Summer vacation was drawing to a close.
But the fact that I hadn't received any word at all was bothering me.
Court maneuvering — was that what was taking so long?
"This is a mess. I want them to wrap things up quickly."
I was out in the field working when my second brother Nicks came over to complain.
"You really are something, taking it so easy. You could be executed, you know. I'd be relieved if that were the end of it, but what if the rest of us get dragged down too? I'm worried sick."
My fourth brother Colin didn't seem to grasp the situation at all.
"Big bro, you beat five opponents in a duel, right? That's pretty awesome, isn't it?"
My second brother exploded.
"The people you picked a fight with were not to be messed with! Colin, this concerns you too, you know!"
I'd been working since morning and was tired, so I stretched my back.
A short distance away, Angelica was being taught farm work by Olivia.
The maids watched on with worried expressions.
Even when they tried to help, Angelica stopped them, so they couldn't lend a hand.
"Do it like this — eek! What is this wiggling thing?!"
"Angel, that's an earthworm."
"An earthworm? I've heard of them, but... eek! Olivia, you can just pick it up with your bare hands?!"
"It's nothing to worry about. Come on, let's continue."
The two had gotten close over the summer vacation and were on a first-name basis now.
I'd been allowed to call them by their nicknames too, but that was the extent of our relationship. Besides, the maids were taking turns standing guard, so I couldn't make a move even if I wanted to.
Not that I wanted to.
Making a move on a duke's daughter would be idiotic. I'm not an idiot. So, no moves for me.
Colin tugged at my arm.
"Big bro, which one are you gonna marry?"
"Huh?"
I shook my head at Colin's question.
"Listen, Colin. One is a scholarship student and the other is a duke's daughter. Both are way out of my strike zone, so marriage is out of the question."
"What's a strike zoooone?"
My second brother had already gone back to work, muttering "here we go again."
"The scholarship student is a commoner, so marriage would be difficult. The duke's daughter is too high above our station. Got it?"
"Nope, no clue!"
"Ha ha ha, honest as always, Colin. Now get back to work."
"Okaaay."
Both of them were in my strike zone when it came to looks, but neither was possible given the class difference. They weren't even close to my strike zone.
No, they were clearly balls outside the zone.
Olivia was like a pitch that bounced once before reaching the mitt, and Angelica was like one she'd wildly overthrown high and inside.
I didn't even feel like swinging the bat.
Damn... they're exactly my type too.
But more pressing right now was my future.
Well, it all depended on the duke.
I didn't think things would turn out that badly... I'd prepared a mountain of platinum coins. Surely it would be fine.
If not, I'd be in real trouble.
And then there was one more person working in the field.
"My nails are getting dirty. My hands hurt, you know."
The one whining was the second daughter, Jenna.
She'd told our parents that she'd strapped a bomb to my armor, and given the circumstances, she'd been put to work in the fields during summer vacation.
She'd tried to assassinate her own brother, so being punished with farm work was more than lenient. Though, she was the Crown Prince's childhood friend — the people who pressured her into carrying out the order should be taken into account too. But the fact that our regular work was considered punishment in the first place showed just how skewed this world's standards were.
"You should be grateful it's only this much."
"If you hadn't caused problems, I wouldn't have had to set a bomb in the first place."
Well, fair enough.
So I'd forgiven her. Besides, the damage hadn't been all that great.
"I don't wanna do farm work anymore~"
Watching the second daughter complain, I thought to myself.
This otome game world really is cruel, isn't it?
◇
The next day.
The duke family's airship arrived at our home.
It had apparently come to pick up Angelica, but along the way, they'd also brought an official from the royal capital.
This was probably where they'd decided what to do with me.
I was surprised that the official who arrived was of quite high status — a high-ranking one.
Territorial lords were ranked by peerage, but court nobles who served the king directly and held no territory had ranks instead.
The territorial lords had these ranks too, but only barons and above received ranks that granted them an audience with the king at the palace.
The king was at the top as Rank One, with the Crown Prince at Rank Two above. Royal family members were two ranks below, making Rank Three the effective ceiling for officials, filled by minister-class bureaucrats.
Dropping all the way down, Rank Six Lower was the lowest rank that granted an audience with the king. Most territorial lords held this rank.
For baron or higher lords, this was an automatic grant. In terms of court hierarchy, Rank Six was probably equivalent to a section chief or department manager among officials?
Well, something like that existed.
Some court nobles also held peerages, and explaining all the nuances was complicated. In fact, it didn't concern me, so I wasn't well-versed in the details.
