Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Brothers' Reckoning
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The brothers, barely regaining consciousness.
They strained to listen to the faint voices coming from the warden's office.
"What should we do?"
The voice of the vice warden, who had just been roughly handled for getting too nosy.
In response to her question, the familiar voice of their youngest brother rang out.
"We have to handle it cleanly. Without anyone finding out."
'Cl-cleanly handle it? Are they really going to kill us...?!'
The eldest brother, Dexter, who had barely cracked open his eyes, glanced toward his deranged-looking younger sibling.
He had been beaten by Myoran and seemed only half-conscious.
"How about we just blow away their egos entirely? It'd be perfect if we could make them commit suicide like martial gods."
"Anje, they've done enough to the guards already."
Had she already forced all the disobedient guards to kill themselves?
The brothers trembled at the sight of their youngest sister, who had grown terrifyingly ruthless in their absence.
"More importantly, we should strip them of everything worth taking first."
She wasn't going to let them die easily.
She was going to tear them apart herself.
Cold sweat poured from Dexter, who was pretending to be unconscious.
"Don't worry about the cleanup. I don't want to see anyone using aphrodisiacs on the young ladies either."
The voice of Grand Elder Dark joined in.
The eldest brother felt certain they were all on the same side.
'They've got the Grand Elder in their pocket, they're driving out Father and me, and they plan to swallow up the family...!!'
"Brothers, time to get up. I can see you twitching."
They slowly opened their eyes.
And the moment they managed to lift their heads...
"...!!"
They were confronted with a chilling sight.
Their youngest brother lounging on the sofa like a king, arms crossed all by himself.
Behind him stood the Swordmaster from the East.
A mysterious white-haired woman radiating overwhelming magical power.
And finally, Grand Elder Dark sitting sternly like a chief of staff.
It felt like staring down an entire massive army.
"Sorry it turned out this way. I did tell them to treat you with utmost hospitality."
With the sunlight at my back, a venomous glint darkened my eyes.
"Think you can manage to sit on the sofa?"
The brothers tried desperately to rise despite their throbbing bodies.
But Anje's cold gaze looking down on them made them collapse again.
They heard a hallucination that only they could perceive.
Under the divine pressure of that voice, like a god's, they ended up on their knees.
"Oh dear, brothers. What's with the sudden change? It's making me uncomfortable."
"N-no... This is more comfortable for us."
Once beaten into submission, they turned polite as could be.
I took an awkward sip of my coffee with an embarrassed expression.
In the previous loop, I had to personally deliver the harsh lesson.
This time around, it wasn't even necessary.
"So, what brings two busy people all the way out here?"
"Well... Father wanted to see you."
"Father? What's this sudden business?"
"It's because you laid hands on Tutton Grand Duke's lackey..."
This time, Myoran's hallucination rang out.
The spot where Deck had been hit by her began to throb fiercely.
Lips trembling wide open, he frantically shook his head.
"Ou-our precious little brother must have misunderstood!! Father heard you'd touched Tutton Grand Duke's lackey, so he told us to check it out...!!"
"Tutton? Oh, that black magician from before."
I crossed my legs.
The shadow of my protruding combat boot fell over Dexter's face.
"Brother, there were circumstances. That lackey set up traps in a national facility without permission."
"Traps?"
He asked back with a bewildered expression, apparently not having heard the details.
"Yes. They were threatening us and trying to spring a prisoner. I nearly died to the trap magic he'd set up."
"W-we never heard anything like that..."
Anje and Myoran's hallucinations struck both ears.
Deck's massive frame whimpered in a voice utterly unfit for him.
"S-sorry...!! Hngh, I'm sorry!!"
"No need to apologize to me that much."
I was the one feeling awkward now.
I hurriedly patted his thick shoulder.
"Anyway, as warden, I was just doing my job. It was all just a misunderstanding."
"... ."
"Y-yeah. We totally misunderstood!!"
"We'll tell Father the whole story properly!!"
The two brothers clutched the side table and nodded vigorously.
Satisfied with the sight, I uncrossed my legs.
"I'll handle conveying my intentions to Tutton Grand Duke myself. So brothers, just tell Father not to worry."
A wastrel who used to get bullied even at the academy, now saying he'd have a private audience with a grand duke.
Dexter and Deck's hearts sank at the words.
"You sure that's okay? Father put so much effort into joining Tutton Grand Duke's faction..."
"Tutton's ship is already sinking."
I stood and approached the kneeling brothers.
Placing a hand on each shoulder, I began to whisper.
"The grand duke's faction is a messy tangle of alliances. There's hardly any real bond between them."
The brothers stared blankly, stunned by their changed little brother openly evaluating a far superior house.
"That's why everything goes through meetings. A well-united group doesn't waste time on that. That's Grand Elder right here."
They had no choice but to agree with that.
Come to think of it, they'd rarely heard of Grand Elder's support base holding meetings.
Yet their work was always discreet and precise.
"Do you know why? Because everyone trusts his judgment. If it's the elder's word, there must be deep meaning behind it."
"... ."
Thanks to their capital city savvy, the brothers listened intently.
In the past, I would've skipped talk and gone straight to punishment, but this loop felt a bit different.
'Not that I plan to forgive them or anything.'
Innate malice doesn't vanish.
So in this life, I'll use them thoroughly.
"Between a place built on such deep bonds and allying with some black magician—which looks better?"
I removed my hands from their shoulders.
Then, with the sinister glint unique to the Minster family, I whispered.
"By the way, I've never even sent gifts like Father has. And yet, I have this support."
"What do you plan to do with that support...?"
Dexter, the smartest of the brothers, mustered the courage to ask.
I grinned and shared a very honest truth.
