CH 285

The sight they saw when they returned to Manor Caanburg was terrible. The gardens are ransacked, the fires are burning directly on the landscape, a bunch of thugs have made it their camp and their fire-roasted food is strewn everywhere. Even Mikoto was speechless at the spectacle.

If this was somewhere in the wilderness or the woods it would still make sense. Little wonder travelers and hunters were camping out somewhere. But what kind of idiot would do such a thing in the garden in front of the mansion? At least an ordinary person would not do such a thing in the garden of their own home.

That they can do this, was because they don’t care if it’s someone else’s property and whether it gets dirty or broken. No one treats their home or possessions so poorly. They can’t help not thinking about such things because they believe it belongs to someone else.

But that doesn’t matter. That was just a matter of cleaning up the garden. That’s not the problem…

Pahn, a dry sound echoes. They don’t understand what happened. It’s as if their brain refuses to understand what should have happened right before all of their eyes.

“Kuh! You! What are you enduring this for?! All you have to do is fall over!”

And once again, Pahn, there was a dry sound. At that time, Katharina’s head finally started to work. Flora, rather Floto, was just slapped in the face.

Certainly, she had seen Flora being beaten up during special training with her parents and the other tutors many times. There are no wives who see that and don’t feel the blood rise to their heads. However… even if it was Flora’s blood brother, there was no reason for Flora to be beaten by the man before her, Friedrich.

It is only natural for parents to treat Flora strictly in special training. They don’t care if Flora is beaten or injured during the special training, which is carried out with her consent and safety considerations(?).

Compared to that, Flora was non-resisting, non-violent, and was slapped in the face for no reason… This is unacceptable. As everyone else’s minds catch up, the blood gradually begins to rise.

Mikoto and Louisa concentrate to activate their magic, while Claudia puts her hand on the sword on her waist. Katharina was about to take out her knife, and Alexandra was desperately trying to figure out what to do, as she was without fighting skills.

“Oh, hold a moment!” Erich cried as he rushed in front of them.

“Calm down!” Ignatz yelled as he did the same.

The five of them could jump at any moment or go kill those in front of them. It’s terrifying to stand defenseless in front of a mage who is already preparing to cast magic. Even so, Erich and Ignatz had no choice but to stop them, even if it meant risking their lives.

Flora is being held down by Isabella. The others hold back these five. If these young people are allowed to act according to their emotions, it will be irreversible. Even if they wanted to arrest the rogues, it’s no good to kill them here.

Flora managed to regain her composure, withdrew with Isabella, and put distance from Friedrich, so Ignatz and Erich explained the situation. The five wives were still not convinced, but once Flora stepped closer, they calmed down.

Flora sees off the rogues who were easily taken into their custody and begins to give the next actions. She also had Isabella guide the wives to another room to calm down Katharina, Mikoto, and the others who were still agitated.

Katharina and the others gathered in one room of the mansion, surrounded by several soldiers and staff. It was quite impressive. Katharina and Claudia use physical weapons like swords and knives. Conversely, it means their weapons can be controlled and stopped.

Besides, unless it’s the Lord and Lady of Carruthers or Flora, you can’t cause large-scale destruction with normal weapons. Maria and Flora would probably dismantle this mansion to the foundations with just swords and spears, but even if they were a little stronger, Claudia and Katharina wouldn’t be able to demolish a building with swords and knives.

Compared to that, Mikoto and Louisa are much more dangerous. Once the magic is activated, it cannot be canceled or stopped. Magic is also very dangerous because it can cause mass destruction, wildfires, and so on. That’s why the staff who were crowded in this room were those who would risk themselves to stop Mikoto’s or Louisa’s magic from being activated.

“Have you calmed down a bit?” Isabella asked as she served tea.

“…………”

Katharina remains silent even as she drinks the offered cup. Her expression was very stern, and you could still see that she hadn’t settled at all.

For Isabella, Katharina is her junior maid. The other four are her master’s guests and friends, but Katharina is nothing more than her junior maid.

“That guy… he’s Friedrich, right?” Mikoto said. “Next time I see him, I’ll kill him… I can’t forgive him for hitting my Floto! I’ll make him regret it!”

“Please calm down…” Ignatz says. “Miss Floto is currently considering what to do next.”

Ignatz tries to soothe the completely restless Mikoto. But that should not be the end of it.

“If you think that we’ll forgive him no matter what he does because he’s her brother, you are making a big mistake,” Claudia said. “I’m going to challenge him to a duel.”

