79 – The Foolish Brother Left to Swim

Siegfried fled from the evacuation camp at a breakneck pace. I was observing him through a space manipulated by Omoneil’s [Air Manipulation] (AirOpe), which acted like a telephoto lens.

“Shall we let him go?”

“Let him do as he pleases. If we kept that foolish brother here, he’d only be a burden to you all and the refugees. Complaining about bad food, demanding to be treated like me, or asking for a good-looking maid to be sent to his tent… Honestly, what is he thinking in times like these?”

“B-Brad-samaaa…”

Omoneil, despite his refined features, was sobbing with snot dripping from his nose.

“That’s unsightly. Wipe your nose already.”

“M-My apowogies…”

As Omoneil blew his nose with a bweeh, Kobiul returned.

“Good work. So, how’d it go?”

“Well… bofu…”

Kobiul shook his head in response to my question and immediately hung his head. I had asked him—well, he’d taken it upon himself—to search for the missing Bismarck and Sontak.

All I did was ask.

Watching Siegfried run off with a smug look, oblivious to the fact that the three of us had let him go, I was about to share an idea that came to mind.

But before I could finish, Omoneil answered.

“Siegfried…”

“Yes, I’ve already arranged for him to be tailed.”

Whoa…

As expected of Omoneil, his work was swift.

“Truly, Brad-sama is remarkable. Not only did you spare a former enemy vassal and bring them to your side, but you’ve also earned their heartfelt loyalty. You are indeed a lord among lords.”

“Bofu, indeed… Your keen eye for discerning people’s qualities and placing them in the right roles… Truly a talent born to lead! Serving you, Brad-sama, is my greatest joy, Kobiul.”

Huh? Did I do something?

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than being praised for doing nothing… Still, I was grateful for all the arrangements they’d made.

After hearing their reports, I stepped out of the tent. Beyond the large tent prepared for me, countless others stretched across the plain. It pained me to force the evacuated people to live in tents indefinitely.

Feeling restless, I was about to start some otherworldly Minecraft when a rather handsome young man called out to me.

Bowing slightly, the young man sported black hair in a mushroom cut—a hairstyle that could easily look tacky but somehow suited him perfectly.

“Thanks to Brad-sama, I can now summon multiple monsters. So… I’ve sent Ibirun, the one everyone called creepy, to tail Siegfried. When Brad-sama said Ibirun had charm, you can’t imagine how happy that made both me and Ibirun… Ahh, serving Brad-sama makes me so happy~”

Uh, who are you again?

Summoning monsters, tailing Siegfried… Those phrases made me think of one person, though it seemed impossible.

“Ooki!?”

“Yes, your loyal vassal, Ooki Tadaomi!”

He’s slimmed down and become insanely handsome…

Wait, has his skeleton changed?

Can a person change that much in such a short time?

“I never would’ve thought to use Ibirun for surveillance. Brad-sama, in a word, you’re a genius. Strong, cool, and smart… I can’t help but admire you.”

All I did was mutter something trivial like, “Ibirun seems like it’d be good at spying.” Nothing significant.

Maybe that’s why, instead of offering words of appreciation to Ooki, I ended up snapping at him in Brad-speak.

“I’m not thrilled about being admired by a guy.”

“As expected of Brad-sama! You’ll gather even more beauties and build a harem, won’t you? This unworthy Ooki Tadaomi will devote himself body and soul to collecting beauties who desire Brad-sama’s seed!”

Eek!?

Freesia and Lily already come after me every day. If I had to spend nights with even more girls, I’d be in trouble!

“Mm, that’s a fine attitude. Keep it up, Tadaomi!”

As I patted Ooki’s shoulder and offered words of encouragement, it happened.

“Megumi-sama! Brad-sama praised me!”

Megumi was watching us, and an overwhelmed Ooki ran toward her. Back when Ooki was less… refined, him lunging at a high school girl would’ve reeked of criminal behavior. But now that he’s handsome, it felt like a scene from a drama filled with beautiful people.

But Megumi…

“Ookin, sorry. The only one who gets to hug Megumi is Onii.”

She deftly dodged Ooki’s hug. Come to think of it, when Megumi returned to our parent’s home, she used to hug me like I was a teddy bear. Now, thinking Freesia is me, she’s only hugging her…

“Megumi-sama’s Onii-sama is so lucky.”

Muttering this as he was brushed off, Ooki lost his balance and ended up hugging Kobiul, who was talking with Omoneil.

“Bofu, Tadaomi-dono… What is this…?”

“No! It’s not like that! It’s not that kind of thing…”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but I think this ‘friendship’ isn’t quite like that, bofu.”

Though Kobiul verbally denied it, his flushed face suggested he wasn’t entirely opposed to the situation.

“Ohh, looks like a new romance is starting~”

The mischievous Megumi whispered to me.

Is this the start of an otome game (BL side)!?

(TL: 5 more chaps until Imouto-chan)