The double life of a count’s bastard

Episode 2

Gulp-gulp-gulp-gulp!

This is a serious problem.

No matter how many strong drinks you pour down your throat, you didn’t feel as drunk as usual.

On the contrary, you feel like your head is getting clearer and clearer, and your malaise and anxiety are getting worse and worse.

“Drink! Bring me more drink!”

The waitress, who was sitting near the kitchen, quickly went into the kitchen and brought out alcohol.

The quickness of his move caused the regulars drinking at the other table to stick out their tongues, as he usually didn’t bother to get off his butt after two or three calls.

However, no one stepped up to criticize the staff for their duplicitous attitude.

To each his own.

‘How could such an asshole be born into a famous family…….’

‘An asshole is supposed to be an asshole, that’s a total asshole!

He’s been sullying the family’s reputation since he was 10, right?

“He’s only been like that since he was 10, so he’s been an asshole since birth!

“But before he was 10, everyone thought he was a genius, a prodigy.

“What’s the point of being talented when you’re young? When you’re a kid, you’re good at everything and you look special!

‘I guess that’s true…….’

‘Yes, they are, otherwise why would they change so quickly?

These were the regulars at the bar, whispering and sideways glances barely audible to us.

Despite the scorn, contempt, and mocking looks and words directed at him, the man continued to drink stronger and stronger, and the number of empty bottles on the table grew rapidly.

At the same time, he shouted out loudly as if he were a bandit who had taken over the bar, or slapped the bartender’s cheeks if he showed the slightest hint of cowardice.

Bastard!

“I told you to bring me a drink!”

“Sin, I’m sorry!”

Despite the merciless violence directed at him, all he could do was kneel and shake his head.

The regulars frowned even more at the man’s behavior.

‘That asshole should have been killed!

‘Oh, how I wish he had, but they’re such a disgusting bunch, and their lives are so short!

“I heard it was a fever that the doctors and priests had given up on.

“Oh, don’t tell me! For ten days he had such a fever that everybody thought he was going to die!

‘He’s been drinking like that since he woke up…….’

‘He was never meant to be a human being!

‘If you look at the eldest son, Karon, and the younger son, Aaron, you can’t help but wonder where they came from! Where did they get that kind of mangy…….’

‘Hush! Don’t you dare! Didn’t you hear what happened to Mr. Bolter when he got drunk and ran his mouth?

‘De, I did. Didn’t he say he was beaten to death?

‘You didn’t see it! If you’d seen him get beaten up, …… you’d be pissing your pants right now, and you’d still be pissing two or three more times!

‘Is it that bad?

‘Don’t tell me!

‘Ah, I’ll have to be careful in the future, and if you think I’m going to start talking nonsense, you’ll punch me right in the snout.’

‘Are you sure about that?

“Hey, man, why are you holding the glass?

“Wouldn’t it be better to be knocked out with this than to be beaten to death by that asshole, although I won’t be able to rip meat with my incisors in the future, giggle?

While the regulars were laughing and talking amongst themselves, the man was still pouring his drink into his mouth.

“Ugh!”

Heat shot from my throat to my stomach as the strong liquor slid down my esophagus, but the man didn’t care about the pain.

No, he couldn’t.

“Slater…… you were our most powerful enemy!!!

The massive two-handed sword descended as an irresistible darkness enveloped his entire body.

“Off…….”

No matter how much I wanted to forget, I couldn’t. No, it haunted me, becoming more and more vivid as time passed.

Ever since I woke up ten days ago.

He said he’d had a terrible fever, but he didn’t remember being sick at all.

He had only dreamed for ten days.

He had nightmares, terrible nightmares.

He tried not to think about it, dismissing it as a bad dream, but each time he did, the details of the dream came back to him more vividly and haunted him.

The dreams were horrible, bleak, and devoid of hope.

It was too real, too disturbing, too tragic to be a mere dream, and even though he wanted to forget it, he couldn’t.

“……Shit!”

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp!

To forget, to erase this damn dream once and for all, I was pouring myself several times more strong alcohol than usual, but somehow I wasn’t even drunk.

If anything, my mind became clearer and clearer, and the details of the dream became more and more vivid in my mind.

BANG!!!

Finally, in a fit of frustration, the man kicked the table and jumped to his feet.

Ben, the bartender, watched the disheveled man slam the table with a whale of a bang, a grin spreading across his face.

“Yes, smash them all,” he said, “but the tables were old and I wanted to replace them.

The broken table would soon be replaced by a new one from Count Slater, and Ben hoped that the vandals would be even more eager to tear the place apart.

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk, how could such a wretch be born into the great Slater family?

And just like that, the wretch staggered off, leaving the tavern in shambles.

* * *

“And Rousseau?”

“……An irredeemable human being who has never been any different.”

A handsome man, just shy of thirty, with a head of blond hair that suited him perfectly, furrowed his right eyebrow lightly.

“Aaron, even you should care a little more. We can’t let him live like that forever, can we?”

“If he could understand me, he wouldn’t be living there in the first place.”

The man who spoke up was also blond and handsome, but his piercing eyes and jawline made him look cold as if he wasn’t going to let go easily.

“But as brothers, we can’t just sit on the sidelines. Our father expects us to lead Russo well, and we will have to live up to his expectations.”

“He could die and come back to life and make no difference. What do you expect from a man like that…….”

“Aaron.”

“……Let’s see Tyler.”

“He’s still a brother.”

It was an unwelcome response, but his brother patted him gently on the shoulder as if to encourage him to try a little harder.