“If a commoner harms a nobleman, it’s a big crime… but I’m going to do it!” Louisa yelled.

Neither of them was settling down at all. On the contrary, both were heating up as they spoke.

“I don’t have the strength to fight, but… I can’t forgive that… I will talk about what he’s done at school,” Alexandra said.

In a way, Alexandra’s approach may be the most dangerous for Friedrich. In an aristocratic society, it could be fatal damage if bad rumors spread about you and your reputation falls. Putting aside the great nobles who were unconcerned about such things, for a young man like Friedrich, losing his reputation in society before he could solidify it means the paths to his future would close.

“Therefore, Miss Floto is currently considering what to do in the future…” Ignatz repeated.

“Miss Flora is a kind person…” Katharina muttered. “He’s family… if it comes to her blood brother, she may treat him kindly. In the end, it would be better for us to move in the shadows and make him disappear in them as well.”

Even the other four were horrified by Katharina’s words. Her eyes were dark and stagnant, and there was an atmosphere of not knowing what she was going to do. If Katharina is left alone like this, Friedrich will quickly go missing or die suddenly due to illness. He may even be afflicted with a strange disease that leaves him suffering and writhing in his bed for years to come.

“An-Anyway!” Ignatz said. “Please rest here for a while!”

The soldiers in the mansion alone are not enough. Thinking so, Ignatz called for support from the security forces, and under strict surveillance, the five were isolated under the pretext of resting undisturbed.

After seeing Flora off, Georg was resting at home. It was ultimately a good thing their eldest brother didn’t come back while their lovely little sister, Flora, was here. If she had run into Friedrich, it would have been a terrible time and all when Flora hadn’t been home in so long, too.

While his elder brother was away, Georg was relaxing, thinking that he would like to spread his wings a little more, when suddenly the House Servants came up to him.

“Young Master George…… a person who claims to be a messenger of the Caan Viscounty has come to visit us, what should we do?”

“A viscount, House Caan?” Georg asked. “They’re not vassals of Carruthers, are they?” he said, tilting his head in confusion.

The name doesn’t ring a bell for any of their neighboring nobles, either.

“Did they at least state their business?” Georg asked.

He doesn’t think they’re a fraudster who targets the nobility. He doesn’t think there is an idiot who would commit such fraud against the Carruthers Margraviate. You might be able to deceive the common people by talking about the nobility, but the aristocrats themselves, and even the merchants who deal with the aristocrats, are not deceived by such fraud.

Aristocrats don’t become aristocrats just by dressing up. What makes aristocrats, aristocrats is the education that has been handed down for a long time, and the reason why emerging aristocrats are ridiculed is that they have not acquired such things.

Even if you practice a little, you will soon get exposed for the rags you are. It is difficult for those who were truly educated as nobles from birth to be tricked by non-noble frauds. Furthermore, it is impossible for a mere swindler to acquire enough education to deceive a noble. If you can do that, it would be much more profitable to use that skill to do something other than fraud.

“Sir… about that… it seems an incident occurred concerning Viscount Caan and Young Master Friedrich… you’re to be held responsible for Young Master Friedrich, so Lord Caan wants you to immediately…”

Hearing the hesitation in the servant’s voice, Georg put his hand to his face and then looked skyward. “Now he’s really done it…” he thought.

He knew that his elder brother behaved badly. He also knows that he has a bad reputation in their circles. But he doesn’t care even if he does some bad things if it’s within their territory. However, he can’t do that if he gets into trouble with other noble families.

Georg thought his brother wasn’t that stupid. No, he wanted to believe that. He thought that even if Friedrich did a little mischief within their territory, Friedrich would behave as soon as he was out of it. In fact, he used to do that. However, he might get into trouble with another House for some reason. Georg had been worried about it for a long time and finally, it became a reality.

“Haah~…” Georg sighed. “Understood. I presume they’ve sent someone to pick me up?”

Georg meets with a messenger from Viscount Caan and gets into the carriage as instructed. It’s an oddly-designed carriage that he’d seen at home. He’s never used it himself, but his parents and Flora seem to be on board these. He’s never seen it left at home, though. He wondered if it was a recent fad for those with eccentric tastes. He thought so, but the ride comfort was unbelievable.

“It doesn’t sway at all… I wonder if there was such a carriage out there…?” Georg muttered.

The carriage provided to Georg, personally, is a normal carriage. He is proud that the quality is worthy of the ownership of a margraviate. He was even grateful that his parents had prepared such things for the second son, who would not inherit the title.

