Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It looked like there was another room inside, but for now, I checked on Ron Winterbell first. He was covered in blood from head to toe, but he was still breathing faintly.

I took out a high-grade recovery potion from my coat and poured it into his mouth. Tilting his head back and forcing him to swallow it, he soon began gulping it down on his own.

Gulp. Gulp.

It was a bit of a waste to use a high-grade potion I had saved for emergencies, but in the end, this too was for the mission.

‘If I keep him alive, he’ll be useful one way or another.’

About three minutes passed, but Ron Winterbell still didn’t regain consciousness, so I slapped his cheek several times.

Smack! Smack!

Huh? Even this didn’t wake him up?

I added a bit more force and gave Ron Winterbell a proper slap across the face.

Slaaap!

“...Young Master. I believe you hit him too hard. At that rate, he might wake up only to faint again.”

“Ah. Is that so?”

Looking down at Ron Winterbell, I saw that his right cheek had swollen up badly. Feeling a bit guilty, I gently stroked his red, puffy cheek and said,

“Ahem. Brother, it’s about time you woke up.”

“Aaaaargh!!”

“You’re being loud.”

“You... Don’t tell me, Ran Winterbell? Am I dreaming? Why are you here?”

Maybe the potion had worked.

Ron Winterbell, who had opened his eyes in an awkward position, glared at me.

“Nice to see you, Brother. Are you awake now?”

“What’s going on? Why the hell are you here? And where are those bastard bugs!”

He must not have grasped the situation yet. A desire to dislocate Ron Winterbell’s jaw as he shouted at the top of his lungs began to creep up, but I held back and spoke calmly.

“Brother, I understand you’re shocked to see my face first thing after waking up, but please calm down. I came to rescue you. Together with our other brothers.”

“...Did the Head of the Family send you?”

I nodded.

“That’s right.”

“...Then why is my cheek so hot? Did I get burned or something?”

I looked at Cecil in panic, and she let out a sigh and shook her head.

It meant: Don’t look at me, deal with it yourself.

I quickly smiled and said,

“Judging by the condition, it looks like you were singed by fire. Probably the work of those bastards who brought you here. Scum like them…”

“I see… I don’t even have an excuse. Of all people, it had to be you who found me in this pitiful state... You must find me pathetic too. Just the other day, I was boasting about becoming the King of the North, and now I’ve been taken down by trash like this… How disgraceful…”

It was a reaction that didn’t suit the ever-arrogant Ron Winterbell. It seemed he found it deeply shameful to have brought dishonor to the family.

Well, it wasn’t anywhere else—it was within Winterbell territory that he walked out on his own and got kidnapped. He really had no excuse, even if he had ten mouths.

On top of that, this was right after he lost the hierarchy duel to me.

Ron Winterbell, wearing a resigned, self-mocking smile, muttered in a low voice.

“If you’re going to sneer, go ahead and do it all you want. Right now, I’m no different from those filthy insects I used to despise so much.”

“...I see. From my perspective too, you do look like an insect right now.”

Normally, this guy would have flown into a rage, but now he just dropped his head weakly.

“...Yes. I’m an insect. Losing the hierarchy duel to the youngest I always looked down on wasn’t enough—I even went and tarnished the honor of our family. Maybe I was the one trapped in the well all along… without even realizing it was a well in the first place.”

Ron Winterbell was in worse shape than I thought. If I left him like this, it’d probably interfere with future missions, so I figured I might as well try comforting him.

“It's my burden to have a brother who’s like an insect.”

“…Everyone makes mistakes. Are you really going to make that face like the world’s ended over just one? That’s the expression that made me call you an insect.”

“……”

“The brother I know wouldn’t shrink away from something like this. Wasn’t it your nature to always be proud and unshaken among even the strongest of our siblings? Don’t tear yourself down over something like this.”

“……”

“I’m the one who’s embarrassed now. And so what if you’re an insect? Just get a grip and live properly again. There’s one who did just that sitting right in front of you.”

After saying all that, I suddenly felt extremely embarrassed. I scratched my head and looked away on purpose. It was too quiet, so I sneaked a glance at Ron Winterbell, and he was looking at me with a solemn expression.

‘What the hell. Why isn’t he saying anything? It’s making this even more awkward.’

Then, in a serious tone, Ron Winterbell spoke.

“I’ve been looking at people all wrong all this time. No wonder someone like me got caught up in something this pathetic…”

What was he even saying now?

“Ran Winterbell. I will never forget that you saved my life today.”

“Uh… sure.”

“If I become the Head of the Family, I will appoint you as the Vice Head.”

“…Th-thank you?”

“And if you become the Head, then I will become your sword and serve you forever.”

“……”

No.

This lunatic.

Why’s he being so intense?

The way Ron Winterbell spoke, his eyes shining with sincerity, made me feel nauseous. I had to wonder if this was really the Ron Winterbell I knew.

