Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: The Fiancée
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News that Baron Paern had escaped turned the mansion upside down.
The guards on duty at the time were disciplined and received additional training, and the number and frequency of patrols around the mansion increased.
But as with all such incidents, after a few days, the mansion returned to its usual atmosphere, as if nothing major had ever happened.
In fact, the contributions of Allen and Julius, which had been overshadowed by the incident, belatedly spread throughout the territory, further elevating their reputations.
Julius's notoriety as a scoundrel faded somewhat, while Allen's own name grew in value.
Allen was summoned by his father and headed to his office.
Neither Linbelle nor Inellia was behind him.
They followed him only when absolutely necessary; the rest of their time was spent training as handmaidens.
"Ah! Brother!"
As he walked from his room to the office, someone called out to him from the other end of the hall. There was only one person in the mansion who called Allen ‘Brother.’
Allen greeted him with a wide smile.
"Julius."
"Brother."
Julius approached with a smile, as if he had been looking for him.
A few days prior, he had heard that Allen had protested to their father, fearing that Julius's credit would be diminished because of Baron Paern's escape.
Since hearing the news, he had started to see Allen in a more favorable light.
"Brother, I heard from Reina. You went to Father because you were worried my credit would be diminished..."
At first, he had thought of him as nothing more than a third-rate extra or a competitor. That hadn't changed.
But now, Allen was being so friendly that it was starting to affect his opinion.
"No, it was the right thing to do. You're my only brother, aren't you?"
Allen smiled outwardly as he observed Julius.
*Has anything changed?*
*He's become more adept at handling his prana.*
The prana leaking from his body was now noticeably fainter.
And...
*His presence has changed.*
Before heading to Hivel, he had been somewhat confident he could win, but now he wasn't sure he could surpass him.
*What about his skills? How much has his swordsmanship improved?*
*...A small test should be fine.*
Allen pretended to walk forward, stepping into his personal space.
Julius didn't react. *Is this not enough? Then what?*
He reached out a hand toward him.
As if to pat his shoulder. No prana. That would make his intentions too obvious.
So instead, he imbued his touch with a faint killing intent, something Julius couldn't yet precisely discern.
"By the way, Julius. Are you feeling alright?"
The moment his hand was about to touch Julius's shoulder, Julius flinched. His hand unconsciously dropped to his waist before he quickly twisted his shoulder away.
*Whoosh!*
"Ah..."
As Allen withdrew his hand, feigning embarrassment at the reaction, Julius momentarily stared at him with wary eyes.
Allen carefully observed his actions.
*His feet have already moved. Is his left hand reaching for his sword?*
He had already shifted into a low stance, ready to draw his blade.
"...Julius?"
But when Allen looked at him with a puzzled expression, Julius quickly changed his own and laughed awkwardly.
"It's nothing, Brother. It hasn't been long since my first battle... I suppose I'm a bit on edge."
"Well, that can happen."
As Allen readily dismissed it, Julius, though still suspicious, quickly scanned him over.
But Allen was completely unarmed.
He wasn't using prana, nor had he taken any particular stance.
When Allen started walking ahead normally, Julius wondered if he had imagined it, relaxed slightly, and followed him.
"Lately, you seem busy preparing for something, Julius."
"Yes, I plan to move out as soon as I've rested a bit."
"A dungeon? Or ruins? Perhaps a subjugation?"
"Ruins."
Allen asked him casually, as if making small talk.
"Ancient ruins are not easy to find, and even if you do, they're difficult to explore... Do you have a plan?"
"Of course I... well, not exactly."
Julius forcibly stopped himself from answering the question.
"Oh dear. Does that mean you might come back empty-handed?"
"Haha, no. I found a possible location for the ruins in one of the family's old tomes."
"...In one of the family's old tomes?"
Allen suppressed a laugh.
Where in the family tomes was such a thing written? He had read every single one before his regression for the sake of his magic research.
While some books alluded to ruins metaphorically, there were no clues that could be used to track down their location within the count's domain.
"Yes, so I thought I'd give it a try. Hmm..."
Julius thought for a moment, then posed a question.
"...Brother, would you be interested in coming with me? If the exploration is successful, I'll reward you handsomely."
Julius spoke with a confident, almost magnanimous tone, as if certain of the exploration's success.
*I've recruited Byron from Gabia.*
*So I'll use this opportunity to explore the ruins, seize my fortune, and start spreading my fame in earnest.*
He figured adding one more person wouldn't hurt.
However.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can."
Allen had no intention of following Julius around.
"...Is that so?"
Julius asked for a reason, a look of surprise on his face.
*It would be nice to follow him now.*
*I could get my hands on a few ancient artifacts, and maybe even find some magic tomes related to souls, space, and contracts, which I've made no progress on.*
*And then what?*
"I'm currently at a critical juncture in my magic studies, so I plan to go somewhere quiet in a few days. So, unfortunately, I'll have to postpone it for another time."
That was all it would be.
