The Neighbor's Offer
The sun had risen. The mansion, left in ruins after Irene's visit, was in a sorry state. The iron bars of the main gate had been completely crushed. The outer wall of the office lay in shattered fragments. And Silvia was covered head to toe in blood...
"We won't be able to use the office for a while. I've already moved everything to the adjacent room and prepared it as a temporary substitute."
"...Why do you look completely fine?"
Huh. Hadn't she been on the verge of death yesterday? I distinctly remembered calling a physician and watching as they wrapped her in layers of bandages before I went to sleep. Yet when I woke up, Silvia was standing beside me, looking perfectly healthy.
"Wounds of that degree heal after a single night's rest."
"..."
Silvia casually unwound the remaining bandages and tossed them aside. Her skin was smooth and flawless, without so much as a scar. Did she possess some kind of rapid regeneration ability?
"That said, the wound to my pride runs far deeper."
"Your pride?"
"The moment Charlotte grasped the sword, she unleashed Sword Aura. Meanwhile, I have spent over two years on the battlefield without catching even a glimpse of it..."
Silvia's lips pressed into a thin line, her expression slightly sullen. A touch of inferiority, perhaps. Not that it mattered. Inferiority was a precursor to villainous corruption in a villain, but for a heroine like Silvia, it would only serve as fuel for growth.
From her expression alone, it was clear she wasn't jealous of Charlotte. Rather, it seemed closer to self-reproach—an urge to train harder.
"If you listen well from now on, I'll replenish your mana bit by bit."
"Is that true!?"
Silvia's face lit up with joy. Without mana, she couldn't even attempt Sword Aura training. That was why, until now, she had all but given up on her path to becoming a Sword Master. But if I could supply her with even a small amount of mana by slaying spirits, it would be more than enough for her to resume training.
'And yesterday made one thing perfectly clear. I need to keep Silvia at her maximum strength at all times.'
Strictly speaking, Charlotte—who had split a mountain—was the true maximum power. But Charlotte's control was still incomplete. Therefore, the mansion's first line of defense and greatest strength was undeniably Silvia. If she was left struggling without mana, the mansion would be breached just as easily as it had been yesterday.
I had to ensure Silvia could always fight at full capacity. If her training eventually led her to become a Sword Master, that would be a welcome bonus.
[Evil God 'Kali' is proud.]
Good. You did well. This time, we really did overcome the crisis thanks to Kali. Though it wasn't because Kali was strong—it was simply because of Kali's existence that we managed to pull through...
"So what do we do now? Lady Irene has essentially declared war..."
"The declaration is the end of it. There's nothing Irene can actually do. I'm the heir apparent and the one set to inherit the count's title. How could she possibly interfere?"
"Ah...!"
There was no need to fear her coming here and acting menacing like yesterday. After all, the only thing Irene could do was threaten me. If she had any authority to intervene in family affairs, she would have already been obstructing me at every turn.
'It doesn't seem like her goal is to destroy the family, either.'
The only card Irene could play was force. That meant instead of merely threatening me by tearing down a wall, she could have chosen to obliterate the entire mansion and kill me. The fact that she hadn't done so made it obvious—she didn't want the Belmont family to fall.
Irene Belmont couldn't challenge me. She couldn't interfere with my work. And she couldn't destroy the family outright. So why should I fear Irene Belmont?
I shouldn't. Absolutely not.
That was what I wanted to believe, but...
'Damn it.'
The moment I recalled the heel of her shoe and the fingernails that had scratched my cheek, my body instinctively shrank back. Was a biological older sister simply destined to be a figure of terror to her younger brother? It was an unavoidable limitation of biology. There was nothing I could do about it.
"Ah! Mister, you're hurt too!"
"Me? Where?"
"Your cheek!"
"It'll heal if I just leave it alone."
"You can't say things like that when you have such porcelain skin! Your skin is far more sensitive than a knight's..."
Charlotte gestured for me to lean down. When I bent at the waist and lowered my head, she grabbed my cheek and licked along the red line in one long stroke.
"...What are you doing? That's filthy."
"I heard saliva helps it heal!"
"Pfft. Putting saliva on it is just something people do for comfort when they don't have medicine. Charlotte, you still believe in childish superstitions like that?"
