Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Exciting Picnic (3)
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“The Young Master has returned!”
I had volunteered to act as a sort of hostage to somehow resolve my eldest sister’s rebellion peacefully. But by the time we reached the heart of the Mist Forest, I was already questioning whether that was even possible.
“Everyone, salute!”
Anyone else would have thought the same upon seeing the orc troops and undead legion packed densely in the center of the Mist Forest, forming perfect ranks and saluting in unison.
They’ve set up blatant military barracks, and they call this a picnic?
To be honest, I wanted to take back my decision from moments ago and run away right then. But that was impossible.
“……”
Because I was still cradled in my eldest sister’s arms, her expression as icy as ever.
We had originally been holding hands as we walked, but after I nearly tripped several times and she grabbed my hand with a chilling glare, we’d stayed like this the whole way.
“Young Master, is that a trophy? I knew we could count on you!”
“Indeed, now even the family head won’t be able to move easily…”
Thanks to that, the Second and Third Knight Divisions, buzzing at the sight of me as a live trophy unable to budge, had their morale soaring sky-high.
Of all things, the knight divisions most advantageous in large-scale battles, and now their spirits are this high…
The orc troops, somewhat dim-witted but unmatched in stamina and brute strength. And the undead legion, individually weak but able to multiply endlessly like ants under their strategist captain’s orders without dying.
This perfect combination that covered each other’s weaknesses boasted such unbreakable solidarity that even the strongest elite First Knight Division couldn’t guarantee victory against them.
- Swish…
Just as I was breaking out in cold sweat and biting my lip, my body suddenly began descending slowly to the ground.
“Huh?”
Lifting my head slightly, I saw my eldest sister, who had stopped in front of her subordinates, gently setting me down.
What’s she doing all of a sudden?
I had no idea what she was planning, but at least I was out of her arms, so I let out a sigh of relief.
I thought I’d grown used to it thanks to Mom and Uriel sis, but her chest was still an overwhelming weight I couldn’t ignore—it had been pressing on my neck the whole time.
- Whoosh…
But that thought didn’t last long. I soon stared blankly at the scene unfolding before me.
- Pat pat…
My eldest sister suddenly pulled out a picnic mat patterned with teddy bears from her bosom, shook it out a few times, and spread it on the dirt ahead.
“Sit.”
As I gawked in confusion, she silently signaled her subordinates, sat on the mat, and issued the emotionless command.
“…H-Here it is, Young Master.”
Not knowing what was happening but following the order, I sat on the mat. An orc came sprinting from afar, bowed, and offered a large basket to my eldest sister.
“Hm, looks like it’s starting…”
“Reminds me of the Eastern Continent war…”
“…I wonder what the youngest will do.”
At the same time, murmurs erupted simultaneously from the knights stationed in the heart of the Mist Forest.
“Seems the test has begun.”
“Ugh, I can’t watch with my eyes open.”
“…I wonder if he’s even worth the Young Master handling personally.”
I tinged my eyes red in caution, replaying the captains’ low voices in my ears, and roughly grasped the situation. Swallowing dryly, I muttered inwardly.
Analyze the tags, please.
Tag analysis complete…
[Edelasia Nox Belverk]
#Eldest Daughter #Unreleased Tag #Unreleased Tag #Unreleased Tag
I’d seen various tags through multiple analyses before, but almost all of my eldest sister’s were obscured by “Unreleased Tags.”
The condition to release unreleased tags is to increase intimacy with the target.
I furrowed my brow slightly, and System Sis began explaining in her usual kind tone.
On the flip side, unless intimacy is maxed, unreleased tag info could harm the user, so proceed with caution.
In summary, “Unreleased Tags” were double-edged swords—could be strengths or weaknesses?
But to access that info, I’d need to get close to my eldest sister first. Was that even possible?
- Swish…
I was pulling a dumbfounded face at that thought when—
“Hm?”
My eldest sister, rummaging through the basket from her subordinate, suddenly pulled out items and placed them one by one in front of herself and me.
…A lunchbox?
