Free and Unfettered 14 Small Creature

Nine looked at his sorry state with shining eyes. Somehow, she just felt extremely good from the contrast before and after of the arrogant and lofty eldest prince. It inexplicably made her feel that he was like a small creature trembling in fear. She felt quite fond of him looking like this.

As the wind blew against his skin, Deltan Destan shuddered as a cold feeling filled him. He looked at Nine as if staring at a monster. How could such a terrible human being exist? The cold invaded his bones, chilling him to the core. His younger brother terrified him. Has he always been poking a sleeping lion, all these years? Did he finally snap and decide enough was enough, that's why he was doing this?

Any defiance he might have felt earlier against his actions had long been beaten out of him. Too weak? Deltan laughed hollowly in his mind. Why don't you try taking over a hundred of his younger brother's super powered punches, huh? Every time he felt like he wasn't able to get up again, Nine used some sort of magic to give him an energy boost. Ah, he really felt like crying right now.

Nine eyed her brother, wondering when he was going to stand up again.

"Aren't you getting up?" she asked lightly.

Deltan shivered so violently he practically shot up, off the ground. Haha, whatever. He would stop thinking so much and just listen to whatever his younger brother ordered him to do. Anything his younger brother said was correct! Deltan resolutely abandoned all dignity as a prince for less beatings.

"Oh, you still want to continue the spar? Since you looked so tired, I was about to let you off, but seeing as you're still so enthusiastic, then I'll accompany you longer," Nine said, smiling gently at him.

Deltan felt like crying even harder when he heard what he said. Looking at his smile, Deltan felt like he was experiencing the smile of a devil. It looked beautiful and pure, but when you added in his younger brother's actions, which was filled with malice, it was as if he was taking poison straight from the curve of his lips. The delicate and beautiful features of the teenager's face, coupled with the way he smiled every time he gave out a punch, gave off a strange sense of contrast. He wanted to just go back to his residence and hide himself away till the end of time.

Deltan wanted so badly to beg his younger brother for mercy, but he had done that half an hour ago, while his brother's punches just became heavier, almost like he was discouraging him from begging. He could almost read the words from his brother's eyes during those moments. His eyes were saying 'Where's your dignity as a prince? No matter what, a prince never begs!'

Deltan really felt like killing himself at that time. Look at him now. What dignity was there when he already looked like this? Not to mention, there was no one around here, okay?!

If Nine knew what he was thinking, she'd roll her eyes inwardly and give him another round of beatings to correct his warped and subpar thinking. Dignity wasn't about who was around to watch you, okay, elder brother? Dignity was when you carried yourself regardless of who was around you. As long as you respected yourself, why did it matter who judged you?

When Deltan looked at her with pitiful eyes, Nine really wanted to squeeze his cheeks. Although Deltan wasn't very cute, with his poor pallor and dark shadows, as a twenty-nine-year-old watching a twenty-year-old man make this expression towards her made her feel like he was her younger brother instead. She fondly thought of some of her subordinates who looked at her with the same expression whenever she trained them.

Since he had helped her regain much of her mobility and combat fluidiness, as well as help her test out her theory of combining two elements to make them more effective, Nine almost wanted to soften slightly and let him off, but then she thought about the way he carried himself previously and changed her mind. She had to correct this deviant before it was too late and he was set in his ways. At twenty, it wasn't too late yet.

Thinking up to this point, Nine raised a fist, trying very hard to keep all expression off her face as he trembled cutely. She wouldn't care Deltan wasn't related to her, but since he was, then he could forget about being allowed to behave as he pleased from now on. As an older sibling (mentally), she had to give a bit of guidance every now and then. Since her thoughts on her father were still pending, in the meanwhile she would correct the royal family to her liking. Then, if she decided to stay, she would have to instill some discipline in her elder brother.

A cold wind blew across him, causing Deltan to shiver. Nine attentively watched him, realizing he was probably cold from the harsh wind that was common in this area. The tears and holes in his clothing probably wasn't helping with warmth.

She eyed him before wordlessly attaching a couple of runes to his coat to help coat a layer of warm air just above his skin to help maintain his body temperature. Then, she continued with her training routine one more time to hammer in her lesson.

Just as she finished the last blow, Deltan was about to trip and spend another hard time on the ground again when Nine grabbed the back of his shirt, hauling him up with surprising strength for a thirteen year old. Obviously, she was cheating with magic.

Deltan felt a flash of fear as he wondered what he would be subjected to now. Surprisingly, his younger brother didn't do anything else to him. His heart was beating hard in his chest as he anticipated what else could happen. Maybe he would be subjected to other new magic that his brother was testing. Maybe some sort of mental magic? The more he thought about it, the dizzier he felt. Ahh, he was already going to be black and blue tomorrow from all the bruises.

With a thump, he landed on the cold marble floor. Eh? Deltan looked around, dazed. This was his residence.

Nine looked at the silly way her brother was behaving and frowned, feeling worried that she had hit him in the head and hadn't used healing magic to negate the damage. She secretly scanned him with a healing spell, only to get back results that he was healthier than ever. Then, she understood. She guessed this was just his inherent personality, then. What was she going to do? She couldn't cure stupidity.

"I'm going now, eldest imperial brother," she said, reverting back to polite speech.

Deltan felt a violent shudder wreck through his body. He felt an odd sense of incongruity at his brother's polite words. Somehow, he preferred when his younger brother discarded all formality. It almost felt like he shouldn't be restrained by meaningless things.

Nine left her elder brother behind, feeling satisfied. She suddenly turned around to see him still staring at her through the doorway. He was so shocked he fell down from the fright when she suddenly looked back. He was so easily startled, just like a timid creature.

Nine called out Rainier from her interspacial bracelet hanging on her wrist. It was such a useful bracelet, beimg able to store all manners of things, both dead and alive. She had to look into how it had been made. Placing the little slime on her shoulder, Nine thought that Deltan reminded her somewhat of Rainier. He was blue, small and squishy. Nine secretly smiled to herself. When she was free in the future, she should go back and take care of the little creature.

Chapter end