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Full-Blown Family Feud – Part 06

“Huh?!”

Samal stopped the shoulder tackle with just his left arm.

“…Edward.”

Using his left hand, Samal crushed the left shoulder of the man.

“Ah, agh!”

Without sparing a glance at the floundering man, Samal pressed onward. “In times like this, the head of the family should lead and crush the opponent!”

“You bastard… Keep going at him! He’s their boss!”

“Nothing but trash.”

Edward, guarded by his followers, could only watch nervously as his subordinates fell in just a few hits.

“Come out… Come out here, Edward! I’m right here! If you’re really the head of the family, then get out here!” Samal shouted furiously.

He raised his blood-stained fist, and Edward’s henchmen yelped.

“H-H-He’s a monster!”

“He’s too much for us!”

Edward’s men fled.

“Hey, you idiots!”

“I’ve told you countless times: choose your companions carefully.”

The sun cast Samal in an imposing silhouette. The distance between him and Edward was mere steps.

“Leading the family means bearing the lives of many people. If you carry lives, you have to stand at the forefront of the battle. But you…”

“Shut up…”

“I can’t leave things to you anymore. Pond—”

“I told you to shut up, you fucking moron!”

Edward produced a short branch with a deep purple jewel from his pocket and aimed it at Samal.

“What?!”

A magic item—a single-use object that could release whatever magic spell was stored inside it. No sooner did the jewel flash than a massive fireball appeared.

The fireball exploded, engulfing Samal. A fierce gust whipped around, buffeting Edward, sending him tumbling. The deafening blast and searing wind stirred up dust, temporarily obscuring visibility. Even the brawlers froze in shock.

“Haha… Eat that, you asshole. I did it!” Edward, disheveled and dirty, staggered to his feet. “I landed a direct hit on Samal! Hahahahaha!”

Then, his laughter abruptly ceased.

“…”

The sand settled, revealing Samal on one knee, his arms forming a protective X in front of his body.

His clothes were mostly burnt, his exposed skin bearing scars, and his hair singed. Despite all that, the flames of Samal’s fighting spirit still burned brightly.

“My foolish brother.”

“Eek!”

Despite taking a direct hit, Samal rose. Was he truly human? Questions swirled, and fear crept into Edward’s heart.

“I just warned you never to cross the line!”

Samal hadn’t said that. As he lumbered forward, fear overwhelmed Edward, and his legs gave out.

Edward shrieked, retreating on his backside. Samal quickly closed the distance. He grabbed Edward’s collar and effortlessly lifted him.

“Since you tried to kill someone—to kill me—you must be ready to die yourself, right?!”

“Ugh.”

“You don’t think I’ll let this slide just because you’re my brother, do you?”

With his throat constricted, Edward couldn’t make a sound. His feeble attempts to kick Samal produced no reaction.

Samal’s companions sensed the impending danger. His eyes were clouded with anger. He could end a person’s life if he didn’t hold back.

Before the companions could intervene, a new figure emerged.

“Lower your hand.”

Thin, wrinkled fingers rested on Samal’s wrist.

“Agh!”

“I told you to lower your hand.”

“Guh!”

A punch landed in Samal’s abdomen, and he doubled over, releasing Edward from his grip. Onlookers were dumbfounded.

Samal, powerful enough to catch a large man’s tackle, was thrown off balance by a single punch. And the one who punched him was a scraggy old man.

“How long will you two idiots keep this embarrassing act?! Who did you even take after?!”

Doma Ballast swung his arm.

Just moments before the brothers clashed, Hikaru, having listened to Freya’s account, hastily brought Paula to the dilapidated house where Doma resided. Doma appeared surprised at Hikaru’s return, but his expression shifted slightly to displeasure upon seeing Paula, clad in a habit.

“If you’re here to heal me, spare the effort. My lung disease is quite advanced. A young girl like you can’t cure it.”

“Your son, Samal, has returned with some men.”

Doma’s eyes widened at the revelation. “I see. Samal is back.”

He straightened up, as if his bedridden state until now had never been.

Hikaru was taken aback. He had assumed Paula had secretly used healing magic, but she vigorously shook her head.

Hikaru’s Life Detection, allocated only one point, confirmed that Doma’s life force remained weak. It seemed it could vanish with just one more breath.

“Show me the way, Hikaru.”

But Doma’s unwavering willpower, devoid of any signs of weakness, transcended his physical decline. This manifested as charisma, drawing people toward him.

“Pops?!”

“What?!”

Doma’s arrival startled the Ballast brothers, freezing them momentarily. However, the chaos persisted.

“It’s too late for the previous head to butt in!”

“Stay out of this, you old bag!”

“Boss Samal is taking charge of Pond!”

“What? We’ve still got you outnumbered, city dogs!”

