“Did you forget that I have a fiancée?”
“Just because you have a fiancée doesn’t mean you can’t have a lover, does it?”
“……?”
Isn’t that obviously not allowed?
Is this world really okay with that?
I was momentarily stunned by a statement so incomprehensible to my common sense.
Then a thought crossed my mind.
‘Come to think of it, “Nas-e” was a male-oriented fantasy novel!’
+ Interest
Just counting the candidates for heroine, there were well over ten.
Although it wasn’t that they all liked Reysir at the same time—each time one died, a new character would appear.
And they all died before even getting into proper romantic relationships, let alone love.
‘But I’m planning to prevent everyone’s death, right?’
The original author won’t reuse all the characters he created before the remake.
If there are too many characters, the plot becomes messy.
Readers will have trouble remembering names and settings, and get confused about who’s who.
But even with only the heroine candidates introduced so far, there are quite a few.
‘So the original protagonist Reysir really has a harem…?’
Let’s stop this train of thought.
Reysir’s love life is none of my business, and it’s not important right now.
Besides, I can’t show the villain that I’m accepting “Oh, so that’s how this world works” after his ridiculous comment.
“I understand. The Hailga family may have a nasty disposition, but at least her face is passable. It’s a bit of a shame she’s just a daughter of a mere baron family… No, rather, that makes her suitable for some light entertainment.”
Look at this.
I was simply left speechless and dazed because I heard such absurd nonsense.
But the other party misinterpreted my reaction and lumped me together with his own trash.
If I had shown even a hint of acceptance, I don’t even want to imagine what he would have said.
“Really unpleasant talk.”
“Huh?”
“Why do you keep trying to equate me with yourself? Just because you have such garbage thoughts, I wish you’d stop treating me as the same kind of trash. It’s truly disgusting and irritating.”
“Trash and disgusting?! How can you say such harsh words…!”
He himself didn’t hesitate to say worse things to the Hailga family and Dyuf.
Yet he jumps and gets angry over just a few words—it’s laughable.
“Does hearing this from me upset you?”
“Of course!”
“More than me, who was treated as an equal by someone who is just a child of a mere count family?”
“What?! ‘Mere count family’…!!”
“Why are you so angry? If for you, a person from a count family, the Hailga family is ‘merely’ a baron family, then it’s a natural conclusion that for me, a person from a dukedom, your family is ‘merely’ a count family, isn’t it?”
“……!”
The confession villain flinched and shut his mouth.
His face, eyes wide open in surprise, looked as if he was completely thrown off by being pointed out something he had never considered.
“You think a baron family is insignificantly inferior compared to a count family. Then why do you keep trying to match me, a person from a dukedom, and freely wag your tongue to mock me whether I show displeasure or not? That day we first met, and today as well.”
I maintained a stern expression and explained these points clearly, word by word.
To prove that my anger had nothing to do with the Hailga family, but was solely a result of the person standing before me.
Then the villain’s brother, face pale as a sheet, shouted at his younger brother.
“Drembi, you…!! Were there more things you didn’t tell me?!”
“Th-That is…”
“What exactly did you say to Lord Karbaldr??”
“I, I didn’t say anything much…!”
“Then why did such words come out of his mouth?”
“I just said I was envious about his fiancée! I didn’t say anything false, and we barely exchanged a few words…”
The confession villain appealed with an innocent expression, but his brother did not look at him sympathetically.
Instead, he glared at him even more fiercely, scrunching up his face.
“I was thinking that it’s pathetic how you’ve been flaunting our father’s title, which isn’t even yours, and acting arrogantly, so I intended to let it slide without comment… But since I didn’t bring up the gap between families like you did, I guess you thought I was easy prey?”
The one who had been flaunting his father’s title and acting arrogant was the confession villain himself.
Whether he knew I was mocking his behavior, his face turned red.
Judging by his expression, twisted just like his brother’s, it wasn’t because he was ashamed of his actions, but because he was struggling to suppress his rising anger.
“How dare a mere wretch like you get angry at me without knowing your place?”
“No, I’m not…”
“Not? Your face is full of anger. If you want to challenge me to a duel, you may do so. You and I can fight directly, or you can put forward a champion. Either way, I don’t mind—I’ll accept anytime.”
“I have no intention of dueling with you, Lord!”
Of course, that would be the case.
Not only is it obvious he would lose, but even if he could win, it’s a fight he would have to intentionally lose for fear of retaliation from the dukedom.
And if he loses, he has to pay compensation.
