Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Rich Get Richer - 4
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Time flew by in the blink of an eye after I received the invitation, and before I knew it, I was climbing aboard the carriage.
It was to attend the social gathering of western nobles hosted at the Grimjack Young Master's estate.
My only companions were the coachman and my personal guard, Maribel.
Luke had insisted on bringing more knights as escorts, but I turned him down.
They would just be a nuisance, and there was always the chance they could be cult spies.
I entrusted Coco to Luke, instructing him to treat her with the utmost care.
I even warned him that if I returned to find any evidence of her being mistreated, blood would rain down on the household.
"Well then, I'm off."
"Please take care of yourself!"
"Have a safe trip!"
With Luke and Coco seeing me off, the carriage smoothly rolled out onto the road.
I gazed gratefully at the peaceful imperial scenery unfolding outside the window, then let out a deep sigh.
"Are you sighing because you hate going to the social gathering that much?"
"I haven't even recovered from the fatigue of the last trip to the capital, and now I've got this schedule dumped on me."
"Then maybe you shouldn't push yourself and should just go back and rest..."
"Unfortunately, it's an order from the family head, so I have to attend no matter what. No exceptions."
I gave Maribel a wry smile in response to her concerned gaze.
It was the inescapable yoke of being born a noble.
Besides, I was in no position to ignore the family head's command.
My reputation was already in the gutter from years of building up my wastrel image.
If I rubbed them the wrong way even more here, my future would be in jeopardy.
In the worst case, they'd drag me to a formal disownment trial to strip me of my heir status.
I needed to start showing a changed demeanor from now on.
Without the Altesia name backing me up, Heinz was nothing more than prime prey for starving on the streets.
"Master Heinz, a carriage and armed knights are approaching from nearby."
"They've been waiting outside the territory the whole time, huh? They've got way too much time on their hands."
I knew exactly who was in the carriage approaching us without even needing to stop and check.
The snake emblem plastered boldly on the carriage was famously used by only one house in the world.
Marquis Donovan Adenberg. He'd come out to "greet" me, whether I wanted it or not.
"Young Master, shall we stop the carriage?"
"Ignore them and keep going. Speed up if you can—make them sweat for it."
"Understood!"
I completely ignored the Adenbergs and ordered the coachman to keep driving.
Despite their desperate attempts to close the gap, Adenberg's carriage couldn't keep up with the Altesia one, pulled by the empire's finest steeds.
The pathetic chase, which only highlighted the gap between them, finally ended when we stopped for lunch.
Marquis Donovan Adenberg stepped out of his carriage, huffing and puffing as he approached me.
"Does the Altesia house have no concept of manners? To ignore someone extending a personal greeting like this!"
"Oh dear, my apologies. I had no idea you were following us. If I'd known, I would've stopped ages ago."
"Are your eyes just for show?"
"The carriage is so comfortable, like my own bedroom, so I was catching a quick nap. By the way, Marquis, you look pretty upset. Maybe you should switch to a better carriage? They say a bad ride sours the mood."
Donovan's brow furrowed even deeper.
With me—an eyesore at the best of times—firing back like a sly fox, his blood pressure had no choice but to spike.
The old, incompetent Heinz might have cowered, but not the current me.
I inwardly sneered at the image of him yelling at his coachman throughout the chase, a total unsightly mess.
Having lost utterly in the carriage performance category, it was time for him to try something else.
As he heard the footsteps of his lined-up knights behind him, Donovan finally relaxed his stiff facial muscles.
He spat out his mockery with an arrogant expression.
"A true noble doesn't succumb to money. Pretty looks alone make you nothing but prey for bandits. A real noble possesses an aura that keeps even thieves at bay."
Donovan glanced at Maribel standing behind me and began to sneer.
"Yet Altesia wanders the world oblivious to its dangers, bringing a mere girl as an escort instead of proper guards."
In blunt terms, it was something like, "What a wastrel—dragging a girl along for protection?"
On the surface, it sounded like a perfectly reasonable jab.
But Maribel behind me was more than capable of massacring a band of thieves single-handedly.
She was the epitome of quality over quantity.
Donovan couldn't even glimpse her true strength, so I lost all interest in conversing with him.
After all, conversations require a baseline level of compatibility.
"She's my escort."
"Using a non-knight, lowly wench as an escort? How absurd!"
Donovan guffawed as if it was ridiculous, and I replied indifferently.
"Even roses have thorns."
"I'll grant you she has rose-like beauty. But I don't see any thorns hidden there. Nothing looks more pathetic than forcing out excuses to rebuttal."
"That's a shame if you see it that way."
I responded nonchalantly to Donovan's sneering jabs about my escort.
There was no impact, not even a chuckle. I knew better than anyone how strong and capable Maribel was.
No need to parade her strengths out front, either.
It would just be tossing more bait to Donovan, whose sleazy gaze had been lingering on her chest since earlier.
The very idea of this impotent geezer's attention touching one of my people was repulsive.
"A seasoned man is far more appealing than some green boy with a narrow worldview. If you're interested, come visit my chambers anytime. I'll give you a night of ecstasy beyond your wildest dreams."
