Chapter 13
“Is that… so.”
“But what did you help that kid with?”
“He said he wanted to attend school, so I paid a year’s tuition for him. But since he’s missed too many days, graduating will probably be difficult.”
Oh, please. I snorted.
“What an ungrateful little brat.”
Adel fell silent.
When we entered a different district, the boy stopped following us. Adel gently broke the silence.
“Anastasia, please make sure to close your window tonight.”
I looked at him, puzzled.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“With the wind and rain, you could catch a cold. And the sound of the rain will be quite loud as well.”
Right—he had mentioned earlier that it would rain tonight. I nodded in agreement.
“That’s true, but…”
Before I knew it, shops selling sweet-and-sour fruits began appearing one by one. Just a bit farther ahead was the bustling main street.
Maybe the medicine was really kicking in, because I felt overflowing with energy.
I felt like I could even beat Adel in an arm-wrestling match. I should try later.
As I scanned the area looking for a parfait shop, I noticed a crowd gathered a few meters ahead.
It was noisy—so much so that I wondered if a fight had broken out. Then a woman who had been stamping her feet spotted us—no, Adel—and her face lit up.
“Young master!”
She ran straight toward us and grabbed onto Adel’s clothes, tugging at him.
“Those soldiers from the Marquis’s house are harassing my uncle! Please help us!”
How rude. I frowned, but for Adel’s sake, I focused on the conversation instead.
“A marquis… you mean Marquis Cloud?”
“That must be him.”
Adel agreed flatly.
Then, still clutching Adel’s jacket with one hand, the woman shouted loudly,
“Hey, you lot! Let’s see if you can still act like that in front of the young master!”
That shout acted as a signal, and the onlookers all turned toward us.
As people slowly stepped aside, the space opened up, revealing soldiers from the Marquis’s household. There were overturned fruit crates and a man being grabbed by the collar.
Honestly, if the marquis himself was trash, it was no surprise that his son and subordinates were just as bad. Still, I’d heard that most nobles didn’t pick fights with innocent commoners for no reason.
People began whispering.
“Look—it’s the young master.”
“We’re saved… Those soldiers won’t dare move in front of him, right?”
I could clearly hear the relief and sense of victory in their voices.
But Adel, maintaining a polite yet firm demeanor, gently removed the woman’s hand from his jacket and began walking in another direction.
“Let’s go, Anastasia. There should be a café just a little farther.”
Since I was holding Adel’s hand, I was pulled along without thinking.
“Huh?”
“Y-young master?”
The woman muttered in shock, but Adel didn’t look back.
* * *
To the public, Adel Magnus was the very definition of altruism.
Adel always helped others. He never discriminated. He treated everyone as his equal—or better.
As a high-ranking noble, he didn’t offer charity to the poor “only on special occasions” or “when the mood struck him.” He acted as if it were only natural, remaining consistent at all times.
At first, people didn’t trust him.
They assumed it was just shallow self-satisfaction—that the moment his mood soured, he’d turn into any other noble.
Except for those in truly desperate situations, most people avoided his help and pretended not to know him. They likely thought he’d stop after a day or two.
But when it continued for years, people were deeply shaken. They could no longer deny his sincerity.
At some point, Adel became an idol to the people. Other nobles were unreliable—but Adel was different.
Because it was Adel.
Because it had to be Adel.
Because only Adel existed.
But today, it was too much.
“Young master! My child has a high fever, but I can’t afford the treatment. Please help us!”
“I want to grow up to be someone great, but I don’t have money to buy books!”
Why was everyone asking for money? And why were they all so persistent?
Unable to hide my sour expression, I grabbed Adel and dragged him along. Forget going out—going straight back to the count’s estate seemed wiser.
Even on the way back, several people clung to us. Among them, one shabbily dressed man, more passionate than anyone else, left a strong impression.
“I heard that if you ask the young master, he gives you money. Is that true? Could you help me too?”
Oh, really now?
As soon as we entered the estate, I confronted Adel directly.
“Don’t you think something’s off?”
Adel nodded.
“Yes. I have a good memory, so I rarely forget faces I’ve seen before. I don’t understand why a servant affiliated with the Marquis’s household would disguise himself as a beggar and come asking me for money.”
I clenched my teeth.
I had a pretty good guess.
In the original novel, Ash Cloud had previously manipulated people to put Adel in difficult situations.
Despite hating those of low status, he had no problem using them if it meant tormenting Adel.
Ash incited people who dreamed of rising in status to make unreasonable demands of Adel. If Adel ever refused, Ash would seize on it and relentlessly attack him for it.
He wanted to brand Adel a hypocrite.
But there was one thing Ash overlooked: Adel was far more brilliant than he ever imagined.
