C47
"Erno Etham!"
"He just needs to know how to do a few things, including successor studies. Oh, and magic. That can be sorted by reading the book once."
"What?"
"How can I do that?"
"Is it okay to say I can do magic like this?"
"... Ah, Erno Etham was a genius."
A genius who did anything above average.
What others struggled to do in 5 years, he mastered in 5 hours.
"Haha..."
I turned my head to avoid reality.
"We've posted a notice, so a schedule will be set in a few days."
"Yes..."
Erno Etham completely escaped the office. I looked him in the eyes.
"Dad, is something wrong?"
"Why?"
"You don't look well..."
"Ah, because I couldn't catch a fly."
He said with a smile.
"A fly?"
"Anyway... It may be resolved sooner or later."
"Yes..."
I don't know what he was talking about, but I just nodded.
I should write a letter today.
I didn't have time to write a letter because every day a member of the Etham family would come to my room in turns.
I entered the room in his arms.
"Rest a bit; I also have somewhere to go today."
"Ah, yes."
"From now on, even if the patriarch calls you, you don't have to go. Think of the old man as senile."
"Oh... really?"
"You don't have to force yourself to do something you don't like. Even studying."
"Is it okay if I don't...?"
"No, I think it's necessary. You'll need it when you receive a birthday gift later."
Why do I need to study when I receive a birthday gift? I felt confused, but I politely nodded.
"Then I will study."
Upon my words, Erno Etham lightly touched my cheek as if he were very proud.
"My daughter is good. They say there are great gifts for good children."
"It's okay. I don't need gifts."
I shook my head, and he gently kissed my forehead.
"...... ah."
"........"
When I let out an exclamation of surprise, Erno Etham also froze as if he realized what he had done.
"......"
It was just as I was about to get into bed, as if he were nervous.
I quickly kissed him on the cheek, jumped up, and got under the blanket.
"Go and come back..."
Even after hearing my mumble, he remained still.
I couldn't hear anyone leaving, but I couldn't hear anyone moving either.
When I peeked out from under the blanket, he was covering his mouth with a hand with a smile around his mouth.
Soon, a slightly furrowed brow showed his perplexity.
"... I'll go and come back, daughter."
"Yes."
When I greeted him cautiously after a while, he turned around hesitantly.
Click.
When the door closed, I kicked the blanket with a red face.
"This is crazy...."
I, I...
I did something crazy.
My whole body shrank with embarrassment. After kicking the bed with my feet, after a while, I hugged the pillow and buried my face.
"I really did something I shouldn't have done."
I couldn't understand why I did something so presumptuous.
"He didn't take it badly, did he?"
I just did the same because he seemed embarrassed, but I wondered if it was too presumptuous.
"A letter! Let's write a letter..."
I quickly took out the stationery and pen I had prepared in advance and sat down at my desk.
Bam-!
... And I banged my head against the desk.
It was really embarrassing to do something I had never done in my entire life.
* * *
Thump, Thump, thump.
His heart was beating fast, and he still had an unexpected urge. Erno Etham finally stopped walking.
"......"
Bam!
When Erno Etham moved his hand, the walls of the corridor shattered, and several thick trees planted in the duke's garden broke and fell to the ground.
At the same time, the guards began to move quickly.
"Intruder...! Everyone...!"
...
"Get ready..."
The Commander of the First Knights of the Etham family raised his voice and looked around to find the culprit, but when he saw Erno Etham, he looked at him without understanding.
"Young Master Erno?"
Erno Etham moved his hand once again.
This time, the garden floor collapsed. From a gardener's perspective, it looked like he would cry for seven days and seven nights.
"What on earth is this...?"
Trying to remain calm even amid the dust, the Commander of the Knights asked.
He jumped over the wall at once and climbed up to the wall Erno Etham had brought down on the second floor.
"Young Master Erno, what's happening?"
"My heart..."
"What?"
"My heart hurts."
Upon those words, the expression of the Commander of the First Knights turned serious.
"Is he going berserk?"
If so, it was a problem that needed immediate attention. He could understand the sudden urgency.
"...Uh, should we call the Duke? Or Miss Sharnae too..."
"...It tickles and is frustrating."
He said, sharpening his nails and digging them into his chest.
"What...?"
"I want to unearth my heart."
The Commander of the First Knights rolled his eyes with a perplexed expression at Erno Etham's words.
"Has there been any symptom like this before?"
He had served the Etham family for quite some time but had never heard of such symptoms.
This was because madness usually involved attacking others and taking others' blood, not self-harming.
"Young Master, please calm down..."
"There's no way to turn a person into a puppet."
"What...?"
"It's enough, that doesn't help."
Was this asking for help?
Rarely did the Commander of the First Knights open his mouth without concealing his expression.
Erno Etham clicked his tongue and turned away. As he walked down the hallway, he occasionally punched the wall.
"...What on earth is happening?"
Only the Commander of the First Knights, who didn't understand the situation at all, stood there and said nothing for a long time.
There was no need to hide that the tardy gardener sat on the ground with a look of despair and shed silent tears.
* * *
"...Who did you say came?"
"Young Master Erno Etham of the Etham family."
"...I haven't been contacted separately."
Duke Collin frowned.
As usual, he tried to press his temples, but when he realized he had no headache, he lightly rubbed his forehead with his thumb.
It had only been three days since he made a request to the Bright Moon, but his bed had become very comfortable.
Basic defense magic was placed on his bed, but more than anything, it was thanks to the excellent skill of the Bright Moon's escort knights.
"There's a reason why the Guild Leader's dirty rumors are famous."
Thanks to this, Duke Collin was able to have a comfortable night's sleep.
"Is there something going on?"
Erno Etham was known as the rogue of society.
Others were eager to become the successor, but he didn't want to be the successor, so he rebelled everywhere.
Erno Etham was like a heretic in the social world.
Rumors of sodomy had been circulating about him in the social world last year.
Of course, it seemed that quite a few people were actually deceived by those words and lost half of their legs after secretly contacting him.
"I hope he didn't come here just to cause an incident."
Duke Collin stood up from his seat and murmured softly.
When he reached the living room, he saw an arrogant man with his legs crossed sitting on the sofa.
Contrary to the rumor that he maintained minimal courtesy, Erno Etham replaced conversation with a nod as if he had discarded that.
"They said not to deal with him if he smiles and to avoid him..."
A bright smile appeared on Erno Etham's face.
If he had only seen his face, he would have thought that the other person was happy and didn't know what to do.
"I was surprised by the sudden visit without notice."
In response to Duke Collin's words, Erno Etham's mouth drew an even brighter smile.
"Oops, I forgot. Lately, when I see something charming, I tend to forget a little."
"What?"
Something charming?
"Certainly, he doesn't mean me."
Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.
"Don't have unpleasant thoughts."
Erno Etham said absurdly, as if he had easily guessed what Duke Collin was thinking.
"By the way, unfortunately, are your limbs in good shape?"
"I don't know what you mean."
Duke Collin suppressed his discomfort and sat down in front of him.
Did he come looking for a fight?
However, the two families had nothing to do with each other on a personal level except for their business exchanges.
"Ah, I heard quite a few uninvited guests visited you."
"...What?"
"So I thought you might have lost at least one of your limbs."
Erno Etham, with a bright smile on his face, pursed his lips as if he were concerned for his opponent.
