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“Please wait here for a moment.”

“……What?”

Count Arsene turned to me with a bewildered expression.

Well, that was understandable.

“Isn’t this an outhouse?”

An outhouse.

In other words, a shit bucket.

As a place to handle physiological needs, the surrounding area was overgrown, perfect for hiding.

The reason such an outhouse was situated in the middle of the count’s front yard was simple.

It was near the grand training ground.

True to the name of a prestigious family, the knights here often engaged in long training sessions.

In other words, this was a makeshift outhouse for emergency use.

“You wanted to know the third reason, didn’t you? For that, you need to hide first.”

“……I am a count.”

“Do nobles not poop?”

“……”

I quickly silenced Count Arsene and hid beside him.

“What in the world are we doing?”

“Don’t be so impatient; they should be appearing soon.”

“Appearing?”

“The appointed time is near.”

Speak of the devil.

As I spoke, a familiar pair appeared on the grand training ground.

“Isabelle……?”

The count’s bewilderment deepened at the sight of his wife.

“The lady asked me for a favor.”

“A favor?”

“She said she would imprison herself but wanted to meet the children one last time without any surveillance.”

“Isabelle…… said she would enter prison on her own?”

Count Arsene’s mouth hung open in disbelief.

“Anyway, that’s how it is, so please do me this favor.”

At that moment, Hans, the guard, looked directly at us.

We had only hidden our bodies, not our presence.

Receiving his gaze, Count Arsene quickly muttered something.

Then, his mana came alive and made its way to Hans.

“……!”

Hans’ eyes widened, and he swiftly disappeared from view.

“Thank you.”

“Never mind that. I’ll ask again. What exactly are you planning?”

“The lady will show you soon.”

Right on cue, the count’s two rascals, Jan and Hersen, ran into the grand training ground.

“Mother!”

“We’re here!”

Seeing Hans completely gone, the lady spoke without delay.

“……Mother?”

“……!”

At Isabelle’s subdued voice, Hersen froze.

“I-I’m sorry, my lady.”

“……You two, are you hiding something from me?”

“What……?”

“Recently, you seem to be taking things too lightly.”

As if struck by lightning, the brothers jumped in place.

“N-No way!”

“That’s right! We’re really working hard!”

Isabelle glanced around and spoke softly again.

“Then how do you explain Kirian?”

“……!”

The brothers exchanged glances as if struck at a sore spot.

“Th-That’s because we can’t deal with him due to interference……”

“B-But the count also told us to treat him with respect, since he’s an honored guest……”

Isabelle’s eyebrows furrowed more and more.

“Come to your senses, will you?”

“Gasp!”

“You two! With such a weak mindset, how do you plan to survive in this harsh world?”

The brothers, their faces pale, couldn’t utter another word.

“Do you think I can leave for another place, trusting you like this?”

“We’re sorry! We’re sorry!”

She must have disciplined them quite harshly; the rascals couldn’t even properly straighten their backs.

“I always tell you! Kirian is your competitor. If you don’t want to be left with nothing, keep your wits about you. Why don’t you understand your mother’s heart?”

“We’ll stay focused!”

“We’ll do it properly!”

The brothers shouted in unison, their spirits high.

“Don’t just say you’ll do it properly; show it through your actions! Crush him completely this time. So that I can feel at ease! How can you not realize that the lord wants exactly that?”

“Y-Yes…!”

The final guest of the day arrived at that very moment.

In the meantime, a child could be seen walking towards us from a distance.

“Kirian……”

Count Arsene, who had been watching the entire situation, muttered as if groaning.

Before long, Kirian arrived at the grand training ground and bowed politely.

“Greetings, lady.”

“……You’re here?”

It was astonishing how quickly a person’s demeanor could change; Isabelle greeted Kirian with a warm smile.

“I heard you were looking for me.”

“But, the title ‘lady’ feels a bit off, Kirian.”

“Sorry?”

“Call me mother.”

“……!”

Kirian’s eyes widened as if he had never expected this.

“Are you surprised?”

“N-No……”

“I guess this is why they say people change when they’re about to die.”

