WYPSO 11

Chapter 11

If You Pick Up a Suspicious Sucker

• ---

  It seems he inherited the power of blood even more strongly than I did.

‘I should have listened carefully to Father’s words.’

Oscar lacked a bit of empathy, but he had no trouble understanding emotions. Moreover, he had seen his father live properly.

So he hadn’t truly realized what it would be like when someone born with strong blood power lacked proper education.

But he understood it just now, from the killing intent emanating from his brother.

His brother was a dangerous being. His father was terrifying too, but he controlled his strength rationally. He knew better than anyone that using his power recklessly was forbidden.

But his brother was different. If he didn’t like something, he wouldn’t hold back.

“I’m going.”

Just like now.

Oscar’s tension spiked at the decisive step his brother took.

Letting him go like this was no different from releasing an uncontrollable beast into the world. Even though he’d been told not to stop him…

“Brother, please reconsider your decision!”

As soon as Oscar spoke, he realized his mistake. There would be no second warning.

His brother closed the distance at a terrifying speed. Oscar quickly pulled back, but his brother’s approach was faster. He desperately tried to block him with his arms.

Smack!

“Ugh!”

His body slid backward. The immense pain in his wrist made him grit his teeth. Judging by the way he couldn’t exert proper strength, it seemed it was fractured.

There was no time to regain his stance. His brother lunged again, and before long, his fist was almost upon him.

‘Too late…’

The destructive power radiating from the rapidly approaching fist was overwhelming.

Oscar blocked his face with his arms and shut his eyes tight.

No matter how strong his body was, it wouldn’t matter against greater force. He braced for the pain.

He felt a force rapidly approaching from behind. And then…

Bang!

The sound was too massive to be just two people colliding. Oscar, swept back by the violent impact, felt hands supporting his body.

“Who taught you to close your eyes when you’re under attack?”

“Father!”

Oscar was oddly relieved to hear his father’s calm, reproachful voice.

“Step back.”

At his father’s command, Oscar obediently retreated. There was no point in being prideful in the face of such a disparity.

And that day…

Oscar witnessed an awe-inspiring scene. He couldn’t close his mouth while watching his father and brother clash.

It wasn’t a fight between humans. He reflected on his own arrogance, thinking he was strong among people.

The fight was so violent that calling it a fistfight was an understatement. Suddenly, a blinding light erupted, and his brother vanished without a trace.

Though the aftermath seemed daunting, at that moment, he could only feel relief.

If the fight had continued, it was obvious that one of them would have been severely injured.

The brother Oscar remembered was such a being: a monster beyond control.

So, in truth, he hadn’t wanted to take on this mission. That day, he had realized his brother’s greatness and fearsome nature and vowed never to provoke him.

“-What am I supposed to do?”

“-I’ve located your brother. I’ll assign someone to accompany you; go and bring him back.”

Oscar thought he would never find his brother again after he disappeared, but it seemed his father had been searching all along.

“-I won’t go.”

Oscar refused instantly. He knew that with only himself and the accompanying people, they couldn’t handle his brother.

“-Go. That’s an order.”

But rebelling against his father was meaningless. Once a decision was made, it never changed.

“-Do you think he’ll just follow me willingly?”

“-If you handle it wisely, it’ll be fine.”

Oscar worried. His brother had once destroyed the entire mansion just because someone blocked his way.

This time, the village might be reduced to ashes—or his companions might be slaughtered.

“-Haven’t you noticed by now how quiet it’s been?”

Oscar raised his head at his father’s words, sighing inwardly.

“-There’s been no rumor of a mad villain appearing.”

It had been over eight months since his brother disappeared.

“-…Now that you mention it, that’s true.”

The reason his father worried about someone who inherited the Randolph blood but hadn’t been educated was simple:

He feared his brother would become a ruthless killer acting on whim.

Actions his brother took thoughtlessly could become disasters for someone, and such events always spread far.

So far, there had been no rumors of a madman appearing anywhere.

