Volume 2 - CH 3

"Hazuki-chan! Get away from him!"

"Eh, Eeh!? I thought he's Mars-sama brother!"

"I'm telling you! I know this guy too well!"

Mars is careful not to drop Lilia from his back and reaches out with one hand to cover Hazuki.

The person called Noah comes up to Mars with a chuckle.

Mars is not short by any means, but he looks small compared to Noah.

At first, Hazuki thought he was a refreshing man with dark blue hair and a smile that stuck to his mouth and never left.

Hazuki couldn't understand why Mars was so wary.

"Oi, oi, That's no way to treat your own brother you haven't seen in a while."

"We're half-brothers! We're only half brothers! Do you have any idea what you've done!? You've caused my whole family a lot of trouble!"

The first time Hazuki saw Mars yelling at him, she moved a little away from Noah in front of her.

At this point, she finally felt fear for Noah, a factor that was almost like a wild intuition.

"――Honestly, I don't know which one you're talking about. I have too many ideas. Besides, you know, you're bound to get into trouble in life, right? Let's just let it slide, okay?"

"Don't say it yourself!"

Mars did not hide his anger at Noah's disgusted attitude.

Mars' family was in a difficult position in the village because of Noah, the second son.

"W-what's causing you to get angry?"

Hazuki thinks that Mars' response is not the response of someone who has met his brothers face to face.

"This guy., ――Noah Irving is called the strongest scum, in my village."

"Strongest scum!?"

They called him the strongest scum and Noah laughed goofily. He did not deny any of it.

Hazuki stayed beside Mars, maintaining a steady distance between them.

If something happened, Hazuki's magic would not be able to handle it.

If she didn't have a certain distance between them, she would be caught up in the magic.

"So, you know, ...... why would you say something like that in front of a girl I've never met before. ...... If she doesn't like me, it's your fault, okay? You're still not a cute little brother.――Ah, But this woman, she's your slave? Then I don't care."

"Sorry I'm not cute enough for you!　――If you touch Hazuki-chan or Lilia, I'll kick your ass, no matter how much of a brother you are!"

Noah's eyes clouded over at Mars' words.

Noah couldn't ignore the fact that he didn't like the fact that his brother, whom he looked down upon, had bitten his opponent, and that the woman in his eyes hadn't flirted with him.

"You've always been a strange guy, haven't you? You don't make friends, you don't have women, you just practice. That's not something a kid would do. That's one of the things that bothered me about you. ――You're too cocky for a little brother."

Noah closed the distance, not caring about Mars' restraint.

There was a slight coldness in his voice.

――This guy has a big body: ......!

The air is similar to that of Mars-san, b-but it's a scary air. ......!

Hazuki stiffened a little when she saw Noah's face looking down at her.

They were not similar in height or face, but the light air he exuded was a little like Mars.

What Hazuki thought was that Noah, unlike Mars, smelled of violence behind the lighthearted air.

The coldness in his eyes as he looked down at Hazuki did not match his expression.

"But then again, you've always had women around you, haven't you? It's blood, blood. My father's bastard blood runs deep in us. We even have different mothers."

"Not as much as Noah-aniki. ...... Because you impregnated all the young girls in the village and ran away, our family was persecuted like crazy! By the way, We have three more brothers since you left the village!"

"All of them!?"

The existence of this man, Noah, was the reason why Mars was kept away from the general sexual knowledge of this world.

Noah had impregnated sixteen daughters in one year.

It had never occurred to him that other men were sexually vulnerable because that was where his standards were.

Even his father had relations with several women, and Mars and Noah had different mothers.

"Aah……――It's youth. Well, it's good to have more children because there are more workers, right? I'm glad to hear that father is doing well."

The more Noah looked at him, the more annoyed he became.

Mars is the fourth of eight siblings.

In Noah's memory, he had five siblings. Mars was the youngest of them all.

Noah is the second son, seven years older than Mars, and left the village to escape when Mars was ten.

He had a grudge against the village chief's daughter because he had messed with her, and his house had been inconvenienced by the lack of water to the fields.

In the city, there is a water supply system, but in Mars' village, there is no such system, and they had to use the natural river.

"Is this guy strong ......?"

"Yeah. When I was ten years old, I was untouchable. I guess being the strongest bum in the world isn't a bad thing."

If Mars were to describe Noah as a person, the word genius would come to mind.

He is a womanizer and a frivolous person, but the way he carries himself and the way he uses magic are all top-notch.

Mars thought that Noah was a genius because it was something that came naturally to him.

He seemed to have a keen sense of naturalness, so much so that Mars suspected that they were the same reincarnation.

He was usually unmotivated, but if there was a demon in the village, he would immediately exterminate it.

Noah was a man who was a daylight sleeper.

He had a strong gap and was often popular. The problem was that even though he was popular, he didn't have the kindness to care for each and every woman. Mars thinks that this may have been the reason why he was so popular. In modern Japan, there was such a tendency.

Even though he disliked the man, he was someone that Mars took a shine to in terms of ability, and Mars' normal fighting style could be said to follow Noah's.

The judo foot-removal technique he used on Xerius was also a technique that Mars used to get beaten up by Noah.

"I was weak. Well, I've never met anyone stronger than me."

"But now I'm stronger than you."

Mars has a lot of pride built up.

When he was ten years old, he couldn't beat him because he wasn't fit, but now He doesn't feel like he can lose..

He knows that Noah is not the type to train hard by nature, so he is even more confident.

Even so, I'm not going to let my guard down. The difference in power I once felt was that great.

I can honestly say that Noah is stronger than the Hydra I met in the dungeon.

