After the village chief scared me, I returned to my ship without saying goodbye. Alisa and the others did.
After setting sail from the island, the annoying students bombarded me with questions about the drones. My door was closed, so I only heard their annoying voices.
After a while of not hearing a single sound, I realized it was getting dark.
I went out to get some air.
"It's so beautiful at sunset," I said, stretching and looking up at the sky and then at the horizon.
I stayed there for a bit until I heard footsteps. I thought they were the annoying students, but it was only...
"Rudel-san, you finally came out."
Airi had changed back into her uniform from her adventure clothes. She came to my side and also gazed at the view.
I stayed quiet without saying anything because the moment I saw her hair swaying in the wind, a strange feeling grew in me.
Without realizing it, my left hand was approaching her right.
At that moment, she turned to look at me, and I, cowardly, turned my face away, embarrassed.
Then, she broke the silence with a very painful question.
"Rudel-san, why didn't you answer my question that time?"
That time—the moment she fell from the cruise ship and I rescued her, we had issues since we were under attack. And after releasing everything our hearts held, she confessed to me.
I still don't understand. Why me?
Her gaze was shy and embarrassed, watching me with great interest.
"That time, I was honest with you. I wasn't lying."
Since we got back together, even when we were alone, this conversation hadn't happened. Was it because of the chief's strange, dark reading?
"Please, even if it takes you a long time, I'd like to hear your answer, whatever it may be."
Upon hearing that last part, I only said, "I'm hungry," and cowardly ran away.
I was moving further away from her and then thought about the reason I fled and couldn't tell her.
(Please, understand once and for all. We can't be together. You're a commoner, and I'm a noble. We're from completely different social worlds, and only a miracle could make us be together.)
◇◇◇
After arriving in the kingdom, Rudel and company went to give their report at the palace. After a while, an emergency meeting was held.
"It's impossible that something like that could happen!"
"We're talking about the Viscount's Lost Object. It wouldn't be strange if it were possible, but what terrifies me is that if he destroyed an entire fleet without killing anyone, wouldn't it be possible for him to invade and conquer the kingdom?!"
"That's right!! That man has no respect for anyone according to reports. He's so frivolous he can destroy anyone without mercy!! Just remembering how he invaded the Rossini territory and toyed with them shows how terrifying he is!!"
"A man like him doesn't deserve to have that technology... Should we fine him and take it away?"
"Our country's adventurer laws state it's a violation of his rights. We can't take it away since we'd be breaking the law!"
"Don't you remember what the report said, not just this time but during the cruise ship attack he was in? That boy shouldn't have that much power. At the very least, he should support the palace and have some restrictions so he doesn't think he's planning something against us!!"
"The Prime Minister, Duke Bismarck, and the Queen herself back him. We can't touch him, even if we want to."
In this ministers' meeting about what happened recently, the topic of Rudel was the reason for their gathering. The students and Rudel himself reported what happened with the pirates. Rudel only said he defeated them without going into detail.
The students said everything they saw without lying, which was the problem.
Among them, only Marquis Balzac and members of his faction were in the room that could only be used when the Prime Minister summoned them.
He was scared. Sweat marked his forehead.
He hadn't told anyone that those pirates were his doing. He thought it was unnecessary. Fortunately for him, he unintentionally avoided his own end.
If Erselica's letter had been read—since she showed no knowledge and told others what he was planning—without a doubt, his head would have rolled a while ago.
His thoughts were concentrated on the biggest problem of all.
(That boy... I thought they were just absurd tales about what happened on the cruise ship.)
(If I hadn't entrusted all responsibility to that idiot Orwell, my head, like his, would have been removed long ago!)
His hands trembled with fear.
(What's worse, he destroyed that entire fleet with smuggled weapons and mobile knights without even being present! He's very dangerous, truly dangerous for anyone, whether for this country or for me.)
His beard was filling with sweat.
