"Broooo!"
Heading toward the detached house on the grounds of the boys' dormitory was a crying
She'd suddenly gotten a bad feeling, and for various other reasons, she came running to
"Next month is going to be tight! Lend me some mone—huh?"
But guarding Leon's house were fully-armed Guardians.
Spider-type robots were also on the roof, keeping watch over the area.
Numerous drones were also being flown around, maintaining a high-alert security posture.
"——Marie-chan, what's the matter?"
"
Tomorrow would have been fine, but Marie, who had a strange bad feeling, wanted to see Leon urgently.
However, Cleare wouldn't pass on the message.
"Master is resting. Make it tomorrow."
"Huh? But it's only eight o'clock. Bro is definitely still awake."
"My, you know him well. But make it tomorrow."
Faced with Cleare's colder-than-usual attitude, Marie also got stubborn.
"What's with that! Fine, I'll force my way through!"
Marie tried to push past Cleare, but she heard the sound of something falling to the ground.
When she turned around at the sound, there was a bundle of bills lying on the ground.
"——Y-you, what are you trying to pull?"
"Earning everyone's living expenses is tough, isn't it? I understand that hardship well. So, if you turn back here, I won't say anything if you pick up this money."
In other words, it meant take the money and go home.
Marie gulped audibly.
(I feel like I have to see Bro for some reason, but I want this money so badly I can taste it.)
Even if she wanted to earn money, the coup meant she couldn't work part-time jobs either.
Entering dungeons had also been restricted, and Marie was in trouble.
But she also wanted to see Leon.
——The conclusion Marie reached was, "It's getting late, and I'd be a bother, so I'll go home."
She pocketed the bundle of bills and turned back—that was her choice.
"That honest side of yours, Marie-chan—I love it."
However, Marie was thinking.
(Hmm, I feel like I might have made the wrong choice, but since these guys won't do anything weird to Bro, I can relax. I'll consult with Bro again tomorrow!)
◇ Marie wasn't the only one heading toward Leon's house.
"That Bartfort's been looking tired lately! At a time like this, nothing beats a bath!"
"Yeah, let's give Bartfort the first dip in the bath!"
They carefully cleaned the bath, then filled it with hot water.
To invite Leon to the bath, the two of them came running in loincloths.
Then
"Alright, you two, turn around and go home."
"Hm? Noelle-san, is it?"
Chris pushed up his glasses with a snap.
Greg, for his part, smilingly explained the situation to Noelle.
"Bartfort's here, right? We're going to take a bath together, so call him for us."
Behind Noelle, robots holding large shields were blocking the path.
"Leon is sleeping, so make it tomorrow."
Chris wouldn't yield.
"It's in peak condition right now! I want Bartfort to enjoy the perfect bath!"
"Okay, then tomorrow morning. Leon would be happy with a morning bath too, so you two soak leisurely on your own today."
Greg grew suspicious.
"Is something going on? Don't tell me some problem has come up?! Chris, let's lend Bartfort our strength too!"
"You bet!"
Ignoring the warning, the two tried to head to Leon's room, but suddenly they let out a "Haugh!" and collapsed.
Behind them stood Cleare, her single blue eye glowing ominously.
"This is what happens when you don't quietly go home."
"Cleare, aren't you going too far?"
"It's to protect Master's precious time. Some sacrifices are inevitable."
"Still, one after another at this timing——Leon really has it tough, huh."
Seeing Noelle laugh, Cleare asked her this.
"More importantly, are you sure you're okay with this, Noelle?"
"Me? ——Joining in with those two is a no-go. It's not like I dislike them, but."
Putting her hands in her pockets, Noelle leaned her back against the wall.
"——I'll behave as number three."
"Oh my, is that sarcasm? Want to protest to Master? Or shall we attack him tomorrow?"
"You idiot. That's not what I meant. Aaah, I wish Leon had been born in the Republic. Then I would have aimed for number one."
"That would be no good. Then we wouldn't have been able to meet Master."
◇ A different location.
