Villainess Brother Chapter 21

Chapter 21 : Lloyd Cranbell's Suffering

A week by horse-drawn carriage to the east from Cranbell territory, beyond the three feudal lords territories to whom one must pay their fees, lies an undeveloped savage land surrounded by forests called Valhalla.

Though Valhalla is a territory belonging to the Serena Kingdom, due to its savagery, the country's control is not perfect and thorough.

For that reason, it is also a place where those who have been commissioned by and are taking requests from the country for reclamation and cultivation of the land and others live.

"Those who have been commissioned by and are taking requests from the country".

They as well receive commissions and requests from individuals regardless of nationality, and they make a living by earning rewards for their accomplishments.

Such them, the people called them like this.

Free people, an adventurer.

Valhalla currently has about 200 adventurers participating and taking commissions and requests from all over the place.

Among those 200 was Lloyd Cranbell, the lord of the Cranbell family.

He, too, had come to Valhalla to earn rewards as an adventurer.

The request that Lloyd received in Valhalla is to investigate the discovered labyrinth (dungeon).

A labyrinth is an underground ruin that leads underground, said to have been created in the age of mythology.

It's unknown who made it.

One theory says that it was created by God, but the truth is still a mystery.

What is understood, is that there are powerful monsters in there that are rarely seen on the surface, and that precious ores and relics from previous eras are sleeping there.

For that reason, the labyrinth is also called a dangerous mountain of treasures.

Lloyd's job was to investigate how deep underground this dangerous ruin continued and, at the same time, to find the relics requested by the country.

The investigation went well, and Lloyd, who earned coins as a reward for each goal achieved, brought the coins back to the Cranbell family once every few months.

And about a year passed like that.

For Lloyd, an unpredictable and unusual event occurred in Cranbell territory.

“Sebas, what does this mean? There aren't even a single coin in the vault you know!?"

Lloyd would put the rewards he got in Valhalla into a vault in the basement every time he returned to the Cranbell territory, but when Lloyd visited the Cranbell family for the fourth time, he found that all the coins that had been piled up like mountains had somehow disappeared, and instead in their place were magic stones piled up almost touching the ceiling.

"The coins were used by Luke-sama to develop the territory."

“A territory development you say?”

"Yes, in fact it's, *as this, that and such and such*......"

Sebas told Lloyd that Luke had thought and acted on his own and had invited the four village chiefs to the mansion to talk about the territory policy.

"Wai-, you-, Sebas! That's a plan that was supposed to take me over several decades to carry out you know? Does Luke intend to do it in just one year?  Or rather, why are you selfishly starting a territory development on your own!?"

"What of 'selfishly'? Haven't you always been saying that? That when Luke-sama wanted to improve the Cranbell territory, go and support him in everything I could to the extent possible?"

"No, that story, is a story for a more later on in the future anyway."

"You didn't mention anything about the due date, you know?"

"EEeeehhh......."

"I was surprised too. I'm looking forward to the future for he, Luke-sama, who's even less than five years old, had the same idea as Lloyd-sama."

"Looking forward, you say...... What are you going to do if it fails?""

"'Don’t think about failure; just think about success and move forward. Go do it and regret it rather than regret not doing it,' said Luke-sama."

"Wh-, what is with that, that reckless way of moving forward with no thought of what comes after...... This is not about getting off with no regrets you know?"

Like Luke, Lloyd was also thinking about the territory development.

Although there are some differences, taking on challenges in new fields such as creating waterways was in the same direction as what Luke was aiming for.

However, there was also a big decisive difference.

Unlike Luke, who tries to do everything in a short period of time, Lloyd has plenty of money and intends to do one thing at a time over several decades to keep things under control and minimize the risk of failure.

"Why didn't you stop him? Even if you don't stop him, you could have taught him that you don't have to rush, right?"

"I did try to stop him, but he said there's no time so"

"No time? What do you mean? There's should be no such thing like being pressed for time."

"It's about Erina-sama."

"About Erina?"

“Yes, when Erina-sama entered the academy, he said that there was a need to raise achievements and become a high noble in order for her not to be treated roughly by her classmates and not to feel inferior as well. And that's why I want to have results within a year, he said.”

"Wha....."

"If it was only about thoughts as the next lord, I would have stopped him, but if it was about thoughts as a brother thinking about his little sister, I couldn't say so strongly. Rather, I become filled with the feeling of wanting to cheer him on aren't I."

