Chapter 59. I Object to This Marriage! (2)
Alteron had already approached Kai. A despicable smile spread across Alteron’s face.
“Didn’t I tell you that the Elixir possessed by our family could treat your mistress?”
An Elixir.
It was a Spiritual Medicine known as the crowning achievement of Alchemy. Depending on its type, it could produce various effects capable of surpassing the limits of both body and mind.
It could even heal fatal injuries and diseases in an instant.
As a result, an Elixir was an extraordinarily rare Spiritual Medicine known as a ‘cure-all’.
However.
“It has not been confirmed that it can treat Lady Seraphia.”
Kai couldn’t be certain that even an Elixir could treat Seraphia’s condition.
There were numerous types of Elixirs, each possessing different effects and properties.
“Then do you intend to stand by and allow your mistress to die?”
Alteron continued with a mocking smile.
“I will not allow my wife to—”
Clang—!
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
Kai’s sword was drawn in the blink of an eye and pointed at Alteron’s throat.
“If you utter that word one more time, I will not remain still.”
Kai’s voice contained unmistakable killing intent.
However, Alteron didn’t retreat before Kai’s threatening presence.
“What is wrong with calling my wife my wife?”
“I clearly told you that I would not remain still—”
“Seraphia has already accepted the marriage proposal.”
Kai’s eyes, which had been gleaming with killing intent, widened instantly.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Seraphia already accepted my previous marriage proposal.”
Kai’s widened eyes turned toward Bernard.
However, Bernard also looked bewildered, as though this was the first time he had heard about it.
That meant Alteron was lying.
“You think a lie like that will—”
“This is the marriage covenant.”
Alteron took a neatly folded rectangular document from inside his clothing.
“A marriage covenant...?”
Alteron tapped Kai’s chest with his index finger, pushing him back.
“You will soon become my knight. Even a stupid dog should be capable of recognizing its master.”
Alteron’s gaze toward Kai overflowed with greed. His twisted smile was filled with contempt and mockery.
However.
Kai could do nothing.
He clenched both fists so tightly that they seemed ready to break.
….It was unbearable.
This sense of helplessness was utterly unbearable. Despair and fury at his own inability to act boiled within him.
“Read it.”
Kai reflexively accepted the document and examined its contents.
“Th-This is...!”
He realized that Alteron had been telling the truth.
The marriage covenant clearly contained a promise of marriage between Alteron and Seraphia.
Kai wanted to believe it had been forged, but a seal had been stamped at the bottom of the covenant.
It was unmistakably Seraphia’s seal.
“As you can see, Seraphia is already my fiancée.”
Alteron snatched the covenant back from Kai.
“Therefore, fulfill your duty as a knight. Don’t overstep your position by defying your master.”
Alteron casually pushed Kai’s sword aside.
It was at that moment.
“What the hell are all of you doing?”
A voice pierced Kai’s ears.
* * *
A group of people had gathered in front of Seraphia’s room.
For some reason, Kai was clenching both fists in frustration, while Bernard looked as gloomy as though the world had ended.
Then there was the triumphant expression of an unfamiliar thug.
“What the hell are all of you doing?”
I couldn’t understand what kind of nonsense they were causing.
As I slowly approached, the thug was the first to question me.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing. Who are you? I’ve never seen you in the County before.”
“You? Do you even know who you’re talking to—?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know.”
The thug ground his teeth before answering.
“I am Alteron de Venenon, the eldest son of House of Viscount Venenon!”
“....So it was you?”
He was the man who kept visiting the County without warning and making me mistakenly believe that Ian had arrived.
He was also the cause of this entire incident.
“Are you the bastard trying to marry Seraphia?”
“Bastard? Ha! Have you lost your mind? How dare you call a noble a bastard? I don’t know who you are, but—”
“I’m Seraphia’s older brother.”
In other words, I was about to become his brother-in-law.
I was also the eldest son of a count’s household, which held a higher position than his own.
“....What?”
Alteron stared blankly at me.
Because I looked nothing like Seraphia, he appeared unable to believe me.
Of course, Seraphia and I didn’t share a single drop of blood, so it was only natural that we didn’t resemble each other.
But even adoptive siblings were still siblings.
“So I’ll tell you in advance. I object to this marriage.”
As Seraphia’s family, I had every right to voice an opinion concerning her marriage.
That was especially true now that our father was dead.
Of course, that didn’t mean I intended to start acting like Seraphia’s older brother.
In that sense, I didn’t care who Seraphia married.
‘But I absolutely cannot allow the Monarch of Frost to awaken.’
I couldn’t stand by and watch that happen.
Even if Seraphia loved Alteron, I would oppose this marriage unconditionally.
Alteron faltered briefly when he heard I was her older brother.
