After losing a contest to my sister Ceres—who was called a monster—I was cast out of House Walt. Now I sat at a table with two women.
(Oh, there's no taste to this.)
As I ate my belated dinner, I wondered how things had come to this.
The heir to a baronial house, kicked out of his home and stripped of everything.
Having lost it all, I decided to become an adventurer and left my hometown.
My former fiancée, Novem Foxes, had followed me despite my losing everything. She was the second daughter of a baronial house, and we had known each other since childhood.
A fine former fiancée—and someone I couldn't look down on.
Not because I feared her, or anything like that.
She had sold off the household goods she had been preparing for me, and used the money on my behalf.
She even looked after a sheltered person like me who knew nothing of the world.
Gentle, and yet beautiful.
Her light brown hair was tied in a side ponytail, and now she ate quietly. Her pale pink lips touched the spoon.
Her violet eyes gazed at the dish she had prepared. Soup with bread, and grilled meat that had been cheap—those sat on the table.
"Lyle, does it not suit your taste?"
Noticing that I had been watching, Novem looked at me with a hint of worry.
"N-No, not at all!"
With that, I resumed eating.
Then I turned my gaze to the woman sitting across from Novem.
Her red hair reached down her back, with a slight curl at the tips. Her violet eyes wouldn't stay still, darting about restlessly.
Aria Lockeward was a woman who had been cast out of her home.
Well, the reason she was cast out differed from mine.
Her father had connections with a bandit gang. The gang that had drifted into the city of Darion set up base in an abandoned mine nearby and planted several subordinates within the city.
Her father had been the one to assist them.
The Lockeward family had once been a viscount's house—distinguished court nobles who held official positions.
She—Aria's father had destroyed it all in a single generation.
What's more, he had even sold off the family heirloom.
I was tasked with eliminating the bandit gang, and I played the part of the foolish son cast out of his home. Then, with funding from the lord of Darion, I recovered that heirloom.
"Oh, this is delicious."
When Aria said that, Novem looked delighted.
With a smile, she explained the dish.
"That meat was pounded and marinated in sake. I'm glad it suits your taste."
I swear—I did not help Aria because I was smitten with her.
Absolutely not.
There was a reason for her staying at my and Novem's home.
Aria's father, who had connections with the bandits and had sold off the [Stone]—which held multiple Skills—was currently imprisoned by the lord.
And so, she was cast out of her home.
Normally, Aria would have been set on the same path—forced into becoming a prostitute. But the circumstances around my bandit extermination led to a story where I had done it because I was in love with Aria—and...
"It's more delicious than anything I could make..."
Aria looked a bit downcast, and Novem comforted her.
"If it's something I can teach you, I will."
"P-Please do."
I had been stuck with her by Lord Ventler.
(At this point, I'm no better than a scoundrel!)
Novem had funded me to become a proper adventurer and even took care of me.
And yet, here I was, having taken in a woman I supposedly liked.
Of course, I had not harbored any ulterior motives in helping Aria.
There was a proper reason.
In this situation, I confessed to Novem and told her how I felt. But the one who had recommended accepting Aria was not just Lord Ventler.
Novem had also been positive about it.
After my resolved confession—
"I'm very happy to hear your feelings. However, if you were to be tied to me, I think Aria would feel uncomfortable. So, when you have become a proper adventurer, perhaps you could accept both Aria and me then—"
She said something like that to me.
(I finally succeeded, and now I'm back to square one? And I never imagined Novem would be advocating for a harem!)
It seemed the trigger had been my own words.
When leaving my hometown, I had told Novem to go back.
Something like: "I'll become an adventurer, build a harem, and live a leisurely life."
Novem had apparently interpreted that as: "An adventurer who can maintain a harem is first-rate. And to live leisurely, you need to become a super-first-rate adventurer. My goal is to become a super-first-rate adventurer."
That was wrong.
She was usually so perceptive—I couldn't understand how she had gotten it wrong at that point.
(I thought that if I showed her what a useless man I was, Novem would give up on me and leave. But she followed me anyway... and not only that, she took care of me, and took my words at face value.)
Even I had forgotten about it, but she had faithfully remembered.
But let me say this—I truly had no ulterior motives.
(Yes, for me, these two—this [Jewel]...)
The Jewel could be called the completed form of the Stone.
A Stone was something only one person could hold. It was a tool that could store Skills that had not yet manifested.
It was not mainstream anymore, but apparently, a Stone that had accumulated Skills over the ages had stored eight Skills and reached completion.
A Stone had become a Jewel.
My own Skill, whose effects were still unknown, plus the seven Skills recorded in the blue Jewel passed down through House Walt across generations.
However, the problem was—
"Aria's so cute... Being tormented by that rotten father and thrown out of the house—what a pitiful girl."
A rough voice emanated from the Jewel.
It was the voice of the First Generation of House Walt—Basil Walt.
"Say that to a mirror! Your own rotten father's face would be staring back at you!"
A voice that sounded like he was picking a fight with the First Generation came through.
That was the Second Generation of House Walt—Crassel Walt.
Dressed like a hunter, the Second Generation was spoken of in House Walt as a modest figure.
The First Generation had led a pioneering expedition to establish the village and become a lord, founding House Walt as a regional noble family.
The Third Generation had earned fame as a wise general by successfully orchestrating a king's retreat in a war with another nation.
Furthermore, the Third Generation—Slei Wolt—had died in that battle, so his name still came up whenever the topic arose.
Sandwiched between these two, the Second Generation was indeed a modest figure in House Walt.
—But the truth was different.
The First Generation had expanded the territory recklessly and subjugated barbarians with nothing but his fists.
The seemingly unreliable, nonchalant son responded to everything with a light touch.
The Second Generation, caught between them, had worked extremely hard to establish House Walt's foundations.
