Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Epilogue: Roderus and Envers -2
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Inside the Redburn mansion.
At the appearance of an uninvited intruder, the servants and knights drew their weapons one by one, all aiming at Envers.
Half were faces Envers recognized, and the other half were strangers even to him. It seemed they had recruited new blood to fill the gaps left by those who had departed over time.
In the silence, hand signals passed between the servants. Who's that guy? The bastard son who got discarded and fled the family. Trash whose magic organ broke down.
Then why had the main gate been breached?
Envers kindly provided the answer.
"Hear me once. I have reached the realm of apotheosis."
"......"
"Now that I possess the power to serve the family, I intend to return and work for the family head once more. I must meet him, so stand aside."
Amid the murmurs rippling through the servants at Envers's declaration, one longtime valet stepped forward—a man who had spat sharp contempt at Envers and his mother since childhood.
It was rare to cross paths again with someone you'd once dismissed. He remembered the young Envers writhing in agony from his damaged magic organ, and that disdain still tainted his tongue.
No way that scrawny twig ascended to apotheosis. It's got to be a bluff.
"If you're going to brag, at least make it convincing. How could a lowly twig born of base blood ever reach apoth—"
Envers extended his index finger straight.
Clunk.
The valet froze solid, caught mid-insult.
It felt like a razor-sharp blade encircled his throat. Like he'd been dropped into a chamber bristling with jagged thorns on all sides.
The overwhelming sense of peril—that even the slightest twitch would shred his body—pinned the valet in place. His mind frayed, cold sweat cascaded like a waterfall, yet he couldn't dare move.
The sky felt heavy.
Of course it did. How could something base stir without the Emperor's leave?
『Emperor Sword Form: Sword Finger Technique』.
A downgraded application of the Emperor Sword Form, with reduced potency and range.
Tension spiked.
The valet's face flushed purple, on the verge of collapse. He didn't know the method, but one thing was clear: Envers Redburn had grown far stronger.
Then, should they accept this returning bastard son?
Who knew what schemes he harbored? After such brutal rejection, could he truly retain loyalty to the duke? Betrayal loomed as a risk.
Besides, House Redburn now stood on the cusp of a vital endeavor—one the duke had emphasized with warnings against recklessness to every soul in the family.
With no way to verify the sincerity of his oath, they had to exclude any external variables. The servants slowly tightened their encirclement.
Envers lightly rested his hand on his longsword's hilt. If it came to blows, he'd sweep them away with full-power Emperor Sword Form and start fresh.
"......"
"......"
The threads of their patience stretched taut, on the brink of snapping.
A voice rang through the mansion—sharp and aloof, yet laced with aristocratic poise.
"Your timing's off, plebeian. Duke Redburn is away at present. There's no one here to receive your oath of loyalty."
"...Brother Roderus."
Thud. Thud. Thump.
Roderus tossed aside the gatekeeper he'd dragged in by the scruff and issued orders.
"Beaten by an apotheosis expert—no need for harsh punishment. Heal his wounds and lock him in the penalty room for three days."
"...Yes!"
"And... accept him. I authorize it under my authority."
"But, Lord Roderus. The family head said no changes for the time being—"
Slice.
The valet's necktie parted cleanly in two. A materialized mana slash, triggered by a mere glance.
"Must I say it twice?"
"...Forgive me, Lord Roderus."
The valet paled and bowed his head.
Since revealing himself, Roderus had sorted the chaos in an instant and turned to Envers. Envers met his brother's gaze. Faces reunited after long years.
The speech, the innate arrogance—it was all the same as before.
Yet in the depths of Roderus's eyes, Envers glimpsed starlight. Not the eyes of one shackled by the family name.
As Envers had changed, so too had Roderus.
"It'd be a waste to chase out apotheosis-level talent that came crawling back on its own. I'll handle Envers Redburn myself—don't concern yourselves."
"Yes, Lord Roderus!"
"Follow me."
"......"
Roderus dismissed the valet and strode down the corridor without pause. Envers swallowed dryly, then trailed after him, a strange tension coiling in his gut.
All the while agonizing over how to broach their reunion.
What's his angle?
Roderus mulled it over as he walked the corridor. Why had Envers returned to the family? Was it true loyalty to the family head? If so, he needed to be chased out.
There was no reason to pledge loyalty to this wretched house. If Envers hadn't realized that yet, it was time to enlighten him.
Even if it was a ploy for revenge against the family head, same deal. He had to put the brakes on it. Rash moves could expose everything before it even began.
Either way, intervention was necessary. Fortunately, Roderus wielded considerable authority.
After successfully busting Viscount Domefel's drug operation, he'd diligently followed Duke Redburn's orders, gradually rebuilding trust.
Now, he'd carved out a solid position—one where he could issue direct commands to the mansion's servants.
"Ahem..."
Meanwhile, Envers was turning it over in his own mind. Roderus seemed to enjoy the duke's confidence. Hadn't he bent those insolent valets with a single word?
Brother Roderus had always boasted of becoming the duke's right hand—and it looked like he'd achieved it. In that case... if his loyalty pointed to the duke, conflict was inevitable.
There was no reason to pledge loyalty to this wretched house. If Brother Roderus hadn't realized that yet, it was time to enlighten him.
