The double life of a count’s bastard

Chapter 26

“It’s important to make money, but it’s more important how you spend it. Money that’s earned in your sleep is easy to spend, and money that comes into your hands without any effort on your part is hard to realize how precious it is and how hard it is to make. When I was younger…….”

Sobriety.

The rich bastard’s forehead twitched and furrowed as he listened to Lord Coach’s tirade, his ears bleeding.

“You’re ……dirty loud.”

The knight, who had been so respectful just an hour ago, made a face as if he hadn’t seen him since.

“Kahaha, that’s a saying, that’s a saying, that’s a saying, that’s true, you never know what you haven’t earned!”

The asshole who was monopolizing the goddess’s love was busy chugging the bottle and arguing, whether he realized it or not, that it was a completely different statement from my situation.

“Who am I? Why am I here? Why am I here? I should have just been my normal self…….

Jason, the most sane of the bunch, could only mutter to himself, wondering why he’d dropped the cube and ended up in this bizarre party.

Russo’s party was hastily formed.

It was a small party, with only five people, but it was nothing to sneeze at.

A sixth-ranked old knight, a veteran of many battles who was worn and tattered, a fifth-ranked knight who was a genius, a priest who was blessed by the gods with unbelievable healing powers, and an elite butler from a great family who had received all kinds of education.

And.

A rambunctious bastard who can see into the future with his precognitive dreams.

Despite his sudden rise to prominence, Rousseau is convinced that with this much power, he’s not getting beaten up everywhere.

In particular, the cantankerous old knight Sir Coach’s skills were unquestionable, and he was his most trusted ally.

Of course.

“That’s the thing about clothes, you can dress them up in all sorts of glitz and glamor to make them look good, but if they’re all shitty and stinking on the inside, you’ve just thrown someone’s hard-earned money down the drain.”

It was a slap in the face to anyone who heard it, and they knew it, so they had to fight back the emotions that rose in their stomachs several times.

“You’ve got me, you’ve got me, you’ve got me!

Who among the knights loyal to House Slater would have liked Rousseau?

Especially not those who, like Lord Coach, had devoted decades of their lives to him.

Especially since Lord Couch was not a man to be trifled with…….

‘Once this is over, let’s never see him again!’

Lord Coach, who was to lay down his sword four years later due to health problems, was completely excluded from Rousseau’s long-term plans.

In his words.

‘It’s disposable…… too toxic!!!’

Is this why they say instant is bad for you?

Rousseau shook his head in frustration at Sir Coach’s non-stop advice and latte ranting.

“Heheheheheheh! You’re so experienced in the world! Every word you say makes me feel like I’m getting aroused! Ooooooooo!”

“That’s right, you’re a priest of the Goddess Nevatera after all! You’re completely different from any cheap brat I’ve ever known, hehehehehe!”

Russo reflexively turned his head to glare at Lord Coach.

“Why do you look at me like that? What? Why? Did something I said sting?”

“…….”

Rousseau clenched his molars once more, knowing that if he argued back here, he’d just be confirming to Jolzie that he was a spoiled brat.

But, hey, if you’re getting your ass kicked here, you’re getting your ass kicked too!

“Why do I need to be stabbed? I’m not the kind of guy who’d be able to handle it, and by the way, why is your sword so rusty? I didn’t realize you were carrying it like a cane. I suppose it’s understandable that your lower body would be loose at your age, though.”

At Rousseau’s words, Sir Coach’s expression instantly stiffened.

Sir Coach had a habit of tapping the ground with his cane with every step, but no one had ever called it a cane before, much less sneering at his age and the fact that his lower body was loose.

“It’s not a cane, it’s…….”

“That’s okay, it’ll give you energy, but you can’t carry a sword and a cane, I mean, I get it, right?”

Ouch.

Never before had Sir Coach been treated like this, and he barely managed to keep his fingertips from trembling in frustration and anger.

Are you twitching your fingers here?

He didn’t need to hear what the cheap bastard was going to say.

Or maybe not.

“Him!

The asshole’s eyes were glaring at his hand.

Shit.

Rousseau grinned.

“Ahhh… rain.

“……!!”

Sir Coach’s face puddled as he watched Rousseau turn his head away from him, pouting at him with only the shape of his mouth.

“The end! Malaise, hee hee, how could such a wretch as that be born into a great family!’

He thought that even God had a bad taste in his mouth.

Rousseau’s counterattack silenced Sir Coach’s nonstop chatter.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Merlin spoke up, unable to stand the atmosphere any longer.

“Rousseau, where the hell do you think you’re going? Shouldn’t you at least tell me where you’re going and what you’re going to do? Don’t you realize how busy I am?”

“Busy. I’ll be out all night drinking with the girls.”

“It’s a sin for a young man like me to not be in a relationship!”

While it’s not a sin, it’s certainly true that the three major religions encourage their priests to date and marry.

Merlin’s only problem is that he insists on free love, even if it’s too free.

“We’re almost there, Jason!”

Jason nodded in response to Rousseau’s call and then took off at a brisk pace through the dark forest.

‘I heard that the butlers of the Slater family go through a grueling training…….’

Hans could tell from Jason’s footwork alone that he’d been through a lot of training, though he’d sensed it before.

“We’ll wait here until Jason gets back.”

Rousseau sat down on his butt on a bare tree, and Sir Coach sat down on a rock beside him.

Hans stood behind him as the only knight who still swore allegiance to Rousseau, and Merlin sat down roughly on the dirt floor as if he didn’t care if his pristine priestly robes were soiled.

