Volume 7, Chapter 2 “Holy Kingdom Rachel”
Part 1
A warehouse in a certain district in Arzel Commonwealth.
Hiding in that place is Serge, the man that Leon and the others are looking for.
His black hair was slicked back with a hand comb, and his skin was tanned and brown. He looks like a rebellious young man due to his well-trained and toned body and the piercing atmosphere he gives off.
He was now wearing a coat and sitting on a pile of materials in a dingy outfit.
Near him stood a man in a suit.
This one was mature and had a beard, but unlike Serge, he looked like a gentleman.
The slender, gentlemanly man called himself Gabino.
Gabino ―― he is a man sent from a country called Holy Kingdom Rachel .
He is a nobleman who holds a title in the Holy Land and is a collaborator of Serge.
The Holy Kingdom Rachel is a neighboring country to Holfalt Kingdom.
And now, it has also become hostile to Holfalt Kingdom.
The reason for this lies with Mylene, who married Holfalt Kingdom.
Mylene’s home country is the United Kingdom of Reparto, which is hostile to the Holy Kingdom Rachel. Mylene’s marriage to the Holfalt Kingdom was one of the countermeasures against the Holy Kingdom Rachel .
From the point of view of the Holy Kingdom Rachel , Holfalt Kingdom is an enemy nation.
Gabino looked at Serge and furrowed his brow.
“You stink. Why don’t you take a bath?”
When was the last time he took a bath? Serge couldn’t remember either.
“I’ll be in. But more importantly, are you guys ready for this?”
When Serge asks the opposite, Gabino straightens his back and answers.
“Of course. Soldiers are already being sent to the Commonwealth one after another. But still ―― “
What Gabino was looking at was an airship.
Not just one ship.
Dozens of flight battleships of the same type were lined up in the facility prepared in the basement of the warehouse district.
“―― How did you manage to gather so much in such a short time.”
Serge stood up slowly and smiled darkly at the flying battleships in line.
He is not going to answer Gabino’s question, so he will get right to the point.
“With all this, we should be able to take down the Arzel Commonwealth in no time.”
When Serge didn’t answer, Gabino decided to talk to him about the mission, as if he thought it was useless to ask questions.
“Soldiers are being sent from my country one after another. But if we go any further, Serge-dono’s house and the other great nobles will notice.”
“It’s too late to find out now. We’re making preparations over here, too.”
Serge’s ―― and Gabino’s aim was the Arzel Commonwealth itself.
It was Ideal who came to the two of them.
Ideal slowly descends from the ceiling and speaks to me in a friendly manner.
Serge-sama, I’ve gathered the people as planned.
Hearing Ideal’s happy electronic voice, Gabino looked a little grim, as if he felt threatened.
“I’ve never heard of a lost item being able to talk to people. Serge-dono, are you sure that this guy is really okay?”
Gabino, who doubts Ideal’s existence, is given an explanation by Ideal himself.
Serge-sama is my master. I won’t betray him.
“―― I hope so.”
Gabino was still in doubt, but turned his gaze to Serge as the conversation was not going anywhere.
Serge shoved his hands in his coat pockets and talked.
“Now we can fight on the same terms as that bastard. He’s also a nuisance for you guys, isn’t he?”
Gabino averted his gaze from Serge.
“The upper echelons of our country are feeling threatened. Count Leon Fou Bartfalt, the man who brought down the Commonwealth from within in such a short period of time, is a person our country cannot afford to lose.”
“So you want to kill that bastard Leon to coincide with the Commonwealth’s rebellion. Fine, I’ll kill him myself.”
“It saves us. According to our investigation, Count Bartfalt is very close to the Queen of Holfalt. We don’t want such a dangerous person to come to the border of the Holfalt Kingdom. “
” ―― Are you really that afraid of him?”
When Serge laughs at Gabino, Ideal stabs him with a prickly word.
Serge-sama is also losing to Leon, though.
Serge was furious at Ideal’s words.
“If I’d had the same conditions as that guy, I wouldn’t have lost! I won’t lose to that guy again.”
There was an incident not long ago when his sister Louise was almost sacrificed to the Sacred Tree, and Serge fought with Leon on that occasion.
Leon is trying to save Louise, and Serge got in the way.
However, the result was disappointing.
At first, Serge was winning. But it was just a stunt.
