She sat upright on the bed, worrying about herself.
In front of her was—
His teeth were chattering, his body trembling in tiny jerks, his face a pale blue.
«…So, you’re the one who forgot something important until just now?»
Scared stiff, Marie could barely look at Leon’s face, but she nodded.
«Y-yes…»
Her reply trembled and came out all wrong.
There were several reasons Marie was terrified of Leon.
First, she knew his personality.
When she tried to use a reverse harem to corner
Usually he’s fine, but once he’s set his mind, Leon follows through.
The second reason was even more crucial.
Leon already had real combat experience and had killed people.
Marie understood how huge that gap was.
Her hesitation was low.
The threshold for killing was lower for her now.
(He’ll kill me. My brother will kill me!)
And the third.
Marie was Leon’s sister from a past life.
She knew the limit that would make him lose his temper, and even as his sister she’d always watched that line carefully. She’d never cross it.
Because making him angry was scary.
He’s clingy and won’t hesitate to use any means to get what he wants.
She’d usually avoid trouble, but she understood she mustn’t anger him.
His anger line is actually very loose.
He’ll forgive a lot, and Marie had relied on that in their past life.
But remembering what would happen if she crossed that line made her feel like she could collapse any second.
(No, no. I can’t collapse. Crying won’t work. It’ll just make him more irritated. I have to state the facts calmly and apologize. If I don’t… I’ll die!)
She heard Leon’s footsteps in her room, pacing in circles.
«If I’d known earlier, I could’ve prepared. If your little‑prince‑type hadn’t rushed, I wouldn’t have lost
The trembling Marie couldn’t stop sweating.
«N-no, that’s not…»
Her words came out garbled.
Marie clung to the thread of consciousness that was about to snap.
«…I’ll decide your punishment later. First, go treat
«Yes!»
She leapt from the bed, ran down the hallway, and headed for Brad, who’d only gotten basic first aid.
But—.
(What do I do? I’m finished!)
Having turned Leon, her biggest supporter and confidant, into an enemy, Marie was in a tight spot.
◇ After confirming Marie had left the room, I pressed a hand to my chin.
«Alright, things are about to get busy.»
I still have to look after Noel.
I’ll head home quickly and sort everything out tomorrow.
◇ The next day.
The person I consulted at the academy was my homeroom teacher, Mr. Cremen.
He was still wearing that shirt that looked like it might burst any second.
His face was more serious than usual, legs crossed, hands clasped on his knees.
«…The second son of the Fevele family, huh? He’s one of the academy’s top troublemakers.»
«There were other troublemakers, too?»
That surprised me more.
«The direction’s different, but still, it was a real pain, Leon‑kun.»
He’s kind despite his looks, that’s for sure.
Lots of students come to Mr. Cremen for advice, especially the girls; boys tend to hold back because they feel it’s risky.
«Now, how can we get the airship back?»
«Yes.»
The question was how to retrieve something that’d been taken.
That’s a tricky one.
We need to make those guys want to gamble the Einhorn on a match, and it has to look like a fair fight.
«If I’m being blunt, it’s impossible. He’s from the seven great—no, six great noble houses. Offering treasure won’t even make him smile.»
«We have a severely injured person on our side. Could we use that as leverage?»
Mr. Cremen shook his head.
«They won’t listen. One of the participants in the council is the head of the Fevele family—Pierre’s father. The other heads might use it as a political bargaining chip, but they won’t take it seriously.»
He’s downplaying the diplomatic angle.
The reason is the undefeated myth of the defensive wars—though only in defensive battles, they’ve never lost.
And also the hubris that comes from having the
«What does Pierre want? Anything the six great houses also covet would be nice.»
Mr. Cremen shrugged.
«That’d be something legendary. A legendary weapon, maybe, or a jewel created by the Sacred Tree?»
«A jewel?»
«The Sacred Tree bears fruit, and inside each fruit is a sphere that contains condensed magical energy instead of a seed. They’re not many, but because of that, airships are always buzzing around the Tree.»
The island with the Sacred Tree is a sanctuary.
It seems whoever recovers a jewel gets ownership, and the six great houses are already fighting over them.
«If the Tree can give infinite energy, why do they want those?»
«…Where did you hear that?»
Mr. Cremen’s eyes changed. Apparently Marie’s info wasn’t wrong.
«Who knows? Anyway, what’s next?»
When I pressed for more, he gave up and went back to explaining.
«You can’t just take the Tree’s fruit. You’re not allowed to harvest it yourself. Better to say you can’t take it. So if you see a fruit about to fall, you wait with an airship and watch. Oh, and there’s a legend that love blossoms in the jewel.»
If a couple gets a jewel, their love supposedly becomes eternal.
«Huh, not my thing.»
«You don’t seem interested.»
«Because I have a fiancé.»
«Too bad.»
What a ‘too bad’ meant, I wondered, but I didn’t ask.
Getting a jewel takes time, competition is fierce, and it’s hard to obtain.
