Ch.203203. It’s a shame to throw it away after all the effort I put into raising it.

“I think all the monsters in the Death Forest will be cleared out in about a month.”

It had been a while since I’d seen Leonard.

He seemed to have become quite sturdy from consistently hunting monsters in the Death Forest.

The arms holding his teacup looked full of strength.

Yet he still had no intention of returning to Alphonse territory….

Was he that afraid of Seri Familia?

“You’ve worked hard, Brother.”

“It’s not over yet. I need to stay for another month.”

“Won’t your parents and sister-in-law be worried by now?”

“It’s fine. Your coming-of-age ceremony is soon anyway. Since I’ll have to come back to Lake territory then, I might as well stay here.”

Sigh….

We trained him to keep Evander Alphonse in check in Alphonse territory, but it seems he wants to stay in Lake territory until he can avoid going back.

I’ll have to find a way to make him return to Alphonse territory after the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Was monster hunting dangerous?”

“Well, there were higher-grade monsters than in Alphonse territory, but not dangerous enough to be a real threat. I think I’ve gotten a bit stronger too.”

“Hmm, that’s good. Since things have turned out this way, please make sure to thoroughly clean out the monsters in the Death Forest.”

“Got it! Just leave it to me!!”

I smiled gently at Leonard as he proudly thumped his chest.

“Brother, now that your body is in better shape, you shouldn’t be afraid of your wife anymore, right?”

“Selden Alphonse, you clearly don’t know because you haven’t been married yet, but bedroom matters have nothing to do with physique or stamina.”

“…Is that so?”

Leonard shook his head from side to side and let out a deep sigh.

“What’s the point of discussing this with someone who hasn’t experienced it?”

“Still, it’s been quite a while. Don’t you miss your wife?”

“I do want to see her, but… it’s hard to handle. If it were just once a day, that would be one thing, but she makes demands one after another. It was truly hell, I tell you!”

The hypnosis should have been completely lifted…

I’m not sure how much Seri Familia has been tormenting Leonard, but I should definitely check when I meet her at the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Are you still keeping an eye on Brother Evander?”

“Yeah, that’s why I deliberately left my informants in Alphonse territory.”

“Has there been any unusual behavior recently?”

Leonard laughs heartily at the mention of Evander Alphonse.

“Haha! I’ve heard that these days, he’s been sneaking out of the mansion and frequenting pleasure houses. A man with his own family… tsk tsk.”

“Frequenting pleasure houses, you say?”

“Yes! Since I’m rising up so fiercely, he must have given up on becoming the family head!”

Well, I don’t know about others, but the Evander Alphonse I saw was someone with considerable desire for power.

But frequenting pleasure houses at such a crucial time?

A suspicious smell strongly pricked my nose.

“Who gave you this information, Brother?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just to be safe, I had three different people monitor Evander Alphonse separately.”

“And all three reported the same thing?”

“Yes!! This is why late-blooming lust is so frightening. When we were young, while we were frequenting pleasure houses, Brother Evander was always focused on sword training. His wife was probably his first woman, right? He must have discovered the taste of women late in life. Hahaha!!”

One brother is running away to Lake territory to avoid sleeping with his wife, and the other is secretly having affairs?

If this were true, the family affairs would seem to be going quite well, indeed.

I put my teacup down on the table and looked at Leonard with a serious gaze.

“Do you really think Brother Evander has gone mad for women?”

“I told you. All three reported the same thing.”

“What if Brother Evander noticed he was being watched and deliberately showed himself frequenting pleasure houses?”

It was certainly a situation worth suspecting.

However, Leonard seemed not to have considered this possibility, as his eyes widened in surprise.

“…You think Brother Evander is that clever?”

Sigh….

What am I supposed to do with this guy?

I’ve put too much effort into raising him to just throw him away.

Shouldn’t you be suspicious first when someone starts doing something they’ve never done before?

He’s just childishly happy, assuming Evander Alphonse has given up on becoming the family head because of information about him frequenting pleasure houses…

What on earth am I supposed to do with this deranged fellow?

“That might be the case. Brother Evander has so many snakes in his belly that even I can’t figure out how many.”

“The informants wouldn’t betray me… so it must be one of two things. Either Brother Evander has gone mad for women…”

“Or he’s putting on an act to make you feel at ease.”

