"Geeh, bro... eek!"
"Oh, how've you been? Ah, this here is my new friend.
We've been getting along
real well together."
The one who started backing away while letting out the voice of a warrior caught in someone's scheme was Geiri, the second son of the Marquis Samons household.
Slapping my shoulder with a beaming smile in return was Cain, the eldest son of the Marquis Samons household.
And standing between the two of them—placed there by Cain—who let out a shriek the moment his eyes met Geiri's, lightly hurting his feelings, was Tenma, the C-rank adventurer...
How did this come about?!
The chain of events traced back to roughly ten minutes earlier.
When we arrived at the senior school building, we headed for the staff room to run the visit by the senior school teachers first. The one who handled us was the department head of the senior school, someone who happened to know the five graduates in our group.
He also knew about Geiri, Cain's younger brother, and very kindly told us where he was at the moment.
Upon hearing that, Cain practically skipped off toward where Geiri was.
The department head watched him go, saying, "Now, don't overdo it..." He must have had a proper read on Cain's personality. He wore an expression that said there was no point trying to stop him. He briefly glanced toward Chris, but Chris just shrugged and gave a pose that might as well have said, "Hands tied."
We left the staff room right after Cain, heading for the training ground where Geiri was said to be. Once Cain spotted Geiri, he slung an arm around my shoulder and dragged me along.
And that brings us back to the beginning.
"B-b-b-b-b"
"Huh? Why am I here? Well, I came to hang out at the academy. I'm a graduate, so it's not exactly weird for me to be around, right?
"W-w-w-w-w"
"Why is Tenma with me? Well, some relatives and friends of mine caused him trouble. As part of making amends, I invited him along."
Cain accurately deciphered Geiri's incomprehensible, panic-stricken babble and cheerfully fired back with his reply.
Several classmates were training near Geiri, but since Cain was the heir to a high-ranking noble—and moreover, surrounded by personalities who were his equals or even more famous—nobody could bring themselves to ask Geiri what was going on, even though they were clearly intrigued by his behavior.
"Oh man, it was awful. Not only did Geiri act like a complete fool toward Tenma, but he did something truly unforgivable—yet Tenma saved his life not once but twice, and the guy never even apologized or expressed his gratitude in person. So I ended up having to bow my head on his behalf. And on top of that, he apparently had the audacity to be rude to Sage Merlin? He had the nerve to say something like, 'I had to bow even though I was the one getting help'—that's what my father told me."
The students who overheard Cain's words—which certainly didn't sound like he was the one in trouble—stared at Geiri as though he were an absolute imbecile.
Mostly, though, it wasn't about me. They seemed more focused on the fact that Geiri had been rude to Grandpa.
Some of the students seemed to know who I was, but the shock of learning that a 'Sage' even more famous than me had appeared left them absolutely stunned—far beyond anything my own arrival had caused.
As Geiri's face turned deathly pale, the students around him began murmuring among themselves: "Wait, seriously?! Is that guy an idiot?" and "Being able to say that to the Sage? I almost have to respect the sheer nerve."
Hearing all of this, Geiri trembled from head to toe and blurted out:
"I didn't know he was the Sage! I'd never seen him before! When someone you only know from books suddenly shows up, how is anyone supposed to realize who they really are?!"
"But even so, you were saved by him—saying that is a bit much, isn't it? Forget about being a noble; as a human being, that's just pathetic. And if your father was already bowing his head, and you go around acting like that, it's like smearing mud on your father's face. Not just your father, either—the Marquis house's reputation as well."
Cain pressed Geiri into a corner without mercy. The students who heard his words nodded along: "He's got a point," "Even if it wasn't the Sage, refusing to say thank you when you're supposed to is pretty awful," they said, condemning Geiri one after another. His reputation was plummeting at breathtaking speed.
Geiri, beaten to a pulp by Cain's words and now drowning in the students' criticism—I was starting to feel genuinely sorry for him, and was about to throw him a lifeline when, unexpectedly, backup arrived from an unlikely source.
"Cain, that's enough. We don't know what the Sage thinks, but if something were truly wrong, surely the royal family or a complaint through Tenma would have reached the Marquis household by now? The same goes for Tenma himself."
