Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Gilbert himself said to use his body like a part and replace his father’s corroding body.

He has a good understanding of what it means to give his body to him.

Up to that point, Gilbert was willing to endure such a thing.

[“That was kind of tempting just now.”]

His biological father responded with that determination. Gilbert Kallakis was already known as the strongest swordsman in the Empire.

Nevertheless, it was only strange to me that he was not satisfied with his abilities.

Because there are only monster-like beings around him?

Of course, Aedis is a non-standard existence.

So was his father.

However, both in fiction and in reality, it was not them, but his younger brother, Regen, that Gilbert felt the most inferior to.

And, unlike Aedis and his biological father, Regen may be named as a genius, but he was normal.

In particular, Regen didn’t have the talent for swordsmanship at all, so he learned it until he vomited blood in 〈Esmeralda’s Crescent Moon〉 In the novel, Regen’s swordsmanship teacher was a member of a tribe that had been forgotten by people, and misunderstood Regen as a kin and took him as a disciple.

The deluded teacher taught Regen with the utmost sincerity, but it was revealed that his skill grew very slowly.

I also remember being secretly annoyed about when Regen’s teacher would cut that beard every time he was described as having a long beard that draped down to his waist.

In any case, even Regen’s teacher slandered Gilbert’s swordsmanship for being arrogant, but he didn’t say it was wrong.

Rather, he criticized him, saying whether it was possible for Regen to observe it a little more carefully and make even a part of it his.

That’s why Gilbert’s swordsmanship skills were excellent. Because he was not at all satisfied with himself.

Gilbert sighed in relief as his father showed his intention to continue the conversation.

Aedis’s expression was mysterious.

“Shall I stop it?”

“No. Leave it alone.”

“…”

“Nothing has changed. He still has a long way to go to make up his mind.”

The words about not touching Maevia were a little funny. If he had made up his mind, he’s not merciful enough to force that condition to be kept at any cost.

In a sense, Gilbert was also a naive young master.

[“One week.”]

“Yes?”

[“Thanks to someone who converted my spirit into a bomb and sent it back, the Red Desert is now a mess. I can’t take you right now, but come back to this place in a week. It would be better if you brought something the Grand Duke had touched before.”]

Guessing that it was possible, Gilbert did not spit back this time.

After the conversation was over, Gilbert started moving somewhere.

He didn’t seem to want to go back to the castle.

I asked, sipping the cold milk.

“Will the father himself come in a week?”

“I’ll send a clone.”

It was an answer that I could understand.

“I mean Gilbert.”

If I had to choose between Gilbert and Regen, I would of course call Regen.

It was difficult for me to see him without prejudice, just as Gilbert still sees me as his property.

Gilbert was only 12 years old when he killed his brothers in the desert.

Gilbert then killed Regen, and another brother Regen did not even know existed.

Even if Aedis saved Regen, it didn’t change the fact that Gilbert had taken two lives at the time.

一It shouldn’t be like this. You can’t just take away everything like this!

He sacrificed his own body because he thought that he had lost me to Aedis, and that he had lost his position as the next Grand Duke to Regen.

He was trying to get it back even if he had to dedicate his body to his father.

It’s a crazy way of thinking, so I couldn’t let it go any longer, even if Regen resents me for the rest of my life, because he loved his older brother.

And if I’m already resented, I’d rather be on Aedis’ side.

The period in which Regen started to depend on me was extremely short, but I’ve been with Aedis for 8 years.

“As expected, I…”

Aedis cut off my words.

“When Gilbert appears here in a week, I will cut off his limbs so that he will never be able to raise his sword again.”

He didn’t mean to kill.

“Apart from Regen, Gilbert will also hate you even more than he does now. If you don’t like getting blood on your hands, wouldn’t it be better to let his father betray him?”

In fact, Gilbert’s biological father wouldn’t give him what he wanted anyway.

I knew that there was only ruin left in Gilbert’s path, and Aedis knew it, and the bastard called his biological father knew, but only Gilbert himself did not know.

“I don’t care. I don’t even care about things like that. If the person you can call Regen’s older brother is alive for the time being, he will be sad right now, but he will be satisfied later. Perhaps Gilbert will one day feel guilty and be attached to his younger brother who takes care of him.”

“…”

“Let’s go back.”

Hey, isn’t that the typical tragic ending?!

I reached out to grab Aedis’s hand, but barely missed it.

***

When I followed Aedis back to the castle, Regen was standing in front of the door of the room, holding a painting.

“Father! Your Grace!”

Regen smiled brightly, not knowing that he had once been killed by his older brother, whom he loved and admired so much.

