#3: Signs Of The Count's Family's Downfall (Exiler's Perspective) — Having Been Banished From My Family Home Twice, I Was Taken in by a Weak Nation and Became an Unparalleled Hero (WN)

At last, I’ve finally gotten rid of Aerial—

Count Wind was in high spirits.

After all, Aerial had been born as a result of his former wife’s infidelity.

He’d always believed the boy was unfit to become his successor.

However, if he publicly declared that Aerial wasn’t his biological son, everyone would also discover that his former wife had cheated on him with another man.

That was why he’d spent so long searching for an excuse to banish Aerial, carefully maneuvering things to bring about this outcome.

“Harry, you will be the one to inherit this family.”

The count addressed his second son, Harry.

No, from now on, Harry would be his eldest son.

“As my heir, I’ll be teaching you all sorts of things from now on.”

“Okay! I’ll do my best, Dad.”

Harry was such an earnest boy.

He must have taken after his father.

“I’m sure our dear Harry will make a splendid head of the family someday.”

The count’s wife, Emily, smiled warmly.

She was his second wife, and Harry was the son she’d borne him.

A young, beautiful wife and an earnest, dependable son who would inherit everything—

Looking at the two of them, the count was overcome with happiness.

(That nuisance Aerial is finally gone. Hehehe… My future is looking brighter than ever…!)

The count was positively elated.

At least, for the time being.

Several days later, however, he received news that sent his seemingly perfect life crashing into the depths of despair.

“W-what!? My wife… Emily has been having an affair…!?”

The count was utterly dumbfounded by the report.

As if his first wife’s infidelity hadn’t been enough, now his current wife had been secretly meeting another man behind his back.

“Damn it! How could this happen…?”

The count collapsed to his knees.

Anger, sorrow, and jealousy toward Emily for betraying him overwhelmed his heart.

He felt as though his head might explode.

Eventually, his rage gave way to a crushing sense of humiliation.

As a man and a husband, he could think of no greater disgrace.

Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck him.

“D-don’t tell me… Harry isn’t that man’s child, is he—!?”

If it turned out that Harry wasn’t his biological son either, just like Aerial, the situation would be beyond disastrous.

“Investigate! Find out whether Harry is truly my son! And naturally, make sure nobody else learns about it! My reputation is at stake!”

“Understood, my lord.”

His subordinates quietly left the room.

“Damn it! Damn it all! How dare you make a fool of me, Emily!”

Unable to contain his fury, the count punched a nearby piece of furniture.

It was a nightmare.

Today might well have been the worst day of his entire life.

Flare and I arrived at a nearby inn.

“I’m planning to use this place as our base for a while.”

“The Kingdom of Tilt… I’ve visited a few times myself, and it’s such a lovely place, isn’t it?”

Flare remarked.

“Father has a lot of influence in Elmeda, after all. Living in another country might be difficult at first, but I think it’ll be better for us in the long run.”

“As long as I’m with you, Onii-sama, I’ll go anywhere.”

“Haha. Well, if you ever feel like going back home, just let me kn—”

“I’m staying by your side, Onii-sama!”

Flare shouted before I could finish.

I gave a small, wry smile.

“All right, I get it. Then let’s live together.”

“Yaaay!”

Flare was overjoyed.

“Anyway, I’ve been thinking about making a living as an adventurer from now on.”

“An adventurer…?”

“It’s a profession where I can earn money through my own abilities, and I don’t have anyone to rely on in this neighboring country. Besides, I think it’d be the best way to put my skill to use…”

No, more importantly—

I wanted to explore the full potential of this skill for myself.

“Then maybe I’ll become an adventurer too♪”

Flare sounded delighted by the idea.

“No way. It’s too dangerous.”

“Hmph! You know, I have a powerful skill too!”

“Huh? Flare, you’ve awakened a skill?”

“That’s mean! You didn’t know!?”

Flare exclaimed.

“Oh, but I guess I kept it a secret from the rest of the family too—so of course you wouldn’t know. Ehehe.”

“Yeah, you really surprised me.”

I looked at Flare as I spoke.