Chapter 577 Younger Brother-in-Law
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Now, for a few loose ends. First, there was the “invasion” of my brother-in-law, Martin PopolCount, who arrived at the Canaria Kingdom for the first time in about a year. He showed up at our house just as the Succubi incident was winding down, and it was truly an event that could only be described as an invasion.
”Ahhh, the lovely Momo-sama…! It’s been a whole year…! You’ve grown so much…! Sniff…! A whole year…! To think that I, Martin, have missed out on your growth for an entire year… this is the absolute depths of misery for me!” Martin declared with dramatic flair.
”Ma… tin…? Hmm, hello!” Momo-sama chirped back.
”Ohhhhh…! A-and you’ve become so eloquent, too…! Yes, that’s right, it is I, Martin, Martin!” he replied, his voice thick with emotion.
”Tin-tin! Hello!” Momo-sama giggled.1
”Yes, yes…! Hello…! It is Tin-tin! Your humble servant and uncle, Tin-tin…!!!” Martin exclaimed, reveling in his role.
”Tin-tin! Servant-Tin-tin!” she echoed gleefully.
”Stop it, stop it, stop it! ‘Tin-tin’ is bad! What are you teaching my daughter!” I snapped.
”Tin-tin, no…?” Momo-sama asked, tilting her head.
”Of course it’s no! Please, just call him ‘Martin.’ Here, Ma… tin.” I corrected her firmly.
”Ma… tin.” she mimicked.
”That’s it. Martin, okay?” I encouraged.
”Tin-tin!” she declared triumphantly.
”Momo!?” I gasped.
Yeah. It was understandable that he was shedding tears of grief after not seeing Momo-sama for a year, so I let that slide, but “Tin-tin” was problematic. Martin seemed happy nonetheless, but the sight of a grown man trembling with emotion after being called “Tin-tin” by a one-year-old was… well.
After that, having somehow managed to correct how she addressed him (it was quite an ordeal, as she probably found my flustered reaction amusing and refused to stop for the longest time), the first thing Martin did was build a “shrine.”
Yes, he was imitating the “shrine” built for my beloved son Wakaba by the Elven reinforcements—who still repeatedly came to worship at our house—and the “shrine” built for my beloved daughter Mikan by the dog-beastkin folk.
It seemed he had heard about it from my sister-in-law, Flearis. Muttering something like, “For someone of my brother-in-law’s stature to not desire a ‘shrine’ for Momo-sama is truly deplorable!” he was diligently building it himself like a weekend DIY project.
To begin with, that whole thing was a bizarre custom resulting from the Elven reinforcements running wild. When I asked my beloved elf, Tania, she told me that elves didn’t actually have any such custom; in my understanding, it was just the ultimate manifestation of what my previous world called “fandom devotion.”
Personally, I felt that Momo-sama’s majesty was grand enough to illuminate the entire world without needing such a structure, so it wasn’t necessary. Well, thinking that way might just be a luxury reserved for someone who gets to live basked in her radiance every single day.
”So? You’re quite late coming here considering that. No matter how long Coalmine’s winters are, it’s already summer, you know?”
”Muu… That’s why I said it was deeply regrettable for me as well, did I not?”
I spoke to Martin while handing him some refreshments as he worked on his DIY project. Somehow, seeing a younger guy makes me feel like I need to look after him, which might be due to the influence of assisting His Royal Highness the Royal Brother, Roland.
Mind you, despite our horrific first meeting, Martin is actually a decent young man when you talk to him normally, and I’ve already come to think of him almost like a real younger brother. He worked incredibly hard during the “Stampede,” and he’s a comrade who worships Momo-sama and acts like an idiot right along with me.
That’s why I couldn’t help but be reasonably surprised and a bit shocked by what he said next.
”I had to take a wife, you see.”
”…Hah!? A wife? You got married?!”
”Yes, back in the spring.”