There,
"Duke Bartfort seems exhausted. Here, let me delight him by presenting the tea set I carefully selected."
Seeing Jilk holding what was clearly a cheap-looking tea set, Brad was shaking his head.
"Trying to lure him with material things is unorthodox. I'll make Bartfort smile with my magic tricks."
Seeing Brad holding magic trick props, Jilk narrowed his eyes.
"Your clumsy magic tricks don't make everyone smile—they get laughed at."
"What's that supposed to mean?! And you, you should reflect on yourself too. You're always getting stuck with fakes!"
"They're not fakes! They are genuine articles I carefully selected! If I believe they're real, then even fakes have value to me!"
As they bickered, before they knew it, they were surrounded by drones that looked like miniature Luxions.
Their red single eyes were glowing ominously.
"W-what's the meaning of this?"
"You guys are Bartfort's underlings, right?"
Against the two frightened ones, the miniature Luxions murmured.
"Eliminate."
"Eliminate those who get in the way."
"——Annihilate."
At the miniature Luxions muttering words they really didn't want to hear, both Jilk and Brad broke out in cold sweat.
Then the Guardians arrived.
"W-what are you doing?! ——Oof!"
"Hey, what did you inject into Jilk?! H-hey, wait! I hate inje——haugh!"
The robots carried the two limp men away.
Watching the scene,
"——Clear."
◇
"Bartfort's been tired, so today I'll treat him to the food stalls. He's always taking care of me, so I should thank him."
Julius's allowance, if you traced it back, came from Leon.
He himself didn't particularly mind that fact.
When he arrived at the entrance of the detached house, Noelle was making an exasperated face.
"Why does everyone have to come today of all days?"
Flanking Noelle were also Luxion and Cleare.
"Did they sense something on instinct?"
"Master has a lot of pests, doesn't he? We have to eliminate them!"
Surprised by Cleare saying something a bit dangerous, Julius still asked Noelle for the story.
There were a lot of robots guarding the surroundings.
"Did something happen? I don't think this much vigilance is necessary."
Looking at the heavy security, he wondered if some incident had occurred.
But Noelle waved her hand to deny it.
"Leon is busy, so if you have business with him, make it tomorrow. If it's urgent, I'll listen."
"Is that so? Then I'll invite him tomorrow. Actually, I was thinking of going to the food stalls together."
"With Leon?"
"That's right."
Noelle gave a puzzled look at Julius, who answered so confidently.
Then she asked.
"You guys—what's your relationship with Leon like? At first, he beat you down in a duel, right? Even if he's not exactly an enemy, isn't it complicated?"
Julius nodded at the question.
"At first I hated him. After all, it was Bartfort who tore Marie and me apart. But——that guy is clumsy."
"Clumsy?"
"To wake me up, he'd make himself the villain. It was the same with Erya. He takes on the thankless roles himself. I realized it later—he's clumsy, and—probably kind."
Noelle agreed with that opinion.
"Well, that's true."
"Besides, he's hiding something. I think there's something he can't tell us."
"Really?"
"Probably. I bet he's shouldering too much. I realized it after being freed from the burden of being a prince, but he's carrying too much."
Noelle narrowed her eyes.
"Is that okay for the former crown prince?"
"I'm happy now, so I'm satisfied. Well, it's thanks to Bartfort, though."
"——You're hopeless."
"I imagine so."
Julius laughed, and since he couldn't invite Leon today, he decided to go home.
◇ After Julius left, Noelle looked up at the sky.
"——Those guys, I can't tell if they're idiots or smart."
Their grades are excellent.
But their behavior is too terrible.
"Master watches them and finds them amusing, though."
"Really?"
Luxion nodded, then taught Noelle something Leon didn't usually say out loud.
"He says all kinds of things verbally, but basically eighty percent of it is lies. Please don't trust Master's words."
"I-isn't that terrible?"
When she sought agreement from Cleare, her blue single eye nodded.
"Like this one, Master is also a twisted one. Basically, I think he's kind."
Luxion continued his explanation.
