CHAPTER 166. That Thing…?
A guest room somewhere in the Brando estate.
Henji had left the magic wing for the first time in a while to carry out Aster’s request.
The Head of House of Jiloks, Carmel von Brando, willingly made time for Henji’s sudden visit.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Would you prefer I speak plainly? Or would you like me to circle around it a bit?”
At Henji’s evasive answer, Carmel’s lips curled slightly.
“Is there much difference between the two?”
“Your mood will be a little different, I imagine.”
“Hmm.”
Carmel leaned back in his chair, looking at Henji with interest.
Though he wore an easy smile, his eyes were as sharp as blades.
“This sounds suspiciously like… you’re planning to threaten me. Am I understanding you right, Henji?”
“Haha, did it sound that way? Then you heard correctly.”
Both men were smiling brightly, but the air in the room had gone ice-cold.
Anyone who happened to see this would have covered their mouth in shock.
Carmel was the Head of House of Jiloks. Elder brother to the current Head of House of Brando, and a ruler who had built his own power.
No matter how impressive Henji’s position as a blood relative of Brando and Deputy Tower Lord of the magic wing was, this was not the kind of rudeness that could be excused by status.
The suffocating tension had gone on for a while when—
“My lord, I’ve brought refreshments.”
“…Come in.”
At the servant’s entrance, both men wiped all chill from their faces as if it had never been there.
“Then I’ll be…”
“Could you bring some tobacco as well? I’ve run out of what I brought.”
“I’ll provide it.”
“Ah, in that case, no need.”
“…Yes, sir.”
As the servant retreated, Henji took a cigarette from his breast pocket and held it out to Carmel.
Carmel accepted it without a word and lit it.
“You’re not going to smoke?”
“You’re my elder, aren’t you?”
“Sure I am.”
Not even funny.
All smiles as he spoke of threats a moment ago, and now he was declining a cigarette out of “respect for his elders”?
“Enough of that. Get to the point. If you’ve come all the way here, it’s not for something minor. Let’s hear it. And… I’m curious what method you plan to use to threaten me.”
“Haha, I have quite a few methods, but perhaps I should start with the lightest one?”
“Go on.”
“Shall I begin with House Jiloks’s current business venture? I believe the launch of your new Artifact line is waiting on the Engineering Association’s safety test results, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t know you were that interested in Jiloks.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? We’re under the same roof. Anyway, did you know? I have quite a few classmates over in the Association.”
“……”
“I hear you’ve invested no small amount of effort into this… And while it would be nice if the safety tests finished quickly, they’re not something you can just gloss over, are they?”
“…So?”
Carmel frowned and stared at Henji.
His eyes were fierce, but Henji took it in stride and went on.
“I was just thinking. What would happen if House Jiloks’s business got pushed back six months… no, even just a month or two. Haha! Frightening, isn’t it? It looks like you’ve already stretched your hands quite far for that investment capital.”
He wore a friendly smile, but what he was saying was anything but light.
If you threw a major house’s painstaking business venture into disarray, it was no different from saying you’d shake the house itself.
Of course, Carmel wasn’t someone you could take lightly either.
“Do you really think the strings I can pull are weaker than yours? You think House Jiloks will crumble so easily if things get delayed?”
He was right.
While his ties weren’t as thick with school connections as Henji’s, Carmel’s network was anything but shallow. In fact, compared to his, Henji’s connections might look paltry.
And above all, House Jiloks wasn’t so flimsy that a single project could shake it.
And yet, somehow—
Henji didn’t lose his composure even as his prepared card was brushed aside. If anything, he looked amused.
“I did say, didn’t I? That was just the lightest option.”
“So there’s more?”
“I’ll leave that to your imagination. Haha.”
It was a very cheerful laugh, but Carmel’s face twisted into a scowl.
The murderous glint in his eyes faded only then.
“Henji, you damned brat.”
“Yes, sir. I’m listening.”
“So what are you trying to say? Judging from the way you’re acting, it seems there’s something you want from me.”
His tone was much friendlier than before.
And it wasn’t just Carmel’s tone that changed.
“What I want isn’t particularly difficult. Compared to what I just mentioned, it’s downright trivial.”
“And yet you tighten your big brother’s windpipe over something trivial, is that it?”
“My windpipe? You exaggerate. Whatever I’ve prepared, you wouldn’t bat an eye.”
He had a point.
He might be just the head of a vassal house now, but Carmel was once a man who’d contended for Brando’s seat.
The things he’d accomplished with Jiloks were not few, and the foundation he had as an individual was far beyond that of a typical vassal house head.
No matter what sort of tricks Henji pulled, he’d be able to shake them off.
However—
“I know you’ve been hiding your fangs for a long time. If anyone could chop off one of my limbs, it’d be you.”
“Haha, you’re overestimating me.”
“Enough. Tell me what you want. If it’s really something small, then as your elder brother, it might be simple enough to grant.”
He meant it.
They might be direct line and collateral, with no small age difference between them, but Carmel thought of Henji like his own younger brother.
Though who knew how Henji saw him.
