—In the place where Lyle had rushed off to, Erhard was filled with the desire to flee at any moment.
Around them, the knights and soldiers of Cartafus held their weapons, and from behind the queen—who bore a longsword over her shoulder—they were intimidating the two women and the knights and soldiers standing behind them.
The Queen of Cartafus stood proudly in that place. A woman with light blue hair, and a woman with silver hair—all three of them had purple eyes.
"Don't make me repeat myself. I will take Lyle. He is not a vessel that fits within the confines of some minor nation. Lyle is suited for none other than the great nation of Cartafus."
The woman—Gracia—who drove the spear she carried, as tall as she was, into the ground, with flames wavering from her body, retorted upon hearing those words.
"If I let you keep going... We've already obtained agreement. Besides, Lyle has a harem of considerable size. I was the first to secure everyone's permission. I don't know whether you call yourselves a great nation or Cartafus or what, but is a country that's about to be taken over by a single person with Skills and can't do anything about it really suitable? Keep your dreams for bedtime."
Eliza, who stood with her staff planted in the ground and both hands pressing down on it, gave off an atmosphere as if the surrounding air were freezing.
In fact, only around Eliza did people's breath come out white.
"Show up late and try to claim him as a husband? We've already made progress with four nations. It's too late for Cartafus to have a turn. Just keep quiet and cooperate, and that'll be enough."
The opinions of the two—the knights and soldiers standing behind them had weapons in hand and serious looks in their eyes.
Erhard was trembling, huddled together with his companions.
"What is this? Hey, what is this?! I am absolutely not recognizing a harem like this! The harem of my dreams is definitely not something this dangerous!"
Ludmilla looked down slightly, giggled, and said while brushing her hair back with her left hand.
"A minor nation that wouldn't amount to much without four countries gathered together, and yet you speak awfully big. Let me make this clear—even with all of you combined, you don't match Cartafus's national strength. Prepare three times what you have now. Then I'll hear your opinions."
In truth, Cartafus possessed more than twice the national strength of the four-nation alliance. The great northern nation held that much territory and power.
"Well, as a princess of a minor nation, I'll allow you to be Lyle's concubine."
Erhard timidly spoke up.
"Huh? That guy already has more than ten women? And they're all concubines?"
Even excluding the Valkyries and the like, Erhard and the others believed that Lyle had that many women. As for rumors, there had even been talk about Zayin's Saint and the previous Saint.
Hearing that, Ludmilla and the others turned their eyes toward Erhard.
"What about it? Ten or so women is nothing. Keeping that many concubines is no problem at all. He has the national strength to support it. As long as they fulfill their roles, I'll allow it. Besides, I'm the number one, of course."
Gracia made her flames burn even larger at Ludmilla's confident declaration, while Eliza intensified her freezing aura even further.
And in the midst of all this, Erhard noticed something.
(That woman—she's standing in the back of this whole mess, grinning her head off!)
Where Erhard's gaze landed, Miranda had draped herself against the horse they had ridden in on and was watching the three women's confrontation with obvious delight.
Erhard could have sworn he heard Miranda's voice in his head.
(Finish each other off, all three of you.)
Her expression made it look like that was exactly what she was saying.
Gracia pulled her spear from the ground and screamed.
"Don't get full of yourself, Queen of Cartaphus! I'll crush you right here! You're my enemy too!"
The word "too" carried particular venom.
"This is a perfect opportunity. I'll sort out Lyle's harem right here and now. You first, Ludmilla!!"
Eliza gripped her staff and manifested a blade of ice, taking her stance. Behind her, the knights and soldiers who had been standing by were shouting and tightening their grips on their weapons, looking ready to charge at any moment.
Ludmilla had been smiling at the two of them, but—her expression quickly turned to one of disdain.
"What a shame. I was willing to compromise, you know. But let's see what you're actually capable of."
She drew her longsword, and when its red blade gleamed with an unsettling light, Erhard frantically looked around for help. That was when he spotted Lyle watching from a distance.
"Hey! Come back! Hurry up and defuse this situation—"
Before Erhard could finish pleading for help, Lyle had already turned and started running away.
