What exactly is love?
In many stories, love ultimately solves everything.
The same holds true in this world of otome games.
In the end, it is the love between the heroine and the romance targets—the young men—that guides the Holfart Kingdom to victory.
How truly wonderful.
Love saves all.
Love is the best!
...Am I twisted for thinking that love, which surpasses any weapon, might itself be an outrageous weapon?
Because love exists, people are... bound.
Not just by love.
People live bound by all manner of invisible things.
Strength alone is not enough to cast those bonds off and live freely.
The stronger you are, the more tightly you are bound.
Just like me!
"Whew, we've finally arrived. That flight was brutal."
The one who brushed back her radiant golden hair with her hand was Marie Fou Lafan—the newly certified saint, blessed by none other than the temple itself.
Standing beside her was a girl I really wanted to confront about why she was even here.
"Miss Marie, let me carry your luggage!"
"Thank you, Cara."
Cara, who was carrying Marie's luggage, was Cara Fou Wayne—a common-class girl who had approached Livia to deceive us.
Now she served as one of Marie's lackeys.
Surrounded by other girls, they were all showering her with flattery.
"Miss Marie, that outfit suits you perfectly."
"I heard it was specially commissioned. As expected of Miss Marie."
"Miss Marie looks beautiful in anything."
Glancing around, I saw students who had arrived on the floating island craning their necks to get a look.
Among them, in green and red—Jilk Fia Marmoria and Greg Fou Seberg.
"That was a pleasant voyage."
"An airship from a Lost Item is incredible. I kind of want one myself."
The two of them were surrounded by male students, chatting away.
"So this is the elf island."
"Pretty much what I imagined."
"Lush with nature, more like a jungle, isn't it? Is there really a dungeon here?"
...Now then, let me sort out this situation.
Right now, we had come to a floating island where elves lived.
Our means of transportation was my airship, Partner.
How did things end up like this?
That's what I want to know.
I don't understand this situation at all either.
"...Why do I have to be the one doing this?"
Floating beside me as I grumbled was my partner, Luxion.
Keeping watch around us, he answered:
『Because it is the Master's job.』
"Why does a student have to do a job?! I don't want to! I want to go home and enjoy tea with my new tea set!"
I had bought that tea set as a form of escapism.
I, Leon Fou Bartfort, am a student, but also a knight—and on top of that, a viscount.
In court, I somehow ended up with the rank of Fourth Junior, a ridiculously high position.
All I can do is laugh. But deep down... I want to cry.
Some people ask if I'm not happy about the promotion, but not everyone in this world is brimming with ambition and upward drive.
Being in a high position means shouldering that much more responsibility.
And on top of that, that much more is expected of you.
Responsibility, expectations—basically, my current rank is far more than I can handle.
Greg came up to me and spoke like we were old friends. Since when were we close?
He wasn't in his usual uniform, but in light gear that prioritized mobility.
"Captain of the Guard, what do we do now? Do we head straight to Kyle's hometown?"
Greg flashed me a big, cheerful grin. I, in turn, gave him a thoroughly unenthusiastic look.
"What's with that face? Do you really hate it that much?"
As Greg looked at me quizzically, I let out a sigh.
"...For now, I'll head to the village with the representatives along with Kyle. You're coming too."
"Got it, Captain. Oh, should it be Commander instead?"
Greg, clearly in high spirits, accepted my orders and moved off.
Yes, I was currently the Captain of the Guard.
And who do you think I was guarding?
...Marie.
I turned my gaze to where Marie was laughing, basking in the fawning of her entourage around her.
Her cackling gave off a distinctly petty air.
"Ohohoho! I'm going to make a fortune clearing the dungeon in the elf village!"
Just as I felt a vein throb on my forehead, someone approached—it was Ange.
"My, my. What a perfectly carefree one she is."
Her eyes toward Marie were ice cold, and she radiated an aura that said one wrong move would send her flying into a rage, grabbing a weapon.
Watching Ange with concern was Livia.