Leon could have defeated Serge at any time, but he deliberately showed his defeat in order to deceive Louise.
It was a bigger humiliation for Serge than just losing.
This means that he was not taken seriously from the beginning. This is why Serge is burning revenge on Leon.
In the past, the biological son of the Rault House ―― Leon Sara Rault, but now Leon was the object of Serge’s hatred.
Serge receives a gift from Ideal.
I have prepared a suitable armor for Serge-sama to fight against the Arroganz ridden by Leon.
A four-legged armor was brought in.
Although it is as large as the Arroganz, its silhouette is slender.
The upper body was humanoid, but the lower body resembled a horse.
The four-legged type of armor had a lance ― an elongated cone-shaped spear.
It is a weapon held by a mounted knight and is specialized for thrusting.
It looks like a lance, but it is a weapon prepared by Ideal. It also has a trick.
When the centauros-like armor was ready, Serge raised the corners of his mouth in a smile.
“This guy’s good. Can it beat that son of a bitch?”
Performance is five minutes. No, this armor is probably better. Arroganz’s data has already been confirmed. There is nothing better than this because it is an armor prepared to counter Arroganz.
This is the armor that was prepared to defeat the Arroganz ―― to defeat Leon.
Serge approaches and touches.
“The name is?”
I named it Gier. The meaning is greed. Arroganz means arrogance, so it’s just right.
“Greed, huh ―― Sure, I’m greedy. I want it all. I want this country, and I want Lelia. I’m going to have it all.”
Gabino looked at Serge, who was clasping his right hand, and didn’t seem very interested.
He wants Serge to get the country, but Lelia is not interested.
“We have no complaints as long as Serge-dono gets the country and defeats Count Bartfalt. After that, though, we’ll be looking forward to the magic stone trade.”
Arzel Commonwealth is an energy resource-rich country that exports a large amount of magic stones.
The Holy Kingdom Rachel was also expecting preferential treatment from Arzel Commonwealth, which Serge ruled.
That’s why ― he’s supporting Serge in his rebellion.
Serge placed his right fist on his left palm and made a sound.
“Leave it to me. I’m going to kill him for making me look like a fool.”
Serge’s hatred for Leon is strong.
.
Part 2
The former territory of the Lespinasse House.
It is still the center of Arzel Commonwealth.
It is the land where the Sacred Tree exists, and the six great noble families have their mansions there.
One of them was a mansion owned by the Rault family, from which Louise commuted to the academy.
Going to and from school is a car with a driver, and she is really a young lady, no, a princess.
Although they call themselves the Six Great Noble Houses, the power they possess is greater than that of any poor country.
Each of the six great nobles is the king in their territory.
So, Louise-san was in a position like a princess.
Such a person is also in the position of being the villainous daughter of that second otome game.
Personally, I think she was miscast, but then again, Alberg-san, the last boss, is not the kind of person who would become an enemy.
―― No, they are too kind to me, so I guess I’m inevitably making poor decisions.
However, they didn’t look like bad people.
I visited the mansion owned by Rault family, and I’m talking to Alberg-san.
I was ushered into a room where tea and snacks were prepared and we were facing each other across a round table.
Alberg-san looked very tired.
“We’re still searching for Serge, but we can’t even find a lead.”
My business is Serge, who was adopted.
It seems that he spends his days worrying about Serge, wondering where he is. Even so, he can’t take a day off work because he is in charge of the Commonwealth and can’t show any weakness.
It makes me think that being in a position of responsibility is a lot of work.
“I’ve been looking for it myself, but it’s the same.”
Luxion is getting serious, but he can’t find him.
I would really suspect that he was fleeing the country, and in many ways, I was more grateful for that.
“I wonder where he is and what he is doing. He’s not here, so we can’t talk about the future.”
“Are you talking about disinheriting him?”
“That’s right. If he feels his current position is a burden, that’s fine with me. If he wants to be an adventurer, I can support him. I just want to let him do what he wants.”
Alberg-san was troubled by Serge’s frequent absences from home as an adventurer. He had adopted Serge as his son to make him the head of the Rault family, but he thought that he did not want to do that and was considering disinheriting him.
When I see Alberg-san so distressed about Serge, I wonder why he is the villain in the game.
“Leon-kun, don’t worry about me, just talk to Louise. She’s been busy lately, too.”
The topic of conversation shifted to his own child, Louise-san.