It was Lion who stepped in to help. As he spoke, he looked over at me and asked, "Right?" seeking my agreement. I nodded, and Lion continued:
"Going any further would be disrespectful to Tenma as well."
That was how he wrapped it up. I stared at this aristocratic side of Lion I'd never seen before and thought, "Who is this guy?" Looking around, I saw that Tida, Luna, Chris, Albert, and Primera all wore the same bewildered expression I did.
Cain looked surprised by Lion's words, yet his expression still carried a hint of dissatisfaction. The two of them glared at each other for a moment, but eventually—
"You've got a point. I went too far. Sorry, Tenma—and thanks, Lion."
Cain conceded. However, judging by the fact that he still didn't say a word to Geiri, he clearly wasn't entirely convinced.
"I'm sorry for all the commotion. And Geiri—I'm sorry for interrupting your practice."
Albert apologized to the academy students and urged Cain forward, trying to leave the training grounds.
Cain appeared to walk along obediently with Albert, but then suddenly, as if just remembering something, he turned back toward Geiri.
"I got too heated about this whole thing too, and I'm sorry about that. But if you ever do anything else to tarnish the Marquis's household... I'll erase you, on Father's behalf."
This was a ruthlessness utterly unlike the Cain anyone was used to. At the sight of it, Geiri went limp and sank to the ground, desperately nodding his head. Looking around, several of the academy students nearby had similarly collapsed to the ground.
"Ah, sorry about that~ I showed you something weird. I think I had more pent-up frustration than even I realized~. Well, shall we get going? There's still plenty more to see."
As Cain started walking again, there was no trace of that earlier ruthlessness, and his voice was as cheerful as ever.
However, Amour, the three sisters, and Luna all seemed frightened of Cain from what they'd just witnessed, and they circled behind me to keep their distance.
Among them, Amour's fear was extraordinary. As if she had some kind of trauma, her eyes were hollow as she clutched tightly at my clothes, trembling.
When Cain saw that and said, "I won't do anything~" while acting silly, the light finally returned to her eyes, but after that, Amour refused to go anywhere near Cain.
"Still, Cain. If you're going to warn someone, can't you do it a bit more gently?"
"I thought I was plenty gentle?"
At Lion's words, Cain tilted his head as he answered.
"No, no matter how you look at it, there wasn't a single shred of gentleness in that. Push too hard, and you might just push them over the edge, you know."
"Hahaha, don't worry, senpai. That guy doesn't have the guts for that~. Well, I suppose it's possible if someone egged him on, but in that case, I'll take responsibility and deal with him."
Cain answered in such a lighthearted tone that even Chris was taken aback. And honestly? I was just as taken aback.
Seeing me like that, Cain let out a quiet chuckle.
"Tenma, believe it or not, I'm the heir to a marquis household. Someday, as the head of the Samons Marquis house, I'll have to protect many subordinates, vassal nobles, and the people of our territory. That means I have to eliminate anything that poses a threat to them — or I may be eliminated myself. Even if that means my own brother... or even myself."
Cain's mouth was smiling, but his eyes held none of that warmth, carrying instead a kind of pressure reminiscent of the King. The other heirs present seemed to relate to his words, and they listened with serious expressions.
Among them, Tida seemed to have something weighing on his mind and listened to Cain more intently than anyone else.
Because of that exchange, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere began to settle over us.
However,
"But if she dies, it's pointless, right?"
Luna blurted out. She probably hadn't thought too deeply before opening her mouth, but Cain's eyes went wide in surprise. And then...
"Pfft! Ahaha, ha ha ha ha! That's true! No, no, you're absolutely right! If she dies, it's meaningless! As long as she still has value, we need to keep her alive!"
Whatever he found so hilarious, Cain was doubled over laughing. He'd completely misunderstood what Luna meant, and at the end, he casually dropped something terrifying.
"That's it, I've decided! I need to make a proposal to Father tonight!"
Something had clearly occurred to him, because Cain was back in high spirits and the heavy, oppressive atmosphere from moments ago had vanished without a trace. Still, it felt like a new cause for concern had been born, but everyone kept quiet and didn't bring it up. Judging from Cain's attitude, it didn't seem like whatever it was would affect us, so best to leave sleeping dogs lie.
