The Second Son of the Marquis Wants to Laze Around-Chapter 74: What Did Leon do Wrong?

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To my friend Leon,

I feel so embarrassed writing a letter to you.

This is the twelfth piece of paper I’ve used because I don’t know how to write one properly.

Anyway, the reason I’m writing this kind of letter is because one of my seniors told me it’s best to write a will for someone, just in case—since the life of a knight is dangerous, and we never know when we might not come back.

That’s why I’m writing this.

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Leon’s eyes widened in surprise as he read.

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Honestly, I don’t know what to say to you, since I never imagined myself dying in the future.

But after days of trying to come up with a decent letter for you and my mom, I managed to create a scene in my mind.

In it, I’m saving a big city from a monster invasion—taking down monsters while protecting people, and everyone watches in awe at how cool and amazing I am.

I even save a beautiful girl, who thanks me and kisses me on the cheek at graduation, and I give her a handsome smile.

---

Leon’s eyes turned dull and stoic as he kept reading.

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And then, a big boss monster appears, terrifying the people.

But I face it head-on like a hero! There are flashes and explosions everywhere!

Then I deliver a final blow to its heart and win.

Everyone watching cheers for me and starts calling my name.

"Oh Hero, you’re amazing!"

"My Hero is so handsome and strong!"

"Please marry me!"

---

Leon let out a sigh and covered his face in embarrassment.

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And then, as I bask in the praise, I see a monster about to stab a little girl who doesn’t notice it.

So I rush in and block the attack with my body, letting it stab me instead.

But I manage to cut off the monster’s head.

Turns out the monster’s stab had poison, and I only have three days left to live.

So I lie in bed, waiting for death, as my friends and all the people I saved come to visit me in tears.

Even you, Leon. You sit beside me at the bed, crying and telling me how amazing I was—that I was a hero to everyone.

You cry, and I comfort you, saying it’s okay.

---

While reading, Leon felt like he should stop—but he didn’t.

The next part made his eyes widen.

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As you cry beside me, begging me not to go, I smile and pat your head.

I tell you it’s fine and that I’m happy with my ending.

Whether I die as a hero to the people or die as a nobody like my father, I still have you, who will always remember me.

Right, Leon?

---

Leon’s grip on the letter tightened.

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Of course, it’s not just you.

There’s also my mom, my uncle, Mr. Julio the baker, Mrs. Davis, the neighbors, my friends in the knighthood, and those I’ve helped.

They’ll remember me—whether as a knight or the troublesome brat.

But one thing’s for sure: you’ll remember me most.

So whatever memories I’ve left behind, please cherish them and carry them with you on your path, as if I’m fighting beside you.

That’s all from me.

Your best friend,

Seraf

---

With a shadowed expression and hair covering his eyes, Leon sat in silence.

Tears fell onto the letter as his trembling hands held it tightly.

Wiping his eyes, he turned his gaze toward the object leaning against the wall of his room.

It was his friend’s sword. He stared at it in silence.

...

...

The next day, at the Valmont household...

Inside the knight commander’s office, Commander Gareth looked at the young man standing before him with a serious expression.

It was Leon, who had come to join the knights.

"Are you sure?" Gareth asked firmly.

Leon nodded.

Looking at him for a moment, a faint smile formed on the commander’s face.

He stood up from his seat and walked over, stretching out his hand.

Leon reached out and shook it.

"Welcome to the Valmont’s Knights."

....

....

Leon’s eyes fluttered open, his brows twitching as he slowly came back to his senses. Around him, Kristoff and the other knights smiled in relief, clearly happy to see that he was okay.

"Rise and shine, junior~" Kristoff teased with a playful grin.

With a groan, Leon pushed himself up from the ground, one hand clutching his head. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes.

"How do you feel?" a senior knight asked, kneeling beside him with a concerned expression.

"I’m fine... Just a little dizzy. What happened?" Leon asked, blinking as he finished scanning his surroundings. Most of the knights were gathered around him—some wearing worried looks, while others smiled at him with admiration and praise.

"You did it, buddy. You actually won," Kristoff said, beaming as he gave Leon’s shoulder a hearty pat. He gestured toward the Thunderclaw’s body, which still lay motionless nearby.

Leon’s eyes widened, unable to believe what he was hearing. His memory flashed back to just before he passed out—how he had used every last drop of energy and strength to land the final blow.

