Ten days had passed since then.
I'd been throwing myself into training while crashing at the company office.
When Orsted was around, the cycle went like this: morning conditioning, afternoon mock battles, evening desk study in the office, and before bed, room cleaning and document organization.
On days Orsted was away, I trained solo for the most part.
I'd strap on the Magic Armor and keep drilling the forms Orsted had taught me until I was completely spent, while simultaneously experimenting with combination techniques.
Occasionally Sylphie would bring a packed lunch and check how the coordination was coming along, but today I was on my own.
Now then—about the forms Orsted had taught me.
Apparently they were left behind by Urpen, the Dragon God from four hundred years ago.
Dragon God Urpen.
The man known in common parlance as one of the "Three Heroes Who Slew the Demon God."
A colleague of Perugius.
According to Orsted, Urpen actually had the lowest total mana reserves of any Dragon God in history.
He'd been called the weakest among the Dragon God candidates of his era, written off as someone who'd never claim the title.
Yet that very man developed an entirely original Dragon God Style.
With that style, he won the Dragon God title and even defeated the Demon God Laplace.
He was, to this day, regarded as the greatest genius among all Dragon Gods—a truly extraordinary figure.
Urpen's Dragon God Style was built around using as little internal mana as possible, cornering the opponent with minimal expenditure.
Orsted had found the secret scrolls Urpen left behind and successfully mastered his combat techniques along with his ultimate secret art: the Dragon God Fighting Spirit.
Not using mana.
That approach didn't seem necessary for me, but the underlying philosophy—cornering an opponent with zero waste and minimal effort—was invaluable.
Plus, a martial art that blended magic and physical combat would suit me well while wearing the Magic Armor.
Anyway, today was another round of coordination practice.
First up: Stone Cannonball.
My Stone Cannonball could wound even Orsted if it landed a direct hit.
It was devastatingly powerful.
On par with the Sword God Style's Sword of Light.
So I'd build my combinations around it as the main strike.
Then there was Quagmire.
Maybe because I'd used it so many times, Quagmire was among my fastest-casting spells.
I needed to be able to place it accurately under a fast-moving opponent's feet.
That would serve as a launching point for attacks.
Or Lightning Strike.
It took slightly longer to cast than Quagmire, but this spell pierced battle aura and paralyzed the opponent—it was extremely effective.
There would be plenty of situations where Quagmire wouldn't work, but Lightning Strike would.
This too was a launch point, or something to use right after Quagmire.
Once I'd stopped their legs, I could use spells like Thick Fog or Frost Nova to throw them off balance.
For offense, Stone Cannonball alone would basically suffice.
Everything else was for pinning the opponent down or restricting their movement—suppression fire.
By any means necessary, force the opponent into a position where evasion and deflection were impossible.
Then drive in the killing blow with Stone Cannonball.
Once I could pull that off, my victory was essentially guaranteed regardless of the opponent.
—that was what Orsted had said.
The key was routine.
If I had the routine down, I could respond to even the most unorthodox movements without any time lag.
Quagmire → opponent reacts → spell tailored to that reaction → opponent's next move → spell for that → repeat, driving them into a corner → fire Stone Cannonball.
Yeah.
Easier said than done.
In practice, swordsmen could cut through spells along with the mana powering them, preemptive strikes were always a possibility, and even support magic had a good chance of being neutralized.
Tricky stuff.
Come to think of it, Orsted had also taught me about various King-grade-and-above spells.
That said, not much came of it.
In the end, most attack spells above King grade were simply rearranged versions of mixed spells up to Saint grade.
For example, the Water Emperor-grade spell: Absolute Zero.
This was basically Frost Nova—a mixed spell combining Steam and Frozen Domain—supercharged for high power and speed.
Instead of first wetting the surroundings with Steam, it flash-froze a wide area in one shot. That was Absolute Zero.
I could already do that.
It was nothing special.
I'd already mastered Emperor-grade spells.
That was why Badigadi had looked at my Stone Cannonball and said I could call it Earth Emperor-grade without anyone objecting.