(If that old man Ritzburg or Siegwald tells him to investigate me or come for me, it would undoubtedly be very bad. He's that old man's favorite dog, but it seems he doesn't want to involve him, so I'm safe for now. The Queen has also taken a liking to him according to her maids. How can you take a liking to someone who hit the next king of your country and, moreover, your own son?)
(I must do something... That's it! The plan—I must advance the plan as soon as possible and notify Franz!)
Despite having hostile thoughts, the marquis kept trembling, and the ministers kept talking.
"I still can't believe he found the dungeon's heart! It's a legendary act for any adventurer, and that boy finds it and, worse yet, destroys it!"
"I heard that even after blowing it up, he brought a strange thing with him. He didn't even notify the guild!"
The ministers kept talking about Rudel—some with envy, others with hatred.
◇◇◇
The place was the room of the King of the Talis Consortium.
There, Franz, Klein's father, was conversing with the king and his prime minister.
"It's just as you hear. We finally finished it. After several years in the shadows and spending a lot on secret manpower, we completed it!"
"Is that so? Then, when will be the promised day?" said the king, hidden in the darkness of his room.
The light entering the window only illuminated a part where two men were.
"If I'm not mistaken... at any moment. I just wait for the marquis's notification that there are no more pests in the court."
"That sounds fine to me, Your Majesty. Can I tell Askewell to stop spying on the kingdom and start distributing the mushrooms?"
"Have they already been converted into pills for you to ask that?"
"Yes, we have the quantity our analysis never forecast. Without a doubt, our people desire this victory against those worms."
"Very well," said the king while laughing. "Notify him as soon as possible and have our forces and allies prepare."
"Confirmed. Very well, Kingsfort-dono, if you have nothing more to add..."
With a smile, Franz said, "I'd like His Majesty Rafiel to also go to the battlefield."
"How?" said the king, intrigued.
"I'm sure both you and your soldiers wish to see the end of the Royal Family, so there's no greater motivation than you going too."
After a moment of thought, Rafiel said, "Alright, prepare a flagship for me." With that said, Franz withdrew and only had one thought afterward.
(Altfode and Talis, I'll have you both, whether you want it or not, kekeke.)
◇◇◇
It was night. The place was the border territory of Duke Bismarck. There, Vayne was patrolling.
His appearance was that of a very attractive young man with features similar to his sister's. His blonde hair was tied in a ponytail. He was watching the surroundings since there was talk of a strange ship or ships roaming at night in the destroyed territories.
His face showed fatigue. He hadn't slept or eaten well for two days.
His house, his future territory, was going through very regrettable things.
He, nonetheless, fully trusted that everything would be resolved.
"Vayne-sama!"
A soldier arrived to tell him something.
"What's wrong?"
"A large box has arrived. The one who sent it was Viscount Bradford."
"A box from Rudel-kun? Is it a gift?"
Vayne thought maybe something good had happened for him to send a gift.
He walked with the soldier to see the box. It was a large box. Several soldiers were around it.
"Vayne-sama, it smells like liquor. This means the Viscount sent us a gift. I hope it means what I think it is."
Several soldiers were happy thinking something good was happening with such a gift. Vayne even thought of Alisa.
(I see. My little sister finally got her thoughts in order.)*
Just as he was approaching, a soldier said something that stopped him.
"It's a bit sad that the Viscount personally sent a vassal to bring it."
*(Vassal... Does Rudel-kun have vassals?)*
*(His home businesses are very productive, so he definitely must have them.)*
*(But still... when he brought gifts, he did it in person and with some very strange golems instead of people...)*
A subordinate who tried to open the box without permission said,
"Vayne-sama, I'm sure it smells like wine, but there also seems to be tobacco since the aroma is very strong."
Vayne stopped walking.
*(Liquor... tobacco... strong aroma...)*
At that moment...
"Everyone, get away from that box and hide!"
...A great explosion, five meters in radius, happened.
Vayne was hit by the explosion and crashed against a rock wall.
Blood was coming from his head, and his eyes wouldn't open.
"Quick, someone use water magic to put it out!!"
The soldiers and knights ran while trying to find the injured and put out the flames.