After that, Cain returned to his usual self and gave us a guided tour of the academy, but honestly, the incident at the practice field left the strongest impression, so everything else barely stuck with me.
The same went for the four Primera had brought along—at some point they'd gotten bored, the three sisters started wandering off on their own and Primera had to go searching for them each time, while Amour skillfully rowed a boat while walking along.
"So, we've basically gone through all the highlights of the upper school... What did you think?"
Back at the school store, we'd claimed the window seats and were taking a break, playing at an afternoon tea time. Of course, I was the one who'd provided all of it.
I sat in the center of the long, bench-like seat, with Chris to my right, Amour to my left, and next to her,
the three sisters who'd been
defeated in battle. Lion sat directly across from me, with Cain to my front-right, Albert to my front-left, and Primera beside him. Luna and Tida were cutting it close to their departure time, so they reluctantly headed home (Luna being the main one who didn't want to leave).
"Hmm... Honestly, I'd say it wasn't that impressive. Especially the class level."
The upper school classes we'd observed (makeup sessions) were combat arts, magical studies, history,
arithmetic,
and that was it.
As for combat arts,
the abilities
Most of them were below the three sisters in ability, and even the students with the highest capabilities were only slightly above them — just a handful at most. However, if it came to real combat, they would almost certainly lose to the three sisters. In a one-on-one fight, that is.
Techniques
only
memorized — most of them had never built any real foundation.
In magical studies, they covered everything from basic theory to practical application. But the content was actually less difficult than what I had learned from my mother and grandfather as a child. Moreover, the students seemed more interested in flashy, impressive-looking spells than efficient ones, and just like with combat arts, the very basics were being neglected.
As for history, I hadn't studied it in much detail so I wasn't very confident, but I was a bit surprised that the material was at a level I could answer. Moreover, the content seemed heavily biased — history written to suit the nobility — so I thought they should include more books with a neutral perspective, as well as books on customs and culture.
And finally,
arithmetic.
It was by no means
mathematics. Among the four basic operations, addition and subtraction made up the bulk, while multiplication and division were scarce. Moreover, word problems were rare, and the format mostly consisted of solving calculation formulas given by the teacher.
There were apparently a few other classes I hadn't been able to observe, but there was no doubt that the ones I did see were disappointing.
"That hits close to home. But most of the students attending those classes were the type you'd find near the bottom when counting from below."
"Exactly! The royal academy wouldn't really be at that level."
Following Chris, Lion also jumped in to defend the academy. But from beside her,
"As for Lion —"
"that place —"
"she was a regular there. The academic classes, that is."
She dropped that bombshell so casually. After that, the two of them started arguing, so Chris sent them both to seats at the far end, and Albert moved to sit across from me.
"I know this sounds harsh, but most of the students there were underachievers or short on credits, so they might not be a useful reference. Top students wouldn't go out of their way to attend remedial classes during a holiday. Well, even so, there'd still be a world of difference compared to Tenma."
According to Albert, the students receiving remedial instruction were all in the lower ranks and had been separated from the upper-ranked students, with the class content significantly watered down. The classes for the upper-ranked students were apparently two or three levels higher in difficulty.
Apparently, if they didn't do that, they risked an exodus of students who excelled in only one area — in other words, the musclehead students would all end up dropping out. Incidentally, Lion was absolutely unmatched at the top in martial arts, but ranked near the bottom overall in academics. The fact that he had still managed to get into Class A made him, in a sense, the most conspicuous student there.
"Well, there's another reason Lion stood out too, you know~"
Chris was clearly enjoying herself. She really wanted to tell this story.
"Hey, wait, Senior!"
Albert lunged forward to clamp Chris's mouth shut, but she dodged his hand smoothly and put some distance between them.
"The truth is, Tenma — back then, these three had so little femininity around them that rumors started spreading that they were homosexuals. And being heirs to upper noble houses made it even worse. They even had a fan club formed... an underground one."
Chris was wearing a radiant smile, but Albert looked like the life had been drained from his face. The other two were still too busy fighting to notice.
