Silver twin blades clashed against a silver scythe.
Sparks scattered as they faced each other, both drenched in sweat. The confident smile faded from Novem’s face, giving way to raw emotion.
Her tone grew harsh. The usual composed, clear-headed Novem was nowhere to be seen. Tears streamed down her cheeks in silent drops.
“You’ve always had so many memories. I didn’t have any of my own. I was just someone else’s replacement… and now, after all this time… to say something like that now—do you have any idea how much that hurts me?!”
I braced the scythe with my wakizashi and delivered a shallow cut with the katana. My silver weapons cut exactly what I intended to cut and left not a single scratch on what I didn’t.
In contrast to my battered state, Novem remained pristine. Her clothes, her skin—nothing was soiled. She was only slightly sweaty and shedding a few tears.
I, on the other hand, was covered in blood and sweat, stuck with sand and grime. But the situation favored me.
“If you think that, then you exist! Say it… say what you really feel! It’s not getting through! Your voice isn’t reaching me! Do you hate me? Do you like me? You do like me, don’t you?! Say you like me!”
If she said she hated me here, it would crush me—no, I couldn’t afford that! I couldn’t let myself grow weak. If I weakened, I’d fall apart completely.
Novem gripped her scythe with both hands, her movements now sluggish compared to before. Still, by general standards, they were incredibly fast. She was definitely weaker than a moment ago. No—the power of the Evil God and the Goddess was being stripped away, returning to Novem.
I deflected her next strike with the katana in my right hand. But she drove the scythe’s shaft into my stomach.
The impact forced my mouth open.
“Gah!”
Air was violently expelled from my lungs, and I was sent flying. I rolled across the rubble—it hurt. Pushing myself up with effort, I saw Novem raising her scythe overhead, her expression chillingly intense.
“If you hated me… if you hated me, you wouldn’t have… you wouldn’t have been so devoted! I loved you. Not the previous Sir Laiel. The you who is here now! I loved how you tried so hard. But I thought there was nothing I could do for you… and now, to say something like that! Back then, you wouldn’t even look at me!”
I dodged the downward slash, and the scythe embedded itself in the ground. Regaining my stance, I raised my twin blades.
“What are you even talking about?!”
“When I used to visit the House Walt estate! You paid me no mind! But still… I thought I could be useful. I believed that! And now, suddenly—!”
Was it when our engagement was decided? Back then, I’d been mistreated and betrayed by those around me, growing to loathe people. But even so, I’d wanted my parents to look my way.
…Hold on a second.
"You! You're partly responsible too, you know! Don't just blame me when you're the one who cut that deal with Ceres! I damn near lost all trust in people because of you! No—I did lose it! Take some responsibility!"
"—!"
When Novem's movements faltered, I grinned. The moment that smirk spread across my face, shock flickered across Novem's expression. But it was too late.
"Opening—I'll take it!"
I swung both blades down in a crossing motion from upper left and right, carving deep into Novem. Her face twisted with frustration, and in that instant, she smashed me away with her left fist.
Floating in midair, I deliberately let both blades slip from my grip. Novem closed in on my suspended body, and the moment she appeared before me, she had her great scythe at the ready.
"I loved you. That's why it hurt. And yet you—Lord Lyle, you looked like you were having fun! I kept telling myself that someday I'd be gone, so—! That's why I gathered all of them!"
It had to be about the harem. Gather them on your own accord, and then complain about how painful it was? I didn't think that was my fault. Novem was the one who collected them. Though it was true that I'd started proactively approaching women partway through.
Right before she brought the scythe down, I warped to where the katana lay. Gripping the hilt, I noticed the static interference was gone compared to before. And Skills were back to unlimited use.
"You're the one who gathered them! Don't make it sound like I'm the only one to blame!"
Novem twisted around in midair and hurled the great scythe at me. I warped again immediately, this time to where the wakizashi was positioned at a distance.
"Then… would you throw everyone else aside and look only at me? I absolutely refuse to have other people involved. I hated it… but I endured it and gathered them all! So that someday, when I'm gone, you wouldn't be lonely, Lord Lyle—!"