Lyle fled the scene entirely. And seeing his retreating back, Miranda mounted the horse and took off after him.
It would take time to capture Lyle and for Miranda to return — and in the meantime, considerable damage would be inflicted on the surroundings.
Once everything was over, I entered Baim with the three nations' representatives in tow, a medicinal patch stuck to my cheek.
Whether that made it look like I had prevailed in a fierce battle or not, the knights and soldiers from the three nations lined both sides of Baim's main street to keep the sightseers from blocking our path.
Having a knightly order march into Baim was a rare sight — treated, in a way, like a public spectacle.
Thanks to Eva having returned to Baim ahead of us and spread the word, we were welcomed by the townspeople in a favorable light.
But only by Baim's ordinary residents, that is. When it came to merchants and Guild executives, the situation was a very different story.
Among the nearly two-thousand-strong army, there were also the adventurer parties that had originally been sent to ambush us.
Amid cheers, we were greeted in Baim as heroes who had repelled the adventurers that attacked us and rescued the Queen of Kartafus.
Inside the Jewel, the Seventh Generation voiced a cold opinion.
"What a carefree bunch. If they knew what we're about to — no, what Lyle is about to do, they wouldn't be smiling."
I had already looked into the fact that adventurers from each branch had returned to Baim. The Guild was probably scrambling to gather information at that very moment. We had timed our return to coincide with exactly that.
The Third Generation spoke in a placating tone toward the Seventh.
"What's the harm? It's a hero's triumphant return, no question about it. Whether that heroism applies to everyone or not is another matter entirely. Now then, I do hope the poison we planted in Baim is spreading nicely."
What we had planted was the fact that the favored Eastern Branch adventurers, and the Guild itself, had been feeding us information.
That wasn't all, though. The adventurers they had sent to stage the attack were now traveling together with us — something they would never be able to understand.
The Fifth Generation spoke while contemplating what lay ahead.
"With this, we've achieved the minimum objective. What remains is to see whether the seeds we've sown so far will sprout. In our estimation, there's a high chance Lyle will resort to force. That's precisely why we've been provoking him all this time."
As I moved to the front of the formation on horseback — more for appearances than anything — the Guild headquarters of Baim came into view.
"...All that's left is for Baim to take the hardline approach, and it's over. The Eastern Branch, the Trace family... it depends on how they move, but this should be enough to split Baim apart."
The city of Baim was a massive bloc of power. It wielded more troublesome influence than an entire nation, having grown into a city that turned its surroundings into a sea of blood while siphoning up gold. Changing such a city from within was exceedingly difficult — and I simply didn't have the time for that.
I wanted Baim's support. To fight Ceres, I absolutely needed it.
But I couldn't simply accept unconditional support. If Baim backed me without conditions, even if I won against Ceres, it would leave a massive problem festering across the continent.
Baim would have used me as a stepping stone to grow into an even more troublesome city. And even if I won against Ceres and secured a country of my own, I wouldn't be able to cut off Baim after they'd supported me. If I tried, Baim would simply make me their next enemy.
So—
"—Let the city of merchants and adventurers sink into a sea of blood. Just once."
That's right. Sink them into hell on my behalf. Even if innocent people with no stake in this got caught up in it—for the future, for my sake—
—Guild Headquarters.
The gathered executives had none of their usual composure, their voices sharp and raised.
Complaints had been pouring in from the merchants as well. The failure to take down Ryel was a problem, but what the merchants cared about most was Cartafus's protest.
The adventurers the Guild had dispatched accomplished nothing, only for Ryel's group, who arrived later, to complete the commissions—that was a problem too. But the worst part was that they had tried to flee upon failure. It was being raised as a serious issue that had gravely damaged Baim's credibility.
At the same time, the fact that only the Eastern Branch had suffered minimal damage was another grievance. The Southern Branch had sent out mercenary companies that were nearly annihilated. The Western Branch lost an entire top-tier party, and now its people were cooperating with Ryel's group.
The Northern Branch had sent out personnel, most of whom never returned. Those who did come back reported that Ryel's people had deliberately spared only the Eastern Branch's adventurers.
Hearing this, no one could stay silent.
"You betrayed us! You leaked information to the other branches! How do you intend to answer for this?!"
The Southern Branch executive slammed his fist on the table, glaring at the Eastern Branch executive. Tanya judged that nothing she said would get through to those bloodshot eyes. Her own superior, the branch executive, was no different.
"…We did not betray anyone. The one who sold the information has been identified. It was one of our own staff. There were probably some circumstances behind it, but that doesn't make it forgivable."
The Northern Branch executive's gaze was equally stern.
"Cartafus's protest came directly from the Queen. That port is critically important to the merchants. And now you've turned both Galleria, which holds the rights to the new port, and Rusworth into enemies… Do you really intend to brush off this disaster as the fault of a single staff member?"
The Western Branch executive's face was ashen, his cheeks gaunt. The dungeons managed by Baim extended beyond a hundred underground levels. That demanded an extraordinarily delicate hand in their management.
An adventurer party capable of clearing the sixtieth floor was an indispensable asset for that management. They weren't the kind of force you could simply replace the moment you lost one.
The surviving party members also harbored deep distrust, believing they had been sold out by the Guild—and they testified that the Guild had ordered them to attack Laiel.
The problem was that word of this was already spreading. Rumors that the Western Branch would discard even top-tier parties only fueled the distrust further.
It was impossible to suppress, and in truth, one party had already been eliminated.
The rumors spread, and adventurers believed they had been caught up in Baim's factional struggles. That wasn't even wrong, which was what made it so dangerous. Laiel and his people truly were the worst kind of adversary for the Guild.
"Don't screw with me… Don't you dare screw with me! Do you have any idea how much trouble your betrayal has caused the Western Branch?! The name of that staff member—give me the name!"
Tanya's expression didn't waver, but her fists clenched. The one who had sold the information was Marianne. They had already uncovered everything—including how she'd obtained Guild documents and passed them to Laiel.
The Eastern Branch executive let out a sigh.
"It was Marianne, from the reception desk."
The Southern Branch executive turned his gaze toward the Sweeper stationed behind him. The bodyguard Sweeper bowed his head and left the room. The other executives' guards did the same.
The Eastern Branch executive spoke.
"Tanya, you go too. I'll handle this alone. ...If you can finish it, make sure they don't suffer."
Tanya bowed her head.
"...Yes."
Tanya left the room as well, then immediately began moving out with the other Sweepers to eliminate Marianne—.
Before receiving the briefing on how this incident would be resolved at Guild headquarters, I had come to the Trace family estate. I'd brought Aria along, partly as a guard.
"Something feels off about this place."
She was right.
Servants scurried about in a flurry. They packed up belongings and kept an odd distance from one another, as though they were all at war within the same household.
While waiting in the reception room, without even being called to the parlor, Vera and Fidel entered on their own.
Fidel had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He lacked his usual composure, but the sharpness in his eyes was greater than ever before.
From the Jewel came a cheerful voice. It was Mireia.
"Oh my? Are you the type who performs best when backed into a corner?"
When you considered that we were the ones who had backed him into that corner, it was nothing to laugh about. When Fidel and Vera took their seats on the sofa, it was Fidel who spoke first.
"It seems Baim has decided to cut you loose. You made it back safely, but that decision won't change. At best, you're looking at exile from Baim. We who supported you are collateral damage. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I was being told it was my fault — and normally, I'd have grounds to call it an unfair accusation. But I had done it deliberately, so I couldn't talk back.
"I have nothing to say in my defense. That is entirely correct."
Fidel's eyebrow twitched.
"Is that so? Then let's put the support we gave you to use. We're also on the verge of being expelled from Baim — that'll be decided at the next merchants' council. I hear you've charmed the Queen of Kartafos? Get us the rights to use the port. And a base of operations, too. Anywhere will do — Rusworth, Galleria, whatever."
To anyone else, these demands would have been outrageous. But I had already anticipated them. No — I had fully intended to go that far.
"Understood. As for a base, there's a suitable piece of land near our current headquarters. I'll have it prepared. Ah, and of course I'll send people to handle everything. I'll also arrange the port usage permit."
Fidel's eyebrow was twitching repeatedly. Because I had agreed to every condition, he had grown suspicious instead.