"Ange, calm down. Look, deep breaths. Deep breaths! The air here is so refreshing."
She was right—the air was indeed refreshing. The scenery was verdant and lush, and despite it being winter, the warmth was spring-like, with green leaves adorning the trees.
Ange turned her gaze back to Livia and, feeling the island's warmth, seemed to calm slightly.
"You're right. Besides, it's nice not to be freezing. My father and brother both said winter adventures are miserable, so this is a relief."
...Right. We were here on this island for an adventure.
Out of the group, a woman with a distinctly different aura approached us.
Her name was Hertolude Sella Fanoss.
A princess from the Duchy of Fanoss.
Since she was from a ducal family, she was a princess—not a duchess, as one might ask. The answer is simply: that's how this world works.
She was a beautiful woman with long, lustrous black hair, but her chest was... extremely disappointing.
After looking at Ange and Livia, seeing her was enough to make my chest ache with sorrow.
I felt a deep sadness at the vast, featureless plain where there should have been hills and valleys.
"Kingdom knights have no manners. What exactly were you looking at? To direct a lustful gaze at me—Wh-What?! Why are you shaking your head with such a pained expression?!"
I wished I could have been lustful, but the grief was too overwhelming, and I ended up shaking my head.
"Sorry, that was my fault. So, did you need something?"
Princess Hertolude—well, due to various circumstances, she had come to the academy as an exchange student and found herself in a rather awkward position.
The duchy's declaration of war a few months ago had been destroyed by yours truly, and as a result, she ended up being accepted into the Kingdom as an exchange student.
It must have been humiliating for her, but the Kingdom's nonchalance was just as exasperating.
I wish they'd take the threat more seriously, but...
The reason they couldn't was because the duchy's military had been virtually annihilated the moment they declared war.
Defeated by students, and on top of that, their strongest warrior—the Black Knight—was also defeated.
...All by me.
Because of what I did, the Kingdom had grown careless about the duchy.
It was definitely not a good situation.
"I was brought here without being told anything, so I think someone owes me an explanation. What exactly is on this island?"
"You're the one who tagged along."
When she heard we were departing, she had volunteered herself to join. And the palace and the academy had approved it. The leniency of her treatment was... well, she was a princess, but it felt like the Kingdom wasn't even bothering to take her seriously.
Now, about this island...
There was a beautiful young elf named Kyle who served as Marie's personal attendant.
It was to Kyle's hometown that we had come.
All because of—Marie's debt.
Just remembering that day makes my blood boil.
I wiped my eyes.
"Why are you crying?!"
Hertolude was angry, but Ange and Livia tried to comfort me.
"Don't push him so hard. It's not like Leon volunteered to lead the guard."
"Please don't cry, Leon. It's okay. It's going to be fine."
I nodded, holding back a sob.
"Yeah. I don't want to try hard, but I'll try."
Hertolude looked at us with an ambiguous expression.
Yes, everything stemmed from that day.
◇
It was a while after the third term had begun.
A crowd had gathered in front of a notice posted on the academy's bulletin board.
I was walking down the corridor with Livia and peered through a gap in the crowd.
"'Exchange student applications now open'? Huh, so they recruit foreign exchange students. The academy does this too, huh?"
"Which country is the exchange program for?"
"Umm, the Republic of Alzer? There seem to be several others as well."
As I marveled at the fact that such programs existed, a friend emerged from the crowd.
A bespectacled, intellectual-looking guy—Raymond.
It seemed he had been listening to our conversation.
"The reason everyone's gathered isn't about the exchange program."
Livia tilted her head.
"It's not?"
"That's interesting too, but what everyone's really concerned about is over there."
A few people had moved away from the bulletin board, revealing a posted document.
Livia read it aloud.
"'Temple Knights Wanted'? Um, recruiting knights to serve as shields to protect Saint Marie. Students from the academy may also apply?"
I frowned and decided to leave.
"I'm not interested. Who'd want to protect someone like her?"
Raymond looked exasperated.
"Your saint hatred really is deep-rooted, Leon. But it's actually quite popular."