◇◇◇
The Prime Minister's private room.
A place where the minimum number of people could enter with permission. Even Liam had to ask permission to enter.
Only the King and Queen could enter without it.
Mayer was working very hard. He was looking for evidence that could destroy the faction and Marquis Balzac himself.
He had his own house, but he preferred to be in his office, which he called a private room, all due to the death of his wife and son.
He slept, ate, and even bathed in that place. Only a toilet for basic needs was missing.
He had returned from the bathroom. A bunch of documents awaited him piled on the floor and his desk.
After sitting down, he took a bottle of wine and a glass from a drawer.
The glass had a small scratch. He knew that scratch was the last memory of his wife.
He poured 1/3 of alcohol. He was so stressed he wanted to drink a lot.
He thought about everything happening while relaxing by shaking the ice cubes placed in the glass.
*(That dirty bastard Balzac, I don't know what you're plotting, but I won't let you lay your hands on my position or on Rudel-kun. That boy will be a great change for this country, so I can't involve him until he's legally a member of my faction.)*
After thinking about how fun it would be to defeat the marquis, he drank not one, but five sips of his drink.
It was very relaxing, according to the sound of happiness he made.
After placing the glass on the coaster...
"*Guh*!?"
He felt a great pain in his chest and throat.
The pain was so great that almost everything on the desk—both the magic lamp, the glass, and papers—fell to the floor with him.
He unbuttoned his shirt and, with his hands, tried to circulate blood by hitting his chest.
The pain was so much that his throat burned. It wasn't a burn from a strong drink—it was a burn from having ingested something very dangerous.
While holding his throat and scratching it with his nails due to the pain, he thought,
*(I-It's impossible that it's my age!! The King's personal doctor gives me a checkup every month and says I'm healthier than many young adults... There's no way someone...)*
At that moment, when the lamp illuminated the glass, Mayer saw it.
He observed how there was a slight white mark on the edges of the glass.
He knew how he left every tiny thing, so if someone entered, it would be impossible for him not to see it.
Even if it were someone who was a spy. Both the bottle and the glass were in the same position.
The problem was that Mayer never thought dirty tactics could evolve.
*(Shit! I overlooked that small detail!)*
The glass he always drank from had a whitish color. Someone had placed something—possibly poison that was colorless and odorless for detection.
Mayer tried with all his strength to grab the small portrait of him and his wife when they were young.
Before his hand could reach it, his vision and hand fell.
◇
It was already night. After finishing giving my report, I was forced into a party where I was being harassed by mature, single women. All were beautiful, but their chests weren't something worthy of praise, and moreover, they all seemed like harpies wanting to snatch even the last coin I had.
I managed to leave after saying, "Oh, look how late it is. I must sleep to go to classes." It was obviously a lie since classes were self-study.
While walking through a long corridor, I stopped to look out the window. What was up there was the only thing I wouldn't get used to.
"It may be a ridiculous fantasy world, but what's the meaning of having two moons? I don't understand. What's the use of two moons?"
I immediately shut up upon hearing footsteps. I hope no one heard me. Turning to see, I saw her—one of the most beautiful women I've seen, both in my past life and my new life.
It was the Queen, Lecia von Altfode, Liam's mother.
A woman possibly in her 30s, silky ash-blonde hair gathered on the right, beautiful and captivating navy blue eyes, curves that make you think it's impossible she gave birth, and moreover, to a very idiot.
Her hips were so wide that even in that elegant dress, the silhouette of a swan was marked. And to make her even more unreal, two immense meteors seemed to attract me toward them.
Without a doubt, this woman was a creation out of this world.
"Good evening, Viscount Bradford-dono," she said while lifting her dress a bit to greet me. I also greeted her. It was only a brief moment, but just like with the girls, her splendid breasts jumped for a brief fraction of a second.
That will be stored in my memory forever.
"Good evening, my Queen. What can I offer you on this beautiful night?"
After the bad joke that bastard Ixion played on me, I came to apologize while kneeling and begging for my life.
