The Protagonists Of The Novel Escaped – Chapter 4

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Father fell terribly ill.

The reasons are not limited to emotional fatigue and excessive stress.

Of course, the central cause of his illness was my damn brother’s disappearance.

As soon as the head of the Hohenberc family vacated the office, the family’s second son was entrusted with the duties of the county.

It was a common occurrence, so no one was agitated.

“This is why raising children is important. Since the eldest son is an idiot, you, as the second son, should work hard.”

Usually, when the head of the family is absent, doesn’t the eldest son take over the duties?

It seems my elder brother felt otherwise.

Just because he was born first, he gets treated as the eldest son.

He’s only two years older than me.

“Kyaa! So cute!”

“As expected, my eye for talent is not wrong!”

When I was having pointless thoughts while rolling a pen,

What’s all this commotion?

Boisterous voices rang out as if a celebrity had arrived.

Soon after, the door to the office opened, and the culprit of the noise appeared.

It was a girl with green curly hair flowing down. I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by the girl’s appearance in her new attire.

“What’s that again?”

“I wore it to help Edan!”

Instead of the travel clothes, which were no different from rags, Rue wore a monochrome uniform.

A black tailcoat.

In contrast, a white dress shirt.

Even luxurious silk gloves and a cute short necktie.

It was an outfit that blatantly emphasized cuteness.

That’s why it suited the mascot, representing the story well.

“We Luinongs are smart and knowledgeable from birth! We’re on a different level from those lacking humans! So leave anything to me!”

Ahem! Ahem, ahem!

She boasted about the superiority of her race while sticking out her flat chest.

Was she going to claim to be the lord of wisdom herself? At Rue’s boast, I nodded and asked her to sort the mountain of documents piled up.

Then Rue ran over with a bright smile and light steps.

“Hmph, Luinongs never forget a favor!”

“Like when you were being chased by monsters and got saved by the Hero’s Party?”

The heretical Luinong who escaped from space cut off from the world, longing for the free outside.

However, before she could adequately enjoy her freedom, she found herself in a life-or-death crisis, targeted by hungry monsters.

The person who saved her was none other than the hero Maximilian.

She wanted to repay the favor. So she started following her benefactor like a leech.

I smiled faintly, recalling the noisy contents of the early part of the story.

“Ooh, how did you know that? Did Max tell you?”

“Well… something like that.”

I couldn’t answer that I knew it well because I was a reader who had thoroughly read the story to the end, so I naturally brushed it off.

Then Rue shook her hair, which stood up like an antennae.

She was so delighted.

I felt guilty as she showed an intense reaction, blushing.

“Young Master.”

Knock knock-.

A neat knocking sound was heard.

As I allowed entry, an elderly butler entered the office.

“This is a letter that arrived from the imperial family.”

“Hmm, it must be from Princess Ludmilla.”

The seal is engraved with a golden lion.

It was definitely a letter sent from the imperial family.

Ludmilla said she would send a letter when she arrived at the capital.

Recalling the words she added before leaving, I received the letter.

“What is it, what is it?”

The luxuriously decorated letter was enough to pique the fairy’s interest. She stuck out her head and showed a childlike appearance.

Snap.

I tore the seal with a paper-knife.

And I opened the letter in front of the sparkling eyes.

“Aack…!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh damn it! It really is from the imperial family!”

“Eek!”

With a scream, I abruptly stood up from my seat.

Then Rue let out a single gasp and fell on her butt with a thud.

Compensation.

In other words, they wanted to hold the responsibility for the annulment financially.

If it were a conflict with another noble family, I would have requested mediation at the capital. Unfortunately, the force currently hostile to our Hohenberc family was the imperial family.

And since the damn guy who abruptly declared the annulment was entirely to blame, there was no chance for objection.

“S-So how much is it…?”

“Enough to fill a reservoir with the jelly candies you’re eating right now.”

7.8 billion Rachels.

In silver, it was 120,000 pounds.

For reference, the annual tax revenue of the Hohenberc County was 80,000 pounds.

In other words, it meant to hand over the equivalent of 1 year and 6 months worth of tax revenue.

‘Still, it’s not the worst-case scenario. No, this much is rather generous? If I were the emperor, I would have squeezed the Hohenberc County to the point of making it impossible to recover. Princess Ludmilla must have defended us to some extent.’