"'I become filled with the feeling of wanting to cheer him on aren't I,' Not! I won't say that's him saying thoughts about his little sister! That's just being overprotective. That's just him being a doting idiot big brother!"

"That might be so, but don't you want to see it? How far Luke-sama, the brother, can achieve by thinking of Erina-sama?"

What are you talking about!?

Thinking so, Lloyd closed his mouth.

According to Sebas, Luke had already used up the savings and had reached the point of no turning back.

Things have become already like, arguing is pointless and just nothing but a waste of time.

"Please..... don't go any further than this"

When he said so to Sebas, Lloyd turned his attention to the piles of magic stones without pursuing the matter any further.

A magic stone is a special stone that can be imbued with magic power, and a magic stone imbued with magic power can produce simple magical effects. (Higher-rank magic is also possible depending on the type of magic stone.)

Magical effects can be drawn out by externally stimulating magic stones accordingly with magic power.

Once used, the magic stone consumes its magic power and ends up becoming just a stone, but it's possible to use it again by pouring magic power into it.

However, it doesn't mean it can be used forever, and if the stone ends up cracking and shattering due to deterioration, its lifespan as a magic stone ends there.

There are all sorts of ways to use it.

It can be used as attack magic or it can also be put to good use in everyday life.

If you want light and stimulate it with magic power, the magic stone will emit light and can be used as a light source. And if you want fire, on top of being able to start a fire, since the magic stone is accompanied by high heat, it is also possible to boil water by putting the magic stone in the water as it is.

The magic stones piled up in the vault were exactly what was used to boil water.

If one were to say it accurately, it's a magic stone that will be used to boil water in the open-air bath that will be made in the future.

For Lloyd, the magic stones in the vault were piled up without his knowledge, but he somehow understood what those magic stones were for.

Because Lloyd also planned to use magic stones to develop the territory that's why.

"I have been entrusted with a message from Luke-sama. It's about, when Lloyd-sama returns home, I want him to imbue this used magic stone here with magic power."

"............"

Without replying, Lloyd looked around the corner of the room.

There, apart from the piled up magic stones, a dozen or so magic stones were placed in small groups.

“Is that over there, a magic stone that has already been imbued with magic power?”

"Yes, Luke-sama has put magic power into it."

"Luke did? Can he manipulate magic power at this stage when he hasn't taken lessons in magic?"

"It seems he taught himself to manipulate magic power so that he could learn magic smoothly."

"Talent, he has it looks like......"

"Indeed, however, he doesn't have enough magic power, regrettably, and the only stone that can function as a magic stone even after a month's work is the one over there. At this rate, Luke-sama's plan will end up being hindered."

"......I see."

Lloyd sighed and looked up at the mountain of empty magic stones.

All coins in the vault have been arranged of their investment. If the plan doesn't go well, the Cranbell territory will end up not being able to welcome the next year.

"I guess I have, no choice but to do it......"

"Yes, you haven't all but to do it."

The time is 1:00 am.

Lloyd strengthened his tired body from traveling to Valhalla and Cranbell territory, picked up a magic stone that was empty of magic power, and continued to charge it with magic power.

Lloyd put strength into his tired body from the trip to Valhalla and Cranbel territory, picked up an empty magic stone, and continued to charge it with magic power.

And then three hours later, at four in the morning.

About 400 magic stones filled with magic power were piled up.

(Why am I consuming more magic power than when I'm in the labyrinth (dungeon)? Even magic stones, in calculation, it'd be fine to do them several a day and yet......)

"Thank you for your hard work. And have a safe trip, Lloyd-sama."

Sebas, who had been with Lloyd for three hours, serving tea, gives him his appreciation and says goodbye.

In order to shorten the time, Lloyd leaves the mansion early in the morning.

He has a reservation for the first carriage that departs at 6:00 am to a town outside the territory, and he must get to that town before 5:00 a.m.

Until now, Lloyd had left the mansion after seeing Luke and Erina sleeping, but from this day on, Luke was excluded, leaving only Erina.

(That guy, just what does he think I am......)

TL: Maza Miya

Editor: Maza Miya

[TL note: I picked the word "magic power," instead of "mana," because the author didn't use the word "mana," specifically. You see, usually Japanese authors would use Mana in katakana, but this one didn't. So I'm going to continuously translate it as such until there is a clear terms for it. 

And uh, I kind of forget the stories of vol 1 and vol 2 and only remember the important part for translating, so I'm sorry if there's something that didn't match with the previous one. You could tell me about it in the comment, though there's no guarantee I'm going to change it to the previous one and instead I might just continue with it.]

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