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<Side Story 12>

Herbert thought it strange, but since they had secured evidence and arrested the criminals, he decided that whatever worked was fine and let it pass.

Afterward, Herbert and Rupert disguised themselves as peddlers in order to arrest those who had purchased the holy water.

Thanks to obtaining the list of buyers from the manufacturers themselves.

The weather was not bad.

There was not a cloud in the sky. The sunlight reached every corner of the land, putting those trying to hide at a disadvantage.

Walking made them slightly warm, but the breeze blew steadily, drying their sweat—making it pleasant enough for travel.

And to top it off, the familiar sights and lively bustle of the commercial district continued around them.

'…Peaceful.'

Apart from the fact that they were wearing light armour beneath their plain clothes just in case, and that knights were following at a set distance behind them, the scene was so tranquil that one might have believed they were out on an excursion.

But Rupert had grown noticeably quieter, and at some point he simply walked in silence, gazing into the distance.

'Is he struggling? Well, I suppose it's to be expected.'

Herbert was a man who had trained his body professionally, but Rupert was someone who had only learned swordsmanship as a basic noble accomplishment. Their physical conditioning could not possibly be the same.

Yet he followed Herbert without complaint.

'Unlike the young folk these days, he has tenacity.'

Herbert, watching Rupert drink water, pointed to the shade of a tree.

"If you're too tired, shall we rest for a moment?"

"I'm fine."

"A fine person doesn't grimace and look up at the sky once every minute."

"I'm truly fine."

"Opportunities to stretch your legs and rest don't come easily, you know."

Rupert took a shallow breath and drained his canteen.

"The reason I looked up at the sky was not physical exhaustion, but a personal concern."

"Really?"

"Yes. In truth… every time I see Sister, I find myself utterly pathetic."

"That—"

Herbert almost said "me too" but changed his words.

"That… I don't think you're the only one who feels that way."

"Moreover, there is the dukedom. Would it not be more fitting for Sister, who is far more capable than I, to become the head of the family?"

Since Herbert knew all the circumstances surrounding Rianell's identity, Rupert—despite some hesitation—spoke more easily.

"Besides, if Sister had not gone missing, Father would have chosen her as his successor."

But Rianell had grown up in an orphanage without knowing her identity, and that vacancy had fallen to Rupert.

Rianell had said that even if she had been raised as a daughter of the house, she would not have inherited the title—but Rupert could not shake off the sense of indebtedness.

"It feels as though I am holding a treasure that does not belong to me."

Every time Rupert confirmed that Rianell was more capable than himself, his heart grew heavier.

What made him even more conflicted was that he was not entirely without desire for the succession or for power.

"I do want to become duke. I have lived aiming for that position for a very long time. But since becoming head of the family means leading many people, I have thought that rather than someone like me coveting it, Sister should inherit."

Hearing Rupert's story, Herbert realised something.

'Those documents I took from Rianell.'

"There was far too much confidentiality in what you entrusted to a relative helping with clerical work. Were you deliberately passing estate affairs to that woman?"

"That too—but I also wanted to show Sister my will. That if she wished it, I am prepared to return the dukedom to her at any time."

"…"

"How embarrassing."

When Herbert fell silent, Rupert grew embarrassed. He felt he had laid bare too much of his heart to someone who was neither family nor close.

Herbert, too, was taken aback by inadvertently hearing Rupert's private thoughts—but he did not think it was a bad thing.

The very fact that he was wrestling with such concerns meant he was seriously contemplating his own life.

And above all, Herbert himself had once struggled with similar worries, so as an elder in life, he wanted to offer some advice.

"Would you mind if this old man shared his thoughts for a moment?"

"I am all ears."

Though they kept walking, pressed for time, Rupert's attitude of listening attentively was truly exemplary.

'How humble he is.'

"Now, this is just between you and me."

"Yes."

"There was a time when I, too, was so sick of Novantium and fed up with the position of head that I wanted to toss the family to anyone and run off on a journey."

"Yes?"

Rupert was surprised.

That was because the Herbert he had observed was a man more content with his position than anyone else.

'And he also loves the west.'

Even long after handing the title to Asil, Herbert still wandered through every corner of the west, helping with work. That was impossible without love for one's own territory.

"How ugly is this position? The reason my eldest son died, and the reason I had to throw my second son into prison with my own hands—it was all because of this damned title."

"…"

"But I could not abandon it."

Yes—he could not.

