Chapter 245: A Man’s Pride

For me, this was a reunion after a few months away.

But for these guys, that wasn’t the case.

“You are… Bro! It’s Bro!”

“Oh~…… Bro…”

Kron ran up to Bro, who appeared and grinned, with a big smile, and Amae also rushed over with a surprised look.

“Kakakkakkaka, It’s me, little sister! And… is that you Amae? Oh~, you’re still as tiny as ever~”

“Wow~, Bro! It’s really Bro! How do you do!”

“Amae, you’re growing up. You’re going to get stronger from now on, yeh.”

Bro vigorously stroked the heads of the two with his hands.

“Ah, come on Bro!”

“Nn, stop! Nn! Bro, stop that!”

Kron was ticklish, and Amae looked annoyed, but she actually seemed like she wasn’t completely unsatisfied.

“Little sister, how have you been? Besides…… like I said, you have really strong eyes, you know? You’ve gotten stronger, yeh.”

“Really? Our promise… ‘you’re a good kid, but… let’s get stronger’. If I was able to fulfill that promise, I’m glad.”

“Oh! You’ve been through a lot… some good encounters too.”

“Yes! I also learned about love!”

“Oh, glad to hear that~! It’s kind of reassuring to hear about your love life!”

It was the first time I had seen them together, but the scene looked so natural that it made me smile.

“Is he… thy friend?”

“Hmm? Hmm~…… well…… wh?”

“Hmm. He’s a pretty decent fellow…”

On the other hand, the Prince who met Bro for the first time seemed to have the impression that he was not so bad.

Well, Bro is a guy who calmly tries to get through to people without hesitation, so he’s annoying, but he’s not a bad guy either.

But in the midst of all this…

“Hey, Earth Lagann.”

“Hmm?”

“Thou said we wouldn’t act together afterward… will thou allow him to protect Lady Kron instead of thee?”

“Kron… not at all. Kron and you, both of you.”

“…… What?”

As if looking down at Bro with a snort, Jamdi’el showed a dissatisfied expression.

Yes, that was Paripi’s suggestion.

“It seems that Bro has been in the Imperial City after being protected by Old man Mikado in Cantidan…”

“What? Mikado’s?”

“Ah, but Coman’s… ah~, the parent of my former classmate, who was a spy for Paripi, worked behind the scenes to release Bro before he left the Imperial City. So, we’ll meet up with Bro here and have him act with you from now on.”

“…… Nuh… what…… I was unaware thou spoke to Paripi about—”

This proposal was made when I talked to Paripi through the Magic Crystal in the Heavenly World.

To put it bluntly, it’s annoying to follow his suggestion, but considering the future of Kron and the others, I thought that having Bro stay with them would be more reassuring, so I reluctantly decided to go along with his proposal.

But when Jamdi’el heard about it, she had a confused expression on her face.

“Is that so… but…… how absurd.”

“I’m not good enough for you? Master.”

“Hold thy jests, Bro. Thou, who left the dojo to play around in the outside world… art far inferior to Machio, let alone Earth Lagann, yet deem to protect us?”

Bro smiled wryly at Jamdi’el’s harsh words.

“Kakakkakaka, you’re still as strict as ever, Master.”

“Mmmm, Jamdi’el! I don’t think you should talk like that! Bro is very dependable, you know?”

“No, no, it’s fine, little sister. I know my power too, yeh.”

“B-but…”

Kron puffed up her cheeks at Jamdi’el’s words and was about to get angry, but Bro stopped her.

“You’re right, Master, I ran outside. Master came to see the outside world for herself… and I wanted to know the same world…”

“……………”

“And it made me realize how big the world is, the power, the deceptions of society, and at the same time I realized how small I am.”

“Hmph. Then——”

Jamdi’el was right, in a way.

As of a few months ago, I had defeated Bro one-on-one.

Bro was not weak.

But compared to the Six Supremacy class like Paripi and Jamdi’el, it’s just… well… he’s not there yet.

“But you know, Master? I’m still weak right now. If it was just a simple combat potential, the power gap between me and my brother would have widened in the past few months. I don’t have the same eyes as my sister or Master.”