"Are you still trying to master [Body Strengthening] That kind of magic is just for fun."

"――I've mastered it. So much so that you can't even beat me."

Mars says to Noah with a glaring face.

Noah simply brushed it off and gave Mars a confident look.

"I'm going through the dungeon. You know what that means, right? There's no way you're ever going to beat me. If you move forward, so do I. That's the difference between brothers."

――You mean my brother is that "Jet Black".

I was a little relieved. And I'm not surprised. I know my brother can traverse a simple dungeon.

The lack of buzzing in his heart made Mars realize that deep down he thought he might be.

"So, does Aniki also have the [Treasure House of Dream]?"

Instead of a sign, Mars asks Noah about the treasury.

Mars does not tell him that he is called "Thunder".　

Even though he is his own brother, he doesn't trust him.

After rolling his eyes at the word "Treasure House," Noah laughs out loud.

Hazuki sensed a hint of hostility mixed in with the vivacious laughter.

"――It's funny. I didn't know that you were also capturing dungeon. Then there's no point in hiding it. Actually, I didn't do it alone. The others are asleep in the treasury. Did you know that?　The treasure vault doesn't count time as long as the magician himself is outside. Even if the person inside is human, they are still treated as objects. It will always be fresh and long-lasting. The fresher the woman and the food, the better."

――He's just like Xerius.

He only sees other people as objects.

Just like food, fresh or ...... It's normal men are like this?　

Is Mars-san just being extra nice?

Hazuki felt a shiver run down her spine.

The fact that Noah's not normally as caustic as Xerius makes him even scarier.

He knew that Noah's good-natured air was fake.

"Hee……I've been meaning to try it out sometime, but for some reason I've never done it before, so this is great information. So I guess it's possible to make some progress on my own."

Mars didn't want Lilia and Hazuki to be treated as objects in the treasury, so he didn't want to leave them alone in the treasury.

I don't think I can get the spirit to treat others as objects.

Since there was no crisis in the dungeon, He did not throw them into the treasury.

Even now, He ignore the option of letting her sleep in the bed of the treasury.

Somewhere in his heart, He does not trust the treasury.

"I'll introduce you to my friends later, but for now, let's go somewhere. It's not like we're just standing around talking. I haven't seen you in a while, so buy me a drink."

"I want to take Lilia back to her room, then we can talk. And I'll never buy you a drink. You know I'm a cheapskate."

"You were so cheeky saving up. Oh, by the way, I used your savings. I don't remember who it was, but I was trying to impress a girl."

"I know. I mean, only Noah-aniki would touch his little brother's savings."

The weight on his back was not uncomfortable, but it was too much for Lilia to carry on his back forever.

It was nighttime and the air outside was getting colder.

Even though he knew she wasn't physically tired, he wanted to at least lie her down.

Noah looks at Lilia on Mars' back.

Noah's eyes narrowed as he noticed her pointed ears.

"Is that elf girl important to you?――You're a strange one, aren't you? You wouldn't normally buy one even if they were for sale. A slave of a different race is like an example, not much different from a demon or a thing. And with an elf, it's beyond ...... strange, it's crazy."

"What do you mean? It's not a thing at all, but she's ...... cute."

Lilia in Mars is his beloved girlfriend.

He can't see her as an object, nor do He think of her as a demon.

Noah looks at the puzzled face of Mars and laughs as he exhales, "Fuuh."

"As usual, I don't know whether you're smart or stupid. I can't believe you don't know that. Well, I didn't know that until after I left the village. In that village, you only know what's inside the village. I'm really glad I left. There are many better women out there."

"I agree with you, though. ......"

Mars knew how small the village was when he was born.

There was no internet, no library, not even a school.

As Noah had said, there were many better women in the outside world than in the village.

After all, most of the women in the village were Noah's handmaidens. Being a birth mother was not a hobby of Mars.

The only thing he learned in the village was how to grow vegetables and other things that would help him survive.

There was less to gain and less stimulation.

Even so, this closed environment has made Mars what he is today. It could be said that he had nothing else to do, and that's why he was so dedicated to strengthening his body.

"I'm going to leave you for the day.――I'll meet you at the top of the hill tomorrow. Come alone. Oh, I don't care either way. I wouldn't know it if it was in the treasure house. The same could be said for me. I'll teach you some things there. Like how to respect your big brother."

"I'll never respect you. You've always been so abrupt in everything you do, my brother. You come out of nowhere and leave out of nowhere. What time is the rendezvous?"

"Around noon. No, evening? Well, I'll be there when you wake up."

Noah was deliberately trying to be annoyed.

"I really don't like that kind of randomness in you Aniki."

"Really? I like this side of myself a lot."

"It's fucking annoying."

Mars clicks his tongue as he watches Noah turn his back and leave, laughing out loud.

The part about not liking Noah's personality was definitely his true intention.

"'You're like that with your big brothers, aren't you, Mars-san?"

Still somewhat upset, Hazuki completely forgot to use the honorific title "sama".

Even if she is aware of it in public, she tends to forget it when the three of us are together. She often remembers that she has become a slave when she sees Lilia saying it.

"For Noah-aniki, that is."

"He seems strong, but I'm sure you'll win easily, right, Mars-san? Boom!, *splash!**splash!*, Boom!. Something like that!

"――In your imagination, Hazuki, am I in some supposed to be crazy? What do you mean by *splash**splash*……"

"That's the sound of that guy hitting the wall and falling apart, right?"

"That's gross!"

Even though the two of them made a lot of noise, Lilia did not wake up.

Mars, feeling uneasy, hurried Hazuki back to the inn a little too quickly.