Even now, Adel had already seen through Ash’s scheme.
Back then, it had been before Ash’s crimes truly escalated, and Olga—who was relatively close to Ash—had pleaded for leniency, so Adel had forgiven him.
Insane. I could never do that.
I asked Adel to confirm.
“Adel, you think this is Ash Cloud’s doing too, right?”
“He dislikes me, after all.”
“We can’t let this slide.”
I’d get revenge. I’d humiliate him—thoroughly, painfully, and publicly.
Biting my nails, I thought hard. What should I do? Spread rumors that Ash was the one handing out money?
No—that would just make Ash lash out at innocent people. A classist like him would never treat beggars kindly.
Digging through my memory, I recalled Ash’s personality from the novel.
He took immense pride in being a noble. Arrogant, condescending, always looking down on others.
At his core, he believed he was the smartest and greatest person in the world. He was weak to flattery and enjoyed being obeyed.
In that case, something childish and direct might work…
Oh, right. He was also weak to women.
More specifically—beautiful women.
Suddenly, a good idea popped into my head. Whether it would work was another matter.
“Adel, how long does the tonic’s effect last?”
Even though my question came out of nowhere, Adel answered kindly.
“Typically, physical abilities increase dramatically for about a week after taking it, and everything returns to normal before ten days pass.”
That long? I’d thought five hours would be the limit.
More importantly—dramatically increased physical ability? That tonic was no joke.
“I really did take something incredible…”
I muttered in disbelief. Adel continued,
“In the past, kings would grant it to soldiers before wars that determined the fate of the nation.”
“R-right. Please thank the duke for me.”
“While it doesn’t cure illnesses, most physicians believe it can delay their worsening, so my father is looking into mass-producing it.”
I stared at him.
“I really wish I hadn’t heard that. Isn’t that insanely valuable? It must be expensive.”
Adel looked at me as if I were worrying about something trivial.
“When my father doesn’t feel like working, he sometimes threatens His Majesty by saying, ‘If you don’t grant me leave, I’ll just buy the entire empire.’ Considering that it still works, I don’t think there’s a problem.”
Just how many gold coins did he have stockpiled to say something like that?
“…I’m more scared of the duke than the marquis.”
Adel found that amusing.
“Compared to a marquis who built his power through assassination, it’s strange to hear that my father—who merely has a lot of money—is more frightening. But since I hear that opinion often, it’s fascinating.”
As he said, the Cloud Marquisate had a terrible reputation. A title bought with money, fame built on crime, and ongoing violence that didn’t suit a peaceful era at all.
Still, Ash managed his image well—for now. He was kind to nobles, talented, handsome, and fairly popular, even if he wasn’t on Adel’s level.
Until he truly crossed Adel’s bottom line, he’d keep pulling strings from behind the scenes.
“Anyway, back to the point—how strong does my physical ability get, exactly?”
“Even accounting for your usual stamina, you should be able to lift a sack of flour with ease.”
Nice. I should write the duke a thank-you letter later.
“That’s perfect. I can humiliate that bastard properly.”
I smiled to myself.
“He attends a social club too, right? When’s the next meeting?”
Every noble heir except me—the one bedridden by illness—belonged to at least one social club. Tracking Ash down was easy.
“This Wednesday.”
“I want to go.”
Adel could freely enter any social club. His reputation was so good that Ash had no choice but to send invitations, even grudgingly.
According to the novel, Adel even received half-joking, half-serious invitations to secret women-only gatherings.
Adel looked puzzled.
“There should be an invitation at the estate, but may I ask what you’re planning?”
I answered immediately.
“Obviously, revenge! I’m going to humiliate him.”
As I clenched my fist, Adel asked quietly,
“Is it because of me?”
“Of course. Insulting you is the same as insulting me.”
“In that case, I—”
I cut him off.
“No. It’ll hurt Ash’s pride way more if I do it. Everyone expects you to win against him, but if I beat him? That’ll be twice the shock.”
Anyone who mocked and belittled my male lead’s goodwill deserved to be repaid in kind.
If Adel just wanted to donate, he could’ve scattered money in the streets. The fact that someone looked down on his actions made my blood boil.
Doing good—consistently, whether willingly or not—was never easy. Putting others before yourself was never light or simple.
That sacrifice was anything but small.
I was furious—far more than when I’d read it in a novel. Experiencing it firsthand was on a different level entirely.
Determined to prepare thoroughly, I asked,
“Oh, by the way—can you use magic that boosts strength?”
“For a short time, yes.”
I smiled like a villain.
“Good. If we’re going to fight dirty, let’s go all the way. No one will suspect a thing. I might use your image a bit—are you okay with that?”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Even after I asked for permission in advance, Adel agreed with a smile.