Well, now.
His creepy line, repulsive beyond mere disgust, buzzed in my ears.
I'd planned to ignore him entirely, but this time I couldn't let it slide.
Since the old fart was getting vulgar, I'd counter with wastrel-level crassness.
"Do you have that much backed up that you're hitting on my escort? Sounds like your nights aren't satisfying. Fallen into a rut with your wives, perhaps?"
"...Mind your own business."
"Why don't you invite me to your estate sometime? Your wives could use some young blood and vigor now and then, right?"
I mocked him with a thrusting motion at the air, and Donovan's face flushed beet red in an instant.
"Y-You...!"
Just as Donovan opened his mouth to bellow, he suddenly flinched, trembling as if he'd seen a ghost, and took a step back.
A chilling aura emanated from behind me.
It was Maribel's killing intent.
"Ahem! We should get going before it gets any later."
Unable to withstand Maribel's oppressive pressure, Donovan hastily retreated.
I snorted derisively at his cowardly fleeing figure and gave Maribel a thumbs-up for a job well done.
But even with the jerk gone, Maribel's bloodlust showed no signs of fading.
"...Maribel?"
"Master Heinz, please refrain from such insincere remarks as much as possible."
"Hm?"
Not understanding, I asked back, and Maribel fixed me with a cold stare.
"I mean, you didn't need to go out of your way to defend me with such embarrassing actions. And to lust after another man's woman, no less? If you keep it up, as your aide, I'll have no choice but to..."
Maribel's gaze slowly drifted downward.
"...seriously manage your lower half for you."
"...Sorry."
Cold sweat trickled down my back, and an apology reflexively spilled from my lips.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The journey to the Grimjack Duke's estate.
As the Adenberg and Altesia carriages ran side by side, darkness gradually blanketed the surroundings, ushering in night.
The two houses bustled about, stopping their carriages to prepare camp.
In stark contrast to the flurry outside, Donovan stewed in cold rage inside the tent his knights had set up.
"Damn it!"
His plan had gone completely awry.
He'd brought dozens of knights to crush the Altesias' spirit, but that wastrel hadn't batted an eye.
If anything, he'd only ended up leering at the escort and making a fool of himself.
And to top it off, he'd been humiliated by the wastrel himself—his guts twisted in fury.
He desperately wanted to land a solid blow on Heinz, but no ideas came to mind, driving him mad.
Just as uncontrollable anger made him want to hurl something, his trusted knight Gerrick entered, lifting the tent flap.
"Marquis, good news. One of the knights caught a deer by the nearby lake."
"A deer? You came to me for something as trivial as bagging one measly animal?"
"It's no ordinary deer. It's a Deer Gra."
"Deer Gra...!"
Donovan's eyes lit up.
Deer Gra—a legendary spirit beast whose meat, antlers, and even blood were renowned as potent aphrodisiacs.
A rare prize any man would covet, and Donovan had spared no expense hunting one down.
He thought they'd gone extinct due to reckless overhunting, hiding in the demon realms.
Apparently, a survivor had wandered into the nearby woods.
His foul mood from moments ago vanished at this windfall, his lips curling to his ears.
"Excellent work! Worth bringing all these knights!"
"However, you'll need to confirm if it's truly a Deer Gra yourself, Marquis."
"True, no one else would recognize it but me."
Donovan strutted out of the tent, brimming with confidence.
His elation sparked an idea for pranking Heinz, popping into his head like the deer itself.
The refreshing relief washed away his pent-up frustration, and he cackled.
'Tie up that wastrel and ravish his escort right in front of him. How did I not think of something so simple?'
Even a cocky wastrel would lose it at that sight.
Donovan grinned sleazily at his "brilliant" scheme.
With Deer Gra boosting his vigor, he'd make Heinz listen to his escort's moans all night. He quickened his pace.
"Let's hurry."
"Yes, I'll escort you to the lakeside."
Donovan's greedy laughter cut through the night air behind Gerrick's leading back.
Thus, bloated with anticipation, he arrived at the lakeside.
But contrary to his subordinate's report, there was no Deer Gra—nor even an ordinary deer.
"What is the meaning of this?! Where's the deer...!"
As Donovan whirled to interrogate, horror filled his eyes.
The detestable Heinz Altesia was strolling leisurely toward him.
And trailing him like a shadow was his own confidant, Gerrick.
"Gerrick! You're an Adenberg knight—why are you guarding that wastrel?!"
Heinz smirked bitterly at Donovan's scream-like question.
"Sir Gerrick is an Altesia knight. Naturally, he stands behind me."
"Ha! What nonsense from a loose-lipped fool! Gerrick is my knight! He swore eternal loyalty to me!"
"That's what he says. What do you think?"
"Just a pig's squealing. Best to plug your ears, Young Master."
"Gerrick!"
Donovan roared, veins bulging in his neck, but Gerrick didn't flinch.
He responded to every outburst with unwavering silence.
It clearly showed they were no longer lord and knight.
"You ungrateful wretch! After all the money I've poured into you, you repay kindness with betrayal?! Get over here!"
"Calm down. Shouldn't we hear Gerrick's side first?"
