Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 272

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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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After finishing my day’s work and returning to my room, the sun had already set. To gather strength for tomorrow’s commute, I retired early. Sleeping alone again tonight felt lonely, but Rosalite had mentioned she had remaining work to attend to in her office, so there was nothing to be done. Since I wasn’t going to Lucilucil, I was fine with it.

◇ ◆ ◇

The next morning, as I washed my face, I found myself staring blankly at the mirror. My face had become Rosalite Rocksburg’s.

◇ ◆ ◇

Consulting my notebook, I swiftly resolved the darkness of heart I had previously known, and successfully discovered and dispelled new darkness as well. The Previous Duchess was suffering from mask phobia, and Count Crowley was extraordinarily worried about Leon’s future.
Though I processed countless instances of darkness in hearts, I awoke the next day still bearing Rosalite Rocksburg’s face.

◇ ◆ ◇

The same day repeated itself. On the sixth morning and the seventh morning, I still wore Rosalite Rocksburg’s face.

49. On the eighth morning, I bore Rosalite’s face.
50. On the ninth morning, I bore Rosalite’s face.
…
…
…
140. On the ninety-ninth morning, I bore Rosalite’s face.
141. On the hundredth morning, I bore Rosalite’s face.
…
…
…

How much time had passed? Suddenly, I arrived at a single thought. When killed by darkness of heart, one returns to the starting point while retaining memories. Then, what would happen if I were to be killed by my own volition?
“….”
Now that I thought about it, when I first began, there was a notebook beside me that I had no memory of. Perhaps I had already executed that method?
“I see.”
Upon closer inspection, the middle section of the notebook was torn. That was it. That was how it was.
I tore out this morning’s entry as well, to reset myself.
The emergency revolver I kept on hand was small-caliber, but if I placed it in my mouth and adjusted the angle properly, it would suffice.

Knock, knock.

