I Was Reincarnated As The Brother Of A Villainous Young Lady, But I Couldn't Use Magic, So I Used My Sword To Slash Down The Doom Flag - Chapter 3

I headed straight to the mansion’s backyard. In my hand was a wooden practice sword, and Dad had one too—we stood facing each other, all set.

“Listen up, Sold. I’m about to teach you the ‘Majin-ryu’—a sword style that’s been passed down exclusively.”

“Majin-ryu…”

Man, that sounds wicked cool. Even though I’ve totally maxed out that game, I’ve never heard of this style before. What’s it all about?

“People have honed magic—like sharpened fangs—to battle the magic beasts. But what about those who can’t use magic? You just channel the power of those beasts into yourself and then use it to defeat them. That’s how the Majin-ryu came to be.”

“Oh, wow…”

It’s pretty epic—using the power of magic beasts. But how on earth do you do that without any magic?

Seeing me scratch my head in confusion, Dad continued with a smug grin.

“If you can become one with your sword—if your body and soul merge into a single blade—then your sword will naturally show you the way.”

“Uh…”

I wasn’t really getting a clear picture, so Dad casually said,

“Alright, first off, let me show you one of the moves of the Majin-ryu.”

“Really?”

“If you know what you’re aiming for, you’ll be more pumped up. Just give me a sec to set things up.”

With that, Dad went back inside for a bit and only returned after a good while. Cradled in both arms was a huge log—guess he had some trouble finding one.

“Phew… Okay, step back a little.”

“Yeah, got it.”

When Dad set the log down, I stepped back as instructed. Then he slipped his wooden sword to his side, closed his eyes, and focused.

Could he really be planning to cut that log with a wooden practice sword?

If he could pull that off, it’d be an insane technique—

“…Hmph.”

With a quiet breath, Dad suddenly opened his eyes wide, gripped his sword, and assumed a stance. I gulped as I watched, but then he just relaxed his stance—without doing a thing.

“…Dad?”

I was totally confused when, right before my eyes, the log got sliced diagonally and tumbled over with a thud. I couldn’t figure out what had just happened.

“Dad, what just happened?!”

“Hmph, you didn’t catch that, huh… That was the first move of the Majin-ryu sword style—’Ice Wolf Flash.’ It’s a lightning-fast slash that channels the power of the legendary magic beast, Fenrir.”

“W–Whoa…!!”

He just blew me away with that move—so fast I didn’t even see the sword swing. Still shaking with excitement, Dad pointed to the fallen log.

“Sold, take a good look at the cut.”

“What? The cut? …Th–this is… frozen?!”

The cross-section of the log wasn’t rough at all—it was covered with a thin layer of ice! I was totally baffled, and Dad flashed a smug smile as he explained,

“Fenrir is known as the ruler of the glaciers—the one who races across the snowy plains. With his power, it’s only natural that your slash gets a touch of frost.”

“Whoa… that’s insane… it’s almost like magic!”

“It ain’t magic. Didn’t I tell you? I can’t use magic—this is pure swordsmanship.”

Sure, his smug grin was a bit over the top, but that move was seriously awesome. How on earth did he freeze a log using nothing but his sword skills? It was like watching a magic trick—and it got me all hyped up.

“Dad, you’re gonna let me learn that move too, right?!”

“If you train seriously, you can master it. It’s gonna be some tough training, though—think you can handle it?”

“Of course!! No holding back—train me hard, Dad!!”

With this sword, I’m gonna be strong enough to protect Tilti!!

Clenching my fists with determination, Dad smiled with the kind of confidence only a seasoned warrior can have.

“Don’t call me ‘Dad’ during training—call me ‘Master.’ From now on, when we’re sparring, that’s what you say.”

“Yes, Master!!”

And so, I began my sword training with Dad—well, with Master Dad.

———

Later on, after wrapping up training with Dad, I headed over to Tilti’s room. Changing her fate wasn’t just about me getting stronger; I had to raise her with all the love I could muster so she wouldn’t end up a bitter, angry person.

When I got to her room, Tilti was curled up on her bed, hugging her knees. She looked like she was rejecting the whole world—her dry, unkempt hair only making her look more pitiful. It hurt to see her like that, but I knew sulking wouldn’t help either.

I forced a smile and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Tilti, I brought you some snacks. Wanna have them with me?”

There was nothing but silence in response.

“Sally, the maid, made some water candy—she said eating something hard might shock your stomach. Look, it’s all gooey, sweet, and really tasty!”

Still nothing.

I tried chatting her up, but Tilti wouldn’t even spare me a glance. It nearly broke my heart, but if she was hurting, I couldn’t let her stay down over something so small.

I kept talking, hoping for any reaction, but eventually, I ran out of things to say. With nothing else to do, I just waited there, thinking she might eventually want some water candy… and then, I heard her soft, husky voice.

“Why do you care so much about me…?”

“Why? ‘Cause if we’re family, it’s natural to care, right?”

“We’re not family… My family… they’re all gone…!”

She didn’t shout it, but behind those words was a depth of sorrow, despair, and anger I could barely imagine. I wasn’t sure how to fix something so heavy for a six-year-old.

“I’m sorry. But even if we’re not officially family… I just can’t leave you alone. I’ll stick by you as long as I can.”

“Then why… why do you care… when it has nothing to do with you…?”

“We’re already connected, aren’t we? I know your name, and I’m right here.”

I’m not out here trying to save everyone who’s hurting—I know I can’t. But if someone in front of me is suffering and I can lend a hand, I have to.

“That makes me feel better too.”

“You’re too selfish.”

“Yeah, maybe it is—but it’s my own self-satisfaction. So, Tilti, don’t overthink it. Just lean on my goodwill. For now, you might not be living in luxury, but you’ll have food and a place to sleep.”

I said that, but she didn’t reply. I wish I could have said something smarter, but nothing came to mind. With training done for the day, I had little else to do.

I just sat there silently by her side, swinging my feet, when suddenly I heard her say,

“…Give me some.”

“Huh?”

“The snacks… give me some, too.”

Looks like Tilti finally wanted some water candy. Overjoyed that she’d finally looked my way, I happily scooped some water candy onto a spoon and held it out.

“Of course, here you go! Say ‘ahh’.”

“I can eat it by myself!”

“Oh, alright then.”

I figured I should help her eat since she’s still not well, but she insisted on doing it on her own. A bit disappointed, I ended up handing her the whole plate. She started eating quickly, and soon, tears began to fall.

“It’s delicious…”

“Good. Eat as much as you want—there’s no one here to hurt you anymore.”

“…Yeah.”

Gently, I patted her as she slowly savored each bite. Watching her eat in silence, I wondered if she was finally beginning to open up… though maybe it’s too soon to tell.