MTLNOVEL Chapter 7 - Rising Stock (2)
Chapter 7 – Rising Stock (2)
Jeffer Tristida.
The second son of the Tristida family, who would be my second older brother.
Like with my other siblings, I didn’t have good memories with this brother.
From the beginning, except for my second older sister Haniel, everyone looked at me like I was a bug.
Jeffer didn’t consistently torment me as maliciously as Felix did.
He never directly bullied me, and was rather more of a bystander.
However, this brother too had knowingly or unknowingly hurt me many times.
If I were to count the memories where I received the greatest wounds…
“I have nothing to say to you.”
When Kenneth needed money urgently and took my mother’s necklace, the most expensive thing I owned.
It was when he ignored my request, ‘Could you please ask Kenneth to return it to me,’ and remained a bystander when it was truly a precious item to me.
‘……’
Well, still, my second brother was much better than the eldest brother and sister.
He wasn’t on my side, but he wasn’t an enemy either.
I wondered what business he could possibly have with me.
After leaving Dalfi to organize the correspondence, I made my way to the place where he was waiting.
Jeffer was in the garden.
It was the treasure of the Tristida family, where amaranth, symbolizing eternity, was in full bloom.
The so-called five-colored garden, meticulously maintained by a skilled caretaker.
It was said to have been created when Pria, Porto’s second wife and our mother, gave birth to Haniel, and it was my favorite place in the mansion.
‘Ah, you’ve come.’
Jeffer waved his hand lightly.
Until now, he had never once responded when I spoke to him, but it seems I must have accomplished something significant.
Seeing how he was now showing me the business smile he usually reserved only for our brothers and sisters.
‘Why did you call for me?’
A cold voice escaped me before I knew it.
‘Just tell me what you want.’
‘……’
Even though I had memories of a past life.
Even though I had a commoner-like personality, something shitty was still shitty.
Where would you find someone who would smile when suddenly called by a sibling with whom they had not a single good memory in their entire life?
Jeffer’s expression hardened in an instant.
‘Don’t be so stiff, we’re siblings.’
‘Even as siblings, we’re not close enough to speak softly to each other.’
I glared at him.
‘It was you who ignored me all this time. You listened to my voice with one ear and let it out the other, and even found it unpleasant to hold my hand once. It’s strange that you now have business with me.’
I thought I was speaking the truth.
Jeffer didn’t readily open his mouth, so it seems I was right.
‘I’m sorry….’
‘Why are you apologizing now of all times?’
I tilted my head.
‘Whatever I say now will sound like an excuse to you.’
He knows very well.
But why would someone like him call for me?
He doesn’t even look like he came here to fight.
‘You probably don’t want a long conversation. I’ll get straight to the point. There’s something I want to tell you, my younger brother.’
He made quite a shocking statement.
‘You know that I deceived Felix.’
‘You caused a commotion while calling for your brother, so of course I know.’
‘What if I told you it was for your sake? Would you believe that?’
‘Excuse me?’
Suddenly?
‘Felix is incompetent. He’s the kind who would fail the successor test without the help of his siblings. You know that better than anyone, don’t you?’
Felix was the second most incompetent person after me.
I had to agree with that.
‘Why would I bother to fail someone who was going to fail anyway?’
‘To please Father?’
‘Really? Wouldn’t it be more disadvantageous for me if my siblings became wary of me after I eliminated Felix?’
Now that I hear it, he has a point.
It must be a fact since I couldn’t refute it.
‘Brother, you speak as if you predicted I would solve the Millennium problem.’
‘I’ll be honest about that too. I’m acquainted with Professor Aria who came as an examiner last time. I heard about you from her. At first, I couldn’t believe it. After all, you were the one who had shown even more weakness than Felix until now.’
As the wind blew, the grass in the garden danced.
Pressing down on my freely moving hair, I listened carefully to Jeffer’s words.
‘But reality always unfolds more amazingly than dreams.’
‘……’
‘Earlier, you asked why I’m apologizing now, didn’t you?’
Jeffer bowed his head.
‘The Tristida family is thoroughly built on meritocracy. My goal is to become the head of the family. I’m not someone born with strong physical prowess like sister Uriel and brother Kenneth. Nor am I exceptionally talented in magic like Haniel. And I’m not a genius who can solve the Millennium problem like you. I’m just a mediocre person.’
This was something I already knew.
Jeffer Tristida isn’t incompetent, but his talents are mediocre.
The reason he calculated to survive, honed his social skills, and desperately accumulated wealth was to catch up with his other siblings.
That’s why he consistently disregarded me.
To Jeffer, I was a sibling of no value.
‘Yes. The reason I’m apologizing now is because I’ve just realized how remarkable you are. If I had realized it a little sooner, I would have apologized earlier than now, and if I had known from the beginning, I would have stopped the bullying directed at you long ago.’