"I'll turn this Berryhill into a livable place. The safest spot in the empire."
The eldest looked confused at first.
Then his mouth gaped wide open.
"...Got it. I'll relay it well to Father."
Anje and Myoran quietly watched me whisper to the brothers.
These guys who hadn't uttered a word even when beaten by them...
Now nodding along the moment the warden approached and spoke.
"Not bad. What creepy threat did he use to make them submit so fast?"
Satisfied that no brainwashing magic was needed, she smiled.
Myoran eyed the brothers' change with interest too.
"Didn't he threaten me too? Must've sealed their lips tight with his suffocating ambitions."
Grand Elder Dark nodded over his tea.
He looked very pleased with the special treat.
"I never threatened to seal lips."
I shot them a sullen look.
The prisoners stared at my sharpened gaze, honed from persuading the brothers.
"I see."
"Yeah, looks that way."
"... ."
After a brief silence, they grudgingly acknowledged it.
With all of them being such refined beauties and handsome elders, I ended up looking like the bad guy.
"Hoo."
I let out a deep sigh.
Then coldly glared down at my damn brothers again.
"Since you're here, at least have a meal before you go."
"N-no. We'll head back right now to relay your will!!"
Dexter somehow hauled Deck to his feet.
"You're in a hurry, I see. Can't be helped then."
The eldest inwardly sighed in relief at being sent off so easily.
But he froze at the palm I held out.
"Wh-what now...?"
"Pocket money."
I beamed with the purest little brother's smile.
With the disaster-class prisoners at my back.
"Come to think of it, I've never gotten allowance from you brothers."
"Ahh... Was that so? How much?"
Dexter rummaged through his crumpled white suit pocket.
Bundles of checks inside.
Enough at a glance to renovate the underground cells.
"That'll do. Count it as back pay for everything until now."
"What? All of it?"
The eldest's sly eyes went wide.
I asked kindly in return.
"What, you don't want to?"
"Of course not. We have to give our little brother his allowance."
Dexter promptly pulled out the bundle and handed it over.
But I slowly shook my head.
"Deck's share too."
"...Here."
The eldest kindly pulled out the wallet for his half-dazed second brother.
I extracted the bundle myself.
"Shall I escort you to the carriage?"
For the first time in his life, fleeced for money by his little brother.
He swallowed his shame and supported Deck.
"No need. You must be busy with warden duties too. We'll hurry back."
"Very well. It was a pleasure seeing you today."
Dexter magically reinforced his body and hastily departed.
The prisoners watched them go with disappointment.
They were pathetic sorts who carried aphrodisiacs around, so they wanted to torment them more.
Honestly, without me in the way, they'd have killed them in an instant.
Anje turned away with a regretful look.
Grand Elder Dark and Clea stayed silent, assuming I was shielding them as family.
"... ."
The warden's office fell quiet after they left.
I gave the sour-faced group a meaningful remark.
"Don't worry, everyone. Those guys will be back soon."
"Coming back here?"
Clea, who harbored the deepest disgust for aphrodisiacs, asked back.
In response, I showed the bundle from Deck's wallet.
Tucked among the checks was a note I'd slyly pocketed while pulling them out.
"Our second brother left something very important behind."
I slapped the note down on the side table.
The disaster-class prisoners all eyed it with interest.
"Addresses and dates."
"All in the capital's cities?"
To Dark and Anje's questions, I replied coldly.
"Aphrodisiac dealing spots run by the Holy See."
I slowly slid the note toward the elder.
With the face of a viper selling out family, I said,
"Pass it on to the Princess. Perfect for putting the Holy See on a leash."
The king of nobles' lips finally twitched upward.
I thought he was just some small-timer squeezing allowance from his brothers.
But seeing him strip them soul-deep satisfied him.
"Taking this case will give a huge edge in the imperial throne race too. He'll grab dirt on the other royals using aphrodisiacs."
Plus, looking after his favorite niece.
Enough to draw the attention of the otherwise indifferent man.
"The palace will be in an uproar soon."
"Intriguing. I'll deliver it to Camillia myself."
Even the curt Clea shifted from blank to a faint smile.
She silently slipped behind me and straightened my collar.
Meanwhile, Anje, who had turned away from me, stayed quiet.
Was she still unsatisfied?
Anje's hidden face mouthed silent words.
But I couldn't make out what she said.
"What're you thinking?"
I shot up and approached, startling Anje.
She reverted to her haughty expression like nothing happened.
"Nothing. Just debating whether to kill those bastards who left."
"Don't worry about that. Once the aphrodisiac issue blows up, they'll get arrested on their own."
I grinned and patted her shoulder.
Then, with slightly faded dark circles, I told her,
"More importantly, I hope you settle in comfortably. How's the first-floor cell?"
"...Well, sunlight comes in. Not bad."
"Good to hear. Tell me if anything comes up while you're there. Don't touch the guards."
"I'll think about it."
Left alone, Anje stood silently.
She stared out the window where sunlight poured in, unlike the underground.
A place worlds apart from the grim Holy See labs.
Anje smiled benevolently, like a saintess aiding the prophet.
She extended both hands, directing her slaves scattered far and wide.
The bards spread across villages everywhere.
The power that had gripped the empire's populace began to move in earnest.
"... ."
Myoran watched the scene from afar in silence.
Even the notoriously wicked saintess voluntarily aiding the warden, not to mention Grand Elder.
In a way, this incident had ballooned because she hadn't been handed over to Tutton.
Yet they hadn't offered her up to the grand duke—instead, they'd confronted him head-on.
Just like her sect leader father defying the alliance leader.
"Imitating him for nothing."
She tugged her long braid to cover her lips.
And for the first time, her eyes held complex emotions.
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