I was gently working the tension from my jaw when I heard the knock. I thought Philip had returned, but to my surprise, it was Judith Rocksberg.
“I simply cannot bear the tedium any longer. Tell me—have you forgotten someone?”
“…Pardon?”
Oh my. Judith—Rosalite’s youngest sibling—didn’t her cognitive abilities seem somewhat… lacking? She was always chasing butterflies with Lam. Yet those eyes gleamed with such brilliance that I could see the resemblance to Rosalite.
“I’m speaking of Rosalite. Rosalite Rocksburg. Her greatest terror, I suspect, is a life endlessly repeated.”
Wait, now that I think about it… I’ve never witnessed the darkness in Rosalite’s heart. Could this very cycle of mornings itself be her fear?
“I tried to live quietly, but then I found myself communicating with the cosmos, and before I knew it, I was merely supporting Rosalite.”
Judith struck her shoulders and back as though she were an elderly woman. She should be only a year younger than Eri, yet even for a Rocksburg, her mental maturity seemed extraordinarily advanced.
“Come. I shall teach you the magic words to suppress this darkness.”
“Yes, of course!”
I didn’t fully understand, but if she could resolve this, I had no choice but to follow. I seized my staff and pursued Judith as she strode swiftly toward the Duke’s Office, kicked open the door, and cried out, “Come here at once!”
“Grraaah! So you’ve finally revealed your true nature! Senior Rosalite!”
It was odd that Rosalite called Judith by her name, but that wasn’t the pressing matter now. Rosalite had always insisted that Judith was merely pretending to be foolish. Her insight truly was exceptional.
“You—I shall assign duties to you as well!”
Under the influence of the darkness in her heart, Rosalite’s teeth became jagged like a demon’s, and her body swelled to enormous proportions. She looked like a yokai, Rosalite! Yet that form was magnificent!
“Magnificent!”
“I’ve thought this for some time, but you’re the most unhinged of all.”
Yet Rosalite was magnificent, and when enlarged, wouldn’t she become even more magnificent? I began clapping, but Judith squeezed her eyes shut and told me, “Live that way for the rest of your life.”
Having lavished such praise upon me with utmost sincerity, Judith grasped my hand firmly and spoke with solemn resolve.
“Kyaaaah! Why are you grabbing the hand of another’s betrothed?! Release me at once! You shameless senior!”
“Now, repeat after me!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Rosalite! It has been over a hundred days since we began repeating the same day!”
“Rosalite! It has been over a hundred days since we began repeating the same day!”
It was merely a statement of fact, so I didn’t understand why this was magic, but as I looked between the two of them, Rosalite’s body visibly shrank.
“Gasp—a hundred days?”
“No one knows how much time has passed outside the domain where the darkness of the heart operates! When we return to normal, we may have to handle a hundred days’ worth of work—or perhaps a thousand days’ worth!”
“A hundred days’ worth?!”
Judith had instructed me to repeat after her, but I gasped in shock and questioned her instead. That’s right. Whether time flows differently or not, the problem remains the same—as long as this phenomenon persists, the work will only accumulate.
“Inside the darkness of the heart, time might flow at a glacial pace! And with the direct Rocksburg line vanished entirely, who knows if the collateral branches have been merrily plundering the family fortune this whole time?”
“No, no! My wealth and power, built so sordidly and pettily!”
Her capacity for self-awareness is truly one of Rosalite’s strengths. The courage to face one’s own failings directly—I have always admired that in her.
“No! I must return! The cycle must end now!”
Rosalite made a gesture as though tearing at the noose around her neck—the one she had worn because of Celin long ago—and slammed her fist upon the desk.
“Work delayed by a single day demands ten days of effort to recover!”
In that moment, the sky seemed to clear. Rosalite resolved to work swiftly and assigned me a supporting role, while I recited the list of darkness in her heart.
Before I could even explain the solutions, Rosalite disposed of each matter with remarkable speed, and with a final flick to Lucilucil’s head, she vanquished all the darkness within.
“Doctor! Doctor! We’ve finally resolved it! I believed in you all along!”
You said in your note that you trusted only me, yet the moment you faced Rosalite, you changed your tune. Not that I particularly mind.
In any case, once all the darkness in hearts had been resolved, the connection to the world beyond the Mansion seemed to be restored. The notebook had stated that upon leaving the Mansion, I would find myself back in my room, but now I could freely come and go through the Main Gate as I pleased.
The problem was solved, and we returned to our ordinary lives. Save for one terrifying fact.
“Doctor, calm yourself and listen carefully. The heart’s darkness removal device has gone haywire, and until now….”
“How much time has passed? As an Archmage, time flows past me—I can’t tell a thing just by looking at Papa’s face!”
“Heh heh, you rascal, even now you’re complimenting me.”
“Tell me exactly how much time has elapsed!”
“Ahem, well, precisely speaking….”
….
….
“Forty-two hours have passed.”
“Kyyyyyeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!”
Ha ha, it seemed I would need to put in a bit more effort than ten days’ worth. I soothed the screaming Rosalite, encouraging her that if everyone sacrificed their days off and threw themselves into it, somehow it would work out.
“By the way, this heart’s darkness removal device—it does seem to be effective? I feel somewhat lighter, perhaps?”
“That’s right, Doctor! I put in some effort for you, who works so hard normally! It was merely a malfunction—once it’s completed properly, it should be excellent for stress relief!”
“Hmm….”
But isn’t that taking far too great a risk just to relieve a little stress? When I raised my objection, Sage said that since things had returned to normal anyway, it should be fine.
“No, this time it was resolved between Rosalite and myself, but….”
Wait. There was someone who provided tremendous help—who was it again?
….
…Was it Jack Brown? Come to think of it, he did his work diligently while enduring his fear. I could only be grateful.
“If that machine falls into the hands of Marquis Diamont and his son…, wouldn’t something terrifying happen?”
….
….
Sage remained silent for a long while. Rosalite, too, said nothing for a long time. The two exchanged glances, then dropped the heart’s darkness removal device onto the floor with a thud.
“Target designation! Maximum output! Release!”
“Destroy it! The world would be better off without such a machine, Doctor!”
As expected, right? I couldn’t even imagine what sort of darkness would emerge from those two.
“Well then, shall we get back to work?”
I decided to hold Sage accountable as the root cause of this incident, and dragged both of them toward the Office. Another peaceful day buried under documents was beginning. I savored the warm sunlight as I tossed the now-useless notebook into the trash.
It was good for one’s mental health to quickly forget unpleasant things.

– ‘The protagonist of a horror game is always someone weak with low mobility, after all’ fin.

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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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