Looking where he indicated, I saw the male students staring at the notice with earnest expressions.
Curious as to why academy boys busy with marriage prospects would want to become Temple Knights, I turned to Raymond.
Understanding that I wanted an explanation, he obliged.
"Both the upper and common classes are interested in this. Temple Knights are basically educated people. In other words, a lot of them come from noble backgrounds—like us."
Livia nodded in understanding.
"I've heard that many people associated with the temple are from noble families."
"So educated academy boys who can fight at least a bit become candidates. And then? It wasn't exactly popular before, was it?"
Raymond flashed a knowing grin.
I knew you could become a Temple Knight, but I had no idea it was this popular. In fact, Temple Knights had never been popular before.
The reason was that instead of becoming knights of the Kingdom, you became the temple's private soldiers.
In plain terms, you couldn't become a knight of the Holfart Kingdom. To be more specific, you weren't an official knight.
Becoming a Temple Knight meant giving up your status as a noble.
In noble society, it was looked down upon.
And yet, every year there were students who became Temple Knights, due to one tearless reason: they had grown exhausted from the marriage hunt.
The rest was probably genuine religious faith.
Even so, I never expected this level of popularity.
"You don't get it? It's because of the saint."
"...Huh? What does Marie have to do with this? It's the third term—a lot of guys have probably already given up on marriage anyway."
"If everyone could give up that easily, no one would struggle. Even I'd want to become a Temple Knight if I were allowed to. Well, impossible since I'm the heir. Oh, I digressed. Actually, the palace is involved with this whole guard business."
The crowd thinned further, and Livia stepped closer to read carefully.
"It says here that knights in the royal guard will be granted the status of Kingdom Knights."
"You're kidding!"
Shocked, I read the document carefully, but it really did say that.
Raymond looked smug.
"See it, Leon? In other words, even if you become a Temple Knight, you can still become a Kingdom Knight. A proper knight who receives a pension from the Kingdom."
The Kingdom paying a salary to the temple's private soldiers?
As I wondered whether such a thing could really happen, Livia had a puzzled look on her face.
"Is that... a big deal?"
Raymond nodded vigorously.
"A huge deal. So huge it's shocking. In other words! Temple Knights in the royal guard are recognized as Kingdom Knights. And moreover!—They can escape the marriage hunt."
Temple Knights were technically not knights.
Therefore, their marriage partner didn't have to be a noblewoman.
But knights in the royal guard were also Kingdom Knights.
"Escape the marriage hunt? What do you mean, Raymond?"
"They guarantee not just a one-generation knighthood, but a heritable title at Seventh Junior. Also, the guard isn't made up entirely of students. Because of that, even if your marriage partner isn't a noblewoman, your children can inherit the title."
They were also recruiting Temple Knights for the royal guard.
That meant some of the Temple Knights were already married.
It was too late to ask them to marry noblewomen now... Impossible.
So, the palace had recognized this as a special exception—just this once.
I buried my face in my hands and sank to my knees.
"Join Marie's guard and I can escape the marriage hunt. But there's no way in hell I'm joining her guard."
While I was agonizing over what to do, Livia tried to persuade me.
"Leon, aren't you popular with the girls right now?"
Ever since my promotion, I'd been receiving letters inviting me to tea parties.
A complete turnaround in attitude.
And yet they still looked down on me—that told you everything about this awful otome game world.
"I can't trust girls who only come crawling back now! I absolutely refuse! The only ones invited to my tea parties are Livia and Ange!"
Livia looked a bit pleased, but then she seemed to remember something and narrowed her eyes, pressing me.
"But didn't you invite Clarice just the other day?"
I quietly averted my gaze.
When I adopted a policy of silence, Raymond shrugged in exasperation.
"It's impossible for you, Leon. You're a viscount and a Fourth Junior knight. The palace would never allow it."
I stood up.
"Right, that too. Sigh... I'll put my hopes on next year for the marriage hunt."
I found it repulsive that girls were trying to get close to me now because of my promotion.