Primera seemed to already know this story as well, and let out a wry smile.
"And there's more to that story. To prove he wasn't gay, Lion started hitting on girls left and right, but not a single one of them budged. Some people said the fan club had been pulling strings behind the scenes to make sure of it."
Albert seemed somewhat calmer since this particular story didn't involve him directly. But the hand holding his teacup was trembling. There was clearly more to come. Meanwhile, the two oblivious souls outside the conversation were still pulling each other's cheeks with both hands, like a pair of children.
"And then, and then! Panicking more and more, Lion tried to sneak into the women's baths next. He was probably trying to prove he was interested in women, but guess who happened to be in the baths at the time? That's right — me. I kicked him flying and knocked him out in a flash. Oh, but he hadn't stripped yet, so he didn't actually see me naked. If he had, he might not have stayed a man anymore."
"Chris Senior, that's probably enough... He is, technically, the heir to a border lord's family..."
Albert tried to rein Chris in, but she wasn't stopping.
"You're awfully protective... Oh right, back then Albert got treated as an accomplice too, and we both got yelled at in front of the women's baths... Ah, I shouldn't have said that."
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
Albert's shout echoed through the purchasing area. At the sound of his voice, the two who had been locked in their unsightly tug-of-war finally noticed what was going on.
Both of them had pulled each other's cheeks so hard that their faces were twisted into extremely comical expressions.
"Chris, these three are all heirs to upper noble houses, you know. Are you really okay teasing them like this...?"
What Chris was doing to these three would normally be grounds for an insult charge, or worse. I asked because I was worried, but Chris didn't seem to care at all. Meanwhile, the three of them quietly averted their gaze.
"There's nothing to worry about. Everyone involved back then knows this much, and anyone could find it out with a little digging... Besides, these three pulled all sorts of other stunts too. Every time, I got yelled at along with them. 'You're the one responsible for these three, aren't you?' — that sort of thing. If I hadn't been there, these three... well, more specifically, Lion would probably have been expelled from the academy."
I don't know what other trouble they caused, but apparently these three were quite the handful back in the day. Chris had been the one looking after them, and they seem unable to talk back to him at all.
Maybe my thoughts were showing on my face, because Albert and Cain started making excuses in a panic.
"No, wait — stop giving us that look! We just got dragged into it by Lion!"
"That's right! We're the victims here! Lion's the one to blame — we've always been the ones getting the short end of the stick!"
The two of them sold out their friend in a heartbeat. Lion tried to protest, but Cain clamped a hand over his mouth while Albert immediately moved to pin him down.
With Lion thoroughly restrained, they began parading every instance of how he'd dragged them into trouble. I think the reason these three are so popular with the fujoshi ladies comes down to all this physical closeness they share on a daily basis.
The two of them, completely unaware of this, had naturally built up what they imagined to be a deep bond with Lion... at least inside the fan club's heads.
"Shall we... be getting going soon?"
Once the trio's playful scuffle had died down somewhat, Primera spoke up rather timidly.
Looking outside, there still seemed to be plenty of time before sunset, but she was right — it was certainly getting close to what you could call evening.
"You're right, it is getting to be that time. Like Primera said, shall we head back? It was fun teasing those three for the first time in a while."
Chris was the first to agree, giving a light stretch. His expression was very cheerful.
In contrast, the three who'd been toyed with looked quite worn out. But the fact that not a single complaint escaped them toward Chris showed that the pecking order was firmly in place.
"Tenma, I'm hungry."
Amour had been mostly asleep while the three were being tormented by Chris. However, whenever she sensed Cain drawing near, she would immediately open her eyes and grow wary. It seemed that after just one day, she had already developed a strong dislike for him.
"Well, that was more fun than I expected."
"But I don't think I'd want to enroll in the academy just to study."
"And it's such a waste of money~"
The three sisters seemed to have enjoyed themselves to some extent, but they hadn't been able to find any merit in enrolling in the academy.
For three who earned a decent living as adventurers, it probably didn't make sense to pay tuition just to cut into their earning time. Personally, I was of the same mind — and I figured most adventurers would feel the same way.
