“Ow!”
The man's head, which had been upright just moments ago, immediately dropped forward from Zeldryn's strike from behind.
THUD!
His chin slammed against the wooden support holding him in place.
“Ugh...”
“...”
For a moment...
There was no other sound.
None at all.
The crowd of villagers, who had been whispering among themselves just moments earlier, suddenly froze.
Almost every face around the platform looked as though they had just witnessed something that should never have happened.
Some widened their eyes.
Others instinctively covered their mouths with their hands.
Even the two guards standing on the platform looked stunned.
One of them was still holding the key he had been about to hand to Zeldryn.
His hand remained frozen in midair.
“...”
Zeldryn himself was still standing directly behind the man.
The hand he had just used to strike him slowly lowered back to his side.
His fingers opened and closed a few times before finally relaxing.
His gaze remained fixed on the man in front of him, whose head was still hanging down.
‘Hmm.’
Apparently...
Hitting someone from behind felt a little different from what he had imagined.
His hand was even slightly numb.
Zeldryn gave his wrist a small shake, trying to get rid of the sensation.
But before he could think about it any further...
“KELTAZ!”
!!
A loud scream came from the side.
Zeldryn's hand stopped moving.
He turned his head toward the voice first, followed shortly by a slight turn of his shoulder.
The well-dressed woman from earlier was staring at the man he had just hit with wide eyes.
Her face was filled with shock.
“Keltaz...!”
“...”
‘Keltaz?’
Without fully changing the position of his body, Zeldryn glanced back at the man still standing directly in front of him.
‘Hmm.’
‘So that's this guy's name?’
At least now he wouldn't have to keep referring to him as Gerald's son inside his head.
The woman then looked at Zeldryn.
“M-My dear Zeldryn...”
Her voice sounded far more unsteady than before.
“What are you doing...?”
“...”
Zeldryn slowly turned his body toward the woman.
He studied her face for a few moments.
He could see the confusion there.
It wasn't just anger.
It was more like she was trying to understand why someone she believed would unquestionably be on their side had suddenly done something completely outside her expectations.
Zeldryn then raised the hand he had just used to strike Keltaz.
He turned his palm to one side.
Then the other.
As if he were inspecting his own hand, trying to find the cause of what had just happened.
“...”
The corner of Zeldryn's mouth slowly lifted into a faint smile.
He kept staring at his palm.
As though he were genuinely thinking about something.
A few moments passed.
Only then did Zeldryn finally open his mouth.
“Sorry.”
“...”
His fingers moved slightly.
“Looks like my hand slipped.”
!!??
Several villagers below the platform immediately made strange faces.
One of the guards even blinked several times.
“...”
The woman herself fell silent.
“O-Oh...”
Strangely enough...
She actually accepted the excuse.
Her expression gradually began to settle again.
“In that case, make sure you apologize to Keltaz afterward. Understand?”
“...”
Zeldryn lowered his hand again while staring at the woman.
‘Wow.’
‘She believes that?’
No.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Maybe she didn't actually believe it.
But the possibility that Zeldryn had deliberately hit Keltaz didn't even seem to enter her mind.
As though no matter what Zeldryn did...
In the end, he would still be on their side.
The corner of Zeldryn's mouth rose slightly again.
“Of course.”
His eyes then dropped toward the shackles binding the woman's hands.
Zeldryn slightly raised his chin toward them.
“How about I remove your shackles first?”
!!
Her expression immediately changed.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“O-Of course...”
She quickly turned her body slightly.
Her bound hands shifted behind her back, as though making it easier for Zeldryn to reach the shackles.
“Hurry.”
“...”
Zeldryn began to move.
One foot stepped past the woman's side.
Then the other followed.
TAP.
TAP.
He walked around her until he was standing behind her.
Once again...
Everyone's eyes followed him.
But this time, it felt different.
Before, the villagers had only watched Zeldryn with fear and curiosity.
Now...
They looked as if they were waiting for something.
As though not a single person there had any idea what Zeldryn would do next.
Zeldryn finally stopped directly behind the woman.
They were now close enough that his hand could easily reach the shackles behind her back.
His hand had only just begun to rise...
When suddenly...
“Bastard!”
Keltaz's voice rang out.
