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Various monster heads were mounted and displayed on wooden plaques. I was once again reminded of the eccentricities of the rich.

“Brother, let’s go all the way to the end of the hallway. I’ve never been that far.”

Mircel said excitedly. On the other hand, Niasel looked utterly terrified.

Following Mircel, we walked down the hallway. The deeper we went, the more the stuffed monsters glared or flicked their tongues.

Clack, clack, clack!

“Ah, geez! What is this thing?”

Mircel stumbled back as a giant snake skull snapped its jaws in front of him.

“It’s a Grommar. Judging by the bones, it must have been burned to death.”

“Oh, brother, you know quite a lot.”

I muttered absentmindedly, having recognized the monster from the lore book, and Mircel looked at me with admiring eyes.

Meanwhile, Niasel, clinging to my side, trembled even more. Using this as an excuse, I asked Mircel,

“Should we turn back?”

Realizing my concern, Mircel scolded Niasel.

“What’s so scary about this? It’s just a bit further!”

Niasel shook her head, clearly unable to go any further.

“Fine! Then wait here. Brother, let’s go on our own.”

Despite his confident tone, Mircel’s steps were slightly cautious. Wanting to get it over with quickly, I took a step forward. Then my collar stretched.

Grab—

Seeing Niasel’s tearful, trembling face softened my heart. Leaving a child here alone didn’t seem right.

“…Then hop on.”

I prayed the disaster I had thought of earlier wouldn’t happen as I hoisted Niasel onto my back.

Passing between the monsters’ heads, a sudden flash of three glowing eyes appeared at the dark end of the hallway.

“?!”

Every hair on my body stood on end.

A dreadful feeling that seeped into my very bones…

Mircel’s steps halted, and his shoulders slightly trembled. I could even hear him gulp, showing he was extremely cautious.

But it seemed he couldn’t suppress his curiosity. Firmly gripping the lamp handle, Mircel approached cautiously. Then, a bizarre scream echoed through the basement, mixing various animal cries into one.

Screeeeaaach!

With black feathers and three eyes, a beak lined with fangs that showed whenever it opened its mouth, and chained and locked even though it was just a head, it was undoubtedly the ‘Blackbird of Resentment.’

The beast shrieked and struggled as if trying to escape its decorative plaque.

Screeeeeech—

Thud!

Like a wild animal, Mircel swiftly hid behind my back. I had noticed his heightened tension earlier; he must have sensed it before me due to his good instincts.

“Brother… how can you stay calm after feeling that…?”

It wasn’t that I wasn’t afraid; it was just that the ‘Noble Blood’s Ember’ prevented me from outwardly expressing fear. My mind was still screaming at me to run away.

I knew well what kind of disaster would ensue if those chains broke.

The Blackbird of Resentment.

A demon beast sealed within the Tenest family’s mansion for a long time. The seal would be broken later due to the machinations of secret societies wishing for the world’s end.

It’s a boss monster appearing in the scenario where the playable character teams up with Aol to reseal it after arriving at a mansion turned into a scene of hell.

The subjugation difficulty is extreme.

Destroyed buildings, blazing flames, pools of blood, and countless corpses strewn about. I had seen numerous playable characters ripped apart by the beast’s maw.

“Did you know, brother? This monster has killed thousands of people.”

“That’s a lot. Wasn’t it subjugated in the demon realm?”

Having only seen the scenario where the seal was broken, I didn’t know the details of how it was sealed, so I asked.

“Yes. This monster rampaged through the village of Melbra, and it was dealt with alongside the Schweike family.”

Sweat beaded on Mircel’s temples as he glared at the Blackbird, not wanting to be outdone.

“It was a two-night battle. Many subjugation squad members died or were maimed, and even a high-ranking member of the Schweike family was gravely injured. In the end, Dad slit its throat, and here it is.”

Screeeech!

Perhaps recalling the memories, the Blackbird shrieked more savagely, and Mircel clung tighter to my back, startled.

“…Let’s go back.”

Mircel no longer insisted. Instead, he clung to my hand with a frightened face.