After leaving the commissary with each of us saying whatever we pleased, we stopped by the headmaster's office to pay our respects, then headed for Grandpa's mansion.
Once we arrived at the mansion, everyone filed inside together. They all seemed dead set on freeloading dinner.
We'd suddenly become a large group, but Aina seemed to have anticipated it to some degree—she'd prepared a considerable amount of pre-made food. She'd already gone back to the Royal Castle by then, but her note included the special training regimen she'd had Jeanne and Aura do, and regarding dinner quantities, it read: "A lot of guests will probably come, so I made extra. If there's any left over, please store it properly."
I thanked Aina and checked the amount, but even she hadn't expected Primera and the others to join up with us, so she'd been pretty uncertain about it.
So I prepared several kinds of easy-to-make pasta sauce, and decided we'd take a bath before dinner for the time being.
Baths are easy to prepare with magic, so I got everything ready and called out to everyone—turns out they all wanted to soak. Well, a few of them had been hoping for a mixed bath, but the baths at our place had been rebuilt when I first arrived here, so they're separated by gender.
Moreover, while none of the baths have an open-air section, they each come equipped with a hot spring pool, a shower, a sauna, a cold plunge, a relaxation bath, and even a Familiars bath for Shiromaru and the others. Honestly, they're more impressive than the baths in the Royal Castle—I'd even been asked by the King once to build some in the castle too.
However, since there wasn't a suitable location, and because it relied heavily on original magical tools that only I could maintain, the King reluctantly gave up on the idea.
Once everyone was out of the bath, the raucous party began. And this time, Aina—the one reliable party-pooper—wasn't here. In her place, we had a whole crowd of people who loved a good ruckus. Lion, Cain, the three sisters… Lion.
On top of that, Aura—freed from Aina's restraint—and Namitaro, whose energy was higher than ever.
"I'm tellin' ya, it feels like my era has finally come in some other world!"
That's what he'd been saying. I wanted to tell him he was imagining it, but with that guy, I wouldn't be surprised if he was picking up interdimensional signals.
That said, Chris had to leave right after the bath due to obligations with the Royal Guard. With Chris gone, I worried the word about the party might not reach the King and the others.
So I sent a letter addressed to Lady Maria, along with a
bribe,
and asked her to keep the King and his lot in check.
That should prevent the King and the others from barging in. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if they showed up, but everyone else probably wouldn't have been able to enjoy themselves.
My plan hit its mark beautifully, and tonight's feast carried on late into the night.
Everyone had plans the next day, so they'd been holding back on drinking—but then Primera accidentally downed a high-proof liquor straight in one gulp and got completely wasted. The party ground to a halt for a while as things threatened to descend into chaos.
However, since she'd only had a small amount and I immediately cast a spell (a water-element recovery spell that diluted the alcohol in her system while simultaneously activating her liver), she didn't end up with anything like acute alcohol poisoning.
As it turned out, the culprit was Namitarou (or in this case, the culprit fish?).
The cause was that Namitarou, all hyped up, had jokingly poured sake into Primera's glass. According to Namitarou, "I thought she'd notice by the smell or taste... I never expected her to down it all in one gulp..."
Albert did raise a proper objection, so Namitarou was found guilty, wrapped in a straw mat, and hung from the ceiling. Still looking entirely unfazed, he quipped, "This is just like a broiled carp!" So afterward, my
magic
was used to put him to sleep by force.
Furthermore, at that time, a certain person who couldn't read the room—
a man
who,
"Getting force-fed booze and passing out drunk—someone might end up taking you home someday!"
blurted out, drawing cold stares from not just the women, but the men as well.
Well, there were a few hiccups, but after everyone enjoyed the banquet, they each headed home.
Albert escorted the three girls and the completely wasted Primera back to the dormitory, while Cain and Lion headed to their respective mansions.
Amour had planned to stay at home, but the
guardian
who came to pick him up dealt him a knuckle rap, and he reluctantly walked back to the dorm.
We all returned to our rooms as well, but along the way, we made sure to properly collect Namitarou, toss him outside, and leave him to sleep there.
————
Late that night, Carlos von Samons, the head of the household, returned to the Marquis Samons' mansion.
