Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: I Will Do It
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Allen studied his father’s expression, but the man showed no change.
“Yes. It seems she thought that since Julius was so disgracefully bowing to his inferiors, she could also get her share. Surely, someone must have put her up to it.”
Allen raised the corner of his mouth as if in disbelief, but the meaning behind his words was clear.
[Aren't you the one who ordered this?]
However, his father answered without a hint of agitation, as if he had no idea.
“Dear me. It seems discipline has grown lax while I wasn’t paying attention. I shall look into it myself.”
[I know nothing. But I will make a show of looking into it.]
“There is no need. I’ve already sent her to Mother, so she will handle it well.”
[Before you could act, I already sent her to Mother.]
“Yes. Eliza, as the lady of the house, will handle it wisely.”
[Is that so? It does not matter.]
“Father, do you think there might be some unsavory group that would incite a maid to do such a thing?”
[Perhaps those suspicious figures by your side were involved?]
“Well, I imagine it was a personal transgression. If there were such an unsavory group, a report would have already reached me.”
[There are no such riffraff. It was all her own doing.]
As Allen and his father sounded each other out, conversing with outward pleasantries, a servant entered, pushing a cart, indicating the tea was ready.
*Click.*
“Don’t you think the aroma is quite pleasant? I acquired this from a merchant company. It’s black tea dried from leaves grown by the elves themselves.”
As his father changed the subject, Allen, unable to press further, naturally went along with his conversation.
“Yes, it’s on a different level from any I’ve had before.”
Savoring a sip of the tea, its rich fragrance filling his nostrils, he was struck by a question that hadn't occurred to him before his regression. The kind of question he never would have noticed otherwise.
‘Was the family wealthy enough to afford this level of luxury?’
He had never questioned the fact that they maintained a knight order.
Power was necessary to protect the domain and oneself. It was only natural to spend funds on training soldiers and knights.
But tea?
When even their meals were simple, did they have enough money to purchase high-end tea separately?
‘…There’s no way.’
Come to think of it, though rumors of the family’s decline and lack of funds had circulated many times, the servants’ wages were never delayed, nor did the number of staff in the mansion ever decrease.
They were only rumors.
Had he ever felt a lack of anything while living in the family estate?
‘Never.’
Allen realized something else was at play here.
*I’ll need to investigate this later.*
He opened the eyes he had closed while pretending to savor the tea and straightened his posture.
“So…”
Then, he asked him directly.
“Hm?”
“What is the task you have for us?”
“It’s a rare teatime. Why not enjoy the tea a little longer?”
“I’m afraid I’m too worried about the work ahead to enjoy the taste of the tea.”
“Then I suppose it can’t be helped.”
*Click.*
Setting down his teacup, he turned his gaze to Julius, who was still lost in his own thoughts.
“Julius.”
“…”
“Julius?”
As Allen nudged him, Julius looked up with a start.
“Yes, yes!”
“Tsk, to think I’m the only one who knows how to properly enjoy tea.”
He reacted to Julius’s attitude with a sense of pity.
Julius could only offer an awkward smile. He had been lost in thought and had ignored his father in the middle of a conversation. He had nothing to say for himself.
“The task I have for you is nothing special.”
As if he was now going to speak plainly, he sat up straight, his posture different from before.
His expression hardened, a chill seeping into his gaze, and his voice carried the authority of the Head of the Family.
“First, Julius. I’ve heard that you’ve changed.”
His father’s eyes flashed as he stared at him. Faced with that heavy, pressuring gaze, the boy met it without flinching.
“For the scoundrel you were to finally come to your senses, now of all times…”
Wasn't this change too clumsy and drastic to be attributed to a simple blow to the head? However, Gaiel did not let on.
He simply showed the face of the family head.
“Yes, it is only natural for one of the Reinhardt bloodline.”
His father smiled.
What was so amusing?
Allen couldn’t understand why he was smiling. Then, Gaiel’s smiling expression changed in an instant.
“Therefore, I shall give you a test.”
A test… a test.
Allen’s eyes narrowed.
He had always been puzzled by the ambiguous something that lay behind these tests.
Why did his father…
“A few days ago, we received a request for aid from Hivel, a city in the northern part of the county. They say an unseen monster has appeared nearby and is abducting the residents.”
…always seem to know of the dangers that would befall the county in advance and send him there?
“The situation is said to be quite chaotic, so take the soldiers, go there, and resolve the incident. And from Baron Vellon, who governs the area, renew the oath of fealty, which is nearing its expiration.”
What seemed like a small test turns into an incident that could have been a major threat.
And Julius, known for being a scoundrel, resolves such incidents as if it were nothing.
The next incident, and the one after that.
Just like the protagonist of a novel.
“One hundred soldiers. I will not provide any knights. You must prove yourself. It could be an arduous task, or it could be a great opportunity. What do you say?”
A path where he coolly resolves small incidents and gradually steps into larger ones.
“Will you give it a try, Julius?”
How was that possible? They couldn't have been exchanging information separately.
That was Allen’s question.
But he couldn’t figure it out, not before his regression, and not now. All he knew was that, like his own strange ability, the boy was ridiculously lucky.
So this time…
“I…”
The moment Julius, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“I will give it a…”
“I will do it.”
Allen cut him off, speaking first.
“…try, huh?”
“What?”
Julius whipped his head around, his voice laced with confusion.
