How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love – Chapter 304

Author: Chewyy

“Kyle!”

Julius, who had displayed superhuman strength in an instant at his brother’s crisis, pushed away the large bird’s foot and ran towards Kairos.

Mariette quickly tore off Kairos’s clothes, which were already more than half burned. But the fire on Kairos’s body did not go out.

“Ugh…!”

Kairos barely held back the fire trying to consume him by invoking the power of his symbol, using his own flames to resist it.

However, the enemy’s fire is a karmic fire, born from burning one’s own life by pushing the symbol’s power beyond its limits. There is no way for ordinary symbol power to extinguish it.

“Get your hands off me.”

Kairos, sensing that, gasped and sharply struck Mariette’s hand away.

Her stinging hand throbbed, but Mariette couldn’t bring herself to complain.

“Y-you… Why did you shield me?”

“Don’t get me wrong… it wasn’t you.”

“Kyle, just wait a minute, let me try.”

Julius summoned his symbol’s power to try to stop the flames that were burning Kairos’ body.

But even if he had the power, Julius’s power could not extinguish Karl’s flame.

Karl’s flames spread in all directions as if mocking them, and the collapsed building and tile fragments swelled in size.

If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before the entire palace burned down.

Fortunately, the flames that rose up in an instant put some distance between them and the monster, but at some point, the three of them seemed to be trapped in the flames.

“At this rate, we’re all gonna die… See? Should’ve left earlier.”

“Oh, who is going to die?!”

“Yeah. You can’t die.”

Kairos gave a short laugh and then, with his eyes shining sharply, spoke to Mariette as if warning her.

“You must save my brother. If you have any conscience.”

“If you’re going to say something like that, you should live first. You absolutely cannot die, Kyle.”

Julius’s face, twisted as if about to cry, suddenly blurred—because the flames had latched onto his own body.

The pain of his skin burning was horrible—yet honestly, still bearable.

What Kairos couldn’t bear was—

“It is you, my brother, who must live.…”

His mind flashed back to last winter, when he’d taken an attack meant for Julius and turned to stone.

“You almost died! What were you thinking, jumping in front of me like that?!”

“I thought that no matter what happened, my mother would take care of it.”

“The Marquis of Calvin wasn’t there. If it weren’t for the Marquis, you might have really died.”

“Even so, I stepped in knowing that.”

“What?”

“I meant it. If the same thing happened again, I’d do it again. So please, be careful so nothing dangerous happens.”

He hadn’t planned to prove how sincere those words were back then.

‘If I die here….’

‘Who’s going to stop that ridiculously huge thing? That woman’s more likely to drag my brother down than help him.’

‘Please, anyone….’

Beyond the two shouting over him, he saw a long tail sweeping down toward their heads.

‘No!’

Kairos released the power that had been holding back the flames that were burning his body and created a wall of flame behind the two of them.

However, the wall of flames created in a short time was too weak to fully function as a defensive barrier.

The tail, swung with all its might, tore through the wall of flames like paper.

The two, realizing too late, turned around—only to see the tail already upon them.

—bang!

In addition to the force of the impact, it collided with an immense force and was flung back. It made a loud noise, like a rock launched from a catapult crashing into a castle wall.

– Kraaaaaak!

Letting out a roar unlike anything they had ever heard, the massive monster rampaged wildly.

Its enormous size meant that its frenzy shook everything behind it, like a prawn caught between fighting whales—but somehow, all three survived.

“Are you okay?”

It was thanks to Leonhard, who lightly held a huge two-handed sword in one hand and created a thick steel cage around it as if to trap a giant monster.

“Marquis Ajas…..”

A long breath escaped from Julius’ mouth, who had forgotten to breathe.

“Where have you been all this time!”

“Something happened. But I think it came at just the right time.…”

Leonhard, who was looking around to see if there was anyone else, turned his gaze to Kairos.

Kairos, who had fallen to the floor, was almost completely burned except for his face.

When Leonhardt’s face hardened at the sight of him, Julius asked in an anxious voice.

“Marquis, can you save Kyle? A potion, or a magic tool—anything!”

“Unless Duke Khalid were here, I doubt ordinary potions or magic tools would be of any use…”

At those words, Julius’s face turned pale, and Mariette bit her lip.

Kairos let out a short laugh, as if he hadn’t expected anything anyway.