Since the one in the Royal Capital was a secondary residence, Carlos himself only stayed for about three to four months a year, but the mansion was always kept spotlessly clean.
The reason was that while he was away, his sons were the ones primarily using it. His sons, conversely, rarely returned to the main family home in the Samons territory. It wasn't that they had become independent—the second son was a student at an academy in the Royal Capital and basically lived in the dormitory, though he did occasionally make use of the secondary residence.
As such, the one who spent the most time at the secondary residence would be the eldest son. The eldest son would one day become the next head of the household, so even after graduating from the academy, he remained in the Royal Capital, continuing his studies as a noble. That said, from a certain perspective, there was also the aspect of him being a hostage…
But even so, the Royal Family's trust in the Marquis Samons household was high. Even if they allowed the eldest son to return to the family's own territory, the Royal Family would not suspect the Samons house of harboring ill intentions. However, there might be other nobles who thought differently. That was why the eldest son still lived in the Royal Capital.
Fortunately, he had particularly close friends in the same year, and since they too were living in the Royal Capital, there was nothing to complain about. If anything, it seemed he found returning to the family territory to be more of a headache—something that vexed Carlos greatly.
That eldest son, Cain von Samons, was waiting for Carlos's return.
The second son did not appear to have come back. Originally, the second son had always been self-conscious about Cain, who was said to be more capable than him, so he rarely came home when Cain was around. Carlos was not worried about this—if anything, he was more concerned that the second son might rebel against Cain and do something reckless.
"So, Cain. What's this important matter you wanted to discuss?"
Cain, who had been waiting for his father's return, had said there was something important to discuss, so the two of them moved to Carlos's study. The servants rarely came near here, so there was no risk of anyone overhearing.
"I met Geiri at the academy today. After what happened there, I got thinking—we should either send Geiri off as an adopted son to another household, or settle on a fiancée for him immediately. And I'd like to find a fiancée for myself as well."
"What happened? Last time I brought up the topic of a fiancée, you weren't exactly enthusiastic."
Carlos looked surprised. Cain was currently twenty-two years old, and for a powerful noble to still be unmarried at that age was quite rare. If he were the second or third son, it would be one thing, but as the eldest, it was customary to have at least a fiancée by now.
The trouble was that Cain, for all his shortcomings, had a childish side to him. He would always find some excuse to put the conversation off, preferring to spend his time having fun with his friends.
Fortunately, the Samons family held the rank of Marquis, so a fiancée could be found within a single day of searching. However, Carlos had been thinking it was about time to stop indulging his whims, and had been planning to order Cain, as the future head of the household, to begin looking for a fiancée soon. This was truly a godsend.
That said, Carlos had assumed Cain would push back again and expected it to be a struggle, so when he heard Cain's proposal, he actually became wary—perhaps there was some ulterior motive?
"Don't be so on guard. I just realized something, that's all. That I need to put my own value to effective use. And that Geiri still has value to be leveraged."
Carlos was more than a little surprised. He hadn't expected Cain to wear such an expression.
He knew that Cain usually goofed around with his friends and sometimes acted the fool, but Carlos had always believed his ability as a noble was high. However, the
son
standing before him right now had grown into someone more befitting of a noble than Carlos had imagined.
If Cain had only been trying to exploit Geiri, Carlos might have chalked it up to a sibling quarrel. But the willingness to leverage even his own future—that was the very essence of a noble.
Carlos felt a sense of reliance toward Cain. In fact, he felt so assured that he believed the Samons house could carry on no matter what might happen to him in the near future. That said, it would be at least a few years before that came to pass.
"I understand the reasons. Starting tomorrow, let's begin searching for a candidate fiancée... Do you have any preferences?"
In response to Carlos's question, Cain thought for a moment before replying:
"First, an alliance that benefits House Samons. Second, that the person themselves isn't a fool. Third, that their relatives aren't fools either. The second and third conditions are my personal whims, so ideally, just do what you can."
At this point, it seemed several candidates were already forming in Carlos's mind.
"Understood. I'll do my best about the second and third points. So, what about Geiri?"
Normally, this would be the responsibility of the head of house, and not something an outsider should meddle in, but having come this far, Carlos decided to hear Cain's thoughts and posed the question.