At that, Henji gave a thoughtful hum, as if pondering for a moment, then spoke.
“Do you know Aster?”
“The vagrant from the Black and White Zone?”
“I’d like you to take your hands off him.”
Carmel blew out a puff of smoke and straightened up, a wary light flashing in his eyes.
“That’s not so light. You know my intentions. Did Lord Gamo send you?”
Carmel trailed off mid-sentence and shook his head.
“No, no. Lord Gamo would never do that. So this is your own judgment. Did you choose to stand by his side?”
Even Brando wasn’t free of factional strife. And those factions were fairly entrenched now.
Carmel assumed Henji was preparing a gift to join Gamo’s camp.
New faces needed something to put on the table if they wanted a seat. No matter how “trivial” it was.
While Carmel was sounding out Henji’s intent, Henji shook his head as if the idea was absurd.
“I am and will remain neutral.”
“Then why?”
“Let’s just say it’s purely personal business.”
“And if I ask what that business is… you’re not going to tell me, are you. Right. You always did like to hide things.”
“Haha, I’m grateful for your understanding. Ah, and I didn’t mean I was asking you to do it for nothing.”
“And?”
Carmel’s pressure eased a little.
Henji might be opaque, but he wasn’t the sort to toss around empty promises.
If this wasn’t a “just because,” then he’d come with something in hand.
To be frank, Carmel was a bit curious.
He waited for Henji’s answer.
“If the situation you’re worried about does come to pass, then I’ll add my strength to your voice.”
It was an answer that exceeded Carmel’s expectations.
“You’re saying… you’ll step to the front?”
“Yes. If you wish, I’ll take the front line.”
Carmel barked a laugh.
“What wind is blowing you around? I thought you’d spend your whole life buried in your books until you dropped dead.”
“Does the reason matter?”
“The reason… no, I suppose it doesn’t. If you’re willing to lend a hand, who cares why.”
Many underestimated Henji because he’d never stepped onto the main stage, but the Henji Carmel had observed was anything but easy.
He was a snake with hidden fangs.
In a pinch, there was no one more reliable than him.
Still, curiosity was only natural.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave.”
As Henji rose without hesitation, Carmel stopped him.
“Wait.”
“……?”
“Is there something about this Aster boy… that I’ve missed?”
“That’s…”
“Forget it. Just go.”
Henji didn’t answer, but it was as good as if Carmel had gotten a reply.
It was rare for Henji to hesitate and leave something unsaid.
If Aster were truly worthless, he would’ve said so and left without a second thought.
“Aster, huh… I suppose I’ll have to keep an eye on him, then. Or better yet, meet him myself.”
“Hmm.”
Henji paused and glanced back over his shoulder.
“I wouldn’t really recommend that.”
“Why? You planning to make him your successor or something?”
Carmel’s eyes gleamed.
He was clearly trying to probe Henji’s intentions. Henji seemed to weigh his words for a moment, then finally spoke.
“Please don’t say such horrifying things.”
“Horrifying…?”
His confusion lasted only a moment.
“By the way, about Lady Lana.”
“What about her?”
Carmel frowned slightly at the sudden mention of his daughter.
“It would be best to tell her early. She’s clever, isn’t she? The sort of child who takes the initiative. Like with this Tulk trash incident.”
“You knew even that?”
“How could I not?”
Of course he would.
Carmel nodded and waved his hand.
“All right. I’ll talk to her.”
“That would be best.”
With that, Henji left the room.
Thud.
Carmel stared at the closed door for a moment, then snuffed out his spent cigarette and pulled out a new one.
Contrary to what he’d told the servant earlier, it was a fresh, unopened pack.
But that aside—
“Aster, huh…”
What did that boy have that made Henji circle the wagons around him like this?
In truth, Gamo’s decision had puzzled him just as much. But Gamo’s judgment had never been wrong, so Carmel had simply chosen to trust it.
And if Henji was going this far, then there had to be something more.
‘I’ll have to keep watch over him—positively.’
In a positive sense, not a negative one.
Regardless of status, having an exceptional talent enter Brando was something even Carmel could welcome.
Of course, Carmel had no idea.
…That the one Henji was worried about was not Aster.
Anyway, after his talk with Henji wrapped up like that—
The servant came to tell him the banquet was about to start just as Carmel’s third cigarette burned down.
“Lord Carmel, it’s time to enter the hall.”
“Mm, I understand.”
Carmel snuffed out his cigarette, erased the smell with magic, and left the room.
Following the servant into the banquet hall—
He let the butler’s announcement of “the Head of House of Jiloks, such-and-such…” wash over him and swept his gaze around.
He was looking for Aster, and it wasn’t hard to spot him.
For good reason.
“…Hoo, damn it.”
In the corner of the hall.
He was squatting on the floor even though perfectly good chairs were available, the very picture of a vagrant from the Black and White Zone.
Despite the luxurious hall, that one spot looked like a back alley, and Carmel’s eyes narrowed.
‘That thing… is Aster?’
What on earth did that brat have?
For the first time, Carmel found himself doubting the judgment of both Lord Gamo and Henji.
