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Stop Calling Me "Mate"! I Only Defeated You Once, Not Married You! (Web Novel) - Volume 8, Chapter 69: Just Getting Started
Volume 8, Chapter 69: Just Getting Started
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
Wu rushed through the door, not bothering to change his clothes, and urgently shouted:“A-Yan! A-Yan!”
From inside, a voice responded—small Constantine’s voice:
“Brother...”
Wu quickly walked toward the inner room.
Constantine followed him inside.
He didn’t quite remember what happened that rainy night.
But he had the impression that it was rare for his elder brother Wu to be in such a hurry.
Arriving in the inner room, Constantine stood at the door, looking inside.
There, his younger self, from when he was a child, was sitting on the floor. His face was covered with bruises and cuts, and now, drenched by the rain, he looked like a small drowned rat—pitiful, helpless, and fragile.
Small Constantine’s face was also swollen and bruised, with a streak of blood at the corner of his mouth.
......
“Aurora, take a picture of me and Uncle A-Yan together. Make sure you get a clear shot of his face.”
In the real world, in the Silver Dragon courtyard, Leon floated in front of the memory projection, trying to take a photo with the beaten-up Constantine from the memory.
Naturally, from this close distance, Constantine had no choice but to helplessly raise his brow and laugh:
“Are you happy to see Constantine getting humiliated?”
“Of course I’m happy. If it weren’t for looking into the origin of the golden helmet, I never would’ve known this old guy got beaten up this badly.”
Click—click—
The camera flashed twice. Aurora opened the preview and nodded with satisfaction.
“All done, Dad. Nice and clear.”
“Okay, good girl. Told you I wouldn’t waste your time. There’s definitely fun to be had!”
Aurora grinned mischievously.
“Seems like everyone’s memories have some black history no one knows about—even Uncle Constantine’s.”
The Queen sighed quietly and then laughed, saying to Aurora:
“Your dad asked you to take the picture, and you really did.”
“Of course~ I’m Dad’s little sweetheart. I listen to everything he says~”
Aurora proudly played up her innocence.
The Queen rubbed her forehead helplessly:
“Then why don’t you listen when your dad tells you to practice magic?”
“...”
“Sorry, Mom, the wind was too loud. I didn’t hear what you said.”
“Sweetie, we’re less than five meters apart. Even if a tornado came through, you could still hear me.”
Aurora: Tom turns and laughs
......
In the memory world, Constantine stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe of the room, quietly watching the scene.
“The guy inside said your bones are good, so your fellow Dragon Clan classmates got into a fight. Let me take a look and see if you’ve injured yourself elsewhere.”
There were more than just Saint Heath Academy for dragon children.
Each clan had its own magic schools or preparatory classes, often taught by elder clan members.
Constantine’s family didn’t have much background or power, so he couldn’t attend Saint Heath Academy and instead studied at the Red Flame Dragon Clan’s own school.
Young Constantine shook his head.
“No other injuries.”
The boy’s voice was muffled, likely because his swollen mouth made it hard to speak clearly.
Wu furrowed his brows and took some cotton swabs and medicine, applying it gently to his brother’s wounds.
“Ah!! That hurts!!”
“Bear with it, A-Yan. It’ll be better once the medicine’s on.”
“Okay, Brother.”
As he continued applying the medicine, Wu asked:
“The priest didn’t explain to me properly. Why did you get into a fight?”
Small Constantine averted his gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke slowly:
“They killed two slimes a girl was raising and kept bullying her. I couldn’t stand it, so I went up to them and fought.”
Slimes were harmless beasts, kept as pets by many species, like humans keeping cats or dogs.
When Wu heard his brother was acting out of justice, his worry eased a little.
At least his brother wasn’t acting out of malice or trying to provoke someone.
“But the priest told me there were at least five or six of them. How did you dare fight them alone?” Wu asked.
At this, small Constantine stood up suddenly, ignoring the medicine, and spoke with righteous anger:
“So what if there were six of them! Why should they bully a girl? Doesn’t that disgrace the name of our Red Flame Dragon Clan?”
Wu paused for a moment at his brother’s words.
He had said there were six of them to remind his brother not to be reckless, that even for justice, he shouldn’t fight against overwhelming numbers.
But small Constantine’s explanation made him feel that the six had no right to bully the girl in the first place.
His brother hadn’t considered the difference in strength between them. He simply felt it was unjust, that it wasn’t in line with the Red Flame Dragon Clan’s pride, so he rushed in without a second thought.
Even though he was beaten to a pulp, he didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.
