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202. Beggar Siblings – Why me?

“The reception room is quite lovely. Did you decorate it, Count?”

Leo leaned against the back of the sofa, gazing around the reception room.

The reception room of the House of Count Peter seemed to be split in half, with different wallpaper colors on the window side and the interior walls.

The wallpaper on the window side where Leo sat was a bright sandy color, while the wall across the table was a deep ocean hue, which felt rather bold for Count Peter’s personal touch.

“No, it’s my wife’s taste. I’m glad you like it.”

“I see. She must have quite an aesthetic sense. However… maybe it’s because I’ve lived in poverty? It feels a bit chaotic. If I had to choose, I prefer a sense of uniformity. What about you, Baron?”

Uniformity. The prince was now trying to reclaim his share.

Gustave felt that the main topic came up quite quickly and remained silent before giving a cautious response.

“I believe there are pros and cons. It may be rare, but sometimes division is beneficial.”

I still don’t know what kind of person this prince is. They say he’s a Swordmaster, but honestly, I don’t believe it. He must be a genius to remember me, who he barely brushed past over a decade ago, but it wouldn’t hurt to let him bounce back once.

However, the prince’s response was a bit absurd. No, not absurd, rather…

“Haha. Is that so? I didn’t expect you to say that, Baron. So, what would be a good case for division? Count?”

Unpleasant. Count Peter’s eyebrows twitched, arching up.

Baron, Count.

This brat is playing with my titles. If not, he’s provoking me with ‘Then why aren’t you back in your own country?’ but I can’t figure out the intention.

Could he be trying to threaten me because I’m straddling two kingdoms? Amused, Gustave snorted and replaced his response with meaningless chatter.

“It’s better than mixing things up and making a mess.”

That’s the charm of aristocratic conversation. If the clever banter doesn’t sit well, just throw in some nonsense to cut it off. But,

Oh, he’s mad. Leo read the underlying sentiment in his curt words. Another charm of aristocratic dialogue. Even if it’s nonsense, there’s always an unavoidable subtext involved.

He doesn’t want to mix and make a mess. In that case, what does this guy…

Leo mulled over Count Peter’s sentiment and soon realized what it meant. Remembering the gossip about the Monarch Baron family from the beggar siblings’ last encounter, specifically from ‘Jenia Jaqueri,’ it wasn’t hard to deduce.

According to Jenia, the Monarch family included the heir ‘Bailey Monarch,’ the young lady ‘Grinen Monarch,’ and the illegitimate son ‘Barik Monarch.’

Among them, Barik Monarch, who was supposedly sent to the Monastery Church under the pretext of offering one son to God, was highly likely to be Cardinal Berg. Rumors circulated that the unmarried Grinen young lady was pregnant at the time, and later, the son who couldn’t have children, Bailey Monarch, adopted none other than Gustave Monarch. Considering he strongly resembled Cardinal Berg, Gustave was undoubtedly born of different parents.

I have no way of knowing exactly what happened. But looking only at the result, it seemed Gustave had quite a messy birth.

The parentage was one thing, but the clarity of the class system made it worse; mother was a noble, father was an illegitimate child. Not to mention an extramarital affair, a relationship unacknowledged by the family.

He doesn’t want things mixed and ruined.

Thus, Count Peter’s seemingly careless remark contained deep feelings of inferiority. Leo could almost understand why he hated his father and why he’d left his homeland to live as a foreign nobleman. However, the problem was…

‘… this is something I can’t resolve. What am I supposed to do?’

It got absurd. I thought making a connection through Count Gustave to Cardinal Berg would be a normal route, but now there was no way forward.

It was all just for show while being a completely blocked route. Thinking he was fooled again, Leo had a hard time holding down his rising anger. Damn it, I’ll just do it my way. He stood up abruptly and drew his sword.

“Ah! Count!”

The knights standing behind Gustave braced themselves. They swallowed hard at the sight of the raging Oblivion Blade, but Leo didn’t move.

“Gustave Monarch, Baron. I need your help. Do you think I’m lacking as a prince? Or am I insufficient to pledge loyalty to?”

With a flick, the shadow casting over Leo’s face by the Oblivion Blade extinguished. He sheathed his sword again, and the knights bewilderedly received the offered scabbard.

“Choose.”

As Leo sat back down, the knights floundered. Not knowing how to handle this mysterious Swordmaster, they froze in place, and at that moment, Count Peter, who was intently observing the prince, decided to take action.

“Everyone, step back.”

“But Count…”

“It’s fine. Please, everyone step aside for a moment. I have something to discuss with this person… and keep your mouths shut.”

The knights and butler withdrew like a tide. Left in the reception room were only Leo, the Count, and a steaming cup of tea.

Slurp, having taken a sip of tea, Gustave opened his mouth.

“You seem more hasty than expected.”

“…”

“I don’t quite understand why you’re in such a hurry, but it’s not beneficial for you, Prince, to have your identity as a Swordmaster publicized. I have a very frightening friend named Binard Tatian, and if he sets his sights on you, you will be in quite a predicament.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I want to hear your answer first.”

Hmmm—Gustave leaned back against the sofa. After running his fingers through his ashen hair, he eventually formed a conclusion.

“Alright. I’ll help you. However, I won’t assist you directly. I don’t wish to return to the Conrad Kingdom.”

“…Then what will you do for me?”