Normally, there was no spell to increase the power of Stone Cannonball, but the underlying principle was the same.
Having learned all four offensive spell types up to Saint grade, I had—in a sense—already mastered every offensive spell there was.
Of course, God-grade spells were probably beyond even me.
Using God-grade magic required enormous mana reserves and incredibly complex mana control, plus lengthy incantations and the use of control magic circles.
Orsted said their power was enough to reshape the world's geography.
The oddly shaped terrain in various parts of this world—their origins lay in such spells.
Honestly, I still struggled with drawing magic circles, and I didn't think I needed to cast anything on that massive a scale.
Basics, applications, and mixed spells.
If I could use these well, there should be nobody I couldn't beat.
Start by pinning their feet.
Same thing, over and over.
"Rudeus."
As I was practicing my spellwork, Orsted returned.
I immediately turned to face him and bowed.
"Welcome back!"
"Yeah."
When the boss shows up to the office, bowing is an employee's duty.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and continued my greeting with a forty-five-degree bow.
It might be lonely with just me, but this was something to endure until Cliff finished his research.
Once we eventually had a whole staff, I wanted them all lined up bowing as the boss arrived, one after another.
Call it a black company if you want. I didn't care.
"Work."
Orsted had initially told me to "just act normal," but by now he was used to it.
"You're heading out in three days. I'll explain the details now."
"Enthusiastically accepted!"
I had received my work orders directly from Orsted himself.
It seemed my next job was set.
"As usual, it's nothing major, but…settle your affairs with your family before you go."
"Haha!"
And so, I headed home for the time being.
---
"Ah, welcome home, Boss…nyo, I mean, Master."
When I returned, the cat-ear maid was sitting seiza-style in front of the entrance.
What was she doing?
Had she messed something up?
"I'm home, Linear. What are you doing sitting out here?"
"Nyah-ha-ha…a little incident, and I'm being made to reflect on it, nyo…"
Linear's ears drooped lifelessly as she answered glumly.
"I see."
If she was in reflection mode, I'd leave her to it.
I walked past her and into the house.
"I'm home!"
A face peeked out from behind the door leading to the living room—Lucy.
Oh, was she going to run away again?
But instead, she burst out from behind the door.
She came thundering over and latched onto my leg.
"Papa! Welcome home!"
What was this?
Today I was being welcomed with enthusiasm.
"Ayyy, I'm home, Lucy!"
I moved to pick her up, but she dodged behind me and latched tight onto my robe.
What was going on? She was unusually close today.
Papa was happy.
"Mama! Papa came home!"
"Yeah, I heard—just a minute!"
"Mama!"
Sylphie's voice came from the direction of the bathroom.
She was probably doing laundry or scrubbing the tub.
After that, Lucy called for Sylphie several more times, but eventually seemed to lose patience, let go of my robe, and went thundering off toward the bathroom.
What had that been about…
Well, no need to overthink it. She was a kid.
Normally she was always clinging to me unrelentingly, so maybe this was Lucy's way of giving me some space for once. Some kind of consideration, perhaps.
With that thought, I wandered through the house.
In the living room, I found Rala and Leo.
They were sleeping peacefully, looking perfectly content.
They seemed healthy today as well.
Moving on to the kitchen, I found Lilia preparing dinner.
She looked a bit tired.
What was wrong?
"Lilia, I'm back."
"Welcome home, Master."
"You look exhausted."
"No, I'm fine."
She said that, but fatigue was clearly written on her face.
"Wouldn't it be better to rest?"
"It's nothing serious."
"Really?"
"Yes."
If she said so, then I'd take her word for it.
I'd been putting her through a lot too.
"If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself—please rest whenever you need to."
"Thank you for your concern. But truly, there's no problem."
If Lilia said so, I'd believe her.
But if it wasn't physical, then it must be mental.
The toll of it all, in other words.
"Did something happen?"
"…A little while ago, Lady Eris went to the school."
"Eris? What for?"
"She said it was the day she teaches Lady Norn swordsmanship…"
Swordsmanship…
She really was an impossible pregnant woman to keep still.
