Ch.111Chapter 111. Yes, I Was Indeed a Selfish Bastard.

“Riden Solis, at your service, young master.”

“You’ve had a hard journey.”

In a secluded forest.

After leaving Tristan and Lightner behind, I entered deeper into the woods and was greeted warmly.

Riden Solis scanned the surroundings once, adjusted his clothes, bowed at the waist, and then straightened up.

“Young master, may I ask why you sent this person Tristan instead of a letter?”

“Something came up. I might be under surveillance.”

“…Is it because of the succession dispute?”

I had only asked Tristan to bring him here without revealing anything, but as expected of an informant, he seemed quite perceptive.

I nodded with a gentle smile.

“That’s right. On my way here from Lake Territory, my carriage was attacked.”

“Has the culprit been identified?”

“It was Jason Alphonse.”

“Jason Alphonse… the second son, correct?”

“My, you have quite the memory.”

Riden, seemingly embarrassed, rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Haha, didn’t you once task me with investigating the Alphonse family? If I couldn’t remember that much, I’d have to quit being an informant.”

“You’re right, now that you mention it.”

“Anyway, you called me here because you have something for me to do, right?”

At Riden’s words, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Like Tristan, I tried to heighten my senses to detect if anyone was following us.

‘As expected, there’s no one?’

From Jason Alphonse’s perspective, with both his assassin and Tristan having vanished, he would likely be on edge or might have set a trap.

Well, my provocation seems to have served its purpose.

“I need you to secure a list of all knights in the Alphonse family and quietly follow anyone who leaves the territory.”

“A list of all knights in the Alphonse family?”

“Yes, there are quite a few knights who have already been recruited by the other side.”

Riden stroked his chin and tilted his head up.

“Then what’s the main purpose of the surveillance?”

“Jason Alphonse is kidnapping the families of knights who refuse to join him and threatening them.”

“Kid-kidnapping, you say?”

As Riden gaped in disbelief, I gestured for him to lower his voice and continued.

“Anyway, given Jason Alphonse’s character, he probably hasn’t killed the kidnapped families. He’ll need to give them carrots occasionally.”

“So my job is to find where these kidnapped people are being held?”

“That’s right. He’s probably hidden them well, so it might take some time.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Jason Alphonse would likely judge that the probability of Tristan betraying him was extremely low.

Moreover, tomorrow is Leonard and Seri Familia’s wedding.

In the midst of all this chaos, now was the perfect opportunity.

I gently gripped Riden’s shoulder.

“There might be some skilled individuals involved. If you’re caught, there’s no guarantee you won’t be killed. I’ll pay you accordingly, of course, but you can refuse now if you’re not up for it.”

I am thoroughly despicable.

As a reader who knows Riden well, I knew to some extent that he wouldn’t refuse.

Perhaps this was just my way of alleviating some guilt in case something went wrong?

Yes, I was indeed selfish.

As expected, Riden smiled brightly and said it was fine.

“Don’t worry and just leave it to me. I’ll earn my keep this time.”

“It would be good to move with Tristan. He should know the faces of the knights under Jason to some extent.”

“Understood. I’ll complete the mission quickly and report back to you.”

“Take care.”

And so.

After entrusting the mission to Riden, the next day arrived.

Finally, Leonard and Seri Familia’s wedding.

As this was the first wedding event I’d experienced since possessing ‘Selden Alphonse,’ various unfamiliar sights caught my eye.

Inside the hall, people chatted and laughed, with tables laden with various foods and drinks.

-Isn’t that Selden?

-I heard he brought tremendous benefits to the family. He really seems to have changed a lot?

-Are you talking about the Pale Fruit?

-My friend was invited to the Etherian Princess’s birthday banquet, and they said Emperor Malius greeted Selden first?

-When did this wastrel from the edge of the Eastern Continent get connections with the Emperor?

-Doesn’t he look more handsome now?

-What are you saying? Selden was always handsome!!

Ignoring the embarrassing praises and whispers that bombarded my ears, I moved forward.

