A new day had arrived.
Classes would soon resume after the problems Derrick caused.
I was out shopping with Lucy since Erselica and the idiots were busy cleaning; Ixion was helping them because he doesn't like dirt.
Lucy was showing me the best places in the market to buy meat, vegetables, and fish.
Peaceful days like these are the best.
"This shellfish tastes delicious when you spread it with—."
"Lucy, there you are!"
Suddenly we heard a voice. Lucy shuddered, and the shellfish that looked like a catfish fell from her hands.
When I turned to see whose voice it was, she grabbed my shoulder.
She was gripping my shirt, and I could observe her trembling.
"I finally found you! I had a lot of trouble at home after what happened with Derrick! But when I finally find you, you're with that foreigner."
The person with the annoying tone was Jude, who came running.
He probably had some spy watching us.
Jude was looking at me intensely.
"You, foreigner, this is none of your business; get away from my woman. Unlike Derrick, I won't swear before the sacred tree. I'll crush you with my own hands if you don't stay away from her!"
This guy has crossed the line of being a stalker.
I looked at Lucy, who seemed about to cry while trembling. This guy must have planted some kind of trauma in her.
But, isn't it correct for Lucy to get involved with one of the game's characters?
In case she doesn't fall in love with some boy and is actually the priestess, wouldn't it be best for her to become the partner of one of the capture targets?
Derrick's older brother is rejected, his younger brother is scum, and his father is a pig. So the Herring Household is the worst possible option.
Lugh is dating her sister; I doubt very much that he, who seems like a good guy, would break up with Diana for Lucy. And according to Ixion, he will ask her to marry him before classes start.
Liam is a zero, so he's rejected.
I have no idea about Zack; he's a possible candidate, so there's hope.
The same goes for Romeo, but he belongs to the Rosenberg Household, their enemy. But that same household gave me the impression of being a normal, happy family.
Mr. Randolf confirmed to me that Sara was going to be engaged to Tom. So a small harem between Lucy and Sara is impossible.
Her brother Linus is a bastard; he's the kind of man who would surely use his wife as a shield to not tarnish his image. So he's rejected, of course, in my opinion. If Lucy decides otherwise, I wouldn't impose.
But this guy, Jude, has done what no man, no matter how desperate, should do. Harass the girl until she's afraid.
So I have only one option to take.
"You were Jude, weren't you?"
I removed Lucy's hand and walked towards him. His face was attractive, as expected from a game's handsome character. But his angry expression made him look like a psychopath.
"If you approach Lucy again."
Once close enough, I took his shirt and brought his face close to mine.
He could observe how angry I was.
"If I see you bothering Lucy again. I'll kill you and destroy your household!"
I pushed him to the floor after that. I made it clear I wouldn't allow this guy to be the chosen person for Lucy.
After turning around, I extended my hand to Lucy, showing her a warm smile with confident words.
"Lucy, let's go home."
She looked at Jude for a moment, then her eyes changed to my hand. She showed a warm smile along with the words.
"Yes! Let's go home!"
She was showing a charming smile that would melt anyone's heart.
After taking her hand, we left, leaving Jude on the floor, still shocked by what happened.
◇◇◇
As Lucy took Rudel's hand, her thoughts manifested her happiness.
(… His hand is so warm.)
(It's bigger than mine, but above all, very comforting.)
Her eyes then focused on Rudel's back, and she hugged him without warning.
"Is something wrong?"
Rudel asked about the sudden hug, but Lucy responded.
"Nothing~ at all~ just a big, ugly fly was nearby and scared me."
"O-Okay."
Rudel walked ahead of Lucy, while her eyes—
(So, this is what true heroes are like.)
For some reason, her pupils turned into hearts that looked lovingly at that back, which she could consider her personal knight.
◇
There was a lot of noise in Erselica's mansion since morning.
"Is breakfast not ready yet~?"
Chlust was sleeping on the table while demanding breakfast. Allen made a sarcastic comment seeing Chlust like that.