She told me, a bit nervously, "I-it's okay. I'm sure you didn't say that for pleasure, right?" Instantly, I said, "Never!! I'd rather die before disrespecting you!"
If I try to tell her that, I'll really die.
The Queen laughed for some reason and told me the following.
"You are undoubtedly a surprising person—no, I think maybe very eccentric. You behave politely, but sometimes you're almost like a barbarian."
I wanted to tell her it wasn't true, but I'd be lying if I did. She continued speaking.
"I was at the party and noticed how women approached you. Maybe you're someone who doesn't like being surrounded by women?"
I clarified, "N-no! It's just that I don't like being harassed, and moreover, by women who are only interested in getting close to me because of the money generated by the businesses under my father's charge!" Since it could cause a misunderstanding and make her think I don't like breasts—women's breasts, to be clear. Soft and relaxing breasts, not hard and hairy ones.
Just remembering that time makes my butt hurt, even though I left without limping.
She looked at me and laughed again. Her face is very childlike for that of an older woman. Her smile reminds me of another, very similar one.
In that second, a blonde girl appeared in my head. Her smile was a bit blurry, but the kindness was noticeable.
The Queen pointed to a room.
"Would you mind accompanying me for a cup of tea?"
I responded, "Of course."
After entering the room, we had tea and cookies. There was a servant from the group accompanying her. She served us tea.
I was on the sofa near the lower part of the snack table, and she was at the upper part.
We laughed about my misadventures with old men and the danger of hunting pirates.
Sometimes, she made an expression of amazement, anger, or sadness.
This woman has so many charming expressions on the same face. It definitely provokes me to—
"Take her to my side."
For some reason, she raised her gaze and said, "Huh?" She must still be amazed by the battle against the bloodthirsty bastard I told her about.
My terrible thoughts about her kept coming out while my eyes were fixed on that neckline that only the bastard Liam could have tasted.
"Truly, Liam is lucky. I also would have wanted my mother to breastfeed me with her large protuberances. No, that sounds weird. Better if I occupied Liam's place and thus could enjoy being pampered and indulged by her."
My horrible but faithful thoughts kept manifesting in my head.
"If I had a wife, I'd want her to have not only those two great monuments to lean on but also those splendid hips that I can't believe look so curvaceous despite having given birth."
My imaginary hands moved to try to grab and squeeze those great maternal marshmallows.
I was close to grabbing them. As always, it seemed there was no bra for that size.
I was inches away when...
"Viscount-dono."
I woke from my trance and found the Queen drinking tea and a cookie in her hand. I was sitting with my cup still in my hands.
"Did you have a good dream?"
It seems I fell asleep when she said that. How embarrassing.
"I-I'm sorry... I apologize for causing you trouble."
"It's okay," she said.
"Before ending this pleasant conversation, I'd like to tell you this."
With a serious expression, she told me something that surprised me, and all I could say was, "I understand. I'll be careful. If you'll excuse me." I proceeded to leave to make some preparations in advance for what she told me.
Without a doubt, a beautiful, reliable older woman as queen is something to envy.
◇◇◇
The moment Rudel left, Lecia, the Queen, was finishing her tea.
The instant she no longer heard his footsteps, she...
"K-kyahh!!"
Let out a strange teenage-like scream for a woman her age.
A servant at her side called her.
Lecia was trembling, making her cup shake and the cookie in her hand crumble.
"My Queen, why did you allow such a shameless man to say that to you?!"
Rudel thought he was hallucinating. He openly told the Queen he desired her maternal breasts.
She heard all that without saying a word.
The servant in the room grabbed a sword from a decorative suit of armor to stab the man who shamelessly tried to grope the most important woman in the kingdom.
Before the sword was plunged into his back, Rudel stopped to say, "It was a good dream. Without a doubt, only in my head could I say and do such obscene things with the Queen."
After that, he sat down. Lecia could think it was only his thoughts overflowing from his mouth.
After calming down, she spoke to Rudel normally and resumed their conversation.
