Chapter 228
Vargan’s Departure.
Specifically, the moment Vargan split from the Schugenhartz bloodline.
In the original, this plot point came a bit later than now.
However, considering his future plans, Vargan thought it best to make this move right now.
“Brother… what do you mean…? To drop the Schugenhartz name?”
“Literally what I said. I want to become independent from the family and live as Vargan, no longer a Schugenhartz.”
“No… why…?”
Rina looked around, clearly perplexed.
From the reactions, it seemed that besides her, Mother, the First Son, and the Second Son were also clueless about this fact.
It also meant that the Head of Household Father and Vargan’s fiancée, Erica, were already in the loop.
Vargan considered Rina’s reaction completely justified.
She was unaware of the true reasons Vargan had changed.
She didn’t know he was afflicted with the incurable ‘Curse of God.’
While she had wondered about the reckless behavior Vargan had displayed, she hadn’t directly sought the truth, so that was to be expected.
For her, pushing the eldest son to be the next head of the family, Vargan’s antics were welcome news as long as he stayed within appropriate limits.
So, of course, she didn’t know.
How Vargan’s misdeeds could take place under the intense scrutiny of the Head of Household.
The past dealings exchanged between them.
“The head of the Schugenhartz family feared that the family’s honor would suffer if word got out about Vargan’s incurable disease. So, he promised Vargan maximum support in exchange for silence and asked him to leave the family when he came of age.”
They were worried about what would happen if it got out that he was afflicted while still carrying the family name.
What a remarkable father.
In the original, Liam thought the head of the family might have kept this a secret “for Vargan’s short life.”
But…? To Vargan, it seemed entirely for the sake of the family.
“Well, thanks to that, I’ve been able to move more wealth than a typical third son could.”
Establishing the giant Hunter Guild Maderelo.
Funding Rubid Village to secretly raise Familiars.
All of it had to go through a laundering process to remain secret, but even so, it was an excessive amount of money for a third son to manage.
Of course, now that Maderelo has become a major player, he has paid it all back.
Only the head of the family knew that Vargan temporarily had control over such massive sums.
“Why, brother?”
No matter how much she mulled it over, Rina couldn’t grasp the reasoning and asked.
Implied in her words was the question: what benefits could come from abandoning the name ‘Schugenhartz’?
“What kind of benefit can be derived from discarding the name of Rutz?”
Since Barghan couldn’t talk about the deal between the incurable disease and the family head, he came up with an appropriate reason.
However, it wasn’t exactly a lie, so Lina, who was sharp, couldn’t read his expression.
“I’ve obtained everything I can under the protection of Schugenhartz. Now, the family only serves as a constricting fence for me.”
A fence that guarantees safety but also traps you inside.
Moreover, I have to collapse the Academia in the near future.
At that time, I needed an escape route for Schugenhartz, which would inevitably be involved.
If Schugenhartz collapses because of me, it would create complications for the power to be used in a great war later on.
In the end, it’s mutually beneficial.
Ah, of course, no one else knows about the war but me.
I shrugged and opened my mouth.
“I also decided to receive part of the assets and territory located in the outskirts when I become independent.”
“Assets and territory?”
“Yes, even if something unfortunate happens, I should be able to live a sufficiently prosperous retirement.”
Since Lina seemed eager to know the exact figures of the assets and territory, I disclosed them without any complaints.
Her reaction afterward was,
“I didn’t think you’d leave the family for just that much, brother.”
“You’re quite greedy. I thought it was enough, but do you think it’s too little?”
“….”
Since Barghan seemed no longer willing to clarify the circumstances, Lina zipped her lips.
Instead, she quietly observed the expressions of him and the family head, guessing that something she didn’t know was passing between them.
The second son, Belo, clearly flustered, mumbled something about being willing to help if there were any complaints.
Meanwhile, the first son, Rheincarven, silently listened and then slowly moved his lips.
“Have you decided on where you will stay during the vacation?”
“I plan to be at the Academia. I will be living there from now on.”
“I see.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Well…”
“Well, even without me, this family will be quite lively. And… since you’ll be joining the Central Church, I’ll probably run into you quite often. Like during this subjugation, for instance.”
Barghan jokingly said not to feel sad about it.
At this, Rheincarven, who hardly ever showed a smile, let out a slight chuckle and took a sip of wine.
“You’re practically confirmed as the next family head, so I suppose you’d be happy.”
“Honestly, that was a smile of resignation to give up trying to gauge you.”
“Please bless the path of your only four younger siblings.”
“Four… that’s quite a few.”
A remnant of a smile still lingered on Rheincarven’s lips.
As he gently swirled the wine in his glass before setting it down, he offered a parting word of good luck to Barghan for the first and last time.
“I wish you good fortune, Baron Barghan.”
That was the title bestowed upon Barghan by the Central Church.
It was Barghan’s name, not Schugenhartz.
*
“I’m so annoyed, so annoyed!”
Snip, snip.
While cutting the flowers in the garden without participating in the meal, Riel was venting her frustrations.
Though it seemed like she was cutting indiscriminately, the places she passed through were beautifully pruned.
Despite her reckless personality, she had the habit of gardening whenever she was stressed.
“That bastard! I hope he never comes back!”
Riel’s red eyes were stained with tear tracks.
No more tears would fall, but she still needed a little more time to return to her original state.
“Why won’t he just get out on his own? If Rheincarven becomes the family head, I should ask him to erase me from the register!”
“Should I ask for my name to be removed from the family registry if my brother Rheincarven becomes the head of the family?”
Riel was rhythmically snipping away.
Her angry hand movements were making the garden immaculate.