"..."
At Julia's mocking tone, something seemed to crack. With a sound like shattering glass echoing in my ears, Charlotte's fist clenched tightly. Her face was the picture of genuine fury.
"Says the spoiled brat who can't sleep without Mister!"
"H-Huh!? No I'm not! Wh-Wh-Wh-Who said that!?"
"I saw it myself. You were lying perfectly still on the office desk like a piece of furniture, rubbing your cheek against Mister's hand. Hmmmm. Julia still can't sleep without someone's warmth, just like a little kid?"
"Th-That's because of my constitution! I can't help it!"
"I thought you said that was all better now. How strange."
"Charlotte!!!"
Charlotte, please stop. Julia's face had turned beet red, looking ready to explode at any moment. Breathing heavily, she grabbed my ear and yanked it downward before slapping a bandage roughly onto my cheek.
"Your already ugly face will look even uglier with a scar! Just sit still and wear this! ...yo!"
"Are you worried about me or taking your anger out on me? Pick one."
"Wh-Who's worried!? And this isn't anger either! ...yo!"
Unable to hide her agitation, Julia spun around and stormed off. She acted like that during the day, but she'd come crawling back at night, begging to borrow my hand again. Unbelievable, really.
"Young Master. A mounted procession is approaching from this direction."
"Report what you see."
"The banner... is Ariente. It's the Ariente family's banner, and there are about ten people. Two of them are armed."
Ariente? That family was quite far from Belmont territory and had almost no interaction with us. Just as I was thinking that, I noticed the direction the procession was coming from—the split mountain—and realized the truth. The thick mountain range had been cleaved apart, making Ariente our new neighbors.
Were they coming to greet us, like bringing rice cakes to new neighbors after moving in? They were people who understood basic courtesy, at least. I stepped forward with the friendliest smile I could manage.
"Urk...!?"
The lead horse reared up in fright, and the entire party's expressions twisted in alarm. Okay. Confirmed. I was never using this smile again.
"Damn it. The road was so uneven I thought my back would break..."
"It was the fastest route, so it couldn't be helped."
The group dismounted and approached. Leading them was a young man with a red beard. From their conversation, it seemed they had departed the moment they saw the mountain split yesterday and crossed the range via the corridor. Thanks to that, there was now enough space for horses to pass through. Expanding it into a proper two-lane road for carriages wouldn't be difficult.
"Welcome. I am Aslan Belmont, head of the Belmont family."
"Thank you for the welcome. I am Hijik Ariente, eldest son of Count Ariente."
"Ah, so it was the son, not the count himself. Let's move to the reception room first."
"...!?"
These bastards. Just because I hadn't inherited the title yet and was still only the heir, they'd sent the eldest son to match my status? I'd answer their rudeness with rudeness. Hijik's red beard twitched.
"Hahaha. This is rather awkward. I believe you're younger than I am..."
"Get to the point. Coming here via an unmaintained road suggests it's something urgent. You'd be better off stating your business quickly, wouldn't you?"
"...I've come despite the imposition because I have a proposal that would greatly benefit Belmont."
Hijik forced his trembling lips into a smile as he spoke. This felt ominous. That was a completely salesman's smile.
"Would you take a look at this? Various bridges, roads, buildings, and so on. Our Ariente family has extensive experience constructing and building all kinds of infrastructure. Due to an unknown incident, part of the mountain range has been cut away, has it not? Ariente will build a road through that gap. Belmont territory will no longer be a remote borderland! First, please take a look at the contract."
"..."
"Here! If you just sign, we'll accept a small investment and begin construction immediately. Once the work is complete, we'll return the full investment plus two percent interest. What do you say? It's a good offer, isn't it?"
"Ha..."
After skimming the contract, I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. These bastards were trying to snatch the road construction rights for free. Did they still see me as that gullible idiot Aslan?
"Hey."
"...Yes?"
The air grew heavy, and Hijik swallowed nervously.
"Fine. I'll sign. As long as we add a few extra conditions."
"An excellent choice! What kind of additional conditions would you like?"
A good idea had just come to me. A way to make good use of these thuggish bastards.