The Man’s 101st Bad Ending

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Piiiii-

She covered her ears at the rough tinnitus ringing out.

Shattered teacups and plates were scattered all around, and she quietly looked at her bleeding hand for a moment.

She felt no pain from the palm she had cut to make a vow.

What really stung was her chest, stained with shame, so Yuria chuckled softly and put away the sword.

“Yo- Young Lady.”

…

Ah.

Yuria’s gaze turned to the maid who had sunk to the floor.

She had been assigned to monitor him, but she was a woman who couldn’t even do that properly.

Monitoring was only meaningful if it went unnoticed, so if he had noticed it long ago, didn’t it mean she had failed to do her job properly?

After pondering for a moment, Yuria soon rang the bell on the table.

As the maids entered, startled by the sight of the table, Yuria ordered them.

“Clean it up. And this too.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said clean it up. Bury it somewhere appropriate, or divide it and throw it away.”

Her answer flowed like water, and the maid was dazed for a moment, but she soon realized it was an answer regarding her treatment when her arm was grabbed.

It is said that when one is too shocked, even words don’t come out.

Ignoring the desperate gaze looking at her, Yuria sat on a chair as she looked around.

The maid being dragged away was wailing.

But it couldn’t be heard.

The tinnitus ringing in her ears drowned out the sound, and she was just staring blankly into the void with an expressionless face.

Her passion from moments ago had completely disappeared.

She had momentarily lost her senses due to her erupting emotions, but that was all.

The sight of her instantly regaining her composure was quite chilling, but it was a familiar reaction to Yuria.

Hiding her emotions was quite an easy task.

How could she reveal her own anger and passion to just anyone?

Yuria, who let out a small sigh, rubbed her brow.

As the maid who had been dragged away disappeared, the tinnitus ringing in her ears seemed to vanish as well.

And the thought that settled in her mind was, of course, Robert Taylor.

Although she had let the last incident slide because he was her younger brother, she could no longer overlook his arrogant behavior.

Did he ask if she lacked confidence?

Ha, Yuria let out a snort.

She was already the Young Lady.

If she wanted to become the family head, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Whether he went to the north or the south, nothing had changed.

It had been a lifetime of living for the family.

To become the family head, she did not hesitate to stain her own hands with blood.

In such a situation, for him to dare provoke her.

No matter how much he had gained the support of the imperial family, if he thought something would change with that, it would be a miscalculation….

Until the family head leaves a will, everyone has the right.

Yuria, who recalled that family motto, chuckled softly.

Depending on the circumstances, depending on the situation.

By using that motto, she could become the family head first.

As she thought of her father, Yuria’s expression deliberately turned cold.

She had lived for the family.

Because that was what she had learned since childhood.

She had learned the ‘lessons’ she had given to Robert first, and the purpose she had harbored while doing so was to become the family head.

She had no intention of leaving those who interfered alone.

Even if it was family.

As long as the family remained, what did it matter if they were family?

Yuria, who thought so, laughed coldly.

Her eyes, which had been shining with a freezing light, soon turned hazy and lost their light.

***

The autumn, which I had expected to be very long, ended, and now the winter when the north wind blew had arrived.

The red-stained leaves touched the ground and withered, and only the bare trees shivered in the cold.

But for me, it could be said to be the most important season, as this winter could be said to determine most of my current run.

The first place I had to go was the north, and I thought I would have to stay there for about one to two months at most.

Even if it took longer, I had to return before the end of the year and go to the south, so that I could match the timing.

Recalling the message I had received from Adriana a few days ago, I swallowed dryly.

She said there was a high possibility we would move together while in the south.

She was happy, saying it was fortunate, but I wondered if I should be happy about that.

Time was tight.

I needed to have as much personal time to move as possible.

If necessary, it would be better to move alone using the early mornings.

“One month in the south.”

One month, excluding the time to travel between the south and here.

Within that time, I had to find and secure information about the relics, so I would have to move urgently.

All information about the relics was managed by the imperial family and the church.

However, the relics in the south were not even touched by the church, and the information was also lacking, so it was quite difficult to find unless one had a direct connection to the imperial family or the church.

It could be said that it was truly a stroke of luck that I had obtained the Moonstone.

Of course, I had found some information about the relics through Arwen.

I would ask her to continue investigating even while I was in the north, so that was a matter for later.

The issue I had to worry about now was purely how to move in the north.

It was easy to belong to a group.

I already had the experience of being with them many times, and Adele was lenient towards those she liked.

But the problem was how to warn her about the treason.

If she had sensed it, it would be fine, but if not, I was quite afraid of how she would view me.

It was inevitable that Adele would be falsely accused of treason.

If I could prevent that and make her my ally, I could at least bring the north, which occupied 3 out of 10 parts of this empire, under my power.

It might be too optimistic, but I thought I could prevent it.

If it was the Adele Igrit I knew, she would at least not ignore my words.

What if I had warned her a bit more strongly before?

Not just saying it might not be the case as a passing remark, but seriously warning her that it was dangerous.

Would I have heard the news of the Crown Prince’s death instead of Adele’s?

…But it was a meaningless assumption.

In the end, what mattered was this life, so I smiled bitterly and checked the sword at my waist.

It was a sword I had asked the blacksmith to make to withstand a considerable amount of mana.

Although it wasn’t as good as the sword I had borrowed from Adele last time, I thought I could use it quite well if it was of this level.

As I was examining the sword this way and that, Renold, who had loaded all my luggage into the carriage, approached me.

He seemed to find it quite strange that I had brought a sword.

It was natural.

