"Hey, you!"
"Hm...?"
Just as I was about to leave, I was addressed in a rude tone.
When I turned around... there stood a young man, two or three years older than me.
"You're Rest, aren't you? The fiancé of Lady Viola and Lady Primula."
"That's right... but who are you?"
"I'm Nick Bale. I'm a retainer of the House Rosemary!"
I knew the name Bale.
They were a noble house that fell under the patronage of the House Rosemary.
Patron and vassal ……
Vassal is a hierarchical relationship among the nobility, where a higher-ranking noble oversees and protects a lower-ranking one.
It isn't a formal master-servant relationship like that between the royal family and the nobles, but in most cases, the vassal house regards the patron as their main house.
Because a marquis is the highest rank after the ducal houses related to the royal family, they have many vassals.
"Just so you know... I don't recognize you as worthy! I absolutely will not permit someone like you, who appeared out of nowhere, to marry two young ladies!"
The young man who introduced himself as Nick glared angrily at Rest, shouting.
Behind Nick were several other young men and boys of a similar age, all glaring at him with the same hostility.
(Oh... well, I guess that's understandable.)
Rest managed a wry smile.
It didn't matter that they had no right to criticize the fiancé acknowledged by Albert, the heir to the main family... he understood their feelings all too well.
To put it in terms of his past life, this was like the academy's Madonna suddenly starting to date an unremarkable otaku background character.
From the perspective of the other guys around, there were probably parts they just couldn't accept.
(If you're going to marry someone as wonderful as Viola or Primula, you have to accept that drawing the jealousy of other men is just a given.)
"I see... So, what are you planning to do if I don’t accept it?"
Were they going to pick a fight?
If so, he’d have to establish some dominance to avoid being underestimated.
"Race me! A footrace!"
"...A footrace?"
He understood the concept of a contest... but did the content really just have to be a footrace?
"That’s right! A race from here to the young master’s estate in the Marquisate of Rosemary! Whoever gets there first wins! If I win, you renounce your engagement to the young ladies!"
"...A footrace is an unexpectedly peaceful method, isn’t it?"
"Of course! I can’t exactly pick a fight by using violence against a younger mage who’s on our side, can I?"
Nick stood with his hands on his hips, puffing out his chest with a disgruntled expression.
He seemed like a young man with behavioral issues... but he didn’t appear to be fundamentally a bad person.
"Um... I suppose I don’t mind racing, but I can’t renounce my engagement."
"What did you say!?"
"No, the engagement is official. I’ve already discussed it with the young ladies and the young master, and all the formalities are complete. Neither I nor you can just cancel it on a whim, right?"
"Hmm..."
When Rest laid out his logic, Nick flinched slightly.
"...I suppose you have a point. But we're still having a match! Once you've raised your fist, you can't just lower it that easily!"
"That's perfectly fine with me."
Rather, this was a welcome opportunity.
If Rest was going to marry into the House Rosemary, he needed to win over the retainer vassals and the affiliated nobles as well.
Gaining a chance to demonstrate his abilities like this was exactly what he had hoped for.
"I can't refuse the engagement, but... if I lose, I'll report the results of the match to you, sir, along with the possibility that I may not be a worthy fiancé for your daughter."
"You said it! Then let's get started right away!"
"I'm in too!"
"I'll participate as well!"
Likewise, boys and young men of the same generation began raising their hands.
They had probably been vying for the position of husband to the Rosemary sisters too.
Eager to seize what they saw as a fine opportunity to show off their strength, they insisted on joining the contest.
"Ha ha ha! Young people with plenty of fighting spirit—that's what I like to see!"
"Takes you back, doesn't it? We used to pick fights with Albert all the time back in the day!"
"Want to bet on who takes first place? I'm putting my money on Diebl's apprentice!"
Meanwhile, the elderly magicians watching from around the sides were exchanging warm, amused smiles.
Could this perhaps be a regular tradition of the House Rosemary?
(The House Rosemary is a prestigious magic family, but quite a lot of them are brute-force types... The Marchioness is a loose cannon to begin with...)
Rest felt mildly exasperated, but having people challenge him head-on like this was far preferable to suffering underhanded harassment or backstabbing remarks.
He lightly stretched out his limbs, preparing for the footrace.
"Alright... then let's get started! Everyone's ready, right!?"
Nick gave a glance to one of the elderly magicians.
The magician nodded and raised his right hand.
"Everyone, on your marks... go!"
"[Acceleration]!"
"[Body Reinforcement]!"
The moment the elderly magician gave the signal, the young magicians all burst into a run.
They cast body reinforcement magic and kicked off the ground, sprinting at tremendous speed.
"[Body Reinforcement]! [Acceleration]!"
Among them, Nick cast two spells in parallel, pulling far ahead of the rest.
And true to his boastful manner, a duet — he apparently had the ability to activate two spells at once.
"Start dash! I'll blow past them like this all the way to the finish...!"
"[Super Acceleration]"
Nick was running with a proud grin... but then Rest shot past him like a bolt of lightning.
"Wha—...?!"
The sheer speed of it left the participants in the footrace utterly dumbfounded, watching his retreating back disappear into the distance with wide, round eyes.