However, when he rode in this carriage, Georg realized that his carriage was old-fashioned. This new carriage is wonderful. However, this type of carriage is used by his parents and sister, but even his older brother uses the old type. Georg was guided to his destination, thinking that it wouldn’t be strange if his older brother or sister should have been provided this.

Georg was amazed at the scenery outside the carriage. It was just a short trip… but when he left Carruzan and entered the forest a little north, there was an unbelievable sight.

He knew from the grapevine that a pioneering village had been created in the northern forest. And he knows that his father has issued an order to refrain from visiting the pioneer village in the north if you had no business being there

Naturally, Georg had no purpose in going to a pioneer village, so he had never visited. He thought it would be a small pioneer village recently opened in the woods. It takes a long time for the development to go well. A village like the one that was opened up a few years ago probably hasn’t even settled down yet. He thought so, but then he found himself in…

“This, this is Viscount Caan’s village, no, rather, town?”

The whole area around here should be part of the Carruthers Margraviate. However, it is normal to think that this is Viscount Caan’s because he was brought here by House Servants of Caan.

“No, rather this is the Caan Knighthood,” the guide said.

A Knighthood? The one who summoned him was Viscount Caan, but this is the Caan Knighthood. The name is the same, Caan, so there must be some kind of relationship, but he doesn’t know the cause or the correlation. To begin with, he had never heard of a House called the Caan Viscounty.

The only thing he knows is that the quality of the guide butler riding in the carriage with him is better than House Carruthers’s. The quality of House Servants is the standard that shows the strength of the House. Having a butler of this level suggests that House Caan is quite powerful.

“We have arrived. Please, go ahead,” the butler said as he opened the carriage door for Georg.

“………… Huh?” Georg went as he stepped out.

He saw a palace… no, it was a splendid and huge mansion that could be called a grand palace. Even when he went to the royal capital to attend school, he had never seen such a splendid mansion. You don’t see anything like this even in mansions where royalty lives.

The surrounding area must be an aristocratic district. Even the mansions that are built around the large palace before him surpassed those of Manor Carruthers. What is this place? And there’s only one plot of the grand palace’s luxurious garden that looks damaged and unnaturally burned. That alone ruined this beautiful landscape.

With an ominous feeling in his gut, Georg asked the butler, “Um… pray tell, what’s that burned-out spot…?”

“Ah, our apologies for showing you such a shameful sight,” the butler said. “Lord Friedrich and his companions started a bonfire over there… we haven’t found the time to clean it up yet.”

Georg suddenly had the blood drain from his face. In this beautiful garden, in front of such a large palace, why did you start a fire? Who lives in a big palace like this? The owner will be on par with the royal family. He can’t understand the actions of his brother, starting a fire in the garden of such a person.

Georg’s head stopped working properly when he was guided into the back of the grand palace, and he obeyed as instructed. Then, he was led to the room where a maid was waiting in front of the door.

“Um… is this the place?” Georg asked as he stepped up. “Why was I called here? Who is the person I am meeting?”

“If you come inside, you should be able to understand everything,” the maid said.

More than that, he thought he’d be led into some sort of audience room, overlooked from a throne, and forced to take responsibility for what his older brother had done. Despite that, it was a normal room. He was confused because he didn’t expect to be sent to a normal room like this.

“Please excuse us,” the maid said. “I have brought Lord Georg von Carruthers.”

“P-Pardon me!” George said nervously.

Georg had planned to kneel in the middle of an audience hall but was shown to a room that looked like a normal office, so he bowed his head tensely.

“I apologize for summoning you so suddenly, Lord Georg von Carruthers,” someone said.

“N-No! Wait, huh? Flora?”

Georg realized it was a young woman’s voice and when he looked up, there was the little sister who had just been sent off a little while ago.

“Here, I would like to ask you to refer to me as Viscount Floto von Caan,” Flora said. “In truth, a serious incident occurred just now. It concerns House Carruthers, so I have asked for the present members to come to see me here.”

Flora seems to be explaining something, but Georg could not understand what was going on with his head still not working properly.

T/N: I’m not sure if it’s the graphics card finally failing for good or another bout of summer-specific power-supply issues in my country, but my PC’s display seems to have been giving out randomly recently, and my laptop remains unusable due to a damaged keyboard glitch.

Updates may be interrupted at some point if I need to get one of my PCs out to service.