41- It’s going to get messy
Either way, he’ll probably use the duke’s authority to make his spiteful wishes come true this time as well.
I want to ask him how many people he thinks became unhappy in this way, but in his case, the fact that he has no idea what is wrong is irredeemable.
Frankly, I don’t think he considers anyone below nobility to be human.
My brother— no, the Kvist family is a typical aristocratic supremacy family.
They don’t care if one commoner is unhappy, or even if they die, for that matter, and they won’t feel a sliver of guilt.
My brother, in particular, is quite severe in this way of thinking, and you can see it from his words and actions of how he thinks similar things about nobles lower in rank than his family.
In the first place, Gwen, my younger brother, is not accustomed to being looked down upon, so he hated me, his older brother, who was in a higher position and could not stand the fact that he was not the best.
If a younger brother with such values were to take over the family, our ties with fellow noble families would surely disappear, and the Kvist family will become isolated. I can easily imagine a future where the Kvist family declines as if strangled by floss silk.
[TLN: Slowly.]
Our parents are still unaware of Gwen’s wickedness because of the Kvist family’s thick skull, but even if they became aware, they would say, “That’s our son! Unlike some people, you are aware of your dukedom!”
I can easily imagine them praising him.
“Hah, these idiots are going to get me in trouble…”
Imagining a future that will surely be troublesome, I sigh and leave the place before my brother finds out.
However, I am quite grateful that I came across the scene I just described before my idiot brother got into trouble and learned that the slaves he was interested in are mine.
It is many times better to know a problem in advance so that you can take countermeasures than to have it suddenly happen and be on the back foot.
Now, what to do about the countermeasures?
Although I know that my brother will make a move to take away my slaves, it is difficult to come up with the key ways to deal with him.
Should I just beat him up and keep him out of it? I thought about it, but in that case, my parents would make me the bad guy and throw me in jail.
Running away or resisting with force is not a good idea, as you will only end up on the wanted list.
◆
“I see. It’s going to be a real pain.”
“That’s right. I’ve been trying to think of some good ideas, but I can’t come up with anything good. Even if he’s spoiled rotten, that brat still belongs to a royal family…”
“Then allow me to take care of it.”
42- Use more effectively
I was thinking about my brother, and Bridgette lightly mentioned that she would take care of it.
I wondered if this is what one means by ‘blessed with the right people in your time of need,’ but her tone was so lighthearted that I was skeptical if she was alright.
At any rate, I can’t judge whether it’s a good idea or not until I hear what Bridgette has to say.
“Hmmm, does Bridgette know how to deal with it?”
“No, it’s no big deal. Just like it’s an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, we need a ducal family to deal with a duke’s family?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve turned all those from the ducal family members committing wrongdoings behind my back into my slaves. Of course, I let them know that if even one of them refused, I would publicly reveal that they were plotting to overthrow the state behind the scenes. Hence they all gladly fall into slavery.”
I was a little taken aback by the fact that this girl was doing something so outrageous behind the scenes, but I wanted to praise myself for not letting it show on my face.
“All we need to do now is transfer the slaves contracted to me to have you as the master, Kaisar-sama. And, as the Modells value justice and order, there are many ways for us to deal with the Kvist family, another ducal family.”
This girl was so loyal to me that she sold out her own family to me…
I was not surprised by Bridgette’s brokenness and abnormality, as I had been aware of it thanks to how I had spent almost every day close to her recently, but that did not mean that I was not attracted to her.
“I-Is there something I’m not doing correctly?”
The last time, I managed to endure it, but this time it seemed to show in my expression, albeit only slightly.
Bridgette can sense even the slightest change in my facial expression and begins to wince like a dog when caught in the middle of mischief.
“Ah, it’s all right. Bridgette has done nothing wrong. It’s the Kvist family’s problem in the first place, and it’s also a problem I have to deal with.”
I pat Bridgette’s head like a dog and think.
Certainly, as Bridgette said, the problem could be avoided by utilizing the Modell family, but the problem is how to do it.
If I can use the duke’s family as pawns, I must use them more effectively.