It was a fortune large enough to let out a scream.

But it wasn’t to the extent that we couldn’t pay it back.

We could repay the compensation if we implemented tax increases and austerity for the next few years.

“E-Edan…! Are we about to end up on the streets? Ugh… I don’t want to eat jelly candies anymore.”

The cheerful expression of the fairy, who had been enjoying the sweetness of jelly candies while smacking her lips, turned into a look of anguish.

It seemed that she thought the Hohenberc family would be unable to avoid being scattered due to the enormous compensation.

Swish-.

Her hair drooped miserably.

Then she spat out the jelly candy she had been humming happily about.

She even showed signs of worrying that her snacking might have caused harm.

“Although things will be tough in the future… it’s not to the extent that our assets will be seized. Surely a prestigious family in the East with a long history won’t go bankrupt, right?”

“Gulp.”

You don’t have to worry that much.

As soon as I finished speaking, Rue put the spat-out jelly candy back into her mouth.

‘Should I sell that item my damn brother had entrusted to me at the market…?’

The first priority to secure the compensation was to dispose of all the belongings of the main culprit who had caused the deterioration and use a portion of the amount.

Clothes and belongings. The funds he had stockpiled as a hero.

Even the rare treasures he had collected after achieving numerous heroic deeds.

If we disposed of everything, wouldn’t we be able to cover the compensation?

It was a deserved retribution, so he wouldn’t be able to object if he had even the slightest bit of face.

‘Should I sell the holy sword stored in the underground vault too? The Holy Kingdom would surely pay generously for it.’

The Four Star Swords of Demon Extermination.

The holy swords were the symbol and weapon of the hero Maximilian.

One of the holy swords that had slaughtered countless demons and monsters was stored in the Hohenberc family.

Recalling the armament that had boasted unrivaled might at its peak but had now been reduced to a mere antique, I contemplated disposing of it.

It would be an action that would make the masses who revered the holy swords foam at the mouth, but paying the compensation was the priority, so it couldn’t be helped.

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The Hero’s Party defeated the final mastermind, the Demon King, reaching the epilogue.

However, even so, numerous dangerous elements were still threatening the world.

The remnants of the Demon King’s army.

The cultists who worshiped the Evil God.

Even the bizarre monsters that had crossed over from unknown dimensions.

Is it because there is a new phase (Part 2)?

Despite achieving a grand finale after many twists and turns, the heroic tale of the Hero’s Party was incomplete.

It ended with an imperfect conclusion, not a flawless one.

That’s why the numerous masterminds who had been banished by the Hero’s Party hid in the abyss, waiting for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“The eyesores have left!”

“Even the vicious harlot and her lovers have all disappeared!”

“Oh! Great Evil God! We will prepare sacrifices to offer to you!!”

The restraining force that had blocked evil’s ascension had vanished instantly.

The Evil God had given them an opportunity.

The leaders who had been planning a resurgence raised their heads.

The void of the restraining force meant rebound and expansion.

As if to show that, the cowardly losers defeated by the Hero’s Party drew their swords indignantly.

It was to realize a complete revenge by shattering the world stained with hypocrisy.

“Finally, the time has come for evil to ascend…!”

Those who sought to revive their forces.

Those who moved to spread their teachings and faith.

And those who sought to devour all living beings on the continent.

The reasons for seeking the ascension of evil were all different.

Just as there are many forms of good, various forms of evil coexist.

“Maximilian…!”

“His family is in the Valtarian Empire!”

“The murderer who killed our brothers! We will definitely repay the humiliation we suffered from him!”

And among the groups unleashed from the reins were also vengeful ghosts.

The expansion of power?

The achievement of faith?

The vengeful ghosts lacked such a cause.

Only hatred towards the enemies who had taken away their cause existed.

That’s why, as soon as they were released from the restraint, they tried to carry out the revenge they had been waiting for, gritting their teeth.

“Maximiliaaaaan!!!”

The hero Maximilian.

The strongest of the Hero’s Party.

The hero who had mercilessly cut down countless evils.

It was as natural as the gravity pulling from top to bottom for the arrow of their revenge to be directed at him.

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