“I can offer financial support. You’ll likely be tatting around the entire Conrad Kingdom, embroiled in a long battle. However, if our House of Monarch does not directly participate in the rebellion, the Barony can serve as your final refuge. You can see it as a stepping stone for recovery in case of failure.”

“You’re speaking strangely. If I fail in the rebellion and run to the Monarch Barony, the Barony won’t be safe.”

“That’s fine. I feel guilty for not being able to assist you immediately, so I should at least do that much.”

“…”

This is ridiculous. Leo stared incredulously at Count Gustave, who pretended to be doing him a great favor.

Borrowing a knife to kill (the enemy).

This guy is just thinking of using someone else’s sword to kill off everyone in the Monarch Barony. Considering his messy origin and the mistreatment he must have received as a child, it’s not entirely incomprehensible. Yet, the Count’s attitude of ‘it’s fine whether the rebellion succeeds or not’ had some peculiar points considering the past.

— “Seeing you grown like this fills me with emotion, but it’s a pity. If you’re alive, our Conrad Kingdom will be noisy. Please, I beg you, do not forgive me.”

In the encounter with Count Gustave Peter, this was the outcome. Upon discovering he intended to become the adopted child of Marquis Tatian, the Count had reported my identity to the Marquis and hissed just before I was chased.

In other words, back then, Count Gustave wished for no succession disputes in the Conrad Kingdom.

But why now…?

Of course, the circumstances back then were vastly different.

At that time, I was merely a thug. My swordsmanship wasn’t impressive, and I didn’t have many achievements during my early stages, so I probably appeared to Gustave as a hopeless troublemaker to avoid engaging with. It must have been far easier to just discard me.

In contrast, currently, I am a Swordmaster, and the Count can’t obstruct my actions. Moreover, with the favorable impressions gained from meeting the prince and the mix of {Royal Blood}, {Nobility}, he likely concluded that even if I stirred up trouble in the Conrad Kingdom, he couldn’t risk getting rid of me.

Then, another question arises. Even if he had no choice but to come forward now, why did the Count originally not want any disturbances in the Conrad Kingdom?

Thinking back, he had said previously, ‘I’ll help, but I have things to consider too, so please wait a moment.’ But then I pulled a major stunt by kissing Princess Tatalia, and he refused to meet with me afterward.

This hurts my head.

Leo felt a severe headache but felt compelled to try to stir things up.

“Alright. I gratefully accept your help. The day I reclaim my rightful place, I will grant you generous rewards. However…”

In a human way.

“It pains my heart to think my ambitions will cause disturbances in the kingdom. Do you have any advice to offer?”

“… Well? I believe the clever prince will navigate through this well…”

Clearly, I can see through your cunning. Leo pretended to earnestly seek advice as he leaned forward, and while he stroked his chin, the Count opened his mouth.

“There’s another rogue aiming for the throne in the Conrad Kingdom besides Prince Eric. I’m embarrassed to say, but I’m uninvolved, and I’ve been watching from the sidelines. It’s Cardinal Berg…”

Damn it.

Leo clicked his tongue inwardly, realizing something. Finally understanding the purpose of Count Gustave’s presence.

Count Gustave Peter has just revealed to me that Cardinal Berg is secretly training priests and holy knights. He warned to closely observe ‘Grania Orphanage’ while passing through the capital, Rutina, which was already information Leo had.

So the sequence got twisted.

During the fourth beggar siblings encounter when the knights gathered to attack Prince Eric, Leo had learned from Jenia Jaqueri about the relationship between Cardinal Berg and Count Peter. However, at that time, he didn’t know how Cardinal Berg would be useful in ousting Prince Eric.

So, he tried to oust Prince Eric with only the knights’ forces, met Oriax, and ended up with a horrific ending. It wasn’t until after reading the ending text that he understood why Cardinal Berg was needed.

However, if I had heard this story from Count Peter first…

It would have been better to topple the Cardinal and initiate the rebellion ─I’m laying out words laced with intrigue, but had I known the relationship between the Count and the Cardinal from Jenia Jaqueri after hearing this story, I surely wouldn’t have met such a terrible ending in the fourth round.

As these thoughts crossed Leo’s mind, managing his expression became increasingly difficult.

This damned game made such a mess of the order. Meeting Count Peter and discussing things should have been done when I had gathered a plethora of achievements beforehand, but gathering knights to strike Prince Eric in the Conrad Kingdom wasn’t that hard.

Luring me in with an easy solution and then pulling the rug from under me with a, “Just kidding! You fool.” It was no different than taunting, which flushed Leo’s face red. I’m an idiot for not noticing sooner, but this is just too much.

“Why are you like this?”

“… It’s nothing. I’m tired. Well then, let’s talk about the details gradually…”

In the meantime, I’m a beggar. Leo cleared his throat and continued speaking.

How embarrassing.

“Before I leave, may I ask for a room to stay for a few days?”

Count Peter’s expression was a bit flustered. Leo lifted his head with audacity, but he couldn’t meet the Count’s eyes and pretended to be looking around the reception room.

Right. The beggar siblings’ scenario always ends up like this…

But the absurd situation was far from over.

During the few days Leo stayed at Count Peter’s mansion preparing for his journey, he occasionally went to see Katrina. He taught her swordsmanship and expected, “Today is the last. I must leave now. The Knights have probably cut ties,” hoping to clear Katrina’s quest…

Fiddling around, feigning nonchalance, Katrina said as if she were leaving him hanging.

“I haven’t quit the Knights, you know? Why would I? I’ve learned everything.”

……What?