Today I had to meet with the Six Great Nobles.
I was thinking about the type of attitude I would take towards them. Erselica approached me with a cup of tea while I was reviewing various documents to give me an advantage.
Ixion, who was by my side, noticed something from a name.
"Oh, isn't this the transaction record with those merchants?"
"Would he keep the record of illegal transactions like these around?"
"Perhaps they didn't completely trust Derrick? He must have kept it as his ace up his sleeve for when the time came that he needed it."
"Hmm~."
Apparently, that merchant even distributed the "orb" that was prohibited from being taken out of the country.
Based on the law of the supreme kingdom, this was undoubtedly a crime worthy of the death penalty.
"This increased our blackmail materials."
"Master, you're making a perverse expression."
"My face has been like this since I was born, so people often don't understand me. That really makes me sad."
When I laughed, Erselica's gaze wandered restlessly.
The tattoo that looked like a collar around Erselica's neck had disappeared. The sacred tree's curse had been dispelled.
"It's good that the curse has been dispelled."
"Eh?"
I reached out my hand to Erselica's head to pet her like a dog.
"Did you really think I was angry with you?"
"It's just...! The face you made was terribly scary at that moment! I remembered what happened the last time you did it, and I was terrified that you also wanted to get even with me! Besides, that idiot Ixion really made me believe he betrayed you!"
"Ixion already got the information when Derrick went to beat us up."
"Eh!?"
Ixion nodded with his spherical body.
"Yes. However, information was lacking, so I decided it would be dangerous to fight at that moment. At the same time, it was a good opportunity to infiltrate Derrick's circle of friends, so I switched sides without consulting the Master."
Erselica seemed relieved and powerlessly fell to her knees like a doll whose string was cut.
Her complexion also improved. She even became teary-eyed.
"Say that from the beginning! I was really scared!"
"It's better that the number of people who know something like this is as small as possible."
I held the documents from Erselica under my arm, but then Erselica suddenly murmured a "Hah!" with a panicked expression.
"B-But, what will happen to Derrick now? I don't know if he'll be able to return to the academy after you crushed him like that. And what if this caused Aster to go to war against the kingdom?"
I had even thought about the risk Erselica mentioned with unease, but I had run out of patience to stay quiet without doing anything.
Besides. It won't come to war.
"I don't think there will be a war. I showed Schwert's power so that wouldn't happen. But, the probability of Derrick returning to the academy is low, just as you said."
"Isn't that a big problem? The event of Derrick causing trouble for the heroine is an important mid-stage event! The worst part is that it already passed, and none of the targets were present that day at the duel!"
It certainly was an important event for the heroine to decide who she would date. However, I felt it would be a mistake to make Lucy date someone just for that.
Besides, there was insurance.
"There's no problem. After all, it seems Lugh is being serious in his relationship with Diana."
Ixion continued my explanation in a way Erselica could easily understand.
"Lugh is seriously considering marrying Diana. Also regarding the sacred tree emblem, it seems the condition for inheriting it is mainly decided by one's bloodline."
"What do you mean?"
"Lucy and Diana are twin sisters. This means both have the possibility of becoming the priestess."
There wouldn't be a problem choosing the priestess. And if the priestess were selected, then she would be able to select the guardian later.
The problem would be solved if Diana were chosen as priestess and then Lugh became the guardian.
If, in the worst case, Lucy were the chosen one, her candidate lover, some random guy, could become the guardian. Could he become one?
Well, that guy wasn't one of the conquest targets, but there shouldn't be any problem.
In any case, what mattered is that the danger to the world could be avoided like that.
"Then everything will be fine!"
Erselica seemed relieved once more as I thought I was glad to have sent Ixion to Derrick's side. Because of that, Ixion was able to ask Derrick about various things and also investigated the domestic situation of Aster in great detail.
"But, there's also a question that arose from this."
"Question?"
"The Six Great Nobles of Aster were discussing how to treat us at this moment."
