How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 12
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Episode 12】
“I shall step out for a moment.”
Maranello excused himself to give the awkward father and son some privacy.
“….”
“….”
Even after Maranello left, Carlisle and Grand Duke Guntram were reluctant to speak first.
This was Carlisle’s first one-on-one meeting with Grand Duke Guntram, so it felt unfamiliar, and he didn’t particularly have anything to say.
‘It must be about Evangeline after all.’
But Carlisle’s expectation was completely off the mark.
“Were you hurt?”
“Pardon?”
Carlisle was slightly surprised by Grand Duke Guntram’s blunt question.
He had expected to talk about Evangeline, but asking if he was hurt?
“No.”
Carlisle answered.
“I’m not hurt. Not at all.”
“….”
Grand Duke Guntram seemed at a loss for words after hearing Carlisle’s response and remained silent for a moment.
Then he spoke again.
“Do you truly mean you’re not hurt?”
“Yes.”
“Even though this father misunderstood you?”
“The circumstances of the incident led to that, so it’s not Father’s fault.”
“However….”
“Given my usual behavior, how could you have believed me in that situation? I think it was natural for you not to trust me.”
“If that’s how you think….”
Grand Duke Guntram trailed off as if he understood.
It had the nuance of having more to say but choosing to omit it.
“I heard from Maranello that you’ve changed. Even to this father’s eyes, you’ve changed beyond recognition.”
“Hmm.”
Carlisle couldn’t readily answer that question.
‘Damn. How am I supposed to act that out?’
Unless one was a professional actor, perfectly acting like Carlisle, such an unprecedented scoundrel, was impossible.
“They say people often change from their former selves when they experience great hardship or suffer a severe head injury.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Since it’s come to this, may this father have a little hope?”
“No.”
The reason Carlisle answered that way was because he didn’t want to struggle to meet someone’s expectations.
Even if that someone was family.
“Then, do you intend to continue living like a complete waste?”
“Yes.”
“….”
Grand Duke Guntram squeezed his eyes shut at Carlisle’s contrarian response.
It was clear he was struggling desperately to contain the anger boiling up from deep within.
‘A scoundrel should act like a scoundrel.’
Though he felt sorry for Grand Duke Guntram, Carlisle had no intention whatsoever of giving up his scoundrel act.
If he became a good son, expectations would rise exponentially, but as a scoundrel son, they’d be grateful as long as he didn’t cause trouble.
“Fine, I understand. Expecting someone to reform overnight would be excessive greed. But remember just one thing.”
“Please tell me.”
“From now on, you’ll have to pay the appropriate price for your actions.”
Carlisle interpreted Grand Duke Guntram’s warning to mean he wouldn’t overlook any future troublemaking.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good, now go.”
“Aren’t you going to ask about Evangeline?”
“That child is your maid, so isn’t she your right?”
“That’s true, isn’t it?”
Carlisle was a little surprised.
To readily entrust Evangeline, an earth spirit mage?
“Whether you can continue to keep that child as your maid will depend on how you conduct yourself.”
“Ah?”
“If I need that child, I’ll consult with you. Now, get some rest. It must have been a tiring day.”
“Take care.”
Thus ended the first one-on-one meeting between Carlisle and Grand Duke Guntram.
* * *
“Aaahhh, aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!”
“Ju, just kill me. Please….”
“Gaaaaaahhhhh!”
Meanwhile, Jeffrey’s group was subjected to truly brutal torture.
The torture technicians of House Sigmund were on a completely different level from ordinary torture technicians.
This was natural, as House Sigmund had been a family that had waged war against the barbarians beyond the border for ages.
As a result, their torture techniques had developed not for the purpose of breaking ordinary people, but to make barbarian warriors submit.
Since fierce and hardy barbarian warriors wouldn’t bat an eye at ordinary torture, they had no choice but to employ unimaginably bizarre methods.
The result.
“We, we are… spies of the Loren Family.”
Jeffrey spilled everything he knew just two days after the torture began.
Though he had received training to endure torture before being dispatched as a spy, it was useless against House Sigmund’s specialized torture techniques.
“Those Loren bastards dare.”
Grand Duke Guntram flew into a rage as soon as he received the report.
The Loren Family was one of the Thirteen Families supporting the Nurburg Kingdom, and had been longtime enemies with House Sigmund.
House Sigmund and the Loren Family had such deep-seated animosity that they had fought territorial wars several times over the past 200 years.
If it had been any other time, it wouldn’t have been strange at all for this incident to trigger a war.
Nevertheless, Grand Duke Guntram couldn’t speak of war.
“Of all times.”
Grand Duke Guntram frowned as he looked at the military map spread on his massive desk.
The blue pieces represented the Nurburg Kingdom Army with House Sigmund as the main force.
And the red pieces represented the barbarians.
The problem was that on the military map, there were tremendously more red pieces representing the barbarian armies compared to the blue pieces.
With the barbarians’ movements imminent, House Sigmund currently lacked the capacity to wage war against the Loren Family.
Far from war with the Loren Family, they were in a situation where they needed to request additional troops from the Royal Court.
In Grand Duke Guntram’s judgment, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a large-scale full war with the barbarians was scheduled within one to two years at the latest.
“…Must I endure this time as well?”
Grand Duke Guntram muttered to himself and suppressed his anger.
Moreover, unless decisive evidence emerged, the Loren Family would obviously deny everything to the end and claim innocence.
It would be impossible to get an apology from the Loren Family based solely on testimony obtained through torture.
