ALL NOVEL Chapter 4
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Thud!
Father has collapsed.
Mental fatigue and excessive stress.
Of course, the disappearance of that damn brother was the reason for his illness.
As soon as the head of the Hohenberc Family vacated his office, the second son naturally received the delegation of tasks for the county. It was a rare occurrence, so no one was unsettled.
“See, that’s why raising children is important. The firstborn is useless, so the second son has to work hard!”
Isn’t the firstborn supposed to take over when the head of the house is away?
Sigh, that damn firstborn.
He gets treated like a prince just because he was born first.
He’s only two years older than me, for crying out loud.
Gasp! “So cute!”
“I knew my taste was spot on!”
While I was rolling my pen and lost in idle thoughts,
What’s all this noise about?
Voices rang like a celebrity had arrived.
Soon, the door to the office burst open, revealing the source of the ruckus—a girl with curly light green hair. Her new outfit left me dumbfounded.
“What’s that?”
“I wore it to help Edan!”
Rue was dressed in a colorless tailcoat instead of her tattered travel clothes.
A black tailcoat.
A contrasting white dress shirt.
Luxurious silk gloves and a cute short tie to boot.
It was an outfit that flaunted cuteness brazenly.
Therefore, it fit perfectly for the mascot of the work.
“Our Luinong is clever and knowledgeable from birth! She’s on a different level from those dimwitted humans! So just leave everything to me!”
Ahem!
Ahem, ahem!
Puffing out her flat chest, she bragged about her race’s superiority.
Is she trying to declare herself the genius of her kind? I nodded in agreement and asked her to sort through the mountain of papers piled up. Rue came running with a bright smile.
Hmph, hmph, Luinong will never forget her grace!
“When you were chased by magical beasts and saved by the Saintess Party, right?”
The heretic Rue, who yearned for the outside world, found herself in dire straits, cornered by starving magical beasts.
The person who saved her was none other than the hero Maximilian.
She wanted to return the favor.
So she began to follow her benefactor like a shadow.
As I recalled the noisy events from the beginning, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Ooh, how did you know? Did Max tell you?”
“Well… sort of.”
I couldn’t say that I knew all the details from reading the work cover to cover, so I gave a vague answer.
Rue then shook her frizzy hair like antennae.
So happy!
Feeling a pang of guilt seeing her blushing face reacting so intensely.
“Master.”
Knock, knock.
A neat knocking sound echoed.
Granting entrance, an elderly butler stepped into the office.
“Here’s a letter from the Imperial Palace.”
“Hmm, it looks like it’s from Princess Ludmilla.”
A seal adorned with a golden lion.
It was indeed a letter sent from the Imperial Palace.
Ludmilla had mentioned she would send a letter as soon as she reached the Imperial City.
Remembering what she said before she left, I took the letter handed to me.
“What’s this, what’s this?”
The elegantly decorated letter was enough to pique the fairy’s curiosity. She leaned in like a little child.
Thump.
I used a paper knife to open the seal.
Then, I opened the letter, staring at it intently.
“Ahh…!”
“What’s wrong?”
“This damn thing! It’s really from the Imperial Palace!”
Eek!
With a scream, I shot up from my seat.
At that, Rue gasped and fell onto her back with a thud.
[The Hohenberc Family, having unilaterally annulled their engagement with the Imperial Palace, is hereby commanded to pay compensation.]
Compensation.
In other words, they’re demanding monetary restitution for the annulment.
If it were a conflict with another noble family, they might have sought mediation in the Imperial City, but unfortunately, the Imperial Palace was the one opposing the Hohenberc Family right now. And because that damn someone had declared the annulment without warning, we had no chance to defend ourselves.
“So, how much is it…?”
“Enough to fill a reservoir with the jelly candies you’re eating right now.”
78 billion Rachael.
That’s 120 thousand pounds in silver.
For reference, the annual revenue of the Hohenberc County was 80 thousand pounds.
In other words, they were asking for the equivalent of a year and a half’s worth of revenue.