“Wh-Wh-What do you mean……?”

Kirian stammered so severely, he seemed pitiable, overwhelmed by shock.

Even the delinquent brothers stood with their mouths agape at the shocking statement.

“I have a serious illness. So I have to leave for a while to get treatment.”

“What? Y-You have an illness, lady……?”

“Not ‘lady,’ but ‘mother.’”

“……”

Kirian stood there, at a loss for words.

He likely couldn’t bring himself to say the word.

“……Well, I’m being selfish, aren’t I? After all, I’ve been so indifferent to you, and now I’m asking you to call me mother.”

“N-No, that’s alright.”

As Isabelle gave a forlorn smile, Kirian quickly waved his hands in denial.

“I just wanted to apologize before I left. I’m sorry, I haven’t taken proper care of you.”

“I don’t know what illness you have, but…… I pray for your full recovery.”

“Thank you.”

Isabelle patted Kirian’s head with a radiant smile.

“The exam is coming up soon, right? Kirian, do your best.”

“Thank…… you.”

It was a very heartwarming scene.

That is, if one was completely unaware of the context.

“She acts so well. She could become a star in a theater troupe.”

“Ahem.”

Count Arsene let out an uncomfortable cough at my sarcastic remark.

“I don’t know when I’ll be cured…… but, can you do me one last favor, Kirian?”

“Please, tell me anything.”

Kirian lifted his head and responded without hesitation.

It seemed that the innocent boy genuinely believed her words.

Unaware of what he was about to face.

“If it’s okay with you all…… I’d like to see the results of your hard work before I leave.”

“Pardon? Hard work?”

“I might leave the house before the results of your knight’s exam come out. That’s why I’m asking.”

Finally grasping the situation, Kirian’s face turned pale.

“In the knight’s exam, there’s a sparring component between peers, right?”

Quick-witted Jan clenched his fists.

In contrast, Kirian’s face turned completely ashen.

“Don’t feel too pressured. Just show this mother the skills you’ve honed, like usual. So I can leave with peace of mind. Show me the fruits of your efforts.”

“Like usual……”

A sly smile appeared at the corner of Hersen’s lips.

The two delinquents’ gazes slowly turned towards Kirian.

As always.

In other words, wasn’t she asking them to beat him up right there?

“Come on, Kirian! Since it’s come to this, let’s show mother properly! Let’s show our filial piety!”

“No, I……”

Jan forcibly handed a wooden sword to Kirian.

Immediately after.

“I’ll go first!”

Without giving anyone a chance to intervene, Jan charged forward.

“Hyah, hyah, hyah!”

With bizarre shouts, Jan’s wooden sword swung repeatedly.

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

Dull thuds followed.

Kirian could only one-sidedly take the beating.

As always.

“Ugh……”

It seemed Jan was going all out from the beginning. Kirian’s body quickly turned black and blue.

“……I should step in.”

I raised my hand to stop Count Arsene, who was about to intervene.

“Not yet. This is still part of training.”

“Training? You call this training? Are you saying this after seeing that?”

“This is nothing new.”

“What?”

“Hasn’t this been going on for a long time?”

“……!”

Finally, Count Arsene fell silent.

“Haven’t you received enough reports?”

“No, I didn’t think it was this bad……”

Count Arsene couldn’t continue and averted his gaze.

Kirian needs to change.

He needs to realize.

The bigger the cocoon he builds around himself, the more the helplessness will torment him.

If he realizes too late, it will remain a knot in his heart for life.

And at the end of his life, he’d be plagued with countless should-have’s, and woulf gnaw away at his own soul.

For a very long time.

Thwack! Thwack-thwack!

The sound of ‘thud’ soon changed to ‘thwack.’

As if determined to make him fail the exam, Jan’s wooden sword strikes carried emotion.

“Ugh……”

Now, Kirian curled up like a pill bug and just took the beating.

“Stop……!”

Just as Count Arsene sprang to his feet.

“Are you just going to keep taking it?”

I approached the training ground first.

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

“……”

Immediately, four pairs of eyes focused on me.

However, it seemed as if Isabelle had anticipated this and quickly regained her composure.

