Ch.1818. Selden Alphonse Liked That Crazy Girl?

“Ugh!”

As soon as I woke up, a hangover pounded in my head, probably because I hadn’t drunk in a long time.

‘That guy, he’s quite the alcoholic.’

He’s probably returning to his family today, right?

It would be too uncomfortable if he stayed here any longer.

By the way.

After yesterday’s duel with the Lightner, I definitely felt that I had become stronger.

In fact, at the end, I was actually holding back to prolong the duel when it ended.

“Should I head to the training grounds first?”

After finishing my shower, I headed to the training grounds in neat attire.

Despite coming out early in the morning, the place was bustling with knights, creating a chaotic atmosphere.

What’s this? Did everyone suddenly become morning people?

As I stood there with a puzzled expression for a while, tilting my head, I heard Rio’s voice from behind.

“Young master, you’re up?”

“Everyone’s out so early. What’s going on?”

“I think it’s because the knights who came with Baron Byron are also at the training grounds.”

“Even so, there are too many people here.”

“They probably want to make a good impression on you, young master.”

“On me? Not on my father? On me?”

Rio suddenly clenched both his fists.

“While watching yesterday’s duel, all of our knights felt it. Your hidden ambition…”

What nonsense has this guy been spouting?

Making a good impression, feeling my hidden ambition…

How is it that not a single one of the protagonist’s companions is normal?

“…So, in other words, they watched my duel and thought they should train harder?”

“That’s right. They all want to be of help to you someday, young master, so they’re training hard from early morning.”

Well, it’s good that they’re training diligently.

It will make things go more smoothly when we have to stop the monster wave 1 year and 6 months from now.

But how should I describe this uneasy feeling?

“Keep up the good work then.”

“Yes, sir!”

Since it was obvious that morning training today was a lost cause, I headed straight to the study.

There, Baron Byron was sitting comfortably in a chair.

Does this man not have a hangover after drinking so much last night?

“Selden Alphonse, I greet you, Father.”

“Never mind that. What’s this?”

Baron Byron opened a notebook he was holding and showed it to me.

It was a notebook where I had organized future events in my own code.

“…It’s just doodles.”

“Doodles?”

“Yes, I was reading a book and got bored, so I scribbled a bit.”

“Then what about this?”

I leaned forward to see a list of criminal names I had asked Riden to compile.

Why is this man rummaging through his son’s desk first thing in the morning?

“As you can see, it’s a list of criminals within our territory.”

“How did you handle them?”

“Except for Jean, they’re all doing labor appropriate to their crimes.”

“Did you kill this Jean fellow?”

“Yes, he was a criminal who killed three people, so there was no need for leniency.”

“Hmm, since this is a place of exile, you could have just lived quietly. Are you sure your desire to be the heir isn’t behind all this?”

“I simply believe that those who commit wrongs should be punished, just as I was sent to exile.”

Baron Byron leaned back in his chair and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! I felt it yesterday too, but you’ve become quite interesting while I wasn’t around.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

With Baron Byron entering the study, I feel like my only sanctuary has been taken away.

I wondered when he would go home, the thought filling my mind.

“I’ll grant you one wish.”

“Suddenly?”

“Think of it as a gift of apology for my misunderstanding yesterday.”

I barely swallowed the words ‘I wish for you to return to the family as soon as possible.’

No matter what, a son can’t chase away his father, can he?

“I don’t particularly want anything. As you can see, I grew up with everything I needed from you and mother.”

“Hahaha!! How hard must it have been for someone so well-spoken to pretend to be a delinquent all this time?”

“Pretending to be a delinquent…?”

“No matter how much you didn’t want to be the heir, to deceive everyone with your delinquent act. Indeed, the blood of the Alphonse family can’t be hidden, can it?”

Unintentionally, the misunderstandings keep piling up.

I was just trying to shed my delinquent image a bit, but I hadn’t anticipated such a vivid imagination.

“I really don’t need a gift.”

“Then how about Seri?”

“What’s Seri?”

“I’m talking about Seri from the Familia family.”

“You don’t mean… Seri Familia…?”

Why is her name coming from Baron Byron’s mouth!?

My mind was filled with chaos.

Seri Familia.

One of the most notorious villainesses in the original story, who later meets a miserable end at the hands of the protagonist, Serion Lycus.

A complete madwoman who procures corpses from the black market for her research.