"You went too far, you damn idiot! And besides, I'm not going to abandon anyone now—not a single one! They're all my women! I'm not giving any of them up!"
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Watching Novem lose herself, I conjured phantom illusions throughout the surrounding area. It was easier to do than before. Novem attacked the illusions with her bare fists, and I hurled the wakizashi at her, driving it in deep.
When Novem raised her right hand, the great scythe flew back to her grip. Convenient staff she had there.
Then I said, sounding almost like I was making excuses.
"If I abandoned them now, my very humanity would be in question! You think I could do something like that?!"
…Even as I said it, a nagging doubt surfaced—was it already too late? No, don't go soft on me! It's fine. It's still fine!
As Novem closed in, I thrust my blade into her once more. I pulled the wakizashi embedded in her body, kicked the large scythe away, then leaped back to put some distance between us.
Novem hung her head, the large scythe dangling limply at her side.
"......I'm actually a terrible person. I want to keep Lyle all to myself. When I see him kissing other women... the other Novems inside me say, 'This way, possibilities will connect.' But I say, 'I don't want this anymore'... and my will gets drowned out by all those other Novems, and I just stand here smiling. I hate it. It's hell. So... please, just do as I say. Kill me. If you won't... then I'll... kill the other women around Lyle."
Scary! A chill ran down my spine! B-but... killing Novem was out of the question. I didn't want to be killed myself, and I sure wasn't going to let my other companions be killed either.
"I refuse everything. Like I said... I'm selfish like that."
Hearing my answer, Novem slowly raised her large scythe. Magic gathered toward it. The density of that magic was immense—you could tell it was compressed, its power amplified.
"Then... die... together with me!"
I never imagined Novem could be this possessive.
Looking at the scale of that magic, it seemed powerful enough to blow everything away. I weighed my options—draw both blades and brace myself, or use a warp—when—
"How pathetic."
A woman's voice came from behind me. That familiar voice sounded somehow different from before. She wasn't looking at me—she was looking at Novem, her arms spread wide.
"You're the textbook definition of a lost cause! Setting aside whether you even love him, you've already failed as a wife!"
Standing there was my mother—Claire. When she looked my way, she gave me a faint, somewhat sorrowful smile.
And then, clearing his throat, the next one to appear was—
"Ah, ahem. Well... let's set aside the matter between women for now. Lyle, it's been a while."
It was my father. When the two of them stepped forward before me, Novem wore a complicated expression. Then she declared:
"Maisel... Claire..."
When Novem's magic was released, my mother deployed a shield in front of her. No—a shield that encircled Novem was deployed. Only the area around Novem was blown away.
"......I probably don't have the right to say anything anymore, but... Novem, the current you is not worthy of becoming Lyle's wife. And let me say this one thing—I gave birth to Lyle! Even if I failed as a mother, that fact doesn't change! And I have no intention of yielding him to you!"
The shield dissipated, and Novem emerged from the smoke. She dropped her large scythe to the ground and sat down right there.
Father looked at Novem with a somewhat sorrowful expression on his face.
"I'm grateful that you supported Lyle. That's why I don't want you to say such sad things. I know I have no right to say this, but... please, don't cause Lyle any more pain. I'm begging you."
Hearing Father's words, Novem sat on the rubble, tears dripping down her cheeks. Her will to fight had been largely crushed. As I watched her like that...
"Listen, Novem. I—"
Then a woman's voice rang out. It was bold, and carried a resonance that seemed to cut through everything.
"Quit your whining, you brats! What the hell do any of you even want?!"
When I turned around, a small child—the boy Dewey I'd seen in the Second Generation's memories—and a woman holding his hand were looking our way, carrying a naginata over her shoulder. The blade of the naginata was large and thick. There was absolutely no way one could wield it with a single arm.
Dewey was waving at me. I gave a small wave back. The woman glared at me and pointed the tip of her naginata in my direction.