“What the hell did you do to me, Zeldryn?!”
“...”
Zeldryn's hand stopped in midair.
He didn't immediately turn his entire body around.
Only his head moved first, looking back over his shoulder.
Keltaz had already raised his head again.
His face looked furious.
Only then did Zeldryn turn his shoulder slightly so he could see Keltaz more clearly.
He stared at him for a few moments.
Then casually replied,
“I already told you, Big Brother.”
“...”
The hand Zeldryn had raised slowly lowered again.
“My hand slipped.”
!!
“Bastard...”
Keltaz's face immediately tightened.
“Slipped...?”
He looked like he wanted to say something else.
But his jaw suddenly clenched.
“Guuugh...”
“...”
Zeldryn studied his face.
Keltaz was obviously angry.
Extremely angry.
His expression even looked as though he wanted to start cursing Zeldryn right then and there.
But...
He was holding himself back.
‘Oh?’
Zeldryn found that slightly interesting.
His head even tilted faintly as he watched Keltaz's expression change.
‘So you can still control your temper.’
Maybe it was because his shackles hadn't been removed yet.
Or perhaps Keltaz was still hoping Zeldryn would actually release him after this.
Whatever the reason...
Zeldryn let him be.
He shifted his gaze away first, then turned his body back toward the well-dressed woman standing in front of him.
“...”
This time, the atmosphere around the platform felt far more tense.
The villagers watched Zeldryn with anticipation written across their faces.
Some even seemed to be holding their breath.
Zeldryn was acting far too differently from the person they knew today.
Unpredictable.
Impossible to read.
And after what had just happened to Keltaz...
Almost everyone seemed to be waiting for the exact same thing.
Would it...
Happen again?
“Hurry up, Zeldryn...”
The woman was starting to sound impatient.
“Take these shackles off alrea...”
Zeldryn, who had been standing behind her the entire time, suddenly shifted one foot slightly to the side.
His waist twisted.
His shoulder moved with it.
His right hand rose, palm open.
!!??
SLAP!
“UGH!”
Zeldryn's palm struck the side of the woman's face hard.
Her head immediately snapped to the side.
Her hair whipped along with the force of the slap.
But her body remained where it was.
Zeldryn's hand itself continued several centimeters past her face from the momentum of the strike.
Only then did he pull it back.
“...”
Silence.
Complete silence.
!!!???
This time...
The villagers weren't merely surprised.
They genuinely couldn't believe what they had just seen.
Some of them even seemed to have forgotten how to blink.
The guard who was still holding the key simply stood there, completely frozen.
And Keltaz...
His entire expression changed.
“ZELDRYN, YOU BASTARD!”
He immediately shouted.
“What the hell did you do to my mother?!”
“...”
Zeldryn, still standing with his body slightly turned to the side, slowly lowered his right hand.
Then his head turned toward Keltaz first.
His shoulder followed.
And then...
He smiled.
“Oh.”
Zeldryn raised the hand he had just used to slap the woman.
He held his palm in front of himself.
He even moved his fingers one by one while staring at them.
“Sorry.”
“...”
“My hand slipped.”
!!
In an instant...
The veins on Keltaz's face became even more visible.
His jaw clenched.
“Slipped...?”
“...”
“Once might actually be an accident!”
His voice grew louder.
“But twice?! How the hell can the same accident happen twice?!”
“...”
Zeldryn stared at him.
The hand he had been inspecting finally lowered.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
“Oh, right.”
He gave a small nod.
“Good point.”
“...”
Zeldryn's smile grew wider.
Both of his hands now rested casually at his sides.
“I thought you didn't have a brain.”
!!
“Turns out you do.”
“...”
Keltaz's face immediately turned red.
“HEY, BASTARD!”
He yanked both of his shackled hands.
CLANK!
“Hurry up and release me!”
“...”
Zeldryn was still smiling.
He didn't even flinch when Keltaz violently pulled against his shackles.
For some reason...
The longer he did this, the more enjoyable it felt.
‘Damn.’
‘No wonder Kera smiles like this all the time.’
Now he was starting to understand, just a little, why that strange bespectacled man always looked like he was enjoying himself whenever he messed with someone.
“Zeldryn!”
Another voice immediately interrupted his thoughts.