"If they sent us home, how could we ensure there's no danger for the kingdom or the world?"
That is a very valid question. So there's only one simple answer to that.
"Leave it to me! It's time to extract compensation from Aster!"
"... That's what worries me."
◇◇◇
Sara was called back to the Rosenberg Household mansion.
Her father Randolf interrogated her about this incident in his office.
"... Sara, why did you do something like that?"
Sara was bowing her head. Randolf couldn't interrogate her too harshly because he knew the blame fell on the Herring Household. However, his position as a politician forced him to criticize his daughter's decision.
"You are a citizen of the Supreme Kingdom of Aster. You have the duty to prioritize the welfare of your country above anything else."
Sara only responded "I understand" in a weak voice.
"Certainly Derrick overdid this matter. But it will be a problem if the sacred tree sapling remains in the possession of someone who is not from this country. Also, Schwert, I think it was? That aircraft is a great threat."
Honestly, he wished he could obtain both.
If it was impossible, then he wanted to obtain even one of them, but currently both objects were in Rudel's possession.
For Randolf, who had to negotiate with Rudel in the future, this would make negotiation difficult.
Sara spoke to her father in a tone of absolute honesty.
"Father, you'll understand when you meet Rudel!"
Sara's words made Randolf's eyes narrow in anger.
"I won't tell you to forget Rudel. But don't forget that currently you are bringing shame to your household by helping an unknown foreigner. Listen to me, Sara... Rudel is dead. We buried him almost a decade ago."
(It's strange that she is so obsessed.)
Sara bit her lower lip and clenched her hands to hold back tears.
"... I know better than anyone... but... when you meet Rudel-kun, you'll realize why I decided to help him."
He thought his daughter had matured into a worthy lady.
But looking at what had happened this time, as expected, it seemed she had been forcing herself a bit.
"Sara, at the moment the most important thing is to deal with that foreigner. If you managed to find out something about him that would serve me in negotiating, I'd appreciate it if you told me."
"... Just talk to him, and you won't need anything else to know him."
"..."
"Also, Romeo returned from university; you should go greet him."
"I know."
"You may leave."
Randolf sighed deeply after Sara left the office.
He put his elbows on the table and crossed his arms to rest his forehead there.
"There's nothing but trouble in my life since that day."
After saying that, he pulled a closed drawer and took out a photo from there.
There was the image of two people; the photograph was in black and white, but the silhouettes were clear. One of them was Sara when she was a child, and the other was a young man with black hair.
That young man, named Rudel, was a knight of the Rosenberg Household whom the current head himself wanted to marry to his daughter, but he passed away years ago.
"... Rudel, if only... you were still here, I think my life and my daughter's wouldn't be so dark."
Randolf was crying.
"I've made bad decisions in my life, but undoubtedly that day and yours have been the ones that most affected this family."
Pain was marked on Randolf's face.
This man was the cruel villain who wanted to destroy Aster according to the game's plot.
Randolf stopped crying and put away the photo, wiped his tears, and went back to reviewing documents.
"Soon I'll meet Count Bradford. I can't allow a foreign brat to try to blackmail us."
◇◇◇
The place for the negotiation with Rudel was in the temple under one of the sacred tree's roots.
Randolf couldn't hide his surprise.
Linus, who was by his side, was worried about him.
"Acting Head, is something wrong?"
"N-No, it's nothing."
He said that while coming to understand the reason why Sara was giving so much help to someone from the kingdom.
This Rudel's appearance was exactly as he looked in his adolescence.
He was a young man with black hair and eyes, and a simple appearance that seemed like you could find anywhere, but his air of arrogance and egocentrism reminded him of that knight.
There were so many similarities, but Rudel himself was acting cheekily towards them while holding the jar of the sacred tree sapling in one hand and with the other picking his nose.
"Eh, what did you say?"
Randy's face was flushed red. Rudel was asking him provocatively in a mocking tone.
