The County of Valery.
It was one of the finest granary regions in the Kingdom of Aiwood, known far and wide as a breadbasket of wheat.
The wheat harvested here accounted for fifteen percent of the entire kingdom's demand, making it an invaluable source of food for Aiwood.
In one corner of this vast granary land. In the wide fields, numerous monsters roamed.
They resembled apes. Roughly the size of chimpanzees.
Their fur, however, was a burning crimson, and red sparks of flame fell from their mouths like drool, making it abundantly clear these were no ordinary wild beasts.
"Gyagyagya!"
"Gya!"
"Gyaaaa!"
The ape monsters tore at the crops growing in the field and gnawed, tore and gnawed, over and over without end.
An appetite driven by bottomless hunger. If left unchecked like this, they would strip the fields bare.
"I see… the student council enforcement division. What a nostalgic topic."
Gazing at the monsters from afar, a man spoke with deep emotion.
"I was part of the enforcement division myself back in my student days. In fact… that's where I met my wife."
The one speaking with a bitter expression was Albert Rosemary, head of House Rosemary and Chief Court Mage.
Albert kept his body low, holding his breath as he spoke in a hushed voice.
"Is that so? I've never heard that before."
Rest nodded in response to Albert, looking mildly surprised.
For some reason, the two of them were crouched in a patch of tall grass, speaking in low voices as they watched the monsters ravaging the fields from a distance.
The topic was an event from a few days prior — being recruited into the student council enforcement division by Andrew, the Second Prince.
His fiancées Viola and Primula had left the decision to Rest, but he couldn't bring himself to make up his mind alone and was consulting Albert, his future father-in-law.
He didn't dislike the idea of joining the enforcement division.
There were advantages, he thought. And… disadvantages too.
He was particularly troubled by the worry that growing too close to the Second Prince might negatively affect House Rosemary.
No matter how much the sisters loved Rest, he was still, at the end of the day, a man who would marry into the family.
He didn't want to cause trouble for House Rosemary. Yet the sisters never said a single word to discourage his actions.
So… he had decided to seek the judgment of someone with more life experience and had come to Albert for advice.
Until about a year ago, Rest and Albert had had a rather awkward relationship.
Albert had been extremely anxious about losing both of his precious daughters, and there had even been moments when he directed hostility toward Rest.
However, recently he had come to terms with the idea that marrying both daughters to Rest meant they wouldn't be sent off as brides elsewhere.
From his position as a fellow man who had married into a noble family, he would sometimes offer advice.
"Back then, the student council president was the current Duke Crocus. I was recruited by him — he was two years my senior. The wife I'd eventually marry was also in the division, one year above me, and she sure put me through the wringer…"
"O-oh, I see…"
Imagining Albert's wife — whose personality was nothing like one would expect of a marquise — Rest made a bitter face.
"Well, the fact that she took a liking to me and I ended up marrying in because of it means not all the memories were bad. For a young man with no family estate of his own to inherit, it was more than I could have ever hoped for."
"Ah… I see. But it must have been tough, the enforcement division. You'd end up earning the resentment of other students, wouldn't you…"
"I won't say there weren't disadvantages like that. But… I got on good terms with the president, Duke Crocus, and my accomplishments during my time in the enforcement division accelerated my career. In my case, the advantages outweighed the disadvantages. Of course, I won't assume it'll be the same for you."
"…………"
"In your case, growing close to President Andrew, the Second Prince, is significant. He will almost certainly never take the throne, but when he is granted his own noble house, he'll receive at least a ducal title. There's a possibility he might marry into a foreign family, but… given the current situation, I doubt it. There are no families of comparable standing with available heirs close to his age. If your fiancées hadn't already been promised, there might have been an offer, but… that's beside the point."
Without taking his eyes off the monsters, Albert gave a wry smile and shrugged.
"If you're torn about whether to join the enforcement division… why not just give it a try? Personally, I think it's a solid 'yes.'"
"I'm just not sure. What if I overstep and cause trouble for House Rosemary…"
"Do you really think my wife would care about that? That's pure worry for nothing!"
Albert laughed off Rest's probing words.
"If it were Irish, she would undoubtedly say 'kill them.' Students in the enforcement division do earn plenty of resentment, but if you do your job properly, the decent students will come to rely on you. Besides, you enrolled under the commoner quota. There are bound to be people who question your marriage into House Rosemary. Some might even try to bring you down to get to the sisters themselves. If you join the enforcement division and make a name for yourself, people's perceptions will change."
"Huh… I never thought of it that way."
There had indeed been boys who glared at Rest for being close to the Rosemary sisters. He had written it off as jealousy, but perhaps there was also distrust toward a low-born man marrying into a marquise's house.
"By joining the student council, the world will see you as belonging to President Andrew's faction. Those who would needlessly antagonize you will disappear."
"Prince Andrew's faction… but wouldn't that put me in the crosshairs of Crown Prince Richard?"
"Both princes share the same mother and are on good terms, so there's nothing to worry about. If they had been closer in age and their factions more evenly matched, the factional rivalry could have been fierce… but with Richard all but confirmed as the next king, Andrew's faction is treated as little more than a 'friends' group.' It carries no real political weight, so there's no cause for concern. Oh — it looks like they're ready."
White smoke rose from a spot some distance away.
The other people operating separately had finished their preparations.
"Well then, Rest. It's time to get to work."
"Yes, my lord."
Rest and Albert rose from the tall grass.
Likewise, the other magicians who had been hiding in the brush revealed themselves.
"Monster hunt time… let's exterminate this swarm!"
"Yes!"
At Albert's command, Rest immediately began condensing his mana.
To minimize damage to the crops, he chose water magic.
"Water Blade!"
"Gyagyagyaaa!?"
The launched blade of water pierced through the neck of one of the ape monsters that had been devouring the field.
Purple body fluid sprayed into the air as the ape's head went spinning.