The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 2

Chapter 2: Busy Older Brother (Bardle’s Side)

“This should be it…”

I stamped the documents with approval. Just as I finished my assigned tasks, the butler came in with tea at a timely moment.

“Thanks, I was just about to take a break.”

“Not at all, young master. You must be tired.”

The butler skillfully brewed the tea. Taking a sip, I absentmindedly looked out the window in the direction of the capital.

“… I wonder if Father and Serk had a proper conversation.”

“Serk, sir?”

I nodded in response to the butler’s question and summarized the situation while sipping my tea. Father had gone to the capital to advise Serk to stop fighting monsters in the forest, and I had stayed back as acting lord.

“Well, your father is right… Even if they are lower-level, monsters are monsters. Going alone is too dangerous.”

“I think Serk will be fine, but I understand Father’s concerns.”

In recent years, despite being busy, this was a time of peace. There were no notable tensions between countries, and there were no signs of calamities caused by sudden anomalies like demon kings.

However, the damage caused by monsters hadn’t disappeared entirely. Even in the marquisate’s territory, the damage from monsters persisted to varying degrees.

(Even so, I think Serk will be fine… But more importantly…)

“Maybe I should have gone with them after all…”

The relationship between Father and Serk couldn’t be described as good by any means. I understood that I was partly to blame for that.

That’s why I wanted to accompany them—to bridge the gap between the two. But Father had stopped me, saying that this was an important time for Serk as the future lord.

Besides, after the end-of-term exams, we would have a long break. Last year, I was so busy with inspecting the territory and making courtesy visits that I couldn’t even meet with them. But now, things were a bit calmer, and I suggested letting Serk return home.

Father had gone to the capital to bring Serk back home, ostensibly to discuss Serk’s dangerous activities in the forest. But… I had a bad feeling about this for some reason.

“Hm?”

A tapping sound on the window caught my attention. When I looked, there was a pigeon with patterns etched on its edges.

Opening the window, the pigeon transformed into a faintly glowing piece of paper in my hand. It turned into a letter once the light subsided.

“As expected, it’s ‘Message’ magic. The sender is…”

“From Serk…?”

The letter had “To My Older Brother” written on it in Serk’s handwriting. I broke the seal and retrieved the letter inside. A sense of foreboding grew as I read through the contents.

“To My Older Brother,

I wasn’t sure how to start this, but first, I want to apologize for the trouble I’ve caused so far and the trouble I’ll cause in the future.

I’ve put in effort and training in my own way, but I still haven’t achieved results that would make anyone other than you acknowledge me.

Hearing that no matter how hard I try, the best I can do is be compared to you, and not being seen for who I am… I can’t bear it.

If I stay in the marquisate, I’ll just continue to be a burden to you. So, before that happens, I’ve decided to leave this country.

I know you’ll worry, and I understand that you’ll say I’m not a burden, but I can’t bear the thought of being a burden to you—the only one I’ve ever been able to trust.

You can treat me as if I’m dead or nonexistent, do whatever you want. It might be a bother, but please forgive me for the trouble and selfishness I’m causing you now.

I’m sorry for being a talentless little brother, for being a selfish little brother, and for being so weak that I ran away from this situation where I’m not acknowledged.

Thank you for everything until now. Goodbye.

Serk”

By the time I finished reading the letter, my hand was shaking. Thanks to the butler’s concerned voice, I was able to regain my composure.

“I need a carriage ready immediately to head to the capital. If anything comes up, communicate through ‘Message.’ Hurry!”

“Understood.”

After giving the order to the butler, I returned to my room, hastily changed clothes, and prepared to depart. Even as I made preparations, my thoughts were consumed by Serk.

(He had been bottling up all these emotions…)

I hadn’t realized how much of a burden my evaluation of him had become for Serk.

I hadn’t understood that he had no one he could trust around him, not even our parents.

If only I had accompanied him based on my unfounded belief that he would be fine alone.

“What a prodigy… I don’t even understand my own brother.”

As the carriage headed towards the capital, regret gnawed at me. I thought about how to find Serk. But waiting for me at the capital’s mansion were busy servants and Father, who was clutching a letter with his head in his hands.