The marquis woke up three days after he had collapsed.

After that, he remained bedridden for five whole days.

It was only a situation where he had barely managed to pass a great crisis.

Rozie took care of the marquis, and I checked in on his condition whenever I could.

Meanwhile, Ross went to a major city and, after paying a great deal of money, bought some magic powder which we used to make a special potion.

After administering the potion three times, the marquis's condition improved considerably.

Though he still found it difficult to get up, at least he could eat on his own.

The problem was that it was hard to make more of the potion.

With one handful of magic powder, we could make six bottles of potion, but a single handful cost a whopping five gold coins.

At this rate, we wouldn't be able to prepare for the thirty-year cold snap, and we'd lose the marquis, too.

Once this winter ended, the Hader family would disappear from history. It was my family now, and I couldn't stand to see that fate.

So I called Rozie and Ross to my room.

With the marquis bedridden, I couldn't just keep pretending to be the youngest brother.

Even if my siblings were surprised, it couldn't be helped.

"Rozie, Ross. Listen to me carefully."

The siblings unconsciously swallowed dryly. They had already been shocked by Roger's change.

Of course, they considered me their biological younger brother, but I was no longer someone they could take lightly.

"There are about eighteen days left until the thirty-year cold snap. But the family has no money. They say that if the cold snap is long, it can last up to a month, and we only have enough firewood for fifteen days. The villagers are even worse off."

"I know that too."

"Where do we get money?"

I continued, meeting their eyes.

"That's why I called you two. I may still be young, but I hope you'll trust me and follow."

"What is it that we need to do?"

"Just do as I say. But you can't explain everything to Father. The reason I'm saying this to you, elder sister and elder brother, is to get your approval as family."

"You're going to lead the family?"

"Yes, for the time being."

Rozie and Ross both nodded.

It meant they would no longer treat me as the baby of the family.

They, too, had noticed that Roger had become more mature than them.

"Should we not tell Russell either?"

"I'll handle Russell. The two of you just need to trust and follow whatever I do."

"All right."

During our conversation, Donnie entered the room.

"Um, miss. Young master."

"What is it?"

"The family head has called for the three of you."

"Right now?"

"Yes. He wants you to come together."

I left the room with my siblings.

When we arrived at the marquis's room, Russell was already there.

It looked like they had been having a conversation before calling us.

"Sit here."

The three siblings sat side by side on the chairs.

The marquis stared at us before he spoke.

"This father will likely have difficulty moving for a while. To be unable to perform the role of a father at such an important time is truly regrettable. That is why I have called you siblings here."

At the marquis's words, our faces darkened.

Perhaps he was about to leave behind his last words.

But to me, it didn't seem like that.

"I have spoken at length with Russell. Rozie and Ross may find this hard to accept, but it is a decision I have made, and I hope you will follow it. Russell suggested I trust him, and it was a difficult decision to reach."

Why the suspense for this decision?

The marquis spoke again.

"I have decided to entrust this family to Roger."

"Excuse me?"

Among the siblings, I was the only one surprised.

Rozie and Ross were startled but soon accepted it.

It was something I hadn't expected at all.

I had called the siblings to reveal my plan, worried things couldn't go on like this—but to think the marquis would decide this.

Not an easy decision; how did it come about?

"Rozie and Ross, you're not that surprised?"

"If Russell recommended Roger, then he must have seen something. In fact, Ross and I thought our youngest had suddenly become an adult."

The marquis nodded.

Everyone knew Roger was no longer the Roger of before. Especially Russell, who seemed to have been deeply affected during the polar expedition.

"Russell will help Roger. Rozie, Ross, don't treat him like just your younger brother; help him as well. And Russell."

"Yes, family head."

"Would you share a word with Rozie and Ross?"

"Understood. Shall we have a cup of tea, you two?"

"Yes."

Russell led my siblings out of the room.

The marquis watched their retreating figures, then looked at me.

A gaze filled with complex emotions.

"Looking at your eyes, I see Russell was right."

"My eyes?"

