Chapter 5 Part 3
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That night, thick midwinter clouds covered the air.
There was no moonlight, and the only thing that stood out was the orange light from the magic lamp, which leaked out of the window of the mansion where Lord Langobalt resides.
There is one person walking with his back straightened on the bright red carpet in the long corridor.
The boy’s name is Bass Langobalt.
His golden hair, which had been his pride and joy, had all been shaved off and became a bald hill.
His green eyes were dark and sunken, and his fists were tightly clenched.
He knocks on the black tea tree door at the end of the corridor.
Come in. A low, heavy voice said.
“Excuse me. Father”
This is the study of the master of this mansion.
Evans Langobalt, a muscular man with a beard like a lion.
“What do you want, this late at night?”
“…I’ll get straight to the point. Father, would you please rid this domain of Lilith and Abel?”
Evans just shook his head, at a loss for words.
“That’s not possible”
“Why’s that!?”
“I’ve told you before. Lilith-dono is not just a maid. She is my benefactor. I can’t ignore her wishes”
“What does that mean!?”
Bass raised his voice so loud that it echoed in the darkness of the night.
As a matter of fact, the story that Lilith is not just a maid had been told to Bass by his father when he turned ten.
With its many geological disadvantages, this village had been able to prosper largely due to Lilith’s accurate information and recommendations.
“We don’t need to rely on them, we can already govern this domain ourselves. It shouldn’t be a problem at all!”
“…Bass. You’re wrong”
“I’m wrong? Why’s that!?”
“Father. Bass nii-chan. What’s going on? I can hear you from all the way down the corridor…”
The door opens, and Ted walks in, yawning in his pajamas.
An orthopedic cast was wrapped around his leg like an iron.
“Ted. You can walk!?”
“Yes. Look! As you can see, I can walk just fine! I’m fine!”
Ted leisurely replied to Bass’s surprise.
Evans saw this and sensed something but said nothing of it.
“Bass, Ted. I was going to tell you the truth when the time came. About my relationship with Lilith-dono. And why I have such respect for her”
“…Father. What sort of respect makes a noble bow?”
Evans fell silent for a moment.
He was going to tell his two sons that Lilith is a demon and that he is sheltering her for a reason.
But Evans had a hunch.
Bass is feeling very gloomy right now.
Even though Bass is his son, he could not let him in on the secret.
“You’re not going to answer me, are you?”
“I can’t answer you now”
“In that case! That’s fine!”
His father’s vague words made Bass even more displeased.
But after a while, Bass seemed to have come up with an idea.
“Father! Can you recommend me to Arthuria Magic Academy!?”
“―――― !?”
His father, Evans, slowly shook his head when he heard Bass’s words.
“That won’t do. You will stay in this domain and study to be a lord. Isn’t that what you promised me?”
The Arthuria Magic Academy is a prestigious school that has produced many elite magicians.
But since it takes at least five years to graduate, Evans was reluctant to enroll his sons.
“I want to learn more powerful magic! More power, more incisive. So that I can, with fierce magic, mince my enemies and shake them off without mercy! And for the likes of commoners. No, I will become the most powerful magician that no one, not even nobles, can defeat!”
Evans was surprised.
In Evans’s eyes, Bass is a sensible son who never lets his emotions get the better of him.
“…Bass nii-chan. Don’t be so hard on yourself”
“Shut up! You are a disgrace to all nobles!”
At that moment, Bass took an action that stunned his father, Evans.
That’s because he pushed his injured younger brother away.
“Hey! Stop that!”
“But… It’s… It’s his fault…! He’s a noble, yet he’s getting along with a commoner!”
Evans had changed his opinion of Bass, who repeatedly spoke and acted like a child.
In any case, in his current state, Bass could not be entrusted with the work of a ‘lord’.
In that sense, Bass’s wish was favorable to Evans.
“I understand. I’ll recommend you to Arthuria Magic Academy”
“…Really!?”
