Chapter 1: The Four Seasons (1)
TL: Jonny16
In an age where the dread of the Demon King has become a bedtime story for children, soldiers sell their swords for profit.
On a white bluff, viewing the azure ocean.
A man stands in front of an old tombstone, taking something from his coat.
“You’ve always enjoyed the sea, so I thought you’d enjoy looking at it this way. Doesn’t it get boring, little mother?”
Clank━.
Golden liquid sloshes.
He had taken out an old imperial liquor whose label had long since vanished.
Using his scarred thumb, he pops the cork with a pop.
Glug━.
He pours the liquor on the tombstone.
More of it drips down where the letters are engraved.
For Arna Ethelred, who created the world’s worst apple pies.
Beyond the empty bottle.
The man’s violet eyes reflect.
They were warrior’s eyes, out of place in this calm environment.
“Abel killed the Demon King. Ah, since the Demon King’s gone to the underworld, you must have already heard.”
Whoosh━.
In that moment, a powerful sea wind blows.
━Cain, watch your mouth!
The man has his back to the sea.
Cain Ethelred.
He chuckles at Arna’s voice, which seems to be carried by the wind.
“Give it up. I’ve forgotten all of my noble speeches after rolling around on the front lines.”
Whoosh━.
The wind blows again.
There is no response.
“The world has changed dramatically since I was cast out. Enough that I, who only knew how to swing my sword on the battlefield, could return here.”
Cain appears to be a hardened warrior through and through.
A leather coat that covers his body as much as possible while keeping him warm.
To protect his essential parts, he wears multiple layers of clothing as well as iron plates.
In addition, a greatsword the size of Cain hangs from his back.
“With the Demon King gone, the monsters have dried up. Because of that, I no longer need to sharpen my sword.”
Back when the Demon King ruled the eastern half of the earth.
Warriors such as Cain battled on the front lines.
However, with the death of the Demon King, there was a period of tranquility.
They needed to change.
“Everyone enjoys the tranquility, but I find it more challenging. I miss the days when all I had to do was chop off monster heads.”
Is humanity’s enemy gone now that there are no demon kings or monsters?
No.
Humanity has become its own adversary.
Warriors who previously fought for the world now wield their swords for a few gold coins.
Honor and glory are gone.
All that’s left is survival and gold coins.
In an era when warriors previously known as ‘unyielding’ prowl quest halls hunting for nothing more than lost kittens,.
Of course, to Cain, the life of a ‘unyielding’ appeared superior to that of others.
Cain smiles wryly.
“There’s no point in telling you this, but let me tell you about Abel, the thing you’re most curious about.”
Abel is the hero.
Abel Ethelred was Cain’s half-brother.
“That fellow is now going to be the Emperor.”
Whoosh━!
The sea wind blows strongly.
Cain continues, wondering if Arna is as astonished as the wind.
“I hear he’s in love with the Empire’s Ironblood Princess, and the two are getting married next month. Can you imagine having a princess for a daughter-in-law?
The dead don’t speak.
Arna, Abel, and Cain did not have time for such jokes while they lived together.
Arna was usually unwell.
Abel was always fighting.
Cain was never victorious.
He continued the conversation that he couldn’t have had back then.
“Of course, it’s not love, as the rumors suggest. The Emperor can only be a man, so she’s most likely attempting to marry a hero to achieve power and legitimacy.”
Whoosh━.
The sound of the enormous ocean’s blue waves is similar to booing.
Cain curled his lips.
He doesn’t expect an answer, so he continues to think about her, a recollection that won’t last long.
“I wonder if that innocent Abel is living well with that sly princess.”
Cain lifts his head slightly.
Across from the tombstone.
An empty green meadow.
“Don’t you think so, Abel?”
But Cain’s gaze is focused on something else.
Swoosh━.
The world trembles.
An individual who has been concealing himself clearly exposes himself.
Brown eyes that remind of autumn.
Brown hair is neatly braided into a single line.
Unlike Cain, who has short, scarred black hair and beastly crimson eyes, he is a different type of man.
“Did you know?”
He is both friendly and attractive.
But nobody would dare disregard him.
“Is there an idiot in front of me that I can’t see?”
“Only the Demon King could tell.”
The strongest ‘hero’.
Abel Ethelred, the Hero.
Cain speaks with him.
“I see you’re surrounded by idiots.”
Abel approaches the tombstone with a sour smile.
