I Obtained the Final Boss' Power-Chapter 14 : Big Bro is the Major? (2)

Big Bro is the Major? (2)
Luis and Pedro were knight trainees who had gone through their apprenticeship together.
The two quickly became close because they shared a longing for knighthood from a young age.
However, as they grew and actually became knights, their longing became distorted.
Normally, one would want to emulate one's superiors, but that wasn't what their admiration was about.
They hid behind their superiors to gain benefits, or asserted influence by flaunting their connections with higher-ups.
They were flatterers, sticking to people of power like leeches. That was the form their longing now took.
The influence exercised by clinging to those above—the temptation to obtain strength without effort—was sweet.
To secure such positions, it was essential to catch the eye of the higher-ups.
They had countless times stolen other knights' achievements or shifted the blame for their own mistakes onto others to win that trust.
Cries of resentment from their victims echoed everywhere, but the two refused to admit that they were mere sycophants.
They insisted they were only ever respecting their superiors. Any unsavory incidents that occurred along the way were, to them, inevitable.
—Is wanting to be noticed by others really such a bad thing? Didn't you ever have such innocent times yourselves?
That was how they shouted back at those who criticized them, only to receive even harsher condemnation in return.
Even if their longing had once been sincere, no one could justify their misdeeds.
Simply put, what they did was not unavoidable but rather a matter of creating more unjust victims.
In the end, the two were assigned to the 7th Legion.
Even so, luis and Pedro resented those who had thrown them into this demon realm.
Naturally, their habits hadn't changed.
This time, the object of their admiration was none other than Major Kelian.
—If I can impress him, maybe I can return.
—If I gain his deep trust, it might be possible.
Especially in the 7th Legion, there were plenty of scapegoats around to build that trust.
The boy standing before their eyes—Louis—was one of them.
Gaining favor with the officers here was extremely simple.
Just beat or torture the soldiers.
In their previous unit, such actions would have been a problem, but here, they could wield power freely.
Now that they'd been called into Kelian's office, Luis and Pedro saw a huge opportunity.
No matter what, they had to win the major's trust.
To achieve that, they would use this Louis as a scapegoat.
'I smuggled some supplies yesterday; this is perfect!'
'I just need to pin it on him!'
Among the pilfered goods, there were even some belonging to the major.
Imagine what would happen if they blamed it all on Louis.
Not only would their own crimes disappear, but Louis's reward could even be canceled.
'What did he just say? That not having a girlfriend isn't a crime, so I should live that way forever?'
Honestly, they wanted to chop off his head on the spot, but that wasn't possible in front of the major.
Instead, if they could use this situation well, they could crush the boy and win Kelian's trust at the same time.
"What are you doing! Aren't you going to greet the major?"
Pedro shouted as he smacked Louis on the head. Louis just stared vacantly at Kelian.
Then Louis spoke.
"Big Bro, are you the major?"
Huh? For a moment, luis and Pedro doubted their ears.
Had they misheard? As they blinked in confusion, a chilly tension filled the office.
This was the 7th Legion, where saying the wrong thing could land you in hell.
No matter how much of a heinous criminal a soldier might be, in front of an officer, they usually fell silent.
But what...? Big Bro? And to the far superior major, no less?
Luis and Pedro were so stunned they shook all over.
"What an amusing thing to say."
Amidst the cold mood, Kelian stood up and spoke.
Kelian slowly approached Louis, and the two began to sweat with anxiety.
Even though they themselves weren't in immediate danger, the tension was hair-raising.
They looked at Louis, the cause of this mess, and thought,
'You're dead now.'
Kelian lowered his head and placed his hand on Louis's shoulder.
"Say that again."
Was he giving him a chance to correct himself?
Then the right answer would be to change his words immediately.
Of course, even if he changed them, it probably wouldn't matter, but at the very least, if he wanted to survive...
"Kelian big bro~"
As Louis repeated it, luis and Pedro were completely petrified.
Kelian, meanwhile, wore a meaningful smile—a dangerous one that could go any direction.
He'd just lit the fuse on a bomb that shouldn't be touched.
Their hearts began to race as they watched the atmosphere escalate around Louis.
"I really like that!"
"...?"
"Calling me big bro means I look young, doesn't it? You're the first soldier to notice how I feel inside."
Kelian suddenly smiled at Louis as if flowers had bloomed, praising him.
"What are you waiting for? Come and take a seat."
The completely unexpected turn of events was beyond the comprehension of Luis and Pedro.
Of course, it was also a ridiculous situation for Louis.
****
'What is this?'
To secure some "sponsor", Louis had intentionally said something provocative.
Considering the major was a step above the other officers, he expected an even harsher form of torture to follow.
It would have been insufficient to use honorifics with other officers, yet he'd called the major big bro—and on their first meeting, no less?
There was nothing more disrespectful to an officer.
Louis had expected his spell to be triggered in the process, but instead, something absurd had happened.
"You called me big bro. I'm so grateful."
"Is it really something to be that thankful for?"
Did he really need to be so happy over the words of a soldier treated worse than an insect?