Martin casually dropped this bombshell of a story that was shocking on multiple levels. True, given his position as a Count, he probably needed to marry early and produce an heir… but for that sister-complex, niece-complex Martin to do so…
”You bastard, you should’ve told me sooner! What about the wedding gift?! The wedding celebration?! What about the ceremony?! What kind of person is your wife?! Does Lily know about this?!”
”Ah, yes. My sister-in-law knows.”
”She knows?! Huh? Wait, don’t tell me I’m the only one who didn’t know…?”
A second shockwave. If Martin was being Martin, Lily was being Lily. Ah, if Lily knows, then Flearis must know too, right? Being kept in the dark by the whole family hurts a bit, even for someone like me.
”Why didn’t you tell me…”
”No, well… It’s not that we doubt you, but introducing a young woman to you, Brother-in-law, is a bit…”
”You doubt me completely!!! Even I wouldn’t make a move on my brother-in-law’s wife!!!”
”I-I thought so too, you know? However, it’s a matter involving the state, and Queen Ierse ordered us to keep it quiet…”
”Gu, gununu… An order from Her Majesty Queen Ierse…”
As a side note, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Ierse had recently been upgraded to Her Majesty Queen Ierse, following her husband, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Gilliam, successfully becoming His Majesty King Gilliam.
This was precisely because Her Majesty Queen Ierse had also safely given birth to their first child, who happened to be a boy. The coronation ceremony had already taken place, and from our country, my father-in-law, Duke Roost Badcage, attended. Recalling that, things clicked into place.
”…Could it be that your wife is a noble from the Kingdom of Bladia… or royalty?”
”…! …The latter. A cadet branch, though. …As expected of you, Brother-in-law. You easily see through the reason why Her Majesty Queen Ierse told us to ‘keep it hidden’.”
Martin said with a wry smile as he hammered away at the “shrine.” The Kingdom of Bladia is a kingdom located east of the Coalmine Kingdom and north of the Wielope Empire. I heard that their king personally attended King Gilliam’s recent coronation ceremony to congratulate him.
They probably didn’t want that rapprochement to be noticed. Coalmine and Bladia are both kingdoms that rule the northern part of the Northern Continent. While mining serves as a major source of income for both, Bladia, being closer to Wielope, is said to have a greater commercial advantage, whereas Coalmine wins out in the quality of the mined ore. In other words, they are rival nations.
However, for Coalmine, which hadn’t been on good terms with the Canaria Kingdom, Bladia was practically the only kingdom connected to them by land. Despite their rivalry, they were supposed to have gotten along reasonably well until now. Yet, this time they showed what could be described as a sudden, rapid approach.
This was likely triggered by our country’s rapprochement with Coalmine, as well as our country’s rapprochement with the Wielope Empire. In short, Coalmine gained a second option in the Canaria Kingdom, and the Wielope Empire also found a way to connect with Coalmine via the Canaria Kingdom. From the Kingdom of Bladia’s perspective, their own nation’s value had decreased in a dual sense.
And for Coalmine, seeing their new ally, the Canaria Kingdom, grow closer to the Wielope Empire, they must have wanted to boost their own value. As a result, the two northern nations likely decided to join hands, uniting to counter the Canaria-Wielope axis.
Of course, it wasn’t some dangerous talk about starting a war right away. Naturally, they probably took into account the possibility of our country and Wielope running wild, but it was mainly for economic reasons—aligning their steps as fellow mining nations to conduct more advantageous exports or sharing mining development technologies.
”…I hope you aren’t offended.”
”…I’m reasonably shocked, but I’m not mad. I’m sure you have your own circumstances over there.”
”Brother-in-law…”
”But well, setting that aside, let me at least celebrate with you. What kind of person is your wife? I should at least send you a wedding gift.”
”……”
”Martin?”
”A gift from you, Brother-in-law… Don’t tell me, a ‘Ddo-Buddy’?! As I thought, Brother-in-law, you desire a stolen love…!”
”Like I’d ever gift something like that!!!”
