WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Haruto
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈
Chapter 64: You Didn't Know?
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“Cough! Cough!”
The roaring died down, and the raging storm gradually cleared.
Unable to hold back the coughs rising in my throat, I hacked again and again.
I pushed myself up through the thick cloud of dust and looked around.
Nothing but ash remained where the Cordyceps Colony had been. The smell of burning and ash drifted away on the wind.
The magical beasts that had surged in like waves had vanished without a trace.
Just in case, I ran my hands over my body.
The shield-type artifact in my clothes had shattered from overload.
It had endured that absurd pressure, more than earning its value as an extra life.
With the Solar aura wrapped around my body and Selena joining in, I must have avoided fatal injuries.
When I turned my gaze, I saw Selena lying nearby.
Cough. Cough.
She too was coughing as she pulled herself together.
Her silver armor had been dented from taking the full force of the shockwave.
Even so, she held herself properly, and she seemed mostly unharmed.
Our eyes met for a moment.
“Sister, are you all right?”
I flashed her an easy smile, and Selena walked toward me.
Grab.
The moment she reached me, she seized me by the collar.
Then she slammed her forehead into mine.
A dull thud rang out.
“Are you so desperate to die?”
“My head already hurts. Why would you do that again?”
Selena pressed her lips together.
Slide.
She released my collar and shoved me away.
Her way of showing it was rough, but her concern was clear.
After that, Selena and I left the basin and set foot on solid ground.
“Why would you do that, Young Lord?!”
Lucia raised her voice the moment she saw me.
She went on and on about how I should take better care of myself and how she thought I was going to die.
I understood how she felt, but I let it go in one ear and out the other.
Crackle!
“C-Commander! Are you safe?! That explosion just now...!”
The bluish communication stone inside my clothes glowed. It was Julian from the guard unit.
Leaving Lucia’s scolding behind, I raised the communication stone.
“Things are finished here. How is the main force?”
“Ohhh! You did it!”
Julian’s voice rang with emotion.
“The soldiers’ hallucinations have disappeared here too! We’re finishing off the magical beasts!”
There was nothing to celebrate. Once the Cordyceps Colony was removed, this was the natural result.
I glanced toward the basin.
“Have everyone come over here.”
Ordinary magical beasts had no core, meaning no mana stone.
Cordyceps was different. High-ranking magical beasts like that could fetch a fortune when dismantled.
“You’re not planning to eat that too, are you...?”
Lucia trailed off with a horrified look. Her gaze was fixed on the ashes that had once been the Cordyceps Colony.
“Of course not.”
Was this really how people saw me just because I had cooked and eaten one underground merman?
She had eaten it with me, too. That was a little upsetting.
* * *
“Damn...”
“What the hell happened here...?”
“They said it was all blown away in a single explosion. Does that even make sense?”
When the expedition force arrived at the basin, they all stared in disbelief.
A crater the size of a training ground had been gouged into the center of the basin.
Ash covered the floor of the basin and scattered in the wind.
Gulp.
The soldiers swallowed dryly.
They had heard what had happened on the way here, but seeing it in person was beyond anything they had imagined.
“I cannot even begin to guess what happened.”
Even Hendrickson, a Swordmaster, felt the same.
After looking down at the blackened ravine, he turned his gaze.
Astin was treating wounded soldiers.
Hendrickson could only let out a hollow laugh at how calm Astin was after causing something this enormous.
‘He really is something.’
He had felt it from their first meeting. For a knight barely more than a child, Astin’s presence had felt especially incongruous.
Hendrickson’s eyes naturally shifted toward a corner.
Just as expected, the Holy Sword Keeper was watching Astin while fingering the hilt of her sword.
‘That crazy woman is at it again.’
Just watching her made his bones ache.
It seemed the trauma from the few times she had beaten him in his youth was acting up.
Afterward, the Engineering Corps dismantled the Cordyceps corpse and extracted its mana stone.
Meanwhile, Astin tended the wounded soldiers with the medics.
“It won’t heal if you apply it that lightly.”
Astin squeezed out a generous amount of healing ointment.
It was a valuable medicine worth dozens of silver coins on the market.
The soldiers were stunned to see him slathering it on without a care for the cost.
“C-Commander! I can do it myself!”
“Stay still. You need to heal quickly if you want to be worked to the bone again tomorrow.”
His tone sounded dry, but the soldiers understood.
There was no noble anywhere in the world who cared this much about the lives of mere mercenaries.
“At this rate, I won’t want to go back even after the expedition ends.”
“My thoughts exactly. Do you think Cardenos would hire us? I’d be happy to serve under someone like him for the rest of my life.”
“You crazy bastard. Do you think someone like him would take us in?”
To overcome the fear of war, soldiers needed either camaraderie or loyalty toward their superiors.
This Ashen Forest Expedition was the same.
The fear of that inhuman monster realm was fading, replaced by trust in Astin.