"Russell said so. He said the youngest young master doesn't just look like a child who is sometimes like an adult, but rather a child trying to hide that he is already an adult."

I couldn't reply.

Well, I hadn't hidden it perfectly. I'd probably shown behavior and attitudes that weren't childlike even in daily life without realizing it.

Of course, an adult would notice.

I spent three days with Russell during the polar expedition. He would have figured it out without having to observe me on purpose.

"Russell also told me this. He found it remarkable that you entered the giant's den alone. And when the giant awoke, you calmly dodged its attacks and escaped."

Certainly not the actions of a child.

I couldn't pretend to be a kid in that situation.

The marquis continued.

"And when you got lost in the cave and we met again, your face was apparently very bright. Russell told me even adults can't fake that level of composure, and he was shocked. Even more astonishing..."

The marquis regarded me closely.

"You asked Russell to take up the knight order commander position, didn't you?"

"Yes. I know it's an unreasonable request, but..."

"That's what convinced me. When Russell said you were a child trying to hide being an adult, I agreed. Russell resolved the doubts I had felt about you as our youngest."

So that's why Russell had acted that way.

He hadn't objected much to the idea of teaching Donnie swordsmanship either. Because it wasn't just a child's words.

The marquis went on.

"Even now, your gaze and tone, your manner of conversation. I feel like I'm talking with a sharp young man, not a thirteen-year-old child."

I quietly listened to the marquis.

"I've done a lot of thinking since I collapsed. If I were absent, who would lead the family? I posed the question to Russell, and he told me about you."

The marquis wore a kindly smile.

A smile like that of a father looking at his child.

"Isn't there any way to cure your illness?"

The marquis just smiled again.

"The illness will be cured with a few months of recuperation."

"May I at least know the name of the illness?"

"It's aftereffects of internal magic power explosion. When the magic power burst inside, it damaged my organs. But it's something that can heal naturally, so don't worry. The medicine you somehow managed to get worked quite well."

While saying this, the marquis locked eyes with me.

Maybe it was just a feeling, but there was profound trust in his gaze. Had he decided not to see Roger as a child anymore?

"For you to have come back from the dead, and to show such a transformed appearance—if strange things and miracles happen repeatedly, there has to be a reason. If I may venture to say..."

The marquis stopped himself mid-sentence.

What was it he dared not say in front of his child?

As if trying to change the subject, the marquis went on.

"I have already discussed this with Russell, but do you have any plans to get through this crisis?"

Of course, I had a plan.

That's why I'd called my siblings to my room.

"I'm going to meet with a merchant."

"You plan to borrow money?"

"Yes. It's the only way for now."

The marquis smiled brightly.

"I have arranged a meeting with the merchant in two days. I want you to go."

I smiled as well.

Russell and the marquis had reached the same conclusion as I had.

/ / /

Clop. Clop.

The horse's hooves echoed along the brick-covered street.

It had been so long since I'd walked such a road, not a muddy one.

Unlike the fortress, the city's buildings were mostly more than two stories, built of brick. There were many ornate shops and restaurants, and people looked far more affluent.

The port city, [Mouk.]

As the only trading port in the eastern continent, it was also the largest city in the east. It was the capital of the eastern great lord, Count Urke, as well.

"That must be the building."

Russell pointed out the building.

It was a five-story building made of red brick. In this city, aside from the count's castle on the hill over there, it was the tallest building.

We got off our horses and stood in front of the building.

The first floor was a restaurant, but Russell hesitated at the entrance. No one came out to greet us.

"Please wait. I'll send for someone."

"No, let's just go in."

I led the way inside.

I'd wondered why Russell hesitated, but a decadent scene was unfolding inside the restaurant.

Barely clad dancers were performing even in broad daylight.

I had a sense of what kind of merchant this was.

Someone looking to take advantage of a noble on the brink.

Lending money despite the risk of not being paid back had to mean there were other conditions.

Actually, that might be better.

He could lend a large sum, making it hard for us to repay.

And if I found a weakness in this merchant, even better.

Just from the restaurant, I could already sense the smell of crime.

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