After hearing the rumor that Serge was going to be disinherited, there was no end to the number of offers of engagement to Louise-san.
It is said that a lot of young noblemen are coming to replace Serge, thinking that they can become the heads of the Six Great Noble Houses.
“I’ll do that.”
“It saved me. ―― You’ve been a great help to me.”
Alberg-san muttered to himself, and he looked somewhat pleased.
I guess he saw in me the image of his deceased son ― Leon-kun, who had the same name as me.
.
Part 3
When I visited Louise-san, she looked tired as well.
However, I was sent to Louise-san’s bedroom.
I wondered if it’s okay to let a man in, but there was no sign of stopping me, not even the servants of the mansion.
Besides, Louise-san herself exposed a defenseless appearance.
She sat on the bed and laid her upper body down. With her legs hanging off the bed, I could almost see inside her skirt if I wasn’t careful.
I’m a gentleman, so I’ll only peek a little.
Louise-san is lying with her usual loose blonde hair spread out on the bedsheets.
Apparently, she seems to be tired of the invitations of men every day.
“Mou, I’m getting invitations to dinner and parties every day. It’s not as if we are going to choose an heir right away now that Serge is gone.”
I sat down in the chair provided and looked at the two mountains that Louise-san had made by lying down.
It’s a great big mountain.
It’s a sight to behold.
“Everyone is desperate. Well, I can understand their feelings. If you can win Louise-san’s heart, you can become the head of the Rault house.”
“Ara, so am I an accessory to the position of the head of the house, or a second prize? Either way, their ulterior motives are so obvious that I can’t help but be moved by them.”
Normally, she would want to refuse all of them, but she said that some of them are impossible to refuse.
Relatives, interests ―― she says she is dealing with men on a daily basis at the invitation of those people.
It’s just a matter of having a meal and a good chat, but if it’s every day, I feel sorry for her.
“Is there any good man?”
I ask if there’s anyone she is interested in, and Louise-san raises her upper body.
Her large breasts swayed, and her hair was a mess.
She looks at me while easily adjusting it by hand.
” ―― There isn’t.”
She didn’t seem to be joking, and now she really had no intention of finding a partner.
I knew the reason why Louise-san was not well.
“Are you concerned about Serge?”
“W-Who!”
When I brought up the subject of the missing Serge, Louise-san strongly denied it.
But I could tell from her attitude that she cared.
She doesn’t like Serge, but ―― she still cares about him.
You’re too kind for a villainess. She’s really miscast.
“I’ve been looking for him, but I haven’t found him yet. If he was dead, we would have found traces of him, so I’m sure he’s fine.”
It is unlikely that he is dead. Louise-san was somewhat relieved to hear that.
“I know I’ve said too much. But, you know, I can’t forgive Serge for what he did.”
There’s a big rift between Louise-san and Serge.
It seems that Serge, who had just been adopted, I don’t know what he was thinking, but it seems that he burned down the mementos of Louise-san’s brother, Leon-kun.
No matter how much of a child you are, there are some things that are not allowed.
It was then that Louise-san began to hate Serge.
“Serge got what he deserved.”
“I know. But sometimes I hate myself. I’m such a bad woman. Leon-kun also disgusted, right?”
She hates Serge and she can’t forgive herself ―― I’m not disgusted by that.
“It’s not like you are cursing Serge’s misfortune, is it enough? It’s a mature enough thing to do.”
Louise-san looked a little happy when she heard my answer.
I’m glad you don’t hate me because I look like your brother, huh?
“Thank you. I’m feeling a little better now.”
“That’s good to know. Then I’d better get back.”
Even so, Leon-kun is very popular even in death.
―― I guess that’s proof that he was cared for.
.
Part 4
When I came back from the Rault’s mansion, it was Cordelia-san who greeted me.
As always, she is giving me a cold look today.
“Welcome back, Count”
“Can’t you be a little more friendly?”
“I see you like to joke. Please consider your position.”
I’m grateful that she’s doing her job, but she doesn’t intend to get along with me.
Well, that’s not bad either.
However, the situation was a little different today.
“And how much longer are you going to leave that parent and child alone?”
I turned my head away when I heard Cordelia-san’s talk.
“About Yumeria-san and Kyle? I did a lot of things, but Kyle’s just too stubborn.”
Since then, I’ve tried everything to get them to make up, including asking them to run errands.