Who would want to engage in such a duel?
“Then shall I issue the challenge? Perfect timing. I was just thinking it would be nice to have a mine in my name.”
The mine owned by the Ophrausi family not only restored their declining fortunes but also put them on a money cushion.
It’s not something I can simply take as duel compensation.
The other family will try to protect it by any means, and there will be criticism from others.
At best, I could secure a portion of the profits for a few years.
But even that isn’t something I can get just because I want it.
It would only be possible if Hard personally moved to pressure the Ophrausi family and made them sign a contract before the duel.
‘But there’s no way Hard would do that for his youngest son, right?’
Knowing this full well, I mentioned the mine in a light tone.
To make the villain brothers feel a sense of crisis and induce them to prostrate and beg without even feeling resentment.
And to instill in them the perception that while that mine is practically everything to their family, to me it’s just a minor collectible.
To make them realize the huge gap between a count family and a dukedom.
“We apologize, Lord Karbaldr! I failed to properly educate my younger brother…”
“I, I’m sorry too…! How dare I, forgetting my place… I spoke rudely to Lord Karbaldr…”
Their reaction was very immediate.
So much so that I felt uneasy because things were going too smoothly.
“Have you truly understood your place?”
“Yes!”
“Then you can bow your head to Baron Vitnir and his daughter as well.”
“Th-That is…”
“Why? Can’t you do it? To me, whether it’s your family or the Hailga family, it’s all equally insignificant, isn’t it?”
“……”
It seems he still finds it beneath his pride to apologize to the Hailga family.
Even after being thoroughly beaten by her in front of many onlookers, what’s so hard about saying a single word of apology?
I watched quietly, thinking how incomprehensible it was, when the older villain used his elbow to nudge his brother’s side, prompting an answer.
“…I, I will do it.”
“When?”
“Well, that is…”
He said he would apologize, but he still seemed reluctant.
The confession villain trailed off without giving a proper answer.
In the end, his brother stepped in and replied.
“Today… No, we will go to the Academy right now and apologize.”
“Then I suppose I should get up.”
Before I could respond to the older villain’s words, Valtraus suddenly spoke up and rose from his seat.
As if he had been waiting for this moment.
‘Well, he didn’t do anything and just sat there, so of course he was bored.’
‘Not only that.’
‘Given the conversation that just took place, the remarriage talk was just an excuse.’
‘He must have concluded that I was trying to use him to put someone I personally dislike in trouble.’
‘He probably also thinks the time spent here was wasted.’
‘So, is he going straight back to the main house?’
Valtraus likely sent the carriage he came in to the Academy after arriving here.
And there’s no way he would give up his carriage to me and use a hired one.
My remaining options are either to hitch a ride with the villain brothers or rent a hired carriage.
‘Renting a hired carriage will take some time…’
‘The problem is that I can’t predict what trouble the villain brothers might cause if they arrive at the Academy first.’
‘The confession villain might spout nonsense disguised as an apology, or he might get angry and cause a scene.’
‘And just possibly… the original author might intervene and make things worse.’
As I left the cafe, after some deliberation, I concluded that the best course was to ride in the same carriage as the villain brothers.
So I started to follow them…
“Karbaldr, our carriage is this way.”
Suddenly Valtraus called out to me.
His words sounded as if he wanted me to board his carriage, which puzzled me.
“I plan to return directly to the Academy.”
Why…?
Maybe he wants me to accompany him to the gate facility and see him off?
“I know.”
“Then you mean…”
“Not that.”
“Yes, honestly I thought so too as I said it. Then, you’ll give me your carriage and you…”
“That’s not it either.”
Before I finished speaking, Valtraus cut in sharply.
So he really means for us to ride together, and the destination is the Academy?
What reason does Valtraus have to go to the Academy?
Did he come all this way to visit a professor who taught him when he attended?
Or does he want to watch the confession villain apologize to Hailga?
I even used the [Character Analysis] skill to think deeply, but I couldn’t figure it out.
I stopped the skill and stared at Valtraus, silently urging him to reveal his intentions.
Then I heard an unexpected reply.
“I’ll escort you to the Academy.”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“No, I mean… Why?”
“……”
“……”
“………I have something to say to you.”
It seems he plans to scold me for trying to use him.
I had expected that he would let it slide, if only because he dislikes talking to the brother who killed their mother.
I clicked my tongue softly—tsk—and climbed onto the carriage bearing the Austri family crest.
Apologetic older brother? Wonder if he heard Karbaldr tsk at him ðŸ˜