Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 93

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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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What Jack had brought were all the weapons that Samuel—that uncommunicative man—had abandoned when he fled at full speed. Since Samuel was a master craftsman who’d made them himself, their quality was guaranteed, and there was no way Jack would let such fine pieces slip through his fingers. As an apology for my earlier suspicions, I’d told him to take whatever he wanted from the items collected at the scene, and it looked like…
Wait, did that guy really take everything?
“Jack. You’re actually planning to use all of that?”
“Yes.”
Such greed.
But if it was Jack, he could freely use whatever he held, so there was no bluffing or falsehood in his words. He really did intend to take everything and switch out his equipment daily.
“Fine, take it all, but since it belongs to Rocksburg, write up a report saying you’re taking it. Just put down the names—non-experts won’t understand anyway—so make sure to draw pictures too. Otherwise, the armory will be in chaos at year-end when the quantities don’t match.”
“Yes.”
At my command, Jack began unloading the weapons onto the guest table and started writing his report.
And Aster, who’d been standing beside me eating toast topped with chocolate, then marshmallow, then banana, then chocolate, then marshmallow, then strawberry, suddenly took an interest in Jack’s haul.
“Don’t come near me, you’ll get sugar all over yourself like a pig.”
“Young Lady, may I take this?”
“Don’t touch it, you’ll get sugar on it, you pig!”
When would these two ever manage to have a proper conversation?
Aster, barely listening to Jack’s protests, swallowed his toast in one gulp and picked up a sword.
The combined length of the hilt and blade appeared to be about four hand-spans, with a single-edged blade and decorative holes punched along the spine. The handle was wrapped tightly with leather, and at first glance, it seemed the rivets or screws connecting the hilt to the grip would make it easy to disassemble.
Hmm…, you see, in common parlance, that’s called…, well…, that thing.
“Absolutely not.”
I flatly refused. Aster’s face fell, and Jack looked triumphant. But Jack, this isn’t your moment to celebrate.
“Jack, you can’t take this either.”
“Why not! Didn’t you say I could take everything!”
“The implications are too dark.”
“What does that even mean!”
Honestly, when someone says no, you should understand it means no—why all this backtalk!
I understand you’re both still young and your eyes glaze over at flashy, impressive things. I’m not unfamiliar with that feeling myself, but no means no.
“These things exist. They do. For the sake of public sentiment.”
“What does that have to do with us!”
It may have nothing to do with you, but it has everything to do with me!
Worried Jack might bolt with it, I hastily called for Lily, snatched the single-edged sword from Aster’s hands, and ordered Lily to bring me a crowbar.
As I held the blade at an angle, Lily swung the crowbar with gusto, and the sword snapped with a sharp crack.
“Smash it to pieces, every last bit. Leave no trace of its form.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
While Lily methodically destroyed the blade and Violet swept up the floor, I examined the rest of Jack’s weapons for anything else suspicious before returning to my seat.
Nothing suspicious. Now he can really take everything.
“Aw, that one looked the prettiest.”
“What good is a pretty sword? You going to take it to the beauty contest?”
“I could.”
You spoke well. Then know that if you don’t participate in the Rocksburg Beauty Contest being held this time, you’ll face a three-month salary cut.
Watching Jack grumble as if he hadn’t heard me, I picked up my pen and wrote an entry form in Jack Brown’s name for the beauty contest being held next year, then had Aster send it to the organizers by express delivery.
Jack screamed, but Aster had already bolted from the office. There’s no way Aster wouldn’t eagerly participate in something designed to torment Jack.
Though Jack detested it so, the beauty contest was actually not a bad event for anyone living in Rocksburg Territory to participate in at least once.
The Rocksburg-hosted Greatest Beauty Contest, held once every ten years, had a very long history, accepted entries regardless of gender, and offered extremely generous prizes.
Contestants competed in three categories—generally judged on how robust and healthy the contestant was, how beautiful their physique was, and how brilliantly their intellect shone—but typically, during the first competition on robustness and health, contestants would end up hospitalized or dead, making the path to a second round extremely treacherous. However, my great-great-grandfather, the previous Rocksburg Duke, had once participated in the contest and actually won first place. It was certainly a most honorable competition.
Normally, the first contest theme is about boasting robustness and good health to each other, but the path to a second match is extremely treacherous, as contestants end up hospitalized or dead. However, my great-great-grandfather, the Rocksburg Duke of that time, actually competed in the contest and won first place. It was truly an honorable competition.
“Please, just tell me to die instead!”
“Die? When I care for you so much, Jack?”
“And you’re sending me to a rapid suicide contest?!”
Hmm… yes, it did seem to have that sort of nickname. But if one won, one would gain great wealth and honor, and even if one lost, at least one would survive.
“We have Macaon, don’t we?”
“That’s no different from saying you’ll just let me keep breathing.”
Jack, you’re good in every other way, but you’re far too pessimistic. Things could work out well, you know.
I laughed loudly and continued with my work. Even though I’d worked overtime today, not a single letter from Luke asking to meet had arrived.
How irritating.