"Don't make me say it more than once! I'm saying the Herring Household has received enormous damage because your aircraft was ravaging it. I demand you pay compensation for that damage! I'll protest to the kingdom if you don't!"
"Eh? I don't speak pig language, sorry~?"
While smiling, Randy had a bright red face.
It seems he can't accept the fact that he was defeated. It's not exactly a defeat. The entourage of the deranged Derrick went crazy.
The Supreme Kingdom is trying to push it through. The reason is that it can be treated as a conflict between relatives externally.
He acted as if the heads of the Six Great Nobles gathered here were a group of spoiled children like him.
The other heads also seemed irritated. But they were wary of Rudel, who was in possession of the sacred tree sapling.
(Did he hear something about the sacred tree sapling from Sara?)
Rudel didn't seem nervous in the slightest in front of them, who possessed the divine protection of the sacred tree.
(Was his attitude based on ignorance, or was it because he was completely aware of his circumstance?) Randolf couldn't decide which was the case here.
Rudel asked them with the jar in his hand and a childish tone.
"By the way, it seems you're asking me to take responsibility, but are you really okay with that?"
"Obviously it was your fault!"
"Herring-dono, we must also hear what he has to say. Now, Count Bradford, what do you mean by saying it's out of place for us to ask you to take responsibility?"
Randolf silenced Randy; otherwise, the negotiation wouldn't progress.
"Do you need to ask? You tricked us into accepting the oath of this sacred tree, and our crown prince received a cursed mark. What's more, my aircraft was stolen, and Derrick, who did all that and even went crazy with the ship, wasn't blamed. Now, why should I be the one to take responsibility? Even though I was the one who stopped Schwert's rampage. This is what they call returning evil for good. Or perhaps, does Aster have no values or morals?"
Rudel complained incessantly, but he was smiling like a fool the whole time.
He didn't know what this young man was thinking inside.
"Well, let's put aside the public pretense. If you are making all of this my responsibility, then that means you are ready for the consequences, right?"
"Consequences, you say!?"
Randy caused the conversation to stop, so the other heads looked at him to silence him.
Rudel smiled perversely as he continued his words.
"You experienced an overwhelming defeat when facing just a single kingdom ship. If you make Derrick responsible for this, then it will only end as a shameful incident among yourselves, but if you make me responsible for this, won't that mean the end of your invincibility myth? The record of being undefeated in a defensive battle will end here!"
It was Linus who reacted calmly to that declaration.
"I wonder if it will be like that. Actually, you didn't fight at all at that time, and the battle wasn't concluded either. It was stopped halfway. That battle was more like a draw. So, from our point of view, you never defeated us. Sir Hero."
Rudel directed his gaze towards the proud Linus and showed a serious expression of someone who had seen through him.
(Hoo~ so this guy is Linus, one of the capture targets. Erselica said he was a nice older brother and a beloved character. But he seems to be the type who doesn't admit defeat. If I compare him to my previous life. He'd be the type of manager who would blame someone else instead of admitting it was his own.)
"Then feel free to make me responsible. It will be the end for you at that moment. How many ships were shot down by a single ship? Was there even one of your ships that managed to scratch Schwert? Besides. Who said the kingdom only has one Schwert-class?"
Linus tried to lighten the mood.
"Don't you think for a child you are very arrogant, Sir Hero? Or perhaps all the young men in the kingdom are like you?"
"You think? If that were so, then the Herring Household would have become a sea of fire at that moment, hehehe."
"Sir Hero seems like someone with little patience, doesn't he?"
Randolf briefly looked at Randy, who was clenching his hands in frustration, before taking Linus's place in negotiations with Rudel.
"I understand what you mean. And what do you demand from us?"
"Some compensation to start. If you can't prepare money, then I agree to accept products. I'll report what happened this time as a simple dispute among yourselves, so you must also include a formal apology. along with compensation for the damage we received in this incident."