Did Eris want to become a teacher or something?
I wasn't opposed to it, but during pregnancy I wished she'd take it easy.
It was nerve-wracking.
"I'm sorry. The rest of us, myself included, tried to stop her, but before we knew it, she'd already gone out…"
"Ah, yeah. Thanks for your hard work."
She wasn't the type to listen when told.
Lilia must have been worn out too.
Maybe I should put my foot down firmly from my end as well…
Then again, it was doubtful whether she'd listen to me either.
Hmm.
She probably wouldn't listen to Sylphie either, but maybe if the smooth-talking Aisha managed to word things just right, Eris might come around.
"Oh, by the way—where's Aisha?"
At that question, Lilia gave a wry smile and answered.
"In the backyard."
---
Just as Lilia had said, Aisha was in the backyard.
Sitting in a corner of the garden.
I could see her shoulders trembling.
Aisha, of all people, giving off such a meek aura—highly unusual.
Was she crying?
"Aisha?"
"Oh, big brother…welcome back."
Aisha turned around, and a flat voice came back at me.
Judging from her face, she hadn't been crying after all.
"Haa…"
But she let out a sigh almost immediately.
Looking closer, she had a gardening shovel in one hand and appeared to have been digging a hole in the corner of the garden.
Inside the hole, I could see scattered fragments that looked like broken pottery.
The fragments had a pattern I recognized.
Looking carefully, I could see the handle pieces among them.
That handle was familiar too.
It was the same pattern, the same handle as the fancy teacup Aisha had once bought with her own pocket money.
That teacup had been one of her favorites.
She always used it whenever she poured herself tea.
I had a faint memory of her letting me use it once.
That time, she'd been beaming and said something like "You're the only special one, big brother" or "Tea tastes completely different from a nice cup, doesn't it?"
Honestly, I couldn't really tell the difference, but because Aisha had been so happy about it, I vaguely remembered it tasting good.
And now that favorite cup…
Was in pieces.
"Hey, big brother."
Aisha spoke in a voice lower than I'd ever heard from her.
"…Y-yes?"
This was anger.
Aisha was quietly furious.
Oh no—had I done something?
I had no qualms about apologizing, but saying sorry without knowing what I'd done wrong would only pour fuel on the fire.
What to do? What was the cause?
As I agonized over this, Aisha turned her dull eyes toward me and said:
"That cat—why don't we get rid of her?"
"Huh?"
That cat—which cat?
No, it was probably the one sitting seiza at the front door.
"Oh, getting rid of her isn't good, right? Sell her to the slave merchant…no, to Eris's family. I'm pretty sure they'd pay top dollar for her. They might not offer the full fifteen hundred Asura gold coins, but they'd probably give at least half, right?"
"W-wait. Let's calm down. Here, sit."
I conjured a chair out of earth magic and offered it to Aisha.
Aisha reached into the hole, pulled out one of the fragments, and stood up.
She tossed a shard at my feet.
Then she plopped down into the chair with a thud.
"That thing wasn't exactly expensive, but you can't get another one anymore."
"The person who made it is dead, and the shop that sold it went under too."
"…But anything with a physical form will eventually break. Yeah."
I made a chair for myself and sat down across from her.
I'd try to calm her down a little.
"I know that. It's not like I'd get angry over a broken cup or anything."
"Yeah."
So Linear had definitely broken that cup.
And Aisha was angry about it.
Despite saying she wasn't angry, she was clearly furious.
"It's just—what I'm saying is, that cat isn't fit to be our maid. She washes dishes and breaks them, cleans and breaks mirrors, does laundry and gets fur all over the sheets."
"Everyone makes mistakes at first. Linear may seem like that, but she's from a good family, you know."
"I—!"
Aisha started to shout something, then swallowed it hard.
She might have been about to say "I didn't make mistakes," perhaps.
"…The other day, she was cleaning the living room and nearly splashed water all over baby Rala, you know?"
"Water on Rala? How did that happen?"
"She was holding the bucket in one hand and the rag in the other while cleaning up high. She lost her balance and almost fell…nothing came of it, but still."