The official who arrived was Rank Five Lower — a higher-ranking official than my father in court terms.
That was why Father had looked so nervous.
We'd ended up talking in the mansion, and the official had been all smiles.
"My, my, there was quite the commotion this time. The broken engagement, the duel scandal, the Crown Prince's disinheritance — it was quite the topic of conversation."
"Y-yes."
Father was listening with a tense expression, but the official continued as if nothing were amiss. What should I do... the disinheritance talk was really catching my interest, but the atmosphere wasn't right for me to interject.
"There were voices within the court calling for the Bartfort family to take responsibility, but thanks to the duchy's intervention, everything ended without incident."
Vince had apparently worked hard on our behalf.
Thanks, Angel's dad.
"Um, so what about the Bartfort family's treatment?"
Father couldn't help but ask.
The official answered with a smile.
"Rest assured. No responsibility will be placed on you. In fact, Lord Leon will be officially recognized as an independent knight. While still enrolled, a formal knighting ceremony will be held at the palace. After all, you're the knight who gave honest counsel to His Highness about his foolishness. I hope other students will take note."
Father was sighing with relief, but I was getting a bad feeling about this.
A knighting ceremony and knight status before graduation? That wasn't what I'd asked for.
This time I was the one to speak up.
"W-wait a moment. What about my responsibility? Won't my baron title be revoked or something?"
"That was never discussed. As it happens, there was some debate, but Lord Leon will be formally granted the title of baron."
A knighting ceremony for a knight, plus a baron title.
...This was going to throw a wrench in my plans.
I'd never intended to show my face at the academy again. I thought I'd never have to go back, which was why I'd done whatever I wanted!
"Surely that's—"
"Yes. Surely this won't do."
What, he was lowering and then raising the stakes? This guy was a smooth operator.
When I looked at him with hopeful eyes, he produced a document.
When I read what was written, Father let out a "Whaaaa!" shout. I wanted to shout something similar.
The official announced with a smile.
"Lord Leon has been granted court rank Six Upper. Congratulations. It's a promotion."
...Nobody said anything about a promotion!
◇
The duke family's airship.
Olivia was allowed to ride along. We were scheduled to stop at the floating island where her home was and drop her off.
I chatted with Angel on the deck.
"A higher court rank means a promotion, right? But it doesn't really seem to matter to the territorial lords, does it?"
Olivia didn't understand that side of things, so the well-informed Angel explained.
"You're right that it may not mean much to a lord, but it could also mean the court recognizes you more than the average Rank Six Lower. To put it simply, it means you're considered better than the average nobody."
"Is that supposed to be a reward?"
"It's all in how you look at it. By the way, court Ranks Nine and Eight are positions held for one's lifetime only. From Rank Seven onward, they become hereditary. Raising a single rank requires years of faithful service or great achievements."
Olivia didn't quite understand.
"Years of faithful service — like ten years or so?"
"That's enough to reach Rank Eight, but for anything above Rank Seven, you have to think in terms of a family rather than an individual, since it's hereditary. Three generations of the family serving diligently — that's the level we're talking about. Normally, it would take a hundred years."
Olivia was shocked by this.
"Th-then that means he was really recognized, doesn't it?!"
"That's right. Well, from the court's perspective, giving a promotion doesn't cost them much. Leon isn't a court noble, so he won't receive a pension. Still, I didn't expect them to promote him."
Even Angel thought the treatment was so generous it made her suspicious.
Bizarre court politics. There were plenty of cases where no one could figure out how things had turned out this way, and this was one of them. I could only accept that.
My conclusion: by disinheriting Julius and giving Leon such generous treatment, there were individuals or groups who stood to profit.
Listening to all this, Olivia was unfamiliar with that sort of thing and didn't seem to understand.
"I thought the best I could hope for was a demotion from baron."
Olivia recalled something.
"Now that you mention it, Leon said he used the money he won from the bet!"
"Huh? If that's the case... money did the talking? No, but even so... hmm."
Neither of them could come up with an answer, so they changed the subject.
"Speaking of which, Leon is apparently going to have the knighting ceremony before the new semester. Are you coming too?"
Olivia was a bit troubled when invited.
"Th-that kind of event isn't something I've ever attended."
"Regular clothes are fine."
◇
This was the worst.
They'd brought me to the royal palace. Think of it as the castle where the king lives.
I was stuffed into an ornate knight's outfit, my Armor — Aroganz — was displayed at the venue, and to top it all off, there were a ridiculous number of attendees.
"Why?! Why are there so many people?!"
While I was lamenting in the waiting room, my parents — who had come to the capital for this occasion — saw me and started crying.