The brothers shared the same dream in that corridor. And both thought simultaneously: I need to probe what he's thinking, indirectly.
But they each resolved to conceal their own intent to overhaul House Redburn.
That sparked a miraculous synergy.
"Envers, why return to the mansion? I thought you were thriving at the academy."
"...Because I achieved apotheosis. With this power, it's only right I serve the family now, isn't it? And you seem to be doing well yourself, brother. Commanding the valets with a nod."
"Valets, knights—they're all useless trash. It's natural I'd rise above them. The duke must recognize it."
"I'm glad. That your loyalty holds firm. I pledge mine to the duke as well."
Silence.
"What are you up to these days? The servants seemed on edge—must be some major family matter brewing."
"Not something that happened, but something coming. A grand design unfolding under the duke's command. Only he grasps the full picture, though..."
"They said he's away. Then... brother, will you tell me what I must do for the duke? May I assume as much?"
"Yes, you'll serve under me. When the duke returns, we'll formalize your position. Apotheosis talent—he'll welcome you gladly."
Silence.
"......"
"......"
Hiding their true feelings made every conversation veer toward the duke.
Frustrating.
The brothers floundered in exasperation like they'd choked down five dry potatoes in a row. Was their sibling truly still loyal to House Redburn? Why?
Aftereffects of childhood indoctrination lingering?
Of course, without their otherworldly windfalls, Envers / Roderus would still be ensnared in those shadows. Viewed that way, it wasn't incomprehensible.
Brother / little brother needed an experience to shatter his worldview root and branch. And lessons on the emotions flowing in a normal family.
And the only one in this mansion who could teach it was himself.
Pretend loyalty to Duke Redburn while granting his brother enlightenment—to recognize the family's flaws and stand against them.
Then use the proven method.
Recall what freed him from the duke's brainwashing, and the path forward would appear. Drawing from their experiences, Envers / Roderus spoke in unison.
"Care for a meal? There's a patisserie up ahead with exquisite cakes..."
"Fancy a spar? I've got a technique with solid foundational theory worth training..."
"......"
"......"
They agreed to both.
After an eternity of shadowboxing with no solid hits, the conversation finally turned productive.
"Brother, what will my duties be?"
"To repeat: we're hunkering down for the grand undertaking now. Only the duke knows the big picture—we just follow orders. Await his command."
"And the downtime...?"
"Yes, free time, but first things first: attire. Ditch that academy uniform. Don something befitting Redburn blood. I'll give you clothes from a few years back."
Roderus led Envers to his room. If memory served, they'd be tucked in the wardrobe's corner.
Creak.
A spartan room greeted them. Envers scanned it swiftly: weapons arrayed, tools neatly sorted, furniture complete.
It reflected Roderus's meticulous nature. Envers recalled the past from the setup—in the bastard's quarters too, Roderus had aligned issued weapons with precision.
But... why the vanity?
"What are you staring at?"
"Nothing."
"Use the room next door. Take the clothes, change, and handle cleaning—summon a servant or do it yourself."
Roderus opened the wardrobe. Women's garments occupied fully half the space.
"......"
Bang.
Roderus slammed it shut in haste. He'd prepared the outfit for outings in his "great oak tree" guise, but with no guests lately, the habit had made him forget.
Envers blinked.
Just before it closed, he'd glimpsed a familiar design. The vermilion-haired woman who'd asked about the bakery on his way here—she'd worn the exact same.
And there, stark on Roderus's nape: a fresh kiss mark. It all pointed to one conclusion. Envers lowered his voice.
"Brother..."
"...It's a misunderstanding."
"I won't judge womanizing, but from what I saw on the way... she seemed to have a partner. Did you know?"
"...???"
Roderus's shocked dismay—taken by Envers as guilt. Every mystery clicked into place.
Brother... had become a monstrous lecher in the intervening years.
Inviting a woman with a partner to his room? The vanity and clothes suggested more than a fling—regular rendezvous, no doubt.
Envers's imagination soared. The orange-haired woman yielding to Roderus's coercion... redheaded lover be damned, no choice...!
NTR is a sin!
"Even if it's women together. Toying with a partnered woman is depraved!"
"What are you... ah."
Realizing the misunderstanding, Roderus went ashen. Busted in his fib.
Confess he always transformed into a woman to meet Kim Lulu VS Become the man crashing a yuri affair by seducing a taken girlfriend.
After fierce deliberation, Roderus squeezed his eyes shut and spoke.
"...None of your business, plebeian. Who I meet, what woman I toy with..."
"Brother, how could you...!!"
"Just take the clothes. Out!"
Roderus shoved Envers out. Until the end, Envers gazed at him with pitying eyes: This isn't right, brother. It stabbed at Roderus's heart.
"Goddamn it...!"
He wanted to lose his mind and jump.
Every direction shredded his dignity like ice cream in the sun. Karma for past sins against Envers?
He'd braced for resentment. Could endure hatred, cries of "Why'd you do it, brother?!" But that "You're an NTR freak" look...!!
Alone in the room, he reeled from the dizzying emotional wound. A day to sorely miss Kim Lulu and Oh Hyein...