Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: I Don't Need It Either
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“After checking the Traits, I thought things had quieted down for a few days, but it seems they've gotten worse. It would have been better if he'd just trashed the room...”
“He's always hit people or insulted them, but he's never killed anyone before... this time, though...”
The young voice trembled slightly with fear.
Even if no one's around to hear, people casually bandy about the emperor's name in private—but this is still the Kruger estate.
Alkaido cleared his throat lowly and turned the corner of the corridor, walking toward the maids wiping the floor.
“Ah! Steward Alkaido...”
“Um, that is...”
The maids turned at the sound of footsteps, their faces flushing red.
“I'll let Head Maid Ellis know, so reflect on your actions.”
“Please forgive us, Sir Alkaido!”
“We're sorry, we did wrong.”
As he mentioned the head maid called Drake, the maids' faces turned pale, and they followed him, pleading. Alkaido slightly furrowed his brow.
‘The shame of the Kruger family.’
The wastrel of the Kruger family, who knew nothing but extravagance and tantrums.
He'd been that way since childhood. Spoiled by his father's hollow affection, arrogant and untalented in everything.
Adelrian himself had even tried to make an effort at one point. They brought in famous knights, wizards—even shamans from the jungles to teach him—but he was hopelessly inept, lagging far behind Jenna.
A person's core values, temperament. What special talent they have, what forms the foundation of who they are.
It was God's mercy, revealed for all to see.
After the coming-of-age ceremony—a ritual nobles and commoners alike undergo equally—the Traits confirmed were, as everyone expected, ones that wouldn't exist if not for the Kruger bloodline, if he weren't born a noble.
In the end, it was confirmed by God Himself.
That he had no outstanding talent in anything, no innate destiny or temperament.
‘Even if the family head decided it...’
After the ceremony, he'd been so shocked he seemed to regain his senses, staying quiet for a while. But now, not content with drinking and beating the servants, he'd bought a slave to torment. Did such a broken man qualify to lead the continent's wealthiest family?
So Alkaido pinned his hopes on the message that had just arrived via communication orb.
‘Miss Gadia is returning.’
Even a secret succession couldn't be hidden from everyone.
Gadia had her weaknesses for leading the vast Kruger family, too.
‘But those can be compensated for easily enough.’
To relay the messages that had flown in via communication orb to Adelrian, Alkaido headed toward the underground dungeon.
* * *
“Nice. This is good.”
Since falling into this place, the best things were, first, the bed, and second, the food.
The bed was so soft it felt like sinking endlessly, yet it supported the body without hurting the back—probably enchanted with magic.
And this bread.
The glossy brown crust wasn't too thick; it crumbled crisply in the mouth, and the white inside tore along the grain, soft and tender.
Maybe because the Kruger family had overflowing money, the veal steak was baked with just the right spices, melting delicately on the tongue.
Strangely, I felt the old me from my Kang Suho days fading bit by bit. That's why this world's food tasted better than modern spicy stuff like kimchi or ramen.
[Adelrian Suho Kruger—Possessor of Endless Gold]
Main Traits: [Gold Power (SS)] [Arrogance (S)]
Hidden Traits: [Sense of Wealth (S-)] [User's Eye (SSS)]
I swallowed a bite of veal steak while checking my Traits, changed since the succession.
Not just my imagination. The Sense of Wealth Trait had a '-' attached.
That Trait made me feel out of place in this world, preventing full immersion. What happens if it vanishes completely?
Plus, Gold Power had risen. It's SS, not SSS, probably because former head Kaiman holds separate assets...
Unlike his title 'Harmonizer of Endless Gold,' I'm 'Possessor' because I don't meddle deeply in family affairs.
How would I know how the continent's economy turns?
Still, sharing only good food with Luna and me pricks at my conscience a bit.
I turned to Luna, who was flapping her white ears while swallowing something.
“What day is it today?”
Luna, who was more like a pet bunny rabbit I fed and carried around than my maid, stuffed her mouth full of bread and startled, flapping her white ears as she looked at me.
“Mmph... Mmphg?”
“Chew and swallow first. What day—how many days since just water?”
She'd started eating my food along with hers, this glutton bunny. I smiled and spoke, and Luna choked for a moment, thumping her chest before opening her mouth.
“Um, day five... But young master. Can a person survive five days without eating anything? Maybe he's already...”
“Not young master anymore. Anyway, day five... Shall we check on him?”
“Ah, right. Family head... huh?”
I wiped my mouth roughly with a napkin and picked up a plate of still-steaming soup, handing it to Luna.
“Hold that and follow.”
Not sure what she misunderstood, she alternated glances between me and the soup, then followed with a touched expression.
‘Well, it's probably not what you're thinking.’
Already attached to her future husband? Her face blooming like that.
She knew the route so well we didn't run into any servants on the way to the dungeon, arriving quite early.
Formally, to the guard at the dungeon: I wasn't a good guy, so I shot him a fierce glare meaning 'get lost quick,' then opened the dungeon door.
What I saw was a motionless figure on the floor, like a corpse.
“Eek! Young master...”
...He's not dead, is he?
“Haa... You... you...!”
His gaunt lips were crusted with scabs. One bloodshot eye from lack of sleep had burst vessels, fully red, his golden pupil gleaming.
