This Is Driving Me Insane
The sudden reappearance of Stanasila Berick—who had vanished without a trace and was presumed dead—sent shockwaves rippling through the entire Duke's Castle. But naturally, the one who reacted the most intensely was the Duchess herself.
From what I overheard the servants whispering, her legs gave out from under her the instant she laid eyes on him. She staggered, collapsed to the floor, and burst into a deluge of tears.
Given how fiercely devoted she was to her family, it wasn't hard to picture the scene. In fact, she was still at it right now.
"Ah...! Berick! Is it really you? Are you truly my son, Berick? Sob..."
Caressing his cheeks over and over as if unable to believe reality, her tearful figure was both desperately tender and heartbreaking to behold.
"It's been a long time, Mother. I'm sorry for taking so long to come home."
"Berick! My boy! Where on earth have you been all this time...? No! Never mind that! You're back, and that's all that matters! As long as you're alive... sniffle...!"
As Pitora wrapped Berick in a tight embrace, a solemn silence fell over the gathered onlookers.
"......"
I watched the spectacle in silence, struggling to untangle the chaotic mess inside my head. Of course I knew who Stanasila Berick was. He was a fairly pivotal figure who cropped up repeatedly in the original game and even meddled in the main plotline. It made sense, considering he was the right-hand man to the 'default heroine.'
Which made his sudden appearance here at the ducal manor—long before the canon plot was even supposed to kick off—utterly incomprehensible.
"...Hm? Oh! If it isn't—!"
Surrounded by family and retainers alike, looking bashfully overwhelmed as he exchanged greetings, Berick's gaze suddenly snapped toward me.
"Oho! Look who it is! If it isn't our very own third brother, the talk of the town! Aljen! Wow~ you've grown so handsome!"
His eyes crinkled into thin, fox-like slits with a beaming smile as he strolled over, reaching out a hand with sickening warmth, as if truly thrilled to see me.
"...Hmph."
From what I remembered, the relationship between Berick and Aljen was atrocious. Aljen had harbored a deep inferiority complex toward all his siblings, and Berick—true to the closed-eyes scheming archetype—was a nasty piece of work who relentlessly bullied him. Which meant there was zero reason for him to be so delighted to see me. He definitely had an angle.
The problem was, I had no clue what that angle was. Given the nature of the organization he belonged to, showing his face out in the open should have been taboo in itself. Yet here he was, actively flattering Aljen—someone he used to look down on like dirt. At the very least, it was obvious he wanted something from me.
When I just stared back blankly, his brow twitched in mild embarrassment.
"Ahaha... Aljen. Won't you even greet your older brother? We haven't seen each other in years... Ah, is this because I used to tease you when we were kids?"
"Hey."
"...Huh? What did you say?"
"You... Ah, forget it. Hold on."
I was about to rattle off classified intel that 'Stanashila Aljen' had no business knowing to throw him off balance, but a sudden thought crossed my mind, making me shut my mouth.
Strictly speaking, Berick was no longer part of House Stanasila. It wasn't like he'd been officially struck from the family register, so everyone treated him like a ducal scion, but he didn't view himself as a Stanasila anymore. To join the organization he served, severing personal ties was mandatory. Which meant he stood here today not as 'Stanasila Berick,' but as an operative dispatched by Greenjack.
The real kick in the teeth was that this organization was 'Greenjack'—an espionage and assassination syndicate founded by none other than the Third Imperial Princess and default heroine, Galante von Kerkion Arpe. And Berick was currently one of its top executives.
Tsk...
The fact that its very existence was a state secret meant that letting slip any knowledge would instantly turn them hostile. But that wasn't the only reason I held my tongue. An ominous hunch tickled the back of my neck, whispering a warning. There was a specific reason Berick had returned. And that reason was tied to me.
"......"
Let's piece this together. Greenjack was primarily an intelligence agency, but it doubled as an assassination guild. They didn't take public contracts since they answered solely to the Third Princess, but at their core, they were still assassins. An assassination guild. And recently, I had asked our family's illustrious patriarch—the Empire's strongest Demi-God—to track down an assassin guild.
"...Hmm. Uh-huh..."
Could Berick's arrival really be because of that? Come on, no way in hell, right? Even if Urtega went looking in person, the chances of stumbling upon Greenjack were astronomically low. It had to be. I had zero desire to get entangled with that bothersome Third Princess at this point in the timeline. Please, spare me.
"Aljen?"
"...Berick. Seems like you have something you want to say to me. Care to come up to my room right now?"
"Hm~? What makes you say that? Are you letting the rumors get to your head? If so... that's rather adorable."
"......"
Watching him smirk with that sleazy, condescending sneer made pure irritation bubble up from the depths of my stomach.
"Phew... Fine. So you don't have anything to say to me? Got it."
"Ah, wait, hold on. It was just a joke. Your personality really changed while I was away, didn't it?"
"And you haven't changed one bit."
I smirked dryly and took a swig of booze. Mentioning his secret syndicate was walking into a minefield, but taking shots at the bastard himself was fair game.
"Our dear older brother, who used me as an object lesson of what not to become and took off in search of power and status. Did you actually find what you were looking for?"