“More than that, how’s this expedition coming along? Do you think you’re going to walk away from the Collector’s seat?”

“It seems likely, and that’s why your father is so worried.”

“And if he does leave the Collector’s office, won’t we have to shoulder the burden of the expedition?”

“I suppose so.”

He sighed, and his brother frowned.

“How can Viscount Collector do that to us, after what he’s given to our family for generations! He’s even sold my children to the Marquis of Belay…….”

“Enough. It’s just the Viscount Collector’s choice. They say they have given us much, but we cannot deny that we have also benefited from their help. Blaming them for our differences will only deepen the rift.”

The feeling of betrayal still surged through him, but he realized that his brother’s words would do more harm than good, so he cut the minutes short for now.

“If Viscount Collector doesn’t show up, it doesn’t matter, this is the expedition we’re supposed to be doing. We’ll just have to do what we can to help our father.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“At a time like this, I wish Russo could do his part and be your father’s strength…….”

The younger brother’s eyes flashed sharply in response to his brother’s long-suffering.

* * *

“And Rousseau?”

It was breakfast time at the Earl of Slater’s, a time that should have been peaceful and cheerful, but today the mood was not.

In particular, the stern expression on Jarvis Slater’s face made the immediate family members seated to his left and right feel uncomfortable.

“I apologize.”

It was the graceful, middle-aged woman seated next to him on his left who replied.

“It’s nothing for you to apologize for, madam.”

Count Slater’s expression hardened even more.

It was always this way.

There was always someone at fault, but the apologies always came from the wrong people, and that never made him feel good.

“Caron.”

“Yes, father.”

“Your sister. How long are you going to stand by and let me tend to her affairs?”

Karon, the eldest son, bowed his head at Earl Slater’s mild, but angry rebuke.

“No, I’ll take care of Rousseau’s more, I’m sorry, father.”

“Whoa-”

Count Slater let out a long sigh, knowing it wasn’t Karon’s fault, and began to eat.

The air was heavy with the presence of an asshole who ruined the mood even when he wasn’t there, but as with anything, everyone has their favorites.

“Dad, I heard Viscount Kansler is coming today?”

His pale skin seemed to glow, and his small face was set in a set of features that were almost too lovely to look at.

Her dazzling golden hair and emerald eyes were so mesmerizing to behold that one could almost feel oneself being sucked in.

The girl whose mere presence brightened and refreshed the air around him was Lily, his youngest daughter, whom he would not mind putting in his eyes.

At the sound of Lily’s pleasant voice, Earl Slater’s expression softened.

“They’ll be back around lunchtime.”

His tone was still blunt, but the emotion in his voice was warm and welcoming.

With the heavy mood lifted thanks to Lily, Karon naturally took over the conversation.

“By the way, Viscount Kansler said he was going to give you a present, Lily, didn’t he?”

“That’s right, big brother, he told me how excited I should be! Hehehe, I’ve been waiting for today!”

Lily’s excited voice lightened the mood even more.

“Well, Viscount Kansler is not one for fooling around, so I’m sure he’s got something you’ll like, Lily.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Lily’s mouth at Count Slater’s words, and she glanced at Caron, one eye narrowing.

Karon smirked at her, and even Aaron, who rarely showed a change of expression, couldn’t help but chuckle.

“He’s a sweetheart, though.

Thanks to his adorable sister, breakfast, which had threatened to give him indigestion, passed without incident.

* * *

“Moo, mooool…….”

His head throbbed, his stomach felt like it had been turned inside out and twisted, and his entire body felt dehydrated.

Rousseau barely managed to get the words out through his terrible hangover.

“Here you go.”

As if he’d been waiting for it, Jason held out a pitcher of honey water, and Rousseau forced himself to raise his upper body and gulp it down.

It wasn’t cool, but it felt soothing as it slid down his esophagus.

“How much did I drink?

Rousseau couldn’t believe he’d drunk so much alcohol in his life.

It was the only way to get the nightmares out of his head that wouldn’t go away.

“……damn.”

Somehow, even after all this time had passed, the details of the dream were still vivid.

How could this be?

He’d never experienced anything like this before, and he suspected that something bad was happening to him.

“A curse?

His first thought was that someone had put a curse on him.

But why would someone curse him?

“What good could come from cursing someone like me?

It’s pointless.

Curses are meant to ruin someone or to benefit from them while they’re floundering under the weight of their curse.

There was nothing to ruin and nothing to gain by cursing Count Slater’s wretch.

“Then what the hell is this?

Is this some sort of divine joke?

This is pointless.

Why would God play a prank on an asshole whose life was going to be ruined anyway because he had nothing to do?

“……I’m going to go crazy.”

Rousseau scratched his head, unable to come up with an answer using his common sense and all the knowledge he had accumulated.

“Master Rousseau, Viscount Kansler will be arriving today, so you’ll have to keep quiet for the rest of the day.”

Rousseau shook his head reflexively at Jason’s words.

“Viscount Kansler? He can’t come today. He got caught by Viscount Collector on his way here, so his schedule was canceled.”

“……?”

Jason stared at Russo with wide eyes.

“…….”

Rousseau stared at Jason, too.

“Did Viscount Cansler tell you that his schedule was canceled because he was captured by Viscount Collector? No…… how would you know that?”

“Because…….”

Because it happened in a dream.

But I knew if I said it out loud, I’d go from ‘just an asshole’ to ‘crazy asshole’.

Well, that’s what it is anyway.