Chapter 84
Chapter 84
If it had been a magical attack, Han Si-hyuk could have deftly dodged it. But this was an unpredictable assault with no clear direction, strength, or trajectory.
Han Si-hyuk was utterly caught off guard.
‘What kind of tricky attack is this…?’
Thud.
Still standing dazed, Han Si-hyuk was struck by another punch, causing him to stumble forward.
“Gah….”
The next blow came in the form of a kick.
Han Si-hyuk, trying to dodge to the side, took the hit to his ribs.
Bang.
He was sent flying across the room.
Even without using magic, the force behind the blows was extraordinary.
Grabbing his throbbing side, Han Si-hyuk extended his arms, gasping for breath as he managed to get out a desperate plea.
“W-wait, just a moment!”
True to his frail prophetic nature, just a few hits had him reeling.
If he had called for Albert, the situation might have been different, but he couldn’t bear the thought of showing himself getting beaten by a younger brother ten years his junior.
That was the last bit of pride Han Si-hyuk had left.
Han Siha sighed, rubbing his aching head.
“What’s your game?”
“…There’s no game here.”
Han Siha frowned, his tone sharp as he continued.
“Then were you trying to test me?”
He didn’t mean it as a literal test of his patience, but that’s how Han Si-hyuk interpreted it, his eyes widening.
He thought his intentions had been seen through.
‘How did he know?’
It seems blood does run thicker than water.
Han Si-hyuk was genuinely surprised at the keen intuition his brother displayed, which seemed untouchable to anyone else.
However, his words were far from complimentary. Instead, they were intended to provoke Han Siha.
“I intended to punish you myself. I changed my approach a bit, but I felt sorry for your friends, having someone like you around.”
“Oh, really?”
“You might be all smug now, but you’re still just Ardel’s failure…”
Thud.
“Oof!”
Han Si-hyuk found himself once again on the ground.
That was the price for running his mouth.
“Gah… Damn it.”
As Han Siha stood over him, Han Si-hyuk was contemplating something else entirely.
‘What do I do now?’
Han Si-hyuk was an antagonist, constantly clashing with Han Siha, but he was relatively a good character compared to the original Han Siha.
If Han Siha from the original story were here, he would have likely reported Han Si-hyuk to the family and gotten him expelled. But that wasn’t a good solution.
Han Siha still didn’t trust Han Taesu.
And while he couldn’t forgive him for using his friends as bait and trying to provoke him…
“Ah, this is complicated.”
There was only one conclusion.
Han Siha rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
“Maybe I should beat him up a bit more before deciding.”
“…!”
Han Si-hyuk struggled to his feet, brushing off his crumpled clothes and clearing his throat, trying to maintain a facade of composure even as he reflexively raised his arms.
That only made Han Siha even angrier.
Bam.
Han Si-hyuk, taking yet another hit, shouted in desperation.
“Let’s just talk this out! You weren’t always this unreasonable!”
“No, I’ve always been like this.”
Han Siha rolled his eyes, thinking over Han Si-hyuk’s words.
The Han Siha from the original story was even worse, far from someone who would hold back.
Oh, maybe he just didn’t know me well enough back then.
Bam.
“Oof!”
As the thought crossed his mind, Han Siha suddenly asked a question.
“Oh, right.”
His fist still raised.
“But how old are you again… I mean, how old is my dear brother?”
“Wh-what…?”
Calling him “brother” after beating him up so badly only made it scarier.
Han Si-hyuk’s expression turned cold as he hesitated, then finally answered.
“T-twenty-five.”
So he’s not just mature-looking, but really that much older.
Han Siha was about to land another punch when a thought crossed his mind.
Han Siha was fifteen…
‘Is this even okay in terms of Confucian values?’
Even in this world, there had to be some sense of respecting one’s elders.
Feeling awkward, Han Siha scratched his head.
“Ah, sorry. I come from a culture that values respecting one’s elders…”
“What?”
“Although, now that I think about it, I’ve never really cared about age when dealing with seniors.”
He had never considered age when he was biting everyone like a mad dog.
“Hmm, it’s not like it’s just been a day or two.”
“….”
“Should I just live like this?”
As Han Siha briefly pondered that, he clenched his fist tightly once again.
“W-wait a minute!”
What does it matter? I’m twenty-eight on the inside.
With that quick self-justification, Han Siha swung his fist again.
“Ouch!”
Another ten minutes or so passed like this.
“…I’m going to die.”
The man, supposedly the continent’s greatest prophet, lay on the ground, his once-pristine suit now in tatters.
And in front of him, Han Siha sat, scratching his head and contemplating what to do next.
Han Siha spoke with a hint of pity in his voice.
“You should’ve called your lackey by now.”
“If I had, you’d be dead.”
“Maybe. But considering how arrogant this prophet was, would his servant really be that great?”
“How dare you… speak so rudely…”
“Want another beating?”
“….”
What pride, this nobility.
If it were me, I’d run out of here begging for mercy.
It seemed Han Si-hyuk would rather die than show such weakness to his guard.
Han Siha clicked his tongue as he watched him.
“And if you were seeking revenge, you should have targeted me, not my friends. Cowardly.”
That was the plan. Once this was over.
If there was even a shred of humanity left in him, he would have tried to save his friends.
But Han Siha wasn’t like that.
Despite having anticipated every move, he still chose to use his friends to the bitter end.
The current situation was proof of that. He was a person with no loyalty and devoid of humanity.
He hadn’t changed at all from a few years ago.
