Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 68

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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 Father inherited the Dukedom, he provided substantial support to the Marquis Territory—his only younger brother’s domain—and I’ve heard that’s how this land developed to its present state.When Uncle Louis was first exiled here, Father told me it was completely barren wasteland.
Uncle Louis said it was completely desolate when he was first banished here. I heard it from Father.
“If you continue like this, the Marquis Territory’s sole income in the next generation could become nothing but vegetables from the garden plot we cultivate at the Mansion.”
“I enjoy farming, so it doesn’t bother me.”
“In case such circumstances arise, I’ve already studied agriculture in advance.”
Watching the two of them chat away about preparing their own means of survival in case they were struck from the family registry, I found myself missing Dylan.
That boy would have been perfect for nobility if he’d only left Leon alone. Above all, he caused trouble only within the range I could predict, making him easy to handle.
“If you examine it closely, you’ll understand—I personally laid the foundation stone, so I earned the right to name it. And thus, the name attached to that tower is!”
“Yes. The name.”
“The Tower of Trials!”
I’m already trapped in the crucible of trials, and now I have to endure yet another ordeal? More importantly, where is the person who proposed this? Speaking with them directly might actually make this easier to resolve.
“Where is Diamante?”
“She’s waiting at the top of the tower for the Young Lord.”
“She kept insisting she wouldn’t enter such a narrow, filthy place.”
Wait. I just heard something I shouldn’t have let slip past.
My mind snapped awake at Uncle Louis’s casual remark, and glancing between the tower and my uncle, I began to suspect the true architect of this situation.
“Surely this isn’t just an excuse about the lady’s tantrum—you’re doing this for fun, aren’t you?”
“….”
“Say something. Now the pieces are starting to fit together. No matter how much she throws a fit alone, things wouldn’t escalate like this. You two didn’t just lend a hand—you went one step further, didn’t you?”
The Marquis and the Marquis heir both wore identical expressions of feigned innocence. How could even their shameless demeanor look so alike?
My mind reeled. Tears of pity welled up for Glen and me, forcibly dragged into these two’s game. I felt a tiny bit of pity for Melissa Diamond as well. She fell into a trap of her own making, but being caught in their hands—that was genuinely pitiful, wasn’t it?
“Understood. I’ll go up. There’s nothing else to do but go up.”
As I drew a deep breath and steeled my resolve, both of them followed me with the most delighted expressions on their faces. When I get home, I’ll need to prepare to strike them both from the family registry.
“Uncle, why are you following? Isn’t this usually your busy time?”
“Work can be done at night. I can’t miss such a splendid show.”
“You certainly have a lot of free time.”
“No one knows better than Rocksburg himself that I have free time. Your grandfather and your father are the ones who threatened to keep me from leaving the Marquis Territory.”
“That’s what you deserve. Who told you to push our father into the reservoir when he can’t even swim?”
Right. Because of that incident, Grandfather flew into a rage and had Uncle placed under surveillance so he couldn’t leave the Marquis Territory.
That restriction continued even after Grandfather retired and Father received the Dukedom, leaving this man bound to his own domain without Father’s permission.
Occasionally he’d come to the Capital when he had to attend royal events, family gatherings, or when Father felt whimsical, and each time he’d cling to Father’s side looking remorseful, begging for the confinement order to be lifted.
“That’s… I’m not curious about it. If Edward were as capable as he claims, he might instinctively awaken his swimming ability the moment he fell in.”
“So you pushed him in out of curiosity whether he’d die or survive, is that what you’re saying?”
“Indeed, my nephew knows me well.”
No, I don’t understand you people at all.
…Wait. Could it be that Dylan pushed Glen onto a horse because he was curious whether someone who couldn’t ride would fall and die?
No, surely not. Dylan was different from these two. I don’t want to hastily believe they’re all the same.
“Heh heh heh….”
As I led the crowd toward the tower, I found a five-story stone structure that bore all the hallmarks of shoddy construction, with Benjamin’s handwriting carved into the cornerstone at the tower’s base.
As I’d heard, the tower was called the Tower of Trials, and construction had begun exactly two months ago. Clearly, this was rushed work.
“Is this actually safe? It won’t collapse while we’re climbing, will it?”
Stop playing dumb and give me a straight answer.
Watching both of them follow me inside the tower, it seemed the structure wouldn’t collapse under ordinary circumstances, but its appearance was deeply unsettling.
I could see something used as adhesive between the stones crumbling away—a professional contractor would never make such a mistake. I just hoped it would hold together until I brought Glen back down.
“There’s nothing here at all, is there?”
Setting aside the poor construction, what puzzled me was that despite being named the Tower of Trials, the interior contained absolutely nothing. The first floor was empty space, and as I climbed toward the second floor, I spotted no mechanisms or devices whatsoever.
Aster had even taken the lead, claiming she’d prepare for any contingency, which made her earlier suggestion rather embarrassing now.
“Heh, you’ll understand once you go higher.”
No, there’s definitely something here. The proof is Uncle Louis and Benjamin covering their mouths with their hands, their shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter.
