Chapter 35
Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Outing (2)
Kairen, who had been pushed over by the countess's lady, was rubbing his knee with a tearful expression for a moment.
"Hey, kid. You okay?"
"...Ouchie."
"Kairen, are you hurt anywhere?"
Seeing Astridje and Lilien rushing over to him anxiously and bowing their heads, he opened his mouth with a bright expression.
"Hehe, nope."
"......"
"Except for my knee getting a little scraped..."
However, Kairen's knee, with its skin scraped and blood flowing, looked far more painful than his words suggested.
"Ha."
"Over the line."
Astridje and Lilien, who had been watching the scene in a daze, soon rose to their feet, glaring at the countess's lady before them with colder expressions than ever.
"......"
And at that moment, the atmosphere around them began to shift dramatically.
The vegetable vendor nearby, the customers in the tavern who had been sneaking glances at the situation, and even the passersby walking by with blank expressions—all stopped in their tracks at once and stared fixedly at the scene.
"...W-What's going on?"
As the people filling the street suddenly began glaring at her, the countess's lady broke into a cold sweat from an inexplicable sense of dread and started backing away.
But the moment she stepped back, the crowd filling the street slowly advanced, closing the distance.
"Th-This is nothing."
"......"
"J-Just blow on it a few times, and it'll be fine."
Meanwhile, Kairen, watching this, staggered to his feet with a flustered expression and began waving his hands dismissively.
But his words merely echoed emptily in the street, which had already turned into a court of judgment.
"W-What's this? Everyone, stay where you are!"
"......"
"B-Before I tell my father...!"
Thus, despite the panicked countess's lady's words, the encirclement continued to tighten until it was just about to engulf her.
"Everyone, stop."
Suddenly, a single chilling word descended upon the street, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
The disguised Belverk retainers, naturally assuming it was a command from their matriarch Astridje, tried to halt their steps but soon doubted their own eyes upon realizing something.
"Stay where you are."
The one who had issued a command as cold and authoritative as Astridje's was none other than Kairen, his eyes glowing red.
"I don't want to be protected over something like this."
With those words alone, crimson mana chains wrapped around the retainers' bodies.
This was a restriction originally meant only for the Belverk heir apparent to use on their personal maid.
Regardless of that restriction, the only one who could control the Belverk retainers with a mere word was the current matriarch, Astridje.
"I can handle something like this myself."
Yet, for some reason, Kairen shattered the restriction as if to flaunt it and quietly turned his gaze to the countess's lady.
"Cr-Crimson Eyes...?"
"Big Sis."
"...Eek!"
Finally understanding the situation, the countess's lady froze in horror.
No matter how spoiled and willful she was, raised as the apple of her parents' eye, she knew of the Belverks' Crimson Eyes.
It had long become a cultural norm for parents to discipline naughty children with, "If you keep acting up, the monster with the red eyes will take you away."
Likewise, she had heard such scoldings endlessly since childhood, but she never dreamed the red-eyed monster would appear before her.
"You shouldn't push people around carelessly."
"I-I'm sor... "
"And discriminating against people based on status is wrong too."
Her face drained of color, she began trembling violently. When Kairen suddenly posed a question, she stammered in response.
"Big Sis, is it your birthday today?"
"It, it's..."
Kairen stared at her intently, delivering a spine-chilling remark.
"If you suddenly disappeared on such a happy day, your parents would be devastated, right?"
Of course, Kairen was pointing out that she had come out alone from the dessert shop, acting as a doorman. But to her ears, it was a masterful threat.
"...P-Please spare me."
"It's okay. I just wanted to let you know you shouldn't do that."
Thus, as she desperately pressed her forehead to the dirt where she had pushed Kairen, trembling all over and begging, Kairen's low voice came from above.
"You'll promise to become a noble who treats those beneath you kindly from now on, right?"
"Y-Yes! I will, definitely!"
"Thank you, Big Sis."
Seeing a glimmer of hope, she cautiously lifted her head, nodding frantically without even wiping the tears streaming from her eyes.