The fact that such a monster was under the mansion where I stayed was unsettling, but the secret society would only swap the seal’s key with a fake and break it in the mid-scenario event.

By then, I would surely escape this cursed mansion.

I trudged back, thinking of this, despite the Blackbird’s cries sounding increasingly vivid as we moved away.

Calming my pounding heart, I sent the twins back and was heading to my building.

Reaching my doorstep, I saw someone sitting at a garden table.

A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat deeply and a few servants attending her.

It was the mistress.

“Where are you going after coming all this way, Hersel?”

I tried to turn back naturally… but I was caught by the mistress.

Sighing inwardly, I walked over to the table.

It was the middle of the day in the garden, so she couldn’t do anything rash. Running away wouldn’t solve anything either.

“What do you want?”

“I have something to discuss, so sit down first.”

At her gesture, a servant pulled out a chair across from her.

“I have nothing to discuss.”

“Don’t be like that. It’s not bad news.”

There was a peculiar persuasion in her smile. Given that she was straightforward enough to say she wanted to kill me to my face, it didn’t seem like she was hiding any ill intentions.

Sitting down, a servant poured tea. Seeing me staring at the tea, the lady gestured as if urging me to drink.

I took a sip of the tea. And there was no system message… As expected, she hadn’t prepared any shallow tricks like that now.

“How is it? It was specially prepared.”

“Well, it’s fine.”

Relaxing a bit, I spoke kindly, and the lady smiled.

“You’ve changed a lot, Hersel. You used to have fits if it was chamomile.”

The hand holding the teacup flinched. It was a moment that reminded me that this seat was no different from a tiger’s den.

The lady leisurely sipped her tea and continued.

“People say one doesn’t change, but I don’t believe that. Especially with men, they say they change remarkably even if you don’t see them for three days. Compared to that, eating tomatoes or changing your tea preference is a trivial change.”

It seemed the lady assumed that a series of events had caused some changes in me.

Of course, she wouldn’t have the means to understand the nature of those changes.

“It’s not trivial but rather something you don’t care about. My succession rank remains the same.”

Despite my sharp words, the lady just smiled and changed the subject.

“Have you heard the news about the meeting with the Schweike family?”

“If you didn’t want me to hear, you should’ve told the servants to keep quiet.”

“Hehe, that’s not what I meant. Anyway, in two days, there will be a public meeting about the territorial dispute. The location is Arzel.”

Arzel was the midpoint between Tenest and Schweike.

“The Empire will only provide a venue for the meeting, and the two families will resolve the issue themselves. The problem is that it’s a public meeting.”

A servant refilled the empty cup, and the lady spoke as she watched the yellow tea pour.

“At a public meeting, families related to the issue or their subordinate families are allowed to attend. Of course, they don’t have voting or speaking rights, but the Schweike family will surely bring all their subordinate families.”

“Since they can’t stop their mouths, they’ll use rumors to sway public opinion.”

“Exactly. It would be good for us to bring our subordinate families too, but with the Grand Duke absent, it’s difficult to move them. So, this mother is in a bit of a bind?”

“You’re dragging out the introduction. Get to the point.”

“Attend the meeting, Hersel, as one of Tenest’s representatives.”

Does she want to borrow even a baby’s hand? Or is she testing me?

Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a pleasant proposal, so I narrowed my eyes.

“You said it would be good news for me?”

“Oh my, what could be better than an opportunity to serve and dedicate yourself to the family?”

Scrape!

I pretended to be annoyed, scraping the chair as I stood up. I was about to turn my back and leave when the lady’s words stopped me.

“Fine. I’ll grant one of Hersel’s requests. As long as it’s within my power.”

Within her power.

Of course, she wouldn’t grant something like ‘stick your face in that tea and die’ or ‘I’ll be a good son, so please spare me.’

While pondering what I could extract from this cunning woman, I eventually thought of something and spoke.

“Rather than a request, I have something to ask.”

“Let’s go with that then. What is it?”

“How much longer until Aol, I mean, Father returns?”

Knowing when this farce would end was what I needed most right now.

