"Can you wait a little, Astina?" was my response to Astina's confession.
It might have seemed like a lukewarm answer.
It was a statement that could disappoint the other person and leave a lingering discomfort in my heart.
However, in the current situation, I couldn't accept the confession.
I had to take over the Astria family and find a solution to the time magic.
There were many other things waiting for me.
So, now was not the time.
"Well, I'm used to waiting anyway."
"But the longer it takes, the more anxious people become."
"This isn't just about me. Others feel the same."
"After I inherit the Astria family, I will come to see you again."
Leaving these words behind, I parted ways with Astina.
Astina went to attend a meeting in the capital, and I returned to the Astria family.
"Anyway......"
Rustle, rustle─
Sand and piles of stones caught under my feet.
In front of me, a collapsed wall was visible.
"What should I do about this......"
The library was in a complete mess.
The wall was broken, and stones were scattered around.
Since I was the one who had broken this wall, I could only sigh.
The reason I broke this wall was to enter the vault of the Astria family.
The Astria family vault, which I entered when Perrian taught me spatial magic.
In fact, I had many questions about that space.
Where exactly was this space?
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Although Perrian had entered it using spatial magic, it didn't seem like a space created by such magic.
If it was a space accessible only by spatial magic, we wouldn't have had to come all the way to the library and then to a seemingly predetermined wall.
So, I suspected there was another space behind this wall.
Ultimately, my hunch was right.
They had created another space behind the wall and then blocked the path with another wall.
It seemed like it was made this way so that members of the Astria family could enter the vault using spatial magic.
But, why was it so recklessly destroyed?
That's because I broke it in haste.
To save Astina, I needed something.
I stole a magical device engraved with spatial magic from the Astria vault.
Stealing the device was fine.
Thanks to that, I could save Astina, and everything turned out well in the end.
The problem was that Perrian was coming to this mansion.
I'm not yet the head of the family or the legitimate heir.
If it's discovered that I robbed the family vault in such a situation, I would face a serious punishment.
I couldn't afford to receive such a penalty during the intense competition for succession.
"Is anyone there?"
As I called out, a maid came down to the library.
"You called for...... Oh!"
The maid's eyes widened at the sight of the library's condition.
It was a natural reaction for the maid to be shocked upon seeing the library, typically a quiet and sacred space, now disorderly with piles of stones.
I pointed around and said to the maid,
“This needs to be cleaned up.”
“Understood. How should I clean it up?”
The maid didn't ask why this had happened.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The previous maids would have asked and informed Perrian, but the current maids were all loyal to my orders.
I had dismissed those who did not follow my orders and brought in new maids.
This was something I managed to do while still part of the family.
Since neither my father nor Ian remembered each maid individually, it was possible.
I had given a generous amount of money to those I dismissed and warned them not to inform the family, so I could replace the maids without any issues.
“First, gather the rubble separately and cover the broken wall with wallpaper,”
I instructed, doing the best I could under the circumstances.
Though I would have to rebuild the wall with stones while Perrian was away, I planned to make it minimally visible as he was returning soon.
“I understand. I’ll call some maids and servants to handle it,” the maid said, calculating what was needed without further instructions from me, which I found very satisfying.
“Give extra rewards to those who work on this. Get it done as quickly as possible.”
“Understood.”
The maid then began to organize the removal of the rubble.
While the library was being tidied, a maid rushed towards it.
“Yo, Young master Rudy...!”
“Master has arrived…”
“Already?”
There had surely been a meeting at the royal palace.
I had thought he would chat with the nobles and return later, but my prediction was off.
I looked around.
The library had just begun to be tidied and was still in the early stages of cleanup.
“What to do…”
After pondering the maid’s words, I moved.
“Let’s go upstairs for now. Clean this up as fast as you can. I’ll keep father occupied in the meantime.”
I quickly walked up to the first floor, where I saw Perrian standing outside the mansion.
I cleared my throat, straightened my clothes, and approached Perrian.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“Father, I hope you have been well.”
Perrian looked at me, his gaze indifferent.
“Ah, Rudy.”
His eyes seemed to say I was of no interest to him.
