I Became the Male Lead who was Clinging onto the Female Leads

Chapter 49: What Did You Say Just Now? (1)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: N/A

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'Let's start by clearly understanding the situation.'

The first step in reviving a fallen family.

That was to perfectly understand the current situation.

Eugene walked towards Dallas' office, gathering and organizing information about his family in his mind.

'Let's look at the biggest crisis the family is facing.'

The greatest crisis was undoubtedly the 'enormous debt' owed to the Hobart Viscounty.

Of course, even if that was resolved, it wouldn't change the reality of the family being desperately poor.

'Anyway, the top priority is the debt.'

The difficulty here was that the size of the debt was excessively large.

A debt that was serious decades ago had become unmanageable for a single family due to the accumulation of interest over the years.

No matter how strong Eugene became and earned money, it would take too long to pay off the massive debt.

'I could toil like a slave, but it will take decades for the situation to improve.'

During those decades, Erika would live a tear-stained life.

After the debt was paid off, only a broken Erika and an ill Dallas would remain.

Therefore, this was the worst of the worst plans.

'I' need to find a different solution.'

He focused on the reason why the Grace Barony, originally one of the continent's ten wealthiest families, fell into decline.

The sudden insanity of the previous head, the grandfather, who fell into gambling and debauchery, accumulating huge debts.

'I have no memory of my grandfather.'

But recalling what Dallas had said, the grandfather was originally a kind and wise man.

Then suddenly, one day, he went mad and started living in gambling dens, selling off iron mines for a pittance.

'Does that make any sense?'

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't make sense.

There was a blatantly suspicious smell.

'Who benefited the most from my grandfather's madness?'

Without a doubt, it was the Hobart Viscounty.

'There's something there."

Definitely.

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Raei Translations

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Eugene arrived in front of Dallas' office, knocked on the door, and entered.

He saw Dallas and Philip discussing with somber faces.

Dallas looked questioningly at Eugene, who entered the office.

"What brings you here?"

He had told him to rest in his room.

"I felt bad resting alone while the family is in such a difficult situation."

"I see."

Dallas pulled a seat for Eugene with a deliberately calm face.

"You've really changed compared to half a year ago."

As Eugene sat down, Philip spoke.

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"The Lord and I were discussing ways to raise urgent funds for the upcoming debt payment."

"I see."

"Would you like to listen in?"

"That would be good, but... there's something I'm curious about."

"What are you curious about?"

"Well."

Eugene's face turned serious.

"Both of you must have thought of this already, but father."

"Hm?"

"You've always said that grandfather was a wise man."

"That's true."

"How could such a man suddenly fall into gambling and debauchery, ruining our family... Does that make any sense?"

"I understand what you're trying to say."

Dallas sighed and adjusted his posture.

"It's not that I never had those doubts. Years ago, I even believed that the Hobart Viscounty had orchestrated something malicious."

"You're right, Lord. We seriously entertained those suspicions and investigated from various angles. But..."

"Did you find nothing?"

"...Yes."

Philip nodded sadly.

"The previous head often visited the gambling house owned by the Hobart Viscounty. He had an unusual fondness for the women there. There were so many questions, so we thoroughly investigated. We even managed to get a lead once."

"...But it only resulted in the sacrifice of innocent lives."

Philip nodded gravely, continuing his statement.

"That was what happened over a decade ago. Since then, our family's situation worsened, leaving us unable to pursue further investigation."

"Hmm..."

"Even now, we suspect that the Hobart Viscounty was behind a long-standing plot, but we're powerless to take any action."

"To investigate, we need substantial funds and skilled personnel, neither of which our family has."

"Would investigating now unearth anything?"

Philip shook his head bitterly.

"Too much time has passed. Even if the conditions allowed for an investigation now, the likelihood of uncovering anything is slim. Those who might have planned and executed such schemes are likely too old or dead by now."

"..."

The more he heard, the more Eugene sighed inwardly.

'It won't be easy.'

Dallas and Philip were not idle fools; they had noticed the suspicious signs long ago and had done their best to investigate.

"Shall I tell you about when we caught a lead?"

"...Yes."

Eugene nodded.

"It was over a decade ago. That day..."

"Philip."

Dallas, with a stern face, interrupted him.

"...Why, Lord?"