“Pull yourself together! If your real mother saw you like this, she’d sure be thrilled!”

Twitch.

For the first time, Kirian showed a reaction.

At that, Jan’s strikes with the wooden sword grew even more aggressive.

“What are you twitching for? You think twitching will solve anything?”

“……”

“Look at you, not even opening your eyes properly. You think closing your eyes will make your problems go away?”

Of course, I didn’t intervene any further.

This is a problem that can’t be solved by others.

In the end, one’s shell must be broken from the inside.

No matter how many times someone says, ‘Do it, change,’ unless he changes his mindset himself, everything will be like before.

“Get up. You said you wanted to change. Isn’t that why you came to me?”

“……”

“Do you want to live like this forever? Wouldn’t your mother’s heart in heaven be torn apart?”

“You…… what do you know!”

In the midst of getting beaten, Kirian shouted as if he was having a seizure.

I know.

Because I would have felt the same.

If Andy were alive and saw this scene from the afterlife, I would’ve grabbed god by the collar and threatened him to let me go down.

“Your father is worried about you too.”

“……What……?”

“Your father said so. He was always sorry for not being able to fulfill the role of a mother. Every time he sees you, it’s like looking at a painful sore. But he couldn’t help because he feared you’d be bullied more if he stepped in.”

Shudder.

Kirian’s trembling intensified.

Conversely, the smiles of the matron and the delinquent brothers, who were watching my every move, grew wider.

-What on earth are you doing now?

Count Arsene’s voice, filled with rage, echoed in my head at that moment.

-If I don’t talk to him like this, he won’t understand. Even if it’s a relationship between a father and son, the resentment will just keep building up inside.

-……!

Count Arsene’s eyes widened.

-Wait, wait a minute. My goodness. You can even send mana messages? Are you truly at the level of an Expert? At such a young age……!

Before I could respond, the delinquents reacted first.

“As expected, you’re a wise person. Well, our father also became the head of the family by surpassing his brothers, didn’t he? The weak must die.”

“That idiot is crying again.”

I glanced quietly in the direction where Count Arsene was hiding.

Did you see?

These are your sons.

-They say children grow up watching their father’s back. But until now, there hasn’t been a back for them to see. You’ve been so busy with your work outside.

-Are you…… criticizing me, right now?

-No. Most fathers live that way.

-……!

Count Arsene’s body trembled greatly.

Criticize?

How can I, in my position, criticize anyone for something like this?

-What does it matter if the family doesn’t recognize the head’s hard work? If you can see your family happy because of the hardships you endured outside, that too is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?

-That’s……

After empathy, you need to inject facts.

-Of course, the children might ‘slightly’ go astray, as you can see, but if you continue to succeed outside, that too would be for the family’s happiness, wouldn’t it?

-……

There was no response.

This was a kind of advice for Count Arsene.

No, rather, it was a suggestion.

It’s a path I’ve already walked.

And I hope that at the very least, you don’t follow in my footsteps.

-However busy you are, you should pay attention at times like this. During the few moments a year when you show your back.

-……

-Every action a father takes affects his children. If you face assassins without raising your voice and just wait for the royal family’s help, the children will learn from that behavior. The heirs who will lead the future Arsene family.

Of course, that decision isn’t necessarily bad.

Such tactics are indeed the actions of a shrewd noble.

Laughing things off and turning a blind eye to absurdities when needed.

‘But just standing by when there’s a knife at your throat is the action of a fool.’

The backlash will hit hard once the Marquis of Foltaine’s family overcomes this crisis.

After the situation is completely resolved with only minor punishments.

Count Arsene conducts the investigation, but the judgment is made by the royal family.

No matter how clear the evidence, it can be easily overlooked.

That’s politics for you.

Given the strong power of the noble faction in this country, it’s entirely possible for the entire incident to be swept under the rug.

And then?

‘In a world where the strong prey on the weak, you’

ll be devoured if you’re looked down upon.’

There comes a moment when a man must act, even if it means losing everything.

Just like now.

-For the better future of the Count’s family. That’s the third reason you must push forward with the territorial war.