Marie was making a ruckus in the reception room.
“Pull her away from that guy right now!”
Lelia looked confused.
“Why? I went through a ton of trouble to get Erik and her on good terms! There are a few issues, but it’s not like the game’s script says otherwise.”
Who even cares about a yandere dude? Oh right, this world is literally that otome game’s world.
He’s not being gentle at all.
I kinda want to see Libya, who has a bit of a yandere streak.
When I look at the footage Luxion is projecting in the air, Erik’s got a collar on her and even chained her up.
It reminded me of Noel.
No, it’s not just the whole scene… I never expected the protagonist to be treated like a dog.
And honestly, the guys from the Republic are all troublemakers.
Anpai‑kun was seriously just a cheap card.
“Your eyes are holes! That bastard was beating up your sister!”
“B‑but I followed up later, you know. That’s Erik—he’s a bit sick, super clingy, and that’s kind of… appealing—”
“That’s a classic DV guy! And being clingy in real life isn’t funny at all!”
…Ah, I just remembered.
Come to think of it, didn’t Marie get screwed over by a similar guy before? She’s on high alert because of past‑life experience.
Lelia brings up the practical side.
“It’s impossible. Erik comes from one of the Six Great Noble houses. Unlike Pierre, he’s the heir of the Baryel family, so if we push too hard to get your sister back, who knows what he’ll do.”
Marie clings to me, crying.
“Bro, do something! That thing’s no good. In the game, when you mess up, Erik turns into a yandere who locks the protagonist up! He can end up with a confinement bad end!”
“A bad end? No way!”
I’m naturally shocked, and Lelia looks shocked too.
“What? I’ve never heard of that.”
Marie starts fighting with Lelia again.
“You’ve cleared the whole game, haven’t you? There was an event where multiple guys get jealous and Erik flips out!”
“I don’t watch depressing events, so I don’t know! Besides, I’m all about pure love, never went for multiple routes!”
“Your sister, for crying out loud! Show some concern!”
“The world’s in crisis! Trying to ‘fix’ Erik isn’t the answer!”
“It’s not the answer, you dummy! If it were that easy, we wouldn’t be struggling!”
Luxion gives me a suggestion.
‘Putting aside Marie and Lelia’s crappy remarks, only the Master can actually rescue her right now.’
Why did it come to this? I thought things were fine, but now it’s a mess.
“Can we do it?”
‘Let’s use the return of the Jewel as bargaining chips. Ask Ferdinand of the Dreil family, negotiate with the head of the Baryel house. In fact, she’s in a mentally dangerous spot. Erik himself is unstable, too.’
I’ll lose the Jewel I just got, but I resign myself to that.
“Should I contact Ferdinand?”
We’ll secure it by filling the outer moat.
◇
The Baryel manor.
Surrounded by retainers, Erik stared at a letter from his father, Beranju, shaking his shoulders.
“What the hell is this?”
The retainers explain.
“Lord Erik, this deal is necessary for the future of the Baryel house.”
“A deal? Using people as trade goods?”
One retainer says calmly.
“…You forget about Pierre’s case? The Republic sent a single airship all the way to the Sacred Tree Temple. The kingdom’s earl said he’d return every Jewel the house owned, just one daughter. Beranju said refusal isn’t an option.”
Erik’s face twists.
“I’ll explain this to my dad. Aren’t you pissed about being looked down on by a kingdom?”
In Erik’s mind, the kingdom is still low‑rank.
He doesn’t usually think that way, but he can’t stay silent when someone he likes gets taken.
The retainers avoid looking at Erik.
“You still consider yourselves nobles of the Republic?”
“Lord Erik, officially it’s the Fevel family’s rampage, but we were defeated by a single kingdom airship.”
Erik slumps down, covering his face with both hands, screaming.
“Uaaaarghhh!!!”
◇
The new manor the Republic prepared for me.
It’s bigger than anything Marie and the others use.
In the hustle, the Republic’s “goodwill” pushes us to move fast.
They say they’ve set up a fancy manor just for me.
But they won’t cut corners in inter‑nation negotiations!