‘This is someone who must be killed at all costs,’ Han Si-hyuk thought grimly.
Breathing heavily, Han Si-hyuk pulled out his last resort.
“You’re the coward, and you’re the pathetic one.
Shouldn’t you be running to save those friends of yours instead of wasting time on revenge against me?”
“We’ll see about that.”
Han Siha chuckled softly and shook his head.
“You’re not trying to kill them.”
“What?”
Han Si-hyuk involuntarily furrowed his brow.
“It’s a paralytic poison, isn’t it?”
“….”
“At first glance, it might look like they’re dying, but it just drains their magic and paralyzes them. It doesn’t actually cause harm. You must have spent a pretty penny to get it—was it really worth using it for something like this?”
Han Siha had already figured him out completely.
No matter how many times Han Si-hyuk had wanted to kill his half-brother, Han Siha, he had never actually gone through with it. Even now, his actions showed hesitation.
The evidence was clear.
Rather than using a lethal poison, he resorted to a paralytic one on the friends he had captured as bait.
He hadn’t called for Albert, thus missing the chance to kill Han Siha himself.
To some, Han Si-hyuk might seem pitiful, but in truth, he simply didn’t have the guts to truly harm anyone.
He was more suited to being a solitary prophet than a back-alley assassin.
Han Si-hyuk’s eyes widened in shock.
“How did you know…?”
“You were just curious about how I’d react, weren’t you?”
Of course, if left unattended for too long, it could become dangerous. If their magic continued to drain, they could fall into a state of exhaustion.
Han Siha glanced out the window and shrugged.
“And besides, someone’s already on their way.”
* * *
“Huff… Huff…”
Seymour ran frantically, panting heavily.
He didn’t understand why Han Siha had suddenly called for him, but he couldn’t refuse.
‘I’d like you to pay back the favor for getting you out.’
‘A favor? What do you mean?’
‘It’s not a difficult request.’
In the past, Seymour would have snapped at such talk, refusing outright.
But Han Siha had been the only one to help him avoid being disowned by his family.
If he owed someone a debt, he had to repay it—that was the honorable thing to do.
Seymour quickened his pace.
‘The storage room on the right side of the field.’
That’s where Adela, Natalie, and Won were supposedly trapped.
“What the hell happened?”
The inside was eerily quiet. A faint barrier caught Seymour’s eye.
He pulled out his wand.
Everyone seemed to be deliberately ignoring this area. They wouldn’t notice anything unusual unless they got really close.
‘This barrier is blatantly obvious.’
It was dangerous. The inside was filled with thick, black smoke.
He could hear faint voices, but they were muffled, likely due to the barrier.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, Seymour began chanting softly, casting a spell to break the barrier.
He had been studying necromancy for the past two years, so his magic was more specialized in dark arts.
Since the barrier itself was a type of dark magic, Seymour was able to dismantle it quickly.
Flash—.
A black light flickered over the lock, causing the iron door to vibrate. Seymour gritted his teeth and poured more magic into the spell.
The moment the outer barrier snapped, the Magic Department students playing on the field turned their heads.
“…Huh?”
They heard frantic voices that quickly grabbed everyone’s attention.
“We’re trapped in here!”
“Help us!”
“I… I can’t breathe… My magic isn’t working!”
What’s going on?
The students started rushing toward the storage room where the commotion was coming from.
“…What happened?”
“Hey, move aside.”
“Let me open it.”
Seymour stopped the students and spoke firmly.
The sound-blocking barrier was gone, but the iron door was still intact. The students there weren’t strong enough to open it on their own.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
“Natalie’s trapped in there?”
“I heard Adela’s voice too.”
“Did Seymour find them?”
The students, who usually gave Seymour nothing but hostile looks, couldn’t hide their surprise.
It was hard to believe that the man, drenched in sweat and struggling to use magic, was the same Seymour they knew.
Seymour gritted his teeth.
It was more resilient than expected. Even after pouring in a lot of magic, the door wouldn’t budge.
Seymour scraped together every last bit of his magic and unleashed it.
Flash—.
Finally, the iron door swung open.
“Ahhh!”
Crash.
The three of them, leaning against the door, tumbled out.
“Natalie! Adela!”
“Won, are you okay?”
Thud.
Adela, who had nearly collapsed from exhaustion due to her drained magic, gasped for breath as she fell forward.
Though her condition was poor, she would recover soon since the poison wasn’t lethal.
The Magic Department students were busy helping the three who had just escaped.
Amid the chaos, Adela managed to lift her head, her face filled with confusion.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
The person sitting there, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, was the one who had saved them.
But why him?
“Seymour…?”
“Han Siha asked me. Told me to open the door.”
She wasn’t surprised by the fact that he saved them.
What shocked her was that Seymour had actually listened to Han Siha.
A collective murmur spread among the students who overheard this.
“What’s going on with him?”
“I don’t know…”
“Maybe he’s not such a bad guy after all.”
“Why would he try to kill us before, but now…?”
Seymour had no response to that last comment. He awkwardly glanced around until his eyes met Natalie’s.
Seeing her again made him even more uncomfortable.
Natalie hesitated, searching for the right words, before settling on the most appropriate thing to say.
“Th-thank you.”
Seymour stared at her for a moment before quickly looking away.
This reunion was as awkward as it could get.
He had tried to kill her.
Saving them once didn’t erase that fact.
“…As long as you’re alive.”
Seymour muttered gruffly and then turned to leave.
“Seymour!”
“Where are you going?”
Bonus Chapter for Every Review on Novel Updates.