[V10EX4] The Man Named Curtis Ashley

Curtis Ashley was the nephew of Marquis Highown, and believe it or not, many had once called him a child prodigy.

His excellent memory allowed him to remember the contents of all the books he read, as well as all of the conversations he shared.

His quick wit made him sociable and charismatic. Everyone praised him as a promising child with a bright future.

However, Curtis’s life took a drastic turn on the day after his fifteenth birthday… the day Curtis entered the Forbidden Archives of the Ascard Grand Library.

If he were to inherit the title of Marquis Highown, then he needed to be able to endure the atmosphere of the Forbidden Archives. Thus, his mother sent him inside to test whether or not he could handle it.

Apparently, his timid father had failed to endure the intimidating aura radiated by the monsters within, and fainted in mere three seconds.

Curtis opened the door to the Forbidden Archives… and fainted the next moment. He didn’t even last a single second.

The curiosity of the monsters was lined with hatred, contempt, disgust, murderous intent, malice, and hostility. They had bombarded him with every negative emotion imaginable.

If he had to describe this feeling, it was like wading through a muddy black pool created by layering random colors.

Moreover, it seemed like Curtis was the type of human that looked incredibly ‘appetizing’ to the monsters. Contained within their malice was the nauseating feeling of “oh, here comes a tasty human.” He felt as though he was being licked all over by their tongues.

The delicate Curtis was unable to withstand this atmosphere and snapped.

“No, no, no, no! Absolutely not! I’ll go insane if I stay in there for more than ten seconds! Mother, Father, I offer you my deepest apologies, but it seems I’m not qualified to become Marquis Highown! You can’t complain either, Father! Not like there’s much difference between one second and three, right?”

From that day on, Curtis abandoned being a prodigy.

Becoming the head of House Highown was completely out of the question. Rather than managing the conglomerate of malice known as the Forbidden Archives, Curtis wanted to focus on the enjoyable things in life.

Many people whispered rumors that Curtis had succumbed to the malice of the Forbidden Archives and gone mad. However, their contempt was like a soft breeze when compared to the pure unadulterated hatred of the monsters.

And so, Curtis ended up renouncing his candidacy for the position.

Curtis’s younger brother, who admired him, had often said that Curtis was the most suitable to become Marquis Highown. While Curtis did feel genuinely sorry for being unable to live up to his brother’s respect, it was not enough to make him change his mind.

His brother was sickly in addition to possessing the same constitution and Curtis and their father. That meant he was unlikely to withstand the Forbidden Archives, so House Highown was forced to discuss the issue of their successor several times.

The most viable solution was to arrange a marriage between Curtis and Claudia, the only daughter of the current Marquis Highown. Curtis would become the head of household, and Claudia would manage the Forbidden Archives.

When Curtis heard about this, he immediately fell to the ground.

“Claudia and I… engaged!? No, no, no, no! Absolutely not! Have you seen her personality!?”

“…For the first time, we agree or something,” Claudia followed, having somehow appeared at the entrance of the room before Curtis noticed.

Claudia was looking down on Curtis as if he were trash. That intimidating gaze, which did not seem possible for an eleven-year-old girl, was engraved into his memory.

After much dispute, the issue of their successor was settled when the current Marquis Highown decided to adopt a distantly related child.

Curtis’s mother seemed dissatisfied at this outcome since it meant her influence over internal politics would be reduced. However, both Curtis and his father were relieved.


Eventually, the day arrived for the unveiling of the adopted boy, Cyril Ashley.

Curtis was partly responsible for the events that led to Cyril’s adoption, so he sympathized with Cyril’s position, deciding to treat the boy with as much kindness as possible.

After all, he was being given the terrifying role of caretaker to the Forbidden Archives, not to mention Claudia’s brother. Very pitiable, especially the latter one.

“Nice to meet you, Curtis-sama. I am Cyril Ashley.”

Cyril introduced himself to Curtis with a stiff smile on his face.

“I am incredibly honored to be able to bear the Ashley surname. I understand that I am still immature, but I will strive to avoid bringing shame to the Lineage of Knowledge. Please guide me as…”

“Cyril-kun! I’m so glad to have you join the family! Thank you, thank you! It’s all thanks to you that I don’t have to marry Claudia! I owe you one!”