Did that cat not even know how to clean?
Come to think of it, I'd been in her room once, ages ago. It had been pretty messy, if I recalled.
"That's not good either, but if it were just that, I wouldn't say anything. Norn is way worse, and she's got an even worse memory."
"Don't badmouth Norn so casually."
"Badmouth? …No, I'm not trying to say anything bad about Norn—it's just, that cat isn't actually forgetful. She doesn't repeat the same mistakes, but—"
Aisha continued with another sigh.
"That cat doesn't apologize."
She doesn't apologize?
That wasn't good.
"Is that so?"
"No matter what she messes up, she doesn't show any remorse—just goes 'Nyahaha, my bad, my bad, I'll be careful next time, nyo'…"
That was probably her way of apologizing.
At least, in Linear's mind.
But an apology only counted if it reached the other person.
It probably didn't count.
"That is…not good."
"Right?"
I might have been willing to let it slide, but Aisha was Linear's superior.
She had to maintain proper standards.
"So, big brother. Fire her. Please, big brother. I can't stand being around her anymore."
It was rare for Aisha to speak this poorly of anyone.
She must have been truly fed up.
That said, it didn't seem like any single major incident had occurred.
The teacup was just the latest spark.
Each individual thing was probably something that could be laughed off and forgiven, but they'd accumulated to the point where Aisha was saying all this.
Yeah.
That said…
"No, I admit she does have a tendency to get ahead of herself, and she's got her faults. But this is a tough situation for her too. She might just be trying to fit in at her new home by staying cheerful. And to you, that comes across as a lack of remorse. But she doesn't repeat the same mistakes much, right?"
I believed Linear was trying in her own way.
People repeat the same mistakes—that's just how it is.
But you could reduce the probability of that happening.
That was what self-reflection was for.
If she wasn't repeating major blunders, you could say she was reflecting.
At the very least, the Linear I'd seen sitting at the front door earlier had looked like she was reflecting.
She had that "I know I messed up" air about her.
"She's lying."
"That cat isn't reflecting. Not at all. And her attitude is off, too. She goes all deferential with Roxy, Eris, and Leo, but she looks down on Sylphie…"
Aisha pouted her lips as she spoke.
She was stubborn about this.
"She looks down on Sylphie?"
"Like, compared to Eris or the others, she's more casual about it. She even calls her 'Fitz' once in a while."
They had been rivals—albeit for a time—at the Magic University.
In a sense, Sylphie and Linear were close.
"That's probably because Sylphie and Linear have known each other longer."
"…If that's all it is, fine. But ever since Linear came, the atmosphere in the house has been off."
Off, huh.
It was true that when Roxy had moved in, and when Eris had arrived, problems like this hadn't really come up.
"Anyway, I'll talk to Linear and make her apologize properly next time she makes a mistake. I'll add the cost of whatever she broke to her debt. And I'll make her fix her attitude. …I'll have that conversation myself. After that, would you be willing to give her a bit more time and see how it goes?"
"Hmph."
Aisha kept her lips pursed and closed her eyes, looking away.
Seeing her act like this, she probably just wanted to vent and wasn't that angry anymore.
"Come on, please, Aisha. She may be like that, but she's still my friend."
"………Fine, I'll let it go this time. For your sake, big brother."
Aisha said this, then stood up abruptly and turned to face me.
"But big brother. Even setting my feelings aside, I don't think things can go on like this."
With that, Aisha headed back inside.
Afterward, I made sure to have a thorough talk with Linear.
She answered "Roger nyo," but somehow it felt half-hearted.
I hoped she'd improve…
While I was at it, I also warned Eris—who had returned home together with Roxy—to avoid strenuous exercise.
Eris had crossed her arms and pouted, saying "I know!"
But that was the kind of "I know" she said when she didn't really understand.
She wasn't charging around with a sword or anything, so at least that was something. And I wanted to believe that once her belly grew bigger, she'd naturally settle down.
But I was still worried.
For the child—I wanted it to hold on tight and not get shaken loose.