Realizing belatedly it was a picnic lunchbox with teddy bear patterns, I blankly opened my mouth and stared at her.
“Open it.”
But her eyes, still chillingly eerie as she sat before me, made me hurriedly drop my gaze. With trembling hands, I opened the lunchbox.
“Eek.”
And once again, I was left dumbfounded.
What’s with this lineup?
Suspicious wild mushrooms wafting dubious scents, unidentifiable roots that could be herbs or poison, three inexplicable acorns, dried jerky, and cold soup.
Unlike the adorably mismatched container for its owner, the contents were disastrously pathetic.
She’s not seriously telling me to eat this, right?
I hesitated, glancing at her, but she just stared with her icy gaze.
“Eat.”
How much time passed like that?
“Isn’t this a fun picnic time?”
Hearing her whisper those words at last, I finally understood what “eyes rolling back” meant and shot up from my seat.
“Sorry, but I can’t eat this.”
“Why?”
“Because… it doesn’t fit a picnic lunchbox at all!”
As a avid reader of romance fantasy childcare stories, this sorry excuse for a picnic lunchbox was an insult.
“Even Fluffy, the one I raise, would spit this out!”
“……”
“It needs taste, nutrition, and visual appeal to be a true picnic lunchbox!”
Didn’t she know how touching and pivotal it was for the cute, innocent protagonist to share a lovingly prepared picnic lunchbox with family in harmony?
In that sense, the one before me now was truly…
“…Is that so.”
I’d jumped up and was huffing indignantly when her cold voice from ahead snapped me back to reality.
I’m screwed.
Thinking about it, I was in the middle of some unknown test from the leader of the rebel forces?
As expected of the greatest romance-fantasy childcare reader from a past life.
Normally, my decade-honed instincts and survival skills from Opstein would’ve kicked in, but my reverse scale had been touched, preventing any brakes on my outburst.
“No helping it, then.”
I was sweating coldly, desperately racking my brain on damage control when—
“Picnic postponed.”
My eldest sister rose with an expression several times icier than before, left those words, and headed to her tent.
“Since the lunchbox isn’t finished yet.”
As the tent flap closed, a brief silence fell.
“Indeed…”
“……”
“Belverks are Belverks, after all.”
I was wearing a blank look at the incomprehensible situation when a low voice from beside me made me turn.
“For the true Belverk, siding with the rebels will never happen.”
“……”
“I wonder how many in the world could say that to the Young Master’s face.”
Since entering Belverk territory, the Third Knight Division captain—who had shed his hood to reveal his skull fully—spoke to me in an admiring tone.
What’s he on about?
I didn’t understand or empathize at all, but given the situation, I nodded blankly.
“But that choice means things will get tough from here on.”
“Huh?”
“It seems the Young Master wants to see you broken and remade…”
Suddenly, the Third Knight Division captain stroked my head gently while whispering chillingly.
“Well, you came prepared for that, I suppose…”
“Eek.”
“Then, allow me to escort you to your quarters, little Young Master…”
I still didn’t fully get it, but like eldest sis, her subordinate was plenty scary too. My future suddenly felt even more worrying.
Days passed like that. One night, as pitch-black skies enveloped the Mist Forest.
“…Brr, cold.”
Having meekly holed up in the tent provided for me over the past few days, I finally mustered courage and peeked outside.
Good, surveillance seems light…
I was practically a hostage in the enemy camp’s heart, yet no obvious watchers were in sight.
Is she daring me to try escaping if I can?
Of course, with the center seized, all magical beasts were pushed to the outskirts—escape impossible.
And even if I broke through them, guards at the entrance were a given. I gave up fleeing and quietly moved on.
I’m not planning to escape anyway.
Might as well scout and analyze the enemy camp—it’d help more later.
Especially if things blew up.
“Definitely around here.”
Thus, I headed to my eldest sister’s tent, somewhat separated from the long row of barracks.
Surprisingly, no guards despite its importance—but thinking it over, not that shocking.
She’s confident nothing can touch her, no matter who comes.
