WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 80

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Lucia weaving her first Sun Ring was a major gain.

It might have been only one, but they said well begun was half done.

Lucia’s growth was already on track.

I had no intention of settling for that, either.

As Lucia grew, the key was to develop myself and my people alongside her.

Most importantly, Lucia, Selena, and Celine. The growth of those three mattered most.

Beyond them, I planned to establish a knight order and raise a private force to develop and defend the Ashen Forest.

‘Sister would have a hard time with it for now.’

Unlike Lucia, Selena’s Sun Ring would grow slowly.

She was busy with succession training as the next House Head, and preparing for the Magic-Martial Exchange left her little spare time.

Once the knighting ceremony was over and things settled down, I would have to bring it up casually.

Celine was focused on magic, so it was outside my field.

That did not mean I intended to send her to the Magic Tower. Damian was a crazy womanizer.

Besides, someone better than him was already close to me.

Celine especially liked following Lucia around, too.

Lost in these thoughts, I returned to the estate.

After moving between barracks and hospital rooms, I was back in my own room for the first time in a while.

Creak.

When I opened the door, pleasant air greeted me.

It was familiar, yet the air itself felt strangely different.

Feeling lighthearted, I looked around the room.

Then my gaze stopped on the desk.

“...?”

A single sheet of paper lay in the middle.

It was the will I had tucked into a drawer before departing.

Had someone entered my room and taken it out while I was gone?

Frowning, I approached and picked up the will.

“Hah.”

I let out a laugh when I saw what had been beneath it.

Three crumpled thousand-shilling notes.

It was obvious who had done this.

“Celine.”

It was only three thousand shillings, but it was Celine’s entire fortune.

She must have seen the part about transferring my assets in the will and slipped it in there.

Perhaps it was her silent way of saying she did not need money.

Knock, knock.

Right then, someone knocked.

Speak of the squishy young lady, and she appears.

“Come in, Celine.”

Creak.

A silhouette appeared through the gap in the door.

My mouth fell slightly open.

The person standing in the doorway did not have Celine’s bright platinum-blond hair.

Silver hair that seemed to hold moonlight. Selena stood there, staring at me with a sulky expression.

“...Should I leave again?”

Oh no.

“Should I bring Celine instead?”

“No, no! Please come in! I was waiting for you, Sister.”

Still looking sulky, Selena entered.

She walked over and sat beside me at the edge of the bed.

“Sorry I’m not Celine.”

“Why would you say something so hurtful? I thought we’d gotten quite close too, Sister.”

Selena shot me a look before slowly nodding.

Something about that made me feel bad, so I naturally changed the subject.

“You said you wanted to talk yesterday. Why didn’t you come then? Why come now?”

“I had somewhere to go with Celine yesterday.”

“With Celine?”

Instead of answering, Selena rummaged through her pocket and took something out.

“Here.”

She held out a black sapphire ring. The Black Lion, symbol of Cardenos, was engraved into the gem.

It was quite intricate, though it clearly had been made in a hurry.

“It’s a signet ring. I had one made at the workshop.”

“I already have a signet ring.”

“It’s different from that one. When I become House Head, it will take effect. You’ll serve as the Cardenos House Head’s Voice.”

“...The House Head’s Voice?”

Had Cardenos ever had such a position?

This was the first I had heard of it.

“You can think of it as the House Head’s plenipotentiary representative. After I become House Head, you’ll be granted most of the House Head’s authority too.”

“What?”

I would have the House Head’s authority too?

The House Head of a grand ducal house held absolute power within their territory, like a king.

She was saying she would divide authority that answered to no one and could not be swayed by anyone.

There had never been such a case in Cardenos’s history.

“Of course, you won’t be given every authority. You’ll be granted four major powers: independent governing authority over the Ashen Forest, immunity privilege, special budgetary discretion, and military command authority.”

Just hearing the brief explanation told me how extraordinary those powers were.

“The house won’t interfere with however you use the Ashen Forest. That includes the elven tribe. You can think of the entire forest as yours.”

“Oh.”

“On the other hand, if you lack funds, you can take and use money without my approval. You can also use the Black Lion Knights as freely as your own hands and feet whenever you wish.”

“Wow.”

The independent governing authority, special budgetary discretion, and military command authority she had mentioned.

After taking a breath, Selena added, “Once you become the House Head’s Voice, the Imperial Senate can’t judge you no matter what trouble you cause. I’ll always be the one to hold you accountable for your crimes, and I agreed to take responsibility for anything you do.”

“Sister. But did you get permission for this?”

“Yes. I did. It was difficult, though.”

Selena looked directly at me with her usual subdued eyes.

“I spoke with Father all night. Then Celine and I went and secured the Imperial Senate’s agreement.”

She had not shown her face at all last night because she had been arranging all that behind the scenes.

“Like I said, the powers will take effect simultaneously a year from now. After I become House Head.”

“Then why make it now instead of then?”

“Your achievements might be forgotten. I thought now was the right time. I already secured verbal promises.”

I roughly understood what she meant.

Selena was worried that my worth would be underestimated in the future.

If she proposed it then, she would not be able to overcome the Senate’s opposition.

It was a shrewd calculation in Selena’s own way.

There was no chance of anyone underestimating me, but I respected my sister’s consideration.

“You just need to avoid causing trouble before then.”

“What trouble? My reputation will only keep growing from here.”

She had gotten Father and the strict Imperial Senate to agree in a single day.

She was my sister, but I could not even grasp the extent of her drive.

“About this House Head’s Voice position. It seems like it has nothing but authority. There must be restraints too, right?”

