35 – Why Me?

Porto promised me the seat of the head of the family.

This meant the opportunity to rule a wide and vast territory, and to be granted the title of Count, which even the King and other nobles considered honorable.

If that happened, all the people living in the autonomous territory would look up to me, just as they did Porto.

And I could banish that eyesore Uriel and Kennes from the territory.

They had been aiming for the head of the family, so it would be one of the best revenges I could take.

The look on those cast-off princes’ faces when they were robbed of the head position would be quite a sight.

I could fill my belly with money from the abundant resources and commercial facilities, and, if I wanted to, I could spend the rest of my life flirting with pretty women and enjoying myself.

It was also the goal I had been holding onto before my memories of my past life returned.

Though now, emotions and memories were mixed like paints, scattered and twisted, and subdued.

It was a position that I, who had lived as a talentless, discarded prince, couldn’t help but yearn for.

Porto was a lord who was trusted and respected by all the people of the territory.

He was a true general, reducing his sleep for the sake of the territory and making sure everyone was fed.

That was an undeniable fact.

A son naturally admires his father.

At one time, I wanted to become someone like Porto, whom everyone praised.

In those inferior days, I was full of the desire to be recognized by others.

In the past, only my second older sister worried about me and took care of me.

Even though I knew I couldn’t do it, I read difficult books, and even though I knew I would lose, I swung my wooden sword at my opponent,

because I wanted to be recognized by everyone.

If I became the head of Triste.

I would deny the brothers and sisters who pointed fingers and cursed me as a talentless prince.

I could have painted such a beautiful picture where everyone affirmed my existence.

“Hahaha.”

A pity for Porto, who seeks to mold me into the head of the house.

Just now, what I spoke of was naught but the past.

The inferiority that plagued my childhood has already been laid to rest.

The memories of living in the barren and gritty 21st-century Republic of Korea brought about a multitude of changes in me.

I was not the child I once was.

My values had shifted so greatly that one could say I was an entirely different person.

I dare say that I know how to live a blissful life.

A life where I could cure my ailing sister, stroll with her afterwards, let Dalpi automate the housework, and laze about in bed, indulging in the free ride that life could offer. That was the kind of ease I now sought.

Never mind that the position of head of the house was busy and tiresome.

The same man who had ignored me all this time now declares, “My purpose is to make this territory strong! You are the perfect fit!” There’s no way I could see that favorably.

If I desired to become a territory tycoon, I would rather earn some merit and receive a new territory from the King. The position of head of Tristi was something I’d refuse even if offered on a silver platter.

So, how could the headship of Tristi possibly entice me?

I was not such a naive person.

Even if Porto’s attitude had changed, it would not compensate for the childhood in which I wept amidst indifference and torment.

Rather, such words only stirred a desire to crush him, as is the way of the human heart.

Dalpi glanced at me.

He seemed to be gauging my mood. Luckily, I wasn’t as furious as I had been with Kenneth, so it was alright.

Porto was evidently under some grand misapprehension.

It would be necessary to awaken his antiquated mind.

I repeat, I am fine.

It’s not as if my temperament is so abrasive that I would throw a punch at the biological father who brought me into this world.

Unless, of course, he wished to be strapped to a carrying frame.

I merely wished to have a conversation with Porto.

“I find you to be fascinating, Father.”

“Hmm?”

“I am perpetually astounded, for I can scarcely believe that you are of the same species as I.”

Porto’s words were displeasing.

It felt as though I were observing someone trapped within their own world, putting on a truly pathetic display.

“You seem to be under a grand misapprehension. I am not your possession. I am not a tool created for the sake of carrying on the family line.”

Until now, I had never argued with Porto’s words.

Not since I became aware of my past life, because the opportunity hadn’t arisen.

And before that, I was simply too weak.

Perhaps today is the first and last time.

Since we won’t be seeing each other again, I decided to really let him have it.

“The notion that all sons crave the position of head of the family is absurd. I’ve never been interested in it. The only reason I’ve remained in this godforsaken mansion all this time is purely for Haniel-nuna’s sake. Father.”

That I can secure the territory safely?

That the Tristi Dominion should prosper forever?

That the most capable person should take it?

What a load of crock.

“You haven’t shown the slightest interest until now. Though I hardly crave your attention, now that I’m solving the Millennium Prize problems and doing great things, I’ve finally caught your eye, haven’t I?”

