«Alright, everyone—let’s get pumped up!»
«Ugh…»
We were led by the ever‑cheerful Yumeria‑san from the morning, and ended up on a pretty battered floating island.
The new floating island that
We’re here today to plant some saplings.
«Please, let’s finish quickly. I didn’t get much sleep because of extra classes.»
We’d been doing classes from dawn till dusk to make up for the delay.
«M‑mom, are you really gonna do that? Can’t we do it somewhere nobody’s watching?»
«No way. The Marquis wants to see us work, and there’s a bonus this time. We’re buying Kyle a new outfit!»
Yumeria‑san looks thrilled, while Kyle looks all conflicted.
I get why he feels that way, but watching from the sidelines is kind of fun.
Libya was pushing Noel’s wheelchair.
«Um, are we supposed to plant the saplings here? The surroundings are… well, kind of rough.»
It’s not exactly a lush paradise up here.
Even planting saplings seems like a bad idea given the conditions.
I think the same—but…
«It’s fine! This kid’s strong and hardy, it’ll thrive even here!»
Since Yumeria‑san declared it so, I just went with it.
She’s a natural plant expert.
Among elves she’s considered a «mix» and despised, but because her magic is mixed, she’s uniquely specialized in plants.
She can’t hear the
Noel looks troubled.
«Huh? But I feel like something’s… resisting?»
Apparently the sapling itself seems to be resisting.
Yumeria‑san thrusts her chest out.
«It’s okay! And if we plant this one, the whole area will turn green. The floating island might even start pumping seawater.»
The island draws water by pulling seawater up. Columns of water rise from the sea, pass through the island, and flow back to the ocean via a river. Nobody’s figured out how that works yet.
Claire‑re, floating beside
«Oh, that’s pretty impressive.»
«Yes. This one’s amazing. That’s why a harsh environment brings out its power better than a gentle one.»
When everyone nods, «That’s how it is,» Angelica gazes at the island.
«I’d love to visit
It’s basically become Marie’s, but Angelica seems to have liked it.
Too bad we can’t take it back.
Now it’s officially owned by the Kingdom.
Yumeria‑san tiptoes toward Noel and pulls the sapling out of its case.
And then she—!
«Whoa!»
She thrusts it into the ground.
«No‑way, Yumeria‑chan, what are you doing?!»
Noel’s face turns blue as she shouts, and Yumeria‑san makes fists and raises both hands to the sky.
«This one’s strong! Let its roots take hold, grow, become huge!»
It’s not a song or a spell, just words.
She starts dancing to them, her chest bouncing wildly.
«Got a good show this morning.»
I’m watching politely when Kyle jumps up trying to block my view.
«Hey, don’t look! I said don’t look!»
«You idiot. I’m just making sure Yumeria‑san’s actually working as my employee.»
Just as I’m about to think about giving a bonus, my sight gets covered by a hand.
«What—what!?»
I hear two voices, probably smiling.
«Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on things.»
«Leon‑san, you don’t have to watch, right?»
Angelica and Libya’s words make me feel hopeless.
«No, but—!»
I want to see Yumeria‑san’s cute, goofy dance, but I can’t say that.
Marie clicks her tongue.
«What? The chest is just decoration.»
«Then why don’t you dress up more? There’s a limit to not dressing up.»
I answer, and she kicks my shin.
«Ouch! Hey, don’t kick me now!»
«Shut up!»
While all that’s happening, Yumeria‑san finishes her work.
When Angelica and Libya finally leave, in front of me is not a sapling but a young tree, already over a meter tall.
«—What?»
Angelica puts a hand on her hip, impressed.
«I never expected it to grow this fast. I’m amazed.»
Libya looks intrigued.
«Aren’t you going to make it even bigger?»
Yumeria‑san wipes sweat with a towel, a satisfied grin on her face.
«If it gets any bigger it’ll actually hinder its growth. This thing lives in harsh conditions, so it would’ve grown this size on its own anyway.»
So it wasn’t a sapling at all, but already a young tree. Feels like they were hiding its age.
Luxion adds: «While it was near the Sacred Tree, it couldn’t get enough nutrients. In this nutrient‑rich land it’ll thrive.»
«Is its nutrition different from normal plants?»