‘That spot looks good.’

Feeling that sitting with family would make my head spin, I quietly took a seat at an empty table in the corner.

As I sipped my drink alone, Lucas’s voice came from behind.

“Selden, may I sit?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Why are you sitting here alone instead of with your family?”

“Just wanted to watch the wedding quietly.”

Lucas sat down, scanned the surroundings, and looked at me with half-closed eyes.

“By the way, the praises about you are incredible. Isn’t the rumor about the imperial connection a bit exaggerated?”

“You think so?”

As I smiled gently, Lucas tilted his head.

“Why are you talking like that? Did you really make connections with the imperial family?”

“Rather than connections, I was indeed invited to the Princess’s birthday banquet.”

“Th-then the rumor that Emperor Malius approached you first?”

“That rumor got a bit distorted.”

At my words, Lucas wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“R-right!? If that rumor was true too, I might have felt distant from you.”

If I told him that not only did the Emperor greet me, but we had a private audience, would Lucas fall over in shock?

Taking another sip of my drink, I continued.

“By the way, where’s Reiner?”

“He’s always late, you know. He’s gained even more weight recently, so it must be quite an effort for him to get here.”

While chatting with Lucas, Reiner also arrived, and soon after, Seri Familia and Leonard entered the wedding venue to a beautiful melody.

♬♪♬

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Elaborate hair accessories and a white dress.

She held a fragrant bouquet in her hands.

But what was so funny?

Despite being a villain with psychopathic tendencies, she was undeniably beautiful.

By the way.

In “The Youngest Son of a Brilliant Family,” Seri Familia was a character who died at the hands of the protagonist, Serion Rykus, while conducting research alone. But thanks to me, she’s found a life partner?

I hoped she would learn something from Leonard’s positive outlook on life.

And.

The wedding was simpler than I expected.

I thought the procedure would be quite cumbersome, but the ceremony proceeded swiftly.

Throughout the wedding, Leonard’s foolish smile brought joy to the guests, and Seri Familia’s beauty elicited exclamations of admiration.

Lucas, after being mesmerized by Seri Familia’s beauty, shook his head as if trying to regain his senses.

“Ah… what a waste, what a waste.”

“What is?”

“If you hadn’t liked her, I might have confessed to Seri Familia.”

“Then I saved your life.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing. Anyway, I should get going.”

Having been satisfied just by seeing Seri Familia’s desperate face, I rose from my chair.

Lucas and Reiner tried to follow, but I firmly refused and smoothly left the banquet hall.

Eventually, I arrived at a quiet inn in the Alphonse family territory.

After knocking and stepping into the room, Rina ran towards me with wide eyes.

“You’re back? Where did you go?”

Though she hadn’t yet corrected her unique way of speaking, Rinadiel’s beauty shone especially bright, having gained some weight thanks to Rio’s feeding.

Moreover, even in ordinary clothes, she had a certain ethereal quality.

“I had some business to attend to.”

“When will you play? With me?”

“Once I resolve this current matter, we’ll play together.”

“Meat?”

“Yes, we’ll eat lots of meat too.”

“I like you.”

After briefly greeting Rina, Rio came into view, walking slowly towards me.

He looked exhausted from childcare, with dark circles that seemed to reach his chin.

“…You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all. But did the wedding end already?”

“Well, I saw the important parts and then left.”

“Didn’t you have a family meal separately?”

“No, I was afraid I might get indigestion if I ate there.”

Though Rio was also helping with Rina’s care, he probably knew most of the story from Lightner.

He nodded with a bitter smile.

“I hope you haven’t been hurt too much by this incident, young master.”

“Hurt? I wasn’t even surprised; it was all so predictable.”

“I-is that so…?”

“Yes, so don’t worry—”

Knock-knock!

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

I wondered if someone had followed me.

Rio quickly positioned himself in front of Rina, on guard, and I also drew my sword, staring at the door.

Creeeeak—!

The door opened slowly.

And then, through the gap, I made eye contact with a man who peeked his head in.

“How did you already…?”