In the midst of it all.
“What? Is it already over? Or did Father call you personally?”
Noticing her twin sister stealthily approaching, she climbed down the ladder.
Now that she had done something, Riel felt a bit worried.
‘Ah… If it’s over quickly, that’s fine, but if he called during mealtime, I’m going to get in big trouble…’
Riel cursed Vargan in her head while waiting for Rina’s response.
However, Rina, whose complexion was somewhat dark, hardly opened her mouth, making Riel feel something was off.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Sister….”
“Rina, why? Did something really happen?”
Suddenly, her twin sister clung to her.
Seeing Rina’s melancholic reaction, Riel couldn’t make sense of it at all.
Then, with her face buried in Riel’s embrace, Rina recounted what had happened during the meal, one by one.
“Uh…?”
Riel frowned.
*
After finishing his meal, Vargan changed his clothes and prepared to leave.
He had placed all the necessary items into the White’s carriage, so there was no need to gather multiple wagons.
Checking the list he had prepared in advance, Vargan confirmed all the items and stepped out through the mansion’s front door.
A long path extending from the main door to the outer gate revealed trees trimmed as neatly as if they had just come from a beauty salon, showcasing the grandeur of the Schugenhartz family.
‘I guess I won’t be coming here again.’
He might come back someday, but as for now, there were no plans for a return visit.
It might be a sight he won’t see until death in this novel world.
Thinking that made him want to imprint the scenery in his mind. Even if it was only Vargan’s sentiment, there was something quite lonely about it.
‘I can’t waste time, so I should get going.’
He placed Erica into the wagon prepared at the front gate.
It was precautionary since he didn’t know what kind of mischief someone might pull.
As he walked along the long path to the gate, he heard a voice.
“Hey!!”
‘Not a good start for a noble.’
Vargan stopped in his tracks at the irritated noise that struck the back of his head, turning around.
Riel, with her expensive dress dragging on the ground and her hair a mess, appeared to have run over.
Breathing erratically, she had clearly sprinted.
Vargan glanced at her calmly before casually remarking.
“A daughter of a prestigious family has a terrible lack of dignity.”
“Shut up! Is that the issue right now?”
Riel threw his words back at him and presented her own point.
“Don’t pretend! You think I won’t know you’ll come back after this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t leave the family! If anything, you’d want to take more out of it. What? Abandon the family name? Who would believe that?”
“…You loudmouth.”
Vargan waved his hand, having already mentioned this to everyone. If she was still suspicious, he told her to ask Father about it.
In response, Riel got furious and argued back, realizing there was no point in reasoning, Vargan turned his body towards the gate and leaned on his cane.
“So what! Are you really thinking of leaving Schugenhartz?”
With a stubborn tone, Riel shouted.
Vargan walked away, sighing.
“Yeah, yeah. How many times must I say it? I am no longer a part of the Schugenhartz family. Since the one you despise has left on his own, isn’t that a good thing? Stop clucking like a goose.”
“Not a goose, yet making such a ruckus with those quacks.”
“Dog nonsense… dog nonsense…!”
“Riel, doesn’t it feel like a breath of fresh air? No more having to see this face you couldn’t stand. You won’t have to hear my annoying voice ever again. Live your life however you want.”
Before long, the distance between Vargan and Riel had grown significant.
You had to raise your voice just to be heard.
Riel’s body trembled.
She bit her teeth so hard that her pure white teeth shone through.
“Yes… this is nice… I don’t have to look at that face I despised so much; it feels so refreshing.”
Muttering to herself, Riel glared daggers at Vargan’s back.
“I hated the way you flaunted yourself and that condescending tone made me want to vomit! Your expression? I wanted to poke those eyes that looked down on me more than once!”
She let out all her grievances towards Vargan.
Pouring out her intense emotions, she shot the worst things she could say to someone she’d never see again.
“What good is having a bit of talent in magic? You’ve been slacking off like a fool for years! A gift handed down from the family? A once-in-a-lifetime genius? What a joke! You’re just a selfish bastard who only lives for himself, not caring about how the people around you feel!”
It wasn’t that their relationship had always been bad.
From the moment Vargan realized he had an incurable disease and started acting like a rogue.
Since then, the girl who had high hopes for him had come to hate him as much as she loved him.
Even if it all started from misunderstandings and lies, Riel had no way of knowing that truth.
“I thought you were finally getting your act together… but here you are acting just like before…! I’m so ashamed I even entertained such thoughts. It’s embarrassing!”
Riel was aware of Vargan’s change after he had possessed the body.
His condescending tone and arrogance had only worsened, but she knew he was trying just like he did when he was little.
She just didn’t want to admit it because of the rogue he had been.
The closed door was slowly beginning to open.
“I wish you hadn’t existed…! Why do you have to be my brother? If you’re just going to do whatever you want until you die, then why were you even born…! Why…!”
The tremors that had been swirling around in her body finally escaped as her voice.
Tears began to well up in her once-dry bright red eyes.
By now, they had grown quite distant, to the point where you couldn’t hear each other without shouting.
“You bastard… a truly terrible bastard…”
Arriving at the front gate, Vargan couldn’t hear Riel’s muffled sobs.
He walked out without once looking back.
Screeeech—bang.
The sound of the iron gate closing resonated softly through the air.
Riel’s voice was so delicate it got lost in that small sound.
“Good… very good… just go away… you horrible man…”
Eventually.
Seeing the wagon Vargan was riding drive away, Riel sank down to the ground.
The pristine dress she had prepared for a meal schedule after years got soiled with dirt.
Left alone, she busily wiped her tear-streaked face with the wide sleeves of her expensive dress.
