The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 38

“A summons?”

“Yes, you are ordered to appear before the Royal Inheritance Tribunal.”

“…Why?”

“My apologies, My Lord. That, I do not know.”

Sebastian had just informed me of something completely nonsensical.

No, I understood what he was saying.

My brain just refused to process it.

“Could this be… your younger brother’s doing?”

“Oh, absolutely. That sounds exactly like something he’d do.”

Frankly, I couldn’t think of any other reason.

That bastard. What is he scheming now?

The Royal Inheritance Tribunal was where the legitimacy of succession was decided.

But to be honest, I had nothing to hide.

There was nothing in my past that could be used against me.

“…Skipping it isn’t an option, is it?”

“His Majesty the King himself will be presiding over the session. If you fail to appear, it will damage your reputation significantly.”

“Haaah… Guess I have no choice. I’ll go.”

“Understood. I shall make the necessary arrangements.”

Now then—

What exactly was waiting for me there?

◇

“Ah, so that’s how it is.”

“Indeed, that’s exactly how it is.”

Inside the carriage heading toward the royal capital, Heliotrope and I both nodded in understanding.

Because standing ahead of us, in the middle of the open plains—

Was a small army of thugs.

A few familiar faces among them… were knights from my own house.

“Since the date of the Tribunal was set, my route was predictable. So they figured they’d ambush me before I reached the capital and assassinate me. Then, they’d simply report that I had been killed by bandits… or that I had fled and gone missing.”

“So they actually put some thought into this.”

“Yeah, some. But honestly? This plan is idiotic.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

To be fair, it wasn’t a bad strategy.

If it actually worked.

But—

“Lord Kraut, can I take care of them?”

—I had the strongest bodyguard on my side.

Seated beside me in the carriage, Primelia’s escort, ‘The Crimson Flame’ Enzi, casually made her offer.

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Haven’t had a good fight in a while. Gotta keep my skills sharp.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Aye.”

The moment Enzi stepped out of the carriage, the bandits started murmuring.

What now?

“No! That’s impossible! Enzi is supposed to be back in the duchy!”

Oh?

So they thought Enzi had stayed behind in Veltheim?

Interesting.

“Dunno what you guys are on about, but honestly, I don’t care. Oh, right—Lord Kraut, I don’t need to hold back, do I?”

“Uh… no. Dragging them to the capital would be a hassle, so do what you need to.”

For a second, she sounded like a certain infamous archer, but no—this was no death flag for her.

Enzi unsheathed her massive greatsword.

Her entire body surged with mana, the air around her shimmering like a heatwave.

The temperature rose sharply, and sweat began forming on my forehead.

“Let’s see if you can withstand a single hit—‘Crimson Fang of the Red Dragon’!!”

With a casual swing of her greatsword—

A colossal dragon of flames erupted from her blade, roaring straight toward the enemy.

The earth-shaking explosion rang in my ears.

A violent shockwave blasted outward, kicking up a thick cloud of dust and sand, obscuring everything from view.

By the time the dust settled—

A massive crater had replaced the battlefield.

And every single enemy had been incinerated.

Burnt to ashes.

“…What, that’s it? Bunch of weaklings. No challenge at all.”

Casually swinging her greatsword back onto her shoulder, Enzi walked back toward the carriage, visibly bored.

…

…

…SHE’S TERRIFYING.

She changed the terrain with a single swing.

That wasn’t just fire magic. That was an act of god.

If she ever turned against the protagonist in the original game…

He wouldn’t stand a chance.

Neither would I.

I’d be reduced to cinders in an instant.

After that, we arrived in the royal capital without further incident.

◇

The Royal Inheritance Tribunal was held in the royal palace.

Well, considering that the King himself had to be present for it to convene, that was only natural.

As I walked down the long corridor leading to the assembly hall, I spotted a round silhouette approaching from the other side.

A familiar round silhouette.

The moment he noticed me, he froze—his entire body stiffening as his eyes widened in shock.

“W-why are you here!?”

My half-brother, let’s call him Nameless Idiot #1.

Judging by his expression, he hadn’t expected me to be alive.

“I was summoned to the Royal Inheritance Tribunal. Naturally, I came. Or is there some reason why my presence here would be unexpected?”

“Guh… It’s nothing.”

Hah. Victory.

Still, the more I looked at him, the more I realized—

He really did look like the old me.

It was almost like looking into a mirror from the past.

…Well, I no longer resemble that reflection.

But there was something else that caught my attention.

The tall, gaunt man standing behind Nameless Idiot #1.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties, with narrow, unreadable eyes.

Something about him felt off.

Heliotrope must have sensed it too because she leaned in and whispered—

“Master, be careful. That man… is highly skilled.”

“Yeah, I had a bad feeling about him too.”

I doubted he’d try anything here, in the middle of the royal palace.

But it wouldn’t hurt to stay cautious.

Whether Nameless Idiot #1 knew what we were thinking or not, he suddenly started ranting.

“Hmph! It doesn’t matter. Today will be your end! I will strip you of your claim to the duchy and take your place as the rightful heir! Watch and see!”

With that, he stomped away down the hall, the mysterious man following behind him.

I watched him go, shaking my head.

That guy…

Truly an idiot.

As I sighed, Heliotrope suddenly spoke.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Shall I kill him?”

“NO, YOU SHALL NOT!!”

Put that knife away!

If you kill him here, I’M the one who’s going to get arrested!