Why Is There Always a Ruin?!
"Um... why are you coming out from there?"
"Here. Allowance. Use it sparingly, all right?"
"Yes."
Ahh. This was what it meant to be the baby of the family.
I could receive allowance.
There was the minor inconvenience of having to act cute with my older siblings, but if that was the price of becoming a full-time freeloader, I could endure it easily enough.
"Honestly. You already make good money—do you really need allowance?"
"It's not about the amount. What matters is that big sis gave it to me."
This was unearned income!
Money you received without working was always sweet.
"Hmph. This kid and his silver tongue. Want another bill?"
"Big sis is the best!"
I buried myself in my sister's soft embrace like a child.
Ahh. Healing......
I want to live my whole life as a freeloader in big sis's arms......
I just want to become a NEET youth......
Mom! When I grow up I want to be big sis's live-in husband!
That's incest, so no.
Eek?! This isn't real at all!
Something like those voices seemed to echo inside my head. I was clearly not in my right mind.
Ahh. I don't want to work.
If I keep doing this, everyone's going to go completely crazy!
"But in the end, the Kissinger Merchant Group became yours, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then isn't that actually a good thing? Since it's yours now, you can just dump all the work on your employees and Dad can't interfere."
"I already tried that."
"And?"
"He immediately tried to send me to another merchant group."
"Ahh."
Originally the Kissinger Merchant Group had been a place for me to learn the ropes.
Even so, it was nothing more than a subcontractor of a subcontractor.
Meaning that, separate from the Kissinger Merchant Group becoming mine, the heir training itself would continue.
I was holding out for now using the Kissinger Merchant Group as an excuse... but he would probably dispatch me to another group soon enough.
Father intended to pass on part of the merchant groups to me.
Haa... I don't want to inherit a merchant group......
Being a merchant group leader was an incredibly tiring and annoying job.
You could tell just by looking at Dad's hairline.
There was already a small hole opening up at the crown of his head.
"So you need a place to avoid Dad's heir training, right?"
"Yeah yeah. That's it."
"Then want to come to my merchant group?"
"Huh?"
"Anyway, even Dad won't say much if you claim you're learning the work at our group."
"I... guess so...?"
"Big sis will make you a position where you can take it easy."
"Ooooh!"
As expected! Only big sis truly understood her little brother's heart!
"I'll handle persuading Dad. And for the work evaluations, I can just fudge them to say you worked reasonably hard, right? If I say so, Dad will believe it."
"Big sis is the best!"
"Hehe."
"Waaah."
I buried myself in my sister's embrace once more.
Haa. This is real healing.
In my next life I want to be born as Rosé big sis's dog.
Honestly. Acting all innocent......
While cradling her cute little brother in her arms, Rosé Lothringen swallowed a sneer.
He didn't want to work?
He had gambled and the money had multiplied on its own?
He didn't need something like a merchant group?
How many people would believe such lies.
Honestly.
It felt like he had a hundred snakes coiled inside him.
Even though he looked this adorable on the outside.
How had he grown into such a sly and greedy little brother.
Well, for now I'll pretend to believe him......
People with great ambition thoroughly hid that ambition.
Just how enormous a greed was he harboring.
He had been a clever, sharp-minded little brother since he was young.
She had no intention of letting her guard down.
If Otto weren't the youngest, he would have already inherited the entire merchant group......
No.
Even the fact of being the youngest hadn't been much of an obstacle for Otto.
Because the youngest knew how to use the weapons he possessed.
Acting cute among his older brothers and sisters, crafting a harmless image that made everyone want to spoil him rotten, while at the same time making those same brothers and sisters compete with and keep each other in check.
Everyone liked Otto.
But everyone disliked each other.
Among the siblings, the only one who could still feel something like family affection was the youngest—Otto.
From the very beginning, she couldn't even guess when the situation had become like this.
"Otto."
"Yeah yeah. Big sis. What is it?"
She gently stroked Otto's head.
Ah, my cute little brother.
Even though he had surpassed her height years ago, it was still funny how he lowered his posture like a child and acted spoiled.
Of course, the funniest part was her own wariness melting away at that obvious performance.
Was this calculated?
Or pure instinct?
Either way, he was an absurdly terrifying little brother. Truly.
"Among your brothers and sisters, who do you like the most?"
"I like all of them though?"
"Hehe. When you're in big sis's arms, aren't you supposed to say big sis is the best?"
"Yeah yeah. I like Rosé big sis the most. And the other brothers and sisters the most too."
"Honestly."
Acting spoiled like a child while never saying a single thing disadvantageous to himself—truly like a snake.
