Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Epilogue: Oh Daesoo and Envers -3
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I need to find a way out.
"Brother..."
"No..."
I have to find a way out and escape this place.
"Brother... why NTR...?"
"Damn it, that's not what I mean...!!"
But both paths were dead ends. Completely trapped!
The Demon King Lucifer Jekniel whispered. Say it, just say it... Admit you're a bitch now, and no one gets hurt...
"I'm the one getting hurt, so shut up!"
Then, The Being of Infinite Void, Yunaris whispered in starlight. So, how far have you gone with Lulu...?
"Mind your own business!"
As Roderus writhed under the whispers of the evil organization's malice, someone tapped his shoulder. He turned, wondering who it was, and there stood Oh Hyein. Could it be? Had she come to save him?
His senior magical girl and best friend, Oh Hyein—she would have the answer. Oh Hyein spoke in a voice that seemed to fade into the distance.
It's easier to take the beating first...
"Oh Hyein, you too...!!"
...
He bolted upright.
"—Hah, huff."
Roderus woke gasping from the uncomfortable nightmare. It had been a dogshit dream in every way.
Propping himself up from the bed, Roderus pressed his hand to his forehead and groaned. Seeing Oh Hyein's face even in a dream was nice, but everything else was the worst.
It had been a week since Envers returned to the Redburn household. He'd proven his skills in several spars, and now none of the servants looked down on him.
The brothers were awkward with each other but trying to win one another over. In the irony of already being on the same team yet trying to recruit each other, Roderus had long sensed something off.
Because Envers's silver tongue wasn't all that sharp.
"Oh, that mustache on the duke's portrait looks especially dashing today. Haha. Don't you think so?"
"......"
"And it suddenly hits me how vast the world is. A world even bigger than our family, stretching out beyond that door... It's strangely wondrous..."
Adding flattery about the duke didn't cover everything.
It felt less like true loyalty to Duke Redburn and more like loudly advertising "Look how loyal I am!" to everyone around.
He didn't know Envers's exact goal yet, but it seemed right that he opposed the Redburn family. That made him an ally.
So Roderus had subtly signaled his intentions.
"Parisian bellflowers only reveal their true colors when victory is assured. Until then, they mimic harmless flowers and play the part."
"You must like plants, huh...?"
"......"
Envers hadn't caught on, so it fell flat.
He needed to make a move. Convey his stance to Envers secretly. But communicating inside the Redburn mansion was too risky. This wasn't a safe zone.
The servants wandering the estate were all ears for Duke Redburn. One slip, and if it reached the duke's ears...
Roderus was wary of what lay beyond that.
What exactly was Duke Redburn Maximuss's Fable?
Human hearts are profound and ever-changing, and the abilities born from Fables have no limits. Hadn't Roderus himself gained the outrageous power of "Magical Girl Transformation"?
If the duke had a Fable that remotely monitored the entire mansion, he'd be caught red-handed. He had no choice but to be cautious.
Of course, obsessing over every detail would never end. Assuming the duke had a Fable like "Kill anyone who lifts a spoon with their left hand," he couldn't avoid that action forever.
But there was a clue to narrow down the duke's Fable.
The illegitimate sons' residence—and Roderus himself.
"...Inefficient."
Repeatedly instilling hatred for mages, teaching assassination techniques, and brainwashing them about the family... Did that guarantee a high-performance Fable targeted solely at mages?
No. First off, it was uncertain if any illegitimate son would even reach the Fable realm.
If producing Fable soldiers was as simple as fathering twenty kids, every noble would be churning out bastards.
The odds were far too slim to rely on luck.
Yet Duke Redburn pushed forward and succeeded, as if he knew it would work.
From this vague fact, Roderus speculated—if not borrowing some external power, the duke's Fable might be of the "divination" type. That's what he thought.
A power of knowing something.
So he moved as secretly as possible. Created cover identities for outside activities, used clones for alibis. Even dates were only in female form.
He had three identities: Roderus, Oh Daesoo, and "Blue Rose" Pure Knight.
His efforts must have worked—Roderus had regained Duke Redburn's trust.
"...Wait a minute, then."
If Pure Knight's form was safe, then... Pure Knight could meet Envers. Pass info to his brother in female form and form an alliance.
Thinking about it, it was far safer than allying as Roderus himself. It could even serve as insurance. So.
"......"
He had to do it.
Hadn't he sworn to uproot the Redburn family and set it right?
No matter how much his resolve crumbled, no matter how his limbs shook at the thought of meeting Envers as Pure Knight—he had to...!!
Roderus mustered his courage.
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Lately, a figure called the "Blue Rose" had been prowling Crown Hall, said to be purging criminals beyond the law's reach.
She punished commoners and nobles alike, so nobles with skeletons in their closets were desperate to eliminate her.
