Cursed Legacy
The atmosphere between them remained awkward. “A curse…… item? And you’re saying Count Bifrons Neck knows something about it?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s…… No, wait a moment……”
Elena’s expression grew confused as she tried to process Albert’s words. She had always harbored doubts about her parents’ deaths. But still……
“Not poison, but…… a curse?”
“Yeah.”
“Then…… Mother and Father……”
“They weren’t killed by monsters. They were murdered.”
“……”
Elena’s face was a mask of disbelief. All this time she had believed monsters took them. Now she learned they had been assassinated. The reason their wounds had festered so painfully was the curse. ‘A curse……’
That was also why potions had failed to work. Elena felt her stomach churn. She had only glimpsed a fragment of the truth, yet rage already threatened to overwhelm her. The shock was so intense she could barely organize her thoughts.
“……Then who is the culprit?” the nanny asked, forcing the words out with difficulty.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Then the assassin who used the cursed dagger on them…… who was it?”
The air around the nanny turned lethal. A sharp killing intent radiated from her. The fury in her eyes was brief, yet even Albert felt a faint tremor. It was a quiet, smoldering rage—like a sun blazing within her heart.
[That’s the first time I’ve seen her this angry.]
[And she’s strong……?]
‘The nanny has always been strong. She just doesn’t get angry often……’
People who rarely lose their temper are the most frightening when they do. The nanny was exactly that type. She usually seemed gentle, as though she had never known anger, but once provoked, no one could stop her.
Albert recalled something his father had once said. ‘Never make the nanny angry.’
‘Why? I’ve never seen her angry. Besides, she’s so kind that even if she did get mad, it wouldn’t be scary~’
‘……No, you must never truly anger her, son. You’re still too young to understand…… When the nanny gets angry, it’s far more terrifying than when your mother does……’
The fear in his father’s trembling eyes had made Albert shiver as well. The way his gaze darted about anxiously, as though suffering from PTSD, had left a strange sense of dread.
“Young master?”
“Huh? Ah…… Sorry. I still don’t know who the assassin was.”
“I see……”
She lowered her head, clearly disappointed.
“Then,” Elena said after a moment, lifting her gaze as though her thoughts had settled, “if it’s Count Bifrons Neck, wouldn’t he know the assassin’s identity? In that case, we should go immediately—”
“I already went.”
“Then!”
“He wasn’t there.”
“He wasn’t there?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you mean……”
“When I arrived, he had already left his estate. No one knew where he went.”
Albert had visited the Bifrons Neck household before returning to the territory. His no-nonsense personality showed itself here—he disliked beating around the bush. Just as he preferred slaying the boss over dealing with trash mobs, he would charge straight through any maze. That was why he had stopped by their estate first, only to find the count himself absent. Even after searching the surroundings, he found no trace.
“At the very least, he wasn’t within thirty kilometers of the territory.”
“……I see.”
If Albert said so, then it was true. Given his abilities, if he couldn’t find someone, no one could. They would simply have to wait.
“Still, I left a warning.”
“A warning?”
“I destroyed half the mansion.”
“Y-you destroyed half the mansion!?”
“I went all the way there. It felt wrong to leave without doing anything. When a man draws his sword, he ought to cut something, even if it’s just a radish.”
“……So you destroyed half the mansion with the same mindset as cutting a radish?”
Albert shrugged lightly. It was the kind of impulsive act no ordinary person could even conceive of, let alone carry out. Only Albert could have done it.
“What if he escapes?”
“He has a lot of family.”
“……”
He spoke of taking the family hostage with chilling nonchalance. For his goals, he would use any means necessary.
“Just what happened to you in that other world……”
“You’ll get hurt if you know.”
Her headache only seemed to worsen. It wasn’t so much that knowing would hurt her—it felt as though she would be hurt regardless. Her mind spun.
“Haa…… Anyway, you’ve worked hard, brother. Thank you.”
“It was nothing. And save the thanks until after we catch the mastermind and beat him senseless.”
“……Understood.”
“Ah, and I got something while I was there.”
“What is it?”
Albert pulled several documents from his pocket dimension and handed them to Elena.
“This is…… a mining rights certificate? What is this?”
“What else? One of the two mines that used to belong to Baron Rucri.”
“A-a mine?”
“Yeah. I took it.”
Albert hadn’t been satisfied with just gold and information—he had taken more. Something had felt off. A mere baron with a respectable knight order and enough capital to commission both the mages’ guild and the adventurers’ guild? Upon investigation, he discovered that Baron Rucri had been fortunate enough to own two mines. That explained his unusual wealth.
“H-he just gave this to you? Mines aren’t something people hand over easily……”
“Of course he didn’t give it willingly~. I’m the hero who saved the territory, after all. The one who rescued the knights.”
[The knights were already paid quite handsomely for that.]
[Forty thousand gold each—that’s more than enough.]
‘Shut up.’
“I also saved the territory’s people and the villagers. A hero whose achievements make even the Steel Man look ordinary. When someone like me casually says, ‘That mine looks nice,’ he just hands one over, you know?”
“……”
Elena was certain. Albert might claim he had merely spoken, but to Baron Ventri, it must have sounded like a threat. Under immense pressure, the man would have had no choice but to hand it over. Moreover……
‘Now that he knows brother’s abilities, he naturally wants to form a connection.’