They hadn't given me the time of day before, but the moment I was promoted to viscount, they changed their tune completely.
It was the opposite of pleasant.
If anything, it made me lose faith in humanity.
Livia watched me with a complicated expression.
"So next year means you won't marry anyone while still a student?"
"Impossible. Sigh, if it weren't for Marie's guard, I'd join in a heartbeat. Too bad."
Emotionally, it was a hard no.
The idea of girls who had been looking down on me yesterday suddenly flashing smiles... I felt no attraction whatsoever—rather, it was scary.
Before they could exact their revenge on me, they'd already creeped me out.
I wanted nothing to do with them.
Still, I wondered what the palace's reason was for investing so heavily in the royal guard. It nagged at me, but since I figured it wouldn't involve me anyway, I let it go.
I let it go...
◇
In the palace, the birth of a saint had set off a flurry of busy days.
Vince—Ange's father and head of the ducal house—was present at the council meeting attended by ministers.
"Those stinking monks at the temple are getting too full of themselves."
"They're probably looking to ride Julius's coattails and expand their influence."
"The saint is surrounded by former heirs of powerful noble houses. This is trouble."
The temple was making moves to use Marie as a saint to elevate their position within the Kingdom.
They were trying to seize power through this opportunity.
The head of the Atley household—Clarice's father, Bernard Fia Atley—made a proposal to those assembled.
"...We need to send a trustworthy knight in."
The palace had prepared a budget for the royal guard for the purpose of getting a say in the personnel assignments.
This stemmed from a sense of crisis that they couldn't simply leave Marie, this troublesome saint, unchecked.
The Kingdom felt more threatened by Marie than the duchy did.
"Putting a loud bell on the saint's collar is only natural."
"But she's that saint, isn't she? I'm worried that an ordinary knight would be too easily charmed by her."
"She seduced His Highness Julius and the heirs of prestigious houses in just a few months... Truly, a troublesome woman."
Those who wanted to plant spies in the palace to feed them information turned their attention to Vince.
Bernard, who had been silently listening until now, directed only a glance toward Vince.
"I have one candidate in mind. He holds the same status as a student—like the saint herself—and his abilities are proven. A knight with no risk of being seduced."
The others turned their gazes to Vince as well.
"...A commoner, but certainly he would fit the bill."
"The ducal house's new hound, was it?"
"But what if he betrays us? That would hurt. His Lost Item is a serious threat."
The meeting devolved into tangential discussions: "Why not take his Lost Item away?" "That would go against national policy." "Even a Lost Item—seizing it would only breed resentment toward the palace."
Bernard cleared his throat and addressed Vince directly.
"...Viscount Leon Fou Bartfort—might the ducal house lend him to us?"
Vince gave a faint smile.
"He's not technically a retainer of the ducal house, but do as you please."
Bernard wrapped things up.
"Then the palace will recommend Viscount Leon Fou Bartfort as Captain of the Saint's Royal Guard. With him, we can rest easy."
Vince crossed his arms.
"Well then, what to do—"
◇
Marie couldn't stop laughing.
(This is the best! Days free from worrying about living expenses are this wonderful—absolutely fabulous!)
She no longer had to wrack her brain over the expenses of supporting five men, because the palace and temple had allocated a budget to Marie now that she was a saint.
After graduation, education to become a proper saint awaited her, but for now, Marie's greatest happiness was simply not having to worry about money.
(I can even buy snacks! I don't have to cut food costs to buy clothes. Being able to buy whatever I want is happiness!)
And then there were the girls around her.
"Miss Marie, you look beautiful again today."
"As expected of the saint—the aura is simply different."
"Miss Marie, I actually found a wonderful shop the other day. Shall we go together sometime?"
The girls who had looked down on her before were now currying her favor, a complete reversal.
The reason was simple.
With Marie becoming a saint, Julius's reputation was being rehabilitated.
Julius, who had been jilted by a duke's daughter, had fallen in love with someone recognized by the temple as a saint.
