Volume 1 Chapter 6 A Sibling Quarrel
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Larry left Tommy-san¹ to his delusions and headed for the stable. The only horse in the village was the family’s own Carpaccio, a mare named with zero imagination simply because she’d been bought from the Carpaccio Stables in the capital. She had been with the family for eight years and was a local favorite. As Larry approached, she stamped her hooves and tossed her head, letting out a low, welcoming whinny.
”There, there. I’m taking you out,” Larry murmured. He stroked the bridge of her nose, and she pressed against him, demanding more affection. Nico’s mission was straightforward: get to the Kessler estate, find the old man, and confirm his attendance at the emergency Elders’ Council.
While over half the village lived in the Honjo district around the central square, the Kessler place sat in the eastern settlement of Saralke². Even on foot, a round trip wouldn’t take thirty minutes. Carpaccio was a carriage horse, not a destrier, so riding her wouldn’t actually save much time, but the uphill trek back from the pond was a grind Larry wanted to avoid. Besides, the view from the saddle made him feel like a giant. It was a small, petty indulgence, but he took it.
Since Yutia was busy helping Monica, Larry didn’t bother asking permission. He threw a bit on the mare but skipped the saddle; Carpaccio was used to pulling carts, and she seemed more relaxed without the extra gear. He swung up bareback and felt the world open up as he trotted out toward the square.
To reach the main square, Larry had to cut through a side path lined with tenant shacks. To the right lay the communal pastures and the dead end known as Quarry Road. At the square’s entrance sat the stone Village Head Tower and the old church. The church had been empty since the priest fled the plague, ending the village’s only source of basic schooling. Across from the main house sat the sturdy old cottage where Larry’s grandparents had lived. It was meant to be Hans’s house once he married, but that plan had died along with their eldest brother, Iffens.
In the center of the spindle-shaped square, a group of village women were gathered by the well, deep in gossip. The square was a ring of timber-framed buildings, dominated by Granny Ferris’s shop on the corner of Laundry Road. Part apothecary, part inn, the building had always been a source of mystery. Larry had been warned as a child to stay out of the inn, which only made it more enticing.
The inn employed several alluring slaves, a fact that had fascinated Larry and his friends for years. He stifled a laugh seeing three boys currently trying to peek through the inn’s door while avoiding the watchful eyes of their mothers. Their luck ran out when the blacksmith’s door creaked open and Nico stepped out.
”What do you think you’re doing?” Nico barked. She was as terrifying to the local brats as she was to Larry.
”Crap! It’s Nico from the Head’s house!” the kids scrambled, but as they fled, they spotted Larry. “Look! It’s Carpaccio and Big Bro Larry! Give us a ride! Come on, give us a ride!”
”I’m on a deadline,” Larry said, urging the mare forward.
”Where are you going? To the city?” one kid yelled.
”The Kessler place,” Larry replied.
”That’s practically next door! Poor horse!” The kids kept pace, their voices rising. “Hey, Larry, you’re almost a man, right? Did you hear? A slave way hotter than Nico just arrived at the inn!”
Larry clenched his jaw, trying to keep a straight face.
”She’s way cuter than Nico!” the brat screamed. Larry kicked Carpaccio into a trot to escape the boy’s volume.
”Fine, go then, you virgin!” the kid jeered from behind. “No one wants to play with an uncircumcised loser anyway!” Larry glanced back to see the village mothers trying-and failing-to hide their smirks. He made a mental note to deck Tim later; Tim had “graduated” from his own virginity three months ago and had clearly been teaching the kids new insults.
Leaving the square, the road dipped toward Saralke. A merchant caravan was descending the southern hill, likely bringing in the salt needed for the winter harvest. Behind the wagons, a group of four travelers struggled with their packs. They looked weary and out of place, lacking the grit of mercenaries or peddlers. One sat down on a rock, exhausted, while the wagons left them behind. Larry wondered if they’d be seeking a room at the inn tonight, but his thoughts were cut short as he reached the Kessler gates.
He hitched the mare to the signal tower and went inside. A manservant was busy cleaning a plow in the yard. “Oh, Larry-kun? Your brother is here.”
Hans was in the back courtyard with Alberto Kessler. The two had been the village’s most notorious delinquents before their coming-of-age. They were currently elbow-deep in the carcass of a massive stag.
”Larry? What the hell do you want?” Hans snapped, his face darkening. “I’m not going back.”
”The Elders called an emergency meeting,” Larry said, ignoring the hostility. “I’m here for the patriarch.”
Alberto, a man of few words and even fewer smiles, looked up from his knife work. “Father can’t move. He’s sick.”
”An emergency meeting? Now?” Hans scoffed. “Right before the market?”
”I don’t know the details,” Larry said. “But the uncles are already at the Tower. They came here specifically to call this.”
Hans looked at Alberto. Though Alberto looked like the stronger of the two, no one really knew who would win in a fight. They were legends in the village-men who had hunted orcs and thrashed city thugs before they were fourteen.
”Al, you go,” Hans ordered.
Alberto’s jaw tightened. “You know I hate that political crap.”
”It’s fine. Just sit there and look scary while the old men ramble. You’re the heir; you should be there.” Hans spoke with a casual arrogance that rubbed Larry the wrong way. Hans was a guest here, yet he was acting like he owned the place. Worse, he was hiding from his responsibilities at the Village Head’s house.
Something snapped in Larry’s mind. The frustration of months of being the “backup heir” boiled over. “If you’re so curious about the meeting, Hans, maybe the actual heir should go.”
