Ch.164164. This Too Shall Pass.

“Have I come to a place where I shouldn’t be?”

It was Evaelyn, the former queen of the succubi.

After the monster wave occurred, she had escaped from the mansion, and I thought she was living well in the Forest of Death. Why had she come back?

“What brings you here so suddenly?”

“Your attitude toward me has grown cold… Have you already extracted everything you wanted from me?”

Her face wasn’t particularly welcome.

Whenever I saw Evaelyn, I was reminded of my embarrassing past self wielding a whip in the bedroom.

I clutched my throbbing head and let out a short sigh.

“Just tell me why you’re here.”

“I wanted to ask about Moranas, whom you mentioned before.”

“Moranas? The current queen of the succubi?”

At that, Evaelyn clenched her fist and raised her voice.

“Didn’t you say Moranas cannot be queen? The queen is a chosen being; stealing the position doesn’t change anything.”

“Fine, so what do you want to know?”

“Didn’t you tell me that the Incubi and Succubi Sanctuary would soon fall?”

Now that the story arc of the protagonist, Serion Lycus, visiting Lake Territory has ended, he will soon invade the Sanctuary.

And when that happens, Moranas will die too.

“You don’t need to worry about that. It’ll happen soon enough.”

“Then, what will happen to my subordinates?”

“…They’re not your subordinates anymore, are they?”

“They’re just lying low because of Moranas’s overwhelming power, but I’m certain some of them still swore loyalty to me!”

The Sanctuary will fall to the protagonist Serion Lycus, and what happens afterward isn’t mentioned in the story.

All I remember is that most of the remaining succubi died.

I adjusted my posture and continued speaking.

“They’ll die.”

“…Are you certain?”

“Most likely.”

Hearing this, Evaelyn gritted her teeth as if she had made a decision.

“Then I must retrieve my loyal subordinates before they die.”

“What if there are traitors among them?”

“That’s impossible! If any had betrayed me, the oath of allegiance would have already activated!”

She even used an oath of allegiance?

Where did she get such a rare thing?

If that’s the case, maybe she’s right—they might just be lying low under Moranas’s pressure.

I looked at Evaelyn and smirked.

“Heh! If they were truly that trustworthy, why did you need an oath of allegiance in the first place?”

“T-That was because they asked me for it! I wasn’t the one doubting them!!”

“Fine, I get it. So you’re going to rescue them now? Even if there are no traitors, Moranas is still at the Sanctuary.”

“It doesn’t matter. Moranas stays inside the mansion at the Sanctuary anyway.”

I shifted to a slanted posture and continued.

“You’re not expecting me to help you, are you?”

“No, I simply came to confirm if the Sanctuary would truly fall.”

Although she helped me with information about the Forest of Death, I had no reason to follow her to the Sanctuary and help her.

Besides.

If I went along and things got complicated, causing Moranas to discover the intrusion?

Then I’d have no choice but to conquer the Sanctuary myself to survive.

That would ruin the story that the protagonist and his companions were supposed to experience.

“Just make sure Moranas doesn’t catch you.”

“…Are you worried about me now?”

“No, it’s just that you’re going to the Sanctuary because of what I told you. Originally, you would have stayed quietly in the Forest of Death.”

“So you are worried about me.”

What concerned me most wasn’t Evaelyn’s life or her subordinates’.

It was the very fact that she was visiting the Sanctuary.

In the original story, Evaelyn never knew the Sanctuary would fall, so she never went there.

The story had changed because she learned about future events through me.

Right.

Even if Evaelyn dies at the Sanctuary, it’s not my concern.

In the current situation, it’s impossible for her to defeat Moranas anyway.

With an expression of annoyance, I waved my hand dismissively in the air.

“Do as you please.”

“…Thank you for everything until now.”

Creeeeak—! Thud—!

After confirming Evaelyn had left, I flopped down on the bed.

I felt like I’d seen off too many people in such a short time.

I had expected to feel relieved, as if a decade-old indigestion had cleared, but instead, an inexplicable emptiness dominated my feelings.

‘This too shall pass.’

Now I just need to focus on my future life of pure comfort.