He could still laugh because, despite the giant monster hurling itself around furiously, the iron cage didn’t budge.

‘If it’s the Marquis Ajas, he can take that thing down.’

As long as his brother was safe, that was enough.

That was when Kairos closed his eyes.

“A large strawberry cake.”

“What…?”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Your Highness. …A two-tier. No—three-tier.”

– Three-tier, deal!

Rake, who had been perched on Leonhard’s head, gripping his golden hair, suddenly sat up.

Rake flew up and landed on Kyle’s head, chirping loudly.

“Marquis….. If I’m not mistaken, I think that bird just spoke?”

“You must be mistaken. How can a bird speak?”

“I heard it too.”

“You’re imagining it.”

“I don’t think I—huh?”

Julius looked at Kairos with wide eyes in surprise.

The fire that should have continued burning him until his body was gone—had vanished without a trace.

Even the searing burns on his skin, visible beneath his torn and charred clothes, healed as if washed away.

– I can’t fix everything. There’ll still be some burns left.

“Rake.”

– Ah! You told me not to talk in front of others, right?

Even as she tried to cover her beak with her wings after saying everything she shouldn’t, she just looked adorable.

“Marquis, what on earth is that bird?”

Supporting Kairos, Julius looked up at Rake on Leonhard’s head with awe.

Not only did she put out a fire that couldn’t be put out by simply pouring water, but she also cured serious burns with just a few chirps.

“It’s something like the spirit of Rayenbert.”

“What?”

“That sword is Rayenbert?”

An heirloom passed down through generations in Ajas.

Rayenbert, a greatsword made from dragon teeth and capable of cutting dragon hide.

There are many rumours about it, but not many people in the capital have seen its terrifying power with their own eyes.

“They say it was given as a token when their ancestor formed a contract with a dragon long ago… It is indeed a sword worthy of being imbued with a spirit.”

– I’m not a spirit—!

The protest was blocked by Leonhard’s hand.

“Yes. It’s a spirit bound to Rayenbert. Thanks to it, I can use some of the dragon’s power.”

Rake, who was struggling in Leonhard’s hands, went still when the word “5” was whispered in her ear.

“But… huh?”

Julius, who had been about to ask something more, tilted his head back in surprise. A cold sensation had tapped against his forehead.

“Rain….”

The red clouds that covered the sky still remained in place.

But beyond that, as if dark clouds were gathering, raindrops filled with clear and refreshing energy continued to fall without stopping.

Raindrops fell even over the burn marks on Kairos’s abdomen.

He felt the lingering heat—which had remained even after healing—fade away.

“It’s Duke Khalid.”

“Duke Khalid? Is this rain coming down through Khalid’s power…?”

“Then it makes sense that the flames born from the symbol’s power would be extinguished.”

Leonhard clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched the flames that had filled the surrounding area disappear.

If Duke Khalid had brought rain a little earlier, Rake wouldn’t have had to come out.

‘Well, that’s okay.’

Since the excuse of being Rayenbert’s spirit seemed to have worked, there seemed to be no need to make any further excuses regarding Rake’s true identity.

Leonhardt looked at the monster inside the steel cage, which was shaking precariously as if it were about to break.

“I’ll take care of that one. You three, please step aside.”

“Are you okay alone?”

“I’m only alright when I’m alone. That’s how my power works.”

“My apologies, then.”

Instead of offering to help, Julius supported Kairos and Mariette.

“I can walk on my own, brother.”

“Me too. I can walk by myself.”

Kairos, having received healing magic, seemed to be in good condition—but Mariette, her eyes red and shoulders trembling intermittently, was clearly pushing herself.

So he picked her up.

“Brother!”

“If we stay too long, we will only get in the way of the Marquis of Ajas.”

At those words, Mariette tried to say something, but closed her mouth.

Silently, she wrapped her arms around Julius’s neck, and Julius readjusted her on his back before leaving with Kairos.

How far had they gone from the giant monster when—

“Brother, look at that….”

Julius turned around at Kairos’s muttering and opened his mouth without realizing it at the sight unfolding before his eyes.

After all the fires were extinguished, silvery flashes of light mingled with the rain that had subsided.

From above, as if piercing through the red clouds still swirling with ominous power, a downpour of iron spears rained mercilessly upon their foe.

And beneath that torrent of blades, pouring as fiercely as a midsummer storm—

The giant monster, which dared to be called a dragon, began its final struggle.