The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around
Chapter 131: Red Strings

Chapter 131: Red Strings

Valmont Household

It had been a full week since the return of the second young master, Eren Valmont, to the estate. The chaos and uproar that had once shaken the mansion had finally settled. The atmosphere, once tense and unpredictable, was now calm. Life at the Valmont household had returned to its usual pace... or at least something close to it.

The knights had resumed their regular patrols and drills, their armor gleaming once more in the morning sun. The servants moved briskly through the halls with practiced discipline. Everything seemed normal on the surface—yet subtle changes had taken root, especially with the arrival of two new, very distinct individuals.

Raven, the former mercenary, was now officially serving under the command of Knight Commander Gareth. With her monster taming abilities and sharp instincts, she had become an invaluable scout and field operative for the Valmont expedition teams. Though some of the knights who still not know her well were initially wary of her rough past, they had begun to acknowledge her skills.

Meanwhile, Seraphina—also known as Sera—had taken on the role of Eren’s personal maid. While she was still a bit amateurish in her new job (having never dusted a shelf or prepared tea before), she tackled her tasks with pride. After all, she was a former Demon Lord. No matter how mundane or foreign the job, she believed she could master it flawlessly—and often did, though with her own eccentric flair.

As for the rest of the cast...

Leon, the knight prodigy, had departed on a long expedition with his team. News of his whereabouts wouldn’t arrive anytime soon.

Cedric, Eren’s older brother, had also left the estate a long time ago. He was headed far to the south, toward the elven lands, seeking to expand the family’s trade network and his business influence.

The Marquis and Marchioness, Eren’s parents, had returned to their usual, healthy routines as well. And by "healthy," it meant they were pleasantly plump once again–Fat again–completely at ease now that their favorite second son had returned safe and sound.

And perhaps the strangest development of all was the regular interaction between Seraphina and the System,Useless.

Not that Eren particularly cared about that either.

---

Inside the Young Master’s Room

Within the comfort of his private chamber, Eren was lying upside down on his bed—his back pressed against the mattress and legs propped up lazily over the headboard. In his hands, he held a sleek black game console, his fingers tapping away as he played with focused ease.

---

On the screen, a floating boss made of black-and-white ink hovered menacingly in midair. The humanoid flew high in to the air, preparing to unleash a devastating Ultimate attack again. But just in time, a young white-haired heroine darted in from above. With elegant precision, she drove her rapier straight into the boss, slamming it down with a burst white light.

Red petals swirled in the air as the victorious screen popped up, with the Heroine showing off her elegance.

[VICTORY!]

---

Without much fanfare, Eren skipped the celebratory cutscenes and quickly launched the final hidden battle. A choice appeared between two main characters. He picked the male lead, skipped again, and brought the game to its true ending.

With a soft exhale, Eren lowered his console and looked up at the glowing holographic quest panel that had appeared in the air above him.

---

[Quest: Lightning Speedrun]

Objective: Complete the game "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" in under 6 hours.

Optional Goals:

— Take zero damage during battle.

— Land over 1,000 counter-attacks.

Difficulty: ★★★★★ (Extreme)

Rewards:

— 2,000 SP (Clear Time < 6 hrs)

— 500 SP (No Damage)

— 1 SP per Counter (1,000+)

Penalty for Failure: None

---

[Quest Completed!]

Time: 05:36:39

Damage Received: 0

Counters Landed: 1,339

Total Reward: 3,839 SP Earned

---

With a satisfied nod, Eren dismissed the panel and sat up, stretching his arms with a big yawn.

"Yawn. That was so... refreshing."

Just then, the robotic voice of Useless echoed into his thoughts.

[Master. The task you assigned yesterday has been completed.]

Eren raised a brow. "Already?"

Suddenly, multiple purple holographic screens flickered into existence before him. Each one displayed detailed profiles, data, and stats of various individuals.

Eren’s sharp eyes scanned the screens within seconds. Then, with a motion of his hand, the panels all condensed into a glowing data sphere, hovering in his palm like a small, radiant star.

He stood up from the bed and moved to the center of his room. With one fluid swing of his arm, the glowing sphere exploded outward—projecting dozens of big hologramic screens into the air around him in a full circle, as if forming a high-tech command interface.

Each screen displayed an individual’s image and personal data, like an elite scouting board for targets and prospects.

Name, background, shape, combat data, history, status, skills, abilities, connections, and so on.

Cracking his neck and fingers, Eren summoned a sleek black stylus pen from his system storage. His lazy, half-lidded eyes sharpened as he murmured under his breath,

"Let’s begin."

___

(Elsewhere — D’Armand Household)

In the knights family’s training grounds, two figures clashed fiercely with wooden swords.

–BANG!

–BANG

–CRACK!

One of the wooden blades split in two with a sharp snap.

Commander Carlos, the D’Armand family’s loyal knight captain, looked down at his broken sword with wide eyes—before grinning proudly at the young girl who stood before him.

"Congratulations, Lady Mereoleona. You’ve won."

Panting heavily, drenched in sweat all over her face, the red-haired girl let out a tired but triumphant smile—then dropped to her knees in exhaustion.

"My lady!" cried her maid, Lilian, rushing to her side with a towel and a canteen. She used a small cleansing spell to cool her down, before gently wiping the sweat from her brow.

Despite the soreness in her arms, Mereoleona continued smiling as she looked down at her scraped, calloused hands. She clenched them into fists with pride.

’I finally did it,’ she thought to herself. She could feel it—her Signet was finally ready to level up.

