Villainess Brother Chapter 22

Chapter 22 : A Man Has No Such Thing As Going Back On His Words

I turned five.

I have at last turned five years old.

It has finally come.

The day to get my hands on magic!

But just when I was thinking that, I got told they couldn't teach me right away. Sad.

It seems that Father has hired a teacher who is an expert in magic, and once that teacher arrives, apparently, the magic class will begin.

The teacher hired is very busy and seems to be a foreigner living in a country called the Ludoa Empire, so it will be half a year before they come to the mansion.

It's extremely unfortunate, but magic has ended up being put on hold until then.

It can't be helped. I guess I'll do my best on the other one, which is swordsmanship, now that the ban has been lifted until the teacher comes.

The location is outside the mansion, in the grassy Cranbell family's garden.

And there, I've been training repeatedly the pratice swings that the instructor has taught me for about a month, using a wooden sword that's been made shorter according to my height.

The sword instructor is Sebas the butler.

It seems that my father also learned swordsmanship from Sebas.

According to my father, it seems Sebas's swordsmanship is more practical and easy to use, unlike the conventional swordsmanship learned at schools in the royal capital and at the royal palace.

That's why I'm just earnestly swinging my wooden sword as I was told.

But lately I've grown tired of it.

I mean because it's plain after all.

In the morning, I help dig a well in the village, and after doing a little classroom learning in the afternoon, I practice swinging every day until dinner.

It takes less than three hours.

As expected, even if you keep doing this for a month, you won't be able to concentrate, no matter how important the basics are.

Moreover, I was told that I will only be practicing swinging for the next three months anyway......

Though I do think I can concentrate a little more and do my best as long as I'm swinging the wooden sword by myself~

In the immediate vicinity, Sebas and Karen are doing something like a mock match while making a banging noise *gan*gan*, so that's making me want to join them too.

About half a year ago, I don't know where she heard about it, but when she learned that I would learn swordsmanship and magic from the age of five, Karen said she wanted to learn it too.

As a result, Karen, who has finished the basics of practice swinging, crosses the wooden sword with Sebas every day.

For whatever it is, Karen said she has a reason for wanting to be strong.

Even as I asked her, she didn't let me know why.

Though well, I have a general idea.

However...... that's nice huh~.

With a wooden sword I want to fight too. I want to make those *kin*kin* *gan*gan* noises.

I mean I'm a boy after all.

When I was little, I used to roll up newspapers and play sword fights with my older sisters you see.

Though I was always beaten three-on-one......

That's right, I have a good idea alright.

Let's have Karen play sword fight with me without telling Sebas.

"Nee Karen, do a match with me too."

When I've just had the idea, on a day when there's no schedule with Sebas, I try and asked Karen to make me her opponent.

Sebas told the two of us to practice swinging, but once in a while it's okay, right?

"......you still haven't, finished the basic practice. You'll get hurt."

Oya? (Hm?) I got an actually surprising answer.

I didn't expect, to think she would care about me and give me warning.

Karen basically, replies almost only by back-channeling (e.g.: Ahh yeah that's right; Fumu, indeed. it is so; Ah yes, no; Nn? no that's not so, but it's something like that; etc.), and doesn't engage in conversation with anyone more than necessary. [Tl note no 1]

I think this is the first time I've seen Karen reply with something other than yes or no.

Even though I was the object of hatred when I met her, this is a big change of state of mind.

Well, we've been living together for a year as well.

Although we don't have decent conversation, it might not be strange for her feelings to at least spring up.

"Come on, don't say that, it's fine to just do it for a little while, so make me your opponent. I ended up getting tired of just practicing swinging you see."

"......Really, is it okay? There's too much difference in power between you and me, and yet"

Whut? I won't allow that to pass just now alright.

Although I'm a child, even if I look like this I'm still more or less a man.

Just because Karen is a little older than me, I don't think I'm going to lose to a girl.

In the first place, when combined with my previous life, I was actually twenty-two years old. I am a splendid man mentally.

Rather, as an adult, I was going to take it easy on her.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about that at all. Go on and feel free to take on me seriously."

I've never seen Karen throw a single sword at Sebas anyway, and whenever she was attacked, she was always on the defending side.

Jeesh, just where does that kind of confidence come from?

"......Okay. The time is, till when?""

"Till when huh~ I'm sure I've heard that Karen and Sebas are always going at it all the way till dinner right?"

