Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Living as a Hero's Brother**

**Chapter 2: Clues (1)**

Clayton L Klein.

At the age of 17, he stood tall.

His shining blonde hair and blue eyes, which resembled sapphire, held a faint hint of hesitation.

The reason for this was his older brother, Shane.

After the summer break at the academy, Shane had not left his room.

It was likely due to the news that he had suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of a classmate before the end of the first semester.

For nearly a month, Clayton had repeatedly visited Shane, but all he received in return was cold indifference tinged with hostility.

Their father, Clayton J Lowell, had only told him to leave Shane alone and had since ignored the situation.

Their father had never shown much interest in his children, even from a young age.

Clayton understood the reason well.

Through various incidents, Lowell had become reluctant to invest emotions in his children or in people in general.

Clayton, at least, had his stepmother, but Shane, whose mother had been Lowell's first wife, had no such support.

Shane was in a position where he could easily become twisted.

Even his stepmother, Clayton's mother, was wary of him.

In this mansion, Shane was in a position where he could trust no one.

Perhaps because of this, Shane always disliked Clayton's approach.

'But if I don't think of my brother... there will be no one left for him.'

For this reason, Clayton never gave up and continuously tried to get closer to his brother.

"Phew, okay."

Standing in front of Shane's room for the first time in a while, Clayton took a shallow breath and spoke.

"Brother, it's Clayton. Can I come in?"

As usual, he asked in a normal voice, and surprisingly, he received a quick response.

"Come in."

Clayton tilted his head slightly at the voice.

The usual gruff tone was the same, but the emotion behind it was subtly different.

With a mix of curiosity and concern, he opened the door and entered, finding Shane standing by the window, holding a teacup and looking at him.

"What is it?"

"Father called for me."

"Without using a servant?"

"Yes..."

Why was he scolding him for coming?

While he was thinking this,

"Good timing. I wanted to talk to you anyway."

"Really?"

Something he wanted to talk about?

This was unusual, as Shane usually didn't want to speak to him at all.

Feeling a bit tense,

Shane's mouth slowly opened.

"I'm sorry."

"..."

"For treating you harshly even though you've done nothing wrong."

"!"

Clayton was so taken aback by the straightforward apology that he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Brother...?"

"I just wanted to say that."

Slightly embarrassed,

Shane lowered his head slightly, and for the first time, Clayton saw a very faint but definite smile on his brother's lips.

* * *

A straightforward apology, almost embarrassing in its directness.

The reason for this action was simple.

It was just a way to reaffirm his own mindset.

"Maybe it's not too late to change."

It wasn't too late.

This was a world five years before the organization approached him.

The situation hadn't deteriorated to the worst extent.

Of course, even if he apologized to his brother now, Shane's situation wouldn't improve much.

There would still be many people outside this room who looked down on him.

Before the regression, Shane had been slowly but surely destroyed by such people.

And at that time, his family was no different.

Clayton, who was always compared to him, and his stepmother Rachel, who supported Clayton and was wary of Shane.

And Shane's father, who only cared about practicality...

'Lowell.'

A thorough meritocrat.

That was Lowell, and only those with outstanding abilities, regardless of their character, remained close to him.

It was inevitable that Shane and Clayton would be compared.

Being the eldest son of the viscount but being outshone by his younger brother would have been a good source of ridicule at the academy Shane attended.

Thus, wherever he went, Shane had lived a life of constant comparison, and that's how he fell apart.

The organization had been watching him and successfully corrupted him.

When he saw his brother's face, who had led him to death and corruption,

Shane was able to face his brother with a genuine attitude, free from the judgmental eyes of others.

The face of his brother, who had killed him, was filled with guilt.

There were people like that in the world.

That was what family meant.

Those precious emotions had shaped the current Shane.

"An emotion realized at the end of death. An emotion that must never be forgotten."

Although his actions were driven by the power of corruption, Shane had been involved in the deaths of too many people.

