NTR | C9 – Stray Cat?

Gael kicked the chair next to him and spat out a harsh curse.

“How dare that insolent bastard run his mouth like that? I’m definitely going to kill that punk!”

Even a ruffian like Gael had someone he cherished.

Luna, who had raised him since childhood in place of his parents. His familial love for her was exceptionally special and Evan’s remarks that had mocked her were still vivid in his mind, and he now regretted not killing him then.

“If only those bastards weren’t there!”

If Gaddel and the other mercenaries hadn’t been there, Evan would have died hundreds of times over right there.

He cooled his rage by realizing that desire, if only in his imagination.

“Damn it… next time I’ll make sure to definitely rip that mouth of his.”

“Since Gael says that, I’m looking forward to the day you meet Evan again?”

At the same time, Amir’s voice rang out, calm like a lake.

On the other hand, Gael was somewhat awed by that leisurely calm tone.

“Phew. Amir, you’re still so calm.”

“Haha. There’s no reason for us to be angry. Evan is the one who will be discarded soon anyway.”

Amir showed a childlike bright smile, revealing pure malice; then, as he said this, he turned back to where he had come from and opened the door wide.

“Well then, shall we prepare to welcome our guests?”

“What? What guests?”

Gael tilted his head in surprise at Amir’s unexpected remark.

Just as he was about to ask further, he heard the sound of small footsteps coming from over there.

It wasn’t just one person. The irregular mix of footsteps indicated that there were multiple people.

“They’ve arrived as expected. Though a bit earlier than I thought?”

“…………..”

The guests turned out to be members of Evan’s party; they had been abandoned by Evan and had immediately set off on this path.

Of course, this wasn’t a protest out of dissatisfaction with Evan’s change. This had been the plan from the start, and Evan’s existence contributed nothing to that plan.

However, the heated conversation with Evan had served as a catalyst to move their plan forward earlier than scheduled.

“Anyway, welcome. Let’s get to know each other better, shall we?”

Amir readily extended his hand for a handshake; but they did not extend their hands in return, only staring blankly.

It was due to guilt. After all, the bond they had shared with Evan for years was not something to be taken lightly.

“Ahaha. Looks like you haven’t completely let go of your attachments yet. Or are you just pretending to feel sorry for your former comrade?”

Amir snickered as he looked down on them.

Among the women who had been listening blankly, Judy suddenly jumped out.

“Don’t talk like that if you don’t know anything.”

“Don’t know anything? It’s obvious that you’re coming here after being hated by Evan. I can tell just by looking at your face, Judy.”

“………….”

Judy became tight-lipped like a cat that got the cream.

Although they had abandoned Evan and left like this, they had their own hopes.

Even if they parted ways, they had wanted to do so amicably, remaining on good enough terms to greet each other warmly if they crossed paths again.

But their current relationship with Evan had deteriorated to the worst possible state.

If only Judy had offered an apology to Evan earlier, would things have turned out differently? 

Judy pondered belatedly, resigning herself to the thought.

‘…It’s too late.’

Their apology would never be accepted. So Judy harbored a different hope.

As always, she hoped that Evan would come to them, apologize, and restore their original relationship.

It might seem somewhat selfish, but Judy earnestly believed in it. 

After all, if it were Evan, he would surely do so. Because they were precious comrades.

───⊱༺ ♰ ༻⊰───

《Evan’s PoV》

After that whole fiasco, I wasted no time getting out of that town. So there would be no running into the heroines or Amir’s gang again anytime soon.

Oh, we’ll cross paths eventually, no doubt. But the timing just wasn’t right yet.

So why exactly did I up and leave town like that? Was I avoiding the heroines? Afraid of retaliation from Amir’s side? 

Nope, the reason was bigger and more pressing than that — it was because I had no money.

Between frequenting the red-light district like it was my own home and buying rounds for mercenary friends at the taverns, it was only natural to end up penniless.

With my pockets totally empty, the severity of my financial situation really hit me. I had to come up with a way to make some coins.

Most adventurers earn income through various means such as monster subjugation, delving dungeons, taking on quests and so on. But I had a much easier, more straightforward solution in mind. A brilliant way to get loads of cash without lifting a finger.

‘Even a bastard like him would give me a few silver coins, right?’

Evan was the son of a prestigious Count family.

Although he chose the path of an adventurer due to some circumstances leading to discord with his father, his noble lineage remains intact. A family overflowing with power and money. I plan to use this solid background to my advantage.

‘The only thing I’m worried about is not knowing the circumstances between father and son, but I’ll figure something out.’

I could hazard a guess, at least. Didn’t the original say that Evan even broke off ties with his father? It couldn’t have been some petty conflict to cause such an extreme rift. So assuming this will be easy was probably foolish.

Anyway, the plan was to ask my dear Father for funds. That’s why I’ve come calling at the family estate.

‘This place is bigger than some palaces.’

I tilted my head back completely as if to look up at the sky and looked up at the sprawling mansion grounds.

Rather than beautiful, the word ‘majestic’ would be more fitting. If a war broke out in the late Middle Ages, it seems like this mansion could be used as a fortress and a siege battle could be fought.

Which really drove home what an idiot Evan truly was, ditching a noble family legacy like this just to chase after those rejects.  Utterly baffling.

Well, maybe he didn’t have a choice either, come to think of it.

