Chapter 37. One Vile Blood, and One Viler Still (2)
"You... you!"
His face flushed red, his hands trembling, and his eyes glaring.
Even without looking at the "Color of Negativity" above his head, it wasn't hard to grasp that Joshua's emotions had reached their peak.
He held his rapidly reddening cheek and clenched his fist with the other hand.
His stance was quite commendable.
Judging by his smug attitude, it seemed he had undergone some training, and he was confident in his skills.
"Gah!"
Thwack──!
Before Joshua could even lunge at me, his cheek caught fire once again.
He had chosen the wrong opponent.
Yulian, praised as an unparalleled genius.
Through his eyes, Joshua was a pitiful lamb.
Originally, it was a necessary act of violence to prevent my clothes from being stained, but now it served as a means to perform as 'Yulian'.
"You... again... hit my cheek!? A wretched side branch like you...!"
"Didn't one of the saints of the Solar Church say? 'If someone strikes you on the right cheek, offer them your left cheek as well.'"
Thwack──!
Saying so, I slapped Joshua's cheek once more.
"If I hit you on the right cheek, then I must hit your left. And if I hit your left, then the right. At this rate... I have no choice but to keep hitting you."
It might have seemed excessive, but the moment Joshua lifted his wine glass toward me, destiny dictated this outcome.
Even if the one showing their teeth at me was a family member, a beast that is thoroughly educated—that is what Yulian was.
"You... urgh...!"
Joshua held his burning cheeks, glaring at me with murderous intent.
Unable to contain himself, he moved his hand to the ornate sword hilt at his waist.
"J-Joshua...!"
Rinia's urgent cry.
Simultaneously, the atmosphere around us turned icy cold due to Joshua's reckless actions.
"Will you draw it?"
I asked in a low voice, watching Joshua.
"If you stop now, what transpired here can be dismissed as a family matter. You can make the excuse that you were disciplining a troublesome sibling."
"Who... who is a lowly thing like you to call me a sibling!?"
"But! The moment you draw your sword, you will stand before me not as Joshua of the Cryphart family but as a swordsman."
I nonchalantly tapped the scabbard at my waist with my hand.
Of course, I had no intention of drawing it, but Joshua wouldn't know that.
What he saw was merely the infamy "Yulian Cryphart Frason" possessed and his true nature.
"Are you sure that's okay with you?"
Joshua paused for a moment, the veins on his neck still bulging, and the whites of his eyes bloodshot.
Slowly, I approached him, aware that he might draw his sword at any moment.
Around us, some couldn't hide their tension and swallowed nervously.
'Purple.'
Yet, the "Color of Negativity" visible above his head whispered that it wouldn't come to that.
Though he outwardly expressed anger, in the end, even he was intimidated by Yulian's infamy.
"You are wise."
Thwack──!
***
Yulian Cryphart Frason.
Famous as a cold-blooded individual, his display of violence toward a direct family member at Rinia Cryphart's wedding was enough to make attendees grimace.
Though Joshua Cryphart truly spoke some venomous words, the extent was excessive.
Look at how swollen Joshua's cheeks became. Typically, this behavior should have been condemned.
'... I feel so relieved.'
What Aileen felt was a sense of satisfaction rather than condemnation for that beastly being.
Joshua Cryphart.
A student at the Bayer Academy, he was notorious for being a troublemaker.
Engaging in activities such as bullying commoner students with cliques or disrupting classes taught by low-ranking professors.
Supported by the prestige of the Cryphart family, there was little the academy could do to reprimand him.
Seeing him getting slapped around by Yulian, a peculiar emotion welled up from deep within Aileen.
An odd sense of satisfaction.
'... I shouldn't harbor such feelings.'
Clearing her throat to steady herself, she approached Yulian.
She intended to tell him not to cause further disruption, as it would trouble Rinia, but before she could speak—
"St-stop it, Yulian."
Someone intervened first, mediating the situation.
It was the Cryphart family's third son, Herand Cryphart, who entered the hall in a hurry.
"Elder brother, you're here."
Yulian smiled gracefully at Herand.
Behind his smile lay neither guilt nor hesitation. He believed his actions were justified.
"Some guests are watching. How about stopping now?"
Herand, standing in front of Joshua drenched in cold sweat, spoke in a trembling voice.
"I was merely disciplining an overly presumptuous younger sibling. Surely everyone else understands."
"The nerve of a collateral wretch...! Who's your sibling?"
"Enough, Joshua! Didn't you provoke Rinia and Yulian first?"
"B-but... Elder brother Herand."
Herand, who Joshua thought would take his side, unexpectedly scolded him instead.
"Just having that lowly wretch present at such an occasion is..."
"I don't want to hear it! You caused a scene at an event hosted by the Cryphart family! This sullies our family's honor!"
"Why, brother, why are you siding with..."
"Just leave! No matter how much the elder favors you, your actions here disgrace the family name!"
At Herand's reprimand, Joshua looked at Yulian with eyes full of resentment before shutting them tightly and walking out of the hall in defeat.
"In place of our immature sibling, I apologize, Yulian."
Watching Joshua's retreating back, Yulian turned to meet Herand's gaze.
"No, it's fine. I expected this much when I came here."
"I'm sorry too, Rinia."
"It's okay, elder brother. Joshua is still young, so it's understandable."
Bowing his head to Rinia, Herand also gave Aileen a slight nod of apology.
