I dropped by the mansion that
As usual, Marie stays quiet in front of me, never meeting my eyes.
Did I go a little too far with the teasing?
“What's
Marie shivers as she answers.
“He’s conscious again, but… his injuries are severe. We treated him, but he still can’t move… maybe.”
Seeing Marie scared of me makes me want to mess with her.
“Got it. By the way, did you remember anything from that thing? Especially any info about the
Marie flinches, then rushes back to the room and brings a notebook.
Looks like she frantically recalled everything after that incident and wrote it down.
I don’t know if it’s useful, but as I flip through the pages there’s a section on the sapling.
I read it right there.
“The Sacred Tree sapling… a key item the protagonist can obtain, huh. It’s basically useless as an item effect.”
The main story seems to revolve around the protagonist getting the sapling and then having their origins revealed.
It should be around the middle of the second year—basically the story’s halfway point.
So the timing’s close.
There’s also a write‑up on the Sacred Tree itself.
A few of those notes catch my interest.
“…If that’s the case, maybe getting the sapling will solve something.”
Marie reacts to every word I say.
Now that I think about it, back in my past life when I got angry, it felt the same.
All that time I’ve been trying to keep me in a good mood was for the same reason.
I suddenly remembered the past… the past life.
“I’m borrowing the notebook.”
Marie nods repeatedly.
◇
When
“Master, isn’t he fine now? The earl wasn’t angry, right?”
Carla tries to comfort her.
“From the looks of it, he’ll be fine. He’ll probably pull something off like he always does.”
Marie shoots them a cold, sullen stare.
“What ‘pull something off’? Fine? You two really don’t get it at all.”
Kyle tilts his head.
“Is that so? He didn’t look angry to me.”
“That’s the mistake. When he’s truly angry, he never lets you see it. He keeps smiling, corners you, and won’t stop until we beg for forgiveness. And he actually enjoys watching us suffer—he’s the lowest of the low!”
Carla thinks for a moment, then shivers, as if she thinks it could be Leon.
She’s been tricked and hurt by Leon before.
If he still isn’t forgiven, there’s no scarier story.
After all, Leon is currently the kingdom’s strongest knight.
He’s the hero who defeated the Black Knight that no one could beat and saved the kingdom from crisis.
“What do… what should we do, Marie‑sama!”
The person you can’t afford to anger… that’s Leon.
Kyle still looks clueless.
“Really? He didn’t look angry to me.”
“You’re naive! If he really gets serious, we’re done. Our lives will be over! Why does this always happen to me? It’s over. My second life is over… No way!!!”
Marie’s scream startles the two.
Facing them, Marie steels herself.
(If it comes to this, I’ll strike first. Compared to my brother, Pierre is nothing but a petty scum. If I don’t handle this myself, my brother… will kill me!)
Determined, Marie decides to take the two out.
“Both of you, get ready quickly. We’re heading to the embassy.”
Seeing Marie’s resolute back, the two eyes light up a little, thinking she looks kinda cool.
◇
Brad’s room.
I sit on a chair, talking with Brad who’s lying down.
His facial injuries have healed a lot, but the whole room smells of medicine—he must have slathered a bunch of chemicals all over his body.
“You’ve got a pretty good face now.”
If I’m being sarcastic, Brad fires back.
“Even wounded, I’m still handsome. Jealous, huh?”
“That’s enough for me. So… what actually happened?”
When I ask for the details, Brad, despite his pain, tells me.
He was summoned behind the school building by Pierre and his crew.
Then, when he tried to fight with magic, they showed an overwhelming power gap…
And then Brad gives his own take.
“Their magic… it seems protected by some huge other force. And I felt like something was interfering with us on our side.”
Another force.
I’ve got a pretty good guess.
The six great nobles who are obsessed with the Sacred Tree.
No matter how you look at it, the Sacred Tree is involved.
It supplies infinite energy, but the nobles probably get other perks too.
Marie’s notebook also has notes on that.
“…Bartfort, don’t be hasty.”
When Brad says that, I snort.
“Don’t lump us together with the guys who rushed in and failed. I only act when I have a solid chance to win.”
Seeing Brad’s embarrassed grin, I hear that his broken teeth have actually healed.
Is that Marie’s power?
He’s not as good as
If he hadn’t been greedy, he could’ve made a living with healing magic and lived comfortably.
Typical case of greed leading to failure.
“That’s something I can’t argue with.”
“Get some rest. I’ve got a few things to take care of.”
According to Marie, his stamina hasn’t fully recovered, so he can’t move for a while.
…It’ll be fine.
We still have four usable pieces on the board.
Let’s make them work for us.
◇
Embassy.
Marie is protesting in front of the highest‑ranking official.
“Why can’t you even say one thing against this!”
“P‑please calm down, Marie‑dono!”
Even the official is at a loss dealing with a woman of
He explains the
“Listen up. We’re not going to make a fuss with the
Marie is fuming.
(You guys get cocky because you’re weak! If this keeps up I’ll get killed. I have to pressure Alzer any way I can and get the airship back.)
“Don’t be scared. The strongest defense? Just sort it out with diplomatic effort. Hey! Economic blockade! Let’s do an economic blockade! Team up with neighboring countries and surround them!”
The official hurriedly tries to stop Marie.
“Stop! In fact, an economic blockade would hurt Holfart the most.”