The servant didn't take her eye off Rudel until he completely left the room.
Her face showed contempt and spoke ill of him.
While Lecia had her hands on her red face, her childlike adult face showed an embarrassment she never knew.
Her thoughts, unlike the servant's mouth, indicated something else.
*(I-I'm an older woman. I'm married and have a son.)*
*(Even if it's a joke, it went too far!)*
Suddenly, her hands lowered, touching her breasts, waist, and hips.
*(Even after Liam left both my breast and his wet nurse's, they kept growing... And, am I really that thin? I've been eating a lot of sweets lately and reviewing documents, so I haven't been able to exercise.)*
Her mind then had a strange thought that made her heart beat like a locomotive.
*(...Truly, can an old woman like me awaken desire in a young man?)*
She didn't know it, but her innocent fetish leveled up to one that wasn't funny.
◇◇◇
That same night, in the male dormitory.
Rudel had changed rooms after rising in rank.
His room was larger and more luxurious.
Outside it was a man—a servant with tanned skin, blonde hair gathered over his left shoulder.
He had a key in his hand.
His eyes were closed. He opened them upon hearing footsteps.
Three men approached him. They weren't teachers, janitors, or servants.
One of them, the tallest, burliest, and in a white suit, asked,
"Are you sure he's not here? It would be problematic if he were. We'd have to personally take care of him for you."
The servant responded, "No problem. According to an informant, he's still at the palace. Besides, my patron said you can make a forgery look real. Is that true?"
The bald-headed man with a smile said,
"This document is an elaboration of months of work, bribes, among other things. Not even an expert in fake signatures will notice since, for a reason, we, the Cashmiro Family, rule the underworld." The servant smiled upon hearing that.
"Sounds good to me. The door is open, so please."
There were students roaming around, but no one did or will do anything. The man who gave the impression of being the leader was someone with a wanted poster.
Only an idiot would try to tell him or do something.
After a while of hearing strange sounds, the three men came out. One of them said, "Job done. Tomorrow will be a great day for the family's future investment in the future Prime Minister, right?"
"Idiot, you talk too much."
"Servant, tell your patron our part is done. We'll just wait for the assigned day to be ready and for our final payment to be made."
"I understand. Thank you for your collaboration and good night."
The men withdrew as if they owned the place while bumping into students. The servant smiled and left for his own room for tomorrow's spectacle.
◇
"This tea is very exquisite. You have my blessings for preparing such a delicacy."
I was having a meeting with the only senpai I know—Eleonora von Roseblaire, a beautiful girl older than me, hair curled at the ends, cyan to the shoulders, fuchsia-colored eyes, lips the same color as her hair for some reason.
The most surprising detail wasn't that, like Alisa, she's a full-fledged ojou-sama. It was her surprisingly long and large breasts.
They were inches from touching the table.
We were in the room where I usually have my tea meetings for the girls.
They weren't here today. Apparently, there was a problem at Alisa's house with her brother. She asked Airi to accompany her to deal with it.
"Minister Balzac?"
We were conversing about unimportant things until the topic of the palace came up.
In it, she told me how her father discreetly asked her to tell me to be careful of someone called Minister Balzac.
"That's right. That person currently holds the most political power. He's the sponsor of the Saint. Several nobles—to say the great majority—and even both the sanctuary and the two Dukes other than Bismarck Household support him."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"You're a foolish man, aren't you? Well, it's not that that's a problem. Being too serious would make you a boring man, which you're not, *fufu*."
Her strange laugh along with her lips scared me a bit since her gaze was focused on me.
"I don't think you haven't heard rumors about how great your Lost Object is. There are many who envy you and wish to steal it."
"Even if that's so, the law is on my side. Whoever finds a Lost Object keeps it."
"It's true, but there are people at the top who can trample that law like a cockroach. And, worse yet, having found the mythical dungeon's heart makes envy grow."
Humans in power are a pain in the butt, regardless of the era.
Before I could say something, noisy footsteps and voices were heard.