No, rather, he stirred up competitive spirit in a way that always favored him.
He made you want to hear that he liked you more than any other brother, more than any other sister.
She couldn't simply leave a little brother like this free to move as he pleased.
It was better to keep him close.
That was why she had casually tested the waters... but to think he would accept right away.
At this rate she was being dragged along by Otto's plan again.
Where would be good to send my little brother......
Ah, yes. That place would do nicely.
No matter how capable her little brother was, he couldn't create something from nothing.
It was perfect for ruining his record of achievements.
Well, if he really wants to play and eat forever, he won't have any complaints. Hehe.
Shall I mess with this cunning little brother a little?
"Ooooh."
Magic stone mine development.
That was the main business of the merchant group big sis had dispatched me to.
In other words, it was a merchant group on the verge of collapse.
Over the past few days the value of magic stones had plummeted straight to the bottom.
"O-oh, welcome, Young Master Otto!"
"Yes yes. Hello."
Even if I did absolutely nothing, it would go bankrupt in a few months.
Perhaps that was why the atmosphere among the working employees was extremely dark.
So Rosé big sis had a plan all along?
My position was overall director of the resource development business division.
I didn't particularly have anything to do, but it was a position where, if the merchant group failed, they could insist it was my responsibility anyway.
A situation more perfect than I had imagined.
As expected—I knew big sis would understand my heart.
"U-um, Young Master Otto."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry to have to say this, but our business division has no future. The value of magic stones drops every day, and the existing magic stone mines simply aren't profitable."
"That's exactly it!"
"Pardon?"
But if I truly did nothing, later when the merchant group went bankrupt they might claim I bore no responsibility.
Since it was a merchant group destined to fail anyway, I might as well actively make it fail.
Even if it failed, it had to fail under my name so Father would be properly disappointed in me.
"Let's develop new magic stone mines."
"Pardon?"
"No. We'll re-explore every single existing magic stone mine from scratch as well."
"Pardon?"
"Ah. And let's acquire the magic stone mines of other merchant groups too."
"Pardon?"
"I'll take all responsibility."
"Pardon?"
"And is there a restaurant nearby that can accommodate a large number of people?"
"There's one steak specialty restaurant."
"Let's have a company dinner with every employee. Please make a reservation."
"Understood."
Magic stone mine development and re-exploration.
With my seal stamped on the documents, a business that had no choice but to fail was forcibly set in motion.
Was it okay even though this was big sis's merchant group?
So what.
It was a merchant group that would disappear under the flow of the times anyway.
It would simply fail a little earlier.
It wasn't as if big sis owned only one or two merchant groups.
She had dozens of merchant groups several times larger than this one.
This level of damage was something she would forgive after a few cute acts.
"U-um, Young Master. We've completed the purchase of the mines you mentioned for now."
"Oh. That's fast."
"Yes. After all, everyone wants to dispose of their mines even a day sooner. But... is it really all right like this?"
"Yes. Of course."
It's perfectly fine that it isn't fine.
"I'll take all responsibility."
"Understood. And currently the exploration team employees are visiting the existing mines with the latest exploration magic tools. The results of the re-exploration you ordered will come out soon as well."
Well, at best they would find a few more veins.
Since there was no profitability to begin with, even additional veins wouldn't mean much.
I had simply wasted money.
Good.
Once the merchant group failed and the heir training ended, where should I go play?
Maybe that hotel where I received the VVIP membership last time.
No. Home was still the best.
If I was going to be a proper NEET youth, spending the entire day reading novels at home was——.
"Young Master! There's big trouble!"
Bang! Someone hurriedly threw open the door and rushed inside.
Probably an employee of the merchant group.
Sweating profusely with a face drained white—it was quite a pleasant sight.
Big trouble? Had the merchant group already gone under?
"A-at the mine where we were re-exploring——"
"Hm?"
Could there have been casualties?
That would be a bit troublesome.
I would feel a little depressed if someone got hurt because of me.
"The ruins of the Ancient Magic Empire have been discovered!"
"Pardon?"
"They say it had been concealed by the magic power of the magic vein until now! Because the mine's magic stones were almost completely depleted, and thanks to investigating with the latest exploration magic tools, we were finally able to find it!"
"Pardon?"
"Ooooh! So this is the ruins of the Ancient Magic Empire!"
"Treasure! Relics! Cultural heritage! Lost technology!"
"Kyaaaaah! What on earth is this complex yet beautiful magic circle?!"
What the fuck.
Scary.
"Little brother?"
"Yeah. Big sis."
"Didn't you clearly say you were just going to rest?"
"Uh, right...?"