I Don't Need a Family - Chapter 35

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Malfoid

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◈ I Don't Need a Family ◈

Episode 35

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The former Duke of Ashwilt had left his wife a vast inheritance.

An amount that would ensure the principal wife of an Ashwilt never lacked for anything.

Most of it had been safely deposited as cash in Lady Fadde’s account, but there was one exception.

Land.

Deus, the great garden that could be called the heart of Ashwilt.

The largest privately owned tract of land in Erenston, Deus was a treasure trove where all kinds of plant resources were cultivated.

They did not grow ordinary plants there.

Most of the crops were rare, special plants used as catalysts in the process of making various magical devices.

The plants grown there were also the main ingredients in Erenston’s potions.

Other mage families cultivated similar plants, but their expertise was far behind Ashwilt’s.

Naturally.

How could they surpass the nearly thousand-year history of House Ashwilt?

Ashwilt had grown this powerful by completely dominating the market with high-quality crops.

Which meant losing Deus would deal them an immediate, severe blow.

They would have to find new land to plant their crops.

More than that, Deus was the most systematically cultivated and efficient land, having benefited from every kind of fertilizer and magic their ancestors had spread over it for centuries.

Every single plant grown there was a calling card for House Ashwilt.

If another house took it, if a competitor began selling crops that symbolized Ashwilt, there could be no greater humiliation.

And Lady Fadde owned a tiny part of that great garden.

‘It’s a small plot, but it would fetch a fortune if sold.’

Of course, money was not the point.

Simply owning part of Deus put someone in a position to exert influence over Ashwilt.

Because of what Deus meant to House Ashwilt, its owner could get almost anything they wanted from the family.

It was an unspoken agreement among the family members.

Deus meant more than a garden.

It was the sacred land of their ancestors, a place like home to them all.

The former Duke knew his son would mistreat his wife, so he had placed those reins on him.

So that, at least while she lived, she could be treated as a member of House Ashwilt.

But the former Duke had been complacent.

The reason he could fail to treat his wife properly without consequence was her guilt.

Her guilt over ruining Vivette’s life.

Because of it, no matter how poorly she was treated, Fadde Ashwilt could not bring herself to betray the family.

‘But things have changed, Duke Ashwilt.’

Because I had taken her side.

Her guilt was gone now, leaving only resentment toward all of you.

“A competitor? You’re selling Deus to another house? Have you lost your mind?!”

I silently watched the Duke rage.

When I gave him a sidelong glance, the knight holding my arm gradually loosened his grip.

‘That’s better.’

“Not one shameless member of this family has ever dared consider selling Deus! It would be no different from selling your own parents!”

“That’s right. Something like that must never happen.”

I soothed him gently.

“So choose. Losing your good-for-nothing daughter is much better than losing Deus, isn’t it?”

“...”

The Duke only glared at me without answering.

“Are you ready to have a conversation now?”

“Vivette, that’s enough. There’s a limit to how far we’ll indulge you.”

Unable to listen any longer, Gillian strode forward, though he had no clever solution either.

All he could do was raise his eyes and glare fiercely.

‘It must be difficult. They can’t lose Deus, but they don’t want to meet my demands, either.’

Cutting ties with their daughter would be better for their reputation than losing Deus.

Hmm. I looked between the father and son, both sunk in deep thought.

“Vivette.”

The Duke, having forced himself to regain his composure, lowered his voice as if coaxing me.

“You say that because you do not know. Not every part of Deus is valuable land.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think your grandfather was mad enough to give that woman useful land? What Fadde received is along the fence, where plants cannot even grow properly. Losing that small plot would not disturb the whole in the slightest. Just like Fadde, that woman’s very existence.”

“...”

“Do you think I would abandon you over such a paltry plot of land?”

It was concise, sweet persuasion.

Just from the tone, it was convincing enough to make someone fall for it completely.

“We are angry because you said you would sell that sacred land passed down by our ancestors! To abandon us, no less!”

Gillian, who had been silent until then, suddenly shouted.

“Are you out of your mind? How can you even think such an ungrateful thing?”

Unlike the calm Duke, Gillian was jumping about so excessively it was almost ridiculous.

‘Hmm.’

This felt familiar.

Whenever they thought Vivette was being disobedient, they made her submit in exactly this way.

They merely switched the roles of the kind one and the bad one.

Their little good cop, bad cop act was laughable, but their words had some persuasive force.

They were persuasive enough to make me want to run to the Duke, who had eased up a little, and seize his hand.

Because it meant the card I had worked so hard to play was actually nothing more than a joke.

That would have been true if I had not inspected that land before coming here.

