Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 64.2: Lightless House

Chapter 63.2: Lightless House

About two years ago.

After Rofus returned from Rougvelt, just before setting off for a party hosted by the Raymond family.

The main house of the Lightless family.

In the study, Rudens was reading a report.

It was a detailed account of the Rougvelt incident compiled by Carlos.

Rudens frowned in irritation, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

“…Rofus lost the sight in his left eye and his left arm…! And there’s no way to treat it?! How is that possible!”

“I am prepared to accept any punishment.”

As dark magic spilled from Rudens’s body in response to his uncontrollable emotions, Carlos bowed his head.

Unable to contain his anger, Rudens threw the report next to Carlos.

The bundle of reports scattered across the study floor.

Rudens held his head, exhaling deeply to calm his frustration.

“…Sorry, Carlos. It’s not fair to take it out on you.”

“No. I should have been more vigilant…”

“No, this happened because of Rofus’s own actions. The responsibility lies with him. Rather, you did well to support him, Carlos.”

“Oh, no, I don’t deserve such praise…”

Carlos, who was bowing so low his head almost touched the floor, was restrained by Rudens.

“Raise your head, Carlos. Besides, Rofus went to that fishing village because he learned they were being heavily taxed from somewhere. Ultimately, it’s my fault for not noticing Clinton’s corruption. My incompetence caused my son to lose his left eye and left arm…”

Rudens cast his eyes down in dejection.

Then Rudens remembered the last part of the report.

It was a love story about a girl Rofus met in the fishing village.

“…Carlos, about the last part of the report—”

Just as Rudens began to speak, there was a knock on the study door.

Frowning, Rudens permitted entry.

The person who peeked in was a woman with beautiful cherry-blossom-colored hair, mixed with silver and light red.

It was Karen Idia Lightless, Rudens’s wife and Rofus’s mother.

“Karen, why are you here… I’m in the middle of work.”

“I-I’m sorry. But I heard a loud voice…”

Karen, looking worried, glanced directly at Rudens.

“Did something happen to Rofus…? Why does Carlos look so sad… Could it be—”

Karen’s face grew tense with the fear that something bad had happened to Rofus.

Rudens hurriedly denied it.

“He’s safe. He seems to have been seriously injured, but his life is not in danger.”

“Seriously injured!? Is he okay? I need to see him right away… see him…”

Karen started to run but immediately turned pale and stopped.

As a mother, it’s natural to worry about her child.

However, Karen felt something close to fear towards Rofus.

When Rofus was not yet ten years old, he caused a magical disaster.

Although she knew Rofus had no malice, the terror of that time remained a trauma, binding Karen’s heart and paralyzing her body.

Rofus’s younger brother, Remus, was mortally wounded at that time.

Karen held the bloodied Remus and pleaded with Rofus to stop.

At that time, Rofus was consumed by immense magic and could not see his surroundings, only letting out a crazed laugh.

The sight of him laughing joyfully while wreaking havoc was truly demonic.

It was an accident caused by Rofus’s inability to control the overwhelming magic he possessed.

Although she understood this, the terrifying scene was etched into Karen’s memory.

Even now, upon hearing that Rofus was seriously injured, the fear outweighed the desire to rush to his side.

“Rofus is safe. There’s no need to force yourself to see him.”

Rudens’s words showed his understanding of Karen’s feelings and consideration for her.

But Karen felt crushed by her own inadequacy.

She thought herself a failure as a mother.

Tears streamed down Karen’s face as she repeatedly apologized.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”

Whether the repeated apologies were directed at Rudens or Rofus was unclear.

“Karen…”

Rudens stood up to go to the sobbing Karen.

At that moment, the study door burst open without a knock.

“Yo. Sorry to intrude.”

Without waiting for a response, a middle-aged man with seasoned white hair and a prominent beard on his chin walked in uninvited.

He was dressed in a loose-fitting black robe.

It was Rinus Ray Lightless, Rudens’s father and the former head of the family.

As soon as Rinus entered the study, he sensed the tense atmosphere and glanced around.

Carlos looked as if he were at a funeral, Karen was sobbing, and Rudens was about to rush to her side.

With years of experience, Rinus quickly deduced the situation.

“Hmm, I see. I understand the situation. Rudens… I never thought you’d cheat.”

Rinus made an outrageous misunderstanding and grinned mischievously, asking, “So, who is she?”

The air in the study froze as Rinus, smiling innocently as if he’d found a new toy, spoke.

Karen looked puzzled, tilting her head.

Carlos couldn’t meet Rudens’s gaze, staring at the floor with a bead of sweat on his cheek.

Rudens, with a completely emotionless expression and pitch-black eyes, glared at Rinus.

Clenching his fist, Rudens slammed the desk with a force that could break it, glaring at his father with a furious look.

“If you don’t understand the situation, please refrain from speaking, Father…!”

“Oh, did I get it wrong?”

Without any hint of remorse, Rinus laughed heartily, and Rudens’s most powerful dark magic was unleashed upon him.

＊

Rinus stood sulking in the corner of the study, holding a sign that read, “I made inappropriate remarks.”

A large bump had formed on his head.

The dark magic Rudens had unleashed earlier had firepower that far exceeded that of advanced magic.

The fact that Rinus only had a bump after taking it head-on showed that he was also an extraordinary individual.

It was only natural.