The remote tent radiated an aura daring any would-be attackers to try, boosting her subordinates’ morale just by existing.
Which makes them more likely to let their guard down.
With that in mind, I crept as quietly as possible to the entrance, heart pounding, and peeked inside.
“……”
Thankfully, lit inside, revealing the tent’s interior clearly.
“…Hm?”
Looking around breathlessly for intel when—
- Clatter, clatter…
A sudden sound drew my eyes to a hallucinatory scene.
“Mm…”
My eldest sister stood with her usual eerie expression, glaring at something on a simple table, raising a blade in hand.
- Tremble…
Her hand seemed to shake briefly.
- Grind…
Then, the sound of her teeth gnashing echoed through the tent.
“Uh…”
Staring blankly, I rubbed my eyes and looked again—the scene unchanged.
- Tremble tremble…
My eldest sister, apron with teddy bear patterns tied on, emotionlessly held a kitchen knife over a carrot on the table.
The issue: the knife hovered just 1cm from her hand holding the carrot, vibrating wildly without budging.
No way…
Before I could even mutter inwardly, my fears came true.
- Slice…!
The kitchen knife finally plunged into the carrot with resolve—but mercilessly sliced her finger, drawing blood.
“……”
A short silence followed.
“Ow.”
She stared quietly at her wounded finger, muttered softly, and pushed the carrot aside.
At her feet lay piles of half-chopped, discarded ingredients.
“Um, excuse me.”
Staring blankly, I stepped inside and spoke up.
“Let me help you, sis!”
And the next instant—
“…!”
Expressionless, rummaging for the next ingredient, she pulled out a massive turnip. She flinched and turned.
- Thud…!
The turnip slipped from her arms, hit the ground half-smashed, rolled, and bumped my foot.
“……”
Then, an excruciatingly awkward silence filled the tent.
Several hours later, around dawn.
“Where the heck is the Young Master…?”
“Shh, keep it down.”
On a hill some distance from the rebels’ encampment in the Mist Forest center, figures whispered lowly.
“But we don’t have much time left to infiltrate—”
“…That’s why shut up.”
They were the beastkin scouts from the Fourth Knight Division, renowned for their prowess.
Trained rigorously under Uriel’s supervision, leveraging beastkin stealth and agility, they routinely infiltrated enemy hearts and returned alive—elites.
“If even a hair is harmed, we’re done for.”
“Still, that’s…”
“What? Haven’t you heard the rumors? That spy caught in the last war…”
Yet for these elites, sneaking into the eldest daughter’s camp and surviving was near impossible.
Just evading the web of surveillance across the Mist Forest to reach this hill for telescope observation was already a miracle.
“…Wait, shh.”
“You see that?”
“Yeah, I saw it too.”
Having abandoned closer approach, they peered through telescopes breathlessly—then widened their eyes.
“……”
Kairen staggered weakly out of the eldest daughter’s tent.
“He’s saying something. Focus.”
“Cross-verify, so jot it all down…”
No time to rejoice—the eldest daughter followed, grabbed him, and spoke. They frantically pulled out paper and pens to transcribe.
- Come again tomorrow.
But the scouts’ faces paled as they strained to watch.
- Review is important, after all.
Beastkin scouts as they were, they instantly grasped her meaning.
“Damn…”
“Gotta report this…”
“…Unfortunately.”
Unable to do more, they ground their teeth watching telescope-Kairen tremble in terror—then quietly withdrew.
“…Hm.”
Meanwhile, the eldest daughter gazed at the distant dawn sky, then turned back to her tent.
- Swish…
Steadying her breath, she gripped a dull iron tool with a cold expression.
- Sizzle…
Heat rose in the tent; sweating but eyes fixed, she tinged them red and flicked her wrist.
- Click…
After a quiet pause, she sat at the table, placing the frying pan atop it.
“Hehe…”
She smiled at her first successful dish—fried egg—after five hours with Kairen’s advice.
“…Little brother’s the best.”
Eyes sparkling, she struck an aja pose, timidly glanced around confirming no one, then muttered softly.