"And you! You're a man of House Walt too, aren't you! Look at Basil! Look at him! He's an idiot, so he doesn't understand anything complicated!"
Behind the woman, the First Generation was muttering in dissatisfaction.
"I just like simple methods, that doesn't make me an idiot..."
The woman then spoke to me.
"But you—! You've always carried yourself with dignity! And you've always been clear about things! This world isn't all pretty words, you know! So make it clear! Do you love that girl over there? What number does that love rank? If you're going to take many women, then establish an order! If you start saying you love them all equally..."
Behind the glaring woman, the Fifth Generation was visible, whispering.
"Aren't there supposed to be conditions for a harem, like loving everyone equally... Well, whatever. If I say the wrong thing, I'll probably end up in pain too."
Don't give up. Figure out a way to handle this woman. Remember when you left the Jewel. Where did those reliable Successive Heads go?! Are you guys the real deal?!
The Fourth Generation pushed his glasses up and gave a slight smile.
"Well, you brought this on yourself. I'm glad I only have one wife."
No good—the same old Fourth Generation. Useless for anything besides money troubles. The Second Generation looked at me and shook his head.
"Just give up. That's Mom for you. But she's actually surprisingly kind. When she's scary though, she's absolutely terrifying."
Show me that kindness now! If this paragon of a woman has any kindness in her, the only evidence would be holding her grandchild's hand with her left one.
The paragon slammed her naginata into the ground. The Sixth Generation, meanwhile, was backed into a corner, surrounded by three women, his face pale.
"Hear that? Lineage is important, right?"
"Go on, tell her. Say you're number one."
"Come on, just speak from the heart."
The Sixth Generation kept shrinking into himself despite his massive frame, his eyes darting everywhere. Nearby, Mireia watched the wives closing in on him with a cold, detached gaze.
"O-OK, look. Right now, this is about Lyle's problem."
The bastard dumped the conversation back on me. No—he threw it back at me. Sure enough, the Sixth Generation was just as useless in matters of women as everyone else. And since the Sixth Generation was standing right there, Mireia was playing it cool and keeping her distance, making her equally useless.
Before I knew it, the Seventh Generation and Grandma Xenoa had shown up. Both of them were waving.
"Lyle, be glad! We bagged an enormous dragon! Also, Maisel… I'm going to punch you once, so get over here."
"You've gotten so big, Lyle! Grandma's so happy. I brought back a dragon as a souvenir, you know. A gorgeous golden one! And Maisel, Claire… get over here and kneel properly."
…Wrong. Neither of them understood that none of that mattered right now. Souvenirs, whatever… Wait a second—did he really bring back a Legendary Dragon and treat it like a souvenir?
My parents silently walked over to my grandparents. All I could do was watch them go. They turned back to look at me several times, but… sorry, I can't help you right now.
It's because that paragon of a woman is glaring daggers at me!
Just then, the Third Generation noticed me while scratching his head. Beside him stood a stern-looking woman—his wife, presumably. She glanced my way with an exasperated expression.
The Third Generation thought for a moment, then spoke up.
"Sigh, Lyle… Honestly, that last fight was entertaining. I didn't expect things to heat up that much at the very end. The true Best Lyle—the one who isn't even Lyle-san—was… Lyle himself!"
He gave me a thumbs-up and flashed a broad smile. The moment I felt a sense of dread, the Fourth Generation chimed in, riding high on the energy.
"As I've always said, the Best Lyle in my book has to be 'Marvelous.' Looking back on it now, that word really does capture everything about Lyle."
The Fifth Generation immediately objected.
"Nope, that's no good. That was the Best Lyle under very specific circumstances — a half-naked Lyle standing in the middle of a glaring contest between women, face to the sky and arms spread wide... 'Marvelous' alone just doesn't capture it. I think 'the man beloved by the Goddess' works better. It's universally understood and gets the point across."
Are you guys seriously debating this right now? I've got bigger things to worry about. The Sixth Generation jumped in the moment he smelled an opportunity.