* * *
That afternoon.
“Young master, His Grace the Grand Duke is calling for you.”
“Why? Did I do something wrong again?”
“Nothing in particular, as far as I know.”
“Then why is he calling me?”
“Hehe.”
Maranello let out a hollow laugh as if he found Carlisle’s words absurd.
“A father doesn’t necessarily need a reason to scold when calling for his son, young master.”
“Isn’t that usually the case though?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Maranello broke out in a cold sweat.
After all, it was true that the main reason Grand Duke Guntram called for Carlisle was usually to lecture and punish him for causing trouble.
“How bothersome.”
“Bothersome or not, you must go.”
“I have no choice.”
Carlisle reluctantly responded to his father’s summons.
“You called for me.”
“Sit down.”
“Do you have something to say?”
“Something to say.”
Grand Duke Guntram pondered Carlisle’s question for a moment, then opened his mouth as if affirming it.
“Yes, I called you because I have something to tell you.”
“Please speak.”
“As you know, you’ll be 24 in three months.”
“That’s right?”
“The time has come.”
“Don’t tell me.”
Carlisle instantly realized what Grand Duke Guntram was about to bring up and his face hardened.
‘Damn. I forgot about that.’
He had been so busy with the trial these past few days that he hadn’t been conscious of it, but for members of the Sigmund family, 24 was a very important age marking a turning point in life.
Members of House Sigmund were required to enlist in Dekaron’s army at 24 and serve mandatory duty for at least 3 years.
It was a family tradition befitting a military house that had waged war against the barbarians beyond the border for many years.
“Are you telling me to enlist?”
“That’s right.”
From Carlisle’s perspective, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
‘I already went once, why do I have to go again?’
It was something he absolutely couldn’t do with a sane mind.
He thought that in a different world, there wouldn’t be things like mandatory military service…
“I don’t want to.”
Carlisle said flatly.
“You have no choice anyway.”
“I wouldn’t be of any help if I went. You know that. It would be fortunate if I didn’t lower the morale of our allied forces.”
“Then we can deal with it under military law.”
“…”
“Didn’t I tell you? You must take responsibility befitting what you’ve done.”
With this approach, Carlisle had nothing else to say.
“I can’t do things like fighting.”
“Weren’t you like one against a hundred when sword fighting in the tavern?”
“That’s because everyone went easy on me since I’m your son.”
“At least you’re aware of that.”
“I’m weak.”
“Then you can get stronger, can’t you?”
“I can’t because I have no talent.”
Carlisle’s words were true.
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Occupation: Unemployed (Scoundrel)
Traits: (Reset)
Title: Northern Region’s Scoundrel
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Occupation: Unemployed (Scoundrel)
Traits: (Reset)
Title: Northern Region’s Scoundrel
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Occupation: Unemployed (Scoundrel)
Traits: (Reset)
Title: Northern Region’s Scoundrel
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Occupation: Unemployed (Scoundrel)
Traits: (Reset)
Title: Northern Region’s Scoundrel
[Carlisle van Sigmund]
Race: Human
Age: 23
Status: Noble
Occupation: Unemployed (Scoundrel)
Traits: (Reset)
Title: Northern Region’s Scoundrel
Whether due to the possession, his traits had been reset and Carlisle didn’t even know what he had talent for.
Moreover, since Carlisle was originally a character who should have died, he possessed no prior information whatsoever.
“How dare you, my son, say you have no talent?”
“There are many sons in the world who are inferior to their fathers.”
“There are also many sons who surpass their fathers.”
It was truly a battle between spear and shield.
The heated argument between the one trying to force enlistment and the one trying to avoid it continued for quite some time after that.
Boiling with rage!
Grand Duke Guntram felt anger rising from deep within his stomach, but he didn’t raise his voice.
If Carlisle had clung to his trouser legs like before, begging to be spared from enlistment, he would have exploded in fury.
It was better that he was trying to slip away like an eel.
After all, there’s a difference between one word and another.
“Then I have no choice but to strip you of your noble status.”
“What?”
“If you won’t fulfill your responsibilities and duties as a noble, you can’t complain about being demoted to a commoner.”
“….”
With this approach, Carlisle had nothing else to say.
To be struck from the family register….
“War is approaching.”
Grand Duke Guntram spoke in a stern voice.
“A large-scale barbarian invasion is imminent, so how long do you plan to keep acting like this? At the very least, shouldn’t you be able to protect yourself?”
“Hmm.”
“If you want to maintain your status and inherit property, you must fulfill your responsibilities and duties as a noble.”
“After the mandatory service period ends?”
“Then I won’t interfere with your life, whatever you choose to do.”
“You must keep that promise.”
“I will.”
“Fine, I’ll enlist.”
The reason Carlisle made that decision was because he did need to become stronger, even if just a little.
‘If I’m going to survive here, I need to get stronger.’
This was a world ruled by sword and magic, operating on the logic of power.
No matter how high one’s status, minimum military strength was essential.
“Good, you’ve thought well.”
“I’m being forced into it though.”
“….”
“But is this a military map?”
Carlisle asked, pointing to the large desk.
“Yes, as you can see, it’s a military map showing the power structure between our allied forces and the barbarians.”
“It looks difficult.”
“It’s not exactly favorable.”
“That’s true, but… we should strike here.”
Carlisle approached the desk where the military map was spread out and pointed to a specific region.
“Where do you mean?”
“Here.”
“There… what?”
Suddenly, Grand Duke Guntram’s face froze like frost.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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