But her evasion skills reached the heavens—even with the capital knight commander on her trail, she slipped away every time. Some even whispered she was ascending to godhood.
And suspiciously, she targeted the Redburn duke's secret facilities, smashing them one by one.
Did she have an inside source?
The duke's think tank judged her deeply tied to Redburn by grudge, scoured women among those with vendettas, but found nothing.
She was like she'd dropped from the sky.
They were at a loss, just taking hits, when the runaway bastard son returned. And he'd even reached the Fable realm.
"Perfect... We've pinpointed a building suspected as the "Blue Rose"'s hideout. Envers, go handle it."
"An evildoer harming our house—I'll deal with her personally. Got it, brother! This Envers will cleanly eliminate the "Blue Rose"... Why the long face?"
"...Don't mind it. Just tired."
"Not from nighttime frolics, I hope? Brother, like I said before, touching a woman with a partner is inviting heaven's wrath..."
"Out!!"
Envers set out to deal with the Blue Rose.
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Envers knocked on the tightly shut door of the hideout, then said politely,
""Blue Rose", I'm not your enemy. I want to bring down Duke Redburn too."
"...And how do you plan to prove that?"
"I've brought the internal layout of Redburn mansion. One meeting won't build trust. So, I can provide inside info regularly."
A brief exchange passed through the closed door. Up to here, it matched Roderus's calculations.
As expected, Envers aimed to topple Redburn too. An alliance would form naturally, and everything would smooth out.
Magical Girl Pure Knight opened the hideout door.
Envers blinked at the dazzling girl with flowing blue hair, momentarily stunned, then blurted,
"...Aren't you the girl from the dessert shop?"
"...?!"
What? How did he know?
Pure Knight checked her outfit, wondering if the transformation had broken. Hair was properly blue, sparkling dress like stars bursting around it—check.
And the kiss mark had faded long ago...!!
"...How did you figure it out?"
"Ah, your build and movements match perfectly. The way you move your arms stands out. You have a habit of swinging your elbows outward..."
How was this sharp guy clueless about the parisian bellflower talk!
"Ah. So, your hits on Redburn's secret sites... Did you pry info from Brother Roderus...?"
"......"
Is that how it looked...?
Envers's expression shifted subtly. He thought his brother was a lecher dragging partnered women to his room, but actually, he'd fallen for a honey trap and was spilling family secrets bit by bit.
Back then, he was a bit hot-tempered but reliable and steadfast... How did it come to this...?
Pure Knight squeezed her eyes shut as her reputation and brother's dignity crumbled in real time. It felt like watching a train hurtle toward a cliff.
But no choice. It was fine. Honor, honor was... worthless. For the vow to right the family, she could endure. Roderus steeled himself.
Pure Knight took a deep breath and continued.
"Shall we introduce ourselves? I'm Pure Knight. Blue Rose works too."
"Call me... Nangong Cheonghwi."
"...??"
Envers puffed his chest proudly and introduced himself with utmost confidence.
"Disciple of the great Nangong Clan, Nangong Cheonghwi. My martial art is the Sovereign Sword Form. For reference, Nangong is the surname, Cheonghwi the given name."
What the hell is he saying?
Pure Knight's expression turned odd. She thought her brother had diligently reached the Fable realm at the academy, but he'd picked up some weird crap too.
Come to think of it, his speech had gotten strange. A kid not even fully grown trying to sound mature felt awkward. Chuunibyou?
Back then, he was nosy and friendly... Puberty was unbeatable, huh...?
Envers felt embarrassed under Pure Knight's odd gaze. Did speaking in Central Plains dialect look weird to others...?
No, even if it did, so what? This speech connected him to his murim bonds, the thread of fate. No need for shame. Be bold. Envers steeled himself.
A warm, unintentionally roasting time passed between them.
"I trust you. We can work together."
"Good."
Pure Knight explained the plan to Envers. She/He had pinpointed Duke Redburn's hidden location and was prepping an assault to read his intentions.
Imperial Defense Bureau agents connected via Yuri Lancester.
Capital Knights drawn in via Kim Lulu.
Roderus and Envers for inside info.
Combine forces to hit key points, seize hidden data, uncover the duke's scheme—that was the core goal.
"His movements are shadowy, but logistics flow clearly. Fr-om... Brother Roderus... huff, intel extracted shows bulk magic reagent purchases and shipments."
"Magic reagents..."
"They're dumping the family fortune into it like mad. As if completing this means no need to worry about what follows. Bureau agents are tracking the flow."
The agent's endpoint. Where reagents converged.
"We'll strike all at once. Until then, prep the op. Gather allies, build strength, whittle Redburn's forces as much as possible."
"Understood, but... Could you stop meeting Brother Roderus? I'll handle intel extraction. And recruiting him too."
"...Sure."
Roderus promised to stop seducing Roderus for info.