He flinched for a split second, but immediately recovered his breezy grin and shrugged.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you really think you're worth that much thought? It seems you've had a bit too much to drink."
"Pfft. Truly haven't changed a bit. Well, keep struggling with whatever scrap of talent you don't have. Ah, wait, did you have slightly more talent than me? Color me jealous~"
Throwing in one last jab of sarcasm, I waved flippantly and turned on my heel. I needed to have a word with Urtega as soon as humanly possible.
"Aljen!"
That was when Pitora called out to me. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen her once since returning from the dungeon. Knowing her disposition, she should have smothered me the second I walked through the gates.
"What is it, Mother?"
"Well... we are planning a banquet to celebrate Berick's return. You should attend as well."
"Ha. Mother, that's a total waste of time."
"What...?"
"There is no one named Berick in our house anymore. He probably prefers it that way, too. The guy's going to pack up and leave in no time, so why bother throwing a party?"
"What do you mean by—"
"Well, if you still want to hold one, I won't stop you."
"Aljen! Wait! Aljen!"
Pitora's frantic cries tugged at my conscience from behind, but I ignored them and kept walking.
"Halt. Insolent wretch. Your arrogance has surpassed all limits during my absence."
"Daring to act so insolently right in front of the Duchess... Aljen, you've gotten way too big for your boots."
Right, I saw that coming. They wouldn't be Berga and Weller if they didn't block my path right about now.
"B-Brother..."
Even Vivian had scurried over, clasping my hand with an anxious, fidgety expression.
"Haaah... Move aside, both of you. I've got business to discuss with Father."
"What possible business could you have with Father?"
"Important business, Eldest Brother."
"...Fine. But first, apologize to Mother for your conduct just now."
"Haaah... Sure, fine. Whatever."
Reluctantly turning back to look at Pitora, I found myself struck speechless by the indescribable expression on her face. It hovered somewhere between reproach and profound sorrow—and it was glaringly obvious that I was the one who had put it there.
"...It is all right, Aljen. You do not need to apologize."
"...I am grateful for the Duchess's graciousness."
Offering a polite bow, I walked past Berga's furious scowl, Weller's conflicted gaze, and Vivian's tearful, hesitant hovering, making a straight beeline for the Duke's study.
"You're here."
Despite me barging in without knocking, Urtega barely looked surprised, as if he had anticipated my arrival all along.
"Father, what the hell is going on? Why on earth did Berick suddenly show up?"
"...Do you know what line of work Berick is currently involved in?"
"I know. Every single detail."
"...Is that so."
Closing his eyes, he let out a shallow sigh and slowly nodded.
"It was an unfortunate accident. Or perhaps an unforeseen coincidence... that led me to uncover and track down the Empire's premier assassination syndicate."
"Are you telling me that while looking for an assassination guild on my request, you somehow dredged up Greenjack? Do you have any idea how insane that sounds?"
"......"
A wave of suffocating frustration washed over me as he stayed quiet. I tipped back my flask, gulping down a mouthful of booze, then dragged a chair over and slumped down across from his desk.
"Haaah... All right, let's hear it. Exactly what kind of madness did you pull to drag Greenjack out into the open?"
"I unleashed my killing intent indiscriminately throughout the Imperial Capital, Galanter, and rooted out anyone who reacted."
"You did what...?"
My jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
"Your Grace. I hate to be the one to ask, but did your brain short-circuit from spending your entire life doing nothing but swinging a sword?"
"It was the most expedient method. There is no need to fret. None of the other factions or powerful individuals discerned my identity. Excluding Greenjack, whom I visited directly."
"No, what in the—haaah..."
I pressed a hand against my forehead and let out a miserable groan.
"Father. You clearly don't comprehend how disastrous this situation is... Don't tell me you genuinely believe Greenjack is just some unusually skilled mercenary guild?"
"Indeed. Is there a problem?"
"...Do you have any clue whose direct command Greenjack operates under?"
"I do not."
"It was created by the Third Imperial Princess, Her Highness Galante von Kerkion Arpe."
"......"
Twitch. His brow jerked in a subtle tremor.
"Now that their cover's blown, there's no way the Third Princess is going to let you off the hook. How do you plan on handling this?"
"...You need not worry about that."
"Oho. So you have a plan?"
"Greenjack believes their affiliation with the Third Princess remains undiscovered. In truth, I had no inkling of it either until you just spoke of it... Moreover, I informed them that the one who had business with them was you, Aljen."
"...You said what?"
My brain stalled out, flatly refusing to process what my ears had just picked up.
"Hold on. Let me get this straight... Are you saying Greenjack thinks they were exposed because of 'Stanashila Aljen's unidentified knowledge'? That they bought into the rumors that are spreading like wildfire right now?!"
"Precisely."
"Wow..."
I stared blankly up at the ceiling, utterly lost for words.
"Is this payback? I never dreamed you'd dump all the blame right onto my lap like this."
"...It is not that grave an affair. Once your business is concluded, the connection with Greenjack will cleanly dissolve. And Berick will return to where he belongs."
"Like hell it will! Father, are you doing this on purpose? Or has your brain actually rotted away into total airheadedness?!"
"......"
"Man... this is driving me completely insane..."
A throbbing headache flared in my temples at a nightmare scenario that never should have happened.