Julius had had no backing whatsoever, but now the temple was looking to prop him up.
In other words, Marie was becoming the winning horse.
"Oh come on, everyone, stop with the 'Miss' already. We're friends, aren't we?"
When she said this, her entourage responded with even greater enthusiasm.
"Truly saint-like! How kind of you."
"Friends? I'm so happy!"
"Miss Marie, I'll follow you forever!"
Marie knew it was all flattery, but she still felt pleased—and inwardly, she was laughing hysterically.
(This is the best! I finally understand how those people with lackeys feel. I think I'm getting hooked on this! —Oh?)
That was when Marie spotted a girl sitting alone on a bench, looking dejected—Cara.
Her lackeys whispered to Marie:
"Miss Marie, let's go. That girl is no good."
"Do you know her?"
"...She's the former protégée of a count's family that was dissolved. The one connected to the sky pirates—a disgrace."
"Oh my."
The sky pirates who had attacked Leon and the others.
The count's family connected to those pirates had been stripped of its title.
Normally, Cara should have been expelled from the academy too, but her family itself was found to have no direct ties to the pirates and was let off.
It was, in a way, a warning to others.
She was now scorned by the nobility as untrustworthy, and people—mainly students—kept their distance from her as a former protégée of a disgraced count's house.
It was a scene that practically showed everyone what happened if you betrayed people.
But—
(Those people she tricked... That mob guy must be absolutely furious, right?)
—To get revenge on Leon, Marie approached Cara.
"I'll forgive her for tricking Greg and Brad, but I'll be sure to put her to good use. Now then, shall I parade her in front of them?"
Lost in thought, Marie approached Cara despite the protests from those around her.
"Why are you all alone?"
Cara looked up, her face stricken with fear.
Her uniform was visibly dirty, and there were bruises on her hands.
It was immediately clear she was being severely bullied.
"Um, I—"
Marie grabbed Cara's hand as she tried to pull away.
"Let's be friends."
"B-But I—"
"It's fine. I know everything. Even so, I want to be your friend. Is that not allowed?"
As Cara shook her head and burst into tears, Marie thought to herself:
(Pawn acquired! Work hard for me, okay. As for Greg and Brad, I'll explain later. Now, shall I go show off Cara right in front of them?)
While Marie was running through various schemes, Chris approached her.
The girls in her entourage blushed at the sight of Chris.
Marie felt a surge of superiority at this too.
"Marie, a letter."
"Thank you, Chris."
"No problem. More importantly, it's from your family. Is something wrong?"
Hearing it was from her family, Marie felt a twinge of unease.
"I-I'm sure it's fine, but—"
She began reading the letter right there, and soon she started trembling violently. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into Chris's arms.
"Marie! I-I'm taking you to the hospital right now!"
Amid the commotion, Marie was crying.
"...I can't do this anymore. I can't believe it."
◇
I was trembling at the palace's official order.
From Ange, I also received a letter from Ange's dad—Vince.
In my dorm room, I looked at Ange, shaking.
"Give it up. The palace has assigned Leon as captain of the royal guard. Father also agreed to the proposal. It suits your status, apparently."
How did it suit my status?
"I don't understand."
"...Jilk and the others around Marie will eventually be granted baron titles. Well, they'll be barons in name only, but the judgment was that Leon, being of a higher rank, is the right one to lead them."
If they were setting up a royal guard for Marie, those guys would certainly be part of it.
"And His Highness Julius?"
Ange's expression clouded slightly.
"Do you really think His Highness would join the royal guard? Well, apparently he did express interest, which caused trouble for Lady Millaine."
Julius is the worst.
I collapsed to my knees on the spot.
Floating beside me, Luxion said:
『That was certainly unexpected. Who would have thought the Master would become captain of the guard protecting Marie.』
I couldn't believe it either.
Why did I have to suffer through something like this?
How cold could this world possibly be to me?
The tears wouldn't stop.
"...I don't want to do this."
Ange patted my back.
"I understand how you feel, but give it up. Even as captain of the guard, you're still a student. You'll rarely have to actually work."