Days passed, then more days, yet I couldn’t receive even a single notification from Luke saying he was returning home.
Then one day, through the servants’ lightning-fast information network, I heard that Luke Chatel had visited the Duke with some red-eyed, red-haired boy who looked barely twenty years old.
I thought that once he’d seen the Duke, it would be my turn, so I had refreshments prepared and waited, but these thoughtless fools completely ignored me and went straight back to the company.
I was furious and sent Luke a letter. So your eyes can only see the Duke and not me? Don’t I live in the Duke’s Mansion? Am I not a resident? Since when did you decide who lives in the Duke’s Mansion and who doesn’t?
After I sent the letter filled with resentment, Luke arrived at my office the next day, as he usually did, but first scattered seventeen gold coins on the ground before me.
He made excuses—it wasn’t intentional, he was in a rush, he’d committed a grave sin—and the man who’d been protecting that red-nosed boy continued making excuses until I maintained my cold demeanor and he finally revealed the truth.
That red-nosed boy was one of the official heirs of Chatel House, and after seeing the Duke, he said he’d seen everyone he needed to see and insisted on leaving immediately, so Luke couldn’t stop by to see me.
The boy was incredibly arrogant, but my real concern wasn’t him—it was that Luke Chatel wouldn’t say with his own mouth that he was finishing the handover and returning to the Empire.
If Luke wouldn’t broach the subject first, I had nothing to say to him either.
If he’d only said even one word, just one word, and revealed his true feelings to me, I would have taken some action.
If he’d said he didn’t want to let go of the Aleine branch I’d built up so far, I would have gone to the head of Chatel House and made a scene until Luke was firmly established doing business in Aleine.
Or if he’d said he’d grown the operation enough here and wanted to return to the Empire to undertake greater things, I could have congratulated him on his triumphant return and spoken a word to the First and Fourth Imperial Princes of the Largol Empire, asking them to treat Luke Chatel well. Even if I couldn’t do great things, I had the ability to do at least that much.
After all the affection I’d shown him over this time, how could he be so cold, leaving without a word of coming or going?

Feeling genuinely hurt, I sulked and locked myself away in my office with the attitude of “fine, go then if you must.”
Even today, when I heard that Luke Chatel was packing his final belongings and returning to the Largol Empire, I was completely, absolutely, truly—no exaggeration—utterly uninterested, so I merely sighed once and worked, sighed again and checked the clock while spinning in my rotating chair. Luke could do whatever he wanted for all I cared.
“Jack Brown. What’s wrong with the Young Lady?”
“Well, you see…”
Noticing something odd about my behavior, Asterion, who was working beside me, called Jack over and asked what was happening. Jack, having heard the story from the Duke’s Household staff, relayed it straightforwardly to Leon, and I found the sight so irritating that I crumpled up some recycled paper and threw it between them.
“Stop gossiping and get back to work!”
Oh no… I’m going to lose my mind… If I miss this chance now, I might never see him again…
I don’t know what will happen to me or Leon after this, and since Luke only comes to Aleine on business roughly every five cycles… Even if there’s a next opportunity, I’m not certain we’ll become as close as we are now.
Wasn’t it the same when I became friends with the Princess? In that cycle, she visited our house so frequently that she barely drank, but now she’s drowning herself in alcohol every day, and I’m lucky if I see her face once a year…
I really will regret it if I let him go like this. I tugged at my hair in anguish before quietly rising from my seat. Then Asterion stepped in front of me as if he could foresee what was about to happen.
“Where are you going, Young Lady?”
“…”
“…”
“…to pick… flowers?”
“To make a flower crown?”
“Yes.”
“If it’s Luke Chatel, you’ll be too late even if you go now.”
Why are you asking when you already know everything? You’re embarrassing me.
At Leon’s remark, I glanced at the clock and looked out the window. If I rode Elizabeth straight to the harbor right now, I could make it in time.
Besides, when someone tries to stop you, that’s when you really want to go—that’s just human nature!
“Young Lady! You can’t!”
As I tried to push past Asterion, the boy surprisingly clung to my waist and wrapped his legs around the office pillar. It looked ridiculous. Before it was even funny, the sight just irritated me. Why was he trying so hard to stop me?
“Asterion, what is that pathetic display! Show some dignity!”
“You should be the one showing dignity! Running after a merchant who doesn’t even say goodbye—what’s so appealing about that!”
“That’s my business! Now please, just let go! Even if you usually act strange, you’re still a noble, aren’t you!”
“I suppose being half-blooded means my conduct is poor!”
“If you say that outside this room, I’ll kill you with my own hands!”
I struggled with all my might to pry Leon off my waist, but this little brat—what on earth had he been eating to become so strong? He wouldn’t budge. If he’d become this strong, he should be protecting himself, not trying to harm me.
“Let go, Asterion! Even your brother-in-law isn’t saying anything, so why are you interfering!”
“Ugh!”
Why did his grip suddenly weaken? Regardless, this was my chance, so I slipped free from Leon’s grasp and quickly called for Jack, rushing toward the window.
“Jack! Let’s do it! I’m too scared of my little brother to use the door!”
“Once the ship sets sail, you’ll have to give up and come back.”
“I promise!”
I have things I need to do anyway, so at least I can keep that promise.
As Jack positioned himself, I leaped onto his back, and the man quickly pulled out a piano wire, wrapped it around the window railing, and jumped down. It had been a while since I’d felt that sensation of falling.
But this time it wasn’t a game, so there was no time to enjoy the thrill. I ran straight to the stables, called for Elizabeth, and headed toward Bienar Port.

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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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