Knowing or not knowing when an extreme situation will end has a significant impact on survival.

The lady hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“A carrier pigeon arrived recently. He said he had defeated the target monster. It also included the expected date of arrival at the mansion.”

‘Though it’s just an expected date,’ she added, pulling out a letter with the Tenest seal from her pocket and placing it on the table.

When I reached out, she pulled it back towards her.

“If you arrive at Arzel, I’ll hand this letter to you. How about it?”

As expected, she wasn’t going to make it easy.

***

The next day, the public meeting venue in Arzel.

On the stage were the meeting seats divided into two sides, and above it were observer seats that could hold about 200 people.

Soon, the doors of the meeting hall opened, and the observers began to enter first.

The observer seats were simply for observation, unlike the meeting seats, so they weren’t divided into factions, but the visitors naturally sat closer to the side they belonged to.

As the start approached, the Schweike side seats were packed with nearly a hundred heads of subordinate families and their representatives, while the Tenest side looked empty, with only a few nobles involved in the territorial dispute or seeking gossip.

“With the Grand Duke absent, their side is sparse too.”

“We never had the numbers to begin with.”

“The prestige of Tenest has fallen.”

Naturally, such whispers arose.

Time passed, the secretary took his seat, and the Imperial mediator stood in the center, looking up at the observers.

As the atmosphere quieted, the meeting seats began to fill. First to appear was Heinrich von Schweike, a middle-aged man with neatly trimmed facial hair and sharp eyes.

He sat at the table with his representatives. The observers gulped, waiting for the Tenest representatives to appear.

When the mistress, Ahille, appeared, accompanied by two young men and a small child, the observers couldn’t help but snicker.

“Ha! Does Tenest have no one better?”

“Heh heh. And what’s with that kid? Do they think this is a joke?”

“Hey, isn’t that the crazy dog of Tenest?”

Thud, thud!

As the sneers grew louder, the mediator pounded his gavel with an embarrassed face. Despite the signal to be quiet, the mockery didn’t subside until Heinrich scanned the observers. Silence quickly followed.

“Ahem. Apologies for the disturbance.”

His voice, thick and muddy, echoed through the hall.

“We didn’t call for a public meeting to mock you.”

Heinrich eyed the Tenest representatives.

“But you must understand. One looks decent, but did you bring that little one here to nurse him? And what about that brat? Here to cause trouble?”

Occasional chuckles erupted around him.

Yet the mistress remained composed and greeted him gracefully.

“Hello, Count Heinrich. How is your health?”

It seemed like a simple greeting, but Heinrich’s face twisted, and he sat without a word.

Thud, thud, thud!

Once both sides were seated, the mediator announced the opening of the meeting with a gavel and began his opening statement.

As the mediator’s voice echoed quietly, Hersel glanced at Ahille beside him.

Ahille pulled a small envelope from her pocket and handed it to Hersel.

It wasn’t a noticeable action. Those who saw it assumed it was a document related to the meeting and didn’t react.

Only Hersel, who opened the envelope and read its contents, curled one corner of his mouth into a smile.

“…Now, Schweike side, briefly state your claims before the meeting begins.”

As the mediator finished his opening statement, Heinrich raised his voice.

“The Schweike family asserts the following: according to the Empire’s revered and merciful laws, Grendel rightfully belongs to our family!”

Clap, clap, clap.

Applause erupted from the Schweike side, but it was inappropriate for a dispute meeting, so the mediator pounded his gavel again to stop it.

“Next, the Tenest side.”

“Hersel.”

When it was Tenest’s turn, the mistress quietly called his name.

Hersel whispered in a low voice only she could hear.

“You made a mistake.”

“Hm?”

“You should never let go of the reins until the end.”

Bang!

Hersel slammed his feet onto the table with a loud noise. Almost reclining in his chair, he raised his head high and spoke in a deep voice.

“Is that so, with all your grumbling? If you’re so unhappy, stop whining and come at us.”

The hall fell dead silent. Hersel looked around at the stunned audience.

“Aren’t you going to clap for me?”

The unbridled brat’s chaos had begun.