“I’ll shove this onto today’s envoy rep, swing the talks in the kingdom’s favor. Let them regret making me angry.”
Luxion has a report on the Republic’s inner workings.
With this, negotiations go our way, and we’ll see what the Six Great Nobles are thinking.
The kingdom’s negotiator should be dying to get his hands on it.
‘Master, you’re going to sell that to the negotiator?’
“Obviously. I’ve got no loyalty to the kingdom. I’ll use this chance to claw back everything they stole. I’ll punch a hole in Roland’s shitty gut!”
The palace must be swamped now—post‑war reconstruction and all that.
I’ll dump a diplomatic mess on them, have Claire record Roland’s struggles, watch it later while sipping tea.
‘By the way, the Baryel house let go of their protected lady easily. She’s a priestess, but they don’t seem to notice?’
“Seems they don’t. Lelia said the Six‑generation nobles think it’d be a hassle to bring her in now.”
‘The chair’s clan. The Respinas, who produce priestesses, must’ve been a nuisance.’
I agree, “What a terrible country,” and just then the negotiator shows up as scheduled.
I’m thinking about how much to charge for the report when I head to the entrance…
I’m stunned, almost dropping the report.
“…M‑Master”
A gentleman in a summer suit stands there, brighter than the sun.
“Mr. Lion, long time no see. You’ve grown a bit taller, huh?”
I hurriedly greet my master.
“Master! If you’re coming, just say so. I went to the port to pick you up!”
“No worries. Seeing foreign lands with my own eyes is fun. I also wanted to walk a bit on solid ground after the sea voyage.”
I bark orders at Luxion.
“Luxion, get the tea ready. There were fresh fruit snacks, right? Bring those too!”
“Mr. Lion, it’s been a while since we had tea together.”
I scramble to set up the tea.
◇
I serve tea to my master.
My throat goes dry with nerves.
He checks the report I gave him. Of course I didn’t sell it—selling it under his feet would be insane.
“Why are you the negotiator? Aren’t there diplomats?”
He smiles.
“I’m not just hopping around Alzel; I’m traveling to other nations too. Short staff and all that.”
Luxion adds.
‘We’ve disposed of most of the nobles. This job exceeded our capacity, so we pulled people from elsewhere.’
Master finishes reading.
“This looks workable. The kingdom could get a good outcome.”
Good. All that prep paid off.
“By the way, Mr. Lion, you went all out. You don’t want a promotion, do you?”
This can’t count as a merit.
We’ve brought a lot of profit to the kingdom, but Julius and the others cursed the Sacred Tree—problematic behavior.
They’re at fault, but I’m also responsible as the overseer.
I actually saw them get cursed, watching Luxion and Noel tend to them, sighing “ugh”.
Pierre’s scheming bothered me too, so I decided to take it slow and plan revenge.
“This won’t count as a merit. And I’m already at my ceiling. No more promotions.”
I’m stuck at a count‑three lower than an earl—both rank and title. Anything higher needs royal ties. There’s a border‑earl title, but it’s a weird case in Holfart.
Border earls guard important families at the frontier.
Higher ranks—three steps up—are all royalty‑related: dukes, marquises, etc.
So I’ve got no room to climb.
If anything, Roland might demote me now. That faint hope fuels my actions.
“Sure, you rose fast, but beyond this it’s tough. One thing… no, that’s impossible.”
Master checks his pocket watch, says “I should be going,” and stands.
“Mr. Lion, you’ve really stepped up.”
His words make me feel everything’s worth it.
Being acknowledged by my master feels great.
◇
Sacred Tree Temple.
After days of negotiations, the Six Great Nobles look exhausted.
Lambert still smiles.
“Lord Albelk, you extracted a lot from the kingdom’s envoy. Well done.”
Albelk grins.
“It was a real grind.”
Inside, he can’t truly smile.
(Those kingdom envoys knew every resource we could offer. They came just to concede at the end.)
In the end, Master gave in, ending the talks.
Albelk feels lucky it wrapped up the way it did.
His standing among the nobles improves.
But Lambert’s grin still irks me.