"But Elder brother Herand. Didn't the family head attend the reception?"
"Ah, do you mean Father?"
"Yes."
"Father had obligations, so I came as his representative."
"I see."
A voice tinged with disappointment.
Suddenly, Yulian straightened his attire and approached Rinia.
"Elder Sister Rinia, I apologize for causing such a commotion."
"Huh? Oh... it's fine, really."
"No, on a once-in-a-lifetime day like this, I made quite the scene."
"Hey, you never know, I might do it twice in a lifetime."
A sarcastic joke with a hint, Yulian chuckled.
After briefly exchanging pleasantries, Herand and Rinia left to greet other guests.
Left alone with Yulian, an uncomfortable silence filled the space between them, causing Aileen's eyes to dart around.
"Oh."
Her eyes caught sight of Yulian's cuffs. They were the ones she had, in a moment of anger, recommended at the Hundred Garments Emporium.
"You made such a fuss about my taste in formal wear, and now you're wearing the ones I picked, aren't you?"
Aileen grinned triumphantly, recalling how Yulian had mocked her artistic sense when they met at the store.
"Did I? I don't remember."
Yulian responded with a faint smile.
"Oh, you're going to play it that way?"
His behavior made Aileen pout slightly.
"For someone who doesn't remember, the cuffs, buttons, and belt are all what I chose?"
"A mere coincidence."
"... It doesn't seem so coincidental!"
She felt irked by Yulian's audacious attitude.
A man swathed in pride would never lower his head or acknowledge others unless it aligned with his beliefs—even if it crushed him.
Even if it would bury him under its weight, he wouldn't acknowledge...
"I'm joking. Aileen, you're right. These clothes... I do like them."
"... What?"
"Indeed, as expected from a member of the Donatien family."
A sudden blend of jest, praise, and recognition.
Hearing the unexpected words spill from his lips left Aileen momentarily speechless.
She thought acknowledging others would prick his tongue... guess not?
"I should get going then."
"Ah... Already?"
Startled, her voice wavered, inadvertently turning her face red.
"I'm not completely oblivious. Won't my presence make others uncomfortable?"
The row caused by Joshua had settled, easing the atmosphere in the banquet hall, but the infamy the name "Yulian" carried hadn't disappeared.
Stealthy glances.
To them, Yulian was synonymously bothersome.
"Originally, I came just to greet. Though other nuisances got in the way."
With those words, Yulian walked away from the banquet hall.
A sense of déjà vu—a hint that I had experienced this phrase from Yulian before.
When was it? Ah, during my time at Bayer Academy.
― It's as if you've captured the stars. Indeed, a beautiful spell befitting of Donatien, a magic household."
The vibrant memory.
What resurfaced so vividly back then was simple—her acknowledgment by Yulian on that very day.
Underneath the cherry blossoms on the rear hill of the academy—
"Kkkaaahhh..."
Recalling something she'd rather not, she groaned, holding her head between her hands.
***
The family head is not attending.
My purpose for coming here was to secure the "Soul Stone" owned by the Cryphart family.
And since, in the game, the family head had it, there was no need to linger at the reception if he wasn't present.
'I aimed to secure the Soul Stone, but the family head isn't here...'
I tasted bitterness on my tongue.
Would such an opportunity present itself again?
The family head detested Yulian, infamous as he was even though of a sideline, so there was no guarantee I'd even get an audience.
This is tricky.
As I rubbed my throbbing temples, I heard a voice calling for me.
"Yulian!"
It was Rinia, jogging over from the banquet hall, looking just as she had when we first met.
"Leaving already? I was hoping you'd stay until the end."
Instead of answering, I just responded with a smile.
Rinia seemed to understand why I smiled and nodded, pulling out a small, unremarkable jewelry box from her bosom.
"You likely came to see Father at my wedding, correct? To take this?"
"This is..."
"Your mother's memento."
My mother's memento?
At her words, I tilted my head and accepted it.
It was a crude box for a jewelry case.
"When I was choosing wedding gifts from the gem room, I stumbled upon this. It made me think of you, so I brought it out. You and Father had quite a dispute over this, didn't you?"
"Ah, yes. We did."
Nodding in acknowledgment, though unsure of the situation.
So, Yulian had a family conflict like that.
"So, I pretended I was picking it as a wedding gift and secretly brought it for you."
"... Thank you."
Rinia smiled warmly, looking pleased at my gratitude.
Although the jewelry box was unfamiliar, it filled me with a sense of warmth and tenderness.
And inside was—
'... Soul Stone.'
A Soul Stone once owned by the Cryphart family.
Contained within the jewelry box, believe it or not, was the pendant made of that very Soul Stone.
So, this belonged to Yulian's mother.
Her memento implies she must have passed.
I traced a finger over the pendant's central gem, the 'Soul Stone'.
Unlike the one found in the Pyrun Forest, this seemed to have undergone magical processing, devoid of any residual aura.
"I never anticipated obtaining it this way."
"... What did you say?"
"Nothing. Thank you for returning my mother's memento."
Offering Rinia my thanks once more, I gazed at the jewelry box in my hands.
The sensation of metal felt oddly poignant.
An aching longing.
A gentle warmth.
Melancholic yet unsatisfied.
These emotions aren't mine—they are undeniably Yulian's.
Clacky's Corner:
Hmmm, that infinite bitch-slap combo is oddly satisfying.
Also, free Soul Stone.