Chapter 48: The Tragic Brother-in-Law

Kukutsu Iki.

Ayaka’s elder brother. He is also the adoptive brother of the protagonist, Tsukayaro Yakei.

Online, he is commonly referred to as the "Great Brother-in-Law." This nickname stems from the vast number of players who proudly proclaim, "Ayaka is my wife" and "The younger sister is the true heroine." Due to the sheer popularity of the wife faction, everyone simply got used to calling Iki the Great Brother-in-Law.

However, considering his life story, he is also an NPC frequently teased by the players of *Moonlit Dawn* as the "tragic brother-in-law."

On the other hand, he is a character who cannot join the player's faction in the game.

As for his character design, perfectly matching the players' descriptions, Iki can be summarized in a single phrase: a "tragic figure."

Iki was one of two surviving orphans from the Kukutsu clan, adopted by Tsukayaro Yakei's father as a foster son.

He displayed astonishing talent even in his early childhood, and as he grew older, his brilliance only intensified. He quickly rose to prominence, earning a place among the imperial court's "Twelve Holy Protectors" as the tenth seat.

Yet, Kukutsu Iki was believed to have coldly watched the destruction of the Tsukayaro clan's territory without offering active assistance.

The branch families and retainers branded him an "ungrateful wretch," a "wolf cub that could never be tamed," a "fool who clung to the nobility's branches and forgot his own roots," and an "idiot puffed up with pride after marrying the daughter of a grand capital aristocrat." In short, anyone aligned with the Tsukayaro faction utterly despised Kukutsu Iki.

Furthermore, in the early stages of the game, he appeared as a "pseudo-villain." Iki would hurl sarcasm at the protagonist while obstructing their actions, instantly establishing himself as a thoroughly unlikable character.

However, as the later storyline unfolded, players would discover the profound intentions behind this man's actions. Everything he did served a deep purpose; it stemmed neither from malice nor a foul mouth. He was simply forced to play such a role.

Yet, he refused to passively accept his fate, waging a secret rebellion all along. In other words, he was the archetype of a character burdened with heavy responsibilities and immense resolve.

Even so, Iki's ending in the game was never a good one. He only ever met with bad endings. For instance, he might sacrifice himself to take a bullet meant for the protagonist;

he would fight to the death alone, holding back a formidable Demon King-class enemy to save the protagonist's party;

or he might get caught up in imperial court conspiracies and die a wrongful death, or willingly die by the protagonist's blade to save them.

Worst of all, in several of these bad endings, he was fated to lose his wife and children, with his entire family meeting a gruesome end.

"A good man, but he gets no good reward..."

"The Great Brother-in-Law is truly a rare, decent human being in this trash-heap world crawling with scum, lunatics, yanderes, and landmines everywhere. What a shame that good men finish last."

"A great brother, a great colleague, a great husband, a great father, a great son... The Great Brother-in-Law is good at everything except being good to himself."

Within the game's narrative, the character of Kukutsu Iki was so exceptionally well-written that he consistently ranked among the most praised characters by the player base.

Swish!

A figure knelt before Kukutsu Iki's feet.

"My lord, the low-tier insect demons in the temple have been dealt with... Our men are tending to the wounded, and the situation within the temple has been stabilized."

"Good work... Return to your duties."

Iki flicked his sleeve, and the masked figure vanished eerie and silently, presumably having used an invisibility technique.

"Very well, now that outsiders are gone, we can discuss official matters—"

Kukutsu Iki must have cast a silencing barrier, sealing off the surrounding sounds, while fixing his gaze upon Yakei.

"Did you take the True World King and the Mizuha Sword?"

His eyes locked onto the young woman, and he extended a hand.

"Give the swords to me."

"T-This."

The young woman swallowed hard, lowering her gaze. In front of this elder brother, she shrank into herself like a small animal.

"N-No... These are my father's swords."

"Wrong. Those are the head of the family's swords."

Kukutsu Iki said coldly, "Only the successor to the head of the family is qualified to wield these two blades. Yakei, in my eyes, you are entirely unsuited to be the head of the Tsukayaro clan. Hand the swords over to me at once."

"But I am my father's son."

Yakei's voice was extremely faint.

Kukutsu Iki let out a cold snort. "I am also my father's son. The Tsukayaro clan deserves a head who is truly suited for the position."

His right hand made a grasping motion through the air, and before Tsukayaro Yakei could react, she felt a pulling force yank the treasured blade "True World King" right out of her grasp.

Swish!

A flash of air cut through the space, and the sword landed securely in Kukutsu Iki's hand.

"Master Iki!"

Matsudaira Inomaro roared loudly.

"What do you think you're doing? That is the clan head's sword! Are you attempting to seize it by force?!"

"I am also a successor to the clan head."

Iki said unhurriedly, "Matsudaira, surely you aren't getting senile in your old age? Why shouldn't I take the clan head's sword?"

"You?"

The elderly Matsudaira was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Perfect."

Iki swept his gaze over the assembled crowd.

"Since Lady Hannya, the 'acting clan head' of the Yanya family, is also here, let us follow clan tradition and let strength decide who claims the seat of the next family head... Yakei, if you can defeat me in combat, I will have no objection to you becoming the head."

"B-But... Brother..."

The young woman bit her lower lip.

Ever since she was a child, she had frequently sparred with Iki in swordsmanship, and she had never won a single time.

"I..."

"Hmph."

Sensing her hesitation, Iki's lips curved into a mocking sneer.

"Come to think of it, you've never won a single sword sparring match against me. I doubt you even have the courage to challenge me. Besides, with your current abilities, how could you possibly be my opponent?"