I decided that the best thing to do now was to make the Modells mine before they get destroyed by Bridgette, so I drove the carriage with Bridgette to the Modells’ household.
43- Ownership
“Looks like a fat pig.”
“I am so embarrassed, Master.”
My first impression of the former head of the Modell family was a bald man with a greasy face and a fat, hulking frame that bore no resemblance to the figure I had initially imagined.
“W-who are you, you rude little brat! Who the h**l do you think you are, putting on a mask and not showing yourself in front of me?”
“Noisy, just shut up.”
“…!!”
When the fat pig saw me, he pointed his finger at me, spit, and pointed his finger at me while shaking his body. He continued to try screaming even when Bridgette’s order prevented him from doing so.
It makes my head hurt because that man is Damien Modell, the former head of the Modell family.
“What happened, Father?”
“What’s the matter with you making so much noise in the morning?”
And just as I was thinking that I had done the right thing by putting on the masks so that no one would see my true face, two young men entered the room where we were.
I know their faces well.
They are Kreuz Modell and Leo Modell, a year and two years older than me, respectively.
They often approached me in school with a sense of righteousness, and I was often indebted to them.
Well, it is typical of the Modell family, as Bridgette is similar in that regard.
However, I am not so ungrateful as to forget the favors I received. Since I cannot let my true identity get divulged, I make a note in my mind to return the favor I received that day in a lump sum payment at a later date.
“Hey, Bridgette, who’s that?”
“You realize what could happen depending on your response, don’t you?”
“… Shut up. Aren’t you being rude to my master, and from now on, your master?”
“…!?”
“…!!”
Although they are both muscular and with the opposite physique to their father, their reactions after being left speechless are very similar.
“Dear Master, since they came to me from the other side like insects to a fire, let’s immediately transfer ownership of the slaves from me to you.”
There are other people involved in the overthrow of the state behind the scenes, led by the chief butler, but Bridgette has already enslaved them, so for the time being, it seems that I only need to transfer ownership of these three as my slaves.
Their mouths were open like goldfish, desperately trying to say something, and even if they tried to resist, their movements were blocked, as if they were drowning.
44- A lot worse than me
Thus the ownership was smoothly transferred from Bridgette to me without any problems.
It removed the effect of Bridgette’s commands on these three people, and they became noisy all at once.
“You! Free me from slavery all at once! I am the next king of this land! So get on with it, you stupid b***h!”
“Hey, you! Do you think you can do this to me? I am the heir to the Modell family, a family that even has control of the Royal Knight Order!”
“Think about what will happen to your family and relatives if you don’t free me from slavery! I am a candidate to be the next Knight Order head! If you don’t want to face the worst possible future, free me from this slavery quickly!”
I’m glad I didn’t tell these guys who I am.
These people are clever, so I can easily imagine a future in which they find loopholes and reveal my identity to a third party, no matter how many prohibitions I give them as slaves.
However, it seems urgent to discipline these scums because they are an eyesore when they are noisy like this forever.
“Next time, I’ll cut off the legs of anyone who speaks without my permission.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Who the h**l are you? Gyaaaaaaaaaa!? Oh, my leg! My leg, gaaaah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!”
We need to make them understand with their bodies, or they won’t listen to what we say. I wasn’t planning to chop them off right away, but I thought they would behave better if I commanded them as their master. But, just as I finished, Damien Modell howled in rage, spitting, and that’s when Bridgette mercilessly cut off her father’s right leg above the knee.
Seeing Damien rolling around on the floor in pain and his two sons mortified at what happened also freaked me out.
“Shut up. Didn’t Master tell you to shut up?”
“Hiiiiiiii! I’m quiet, quiet!”
When she grabbed Damien by the beard as he rolled around screaming and lifted him with force, she glared at him point-blank and told him to shut up in a husky voice. Damien, yellow liquid leaking from his groin, desperately swore to Bridgette that he’ll be quiet.
“Those are words that you should tell Master, not to me, and it is up to the master to forgive or not.”
“Ahh, I’ll be all quiet. Please have mercy on me…!”
Just looking at this scene alone would tell you that she’s a lot worse than me.
I think the same.
45- Similar to Bridgette
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 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 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 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