A sharp crack echoed through the yard. Larry felt a sudden, heavy impact against his head. A metallic tang filled his nose. (That sound… something just broke inside.)
”Larry… you little bastard,” Hans roared, lunging forward and grabbing Larry’s collar. He hoisted him up, cutting off his airway. “Are you telling me to crawl back to Klaus? Say that again and I’ll kill you! You hear me?”
A strange heat surged from Larry’s core-a circuit he didn’t know he possessed suddenly hummed with power. Anger drowned out the fear. He grabbed Hans’s wrist and unleashed a concentrated burst of mana³.
There was a dry pop as the grip on his throat vanished. Hans was flung backward, hitting the dirt hard.
”What did you just do?” Hans gasped, wide-eyed.
”Shut up, you pathetic coward!” Larry screamed, pointing a trembling finger at his brother. “Would you actually die if you had to deal with our uncle? You’re acting like a spoiled brat! Iffens is gone, Hans! Grow up and take the lead! Protect the village! Grandpa and Dad are still alive, so start acting like you give a damn!”
The silence in the yard was absolute. Larry didn’t wait for a reaction. He turned, mounted Carpaccio, and galloped back toward the highway before his courage could fail him.
By the time he reached the square, his heart was still hammering. Nico was waiting for him. “Well? Is he coming?”
”The patriarch is sick,” Larry said breathlessly. “I don’t know if they’ll send a proxy.”
”I see.” Nico noticed his disheveled clothes. “What happened to you?”
”I ran into Hans.”
”And? You fought?”
”Something like that.” Larry tried to nudge Carpaccio forward, but Nico grabbed his pant leg.
”Wait. Give me a ride back. I’ve been waiting forever.”
”Nico, the house is right there. It’s fifty yards.”
”I don’t care. Move over.” She didn’t wait for an answer, using Larry’s foot as a stirrup to hoist herself up. She sat sideways in front of him, her bronze hair brushing his face. “Move back, you’re squishing me.”
She wiggled into place, her thighs pressing against his. The scent of her-sweet soap mixed with a hint of sweat-filled Larry’s senses. He could see the fine, golden hairs on the nape of her neck in the evening light.
She turned her head, her face inches from his. Her skin was flushed, her eyes bright. “Well? Get moving.”
—
Summary:
Larry travels to the Kessler estate to deliver a summons for an emergency council. A heated confrontation with his brother Hans leads to Larry unexpectedly manifesting mana to defend himself. After fleeing the scene, he encounters Nico, who insists on a ride back, creating a moment of unexpected physical proximity.
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Trivia:
- Carpaccio is the only horse in the village.
- The ‘Quarry Road’ is a literal dead end.
- Granny Ferris runs a combined apothecary and inn with slave labor.
- Larry’s mana release came from a ‘circuit’ he didn’t know existed.
- The ‘Strange Four’ travelers are struggling to reach the next village before nightfall
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Character Insight:
Larry reaches a breaking point regarding his brother’s negligence. His outburst reveals both hidden magical potential and a deep-seated resentment of his role as the ‘spare’ heir.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the sibling rivalry to ground the fantasy element of ‘mana circuits’ in an emotional catalyst.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Larry – 13‑year‑old third son of the Strock headman, reddish‑white skin, bronze eyes, curly bronze hair, faint Showa memories and minor fire magic. Inside his body lives a 40‑year‑old bachelor salaryman, backup heir of the Village Head’s house, analyzing tech gaps, conscripted, parasitized, crushing on his sister‑in‑law, doing chores despite quasi‑noble status.
• Tommy – A coachman and servant to Uncle Klaus. He is the same age as Hans and has worked with horses since he was seven.
• Nico – An elderly manservant with silver hair and a faded livery, dignified and trusted by the headman, revered by staff; and a stern young maid from the Village Head’s house, outspoken, protective of Teressa and Yutia, wielding authority over local children.
• Monica – Larry’s tomboyish childhood friend, now a 15‑year‑old widow after her husband died in the same war as Ifence, raises twins and helps care for his infant niece Maria. Her loss shows how even non‑combat villagers, like supply militia, face indiscriminate danger.
• Yutia – A servant girl with a hunched back and muscular abnormality, suffering a severe speech impediment and lingering muscle tension after a near‑fatal fever; she once served as lady’s maid to Teressa.
• Iffens – Larry’s older brother, the eldest son of the Fee family, fell in battle; his death leaves a heavy emotional shadow over the household and fuels Yutia’s fear. He is remembered as a solemn, battle‑scarred figure.
• Hans – Rugged, wild‑eyed delinquent known as the ‘Mad Dog’ of Strock Village, he is the second son of the Fee family, a chronic alcoholic with a record of assault and extortion. Larry’s older brother and primary heir to the Kessler estate, he now shirks his duties.
• Ferris – An Elf pharmacy owner over 200 years old who looks like she is in her 30s. She is a veteran healer. An Elven healer over two hundred years old. Claims to have known Larry’s grandfather.
• Tim – A 14‑year‑old village youth, the eldest son of the Dvorak family, has just ‘graduated’ into adulthood. With short dark hair, a lean build and thoughtful eyes, he recently traveled to the riverside town of Obernbach accompanied by his father.
• Alberto – The eldest son of the Kessler family; a large, intimidating former delinquent. Over 210cm.
• Klaus – Larry’s maternal uncle, head of the Thalbach family and a vassal to Viscount Bizan. He dislikes Larry and Hans. He is described as a thin, grumpy-looking man, wears a light grey cloak and a black hat with gold ornaments signifying his rank in a Viscount’s house.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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