The door was roughly opened.
"Viscount Rudel van Bradford—no, Bradford! The palace has sent us to arrest you!"
Several armed knights and soldiers entered the room, surrounding us.
*(I see. It finally happened just as Ixion told me...)*
Eleonora-senpai came to my defense.
"What do you think you're doing entering like this?!"
"Sorry for the intrusion without permission, but we have orders from the palace to come for the rebel."
"Rebel, you say? And the evidence!"
"That's right. An informant told us that yesterday, the rebel received a mysterious package."
That doesn't sound like very good evidence, you know?
Out of nowhere, they grabbed my shoulders and dragged me toward my room.
◇◇◇
Siegwald, Alisa's father, was reading a report in his office at his house in the capital. It's about what happened yesterday in his territory.
His temple was full of veins because he thought about who was responsible for the attack on his house.
Then, the door to his office opened.
A group of men in uniform accompanied by soldiers entered.
"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted the head of the house before hearing an atrocity.
The man in the middle had a scroll. After opening it, he adjusted his tongue before speaking.
"Duke Bismarck, the palace accuses you of embezzlement of funds as the Minister of Finance. We have been ordered to seize your assets."
With that said, the soldiers proceeded to take valuable things from the house—not just from the room. Several soldiers in different rooms, including Alisa's room.
The documents he had on his desk were also seized.
He showed no signs of trying to defend himself or deny it.
*(You finally did it, didn't you, Balzac?)*
He only watched as everything his family worked for for generations was taken away.
◇
The soldiers brought me to my room. They didn't open it. They just kicked it in like in a movie.
They completely messed up my room. I'm not exaggerating when I say they destroyed everything.
One of them grabbed the plushie versions of the girls and me. He ripped them apart looking for something incriminating.
Only him—not even the one who destroyed a tea set my instructor gave me—I won't forgive. I swear you and your family will beg on your knees for forgiveness when all this is over.
The knight from before approached me. He held a bunch of letters with my handwriting that were sent to the consortium.
"Well, what do you have to say about that, criminal?"
I'll only say this without interest.
"You sure took your time recreating my way of writing. I regret to say my form is very curved, so it was a bad attempt."
After saying that, the guy with his iron glove hit me.
"Don't try to get smart with real knights, brat!"
The knights in their armor kicked and stomped on me.
It reminds me of what happened on the cruise ship. I used magical power to resist the blows.
With my free eye, I observed how Ixion was camouflaged with a broken ornament.
His red eye watched me. I lifted my face to open my lips and tell him without voice.
"Let them be."
These idiots would have been eliminated if Ixion hadn't been calmed beforehand.
He had warned me this would happen. That it would be better if I took over the palace so there wouldn't be these problems.
I told him I'm not a tyrant to do that.
The guys stopped since a soldier pulled out a letter.
"Captain! Here it says payment to the commoners of the attacked territories to generate insurrections!"
"This letter indicates he had a secret agreement with the bloodthirsty knight!"
More false nonsense came out.
The knight who seems to be their captain laughed at me.
"No matter how much affection the Prime Minister, the Queen, have for you, with this you've fallen, damn criminal. Take him away!"
The knights heard his order and grabbed me like a rag.
They didn't even lift me—they just dragged me like garbage. They went all through the academy.
Teachers, servants, and students watched me and talked trash about me.
"It's obvious he got to that rank through shady means."
"I always knew he was plotting something."
"I'm glad they finally caught him. I have evidence of his bribes."
Senpai was in a crowd trying to get through. The soldiers prevented it. She shouted my name. I'm glad to have an ally and that the girls aren't here.
We still hadn't reached outside the building. I was covered in trash and spit from these bastards.
After going out, there was a carriage waiting. They threw me into it like meat to the slaughterhouse.
The door closed, and the slander continued.
The only face that made me smile was seeing my instructor try to defend me by approaching the carriage.
They pushed him back, and his face showed pain for not being able to help me. I thanked him with a smile for showing me that true knights are in suits.
