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n“Alright, if you were able to sign a personal contract with Noir Giabella, you probably would have gotten pretty strong,” Eugene admitted. “But what would you do with all that strength? Do you really think that you’d be able to become the Patriarch with the power of black magic?”

n“I-I never,” Eward’s eyes twisted into a glare as he struggled to continue speaking. “I never wanted… to become the Lionheart clan’s Patriarch…!”

n“Then what were you planning to do?”

n“I… I wanted to become a bl-black wizard and go to Helmuth. In a place like that, I’d be free…, and my worth would be recognized…!”

n“Hah, this son of a bitch,” Eugene’s face twisted into a grimace as he knocked Eward on the head. “Why would you want to receive the approval of demonfolk? Which do you think is better, being recognized by your family or being recognized by the demonfolk? And do you really think they would respect you? I think you’ve got something mixed up, big brother. Without your background as the eldest son of the main family, you really don’t have any value to them.”

n“That’s why, even more so, I want to get rid of that title! I never wanted to become the next Patriarch, and I never asked to be born as the eldest son of the direct line! I want to be free, to be able to do what I want to do—.”

n“How greedy can you get?”

n“What?”

n“With your current background, aren’t you already free to do as you please while receiving support for your goals as well? What more do you want?”

n“That’s…. There’s a lot of things I can’t—.”

n“Enough, I don’t need to hear anymore. For now, just know this, big brother. I can’t understand why you did this, and I don’t want to understand. What is there to talk about with a bastard who thinks he’s the only one who’s got it unfair and challenging? A bastard who has had so many things granted to him from birth that others can only wish for, who makes up all sorts of excuses while whining about this and that,” Eugene grumbled as he pulled away from Eward. “While you were in Aroth, drinking, doing drugs, and getting lost in your dreams, Cyan and Ciel, who stayed at the main estate, were truly giving it their best effort to improve themselves. Not to mention me.”

n“…,” Eward had run out of excuses.

n“That’s all there is to it,” Eugene dismissed his excuses.

nThere was no value in continuing the conversation. Eugene spun around like a whirlwind and kicked the back of the black wizard, who was still quietly kneeling down.

nThe black wizard grunted, “Ugh!”

n“Just stay still and don’t come up with any nonsense,” Eugene warned him.

nThe black wizard protested, “I-I wasn’t doing anything…!”

n“I know,” said Eugene. “But you probably were thinking of doing something stupid, right?”

nThe black wizard’s body shook slightly. Was this monstrous brat even able to read other people’s minds?

nBut of course, Eugene wasn’t a mindreader. He had just given the guy a kick to relieve his own mounting irritation.

nEugene didn’t miss the fact that the black wizard had flinched, “So you really were thinking of doing something stupid? Okay then, you were asking for this.”

nHe kicked the black wizard once more, sending him rolling across the floor with a cry of pain.

n* * *

nLaws existed even in this chaotic street. While the guards in charge of this street might close their eyes to the usual commotions occurring because of corruption and the unwritten rules, the current uproar had gotten out of hand.

nBuildings along the center of the street were shaking, walls were collapsing, and other such chaos ensued. Even the guards killing time while enjoying the pleasures of the street couldn’t ignore such an uproar.

n“Sir… Eugene… Lionheart…,” the red-faced captain of the guards, who had just arrived, mouthed these words.

nThese three words kept flashing through the captain’s wine-soaked head as he realized that things were **ed. Although it was common for incidents to occur on Bolero Street, this was the first time that such an influential figure had been involved. In the first place, such public figures rarely caused such a huge uproar, even if they did get involved with some incident.

n“It was self-defense,” Eugene said as he spread his arms, gesturing to his surroundings. “My drunk older brother was half-carried to this location, so I was just following him to check if he was being kidnapped. When I tried to go in after him, I was stopped, so I asked them what kind of place this was. But what was I supposed to do when they started threatening me and trying to steal my wallet?”

n“…,” the captain played dumb.

n“So to protect myself and my wallet, I fought with them. As for what happened inside—”

n“I-I think we’ve got a good idea of what you’re trying to say,” the guard captain interrupted Eugene with a desperate laugh, sweat pouring profusely down his face. “We’ll be sure to handle the clean-up, so if the good Sir Eugene could please leave this scene to us….”

n“Then I’ll just leave and take my big brother with me. Along with that bastard,” Eugene said, pointing to the black wizard.