"I see."
Cliff hit his fist on the table.
The emblem of one of the Six Great Nobles was floating on the back of his right hand.
"Who the hell does this brat think he is to want to blackmail us! I can't take it anymore! And especially from you, Randolf-dono, how can you listen to everything he says without making a complaint?"
Randy supported Cliff.
"This bastard has been saying what he wants just because I've kept quiet! We've never lost against the kingdom or any country until now!"
Rudel lifted the sapling and moved it to a position where it could fall to the floor. Cliff's coat of arms lost its light and he sat down.
Rudel showed them a smile that only Derrick had seen; his tone also changed to a dark one.
"So... you want to fight? I have no problem with that."
"The Banfield Household was responsible for personally finishing off all of Aster's enemies. Do you think I'm afraid of a brat?! Put down the sapling and we'll settle this like men."
Rudel's smile became even darker.
"I have no problem fighting the entire combined fleet of Aster personally. Better yet, why don't we start a war game between you and me? As I represent my country, it would be a very good opportunity to show you the power of the Kingdom of Altfode."
Cliff smiled as if it were a very easy bet to win.
"If that's what you want, I—."
"Victory is mine without the need to start."
Cliff didn't understand what Rudel said until he pointed to the window.
Everyone turned to see and were amazed to see something unbelievable.
"My private escort came a few seconds ago, so if you want to fight me, let me tell you I'm more than ready to burn down your entire household, also the pig's."
Battler was waving with a rifle from a distant position. Randolf was the one who interrupted this discussion.
"Let's all calm down, please, Count, calm down, we want to negotiate this peacefully."
Rudel kept smiling sinisterly while playing with the sapling in his hand.
"I have no problem starting a war between you and me, but you should remember that you are only undefeated in defensive battle. If you put the responsibility on me, I guess you'll also get a black mark on your defensive battle record. Your invincibility legend will end with this!"
The heads' expressions turned bitter upon hearing those words.
If it were known that they lost to the kingdom, other countries would also look down on them.
The demerit of such a thing would be immense.
Moreover, now that there was the possibility that other countries could develop powerful aircraft, they could no longer try to solve their problem easily through war.
Randolf considered this incident a good opportunity.
(Hmm, it's not bad. Rather, this is convenient for me.)
"Very well. Aster will prepare monetary compensation for you."
Linus protested to Randolf, who accepted the conditions easily.
"Acting Head, do you plan to accept his demand?!"
It was a bad decision as acting head, but personally Randolf wanted to make good use of this incident. For the sake of his own goal.
"The blame for this incident falls on the Herring Household more than anyone. Aster sincerely apologizes. I will take away some of the power the Herring Household exerts over the supreme kingdom and also prepare generous compensation for you and the kingdom. In exchange, I would like you to hand over the sapling."
"I refuse. I won't give you this little one since you could retract and even maybe send assassins after us. We also want to stay and study here until we complete the year; only then can I return this thing. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it."
Cliff showed an expression of wanting to hit Rudel, while Randy looked at the table upon hearing that his household had lost power and influence.
"That's fine."
But, Randolf apologized to his daughter in his heart.
(Sara, you must have felt this way too.)
The image of the knight who once served him was superimposed on Rudel in front of him. He regretted a little that it softened him in dealing with a rude foreigner.
He couldn't criticize his daughter like that.
Rudel was surprised; his perverse smile was replaced by an idiot's face.
"Eh, are you really going to accept my terms just like that? And I was thinking of blackmailing you a little more..."
He seemed not to have expected all his demands to be accepted.
"Are you surprised?"
"... Well, yes."
Seeing Rudel's insolent attitude had just disappeared, Randolf thought this might be the boy's normal attitude in front of him.
"We've put you through an unpleasant experience while studying here. My apologies. Also, this is just a suggestion of mine as an individual, but..."
◇◇◇
Linus approached Randolf after the negotiation with Rudel.