Mom was terrible.
"You've become so distinguished. I used to think you were a bit of a fool, but you were actually amazing. I'm so happy."
Dad was crying too.
"I never thought you'd be knighted so quickly. Damn it... tears are coming."
My second brother and second sister were in their uniforms.
"Huh? Where's that other family?"
My second brother seemed puzzled that Zola and the others hadn't come, but the second sister had known from the start they wouldn't bother.
"As if they would. Besides, Leon is technically a separate Bartfort family now. Still, Rank Six Upper, huh..."
My second brother and second sister continued their conversation.
"What about it?"
"If Leon keeps getting promoted at court, I thought he might become a catch for the girls."
"Leon? Isn't he hated by the entire student body? Even we don't know what'll happen when the new semester starts."
"Don't be stupid. He got promoted. Leon was recognized by the royal palace. Anyone who isn't an idiot would pick up on that."
"So I guess it'd be safe to go back to the academy."
"I'm not so sure. Won't there be chaos? Some kids bet their entire fortune."
"Which is it? Make up your mind."
"You're so annoying. I don't know either."
Damn! I'd earned the hatred of practically the entire student body, and now I was scared to go back to the academy. I'd never even planned on going back.
If I were going back, I would've gone easier on them. I wouldn't have made a killing off that stupid bet. What an idiot I was for acting on impulse!
My backup plan had been that in the worst case, if my family's lives were in danger, we'd all just escape on Luxion. That was where I'd gone wrong. I'd gotten carried away.
Then it hit me.
"The Crown Prince's father is the king, right?"
My father shot me a cold look.
"Obviously. Don't do anything stupid in front of His Majesty. This time your head will really roll."
I ignored him and continued.
"What kind of feelings would someone have about promoting the guy who beat their son to a pulp?"
My father crossed his arms and thought about it, then looked away from me.
"He wouldn't be happy about it, that's for sure. If it were me, I wouldn't like it either."
Well, yeah.
No matter how awful his son had been, he wouldn't find it amusing. I wanted to know what the king actually thought of me.
No... I didn't want to know after all.
◇
—That day.
A single knight was born.
Being formally recognized as a knight at the age of sixteen was rare in the Kingdom of Holfart, and a peerage was formally granted at the same time.
Rank: Six Upper.
His success as an adventurer.
And his counsel to the Crown Prince counting as an achievement.
It was said that his real evaluation came from defeating five heirs of prominent families, but the exact reason was unclear.
Still, it was a fact that the Kingdom of Holfart had gained a young and powerful knight.
A crowd of people flooded the palace to see this knight.
◇
Night.
With academy life resuming the next day, I'd come to the student dormitory.
The luxury dormitory, which was like a hotel, treated me differently from the moment I entered.
The room I'd been given was of a higher grade, and the servants' attitudes were clearly different from when I'd first enrolled.
The other students in the dormitory only looked at me from a distance and didn't approach me.
Even Daniel and Raymond, whether out of some sense of guilt, didn't speak to me.
My spacious private room.
I lay flat on my bed in a spread-eagle position and stared at the ceiling.
"How did things end up like this?"
The one who dutifully responded was Luxion.
*'Wasn't this the result of acting on reckless thoughts? You believed you could get away with pushing yourself because I was there, and got carried away enough to participate in the duel — that was fatal. Thinking you couldn't lose, you went on a rampage as you pleased. The aftermath is a problem as well. You shelled out a fortune to save your own life, and a great deal of that money went into court maneuvering. The result is a promotion, which is the last thing you wanted. Well, to put it bluntly... you brought this on yourself.'*
"Thanks for the spot-on diagnosis. If you realized it, you should've said something halfway through, you bastard."
*'I lacked sufficient information to intervene midway. If I may say so, even I found this outcome somewhat unexpected.'*
What a useless AI.
"Damn... now I'm back to square one on the marriage hunt."
*'Isn't that a good thing? With the promotion, perhaps women's view of you will change.'*
"Do you really think so?"
*'Yes. However, the bet during the duel was the real problem. That alienated nearly seventy percent of the students. I've gathered information, and apparently the number of students — both male and female — who went into the dungeon to earn money during the summer vacation was the highest on record.'*
Some had bet their entire fortune, while others had been foolish enough to go into debt. The real problem was that they'd all been so certain they'd win.
Well, if I hadn't known better, I would've bet on the prince's side too.
*'By the way, your reputation, Master, consists mostly of insults: coward, foul-mouthed, absolute scum, and so on.'*
"I didn't need to know that!?"
