Edward’s room.
After finishing his dinner, Edward set down his utensils.
“Master.”
“Yes?”
“May I ask a question?”
Edward nodded.
“You used magic earlier, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“But I was told petrification can’t be used without a circle.”
“That’s true.”
“Then… how did you cast it?”
“I used a circle.”
“A circle? But you don’t have one.”
“I do now.”
“What? When?”
“This afternoon. I made one.”
Frederick’s jaw fell open.
“Th-that’s impossible!”
“Not entirely.”
“But forming a magic circle isn’t something anyone can do. It takes decades of effort! How could you possibly—”
“Frederick.”
“Yes?”
“I wasn’t just idling away while locked up in this room.”
Frederick looked both shaken and moved.
“You truly are a genius, my lord. Forgive me for not realizing it sooner.”
“You don’t need to flatter me like that.”
“The circle is wonderful, but it would have been even better if it were an Aura Star. That’s regrettable.”
“Why?”
“The Griffiths line has always used aura. It’s the family tradition.”
“Aura is our tradition?”
“Yes.”
“And what about our family’s unique magic?”
“Magic? The Griffiths are a knightly house. Why would we have such a thing?”
Both were stunned—but for different reasons.
So it was severed.
At some point, the Griffiths had lost their true power, and even forgotten it had ever existed.
Good thing I reincarnated.
Edward knew all the Griffiths’ secret arts—and had once advanced them himself. Now, with this life, he could restore what was lost.
“I once read that our house used unique magic in the past.”
“Truly?”
“It was only one line. So it might not be certain.”
“…”
“Anyway… about William.”
“Yes?”
“When did he become such a delinquent?”
“He was always rebellious, but it used to be harmless. Things worsened after he returned from the Academy.”
“The Academy?”
“The Royal Academy in the capital. Most noble heirs are educated there.”
“…Did I also attend?”
“You did, but due to your health you repeated grades and eventually withdrew.”
“I see. And William?”
“He was expelled for assaulting an instructor.”
Father must have been furious.
“He was. Outraged.”
“Was that why he was banished?”
“Not directly. He struck the knight-captain during his probation. That was when the baron cast him out.”
What drives him to behave this way?
“It must be his parentage.”
“Parentage?”
“Master William’s mother was not a noble.”
“…Ah.”
“He was mocked as a bastard at the Academy. He fought with an instructor over it.”
“I understand.”
“And… well…”
“What else?”
“You played a part as well, my lord.”
Frederick’s tone carried a trace of reproach.
“Me?”
“You never once treated Master William as a brother. You never dined with him, never acknowledged his greetings. You even mocked him often.”
So that’s how it was.
Edward could imagine why his former self had acted that way. William had the strong, healthy body Edward had always longed for. So he must have envied and despised him.
But even so…
He could understand it, but not forgive it. Edward resolved to set things right.
***
William regained consciousness the following afternoon.
The alcohol had knocked him out, and he had slept deeply.
“Hm?”
A familiar ceiling.
He raised his head slightly to take in his surroundings—
“Urgh!”
Pain stabbed through his neck, as though he had been clubbed.
As yesterday’s memories returned, William scowled.
“That bastard… what trick did he use?”
Though he had been drinking, a four-star aura user like William was barely affected by alcohol.
He had fought seriously—and been utterly defeated.
That shocked him more than anything. The brother he had once dismissed as weak and half-dead had toyed with him.
By strength, speed, aura—William had been overwhelming. Yet none of his attacks landed.
“Cheating snake.”
He was sure Edward had used some underhanded black magic. Otherwise, there was no way he could have lost.
“You’ll pay for this.”
William ground his teeth and looked around.
It’s the same…
The same room he had lived in as a child. Once a home, but never truly his.
He had thought the room would be stripped away after his exile. Yet everything remained as it was.
It unsettled him.
Creak.
The door opened slightly, and someone peered in.
“You’re awake.”
Edward entered, no longer the frail, sickly boy William remembered, but a vigorous, healthy young noble.
The sharp, bitter expression William had known was gone—replaced with calm assurance.
“How’s your body?”
“You here to mock me?”
“What would I gain from that?”
Edward dragged over a chair and sat across from him with ease.
“Why am I here?”
“This is your room.”
“You had me thrown out.”
“I wasn’t the one who did that.”
“The old man then?”
“…Father?”
“Yes.”
“He’s gone to borrow money.”
“How pathetic.”
William forced a crooked grin, though unease gnawed at him.
“Why did you hit Logan?”
“He walked into the tavern, saw me, and turned right back around. That pissed me off.”
“And so you beat him?”
“He looked at me like I was some kind of beast.”
Edward shook his head slowly.
“Why are you here in the territory?”
“About a month ago, I ran into one of our peasants on the road. He said you nearly died while messing with black magic. So I came.”
“A little late to attend the funeral, don’t you think?”
“I came to take a dump on your grave, Brother. Maybe watch the old man bawl his eyes out while I’m at it.”
Edward chuckled. The jab had been meant to sting, but his laughter disarmed it, leaving William oddly unsettled.