«Yes. It feeds on what we’d call magical particles—the source of magic stones. The Sacred Tree sucks all of that up, so the sapling never grew. It also interfered with the Sacred Tree’s own growth.»
What does that even mean for a plant?
The Sacred Tree feels… off as a plant.
«The Sacred Tree’s weird, huh?»
«What does it mean for a Master chosen as its guardian?»
«Just being snarky?»
«Yeah.»
I stare at the now‑young Sacred Tree and think, «Will this thing go berserk someday? That’d be a problem.»
Angelica seems to think the same.
«Going berserk is centuries away, but it’d be boring.»
Then Yumeria‑san tilts her head.
«Um, does the Marquis not want this thing to go berserk?»
«It’s not that I don’t want it to, it’s that I hate relying on the Sacred Tree like the Republic does. I don’t want it to rampage; I want a balanced coexistence. Seeing the Republic, I realized the benefits are a double‑edged sword.»
Luxion and Claire‑re agree.
Maybe it’d be better to destroy it? But apparently if it vanishes the world suffers. It still contributes to this world.
«Centuries from now the benefits will be massive, but they’re already too big.»
«Besides the guardian and priestess, I’m not sure giving blessings is a good idea.»
Yumeria‑san ponders, then lights up.
«Then leave it to me! I’ll talk to it!»
Noel looks shocked.
«What? No way. Even priestesses can’t really converse. It’s basically a one‑way thing from the Sacred Tree, so ‘talking to it’—»
«I can! Watch this. *Suu—*»
She takes a deep breath and starts dancing furiously.
«Whoa—ah, my view’s blocked again.»
Excited, she’s blocked again by the two.
«Be a good tree! Be a good tree! Be a good—»
The sound of leaves rustling answers her.
Noel mutters, «Damn, the Sacred Tree’s reacting.»
Seems to have worked.
«BE A GOOD—!»
Yumeria‑san’s shout echoes everywhere.
◇ Boarding the airship and leaving the floating island, I tell Angelica and Libya what’s next.
Of course it’s about— «Did anyone ever say we’re getting married?»
Angelica, annoyed, snaps back, «I don’t want to admit it either. But Milène‑san is wary of Luxion, so she wants a collar, a chain, even a bell on your neck.»
She wants us all tied up.
Seriously—Milène wanting to tie us up gets my blood pumping.
«The Master’s thinking weird stuff,» Libya grumbles.
«Leon‑san, what the—!»
Is this even allowed? A super‑controlling woman is… weird, but with these two I kinda like it.
Angelica gets back on track.
«The reason we went with the Republic was just a pretense. Really it was to test Leon’s abilities. He looks carefree, but he’s actually pretty tough.»
«Really? He seems cute to me.»
Claire‑re rolls her eyes.
«Ugh, he’s a pushover. The queen is amazing.»
Anyway, the real issue is the princess.
«So, what about Princess Erika?»
Milène said Angelica seemed fine with it, but the princess herself won’t admit it. Still, she can’t just deny it.
«She’s engaged, but they’ll break it off and marry Leon. And it’s Erika, of all people. Milène’s seriousness is clear.»
Libya looks uneasy.
«What’s Princess Erika like?»
«She’s
«So she didn’t back the Crown Prince Julius because she was protecting him as a princess?»
Angelica looks troubled.
«That’s part of it; she’s thoughtful. She knows causing a conflict would be disastrous. Also, even though she’s younger, I find myself speaking to her in honorifics. I can’t even describe her aura properly.»
She’s got that princess aura, plus something more enveloping.
—I’ll ask Marie about it later.
«I’m stuck on this,» I say.
«Me too.»
«I—me too, honestly.»
All three are uneasy, but it’s the queen’s proposal, wary of Luxion’s power.
Turning it down seems hard.
«Leon, you can’t refuse this. Everyone will tell you to, but if you push Milène away, you’ll be the one in trouble. Milène’s prepared her best hand—Princess Erika.»
Angelica says she’s seriously trying to rope me in.
She can’t send a weak princess, so she plans to break the engagement and marry me to Erika.
Is breaking an engagement okay?
It’s Milène’s utmost sincerity, and she thinks only Erika can keep an eye on—control—me.
