CH 13

Chapter 13: "Discussion About the Cover-up."

"......"

"......"

Their gazes collided with each other, creating an illusion as if sparks were flying. Neither of them took a step back, and the stalemate continued.

I didn't know what makes them act like this, but they seemed to be saying that if they take even one step back, they would lose, and all Mark and I could do is watch what happens.

Lauren's arm was wrapped around my left arm, and Laura's arm was wrapped around my right arm.

The situation was that of a flower in each hand, but that was only if you were someone who can enjoy such a situation.

So, if you ask me if I'm one of those people, I would say no. Yes, I'm not.

If a ten-year-old boy was attracted to a beautiful girl of the same age as his eight-year-old sister, it may be a happy thing. But that was only if the other party was a commoner with no ties to you.

Well, it would be easier to understand if you think of them as the aristocratic version of the so-called "but only if they are good-looking”.

Both of them were from noble families, and Lauren is still not engaged to anyone. If a person with such a position were to witness her huddling with me, it would be inevitable that even the dullest of partners would have a hunch.

"Lauren-sama, you are sticking too close to ani-sama. Please stay away from him.”

“You're the one who needs to stay away from him because you're his sister.”

This was it. Was it just me, or did this woman's fight gave me a chilly feeling that goes through my body and made me feel uncomfortable to watch?

Unable to see that the situation was still going nowhere, I appeased the two of them and forced them into a discussion on how to disguise the situation.

"That's why Lauren-dono. I have one favor to ask of you--"

“All right.”

“...... I haven't explained it to you yet.”

I know that you couldn't ignore the fact that you owe me your life. But I think you should listen to my explanation first. ...... And please don't make a heart mark on your eyes.

This was impossible without the cooperation of Lauren, who was a key player in this project, so it helped me that she was so strong-willed.

I told her as much as I could about my situation and what I wanted and explained that I would be pushing Mark to take the credit for this one.......

At first, Lauren smiled, but gradually a quizzical expression appeared on her face and she asked the question that had been showing on her face.

“You don't want to take over the Malbert estate, Roland-sama?”

“Yes.”

“Why is that?”

Lauren's question was reasonable. After all, it was difficult to become a lord in this world even if you wanted to.

First of all, you had to be a nobleman to become a lord. At this point, the majority of people had already dropped out of the race to become a lord.

And the second point must be the eldest son or the younger brilliant son of a noble family. This was something that only a very limited number of people are eligible for.

The only other way to become a lord is to make some kind of achievement and be newly appointed as a noble by the king. In short, the way to become a lord is so limited that even if you wanted to become one, it is not possible.

However, from my point of view, a lord is like a slave tied to territory. If something went wrong in their territory, they are forced to take full responsibility for it, and in some cases, they may even had to pay with their own lives.

When a hostile army from another country or a large group of monsters appeared, you had to be the first to stand up and fight. That was the job and duty of a lord.

If the territory I rule is prosperous, it was well worth risking my life, but the territory I would inherit was not worth risking my life.

I felt bad for the people living in Malbert's territory when I say this, but I couldn't help it because this was my honest opinion.

I remembered the memory of my previous life when I read a fantasy novel about reforming a fiefdom using a cheat ability, but it was because they had the will to reform the fiefdom themselves that the reform went well.

I didn't have that kind of ability, nor do I have any experience in managing a territory. Above all, I didn't want to work like a horse and cart like I did in my previous life.

So, I replied to Lauren.

“Because it's troublesome.”

“Yes?”

“It's troublesome. Besides, it requires a very good person to manage a territory, and above all, it requires a person who is attached to the territory to make it work. I don't have any attachment to this place, and I'm not an excellent person. That's why I want Mark to grow up to be an excellent person and take over this territory."

"Ani-sama......"

I gave a lot of plausible reasons, but to tell you the truth, I just didn't want to spend the rest of my life in such a poor estate.

Since I'd been reborn in a different world, it was only natural that I wanted to do something different from my previous life. And I'd like to do some sightseeing in this strange world.

It was a world of swords, magic, and monsters, so it was only natural for modern people to want to travel around like the characters in RPGs. Everyone, fantasy is written as illusion, right? (TN: ファンタジー (Fantasy), 幻想, (fantasy; illusion; vision; dream))

Anyway, Lauren showed some understanding of my words, but she was a little reluctant to talk about the disguise. She seemed to have something she couldn't compromise on, saying, "It was Roland who rescued me," but when I asked her to lie for me, she immediately replied, "I understand. I'll lie for you”. I wondered what was the point of my earlier insistence.

“By the way, I can't believe you could defeat such a big Lesser Grizzly. ...... As expected of my big brother.”

“That's true.”

“What are you talking about, Mark? I'm sure you can beat a monster like this with ease. That's because I trained you....... fufufufu.”

I responded to the twins' praise of my accomplishments. In fact, with Mark's current strength, it shouldn't be difficult for him to win, though not as much as me.

Mark's talent in magic was high due to his noble birth, and although he was not yet able to control magic as precisely as I could, he was capable of using general beginner magic.

Also, in order to convince the others that he had saved Lauren by defeating the Lesser Grizzly, he had to make them understand, including himself, that Mark was capable of doing so.

He was as mild-mannered as ever, but I think he got a lot of skill when it comes to fighting. If possible, I would like to see him raise his intelligence a bit more for the sake of managing the territory, but as the son of a warrior, was it my imagination that he was becoming a bit of a muscle-brain?

We then proceeded to discuss the cover-up, and once we had decided on the details, we decided to proceed with the plan.