Since I had never even held a sword in front of Renold, even if it was for self-defense, he probably thought something else would be better.

“I don’t think you’ll have to use a sword, aren’t you going to meet Lady Adele?”

“That’s true, but I might have to wield a sword unexpectedly.”

“The north, protected by Lady Adele, won’t be such a dangerous place. In any case, have a safe trip.”

“…Well, I hope you haven’t forgotten what I ordered you to do.”

At those words, Renold’s eyes became more serious.

Renold’s role while I was away was simple.

To monitor Yuria’s every move in case she went astray.

Rather than closely monitoring her, it was more about reporting to me when there were suspicious actions, but with Yuria’s current state, there was a high possibility she would head in a twisted direction.

Rather, it would be better for her to move in that direction.

It would make it easier for her to self-destruct, so I hoped she would take a few more drastic measures.

Renold had now become the only trustworthy person in the ducal estate.

Since he had constantly watched over me and had not done anything particularly troublesome, I could judge that he could continue to be trusted in the future.

Tapping Renold’s shoulder, I quietly opened my mouth.

“I trust you. While I’m gone, you have to do well.”

“…I understand.”

Renold, who took a deep breath, nodded with a slightly more solemn gaze.

Perhaps it was okay to express trust occasionally.

If it made the work cleaner, there was nothing more I could ask for.

Renold bowed his head politely to me as I got into the carriage.

Smiling slightly at that sight, I turned my head and looked forward.

The wind blowing through my hair was cold.

I would probably have to live in the origin of this wind for the time being.

But it didn’t bother me.

The north was the place where I had lived most comfortably.

The wind blows.

The carriage, rattling and shaking, began to run against the wind.

Soon, a snowy field covered in white snow would come into view.

A place where fierce wolves live, a place where numerous tribes and blood flow.

That pure white hell was the warmest place for me, so my eyes, which had been shining, soon closed tightly.

My mind had already reached the north.

***

“From now on, we are issuing a state of emergency alert.”

Not long after the letter arrived saying that Robert was heading north, Lothos took the opportunity while Adele was away to gather the defense forces.

It was possible because Lothos held the highest position in Adele’s absence.

Upon hearing the news that an alert close to a state of emergency had been issued, the soldiers began to murmur among themselves.

An alert when there wasn’t much time left until the subjugation of the tribes, and there was no event that would cause someone to invade the territory, so they were puzzled.

Amidst that, Lothos opened his mouth.

“I’m sure you’ve all heard the news that Lord Robert Taylor is coming to the north. And I think you’ve also heard that our Grand Duchess is preparing to go out to greet him.”

“Gre- Greet him, you say?”

As the soldiers became noisy at the mention of greeting, Lothos raised his hand to calm them down.

Of course it would be surprising, he himself had been dazed for a moment upon hearing the news that the Grand Duchess was preparing to go out personally.

But it was his job to make judgments faster than anyone else.

Lothos, who tapped his temple once, narrowed his eyes.

He had already thought that the relationship between Robert and the Grand Duchess was unusual.

He didn’t know what kind of connection they had, but it was extremely rare for the Grand Duchess to easily forgive someone.

She had even said a few times that she liked him, and she had even worried about him.

That Grand Duchess… directly worrying about a man, wasn’t it obvious?

Lothos swallowed dryly and scanned the crowd.

Perhaps realizing the seriousness of the situation now, everyone’s expressions were equally serious.

“Do you understand a little why I said the situation is urgent?”

Yes!

Lothos, who smiled satisfactorily at the energetic answer, nodded his head.

Although it could not be considered a state of emergency, they could not show even the slightest disrespect to the guest coming to this north.

If the Grand Duchess started to find fault with him, she might order the subjugation of the tribes alone.

If they refused that?

They might have to fight the Grand Duchess directly with swords.

Adele’s military prowess had been considered something beyond common sense since the days when she led a mercenary group.

The girl who had snapped the neck of a troll alone, didn’t that girl’s mercenary group grow up to occupy the north and gain recognition, rising to the position of Grand Duchess?

Seeing that legendary journey, there was no one here who disregarded Adele, so they each had thoughts about the man named Robert Taylor.

And after a brief silence, one soldier carefully opened his mouth.

“Is it alright to judge that he might become Her Excellency’s lover?”

“…Yes, I thought you would ask that.”

With a slightly gloomy expression, but then with a serious face, Lothos looked ahead and answered.

“That’s what I think. Perhaps… the Grand Duchess seems to be trying to take a lover soon. So we’ll have to be careful with our actions from now on.”

Gasp-

The soldiers, who gasped, became noisy again, but Lothos thought it was about time.

The Grand Duchess was about to turn 24, and if she was 24, it wouldn’t be strange for her to take a lover.

But her situation was so harsh that she had never had a relationship with a man.

She used to slit the throats of the men who approached her, so it was rather surprising that her connection with this man named Robert had lasted this long.

So Lothos thought.

Perhaps Robert didn’t think badly of the Grand Duchess either.

Even if he seemed to be hiding many things, didn’t he seem excellent in other aspects besides that?

He recalled the swordsmanship he had seen that night.

And Adele’s gaze blankly looking at Robert.

Lothos smirked.

After all, feelings tended to bloom without one realizing it.

His own wife had also been connected through such a meeting, so now it must be time for the Grand Duchess to experience that as well.

Suddenly, a gust of wind tickled Lothos’s cheek.

The wind was always cold, but today it felt unusually warm, was it just an illusion?

Lothos, who had been looking at the lined-up soldiers, soon began to explain how they should move forward.

It was a story about Adele’s lover, which only Adele didn’t know in the north…

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