“If not for him, we would not even be alive.”
“There were barely any casualties this time too. Fewer than a hundred, they said.”
“Cardenos really is Cardenos. Someone like him should become the Grand Duke.”
While the soldiers’ gazes gathered in one place, a woman approached Astin.
“That’s what I hear.”
Lucia whispered into Astin’s ear, a playful smile on her lips.
“They are all completely taken with you, Commander. They are making a fuss about wanting to stay in Cardenos even after the expedition ends.”
A smile formed on Astin’s lips as well.
“That is quite a good atmosphere.”
He had already planned to recruit them once the expedition was over.
Of course, it was impossible to accept all of them.
‘I'll only pick out the exceptional ones.’
Time passed, and deep night settled over the Ashen Forest.
The expedition force cleared the wreckage and began building a temporary camp.
Campfires burned throughout the formation, driving away the cold dampness.
After eating a hearty meal, the expedition force finally relaxed and enjoyed a rare rest.
It was a night heavy with the exhaustion of having narrowly escaped death.
Rather than making a commotion, the soldiers silently focused on their own tasks.
Clang. Clang.
The dull sound of hammers straightening dented armor echoed here and there.
Some carefully wiped magical beast blood from their blades with cloth.
Others wrapped fresh bandages around themselves and let out rough breaths.
Astin, too, was maintaining his equipment beside the campfire in front of the main force’s barracks.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue as he wiped his sword blade.
The blade’s edge had chipped and cracked from enduring the dust explosion.
‘I will have to get a new one after the expedition.’
The rewards for his achievements might grant him access to the Imperial Family Treasury.
Thanks to the knowledge from his first life, he knew exactly what masterpieces were inside.
They were not on the level of the Holy Sword, but there were still quite a few masterpieces without a Commandment.
Some of them were weapons he had often used in his first life.
Step. Step.
At that moment, someone approached with light footsteps and the clink of armor.
Astin glanced at Selena as she sat down beside him.
Selena only stared silently into the campfire. She did not even look at him.
Astin did not force a conversation and lowered his eyes to his sword.
Thud.
Something heavy landed in Astin’s lap. It was a whetstone and a dark blue healing ointment.
Astin turned with a puzzled expression. Selena continued staring at the flames as she spoke.
“You only survived because you were lucky. Don’t do anything so reckless again.”
Leaving only those words behind, Selena got up and left.
Astin watched her back as he turned the whetstone over in his hand.
It was clearly made from fine material, most likely by a famous workshop.
‘She is opening up to me little by little.’
Astin smiled faintly and put the whetstone to his sword.
* * *
Crackle. Crackle.
In the silence, broken only by the sound of the campfire burning, Lucia sat in a folding chair and idly fiddled with a poker.
Tonight’s watch belonged to the elven scouts as well.
Still, Lucia had volunteered for watch again so she could spend time with Astin.
‘I should not have done that.’
She had not known that Astin would fall asleep early from accumulated fatigue.
Lucia looked toward the other side with the corner of her eye.
Simple clothes would have been enough, yet Selena had come out in her suffocating armor.
Lucia swallowed an inward sigh as she looked at Selena sitting stiffly upright.
Selena only watched the fire and never spoke first.
Because of that, a suffocating awkwardness stood between the two like a wall.
Lucia had always been able to ease any uncomfortable atmosphere in high society.
But even Lucia had never met a woman as cold and indifferent as Selena. She had to be careful about speaking carelessly.
Still, they could not sit in silence forever.
Lucia took a small breath and asked lightly.
“Isn’t Astin amazing?”
Selena’s gaze remained fixed on the campfire.
Was she even human?
“I think the Young Lord is the very image of a commander. If he were my younger brother, I’d be so proud of him.”
Selena’s silver eyes flickered slightly.
Only then did her gaze leave the fire and turn to Lucia.
“Why did you come here?”
It was a provocative question out of nowhere.
“This isn’t a place for children to play. Wasn’t high society in the imperial capital your battlefield?”
It was clear Selena did not think much of a society young lady who had followed them here claiming to be an adjutant.
Lucia was not intimidated in the slightest.
Her gentle smile remained unchanged.
“I didn’t come here to play. And I’m not as weak as you think, Ducal Lady.”
There was no answer. Selena only stared at her in silence.
Just as the atmosphere began to freeze over, Lucia turned her gaze to the fire and continued softly.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have come if anyone else had been in charge. I came here trusting only Young Lord Astin. I was certain he’d be different.”
Lucia recalled the time before the expedition departed.
“As you know, Ducal Lady, everyone said it couldn’t be done. They called it a reckless challenge. Logically, I agreed too. Even if he’s the Grand Duke’s eldest son, he’s young and inexperienced.”
“...”
“I don’t think that’s underestimating him. It’s only natural to see it that way. But for some reason, I also thought Astin would be different.”