"Acting Head, the kingdom will become bold with this. Please think again!"
Linus was young and extremely capable, but he had strong patriotic feelings.
That's why he was sensitive about matters that brought disadvantage to his homeland.
"We should close our eyes to this small loss. We just obtained a good opportunity to reform our consciousness."
"Consciousness?"
"The thought that we will always be prosperous relying on the sacred tree is antiquated."
Linus was shocked.
"Acting Head, isn't your statement now too controversial?"
"What's controversial about it? The evaluation of foreign countries towards Aster, which has been completely relying on the sacred tree while looking down on them, is terrible. At the same time, our sense of danger towards foreign countries is too careless."
Linus also seemed to have some idea of what Randolf was saying. He couldn't respond.
"It seems you're inviting that person to your mansion, but will it be okay? He's a man who would fight even against us in person."
"He's in possession of the sacred tree sapling. I wish to have another angle where we can negotiate with him."
"That is certainly necessary, but it doesn't have to be you who deals personally with that, does it?"
"I'm also personally interested in the kingdom's technology."
He listed several reasons, but personally he wanted to talk with Rudel.
(He keeps appearing in my mind even though I know he's not that Rudel. Is it because the two are so similar even in their personality?)
◇
I was invited to come to the Rosenberg Household mansion several days after the negotiation.
The repairs towards me were paid immediately while Aster also maintained negotiations with the Kingdom of Altfode between officials of both countries. It would be funny if Leonis bore all the hard work for that, so I didn't touch that side at all.
The Rosenberg Household went as far as preparing an aircraft to take me to their territory, to their fortress on their floating island for a dinner.
It was a fortress city. It had a different atmosphere from the old Vermillion territory.
"This place looks like it belongs to the king of a country."
I murmured that in a low voice. Ixion, who was camouflaging himself, whispered in my ear.
"Master, I think the risk of assassination is low, still, don't lower your guard."
"I know."
Ixion was circling around to investigate the huge castle while I waited in the waiting room.
He thoroughly investigated various things like whether the food to be served was poisoned or not. The result seemed that I was really invited just for a dinner.
"Are they trying to win me over because they want the sacred tree sapling? Maybe I'd accept if they offered beautiful women, but I already have fiancées."
"... That is very likely. It seems they are also considering technology exchange. However, the situation seems strange even despite that."
"Strange? Is there some kind of problem?"
"The servants who saw the Master's face seemed agitated. Many of the veteran servants are especially nervous."
The servant who showed me around was also like that.
He looked really surprised.
Sara also seemed surprised when we met. At that time, she asked me "Call me Sara-chan" or something like that.
Is she someone with that kind of hobby?
Could it be that I only run into women who are perverts deep down?
If she told me she wanted to be my older sister, I'd bring out those two idiot older brothers of mine for her.
Just remembering how those idiots forced me to work in their place makes me happy to have found Ixion.
A servant came to inform me that preparations had finished while I was talking with Ixion.
◇
Inside a room with a very high ceiling.
I was having dinner with three other people around a large table. It was a really strange feeling to eat like that.
There were servants on standby around us. They would help us with our dinner.
Randolf was sitting right in front of me. Sara and his wife Marian, a woman who is the spitting image of her daughter but with an average chest, were sitting at his sides.
The two wore elegant dresses.
The dinner atmosphere was really like that of important nobles' dinner—no, even a royal family dinner seemed like it.
The dishes had cooled a bit, but they were still delicious.
"Do the dishes suit your taste?"
Randolf asked me. I spoke of my impression without any flattery.
"They are delicious. The sauce is different from what we have in the kingdom, but I like this strange flavor."
The seasoning of food changes depending on the country, but I could eat without any problem.
The soft meat was accompanied by a type of vegetable that couldn't be found in the kingdom.
It reminded me a lot of broccoli, but it tasted like sour parsley.
When I tried to eat it, unintentionally my face showed an expression of disgust.
