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

Chapter 52: What Did You Say Just Now? (4)

TL/Editor: Raei

Schedule: N/A

Illustrations: Posted in discord.

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"So, summarizing what you've said so far, the ancestors of the Hobart Viscount family felt inferior to the Grace Barony?"

"."

"And they were insanely jealous because, despite being just a barony, they made more money than them with a single iron mine and flourished."

"I'm sorry."

Nathan's entire face was swollen and bruised.

His lips were so puffy that he couldn't pronounce words properly.

He had been beaten to near death by Eugene and had broken down, spilling every detail.

"I can't tell if these are people or beasts"

Eugene laughed in disbelief.

The misdeeds committed by the ancestors of the Hobart Viscount family far exceeded his imagination.

"Hey."

"Yes."

"I get that you coveted the wealth and iron mine of the Grace Barony."

"."

"And even the desire to swallow them up!"

"."

"But didnt you think that the way you went about it crossed the line?"

"."

Nathan weakly nodded.

He wasn't an elder from decades ago, just a person who had been pushed out in the family head's struggle.

Though he had agreed to drive the Grace Barony to madness and swallow everything they had, he didn't directly influence these events.

But even he thought...

His familys misdeeds had crossed a line that humans should never cross.

Sitting atop a mountain of gold built from these crimes, indulging and living well...

He had no words to defend himself.

"Ah... crazy bastards..."

Eugene scratched his head and stood up.

As he had predicted, the ancestors of the Hobart Viscount family had conspired to ruin the Grace Barony and manipulate their family into ruin.

And then they slowly stole everything...

'Ah.'

Seeing the well-fed and prosperous Nathan, who lived happily on the wealth and power accumulated through evil deeds, Eugene felt an urge to end him right then and there.

His grandfather, who had been a victim of these conspiracies, must have destroyed his own family with his own hands and died with tears of blood in his heart.

But...

'I must hold back.'

If he killed Nathan in anger, everything would be for naught.

He needed to use him to prove the Hobart Viscounty's misdeeds and reclaim all the unjustly taken breweries, stores, and iron mines.

He also had to settle the massive debt.

It was a path for the sake of Dallas, Erika, and everyone in the family who had suffered all their lives.

Eugene took off his mask and crouched in front of Nathan.

There was no longer any need to hide his identity, now that things had come this far.

"Hey."

"Yes......"

Nathan trembled as he looked at Eugene, his eyes filled with fear...

He seemed traumatized from being beaten too much.

"You've been living well, feeding off what you took from our family, haven't you?"

"Yes...... that's true......"

"You've been comfortable for a long time. Now you know it's time to return what you've taken, right?"

"I am aware...... of that......"

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"Good. Then come with me to the security office. Confess all your misdeeds and testify in court. If you do that, I won't beat you anymore and will treat you well."

"I understand......"

Nathan nodded vigorously.

'This should do it.'

Eugene sighed, about to untie Nathan, when...

'Wait.'

A doubt crept into his mind, making him pause.

...Would taking this man to the security office really solve everything cleanly?

While interrogating Nathan, Eugene learned various facts about him.

Nathan was just a figure pushed aside in the family headship struggle, without any significant influence.

Even now, as an old man, he was merely given a ceremonial elder position by the family, unable to be expelled due to his high birth order.

Had he been born in a poorer noble family, he wouldn't have been able to afford luxuries like hiring guards and frequenting gambling houses.

In essence, he was nothing more than a powerless old man in the back.

'Would it even be meaningful to put such a man on trial?'

It was unlikely.

Even if Eugene manipulated him to expose the Hobart Viscount family's crimes, there would be strong opposition.

Especially since the Hobart Viscount would likely form a counter-opinion.

The Viscount, although greedy and indulgent in pleasures, was not a fool.

By seizing everything from the Grace Barony and becoming the region's richest man, he wielded enormous influence in the area.

It was highly likely that he had bribed the local security office and court.

'If that's the case...'

The testimony of Nathan, a mere old man in the back, and Eugene's voice based on that testimony could easily be crushed.

The Hobart Viscount was the powerful head of a Viscount family, and Eugene was just the eldest son of a fallen barony.

'There's no easy task in this world.'

Putting Nathan on the stand was a last resort.

Such an action would likely result in no one listening to Eugene's words.

To overturn all the current adverse conditions and expose the Hobart Viscount family's crimes to the world, fundamental evidence proving their misdeeds was necessary.

Unquestionable, irrefutable evidence!

'For that purpose.'

He would have to resort to some bloodshed.

Eugene, with a grim expression, grasped Nathan's hand.

"What are you going to do......?"

Nathan, paralyzed with fear, sent him a questioning look.

Eugene didn't bother to answer and instead, summoned the mana inside his body.

Zzzt.

The mana soon transformed into electric energy and flowed into Nathan's body.

Crackle!

"Aarrghh!"

Nathan convulsed, his eyes rolling back as his face was quickly smeared with tears and snot.

"Stop! Please, no more!"

The electric energy raced through his body, burning his organs.

The pain was beyond what any human could endure.

If this continued, Nathan's mind might break entirely.

