Chapter 19
“The Last Boss Big Brother Might Actually Be Kind of Cool?”
Several days had passed since I collapsed.
In the end, the head chef who had been slipping something into the food my father and I ate had completely vanished without a trace.
What had been mixed into my hot milk was a kind of sugar-like substance containing ingredients that amplify magic power—something nobles with little magic often consume.
But for someone like me, that kind of thing could become poison. There was no reason for it to even exist in our kitchen—so it was obviously done on purpose.
Still, since it was something sold legally on the market, if they claimed it was just a mistake, there wasn’t much we could do.
We couldn’t even track down the missing chef to charge them with the crime, so the search was eventually abandoned.
They did find some of that same magic amplifier in Miranda’s room.
However, since she insisted that she used it herself—she is technically a noble, after all—we couldn’t press the issue further.
I was the only one who’d witnessed Miranda and the chef talking about killing me, and since that wasn’t enough solid proof, she got off with nothing more than a “severe warning.”
My brother apparently wanted to fire her regardless of evidence, but Miranda started saying she’d “take it up with Her Majesty the Queen,” and that forced him to back down.
Father, meanwhile, has been under the influence of small doses of that same drug for years—not enough to charm him completely, but enough to cloud his judgment—so he can’t think straight when it comes to Miranda.
Watching my father casually say, “It’s not enough to warrant dismissal,” while my brother fixed him with that icy glare of his… honestly, I was kind of impressed.
“As expected of my final-boss big brother,” I couldn’t help but think admiringly.
“I’m pretty sure in the novel, the biggest reason my brother stopped smiling was because I died—but that wasn’t the only reason.”
『This “story” you’ve spoken of—it is the tale of this world, yes?』
“Yeah.”
『Strange, is it not? To think that we have become characters in a story from a world unknown to us.』
I’d already explained to the Holy Sword that I had a previous life and that in that life, I’d read this world’s story—mostly as a way to brag about how amazing my brother was.
When I mentioned that the Demon King would one day be resurrected, the Holy Sword didn’t even seem surprised. It just said, “I figured as much.”
Apparently, it had sensed that the miasma in the atmosphere had been increasing lately, and it expected that sooner or later, the Earth Goddess Lecarte would choose a Hero.
Still, it didn’t seem particularly concerned—probably because, for the Holy Sword, having someone to talk to was far more important.
Holy Sword-san, just how lonely have you been…?
『But still, your brother surpassing even the Demon King—that I did not foresee.』
“Ufufu. That’s because my brother is the strongest and most handsome man alive!”
…Though he does end up defeated by the Hero, so he’s technically the last boss, not the final victor.
Then a thought suddenly struck me.
Would a Hero without the Holy Sword even be able to defeat my last-boss big brother?
After all, it was obvious the Holy Sword was what boosted the Hero’s abilities.
The Hero in the story mastered swordsmanship at the academy almost instantly—and that was entirely thanks to the Holy Sword.
In other words… if I formed a contract with the Holy Sword before the Hero ever could, then even if my brother became the last boss, the Hero wouldn’t be able to defeat him!?
The Demon King tried to cover the world in miasma and create a lifeless wasteland—but my brother would never do something like that.
Which means, as long as the Holy Sword never reaches the Hero, my brother won’t die.
Right.
All this time I’ve been working so hard to stop him from becoming the last boss, but even if he does, it’s fine—as long as the Hero can’t kill him!
My brother, fallen to the dark side, clad in shadow and despair…
That’s still really cool, actually…
『Hold, hold! That’s putting the cart before the horse! Your wish is not to bring your brother sorrow, is it?』
Ah—right.
I was this close to falling to the dark side myself.
That was a close one.
It’s all because my brother is too wonderful in every form—no matter what he becomes!
My mission has always been to make sure he spends his days smiling peacefully.
Yes. To make your beloved suffer—that’s the ultimate betrayal for any true fan.
I repent from the bottom of my heart!
“You’re right, Holy Sword-san. I must rid my brother of all sorrow.”
I clenched both fists in front of me, firming my resolve.
“Let’s see… In the novel, he was betrayed by a servant he trusted. That made him unable to trust anyone but family, and then I died, and Father remarried so quickly afterward that my brother completely despaired, right…?”
If it was a “trusted servant,” that means it wasn’t Miranda.
My brother is the heir to the House of Rosenberg, so he has his own personal butler and attendants. One of them must have been the traitor…
I tried to picture all the people who served him.
Hmm… not a single one seemed suspicious.
In a ducal household like ours, most of the servants come from families that have served us for generations.
We can’t afford to hire complete outsiders—it’s far too dangerous.
They could be ordered by rival nobles to assassinate someone, or act as spies.
Especially those who serve directly under my brother or me—they’re all hired through strict screening and background checks.
There’s no one like Miranda among them—someone forced on us through the Queen’s favoritism. That was a one-in-a-million exception because the Queen personally liked her.
…Honestly, Her Majesty has terrible taste.
Anyway, maybe I should do a little digging into the servants.
Being a child has its perks for this sort of thing—nobody suspects you when you wander around the mansion.
Alright then—let the investigation begin!
