CH 45

And I was in the clear.

Thanks to Bridgette, the Modell family smoothly became my slaves.

I used my recovery magic to put Damien’s cut-off leg back together, and when Damien and his two sons saw it, their eyes seemed to change from hatred to something close to worship, but I’m sure that was just my imagination.

It must’ve definitely been my imagination since their expressions were that of Bridgette’s.

It could be because they share the same blood, so it’s natural that they think alike, yeah…

Bridgette, being Bridgette, was pumped up at the sight of it, but I just joined his leg back together, you know? So please don’t do that. It’s embarrassing.

And as it was, Damien’s wife and Bridgette’s mother, Bella, also continued this trend of slave ownership transferred to me.

I hope this will give my slaves some protection from the Kvist family.

◆

In the three days since then, no movement has been seen from the Kvist family, probably because the Modells have strengthened security around the guild, so it is safe to assume that they are under observation, at least to some extent.

I can really see it working because, day by day, my brother Gwen’s mood is visibly getting worse.

He knows what will happen if he causes problems in the territory where the duke’s family has gone through the trouble of strengthening security. He understands that yelling at the servants will not change the outcome, so he has no place to vent the frustration that keeps building up, which is probably why he is getting more and more exasperated by the day.

But still, I should say that he is indeed my brother with the blood of the Kvist family if he can’t even wait for just a few days.

“Hey, what are you looking at?”

“My bad.”

“Humph, as long as you understand.”

However, I would like to ask them to give him a break because it is coming back to bite me.

The only saving grace is that I am the eldest son, and I am content to settle at the level of being the underdog.

With this in mind, I ate breakfast separately from my family as usual and headed for the school.

“Hey, Kaisar! Fight me in a duel!”

As soon as I arrived at school and got off the carriage, I was thrown a glove and challenged to a duel in public by His Highness Prince Claude.

Perhaps he thought I would run away if I were in an unpopulated place.

He thought correctly. But at the same time, I am fed up with being surrounded by so many troublesome people.

Although I have not forgotten the existence of His Highness Prince Claude, I think it is not necessary to fight him in a duel now, and I even wish I could escape to a place where I have no ties and live in peace.

“… It must be a joke, right?”

“J-joke, you say? Are you making a fool of the royal family?”

“No, His highness, nothing like that.”

Why is that so?

I questioned His Highness Prince Claude’s sanity in a roundabout way, but it seems that His Highness Prince Claude, whose mind is on fire, does not have the composure to read behind the lines, so I let out a sigh at his inability to understand.