(If only your stupid son didn’t mess things up…)
Then I hear Ferdinand and Beranju talking.
“The thing went as planned?”
“Yeah, thanks to that we’re saved.”
“The lady the earl was interested in?”
“Perfect timing. My son’s playtime was getting boring anyway.”
Albelk watches them, bitter.
(Did they return the Jewel to Ferdinand and Beranju? I need to get it back somehow.)
In the Republic, lacking energy issues, Jewels seem less useful.
But outside the continent, airships that can’t draw power from the Sacred Tree lose a lot of performance.
To compensate, you need a Jewel.
Now Holfart can’t let its guard down, so Albelk doesn’t want to hand over the Jewel.
(The earl’s interested lady… just a crush? I’ll look into it.)
◇
On the new manor’s bed, I’m lounging when Luxion reports.
‘Master, I’ve sealed the shady hidden rooms and passages in the manor. Intruder defenses are sorted.’
“Got it. Thanks for the work.”
‘You’re not motivated, huh?’
“How could I be? Cremon‑sensei is all fired up about making up for lost summer lessons. It’s nice but also a pain.”
Cremon’s kindness feels like a nuisance to me.
Summer make‑up classes—basically just extra classes.
‘Today’s the day the Baryel house sends over that woman.’
“Do I have to take care of her?”
‘Erik is the heir of the Six Great Nobles. Only the Master, chosen as the sapling’s guardian, can protect her from the Sacred Tree’s power.’
I look at the sapling in the room, thriving in its case.
I glance at my right knuckle and say,
“…So you’re not reacting negatively, meaning you’re not some New Human thing, right?”
‘Yes. Details are still unclear, but we think it’s a plant modified by the Old Humanity.’
The sapling gave us a crest, so it can’t grant massive power, but it’s useful against the Six Great Nobles.
It can reject a one‑sided oath to the Sacred Tree and block its magic.
I’d hate to waste it… What should I do with it?
It should’ve been with the protagonist’s lover.
Luxion reports to me.
‘Looks like she’s arrived, Master.’
◇
A girl brought in by Marie and Lelia.
She’s looking down, eyes cloudy.
Under the scorching sun she mutters.
“I have to go back. Erik’ll get mad. He’s clingy, so I have to stay by his side… If I’m not there, Erik will…”
I’m stunned by her state. I give Marie a look begging for help.
“Nothing you say will change anything. But it’s just… the same old repeat. We need to let her rest, get her judgment back, or nothing will work.”
Lelia, seeing her sister’s ruined condition, looks down.
She didn’t think it’d get this bad. From afar you can’t see, but there are bruises beyond her face.
“Until spring break she was fine. How did it get like this?”
Lelia had been pulling strings behind the scenes to get the two together, but if their love’s real, Erik told her the Jewel would be theirs.
From then Erik obsessed over the Jewel, and even after a semester he stayed glued to the Sacred Tree, never returning.
Marie glares at Lelia.
I sigh and lead them to the sister’s room.
“I had Luxion set up a watch. She’ll stay at my manor for a while. Anything I should watch out for?”
Marie keeps piling orders on me.
“She’s weak—don’t let her decide anything! Kindness is important, but treat her normally!”
“Normal!? Do you even get how hard that is? We just met. I have no idea what to do!”
Even Lelia complains.
“You’re the only one we have, so take care of her properly!”
What the hell is this attitude? Why the condescension?
“…Don’t get cocky just because she’s cute. My fiancés are prettier, so I don’t need to cater to your mood. If you’re hoping I’ll lower myself for ulterior motives, look elsewhere!”
When Lelia falls silent, Marie gets all smug.
“This is my brother! I won’t be nice just because she’s cute. I’m a man who shows no mercy, even to women! Got it, idiot!”
Isn’t that over the line?
“No, the ‘no mercy’ thing only applies to you. I can be normal and kind to women too.”
“What the—!”
“You’re being cold to me!”
Marie and Lelia protest, but I ignore them.
Because you two… just cause me trouble.
“Alright, Lelia’s sister is this way.”
“…Yes.”
She stays quiet, maybe thinking resistance is useless.
Is this really okay?