If it was a child of mine and Eris, it could do it. Come on, you can do it.
Dinner felt darker than usual, partly because Aisha was still sulking.
Around the time the meal ended, Sylphie also quietly came to me with a troubled expression, saying she was worried that Linear wasn't fitting in with the household.
There was no reason for Sylphie to look guilty about this, but maybe she felt responsible as the one looking after the house.
As Aisha had said—was this really not going to work out?
Should I do something before heading out for work?
Or should I give it a little more time?
Hmm.
---
That night.
Both Sylphie and Roxy said it was "that day," so I decided to sleep alone.
Honestly, after ten days of celibate training, my patience was wearing thin.
But I accepted that some days were just like that.
Then—perhaps it sensed my desire?
Or perhaps it just wanted to?
"Rudeus."
Eris was waiting in the room leading to the bedroom.
As always, arms crossed, feet shoulder-width apart.
Her rounded belly wrapped in a negligee.
Recently she'd been wearing warm sleepwear, but tonight, for some reason, she'd chosen a risqué negligee.
That wouldn't do—she'd catch a cold in the belly.
"We're doing it."
"We are not."
The baby was precious.
The rule in our household was no intimacy during pregnancy.
"But you want to, don't you? I heard—Sylphie and Roxy are both off-limits today."
"It's fine today. I can hold out."
"You're the husband. There's no need to hold back."
With that, Eris grabbed my hand and pulled.
Her grip was incredibly strong, and I was dragged toward the bedroom as if pulled by a truck.
No—this was bad. If I let this go, I'd be swept along.
Once it started, I wouldn't be able to stop.
That would be unacceptable.
It didn't matter that Eris exercised during her pregnancy. This was not happening.
"W-wait, Eris, let's not. It's not good during pregnancy."
"If we lose the baby, both you and I will regret it. It's not good, absolutely not good."
"I know that. That's why I'm always careful too."
Careful, and yet she went to school and walked the dog.
Well, I supposed moving was probably better than sitting still.
But—did we just have different standards? Was I being too paranoid?
No, no—those were separate issues.
"So, come on!"
Eris dragged me to the side of the bed, then yanked the blanket away with a flourish.
"……Ny-nyo."
Sprawled on the bed was Linear.
She was wearing what appeared to be Eris's negligee, her body curled up in a sultry pose.
"If I'm off-limits, then just take Linear!"
"Ngh…aa…"
Linear gazed up at me with an expression that was half-resignation, half-determination.
The negligee was sheer enough that her nipples were nearly visible.
Her waist tapered nicely, with a modest amount of muscle, while her legs remained pleasantly full.
Her cat eyes gleamed in the darkness.
Before I could register any of it as erotic, I was simply dumbfounded, and I looked at Eris.
"What is this?"
"What do you mean? Linear, of course!"
So Eris was telling me to sleep with Linear?
Eris?
The Eris who, despite appearing nonchalant, was actually jealous and pulled faces when I got intimate with Sylphie?
"Uh, Eris, isn't this…cheating?"
"A slave doesn't count as cheating. Grandfather said so, Father said so. Besides, I'm right here with you, so there's no problem!"
Sauros. Philip. Get over here and sit down.
Hilda—is Hilda around? Someone please scold them!
You two are filling your daughter's head with nonsense!
"Oh, Great Forest Mother and Father…this poor little kitty is to become a plaything as a slave today…"
Linear was muttering in a low voice, as if praying to someone.
She really didn't want this.
I had to stop this.
I shouldn't drag her into Eris's whims.
"And Pulsena…I'll be going ahead of you. My victory, nya. Serves you right, nya."
Wait—maybe she didn't hate it that much after all?
If it was consensual, was it okay?
"Linear."
"Nya…!"
When I spoke and reached out, Linear flinched.
Her body went rigid, but she didn't try to escape.
I slid my hand around her thigh and touched her backside.
There was a lithe, predator-like musculature beneath, but where it was soft, it was soft.
I ran my hand along her back and felt her waist—equally tapered and alluring.