No house would normally grant authority equal to the House Head’s to its second-in-command.

It was a shortcut to splitting factions and dividing power.

My sister had forced through the greatest taboo in noble society, the worst possible self-inflicted blunder.

All because she placed absolute faith in me alone.

It was only right to prepare at least one restraint to keep me from running wild.

“There aren’t any. You get nothing but authority and privileges. I, as House Head, will bear all the political duties and responsibilities.”

“Hah... Why would you decide something like that on your own? You’re making me worry.”

The restraint had instead fallen on Selena, the House Head.

Just as I was about to protest, Selena suddenly took my hand. She placed the signet ring back in it, then slid it onto my index finger.

“A House Head is someone who takes responsibility. Not someone who enjoys privilege.”

“...”

“Since I’m here, you can enjoy yourself as much as you want.”

Selena clasped my hand.

“You earned this yourself. Your accomplishments are so unbelievable that I was able to get permission.”

She was not wrong.

Rather than Selena forcing it through, it was more accurate to say she had secured authority suited to me.

Even so, Selena had taken on something she did not need to do.

It was as if she had cut away her own flesh to give me wings.

“And if anyone messes with you, just tell me. I’ll take care of all of them.”

“You’re awfully dependable, Sister. You’re such a doting fool.”

“A doting fool?”

“You created an unprecedented position for your little brother. What else would that make you?”

“It was a decision for the house. Not for you.”

“Of course it was.”

Selena silently narrowed her eyes at me. Even though she tried not to show it, she was clearly offended.

She was cute as hell when she sulked, almost as much as Celine.

I felt the urge to knead her cheeks like I did Celine’s. Selena’s cheeks would probably be really soft too.

“From now on, anyone who troubles you. Anyone reckless enough to bark behind your back. Anyone who insults you. I’ll deal with all of them.”

“Uh... Sister?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“You’ve gone too far, even as a joke.”

Selena watched me blankly, then tilted her head.

“I’m not joking.”

* * *

Baron Fontana’s estate was located in the imperial capital’s Fourth District.

He had once been one of the nobles who led the ridicule and mockery of Astin’s actions.

But now, the baron was no better than a rat cornered at the edge of a cliff.

“Those bastards...!”

Bang!

The baron cursed as he slammed the door to his study.

The empty liquor bottles on the table clattered loudly against one another.

He staggered over and drank the remaining hard liquor straight from the bottle.

“Who could have known?!”

Reality was more bitter than the burning poison of alcohol running down his throat.

Who would have expected some madman to conquer the Ashen Forest?

Not long ago, when he viciously criticized Astin, the nobles of the imperial capital had agreed with him.

Even intellectuals and commoners had turned their backs on Astin, so mocking him had been a perfectly ordinary pastime.

But what was the result?

The Ashen Forest had been conquered completely, and he had even achieved the miraculous feat of defeating the Demon King.

With the birth of a hero, Baron Fontana’s standing crumbled like a sandcastle overnight.

“You all agreed with me then... and now you call me a traitor? You ignorant pigs!”

Threatening letters arrived at his estate every day. Open mockery rained down on him whenever he went outside.

Even noble society was already isolating him and drawing a line around him.

“Damn you, Astin!”

Crash!

Fragments of the thrown bottle scattered everywhere.

The baron collapsed onto the sofa and breathed heavily.

If that bloody brat had failed. If that little bastard had died in the Ashen Forest...

That was when it happened.

A sense of unease pierced through his drunken haze and crawled up his spine.

“...”

The baron moved only his eyes as he looked around.

The room was dark because the lights were out.

The windows were certainly closed. He had locked the study door himself as well.

Yet the air in the room felt strangely foreign. A thick scent of blood brushed his nose.

Just as he instinctively tried to rise.

Shing.

A cold touch pressed against the back of his neck along with the sound of metal.

From a blind spot he could not see, a black shadow held a blade to him from behind.

Gulp.

Frozen in place, the baron could only swallow dryly. The blade against his throat slightly dug into his skin.

“W-Wait!”

The baron raised both hands. His thoughts raced.

Who sent them? House Arten? Cardenos?

Whoever had hired them did not matter. He had to survive first.

“If you want money, please spare me. I’ll give you the key to the estate vault. More than several times what your employer paid...”

Splat!

Fresh blood sprayed into the air like a fountain.

There was no need for conversation. The assassin had not come to ask questions in the first place.

“Ghk, urk...!”

The baron flailed while clutching his throat with both hands.

Thud.

Before long, he collapsed weakly to the floor.

With his throat half severed and dangling, the baron vomited red blood across the carpet.

After rigor mortis, the baron’s corpse went limp.

Swish.

The assassin looked down at the motionless corpse and casually wiped away the bloodstains.

Dark Shadow. Someone’s shadow blade.

Other shadows were responsible for staging the scene.

Leaving the cleanup to them, Dark Shadow focused on their own task.

They took a blood-soaked notebook from inside their clothes.

─ Baron Fontana

Below the neat handwriting was crooked writing added afterward.

─ Baron Fontana X

Dark Shadow tucked the notebook away and turned around.

As they set a foot on the windowsill, they once again engraved their master’s order into their mind.

─ The ones who insulted Astin without knowing their place.

Those silver eyes had been cold as frost.

─ Kill them all. Not a single one left alive.

Once your name was written in her hit list, you were dead sooner or later.

Dark Shadow sheathed the dagger and melted into the darkness.

So long as Cardenos stood behind them.

The blade that struck could not hesitate, not even for an instant.

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