Anyone would think a demon crawled out of hell. Startling...
I forced a nonchalant expression, dragged a chair over with my foot, and sat in front of Kain.
“I told you. You're full of pointless stubbornness and pigheadedness.”
I exaggerated a sigh, shaking my head.
“I really want to invest in you and profit. I truly think you'll become the strongest on the continent.”
As he glared, his strength failed, head drooping. I looked at his back pitifully, then flipped my gaze when his head lifted again.
Hey, protagonist... sorry. It's all for you, for real.
“Admit it, honestly? You're so stubborn, denying facts you don't like, with nothing but sky-high pride, screwing yourself over with that alone.”
I grinned as I said it, and his eyes shook like he'd been punched in the solar plexus.
Yeah, how could you not know?
Whether original novel or game, you distrust humans, cling to pride, and suffer losses. You know that, right? You're not lacking anywhere to act like that. Right?
“Does pride feed you? Boost your mana? Get you potions? You, with that worthless pride and idiotic refusal to change your mind—you're the type to ruin your life over it. Got it?”
I'm the guy who argued clean without swearing, scared of settlements. Even reading the original, I wanted to say this to your face—dream come true.
“What's the problem? You know it too. Whatever my true intent, whatever my goal, one divine contract means no one can betray.”
Just sign that, and you get strong. With the chance right there, not grabbing it is stubbornness.
Unyielding.
That's the issue. Wanting revenge with your own pure power—that mindset, I might understand better than you, who's maybe on life one, after rereading and replaying from start so many times.
“Hungry? Want me to feed you?”
Not demanding open loyalty oaths—just call my name once, accept my kindness.
What's so hard?
I snatched the soup from Luna—even cooled, it smelled appetizing—and dangled it, sloshing, before Kain's eyes.
“...Get lost.”
This stubbornly disobedient mutt. If I really meant to break you, I'd have used painless drugs. Know that?
Hey? Raising you nicely? To marry you off? You punk.
I lifted my trembling lips back into a smile, downed the soup in one go, and tossed the bowl aside.
“Yeah, it was too mild. Right? You'd need a month of starvation to agonize... you'd hold out, yeah?”
If you're alive, mutt.
Smiling, I fiddled with the Kruger ring on my ring finger using my thumb.
The faintly embossed pattern—at its end, I pressed hard and slid sideways. The center of the engraved ring rotated with a small click.
As befitting a bloodline artifact, each pattern brought a subspace's items to mind.
I opened the one assigned only to magic reagents and mana stones, shoving my ringed hand into empty air, pulling out a fist-sized mana stone.
The soft glow from the mana stone whitened the shocked Kain's face.
“That...”
“Gotta be this much to make your mouth water?”
I tossed and caught the apple-sized thing worth a small castle, shaking it.
“Insane sale. Say the word, it's yours. Eat up, absorb, gain strength. Tomorrow you might wield a mana sword. How's that?”
His pupils followed my shaking hand.
After long tracking my hand—pausing behind me—he squeezed his eyes shut. As my temper flared to snap, the dungeon door opened.
“Master Adelrian. A message via communication stone.”
Felt like I was just tipping over, and you ruin it? Driving me mad.
Unthinkingly, I whipped my head around, glaring at Alkaido.
“I specifically said no one enters the dungeon, Alkaido.”
“Miss Gadia is returning.”
Hearing Gadia's name, my rising heat cooled, throat chilling. I cleared it gruffly, frowning as I stood.
“Sis coming back is info so valuable you couldn't wait, had to barge in here?”
“I think so.”
Alkaido, hand on chest, bowed slightly, polite on the surface—then met my eyes.
“She'll arrive in a few hours.”
“...”
A few hours... a few hours?
I turned involuntarily, looking at Kain.
Gadia surely hates men: father favoring the son for being male, the rampaging little brother backed by that favoritism, people harassing her for her beauty...
Except one.
Kain fell for her at first sight. First man to look at her indifferently, she said.
Key point: Gadia fell for Kain at first sight too, went berserk in first love, sacrificed family and all.
By cutting off brother Adelrian's head.
“Got it. Finishing up, so close the door and leave.”
I waved Alkaido off casually, then spun the mana stone I'd gripped like a top before Kain's eyes.
“Interrupted, huh? Think I'm tormenting you, Kain?”
Ah, sure, water-only and no sleep is torment.
But it's all to make you succeed, man.
“If I wanted to force words from you, drugs, hallucinogens—plenty of good stuff, right?”
Of course, if you allow...
His fierce glare at my trailing words said no.
“Am I asking for too much? You're the only one who values your pride over endless gold, Kain. You want revenge? But stain only your hands with blood, stay pristine elsewhere, live nobly alone?”
You're such a selfish kid?
Water just enough not to die, sleep denied to the limit—Kain's eyes shook.
“So you don't need this?”
I flicked the spinning mana stone to stop it, then rose from the chair.
“I... I...”
Kain's haggard face. Looking down, I raised my foot and stomped the mana stone hard.
Crack!
“Y-Young master! Nooo! The mana stone!”
Who knew a stone this size breaks so easily.
It shattered, light dying, flickering before shadows draped everywhere.
Ignoring Luna jumping mad with regret, I smiled at Kain—face deadlier black now the stone's light was gone.
“I don't need it either, Kain.”