Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 271

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It worked out perfectly. Rosalite and Eddie are wary of power dispersing from the center, so having Luke inherit the Hofen Territory would put everyone at ease in many ways. If things go this way, will the next Baron of Hofen be a child Luke adopts? It seems I’ll become a grandfather sooner than I expected.
“Eri must be in her basic science class by now.”
“Glen is quite unusual, isn’t he? Why would a Duke’s heir learn science?”
“Because an age of science and engineering will dawn.”
Haven’t I learned something from directly experiencing the inventions of Sage, the communications business, and various other changes? The advancement of science and technology is power itself. By acquiring at least basic knowledge, it will be easier for me as a lord to communicate with businessmen.
Rosalite surely understands this too, and has learned many things on her own that aren’t even in the heir’s curriculum. Rosalite and Sage’s conversations were filled with electrical engineering—a subject I couldn’t understand a single word of.
I can’t let our Eri fall behind. I even suggested teaching her coding as well, but Rosalite said the era hasn’t advanced that far yet and it’s not necessary. Hmm, but still, looking at the calculation processes of the machines Sage has been making recently, the input of commands? That seems incredibly important.
“Elpium Rocksburg! It’s me, I’m coming in!”
I arrived at Eri’s study room, knocked, and tried to open the door when a scream erupted from inside—”Kyaaaah!”—and an iron shutter came crashing down with a metallic screech.
“Elpium Rocksburg!”
“Please calm down! This is exactly why the young lady can’t stand Glen!”
“…?”
Eri can’t stand me…?
…?
…Why?
Tilting my head in confusion, Jack Brown let out a deep sigh and muttered.
“Just seeing your face, you’re constantly nagging ‘study, study’—who would like that?”
“I’m only doing this for Eri’s sake.”
“That’s exactly why you’re being too harsh on a ten-year-old!”
“…!”
But if I’m to face Rosalite with pride, I have to raise Eri well. There’s nothing else I can do….
“Oh no! Darkness of heart is coming from Glen! Take a deep breath! Self-soothing!”
“Y-yes!”
Following Jack Brown’s words, I immediately implemented the Rocksburg behavioral protocol. As I hugged my own shoulders and patted myself, my breathing gradually steadied.
There. I’ve calmed down. Now that I’ve regained composure, should I follow Lucilucil’s advice? Eri’s greatest concern is probably the volume of studying, right? I can’t reduce the number of subjects, so let me cut the class hours.
“Elpium! If you open the door now and surrender completely, I promise to reduce total class time by ten percent!”
“You lying scoundrel!”
“Glen! That’s dangerous!”
Clang! A metal grate fell, and if Jack Brown hadn’t pulled me back, I would have been skewered like a kebab. The image of the old tale’s skewered duke flashed through my mind, and I trembled.
“Elpium! You can’t skewer your father!”
Don’t do things like the Northern Grand Duke until you become the Northern Grand Duke! I tried to persuade her firmly, but Eri countered that Rocksburg is located west of the Capital, so how could she possibly become the Northern Grand Duke?
Well… if Rosalite set her mind to it, it would be entirely possible, wouldn’t it? There’s Eddie’s control of the Northern water sources and the Capital tax incident, and if she bothered, she could buy up all of Noctram’s water sources, or tamper with the wireless devices she’s been distributing. She’s a genius at scheming in unsavory ways, so she’d find a method somehow.
When I said that based on my experience so far and my understanding of Rosalite’s character, she could do it, a pointed device shot out from the iron door. From the crackling and ignition sounds, it seemed to be some kind of flamethrower.
“Always comparing me to the Duke!”
But you’re Rosalite’s eldest daughter! I countered with righteous words as I dodged, and the pointed nozzle predictably spewed flames.
“What’s ten percent? You should cut it in half for the young lady to change her mind.”
“I can’t compromise that far! Besides, the real problem is that Eri doesn’t believe a word I say!”
“That would be the case.”
What should I do? Should I bring Rosalite here to reassure her? Would it be better to draw up a notarized document and hand it over? While I was mulling over these options, Lucilucil Father appeared with an arrogant swagger, having resolved the darkness in Marie and Lily’s hearts.
“I knew you’d be struggling.”
With his nose held high, Lucilucil Father knocked politely on Eri’s study door, then said something utterly irritating.
“Eri. It’s me, Lucilucil Father.”
“….”
