Darwin stood atop the guild table, hands on his hips, wearing an overcoat borrowed from Yuri draped over his back and a bucket of unknown origin perched on his head.
His face was brimming with confidence and high spirits.
He was determined to wash away, in one fell swoop, the "humiliation" he had suffered at the hands of his "evil little sister" in days past!
"Oh, my foolish little sister..."
"From this day forth, remember once again the terror of being dominated by your brother!!"
After releasing his grand declaration, he looked down at his "lifelong enemy"—Chris.
He wanted to see expressions like "regret," "despair," or "collapse" on her face.
But the result disappointed him.
Chris stood on the ground, her posture ramrod straight. Instead of showing the slightest hint of fear, her face was filled with disdain.
"Stop getting carried away, Darwin you idiot!"
"It's just awakening magic one step ahead of me; what's there to show off?"
Whoosh—
She suddenly pointed a finger at Darwin.
That serious demeanor made her look like a hero from a "Brave's Tale," standing alone against a wicked dragon to save the common folk from fire and water!
"Magic and all that..."
"As long as I'm willing, I can awaken it for you in a matter of minutes!!"
Watching this pair of "chuunibyo" siblings, the guild members found it both hilarious and entertaining.
Consequently, no one stepped in to mediate. They simply sat aside with smiles, watching the grand drama unfold with great interest.
Darwin was startled by Chris's boast.
What?!
Could this girl be telling the truth? Can she really awaken magic in minutes?
If that were really the case, wouldn't he be living under her shadow once again?
Two drops of sweat appeared on Darwin's forehead.
But soon, he noticed the slight twitch in the corner of Chris's eyes.
Heh!
So this girl is just putting on a brave face!
Even though she acts disdainful on the surface, she must be quite bothered deep down!
Darwin instantly breathed a sigh of relief, his mouth twisting into the smirk of a "Dragon King."
"Hmph... Naive!"
"Do you think awakening magic is such a simple matter?"
"Papa said that awakening magic requires intense emotional fluctuations!"
"I endured countless humiliations from childhood to now before finally accumulating enough energy at that moment to erupt and awaken my magic!"
"You've probably never experienced such intense emotions, have you?"
After Darwin finished speaking, the air in the guild became deathly quiet.
Chris: "...??"
"You're right, I've never experienced those emotions at all!"
"Because you've always lost to me!"
"So, you awakened your magic because you felt defeated after losing too many times?"
"What exactly is there to be proud of in awakening magic that way?"
Darwin: "!!"
Oh, right!
What exactly is there to be proud of in that?
Darwin was instantly speechless. His mouth full of "mighty words" was stuck in his throat; he couldn't spit out a single syllable, and his face turned beet red from the strain.
Seeing this, the surrounding crowd erupted into loud laughter once again.
"Pfft-hahaha..."
"Well said, Chris!!"
"Even after awakening magic, you still can't win an argument against your little sister?"
"I'm starting to feel that Darwin is quite pitiful..."
"Hahaha... you guys, stop laughing already! Darwin looks like he's about to cry!"
For a moment, the guild was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
"Stop looking down on people! I'm not going to cry!!"
Darwin shouted at the uncles who were jeering nearby, then yanked the bucket off his head, tossed away the overcoat, and jumped down from the table after composing himself.
Upon landing, he walked toward Chris while cracking his knuckles in front of him, making "pop-pop" sounds.
"Never mind how my magic was awakened; the current situation is that I have awakened it, and you haven't!"
"Kekeke..."
"I'm going to take back every bit of bullying you've inflicted on me over these years!"
This "evil" appearance made him look exactly like a major villain from a story.
Seeing this, Chris wasn't flustered at all. Instead, she showed an eager expression, raising her two chubby fists and taking a combat-ready stance.
"Bring it on!"
"Even without magic, I won't lose to you!"
In the corner.
Precht glanced at Weston beside him, noting that he remained indifferent, completely ignoring the children's scuffle. He couldn't help but speak up: "Hey, hey... the two kids are about to fight, yet the father sits here leisurely drinking coffee. Is this really okay?"
Weston took a sip of his coffee and savored it for a long time before replying: "Leave them be. You know that fighting in the guild helps improve relationships and strength!"
This...
It seemed to be true, but something felt strange...
Precht turned to Mavis: "Are you just letting them be too? Now that Darwin has awakened magic, he might not know his own strength when he hits."
Mavis smiled faintly and pointed her finger not far away.
Precht followed the direction of her finger and saw Zera, whose face was full of excitement.
"Don't lose to your brother, Chris!!"
"Use your fists to tell him that we can still win even without magic!!"
Precht: "..."
Mavis laughed: "See, even Zera, the mother, isn't worried. Why should I be tense?"
Is this whole family just this big-hearted...
"Fine, if you parents don't care, I won't bother with it either."
In the center of the guild hall.
To let the siblings have a proper fight to determine a winner, the crowd cleared a large space as quickly as possible. Then, they grabbed fruits and drinks and sat nearby like they were watching a movie.
"In the end, it still comes down to a fight to settle it!"
"They didn't get to start earlier, so this is a good makeup match..."
"Hey, are we opening bets again this time?"
"Of course! This time I'm betting on Darwin to win! He's already awakened magic; if he loses to Chris again, it would be a bit unreasonable, right?"
"Hahaha... then I'm still betting on Chris!"
"Eh?? Are you sure? Her winning chances aren't high right now!"
"I believe Chris-chan won't let us down!"
"Then... if I win, let's forget about the drinks and roast chicken I just lost!"
"If I win, the stakes are doubled!!"
"No problem, it's a deal!"
"By the way, is it okay to let them settle it here? What if they break the tables?"
"It's the Guild Master's two kids fighting anyway. If they break things, their family pays for it. Why are you worried?"
"Besides, with Darwin's current strength, the winner might be decided in one move."
"Hiss... that makes sense!!"
Under the gaze of everyone, the two siblings began their battle, just like any other day.