“There was no answer when I called, so I sneaked in, but there was no one there. You left this.”

“Ack.”

What Regen brought out was a picture drawn by the predecessor Grand Duke.

I quickly covered the picture with my body so Aedis couldn’t see it.

Regen looked at me with innocent, twinkling eyes.

“By the way, Your Grace, what is that black octopus?”

It’s not an octopus, it’s your father……

“Haha, isn’t it cute? I want to hang it in my room.”

“Your Grace likes things like this…”

No!

I asked Regen with a glance at Aedis, who was engrossed in the thought of a tragic ending.

“But Lord, why are you alone?”

“The nanny is in the next room with Miss Shaula. She has something to talk about.”

Talking to Shaula?

Madam Teresa’s determination to challenge the difficulty was great.

Regen playfully pulled the hem of my skirt.

“Your Grace.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“I’m hungry!”

Regen laughed heartily. On the other hand, he wrinkled his eyes to make a cute expression.

“Then shall we go eat? Aedis too.”

Perhaps it was his desired answer, so Regen nodded his head quickly.

“Great!”

I smiled and pushed Regen to Aedis.

At that moment, Aedis, who had escaped from his thoughts, looked at Regen that was holding his hand.

“I have to hang the painting in my room, so go first with Aedis.”

“Are you coming soon?”

“Of course.”

I waved until Regen and Aedis went down the stairs.

And instead of going back to my private room, I knocked on the door of the room where Madam Theresa and Shaula were.

“Shaula, are you done talking?”

As if waiting for me to call, Shaula ran out.

“Your Grace!”

Shalla welcomed me with the momentum to embrace me.

“As expected, I thought that if it was Your Grace, you would not forsake me.”

You can’t even see Madam Theresa, who seems to have aged 20 years in a moment.

“It must be your fault anyway, but what did you say?”

“I shouldn’t raise a sword in front of the Lord, right?”

“Yes, don’t.”

“Tsk.”

I walked slowly down the hallway with Shaula frowning.

“Shaula, do you want to be stronger than you are now?”

“Huh? That would be nice.”

“What if you had to sacrifice your limbs to someone in exchange for being strong for a while?”

Shaula’s eyes narrowed.

“Your Grace, you know that my body is precious too, right?”

“Then someone else’s limbs……?

“I don’t sacrifice my limbs or anyone else’s. The power gained in that way is sure to fade away every time I use it.”

Shaula’s face says that she was upset.

She refused at once.

I got to my private room and stayed silent until I hung the picture, then asked my second question.

“……Shaula, have you thought about being my escort?”

“Does Your Grace need me to be your escort? My hand that Your Grace struck is still red?”

Shayla spread her palms and trembled.

Instead of looking at the palm of her hand, I checked the time.

“Actually, I need someone for a role other than an escort right now.”

“What is the role?”

Shaula asked, but didn’t show much curiosity. She seemed to have decided that it must have been for some reason that wasn’t appropriate.

I threw a bundle of golden keys at Shala.

All the keys were in the ring except for the one I was going to use.

Each key was filled with Aedis’s magic.

“A role to hold Aedis’s ankles.”

“……What?”

“Are you interested?”

“I’m interested, but suddenly?”

“Do it now.”

Shaila groaned.

“Wait, wait, please wait! Did you fight with the Master?”

“It wasn’t a fight……”

“Your Grace, why is it so suspicious when you trail off?”

Shayla pushed her face close, making it a little too burdensome.

“Uhh, uhm, I thought that the solution I was thinking of would be more modest than cutting the limbs.”

Anyway, I understand that Aedis doesn’t want to kill Gilbert as much as possible.

Whether it’s because of Regen or for other reasons.

Then there is no need to chop the limbs off, right?

– When Gilbert appears here in a week, I will cut off his limbs so he will never be able to raise his sword again.

No matter how much I hate Gilbert, I couldn’t give Regen such a tragic ending.

The end is a lifelong nursing of his older brother whose limbs were cut off by his adoptive father.

It’s more traumatic than running away and waking the beast!

In a way, it’s worse than hitting him on the head and killing him at once!

Moreover, it would be better to make him leave quietly and drive him out of the Grand Duke’s dominion……

Besides, maybe I can take Gilbert’s powers and make him a normal person without having to cut off his limbs.

If Gilbert was no longer the best swordsman in the empire, his biological father would naturally lose interest, so it was worth a try.

“……What do you mean by cutting off the limbs?”

I smirked at Shaula, who gave me a suspicious look.

“Are you curious? If you help me, I’ll tell you everything. Including how to use the key.”