Zeldryn's eyes moved to the side first.
The well-dressed woman had already turned back toward him.
She twisted her body as far as the shackles around her hands would allow.
She couldn't touch her face because her hands were still bound, but her expression was no longer gentle in the slightest.
“What the hell are you doing?!”
“...”
“How dare you slap my beautiful face!”
Zeldryn stared at her for a few moments.
Then his eyes shifted toward Keltaz.
His head slowly followed.
“Bastard! Release me!”
Zeldryn's gaze returned to the woman.
“Hurry up and take these shackles off!”
Then back to Keltaz again.
“Zeldryn, are you even listening to me?!”
“...”
Zeldryn simply stood between them.
His head occasionally moved from one side to the other, following whichever one of them happened to be shouting.
‘Hmm.’
For some reason...
Watching the two of them yell like this reminded him of two dogs barking endlessly at each other.
Noisy.
So damn noisy.
“Hurry up and release us, bastard!” the woman shouted again.
“...”
Zeldryn's eyes stopped moving.
His gaze changed slightly.
‘Ah.’
Earlier...
When they still thought Zeldryn was going to help them...
Their voices had been gentle.
Smiles.
Affectionate words.
My dear Zeldryn.
Even Keltaz had casually accepted being called Big Brother by him.
But now...
The moment things stopped going their way...
All of it vanished.
‘They were pretty good at pretending earlier.’
‘Speaking gently.’
‘Acting like family.’
The corner of Zeldryn's mouth rose again.
He slowly crossed one arm in front of his stomach while leaving the other relaxed at his side.
‘But the moment they get angry... their real personalities come right out.’
‘Hahaha.’
Zeldryn looked at the two of them.
“Why should I release either of you?”
!!
Keltaz immediately stopped.
“Huh?”
His expression changed.
“Why...?”
“...”
For a moment...
The anger on his face seemed to freeze.
Then something rather interesting happened.
His voice immediately lowered.
The harshness in his expression softened slightly.
“W-Why would you say that?”
“...”
Keltaz stared at Zeldryn.
“Aren't I...”
He paused for a moment.
Then spoke in a much gentler voice.
“Aren't I your precious big brother?”
“...”
Zeldryn nearly laughed.
The hand resting in front of his stomach rose slightly, as if he were about to cover his mouth, but he stopped it halfway.
‘FUAHAHAHAHAHA!’
‘Human emotions really are funny.’
Just a few seconds ago, Keltaz had been cursing at him.
Shouting.
Calling him a bastard.
But the instant he realized he still needed something from Zeldryn...
His tone changed immediately.
‘The moment they need something, they become gentle.’
‘The moment they don't get it, they start biting like dogs.’
Zeldryn lowered his hand again.
He kept smiling.
“Big brother?”
“...”
His gaze slowly traveled from Keltaz's head...
Down his body...
Until it finally stopped on the shackles around his wrists.
“All of my brothers are at the Giorry Family's main residence.”
!!
Keltaz's expression immediately changed.
Zeldryn raised his gaze again until their eyes met.
“So who are you?”
“...”
Keltaz's eyes widened.
“Z-Zeldryn...?”
For the first time since Zeldryn arrived...
His face showed genuine shock.
“What do you mean?”
“...”
Zeldryn didn't answer his question.
Instead...
He slightly raised an eyebrow.
One of his hands lifted a little, his palm open as if displaying just how absurd the situation in front of him was.
“Not only did you insult a noble...”
Zeldryn's voice was much calmer now.
“But you even dared to claim that you're his brother?”
!!
Keltaz's face slowly turned pale.
Zeldryn lowered his hand again.
A small smile remained on his face.
“How bold of you.”
“...”
Then...
Without turning his entire body, Zeldryn shifted his gaze toward one of the guards beside him.
His head followed a moment later.
!!
The guard, who had been frozen by Zeldryn's behavior this entire time, immediately straightened his posture.
His back became rigid.
The hand holding the key reflexively dropped to his side.
Zeldryn slightly turned his shoulder until he was properly facing the guard.
“Hey, guard.”
“Y-Yes, Lord!”
Zeldryn slightly raised his chin toward Keltaz.
“What is the punishment for insulting a noble and even falsely claiming to be his brother?”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter