The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around
Chapter 118: Eren is Dead?

Chapter 118: Eren is Dead?

...

Worse still, critics started questioning the Marquis’s ability to manage wealth and responsibility. Political rivals began using this crisis as ammunition to attack the Valmont name. Opportunistic nobles tried to cozy up to the King, hoping to carve a piece of power for themselves.

The kingdom of Aisman was turning upside down, all were originally caused by one missing brat.

And it wasn’t just the Marquis who had unraveled. Lady Isadora, their mother, had completely broken down. She locked herself in her chambers, refusing food, barely sleeping, and rejecting visits even from her maids. The atmosphere in the estate was so heavy, it was as if someone had died.

The situation was spiraling out of control.

The knights were stretched thin. The estate’s affairs were in disarray. Even the border territories under Valmont control were suffering from reduced security.

In short—Eren’s disappearance had left a gaping hole in everything.

So Cedric—gritting his teeth and swallowing his pride—stepped in.

He formally requested his father to transfer the entire responsibility of the search to him. He would take care of finding the brat–his little brother, while his father focused on stabilizing the household, comforting his wife, and slapping the noisy nobles back into their place.

The Marquis agreed.

From that moment on, Cedric took full control. He began managing the crisis like a battlefield operation. Within a day, the estate was back in order, and nobles who had tried sniffing around were quickly reminded why the name Valmont carried weight.

With the outer fires controlled, Cedric finally turned inward—to the source of the disaster.

His Little Brother Eren Valmont.

He began gathering all the intel about what led Eren to the Dry Forest in the first place. After speaking to the butler Oswald, Commander Gareth, and several knights and servants who had accompanied the journey, Cedric uncovered a painfully irritating truth:

It was all Eren’s idea!

Yes.

That useless little brat had voluntarily gone to a dangerous forest filled with monsters, bandits and goddess knows what else... for training.

A stupid training?!

In a cursed, monster-infested region.

Unbelievable!

That piece of shit started all of this!

And what made everything even more ridiculous... was the fact that the purpose of the whole trip wasn’t even to train the new elite knights of House Valmont.

Nope.

It was all just to help Eren—the lazy, clueless, totally unqualified second son—"gain experience in the wild."

That’s right. Eren wanted to experience "real-life knight training" for himself.

Cedric scoffed the moment he heard it. No matter how many people repeated it, he refused to believe his lazy excuse of a brother would ever want to leave his room, let alone march off into monster-infested forests like some noble adventurer.

But then came the bombshell.

A report so outrageous, Cedric thought the entire world had gone mad.

Eren had become an Awakener.

And not just any Awakener.

A Self-Awakener.

"What kind of absurd twisted fate am I living in...?" Cedric muttered that day, after hearing it for the fifth time.

Even after interrogating everyone from the knights to the maids, from the butler to his own father, everyone insisted the same thing—they saw it with their own eyes. Eren awakened his own Signet... all by himself.

Apparently while lazing around in his room.

Sleeping in his bed.

Eating snacks.

Cedric’s jaw clenched. His temples throbbed. His pride burned.

It wasn’t just disbelief anymore—it was frustration, annoyance, and just a tiny little pinch of jealousy.

He, Cedric Valmont, trained every day like a lunatic since the age of six before Awakening his Signet. His little brother? He probably tripped over his feet and Awakened by accident!

Still, Cedric wasn’t the type to accept secondhand claims. Until he saw it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t believe a single word.

After piecing together the full story of the trip to the Dry Forest and everything that happened during the month-long camping disaster, Cedric learned about Raven—the mercenary who ambushed Eren’s convoy and ended up getting captured by the knights.

Somehow, that same mercenary had become Commander Gareth’s personal slave under a blood contract.

And who suggested that brilliant idea?

His lovely little brother.

Of course.

Commander Gareth had explained that the contract scroll Eren gave him came from their mother.

Cedric raised an eyebrow to that and quickly called it "Bullshit".

There was no way their mother would hand over something as highly illegal as a blood contract scroll—unless, of course... Eren really was her favorite.

Cedric didn’t like where that thought led.

After having Raven investigated thoroughly by his two most trusted subordinates—Elbow and Reka—they discovered something interesting. The mysterious client who hired Raven to ambush Eren’s convoy had ties to the neighboring Kingdom of Nerwyn.

And by ties, they meant noble blood.

Cedric narrowed his eyes the moment he heard that.

He had a pretty good idea who the culprit might be.

Just two days later, the Waves confirmed a connection between the money Raven received and the funds used to hire the bandits who ambushed Eren’s group.

This was made possible thanks to Ino—a specialized member of the Shadow Waves. Her special Skill allowed her to trace people or objects using residual mana, especially through items touched or exchanged during transactions. Using her skill, she tracked the mana left behind in the payment Raven received and compared it to that of the bandits.

The result?

A perfect match.

Same source. Same origin. Same dirty money.

All the clues pointed toward the Greenhorn household—specifically, Bailey Greenhorn of the Nerwyn Kingdom.

