IBRIP l CH 106

Chapter 106

Count Bluebell is dead.

He died in an explosion while many important guests, including the Emperor, were gathered.

No one could figure out what caused the explosion. It was nearly impossible.

It seemed that Count Bluebell had put all his stats into magic. But even though he died so suddenly, hardly anyone mourned him.

Even his own children and wife couldn’t squeeze out a single tear.

Only one person cried for him—Josef, who was with him during the explosion. He saw everything up close and wept as if he was truly mourning.

***

Footsteps echoed down the long, gray hallway. The air smelled faintly of medicine and felt cold.

I stopped in front of one of the rooms.

Knock knock.

I knocked but opened the door before getting permission.

“Hi, Josef.”

“…Hi, Izana.”

Josef sat on the bed. He had survived the explosion, but he wasn’t unharmed.

He had minor burns on his face, and his body was bruised. Blood had seeped through the bandage wrapped around his head.

He would probably be left with some scars.

“You came alone? I thought Oscar or Boris would be with you.”

“…Boris is still sick with a fever and resting not far from here. Oscar has a headache and is resting too, but he’s also in the palace.”

I brought a chair over and sat close to the bed. Josef looked at me with curiosity.

“It’s really interesting. People keep gathering around you—first Egriol, then His Majesty the Emperor, and now Oscar and Boris. Did you know? The Haiga family, including the Marchioness and her granddaughter Irina, are coming to the palace soon. Just to see you.”

Josef blinked slowly.

“That sounds fun.”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Was it you?

Winter had said confidently that Josef must have killed Count Bluebell. And deep inside, I also felt the same.

“…Oscar remembered everything.”

Instead of diving into the hard topic, I changed the subject briefly.

Josef turned to look out the window.

“I guess Oscar will hate me now, like he hated Boris. That’s bad. Oscar punches really hard…”

“He wants to hear from you directly. What really happened, and why you did it.”

Josef stayed silent for a long time, just staring out the window.

“Izana, how do you know so much? You used to be stuck in that small room, barely going outside. But now you know everything before anyone else.”

“…”

“You seem to know everything. So, can I ask just one thing?”

Before I could say no, Josef smiled and asked:

“I want to play too. How can I join?”

Even with his head wrapped in bandages, Josef’s smile was still beautiful. It gave me chills.

I swallowed a deep breath and began carefully.

“Well first…”

Josef looked at me with eager eyes. I wanted to shut mine tightly to escape.

“You have to apologize to Oscar. And to Boris too. You should explain everything and ask them for forgiveness yourself.”

Josef was the villain in the original story, a child just eleven years old—and my brother.

But the shadow hanging over him was already so dark.

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

He nodded without complaint.

I continued, speaking through tightly clenched teeth.

“It won’t be easy… Relationships need trust. Once that trust breaks, it’s really hard to rebuild. Maybe even impossible.”

“Trust, huh. That’s the opposite of what Grandpa used to say.”

Josef touched his chin thoughtfully, frowning as if in deep conflict. Then, he nodded in understanding.

“But you beat Grandpa. So maybe he was wrong.”

Sometimes he really felt like a child again.

Talking about strength as if it were everything. In a way, that made him similar to Boris too.

“Then let’s do this, Izana. Let’s play the truth game again. If I lie, it means you and I have no trust left.”

Josef waved his hand in the air as if he was touching something invisible.

“The statue’s gone now, but real trust should be built even without things like that, right?”

“Yeah. That’s true.”

Josef fiddled with the bandages on his head, looking uncomfortable. Blood smeared onto his fingers.

“You once asked if I ever wanted to be the heir instead of Boris. The truth is, yes. I always did.”

“You said it was because Boris kept dumping chores and responsibilities on you.”

“That’s not wrong either.”

Josef looked down at the blood on his hand and spoke.

“Being the second son isn’t like being the first. I didn’t have power and had to be pushed around by the adults. I thought if I became the heir, I could escape all that.”

…Technically, the heir should’ve been Josef, not Boris, because Boris was born out of wedlock. Josef was the legal firstborn.

But I stayed silent and just nodded.

“I’m talking about Grandpa.”

“Count Bluebell?”

“Yeah. He liked me. He said I’d be a great magician and was really happy. So he took the things I did and credited them to Boris.”

The truth finally came out.

I was too shocked to even close my mouth.

‘So Count Bluebell took pride in producing powerful magicians and saw potential in Josef…’

If this was true, then the real villain of the original story was likely him.

It was ironic. A villain had killed another villain, but something about it felt unsettling.

“That’s why I killed him.”

“…W-What?”

“Yep. Now you’re pretending to be surprised. But you already knew, didn’t you?”

Josef poked beneath my eyebrow and giggled.

“When you lie or pretend to be surprised, this spot moves up like this. So cute.”

As he moved, the faint scent of blood filled the air. There was something chilling in it.

His hand brushing near my eyes felt like it might dig them out at any second.

Josef is different. Way too different…

I wanted to rely on the totem that disappeared—to know if Josef was being honest.

Trust wasn’t about whether he could feel it from me, but whether I could feel it from him.

You say I see through everything?

No, I haven’t figured out the Josef in front of me. Only the Josef from the original novel.

But they’re not the same person. They’re both the same and completely different.

This—this is what all possessed characters have to deal with.

I slowly counted to three in my head.

After three, I would decide to either save Josef… or kill him.

One.

“I wonder if I’ve disappointed you, Izana. Like how Baron Illin asked if you were scared of him.”

Two.

“…”

Three.

“Yeah.”

I opened my eyes.

“And… not just Baron Illin. You’re a little scary too, Josef.”

Josef smiled and nodded slowly.

“Good. I feel like we’re building trust.”

He ran a hand through his hair, then leaned back on the bed, wincing slightly.

“I’ll take a nap. Then I’ll go apologize to Oscar and Boris.”

He muttered like it was the most dreadful thing.

“Ugh… just thinking about Oscar punching me again is awful.”

“Boris punches pretty hard too.”

Josef let out another long sigh.

Once he was asleep, I stood up carefully.

***

“Duke.”

As I stepped out the door, Winter was waiting for me as usual.

The (former) sweet potato in his arms nibbled his hair, but when it saw me, it reached out like it wanted a hug.

“Izana,” Winter said in his usual gentle voice.

“Do you plan to reform Josef Rohiya?”

I’d expected him to ask that eventually.

And now, I feel ready to answer.

“Well… just because I want to doesn’t mean it’ll work. Josef is like someone who raises butterflies.”

“…”

“So to answer honestly, I want to make good use of him. Just like you once hoped to.”

Winter looked at me expressionlessly.

“You mean the ‘Nen’?”

I nodded, and he added,

“But I failed.”

“Maybe things will be different this time. A lot has already changed. I’m sorry—I know my brother hurt you, but if I can use Josef well, a lot of things might become easier.”

This was the excuse I thought of during my count to three.

Seven years from now, monsters will start appearing by the riverside.

It’s called the Monster Wave.