"Breakfast would be quicker if you helped, Chlust-sama."
"I'm a feeding specialist. Besides, you should say that to Bradford too."
I was also waiting for breakfast to be served while reading the local newspaper.
They make me look like a barbaric monster.
However, Allen shook his head.
"The Count is different since he paid for the food expenses."
"The power of money is truly mighty. They don't scold me even when I'm not doing anything to help."
Liam and Frey also entered the dining room while I waited.
"What's the plan for today?"
"There will be questions at the embassy. It seems the kingdom sent someone to investigate this incident."
The two were talking about work since morning. The next to appear after them was Warren, whose wounds were almost healed.
"What's for breakfast today?"
He asked Cana, who came to place the plates on the table.
But Cana shouted at him angrily.
"Don't get in my way! Come on, everyone sit in your seats!"
Allen and Cana were going back and forth between the kitchen and dining room, very busy.
Erselica's voice… and Lucy's could be heard from the kitchen.
"Lucy, take care of that, please!"
"Okay~."
Lucy had the appearance of a gal, and yet she was good at all kinds of household tasks.
Was this what they called Moe development?
Clovis also came in, dripping with sweat while we waited.
"That was good work."
Chlust complained seeing Clovis sweaty like that.
"You're making the morning feel stifling looking like that. Go take a bath first."
"You yourself don't seem fully awake. How about you wash your face before saying that?"
Warren shrugged seeing the two preparing to fight.
"You two are very energetic since morning. Well, this is typical for you two, muscle-brains."
Chlust and Clovis changed their focus to Warren after hearing that.
"Still, it would be better if you trained a little more."
"Yes. If you did that, then you wouldn't have ended up like that."
Warren pointed at the two and responded again.
"You two also wouldn't be able to do anything if you were in my place!"
Erselica entered the noisy dining room and lifted a frying pan, hitting it with a ladle instead of using a bell.
"Come on, everyone be quiet! Breakfast is almost ready, so eat without complaining!"
She was like a kindergarten teacher.
The food served on the dining table was corn soup and toast that felt familiar to me.
"Ah, this is."
I thought they looked nostalgic. It was something my aunt in my past life often prepared for breakfast.
The toast had an English-style fried egg and two pieces of bacon placed on it; even the arrangement was the same as my aunt's toast.
I wondered if Erselica also remembered her mother's cooking while feeling very nostalgic.
Lucy came to my side.
"Rudel, there's some bacon left over, so I'll give you one more."
"Is that okay?"
"It's fine."
Liam, who was eating his toast, saw that I was the only one with extra bacon and got jealous.
"Only Bradford is getting special treatment? I'm jealous."
It made me feel really pathetic to think there was actually a prince who would say something like that.
"You've been eating tasty things in the palace since childhood, right? Just put up with it a bit with your own portion."
"This is because everything Erselica cooks is novel food. These are also delicious! That's why I'm jealous."
Liam suddenly boasted about his lover. What would be the correct response to give him here?
When I looked at Erselica, she had already finished her egg and bacon and brought a new toast from the kitchen to the table. She was having her lunch even at breakfast. I was very curious to know where she was storing so much food inside that small body.
"Uhyoooo! This slightly expensive jam spreads very well on the bread."
She chose the jam she liked among the jam bottles lined up on the table and spread it on her bread before eating the toast.
"Haa~ it's gratifying to be able to choose jam in the morning."
She seemed to be feeling happiness from having different types of jams, but as for me, I felt like crying.
"Can you taste happiness with just this?"
She had become a very simple woman.
Although in our past life, she was the type of woman who would bother me for money so she could buy things.
Cana begged Erselica to pass her the jam.
"Erselica-sama, I want the orange jam!"
"Okay. Spread it a lot on your bread. We have plenty of bread and jams!"
Allen was spreading cranberry jam on his bread.
"Not having to worry about food is happiness."
Why did eating with Erselica's group make me want to cry like this?