“You weren’t at school, and you didn’t see how they bullied that girl,” small Constantine said. “They killed the slimes she’d been raising for months right in front of her, then forced her to watch as they held her head and showed her the slimes’ bodies. That girl was crying but couldn’t even make a sound. They didn’t let her go. Luckily, I was buying a new wooden bucket after school, and I passed by and saw it. Otherwise, who knows how much worse they would have treated her.”
As he spoke, small Constantine lowered his head even further.
Wu looked at him. While he was proud his brother was so upright and courageous, the price he paid seemed too great.
Wu sighed, lowered his head, and asked softly:
“If you had to choose again, would you...”
“I’d still go up and beat them!” small Constantine said. “Even if they beat me up again, I’d still do it.”
With that, small Constantine sat back down, and Wu continued applying the medicine.
Though he didn’t say anything, Wu’s heart was filled with pride for his younger brother.
However...
“When my injuries heal, I’ll make them pay back for it,” small Constantine said with fierce determination. “I’ve thought it through. Since they killed the girl’s pets, I’ll break each of their necks and cut off their tails... then...”
“Eh, eh, what are you saying, A-Yan? You can’t have such extreme thoughts!”
Wu realized his brother might be going a little... too far in his sense of justice.
“But if we don’t teach them a lesson, they’ll keep bullying others.”
Small Constantine said, “Not everyone will listen to reason, brother.”
“You can’t respond with violence to violence. If you do, aren’t you just like them?” Wu patiently explained. “You have the courage to fight for what’s right, and I’m proud of you for that. But leave the rest to the clan priests and the adults. Extreme thoughts like yours are unacceptable.”
Small Constantine was confused, furrowing his brows:
“Why are you saying this, brother? If we’re dealing with people who are rotten to the core, we should use methods even more brutal than theirs to get back at them.”
Wu almost started to argue again, but stopped.
If they kept debating this, it would surely end with the two brothers at odds.
After a brief pause, Wu changed his approach.
“Let me ask you, A-Yan—do you think those people who bully others are strong or weak?”
“Of course they’re weak! They’re picking on someone weaker than them.”
“Then, following that logic—there’s a saying: ‘Strong people draw their blades against those stronger than themselves, while weak people point their blades at the weak,’” Wu said.
“I’m worried that you, A-Yan, won’t fear getting hurt. And if you see such injustice again, you’ll rush in without thinking. And then, even if you teach these weaklings a lesson, what if they don’t give up? Do you think they’ll change? They’ll probably just come after you again. As for the others? Without your courage and determination, they’ll still be their next target.”
Small Constantine froze, unsure of how to respond.
“This...” he muttered.
“A-Yan, I’m not saying you shouldn’t act on justice. I admire that about you.”
Wu put down the cotton swabs and towel, squatted down, and placed his hands on his brother’s shoulders, looking him in the eye.
“I don’t want you to go down a wrong path. The kindness and love you show—that’s rare. I don’t want it to be drowned by all the bitterness of the world. Don’t blame me for nagging, A-Yan. Promise me, no matter what happens, always remember what I’ve said. Okay?”
Though young, small Constantine didn’t understand fully what kindness and love meant.
But he was willing to listen to his brother.
So he nodded firmly.
“I understand, brother.”
Wu smiled and rubbed his younger brother’s head.
“Alright, the medicine’s done. You’ll feel better tomorrow. It’s getting late—go to bed.”
“Yes, brother.”
Small Constantine turned and dove into bed.
Wu packed up the medicine box and headed for the door.
“Where are you going, brother?”
Wu paused at the door, turning halfway around.
“Oh, I’m going on patrol tonight. You go ahead and sleep.”
“Oh... okay.”
“Mm. Good night.”
Wu waved his hand and casually turned off the room’s light.
Outside, Constantine watched the back of his younger self as he stood at the doorway, and his eyes softened.
These were the memories he had once treasured so deeply.
But over time, they were buried by the passing years, by his longing for his elder brother.
Yet even after all these years, when Constantine shouldered his own memories, he still couldn’t understand why his elder brother had said he saw “kindness” and “love” in him.
Hadn’t he been anything but?
Just as Constantine was lost in thought, he saw small Constantine suddenly sit up in bed.
“Wait, brother didn’t have a shift today. Why did he lie about going on patrol?”
After hesitating, small Constantine tossed aside his blanket, put on a raincoat, and hurried out the door.
Constantine followed quietly, watching the back of the boy as he ran.
It was during this rainy night, all those years ago, that he first heard the surname “Pyx.”
