Chapter 234 - Elder Brother and Father

The Next Day

I called Paul over and brought Norn and Ruijerd to Paul's house.

The mothers had all agreed to Norn's marriage.

But Paul and I both shook our heads.

The reason was simple.

We needed to test the future brother-in-law. Future son-in-law, depending on who you asked.

-------

Part of the snow had already been cleared from the yard.

The winter air was still bitterly cold.

I stood in the center of the courtyard, rolling my shoulders loose. Beside me, Paul was wiping his sword and yawning at the same time.

"So—"

He glanced over at me.

"Are you going to get serious, Rudeus?"

"Depends."

"That's exactly the kind of answer you'd give."

Paul nodded. Then something seemed to occur to him and he laughed.

"Still. I never expected this."

"Hm?"

"My daughter Norn. Such a tiny little thing, back then. And now she's already at the age where she brings a man home."

"..."

Stop talking.

Just thinking about it still gives me a headache.

Yesterday, Norn stepped in front of Ruijerd and shouted I was the one who made the first move, and my brain just stopped. Completely.

Then she added that extra line.

I was the one who drugged him.

Ariel. I am genuinely going to have a problem with you.

I pressed a hand over my face.

Paul laughed.

"Hahaha! Rudeus, the look on your face yesterday must have been absolutely priceless. Too bad I missed it."

"The one being taken advantage of is your daughter. What kind of attitude is that?"

"Oh, I'm very angry too."

Paul answered without hesitation. Then he slowly slid his sword back to his waist.

"But if the other party is Ruijerd, I'm not really worried. Just a little angry."

I didn't argue.

Because it was the truth.

Ruijerd's character wasn't something you needed to question.

Serious. Upright. Reliable.

Almost too reliable.

That man simply cannot lie. If he likes someone, he likes them. If he wants to protect someone, he wants to protect them.

So when he said I like Norn yesterday, I couldn't argue with that either. Because it wasn't a momentary impulse. He had genuinely prepared himself for a lifetime.

Just then, footsteps came from the other side of the courtyard.

I looked up.

Ruijerd was already walking toward us. His tall figure stood out sharply against the snow.

And behind him, Norn followed, wound so tight she looked like she might snap.

...This girl.

Why does she look like she's afraid we're going to beat him to death?

"Brother..."

"Don't."

"..."

Norn went quiet.

Paul stood up, already smiling.

"Oh. There you are."

Ruijerd walked up to us and lowered his head.

Paul looked at him.

"Today, I'm not standing here as a comrade-in-arms."

"Mm."

"I am Norn's father."

The air went still for a moment.

Then Paul slowly drew his sword.

"So. Let me see whether you're truly qualified to marry my daughter."

---------

A few minutes later, the yard was packed.

Sylphiette and the others had all come out. Even the kids had run over.

Windsor stood at the very front holding her wooden sword.

"Are Papa and Grandpa fighting together?"

Norn corrected her. "It's a test."

Windsor ignored her and got completely absorbed.

Beside her, Lara was hopping up and down.

"Fight! Fight!"

Lucy stood nearby and said quietly, "Big Sis Lara... shouldn't we be a little quieter right now...?"

Eris was already rolling her shoulders.

"Rudeus, should I jump in too?"

"Ruijerd couldn't handle you and Father at the same time."

"But there's no way he can beat Rudeus and Father together either."

"I'll hold back."

On the other side, Norn was almost vibrating with nerves. She kept looking between Paul and me.

"Brother, you'll actually hold back. Right?"

"Mm."

"Really?"

"Do I look like the kind of person who'd bully the man his little sister loves?"

Norn was quiet for two seconds.

"...A little bit."

Paul laughed. He bounced on his heels twice, then slowly sank into his stance.

"Alright. Feeling good. Let's begin."

The next second,

BOOM!

The snow exploded off the ground.

Paul surged forward. Astonishingly fast. His longsword swept out in a horizontal slash.

Ruijerd drew his spear at the same moment.

CLANG!

The impact rang out like a thunderclap. The shockwave blasted snow in every direction.

The children shrieked.

"So amazing!"

"Whoa—!"

Windsor's eyes were blazing. She was practically pressing herself through the crowd, small face full of longing, wooden sword clutched to her chest.

I stayed at the rear.

No aggressive moves. Just watching.

Ruijerd's footwork was immaculate. Against Paul's relentless slashes, he didn't try to overpower, he kept retreating, bleeding force, redirecting.

He was holding back.

More precisely: he didn't want to hurt Paul.

Paul noticed. Of course he noticed.

"Ruijerd! Stop holding back!"

BOOM!

The sword pressure spiked. Ruijerd finally planted his feet and met the next blow head-on.

BANG!

The ground cracked. Snow scattered in all directions.

I raised my hand. A voiceless wind spell unfolded instantly, deflecting the shockwave before it could reach the crowd.

Then I lifted my fingers just slightly.

Bzzz,

The snow underfoot shifted.

Ruijerd's step stuttered. Just for an instant. Barely a heartbeat.

But it was enough.

Paul seized it and slashed down hard.

CLANG!

Sparks burst. Ruijerd stepped back fast, then looked up at me.

I smiled. "Don't look at me. It's two-on-one right now."

"Mm."

He accepted that with complete calm.

Paul burst out laughing. "That's right! This is our father-son test! If you can't win, you don't get to marry my adorable daughter!"

Norn's face went completely red. "Father!"

The kids were getting more excited by the second. Windsor especially. She had fully entered spectator mode.

"Why is Grandpa's swordsmanship so varied?"

Aisha leaned over to explain. "Same as me, your grandpa is proficient in many different schools."

