Chapter 45: The Tantrum No One Accepts
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: The Tantrum No One Accepts
‘I shall make you an offer you cannot refuse.’
Bisharen Diberuper may have been an Archmage, but he was no saint.
He was a man obsessed with magic, an outlaw who conducted experiments regardless of whether his subjects were demons or humans. He was the type of person who had to possess whatever he desired.
Narupa, who had only the faintest memories of her father from her early childhood, hated that side of him the most—yet she resembled it more than anyone. The obsession and madness she was currently displaying were proof of that.
Count Dakuus might not have known, but despite these personality flaws, the Diberuper bloodline had always harbored an intense, generational craving for a stable family.
Consequently, they instinctively poured all their effort into finding a partner who knew how to love and be devoted, rather than focusing on looks. That was how Bisharen had met Narupa’s mother. The fact that her mother was a beauty was merely a coincidence.
As a side note, Bisharen himself was a handsome man, so Narupa’s beauty was a trait guaranteed from the start.
Having made many enemies, Bisharen had entrusted his wife and daughter to Vanguardier Dakuren. However, during the demons’ landing operation in Hus, the rear—which he had believed to be the safest place—was blindsided. In that attack, both Airune’s and Narupa’s mothers were killed.
Bisharen, a man of singular devotion, never remarried. He officially joined the human army for the sole purpose of revenge, alongside his comrade Vanguardier, who shared the same dream of vengeance.
There were only two things he desired.
Revenge, and for his only daughter to build a stable home and live happily.
‘You’re quite handsome, aren’t you? I’d like to have you as my son-in-law.’
Alto hadn’t heard those words for no reason.
Bisharen, whose eye for people had reached its peak, was being sincere. He was obsessed with the idea of Alto as a son-in-law. In fact, he had once sent a letter to Narupa saying he had found a good man for her, but Countess Dakuus had deemed it too early and suppressed the message.
‘Alto, I shall make you an offer you cannot refuse.’
‘What is it? I owe you my life, so I wasn’t planning on refusing anyway.’
‘Splendid. It’s nothing much. If my daughter truly says she likes you, you must accept her and be devoted to her. That is all.’
‘I wonder if I’ll even live long enough to meet your daughter, Archmage.’
Bisharen was already certain.
If it were his daughter, she would undoubtedly crave Alto.
That certainty hit the mark perfectly.
The endless thirst for a stable home, for devotion and love—traits engraved into Narupa’s genes—judged Alto to be the ideal man.
Narupa, who wanted to be different from her father who simply grasped and coveted everything, had always tried to be the one to yield and act mature. But for some reason, when it came to Alto, she didn’t want to yield or share.
“Why do you always give the good things to Rune first?”
“My lady. While that has generally been the case, we old folk have always tried to do more for you to make up for the wait.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Frustrated, Narupa tapped her finger on the table.
“I’m not talking about how much more you’ve done. I’m talking about the order—the sequence. I want to have him first. Or rather, I want to be the only one who has him.”
“Do you like that Alto fellow that much, my lady?”
“Like him? It’s not at that level.”
Trying to calm her racing heart, Narupa couldn’t hide the smile that bubbled up naturally.
Just thinking about him made her happy. This was the first time Narupa had ever been this interested in a man, let alone fallen this hard.
“He is the image of the perfect husband I’ve always dreamed of. He is literally my ideal type.”
“Compared to men these days, his looks are a bit on the lower side, but…”
“Uncle!”
Noticing Count Dakuus’s intentional attempt to downplay him, Narupa tapped the table even more impatiently.
Count Dakuus noticed that the table Narupa was tapping was being precisely and minutely indented, exactly the size of her fingertip. Extracting extreme efficiency through delicate control was both Narupa’s magical specialty and her philosophy.
“He just… he just walked right into my heart in an instant, okay? Rune is like a child who doesn’t really understand her own emotions, but I’m different. Just thinking about him now makes it hard to breathe. He’s a perfect man. Besides, he perfectly matches the criteria for a true man that you and Auntie talk about every day.”
“Narupa, as your uncle, I am happy that you like him, but I think you’re being too hasty and intense.”
“Did I ask for much? I just said I want him for myself.”
“He is a man prepared for both of you.”
“Is he really a husband for just the two of us?”
“In a world where men are scarce, monogamy is a pipe dream.”
“I think it’s possible. Monogamy.”
Narupa took a sip of the cream soda the server had just brought. The refreshing fruit carbonation washed away her dry throat, only to bring a new kind of sticky sweetness.
“His confidence and self-esteem were low because of his looks.”
And yet, he had single-handedly butchered a Serpent. In Massa Village, when he took a proper stance and swung his dagger, he had snapped the Serpent’s waist and hacked it to pieces.
“I think he’s a total hunk like you, Uncle, but people just didn’t recognize it and only bullied him. Or maybe they were jealous.”
Alto is a handsome man, just like me.
Count Dakuus felt a bit gloomy at the fact that he and Alto were being placed in the same category.
“He was in Lukart? The men there can’t even hold a sword properly; they just act like baggage for adventurers. Alto is… he’s clearly different. I only talked to him for a bit, but he knows how to handle administrative documents, he points out inefficiencies, and above all, he doesn’t hesitate to use a simple, blunt solution if necessary. And yet, seeing him act so cautious makes my heart ache… he has no idea how much I want to just bite him and squeeze him.”
“Narupa?”