"This is my first time, so…be gentle with me, nya…"
"…………"
"Th-the silent treatment is scary, nya…urm, goeasy, nyant me…NYA!"
I gripped firmly and lifted Linear up.
Carrying her in a princess carry, I crossed the bedroom.
I moved into the adjoining room, crossed that as well.
I used my foot to turn the doorknob and kicked it open.
Before me lay a dark, cold hallway.
I deposited Linear there with a plop.
"Ginya!"
With Linear sitting stunned on the floor, I slammed the door shut.
Locked it too.
There. Now it was safe.
The evil had been vanquished.
"Hey—Boss, that's way too harsh, nyo, isn't it!?"
I couldn't hear anything.
The seductive cat-beast was gone.
My virtue was preserved.
"Rudeus! What are you doing!?"
Eris was coming after me, but I paid her no mind.
"Eris, don't get the wrong idea—the one I want is you. I don't need some cat."
"R-really…? I-if that's the case, fine, but not until after the baby is born!"
"Of course."
As you can see.
"Boss, open up! My maiden pride is in tatters, nyo!"
The door shook with pounding.
But I paid it no attention.
She wasn't there anymore. Nope.
"Boss, please! I don't want Aisha pestering me anymore, nyo!"
As I considered this, I heard Linear's shout.
If Linear was saying that too, then their compatibility really was bad.
The other day, when Aisha had sewn Linear's maid outfit, they'd seemed to get along well enough, though…
"At least make me a concubine so I can raise my status, nyo!"
"I don't care if it's just physical—please, nyo!"
"Really! And if, by some miracle, I got pregnant, I could become the fourth wife, and the debt could all be swept under the rug—nyo!"
Hold on—so she'd been scheming something like that.
But honestly, I could understand.
The debt was enormous, and repayment would take forever.
That said, I had no intention of treating Linear like some kind of sexual slave.
Would I be lying if I said I didn't want to do anything lewd? A little.
But Linear was a friend.
I wanted to stay friends with her.
Besides, I already had two daughters. And frankly, sleeping with Linear right after the conversation we'd had earlier would anger Aisha, and neither Roxy nor Sylphie would be pleased about it either.
If I let momentary passion sweep me into something dishonest, it would mean the collapse of my family.
I had to protect my family.
"Waaah! Waaah! Waaah!"
Just then, crying echoed from somewhere in the house.
It seemed Linear's voice had woken Rala.
What to do—I should probably open the door and quiet Linear down.
Just as I hesitated, I heard the door burst open with a bang.
"Linear, do you have any idea what time it is?! Lucy and Rala are awake now!"
"Ginya! Fitz—I-I'm sorry, nyo! I didn't mean any harm, nyo!"
"I told you—it's not Fitz, it's Sylphie! Anyway, it's late, so keep it down!"
"Y-yes…"
At Sylphie's sharp reprimand, Linear fell silent.
I could hear shuffling footsteps moving off somewhere.
She'd probably gone back to Eris's room—her sleeping quarters.
For a while, Rala's crying continued, but it too quieted down before long.
Silence had returned to the night.
---
Still, Linear had it rough.
Half of it was her own doing, but she was in debt, being kept at our house with no clear path to repayment.
She couldn't do her job well, she clashed with the head maid Aisha, and when she'd tried to sell her body to win the master's favor, she'd been rejected…
Right now, she might be soaking her pillow in tears.
And there was a general unpleasant atmosphere filling the house.
Aisha was brooding, Lilia looked exhausted, I'd heard Sylphie raise her voice for the first time in ages, and Rala had been wailing.
Maybe Eris's visit to school and that outrageous proposal earlier had been her way of reading the room.
Her execution might have been off-target, but she'd been trying in her own way.
One way or another, the tension was building.
The worst part was that Linear—the root cause—didn't seem to realize it.
It wasn't like her to be oblivious to the mood…
The weight of the massive debt, becoming a slave, nearly being sold off—maybe she was emotionally destabilized.
…This was my responsibility, as the one who'd bought her.
I had to do something.
Starting tomorrow, I'd find Linear some work other than maid duties.