What kind of relationship could Selden Alphonse possibly have with Seri Familia?

As my pupils darted around in confusion, Baron Byron laughed heartily again.

“Hahaha!! I knew you’d be pleased if I mentioned Seri Familia!”

“…What!?”

“Originally, I felt bad about accepting the kind and obedient Seri Familia as a daughter-in-law for her family’s sake. So I ignored your desire to marry her, but now I don’t think there’s any need for that.”

What?

Kind and obedient?

And Selden Alphonse liked that madwoman?

I spread my palms out and protested vehemently.

“No! I have absolutely no intention of marrying Seri Familia.”

“Didn’t you independently send a notice of broken engagement to the Parseche family because of Seri Familia?”

“Absolutely not. My feelings for Seri Familia were just a passing infatuation that ended long ago.”

“Then who will you marry after your coming-of-age ceremony?”

“Anyone but her. I’d rather receive financial support as my wish.”

Baron Byron tilted his head.

“Financial support? Even in exile, you’re living without want, aren’t you?”

“I need it for the future. Even if I return to the family, there will come a time when I need to stand on my own.”

“So you need capital to make money?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Baron Byron nodded in understanding and rose from his seat.

“I’ll talk to Padericks about that.”

“Thank you. Are you returning to the family now?”

“You seem eager for me to leave quickly?”

“Haha… not at all.”

“I must go. Thanks to sending my delinquent youngest son into exile, I haven’t been able to talk to her, but my one and only woman is waiting for me.”

Fearing I might fail to control my expression, I kept my head bowed as much as possible while escorting Baron Byron out of the mansion.

“Take care on your journey.”

Mounted on a healthy horse, Baron Byron looked down at me and said one last thing.

“My woman would be so pleased to see you like this.”

Then, Baron Byron rode away magnificently on his horse.

I watched until he disappeared, then clenched my fists and shouted:

“Fuck, freedom!!”

*

“If I had known this would happen, I would have bought Peil fruit with all the family’s assets…”

“I told you you’d regret it.”

Exactly one month later.

Fortunately, my prediction was correct.

The combination of Peil fruit and rope spread instantly, and the price soared to more than ten times what I had paid.

Elina clasped her hands together and bowed her head.

“Still, thank you. Thanks to you, we might be able to escape our financial crisis.”

“That’s not what’s important.”

“What?”

“I told you from the beginning. My goal wasn’t to resolve your financial crisis but to make Tras lose influence in your family.”

“Y-yes, that’s right. But… you sold almost all your Peil fruit to Tras, keeping only a small amount.”

“Hahaha!! That’s right. I owed that bastard Tras a favor, so I sold him almost everything at market price.”

I shrugged my shoulders and joked, but Elina tilted her head in confusion.

“What you’re saying doesn’t seem to add up?”

“Now, Elina, you should sell the Peil fruit you have to the families near Cardrian at about five times the price.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“I spent everything I had and all the money my father gave me to buy Peil fruit. Tras bought it all.”

“And?”

I smiled at Elina, who still looked puzzled.

“It’s enough to tie up all the monsters in the Eastern Continent with rope. Why do you think Tras bought it all?”

“Ah… to make a profit by selling to other families?”

“Exactly. But if you sell your Peil fruit evenly to the nearby families, Tras will be in a bind.”

“…I see. They might not sell at half price, but they would wait for the price to rise further.”

“Yes, they’d rather wait until the market price increases.”

Elina suddenly looked alarmed, as if something had occurred to her.

“B-but what if the price rises even more? Wouldn’t that actually strengthen Tras’s position in the family?”

“For that to happen, all the Peil fruit in nearby families would have to be depleted, which would take at least a few years.”

“That long? By then, there will be many more Peil trees, and other families won’t lack fruit…”

That’s right.

Until now, it was like a chicken rib* – an ornamental fruit with little use – but now every family needs these trees, so they’ll find a way to grow them despite the difficulties.

*A Chinese idiom referring to something that has little value but is too good to throw away

“Bingo! That’s the answer. It was over the moment Tras bought the Peil fruit from me. Hahaha!! Tras is now left holding the bag!! Serves him right for daring to ‘tap’ me!”

“…”

I thought she would laugh along, but she remained silent.

Moreover, despite the good news, Elina’s expression gradually darkened.

“Elina, what’s wrong?”

After a long silence, Elina finally spoke with trembling lips.

“Did I… do something wrong to you, Selden…?”