"Uh-hm"

"Then, for the time being, one hour. Let's decide after one hour if we're going to continue more than that."

"Okay"

When I replied back, Karen held out her wooden sword in front of her, leaned, and assumed a stance.

And then,

"Whenever, I don't mind" (Karen)

She let me take the lead.

That's cheeky.

To the little girl who lives less than half of me, I'll let her know the power of adult!

With the rule of not aiming at the face, it's time to start!

"Take this-!"

Taking a strong step forward, I came in to hit Karen's torso with a horizontal sweep.

Though it's like that, I'm going to stop just before it hits, so I didn't put much power into it.

Karen evaded the side sweep with a back step, closed the range at once, and unleashed a series of attacks.　

Fuu, I can see it. I could it see it.

It's impossible to hit me with that kind of speed...... Oh?

Hm?

Hmmm?

*Gashi*gashi*, I intended to receive Karen's attack with a wooden sword with ease, but it gradually became relentless and painful.

W-Why!?

*Bashin*!

"Oww-!"

At the end, I couldn't handle it and break, and I ended up receiving Karen's flash to my right flank.　

"*Haa, haa...*"

My arms got heavy, and my breath became rough.

Even if you can see your opponent's movements, it's meaningless if you can't maintain your own movements.

Is it because I'm a five years old?

Is a five-year-old body so rigid like this?

Even though it's been five years since I was reborn, it seems like I still haven't lost the feeling I had when I was seventeen.

So it means it was me, not Karen, who had baseless confidence.

I also underestimated swordsmanship.

Practice swinging at your own pace while taking a break, and sparring with a real opponent in a real battle format, consume a completely different amount of stamina.

I also underestimated Karen didn't I.

This might have been her daily amount of exercise in the slum.

"Sorry, just like you said, Karen, I'll devote myself to the basics. It seems it's too early for me to fight with someone. Say the continuation be put off for another time."

When I told her so, for some reason, Karen stared motionlessly at me, silently.

That's a bit scary.

"W-, What?"

"Different, from what I heard"

"Different from what you heard?"

"You always keep what you once say. Right, I heard such from Uncle."

"e? a-, aahhh......"

The Uncle Karen is talking about is Sebas.

Karen's calling Sebas Uncle (Ojii-san).

By the way, she's calling me you (Anata).

Of course, "Anata" is not the one that a wife uses for her husband (i.e., Dear).

She heard from Sebas about me like that, huh.

Sheesh, it's not like that at all though~

Rather, I often retract what I've said......

And yet, if you ask me why the story became like that, there's me as the cause.

It's because for a period of time, I was using the quotes (famous sayings), lines, proverbs, and maxims that were in my previous life in a wasteful and pretentious way.

In particular, I frequently used the phrase "A man doesn't go back on his words".

Though I didn't say it anymore because I felt like it was going to result in my being in a stranglehold later.

That damn Sebas, doing something unnecessary.

I just wanted to act a bit like "a man who can do it" in front of Erina, and yet my hurdles have gone being raised in unrelated way.

Look, see, Karen's gaze hurts me thanks because of that.

*Jii—―*......

(Uu......)

On top of me not being able to tell what she's thinking because of her lack of expression, I can't even read her emotions.

Well, this being definitely not a good feeling is certain alright.

"You're right. Once I say something, I have to keep it, right?"

Karen nodded with approval at my words and held out the wooden sword in front of her body just like before.

Even though you were negative at first...... now you're full of spirit, really?

It's not that she feels the pleasure of hitting me like my sisters did right?

Aaahhhh, whatever happens, let it happen!

"Take this!"

*Bashi*!

"That hurts!"

*Bishi*!

"That hurts!"

*Bishi*! *Bashi*! *Bishi**Bashi**Bishi**Bashi**Bishi**Bashi*!!

"That's so huuuuurrrtttts!!"

Just as expected, no, more than expected, I got beaten up for an hour.

And that was badly.

Damn it-, I absolutely will never say anything unnecessary again.

I'll never say "there's no need to say more than once" or anything like that again!

"It's been an hour, but continue?"

"Won't continue"

"I still can go at it though?"

"I'm not one for second thoughts"

"Really?"

"Really!"

TL: Maza Miya

Editor: Maza Miya

[Tl note no 1: back-channeling is interjections indicating that one is paying attention.]

[I wish I could get to show you all how cool he is in the later volumes.]

Previous Chapter || ToC || Next Chapter