How could he ever surpass that bastard by picking up the crumbs he dropped?
He had learned a lot from the battle in Hivel.
The future was variable, not fixed. A great deal would change depending on his actions.
Building a friendly relationship with the bastard was certainly important.
But.
"Ah..."
It was more important to build a foundation upon which he could stand on his own.
"...Is that so?"
The bastard seemed like he hadn't expected to be rejected.
*Why? Did you think everyone would just go along with whatever you proposed? That they'd praise you from the sidelines like the servants and soldiers of the mansion?*
*What a joke.*
Allen swallowed a sneer and let his expression fall into one of disappointment.
"If it weren't for the timing, I would have gone with you..."
"Yes, well... I suppose it can't be helped then."
The bastard really seemed to think that he and Allen were on good terms.
*Because we're brothers? Or because I've been acting friendly?*
Allen replied as if he genuinely meant it.
"I'm sorry. I'll be sure to go with you next time."
Allen found his attitude...
"Yes, well. If it's a critical point in your training, it can't be helped. Still, it would have been nice to go together. A shame."
...his attitude of thinking of his brother's body as his own, as if it were perfectly natural...
"I feel the same."
...truly...
"In that case... come see me when your training is finished. I'll even give you an artifact. If you're late, you'll get nothing, you hear?"
...disgusting.
"Haha, that would be wonderful."
So disgusting it made him want to vomit.
Allen faced him with the same flawlessly bright smile.
Just like always.
* * *
"Julius, your fiancée is here."
"What?"
Their father stated this plainly in his office, where Allen and Julius stood side by side.
Julius asked again with a dumbfounded look, but his father's characteristically stern face remained unchanged. Seeing this, Julius repeated his question.
"My fiancée... is here?"
His father nodded.
"Yes. We received word this morning that she would be arriving... she should be here soon. And..."
*Knock, knock—*
His father, who had been rubbing the corner of his eye as if in thought, paused at the sound of knocking.
"...Come in."
When he gave permission, one of the family butlers entered and spoke quickly.
"The carriage from the Noblier family has arrived."
Hearing this, his father rose from his seat and spoke to Julius and him.
"Julius, you come with me. Allen, you... No, you'll find out soon enough. Come along if you wish."
"I'm fine. I wouldn't want to intrude on such a long-awaited reunion."
Though there's no telling how it will end.
He thought of the fiancée who would break off her engagement with his brother a short while later. They had gotten along well before his brother became a scoundrel.
*'It's a pity, but it can't be helped.'*
"Then do as you please."
After saying this, his father left with Julius to greet the fiancée. Allen watched their backs for a moment before turning away.
* * *
"A fiancée..."
Was it because he'd heard talk of a fiancée?
He pulled out a dusty album from the depths of his memory, one from before his regression.
Rachel Granaph.
She was far too good a woman for him.
Right, when was it? It was about half a year after he had locked himself away to research magic that could save his brother.
That day, too, he was holed up in the library.
Gritting his teeth as he opened magic tomes.
Feeling despair over his lack of progress.
Revealing his inferiority complex over his shallow talent compared to his brother's.
Just when his research had yielded no results and he was indulging in pathetic mental victories, someone knocked on the door.
Thinking it was a servant with his meal as usual, he shouted for them to enter, only to see her.
She had come to see him.
"What do you think you're doing in here?"
Her brow was furrowed, her face contorted in anger. Even her ivory hair, which she had always boasted was a beautiful color, was disheveled as she questioned him.
He wasn't in his right mind back then.
All sorts of emotions were tangled up inside him like filth, so much so that he couldn't even understand himself.
"Why are you here?"
Normally, he would have accepted her concern. But something was wrong that day.
"Why am I here? How long are you going to cling to this useless research? Other people are worried..."
"I!"
He couldn't overcome the resentment welling up inside him and unleashed his emotions on her.
He didn't remember exactly what he'd said.
He had just spewed something out. All he had needed to say was a simple 'I'm sorry.'
She listened to him until the end, then turned and left.
After that day, their relationship grew more distant. To be precise, it was more accurate to say that he had locked himself away.
He felt guilty for taking his anger out on her, and he feared she might be right about him obsessing over useless research. He couldn't find the courage to face her.
And so, time passed.
Not much time passed after she left. But he slowly rotted away.
"Stop hiding like this and let's talk!"
"..."
She came back to see him several more times.
"You're in there, I know you can hear me! Come out right now!"
"..."
Once a week.
"Please... just talk to me..."
"..."
Once a month.
"If I can't see you now, I'll never see you again... I mean it. Are you really not coming out?"
"......"
When her visits dwindled to once every few months, she spoke, sobbing for the first time.
"I'm begging you to come out..."
Her sobbing words had turned into a plea.
He couldn't say anything. He tried to go out every time she came. But by then, his world had shrunk to a single small room in the mansion.
"..."
He didn't have the confidence to face her in the wretched state he'd become, trapped in that one room.
He could only utter this one phrase.
"...I'm sorry."