As an exchange student, my time and resources are limited. I have no tools to hunt for jewels.
«So, what’s next?»
«The six great houses are blood‑thirsty for only one thing: a ‘Sapling of the Sacred Tree.’»
«A sapling?»
«Yes. But think back to what we just talked about. The fruit’s interior is the jewel, right? That’s a mass of energy, not a seed. So how do you think a sapling could be made?»
If a seed never sprouts, you can’t get a sapling in the first place. Cutting a branch and planting it… Mr. Cremen’s attitude suggests that’s a no‑go.
«So that’s why it’s a legend.»
«Exactly. The six great houses will get whatever they want by themselves. If they can’t, they’ll provoke a war.»
They fight defensive wars with absolute confidence, win, and then claim reparations as profit.
…Things are starting to click.
«A sapling, huh? I’d love to hear more about that.»
«I only know the legend. If I had to guess… maybe Narcis‑kun?»
Narcis «kyun»?
◇ The academy’s faculty lounge.
The person with a private office is named Narcis Carse Grange.
He’s the third son of the current head of the Grange line, one of the six great houses, now a teacher.
Introduced by Mr. Cremen, I entered the lounge to find a teacher sleeping on the sofa.
A man in his late twenties with gray hair slicked back and a scruffy beard.
He’s apparently deep into research, and his classes are unpopular—so no students show up.
«It’s not a required class, so nobody takes it—actually, nobody at all, it seems.»
«Narcis‑sensei.»
«Huh?»
He yawned, sat up, and tilted his head at my face.
«…The restroom isn’t here.»
«I actually have something to ask you, Sensei.»
«Me? Why?»
He gave me a genuinely clueless look.
He’s actually one of the «targets» for the otome route.
A slacker teacher? Or just a research‑obsessed nerd.
«Actually, I wanted to hear your thoughts. I’m an exchange student, Leon.»
Then Narcis leapt and grabbed both my hands.
Hey! This guy smells a bit like alcohol.
«A
«Really?»
«Hold on, I’ll get you some tea—ah!»
In his haste to make tea, he tripped over a mountain of books, scattering papers and tomes everywhere.
The room was a mess, but it seemed this happened often—there were piles of fallen books everywhere.
«…First, let’s clean up.»
Narcis peered out from the stack, looking embarrassed in front of me.
«Sorry about that.»
◇ While we tidied up, we talked.
«You wanted to meet adventurers?»
«Yes. I’m the type who’d rather go to the place and teach directly. I want students to learn by actually entering dungeons.»
He says it’s also a hobby—researching ancient stuff in dungeons.
He teaches because it’s convenient, and being from a noble house prevents him from becoming an adventurer.
«I heard Holfart lets nobles become adventurers.»
«You can, but you basically have to. Once you enroll in the academy, everyone becomes an adventurer.»
«Regardless of gender? Wait, that’s true?»
He nodded, surprised.
«Everyone should be strong. Even the exchange students who came before had unusually high physical scores.»
The
«Now, about my side of things.»
«The Sacred Tree sapling? It’s legendary, but there have been reports of discoveries.»
According to Alzer’s history, saplings have indeed been found, he said, tilting his head.
«So why is it still a legend?»
«Simple. They never took root.»
Even if you find one, it withers. Leaving it alone does the same. There aren’t many to study.
Alzer wants to secure a sapling at any cost.
«The Tree is alive, so eventually it’ll die. The Republic wants to grab a sapling before that happens and grow a new Tree.»
A plan for a hundred or two hundred years ahead.
But one thing nagged me.
«It’s important, sure, but they don’t seem desperate enough to want it right now.»
The nobles didn’t look like they’d drool over it.
Narcis seemed about to say something, then swallowed.
He has a reason to want it, but won’t tell me.
«So, where can we find this sapling?»
«Any dungeon on the continent could have one. Even if none have been documented yet, any dungeon could still hold one.»
Any place works?
I was curious, and Narcis answered.
«All Alzer dungeons are connected to the Sacred Tree. The roots run deep through this land. You could say everything ties back to the Tree.»
«Strange country.»
«Yeah? It’s normal there, so I don’t get it. But why would anyone want a sapling?»
I mentioned Pierre’s name.
When I explained, Narcis placed a hand on his forehead.
«…I feel sorry for you as a fellow six‑great‑house descendant.»
«Then help us out.»
Narcis shook his head.
«You probably don’t get it, but the six great houses aren’t just nobles under one nation. Think of them as a collection of nations.»
So complaining to Pierre’s Fevele family would count as internal affairs interference?
Fevele is a separate nation… both sides have their own agendas.
Interesting.
«So we need to side with Pierre?»
Narcis smiled.
«That’s right. I can warn him, but he probably won’t listen.»
«Is he that terrible?»
He gave a wry smile while talking about Pierre.
«He’s… well, he does whatever he wants.»
His reputation at the academy seems low.
I started piecing together a plan in my head.