Chapter 171: 171 The Only Thing I’m Better at Than My Younger Brother

“Phew! This is driving me insane.”

The lord of the Mars Territory.

Dale Mars clutched his head and let out a deep sigh.

Lately, nothing but bad things kept happening.

It felt like the entire territory was creaking at the seams, so to speak.

If that were all, he could somehow endure it.

But the real problem was the single letter that had arrived this time.

’That bastard Karl is coming to visit our territory. What the hell is he thinking?’

Karl, the one he had essentially sold off by marrying him to the Great Witch.

That guy had now declared he would visit the territory together with the Great Witch.

If it were just that… honestly, it wasn’t all that strange.

After all, this place was Karl’s hometown.

Even though their parents had passed away, he must still have close friends or acquaintances here.

Quite some time had passed, so visiting would actually be normal.

Besides, the Great Witch he had taken as wife had never once set foot in the Mars Territory.

Now that she was his wife, introducing her to her husband’s hometown… there was nothing odd about that.

In fact, that was the proper and recommended thing to do.

The letter itself even stated that the purpose was to show the Great Witch his hometown.

The problem was… as expected, the relationship between Karl and Dale.

More precisely, the fact that Dale had openly screwed Karl over with that sudden marriage.

Yet after all this time, he suddenly wanted to visit his hometown to say hello?

No matter how bad their relationship was, they were still blood brothers.

It was hard to imagine that guy smiling and suggesting they get along.

Why the hell was he going out of his way to come here… Dale couldn’t figure out his exact intentions.

Was he planning to take the territory for himself?

Even though he was already the Great Witch’s husband?

The first thought that came to mind was that it was realistically impossible.

’There’s already so much going on with the territory, and now that bastard has to make things even more complicated.’

Lately, the Mars Territory felt unstable, like it was teetering on the edge.

The vassals and employees working in the territory felt it.

Visiting nobles and officials felt it.

Even the ordinary territory residents living here felt it.

Tasks that used to be handled smoothly were now delayed.

Problems that never existed before kept cropping up.

Everything was gradually becoming sloppy overall.

Things that would have been unimaginable back when the territory ran smoothly were happening one after another.

What was the cause?

Everyone already knew.

It was because the previous lord had died and the lord had changed.

The current lord, Dale Mars, was not particularly competent as a ruler.

Born into a mage family yet utterly lacking in magical talent.

He wasn’t especially skilled in politics or administration either.

Such a person had effectively driven out his capable younger brother and become lord.

Naturally, the vassals and some of the residents grew dissatisfied.

They questioned whether someone who had snatched the territory through underhanded means while the previous lord lay dying truly had the legitimacy.

At the very least, he was the eldest son, and since the second son, Karl Mars, had disappeared thanks to his schemes, people decided to wait and see for the time being.

But as problems kept arising, complaints began spreading among the vassals as well.

Dale couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.

In response, he shifted the territory’s administration toward consolidating his own authority and power.

Naturally, that meant neglecting the things that actually needed proper management.

As a result, more problems appeared.

To cover those up, he threw money and positions around… a vicious cycle in every sense of the word.

Talk about Karl, who had been highly likely to inherit the lordship originally, came up often as well.

If it had been Karl, he would have done better.

If it had been Karl, there wouldn’t be problems like this because his magic was superior.

Karl would have achieved far greater things, and so on!

Hearing that over and over again was driving Dale to the brink of neurosis.

It wasn’t just simple inferiority toward his younger brother.

If things went wrong, he could be chased out of the lordship he had fought so hard to obtain.

While walking that thin ice and drowning in worry, a letter had flown in from Karl, whom he thought he had completely dealt with.

“Our married life has stabilized, so I’ll visit the territory soon? And with my wife, the Great Witch?”

No matter how many times he read the letter, he couldn’t accept it.

He had sent him off telling him to live the rest of his life as a stud there and never come back.

So why the hell was that guy suddenly visiting his hometown?

And at a time when he was anxious about possibly losing the lordship at any moment.

’I want to tell him not to come, but…’,

In the first place, replying was impossible.

There was no way to contact the Witch Territory separately.

Even if he wrote a letter telling him not to come now, it was already too late.

Looking at the date written, by the time the letter arrived, they would already have departed.

In effect, this meant “We’re coming, so prepare accordingly.”