Marie also makes a careful follow-up, but Kyle was more stubborn than she had expected and they had not been able to make up.
Cordelia-san is astonished.
“Thanks to them, I’m having trouble working. Why don’t you bring Yumeria-san back to your parents’ house?”
So if she can’t do her job, send her back, is that what you mean?
It seemed cold, but it would be bothering Cordelia-san, who was taking her job seriously.
I have a troubled face and convey my true feelings.
“I’m really weak in parent-child relationships.”
When I said that, Cordelia-san looked a little strange.
“Why? I’ve heard that the Bartfalt family’s parent-child relationship is unusually good for nobles?”
Regret from a previous life? I can’t help but be concerned about it because I didn’t have filial piety to my parents in my previous life.
“I’d like to see Yumeria-san’s situation a little longer. If that doesn’t work, it’s a little early, but I’ll return her to my parents’ house.”
“Understood”
As I finished talking and started to walk away, I felt something unpleasant.
It was Marie’s shout that came from the dining room.
“You guys still haven’t learned your lesson!”
I wondered what was going on and headed quickly to the scene.
Maybe Cordelia-san is also interested, she followed a little behind me.
And when I showed up at the dining room, I found Marie standing with her arms crossed.
Marie’s face looked like a demon.
Next to her stood with a cold-faced ― Cara, looking down at the five idiots who were being forced to sit on the floor.
――Aa~, the five idiots have done something again.
I decided to just peek in from the entrance with Cordelia-san to see what was going on. It would not do any good to get involved, and Marie and the five idiots were interesting and funny from an outsider’s standpoint.
I’ve recently come to understand that this is the best distance.
Marie stepped hard on the floor with her right foot, making a sound, and started talking.
“In this difficult daily life, you want me to buy you something because you want it? What the hell are you thinking!”
It seems that the five idiots are begging Marie.
It was Julius who opened his mouth first.
“B-But I really want it! Please, Marie! J-Just a few chickens, let me raise chickens! And I think it will save money because they lay eggs.”
“It’s more troublesome and expensive to keep a living thing!”
When I think what he wants Julius gets down on his knees, do you want to raise chickens?
What is the former Crown Prince of the Holfalt Kingdom asking for?
Next is Brad, who followed Julius’ lead and got down on his knees.
“I-I-I-I want stage costumes! Please, Marie! I’ll definitely make money!”
“You don’t need any stage costumes! If you want, buy it with your own money.”
“Well, you know, I was buying all these things and I had no money left ― HI!“
When she heard that Brad had run out of money, Marie stomped on the floor again and made a loud noise to scare him.
Greg was the next one to get down on his knees.
Now he is wearing a tank top and shorts ― yeah, he is clothed, so it’s safe.
“I want to get some new muscle training equipment! I want to work out my muscles more efficiently and with higher loads!”
“Do something with ingenuity and guts. I can’t allow you to buy new equipment.”
Greg was in tears when he was coldly rejected.
Chris was next on his knees. He was dressed as usual in a happi coat and loincloth.
―― Wear some pants on, already.
“I, by all means, want a cypress bath!”
“No”
She refused before he could finish, and Chris’s glasses had slipped off.
It’s the last.
Jilk gets down on his knees more gracefully than anyone else, but he quickly raises his head and looks directly at Marie’s face.
Jilk says, unafraid of Marie, who has a face like Hannya.
“Actually, Marie-san, I just bought a new tea set?”
Before he could finish, Marie delivered a spectacular sobat――a kick to Jilk’s face.
Jilk who is the most garbage of the five idiots is on a different class, and apparently, he bought the tea set first and reported his approval after the fact.
The expression faded from Marie’s face and Cara clicked her tongue.
“Tsk! Marie-sama, I’ll see if I can’t return it right away.”
“Please, Cara”
After all, the biggest garbage was on a different class. However, Marie and the others seemed to have gotten used to it and knew how to deal with Jilk’s behavior.
Jilk is lying on his back, twitching, and the other five idiots are giving him the cold shoulder.
Even Julius, who was supposed to be his foster brother, spoke coldly to him.
“Jilk, how cowardly of you to buy it before asking for permission.”
Jilk, who held his face, shakily raised his upper body.
“I-I was afraid that if I didn’t buy it right then and there, I would miss out. It’s a really valuable item. If you sell it, you can be sure that you will get at least three times the purchase price.”