At Heinz's casual nod, Gerrick's sealed lips parted.
His unwavering loyalty—reacting only to Heinz's cue—made Donovan's insides burn with rage.
He wanted to snap the traitor's neck right then, but Heinz's presence held him back.
"...As the Marquis says, it's true he spared no support for me. But in exchange, I lived a life worse than a dog's. Mornings managing the knights, afternoons on secret missions, nights on patrol. That schedule repeated endlessly."
"Wow, that's a brutal timetable. Sleep?"
"Less than three hours a day, often skipping entirely."
"Betraying over that little? Are you even an Adenberg sword?!"
"Ignore him and continue."
"The Marquis's brutal pressure to become a Sword Master through overwork broke my body down. And the result..."
Gerrick bowed his head, confessing his most humiliating secret.
"I suffered severe erectile dysfunction."
As fellow men, the agony of ruined sexual function needed no words.
Realizing he was the cause, Donovan grew speechless. But he couldn't admit it meekly.
Handing over a knight he'd groomed to Altesia was worse than death.
Worse, rumors of abusing knights into impotence would ruin his reputation.
"Gerrick! I'm your lord and father-in-law! Out of affection, I married you to my beautiful daughter!"
Donovan appealed emotionally, clinging to family ties as his last bastion.
But Gerrick's response was colder than ever.
"If you're talking about that slut rolling in bed with ten men, take her back."
"What...!"
"Heard she was cheating, but ten guys? That's wild."
"I had no idea. I figured with our busy schedules, she'd have a lover or two, but an orgy...?"
Even Heinz reacted more violently than Donovan.
If a wastrel like him was recoiling in shock, it spoke volumes of the Adenberg lady's debauchery.
With his final bastion crumbling, Donovan paled.
As the one who'd ruined Gerrick's life, he had no leverage left to win him back.
Yet his mouth kept spewing desperate ugliness.
"I-I won't admit fault! But bowing to that wastrel? He's no better than me—no, worse scum! Crawling under him sane?!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Shing!
Gerrick, who had been droning reports moments ago, roared like thunder and charged with drawn sword.
The gleaming blade tip thrust to his nose; crushed by the momentum, Donovan toppled backward pathetically.
"You think Young Master Heinz is like a pig like you?!"
"Wh-What...!"
"He performed the miracle of restoring my broken sword! Look closely!"
Gerrick stepped into the moonlight's clear glow.
There, he boldly displayed his regained confidence.
Between his legs stood another sword, even stiffer than the one in his hand.
Despite no arousal whatsoever, Gerrick's "sword" strained against his pants, asserting its presence.
"This is the sword Young Master Heinz himself raised for me!"
"Fuck, that's so misleading—watch your words."
Heinz clutched his forehead, cursing instinctively, but Gerrick was beyond reason.
Fanatical zeal akin to faith burned in his eyes.
"He is no mere lord! He is a god to serve for life!"
Loyalty transcended into worship.
Blind devotion to the one who healed his fatal flaw.
Overwhelmed by the abnormal fervor, Donovan cowered preemptively.
Gerrick approaching, pants tented grandly, eyes ablaze—terror incarnate.
Donovan scrambled backward, kicking dirt in ugly panic.
"D-Don't come closer!"
"Behold the miracle of god up close!"
"Someone! Gerrick's gone mad! Save me from this lunatic!"
Donovan screamed at the top of his lungs for his house knights.
That was his final act of resistance, but no one answered his call.
"Call all you want—it won't help. Every Adenberg knight has defected to Altesia."
"You had to take them all to feel satisfied, huh?! Heinz Altesia!"
"The haves always play dirtier."
Donovan's knights had all been poached by Altesia.
Like Gerrick, they'd been brutally overworked under him.
To them, Donovan wasn't a lord but a tyrant to overthrow.
He'd been thoroughly isolated from the start. Only he was oblivious.
"N-No...! This can't be!"
A menacing sword shadow loomed darkly over Donovan's face.
Gerrick's praised "miracle" descended upon him.
"D-Don't come near me! Stay back, I said!"
Under the cold full moon's gaze,
the marquis's agonized screams echoed long across the lakeside like a beast's howl.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At the gates of the Grimjack Duke's estate.
The gatekeepers, having already admitted countless nobles, greeted the late-arriving carriage.
They admired its ornate exterior briefly, then spotted the young noble stepping out and hurriedly bowed.
"We greet Young Master Heinz of the Altesia Count House!"
"Y-Yeah, yeah. Good work, everyone."
"We'll escort you to the banquet hall with utmost courtesy!"
"No need. Just open the gate. I'll find my own way."
At Heinz's laid-back reply, the gatekeepers flung the gates wide open.
Heinz sauntered through casually, waving lazily as if to say they'd done enough.
In that moment, one gatekeeper's eyes fixed on Heinz's shirtsleeve.
A red bloodstain marred the white fabric.
"Forgive me, Young Master, but what is that blood on your sleeve?"
"Oh, this?"
Heinz glanced down at his sleeve nonchalantly, then rolled it up to conceal the stain.
"Had to deal with a beast on the way here."