Voices erupted, and the brawl resumed. In the center, Doma, Samal, and Edward stood at an equal distance from each other, forming a triangle.

“Your arrival won’t change a thing, pops,” Samal said.

“R-Right. This is my problem now,” Edward added.

Doma, with hands on his hips, heaved a deep sigh. “Insufferable fools. Come at me at once. I’ll show you that no child can defeat his father.”

“Quit the bullshit!” Edward snapped. “I know you’re sick!”

“Enough talking. Come at me. Or is the current head of the Ballast Trading Company going to retreat from a sick old man?”

“Screw you!”

While Edward had hesitated with Samal, he couldn’t back down against Doma. He lunged forward, throwing a right straight—only to have it caught in Doma’s palm.

“What the—”

“You’ve always been awful at fighting, Edward!”

After catching the fist, Doma smoothly slipped into Edward’s guard and hurled him with a shoulder throw.

“Next.” Doma turned to face Samal.

Though covered in blood, Samal’s eyes, filled with sorrow rather than fury, were fixed on Doma.

“You’ve gotten smaller, pops.” He could see that Doma had already one foot in the grave. “Don’t be rash. I’m sorry for leaving Edward alone until now. Just leave the rest to me and get some rest.”

Clearing his throat, Doma spat out phlegm and dug his pinky into his ear. “Your brain’s smaller than earwax, yet you dare lecture me with that know-it-all attitude? You wet your bed past the age of ten.”

“I’m just worried about—”

“Then surpass me. Come at me quickly. Are you stalling because your body hurts from that magic spell?”

“No hard feelings, then!”

His charge was powerful, different from Edward’s. The twist in his body and the right straight that followed were clear signs of tremendous strength.

“You’ve still got a long way to go.”

Doma took the charge straight on with a fist, producing a burst of sound. Both fists recoiled simultaneously, leaving witnesses perplexed as the punch from the big man and the punch from the emaciated old man seemed to cancel each other out.

“Wh-What?”

The one most surprised was none other than Samal.

“You’ve always been terrible at using your brain, Samal.”

Closing the distance switfly, Doma delivered a left punch to the same spot he’d hit earlier.

“Gah?!”

Samal’s massive frame sunk, and he dropped to his knees.

“Couldn’t you two have just complemented each other instead of resorting to this?” Doma muttered. “You must’ve inherited my idiocy.”

Doma looked at his sons with a smile of both exasperation and affection.

Unbeknownst to them, a shadow approached from behind. It was one of Samal’s subordinates, a Dwarf. Knife in hand, he rushed in like the wind, aiming to stab Doma.

Samal, lying on the ground, remained unaware. Doma, watching his sons, also failed to notice.

Only Edward, eyes wide open, saw the impending danger.

“P-Pops—”

But his voice didn’t make it out in time. The Dwarf was only one step away from the old man.

His father’s physical prowess was indeed remarkable, but even a stab from a knife could prove fatal. Edward, who lived in the same town, occasionally sent people to check on his father’s health, so he understood his father’s condition best.

“Pops!”

Edward’s scream failed to warn him.

“Butting in at this point is a bit improper, don’t you think?”

But someone had already made a move.

Hikaru deactivated Stealth and delivered a kick from the side. The Dwarf, caught off guard, rolled amusingly.

Hikaru hadn’t anticipated this scenario. He had been watching silently, thinking that if something happened to Doma, he would immediately take him away and have Paula use her healing magic. Things turned out fine in the end.

Good thing I kept an eye on the situation.

“That’s enough!”

The Adventurers Guild’s master Unken and a group of adventurers arrived.

“Cease all resistance. We will not harm you.”

“Wh-Why are adventurers here?!”

“Shut up.”

Unken swiftly silenced Edward’s henchman with a fist. In response, fully armed adventurers attacked and began arresting the thugs.

Paula, blending in with the crowd, raised her thumb at Hikaru.

Glad we made it in time.

Quelling incidents of violence was traditionally the responsibility of the city guards, but with the ongoing chaos in the Ponsonia Kingdom, a considerable portion of the military forces had been mobilized to the capital. Consequently, security in Pond became weaker. Entities like the Ballast Trading Company typically stepped in to address such situations, but if the company itself initiated a conflict, there was no one capable of reining it in.

And so Hikaru turned to the Adventurers Guild. Adventurers acted voluntarily only when there was a crisis in town, or if there was a commission.

Hikaru had given Paula a considerable amount of money and had her submit a commission to the guild. Unken, who had been watching the situation unfold, immediately acted upon discerning Paula and Hikaru’s intentions.

“Not bad, Hikaru.” Doma also realized that Hikaru had pulled some strings. “Sorry for causing you…”

“Old man Doma!”

Doma wobbled and collapsed onto the ground. He wasn’t stabbed; his body had almost no life force left.