I Accidentally Saved The Male Lead’s Brother Chapter 159

Charlotte lacked talent in magic. However, over the past few months, she had learned how to manipulate mana from Ain while working on creating mana stones, so she could feel its energy.

The red streaks of light emanated an immense mana so vast it was beyond her ability to measure.

This oppressive energy was something she had experienced only once before.

‘The martial arts tournament…’

The fiery whirlwind that had raged in the tournament’s center—she had definitely felt this kind of overwhelming power then.

Charlotte instinctively realized: this was Lionel’s magic.

She closed her eyes and focused.

As she tried to trace where this mana began and ended, her eyes flew open in shock.

‘This can’t be.’

Lionel’s mana enveloped the entire Heinst estate.

While Charlotte was lost in thought, the red streaks of light spread further, and the tremors intensified.

‘I can’t stay here any longer.’

She trusted Ain, Morris, and Randru’s abilities.

However, their opponent was Lionel, a Rositto. Remembering how Ain had struggled to counter Lionel during the martial arts tournament, it was likely he would struggle again.

There was only one answer: as the Suitable One, she had to go and stop Lionel herself.

Carcel had told her to stay here until he came for her. But if she stayed, she felt certain everything would be lost.

Carcel, Theo, Emma, and Celine—perhaps even her two brothers, who might be waiting near the mansion—could all face disaster.

‘I have to go.’

Charlotte stood resolutely and handed Theo over to Emma.

Theo clung to her, refusing to let go, tears streaming down his face, but Charlotte turned her head away and detached him.

“Miss?”

Emma looked confused, while Celine grabbed Charlotte’s arm in alarm.

“Lady Charlotte, you mustn’t.”

Charlotte gently removed Celine’s hand. Perhaps because she couldn’t bring herself to hold on tightly, Celine’s grip slipped away easily.

“Sir Celine, it seems I must go and help.”

“But, Lady Charlotte, even if you go—”

“I can’t explain everything, but I have to go. If I don’t, all of us could be in danger.”

Afraid that Celine might try to stop her, Charlotte quickly added,
“Please take care of Emma and Theo.”

At that moment, Emma seemed to grasp the situation. She rose, holding Theo tightly.

“Miss, you can’t!”

Theo stretched his arms toward Charlotte and cried out,
“Sister, don’t go!”

Unable to meet Theo’s eyes, Charlotte hugged him one last time. She felt his tiny arms clutching her neck desperately.

Looking down at him with tearful eyes, Charlotte whispered,
“Theo, I’ll be back.”
“No!”
“I’ll bring big brother back with me.”

Once more, she forced herself to pry Theo off and handed him back to Emma before quickly pressing a button.

As the door opened, she slipped out.

Behind her, Theo and Emma called out desperately, but Charlotte clenched her teeth and ran to find Carcel.

****

Whenever Lionel moved his hand, crimson tendrils rose from the floor, wrapping around the knights’ ankles.

The knights tried to sever the tendrils with their swords, but their wrists were seized, making it nearly impossible to counter.

Carcel dodged the tendrils reaching for his legs and slashed through the ones ensnaring the knights.

When he cut the tendrils, a thick, crimson liquid dripped from the severed ends, as if he had cut through flesh.

“Ahhh!”

When the liquid touched the knights’ skin, it sizzled, burning their flesh.

Carcel, who had been swiftly cutting down the tendrils, stepped back to assess the situation.

Some knights writhed in agony as the tendrils strangled them, while others, freed from the tendrils, screamed from burns.

In this chaos, only Lionel stood calmly, smiling eerily.

Carcel wanted to rush at Lionel and cut him down immediately. But each time he showed any such intent, Lionel used the knights as a shield.

“Don’t mind me—attack him!”

Sir Anderson, who was tied up by tendrils and directly in front of Lionel, shouted.

However, Carcel hesitated. The moment he struck Lionel, Lionel might use Sir Anderson as a shield.

The thought of harming someone he cared about with his own hands was unbearable.

