Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 74

Chapter 74

His lips were tightly sealed, but his expression was as cold as if he would cut down anything before him.

To the Count of Waldemar, Herwart, everything that made up the 'world' was merely a piece on a chessboard.

"A mere viscount's daughter."

When he first planned to ruin Laverose, she was only fifteen.

Herwart had seen her just once.

She had a frail appearance resembling her father, and a small, soft build like her mother.

Like a cookie that would crumble if grasped in one hand.

So he had underestimated her.

If something was bothersome, he would dig into it relentlessly and uproot it entirely.

That was his survival rule, which had allowed him to usurp the title from the position of a worthless second son, yet—

From a young age, Herwart could not accept that he was not the heir to the family.

"How could such an indecisive and irresponsible man..."

He found his older brother, who always treated others with a smiling face, pathetic.

He had honed his own abilities, but realizing the family's trust in his brother was immense, Herwart only wandered outside.

Then, when his travels reached the far corners of the continent, Herwart let out a gasp of admiration.

He'd expected those places to be backward, untouched by magic, but that wasn't the case.

The Kingdom of Asmarin had developed its own technology by studying the rare tools of the dark elves carried in by the sea.

The Kingdom of Meridis, thanks to exploring the knowledge of the forest-dwelling elves, knew the secrets hidden in nature.

Of course, compared to magic, it was mere triviality, but thanks to his personality of not letting even small things pass without examination, Herwart discovered Romanil.

'Seeing this, I am more fit to rule than those fools trapped in their wells.'

Thus Herwart dreamed.

Of course, he never thought of challenging the Emperor's absolute power.

After proving his worth, he would stand by the Emperor's side and enlighten the foolish.

His first attempt was against his brother, the heir to the family.

On the day of an important contract, Herwart laced his brother's food with Romanil.

The effect was immediate.

His brother, who had never once made a misjudgment, fell for the opponent's crude flattery with a foolish expression at the negotiating table.

In the end, he signed documents handing over the family's core interests at a fraction of their value.

The family was thrown into chaos, but there was nothing his brother, who had caused the disaster, could do.

Naturally, Herwart stepped forward as the right person to clean up the mess.

While the relatives were busy blaming his brother in the confusion, Herwart found an ancient clause in the family rules.

A sole pledge by the heir who was not the head of the family could be nullified by a unanimous family council vote.

Thus, the contract was returned to square one, and at the same time, he gained the support of the family elders.

That was just the beginning.

'I'm going crazy! You'd understand why, wouldn't you?'

Herwart watched his brother, who was having fits like a madman, with cold eyes.

His always neat brother, Rehart, was screaming, his fine hair disheveled.

'It's like there's fog in my head lately. I feel like I'm getting stupider!'

'What did the doctor say?'

'They said there's nothing wrong! That it's just shock from recent events. My head is pounding and I feel like I'm going crazy, but even when I called a mage, they said they didn't know how to help!'

'Maybe you're just tired. How about taking a rest?'

'How can you be so dry with me when I'm your brother? Come to think of it... you wanted the position of head of the family, didn't you? Did you plan this?!'

Like a cornered animal, Rehart tried to grab Herwart by the collar, but he lost his balance and fell pitifully.

'A rest would be best. I'll find a place for you to recuperate.'

'Damn it!'

Watching the miserable loser, Herwart invisibly curled his lips.

Rehart, who had gone far away to recuperate, fell into drink and couldn't even control his own body, eventually drowning in a lake.

Of course, it goes without saying that Herwart used the minor techniques he'd learned from Asmarin in the process.

In any case, Herwart never got blood on his hands.

All he did was instruct others to administer the drug.

Those troublesome vassals who resisted, those who recklessly advocated for his brother's reinstatement—Herwart eliminated the obstacles over a long period.

Stefan Ritter and the Viscount of Laverose, close friends of his brother, were top priority, but unfortunately, they were quite well-regarded.

Herwart recalled the time he'd met the Viscount of Laverose.

He often looked at him with a steadfast gaze that didn't match his kind eyes.

As if he knew everything Herwart was doing.

Unable to ignore the feeling that his intentions were being seen through, Herwart investigated the Viscount.

As a result, he heard that the Viscount was looking into the downfall of his vassals.

Moreover, the Viscount was also in contact with Herwart's political rival, the Count of Laenheim.

'With that innocent face, daring to defy me.'

As punishment for his insolence, Waldemar decided to erase Laverose from the south entirely.

The opportunity finally came to Herwart, who had been quietly waiting in the shadows.

The Viscountess of Laverose died giving birth to her youngest child.

It was very easy to push the deeply grieving man over the edge.

When he came to Calben City to claim his wife's dowry after her death—

After tasting a small amount of Romanil, he became engrossed in drink, and soon lost his senses completely.

It was easy to throw such a man into a gambling den.

Herwart watched him just once from a distance, staring blankly into space, unaware that his entire fortune was disappearing.

After waiting so long in hiding, the ending was disappointingly dull.

In any case, thanks to the Viscount's downfall, Stefan was also easily dealt with.

Because he came to visit his friend, the Viscount.

Naturally, both of them were given Romanil-laced drinks.

With that, it was all over.

When Herwart sent the Viscount back home, judging that recovery was impossible, he intended to put an end to the old grudge.

If only not for that woman, Agnes Laverose.

'She's been paying the interest by selling off valuables in the estate.'

'She's let go of all the employees and is living in poverty, even skipping meals.'

It didn't matter. Time would take care of everything.

When she finally reached a dead end after struggling so hard—

'Laenheim is moving. It seems he intends to help Laverose.'

A report came that the Count of Laenheim was planning to take in those children.

'I can't allow that.'

So he set a trap from which Laverose could never escape.

Giving them just enough leeway to barely keep breathing, making them struggle with a hope that would never be fulfilled, until they finally gave up.

'Tell my wife. To hire that woman as a governess.'

It was a minimal measure to prevent Laenheim's interference.

Though Laverose's downfall was delayed, Herwart could wait.

After all, he had much to do in the capital, and watching things self-destruct was never boring.

If she still held on past twenty, he could just sell that troublesome woman off under the pretext of debt.

Pretending to be benevolent, he'd say a ruined noble like her didn't deserve marriage anyway.

Since there were plenty of wealthy commoners who coveted a title, he could just hand her off to a suitable one.

Just as he expected to finally put an end to it—

Rumors spread that the youngest of Laverose, who was supposed to be dead, had returned.

With an enormous fortune, no less.

Thanks to that, Herwart's plan to crush Laverose was completely derailed, but his patience was far from exhausted.

'It doesn't matter.'

It was the season when Romanil bloomed.

Neither the Master of the Celestial Tower nor the other races swarming that estate would suspect a thing.

This time, the Romanil he'd commissioned was for her.

Following her father's path, she would become a fool, and if she was lucky enough to receive her family's care, that would be fortunate.

Once he cut down that tenacious woman, he could finally erase Laverose from the face of the earth.

Leaving only worthless children behind.

'Marquis of Celesta, even you won't be able to stop it.'

Recalling the aloof, cold jewel-like eyes of the man he passed in the Imperial Palace, Herwart twisted his lips.

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