The fact that he dared to do this to his older brother and lord was outrageously insolent…

“He’s coming with the Great Witch, so I can’t exactly treat him roughly.”

Official records about witches interacting with humans are extremely scarce.

The place is so closed off that there is almost no related information to begin with.

Most stories about witches circulating among humans are nothing more than fanciful tales.

Like how a witch who had lived for hundreds of years snapped her fingers in return for hospitality and an entire mountain blocking the way vanished.

Or how a village that treated her poorly was buried in blizzards for a whole year and disappeared completely.

A firstborn son born into a mage family believing such fairy tales would be foolish.

He knew full well from a magical studies perspective that those things were impossible.

But those rumors were still talking about the terrifying magic of witches.

Even if the details were exaggerated, it meant their magical prowess was real.

The leader of those witches, the one with the greatest skill.

That was the Great Witch, and now Karl’s wife.

’Tch! If she were from an ordinary family, I could at least intimidate her or humiliate her so she’d never come back.’

When the opponent was the Great Witch, it was a different story.

A race that lives for hundreds of years, devoting their entire lives to magical research.

To them, humans were nothing more than slightly smarter pack-hunting puppies.

Daring to disrespect or humiliate such a Great Witch?

That would be suicidal, wanting the entire territory destroyed.

On the contrary, he had to do his utmost to welcome them.

There was no telling what would happen if he accidentally got on her bad side.

’But how the hell is that bastard Karl able to get along so well with the Great Witch?’

Setting magical ability aside, he had heard the Great Witch was over three centuries years old.

Was it possible to have a good married life with such an old woman?

Was his younger brother that much of a stud?

Or was he able to overlook such things for the sake of power…

’I don’t know. That guy was never someone I could understand in the first place.’

Things he couldn’t even imagine, that guy could do without it being strange.

Clearly he had pulled some kind of trick this time too.

For the great Great Witch to personally come all the way to her husband’s hometown.

That would be impossible unless their marital relationship was extraordinarily good.

He had obtained the card called the Great Witch.

It was safe to see it that way.

“Phew! I guess I have no choice but to prepare to receive them.”

Even knowing that full well, he had to let the guy in.

The existence of the Great Witch held that much meaning for a mage family.

“Honey, excuse me.”

At that moment, the door opened with a knock.

The person who entered was Dale’s wife, Creusa.

“What brings you here at this hour? And personally instead of sending a maid.”

“Everyone seemed busy because the young master is coming. I came myself since I was asked to bring this anyway. And to see your face too, honey.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

Pretty, kind-hearted, and devoted solely to supporting her husband—Creusa was Dale’s pride.

Childhood friends who started dating young, they got pregnant unexpectedly and married a little early.

It had been sudden, but Dale never regretted it.

He had gained such a lovable wife and even a spirited daughter.

In a way, always oppressed by the family’s prestige and compared to his talented younger brother, these were the treasures he had obtained through his own efforts alone—the only precious things.

To Dale, those two were precious enough to trade his life for.

’On the other hand, that bastard Karl never even married until I forcibly sent him away. At least in this, I’m better than him.’

If there was anything he was ahead of his younger brother in, it was having such a beautiful wife and daughter.

That cold-blooded guy would probably never experience this kind of love or the joy of having children in his lifetime.

“Don’t you think you’re working too hard? You seem really busy.”

“My younger brother suddenly said he’s coming, so there’s no helping it. And he’s visiting with the Great Witch of all people.”

Truthfully, Dale was busy because he was worried about what Karl might do.

He was honestly so anxious about what schemes that guy had planned for this visit that he couldn’t even sleep properly.

“Surely it won’t be anything major, right? Don’t worry too much.”

“Mmm… yeah, I should think that way.”

His wife was overly pure and innocent.

Sometimes he worried she might get taken advantage of by someone.

But at the same time, she was right.

No matter how you looked at it, even Karl couldn’t do anything to him now that he was officially the lord.

’No matter what, I’m the legitimate successor to the lordship. That guy has no authority to treat me carelessly.’

Yes, as long as he didn’t give him any unnecessary openings.

That’s why he was going all out to prepare a grand welcome.

’Honestly, Karl himself isn’t the important one. It’s whether I can get into the Great Witch’s good graces or not.’

That guy Karl was surely just a puppet tightly controlled by the Great Witch.

Perhaps even this visit wasn’t his own will.

Dale decided to think that way.

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