I could eat it, but it wasn't something I'd want to eat on my own initiative. Even if I grew them myself.
I forced myself a bit to put it in my mouth along with some meat to cover the taste.
But then I noticed the three in front of me were staring at me intently.
"Eh, Emm... I apologize, is my way of eating bad or something like that?"
"N-No, it's not that. Perhaps you dislike that vegetable?"
It seemed he had perceived it due to my expression.
"It's a vegetable I had never eaten in the kingdom. I don't like its peculiar bitterness, but I can still eat it fine."
Sara shed a tear.
She wiped it away while apologizing.
"I-I'm sorry, but what exactly is happening here?"
Randolf sighed before speaking.
"A long time ago, when I wasn't yet the head of the household and my mother was."
"Eh, your mother was the head of the household? I thought only a male could inherit the title?"
"Normally it is so, but only when there are no more relatives of the main lineage. That is, my uncles passed away, so only my mother was available."
This is undoubtedly a surprise.
"So that the lineage of the main household doesn't die out, we use the previous surnames. The name of the head at that time passes to their children. Since my mother was the previous head of the Rosenberg Household, it's the reason we use her name. That way we also identify our relatives from other households."
"I see, it's noticeable that it must have been quite a surprise."
"You can say that again. The other households thought we would weaken just because a male wasn't a male; to their misfortune, my mother was a capable woman on her own."
This is undoubtedly amazing, especially in a non-matriarchal household.
"I understand, but what does that have to do with me?"
"I'm getting there. When I was young and helping my mother to prepare myself as the next head, one day a man arrived in our territory. He spoke a foreign language."
"We were originally going to deport him, but the man said he was expelled from his country. That was an obvious farce just from seeing how he acted."
I really don't understand what that has to do with me.
"As time passed, the man was of great help to our household. We took him in out of pity, but then he became part of our knights. His name was Stewart, and he said he came from the Kingdom of Altfode."
I expressed my surprise because of that.
"I still don't understand what that has to do with me."
"Just wait a little more."
"The man, to be recognized by us as a citizen of Aster, had to contract marriage with a local woman, and it happened. They had a child, but the woman died after childbirth."
"Years later, that man also passed away and asked me to take care of his son as if he were my own. I felt reluctant to care for a servant's son, but that man supported us until the day of his death; I'd feel bad if I didn't."
Randolf took something out of his pocket; it looked like a photograph from my point of view.
"That boy was a problem on legs. Everything he touched he destroyed, caused discomfort to other nobles, and even drank my personal wine, the shameless one."
"Sometimes I wanted to hang him myself."
Randolf really made an expression of hanging someone; his wife and daughter joined him in his memory of the past.
"I remember that day; you chased him with his own sword."
"The worst of all is that the shameless one hid in my room while I was sleeping. Truly, Rudel was a headache."
It was there that I was left speechless. They seemed to notice, and Randolf continued.
"That's right, that annoying young man was a knight who served our household, and like you, was named Rudel and came from the Kingdom of Altfode."
Randolf stretched his hand to show me the photograph; my eyes opened at what I couldn't believe seeing.
In a black and white garden, there was a little girl who was Sara. And a young man in armor by her side. That young man was exactly identical to me, only with a slight beard that reminded me of my dad.
Wait, he looks like me... he came from the kingdom, and his beard reminds me of my dad.
I once heard in my previous life someone say "Coincidences don't exist."
My father once told me he had a brother who escaped on a boat to not be in charge of the territory. He considered him dead since it was impossible for him to still be alive.
Yes... there's a possibility that my uncle managed to survive and arrive here. It wouldn't be strange if the person in this photograph is actually my cousin.
"They say there is a person exactly like you somewhere in the world."
If that were true, would there perhaps be a reason why the original "Rudel" of this world also died?
With this, it can be said that two "Rudel's" have died.
I'm getting scared. This is really creepy.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but it's because you really resemble him. Even the way you behave."