Lucia paused and smiled faintly.
“I have very good instincts. Look at this. Everyone said he couldn’t do it, but he proved them wrong all by himself. I’m only saying this now, but I wasn’t even that surprised.”
“...He’s certainly not the person he used to be.”
Selena muttered those words as if reciting them.
Lucia asked curiously, “The person he used to be? There were bad rumors about him in the imperial capital, but was he really that bad?”
Selena fell silent for a moment.
She did not want to answer a complete stranger so readily.
“What kind of person is the Astin you know?”
Instead of answering, she asked a question of her own.
Lucia took her time as she poked at the fire with her poker.
“He is foolish, oblivious, and frustrating, but kind. He can be cheeky, but he is softer at heart than he seems. He is a man you cannot hate.”
Lucia gave a mischievous smile and asked, “Then what kind of person is he to you, Ducal Lady?”
Selena’s silence continued for quite a while.
Only the crackling firewood seemed to speak in her place.
At last, Selena slowly opened her mouth.
“He is reckless and thoughtless.”
Then another long silence followed.
When no more words came even after waiting, Lucia asked with a blank look, “Is that really all?”
Selena turned her head and faced Lucia.
Firelight reflected in irises that seemed worn thin of all feeling.
“He is my younger brother.”
Lucia caught the meaning behind those words and smiled quietly.
* * *
The Cardenos Grand Ducal Residence.
Tap. Tap.
Celine entered Selena’s room with cautious steps.
There was clearly no one inside, yet she could not help being careful.
To Celine, Selena was that kind of person. A strict older sister who was difficult to approach.
Still, Celine always overcame her hesitation and tried to close the distance between them.
In Celine’s hands was a protective charm embroidered with crooked stitches.
Like most young ladies her age, she believed in superstitions.
That was why she had given Astin a charm for his birthday.
Hoping that both of them would return safely, Celine had made the charms herself.
She had already placed one in Astin’s room, so now it was time to leave one on Selena’s desk.
Bang!
It was just after she entered Selena’s room.
On the bookshelf, she spotted a notebook titled <Cardenos Territory Financial Management Chart>.
Judging from the title alone, it was a perfectly ordinary work notebook.
Perhaps Selena had been helping the head of the house with work.
“Financial management...!”
Celine had also been studying estate financial management.
The head butler had even taught her separately how to find fraudulent accounting, understand economic volatility, and respond to it.
Her older brother and sister were working so hard. Perhaps she could help a little too?
It was her area of expertise, after all. She had only been studying it for a month, but still.
Rustle.
Feeling proud of herself, Celine opened the financial management notebook.
“?”
Her eyes widened the moment she saw the first page.
Flip.
Then the next page.
Flip.
Then the page after that.
Everywhere she looked, the contents had nothing to do with financial management.
- Name: Barton Gills
- Position: Editor-in-Chief of the Imperial Capital Gazette
- Residence: Second floor, 42 Rensberg Street, District 3, imperial capital
- Name: Ulysses Martin
- Position: Professor in the Department of Tactics at the Imperial Academy
- Residence: Room 301, West Wing, Faculty Residence, Academy grounds
- Name: Rendy von Visconti
- Position: Second son of House Visconti / Third Company, Imperial Guard Knights
- Residence: Count Visconti’s residence, District 1, imperial capital
The notebook recorded the names, positions, and residences of dozens of people.
There were no explanations beyond that, making it feel all the more ominous.
“!?”
Celine’s eyes suddenly lit up.
The dozens of names had felt strangely familiar.
They were the people who had recently appeared in the Imperial Capital Gazette.
Barton Gills had insulted Astin’s expedition in an editorial, calling it the stupid suicide attempt of a country bumpkin.
Ulysses had publicly humiliated Astin’s tactical judgment, saying he was stupider than a goblin.
And Rendy had mocked the expedition plan, saying the eldest son of a grand duke had taken his arrogance too far.
The editor-in-chief of the Imperial Capital Gazette, a scholar from the educated class, noble sons, and more.
The other twenty-eight people had all mocked Astin as well.
Celine remembered them clearly because she had even submitted letters of protest out of indignation.
“But this...”
Celine looked through the notebook again.
What could it mean that all their personal information was listed like this?
Celine could not make sense of it at all.
It certainly looked as though Selena had written it herself.
Then what could her sister possibly mean by this?
A thought suddenly crossed Celine’s mind.
“A hit list?!”
That was right.
She could not think of anything except a hit list. No matter how much she thought about it, what else could it be?
Celine knew Selena cared for their older brother while pretending otherwise.
This hit list must have come from that very feeling.
After her brief shock, Celine fell into thought.
“...”
In the end, she picked up the pen on the desk.
Scratch. Scratch.
With her small hand, she added one more name to the final section.
“Baron Fontana should be on it too. So you didn’t know, Sister...”
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