“And from this moment on, I shall recognize you as my true rival. From now on, I will strive to surpass you, to lead the family alongside you, and to give my utmost in competing for the position of Head. So that I may never again bring shame to myself.”

“Brother…”

Please stop.

I’m seriously about to throw up.

“Also, with the exception of asking me to give up the position of Head, I will grant you anything you ask, as much as you desire. I am now indebted to you three times. This time, you even saved my life. So I’ll offer this life of mine, three times over, for your sake. That is the minimum sincerity I can show to someone who has saved me.”

Then, struggling to his feet, he bowed his head as he looked at me.

“...I'm sorry. Regardless of the reasons, I realize now just how foolishly I’ve been living. The fact that I only understand this now... I believe it proves just how ignorant I’ve been.”

This time, I looked straight into his eyes. The gaze that had always been full of contempt and disgust now seemed somehow utterly transparent.

There’s a saying that people don’t change.

I used to believe that too.

After all, in my previous life, I died because I trusted Bestia and Saladin.

That’s why I don’t trust people. I probably never will.

But somewhere deep down, a part of me wanted someone to prove that belief wrong.

“Raise your head, Brother. This isn’t like you.”

Ron Winterbell looked up at me.

Had he always been such a simple man?

Thinking back, I suppose he had. I just never expected we’d mend our relationship like this.

“The brother I know doesn’t talk big—he shows through actions. So if you truly want to apologize to me, show it through your future conduct. I’ll make my judgment then.”

“...Alright.”

The Ron Winterbell I used to know would’ve exploded at this point, unable to contain himself. But seeing him calmly accept it like this, maybe something really had changed.

“So, can you tell me now what happened?”

Without a word, Ron Winterbell removed the gem earring from his earlobe and handed it to me.

“Brother? What’s this?”

“As you can see, it’s an earring made from a Memory Stone.”

“...Why were you wearing something like this?”

“That guy insisted.”

“That guy... ah, you mean that aide?”

“Yeah. He told me to wear the Memory Stone earring just in case anything happened. He practically forced it on me. Maybe he even anticipated things would go this far...”

Ron Winterbell’s aide was the one who had taken the woman Legion loved hostage to drive a wedge between them.

He might be trash in terms of character, but it was now clear that he was extremely cautious and calculating.

Thanks to that, this matter was resolving more easily.

I infused mana into the earring he gave me. Then, part of his memory seeped into my mind.

---

“This is your final warning. If you dare summon me again for something this petty, I’ll personally wipe out your entire line.”

“Lord Ron, how could you say that now? Have you already forgotten how many elixirs and classified intel we’ve given you?”

“Was that all free? Pretty sure we settled everything. And weren’t you the ones who said you’d prove your worth? You failed to do that—so there’s no longer any reason for me to work with you. Now get out of my sight.”

I watched Ron Winterbell’s memories freely, as if I were just an observer.

As expected, Ron Winterbell had left the family grounds by his own will. I didn’t know the full details, but judging from the circumstances, those people must have summoned him out.

Two figures in black robes stood with Ron Winterbell. Judging by their voices and builds, one was male and the other female.

“Sigh… Must be because you were spoiled rotten your whole life. You really don’t listen, you rude bastard.”

The man in the black robe suddenly changed his tone, and the woman in the black robe warned him.

“Don’t kill him.”

“I know, so don’t talk like you’re giving me orders. Makes me want to kill you too.”

Sensing danger, Ron Winterbell drew his sword, but the man subdued him instantly.

With his bare hands.

That meant if he wanted to, he could’ve killed Ron Winterbell with his bare hands right then and there.

It took him less than two seconds to overpower a martial artist who had reached 6 Stars. At first, I thought they might just be some lowlifes trying to leech off the Winterbell Family, but the moment I saw that man’s combat ability, I erased that thought completely.

‘Where the hell did a monster like that come from?’

At least 8 Stars. Maybe even higher. Anyone belonging to an organization with someone like that wouldn’t have been here just to scavenge scraps.

“Phew. Damn brat. Acting cocky just because of his family’s influence. Makes me want to rip out his tongue.”

“…Endure it for the cause. Our duty is simply to carry out our lord’s orders.”

“I told you to shut up, didn’t I? You think I don’t know that?”

“Sigh… It’s impossible to talk sense into you.”

Judging from their exchange, these two had gathered here for some specific purpose. And the one who issued their orders was someone they referred to as their ‘lord.’

“I serve only that one person. The only one who can command me.”

“…Fine, I understand. Let’s depart. He’s a direct line member of the Winterbell Family—something we obtained with difficulty. Shouldn’t we start the experiment as soon as possible?”

“You crazy bitch. Do you even know how many people have died because of your experiments?”

“Is that something I need to know? They were born as insects anyway. Whether 100 die or 200 die, what does it matter?”

The moment I heard those words…

The corpses I saw in the laboratory came to mind.

“We need to finish this before that monster bastard hears about it.”

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