Leonard anxiously brought his fingernails to his lips.

“What should I do? If he’s planning something while deceiving us, it can’t be anything ordinary…”

Leonard fidgeted, not knowing what to do.

I calmly picked up my teacup again.

“Brother.”

“…Huh?”

“Why don’t you just focus on clearing out the monsters in the Death Forest within a month, as you said earlier?”

“You want me to leisurely hunt while Brother Evander might be plotting something?”

If I leave this to Leonard, I might end up with a stress-induced illness.

What can I do, even if it’s difficult?

For my future, this guy needs to become the family head.

I drained the now-cold tea in one gulp, put the cup down on the table, and let out a sigh.

“I’ll handle Brother Evander myself.”

*

“To Alphonse territory?”

Riden Solice’s eyes widened in surprise as he entered the study upon my sudden order.

I casually scratched the bridge of my nose and spoke.

“Yes, go there and find out exactly what Evander Alphonse is up to.”

Riden Solice tilted his head.

“Hasn’t Young Master Leonard already assigned people to follow him?”

Oh?

Look at this guy?

Is he sharp because he’s an informant?

With a curious expression, I continued.

“How did you know that?”

“Currently, Young Master Leonard and Young Master Evander are in a phase of reconnaissance against each other for the family head position, aren’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“And since Young Master Leonard is currently in Lake territory, he would naturally be monitoring Young Master Evander’s every move, even if he has to assign people to do so.”

Sigh….

It was an obvious deduction.

But after conversing with people like Jawill Wilson and Leonard, Riden Solice seemed impressive by comparison—an optical illusion.

I smiled slightly and spoke.

“You’re right, but it seems Brother Evander has noticed he’s being followed.”

“Is that so?”

“According to Brother Leonard, he’s received information that Brother Evander has been sneaking out of the mansion and frequenting pleasure houses lately.”

“…At such a crucial time?”

“Yes, at such a crucial time.”

“Hmm, that definitely smells suspicious.”

“Right. If he’s frequenting pleasure houses, it’s obvious that rumors would spread unfavorably. The fact that he’s willing to risk that suggests he has some other scheme in mind.”

Riden Solice nodded, acknowledging the point.

“Then I should investigate the pleasure houses first.”

“Also stop by the Hong Hwa Pavilion on your way.”

“The Hong Hwa Pavilion?”

“I sent a letter to the Poison Lady. When you go there, she’ll give you a transformation skin.”

“By transformation skin, you mean…”

“Brother Evander has visited Lake territory before, right? If he happened to see you, he would surely remember your face. I think it’s better to use a transformation skin just in case.”

“…Understood.”

Riden Solice had an uncomfortable expression.

I tilted my chin and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that… I still feel uncomfortable around the Poison Lady.”

Riden Solice and the Poison Lady were practically sworn enemies.

However, since I had treated her sister Ariella, there shouldn’t be any more problems.

I raised my eyebrows in puzzlement.

“The Poison Lady shouldn’t have any ill feelings toward you anymore, right?”

“Haha… still, I can’t help feeling uncomfortable. She is the infamous ‘Poison Lady’ after all.”

“If you’re really worried, try not to drink tea when you go to the Hong Hwa Pavilion.”

“Come on, I’m just uncomfortable, not paranoid. The Poison Lady wouldn’t put poison in my tea, knowing my relationship with you, would she?”

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

At that, Riden Solice seemed flustered and kept clearing his throat.

“…I’ll depart for the Hong Hwa Pavilion right away.”

“Also, I’ll have the people who were following Brother Evander continue to do so.”

“That’s a good idea. If the people following him suddenly disappeared, it would make him even more suspicious.”

“Even Leonard’s informants won’t know about you, so make sure to stay hidden and bring back information.”

“Understood.”

After lightly seeing Riden Solice off, I leaned back in my chair.

Evander Alphonse, who seemed likely to be the final obstacle to my sweet life.

I need to do my best to pull him down and prevent him from becoming the family head.

Knock knock-!

“Come in.”

I was startled and rose from my chair as Jawill Wilson entered after knocking.

“You, you… your face…”

Jawill Wilson, despite his large build, looked tearful and gave me a pitiful gaze.

“…Young Master, I need your advice.”