Half a century ago, during the war with the Empire, he had single-handedly charged into enemy lines and decimated the Empire’s mechanical beast battalion.

Cloaked in darkness and wielding a black scythe, he was known as the “Dark Reaper,” feared by the Imperial soldiers.

But now, this veteran warrior Rinus was standing in the corner of the room, held by his son, in a pitiful state.

“So, what happened? You seemed pretty worked up.”

“…I told you to keep your mouth shut.”

Rinus, opening his mouth as if to start over, was glared at menacingly by Rudens.

Karen hastily intervened.

“It’s alright. I know you haven’t been cheating. It was just a misunderstanding by my father-in-law, right?”

“That’s right, that’s right. It was just a misunderstanding, and yet he went ahead and used magic. Rudens, you should be more considerate and respectful to your father.”

Rinus protested, raising his fist, while hiding behind Karen.

Rudens glared at Rinus with a murderous look in his eyes.

“…Hey.”

“Oh, scary. Help me, Karen. My son’s bullying me. Isn’t this abuse?”

Using Karen as a shield, Rinus spoke with a sarcastic tone.

Unable to bear it any longer, Rudens shouted in anger.

“Cut it out, you old bastard…! I’ve had enough of this farce. You came here for a reason, so spit it out already!”

Rinus, who had been playing the fool, suddenly changed his expression, a combative smile spreading across his face.

“To get this emotional over such a trivial matter, you’re still green. It’s disgraceful for a family head.”

“…I asked for your reason.”

“I don’t have any specific reason. Like I said, I came to check on you because your magic was unusually turbulent. Making Karen cry, that’s really pathetic.”

“N-no, that’s not—”

Before Rudens could explain that he hadn’t used his magic against his wife, Karen stepped forward.

“Father-in-law. The reason I was crying is my own fault. Rudens is not to blame.”

Rinus, who was being stared at directly by Karen, waved his hand dismissively.

“That too. It’s about Rofus, isn’t it?”

When Rofus’s name was mentioned, Karen’s face stiffened slightly.

Rudens narrowed his eyes.

“…You heard?”

“With all that shouting, the whole mansion could hear. You mentioned something about treatment. Did my dear grandson get hurt? Hey, Carlos?”

Carlos, Rofus’s aide, looked down, feeling ashamed.

Rinus sighed lightly and picked up a piece of the scattered report.

“Let’s see… Oh, Rougvelt. Brings back memories. It used to be a pirate’s territory, but now they’re fishermen, right?”

Muttering to himself, Rinus skimmed through the report.

Despite it being a partial report, Rinus’s eyes caught on the last sentence.

“Karen, have you read this?”

“N-no…”

“Read it. I recommend the last part.”

“E-eh… O-okay.”

Karen took the report, confused. She looked at Rudens for permission.

With a sigh, Rudens shrugged and nodded, allowing her to read.

The report, although concise, contained a love story between their child and a certain sailor girl.

Karen looked up in surprise and turned to Carlos.

“Carlos, is this true?”

Carlos placed a hand on his chest and answered.

“Yes, I swear it is true.”

“Rofus has… grown up so much.”

Karen’s expression was complicated, reflecting both joy at her child’s growth and inner conflict about whether she deserved to be happy for him.

Karen hadn’t seen Rofus’s face for over a year.

While Karen was lost in her thoughts, Rinus gathered the scattered reports and continued reading.

Then, he turned his gaze to Carlos.

“Carlos, make a copy of this and send it to my house. Is that alright, Rudens?”

“…Do as you like.”

This report contained classified information.

Even though Rinus was the former head, taking information outside was not allowed.

However, since Rudens, the current head, had given permission, Carlos bowed his head.

“Understood.”

“And about that last part, Rofus’s love story. There’s not enough detail. I’d like to know more, wouldn’t you, Karen?”

Although surprised by the sudden question, Karen responded eagerly.

“Y-yes! Carlos, I want to know more about this story!”

“More details…?”

Carlos looked troubled and glanced at Rudens.

The report contained sensitive information about corruption and slave trade involving Clinton, which was difficult to handle even within the Lightres family.

This information was inseparable from explaining the relationship between Rofus and For.

The report was not something that should be seen by anyone other than the family head.

Although Rinus was reading it freely…

Rudens sighed deeply.

“The relationship between Rofus and the girl interests me too. Summarizing it is fine. But let me review it first. We need to ensure the information is accurate.”

With Rudens’s permission, Rinus grinned and clapped his hands.

“Alright, it’s settled. I’m counting on you, Carlos.”

“Understood.”

“And the content, keep it readable for commoners too. Make it easy to read. Make sure the structure is clear. You can even add dialogues.”

“Y-yes.”

Carlos was perplexed by Rinus’s specific instructions, unable to grasp his intention.

Rinus approached Carlos and whispered in his ear.

“Knowing what’s going on with Rofus, even in writing, might lessen some of the fear, don’t you think? Especially if it’s about love.”

Carlos’s eyes widened as if he had received an epiphany.

Turning to Karen, he clenched his fist and pounded his chest, declaring with determination.

“I, Carlos, will write Rofus’s love story with all my might. Please wait a little longer!”

Carlos’s fervor left Karen dumbfounded.

Rudens was exasperated, wondering what had been whispered to him.

Rinus, knowing Carlos’s talent for writing, smiled, thinking about which merchant guild he would sell the story to.

Carlos’s love story, published under his name, would be released just a month later.