"I-I understand. I think I'd act the same if I were in your position."
I returned the photo to Randolf.
"But, still, the resemblance is incredible. It would only be missing for Sara to also declare herself to him, hahaha."
Sara blushed and opened her mouth in a W shape while her parents laughed.
"Dad, how dare you tell him that!"
"What? It's obvious you helped him because he reminds you of your first love. It's true, Count, you should know this girl was deeply in love with our Rudel when she was a child."
My mouth opened in surprise. I think I now understand the reason she asked me to call her that.
Deep down, Sara is another big girl like Alisa. She wants to be spoiled despite behaving like an adult.
"She even said things like. 'I'll make you recognize me as your wife someday' or. 'My breasts will be very big so you won't have to go after village women,' things like that this girl said, hahaha."
Sara was embarrassed while her parents laughed.
This man—this family is the one that was supposed to originally be cruel villains who wanted to destroy their own country?
Perhaps... is it the same situation as with Alisa and Klein? A mistake of a terrible plot or that really things aren't as they seem.
Before me, I see a completely normal family.
Sara suddenly left her embarrassment and stood up abruptly from the table.
"That's right! That boy hasn't come down even though I told him. Rudel-kun, excuse me. Mom, Dad, I'll go get Romeo."
(Romeo, one of the targets who has a lot of information and who is supposed to betray his cruel family.)
I looked at Randolf since he had a tired look.
"Perhaps you haven't slept well?"
"It's because of work."
"If you don't mind, would you like me to give you some pills that help relax the body? You'll be able to sleep a lot with just one, and you'll feel like new, but rest is important."
"Do you have something like that? I appreciate it."
Randolf reminded me a bit of when I worked several overtime hours and wanted to stay awake.
This man is really hardworking.
◇◇◇
Sara walked down a long corridor to a room.
She knocked on the door lightly.
"Romeo, I told you we'd have a guest; come down to say hello at least."
There was no response.
Sara knocked on the door forcefully this time.
The knob turned a little, and in a dark room, illuminated by a magic lamp, an eye peeked out.
"... What do you want, sister?"
"What do you mean what do I want? Do the favor of coming down to say hello, even if you'd stay studying again in your room."
The eye looked very coldly at Sara.
"Get lost."
The door closed abruptly in her face.
"Romeo! Romeo, don't be like that! Open the door! Romeo!"
Behind the door was a boy similar to Sara, but his hair and eyes were different.
He grabbed his head while his face showed an expression of pain.
"... Leave me alone to study in peace. Why doesn't anyone understand? I want to be alone to study in peace!"
◇
"How nice! You went to have a fancy dinner all by yourself; I'm jealous~!"
When I returned, Erselica greeted me with undisguised jealousy.
Several weeks had passed since I meddled in Erselica's mansion.
My days here were full of a lot of noise.
"I didn't go to play, you know?"
"But the food was luxurious, right?"
"It was delicious~."
Erselica bit her handkerchief with a frustrated look when I told her my impression.
That's why I gave her the cake I brought as a souvenir.
"Here, a gift."
"Yay~, I love you, brother."
It was easy to handle Erselica upon seeing her mood brighten like that just by giving her cake.
I didn't want to believe how there were five idiots who loved this woman and would leave their inheritance and household for her.
I entered an empty room with Erselica, who was holding the cake, and prepared tea.
"Where is Ixion?"
"He's repairing Schwert. Ixion's main body is arriving on this side, so it will finish in several days."
Ixion also mentioned about Battler's inspection.
Apparently, he would remove the pointy decorations and clean the cockpit that had been used by Derrick.
Schwert was also only dirty on the inside, so instead of calling it repair, it would mainly be cleaning and restocking the ship.
"Wasn't his main body already here before?"
"Before this, it floated between Aster and Altfode to act as a relay. But the main body was sent here due to the problems that occurred on this side. Thanks to that, now I also can't send mail to Alisa and Airi."