“…”

“Don’t you think ‘Curtis-sama’ sounds a little too formal? Just call me Curtis-niisan during family gatherings! The big brother of the future Marquis Highown… Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

Cyril looked surprised, but also a bit relieved. Perhaps he had been bracing himself for hostility.

Cyril offered Curtis a deep bow.

“Thank you… Curtis-niisan. I look forward to working with you.”

Once all the introductions were done, it was time for the more casual conversations. The first to speak to the anxious Cyril ended up being a surprising person.

“Cyril-san, would you like to join me for some tea in a separate room?” Curtis’s mother suggested.

“Yes, I’d be delighted,” Cyril replied.

Noticing this exchange, Curtis sighed and slapped his forehead.

Curtis’s mother still wanted Curtis as the family successor, thus making her one of the leading figures who disapproved of Cyril.

However, she had already started walking away with Cyril in tow. It was too late to stop them.

As Curtis was pondering his options, his mother beckoned him over.

“You will be joining us too, Curtis.”

Curtis immediately recognized that his mother intended to complain about him as well. And whenever she started complaining, it ended up being a long tea party.

What started as a few complaints would remind her of further grievances, until ultimately, no one could remember what the initial topic was. The only thing that remained in your head was the torture of endless ranting.

Sure enough, his mother began complaining as soon as they took their seats.

“Cyril-san, do you understand what it means to inherit the title of Marquis Highown?”

“I believe that involves performing our duty as the Lineage of Knowledge.”

“Exactly. The Ashley family is the Lineage of Knowledge… Which is why the head of household must possess the knowledge required to fulfill their duty. Curtis met this requirement when he was a child, but just look at him now… I’ve been lamenting that fact for a while. Are you listening to me, Curtis?”

For some reason, he got hit by a stray shot. Curtis wanted to cry.

His mother let out a never-ending stream of complaints——complaints about her husband, complaints about her son, complaints about the family as a whole, and even complaints about the servants.

Curtis was used to it, so he quickly tuned out, only responding with the occasional nod. Meanwhile, Cyril kept his back straight and listened diligently to the whole thing.

Whenever Curtis’s mother expressed dissatisfaction or anxiety about the current situation, Cyril would respond with something along the lines of, “I will strive to meet your expectations.” The boy was genuinely trying to empathize with his mother’s concerns.

The torture, masquerading as a tea party, lasted for a whopping three hours.

After venting all her accumulated complaints, Curtis’s mother seemed refreshed, as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Thank you for listening to everything I had to say, Cyril-san.”

“No, it was a valuable learning experience. Thank you.”

Curtis glanced at his mother in surprise.

All of her earlier hostility toward Cyril was gone. If anything, her stance had reversed into being favorable.

“Haha, feel free to come to me if you ever encounter any troubles,” said Curtis’s mother, smiling as she left the room.

Seeing this, Curtis suddenly burst into laughter.

The startled Cyril could not help but ask, “Curtis-niisan, what’s wrong? Did I make a mistake somewhere?”

“No, not at all. You’re pretty amazing, Cyril-kun. You can be proud knowing that you got my mother to acknowledge you through pure sincerity.”

Though still looking thoroughly confused, Cyril responded with a “thank you very much.”

(We’ve got a good successor.)

Cyril had managed to endure the torturous stream of complaints and open his mother’s heart. Surely, he could withstand the monsters of the Forbidden Archives as well.

“But well, you could use a bit more playfulness.”

“…Huh?”

Curtis had always liked people who responded with sincerity and genuine goodwill. Thus, he had grown quite fond of the young man known as Cyril Ashley.

“You’re the type of guy who will catch the eyes of the madams. That means you’ll have to learn some clever ways to handle them.”

In this context, ‘catching their eye’ meant attracting their attention and getting invited to their sleeping quarters. However, Cyril interpreted it as ‘standing out in a bad way.’

“P-Please teach me how!” Cyril replied.

Curtis gave a nod of approval, secretly resolving himself to take on the position of an older brother figure. That way, he could continue teaching Cyril the ways of the nobility.

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