I glared at him.

“After throwing every rock imaginable at me, you expect me to be persuaded by such words, to genuinely dedicate myself to inheriting the position and serving the family and the territory? Oh, the audacity… Ah, but I understand. You are, after all, a classic, antiquated lunatic.”

For the record, I’m not getting help from Nob AI.

Koreans are simply better at swearing than AI.

“Sending your children on pilgrimages and to battlefields to weed out the risks… what a creative idea. Wow, truly remarkable. Yes, let’s give a round of applause to our inventive Father!”

I mimed clapping.

And then.

“Someone as ignorant as Kenneth or Uriel, or someone with a purpose like Jeper-hyung or Haniel-nuna might be able to endure your asinine drivel, but not me. Shall I explain it kindly?”

“The position of head of Tristi holds no allure for me. No value. It’s equal to, or less than, a rock lying on the ground.”

“I’ve already earned enough honor. I can earn as much money as I want. And unlike you, I don’t love the family. Isn’t it you who shattered my pride as a Tristi since I was a child?”

“I have absolutely no duty or obligation to protect this dominion now. Ah, if you intend to point out that I have been eating and dressing with the taxes of the territory’s residents, I think that I repaid that favour to some degree with this observation.”

“I wish I could leave the territory with Haniel-nuna right away, but she doesn’t want that. I stay here because I pity the innocent people in the dominion, and because of nuna. Please, Father, don’t be mistaken.”

“Regrettably, if you attempt to inflict harsh treatment on Haniel-nuna under the guise of the family head examination, I will block it with all my strength. Feel free to try. It will be a futile effort anyway.”

“Lastly, as a son, I offer you this advice: do not even dream of trying to harm me if I leave this mansion. If you make such a foolish move, the potential risk you mentioned might just turn into a real one.”

I felt as though I had vented all the frustrations I had accumulated against Porto, and I was breathing heavily after I finished speaking.

The Royal Medal and the baronet title.

And the achievement of observing this polar shift, unintended though it may have been.

Could Porto dispose of me like Felix?

I absolutely don’t think so.

My position had grown too large for me to simply be considered a fifteen-year-old boy.

This was the very basis of my audacity, standing before the Lord of a Domain.

“Screw you, Father.”

I raised my middle finger.

“Be grateful I treat you and my other siblings like filthy insects and ignore you. If not, I would have done whatever it took…”

Then, Dalpi patted my shoulder.

“….”

Good. He must understand well enough.

Expressing any more anger would only hurt me.

Wasting unnecessary emotions was exhausting.

“Haa.”

I sighed and shut my mouth.

Porto was such a cool cucumber.

“…….”

The reaction was so lackluster.

Honestly, I expected a bit more of a heated response, which was disappointing.

Silence continued, furthering my disappointment, but watching Porto unable to utter a word, I felt a certain recompense returning for all the fucked-up times.

Anyways, that’s that.

“I heard you divided the proxy authority of the Family Head amongst Haniel, Uriel, and Zephyr, Father. Am I to understand you have stepped down from the front lines?”

“Yes.”

Porto looked as though he had nothing more to say to me, and so, he left.

Dalpi patted my back.

“Young Master, you worked hard cursing.”

“Indeed.”

I had to ask what I had to ask.

“Who is in overall charge now?”

“Young Master Zephyr.”

As I moved along, I met eyes with Kennes, but he lowered his gaze first and avoided the space.

“Has Kennes ever harmed you while I was gone?”

“No. On the contrary, he has been as quiet as a church mouse.”

From ancient times, it was said that a beating was medicine.

Should have given one sooner. Ah, really.

Anyway, I relayed the urgent news to Jeper.

“Brother, a powerful mana reaction has occurred in the Autonomous Territory. The atmosphere is unsettling. We must investigate the cause immediately.”

Etila getting stuck in the hatch earlier wasn’t just a random event.

A mana reaction that suddenly flared without warning.

Nob AI’s story was that it was necessary to go and investigate directly.

“A mana reaction, you say?”

We gazed toward the north.

It would have been ideal if it were as silent as Kenneth’s closed lips, but the north teemed with demons.

“It won’t be easy to go. It’s difficult even to send out a search party with demons all around….”

“Dalpi and I will go.”

Jeper blinked.

“Are you truly sure that you and just two maids will be able to manage?”

『Nob AI can handle it.』

I nodded slowly.