I really hate that phrase “Lucilucil Father.” Marie and Lily don’t particularly call me Father, but Eri is so familiar with Lucilucil Father that it leaves me feeling… well, not entirely pleased.
“If you lower your barrier, I’ll reduce your total class time by thirty percent.”
“Wait, you can’t just say things like that!”
“I’ll make a direct request to the Duke of Rocksburg himself.”
“….”
But her reaction to him is completely different from when I speak. Eri, who had been silent, opened her heart and instantly dissolved the iron bars and shutters, then cracked the door open and peeked out.
“…Is that truly so?”
“Of course. Didn’t that worthless fellow also mention reducing class time? He probably offered a measly ten percent at best.”
“As expected of Lucilucil Father. You’re quite perceptive.”
“Now, that’s a promise.”
When Lucilucil Father extended his pinky finger, Eri surprisingly linked hers with his and accepted the compromise.
Wait, Eri trusts a mere verbal promise like that? Without any documentation as proof?
“I hope the schedule will be reorganized by next week.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Then I must go—I have class.”
Eri gathered her soldering kit and textbooks and hurried away. Left behind, Lucilucil Father wore an insufferably smug expression.
“Now, let me handle the rest. I need some rest.”
How infuriating.
I suppressed my true feelings and merely bid him farewell. I wonder if there’s still unresolved darkness in someone’s heart? It seems Sage must have used the ‘Heart Darkness Eliminator’ quite thoroughly on the Previous Duke.
“Oh, Glen.”
I turned to head toward the Previous Duke’s office when Jean Brown approached from the direction I was heading. The towering man, well over two meters tall, greeted me respectfully, then said something completely unexpected.
“Hello, Glen.
Could you give me your
heart?”
“….”
“….”
What kind of darkness is this? I can’t even begin to fathom it, and that’s terrifying! More than that, why is he speaking so calmly? Does this relate to the darkness in his heart?
When I looked at Jack Brown, he shook his head as if equally bewildered. Well, since I can’t give what I don’t have, I should refuse, right?
“Your heart is, well, something I cannot… give, it seems….”
“I see.”
This is the first time I’ve heard Jean Brown speak so fluently. The man pondered briefly, then offered an alternative.
“Then could you give me your
eyes
instead?”
This person seems intent on obtaining some part of my body no matter what. When I caught Jack Brown’s eye, he folded away the can opener from the multi-tool he’d produced earlier and drew out a small pair of scissors.
“Would it be alright if I offered you some cut hair or fingernails instead?”
“Ah,
fingernails
are fine too!”
Thank goodness! I trimmed my fingernails short with the small scissors and placed them in Jang Brown’s palm—a hand twice the size of my own.
Having obtained what he desired, Jang Brown seemed to experience some sense of self-efficacy and departed satisfied.
“What on earth was the darkness in that man’s heart?”
“I don’t know. I’m scared of that older brother.”
Jack Brown shared a few stories with visible discomfort. He explained that Jang Brown was generally mild-mannered, but became incredibly fierce when fighting with his eldest brother John Brown—particularly when John Brown had tried to leave home to serve the Former Crown Princess Four Spans, Jang Brown had nearly killed him. It was such a brutal fight that one of them seemed certain to die, but the Previous Duke intervened to mediate and barely prevented a tragedy.
The Previous Duke managed to stop what would have been a fatal confrontation.
“He seems like someone who couldn’t kill even a single ant.”
“After me and Will, that older brother probably has the most experience killing people.”
“Oh….”
It was shocking information indeed. I decided to forget it immediately and focus only on my good impression of Jang Brown. I went to find the Previous Duke.
The Previous Duke didn’t seem to have any particular darkness in his heart—he appeared to have lost confidence in nighttime matters. After we discussed seeking help from medication since Lucilucil was knowledgeable about bedroom techniques, we promised to set aside time for a deeper conversation between the three of us, then parted with reluctance.
“Hmm….”
There didn’t seem to be anyone else who would have darkness in their heart. Will Brown had been away on business for quite some time.
I was uncertain whether things had been resolved, when Rosalite suddenly appeared from afar, her eyes gleaming with an almost supernatural intensity.
“Glen! What are you doing right now! You need to get to work!”
“Oh, yes! I’m going right now!”
Since there didn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual, everything must be resolved, right? I closed my notebook with a snap and followed Rosalite to proceed with today’s duties.

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