His attitude was arrogant and overbearing, causing even Hannya, the representative of the branch family, to angrily raise her eyebrows.

"Uu..."

Feeling the crushing pressure of his gaze, she couldn't help but step back about half a step.

"This attitude again?"

Iki furrowed his brows, his face showing extreme displeasure.

"I've despised your indecisiveness since the past. Are you truly the child of my foster father, Lord Washizu?"

Having been spoken to in such a manner, the young woman lowered her head, tightly gripping Hyakusuke's sleeve like a scolded puppy.

Iki cast a surprised glance at Hyakusuke.

At that moment, Hyakusuke could feel the other man's gaze carrying the unspoken question of "Who is this fellow?"

Suddenly, Hannya, the acting head of the Yanya family, could no longer hold her tongue.

"Iki, are you still as insufferably arrogant as ever?"

"Lady Hannya, you use too harsh a word."

Iki replied calmly, "This is not arrogance; it is merely consideration for the Tsukayaro clan. I received immense favor from my foster father, Lord Washizu, and this is how I repay it."

"When the Tsukayaro clan's territory was threatened by demons, we certainly didn't see you repaying anything."

"I judged that the situation at the time was beyond saving. To combat a Demon King-class supreme demon, it would require a coalition of at least 'Twelve Holy Protectors'-level experts—meaning no less than seven super-tier exorcists acting together—to even stand a chance of expelling them."

Iki sighed, "That would be equivalent to stripping away about half the combat force defending the capital. It was entirely unrealistic."

"So you just stood by and let them die."

Hannya sneered in retort.

"The imperial court promised that as long as I continued to serve as one of the Twelve Holy Protectors, the Tsukayaro clan's lineage would be officially recognized. Even if I had returned to the territory alone, it would have been nothing more than suicide."

Iki's voice was grim.

"Even if it meant abandoning Lord Washizu, I preserved the Tsukayaro clan. I do not believe my judgment was flawed in the slightest."

His reply was airtight, leaving even Hannya unable to find a single flaw.

The demons in this world were roughly categorized by strength into lesser demons, common demons, great demons, fierce demons, demon generals, and Demon Kings.

The most powerful among human exorcists were known as "super-tier." Kohagi and Katsura both belonged to this tier. Super-tier represented the absolute peak of human limits, corresponding to the demon general rank among monsters.

Furthermore, inherent biological differences meant that human super-tiers fell far short of upper-tier demon generals in total spiritual power.

Most human super-tiers were roughly equivalent to mid-tier demon generals. If a super-tier exorcist encountered an upper-tier demon general, they would be at a severe disadvantage.

Moreover, dealing with a Demon King required a minimum of seven super-tier exorcists just to "expel" them—and note, that was merely expelling a Demon King-class entity. If one wished to thoroughly slay or seal them, one would have to politely request the presence of the Sword Saint, the Bow Saint, the Spear Saint, and the Fist Saint instead.

On the other hand, the Twelve Holy Protectors were typically composed of super-tier exorcists. They were the most formidable military might openly displayed by the island nation's imperial court, functioning as the "iron wall" protecting the capital where the imperial family resided.

Thus, subduing that Demon King would have required pulling away more than half of the capital's defensive forces.

"Yakei, give me the clan head's sword."

Iki stated candidly, "You are unsuited to be the head. Let me do it. The revival of the Tsukayaro clan will also be carried out by me... Of course, I will merely act as provisional head. Once I retake our territory and rebuild our clan, I will return both the headship and the lands to your children. The Tsukayaro family name will not vanish, and I will find a way to negotiate and resolve the issues with the imperial court."

His tone was exceptionally sincere.

Yet, almost no one present believed him.

Because of Iki's usual demeanor, everyone viewed him as an ambitious schemer who was merely spinning empty, pretty words.

The sole exception was Hyakusuke. He knew that everything the Great Brother-in-Law said was true; he genuinely intended to revive the Tsukayaro clan.

As for his reluctance to let Yakei take the headship—partly, it was because immense complications were tied to the position, and partly, he feared the ambitions of the Kurohime Mountain clan would drag the Tsukayaro into an even greater storm.

Moreover, his "cold detachment and inaction" when the territory faced a threat never actually happened, because he had been severely wounded at the time and was utterly bedridden.

*'Still, having Tsukayaro Yakei relinquish the position of clan head might not necessarily be a bad thing. Becoming head exerts a certain influence on future developments, and from a certain perspective, giving it up actually benefits the protagonist... though it will trigger a few fewer events.'*

Hyakusuke pondered silently.

There were both pros and cons to this situation; everything depended on how it was handled. However...

His gaze shifted back to the young woman beside him.

She kept her head bowed, clutching the scabbard of the sword in her arms for dear life.

*'Sigh...'*

Hyakusuke sighed inwardly.

Never mind. The most crucial matter right now was to instill confidence in the protagonist, helping her cast off the "escapist," "war-weary," and "passive" attitude she harbored in the early stages of the story. She needed to pull herself together and forge a strong fighting spirit.

"Her father's mementos matter greatly to her. Besides, these two treasured blades cannot be handed over so easily..."

Having reached a decision, Hyakusuke gave a light cough and spoke directly to Yakei.

"Lord Yakei, this subordinate believes you should participate in this duel."

Without lowering his voice, he raised his volume and spoke boldly, "Win or lose! Matters should be decided in a fair and square manner. Rather than remaining indecisive, it is better to settle it now!"

Hyakusuke thought to himself that with his own manipulation, helping her secure this victory would not be difficult at all.