"...On another note, if I became a Temple Knight, would I be able to escape the marriage hunt too?"
Luxion shook his head sideways.
『Master, do you really hate marriage that much? Didn't you say before that you wanted a businesslike wife?』
Ange was confused by the sudden topic change and the word "businesslike."
"Bi-ji-ness-like?"
"I mean, if I had the luxury of choosing, I'd choose. But seriously, I can't fathom girls who are still listing marriage conditions. 'Allow me three lovers,' they say, like it's perfectly normal."
There was one girl who had timidly said she'd made concessions, but when I politely declined, she said, "I can't believe it!"
I can't believe it either!
Ange looked at me with a hint of sadness.
"...In your case, Leon, you're closer to the palace's side. You can't escape the marriage hunt."
"There's no way! This isn't fair!"
Even becoming a Temple Knight wouldn't let me escape the marriage hunt? It was nothing but a losing proposition!
I'd had enough.
Why did I have to be the one protecting Marie of all people?
A sudden knock came at the door, and Livia entered.
...Was it really okay for girls to be coming in and out of my room this often? This was supposed to be a men's dormitory.
"Leon, it's terrible!"
"What? Marie cackled so hard she hyperventilated and got carried to the hospital? I would have loved to see that."
—That was what I was hoping had happened, but—
"No! Marie said she's gathering the royal guard and going on an adventure during the next long break. She also said to have Partner ready."
...Looks like work starts immediately. Was it okay to refuse?
◇
...A lot had happened.
On the floating island where the elves lived, I was lost in thought.
While Hertolude was looking confused, Marie came up to me.
"You're the captain of my guard, aren't you? Get to work already."
Marie barked orders at me from on high, and I gave her a cold stare.
"Huh?"
Since Ange was also glaring at her, Marie was slightly flustered.
"...I just think that since you're captain, you should be taking this seriously."
Watching her gaze drift and her attitude deflate all at once, I let out a sigh.
"Why do I have to work for your sake? Besides, dungeon exploration isn't even part of the guard's duties."
Marie had no entourage with her now. She was alone.
"I-It can't be helped! I didn't—I never expected things would turn out like this either! It's all my family's fault!"
Hertolude tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
Livia, sympathetic toward Marie, answered for her.
"It seems Marie's family has, well... accumulated enormous debt. And when Marie became a saint, they got bolder still and borrowed even more money."
Marie's family—the Lafan viscountcy—had done this.
They had normal debts, but once their daughter became a saint, they started throwing their weight around.
On top of that, they borrowed even more and went on lavish spending sprees—and the bill finally came due.
The budget the palace and temple had provided was eaten up by the debt.
Not only that—it wasn't enough.
It was a viscount's debt, sure, but Marie's parents were, frankly, despicable. Even I felt sorry for her.
The Lafan viscountcy had taken out loans in Marie's name.
And they had been paying off their own debts with borrowed money.
Marie had ended up shouldering a massive debt for her family's sake.
Even Hertolude hadn't imagined this was the reason they'd deployed an airship and gone on an adventure.
"Wait, what? So you're going on an adventure because you have no money? Are you serious? Are you stupid?"
I thought they were stupid too.
In fact, Julius, Brad, and Chris, furious at the viscountcy's behavior, were running around dealing with the fallout and putting out fires.
Jilk was here because he had experience in Julius's royal guard and had been placed at Marie's side to protect her.
Greg was simply valued for his combat ability—and unlike the other three, he wasn't needed for the cleanup, so he was here.
Marie was on the verge of tears.
"I don't want to rely on someone like him either! But, but... being broke is miserable!"
Hertolude looked at Marie with icy eyes.
"So this is what a saint has come to. Truly the end of the world."
I agreed completely.
But she was so pathetic that I ended deploying Partner and going along with Marie after all.
It was painful to watch...
More to the point, if these idiots went off on their own and got killed, it would be too terrible to even look at.
And besides, there were things I wanted to ask this woman.
Sigh... How did things end up like this?