Revenge of the Iron-Blooded Sword Hound TL

Chapter 7 The Dogs of the Baskerville Family (4)

Vikir knows Hugo's personality well.

'...Lizard man.'

A cold-blooded human with blood so cold he might as well be a reptile.

Basically, he was a being only interested in the family's future and his own achievements.

A man who sees everything except himself as tools, and among those, weapons.

Weapons fundamentally exist to harm others, and it's unimaginable for a weapon to independently show mercy or hesitate.

It's also natural that the more poison a weapon contains, the better it becomes.

So it was quite possible for Hugo's gaze towards Vikir to gradually fill with satisfaction.

"So. You think you're not guilty?"

"Yes. Rather, my brothers were wrong."

"What did they do wrong?"

"The wrong of being weak."

Respect for the strong. A world where weakness itself is a sin.

Isn't that exactly what the Baskerville family is about?

Vikir's words precisely penetrated this core family motto of the Baskerville family.

It's not a sin for a lion to eat a deer.

It's the law of nature for the strong to beat up the weak, and claiming that this should be divided into sin and punishment is just the whining of the weak.

This was the teaching of Hugo behind the tutors that was nailed into their ears like a nail during childhood.

'...So saying "But my brothers bullied me first!" and whining would be utterly useless.'

The pre-regression Vikir, like ordinary children usually do, explained his innocence and his brothers' guilt, but Hugo only showed contempt with an even more furrowed expression.

...And that gaze remained the same until the last moment when he knelt at the guillotine on the execution ground.

Meanwhile.

Hugo le Baskerville.

He interlocked his fingers and covered his mouth.

Then he spoke in a low, sunken voice.

"Your brothers came here before you."

"..."

"They said, as befits elders, that they would generously forgive you."

Vikir didn't bother to answer.

Having experience of being by Hugo's side for a long time, he could tell.

The triplets probably not only failed to give an answer that pleased Hugo, but rather only irritated him.

'They must have been completely cowed. And forgiveness? It's obvious they would have whined to somehow isolate me, claiming they suffered insubordination.'

Vikir answered in a voice devoid of any particular emotion.

"Age is something you get for free, after all."

"..."

Hugo paused for a moment.

Finally, Hugo let out a faint laugh.

"Huhuhuh. That's true. This father also worked hard to become the legitimate heir when ascending to the position of family head."

It was quite an unfamiliar sight for Hugo to refer to himself as 'father'.

'By the way, working hard to become the legitimate heir? Is that something you can achieve through effort?'

Vikir, who was pondering for a moment at this unfamiliar statement, soon understood the meaning.

Hugo had ascended to the position of family head through insubordination, that is, by killing all his older brothers.

'I see. I had always heard that the eldest son unconditionally inherits the family. So even being the eldest son can be achieved artificially.'

It was a moment of renewed realization of the true nature of the Baskerville family.

Hugo asked again.

"In any case. Your brothers extended their hands first, saying they would forgive you. Don't you feel any guilt even then?"

"..."

Vikir silently looked at Hugo for a moment.

The warm gaze of a father he had never received in his previous life.

But a heart already frozen cold can never be thawed by such feeble warmth.

...When was it before the regression?

The last daughter of a family annihilated by the Baskervilles once came to see Hugo directly.

After a considerable time had passed, she, who had become a nun, held a mass with the content of 'I forgive you'.

And Hugo, upon hearing the content of that mass, had said this:

"Isn't forgiveness just an excuse of the weak who lack the power to take revenge?"

Except for the honorific, it was exactly the same line as Hugo from that time.

At that moment, Hugo's eyes widened.

"Hahahahahahaha-"

Only then did laughter so loud it shook the windows echo throughout the lord's chamber.

Hugo leaned back in his chair with an extremely satisfied expression.

"This is how my child should be. It's like seeing my firstborn."

It was the first time Vikir had seen him express this much emotion towards a child.

This was the end of the conversation with Hugo.

"Barrymore."

Hugo, who called for the butler, had already returned to an expressionless face.

But the voice coming from his mouth still retained the warmth of embers.

"Give Vikir the key to the food storage."

Barrymore's eyes widened at those words.

The children of the Baskerville family always eat the same food until they turn 15.

Water and haggis.

A dough made by mashing together all kinds of animal meat and organs with a bit of vegetables, boasting extreme calories and nutrition, but extremely unpalatable and salty.

The amount of food is provided unlimitedly and managed very hygienically, but there's absolutely no taste to be found.