Clank, Clank━.
The golden rapier hanging from Abel’s waist beats cheerfully along with his steps.
Cain nods.
“The holy sword?”
Swish━.
Rather than responding, Abel draws his sword.
A somber and sacred sword set in the earth to support the sky.
This is one of the “Sacred Treasures of the Four Seasons” that God has left for humanity.
The holy sword ‘Summer’.
It was too thin to cut tens of thousands of foes, including the Demon King’s neck. It wasn’t even sharpened, so it looked like an iron rod.
“Would you like to hold it?”
Abel holds out the hilt and grips the blade. Cain slapped his hand away, as if surprised.
“Anyone who holds it without the qualifications will burn to death.”
“You won’t die. You won’t.”
Only the holy sword ‘Summer’ and Abel understand how brutal the truth behind those subtle words is.
Clank━.
He sheathes the holy sword and stands next to Cain. Then he bows his head to his birth mother, Arna.
“Long time no see, Mother. My brother brought you more alcohol.”
“……If you don’t like it, cut off my neck too.”
Abel reaches out for the tombstone.
He tastes the booze that has accumulated in the ditch with his hand.
“When I was young, I despised my brother. He was a nasty person to begin with, but what bothered me the most was that he continued to give my sick mother powerful alcohol.”
Cain’s eyes narrowed.
“When were we ever close enough to talk so kindly to each other. You die if you suddenly start doing things you don’t normally do.”
Abel chuckles.
“We’ve come too far to say that.”
It was a bitter smile that reflected his heart full of only wounds.
The two of them could never be close because of their shared history, which was riddled with ugly conspiracies and the stench of blood.
He had this thought from time to time.
However, time heals all wounds, and a difficult life tends to depict the past in a positive light.
Abel talked about things he only learned after everything was over.
“I know now that if that damn brother of mine hadn’t been there, Mother would have died in even more pain.”
Arna was usually unwell.
Because she had been cursed by a witch when she gave birth to Abel.
To save her, she needed the blessing of a Holy See saint or cardinal, but such individuals would never visit a place like the countryside.
Arna could only die slowly and painfully.
Her only medicine was alcohol.
To numb the pain, Cain secretly brought her strong alcohol.
Abel, who was unaware of the specifics of the curse, used to become as angry as fire whenever he did.
“Let’s have a drink too.”
“……?”
Whoosh━.
Abel reaches into the void.
It ripples like water before disappearing up to his elbow.
One of the hero’s powers, 【Inventory】.
Clank━.
What Abel took out from within was the same liquor Cain had used to wet the tombstone.
Unlike Cain’s, the label reads “Red Breath, 111th Year of the Kreuz Empire.”
Cain’s eyes widened.
This is because he couldn’t have envisioned Abel, who used to avoid booze like the plague, having it in his 【inventory】.
Clank━.
Abel pulls out two additional beautiful goblets.
Swish━.
He throws one to Cain.
Clank━.
Cain catches the goblet naturally.
He pours the golden liquid into his and Cain’s goblets with the confidence of someone who has poured liquor many times before.
“Fifteen years. It’s been fifteen years since we last faced each other like this.”
“It feels like yesterday, but it’s already been that long…….”
Cain hangs his head.
He felt awkward having a drink poured for him by the current hero and future emperor.
Suddenly, Cain looked up sharply and glared.
“So. What are you trying to say to me, setting up the mood like this?”
There must be a purpose for his abrupt appearance after fifteen years of no communication.
Cain was wary of Abel.
But Abel doesn’t respond, instead smiling and holding out his goblet.
“Let’s drink first.”
Cain.
Clink━!
He clinks his goblet and gulps it down in a single breath.
“Haaa━.”
Cain wipes his lips with his sleeve.
The hot alcohol creeps up his esophagus, causing him to groan instinctively.
Abel, on the other hand, simply smiles.
“You hated it so much when we were little. You drink very well.”
“As the master of the holy sword, I am impervious to poison and curses. I can only taste alcohol.”
“If you’re not going to get drunk, why are you drinking?”
“Because life is so bitter, alcohol is very sweet.”
Cain gives him an odd look and raises his middle finger.
“Where did you learn to speak like a poser? Everyone who drinks and speaks like that is an idiot.”
“That’s what my brother said to me.”
Cain folds his finger back in an instant. He mutters and turns his sea to the water.
