Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 200

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

We decided to continue our conversation in the Indoor Greenhouse beside Father’s Office. With a ceiling of glass, walls of glass, and fruit trees thriving in defiance of the season, everyone who gathered there shed their coats in the tepid air and took their seats.
Since this was a formally prepared meeting, the table overflowed with refreshments, chairs were arranged according to headcount, and a panel bearing Father’s handwriting—”First Celin Crisis Countermeasure Conference”—stood prominently displayed.
Hmm, despite his busy schedule, he maintained at least the proper formalities. The care evident in handwriting the conference theme, combined with the meticulous attention to naming the perpetrator of the incident—truly, my father is a remarkable man to have arranged such a meeting in a single day.
“Then, before we commence the First Celin Crisis Countermeasure Conference, I shall introduce Ram Bart, who will serve as our consultant.”
When Father called for Ram, she swept through the greenhouse door with an air of tremendous self-importance. Her gait was confident, her nose held higher than ever before, and she wore a cloak so impressively grand it seemed she’d procured it from somewhere magnificent.
As Ram walked with her throat thrust skyward, humming importantly, she failed to notice a stone in her path while gazing upward and tumbled forward with a pitiful wail. Serena, regarding the girl with sympathy, quietly asked Sage.
“What is she? She seems rather… deficient.”
“She’s a Dark Mage—a Dark Mage. She doesn’t realize it herself, but she seems to have reached quite an advanced level.”
“A Dark Mage can be this foolish?”
The girl has her reasons for being deficient—reasons too sorrowful to recount without tears. For those like Serena and Mother, who have only ever known one Dark Mage—Celin—it must seem absurd, but…
Wait a moment. Ram has reached quite an advanced level? When I first discovered her, her mana capacity was around three circles.
“Ram Bart.”
“Yes?”
This girl, scratching her head frantically and answering like an idiot—ugh… I really don’t want to think about this. But I’m asking just in case.
“Have you continued your Dark Magic training even after coming to the Duke’s Mansion?”
“Yes! Of course! I must carry on the family trade!”
Ugh… well, that’s certainly admirable. When I last saw you, poisoning multiple people seemed easy enough that I estimated you at around two to three circles by standard mage conversion. If you’ve continued developing since then…
“Can you explain roughly where your current capabilities stand?”
“I could destroy the Rocksburg Department Store’s wall advertisement in an instant!”
“No, not that. The part you’d rather not touch on—in terms of lethality?”
“I could easily kill everyone gathered in an area the size of the Rocksburg Department Store’s wall!”
“…”
Hmm… so you’re saying you could poison everyone gathered in our Main Building to death. I won’t be cocky about this.
If I ever need to strike this girl, I’ll have to go easy on her. I can’t swear I won’t hit her when she’s infuriating, but I should simply restrain my strength. So she doesn’t harbor resentment.
The conference room contained the same people as yesterday, with only Serena added. Father explained concisely, covering only the situation after the Grand Mages departed, then moved to the main topic.
Luke, being the youngest in this household, might suffer shock from knowing everything, so Father had apparently sent him on an errand beforehand to remove him. Serena was beside herself with anxiety over news of my suicide attempt, repeatedly banging her head on the table, wondering if she and Celin had nearly sent me to my grave again.
Given the resentment I harbor, I can’t stop her, so I’ll accept her sincere reflection.
“Ahem! At last, it is my turn to shine!”
Hmm… yes, I don’t entirely trust you, but you’re the only Dark Mage here. You’re all I have to rely on… but must we really trust this girl? Wouldn’t it be better to bring the Dark Mage from Four Spans’ household right now?
“First, Rosalite! Please reveal everything you know about the contract!”
“Eh? A contract?”
“Yes! Contracts cannot speak falsehoods, so perhaps in a contract you previously made, there might be a clue to liberate Rosalite from being a… a… a…”
“A clue.”
“Yes! There might be a clue!”
You really… cannot complete a single sentence without Father’s help.
Anyway, contracts cannot speak falsehoods. The contract this girl speaks of seems to refer to the Sword I made contact with. All the information the Sword gave me was truth, correct? When we played the truth game before, Leon said that woman prevented me from making contact with the Sword… could this be the reason? Because contracts only speak truth, she feared I might discover something?
“Ah… well, it was such a long time ago.”
Contacting The Sword again would be the most certain method. But I couldn’t afford reckless actions now. The last time I’d grasped The Sword, Number Zero had said that was my final opportunity, and the robotic voice of the contract stated the battery was depleted.
If the battery ran completely dry, wouldn’t I—the backup battery—be sacrificed immediately? If I ceased to exist… well, that would be the easiest outcome for me, but…
“….”
With a heavy heart, I looked at Leon, then at Father, and finally at Mother. After sixty years of barely reaching the truth of this incident, and with the possibility of resolving the Celin crisis, what would become of them if I gave up here?
My successor would have to start from scratch, Leon would die prematurely dozens of times over, and Mother and Father would continue suffering indefinitely.
Even if I died, I had to free these people from their shackles before I went. Besides, if I disappeared, Luke would spend his entire life crawling in Chatel, and Glen would never see beyond Diamond Territory.
If there were a next time, I could find and take them in again, but this was the last. I didn’t know what ideology and principles my successor would possess… I had to stop it here.