nAt this, the black wizard turned to look at the guard captain with a desperate look on his face. 𝘳𝘦.𝒸𝑜𝘮

nThis was an unbearably embarrassing incident for the city. Drugs were supposedly forbidden in Aroth. Although they might only pay lip-service to this rule, turning a blind eye to its distribution and use of drugs, the fact that a drug den had been revealed in the middle of the street wasn’t something that could be covered up by the unwritten rules.

nMoreover, both the black wizards and the Lionheart clan were caught up in this mess. If he just let them go like this, the guard captain’s own head might be sent flying. The number of prominent figures who had ties to this street was too many to count, so if things went on as they were, even if the guard captain didn’t have anything to do with all this, they might just cut off his head as part of a cover-up.

nComing to a decision, the guard captain said, “That’s…. My apologies, but I don’t think we can allow you to do that. We’ll perform our own interrogation on that black wizard—”

n“Shut up,” a cold voice descended from the sky.

nEugene, who had been looking at the captain of the guards with a pitying gaze, lifted his head to look up into the sky.

nLovellian was standing high up in the air.

n“How am I supposed to trust you to interrogate the suspect when you’ve been keeping your eyes shut to the things going on under your jurisdiction?” Lovellian demanded.

n“H-head wizard,” the guard captain stammered.

n“I’ll take care of this incident myself. If you have any complaints, you can call for the commander of the guards. Although I have to say, I don’t believe that he will oppose me and be a stickler on this issue.”

nLovellian descended to the ground. The guard captain gave in and speechlessly bowed his head low. Though, he wasn’t the only one to do so.

n‘Damn it, he got here so quickly,’ the black wizard thought as his face twisted into a terrible scowl.

nBut there was no way that the news should have been able to reach the far-off Red Tower of Magic so quickly? He couldn’t understand how the Tower Master, who held little interest in anything other than magic, could have arrived here so soon.

n“I’m sorry to have called you when you’re already so busy,” Eugene apologized.

n“It’s fine,” Lovellian replied as he took a calming breath.

nEugene was the one who had summoned Lovellian. He had ordered the guide to do so through the communication terminal. Although he could have chosen to rely on the Lionheart name to purchase his way out, looking at the broader picture, he thought it would make for a neater ending if he got Lovellian’s assistance rather than relying on his family’s name.

nEugene began to explain, “If you would like to know what happened—”

n“I can roughly understand the situation,” Lovellian said as he shook his head. “…It’s because of my negligence that such an unfortunate incident has occurred.”

nEward’s body trembled in fear.

nLovellian sighed, “…Playing around with succubi, forgetting the worries of reality through your dreams. Although I thought it was a much-needed method of relaxation… it appears that I made the wrong decision. My apologies, Eugene.”

n“There’s no need to apologize to me,” Eugene attempted to wave it off.

n“No, I do need to apologize to you. Of course, I will be apologizing to Sir Gilead and Lady Tanis as well, but I’m also guilty for allowing you to witness such an ugly scene, Eugene. Furthermore, you performed the duties that I should have taken care of.”

nLovellian was also similar to Eugene in his disdain for black wizards. Just like his revered great master, the Wise Sienna, her disciples also despised black wizards.

nLovellian, in particular, as Gilead’s long-time friend, was well aware of just how absurd it was for a member of the Lionheart clan to get involved with black magic.

n“H-head Wizard,” Eward attempted to speak even as his body continued trembling. “This is… I was just… I-I didn’t do it. I haven’t started learning black magic.”

n“But you tried to, didn’t you?” Lovellian stared at Eward with cold eyes, “Eward. You have… tarnished the name of the Lionheart clan. You have insulted Sir Gilead, who trusted you and left you to my care. Also, you have insulted Samuel, who chose to teach you, and you have insulted me, who chose to overlook all your foibles.”

nEward stammered, “N-no, I didn’t intend to do any of that. I was just—”

n“If you continue to make any more excuses, I will… I will just have to show you the cost of your insults immediately. And I really am tempted to do so,” Lovellian interrupted, unwilling to listen to Eward’s words. “So please, don’t say another word. If you want to continue making excuses, don’t spout them to me. Tell them to Samuel, who taught you, Gilead, who sent you here, and Tanis.”

n“Uh… uwaaah…,” Eward buried his head in his hands and burst into tears.

nLovellian looked down at this sight with a pitying gaze before letting out a long sigh.

n“…Let us return,” with these words, Lovellian turned away from Eward, and Eugene also didn’t spare him another glance.

nStill, at the center of everyone else’s gazes, Eward bowed his head to hide his face.

nAs tears continued to wring themselves from his trembling frame, the light in Eward’s eyes flickered and died.

nThe night air was cold.

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