*'I gathered that information because I thought you'd hate it. But you do seem to have a following among some of the male students. They appreciated that you said what everyone was thinking.'*
"Oh, I'm so moved I could cry!"
My chances of marriage had gotten even worse than before enrollment.
It was indeed my own fault, but if I'd known this was how it would turn out, I would've exercised more restraint. After all, beating up the Crown Prince and walking away unscathed wasn't something I'd have expected.
*'Well, it's not so bad. It may be a woman-supremacy world that's tough on men, but marriage isn't everything. If you don't care about appearances, you're free to do whatever else you want. You could use the power of money, for instance. Just look for women who are strapped for cash.'*
"Eww, isn't that kinda cruel?"
*'It's the perfect solution for you, Master.'*
—Just what kind of eyes was this thing looking at me with?
◇
Three days had passed since the start of the semester.
It was hard to call academy life smooth.
Everyone was avoiding me.
Daniel and Raymond had apologized, which was a relief, but it would take time to get back to the way things were before.
Whether they felt guilty toward me or not, they still stiffened up when they talked to me.
But everyone else seemed to be doing fine.
According to Luxion's research, neither Angel nor Olivia was having any trouble with academy life. It had only been three days, so there was no telling what might happen, but the atmosphere around both of them was apparently calm.
Angel was apparently fed up with her entourage, who were desperately trying to regain her trust, but other than that, things were the same as before.
Olivia had been studying during the summer vacation and had reached a level where I couldn't even understand what she was saying anymore.
I was terrified that she'd ask me to teach her.
I kind of wanted to just confess that I'd been faking my competence and apologize.
And then there was one more problem.
The prince's group.
They'd decided to never approach me again after the duel, but Marie hadn't kept her distance. Despite them no longer being lovers, the seven of them — including Marie and Kyle — had apparently been tackling dungeons together multiple times during the summer vacation.
Greg and Chris appeared to be training to become stronger so they could have a rematch with me.
Jilk and Brad, having had their support from home cut off, seemed to be primarily focused on earning money.
Marie was the same.
The viscount family that was Marie's home had always been in dire financial straits. They couldn't expect any support, so she'd apparently been going into dungeons.
And the Crown Prince — Julius — had been accompanying them. It sounded absurd, but their story was that they "just happened to end up in the same dungeon when they went to tackle one."
My reputation had plummeted after the duel, but as for the prince's group, there were girls who sympathized with them — some even cheered them on.
And the seven of them seemed to be having quite a good time — well, everyone except one person who clearly wasn't enjoying it.
Marie, the instigator of this whole mess.
She was surrounded by people who had lost status, honor, and wealth — a collection of fallen nobles — and was apparently suffering. The key point was that the rest of them seemed to be enjoying the situation.
Everyone was having fun except Marie, who could see the reality of their situation and was panicking. It was almost comical.
The conclusion to all her scheming was definitely not the result she'd wanted, and there was nothing more satisfying than that.
I felt refreshed. I'd sleep well tonight.
I was sitting on a bench in the school building's courtyard, thinking about all this, when people sat down on either side of me. I thought it was Daniel or Raymond, but the aura was soft and there was a pleasant scent, so I knew it wasn't them.
Not musky at all.
When I looked up, it was Olivia and Angel.
"Leon, are you alone again today?"
"Thank you for those heart-wrenching words. Yes, I'm alone again today."
"Good grief, couldn't you do something about the way you talk? Anyway, if you're free, come with us."
They'd apparently been hounded by their entourage, and Angel looked a bit tired.
"Come with you? Where?"
Olivia had a bright, excited expression on her face.
"There's a crepe stall! There's a really popular shop there!"
This really was an otome game world.
Despite being a fantasy world of swords and magic, crepes and sweets were available everywhere. It was a world that was kind to women.
If it weren't so harsh on men, it would be the perfect world.
"Is there strawberry and chocolate and stuff?"
But my body craved sugar, so my interest was piqued.
Olivia answered as she tried to recall.
"There should be. Strawberry jam was really popular, right?"
Angel had never really experienced crepe stalls before.
"A stall? I don't have much experience with those. My entourage never lets me buy things like that, saying they're beneath me."
Those same entourage members were probably eating street food all the time. I vaguely remembered Luxion reporting something like that.
The two grabbed my hands, pulled me to my feet, and steered me toward the crepe stall.
"Leon, hurry up."
"Come on, let's go."
They pushed me from behind and I started walking.
These two were so kind and adorable, but they were off-limits to me. Wasn't that just too unfair?
Truly — this otome game world was tough on mobs.