____

The image of the red-haired girl Mereoleona glowed faintly on one of the projected profile data screens. Eren tapped it with his black stylus pen, and with a smooth flick of his wrist, he drew a glowing red line to the side—like a thread connecting her to something...

___

(Stormclad Hunting Ground – Wild Northern Forest)

A massive, tusked boar-like monster thundered through the forest, crashing through thick underbrush and trees in blind panic. Its breathing was erratic, its hooves pounding the ground as it ran for its life.

But its chase was already over.

–Shuuuush!

–Bang!

–THUD!

A silver spear hurled from above pierced cleanly through its skull, pinning the beast into the earth with terrifying force. Blood sprayed before the body dissolved into dark mist.

Landing lightly atop the monster’s twitching remains was a grinning young girl with short, wild light-blue hair tied behind her head. Her yellow eyes sparkled with thrill as she yanked her spear free with one hand.

"Hehe... that makes ninety-six," she whispered with a wolfish grin.

The boar’s body turned to fading dark particles, leaving behind a pulsing magic gem on the ground. She didn’t even glance at it and ignored it.

Instead, she snapped her gaze toward the distant rustling brush, her predator-like grin widening.

"Four more to go~"

–BOOM!

She dashed forward with an explosion of thunder.

___

Her image appeared next on one of the floating holographic profile panels. Eren’s pen tapped it with precision, then moved to the side again—another red line drawn.

___

(The Grand Magic Tower – Hidden Chamber Room)

In the depths of the towering magical long tower, hidden beneath layers of protective enchantments, a lone female mage worked secretly in the darkness.

Her robes singed and hair tied loosely behind her, she stood in the center of a complex, glowing white magic circle etched into the stone floor.

She held an ancient staff as she was chanting under her breath,

"As above, so below... bend time and tear through space..."

The runes on the magic circle flared as power surged unnaturally.

–ZAP!

Byt then, electric pulses snapped through the air as the energy spiraled wildly out of control.

–BOOM!

The entire chamber exploded in magical backlash, as the Tower shook from the impact.

Smoke and debris filled the space as alarms flared. Yet, standing amidst the destruction, protected by a glowing shield from her artifact, was the silver-haired mage, coughing through the dust.

"Cough! Cough! Another failure..."

–RUSTLE!

Suddenly, she heard footsteps rushing toward the blast site.

"Crap! Gotta go now!"

Panicking, she pulled out a teleportation scroll from her storage ring and ripped it.

–SHWING!

In a flash of light, her body vanished—fleeing before anyone could see her disaster.

___

Her picture also popped up next on one of the floating screens. Another tap. Another red string drawn by Eren.

___

(Church of Sanin – Central Temple)

In the radiant hall of the Church of Sanin, a young Saintess kneeled silently before the statue of the Goddess of Harmony and Creation.

She wore a flowing white saintess gown, a delicate veil covering her silver-golden hair. Her hands clasped in prayer, her lips whispered quietly.

Suddenly—

"Huh!"

Her eyes snapped open, glowing golden as she looked up at the serene stone face of the goddess.

"What... does that mean?" she muttered in a shaken whisper, confusion etched into her expression.

___

The system screen displayed her profile next. With another flick of his pen, Eren added her to the red network.

___

(Border Between the Northern and Eastern Regions – Wasteland Trail)

A cloaked figure trudged through the dry, cracked earth of a barren no-man’s land. Dust and wind billowed behind their steps, and the sun was high above—but they didn’t stop.

Then—

–SHRIEEK!

A massive bird-like monster dove from the skies, its enormous wings casting a shadow over the wasteland. With talons open wide, it aimed to snatch its prey.

–STEP

But the figure halted.

–SLING

And sleek sword hissed from its sheath.

–SLASH!

–SPLATTER!

The bird monster never stood a chance. Its body was sliced into clean segments midair before it hit the ground, erupting into red mist before fading to dark dust.

The wind tugged back the figure’s hood, revealing a stoic young girl with long black hair and piercing black eyes. Her long Ōdachi blade gleamed in the sunlight.

Slowly, she sheathed it wordlessly.

Glancing at the disappearing monster, she muttered under her breath,

"I’m hungry."

And continued walking forward.

___

Her profile flickered next into view on Eren’s grid. Tap. Red line. Connected.

But the scene didn’t stop there.

The red line extended... continuing, stretching out from her profile toward another screen—one that showed the picture of a young boy with white hair and deep blue eyes.

___

(Countryside – Near the Aisman Kingdom)

A young, scruffy boy trudged up a grassy hill, his back weighed down by an enormous bundle of firewood—likely over 200 kilograms in weight.

His tattered shirt clung to his frame from sweat. Mud covered his shoes, and yet, he carried the load with slow determination.

"Hmm?"

He paused mid-step, turning his head toward the horizon. The sunlight caught his face, revealing a handsome youth beneath the grime, with wild white hair and ocean-blue eyes.

From the top of the hill, the vast kingdom of Aisman stretched before him, bathed in golden light. The wind gently rustled his clothes and hair.

He gazed at it in silence... and confusion.

___

Back in Eren’s room...

He finally pulled his pen away and took a step back, letting out a quiet breath.

Before him floated sixty-five individual holographic screens—each glowing softly with violet light. Every panel displayed detailed character profiles, from main characters to side figures across the world story.

And there all contain information from the Valoria Legends.

Each one was connected with glowing red strings, creating a vast spiderweb of fate and data. And at the very center of that web... one single screen that has an image stood out.

A lone portrait. Of the protagonist of this world story.

The Hero of Valoria Legends game.

"...."

Eren slowly twirled the pen between his fingers, his cold, unreadable eyes studying the network in silence, as the crimson red eyes glowed ominously.

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