“—What?”
Marie freezes, her brilliant idea being shot down.
“The Republic of Alzer is an exporter of magic stones. Holfart also buys the magic stones it consumes domestically from Alzer.”
Panicking, Marie remembers the dungeon in the capital.
“There’s a dungeon in the capital, right? If it’s magic stones, we can get them from there.”
“One dungeon can’t supply all the magic stones the whole continent needs. Plus, moving an airship also needs magic stones. Huge amounts are consumed each year, far more than the kingdom can produce.”
When buying from abroad, Alzer is the most affordable source.
They export massive quantities of magic stones—that’s point one.
And point two, they supply them steadily, which is a huge help for Holfart.
Almost all of Holfart’s domestic shortage is covered by Alzer.
“…Energy problem.”
The official leans in on Marie’s head‑scratching.
“Also, Alzer’s neighboring countries have weak ties with the kingdom, so it’s doubtful they’d cooperate. In the past, some nations tried to team up with Alzer to outmaneuver us…”
All the solutions Marie could imagine have already been tried.
Her mind races as the crisis deepens.
(Free energy… speaking of that, Alzer’s production capacity was huge because of that energy. They had no energy problem, so they could sell excess magic stones abroad, and they had plenty of other resources and high production…)
Marie shouts.
“This is cheating!!!”
The official tilts his head at her “cheating” remark, but concedes that Alzer is indeed very rich.
“Indeed, it’s a pretty underhanded land.”
Abundant resources, no energy issues, fertile soil… Marie feels hopeless.
“There’s no way we can win a fight against a country like that.”
The official seems relieved that she finally gets it.
“That’s the point. Glad you understand. As for Brad‑dono, we’ll arrange an airship to send him back to the homeland for convalescence. Rest assured. I understand the circumstances, so I’ll report it to avoid any punishment.”
Learning that Alzer’s national power is higher, Marie sinks deeper into despair—but…
(I can’t give up here. I’ll find a way.)
Her eyes bloodshot, she starts plotting the next move.
◇
In the center of the Republic of Alzer lies a land with the Sacred Tree.
From it, massive roots stretch out to seven continents, binding them together.
The land with the Sacred Tree isn’t a tiny island; it houses a building where the heads of the seven great nobles—now six—hold council.
It’s called the Council Hall, but also the Sacred Tree Temple.
It used to be a place of worship for the Sacred Tree, so it’s also a temple.
A huge structure near the base of the tree, but the tree makes it look small.
Six noble heads gather in the tall tower that serves as the hall.
They use a round table to avoid implying any hierarchy.
One seat is empty—the chair of the chairperson, the house of Respinas.
The acting chair is **Alberk Sara Rault**.
A middle‑aged man with sharp eyes, brown hair slicked back, tall and muscular.
He strokes his chin and talks about today’s agenda.
“The Holfart Kingdom’s exchange students caused trouble, right? I hear a male member of the Fevel family is involved?”
The Fevel family head folds his arms, looking displeased.
“That’s nothing. I wanted to fight Holfart once. To renegotiate the treaty, I wanted to show them the power gap.”
Alberk is internally annoyed by the Fevel head’s attitude.
(Did he provoke just for glory? Or is it just his stupid son running amok…?)
The Fevel head **Ranberl Io Fevel** is a short, chubby man with a receding forehead.
To Alberk he’s a minor, but a bit of a hassle.
“War with Holfart?”
If you ask that,
“The Fevel house will handle it alone. Lately our retainers are bored, so we’ll give them something to do.”
The other heads react differently—some grim, some indifferent.
Another point…
“…I heard you got a crewless airship, and some insane armor as well?”
A blond youth named **Fernan Toara Dreil** asks.
His green eyes radiate strong will.
Ranberl smiles, but it’s a nasty grin.
“The kingdom’s making progress. I’d love to dismantle it and study it, but my son’s turned it into a toy. Once it’s ready, we’ll analyze it and mass‑produce.”
Fernan narrows his eyes.
“You used the Sacred Tree for some terrible experiment, right? I think it’s dangerous to misuse its power carelessly.”
“I’d like you to stop that, Fernan’s kid. Are you trying to meddle with the Fevel house?”
Hearing that, Fernan falls silent, looking annoyed.
Even though they’re in the same country, their relations are like those of foreign leaders—each one is a king in his own right.
“Anything on your mind?”
Alberk turns the conversation to Fernan.
Alberk wasn’t really focused on the Holfart issue either.
But,
“According to a merchant I know, the kingdom’s merchants said they met a very young knight who became a hero.”
The six noble heads aren’t interested. Even a foreign hero would be just an average knight in Alzer.
Alberk agrees.
“A young hero, huh. Was he from a duchy? A knight who rose through internal squabbles?”
The duchy originally had ties with the kingdom, so Alzer saw it as an internal matter.
Fernan looks puzzled.
“That young knight—same name as a male student studying abroad? Doesn’t that bother you?”
Ranberl laughs merrily.
“That’s fine. If war breaks out, the world’s big enough to teach that kid a lesson. My sons also want glory. It’s a perfect opportunity.”
As Ranberl mocks, Fernan tries to say something, but Alberk stops him.
“That’s enough. Let’s move to the next agenda item.”
And so the Holfart discussion is brushed aside.