And so, it was an incident that perfectly demonstrated how the people around me viewed me…
—
Summary:
Martin PopolCount arrives at the protagonist’s home in the Canaria Kingdom after a year-long absence, causing a scene with his intense devotion to Momo-sama. The reunion turns comedic when Momo-sama struggles to pronounce his name, leading to an embarrassing nickname. The protagonist attempts to correct her, but the interaction highlights the absurdity of Martin’s parasocial-like worship.
—
Trivia:
Martin’s behavior is explicitly compared to the fan-worship culture of the protagonist’s previous world.
The protagonist feels a sense of responsibility for Martin as a younger male relative, influenced by his own role assisting the Royal brother.
Martin arrived long after the winter season ended in the Coalmine Kingdom, despite his claims of urgency.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Martin – Lily’s non-blood-related younger brother. Considered the strongest candidate to succeed the Popol family due to his lineage and manifested ‘power. He has pink hair.
• Momo – Pink-haired toddler, daughter of Jin and Lily, inherits her father’s ear and eyebrow shape; exceptionally cute, energetic, and affectionate. At one year old, she can stand, babbles simple words, and delights in learning to walk through the garden. As the shopkeeper’s eldest child and one of the protagonist’s offspring, she was celebrated with a cherished birth gift a year ago.
• Wakaba – Newborn son of Kento and Tania. A half-elf magic user with large Mana Circuits. Has squishy cheeks, tiny fingers, and soft floppy ears. Emits magical discharges when throwing tantrums. The newborn son of Kento and Tania. Has green hair and elf ears.
• Mikan – Kento’s daughter. Orange-themed. The protagonist’s newborn daughter. Described as having a cheerful, oblivious expression. The shopkeeper’s newborn daughter.
• Flearis – A pale, pink-haired woman serving as a diplomatic envoy, guard, shopkeeper, and liaison with the Coalmine Kingdom. She belongs to a covert unit and is the protagonist’s relative—specifically Lily’s sister or Martin’s younger foster sister. She displays a cold, almost vengeful pragmatism, particularly when reporting her sister’s words to Martin.
• Tania – An elven love‑elf, older sister of Laika and mother of son Wakaba, rejects her race’s low‑desire image with passionate, easily embarrassed charm. She wears light armor over a simple tunic and short pants, exuding grace. Senior‑junior to Raika, she’s a seasoned Harvest shopper buying pleasure items while keeping a dignified façade, and also helps tend the garden, selecting medicinal herbs and emergency rations.
• Roland – The golden-blonde, innocent-faced heir to the Canaria throne is the earnest but inexperienced younger brother of Queen Cecile and the King of Ferguson. Close to Unia and assisted by Harvest, he trains under his sister’s guidance while struggling to navigate his complex future burdens: an upcoming coronation, his relationship with his fiancée, and the revelation of the shop’s true nature.
• Lily – Jin’s pink-haired, blue-eyed experiment slave and wife, pregnant with her second child. A Harvest shop slave, primary test subject, and secret magic user, she serves as Kento’s love-slave (evoking comparisons to Nada’s behavior). Energetic and expressive with V-signs, she watches repairs, tends the Dildo-Buddy Mansion garden, and informs the protagonist—who calls her a wanton—on domestic and political matters.
• Ierse – As the vibrant Crown Princess and Lord of the Coalmine Kingdom, this brilliant mastermind radiates charm and strength. Though formerly of Sylvaol, she is now deeply devoted to her husband, Gilliam. Currently heavily pregnant, she maintains a powerhouse presence while tirelessly supporting her partner and preparing for the arrival of their heir.
• Gilliam – The Crown Prince of the Coalmine Kingdom is a simple, naive figure struggling with the pressures of an ongoing war. Often overwhelmed by his energetic and dominant wife, Ierse, he appears henpecked in their relationship, frequently finding himself subordinate to her forceful personality.
• Roost – Duke of Badcage and father of Tina Badcage. He has long silver hair mixed with some white, a cool-headed expression, and red eyes. Despite a relatively slender build, he possesses a strong fighting spirit.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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