‘Well, it’s not the worst-case scenario. Actually, this is kind of generous, right? If I were the Emperor, I’d squeeze Hohenberc County dry to the point of no return. Princess Ludmilla must have intervened for us.’
It was an astronomical sum that made one want to scream.
But it wasn’t to the point that we couldn’t repay it.
If we implemented tax increases and austerity measures over the next few years, we could pay off the compensation.
“E-Edan…! Are we going to end up on the streets now? Ugh… no more jelly candy for me.”
The fairy’s once-bright expression turned sour at the thought of our family being bankrupted because of the astronomical compensation.
Whulp—
Her hair slumped down like a defeated puppy.
Then she spat out the jelly candy she had been joyfully munching.
She even looked worried that her snacking might have caused this mess.
“Sure, things will be tough moving forward, but it won’t be to the point of losing our assets. No way a prestigious family with a long history in the East would actually crumble, right?”
Hmph.
She didn’t need to worry that much.
As soon as I finished speaking, Rue popped the jelly candy back into her mouth.
‘Damn it! I might have to sell off that item my damn brother left behind….’
To raise the funds for the compensation, the first priority would be to sell all the items belonging to the culprit of this mess.
Clothes and belongings,
the funds saved for the ‘hero’ persona,
and even the precious treasures obtained through countless heroic deeds.
If I sold it all, I might be able to cover the compensation.
It would be a fitting consequence, and if there’s any sense of shame left, he wouldn’t dare protest.
‘Maybe I should sell the Holy Sword stored in the underground warehouse. The Holy Kingdom would surely pay well for it.’
The Holy Sword of Demon-Slaying.
The four Holy Swords symbolizing the hero Maximilian.
One of the Holy Swords that slaughtered countless demons and magical beasts was kept in the Hohenberc Family.
In its prime, it boasted unrivaled might, but now it had fallen to mere antique status; I contemplated selling it. If the crowd that reveres the Holy Sword heard of this, they’d go into a foam-flecked rage, but repaying the compensation took precedence.
*
The Saintess Party faced off against the Demon King, the ultimate shadow, as the epilogue approached.
However, even so, numerous threats to the mundane realm were still lurking everywhere.
The remnants of the Demon King’s Army.
Cultists who worshipped the Evil God.
And alien monsters crossing over from unknown dimensions.
Is it because there’s a new scenario (Part 2) in play?
Despite overcoming trials, the legends of the Saintess Party remained unfinished.
It ended not with a flawless conclusion, but with an imperfect one. Because of that, many shadows expelled by the Saintess Party hid in the abyss, waiting for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
– “The thorns in our side have disappeared!”
– “Even the wicked harlots and their minions have vanished!”
– “Oh! Great Evil God! We will prepare sacrificial offerings for you!!”
The restraints that had held back the rise of evil vanished in an instant.
The entities planning a comeback lifted their heads.
The absence of restraint symbolized retaliation and expansion. It manifested as the cowardly losers who had been humiliated by the Saintess Party drew their blades in fury. They sought to shatter the hypocritical world and enact a complete revenge.
– “Finally, the time has come for evil to ascend…!”
Those seeking to revive their forces.
Those moving to spread their faith and beliefs.
And those aiming to devour all living beings on the continent.
All had their own reasons to seek the Ascension of Evil.
Just as good manifests in many forms,
so too does evil exist in diverse manifestations.
– “Maximilian…!”
– “His family resides in the Valtarian Empire!”
– “The killer who murdered my brothers! I will take revenge for the humiliation suffered at his hands!”
Among those released from restraint were vengeful spirits as well.
Expansion of power?
Achieving faith?
The vengeful spirits had no such ideals.
Only hatred for the enemies that took away their purpose burned within them.
Thus, as soon as they were freed from restraint, they prepared for the revenge they had been longing for.
– “Maximilian!!!”
Hero Maximilian.
The strongest member of the Saintess Party.
The hero who mercilessly cut down countless evils.
It was only natural that the arrow of revenge would be aimed at him, just like the force of gravity pulls objects downward.