'That's enough.'

Eugene absorbed the energy back into himself.

"Urgh, urghh..."

Nathan, foaming at the mouth, gasped for air.

Eugene grabbed his shoulder.

"Snap out of it."

"Haaahh!"

"Did that hurt?"

"Please, don't do it again... I'll tell you everything, anything you ask!"

"Alright. I understand."

Nathan's face said he would confess to anything, even fabricate truths.

Eugene waited for Nathan to calm down a bit before asking,

"I need evidence."

"What kind of evidence are you referring to......?"

"Evidence that you guys fed my grandfather poison. Do you know anything?"

Nathan, trembling, opened his mouth.

"I, I really don't know anything... I'm just a useless old man......!"

Tears streamed down his face, overwhelmed by fear.

"It's okay. You might not know. That's understandable."

"Thank you for understanding......"

"I'll help you remember."

"You'll help me......?"

Eugene smiled and took his hand again.

Crackle!

"Aarrghh!"

Once again, Nathan was tormented by intense pain.

'Evidence! I need evidence!'

Amidst the agonizing pain, he racked his brain for anything that could serve as evidence.

He desperately searched through every memory.

'Damn this family!'

If revealing information could free him from this hellish torture, he would gladly see his family ruined.

Crackle!

His entire body was scorched black by the high-temperature energy.

Finally, after enduring the excruciating torture, Nathan squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out,

"I remember!"

"Oh? You remember?"

Eugene quickly withdrew the energy.

"Tell me, what is it?"

"In the basement...... the basement!"

"The basement?"

Nathan nodded vigorously and continued.

"There's a sealed chamber in the basement, only accessible by my brother, the former family head... He had a dark side and wrote diaries every day... He spent a lot of time there..."

"So, you think evidence might be there?"

"I can't be certain... but if it's not there, there won't be any evidence anywhere else..."

"That's interesting..."

This was indeed a significant lead.

If he went to the secret chamber located in the basement of the Hobart Viscount's residence, he was likely to find something that could serve as evidence.

'I have to check out the secret chamber.'

The next step was to plan an infiltration into the chamber.

For that, he needed a lot of information.

The exact location of the chamber, the dangers he might face on the way, and how to open the chamber door.

.

Eugene smiled wryly as he held Nathan's hand.

Urghh

Nathan foamed at the mouth and passed out.

Oh no

He hadn't even done anything this time...

It seemed the physical torture had been too much, pushing him beyond his mental limits.

'Can't be helped.'

He'd have to ask again when Nathan woke up.

Eugene lay down beside Nathan to catch some sleep.

He was just as sleep-deprived.

---

Raei Translations

---

Several hours later.

Eeeek!

Nathan woke up with a start.

His scream was so loud that Eugene also woke up.

Awake? Let's start.

.

Eugene sat in front of Nathan and took his hand.

If you answer my questions well, it won't hurt. Your lips have healed a bit, so you should be able to speak clearly. It was hard to understand you before.

.

Let's begin then.

I understand.

Tell me the exact location of the secret chamber you mentioned.

The location of the chamber is.

The interrogation continued for a long time.

Even the slightest piece of knowledge could determine the success or failure of the infiltration.

I now know how to get to the chamber. Tell me how to open its door.

My brother was the only one who could enter, so I'm not exactly sure... But I think you'll need some magical knowledge.

What kind of magic?

I've only seen it once or twice... But there was a huge magic circle drawn on the chamber door. It must be used to open the door, and since my brother was proficient in lightning magic, he probably used that to open and close it.

No one else was supposed to enter the chamber, after all.

I see.

To open the chamber door, a high level of proficiency in lightning magic was required.

What level of lightning magic did the former Hobart Viscount master?

Six-star.

Six-star

Six-star was a realm unreachable for anyone in Eugene's age group.

No one had ever broken through the thick wall of six-star.

To enter the chamber, I need to break through to six-star...

Even Eugene, a prodigy in magic, had not yet reached six-star.

It would be logical to look for another way.

Logically

But he didn't have the luxury of time to ponder leisurely.

There was no guarantee he could find another method.

So.

'I have no choice but to try.'

Eugene had to challenge the six-star barrier.

There were approximately six days left until Hobart Viscount proposed to Erika.

'From now on, I will abstain from all distractions and enter into intensive training.'

With a firm resolve, Eugene stood up.

His face was calm as he drew a sword from its sheath.

Swoosh!

Nathan's severed head rolled across the floor.

'I don't particularly enjoy killing.'

But from the moment he removed his mask in front of Nathan, sparing his life had become a difficult choice.

'He had his fill of life, he won't feel wronged.'

If Nathan did feel wronged, the previous generation's Grace Baron in heaven wouldn't stay silent.

No one could feel more aggrieved than him, who had been manipulated to ruin his own family and die alone.

'Time is of the essence.'

Eugene infused his legs with mana and leaped off the ground.

There was a mountain of tasks awaiting him.

---Toggle New Ads

Decided to post 4 instead. Also a reminder due to a comment I read on an earlier chap, this novel is on hiatus! The author has gone missing, 60 is the last chap...

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