Chapter 58: Alfredo Takes the Hook

Alfredo wore a baffled expression.

‘What did that even mean?’

“Why should I be going there?”

“Why wouldn’t you go?”

“What are you even saying?”

“Do you know how important connections are for nobles? When else will you get a chance to build ties with a Count’s household? Of course you have to go.”

Since their downfall, all of their previous connections had been wiped clean.

They had to rebuild their network from scratch.

“Do I really need to go?”

“Of course.”

“Why?!”

“I can’t let you just stay here comfortably.”

“That’s…!”

“So come with me.”

Alfredo looked at Exitra as if he had lost his mind.

He couldn’t tell whether words were coming out of Exitra’s mouth—or farts.

There was no way to make sense of what he was saying.

“This is absurd…”

“It makes perfect sense.”

“No, it doesn’t! And if you and I both leave, who’s going to manage the territory?!”

If both Exitra and Alfredo left, there would be no one left to oversee the domain.

If something happened in their absence, no one would be able to handle it.

That was what Alfredo was worried about.

But Exitra brushed that concern aside in an instant.

“Father’s here, isn’t he?”

“F-Father?”

“Yeah. This territory doesn’t belong to me yet anyway. I’m only the official successor. The lord is still Father. So if we leave, Father can handle the administration.”

“And you think he’ll allow that?”

The Brain Alfredo knew was not the kind of man who indulged his son’s requests.

To ask such a thing of him?

There was no way he would agree.

“Well, we won’t know unless we try.”

“He’ll never allow it.”

“Why are you so sure?”

“Because Father would never approve something like that. He won’t grant that request. Not in a million years.”

Alfredo said it with absolute certainty.

Exitra felt a mischievous urge stirring inside him.

‘Looks like I can reel him in with this.’

Exitra paused the game for a moment.

“Hold on, everyone.”

— [Huh??]

— [Why stop here?]

— [Slamming the brakes like that is dangerous! How can you stop right here?]

“Alfredo is getting way too full of himself right now. Are you really just going to let this slide?”

— [Huh??]

— [What do you mean by that??]

“Oh, come on. You know what I mean.”

— [Ohhh, ahhh!!]

— [Ah?! Ah!!]

— [Ahem. You’re right about that.]

This won’t do at all~

The viewers immediately caught on.

Long years of streaming life had sharpened their instincts.

They had reached the realm beyond intuition—true masters of perception.

Just from Exitra’s words, they understood exactly what he wanted.

— [Kukukuku.]

— [Fufufufu.]

— [Our little brother… needs a lesson~]

— [Now then, let’s discuss. What kind of bet should we make?]

“So, what should we do?”

Exitra and the viewers ended up debating this for a full hour.

Honestly, anyone else would think, Why waste an hour on something like this?

But they were dead serious.

Opportunities like this didn’t come every day.

When they did, you had to squeeze every last drop out of them.

— [When you get a chance like this, you have to make the most of it!]

— [What about ending every sentence with ‘nyang-nyang’?]

— [Or a belly clap? I saw another streamer do it once—it was the ultimate humiliation!]

— [What about patriotic beats? Slapping the belly in rhythm!]

— [Or maybe… ‘nyang-nyang punch’…]

[Ding~]

[Chairman has donated 50,000 won.]

<Instead of calling him “Hyungnim,” wouldn’t “Hyung-ah” sound much better?>

— […!!]

— [T-This can’t be…]

— [Are you Solomon himself…?!]

— [Light! You are truly the shining light, Chairman!!!]

Compared to “Hyungnim,” the word “Hyung-ah” sounded far friendlier, with a touch of playfulness.

It was a flawless choice.

“Thank you, Chairman, for the 50,000 won donation. Alright then, everyone, should we go with ‘Hyung-ah’?”

Call!

— [Of course!]

— [Go go go go!!!]

— [No objections!]

— [Truly Solomon’s wisdom! 100% agree!]

— [111111]

“Excellent. Then…”

Exitra unpaused the game.

And began setting things up.

If they were going to make a bet, he had to make sure Alfredo couldn’t wriggle out of it.

“Alright, let’s put it this way.”

“What do you mean?”

“If Father agrees to my request, what will you do?”

“Hmph! That’ll never happen.”

“Just suppose. If he does, what then?”

Alfredo stared at Exitra, trying to figure out what he was getting at.

Exitra began revving the engine.

“If Father doesn’t grant my request, I’ll give you the successor’s seat.”

He dropped a bombshell from the start.

He threw out bait Alfredo could never refuse, ensuring there was no escape.

Alfredo’s eyes wavered like a stray cat faced with a bowl of churu.

“W-What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, if Father refuses my request, I’ll step down as the successor. Then naturally, you’ll become the official heir.”

“Are you serious?”

“Of course.”

— [Ohhh, a bold throw!]

— [But what if Brain suddenly refuses? That would be legendary lol.]

— [Damn, the bait is strong lol.]

— [I cast the bait, and you just bit down on it!]

“How am I supposed to believe that?”

Alfredo’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

Handing over the successor’s position?

It wasn’t strange that he couldn’t easily believe it.

“Then let’s write a contract. I’ll even sign it.”

Alfredo’s expression shifted slightly.