"Well... For Geiri's fiancée, I don't require a specific family standing. For House Samons, the only question is whether it's beneficial. If it is, then even sending him off as a son-in-law to a merchant's family would be fine. Geiri is, for better or worse, a noble. Even if the marriage is into a commoner household, using House Samons' influence to grant him a noble title would be possible. On top of that, I'll keep him in check. Sending him somewhere with too much power only for him to be incited would be a sight too terrible to watch."
At Cain's words, Carlos made a bitter face. After all, Geiri had a history. Not only had he antagonized someone capable of dealing a severe blow to House Samons, he had also almost created a situation where he could have made an enemy of an entire town.
"That's certainly true. It would be troublesome if he developed some strange ambition. Our House Samons is already well-regarded by the royal family and seen as a significant force by the other powerful nobles. There are bound to be those who find that irksome. And to such people, Geiri would be extremely easy to use... Perhaps we should deal with him first."
As if agreeing that there was nothing more troublesome than an incompetent and foolish relative, Cain nodded.
"Now then. I mentioned dealing with Geiri first, but there is actually one person who seems perfectly suited as a candidate fiancée for you..."
"I would advise against Lady Primera."
Cain interjected instantly, cutting Carlos off.
"First, Duke Sanga would never let Lady Primera go. He cherishes her above all his other children. Besides, there are men of higher value than me near her. Furthermore, though it's just speculation, the royal family probably wouldn't view it favorably either."
This answer seemed to surprise Carlos as well. He agreed about Duke Sanga, but he hadn't expected the royal family to be brought into it.
"In my thinking, the most convenient outcome for the royal family would be for Lady Primera to marry Tenma. For Tenma to wed Lady Primera, either he must be elevated to nobility, or Lady Primera must be lowered to commoner status. Since lowering her status would obviously displease Duke Sanga, the royal family would inevitably elevate Tenma to nobility. Even if Tenma were reluctant to accept a noble title, if it reached the stage where marriage to Lady Primera was being considered, he would likely accept at least a barony. Besides, while Tenma's birth is unknown, if his adoptive parents were former nobles, there would be no issue granting him a title, and given his achievements so far, a countship would be secured. Well, initially he'd probably be a baron, but that's just a matter of time."
Cain paused there, gauging Carlos's reaction. Carlos, having heard Cain's explanation and found no immediate flaws, simply listened attentively.
Having confirmed this, Cain continued.
"And after making Tenma a count, they will have Princess Luna marry him. In this scenario, the princess is of higher standing, but the royal family, considering Duke Sanga, would likely grant both wives equal status as primary consorts. Tenma would probably not refuse if his partner was Princess Luna, and Lady Primera would likely agree as well, so I think this presents no issue. Regarding children, making Lady Primera's child the official heir, and establishing a grand ducal house or reviving a defunct royal line for Princess Luna's children would resolve any problems. As a bonus, if Jeanne, who serves as Tenma's maid, were made a secondary consort, some Neutral Faction nobles might defect to the Royalist Faction. Of course, this is just my own speculation, so I'm not claiming it's correct, but given His Majesty's nature, it wouldn't be strange for him to consider something like this. Moreover, if we were to approach Duke Sanga with the proposal of having Lady Primera as my fiancée and were refused, it would damage our prestige and risk worsening relations. Therefore, I advise against pursuing Lady Primera. The risk to our side is too great."
Carlos couldn't simply laugh this off as mere fantasy. If Cain's hypothesis proved correct, not only House Samons, but the royal family as well would not hold them in good regard. The fact that he hadn't even conceived such a possibility spoke volumes about how close House Samons was with both the ducal and royal households.
"Becoming related by marriage to the Sanga Duchy won't happen until my children's generation at the earliest."
He said this in his usual, slightly airheaded manner.
Cain.
Seeing Cain like this, Carlos felt a twinge of frustration, thinking his son had outmaneuvered his own thinking.
After that, as they delved deeper into the discussion, Carlos enjoyed a long-overdue father-son conversation.
This night had been full of surprises for Carlos, but at the same time, it would be a night of great joy and reward.