"Then, you can go now."
"...Ah, um. That is."
Then, glancing nervously at the expressionless retainers waiting behind Kairen, she began stammering again.
"Are you worried about repercussions?"
"S-Sorry..."
"I swear on the name of Belverk. There will be no fallout from this."
Reading her inner thoughts, Kairen offered reassurance. Only then did her pallid face regain some color, like someone rescued from drowning, and she bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"Th-Thank you..."
"Ah, wait."
"Eek."
"Come a little closer."
But for some reason, he stopped her and beckoned her forward.
"Close your eyes."
"...Ugh."
"Quickly."
At Kairen's firm words, the lady, pale again and trembling, squeezed her eyes shut with a resolved expression.
"Okay, now you can really go."
"Huh...?"
"It'd be a shame to get hurt on your birthday, right?"
But what she feared didn't happen.
Instead of a slap to the cheek, a kick to the stomach, or being shoved aside herself, the wound from banging her head on the ground had simply vanished.
"...Th-Thank you."
Dazedly touching her forehead, the lady soon flushed slightly, clutched her skirt, offered the most courteous bow she could muster, and hurriedly fled into the dessert shop.
"See you later!"
Cheerfully waving after her, Kairen turned around.
"Mom. Big Sis."
"......"
"See? I can resolve things peacefully without even using force."
His expression now brimming with confidence, he puffed out his chest proudly toward Astridje and Lilien, who had watched the scene blankly.
"Good boy."
"...Hehe."
"I don't know when you became so reliable."
Astridje pondered for a moment before quietly stroking Kairen's head and praising him.
"Lilien, take Kairen to the shop first and wait."
"Huh?"
"I'll handle the cleanup."
"...Ah."
Her eyes gleaming suddenly as she spoke to Lilien, who tilted her head briefly before grabbing Kairen's hand and heading to the dessert shop.
"Kid, we'll go ahead."
"Ah, go slow!"
"What awful stamina. You actually training properly?"
Watching their retreating figures, Astridje's eyes turned red as she snapped her fingers. The retainers, finally freed from their bonds, gasped for air and collapsed in place.
"As expected, he hasn't realized it yet..."
Surveying them with a cold gaze, Astridje muttered softly.
"...Listen up, all my kin present here."
After a brief contemplation, she issued her characteristic icy command to the retainers slumped on the street, panting roughly from the aftereffects of the binding.
"Keep what happened today silent forever."
"......"
"The true power of the Crimson Eyes must not be revealed yet."
And so, the events of that day on this street were officially erased entirely from Belverk records.
"I thought he was just the family's fragile treasure..."
However, there was one exception Astridje's command failed to reach.
"...My little brother turned out to be more entertaining than expected."
The second monster of Belverk, who had watched the entire scene from a narrow-eyed vantage in the alley behind the street, smiled faintly and slipped away quietly.
"Nom nom..."
"Hey, kid. That good?"
"...Yes!"
The outing had barely begun when an incident erupted, briefly gripping my heart in anxiety, but thankfully, my quick handling wrapped it up without issue.
"This is the first time in my life I've eaten something this delicious!"
With the tension released, I stuffed my face with cookies and cakes to my heart's content in the dessert shop, answering Lilien's question beside me with a beaming smile.
"...For a Belverk, you have a lot of firsts."
She muttered softly to herself before beckoning the manager over and whispering something.
'She's not even hiding that she's Belverk anymore.'
By the way, after that incident, Big Sis had been openly walking around with her Crimson Eyes activated.
There was the side effect of drawing stares, but it meant no more provocations like before, so maybe it was all good?
"We look forward to your continued patronage, Master!"
"...Huh?"
"From today, Young Master, you are the owner of this shop."
Lost in those thoughts as I reached for a new slice of cake, the manager suddenly bowed to me with a radiant smile.
Owner? Did Lilien just scout the manager as a maid or something?
"I bought this shop. It's a present."