Is this funny to them? Do they actually find this amusing?
“Young Lady.”
Finally, something appeared?
Aster called out to me cautiously, and I surveyed my surroundings carefully. What Aster was pointing at appeared to be a door of some kind….
Why is the door made of stone? Can it even move?
“To bring Glen back, you’ll need someone with considerable strength.”
“Indeed. The Marchioness’s condition was that only someone capable of effortlessly lifting Glen could be approved as a husband. This door reflects that requirement quite literally.”
So this was your doing after all.
They’d created this stone door intending to trouble me, but Aster, indifferent to others’ schemes, placed her hand against it without hesitation.
As Aster pushed the stone door with all her strength, it began to move, scattering stone dust, and Uncle Louis and Benjamin protested that this wasn’t supposed to be Aster’s challenge.
I’d rather not dwell on this mechanism, but…is this a ■■■■ reference? A ■■■■ plagiarism?
“That’s enough, Aster. I’ll do it myself.”
“Yes, Young Lady.”
Since they wanted a strong man as Glen’s husband, it was only right that I demonstrate it myself. Once Glen becomes the spouse of a duke of an entire nation, it wouldn’t be unusual for dangerous individuals to appear at state functions.
…Wait. Now that I think about it, from Diamante’s perspective, this was a perfectly reasonable condition to impose, wasn’t it? She’d lost two sons to me, so she must have been anxious about Glen losing his life as well.
Even if she’d weighed Dylan and Glen against each other, a mother is still a mother. Entrusting her precious son to me—I can certainly demonstrate this much.
After asking the others for their understanding, I descended to the empty first floor and cast a body enhancement spell on myself, then tested my strength by bending the rebar scattered across the ground.
Since the giant squid incident, this spell had undergone countless refinements, allowing me to cast it while minimizing muscle soreness. Now I only had to endure a day of excruciating muscle pain after using it?
Though keeping it on hand required astronomical expenses, I was fortunate to have Sage in the household. I could never have refined the spell so easily on my own.
Good. Now that I’m ready, let’s go.
I tossed the rebar to the ground and climbed back to the second floor entrance, asking everyone to step back. Positioning myself as Aster had done, I pushed the door, and the stone door began to open, dragging across the floor….
Wait. Even with body enhancement, my strength is comparable to Aster’s?! I was expecting something more dramatic!
“Magnificent, Young Lady.”
“Young Lady! Splendid!”
But apparently my display was impressive enough, as both Aster and Jang praised me with excited expressions.
While Jang marveled at when I’d developed such strength, Uncle Louis and Benjamin took three steps back from me, their expressions turning sour.
“…I forgot she had that bloodline.”
“Is that a woman or a gorilla?”
“Come on, let’s get this over with. I’m a busy person.”
If I’m being honest, we’re both busy, so why are we doing this? Well, the reason is simple—these authors are mad for the kind of entertainment that involves toying with people. When I get home, I renewed my resolve to strengthen the prohibition order against those two.
So, what’s the next challenge!
“Benjamin!”
“Yes!”
Wow, look at how his face lights up the moment he has a new toy to play with.
After the two of them surveyed the second floor, they shifted from their earlier evasive attitude to an aggressively proactive one, ready to make me regret everything.
Let’s see—the second floor wasn’t completely empty like the open field below. A grand piano sat in the center, along with a table, several chairs, and a xylophone.
I’ve seen that xylophone before at some talent show.
“If you can’t sing, you can’t get married!”
Oh my, what a shock.
While I was surveying the interior, Uncle Louis, seated with a xylophone mallet in hand, produced a familiar tinkling sound—ding-dong-dang—and laid out the condition that I’d need to sing well to take Glen with me.
…This really does seem like that thing from some talent show.
“This stage is inspired by the saying that if you can’t sing, you can’t marry. The accompaniment will be handled by my son Benjamin Diamante, who volunteered.”
“If things go wrong, we’re strangers, after all.”
The two of them laughed at their own joke, and Benjamin played a finger-loosening etude that looked like it came straight from Czerny 100, then struck a tonic chord with a resounding bang, urging me to choose a song.
Does he really have the confidence to accompany whatever song I choose?
“Well…, then….”
I’ll play it safe and go with a trendy cool jazz piece.
Singing without context in front of people made me self-conscious, but with the enthusiastic support from Aster and Jang, I gathered my courage, delivered one song with genuine feeling, and turned toward Uncle Louis.
The man wore a contemplative expression, picked up the xylophone mallet, and struck it decisively with a sharp sound.
“But I sang all the way through! Why!”
“You lack soul!”
What is soul?!
I wanted to give up everything right then and there, demolish this entire tower, but Aster grabbed me by the collar, saying she couldn’t let anyone who criticized my singing—relative or not—live. So I quickly sang the next song.
When she causes trouble, she really goes all out. To distract Aster, I started singing, and Benjamin quickly responded with accompaniment while Aster sat obediently in her chair, clapping in rhythm.
Phew, thank goodness. If Aster decided to beat Uncle Louis right now, he might actually die.

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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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