"Then I vote for 'Sleeping Beauty's Kiss'!"
The Seventh Generation punched his father into silence and flashed a triumphant smile.
"'Fantastic' was great too. Lyle laughing while blowing away everything Baim stood for was seriously cool. Well, he didn't have quite enough explosives, but still."
The Second Generation looked around the room uncertainly.
"I don't really know enough about it to pick one."
Don't look so disappointed at me — that just makes things worse. The First Generation glanced over at me with a exasperated expression, all while keeping an eye on his wife, the formidable heroine.
"What the hell are you doing? Just do something about Novem already. She's crying, for crying out loud."
I looked at Novem. Around us, the others had gathered in a growing crowd. Aria, Miranda, Shannon, Clara, Monica, Eva, May, Gracia, Eliza, Ludmilla — and the Valkyries.
Every single one of them was here. At that point, the heroine spoke to me.
"The fact that you'd say 'I'm not counting everyone here' is honestly impressive. Well, you're aiming to be Emperor. You'll need to be able to handle at least this many. Now then, let's hear your answer."
With all of them watching over me, the moment had arrived. I was about to confess in front of everyone.
The smirking Successive Heads, along with successive generations of wives. ...Wait — why does my confession have to happen in a place like this? Couldn't we find somewhere quieter, somewhere more —
"...Hey, get on with it."
The heroine shot me a glare. Young Dewey looked my way too.
"You can do it, Lyle!"
He encouraged me with a smile. Something about this felt all wrong — making a confession in front of such an innocent kid. Having that innocent child as a brother, and then the Third Generation coming along after him...
"Man, with everyone here, it was a real help narrowing down the Best Lyle. I kinda had a feeling it'd turn out like this."
This guy! ...Ugh, fine. Time to steel myself.
I let go of the silver weapon. The moment I did, its role apparently fulfilled, it reverted back to the Jewel. The Jewel hanging around my neck was already losing its light.
"Novem. I can't abandon everyone. I don't want to."
Novem was looking down. The women gathered around were watching my words with serious expressions. I don't know — I really wanted to run away. But I couldn't.
"You've been the one at my side ever since I was thrown out of the manor. I love you. I thought that living quietly together with you wouldn't be so bad."
Novem raised her face slightly.
"I'm a troublesome woman. I've already lost almost all of the power the previous Novem had."
I moved closer to Novem's side.
"That doesn't matter. Honestly, more than the past or the future, it's the present reality that's crushing me! Without you, I'll be destroyed! Do you understand? I'll be destroyed, the one who loves you most! I'm already at my limit just shouldering everyone's burdens as things are now — I've long surpassed my limit! Whether something happened in the past, or what the future holds... it's too much! Don't place those kinds of expectations on me, because there's only so much I can do!"
Novem shook her head.
"I refuse. ...I refuse that! Lord Lyle being destroyed is... something I refuse."
I helped Novem to her feet.
"We set out on this journey together. And we've come this far."
"...Yes."
I slowly pulled her into an embrace. Resting my chin on Novem's shoulder, I held her tightly.
"Live in the now with me. I want to live with you. I want to stay with you. Stay by my side."
"...Yes."
As Novem broke into tears, I spoke.
"My number one is you. Not the Evil God, not the Goddess. Not any of the previous Novems. It's the you standing here now. Novem... I love you. Please, stay by my side forever!"
The moment those words left my lips, everything went quiet. I couldn't bear to look at the faces of the women around us. But Novem wrapped her arms around my back and clutched tight at my clothes. Tears streamed down her face, sobs escaping her lips as she cried.
"Yes. I'll stay by your side forever. Please... keep me by your side, Lord Lyle."
As we held each other, cheers and whistles erupted from the crowd around us. Surprised, I looked around and saw that our main force—the allied side—had linked up with the soldiers summoned by the successive heads.
……I really wish I hadn't made that confession in front of hundreds of thousands of people. If I'd known, I would've picked cooler lines!