I stopped thinking about that and focused on eating the nostalgic breakfast. Then Lucy looked at my face.
"Rudel, you have something at the corner of your mouth."
"Really? I'll clean it later so nothing remains."
"Don't do that. You're a Count, so you should act properly."
She said that and wiped the corner of my mouth.
A girl who was considerate and attentive was really great.
I might fall for her if I didn't already have Alisa and Airi.
Liam seemed unused to eating toast, and the area around his mouth got dirty. He was annoyed by that.
"Toast is delicious, but it easily crumbles and leaves crumbs."
Clovis was of the same opinion.
"Indeed. Isn't there some way to avoid this from happening?"
Chlust, who was eating his portion wholeheartedly, gave advice to the two.
"Just eat the food without worrying about that."
Breakfast was very lively.
Lucy was smiling.
"What's up?"
"I'm having fun somehow. I always had breakfast with my younger sister, but it's been a long time since I had this much fun."
"... Did something happen?"
I had heard her relationship with her younger sister wasn't going well, but Lucy didn't talk much about it.
"Well, several things happened. But Diana herself is also worrying about me."
So even twins have their own problems.
◇
The mansion where Erselica's group lived was splendid.
It also had a reception room that could be used to serve guests.
There were sofas inside the room with a low table placed between them. A complete set of furniture was also placed inside the room so as not to be discourteous to the guest.
It must have been the embassy who prepared them.
It gave me the impression they spent money on necessary things so there wouldn't be any problems since Liam also lived here.
My own house also had a reception room, but it wasn't as splendid as this room in Erselica's mansion.
At the moment, I was preparing tea for a guest inside that room.
"Enjoy it."
"Thank you for the tea."
The figure sitting on the sofa while drinking tea elegantly looked very beautiful.
For those who didn't know about this person's personality, she would only look like a noble lady.
The girl—no, she had already graduated from the academy, so I should call her a woman, had long, cyan-colored hair styled in curls.
Her name was Eleonora von Roseblaire.
She was an upperclassman I was familiar with.
"It's been a long time since I had your tea. Has your skill improved a bit?"
This person wasn't the type to say things out of flattery, so she must have really enjoyed the tea.
"Maybe it's because Aster's tea leaves are delicious?"
"Is that so? Then perhaps I'll buy some as souvenirs for when I return home."
Ellen drank her tea happily. But still, why did she come to Aster?
I didn't know the reason.
"Emm, could it be you're on a trip at the moment?"
Ellen smiled at me.
"How rude. I come to work, although I look like this. His Majesty told me. 'I want you to examine the situation in Aster right now.' It's true; His Majesty also asked me to give you a letter."
I received the letter and read the contents.
"How dare you cause trouble in Aster, you shitty brat? At the moment, we lack human resources, so we even have to recruit students fresh out of the academy. Oh, about that topic, it seems the girl I dispatched is your acquaintance, isn't she? Get along well with her. Though I'll tell the Bismarck Household if you have an affair there! From your magnificent king."
I tore the letter without any expression.
Ellen seemed to guess the letter's contents from my reaction and smiled kindly.
"You really are on good terms with His Majesty."
"Ahahaha! Of course. We get along so well we want to punch each other's faces."
If I could, I wanted to bury my fist in Leonis's face right now.
Putting that aside, it seemed Ellen was sent here to investigate this case.
There was a small problem with her personality, but she seemed intent on doing her job properly.
"I heard about the general situation at the embassy. I heard how a son of a great noble fought with you, and you beat him thoroughly in a duel; it sent shivers down my spine hearing that."
She blushed and put her index finger to her lips. She was a pervert.
"As expected of the Kingdom's Hero. You even defeated the Six Great Nobles and contributed to raising the kingdom's standing. How wonderful. It's been a long time since my heart beat this fast."
How should I respond to her, who had that ecstatic expression on her face?
Without warning, Ellen approached me and placed her lips on mine.
I saw that coming, but I didn't stop her. Why did I let her do it?
