Chapter 11

The shorter the incantation, the more advanced it is considered to be.

The less capable the magician, the longer the incantation they need to use. Only a select few geniuses in the world can cast high-powered spells with short incantations. And Uncle should have been one of them.

(Claudia could generate powerful magic with just a single word. But to think she didn't even need an incantation...)

However, the burden must be significant.

Without showing any of it, Claudia turned to look at Noah.

"Noah, what do you want to do? If you want to kill this man, I'll help you."

"..."

The memory of his mother's voice, which he had recalled many times, flashed through his mind.

"This child will be your sibling. When she's born, please protect her, okay, big brother?"

Then came the memory of the day his parents were killed.

His father was dead, his mother was crying out on the bed, and Noah was being held down by his uncle.

"Stop, let go of my son!! Please, spare the children, I beg you...!!"

The cries of his newborn sister and the smell of his parents' blood. In the unforgettable scene, his uncle, holding his sister, said,

"If you want to protect your sister, swear your obedience to me here and now. —Declare that you will apologize to me for all eternity, in place of your father."

For five years, Noah endured everything as if it were nothing.

He thought that by doing so, he could protect his sister. He thought he could fulfill the promise he made to his mother and the wish he had for his uncle.

Until a few days ago, when a magician brought him leftovers and told him, "Your sister Anna died of an illness."

"...I don't intend to kill him."

Noah spoke slowly.

"Return my sister's body to me. ...At the very least, I want to mourn for her."

"..."

Claudia narrowed her eyes and slightly loosened the vines that were restraining her uncle.

"Rinalt's descendant, I'll allow you to speak once. Where is Noah's sister?"

"...K, k, hahaha!!"

His uncle, with a twisted smile, looked at him with eyes the same color as Noah's.

"Of course, I disposed of her immediately!!"

"..."

The coldness in his heart grew colder.

"I could have burned her myself. Burned her to ashes, leaving no bones, and thrown the ugly ashes into the capital's sewers! But, unfortunately, Anna's face was a spitting image of my sister-in-law. Even I hesitated, so I had a magician dispose of her in the capital."

"..."

"Her body was probably taken away as an orphan's corpse and buried somewhere. You can't find her now, ever!!"

Noah took a deep breath.

"Good look, Leonhardt. That's the face I wanted to see!! After five years, I finally get to see your despair...!!"

"...Adeleheit. One more time, lend me your magic."

She smiled lightly in response to his plea.

"Isn't it the master's duty to provide what the servant needs?"

"...Thank you."

Bowing deeply to Claudia, Noah turned to face his uncle.

Bound by the vines, his uncle, whose veins were bulging with humiliation, shouted loudly, as if to provoke Noah.

"So you're going to kill me after all. You're just like your brother... no, like me, Leonhardt!!"

Noah quietly readjusted his grip on the ice sword.

"...Uncle, I don't intend to kill you. But—"

"...?"

Then, he recited a small incantation.

"『――...』"

It was the incantation Claudia had demonstrated in the village he carried her to yesterday.

Since it wasn't an attack spell, it was a bit difficult to handle.

Still, thanks to Claudia's magic circulating in his body, a change occurred in Noah.

"..."

His uncle's eyes widened.

It was probably because the Noah standing before him now looked like a young man of about nineteen.

"You...!!"

He had grown taller, his shoulders broader, and his limbs were well-muscled. The clothes created by magic were the formal attire of the royal family of this country.

The adult form created by magic held no special significance for Noah.

But it must have been different for his uncle.

"Brother...!! Brother, why are you here!"

His pitch-black eyes, filled with fear, looked up at the grown Noah.

His father's eyes were reddish-brown, a different color from Noah's.

Still, the grown Noah's appearance, which resembled his father, must have looked like his father to his uncle.

Naturally, it was exactly as Noah intended.

"You look like your brother more than anyone. When I look at you, I think of your brother...!!"

(When you talked about my father, your voice always trembled.)

At first, he thought that tremor was due to violent impulses.

But after years of observation, he realized it was not.

"―Don't hit me!!"

When Noah took a step forward, his uncle, trembling, shouted.

The formal attire of the royal family that Noah wore was exactly the same as his father's. The sound of the medals clinking as he walked made his uncle flinch.

"It's... It's your brother's fault!! When I see my brother, I can't stop trembling in fear. I intended to torture him slowly, but when my brother yelled at me...!!"

"..."

"I didn't think he would die from that. I wanted to keep him alive and make him suffer, but I was too scared in front of my brother, so I had to... I'm sorry, please, don't hit me anymore...!!"

Noah narrowed his eyes.

Behind him, Claudia, now looking up from her shorter height, whispered to him.

"If you want to kill him, I can teach you a good way to use magic."

"...I already said I don't intend to kill him."

Instead,

Noah clenched his fist tightly. Seeing this, his uncle, pale and trembling, shook his head.

"Don't hit me!! Brother, please, I beg you...!!"

Ignoring his plea, Noah mustered all his strength and struck his uncle's cheek hard.

"...!!"

His uncle's body flew backward, and a severe pain shot through Noah's fist.

Rolling on the floor, his uncle lay sprawled out, rolling his eyes and mumbling repeatedly.

"I'm sorry... Brother, forgive me, forgive me..."

His voice had no strength.

"Revenge is meaningless if the person runs away to die."

Noah whispered softly, looking down at his uncle.

"You will tremble in fear of your brother's shadow for the rest of your life."

"...He can't hear you anymore."

Claudia informed him, and Noah turned to look at her.

Then, he looked at his uncle again. Staring blankly at the ceiling, apologizing to someone who wasn't there, his uncle looked small from Noah's adult perspective.

"―This way, we need backup!! Prince Leonhardt is heading to the king...!!"

The voices of the magicians rang out, and at the same time, Claudia took Noah's hand.

"『Transfer』"

"!"

In the next moment, the scenery changed, and they found themselves in a place overlooking the capital of Remisia.

"This is...?"

"I just thought it would be better to go up. The view seemed good."

As Claudia said, this was the rooftop garden of the royal castle.

Facing Noah, she held both his hands and looked up at him intently.

"...Do you want to take the throne back from that man?"