This isn’t right…
The Edward he knew would have snapped at such provocation. But this new composure made William uneasy.
“You don’t even flinch when I call you brother?”
“I am your brother. What else would you call me?”
“You used to go wild at that word. Said you’d never acknowledge a bastard like me.”
Edward’s expression darkened.
“William.”
“Yes, dear brother of mine.”
“I’m truly sorry. For everything.”
“What?”
“I said things I never should have. I was foolish.”
“Hey…”
William glared at him.
“You’re a doppelgänger, aren’t you?”
A doppelgänger—one of those monsters that devoured humans and copied their faces. It was the only explanation that made sense.
That would explain why he didn’t recognize me yesterday, too.
“My brother was a piece of trash who’d never apologize. If you’re gonna impersonate him, at least do it right.”
“You really think a doppelgänger could defeat a four-star aura user?”
…That gave William pause.
Doppelgängers were considered mid-rank monsters only because of their shapeshifting. In raw strength, they were among the weakest. They couldn’t possibly defeat him.
“Then it makes no sense you beat me, either.”
“That’s because your fundamentals are garbage.”
William narrowed his eyes, still suspicious.
“You sell your soul to a demon or something?”
“Something like that.”
“What?”
“Anyway. I didn’t die, but I brushed against death’s door.”
“And?”
“It changed how I see the world.”
“What the hell are you getting at?”
“I don’t know how much time I’ve got left. But however little it is, I want to live it properly.”
“You’ve lost your damn mind.”
“I don’t want my little brother squatting on my grave when I’m gone.”
“You think this changes anything? When you croak, I’ll still piss and shit all over your tombstone.”
“Go ahead. That’s your choice.”
Even at William’s venom, Edward only smiled with calm amusement.
“Do what you want with my grave. But remember this—whether you like it or not, you’re still my brother.”
William froze, caught off guard.
He had cursed his brother all his life, but this sudden shift left him speechless.
Dong. Dong. Dong.
The sound of bells rang from the village. Edward shot to his feet and rushed to the window.
“What is it?”
“Bandits.”
Peering out over the fields, Edward’s tone was sharp. He turned for the door—then stopped.
“You’re coming too.”
“I’m injured. Just woke up, remember?”
“You mean you just woke up from a drunken nap.”
William grimaced at the hit.
“Those peasants spit in my face and call me bastard. Let the bandits take them all.”
“…I see.”
Edward’s face tightened. He reached for the door again, then paused.
“William.”
“What?”
“Remember this. You are a Griffith.”
With that, he left.
***
Griffith farmlands.
The peasants took a break from their work, gathering in small groups.
“Wasn’t the young lord incredible? Even William, who not even the knight-captain could handle—he beat him.”
Hans was the first to speak.
“Right? He toyed with him.”
The others agreed eagerly. They had repeated the story since last night, and still it never grew old. Everywhere people gathered, praise for Edward spilled out.
“He showed his true strength at last. Even the temple knight, he dropped with a single blow.”
“Yeah, that fight was over in a blink. Against William, at least it looked like a real match.”
“Exactly.”
“He won’t be swaggering around anymore.”
“After that beating, he won’t dare step foot here again.”
For the first time, the villagers felt safe. The terror that had stalked them whenever William appeared was gone—Edward had ended it.
“May the young lord stay strong and hea—”
Dong. Dong. Dong.
The bell tolled.
“What’s happening?”
The peasants looked around nervously.
“Bandits!”
The cry came from the village. Dust plumes rose on the horizon.
“Damn it!”
Hans’s face twisted.
“We’re in trouble!”
The villagers dropped their tools and ran. They knew bandits never came from just one side. Their only chance was to reach the lord’s castle as fast as possible.
“Hans! Where are you going?”
“My wife—Jane’s on the far side!”
Jane had gone out to gather mushrooms before supper—right where the bandits now swarmed.
“Then we go with you!”
“What?”
“Hurry!”
“And what are we supposed to do when we get there?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
“…No. Let’s go.”
They ran together, hearts pounding. Untrained peasants against mounted raiders was suicide. But none of them could leave Hans to face it alone.
Hans’s chest swelled with gratitude as he sprinted.
“Jane!”
He spotted her near the village outskirts, running flat out toward them. Behind her thundered the bandits on horseback.
“Hans!”
“Jane!”
Her legs pumped desperately, but the horses closed in fast.
“Look out!”
“Kyahhh!”
One rider leaned down, seizing her by the waist and hauling her screaming onto his saddle.
“Damn it!”
Hans grabbed a stone from the roadside and hurled it. The other farmers followed suit.
Thud!
Most missed. But one struck a horse.
The beast whinnied, staggering—but it didn’t fall. The rider’s fury only ignited.
“You peasants want to die together?”
He spurred his mount, charging at them. More raiders joined him.
“Run!”
Half a dozen horses bore down on them. Panic surged. Most of the farmers fled.
But Hans could not abandon Jane. Frozen with terror, he stood rooted.
The bandit’s blade rose.
“Die!”
Then—
Slash!
A head flew from its shoulders, spraying blood.
Cliche Novel 