“What the hell are you trying to do?”

Lord Coach asked, and all eyes turned to Russo.

Rousseau nodded, urged by the coach to be clear about what he was trying to do this time.

“Since we’ve come this far, let me be clear: we’re going to hit the top of a vice that shouldn’t exist in this world.”

“Vicious top?”

“What if we hit it?”

“Oh my God, now you’re going to hit the top of the heap?!”

How can you take that as saying we’re going to hit the vice top?

Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong.

“……sharp?

* * *

Rosita was only seven years old when her family fell.

Rosita’s family was a noble family with a small estate the size of a palm in the countryside, and her ancestors had risen to the rank of viscount, but as is often the case with fallen nobles, the family was decimated by a war with a neighboring noble who coveted the estate.

Forced to live a life below that of a commoner with only the pretense of nobility, Rosita began working at the age of 15 to earn money.

It wasn’t easy, and she was subjected to all sorts of filthy and disgusting behavior to earn money.

With the idea that “money is the most powerful thing in the world,” Rosita grew Rosita Top into a thriving business in 30 years.

In terms of the entire continent, the top of Rosita was insignificant, but not in the northern regions.

‘We’re not far away, we’ll make it to the center and have all the tops of the continent under our feet!

It wasn’t just confidence, it was a palpable certainty about the future.

And for that to happen, this was crucial.

“Cory!”

“Yes, Master!”

“The perimeter is secure, right?”

“Don’t worry, I’m on high alert.”

“Hmph.”

Despite Cory’s cool response, which was always reliable, Rosita furrowed her brow, unable to hide her displeasure.

“It’s the Slater estate like no other. We don’t have to worry about monsters attacking, and bandits would never be here. I think you’re being too sensitive.”

Rosita nodded at Cory’s words.

The chances of monsters or bandits on the estate of the great Earl of Slater were close to zero.

So why was he so anxious?

“I’m feeling unnecessarily anxious and bad!

Rosita had seen it all over the past thirty years, so she was sure that what she was feeling was a “hunch,” a sensation that arose whenever something bad was about to happen.

“Nothing bad can happen if you’re careful.

Rosita’s heightened senses had saved her from many a tricky situation and crisis, so she instructed Cory to be extra vigilant of his surroundings once more.

Even as Cory led the knights and mercenaries in a more thorough perimeter, Rosita grew increasingly uneasy.

“I can’t do this! I feel like something is going to happen! We need to leave the Slater estate in a hurry!

Even though she was all set up for camp, Rosita made up her mind and called Cory.

“What? Now? I mean, even if we did, hitting the road at this hour…….”

It’s not easy.

Walking in the dark would be twice as physically and mentally exhausting as it would be during the day.

To make matters worse, this trip was carrying special items, which made Rosita even more sensitive and exhausted everyone.

Even at night, the only time they could rest would be on the road.

“I know, it’s hard, but hang in there. Once we’re off the Slater estate, I’ll give you a day, maybe two, to eat, drink, and rest.”

Cory’s expression darkened at the mention of two days’ rest, but he couldn’t refuse Rosita’s orders.

“Okay, I’ll get ready to leave right away.”

“Hurry!”

Seeing Rosita’s impatient expression, Cory couldn’t help but encourage the group, who were about to take a sweet break, to repack their unpacked bags.

There were murmurs of dissatisfaction here and there, but none of them dared to disobey, for the orders of their master, Rosita, were absolute.

“Master, we’re all packed.”

“Then let’s go!”

Rosita’s words prompted Cory to take the lead.

“Where are you going at this time of night, carrying one bag after another, it looks like you’re…… running away?”

A voice boomed out of the darkness.

“Who are you? We are Rosita Top! We have official passes from Count Slater’s realm, and we’re not Yavandozu, that’s ridiculous!”

Cory retorted.

The owner of the voice slowly emerged from the darkness.

“…… Are you insane?”

Cory quickly shut his mouth in a moment of panic, but when his opponent’s brow furrowed slightly, he realized he couldn’t take back his mistake.

“Lou, aren’t you Master Russo, it’s been a while, do you remember me?”

Cory quickly bowed, hoping to make up for his mistake.

“Make yourself comfortable. What’s wrong with calling an asshole an asshole?”

Rousseau’s response made Cory shake his head.

“What, he wasn’t like that last year? Something’s changed! He said he had a bad fever…….

The Rousseau Cory remembered was a rebel who was dissatisfied with everything.

He still had the sarcasm and the way he glared at people, but there was no hint of the laid-backness he has now.

‘Well, he’s a year older, so maybe he’s different!’

Cory didn’t think much of Russo’s change, saying that he was only 17, so he must be different than he was at 16.

“I’m sorry if I blurted out, but…… what are you doing here at this late hour?”

Cory relaxed when he realized it was Rousseau.

He was the Earl of Slater’s blood, not someone else’s, so at least he wouldn’t get in trouble.

“Nothing much.”

Russo paused, his eyes darting around behind him as if searching for something.

“If you’re looking for something, tell me, and if we have it and can sell it, I’ll give you a bargain.”

Cory flashed his trader’s friendly smile, for it was never good to antagonize someone, even if they were a family wretch.

“Unless you have something in particular you’re looking for…….”

Rousseau took the words in stride and strode past Cory, stopping halfway to the top.

Then.

“Found it.”

Rousseau patted the tiny child’s head, which was only about his waist.

Hmph!

The child instinctively stiffened his shoulders as the stranger patted his head.

“Let me see your face.”

Russo reached out to see the child’s face.