The boy was standing.
Like Brain, his two legs were shaking in terror. Despite this, he was still standing.
W-What’s going on? How can a kid like that stay standing?
He could not understand how the boy could be standing while he himself was on his hands and knees in disgrace.
Did the boy have a magic item that blocks fear or knew a martial art to that effect? Or did he possess some special talent?
He could not say for certain that the possibility did not exist. However, while staring at the boy’s unreliable back, Brain knew intuitively that that was not the case. Although impossible, it was the only thing he could think of.
The boy was stronger than Brain.
Ridiculous! How’s that possible!
Although it looked like he trained his body, he still lacked volume. From watching how he moved his feet and body while following him, the boy didn’t look to have much talent. Even though it was like that, the result was different.
W-What’s going on? Am I that weak?
His sight grew dim.
Brain knew that tears were falling from his eyes. However, he could not summon the energy to wipe them away.
”Uuu, ugh… kuh…”
He tried his best to not cry out loud. Even so, his tears flowed endlessly.
“Wh…y… why.”
Brain grasped the dirt on the ground and focused his strength in order to stand. But the bloodlust that was crashing into this body made him unable to move an inch. As if he was being controlled by someone else, his legs did not budge. The best he could manage was to raise his face and look at the boy and the old man.
He saw his back.
Even now, the boy was still standing.
Even now, the boy was standing face to face with the old man and his bloodlust. The back that he had thought was weak seemed incredibly far away.
“Was I…”
Always this weak?
He felt angry with himself, for even after the bloodlust had dissipated, the best he could manage was to stand.
Their training looked as if it was still going to continue. Unable to endure it any longer, Brain squeezed out his courage and shouted as he jumped out of his corner.
“—W-wait! I have a question!”
He no longer had the luxury of thinking that he shouldn’t interfere with their training or that he should find the right timing to appear.
The boy’s shoulders jumped as the desperate voice caused him to turn around, revealing his surprised expression. If their positions had been reversed, Brain too, would have shown the same reaction.
“First, I sincerely apologize for interrupting you two. Forgive me. I couldn’t bear to wait any longer.”
“…Is he someone you know, Sebas-sama?”
“No, he is not. I see, so you do not know him either…”
They looked at him with suspicion. However, that was something he had already predicted.
“First and foremost, my name is Brain Unglaus. Once again, allow me to express my apologies for interrupting you two. I’m truly sorry.”
He bowed deeper than before. He could feel the two moving slightly.
After what he deemed long enough to express his sincerity, Brain raised his face and saw that their expressions contained less suspicion than before.
“And what is your business with us?”
From the old man’s question, Brain glanced at the boy.
“What is it?”
As the boy pondered, Brain asked him a question, like coughing up blood.
“Why… how can you remain standing after receiving that bloodlust?”
The boy’s eyes widened slightly. Because his face was expressionless, such a slight movement felt like a large change in his emotions.
“I’d like to hear it. That bloodlust was beyond what a normal person could endure. Even this body of mine… excuse me, even I couldn’t endure it. But you were different, you endured it. You were standing. How were you able to do it?! How is something like that possible?!”
He could not talk like he usually did because of his excitement. However, it was difficult to suppress it. He who succumbed to his fear and ran in the face of Shalltear Bloodfallen’s overwhelming strength, and the boy who received a bloodlust that was on par with her and remained standing, just where did that difference come from?
He had to know no matter what.
As if these thoughts were transmitted to him, although the boy appeared to be at a loss, he thought about it in earnest and replied.
“…I don’t know. In that whirlwind filled with that much bloodlust, I have no idea how I was able to endure it. But perhaps… it may have been because I was thinking of my master.”
“…Master?”
“Yes. When I thought of the person I serve… strength rose up inside of me.”
How do you endure with something like that?
Although Brain wanted to shout that out, before he could do so, the old man quietly spoke.
“It means that his loyalty was greater than his fear. Unglaus-sama, humans are able to display an incredible power if it is for those who are important to them. Like how a mother raises a pillar to save her child trapped in a house, like how a husband supports his wife with one hand when she is about to fall, I believe that is the strength of humans. This person here as well, he displayed that strength. And he is not alone in this. If you have something that you would not trade for anything, then Unglaus-sama will be able to display a power greater than what you have come to expect from yourself.”
Brain could not bring himself to believe him. The thing that he would not trade for anything, his ‘desire for strength’ ended up being meaningless. Too easily, it was destroyed. Did he not grow frightened and flee?
As his expression gradually darkened and his face headed downward, the following words of the old man brought his face upright.
“…What is raised alone will be weak. After all, it will be over once you yourself are broken. Instead, if you build yourself up with another, if you can give your all for someone else, then even if you are broken you will not fall.”
Brain thought to himself. Did he have that something?
However, there was nothing. He had thrown them aside, thinking them to be useless and unnecessary for his pursuit of strength. It turned out that they were what were truly important.
Brain laughed out loud. His life was filled with nothing but mistakes. Before he knew it, words spilled from his mouth like a confession.
“I’ve thrown it all away. Is it too late for me to try again?”
“It will be fine. Even someone like me with no talent was able to do it. If it’s Unglaus-sama, I have no doubt that you will be able to pull through! It’s definitely not too late!”
The boy’s words had no proof. However, strangely enough, Brain felt a warm sensation spread through his heart.
“You are kind and strong… I’m sorry.”
The boy fell into a flutter from the sudden apology. Someone with this much courage, he had mocked him and called him a kid.
Foolish. I was so, so foolish…
“But if you say that you’re Brain Unglaus… could you be the one who fought against Stronoff-sama in the past?”
“…So you remember… Did you perhaps watch the fight?”
“Ah, I wasn’t able to see it. I merely heard of it from someone who did. That person said that Unglaus-sama was an incredible swordsman and that people with his skill in the Kingdom could be counted with one hand. Now that I’ve seen your posture and how you maintain your center of gravity as you move, I know that the person was speaking the truth!”
Pushed back by his genuine compliments, Brain stammered out a reply.