◇◇◇
For some reason, Lyle was called home immediately.
He had to leave his studies at the military academy without reason.
Upon arriving, he opened the door. A bunch of knights were there.
Soldiers surrounded the island. He was nervous.
*(What the hell did you do now, Rudel?)*
He went up the stairs to head to his father's study.
Upon entering the room, a knight was reviewing several documents. They were familiar since there was no other information that wasn't about the family.
He sat in a prepared chair.
The knight reviewing the documents put the folder on the table and sat down to talk with him.
Lyle wanted to ask where his family was since he hadn't seen them upon entering.
The knight spoke to him without manners, asking personal information.
Lyle responded normally until the knight asked him something that left him strange.
"Who was the founder of this house?"
"Huh? Well, it was my great-grandfather. The name was... what was it?"
Lyle began to get scared by the strange question. He never cared about his family's origin. The knight responded by reading the oldest, brown-colored document.
"Leo. Leo van Bradford. It says here he was the founder of Bradford Household."
Lyle was surprised. He didn't know his ancestor was named that.
The man kept reading more things that puzzled him.
"Here it says he served as a baronet and became a noble of a place designated by the palace in his time. But in this document from the palace from long ago, it says there's no record of any Leo or any Bradford family registered."
Sweat marked Lyle's forehead. He didn't understand what was happening.
"There are no records of the other heads here, with the exception of your father. He's the only one registered. The others are ghosts."
He was happy for a second to hear his father was registered.
"Hey," said the knight to the subordinate at his side.
"The crest of this family and Bismarck Household, aren't they very similar?"
"Now that you mention it. Bismarck Household has a golden lion in profile with a horn, while these guys have a similar lion, but black and blind, looking the other way."
"It's very strange, but there have been similar crests for a long time. Let's not waste time and finish this, boss."
"Yeah, yeah, I understand."
The knight set the document aside and received some papers from his subordinate. He placed them on the table on Lyle's side. He had no idea what this meant.
The knight responded to him.
"As the next head of the family, it's not normal for you to inherit everything, right?"
"We'll help you become the head faster. You just need to sign here and declare that your brother is a traitor who has been selling information and smuggling to the consortium for years."
"The title, rank, and businesses of your territory will be yours faster than you can dream."
Lyle grabbed the pen. What the man said was true.
He would only be a countryside baron while Rudel is someone without inheritance who rose in rank after becoming an independent noble of the house.
It wasn't rare for relatives to do this to each other.
And even more so among those like Lyle, who were looked down upon by that younger brother.
The pen approached the document. The knights smiled. That's when something the game's lore didn't show about the Bradford family was demonstrated.
With a big scratch all over the document, Lyle left the pen-shaped ballpoint on his left side.
"I'm sorry."
"That proposal sounds very good, but I think you've mistaken the person."
The knights were puzzled by that response.
"Rudel isn't a traitor. He's an idiot and a bit weird, yes. He's so cowardly he flees from a brothel under the excuse that it's dirty. I think you've mistaken the family."
A memory came to his mind—from before Rudel started the academy.
Lyle, upon returning home, was scared. He made a bet with people he shouldn't have. In the end, they scammed him. They told him if he didn't pay as soon as possible, things would end badly.
He thought he might have something of value in his room and would sell it. He didn't want to ask his family for money since they didn't have any.
He entered his room and found a leather bag.
Curious about what it was, he found a large amount of bills. At that moment, purely by chance, Rudel passed by and said, "Hey, useless. Some weird guys came and said they were paying you what they owed you, so they left that bag and went back without saying anything else. Don't lend money to anyone again. We're not rich."
He went to the yard after saying that. Lyle returned to the academy, and when he was going to pay those individuals...
"Huh?"
He found out it was an illegal gambling house, and they were crushed at night. The surroundings said they saw a strange sphere ravage the place, and then the knights came in the morning and found them tied up with incriminating evidence.
Lyle could only think one thing.
*(Don't tell me! But how?)*
Then he remembered some words he heard from his father upon returning.