Haven’t most of the obstacles disappeared already?

Lying on the bed, I reached my hand toward the ceiling, reaffirming my resolve for the future.

*

“I want to go home.”

“You can’t.”

“Why on earth not?!”

“You’re still not strong enough to face Lord Evander, brother.”

It had already been a month since we sent off Serion Lycus.

Leonard, his face covered in wounds, spoke up.

“Look at these wounds. Since I started training here, they haven’t healed even once!”

“That just means you’re training hard, brother.”

“Then shouldn’t you let me go now?! My parents will be worried!”

“Are you a child, brother? And didn’t I tell you? Your parents think you’re still at Lake Territory helping with the restoration.”

Seeing my firm stance, Leonard began to whimper.

“Please let me go… I miss my wife too.”

With my arms crossed heavily, I looked at Leonard with contempt.

“Brother, why not withdraw from the succession battle instead?”

“W-What?! Do you know how hard I worked for that position?!”

“Hard work? You got it as a windfall because I took care of our second brother.”

“W-Well, that may be true, but I still worked hard for that position!!”

I sighed deeply and opened my palm.

“Calm down. I’m not asking you to give up your position to me.”

“Then why are you telling me to withdraw from the succession battle?”

“Because with your current mental state, it’s impossible for you to become the head of the family.”

“I’ve been training without complaint, doing everything you told me to!!”

“Do you think you can become stronger with just a month or two of training?”

“I-I’ll go to Alphonse Territory and train separately!”

I leaned back against the chair.

“Brother, do you think the succession battle is just a game of strength between siblings?”

“No, it’s not…”

“What do you think will happen if Lord Evander becomes the head of the family?”

Leonard pondered for a moment before answering.

“Since Lord Evander is generous, he might just exile me, right?”

“No. He will kill everyone associated with you, including your wife, Lady Seri Familia. The very fact that you think ‘he wouldn’t do that to his brother’ shows you’re not qualified to be the head.”

“…Would he really kill me? Our brother?!”

“If you became the head, would you leave Lord Evander alone?”

Leonard straightened his back without hesitation.

“Of course! No matter what, brothers shouldn’t take each other’s lives.”

This bastard…

Was he always this kind of character?

Did the harsh training at Lake Territory knock some sense into him?

I raised my head and stared at Leonard.

“…You must keep that promise if you become the head, understand?”

“I am Leonard Alphonse. I don’t go back on my word!”

As he pounded his chest and raised his voice, I pointed my index finger at him.

“Train here for just one more month.”

“Will one more month make any difference?”

In truth, it was unreasonable for Leonard to achieve significant growth in just a month.

He didn’t have special abilities like the protagonist, and his talent for swordsmanship was terrible.

However.

Lack of talent in swordsmanship can be overcome with effort.

After all, even Evander Alphonse doesn’t have the protagonist’s cheat-like abilities.

And now there’s the Heavenly Origin Pill.

As much as I hate to give it to Leonard, I’ll trust him one last time.

If his resolve truly hasn’t changed, he’ll become a solid shield for my comfortable life.

I slowly rose from my chair.

“Brother, follow me.”

Leonard, Jawill Wilson, and Dennis, who knew everything about this, followed me to the basement of the mansion with a resigned expression.

This place was originally used to store monster blood, but it was spacious enough to be suitable for secret training.

“Here, the Heavenly Origin Pills.”

I placed three pills on my palm and held them out. Leonard was the first to react.

“What are these?”

“They’re extraordinary elixirs that money can’t buy. They’ll give you tremendous power in a short time. However, they come with excruciating pain, so when taking them, you should consider—”

Before I could finish, as expected, Jawill Wilson and Leonard grabbed the pills and swallowed them.

Even Dennis, who had hesitated, watched me carefully before closing his eyes tightly and taking one.

With a faint smile, I wrapped my hand around a wooden sword, startling everyone.

“S-Selden! What are you doing with that wooden sword?!”

“Young master, why suddenly a wooden sword…”

“…I won’t resist, so please be gentle.”

I rested the wooden sword on my shoulder and raised the corner of my mouth wickedly.

“I clearly warned you before taking the elixir, didn’t I?!”