The Hero’s Brother Is Bound To Be Depressed

50 – Manpower

The week of the curfew passed faster than expected.

Aria and Kane were busy and couldn’t even come to the club room, and for some reason, Luna ran to her library, blushing whenever the two of them were alone.

In the end, the week went by in an instant as I practiced strength training and sparring with Lacard every day.

Lacar raised his thumb, saying that unlike the first time, I had grown tremendously, as if the sparring with Roel had definitely been of great help.

As soon as the curfew was lifted, I left the academy. Realizing that it would be more efficient to rent a horse for about 3 hours a day than to find a carriage heading to Turning Village, I rented a horse and headed to the village.

It was awkward because it was my first time riding a horse, but like a horse with experience riding a lot of people, it walked well as long as I held the reins well.

When I arrived at the outskirts of town, I tied my horse to a tree in front of Lawton’s house and knocked on the door, but no one seemed to have climbed the mountain.

I have no choice but to go up the mountain. When we headed to the stone statue where we met Lawton the other day, as expected, Lawton was experimenting.

“Hello. That, Mr. Lawton.”

I didn’t know what to call it, so I called it roughly, but Lawton, who heard the voice, threw a stone that was rolling on the ground at me and got angry.

“What is the guy who put his face in for the first time in a week? Mr. Lawton? Hey, you ungrateful bastard!”

“No, then what do you call it?”

At my question, Lawton grinned and grinned.

“There is a good word for Master.”

“I’ll just call you Grandpa.”

Lawton grunted, wondering if he didn’t like my prompt reply.

“But what are you doing here so late?”

“I was punished for returning to the academy late because of my grandfather. If you’re late again, it’ll be really big.”

Professor Leora, if he returns late again, he will not be banned from going out for a week, but he will be disqualified from going out as a warning.

“Eh, then don’t bother going back and forth, just get rid of the academy and become my disciple.”

“Is that what you say as an academy senior?”

When he said that, Lawton frowned at him and beckoned him to come closer.

“Still, I came just fine. I will send you a butterfly, so go get some flowers.”

As Lawton handed over the trowel as if it were natural, he made a puzzled expression on his face, and Lawton shouted.

“You have to dig flowers before you can experiment!”

“Yes, yes.”

With Lawton’s torch, he eventually accepted the trowel and climbed the mountain following the fluorescent butterfly. Perhaps it was waiting for me to come in advance, the butterfly flew to the cliff without hindrance, and I was able to safely collect flowers using magic like the last time.

When I returned to Lawton and handed her the flowers, Lawton looked at me greedily once, then took out a small dagger and carefully began to separate the flower’s thorns.

As I watched, I cautiously said what I wanted to ask the other day.

“Then why are you studying stone thorn disease?”

Lawton paused at my words, then spat out a few swear words.

“Hey! I’m working dangerously, but someone is talking to me! Will you take responsibility if you make a mistake?”

I replied with a sigh at Lawton’s angry look.

“Because I have to go back now. We would have had enough time to talk if he hadn’t asked me to gather flowers.”

At my words Lawton sighed, put down his dagger and turned around.

“What are the personal circumstances you mentioned earlier?”

At Lawton’s sudden words, I stroked my chin and pondered for a moment, then remembered Lawton’s answer to the question of why he was researching stone prickly disease.

It was just a cover-up, there was no particular reason. Given the character of Lawton I’ve seen so far, it was obvious that if I couldn’t answer properly here, I’d be suspicious.

I was wondering if there was a good excuse, but I opened my mouth at the image of Luna that inadvertently popped into my head.

“The person I like is a bit uncomfortable. So I found out while researching similar things.”

It was a lie to get out of the situation, but somehow Lawton heard me and flinched as if someone had been punched in the stomach.

“Yeah, that’s right. Heh, it was for no reason.”

When I was counting the time to go back, shrugging my shoulders at the figure of Lawton blowing his nose and turning to separate the thorns again. Abruptly, Lawton spoke.

“Come see him next time.”

Are you doubting whether what I am saying is true? When I thought that he was a formidable old man, Lawton added his words.

“… I don’t know if I can help.”

I was very taken aback by Lawton’s sudden suggestion. I approached Lawton with a mixture of guilt over Lawton’s reaction to taking my lie seriously and anticipation that she might really be able to fix Luna’s body.

“Jeong, really?!”

As I screamed in surprise, Lawton, who was separating the thorns, got angry.

