The sun rose.
The state of the mansion after Irene's visit was disastrous.
The iron bars at the main gate were completely crushed.
The exterior walls of the office were shattered.
And Silvia was a complete mess...

"I guess we can’t use the office for a while. I’ve moved all the things to the adjacent room to use it as a substitute for the office."
"...Why are you alright?"

Huh?
Wasn’t she in a state of nearly dying yesterday?
I saw her call for a physician and wrap bandages around her for treatment before I went to bed.
But when I woke up, Silvia was standing next to me looking perfectly fine.

"Those kinds of wounds heal after a good night's sleep."
"..."

Silvia calmly unwrapped the remaining bandages and carelessly discarded them.
There wasn’t a scar left, just her smooth skin was revealed.
Does Silvia have some kind of super recovery ability?

"More than that, my emotional wounds are greater."
"Emotional wounds?"
"Charlotte fired an aura the moment she grasped the sword, while I’ve been rolling on the battlefield for over two years without even catching a glimpse of it..."

Silvia frowned slightly, biting her lip.
Just a hint of inferiority, perhaps.

So what?
Inferiority is a precursor to corruption for a villain,
but for someone like Silvia, it can be a good ingredient for growth.

Looking at Silvia's expression, it didn’t seem like she was particularly envious of Charlotte.
It looked more like a feeling of self-doubt, a desire to improve.

"If you listen well from now on, I’ll gradually recharge your mana."
"Really!?"

Silvia's expression brightened as she beamed with joy.
Without mana, there’s no practice with the aura, nor even a way to attempt it.
That’s why until now, Silvia had to put aside her training towards becoming a Swordmaster.
But if I let her kill spirits to gradually fill her mana, that would be sufficient for training.

'And I felt it for sure yesterday. I need to always keep Silvia at full power.'

Strictly speaking, the maximum power is Charlotte, who split the mountain.
But Charlotte’s control is still incomplete.
Thus, the best defense and maximum power for the mansion is clearly Silvia.

If Silvia is left weakened without mana,
the mansion will be breached just like yesterday.
I must ensure that Silvia can always perform at her best.
If she becomes a Swordmaster after repeated training, that’s a good thing too.

[Carly, the Evil God, is proud.]

Yes. You did well.
Thanks to Carly, I was able to overcome the crisis this time.
Of course, it wasn’t because Carly was strong, but simply because of her existence...

"But now, what do we do? It seems that Lady Irene has officially declared war..."
"The declaration of war is the end. Irene can’t do anything. I am the Soga Lord and the heir to the Count title, so how can she interfere?"
"Ah...!"

There’s no need to fear her coming over like yesterday and acting menacingly.
Because all Irene can do is threaten me.
If she had the authority to interfere with the family, she would have already obstructed me at every turn.

'It doesn't seem like her goal is to destroy the family.'

The only card Irene can play is force.
If that’s the case, rather than just slightly breaking a wall and threatening, she could choose to completely obliterate the mansion and kill me.
At this point, it’s clear that Irene wants the Vermont family to survive.

Irene Vermont can’t attack me.
She can’t interfere in my affairs.
She can’t destroy the family.

So why should I be afraid of Irene Vermont?
There’s no reason. Absolutely none.
I can guarantee that...

'Damn.'

When I recall those heels and the claws that scratched my cheek, my body instinctively shrinks.
Is it inevitable that a sister is a source of fear for her younger brother?
It’s a biological limitation.
There’s nothing I can do about that.

"Oh! You’re hurt too, uncle!"
"I am? Where?"
"My cheek!"
"This will heal if I leave it alone."
"With skin as fair as yours, you shouldn’t speak like a knight! Your skin is much more sensitive..."

Charlotte gestured for me to lean in closer.
As I bent down, Charlotte grabbed my cheek,
and following the red line, she licked it.

"...What are you doing? That’s disgusting."
"They say saliva heals!"
"Pfft. Applying saliva is a way to comfort oneself because there are no healing medicines. Do you still believe in such superstitions like a child?"
"..."