Jeffer took out a necklace from his pocket.
This is an expensive treasure with a red diamond embedded in the center of a gold chain.
As if to prove it was born from a master craftsman’s hands, it was shining brilliantly.
It was a special ornament, one of a kind in this world.
It was something that I, who normally doesn’t like luxury, desperately wanted to get back.
‘It was difficult to find.’
The necklace he was now handing me was my mother’s keepsake that Kenneth had sold off cheaply to a merchant.
I received my mother’s possession back from my second older brother.
It took a truly long time for this necklace to return to me.
This time, I won’t lose it again.
I sighed and said.
‘Haa, brother, you’re so materialistic.’
Jeffer raised his head.
‘That’s a known fact.’
As if not even seeking forgiveness, he said.
‘You can think I’m shameless. Just know this one thing. These actions were to show my sincerity to you.’
I blinked.
Jeffer asking for forgiveness in the garden where insects and plants were swaying wasn’t particularly beautiful, but I appreciated his honesty.
It felt like some compensation for the young Esther Tristida who had only been crying, and this action ultimately meant that Jeffer was acknowledging me.
‘I’m curious about one thing.’
‘What is it?’
‘Aren’t I still a competitor you need to defeat? Couldn’t you just join hands with our other brothers and sisters and keep me in check amicably?’
Jeffer pondered that question for a moment.
‘Someday.’
He looked up at the sky.
‘If the day comes when I become the head of the family, wouldn’t it be the worst obstacle if I’m not on good terms with a genius who proved the answer to the Millennium Problem?’
Jeffer smiled bitterly.
I thought it wasn’t bad that all his answers were consistent from beginning to end.
Perhaps among us, Jeffer might be the one who resembles Porto the most.
I carefully watched Jeffer’s back as he walked away.
This is something I learned later, but it seems Jeffer had been holding onto this necklace for quite some time.
***
‘My eyes are going to fall out. Dalfi, how many pages are left?’
‘You’ve read 153 pages so far, so you have 658 more pages to read.’
There seemed to be no end to the letters no matter how many I read.
The Millennium Problem was so groundbreaking that it had created quite a stir.
Some wanted to sponsor me, others wanted to work with me.
All offered great compensation, but, hmm, how should I put it.
‘I just don’t feel like it.’
From the letters, I sensed moments similar to those of an exploitative boss trying to use me with salary as leverage.
Nob AI, I’m so, so tired!!
『What can I help with?』
Sort out the letters I don’t need from those I might need!!
『By ‘letters,’ do you mean the 811 pages currently in the room?』
Okay!!
“Please spread out all the letters so I can check the contents.”
‘Dalfi.’
‘Yes.’
‘Let’s open the envelopes and spread everything on the floor.’
‘?’
Dalfi scratched his cheek.
‘Should I bring some cold water? If you’re feeling disoriented, taking a break isn’t a bad choice.’
‘I have a method. The exact same method I used when solving the Millennium Problem.’
And that was using Nob AI!
‘I heard back then that some smart friend did everything for you, but it seems their abilities are quite good. To think they can even sort letters for you…’
‘Indeed.’
The most capable friend in this world.
Dalfi and I opened the envelopes and laid the papers on the floor.
As the letters filled the floor, Nob AI began working efficiently.
“Beginning analysis.”
“……”
“Analysis complete. I will list the letters in order of potential benefit based on Esther Tristida’s current situation.”
“1. Letter from the Red Mage Tower Master.”
“2. Letter from the Blue Mage Tower Master.”
“3. Letter from the Commander of the Steel Lion Knights.”
“……”
“……”
“881. Letter from Wonderland.”
“I have classified all 881 letters.”
‘The performance is definitely impressive.’
‘It’s already finished?’
Dalfi looked amazed.
And for good reason—just reading all these letters would have been a tremendous task.
There was more content than in most thick textbooks.
Reading the letters, organizing them, and ranking them would have taken a full three days.
‘Yes, you can collect all the letters now.’
‘Understood.’
I lay down on the bed.
Looking at the holograms felt like browsing on my phone before sleep.
I really hope that when Nob AI develops further, it could play music for me too…
Anyway, I looked at the letter that was listed last.
“881. Letter from Wonderland.”
It contained content least beneficial to me.
I wondered if there was any need to read something with no benefit.
I wanted to read what was at the very end.
I opened the letter.
“Wonderland has been watching you, who solved the Millennium Problem. Aren’t you dissatisfied with this world? Don’t you want to create a better world? If so, become our comrade. If you create a new world with us……”
“*Wonderland is the worst criminal organization. (Refer to last year’s January issue of Monthly Justina)”
What?
Suddenly they’re asking me to become comrades with criminals.