Even if those actions were erased, Shane felt a burden on his shoulders, perhaps as heavy as or even heavier than the burden Clayton had carried in the previous life.

"I need to change."

This situation, which might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

* * *

"You seem to have changed."

"......What do you mean?"

On the day they were leaving for the academy.

Lowell, for some reason, called Shane and Clayton to a family dinner.

This was unusual for Lowell, who rarely showed interest in his family.

"Your eyes, which used to be lifeless, have changed. Especially, there's no hostility in the way you look at your brother."

"......"

As Shane fell silent, Clayton became uneasy.

When did he start paying attention to the family?

Or had he never said anything about his son's eyes before?

He was worried that Shane might be thinking something.

However, Shane unexpectedly spoke calmly without any emotional change.

"I had a dream."

"A dream?"

"Yes."

"What kind of dream?"

"A dream where Clayton's sword pierced my heart."

"Phew!"

Clayton, naturally, was the first to react to the unexpected dream.

Me?

To my brother?

Brother, how do you see me...

"Hmm."

Even Lowell, the head of the household, seemed taken aback, showing a rare change in expression.

"An unusual dream."

"Of course, it was a dream, but I want to make sure it doesn't happen. I want to treat you well from now on."

"......There's nothing wrong with brothers getting along. I understand."

With that, Lowell resumed his meal, and no further conversation followed.

'Rachel must have left the table for a moment.'

If Rachel, Shane's stepmother and the current lady of the house, had heard this, what would she have said?

She would probably have tried hard to understand the meaning behind Shane's words.

Even if the servants would spread the story, it wouldn't change anything.

As the meal was coming to an end, Lowell spoke again.

"Have a good time at the academy."

"Yes, Father."

"I understand."

Shane and Clayton responded to the curt greeting, and Lowell left the dining room first.

What happened in the previous life?

'I remember now.'

In the previous life, Shane had a big argument with Lowell on this day.

The reason was his declaration to drop out of the academy.

At that time, he was very tired.

Being compared by the servants, being compared at the academy.

Everywhere, he was being compared.

So, he asked Lowell to go on a trip to escape from them.

Naturally, the answer was a refusal.

'Back then, I thought the head of the household had no heart.'

Of course, there were social reasons.

For a noble, graduating from the academy was a given.

'But was that the only reason?'

In the end, Shane went to the academy under his father's threat but eventually ran away, unable to adapt.

When he went on a journey to find freedom,

What did he get in return?

'A rogue of a noble family who abandoned his duties.'

Shane hadn't killed anyone recklessly.

But to the public, Shane was labeled as a noble who had abandoned his duties.

In the current federation where Shane lived, the academy held that significance.

'The head of the household must have predicted this future.'

So, he might have tried to dissuade Shane from dropping out, even using threats.

Shane decided to think this way.

Of course, he still didn't like Lowell, but if he could change his perspective, perhaps the gap between them could narrow.

Just as he was thinking about having a serious conversation with Lowell someday,

"Brother."

"Hmm, what is it?"

After the meal, Clayton approached him.

With a determined look, Clayton spoke.

"I won't raise my sword against you, Brother."

"......"

"I will never do that."

"......I see."

If you had known my true identity in the previous life, would you have raised your sword against me?

Shane recalled his brother's expression at the end of the previous life.

That face, filled with guilt, held deep regret.

* * *

That afternoon,

Shane received a bag of necessary items from his personal maid, Maria, and left the mansion with Clayton.

Today, Shane and Clayton were returning to the academy after a month-long break.

For Shane, it had been a long time since he last attended the academy.

'The academy...'

The reasons for Shane's downfall in the previous life were varied, but the beginning was indeed the academy.

The disdainful and comparative gazes of the students were part of it.

But the turning point where Shane started to go astray was an incident on the way to the academy.

'The incident that gave me the greatest sense of inferiority. This time, I won't let it happen so easily.'

Recalling that time, Shane got into the carriage with Clayton, escorted by the knights.

* * *