At the moment, I couldn't send any mail because the communication signal was extremely bad.
I wondered if the two were okay now?
Erselica took out the cake with shining eyes.
"This looks delicious!"
"Don't eat it all. There's also a part for the others."
"I know."
Erselica took out the cake and waited for me to prepare the tea while talking about the plan I would follow.
"By the way, how was the conversation?"
"It's going too well that it scares me instead. Everyone in the Rosenberg Household took a liking to me."
To think they had a dead servant who looked exactly like me. I still couldn't believe it.
"Will it be okay? They are the final boss."
"I'll be on guard."
(Although I don't think they are hostile.)
I finished preparing the tea and enjoyed the cake along with Erselica.
I watched her eat the cake while taking out some cash that was inside a brown envelope from my chest pocket.
"Erselica, another gift."
Erselica's eyes opened the instant she saw the money.
Her enthusiasm surpassed her enthusiasm for the cake.
"B-Brother, this is!"
"This is because I managed to extort a lot from Aster. Well, this is money for your needs."
Erselica had also worked hard this time, so this was her reward.
I also learned something from living together with Erselica.
She is a bit, no, not just a bit, she was simply too pitiful.
She had to take care of those five; also she had to economize to make do with the available household budget. I couldn't hold back tears seeing that.
Erselica took out the cash and began to count it.
"I-Is it okay for me to receive this much!?"
The amount of money I gave her was around ten million in Aster money.
But even that amount was a bit insufficient to live in Aster while taking care of those useless ones.
"You all have also worked hard this time. Use the money carefully, okay?"
Erselica cried while clinging to me.
But she did that only after carefully putting the money in her pocket.
"Onii-chan, thank youuuuuuu!"
I shook off Erselica, who was clinging to me.
"L-Let go of me! Really, you're still a kept girl like in the past life."
Erselica wiped her tears.
"With this, I won't have to worry about money for summer clothes."
The season was going to change from spring to summer.
"Summer, huh? There will be many events there. For now, Diana is our candidate for priestess, but depending on the situation, Lucy could become the chosen one, so we must be careful."
When I said that, Erselica stopped her hands that were counting the money she took out of her pocket.
She looked at my face and tilted her head.
"Brother. Why are you considering Lucy as a candidate for priestess?"
"Huh? Because Lucy is a normal girl, right? From what I know of Lucy, she has talked with many boys, but I'm sure among them there might be one who could become her partner. It will be difficult to make the events fit with that guy, but with a push on their backs, I think we can achieve it. I'm very smart, right?"
Erselica stared at me intently.
"... Brother."
"What?"
"... How many boys have you seen that relate to Lucy?"
"Several."
"But after what happened. With how many boys has she related?"
"If you take it like that, it would be with us."
"Where did she stay, and who rescued her from that incident with the Cashmiro Family?"
That family was annoying; it seems they have many branches, among them other allies. I sent Ixion to destroy them with his main body so as not to have more problems.
"I'd say, me? But what does that have to do with anything?"
She looked at me with a cold gaze when I said that.
"... I don't care anymore!"
"No, tell me! You're worrying me!"
Erselica put the money in her pocket once more and began to eat the cake.
"It will become problematic, so I won't say it. Besides, you'd better think correctly about what to do now. Something that can't be undone will happen if you keep living with Lucy like this."
"Something that can't be undone, you say?"
"That's why virgins are the worst. They never get hints."
"Don't tell me, are you thinking I'm going to fall in love with Lucy? Hahaha. How bad. I have two wonderful fiancées waiting for me at home. I won't do something like cheating on them."
Erselica mocked me.
"I wish you the best in that. I don't like problems after all, especially from super dense guys like you."
What's with this girl?
What did she want to say?
Hey, Erselica, what the hell are you trying to hint at?
I don't understand what she's talking about? I love my girlfriends; I'd never cheat on them.