly, it softened. Her shoulders slumped as if she had lost all her strength.
“…You’re just like my brother.”
“You an my father?”
“No. My second brother.”
“…Huh? You an Uncle Lee Baekcheol?”
Lee Baekcheol was the head instructor of the family’s martial training division and one of the greatest archers of his ti, even earning the title Bow King.
Even in my past life, I hadn’t interacted with him much, but I knew him as the embodint of a warrior’s discipline.
“Baekcheol is actually the third brother.”
“…What?”
It took
a mont to understand what she ant.
In the history of the Martial Lee Clan, sibling relationships had always been drenched in blood.
Brothers turning on brothers—killing each other for power—was not unheard of.
It wouldn’t be surprising if so nas had been erased from the family records.
And even if soone’s na remained, they might have been hidden from history—just like my aunt.
“You really are a child of the Martial Lee Clan.”
Her face twisted into an expression I couldn’t quite read—was it disappointnt? Surprise? Acceptance?
Then, after a long pause, she sighed and nodded.
“…Fine. What do you want? What will it take for you to tell ?”
That was exactly what I had been waiting for.
I t her gaze and, slowly, I opened my mouth.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
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