His attitude became somewhat more restrained now that he knew I would become his brother-in-law.
“Your opposition is meaningless. Seraphia has already consented to the covenant.”
But his manners remained as appalling as ever.
“The covenant?”
Alteron handed me the neatly folded document.
It resembled a contract and detailed how much compensation would be provided in exchange for the marriage.
I examined its contents one section at a time.
Riiip—!
Then I tore the marriage covenant apart.
“Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!”
“There should be a limit to this nonsense.”
“....What did you say?”
“Did you really think I would be fooled by such a forged covenant?”
Of course, the seal stamped at the bottom of the marriage covenant was genuine.
It was identical to the seal stamped on the written pledge Seraphia had previously given me.
In other words, the covenant itself was authentic.
Even so, I was certain that it had been fraudulently created.
Otherwise, the quest wouldn’t have appeared only now.
It should have appeared the moment Seraphia accepted the marriage proposal.
That meant the seal was genuine, but Seraphia hadn’t personally stamped it.
This was only my speculation, but—
“You stole Seraphia’s seal and stamped it without her permission, didn’t you?”
Alteron’s entire body trembled.
That meant I had struck the mark.
Kai’s eyes filled with anger and hatred.
His threatening presence suggested he was ready to kill Alteron immediately, regardless of his noble status.
Alteron trembled with fear, yet he seemed to believe that Kai surely wouldn’t dare kill him.
However, he was misunderstanding something.
Kai wasn’t merely a knight with exceptional loyalty.
He was a ‘madman’ prepared to make an enemy of anyone for Seraphia’s sake.
Grrrrind—!
Even so, Kai suppressed his anger through sheer willpower.
That was because killing the eldest son of House of Viscount Venenon here would cause considerable trouble.
The murder of a noble was treated as an extremely serious matter within the kingdom.
More importantly, it could cause a war between White Wolf County and Venenon Viscounty.
If Kai acted rashly, the entire County could be thrown into chaos.
He restrained his anger repeatedly, not for his own sake but for Seraphia’s.
However, if he received even the slightest justification, he looked certain to kill Alteron on the spot.
Perhaps Kai’s appearance terrified him.
Alteron recoiled and shouted.
“But the Elixir is real!”
“....An Elixir?”
“Yes! The Elixir capable of treating Seraphia is real!”
Apparently, Alteron possessed an Elixir capable of treating Seraphia’s condition.
Judging by the situation.
‘Is that why they didn’t immediately drive him away?’
That appeared to be the case.
“We don’t need it.”
“....What?”
“I already have an Elixir capable of treating Seraphia.”
“Is that true?!”
The question came not from Alteron but from Kai.
The threatening presence that made him look ready to kill Alteron vanished completely.
Kai merely stared at me with his round blue eyes.
“Why did you think I went to Freche?”
….Ah, had I forgotten to tell him?
Well, anyway.
“The medicine will be completed soon.”
Kai’s blue eyes trembled violently at my confident answer.
Then, unexpectedly.
Kai’s gaze suddenly became strange.
That bastard....
If I left him alone, there was no telling what kind of madness he might commit.
I hurriedly addressed Alteron.
“Get out of my sight immediately.”
He should leave before lingering here got him killed by Kai.
Even though he was a thug, he was still a noble, so cleaning up the aftermath would be extremely troublesome.
“What nonsense!”
However, Alteron had no intention of withdrawing quietly. His face twisted with indignation, and his fists trembled.
He clearly resented me for ruining everything when success had already been within his grasp.
“You think someone like you can treat Seraphia’s condition?”
“And if I can?”
“Do you even understand Seraphia’s condition before spouting such nonsense?”
“You speak as though you understand it.”
“Of course I—!”
Alteron abruptly closed his mouth.
He appeared to have plenty to say but refused to speak any further.
He merely glared at me once.
“....Don’t come crying to me later with regret.”
Alteron turned sharply and walked away.
It was at that moment.
◆You have completed the Sub-Quest [I Object to This Marriage!]!
A series of translucent messages announcing the quest’s completion appeared before my eyes.
◆You have acquired 486,440 Quest Experience!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
◆Your level has increased!
I received far more Quest Experience than expected.
The Sudden Quest involving the Lycanthrope had rewarded approximately 950,000 Experience.
This wasn’t as much, but considering the quest’s difficulty, it was practically free Experience.
And then.
◆How dare that thug set his sights on my younger sister?!
◆Not until the day I die!
◆Kai’s Affinity has increased significantly due to your brotherly actions!!
The reward of Kai’s Affinity—which I hadn’t particularly wanted—also appeared before my eyes.
◆Kai’s Affinity toward you has reached the [Friendliness] state!