"Leon"

A voice suddenly called out his name. Everyone turned toward the source.

It was none other than Young Master Eren, walking toward them with his usual lazy, stoic expression. However, some of the knights noticed something... off about him this time.

"...Young Master," Leon muttered.

He was still slightly dazed, didn’t sense anything unusual. Instead, he was overwhelmed with gratitude for the boy’s help and support during the battle. If it hadn’t been for the young master, Leon wouldn’t have achieved this outcome.

Just as Leon was about to stand and bow to express his heartfelt thanks—

–SMACK!

A loud thwack echoed as something slammed into Leon’s head, causing him to jerk forward with wide eyes, stunned.

Everyone froze in disbelief, their expressions blank and stunned as they stared at Eren—who had just smacked Leon on the head. It wasn’t a full punch, more like a sharp, fast smack.

"You idiot..." Eren said coldly, his voice slicing through the silence like a blade.

Leon slowly raised his head to meet Eren’s gaze—and froze. There was a dark, freezing aura surrounding the boy, his cold eyes practically glowing with suppressed fury. Leon had no idea what he did wrong, but the young master was clearly furious.

–SMACK!

Another smack landed squarely on Leon’s head, this time faster than the eye could track. Even the knights couldn’t see Eren’s arm move—they only saw his fist connect with Leon’s skull again.

"Your job was to knock it down, not kill it," Eren said, his voice icy.

...

...

After receiving a solid scolding from the young master, Leon now sat on his knees with his head lowered in shame. His expression had darkened like a wilted flower under the sun. The knights around him gave him sympathetic looks as the verbal beating continued.

"Did the exhaustion and fatigue turn your brain into battle-mania mush? You had one job. One job!"

As it turned out, the Thunderclaw was confirmed dead—no heartbeat, no life. This news made Eren visibly frustrated, especially since so much effort had gone into capturing it alive. All of that time and strategy... wasted.

Kristoff tried to speak up to calm him down, but—

"Young Master? I think he—"

"Don’t interrupt me, you virgin. This should have been your job to scold him—not mine!"

Kristoff staggered back, the words piercing him like a blade. He fell to his knees in silent despair, head bowed in emotional defeat. His friends quietly surrounded him to comfort him, though they too were confused. Sure, Leon had accidentally killed the monster when he wasn’t supposed to, but... wasn’t that a bit harsh?

Just then, Useless—the system—finally decided to intervene.

[Master? The monster isn’t fully dead yet.]

Eren froze mid-scolding. His cold eyes narrowed.

’....What did you just say?’

It turned out that Useless had done a quick scan on the Thunderclaw’s body and discovered that while its heartbeat had stopped, its mana was still faintly circulating—sustained by the magic gem embedded inside it. It was teetering on the edge of death, but technically not all the way there.

After listening to the explanation, Eren glared at the floating system screen with dull, half-lidded eyes.

’And you’re telling me this now?’

[I-I was going to tell you! But Master was busy scolding the—]

’Skip.’

[Ack!]

Turning away from Leon, Eren let out a long sigh and walked over to the Thunderclaw’s body. The knights, including Leon, Kristoff, and Raven, stared in confusion, unsure why he had suddenly stopped yelling and redirected his attention.

What’s more outrageous for Eren that he didn’t apologize to Leon for the falsely blame!

Approaching the monster, Eren knelt beside it and placed a hand on its bloodied fur.

’Useless. Full scan, now.’

[Already done, Master!]

A green holographic screen immediately popped up before him.

---

Target: Thunderclaw

Condition:

State – Critical, bleeding, death’s door (152 seconds remaining)

Mind – Unconscious.

---

Seeing the report, Eren asked quietly,

’Can it still be saved?’

[Yes, Master. A high-grade healing potion or spell would work, but I recommend an elixir. It’s faster and more efficient.]

Without hesitation, Eren reached into his spatial ring and pulled out three elixirs. He poured them all onto the monster’s body.

A gentle glow surrounded the Thunderclaw as its wounds began to close rapidly.

Eren checked the scan again.

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State – Healed, But still on death’s door (2 minutes)

Mind – Unconscious

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[Its condition is now stable. It won’t be long before it regains consciousness, but it still losing life energy. I think now is the best time to execute the next step.] Useless reported.