Chapter 10

"Brother, you don't have to go yourself! If you need to mobilize the troops, I can speak on your behalf! Why do you have to go yourself...?"

"---Please understand, Edward. I know their dangers and their usefulness better than anyone. If someone else does it, they might make a mistake. And there's a chance that it could lead to a fatal error."

To defeat Totila, who could become the seed of future disasters, and to fight while adding the mountain people to our allies.

If that were all, I'm sure Rienbach, who has been given a certain number of troops, could do it.

But this world, while similar to 'Augustus ~The Supreme Throne~', also has aspects that are not visible.

There are certainly human activities in parts that are not depicted in the game.

There might be someone like Renge, who could become the trigger for Hart to succumb to madness.

If they are capable, we should recruit them; if they are dangerous, we must deal with them.

The only one who can handle such irregularities is Todd.

Moreover, the only one who can recognize them as abnormalities in this world is Todd.

"I can do it... no, I'm the only one who can do it. I'll accomplish it and come back alive. I promise."

Before he knew it, his body had stopped trembling.

The fear of possibly dying had flown away somewhere.

Edward, Takeru, Enesia, Anastasia.

To continue supporting his dear younger siblings, he couldn't stumble over something as trivial as the mountain people.

A flame of resolve lit up in Todd's eyes.

The many people he had met since being born into this world.

To Todd, they were not characters from the game he played in his previous life, but living, breathing humans.

"So, don't make that face. To be honest, the weapon I'm taking this time is my own creation. The mountain people are nothing to worry about."

He slowly stroked Edward's hair to calm him down.

Perhaps because it was always well-groomed, Edward's golden hair felt smooth as Todd's fingers ran through it.

Edward, who was being passive, realized his own embarrassment and blushed pink.

"Ah, Brother, that's embarrassing... I'm already ten years old..."

"When I was ten, I just spent my days clashing wooden swords with Rai. Compared to that, Edward is working much harder."

That was Todd's honest opinion.

Unlike himself, who was called a prodigy thanks to the savings from his previous life, Edward was a genuine genius.

He had already outgrown the challenges in Slado and was faster at thinking in several board games than Todd could keep up with.

Recently, he had started studying magic and was supposed to learn imperial studies from his father, which Todd had managed to avoid.

He was excited to see how Edward would grow in the future.

But it seemed that Edward's self-evaluation was quite different from his own.

His calm face was lowered, and he looked very weak.

"I... I'm not good at physical activities like Brother. I'm not as persistent as you, and I don't have the charisma to lead people. So, I've tried to strengthen my mind as much as I can."

"---I'm not that great. I just got lucky and had a series of miracles, which made me look that way."

"---That's not true! Brother, you're like a Pegasus from a story, soaring through the sky. You are not bound by anyone. And your free flight through the sky captivates everyone."

How great did Edward think he was?

Todd's self-evaluation was shockingly low.

He only had the overwhelming advantage of knowing the strategy for this world.

If someone else had been reincarnated, they would probably have done a better job.

He didn't give detailed explanations to his parents because he couldn't persuade them even if he tried.

He had been beaten up by Rai continuously because he knew that the sensation of the mobile armor was similar to that of the body.

He had mastered earth and wind magic because there was no one else he could rely on.

He had recruited Hart and Renge because he knew that not doing so would be detrimental.

He had only talked about his knowledge in a plausible way, and it was Hart and Renge who had made it a reality.

Thanks to Rienbach, who had cooperated with him without telling his father, Todd was able to adjust Shiranui's output to suit him.

Todd was standing here now because he had been helped by many people.

He didn't think of himself as a great person at all.

But it seemed that Edward didn't like this way of thinking.

There had been surprisingly few times when Edward had become emotional.

Showing dissatisfaction was probably a first for him.

Edward must have been suppressing himself and enduring all this time.

"Brother, you are a great roc that cannot be measured by ordinary people. Father, Mother, and even the surrounding nobles, not a single one of them understands how great you are! I find that... frustrating."

No one saw or even tried to see Todd's greatness.

No one even considered what he was trying to achieve.

Edward confessed that he found it unbearably frustrating.

Large tears fell from his eyes, leaving stains on the carpet.

Todd had never thought that his brother felt this way.

He had only considered that a lower evaluation would be more convenient to avoid conflicts over the succession.

A fallen genius who only trained his body, was proficient in earth and wind magic, which he shouldn't be using, and brought foreigners into the palace for suspicious research.

That was Todd's evaluation, and Edward hated it.

Hearing his brother's words, Todd realized that he needed to change.

He had to be careful not to raise any flags and lower his evaluation.

He had indeed thought that as long as he didn't have a bad relationship with his siblings, including Edward, the rest didn't matter.

But what he realized was not about the strategy of the game... it was a much simpler fact.

---To Edward, Todd was, before anything else, the only brother in the world.

The simple desire for his brother to be cool.

For Todd, who had been carefully guiding conversations with specific people and intentionally leading them to lay the groundwork for the future, this was a blindingly bright and difficult thing to face.

"I see... I understand..."

He had been thinking too much about the future and neglecting the present.

His attitude had been one that couldn't be complained about even if he were criticized.

This was a matter of priorities.

There were more important things than succession rights and flag management.

Hearing Edward's words, Todd realized this for the first time.

As a brother, he needed to be a role model for his younger siblings.

It was a simple, obvious thing that everyone had been told by their mothers at some point, but he had only understood it at the age of twelve.

"So, when I come back, I'll try a bit harder."

"...Promise?"

"Sure, I promise. How about a pinky swear?"

"What's a pinky swear?"

Realizing that it didn't exist in Rynsugaya, he explained it in a hurry, and Edward agreed and did the pinky swear.

Edward stared at his hand that had made the pinky swear, then left the room looking satisfied.

Todd put his hands behind his head, closed his eyes, and looked satisfied, just like his brother.

He was immediately overcome by sleep and fell asleep instantly, as if the events of the past few moments had never happened.

[Shinko's Request]

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