“Step back, Duke!”

At that moment, Ain’s voice called from behind. Carcel quickly dodged to the left.

A fireball shot past him, engulfing the tendrils binding the knights and burning them from their roots.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Carcel severed the remaining tendrils. The crimson liquid from the cuts was consumed by Ain’s azure flames.

As Carcel cut, Ain burned, and again, they worked in tandem, rapidly reducing the number of tendrils.

Even so, Carcel couldn’t lower his guard. Despite their advantage, Lionel’s expression remained disturbingly composed.

Lionel had no reinforcements and had invaded the estate alone, yet he acted as though he held a hidden trump card.

As the last of the tendrils burned away, freeing the knights, Carcel pushed through the smoke-filled corridor toward Lionel.

Lionel’s grinning face, his lips stretched in a grotesque smile, drew nearer.

Carcel swung his sword toward Lionel’s neck.

Clang!

Before the blade could reach, it was deflected by an invisible barrier, and Carcel quickly adjusted his stance. From beneath Lionel’s feet, a tendril shot toward Carcel’s throat.

Carcel cut through the tendril, twisting his body to avoid the splattering liquid. Not a single drop touched him as it splattered harmlessly to the ground.

Lionel snapped his fingers, as if anticipating this.

Crimson, spiked tendrils erupted from the ground all at once.

Ain and Morris quickly cast spells to burn the tendrils, but Lionel’s magic overwhelmed them.

“Ugh.”

Morris, clutching his abdomen, faltered, blood trickling from his tightly pressed lips.

With Morris weakened, the tendrils grew more aggressive. Meanwhile, the incorporeal assassins they had fought earlier reappeared, slashing at the knights.

Carcel targeted the assassins’ arms and legs, but Ain was too occupied with the tendrils to burn the black garments.

As the severed garments began to reform, flames suddenly erupted from the ground, consuming the black clothes all at once.

Carcel turned to see who had cast the magic.

Randru stood with a long staff, his sharp gaze fixed on Lionel despite his old age.

“What nerve for Petrian’s lackey to show his face here!”

With a thud of his staff against the floor, flames erupted again, targeting only the tendrils and sparing the knights.

Lionel repeatedly summoned tendrils and assassins, but Randru’s magic stopped them each time.

Grinding his teeth, Lionel hissed,

“Senile old fool.”

Randru scoffed.

“Even a decrepit old man has his uses, it seems.”

He then shouted to Carcel,
“Go!”

Carcel nodded and charged at Lionel again. This time, as his sword was deflected, he quickly swept Lionel’s legs out from under him.

“Ugh.”

Caught off guard, Lionel fell to his knees.

Carcel brought his blade to Lionel’s neck. Though tempted to strike, he refrained.

Killing Lionel out of vengeance would make him no different from Lionel, who had caused so much suffering to him, Theo, and Charlotte.

Lionel would face justice through proper means.

As Carcel’s knights approached to restrain Lionel, he lifted his head and laughed.

“Master!”

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps vanished.

Confused, Carcel turned around, his eyes widening at the sight.

The knights who had stood behind him moments ago were gone.

In the now silent corridor, only Carcel and Lionel remained.

“What did you do?”

Carcel ground out the question, and Lionel shrugged nonchalantly.
“Nothing much. Ever heard of space-separation magic?”

Though unfamiliar with the spell, Carcel inferred its purpose from the name.

“What happened to them?”

Lionel shrugged again as he stood.
“They’re probably looking for us right now.”
“Are they safe?”
“For now, yes.”

The phrase “for now” carried a chilling weight.

Before Carcel could question further, Lionel stepped back.

Beneath his feet, crimson light spread like cracks in the ground, causing the mansion to quake violently.

“What are you—!”

Carcel lunged at Lionel, aiming for his neck, but his sword was repelled once more by an invisible barrier, sending a painful shock through his hand.

“How does it feel,” Lionel sneered, baring his teeth in a vicious grin, “to survive while everyone you love dies?”

“Live in that hell yourself.”