Elena wasn’t accepting the surface explanation—she was looking deeper.
“The mine is a token of friendship.”
Albert grinned.
[She’s grown a lot.]
[She wouldn’t have noticed before.]
As lord and head of the household, Elena had matured enough. In the past she would have judged only by appearances; now she could see beneath the surface.
“Bingo. You’re right. He had no choice but to hand it over, but it’s basically a friendship fee.”
“A friendship fee? What’s that?”
“It’s a thing.”
“Hmm…… Still, we should inspect the mine first.”
They needed to assess its condition—how much ore was buried there, the quality of what could be extracted.
“Then we should request an investigation from the miners’ guild……”
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why ask the miners’ guild?”
“Well, because they can determine the reserves and quality. It’s better to leave it to professionals rather than……”
“No, I mean, why call in outside experts when we already have our own?”
“Our own experts…… Ah.”
Only then did Elena understand what Albert meant. They did have specialists here—specialists whose expertise far surpassed anything humans could offer.
* * *
The mine lay a considerable distance from Legrian Territory. Even by carriage, it would take at least three days to reach. Since it was a mine they had received, its location was beyond their control. Whether near or far, however, it made no difference to Albert.
Why? The reason was simple.
“Taxi, let’s go.”
Because Albert had a taxi.
Albert, Elena, and the rest of the party—including Hort—rode the taxi at a leisurely pace until they arrived at the territory nearest the mine. It couldn’t be helped.
“It’s not like I know the coordinates of every single location!!”
He roughly knew the territories, but not every coordinate. Albert looked disappointed.
“You don’t even know that much?”
“How can you say ‘that much’!!! Teleportation is an incredibly delicate spell! A single coordinate error could bury someone in the ground or send them to another dimension! It’s high-level magic, and you don’t even appreciate my efforts—”
“Whatever. Just study the map and update your knowledge.”
“This is…… a map? Why this?”
“Not knowing something isn’t a sin. But refusing to learn even after realizing you don’t know—that is a sin.”
“……”
In short, he was telling him to read books and memorize coordinates. Albert was trying to improve the taxi’s performance.
“Haa……”
“Alright~ From here we’ll ride horses. It’s a bit far to walk.”
“Hah, running would be faster.”
“True, but Elena’s here.”
Running would indeed be much faster. But Elena was with them. He could abandon the others without a second thought, but not her. Hort’s face twisted.
“You damn bastard! You’d just ditch us and run!”
“Obviously.”
“Don’t agree so readily! It pisses me off!”
Hort snapped in irritation. The favoritism was absolute. He knew the man was a siscon, but most people would at least try to hide it. Not him.
‘Most people would hide it, but from his perspective, there’s no need to hide anything.’
Because he was that strong. With power like his, there was no reason to conceal or hold back. It was the composure of the strong—the honest confidence that came from knowing he could tear apart anyone who dared challenge him.
‘Even the Dragon Lord might get his mouth torn open if he picked a fight with this guy.’
“Enough!”
Hort offered a solution. “Just carry Elena on your back! Run while carrying her!”
“Oho, that’s not a bad idea. What do you think?”
“Ah…… Uhh…… At my age…… being carried on someone’s back?”
The thought of being carried by Albert made her cheeks flush. At her age, being piggybacked by her brother was simply too embarrassing. As Elena hesitated, face red, Albert came up with a better idea.
Levitation
“Eeeeh!? M-my body is floating!!”
“It’s my ability. I used my power to make you float. Carrying you would be awkward, so I’ll just drag you along like this.”
“Ah…… How fascinating. Flying through the sky like this…… It feels strange, doesn’t it?”
“Then it’s fine?”
“Yes, I think it’ll be okay.”
“It might get a little fast, though. You sure you’re fine with that?”
“Of course! I love riding horses. Speed isn’t a problem.”
Albert smiled at her answer.
“Then here we go.”
With those words, Albert’s figure shot forward at tremendous speed, pulling Elena along with him. Elena had no idea at the time.
“Wow~ It’s so fast! Faster than a horse……. Wow…… It really is fast…… Eek…… The scenery is blurring past…… Gasp! B-brother! Too fast! Kyaaaaaaaah!!”
When Albert ran in earnest, he exceeded the speed of sound. This was no leisurely pace one could enjoy.
After the two of them departed……
“……”
“……”
Hort and Gaster, left behind in the territory, stared blankly at the scene. Hort ground his teeth.
“That damn human bastard!! If you’re going, take us with you!! You ditched us again! Again!!”
One dwarf and one dragon had been abandoned. The two remaining glanced at each other, then quickly looked away the moment their eyes met. Dwarf and dragon.
“W-well then…… L-let’s go?”
“Shall we……?”
Their relationship was still awkward. In the suffocating silence, Hort thought of Albert, who had gone ahead.
‘Damn bastard…… At least he should’ve taken this guy with him……’
“Let’s hurry.”
“Right.”
And when Albert finally arrived at the mine……
“Damn it! Monsters are coming out of the mine!!”
“There are children and people trapped inside!”
“What do we do……”
The mine had become a scene of chaos. Albert stared in bewilderment.
“What the hell is going on?”