“Yeah. Leave this domain to broaden your horizons and see how much more the world has to offer”
“…I knew you would say that, Father. Thank you”
Evans waved his hand, and Bass walked out of the room.
Looking at Bass’s back, Evans felt pain in his chest.
Where had I gone wrong with that boy? Evans wondered.
“…Ted. Are you okay?”
“It hurts. But I’m fine”
“Is that so”
Despite the unreasonable violence, Ted’s response was calm.
Apparently, I had been blind to my sons at every turn.
Although he seemed like a mischievous child, Ted was actually more mentally mature than his older brother.
“Ted. I’ll tell you the truth”
“Father?”
“…Ted. I was saved by Lilith-dono in the past”
“Eh?”
“One snowy day. I was hunting in the forest. When suddenly I was about to be attacked by a monster”
I dared not tell Ted that it was a long time ago.
Evans had known Lilith for more than twenty years.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. Since then, Lilith-dono has aided me greatly. To me, Lilith-dono is like a good neighbor and a teacher in life”
At the time, their relationship was a bit like that of Abel and Ted.
That day.
When I asked her, ‘Why are you doing so much for me?’, Lilith’s reply was unexpected.
‘I want an environment where my special someone can live in peace when he wakes up’
When I first heard of this, I did not understand what she meant, but now I understand.
That day, when a monster almost attacked me in the forest, Lilith ‘kept me alive’, all for a day like today, I guess.
“Really? I didn’t know. That there was such a side to that nee-chan maid”
“Yeah. That’s why Ted. You mustn’t become like Bass. Get along with Lilith-dono and her siblings”
“You don’t have to tell me that! Abel is my underling… No, my beloved friend, after all!”
Bass, who continues to reject Abel for childish reasons, and Ted chose to accept him.
The two siblings are clearly divided on this day.
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I’ll tell you what happened next.
A month after that day, I had a very peaceful life.
I woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the morning, had breakfast with Lilith, and studied in the library until just past noon. After eating Lilith’s pre-made lunch, I took an hour-long nap.
When I wake up, I stay shut in the library and continue my research on magic.
The library was bathed in the afternoon sunlight.
As I yawn, I suddenly see my face reflected in the window.
I haven’t played tag with the rich kid of nobility (younger brother) since that day.
Haa. After all, if I don’t workout on a regular basis, my body will grow dull.
I looked down at my book but decided to close it immediately.
My ears can’t miss the ‘noise’ outside the room.
That’s right. Since that incident, I haven’t played tag once.
“Excuse me! Please take good care of me today, too! Master!”
The door swings open, and Ted bursts into the library.
Since the duel with Bass, there has been only one small change in the routine.
“…Hey. I’ve told you many times. Open the door quietly when I’m reading”
“Rather than that, Master! Hurry up and teach me the rest of yesterday’s magic! I’m actually starting to get the hang of it!”
“……”
That’s right. The change that came about in my daily life was that, before I knew it, Ted had come to look up to me as his ‘master’.
Of course, I refused at first.
But no matter how many times I refused, Ted persisted and wouldn’t stop calling me ‘master’.
“Looks like your leg has recovered”
“Hehe! Of course! An injury like this doesn’t even count as a scratch!”
Lies.
When you fell off the roof, you were shedding a lot of tears, weren’t you?
“Well, it’s been a while. Then shall we do it?”
“Eh? Do what?”
I took my scarf and wrapped it around my neck.
“Tag”
The rich kid of nobility (younger brother)’s eyes lit up like a dog’s when it realized it was going to be playing a game.
“Alrighty! I’m going to defeat Master today!”
“It’s fine that you’re so confident, but you should apply the body strengthening magic that I taught you yesterday. You’ve got the hang of it, haven’t you?”
“Hehe! Don’t worry. I got this!”
It is one of Ted’s few merits that he responds well, but the problem is that in many cases, he is just all talk.
I open the window to go outside.
A refreshing breeze blew in, turning the pages of the book on the table.
This is how my nonchalant life slowly passed.
thanks for new chapter