It didn’t take Cedric and Elbow long to figure it out. Bailey was the same noble who held a bitter grudge against Cedric and House Valmont for years.

Why?

Simple. Business rivalry.

Two years ago, Cedric was traveling across the continent, expanding his trade network and forging connections with powerful merchants and nobles.

Nerwyn was one of his stops, and during his visit, he met with two prominent businessmen: Baron Clifford Woodhame and Viscount Bailey Greenhorn.

At that time, Greenhorn’s trading business was booming thanks to his extensive connections and influence. But after a single meeting, Cedric immediately sensed the man’s shady dealings and rejected his offer to collaborate.

Instead, he chose to partner with the baron, Clifford Woodhame—whose business was smaller but far more trustworthy.

That rejection?

It triggered Bailey Greenhorn like a spoiled child denied candy.

In retaliation, Greenhorn tried to sabotage Cedric’s trading routes, block supply lines, and destroy House Valmont’s reputation in Nerwyn.

But Cedric wasn’t the type to sit back quietly.

He struck back by exposing Greenhorn’s illegal dealings—fraudulent contracts, black-market trades, extortion of minor nobles, everything. The fallout was brutal. Bailey lost his reputation, his investors, and even most of his partners, all of whom flocked to Baron Woodhame instead.

Of course, Cedric didn’t expose everything.

He saved a few juicy secrets as trump cards.

Just in case Bailey ever tried something stupid again.

Well.

Now that Eren had gone missing and every thread of evidence pointed toward Greenhorn...

Cedric knew it was time to play all his hidden cards.

He leaked every piece of dirt he had on Greenhorn to the public—backroom deals, slave trades, smuggling rings, everything. Then he sent his Waves to sabotage all of Bailey’s remaining connections and destroy every hidden trading route he had left.

The result?

A spectacular downfall.

The Greenhorn household collapsed.

Their wealth vanished. Their noble title was stripped. Bailey became a disgraced wreck.

And that all happened in three days.

After ensuring Bailey’s ruin, Cedric ordered his subordinates to capture the man and bring him in for interrogation.

He was locked up for five days.

And those five days?

Let’s just say Seka didn’t hold back.

Under the brutal interrogation led by her—Bailey eventually coughed up everything.

And what did he say?

"I didn’t order any kidnapping! I swear! I just paid for a mercenary to scare the brat!"

That’s all.

No plot to abduct Eren. No grand scheme.

Just a petty noble trying to spook the younger Valmont out of spite.

In the end...

Bailey Greenhorn wasn’t the real culprit behind Eren’s disappearance.

----

"Tch."

Cedric clicked his tongue, irritation bubbling inside him. The search was dragging on far too long, and they were getting nowhere.

Because of his annoying missing brother, not only did he have to push back all of his schedule and business trips, but he also missed three very important meetings!

He was starting to run out of patience.

Leaning back in his chair with a deep scowl, he turned to Elbow—and spoke in a low, serious tone.

"...Elbow."

"Y-Yes?!"

"Order every knight to retreat and return to their duties."

Elbow’s eyes went wide in disbelief. Seka and Leon also flinched.

"Tell them to go back to their assigned positions."

"W-wait... Sir, are you saying to stop the search?" Elbow asked, bewildered.

Cedric looked him in the eye and replied without hesitation.

"Yes."

"....."

The room froze.

The knights stared at him, stunned.

"And also... cancel the bounty posted at the Adventurer’s Guild. Announce publicly that the second son of the Marquis is dead."

He knight’s eyes widen in disbelief by what their Boss said.

...

...

...

(EXTRA)

Back in the dark chamber room of the Aberration Dungeon...

Eren sat comfortably on his trusty white plastic chair, legs crossed with authority, as he issued commands like a smug little tyrant.

Before him, kneeling on the cold stone floor, was Seraphina—eyes narrowed in deep displeasure and simmering hatred.

"Stand," he ordered casually.

Seraphina stood.

"Sit."

She sat down cross-legged on the ground without a word.

"Jump."

Seraphina leapt high into the air with flawless posture.

"Wiggle your tail."

Her large, fluffy tail swayed and twirled obediently.

"Backflip!"

With elegant precision, Seraphina did a perfect backflip, landing gracefully like a trained gymnast.

Then Eren pointed to the far wall and yelled, "Attack!"

Seraphina’s hand ignited with black flames, and she launched a blast of dark fire toward the stone wall.

—BOOOOM!

"Unleash your fury!"

A wave of demonic energy burst out from her body as she let out a thunderous roar.

—BOOM!

"GRRAAAAAAAAH!!"

"Fetch!"

Eren tossed a small stick into the air.

Without hesitation, Seraphina dashed forward, caught the stick in her mouth mid-air, then trotted back and knelt before her master—stick in mouth, eyes closed, tail wagging happily like a proud puppy.

"Good girl," Eren grinned, patting her head.

"Woff!" Seraphina barked softly in bliss, eyes still closed, clearly enjoying the pat.

"...!?"

But Suddenly, her body froze as her eyes snapped open wide.

Stunned as she thought,

’Wait... What the hell am I doing?!’

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