And for some reason, despite my accepting every condition, he wore an expression of dissatisfaction.
Once Fidel fell silent, it was Vera's turn. However, her expression was somewhat strained.
"Laiel, I won't be able to provide adequate support going forward. I… I know my own value. So if you're going to cut me loose, I'd rather you decide quickly. I don't want to be dead weight."
As if to say that this was all she could do, Vera began to withdraw.
Just then, it was as though Mireia were nodding and speaking.
"She understands her own value. And the willingness to step back is admirable. But no. You'll see this through to the end. Laiel, be graceful about this. If you throw away a woman you've already claimed in order to climb higher… I'll haunt you, you know."
Being haunted by the Successive Heads would have been nothing compared to being haunted by Mireia. She was the type who would absolutely follow through on such a threat. I could already imagine every conceivable form of harassment she'd unleash.
I sank deeper into the sofa and looked at Vera.
"Very well. Then let me take what I'm owed as a final payment, and we'll call it even."
Vera was smiling. But Fidel had turned bright red and was clenching his fists.
"Yes, I think that would make me feel better."
I stood up, walked over to Vera, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet. I wrapped both her arms behind her back, pulled her into an embrace, and rested my chin on her shoulder.
Aria, her face beet red,
"...He has improved in certain respects, hasn't she," she muttered, averting her gaze.
Fidel wore a complicated expression.
"I said I'm taking everything. You belong to me now. You don't need to bring a thing — just come to my side. I will come for you, no matter what."
"...Layel."
Vera wrapped her arms around my back as well.
Fidel, with an expression that could be either frustration or joy —
"Damn it. Should I be happy that my daughter wasn't used and thrown away, or should I be ashamed of myself as a parent for having no choice but to watch her get taken by some freeloading punk... Why does it feel like if things were any different, he wouldn't be a freeloading punk after all?"
Then the Third Generation spoke up, clearly amused:
"...Isn't Fidel just waiting to be provoked? Layel's never going to rise to the bait or poke at him, so he's feeling left out."
Mireia chimed in enthusiastically:
"That's right! Now then, Layel... go ahead and provoke Fidel. He'll be delighted, I'm sure. We'll score you on just how well you manage it!"
The Fifth Generation murmured under her breath:
"...You people really do have something wrong with you."
I thought for a moment, then whispered something in Vera's ear. She had looked like she was about to cry, but hearing that, she nodded.
Then, placing a hand on her lower abdomen, she looked at her father, Fidel.
I flashed a smile at Fidel.
"Well, we've had our ups and downs, but let's get along from here on out, Father-in-law."
I put my arm around Vera's waist as I said this, and Vera had both hands pressed to her stomach, looking down.
Aria, who saw that, took a step back and froze.
"L-Lyle, don't tell me you—!"
Fidel had collapsed off the sofa and was pounding the floor.
"You're going to steal even Vera from me, you freeloading scum! Damn it!! I knew you lot were my enemies!! At the very end, you just had to drag me to rock bottom!"
For some reason, Fidel thrashing on the floor seemed just a little bit happy, and I'd like to think that was just an illusion.
Just when I thought I'd succeeded, a cool voice came from inside the Jewel. The Third Generation was sighing.
"Ryle... that provocation was no good. Way too far."
The Fifth Generation also seemed to feel something.
"It was entertaining. That bastard Fidel was shining too. But, no good."
The Seventh Generation was worried about me.
"...Ryle, that provocation of yours is going to come back to bite you."
Mireia also gave me her disapproval.
"Just provoking them isn't enough. I won't accept provocation that wounds yourself. You've still got a long way to go, Ryle."
I had no idea what they were talking about. And then the Third Generation spoke to me.
"Ryle, zero points this time. I think you'll suffer for it later, so brace yourself. Well, those experiences are important too, and you seem to be having fun, so we'll keep watching."
I got zero points for the first time in a while.
And then, with a slightly flushed face, Vera seemed to suddenly remember and spoke to me.
"That's right, Ryle."
"Hmm?"
"I heard the Guild was looking for a traitor—someone connected to you? If you don't hurry, the Guild might even send in a Sweeper."
It looked like my work in Baim might not be over yet.