And yet, he remained an underappreciated figure.
(...Second Generation, you're harsh with the First Generation again today.)
When a Stone became a Jewel, personalities resided within the stored Skills.
They were the memories of the ancestors who had used them.
When my Skill manifested and the Stone became a Jewel, the ancestors had awakened as Skills.
But this Jewel—
"You two are as lively as ever today, First and Second Generations."
Laughing as she listened to their quarrel was the Third Generation.
However, the fact that I could hear them meant the Jewel was in use.
—In other words, it was consuming my magic power.
Even though I wasn't using any Skills!
(Can't you guys behave for just a little bit...)
Because the Skills had wills of their own, usage restrictions were imposed by the Skills themselves.
That was why, in order to use a Skill, I had needed to listen to Aria's request.
Why had I needed to listen to Aria's request?
Because Aria bore a striking resemblance to the First Generation's first love.
Moreover, Aria appeared to be a living image of that person.
That was how the bandit extermination came about.
I had gained access to the First Generation's Skill, and temporarily, I could use the other Skills as well.
However, the Third Generation's and Seventh Generation's Skills remained unusable.
They were restricted because my body could not withstand them.
(These things definitely aren't Jewels. They're cursed items or something.)
Since there was no point in thinking that way, my opinion of the Jewel gradually sank lower and lower.
Having taken in Aria, I naturally needed fighting strength.
So, I had Aria become an adventurer as well.
She agreed, saying she felt guilty about just being supported without contributing.
But—
"Now then, party registration is complete. Aria has joined, but please note that your contract with Zelphy cannot be extended."
The guild staff member—a muscular, dark-skinned man with his red hair buzzed short—Hawkins informed us, and Aria looked tense.
He looked intimidating, but even so, his work was kind and thorough—one of the most competent staff at the Darion Adventurers' Guild.
"Y-Yes!"
Aria received her Guild Card, and her instructor Zelphy spoke to her.
"Don't be so nervous. From now on, our positions have changed, so I'll use your name during work. That's all right with you too, Miss Aria?"
Zelphy had once served the Lockeward family. She was the instructor we had hired through the guild.
She was the one who would teach us—the ignorant ones who had left home—the basics of being an adventurer.
She was about to get married soon, had disbanded her party, and was now working on adventurer training through guild commissions.
—That was her public face.
The marriage seemed to be true, but in truth, she was an adventurer connected to the lord, Ventler.
In Darion, where newcomers were treated kindly, she was a highly capable adventurer as well.
"Now then, the three of us are together, so I need to teach you the basics. I'll instruct Aria in the guild meeting room, so Lyle and Novem, take on some miscellaneous errand quests."
Hearing this, I made no effort to hide my displeasure.
"Ag-Again?"
Novem looked at my face and seemed troubled.
She tried to encourage me.
"Lyle, let's do our best."
Zelphy was grinning at me the whole time.
After all, I had deceived the person who employed her into paying up, and I had also worked Zelphy to the bone. She probably wanted a little payback.
"Of course. Well, it should be a request that wraps up by morning. Once it's done, Lyle, get your equipment sorted. Your backup saber is useless now, right?"
"...Yes."
When fighting the bandit boss, I had ruined my weapon—a saber.
The opponent had possessed a red Stone—one that recorded Skills specialized for close combat—and that had ruined my backup saber as well.
I thought it might be usable if repaired, but the blacksmith I asked told me to just buy a new one.
"Now that some money has come in, you can get something decent. Alright then, Aria, come with me upstairs. Dear, explain the requests to these two."
Zelphy led Aria away.
Hawkins had already pulled out the request forms we would be taking.
"...Chores again, huh."
My shoulders slumped, and Hawkins offered some words of comfort.
"Lyle, don't be so down about it. Taking on these kinds of requests and building up experience is important too. When you change your home base, people will judge your character based on this kind of track record."
Darion was only a temporary stop.
Once I had built up enough strength, I planned to change my home base—the city where I would operate from.
"That's right, Lyle. Steady effort is important too. Let's do our best together."
Novem gave me a warm smile.
Then Hawkins added:
"Oh, Novem, you have copywriting work at the guild until lunch. Lyle, you'll be doing physical labor outside, so you two will be separate."
"Wh-What! Please let me do the physical labor outside too!"
When Novem said that, voices came from the Jewel.
The First through Fourth Generations, who had been greatly indebted to the Foxes family—Novem's home—were particularly fond of her.
"Physical labor for Novem? Don't be ridiculous!"
The First Generation said, and the Second Generation followed.
"Lyle, this is where you show what a man you are."
The Third Generation too—
"Novem's a good girl, isn't she? Come on, Lyle, say something to her."
And the Fourth Generation...
"There's no way you'd make Novem do physical labor, right, Lyle?"
His low voice threatened me.
(...I've had it with these guys.)
From the Fifth Generation onward, they had no particular feelings toward Novem.
After all, from the Fifth Generation on, the Foxes family was just a retainer household.
"Physical labor for a woman isn't efficient."
The Fifth Generation said, and the Sixth agreed.
"Indeed. Besides, she would probably just be in the way."
The Seventh Generation—my grandfather—went so far as to say:
"Lyle doing physical labor... when you carry the blood of the royal family..."
He was saddened by it. A grandfather who doted on his grandson.
I looked at Novem and said:
"I-I'll be fine. Let's go shopping together in the afternoon."
Hearing that, Novem said with a hint of worry:
"Please don't push yourself too hard, Lyle. Then, shall we take care of the paperwork?"
Because the Jewel consumed magic power at an alarming rate, I was perceived as frail by those around me.
Novem's concern was understandable—I had collapsed multiple times.
(...Something about this doesn't sit right.)
I wanted to shout that it was not my fault.