Chapter 10: I Haven't Even Tried Yet (Patreon)

Time slipped by slowly... And quickly. An entire afternoon passed.

After saying goodbye to Sylphiette, Rudy returned home. At the front door, his father Paul, looking thoroughly displeased, demanded, "Do you know why I'm angry??"

Rudy blinked, then asked, "Why??"

Paul advanced on him slowly... His father glared and demanded, "You hit that Somar kid, didn't you??"

Hearing that... Rudy already understood. It was those three little boys from earlier in the day. They'd gone crying to their parents, and it had reached him.

Grinning, Rudy asked, "So, is Father here to scold me without even hearing my side of it??"

Paul's brow twitched. "Sounds like you really don't know what you did wrong!!" he said coldly.

The moment the words left his mouth... Rudy, standing before him, had already flicked his hand. In an instant... a burst of wind magic slammed into Paul's chest. It struck him square in the chest. Before Paul could even react, he was sent flying into the wall of the house...

Rudy walked forward at an easy pace, watching Paul struggle to his feet.

"So, let's have a fight," Rudy said with a smile. "In this world, the strong rule. Right or wrong doesn't matter — the weak have to obey the strong. And whatever the strong decide is always right!!! So here's the deal: beat me, and I'll apologize. How about it??"

Hearing this, Paul grinned ferociously. "Fine. You said it yourself!!"

Rudy nodded, smiling. "Yes, I said it. Come on, then. Let's see just how much is left in a father who's been acting his age for far too long."

The moment Rudy finished speaking... Paul was already at his side in an instant. But the very next moment!!! a blast of wind magic sent him flying again.

Watching Paul charge at him once more... Rudy laughed. "I didn't even put any force into that, and Father still went flying. You should know I'm only using wind magic... If I'd added fire to it just now, Father would already be dead."

Provoked beyond measure by that tone, Paul swung his sword at Rudy in fury. But just as he closed to within two meters of Rudy... a burst of flame slammed viciously into his face and chest. And that wasn't the end of it. Hundreds of fire strikes... completely surrounded Paul. Strike after strike after strike, without pause.

No matter how hard Paul struggled... he couldn't break through the ring of hundreds of fire strikes. All he could do was endure it, his body battered and bloodied.

Meanwhile... Rudy stood off to the side, grinning. "It seems Father really does need discipline. All these years, all you've known how to do is bully Mother — you never bothered improving your own strength at all?? You can't even beat a tiny four-year-old. Honestly, I don't know what you have to be proud of. Didn't you say your swordsmanship was so impressive, that I should learn from you? So please, do me a favor and show me this impressive swordsmanship of yours, would you?? I really would love to see it!!!"

Such infuriating words... sent Paul into a furious roar. "I'll show you exactly how terrifying my swordsmanship is!!!"

Rudy nodded, smiling as he asked, "So hurry up, then, what are you waiting for?? Honestly, if you weren't my father... you'd have died more times than you could count by now, you know that?? Is this really the swordsmanship you're so proud of... Because from where I'm standing, it's an absolute mess, an absolute disaster!!! You don't even have the strength to protect your own family. If disaster ever struck, garbage like you... would probably just end up wallowing in despair, helpless. Drinking yourself into a wreck, letting yourself become a worthless mess. Complaining every single day about how useless you are, useless, useless. So why don't you ever stop and think about why you're actually so useless??"

Listening to all this, Paul felt like he was about to lose his mind with rage!!!

"AAAH!!!"

"AAAH!!!"

"I'll—AAAH!!!!"

He roared over and over, trying to break through the flames. But every time Paul made a new move, a burst of fire always caught him at exactly the right moment. cutting his movement off cold. So... no matter how hard he tried, Paul simply couldn't break through.

Little by little, little by little, Paul's stamina drained away completely. His whole body turned black and scorched, and he collapsed to the ground like a battered, deflated ball.

And just then... his mother Zenith, hearing the commotion outside, quickly threw open the door and looked out. Seeing the wide swath of battle damage in front of the house, Zenith asked, puzzled, "Rudy, what happened here??"

Rudy smiled and pointed at Paul on the ground.

"Mother, earlier today..." he said, smiling, "I saw some kids bullying a little girl. It bothered me, so I went and taught them a lesson. But I didn't expect them to go running to their parents. Then they came to Paul and complained about me. And Paul didn't even bother thinking it through... The moment I got home, he wanted to punish me on the spot. But I'm sorry to say, Paul is no longer any match for me. So I gave him a proper lesson for not knowing right from wrong. Mother, dear — don't you think what I did was fair??"