“-Has he learned to live among people on his own, perhaps?”

“-That’s why I’m sending you to check.”

“Go.”

His father’s eyes said as much, and Oscar had no choice but to obey.

Still, the fortunate part was that the risk to his life had greatly decreased.

When his brother disappeared, Oscar had noticed something amazing while cleaning the scene: despite the chaos, no one had died.

The knights who had fallen were all still breathing. Of course, many were seriously injured, but magic and divine power could heal them.

‘…So he must have controlled his strength to some extent.’

Oscar believed that and came to see for himself.

And everything he witnessed was like a miracle.

His brother was living normally in a small rural village.

He couldn’t believe his brother had someone to live with. And the fact that his brother used polite speech toward her made him catch his breath.

Seeing his brother, who was about to lose control because of a slip of the tongue, calm down at the woman’s soothing words…

‘I nearly fainted.’

Oscar almost became the first person among the Randolph bloodline to be shocked into unconsciousness.

He was curious about what had happened over the past few months.

He realized that the woman had been a huge help in his brother’s change.

So he requested to accompany them, but she politely but firmly refused.

She was an oddly assertive woman, and Oscar felt an unexplainable pressure, so he couldn’t insist further.

‘That’s strange…’

The woman didn’t shrink back. Even with countless knights surrounding her, she didn’t lose her composure and spoke her mind.

For some reason, Oscar didn’t feel any discomfort toward her.

Even when she stopped him with words at first, or was firm, he listened obediently. As if it was natural to do so.

‘Perhaps she’s such a remarkable person that even my brother lives with her?’

Perhaps her presence had even “tamed” his brother.

At any rate, when his brother unexpectedly boarded the carriage calmly, Oscar thought he had fully socialized.

Though his brother stared only outside the carriage from the start, Oscar assumed it was just awkwardness.

It had been a long time since they met, and Oscar had many questions because of his brother’s changed demeanor.

“How have you been all this time?”

Oscar finally mustered the courage to speak, thinking it would be a normal conversation. Yet his brother didn’t move his head at all.

“How did you end up there?”

Again, no answer. Oscar began to feel a sense of foreboding.

Ignoring everything around him completely—just like in the mansion. The village scene seemed like a lie.

Oscar realized his big mistake.

It wasn’t his brother who was exceptional; it was the woman. Because of her, his brother had responded normally and conversed.

‘Now I see…’

To Oscar, his brother was simply “my brother.”

When he first came to the mansion, Oscar had tried to talk several times. Every time, he got no proper answer.

The family had investigated his brother’s past, but because he grew up in such harsh conditions, there was no reliable information.

Yet just now, the woman had called him by another name.

“The woman earlier called you Jayden. Is that your name?”

At last, the blue eyes that had only stared out the window moved slightly.

A nonchalant gaze.

When their eyes met, Oscar’s heart sank. Memories of being hit in the mansion flashed before him.

Suddenly, his wrist throbbed. Normally, a potion would have healed it by now, so there was no reason for pain.

‘He hasn’t changed.’

His brother was exactly as Oscar had known him. He immediately closed his mouth and decided not to speak further.

There was no guarantee that if he lost control now, he would calm down like before.

‘Let’s just go quietly to the capital.’

To avoid angering the normally calm beast, Oscar lowered his eyes silently.

‘At least I won’t die.’

On the day his brother disappeared from the mansion, no one died, but most were seriously injured.

Many had broken bones or twisted muscles and would need months to recover. There was no need to get hit.

Oscar hoped for a peaceful journey. As he watched his brother’s expression in silence, he flinched in surprise.

The way his brother fiddled with the pouch in his hand while looking outside was ominous.

Oscar couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but it wasn’t normal. It felt like he had lost half his reason, yet was trying his hardest to suppress his emotions.

Seeing those chilling eyes, Oscar quietly turned his gaze away.

And he prayed that whatever his brother imagined would not happen.

At least until they met their father.