When Jilk said that, Brad snickered.
“Has there ever been a time when you have said the same thing and been right about it?”
Greg and Chris were also cold to Jilk.
“Even I didn’t get a single piece of equipment”
“My cypress baths are now a distant memory.”
I thought the five idiots had grown up a bit, but apparently they were within the margin of error.
These guys haven’t changed much since before they came to the Commonwealth.
Well, are they better because they have been able to ask for permission before spending money?
Though one of them hasn’t even been able to do that!
Cordelia-san put her hand on her forehead and shook her head, did her head hurt.
“Is this the expected noble figure for the future? How pathetic.”
“You’re expecting too much. That’s all they are.”
“They were supposed to be the next generation of the Kingdom, weren’t they? What could have gone wrong to cause this to happen?”
I’m sorry to Cordelia-san who knows they look really pathetic, but Julius and the others seem happier now.
I see five people who have been caged by Marie and have fallen far off the rails of their original career path, or rather the rails that were laid out for them.
It was so pathetic to see them so frightened in front of Marie, her hair shaking with anger. But, sorry, it’s very funny.
They are fun to watch.
When Marie realizes she’s being watched, she points at me.
“Don’t laugh there! This is a matter of life and death for us!”
Marie sees me holding my mouth and laughing, and she has teary eyes.
Even Cordelia-san was taken aback when she saw me laughing.
But I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I admire the comedy you guys put your lives on the line for. Keep on entertaining me.”
“You’re saying like it’s someone else’s problem, you’re cruel, aren’t you.”
“It’s someone else’s problem, right?”
“How cruel! Are you throwing me away?”
“Don’t say like I am the bad ones. I don’t even remember picking you up in the first place.”
In the first place, Marie is a reincarnated person. She was a fool who, relying on her knowledge of the games, managed to captured the nobles into completing her reverse harem just because she could.
I find it ironic that she is struggling now because of it.
It’s fun to look, she put her life on the line to make comedy.
Marie is fit to take care of these guys for a long time.
I’ll just have to watch from a reasonable distance.
As we were making a lot of noise, Noelle came.
“I’m home, ~tte! What did you guys do this time !?”
When she saw Julius and the others sitting on the floor, she immediately thought they had done something wrong. As expected from them, the first game’s targets were treated like troublemakers even by Noelle!
.
Part 5
It was noisy inside the mansion.
Yumeria, who was out in the garden, gazed at the sky in a daze.
A huge branch of the sacred tree that seemed to hang over the moon ― She looked at it and didn’t move for a while.
Then Kyle comes.
“Goshujin-sama and others are back. Why don’t you get back to work? I’ll be scolded.”
Looking back at Kyle’s blunt attitude, Yumeria looked sad.
“Kyle ―― Do you need me?”
“What are you talking about?”
Perhaps not understanding the intent of Yumeria’s statement, Kyle was irritated by her earlier comments and gave her a cold shoulder.
“I don’t need a servant who doesn’t work. Besides, it doesn’t have to be you.”
For Kyle, it was probably an extension of the fight. However, hearing this, Yumeria smiled.
“That’s right. Kyle’s a strong child, you don’t need me.”
Kyle turned away and walked back to the mansion.
“Whatever, just get back to work, okay.”
Yumeria, who saw off the back of her son who was leaving, was laughing happily and crying.
She muttered to Kyle, who probably didn’t hear her.
“Kyle will be fine on his own, right?”
Then, the light disappears from Yumeria’s eyes.
With a blank expression on her face, Yumeria staggered out of the mansion dressed as she was.
A few moments after she left the gate, there was a car waiting for her.
There was no one in the car.
As Yumeria gets in, Ideal, who was floating in the driver’s seat, looks back at her.
The engine started and the car began to move.
You’ve finally made up your mind, Yumeria-san.
Looking at Yumeria, who didn’t reply, Ideal shook his head saying yare yare.
“Your son’s rejection must have been very hard on you. Thanks to him, she came under my control. Nice assist ―― Kyle-kun.”
Yumeria, who barely showed her will, was under Ideal’s control.
Right now, she is working at Ideal’s will.
Yumeria-san ―― no, Yumeria. You have an important role to play. You’ll be working as a replacement for the priestess.
Then the electronic voice switched from the bright tone to a low voice.
All that’s left is Luxion