“Yes, you son of a b*tch! And tell me how many times this is dangerous!”

I just smiled with joy at the thought that I had found a way to help Luna even as I hurriedly took a step away from Lawton’s dangerous swing of the dagger.

“Hmph, looking at that stupid figure, it must have been no lie.”

“What is it? Were you suspicious of me?”

Let’s say it as if we’re sad. Lawton snorted.

“Of course not. It’s like that unusual magic, and it’s like having that kind of magic, but also being a combat club. In many ways, you are clearly a madman.”

“Then why do you want to accept such a madman as your apprentice?”

“Does it make sense to say that we are among each other?”

I scratched the back of my head at the sight of Lawton smiling like a mocker while saying that.

“Anyway, it’s late, so I’ll go back. I will try to come with you on the weekend.”

At my words, Lawton waved his hand as if he was annoyed.

In spite of that insensitive greeting, I bowed my head, nodded, and went down the mountain.

*

In the quiet mountains, Lawton stopped his hand separating the thorns from the Platinum flower and looked at the place where Ross had disappeared.

An academy student who came to find out about stone thorn disease while researching similar things for someone he likes.

At first, I doubted whether the words were true, but I could tell that the words were not false from Ross’ smiling face, which brightened his gloomy impression at the suggestion.

In Ross’ bright smile, Lawton could briefly see his old self.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been talking to people for the first time in a long time. Or, is it because something tickling in the chest that has been sleeping for a long time has risen? His throat tickled, and Lawton cleared his throat.

For several decades, I threw my whole life for one goal. I have absolutely never regretted it.

Hundreds, no, thousands of studies. Today will be different. Self-confident that the next experiment would be successful, he immersed himself in research every single day.

It is located in Turning Village, close to the habitat of Platinang flowers, and has been produced for several decades. Neighbors laughed at him as a mad scholar and a stinking old man. It was the research that mattered to Lawton, not the public eye.

After removing all the thorns from the flower, Lawton wished the research success this time and stabbed the thorns into the tail of a small lizard he had previously caught.

After confirming that the petrification was progressing from the tail, Lawton opened the cork of the potion bottle he had prepared in advance and poured it into the stunned lizard’s mouth.

“Another failure….”

The petrification phenomenon seemed to stop for a moment, but Lawton let out a sigh as he looked at the little lizard, whose entire body turned to stone in an instant, like a dam bursting.

Finding a cure seemed impossible, as if to mock Lawton’s earnestness each time.

The disappointment and futility that followed his failure again filled Lawton’s head.

With a face full of melancholy, Lawton put together his research and headed down the mountain to his house.

The house Lawton lived in was an old house before Lawton bought it, so the pillars had rotted and collapsed. Because of that, Lawton’s magic kept the shape of the house with vines and plants.

The worm is twisted, it looks like an abandoned house. It was a house that the villagers pointed at as a house that should be burned down, but to Lawton, it was a house with Rael, who was always cozy and welcoming.

As always, Lawton wiped off his brooding expression, brushed off the soles of his shoes in front of the house, opened the door in a cheerful voice, and entered the house.

“Here comes Rael.”

From nob le mt l dot com

No answer came, but Lawton changed his shoes and clothes and put his research papers on the desk as if he was used to it.

“The experiment failed again today, but it still worked.”

Sit at your desk. While writing down today’s achievements in his daily research journal, Lawton brought up his remarks about the Ross he met today.

“He came. The one I was talking about the other day to be the disciple.”

Lawton took out a magic box under the desk with space magic and kept the research journal he had written in the box.

“Thanks to his magic, I was able to easily get Platinum flowers, which I wanted to get once a month. If you really become my student, it will be of great help to your research.”

After saying that in a regretful voice, Lawton put his magic box back in place and stood up.

“That guy. No, Ross said he was researching stone thorn disease for someone he liked.”

It wasn’t enough that he washed his hands thoroughly with soap. Lawton, who used magic to wash his hands once more, approached Rael, who was always standing by his bed.

“That’s why I want to make more disciples. Is this what you call kinship?”

Saying that, Lawton gently stroked Rael’s cheek. Lawton smiled as always at the cold statue-like feel of his fingertips.

Lawton carefully stroked the delicately carved statue of a beautiful woman as if it would come to life at any moment.

“I couldn’t keep my promise today, but I’ll try my best to keep it tomorrow, Rael.”

As if to blame himself for breaking his promise every day, Lawton made a promise he always couldn’t keep, in a melancholy voice.