“Oh… thou art aware, aren’t thee?”

“But…”

“?”

“I’ve been out there for a good amount of my life outside, and I’ve dealt with all sorts of people, both in the light and in the shadows… I know how to keep out of trouble… support myself properly… on top of that, I’ve learned how to have fun.”

“…… What?”

Bro has experience.

More than anyone else here, including myself, he lived in the world and society, both upfront and behind the scenes, and sometimes he has conflicts with them, and sometimes he gets along with them.

This was experience and knowledge that Jamdi’el, who has been in Cacretale for almost the entire time since the war, does not have.

Yes, what was needed from now on was not only the ability to protect Jamdi’el and Kron from trouble, but also someone who could do that well enough to not cause trouble in the first place.

Sure, this guy was originally a brawling delinquent who was also an outcast by nature, but he had many friends and interacted with many different adults.

And on top of that, he was enjoying his life.

Well, behind the scenes, he had a lot of things to do, and he had strange ideas and policies, but still, it was clear what his priority was when it came to Kron and Jamdi’el.

“Of course, when push comes to shove, I’ll be strong enough to put my body on the line to protect you guys. But for now, why don’t we enjoy our time…… together? You’ve been carrying things for over ten years, but you can let go a little… of course, I’ll carry that heavy burden that you can’t forget with me, yeh.”

“…… what was that?”

What I feel from Bro now was completely different from the obscure delinquent stubbornness he used to have, so to speak, a man’s pride.

I felt a particular heat in his words.

“Bro… thou…… have changed somewhat? After leaving Cacretale, thou would occasionally return to the dojo for short periods of training with people from outside, but… at that time, while obsessed about the lowly hoodlum way of life… burned out by the destruction of the mafia… and even more so, thy eyes were dull and forlorn…”

Jamdi’el also felt Bro’s heat and had a slightly strange expression on her face.

In response to that question, Bro glanced at me…

“Of course… I forgot my original intention when I stepped out into the outside world, and got depressed and bored… but he fought me with all his might, beat me to a pulp, and pulled me up… I met the coolest friend ever. It was worth it!”

“…… Nuh… Hmm… Hmm…”

Those straight and glaring eyes were something that Bro, who was smoldering, didn’t have at that time.

Rather, I guess this is the original Bro.

Jamdi’el didn’t say anything else, seemingly overwhelmed by the heat, and Bro looked at me again, grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

I felt a little uneasy, but I once again thought that I could leave it to Bro with peace of mind, so I smiled and nodded back.

Author’s Note

Thank you for your support. I was able to update today without restraint. Recently, there are many of you who came here because of the flow from the Manga, and are unable to go outside, so I am very embarrassed. I am an elegant straight writer whose only merit is being serious, but I hope you can continue to support me. Ah, if you find this work interesting, I would be even happier if you could pierce my soul with the “★” below.

On a different note, I actually have a favor to ask of you today. Recently, I have been in contact with my father in my parent’s house because of this situation, and he’s been bragging to his acquaintances about the success of an easy-to-understand manga adaptation, and some of them have even bought the books and read this webnovel, which I am very grateful for. However, I have one request, please do not report to my father what I am writing in the afterwords. Things, things, things, things, …… please, …… please, please, please! I’m so sorry for your trouble! They ask awkward questions on the phone!

Well, that’s a request to a specific person, and the other thing is that various bookstores have been refraining from operating this April, and that can’t be helped. However, for the writers who will publish their books in April, it is not a funny situation. I was safe because my book was published last month, but unfortunately for those who give birth at this time of the year, it is a matter of life and death. I wouldn’t go so far as to say that you should buy it, but when you have time, I would like you to be interested about “what is the release at this time of year?”, and then read a novel while you are browsing Become a Novelist, and if you get hooked, I would like you to buy it. Otherwise, the publishing industry will be in the red, downsized, and I won’t be able to publish more volumes (I mean it)! If not, no one will be able to see José’s character drawings! Also, Kron and Amae. So, I’ve written a rambling postscript, but this is the situation, so please forgive me! You are welcome to buy up the books!