It was like that in the novel’s storyline, right? If there was discord with the head of the family and severing ties, that’s understandable. If he was cast out of the family due to such reasons and chose the path of an adventurer with them, then it’s a reasonable phenomenon.

Not that it made Evan any less of a moron, but well whatever.

“Anyway, how do I actually get inside this place?”

I was standing right before the main entrance of the Elaine estate grounds.  Just a single step forward and I’d be inside, but the locked iron gate prevented any further progress.

This was a predicament. Couldn’t very well break down the gate when I needed to ask for money. But scaling the walls would just make me look like a burglar.

Should I just sit here twiddling my thumbs until someone relevant shows up?

‘Hmm?’ 

At that moment, I noticed someone on the other side of the gate.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a black tailcoat. Judging by his distinctive attire and the way he was tending to the garden, I assumed he was a servant of the family.

As if sensing my gaze, the old man’s head turned in my direction. For a moment, our gazes met in the air. Having no real reason to avert my stare, I matched and held his gaze.

“Who goes there?” The old man squinted slightly as he addressed me, furrowing his brow. It didn’t seem an expression of displeasure, just narrowing his eyes a bit to get a better look at my face up close.

He studied me intently for quite a while, head cocked slightly in apparent bewilderment.

“Eh, Young Master Evan!?” he suddenly blurted out my name before I could even introduce myself.

Impressive that he recognized me without any proof. This old-timer must have remarkably keen senses, despite what I assumed was fading eyesight.

“Young master, is that really you?!” The old man rushed to unlock and swing open the gate before hurrying over to me. He then gripped my shoulders firmly while sputtering out a flurry of exclamations.

“It really is you, young master…!”

His voice was laced with a whirlwind of emotions — shock, sorrow, joy, relief, disbelief. Despite the different emotions, they all conveyed the same meaning of welcoming me warmly.

Though he occasionally let slip some reproachful remarks, even those clearly stemmed from an underlying fondness for me.

“We’ve been so worried all this time! Where in the world have you been?!”

“Just keeping busy with this and that. No need to worry so much since I’ve been doing well.”  I responded smoothly, despite feeling a bit overwhelmed by the elderly man’s effusive reaction.

From there, things progressed swiftly. As we exchanged some casual catching up, the old man ushered me inside the estate grounds, allowing me to naturally re-enter my family home.

“You’ve become quite a fine man since I last saw you. I almost didn’t recognize you at first glance!”

“It’s been that long, has it?”

“Why yes, a full five years since that day you left. Not a night went by that I didn’t lose sleep worrying over you. But now, it feels like I can finally have good dreams.”

Despite five long years, this old man welcomed me back so readily. 

And why would he go to such lengths to welcome Evan, who was practically abandoned by the family?

‘Evan must have been on pretty good terms with this man.’

The kindhearted Evan was always generous with his goodwill towards others. Just as it quickly endeared him to those mercenaries, this old man was likely another recipient of Evan’s warmth.

In addition, it seems that Evan’s treatment within the family was not so bad. I could tell just by the fact that the old man had invited me into the mansion.

Because really, no matter how fondly this old man viewed Evan, he wouldn’t just let an outsider trespass if Evan held no status here.  So I still retained some standing as a household member – a privilege, in a sense.

‘A lucky break, all things considered.’

I thought it would stir up some trouble when I ask for some money since Evan had severed ties with his father, but it seems like I was just making a fuss for nothing.

That said, I shouldn’t get too comfortable. In my past life’s experience dealing with snotty nobles, I’ve learned a few things, and among them, positive memories were few and far between.

‘Mostly just worthless idiots or corrupted pigs, the lot of them.’

While not everyone fell into that category, the majority of nobles did, so it’s hard not to generalize. And there’s no reason to believe that Evan’s family would be an exception to my expectations.

A father at odds with the eternally affable Evan — that alone paints a pretty clear picture, doesn’t it?

“Master was deeply worried about you as well,” the old man remarked, as if reading my mind.

I chose my words carefully, taking a moment of silence to collect my thoughts before casually retorting, “Surprising. Didn’t think Father would be the concerned type.”

“…Master has difficulty showing his true feelings. His particularly harsh demeanor towards you may have simply been because he cares for you most dearly.”

“No need to comfort me too much. I didn’t come back expecting some warm reunion anyway. I’ll just get what I came for and be on my way again.”

“I beg your pardon, but…what did you come for exactly?”

I didn’t bother answering that question.

There was no need, and admitting I only returned for money felt too crass and superficial.  

“Hmph. Even so, I wish you would make yourself at home, young master. It’s just my personal wish.”

“I want that too. As long as I don’t have to worry about people around me.”

“Haha, you needn’t worry. As I was trying to say, Master has…”

The old man suddenly fell silent, his expression stiffening. He then put on an obsequious front with forced politeness.

“Y-You’re awake, young miss…”

Young miss?

Following the old man’s gaze, I turned to see a young girl, probably early teens, shooting me a scathing look from beneath furrowed brows.  

Come to think of it, Evan’s disdain wasn’t just limited to his father. 

His half-sister Mary Erelain harbored ill feelings towards him as well, or so it was depicted.

‘She looks quite unfriendly. What’s with the sour face? A stray cat?’

That was my first impression of Evan’s younger sister.

I don’t know. It seems like it would be difficult to get along with her.

End of chapter……Thank you for reading……

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