"What good will talking about it do? If Eugene becomes emotionally involved and starts investigating on his own, then what?"

Is that not allowed?

Eugene, who had been considering investigating, spoke up.

"Father, don't worry too much."

"That's right, Lord. A few words from me won't make Eugene start his own investigation."

"Cough."

"Isn't it a bit too much to overprotect someone who's about to become an adult?"

"...What can I do if I'm worried?"

Worried...

Dallas closed his mouth with an uneasy expression.

Then Philip began the story.

"It happened over a decade ago. We sent a team to investigate the largest gambling house within the Hobart Viscounty, where the previous head wasted most of his time. While pretending to gamble to avoid suspicion, our team overheard some strange comments from drunken patrons nearby."

"What were those strange comments?"

"...I don't know. The investigators disappeared that very night. This story came to me from a contact who was in the gambling house."

"So, the lead you caught was..."

"It seems the drunken patrons said something so alarming that our team reacted impulsively."

"...I see..."

It was too little information to be considered a lead.

'But it's better than nothing.'

It was clear where to start the investigation.

'The largest gambling house in the Hobart Viscounty.'

It was uncertain if the culprits from a decade ago could be found, but it was the only lead to follow.

"Any other leads?"

"...No. We sent teams a few more times, but the security tightened, and we achieved nothing significant."

"Understood."

It seemed that was all the information available within the family.

'The rest is up to me.'

Eugene stood up promptly.

Only a week remained until the Hobart Viscount proposed to Erika.

Time was of the essence.

"Father, I'll be leaving now."

Eugene nodded slightly and turned to leave when Dallas grabbed his arm.

"Are you going to rest?"

"..."

"If you're planning something dangerous, be careful."

Dallas, noticing Eugene's determined expression, realized his intentions.

He was worried Eugene might act recklessly due to youthful impulsiveness.

'I appreciate your concern, but...'

Eugene was not planning to sit idly by.

Without his intervention, nothing would change for their family.

'I have to act.'

"Father, I'll be careful and stay within safe limits."

"..."

"I'll handle it."

"Even if you say so..."

"Please trust me!"

Eugene quickly exited the office.

Bang!

Gathering mana in his legs, he dashed down the corridor like a streak of light.

"Eugene!"

A flustered Dallas rushed out of the office, looking around.

But Eugene was nowhere to be seen in the corridor.

"...Was Eugene always this fast?"

Speechless, Dallas's face fell with a sense of futility.

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Raei Translations

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Eugene hurried to the Hobart Viscounty without resting.

Walking along the lively streets at night, he stopped at a clothing store he came across.

'I'll need to disguise my identity for the investigation.'

He picked up some common clothes, a hood, and a mask.

"How much for these?"

"40 silvers, sir."

"Here you go."

"Thank you, sir."

Having made money in various ways, Eugene easily paid the forty silver coins.

He entered a back alley, took off his current clothes, piled them up, and changed into his newly bought attire.

With his face covered by the mask and hood pulled up, he looked unmistakably like a thief.

'I'll disguise myself as someone hiding facial scars.'

Eugene tucked a sword into his waistband and left the alley.

He asked around for the largest gambling house, and after some time, he arrived in front of it.

'It's so big, it was easy to find.'

Its size was comparable to an annex of the royal academy.

Eugene joined the queue at the entrance and soon faced the doorman.

"Good evening."

The doorman had a fierce face and a massive build, perfect for guarding a gambling house.

He frowned at Eugene's hooded and masked appearance.

"Please remove your hood."

"Alright."

Eugene took off his hood, revealing the mask underneath.

Seeing his absurd appearance, the doorman chuckled and said,

"Take off the mask too."

"That's a bit..."

"What's that?"

"I have a large scar on my face."

"Scars or whatever..."

The doorman, frowning deeply, approached him.

"Take off the mask. We need to verify identities!"

As his large hand reached out, Eugene channeled his mana.

His hand moved swiftly like light to meet the doorman's.

"What is this... huh?"

The doorman felt the sensation of precious metal in his hand.

Looking down in astonishment, he saw several shiny silver coins.

"Should I take off the mask?"

"Uh...?"

"Do I need to remove the mask?"

"...I suppose it's not necessary."

The doorman grinned widely.

"Welcome to the Night of Hobart."

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