Because so many people's lives depended on it.

How many servants worked in the manor? How many loyal retainers followed the west?

And most of all, Herbert had a grandson. A pitiful grandson who had lost both parents in a single morning.

"If I could not be a good father, I at least wanted to be a good grandfather. But the boy never liked me."

Herbert let out a wry laugh, gazing at a pebble underfoot.

"It's only natural. When that little one wanted to survive, when he left that blood-soaked house and went to live with an academy assistant professor—his grandfather had done nothing."

"…"

"My retainers probably didn't think I was a good lord either."

Herbert had thrown his second son into prison, and in doing so, he had purged everyone who had stood by and watched his eldest die, as well as those who had aided the second.

If you counted only the numbers, more people had died by Herbert's hand than by his second son's.

The corridors ran with blood; cries and pleas never ceased every day.

"But that was how it had to be."

That position was exactly that kind of position.

"The reason your sister-in-law has no interest in the dukedom is probably because she understands that."

Rianell was someone who had risen to the position of empress with nothing but her own strength. She could not be ignorant of the weight of responsibility.

"Let me ask you just in case—is it that you hate that position and want to pass it off?"

"No—it's not that. It's just that it doesn't seem right for me to have it."

"Did you think there was some kind of qualification you need to obtain before inheriting a title? That seat belongs to whoever decides they will bear it."

Or else—

"Surely you don't lack the confidence to bear it?"

"That's not it, but—"

"Then that's that."

Whether it was because you were the only one who could bear it.

Or because of some other reason.

If you had decided to accept it and to bear it, that was enough, Herbert said.

"Once you've made your decision, don't torment yourself. That seat—even if you just sit still—rolls mountains of work your way."

Besides, the road ahead was long.

Herbert trailed off, glancing at the paper in his hand.

"Is this the place? Yes—this is it."

Confirming that he had arrived at the home of a holy water buyer, Herbert tucked the paper back into his pocket and knocked on the gate.

"Who is—"

"Open the door."

"Are you merchants? If so, this isn't the appointed—ack!"

Herbert kicked the chattering servant and pushed the door open.

"Who the hell are you!"

The man, who had been spending a quiet afternoon in his residence, recoiled in shock as the old man burst in with a clatter and scrambled to his feet.

"You don't need to know who I am. Just think of me as a senile old man with nothing better to do than cause trouble."

The target was a minor eastern noble. To deal with this man, it should be the easterner Rupert stepping forward, not Herbert, an outsider.

"What kind of nonsense is that—Young, young master?"

The man sneered at the old man, who acted as if he had backing—but when he saw Rupert appearing behind Herbert, he was stunned.

"Yes. It's me. This is the man—arrest him."

Rupert signalled to the knights following behind. Suddenly, his arms twisted behind his back and bound with rope, the man shouted in bewilderment.

"What? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

Those manufacturing the drug at the cemetery had been in a secluded area, with evidence laid out before them, so there was ample justification for their arrest.

But this noble was not alone, and his residence was in the middle of a residential district—so he could not be arrested without witnesses. Even now, people were peeking through the gate, wondering what was happening.

To avoid backlash from others, it was important to present a proper justification.

'Hurry up and do it.'

Herbert urged with his lips. Rupert cleared his throat and began.

"You purchased pharmaceuticals made from herbs not sanctioned by the empire—this constitutes a violation of the Nar…"

Nar what?

He wanted to display authority as the lord's proxy, but he could not remember what came after "Nar."

Herbert, looking at Rupert with pity as he kept stammering "Nar," supplied the answer for him.

"Violation of the Narcotics Control Act and the Pharmacy Act."

"Ah, yes. You have violated the relevant laws, so—"

"So they say. Understood?"

"No? Not at all…"

The man demanded an explanation with blank eyes, but Herbert, who could not remember the next law either, pretended not to hear.

'The daughter-in-law will explain the details well enough.'

"Urk?"

Herbert struck down a servant who was trying to escape through the gap.

"Even if you don't understand, just accept it. Oh, and take this one too. If we leave him here, he'll spread word of what happened to his master all over the neighbourhood."

"No! No, old master!"

Herbert tossed the servant to the knights. He struggled until the knights pinned him down with their knees—only then did he stop resisting.

"Now, let's move on to the next location. The next one lives not far from here. If we linger, they might hear the commotion and flee."

Herbert urged Rupert on.

Truly—the road ahead was long.

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