CH 34

Chapter 34 The Younger Brother Is Pure But Scheming?

After deciding to meet my brother, I ordered the old butler, who was attached to me as father’s eyes, to take care of an urgent matter.

I also half-intimidated my guards to wait in my room and ordered the maids who were carrying my luggage to keep a distance from me.

It’s almost as if I’m asking my brother to kill me, but… my servants are wary of my brother, so if I don’t separate them from me, they will make him feel unpleasant.

I did something bad to the servants.

If I come back alive, I will give them something sweet later and apologize.

「Onii-sama, are you inside? It’s me, Esther.」

「…… Come in.」

I was prepared to be stabbed the moment I opened the door, or to receive a look of resentment, but… strangely enough, my brother was no different than usual.

If anything, his expression was softer than usual….

「What’s up, Esther?」

My older brother’s voice was as calm and gentle as usual.

Even though I was defenseless, he didn’t do anything to me.

Realizing that he would treat me kindly as usual, I couldn’t help but want to cry.

I didn’t come here to show my crying face and waste my brother’s precious time, so I endured it and told him my business.

After thinking about it in my own way… I came to the conclusion that if I’m going to meet my brother, I should take something useful with me.

He had been treated coldly by Grandfather and Father, so he shouldn’t have enough money and proper equipment.

He was exiled from the country, a punishment where no one survived, so it probably wouldn’t change the result even if I gave him a good quality weapon, but… I hope it could at least make him feel reassured even a little.

Among the things I brought with me with the intention of handing them over to my brother, there was an orichalcum spear that my grandfather gave me… I’m sure that the servants will report this to my grandfather and father.

In a few days, I’m sure I’ll get scolded severely, including for deliberately keeping the watchman and guards away from me, but… if that could make my brother feel better, it’s nothing to worry about.

I was going to give my brother all the money and weapon, but he said he didn’t need the orichalcum spear.

He said that since he was being kicked out of the Duke’s family, there was no need for him to continue using a spear that he has no talent for, but… what is he going to do without using a spear?

Strangely enough, my brother’s complexion was good, so I decided not to ask him anything unnecessary.

Right now, my brother’s feelings are more important than anything else.

He was also being considerate regarding money, asking me to buy the things in his room with that money instead.

He didn’t have to worry about me in this difficult time, but… my heart felt warm by my older brother’s consideration.

A lot of decorations in my older brother’s room were a little glamorous, so they might not fit in my room, but since I received them, I decided to put them as much as I could in my room, and I told the servants who were waiting outside to carry them to my room.

As for the price… I gave all the money I had on hand.

The decorations and fixtures were due to my brother’s concern… and I’m not familiar with the market price of such things.

So, I don’t know the correct price.

「Is there anything else I can do?」

I wanted to help in any way I could, so I asked him if there was anything else I could do for him.

Then, he asked me to accompany him to go shopping and go to the Adventurer’s Guild.

But….

「Onii-sama, wouldn’t it be difficult for you to bring all the items on this paper by yourself? I think it would be better to buy a magic bag with a large capacity, even if you have to spend a lot of money.」

No matter how you look at it, the amount of items asked by my brother was not something that an individual could carry.

Especially 30 large jars of water… that alone would require 10 wagons.

When I suggested this to my brother, he put his face close to my ear and told me the important information that he was an item box owner.

If it’s an item box with the capacity to hold all the requested items… it’s probably an item box (large)….

A person with a large item box would be very useful on the battlefield, and if I told my grandfather about it, he might be able to revoke the exile punishment….

I thought so, but decided not to tell my grandfather and the others.

Besides, my brother told me not to tell anyone else, and judging from his expression from a while ago, I felt that he was looking forward to leaving the country.

My brother is smart, so he must have assumed that he would be driven out of the Duke’s house someday… and he probably has some kind of plan in mind using the item box.

When I returned to my room, the old butler, who received a report about what I was doing, was waiting for me with a nice smile on his face.

「Welcome back, Young Master. Did you enjoy your meeting with the criminal? It seems that you gave many things to him….」

「Criminal? It’s clear that he’s being falsely accused…. Thanks to the absence of a certain spy, we had a peaceful and enjoyable time.」

「I see… that’s good to hear. I’ll be sure to let Master know how you’re doing, Young Master.」

「I don’t mind. I’m planning to tell my father when he comes back anyway. … But right now, my brother aside, the only Duke family in this house is me. Until my father comes back, you will follow my every instruction.」

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「…… Yes, Young Master.」

Phew….

This old butler… he’s normally not a bad guy, but he hates my older brother for some reason, so it’s troublesome.

Luckily, I was able to handle him…

By tomorrow, I have to finish the shopping that my brother asked me to do.

「My brother asked for water. I’m sure he’s tired, so I’ve decided to help him. I want you to fetch water for 30 large jars… no, 32 large jars, including the ones in my and father’s rooms, by tomorrow all by yourself. Just in case, I’ll try them to see if they’re poisoned, so don’t do anything strange, okay?」

「…… Yes.」

He has a trained body, but it probably will take some time with his old body.

With this, I can avoid his eyes until midnight.

In the meantime, who should I assign to do the other shopping…?

Ah… I gave my brother all my pocket money, so I don’t have any money now….

In the end, Esther, who couldn’t tell his brother to pay for the purchase in advance, pawned his orichalcum spear and borrowed some money from a merchant he was on good terms with.