But in the end, he accepted.

If a contract was written, it was worth trusting.

However, Alfredo wasn’t naive.

If Exitra had brought this up, then there was definitely something he wanted in return.

“Hmph, very well. Then what do you want, Brother?”

“I like how straightforward you are. If Father agrees to my request, then from now on you have to call me ‘Hyung-ah.’”

“W-what did you just say?”

“You just have to say ‘Hyung-ah~.’ Easy, right?”

“What the…?!”

Alfredo’s face turned red.

He had accidentally imagined himself actually calling Exitra ‘Hyung-ah~.’

“Why would I ever do something like that?!”

“That’s why it’s a bet. Why? You scared?”

“S-scared? Me? Why would I be scared?!”

“If Father does exactly what you thought, then you lose nothing. In fact, you’ll even get what you want, won’t you?”

“That’s…”

It was true.

Alfredo knew his father, Raiders Brain, all too well.

‘That’s right. There’s no way Father would agree to that request…’

If that was the case, then all he had to do was accept the bet and wait quietly.

That way, he’d finally get the successor position he wanted so badly.

‘But why?’

‘There’s no way he’ll accept… so why do I feel uneasy?’

A faint uneasiness rose in his chest.

Even though he was certain his father wouldn’t accept, a tiny voice whispered, ‘What if?’

“What’s wrong? Don’t like it? Oh, are you scared? If you don’t want to, then forget it. I never thought you were such a coward.”

Exitra skillfully landed the finishing blow.

He made sure Alfredo had no way to back out.

— [Scared, scared, scared~?]

— [He’s the master of provocation now lol.]

— [Max-level tanker incoming!!]

— [If this guy falls into water, only his mouth will float lol.]

“If you’re scared, just say it~ Well then, let’s cancel the bet. I didn’t expect you to be such a coward anyway.”

“Me? Scared?! Impossible! Fine. I’ll accept your bet.”

— [Oh wow~ A big catch!]

— [Haha, this one looks nice and plump~]

— [Younger brother is so cute lol. He actually took the bait?]

— [He bit down on it!]

The chat exploded in chaos.

Thanks to Exitra’s provocation, Alfredo had swallowed the bait whole.

But this wasn’t the time to celebrate.

There was still one problem left unresolved.

— [But what if Brain really doesn’t agree? Wouldn’t that be game over?]

— [That would be absolute legend lol.]

— [Thank you for loving Exitra’s Molgahub up until now~ lolol.]

There was something everyone had overlooked.

It was Brain’s personality.

‘Would Brain really grant Exitra’s request?’

There was a real chance that he might not.

— [But seriously, if it doesn’t work, aren’t we screwed??]

— [If the story ends like that, I’ll cry. T_T]

The viewers felt the looming crisis.

If Exitra lost the bet, it would mean immediate game over.

Sure, he could always start a new game, but there was no guarantee his younger brother would be this cute again.

— [Ex-hyung, you’ve got a backup plan, right???]

— [This is too risky;;]

— [It’ll work out… right??]

The viewers grew uneasy.

But unlike them, Exitra smiled.

“Alright then, let’s start with the contract.”

***

Alfredo stared in disbelief.

Then, with a look that said he still couldn’t believe it, he asked, “F-Father… is this really true?”

“The Count of Britain, huh. It’s certainly a good thing to build ties with them. Not a bad idea. The Count is said to dote on his daughter excessively. If you rescue her, he’ll never forget the favor.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. You’re saying I can go too?”

“Of course. I’ll manage the territory in the meantime.”

An unexpected approval!

The unthinkable had just happened.

‘Of course.’

Exitra had already anticipated this outcome.

In fact, it was only natural.

Brain also knew.

‘He understands perfectly how much we stand to gain by indebting the Count of Britain.’

That was why he so readily gave his permission.

It was a benefit to both the territory and the family.

Exitra had counted on that when he proposed the bet.

“B-but if both my brother and I leave… won’t that look bad?”

“It doesn’t matter. Exitra may be the official heir, but he’s not the formal lord yet. There’s no need to worry about appearances. And this trip will benefit you greatly as well. It will be a good experience.”

***

Alfredo slowly turned his head.

Exitra was standing next to him, smiling as he looked at him.

Then, moving only his lips, he mouthed a word.

‘Bet.’

Just two letters, but the meaning was unmistakable.

‘I won.’

That was clearly what he was saying.

Alfredo’s face flushed bright red.

He suddenly remembered the bet.

‘N-no, this isn’t how it was supposed to go…!’

The result was completely different from what he had expected.

Alfredo couldn’t hide his flustered expression.

— [Oh yeah! Success!!]

— [Finally, Alfredo is going to call him Hyung-ah~!!]

— [La la la~ Recording ready~!]

[Chairman has donated 100,000 won.]

<You’ve worked hard. Hehehehe…>

[Dongsamo has donated 200,000 won.]

<We’re going to get a lot of great clips today! Thanks for your effort.>

Donations poured in.

The viewers seemed more than satisfied.

After wrapping up their conversation with Brain, Exitra and Alfredo left the room.

As soon as they stepped outside, Exitra turned to Alfredo and said,

“Say it—‘Hyung-ah~.’”