“……I guess that’s true.”
It was a shameful past that could make even Cain’s scarred face turn crimson.
“Idiot brother.”
“This bastard?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
Whoosh━.
The wind blows again.
This time, it sounds more like a sob or scream.
“Please kill me.”
Abel’s brown eyes, visible through his windswept bangs, were unwavering.
Cain questions him, shifting between himself and Abel, as if to say this is ridiculous.
“Me? The hero? How?”
“Front line, absolute defense line.”
“…….”
The moment the front line was mentioned, the casual Cain disappeared. In his place stood the warrior Cain who had overcome countless hardships.
“If it’s the Masked Snowfield King, ‘Cain Lord East’, I’m sure he can do it.”
“Don’t go killing innocent people. If you lined up everyone on the continent who goes by the name Cain, we would come full circle.”
Abel taps his temples and gestures at his brown eyes.
“Like the 【Inventory】, the Hero has a power called 【Status】. You may view the name, occupation, intentions, and strength of the opponent.”
He tried to deny it until the very end.
But there was no way to make excuses, since he had seen it through the hero’s power.
Silence settled between the two half-brothers.
Swish━.
Abel threw the Holy Sword ‘Summer’ as if it were a glass cup.
Cain instinctively attempts to strike it away.
But.
[‘Summer’ has been assigned to ‘Cain Ethelred’.]
Without any intermediate steps, the holy blade cries out as it falls into Cain’s hands. It was a wail that appeared to indicate that it had finally found its rightful place.
Abel smiles in satisfaction.
“As I suspected.”
“As you suspected, my ass, What the hell is this?”
Cain is only uncomfortable because the legendary holy sword is attached to him.
Abel points at himself.
“I’m a fake hero.”
Swish━.
Then he pointed at Cain and the Holy Sword alternately.
“My brother is the real one. And, besides, isn’t that the Demon Sword ‘Winter’ on your back?
Cain frowns.
He dislikes the feeling of being toyed with by Abel.
“There’s no way a fake would kill the Demon King. Even if you’re a fake, you’re the real deal if you can do that.”
Abel laughs wryly again, remembering how he used to think.
“Brother, a fake plays the part of a fake. If you try too hard to become real…….”
Flutter━.
Abel opens the chest of his uniform.
A silver design is drawn in the center of his torso, which is covered in bright scars and strong muscles, and thin threads run throughout it.
Swish━.
In addition, something that resembles a swarm of spiders is eating away at Abel’s heart, moving ceaselessly.
“You pay that much of a price.”
Just gazing at it makes you feel as if bugs are crawling on your skin.
Even Cain, who boasts about having seen the bottom of the world, can’t help but frown.
“Wasn’t that fancy holy sword supposed to solve everything, whether it was alcohol or curses?”
Abel shook his head.
He touches the silver that is digging into his body with his finger and whispers something.
“This is also a ‘blessing’ that the Holy See gave me.”
“Then let us slaughter all the cardinals and saints. Why kill yo━”
Abel cuts Cain off.
“Don’t you regret your past life, brother?”
“…….”
Cain bit his lip.
He was dishonorably disinherited from the count’s family and expelled.
He snuck away to the continent and lived on the bottom, enduring uncountable bloodshed and death, and as a mercenary, he encountered every manner of filth.
And the front lines.
With no one to rely on and nothing to live for, he persevered until his tears dried up.
His entire life was filled with regrets.
“What if that life was someone’s conspiracy?”
“…..!”
“I regret it.”
To Abel, his life as a hero was constantly fraught with regret and sadness.
“I want to go back. Return to the beginning. I do not want to be a hero or anything. It’s only possible through my real brother.”
“That’s something only kids would sa━.”
Abel interrupted Cain, who was looking at him incredulously.
“There is a way. But it’s only possible if my brother helps me.”
Abel extended his frail, white hand. It’s a signal for him to seize his hand and do whatever he wants.
Clank━.
Cain slaps his hand away without hesitation.
Thud.
Then, Abel sheathed the Holy Sword next to him, sat down in front of the tombstone, and held out his empty cup.
“Pour me some more.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let me tell a long story of why I’m talking such crazy nonsense.”
Tears well in Abel’s eyes.
“Will you listen to me?”
“…I’ll listen.”
Both of them were inferior to others.
One was a hero, while the other was a fighter.
It was the moment they became brothers for the first time, and the last time they would be brothers.