The thing is, I don't dislike this.
I intertwined my tongue with hers. After a while of being connected through our mouths, she withdrew.
She licked her lips in a very sensual way.
"You are undoubtedly the kind of man who can make a girl unable to resist her impulses."
I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.
"... Did you come here today just to say hello?"
"Of course not. I come to bring you a souvenir. Don't you want to know the action Aster is taking regarding this case? I have information you can't know as a foreign student."
It seemed she would tell me information she heard at work.
Ixion was also gathering information for me, but at least I heard what she had because she did it out of the kindness of her heart.
"Is there any interesting information?"
"The kingdom demanded Aster hand over Derrick, who inflicted His Highness Liam with a curse. But they didn't comply and rejected the demand."
"The Herring Household is protecting Derrick?"
I thought it sounded strange, but Ellen murmured in response.
"Your relationship with your family must be good. You were raised in a warm home, weren't you?"
"Huh? No, my relationship with my brothers isn't that good..."
"Derrick, who caused all these problems, seemed to have planned to eliminate his older brother, who would be the next head, and become the head of the household himself. It seems the next head of the household was furious about that."
"... Unprotected."
Nobles who had their divine protection taken away would be despised as 'unprotected' in their homeland.
There were several reasons for that. One of them was that the sacred tree had turned its back on them.
I also heard that the descendant of someone who had their divine protection taken away could never obtain divine protection themselves.
In other words, Derrick's life as a noble was completely over.
He couldn't even be used for political marriage anymore.
I cornered him knowing that.
"Is he imprisoned? Or maybe he 'fell ill' or something?"
Ellen averted her eyes from me and began touching her curls.
"They said he attempted suicide to take responsibility. But considering how furious the next head is, he's likely imprisoned underground somewhere and is being tortured there."
"The nobles of Aster are cold to their own family."
"I think it's the same even in the kingdom."
Was this what they called the dark side of nobility? I didn't want to get involved in that at all.
"... Didn't you corner him like that knowing such a fate might be waiting for him?"
Ellen asked me that. I couldn't say I felt no guilt.
But everything was Derrick's responsibility.
"He reaped what he sowed. That's all there is to it. To begin with, after doing something like that to our stupid prince, I had to settle accounts with him. Derrick was the one who started it."
Ellen was also a noble's daughter. She seemed satisfied with my response.
"Good. If you said something like you didn't intend to go that far and you regretted it, then I'd have to slap you. Also, that would make you a boring man, which you are not."
If Airi were here, would she be angry?
Ellen gave me more information.
"Aside from that, the academy will also reopen without incident. All of you must continue your studies there as before. However, be very careful."
"Eeh~, am I the one who needs to be careful?"
"Of course you should. I'll return immediately to bring this information back to the kingdom, but someone else must be sent for the actual negotiation."
This was an international matter after all. If they were going to negotiate, they had to prepare the proper officials.
My previous negotiation with the Six Great Nobles in the end was just my personal negotiation.
Ellen stood up.
"I'm busy even though I seem free, so excuse me for now. Ah, that's right."
When I stood up to see her off, she handed me two letters.
"Respond to them properly. They were really worried, you know."
These were letters from Alisa and Airi.
◇
"Rudel-san, are you okay? Are you hurt or sick? Are you eating properly?"
Tears came to my eyes as I read the letter from Airi, who was worried about me. Alisa's letter was similar.
She wrote that if something happened to me in Aster, I should simply run away and return safely.
She was more worried about my safety than about honor. That was an unusual stance for a noble like her.
I carefully folded the letters and properly stored them inside the table drawer.
Ixion, who was watching me, seemed a little regretful.
"... My main body approached the supreme kingdom in case of an emergency. Currently, it's impossible to communicate using mail."
Ixion acted as a relay for exchanging mail while stationed at the midpoint between the kingdom and the supreme kingdom.
But currently, his main body had approached Aster, and mail exchange became impossible due to various factors like magical element density and such.