I wracked my brain, recalling the past. Ugh, how many years ago was that? What did he say back then? According to the original body’s timeline, 13,000-some days had passed, and oh right, fulfilling Leon’s wish was supposed to be the original purpose. How did that conversation even come up?
“…When the contractor’s wish is fulfilled, the original body will cease to exist.”
“That’s it! Rosalite! Who is the contractor? If that person’s wish is fulfilled, the contract will dissolve!”
Well, the contractor is the previous Rosalite, and that person’s wish is to fulfill Asterion’s wish… Did I really have to? Now? Say it?
I stared at Leon blankly. Since we were at a dead end with no other options, I decided to tell the truth, and everyone gathered there turned their gaze to Leon.
“The contractor’s wish is for Asterion’s wish to be fulfilled.”
“Pardon? Me?”
Yes. You.
That’s why I’ve been struggling all this time, rolling here and there, trying to fulfill your wish.
“…That can’t be.”
Upon learning the truth, Asterion’s face showed shock—just for a moment, a very brief moment. He must have been deeply wounded to realize that the reason I’d been treating Leon like my precious younger sibling wasn’t purely out of affection, but something else entirely.
But! Of course there was that reason, but! I do cherish Leon! After spending decades facing each other, even hatred becomes affection… No, that’s not it. Anyway, I love him! My one and only, irritating brother!
Worried this brat might harbor ill feelings, I tried to comfort Leon, but this wretch suddenly brightened his expression and spouted complete nonsense.
“Then I want to get married! I want to marry Sister!”
“Stop spouting nonsense, Young Master Asterion!”
Why would you marry me? Kid, we’re second cousins. Don’t you know that under Alein law, marriage is prohibited even between first cousins?
Stunned by this unexpected response, I could only gape, but somehow Will Brown seemed to have anticipated this. He leaped from his seat and began arguing fiercely with Leon, his neck flushed with anger. And from Leon came yet another bombshell declaration.
“You said that contract speaks only truth! Then there’s no problem with Sister and me getting married! Because I seem to be called Asterion Crolley!”
Wait, where did Crolley come from? Isn’t Crolley Father’s cousin who didn’t even attend this party? And clearly… Becky came from that household’s servants…
Becky, Crolley, Asterion. Suddenly, the 11th loop flashed through my mind. That time when Becky poisoned my lemonade.
What if Celin had taken a child from that household and manipulated their memories? What if, just as the magic binding Papa had coincidentally broken, the Crolley of that loop also had his manipulation undone and discovered Leon’s true identity? Since demanding Leon back now would be treated as madness, perhaps he’d devised a scheme to eliminate me and raise Leon as Rocksburg’s heir.
Oh… this way, things fit together quite… too perfectly? Like puzzle pieces? Isn’t this the last piece?
Right away, Becky had returned with a mole under her eye and caused trouble. I was about to voice my opinion that I should inquire with Count Crowley immediately, but the horrifying sight unfolding before my eyes left me speechless.
Father was crying.
Father didn’t even contort his face in sorrow; he simply let thick tears fall one by one, then opened his mouth in a calm tone.
“Then… did I suffer nothing that day?”
Ah, ah, ah! Right, Father was also a victim of Celin!
As Father’s tears flowed like pus bursting from an old wound, Mother burst into tears and begged forgiveness, saying it was all her fault. Leon, for his part, apologized for not realizing Father was so wounded, keeping his mouth shut in remorse…
This was quite the sea of tears—we couldn’t proceed with the meeting like this.
While everyone calmed down, I called for Will Brown, thinking I’d draft an inquiry letter. I wanted to send a letter asking whether the Crolley side knew of this fact and proposing to arrange a consultation regarding Leon’s treatment, but Father suddenly wiped his face and came toward me, tearing the letter to shreds.
Father dried his tears, and there was no trace of his weeping. His eyes weren’t even red; he simply scolded me in his usual manner.
“Asterion is Rocksburg’s! Who said anything about sending him to Crolley!”
Ah… that is, a most touching sentiment, but… you see, the Crolley side also experiences the sorrow of losing a child.
“Leon is my son! No matter what anyone says, he’s my son!”
“Ah…, Father!”
“My son!”
Wow…. Truly, after seven years have passed, they’re finally calling each other son and father—it’s moving beyond measure. So you’re saying Count Crowley has his own sorrow from losing a child? You people really don’t care about others’ affairs, do you?
As Father and Leon embraced each other in tears, Mother was moved to tears as well and told Leon he could call her Mother. At that, Leon wept even harder, and though I’m not sure why, Ram also wept while embracing Father and Leon.
Glen, Sage, and Serena Kim wiped their tears with their sleeves, saying it was such a moving moment. Even Jack, who would normally grab Leon by the collar and fight with him whenever he was bored, just stared at the ceiling—clearly holding back tears….
Those beautiful embraces—only Will and I stood apart with half-lidded eyes, maintaining an objective distance as third parties. Aster, as always, seemed to have no thoughts at all.
There they go again, isolating me and treating me like I have no human heart. When will those people stop crying? Lost in that thought, I was scribbling on the torn letter paper when Father suddenly regained his composure and lowered his voice.
“You will always be Rocksburg. Therefore, you cannot marry Rosalite.”
“Huh!”
Ah…. So that’s it. Father had a plan all along.
Inwardly impressed, I tapped the table with my pen. Now I desperately hoped we wouldn’t go off on another tangent and could finally discuss the original subject of this meeting.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————