“Uncle, Rune seems to be trying her best to cheer Alto up, but honestly, that’s my specialty, isn’t it? The way Rune acts makes people feel good, but that’s different from giving someone strength. What Alto needs right now is to recover his confidence and self-esteem. Rune is acting like a teenage girl—and a pre-war girl at that—so it’s too early for her. It’s time for me to step in. I’ll go and soothe that wounded heart and crush all the bastards and bitches who hurt him. If I show Alto that, he’ll surely be happy and say I’m the only one for him. See? He’s saying I’m the only one. It can’t be helped. I thought I could share to some extent if it was Rune, but since our Alto only has eyes for me, we should give Rune some more time or find her someone else…”
“Narupa!”
He shouted to call Narupa back as she drifted deeper into her delusions.
Her eyes, snapping out of the fantasy, darted left and right as she regained awareness of reality.
“Alto Bertrand’s caliber is too much for you to handle alone.”
“You’re finally being honest.”
Dakuus felt it was a headache that the Diberuper family’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies were flaring up at this timing, but internally, he cheered, knowing he had certainly picked the right man.
It might seem strange for Narupa to fall so hard for Alto after knowing him for such a short time, but a daughter of the Diberuper family, who possessed a brilliant mind and keen insight to match her magical prowess, couldn’t be wrong. She was craving Alto all the more because she had already predicted the future as if she were reading a completed answer sheet.
“I’ll yield a lot, really. Just… let me be the first to have him.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“He met Lady Rune first, so follow the order or try to reach an agreement between the two of you. Furthermore, the three of you are talents who must prepare for the coming danger.”
“What danger?”
“Recently, the quality of the Lukart Dungeon has been declining, and the frequency of high-ranking monster appearances in our Hus region is increasing. The Serpent in Massa Village can be seen as one of them.”
“From Lukart to Hus… that matches the recent travel route of a certain handsome man, doesn’t it?”
Narupa, leaving half her cream soda, stirred the glass with her straw.
“Alto Bertrand… he’s a man I want to possess—ahem, I mean, get to know more and more.”
“How did you know he was a Bertrand?”
“Rune said he uses two ridiculously large daggers, has tanned skin, a muscular build, and a swirl-shaped scar on his side.”
The name Alto Bertrand was renowned worldwide, but information about his appearance was treated as classified. It was nothing short of wondrous how she had made the judgment immediately based on whatever information she had obtained.
“Dad sent me a few separate letters because he knew Auntie wasn’t delivering them to me.”
The answer was in a surprisingly simple place.
“At the time, I thought it was just the ramblings of a psychopathic mage, but now I’m very satisfied.”
Plonk. She stuck the straw right into the center of the glass.
“He’s also the son-in-law my dad picked out for me in advance, so give me priority this once, Uncle.”
“Talk to Lady Airune directly.”
“From the looks of it, the demons are moving around the Essence of Vulcanus, one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Wouldn’t it be better for Alto and me to move together to dig into the cause and flow of this phenomenon?”
“The three of you must move together. Only then will you be able to handle the Dungeon Quests.”
“You’re too much.”
Sluuuuurp.
She sucked up the rest of the cream soda.
“You only talk about what you want, but what about me? You want the top businesswoman in Hus to join a mere party?”
“Narupa, this isn’t like you. Honestly, I’m taken aback. Why are you being so stubborn?”
Narupa fell silent.
She fully understood now why her father preferred more blunt and easy solutions. However, she had sworn to herself not to become like him. Because of that, she had always remained the “mature Narupa” who only yielded.
What should she do?
Should she throw a fit and vent her frustration at the reality of not being able to get the one thing she truly wanted, or should she enter negotiations using the economy of Hus as collateral?
The conclusion was neither.
Narupa hated noise occurring before a problem was solved.
“Fine, let’s do this.”
She pushed the empty glass away.
“Ultimately, what matters is Alto’s heart. If Alto wants me more, or wants me first, then you can’t say anything more, Uncle. Conversely, if he wants Rune first, I won’t complain about the order.”
“Fine, that is rational.”
In many ways, Narupa felt the unfairness.
“Instead.”
So, she decided to throw one little tantrum.
“Share everything about what happened in Lukart and about Alto’s past. As his uncle, you wouldn’t just stand by after the insult the son-in-law of Hus received, right? Let me in on that revenge plot.”
“I was actually about to ask you for that.”
The deal was struck.
Just as they were about to shake hands, satisfied with the trade—
Twitch.
Narupa pulled her arm back, breaking into a cold sweat. Her vision turned pitch black for a fleeting moment.
She knew what this reaction was. It was the phenomenon that occurred when the small, moth-shaped communication-eavesdropping spell she had attached to Alto upon entering Dakuren City was forcibly dispelled.
[My lady, this sort of thing isn’t good. It makes me doubt your intentions.]
As soon as he reached the outskirts of the city, Alto had crushed the moth while saying words that proved he had seen through Narupa’s trick. The magical construct hadn’t been able to react at all.
“Haaaaaaa~!”
“Narupa?”
“Uncle, seriously…”
Regret and excitement coexisted.
“This man is the best…!”
Since she had done something to get on Alto’s bad side, she would have to stay quiet for a while. She needed time to dispose of the Serpent anyway, but that also meant Narupa would have to yield the first move to Airune during that period.
However, she had no intention of just staying still.
Snap!
As Narupa snapped her fingers, invisible mana blanketed Dakuren City. Simultaneously, several mana constructs shaped like wild beasts began racing toward Lukart.
“I need to know everything about Alto.”
Narupa called the server.
After ordering three more cream sodas at once, Narupa dropped a sugar cube into Count Dakuus’s tea.
“We have a lot to talk about today, don’t we?”