That's why the young children of the Baskerville family are crazy about the occasional cookies, candies, or chocolates that sometimes fall their way when they achieve excellent grades in basic education.

It's a system that can raise children's learning motivation, foster a sense of competition, and ultimately raise them as excellent members of the Baskerville family at a very low cost.

Knowing this, Hugo asked Vikir:

"Is there any snack you want to eat?"

Then Vikir promptly answered with a naive smile characteristic of an 8-year-old child:

"Chocolate!"

Hugo nodded at this sight.

He's probably thinking something like 'He even has the cuteness appropriate for his age'.

Barrymore also smiled warmly, as if thinking that a child is indeed a child.

Hugo gestured to Barrymore.

"Take him to the food storage and let him take as much chocolate as he wants. But don't let him be too greedy. Only as much as he can carry."

"Yes, my lord."

Barrymore took Vikir's hand and headed towards the door.

At that moment.

Hugo, with his back to the door, said:

"Do well in this midterm evaluation."

It's unusual to receive such encouragement.

But what followed was even more unusual.

"...Don't lose to the direct descendants."

At those words, Vikir's eyes began to emit a bright red light.

Like two suns.

* * *

"This way, young master."

Barrymore took Vikir to the kitchen located on the outskirts of the Infant Tooth Castle.

A few chefs followed behind, standing respectfully.

The food storage deep underground is always cool.

The cold air gushing out from between the stones was creating condensation as it met the warm air that entered when the door opened.

Barrymore held up a lantern to illuminate the interior of the storage.

It's something that could be done by using mana, but it would be embarrassing to make the old butler go to such lengths unnecessarily.

Vikir went inside.

He could see neatly arranged ingredients eaten by the family's guardian knights, family members over 15, and other servants.

"Candies and jellies are this way. If there's any menu you'd like to have prepared separately, I'll have the chefs prepare it."

Vikir shook his head at Barrymore's kind offer.

"Just chocolate is fine."

At those words, Barrymore looked down at Vikir with a slightly pitiful gaze.

How much must he have wanted to eat chocolate.

"When you're over 15, you'll be able to eat whatever you want to your heart's content."

It was a sincere consolation.

The chefs behind, watching the butler's expression, took out the finest chocolates from the shelves.

"This is the finest chocolate that the daughters of the Morgue family, known as gourmets, enjoy eating. We've also acquired a few cans this time. It's said that the flavor becomes even richer when accompanied by southern nuts and western honey."

But Vikir shook his head.

"I don't need processed ones."

"...Pardon?"

Towards Barrymore and the chefs with puzzled expressions, Vikir opened his mouth.

"I need cacao bean kernels. A variety with a very rich flavor."

Hearing this, Barrymore tilted his head.

The raw material for chocolate is cacao beans.

However, unprocessed cacao beans are not sweet at all, but rather bitter and astringent.

Moreover, if it's a variety with a rich flavor, it would surely only taste bitter.

After a while, Barrymore, having heard the chefs' report, said:

"Hmm. If it's a variety with a rich flavor... we do have some, they say. In the past, when our lord personally led the family's senators to subjugate the barbarians on the western front of our territory and pioneered the vast jungle in that area into farmland. The 'Bloody Bean' from that area's specialty is said to be able to make 100 liters of chocolate with just one bean."

"Good. Bring it."

"How much should we bring?"

"As much as there is."

The chefs moved at Vikir's order.

Eventually, one chef came with a small leather pouch in his hand.

Inside the pouch, barely big enough to fit two fists, were bright red beans.

There seemed to be over 100 beans at a rough estimate.

This is the Bloody Bean. Said to have a concentration equivalent to 100 liters of chocolate per bean.

Vikir tried chewing one bean as a test.

...Crunch!

The reaction in his mouth was immediate.

It was so astringent and bitter that his entire tongue felt numb.

Vikir spat out the bean and nodded with satisfaction.

Barrymore nodded.

'He really likes chocolate.'

Anyway, since Hugo had said to give Vikir as much food as he wanted within what he could carry, there would be no problem even if he took all these cacao beans.

However, this one sack of cacao beans could produce 10,000 liters of chocolate.

Barrymore marveled at the 8-year-old child's greed and wisdom.

Vikir would probably be able to eat his favorite chocolate to his heart's content for the rest of his life.

"Young master. Shall we process this and bring it up to your room?"

...However.

Vikir gave an answer that puzzled everyone's expressions.

"No need for processing. This is enough as it is."

It seems he didn't get it to eat himself after all.