At Yulia's mocking laugh, Charlotte momentarily froze.
With a sound as if something was breaking, Charlotte's fists clenched tightly.
Her face was genuinely furious.

"Yulia is a spoiled brat who can't sleep without uncle!"
"H-Huh!? That’s not true! Who—who said that?"
"I saw it myself. You were lying on the desk in the office like a piece of furniture, rubbing your cheek against uncle’s hand. Hoo, hoo. Yulia is still a child who can't sleep without someone's warmth?"
"I-I can't help it because of my constitution!"
"They say you've recovered from that. That's strange."
"Charlotte!!!"

Please, Charlotte, stop.
Yulia’s face turned as red as a tomato, looking like she might explode at any moment.
Yulia huffed and grabbed my ear, pulling it down,
and then slapped a bandage on my cheek roughly.

"Your already ugly face will become even uglier with scars! Just stick this on and stay quiet! ...!"
"Are you worrying or venting? Pick one."
"W-Who said I was worrying! This isn’t venting! ...!"

Hiding her obvious excitement, Yulia turned and left.
She acted like that during the day but would end up coming back at night, pleading to borrow my help.
It’s infuriating, really.

"Soga Lord! A cavalry procession is approaching this way."
"I can see that."
"The banner... It’s the Ariant family crest, about ten people in size. There are two armed personnel."

Ariant? That family is quite far from Vermont, and I thought there was almost no interaction with them. Just then, I realized that the direction the procession was approaching from was where the mountain had split.
With the thick mountain range split in two, Ariant had now become my neighbor.

Are they here to greet us like neighbors bringing rice cakes when moving in?
At least they know what manners are.
With the warmest smile I could muster, I stepped forward.

"Ugh!?"

Suddenly, the leading horse reared back in shock,
and the expressions of the group twisted in horror.
Okay. Confirmed.
I won’t be using this smile again for the next four times.

"Damn. I thought I was going to die from back pain because the road was so rough..."
"It couldn’t be helped; it was the fastest route."

As the group approached, dismounting their horses,
the one who stepped forward was a young man with a red beard.
Listening to their conversation, it seemed they had set off as soon as they saw the mountain split yesterday and crossed the mountain range through the corridors.

Thanks to that, I realized there was enough space for horses to pass comfortably.
It wouldn’t be difficult to expand it into a two-lane road suitable for carts.

"Greetings. I am Aslan Vermont, leading the Vermont family."
"Thank you for the warm welcome. I am Haijik Ariant, the eldest son of Count Ariant."
"Oh, you’re not just a count but his son. Let’s guide you to the reception room."
"...!?"

These guys.
Did they send the eldest son to match my status just because I haven’t yet inherited the count title?
As I replied with rudeness for their rudeness, Haijik’s red beard twitched.

"Hahaha. This is a bit bewildering. You seem younger than I am..."
"Let’s get to the point. It seems you came here via a road that hasn’t even been repaired, so it must be urgent. You should get to the point quickly."
"...I would like to make a rather beneficial proposal for Vermont, which is why I’m here, despite the intrusion."

Haijik forced a quivering smile as he whispered.
This feels ominous.
It's a complete business smile.

"Would you take a look at this? Various bridges, roads, buildings, etc. Our Ariant has extensive experience in constructing infrastructure and buildings. Recently, due to an unexplained accident, the mountain range has been cut down, hasn’t it? We will create a road through that gap. This way, Vermont will no longer be an outlying area! Let’s get the contract signed."
"..."

After quickly scanning the contract, I couldn’t help but chuckle in disbelief.
These bastards are trying to take the road construction rights without a hitch.
Do they still see me as that gullible, foolish Aslan?

"Hey."
"...Yes?"

The air grew heavy, and Haijik swallowed hard, obviously nervous.

"Yeah. I’ll sign. But I want to add a few extra conditions."
"An excellent choice! What additional conditions would you like?"

A good idea popped into my head.
A great way to use these punks.