"It's good that Rudel takes care of paying all our debts."
As the older brother, Lyle felt frustration that somehow, his little brother secretly got involved in his life, paid his debts, and crushed the extortionists.
Lyle hated that Rudel always proved to be superior. He was the next heir of the house. Rudel's achievements only filled him with panic. His brother could take his position if he wanted, but he himself denied it and said it belonged to Lyle.
*(Are you looking down on me?)* That's what the firstborn thought about his brother's act of goodwill.
*(Don't fuck with me, damn Rudel! I'll show you I can also generate income on my own.)*
Lyle was studying hard at the academy. He wanted to improve his territory so that Rudel would make a stupid face upon seeing how they could move forward without him.
That was Rudel's stupid older brother—someone who wouldn't sell out his family, contrary to the game.
The knights, noticing how annoying he was, grabbed his hand and forced him to shape it. They didn't care if the document was scratched or not.
"Sign!"
"No, I already told you Rudel is innocent! You've mistaken—"
At that moment, a blow to his head came.
"Sign!!"
"No!!"
"My little brother is guilty of being an idiot, nothing more!!"
Several sounds of blows and pain were heard throughout the house.
Down in the dining room was the family.
The only daughter, Paula, hugged her mother, Sonia.
Both were crying and scared.
"Mommy, why are those knights hurting Lyle onii-chan, Bram onii-chan, and Dad?"
Sonia, with tears in her eyes, watched as her husband and second son were in some chairs. Their faces and hands were swollen.
They were also interrogated and bribed with Rudel's riches—even a reward was offered to them.
Bram refused without even letting the knight finish speaking, while his father, Walt, said he had no reason to want his son's title. At his age, something like rising in rank brings him no benefit.
Under those declarations, the males of the family were beaten and forced to write.
The women were only threatened with being sold, but thanks to the Saint's protection law, only Rudel, who was accused of treason, had that punishment. They didn't since they don't even know how a mobile knight works to try to implicate them.
Every time Lyle's screams grew louder, Sonia hugged her daughter, who cried hard, and her mother prayed that Rudel's problem was just a mistake.
"For the last time! Rudel isn't a— *pwah*."
A sound similar to droplets falling to the floor.
◇
I was thrown into the prison on the 1st ground floor of the palace prison.
After throwing me like garbage into this cell and chaining me, a knight said, "Tell me who will save you now, traitor."
I was sitting, looking at the wall. The place is humid from the rains. The cell is made of bars and a bed. There's a long, curved staircase to enter or leave.
There's a guard outside. There's no one here but me.
"Master."
And Ixion, hidden, followed me without saying a single word until now.
But for some reason, his tone was strange.
"I warned you this would happen."
"It's true. Do you want to rub it in my face?"
"It's not that."
Ixion was very serious and without telling me his usual insults.
"They wish to kill you. They want to obtain both Battler and Brynhilt. If from the beginning I had attacked, you'd be on the throne now and not here."
"I told you I gain nothing from that."
"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that they are violating the master-servant contract."
"Ixion, what are you talking about?"
This guy's red eye was scary for a moment because of what he said.
"The owner's life preservation security protocol has been activated. Therefore, this country and those who put you here will be destroyed."
I looked at this guy and said that his acting wasn't funny anymore.
"Stop joking."
"I'm not joking."
But he didn't even give a comment about what I said. Are you really going to do what you say?
"Stop talking nonsense! I don't want you to kill anyone."
"Even if you don't wish it, preserving your life is more important than anyone else's. I can send a ship to rescue your family, those two, and anyone else, but the protocol is activated. I'll start the attack upon the slightest intention that they'll come to assassinate you or not."
His words only made me think that something bad would happen if Mayer-san or the Queen didn't help me.
For their sake and this country's, they must free me as soon as possible.
◇◇◇
At the bottom of the sea of a certain island.
A strange black shadow seemed to twist and grow.
Bubbles rose, and these seemed to contain a message that, deciphered in human language, said:
"Rudel..."
"Death... soon..."