"...How?!"
"How what? With pocket money, obviously."
I blinked in bewilderment before nearly fainting at Lilien's casual words.
Being too young, I hadn't been getting proper allowance, so I'd forgotten momentarily, but Belverk wealth was insane as always.
"Wooow..."
"Kairen, do you like that outfit?"
"Yes!"
But it was too early to be surprised. Once Mom returned, the real spending spree began.
"I like that one outfit!"
"...Yes, yes, take a good look."
Of course, I tried not to be too burdensome, just asking for one outfit I liked, but reality exceeded my imagination.
"Take this too."
"What's this?"
"Show it to them, and the shop owner will give you clothes."
I later learned that the card-like token Mom gave me was a voucher to reserve entire boutiques or salons in the imperial capital.
Incidentally, all the clothes in the capital's boutiques and salons were already purchased under Belverk's name.
Not exclusively ours—they could still be sold—but we'd prepaid, so we could take what we wanted anytime, keeping the shop owners smiling nonstop.
"M-Mom, is the theater always this empty?"
"Hm, fewer patrons than usual today."
"R-Really. Why so few? No idea."
By then, I figured out why the next stop, the theater, was deserted.
Reserving the capital's largest theater all day just for my outing—what was wrong with their sense of money?
Well, whatever. Spoiling the abused, neglected protagonist with lavish spending was a time-honored cliché in romance fantasy parenting tales, so I'd roll with it.
"Kairen, that food might upset your stomach if... "
"Tasty!"
"...Well, Belverks are sturdy, so it'll be fine."
Still, sampling various street foods was the most fun for me.
"...Too salty."
"Tastes good to me? Getting old?"
"Lilien. Best keep quiet."
Mom seemed flustered at first—unexpectedly so—but later, watching her order and munch on street food herself was hilarious.
"Yaaawn..."
"Getting tired, are we?"
"...Yeah."
Anyway, after enjoying the outing until nightfall, I realized my eyes were drooping and muttered regretfully.
"Wish we could play more."
"It's fine. We have all the time now."
"Hey, but sneak out alone like last time, and you're dead."
Hearing Mom and Lilien flanking me, my nose tingled unexpectedly.
"Mom and Big Sis are the best!"
"......"
"I love you!"
As I grinned ear to ear saying that, fireworks bloomed in the distance, lighting up the night sky.
Was there a festival in the capital today? Or had they planned this too?
No, seeing them both staring blankly without taking credit, probably coincidence.
"...Well then, time to head back to the inn."
"Yeah, time to... go."
Amazed by the coincidence but enjoying the fireworks display with interest—right then.
"I've prepared an event for you, Kairen."
"Gasp. Really?!"
"Yes, yes. It'll be fun."
Mom and Lilien, who had been silent, spoke to me in unison.
Event? The day had been amazing already—what more? I welcomed it, of course.
"...Of course, if you choose well."
"...Kid. Choose wisely, okay?"
But why did a chill run down my spine?
"Huh?"
Half-excited, half-worried, I entered the inn and counted to 1000 in the first-floor lobby as Mom instructed before heading upstairs.
'...Something's off?'
I sensed something wrong right after.
Today's outing was just me, Mom, and Lilien—three people total.
So why did the upper floor of the inn have only two rooms?
"You're here, Kairen."
"...Huh?"
"Knew you'd pick this room."
Puzzled and tilting my head, I chose one room and entered—freezing on the spot.
"Sleep with Mommy tonight."
Mom, already in pajamas, sat on the bed, gazing at me with a soft smile.
- Creak...
Staring blankly for a moment, I quietly closed the door and headed to the opposite room.
"...At least he has some sense."
"......"
"Better with a peer than some grown-up, right?"
But this time, Lilien in pajamas welcomed me with a cold smile, hugging a pillow.
"Kiddo, let's play all night with Big Sis."
Hearing that, I closed the door again quietly and stood at the fork, hiccupping involuntarily.
"...Hic."
Wait, is this really the event?