"Master is an ordinary person. He is kind, and agonizes over big decisions. At such times, he invariably tends to devote himself to others, even at the cost of increasing his own burden."
Noelle vaguely understood that.
It was the same in the Republic.
"I get it. He can do everything, he's reliable—you end up relying on him too much."
"Thanks to that, Master is at his limit."
Cleare also spoke in a serious tone, not her usual joking attitude.
"If only he were more selfish. He places strange importance on social conformity, which is why this situation came about."
Noelle tilted her head.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Does Master really need to shoulder so much just to maintain that social order? As far as we're concerned, the Kingdom has less value than Master."
Luxion told Noelle.
"——If Master's mind were to break, we would immediately destroy this country."
"Y-you two, do you understand what you're saying? There's no way Leon would want that."
"That's right. That's precisely why we're troubled. As long as Master is sane, we cannot destroy the Kingdom."
◇ The next morning.
I spread both arms toward the sun.
"The world is beautiful!"
The one looking at me in exasperation was Finn, leading Kurosuke.
"What's gotten into you this early?"
"This guy's tired and gotten high on it, hasn't he? I think he needs to rest."
Having ended up being worried about instead, I placed my hand on Finn's shoulder.
"I'm not afraid of anything anymore."
"I-I see. Well, that's good. By the way, I want to hear your thoughts on what comes next."
Finn's worries are obviously about Mia-chan.
"Leave it to me, I already have a plan ready. According to Erika, the heroine awakens when she touches some kind of ruin on the thirtieth floor underground of the dungeon."
"That's the 'blood awakens' thing, right?"
"——There's no final boss and no capture targets either, so I was wondering how things would turn out, but it's surprisingly going well. There's nothing to worry about."
"You guys should reflect a bit. The wipeout of the male capture targets is partly your responsibility, you know."
"I do feel sorry about the Oscar matter."
"Don't pretend the Jake and Aaron incidents didn't happen!"
"Partner, this guy is the worst."
The third game's heroine has her blood awaken, and the fact that she's of imperial lineage comes to light.
And from there, the Empire gets involved.
Originally, you'd end up fighting one of the final bosses, either the guardian deity of the sky or the sea.
In the game, the side the heroine didn't choose would be handled by the heroines of the first game.
"Well, as for Mia-chan, taking her to the dungeon ruins is possible, but we'd need to report to the Empire, right? Timing-wise, spring break would be good, wouldn't it? Things are going to get hectic from now on."
"——That's true. Mia is looking forward to school events too, so timing is important."
"There are classes too. When she awakens, she'll be called back to the Empire once, apparently."
"Well, she's returning to the imperial family, or rather becoming part of it. But to make Mia endure until then."
To the dissatisfied-looking Finn, I handed over a mask.
"What's this? Looks like a hospital respirator—I don't like it."
"If you wear this and breathe, you can inhale magic essence. Use it when she's struggling. Oh, and these are refills."
When I handed over the small cylinders, Finn looked relieved.
"I can use this when she's struggling? That helps."
"It only relieves symptoms temporarily, so it's better not to push too hard outside. If she wants to move her body, going to the dungeon is fine."
"So we'll get by with this until spring break——got it."
There are class contents and various other considerations.
To go to the thirtieth basement floor, spring break is more convenient.
Finn thanked me.
"Sorry for all the trouble. I owe you."
"It's fine. Mia-chan is Erika's friend too."
Finn also looked happy.
"That's right. Well, in Mia's case, she's the one being looked after in various ways, but."
"Erika seems to be having fun, so isn't that good?"
Seeing those two get along, both Finn and I feel relieved.
School life without villains has no peaks or valleys, but it's peaceful and fun.
"By the way, when is that Erika-chan's engagement ceremony? Summer vacation as planned?"
"——Winter break."
"So summer vacation was out of the question."
"They're busy with handling the coup."
Honestly, there are parts I can't accept.
But with various circumstances, the engagement ceremony will be held during winter break.
I need to show that I'm backing the two of them——backing Erya.
Having the royal family also participate would show that my relationship with them is good.
——Sigh, politics is awful, isn't it.