——Over in Central, where the battle had concluded, the female lineup of successive heads was busy cooking up Legend Dragons and subspecies of Land Dragons.
The First Generation's wife was locked in a glare with the Second Generation's wife.
"Hey, what is this? There's no flavor at all."
"It's a flavor that only people with refined palates can appreciate. Maybe it's because you're too coarse to tell?"
The two of them were smiling brightly while veins bulged on their foreheads, shooting death glares at each other. Around them, preparations for the banquet were bustling along, and Novem and the others were helping out too.
While Shannon was sneaking bites of fried Land Dragon, Miranda brought her fist down on her head.
"……Ouch."
Shannon, eyes brimming with tears, clutched her head with both hands, and Miranda stared at her in exasperation. Then she looked around. Laiel, surrounded by the successive heads and other key figures, was gesticulating wildly and passionately pleading about something.
The people around her were laughing at it all.
Vera came up to Miranda carrying a bundle of goods. It seemed she'd found alcohol and spices among the rubble of Central.
"Hey, where should I take these supplies?"
May, who was injured, was sitting atop the delivered parcels, and Marina was drinking alongside her.
"This booze is tasty!"
"Right? Man, this place is a total mountain of rubble. They really blew it apart beautifully."
May was delighted by the alcohol, and Marina surveyed their surroundings.
"Just leave the spices here and distribute the alcohol. Actually, I wonder how long we're going to stay here?"
It was Claire who reacted to Miranda's mutter. Being the youngest among the successive wives, she got the worst treatment. She had a white cloth wrapped around her head and was wearing an apron. They were probably working her to the bone as a way to make her reflect on the whole ordeal.
"Oh my? A snide remark? Was that a snide remark? Court Nobility really are the worst, aren't they? They sure have silver tongues, though."
Miranda's forehead was twitching with veins. She'd been like this for a while now. Claire was irritated despite being overjoyed at reuniting with Laiel, because she had to face the reality that he was involved with multiple women.
"Well, at least it's better than parents who abandoned their children."
Claire gritted her back teeth at Miranda's words. She was frustrated because she couldn't retort. Seeing Miranda looking so triumphant, Vera quietly slipped away from the scene.
Shannon also quietly made her escape, tagging along with Vera.
As Claire stood there looking frustrated, Xenoa arrived — the one with a sense for these things.
"Oh my, preparations aren't moving along. Cutting corners? Hey, are you cutting corners? This is exactly why a baronet family that's nothing but a title is such a pain. You were helped halfway through by House Walt, and now you're slacking off on the work too?"
Claire was glaring at Xenoa with frustrated resentment.
"...All you have is history. Your pride is the only thing you've got, which is exactly why you lost even when you started a rebellion."
"How cruel. I'm hurt. I'll go get comforted by Laiel. Oh, more importantly, I should go comfort poor Laiel who was abandoned by his parents."
"I'm so sorry!"
Miranda watched the exchange between Xenoa and Claire and thought.
*(So this is how terrible customs get passed down. I need to be careful too.)*
Then Miranda turned her gaze to Novem, who was working silently on preparations. She had been quietly and flawlessly completing her tasks this whole time.
So perfectly that Claire couldn't find a single complaint to raise — leaving her with nothing better to do than nitpick Novem's work.
"Novem, you've got it easy. Nobody's on your case."
Novem turned to face Miranda. Then, with a smile, she said:
"That's because you make such a cheeky face, Miranda. In front of Laiel, you put on a cute expression and get all huffy too. It's suspicious."
...Miranda was rendered speechless by Novem's words. And then Novem continued:
"Also, this is something that's perfectly clear, but let me say it once more."
"...What is it?"
Miranda glared at Novem. Novem, meanwhile, wore a confident smile.
"I'm Lael's number one. You can all get along and fight over the second seat."
Miranda, too, put on a smile to match.
"Don't ever think your spot is safe. I'll snatch it away whenever I please. So go ahead and enjoy being number one—while it lasts."
Sparks flew between them, the whole scene carrying the air of two women having a cheerful conversation—