"...Then why do I feel nothing when he teaches me?"

"Uh... because your grandpa isn't very good at teaching."

"Okay."

Lara chimed in from beside her. "Papa, get serious! Grandpa is stealing the whole spotlight!"

Truthfully.

If I actually got serious, gravity magic alone would have Ruijerd pinned to the ground in seconds.

But this was a test. Not a battle.

So I had no intention of using any of that.

And so, for the next stretch, I hung back and supported Paul.

The occasional gust to redirect a blow. A quick freeze across the ground. A bit of visual interference here and there.

And sometimes, just to show off, some deliberately showy, completely impractical magic.

Paul handled the front line.

Two-on-one, but the whole thing felt nothing like a real fight.

Paul swung heavy. Ruijerd sidestepped.

And I reached out and gave Paul a convenient little push with the wind.

"Hey?! Rudeus!"

"Sorry. My hand slipped."

"You absolutely did that on purpose!"

Paul nearly ate a faceful of snow. Even Ruijerd went silent for two seconds, visibly unsure whether to press the attack.

Once Paul steadied himself, Ruijerd came straight at him again. Speed surging. Spear leveled, point aimed directly at Paul's chest.

Paul raised his sword to block.

CLANG!

The impact drove Paul back two steps.

I raised my hand. A blast of wind pressure came at Ruijerd from the side.

Ruijerd spun and swept his spear. BANG. The wind current shattered.

I raised an eyebrow.

Windsor's eyes went completely alight. She'd started unconsciously imitating Paul's footwork, swinging her wooden sword through empty air.

Damn it. My magic isn't cool enough for you? I was even deliberately slowing it down.

Windsor, can you not see your father's effort here?

Lara was watching Windsor with a knowing look. "Big Sis Windsor is definitely going to be a battle maniac when she grows up."

Windsor furrowed her brow, didn't argue, and gave Lara a light chop on the head. Then she turned straight back to the fight.

"But it really is incredible. Grandpa and Ruijerd... oh, and Papa."

Why.

Why am I last.

After confirming that Lara had zero interest in my spellwork, that Windsor wasn't interested either, that Lucy only cared about the fight itself, and that Tina couldn't follow any of it at all,

I stopped trying.

When Ruijerd was about to charge, I'd quietly adjust the ground friction beneath his feet. When Paul was about to swing wide, I'd give him a nudge with wind. Occasionally I'd seed ice-crystal reflections at the edge of Ruijerd's sightline.

Interference was the whole game. For Ruijerd, sure. But also a bit for Paul.

Paul finally cracked.

"You little brat! Get serious!"

"I am serious."

"Heh..."

Then Norn broke.

"Brother!"

She rushed out and planted herself directly between us, arms spread wide, face red.

Every inch of her screamed don't you dare.

"That's enough!"

Silence dropped over the courtyard.

Paul lowered his sword and blinked.

"If this keeps going, it's not a test anymore!" Norn's voice was shaking. "Brother has been bullying Ruijerd the entire time!"

"I have not."

"You have!"

"You weren't fighting seriously at all! You were just toying with him!"

Caught.

Paul was already howling. "Hahaha! Rudeus! Norn saw right through you!"

"Shut up."

"But she's not wrong."

Paul sheathed his sword and looked at Ruijerd.

"Well. Ruijerd."

Ruijerd was quiet for a moment. Then he lowered his head.

"I lost."

I raised an eyebrow.

He kept going.

"Because Norn stepped forward to protect me."

Silence.

Norn's ears went scarlet.

"R-Ruijerd! You didn't lose! It's Brother who was cheating — he clearly said he wouldn't get serious—"

Paul looked at the two of them. Was quiet for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

It was a loose, easy smile. The kind that had nothing left to prove.

He waved a hand. "Alright. This test, I'll call it a pass."

"Father!"

Norn let out a breath she'd been holding for hours.

I sighed.

Then looked at Ruijerd.

"A few last questions."

"Mm."

"Will you make Norn happy?"

"I will."

"If she cries?"

"I'll comfort her."

"If she's happy?"

"I'll be happy with her."

"If someone hurts her?"

"I'll protect her."

"One more chance. Answer again."

"...I'll kill that person."

I exhaled slowly.

Exchanged a glance with Paul and waved my hand.

"Right answer. Welcome to the family."

In that instant, Norn's eyes lit up all at once.

And then she launched herself at me.

"Brother!"

"Wait, Norn, don't, "

Thud.

I landed in the snowdrift.

I lay there, snow packed around me, looking up at Norn laughing above me.

And in the end, I couldn't help it. I smiled too.

Time really does fly.

The little sister who used to hide behind me everywhere she went.

She's standing in front of Paul and me now, arms spread wide, protecting the man she loves.

I reached up and ruffled her hair.

"Alright."

"Brother agrees?"

"Mm."

"Really?"

"Ask again and I take it back."

"Brother!"

On the other side of the yard, Windsor had already drifted into full admiration mode. She ran over to Ruijerd, wooden sword under her arm.

"Uncle Ruijerd!"

"Mm."

"Can you teach me how to fight? Starting now?"

Ruijerd looked down at her.

Then nodded, completely serious.

"Yes."

"Thank you!"

Aisha patted Windsor's head. "Windsor, you should call him Uncle-in-law now."

Windsor nodded and dutifully said it.

I was still lying in the snow when Tina's face appeared above me.

She had the sweetest smile.

She reached out and touched my cheek.

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"When I get married someday, will there be a test too?"

I was quiet for two seconds.

Then I answered, very seriously.

"You're not getting married."

"Ehhh,?!"

➤ Next: Norn's Wedding — Heartbreak