“I’ve decided to stay at the mansion for a while.”
“At this mansion?”
“Yes, until I have permission from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I see…”
Hearing this, I racked my brain.
I had to keep Perrian here.
I needed to think of a topic to engage him in conversation, but nothing came to mind. I had to have had conversations with Perrian to initiate one.
Moreover, Perrian was an enemy. I couldn’t delve into sensitive or friendly topics.
Perrian wouldn't immediately head to the library, I assumed.
However, my expectation was quickly proven wrong. When a servant fetched some documents from the carriage, Perrian reached out for them.
"Give those documents to me," he said.
Receiving the documents, Perrian headed towards the library.
"Father?"
I called out.
"Hmm?"
I promptly caught up with Perrian.
"Are you going to the library?"
"Yes, I have some work to take care of."
"Then, why not use the office? I haven't been using that room, so it's well-organized."
"The office?"
Perrian showed a subtle reaction, seemingly hesitant to go there.
It wasn't an atmosphere of suspicion towards me, but I noticed the documents in his hand.
What were those documents about?
I recalled that Ian and I were sharing the responsibilities related to the Astria family.
With Ian occupied with the Royal army, it was clear that there shouldn't be any separate documents for me to handle.
Realizing this, I didn't miss a beat.
"Are those confidential documents?"
I watched Perrian's expression closely as I spoke.
A flicker of disturbance.
Seeing this, I quickly continued,
"The library is a bit messy right now. I've been practicing spatial magic there, and maids and servants are coming and going. Perhaps it would be better to use the office."
Upon hearing this, Perrian nodded.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea."
I exhaled a sigh of relief upon hearing Perrian's agreement.
Did I manage to buy some time...?
"But," Perrian added, halting his steps towards the office and looking at me,
"I received a letter from the Mayer family."
"The Mayer family?" I echoed, puzzled.
"It concerns a marriage proposal."
"A marriage proposal?"
"The letter mentioned it's about time for you to marry, given your age."
I was baffled, dozens of question marks popping up in my mind.
"But why would the Mayer family... No, why to you, Father..."
"Karen Mayer," Perrian said, handing me a letter.
"Your childhood friend, the eldest daughter of the Mayer family, Karen Mayer. They wish to discuss a marriage arrangement with her."
The territory of the Astria family.
"Cough..."
"Only because the Astria family protected you, you managed to stay alive. Did you really think you were a match for me?"
Robert stood over dozens of people lying at his feet.
Blood was splattered everywhere, and the items used for research were all destroyed.
"Ro... Robert...!!!" a man with some strength left shouted at Robert.
Robert furrowed his brows and touched his ear.
"You don’t need to shout. I can hear you perfectly well."
"You... How could you do this!!! After killing the necromancers, you should've lived quietly in hiding, not come back to kill us twice!"
"I never killed any necromancers. In fact, it was you who killed people around me."
Robert’s indifferent words caused the man to seethe with rage.
"There's a limit to how much nonsense one can spout. You, using necromancy, got us caught by the Empire, causing us all to lose our homes and families. Now, living as dogs for the Astria family, you're going to finish us all off."
"Lost your homes and became dogs of Astria? What a dog's drivel."
Robert took a step towards the man.
His eyes emitted a murderous aura, and the man stumbled backward, overwhelmed by the intimidation.
"Why do you think I was caught by the Empire? Do you think I turned myself in for using necromancy?"
The man choked as Robert grabbed him by the collar.
"It was your scheme. You experimented on me. Thanks to your experiments, the Empire discovered my use of necromancy."
The man gasped for air, screaming in distress, while Robert, sighing, threw him aside.
"Your antics cost me my son. And now you, claiming to be dogs of Astria, are killing other people's families. Isn't it ironic? You lament about losing your families and homes, yet it's all your own doing."
"We did it to survive... to stay alive under the Astria family..."
"So, if someone orders it, it's okay to do it? Should the person who ordered it bear all the responsibility?"
"It was to survive..."
"To survive, huh?"
Robert sneered at the man and raised his fist.
"If you have to kill innocent people to survive."
He then struck down at the man.
"Just don't live. Bastard."