Gaiel’s expression instantly turned grave, and he stared at him with deep eyes.
“…Brother, what is the meaning of…”
Allen saw the myriad emotions flicker across the boy’s face. Confusion, anger, disappointment, and doubt, among many others.
If his reason for acting was merely a petty attempt to prevent the boy from gaining merit, those feelings would surely snowball.
Just like before.
“Allen, you must have a clear reason for saying that?”
His father’s question was calm but carried weight.
Allen recalled his past life.
The reckless actions he had taken to stop the boy from achieving success.
‘In the end, I managed to get permission to follow him only by being stubborn.’
If he couldn’t stop him from gaining merit, he would interfere and minimize it as much as possible.
“If you said that for some paltry reason…”
And yet, he failed.
Left with nothing but a mountain of regrets. Julius had easily overcome Allen’s interference and made a name for himself.
After going to such lengths, what had he gained in the end?
Had he changed Julius back? Had he helped the county? Or had he himself become stronger?
‘No.’
Nothing.
On the contrary, countless unrelated people had been harmed. Wasn’t it shameful? As a noble, he had ultimately forsaken his duty.
But, now…
“You will have to take responsibility for those words.”
‘It will be different.’ He had no intention of dragging unrelated people into his quest to save his brother.
“Yes, first of all…”
Allen nodded, his face showing it was a matter of course.
He could see Julius was focused. Before, the very next words had thrown everything off course, but…
“This is a deeply unfair arrangement.”
Not this time.
“…Unfair?”
“Yes. It has only been a month since Julius injured his head. He has forgotten some points of etiquette and still doesn’t know how to ride a horse.”
With the face of a brother looking out for his sibling, as if he truly believed this was wrong.
“…Brother, that’s.”
“Enough.”
Julius tried to interject, but his father stopped him and waited for Allen to finish.
“Of course, it’s a good thing that Julius, who was poorly behaved, has been prompted to change. However…”
He filled his face and voice with concern.
“Sending Julius to a battlefield for that reason is not right.”
“…A battlefield?”
Julius unconsciously repeated his words. Allen nodded as if in agreement.
“Yes, a battlefield. I received this information from a source I know. A few unseen monsters? That’s not it. I heard that a horde of dozens of monsters has laid waste to the area around Hivel.”
Even at his words, his father’s expression remained unchanged.
“How could you send Julius, who has not yet fully recovered, to such a place under the pretext of a test?”
“…Is that so?”
His father uttered just that one short phrase.
Julius, who hadn't expected him to go this far, looked at Allen with a favorable gaze.
The negative feelings that had surfaced within him moments ago had vanished as if washed away.
Gaiel, as if contemplating something, calmly and readily acknowledged his point.
“…It seems there was an error in the reported information. Very well, let’s say you are right. In that case, Allen, are you confident you can resolve this?”
Allen, who had expected to be questioned about the source of his information, grew suspicious at his father’s reaction, but there was no need to dwell on it now.
“Yes.”
Allen answered without a moment’s hesitation.
Having returned to the past, he would surely fulfill the duties he had failed to protect before.
“Yes. I need no other support. Just the 100 men you first mentioned, and one mage to renew the oath of fealty. If you provide that, I will resolve the incident without fail and bring honor to the family’s name.”
Both his responsibility as a noble and the vow he made as a brother.
“Alright, if that is your reason… I permit it. However,”
His father thought for a moment before answering.
“…The family’s personal mage, Prindal, will accompany you for the renewal of the oath. You are not to forget your manners toward Master Prindal.”
“Understood.”
After a slow nod, his father turned his head toward Julius.
“Julius, you will go to Gavia in the west.”
“…Pardon?”
“It was originally a task for Allen. From the northwest, residents have been dying for unknown reasons. In one village, more than five have already died.”
‘The west… the west.’ What happened there?
He couldn't recall it well.
At this time, Allen had been too preoccupied with interfering in Julius’s affairs.
‘…I’ll have to look through the black book again.’
He couldn’t read records of the future, but there might be a clue related to it in the past records.
“I understand.”
Julius, who had answered his father, stared blankly into the air as if something was there.
“Your forces will be the same as Julius’s, 100 men. As for a mage… I can’t promise, but I will look into it.”
His father, seemingly deep in thought, spoke briefly and then dismissed the two of them.
“Now, both of you, go and prepare. Your departure is in three days. Your paths are the same for the first part of the journey, so you will leave together.”
“Understood.”
“Julius, what about you?”
“I will do the same.”
A reply that came a beat too late.
‘So that’s where the [System] is…’
*As I thought, I can’t see a thing.*
His father rose from his seat to attend to his remaining work. Allen and Julius also rose immediately to prepare for their departure in three days.
Just as they were about to part ways, Julius spoke up.
“Brother, thank you so much. I would have been in for a hard time without knowing anything.”
“It’s what brothers should do for each other.”
If they were real brothers.
“Brothers… Yes, that’s right. Brother. We are brothers.”
Muttering the word ‘brothers’ a few times, he gave Allen a bright smile. Allen returned the smile and walked out of the office a step ahead.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes, I’ll see you in three days, Brother.”
He heard the boy’s voice from behind him.
“Right.”
A bright voice and a cheerful expression. Allen’s tone in response was equally bright, but.
His eyes.
They were chillingly cold.