"Do you remember when I left the fortress last time to deliver the egg you brought from the expedition to the Magic Tower?"
Of course he remembered. Because Kelian had left the fortress, it was only now, a week later, that Louis could finally meet him.
"When I stopped by the imperial Magic Tower, I ran into some of my old friends. They'd also come to offer gifts to the Imperial Court by way of the Magic Tower."
The request to collect the egg hadn't just gone to the 7th Legion.
Representatives from various organizations had gathered, all bringing similar offerings.
"It was nice seeing them again, but... do you know what those jerks said to me?"
—We're still youthful, so why do you look so old?
—You've really aged since I saw you last.
—You practically look like you could be our uncle.
"Damn those guys! They're not even as skilled as I am...! What? Uncle!?"
Recalling it all, Kelian clenched his fists, his face flushing hot with outrage.
"The shocking thing is, those punks looked just the same as ten years ago! Their time stopped while mine kept ticking forward!"
As Kelian kept pouring out his frustration, Louis asked a question.
"Excuse me, major, how old are you?"
At a glance, he looked like a battle-hardened forty-something, weathered by time.
He had that 'ancient general' look you see in old dramas, but Kelian's answer was shocking.
"I'm 34 this year."
"...."
Hearing that, Louis furrowed his brow and cocked his head.
Thirty-four? Not quite in his twenties, but still fairly young.
It was far too early to be showing signs of aging, and yet Kelian looked like a man who might have a couple of kids at home.
Louis could understand why he was so worked up.
"The more I remember it, the angrier I get. That's why I used to torture young guys I met."
Apparently, he'd even invoked his spell on two soldiers he encountered as he returned to the fortress earlier.
Those guys were also in their thirties but looked younger than him—that was reason enough.
"These days, every time I see young faces, I get an inferiority complex. I was going to trigger the spell on you when you first entered as well. But...."
With a deeply moved expression, Kelian took Louis's hand.
"How could I torment someone who calls me big bro?"
"I see."
Louis shook his hand, letting out a sigh of frustration inside.
Had he known, he would have called him "dad" instead of "big bro".
Or maybe "grandpa" would've been wise, he thought.
'Should I start calling him something else right now?'
While Louis pondered this, Luis and Pedro, seated behind him, opened their mouths.
"By the way, major, we have something to ."
"What is it?"
"It seems someone smuggled out the potions originally meant for the officers."
Pedro explained that these included potions meant for the major himself.
Hearing this, Kelian wore a grave expression and asked,
"How was it lost?"
"We were in charge of transporting the supplies from outside last time. We checked all the numbers and put them in the underground warehouse."
"But the next day, one crate was missing!"
The supplied potion contained ingredients to restore a knight's stamina.
Only officers could use them.
For a soldier whose life depended on fierce battle, these would be highly desirable.
"The missing box had a dragon's face on it. That's the one containing the potions for you and the deputy-commander."
"Did you identify the culprit?"
Luis and Pedro glanced slyly at the boy sitting on the floor.
"This kid right here."
"The date the potion disappeared matches exactly with when the major left for the capital."
"It's highly likely he stole other potions too. Isn't it strange that he alone returned alive from the annihilated expedition?"
"I'm sure he has a secret method he's hiding. He won't easily confess if you ask him directly."
Hearing them both point at Louis, Kelian's expression turned gloomier.
He seemed close to sighing at the thought that the thief of his potions was right in front of him.
"When did you first realize this?"
"Yesterday evening. We were waiting for your return to this."
Of course, it was all a setup.
Luis and Pedro themselves were the real thieves, but in this place, soldiers had no voice.
No officer here would side with a soldier.
Here, things done by officers were regularly made out to be soldiers' crimes.
Moreover, since Kelian had been away from the fortress for a week, he didn't know the details.
Luis and Pedro planned to use that to bury their own crime.
After all, in this place, whatever an officer does inevitably becomes the soldier's fault.
"In that case, you two. Take off your gloves."
"Huh?"
At Kelian's sudden order, Luis and Pedro widened their eyes.
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden...?"
"I said, take them off."
"...."
Both paled at Kelian's suddenly intimidating tone.
"The potions I receive,"
Kelian said, "are highly concentrated, unlike ordinary ones. Any knight without proper training would burn their hands just touching them."
He then showed Louis's hand to the two.
"If this boy were the culprit, his hand wouldn't be this intact."
There were potions so potent that just touching the bottle could sear off your skin.
They were that effective, so only the highest-ranking knights could take them.
"By contrast...."
Sshhht!—
Suddenly, the sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and Luis's arm fell to the floor.
Bright red blood stained the floor of the office.
Even as Kelian drew his blade right before his eyes, Louis didn't so much as blink.
"Arghhh!!"
"Hiiik!"
Luis screamed while Pedro cowered in terror.
Kelian picked up the severed arm and removed the glove, ignoring both of them.
Inside, a hand wrapped in bandages, burned badly, appeared.
"That's why you couldn't take them off, right?"
"M... Major...! That's...."
Schwick!—
Kelian swung his sword again.
Luis never finished his excuse—his head rolled off.