«And also, if Luxion’s hidden power is exposed, assassins will appear. Milène wants to marry you to Erika to gain allies.»
Luxion answers immediately.
«The Master will never be assassinated. If it happens— I’ll destroy the kingdom.»
«You’re extreme.»
If I brought up the near‑miss with Emil, she’d probably make a bunch of excuses. Better to stay quiet.
«I’ll help too!»
«Guys, before I get killed, actually help me out.»
These AI’s are carefree, but when they really want to end the world they’re unstoppable.
There’s also the
If I get assassinated, the world ends—what are we supposed to do?
Libya looks at Luxion and asks, «U‑uh, so we have to marry the princess, right?»
Angelica rubs her temples.
«There’s one way. If we can convince Erika herself, we can then persuade Milène. It’s tough, but Milène does care for Erika, so mixing profit and affection might work.»
If we can sway the princess, maybe.
It’s a tough talk; Angelica isn’t her usual confident self.
But she’s thoughtful, so she’ll at least listen.
Getting married again would be… too much.
«So, let’s try to persuade her. Also, what should I do now? Can I go back to school?»
I was supposed to study abroad, but I ended up back at the
Thinking about re‑enrolling, «The short‑term study abroad plan is up. They need more time to bring the six of us back.»
Marie’s crew made too many enemies, so they want a longer gap.
«So, take a leave?»
«That’d just make you repeat a year. Find a decent study‑abroad spot. It’ll be overseas for a while.»
«—So I have to learn another foreign language again.»
It’s a drag.
Why am I getting dragged into all this? Because I’m their foster parent.
—Enough. Marie’s curse is dragging me down too, isn’t it?
◇ Inside a cabin of the airship.
Now I’m talking with Marie.
It’s a game‑like discussion about the future.
«Princess? Could she be Milène’s daughter?»
«You call your step‑mom by her first name? Anyway, it’s time for the third installment, right? I want to hear the details.»
Accompanied by Luxion and Claire‑re, I’m meeting Marie to plan ahead.
Then, «Huh? But that Princess Erika—she’s the villainess from the third game. Not a lady, a villain‑princess? She’s already on the enemy side.»
«—What? But the enemy is Heltrauda, right?»
«Heltrauda summoned the final boss, but the story’s nuisance is the princess. She’s cunning, good at pulling strings, and can play the innocent. The protagonist will be a foreign exchange student arriving at the kingdom.»
‘Ah, so it’s the classic exchange‑student‑arrives pattern.’ «It’s amazing. She’s actually the empire’s princess. She doesn’t know her origins, but—yeah, that trope. She’ll enroll next year for exactly three years.»
‘The «amazing» trope is the golden one. All protagonists are like that.’ Luxion teases, and Marie continues.
«Watch out. In the end the princess who causes an international incident gets exiled. Her fiancé is also a terrible noble heir—heir to a marquis house, a perfect example of a bad noble.»
‘The Master is a marquis now, huh? Destiny, maybe? Exciting!’ Ignoring the excited Claire‑re, I crank up my guard.
«Sounds like she’s a real schemer. Angelica doesn’t seem to have noticed yet, so this could get messy. Any other intel?»
«It’s hard to recall on the spot. I’ll jot it down later—oh! One thing.»
Marie remembers a target.
«One of the upcoming targets is already enrolled. Same scholarship slot as Libya, a delinquent‑type male. A top‑notch adventurer named Aaron.»
‘—What?’ «A senior slot? I’ll look it up later. Luxion, check when you get back. Or maybe let Claire‑re handle it in the kingdom?»
We’ll probably study abroad soon, so let Claire‑re deal with Aaron.
‘—Leave it to me.’ Luxion watches the unusually serious Claire‑re with his red eyes.
‘What’s up? Do you know something?’ ‘N‑no, I don’t. I’ll investigate now!’ Her dedication to work is welcome.
«So let’s put the kingdom’s affairs on Claire‑re’s shoulders. Also the Sacred Tree’s upkeep.»
‘I’ll handle it! I’ll do my best! I—will do my best!’ She’s oddly pumped.
«Problems just keep popping up, huh?»
Marie laughs.
«Bro, are you cursed or something?»
«You don’t have to tell me that!»
Why am I grinding so hard in this otome game world?