“Anyway, that land is not valuable enough for us to fall for your pathetic threats. Stop this foolish defiance!”

“You say that land has no value? Well... I don’t think so.”

Lady Fadde’s land was indeed enclosed by fences, a plot where large plants struggled to grow.

When I visited, it had been overgrown with nothing but nameless weeds.

It was such an unremarkable piece of land that it felt absurd.

‘That is, if the grass really had been weeds.’

I met Gillian’s eyes directly and lifted one corner of my mouth.

“Isn’t lantern grass a perennial?”

“What?”

“It grows well almost anywhere, but... to raise it enough to use as medicine, it would take at least another two years.”

Lantern grass had somewhat uncertain uses.

It was not used in many things, so they must have planted only a little in such low-grade land.

But that was precisely the problem.

If they lost that land, Ashwilt’s supply of lantern grass would be disrupted for roughly two years.

They would be unable to produce things that required it.

Most notably, medicine for insomnia.

I had heard quite a few mages suffered from insomnia.

It would be troublesome if they could not make treatment for two whole years.

“What are you talking about? That’s lantern grass?”

Gillian gave a scoffing laugh and looked around the room as if asking everyone to join him.

But the knights, unable to follow the conversation, had been standing there with blank expressions this entire time.

“It’s just a weed.”

“Then I can weed it for my grandmother.”

“What... What are you talking about?! You dare lay a hand on the family garden? Deus, which requires the delicate touch of a mage?”

“If it really is a weed, it does not matter if I ruin it, does it?”

I tilted my head, and his face twisted even further.

“Young lord. We learn about this in Academy general education classes. Do you think I do not know what lantern grass looks like? I was always top of my class.”

Ever since Vivette had majored in magical engineering, which did not require mana, she had always ranked first.

Even while being worn down by her classmates’ ostracism, she had persevered.

That was how much she loved magic. How desperately she loved it.

It was regrettable, even for me, that someone so ambitious and honest about her dreams had become unable to use magic.

And they were the ones who mocked and condemned her instead of comforting her.

Even if Vivette forgave them, I could not.

As someone who knew better than anyone how painful it was to be unable to do what you wanted because of a disability.

“...”

“Are you still calculating? Between me and Deus?”

“...”

“Choose what your heart tells you to. You already know the answer. Once you cast aside your morality and basic decency, can’t you see what you want?”

The answer was clear.

“I...”

They would try desperately to hold on to both.

“I cannot give up Deus.”

“But how could I cut ties with you? You will understand once you become a parent. You will see how absurd that is.”

“That’s right, Vivette. Think again. We are not so terrible to each other, are we?”

But the world is about choosing one or the other, people of Ashwilt.

Wanting both is shameless.

Of course, you were born with everything, so perhaps that came naturally to you. Still, this is a problem.

“So we are back where we started.”

“Vivette!”

“Think carefully. I am not demanding you decide immediately.”

I turned on my heel at once.

The knights could not bring themselves to stop me. They only went, “Uh...” and fidgeted with their hands in the air.

Yet before I could even take a full step, someone snatched my arm.

Gillian Ashwilt. The one who had not stepped forward much despite letting things reach this point.

“Ow.”

“Where do you think you’re going? You are staying here.”

Perhaps he had gripped my wrist wrong, because the flesh caught beneath his fingertips stung.

“Let go.”

“No, Vivette? Say it isn’t so. You cannot truly hate us.”

In complete contrast to his violent behavior, sorrow colored his voice.

Seeing his eyes waver, my heart did not waver with them.

It only turned colder.

If this was what would happen, why had he bothered pretending to be strong?

If he had been honest from the start, perhaps my heart might have wavered.

But unfortunately, I was the sort of person who found it bothersome to reverse a decision I had already made just because of someone else’s feelings.

“I said let go.”

“You have been speaking carelessly lately, but I can forgive that. In return, forgive my way of speaking as well. Forgive this dull man who cannot put sincerity into his words.”

“It hurts.”

“I was dull. I was so preoccupied with the family that I did not listen to you. So stop being angry now.”

“Look. You are still not listening to me. What exactly am I supposed to stop being angry about?”

“I was wrong... Urgh.”

Smack! His hand fell away from the arm he had been gripping.

I had shaken him off rather roughly, so Gillian clutched his wrist with his other hand and flexed it several times.

Even so, his eyes stayed fixed on me in disbelief.

“Vivette... did you hit me?”

I had not hit him. I had shaken him off.

“You are using violence now? Do you hate me that much?”

“Do not pretend to be weak. You were the one who used violence first.”

“I swear I did no such thing. When did I ever-”