◆A person in the [Friendliness] state will display a warm and positive attitude toward you.
◆This person will actively provide assistance and cooperation. You may receive their support during combat or certain situations and request their aid in times of crisis.
Kai’s Affinity had jumped two stages from [Conflict] to [Friendliness].
In any case, that wasn’t important right now.
Alteron was walking away while seething with anger.
That bastard.
Something about him had seemed strange from the beginning.
First, it was strange that he hadn’t recognized my face.
I had failed to recognize Alteron because my memories were clouded by the experiences of my previous life.
But there was no reasonable way for Alteron not to recognize me.
The Venenon Viscounty bordered White Wolf County.
It was strange that he wouldn’t recognize me, the notorious delinquent of the count’s household.
That was particularly true because of my black hair, which was uncommon on the continent.
Seraphia had only recently lost consciousness.
It happened after she used her authority, and there was no reason House of Viscount Venenon should have known about it.
Of course, a messenger from House of Viscount Venenon had visited the County before I departed for Freche.
They might have learned about it then.
However, the most suspicious point was that the quest had been completed the instant Alteron left.
That meant the quest had occurred because of Alteron alone.
And this was a quest whose failure penalty was nothing less than the awakening of the <Monarch of Frost>.
What exactly was that man?
I activated Predatory Instincts[S] while staring at Alteron’s retreating back.
Information about him immediately appeared before my eyes in an organized format.
There was also the fact that he had stolen Seraphia’s seal and manipulated the marriage covenant.
And he had behaved as though he knew something about Seraphia’s condition.
==< Entity Information >==
Entity: Alteron de Venenon
Classification: Kingdom Artificialia, Phylum Alchemica, Class Mimica, Homunculus
Gender: Male
Age: 1 year
Trait: Replicant-Type Homunculus
* * *
Kai was currently overwhelmed by confusion.
Alteron was leaving the count’s estate with an indignant expression.
Once again.
Adrian had protected Seraphia.
Once again, Adrian had turned the impossible into reality.
Kai felt both gratitude and resentment toward Adrian.
Those two conflicting emotions had seized Kai’s heart and were relentlessly pulling it in opposite directions.
The wounds Adrian had inflicted upon him in the past.
When Kai recalled what had happened back then—the incident that had destroyed his relationship with Adrian—he couldn’t cast aside his resentment toward him.
But if Adrian hadn’t been here now.
When Kai considered that he could never have protected Seraphia without Adrian, he couldn’t cast aside his gratitude either.
Those complicated emotions intertwined and threw Kai’s mind into turmoil.
It was at that moment.
“Wait.”
Adrian called out to Alteron as he was walking away.
Alteron abruptly stopped.
“Ha! Have you changed your mind already?”
Alteron’s voice was filled with ridicule and mockery as he turned around.
However, Adrian gave no answer. Adrian merely stood there, staring silently and intently at Alteron.
Eventually, Adrian slowly opened his mouth.
“What did you say your name was?”
“What? Why are you suddenly asking—?”
“I asked what your name was.”
Adrian’s red eyes gleamed with killing intent.
….Gulp.
Kai could hear Alteron swallowing even from where he stood.
“I-I told you earlier! I am Alteron de Venenon, the eldest son of House of Viscount Venenon!”
“Alteron de Venenon....”
Adrian repeated Alteron’s name thoughtfully.
Then he stared intently at an empty space beside him.
“....Are you certain?”
“Are you trying to make a fool of me—?”
“Isn’t your name Avarus?”
Alteron’s eyes widened.
“H-How do you know that name...?”
Shock spread across Alteron’s face.
His expression clearly asked how Adrian could possibly know it.
And then.
“Avarus.”
Adrian’s voice sent an icy chill down Alteron’s spine.
At the same moment.
Adrian’s entire presence transformed.
Kai involuntarily trembled.
A horrifying presence was now emanating from Adrian.
It was….identical to that time.
The gaze Adrian had directed at the Lycanthrope amid the absolute freezing cold.
The smile filled with madness and resentment as he chewed the Lycanthrope’s heart.
“I never expected to encounter a Devotee of the Fallen Souls here.”
Adrian grinned.
His blood-red eyes stared directly at Alteron.
Complicated emotions intertwined within them.
Resentment, intoxication, rage, and pleasure.
And delight.
Fragments of emotion gathered within Adrian and swirled together.
It was….far too similar.
The Adrian who had looked upon the Lycanthrope back then and the Adrian standing here now were identical.
….This was dangerous.
Kai needed to stop Adrian.
He didn’t know why.
Yet the thought that he had to stop Adrian immediately repeated endlessly inside Kai’s mind.
However.
Before Kai could act.
Crush—!
Adrian had already torn Alteron’s heart from his chest.
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