"I've come to understand it's something that can't be helped. When will you return your main body to its original position?"
"That depends on the situation. It's still on standby in Aster even now. There's also the repair and restocking of Schwert and Battler."
Currently, Ixion was in the middle of cleaning Schwert and Battler, which were dirtied with Derrick's decorations.
"I think I'll write another letter. I should send a souvenir too."
"That will be good."
I sat on the chair and looked at the ceiling. Then Ixion spoke to me.
"... Does Derrick's fate weigh on your mind, Master?"
"It was that guy's fault."
Everything he had done until now was happening to him now. That was all. I have no sympathy for him. But, it was the fact that I was the one who cornered him into that.
"Master, actually, there's one thing that's bothering me..."
Just as Ixion was about to say something, the room door opened abruptly, and Erselica entered with a shout.
"Brotherrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"
I narrowed my eyes at Erselica.
"At least knock before entering."
"It's fine. I have no interest in what you might be doing! Ah!? That's not it! A-Actually, there's a guest!"
"Again."
While wondering who it was this time, Erselica waved her hands while saying.
"It's Diana! Also, t-that girl... is a reincarnator!"
"... Eh?"
My eyes widened in surprise upon hearing we weren't the only reincarnators.
◇
Lucy was also there when I entered the reception room.
"Ah, Rudel."
It seemed they were talking about something, but it didn't seem like the topic of conversation was really pleasant.
Lucy's expression was clouded, while Diana was looking at me and Erselica.
She then opened her eyes wide when she noticed Ixion floating on my right shoulder.
She was clearly on guard and seemed to know about Ixion.
"Lucy, can you leave us to talk with your sister a bit?"
"I don't mind, but..."
Lucy looked at Diana. In response, Diana crossed her legs with a cheeky expression as if she were the head of the household.
"It's fine, sister. It seems my older sister has been in debt to you, and I also have many things to say to you."
Diana crossed her arms. It seemed Lucy didn't know what to say to her.
"Diana, don't say anything rude to them."
After Lucy left the room, Erselica looked alternately at my face and Diana's with a worried look.
I introduced myself.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Rud—."
"I know who you are."
I asked Diana directly.
"You're also a reincarnator?"
"That's right. I was reincarnated as the twin sister of the heroine of this part of the game. Even though I had my own plans, all of them are now ruined thanks to you."
"I apologize for that."
I sat on the sofa with Erselica following to sit beside me.
"If you know who I am, I'd like to tell you I'm not a threat. I'm not that 'Rudel' from the game. I am Rudel certainly, but because I woke up in this body. Its original owner had already passed away."
I proceeded to tell her everything that happened since I woke up. I didn't want another Erselica who wanted to destroy me.
"I understand. You must have had it difficult, no?"
"I want to cry after learning the truth."
"... Do you know that the Rudel from the game, after fleeing to the empire, is executed?"
That surprised me since I didn't know. I looked at Erselica, who hadn't told me that.
"In the final war event. A gift was sent to the kingdom; it was Rudel's head. It had a grotesque expression since he must have been tortured. After giving up information about the kingdom, they killed him."
"T-That's something that fortunately won't happen, hehehe."
Ixion looked at Diana.
"And what are you seeking to come here?"
Diana diverted her gaze from me to Ixion.
"So that's the first prototype of the cheat items, huh?"
"Wait. Are you saying there are more like Ixion?"
"Obviously. There were complaints about how unfair it was that there was only one cheat item available for a villain of the day and not for the players."
"What a garbage game."
In the kingdom, I had Bell, but she wasn't a big deal nor as important as Ixion.
Diana seemed displeased with my response. Still, she talked about the reason she came to our mansion.
"I ask that you return my older sister to me. Along with the sacred tree sapling, if possible."
The way she spoke was so unilateral that Erselica got irritated instead of me.
"Haa? Why do we have to follow your instructions? Besides, Lucy lives here of her own free will! No one is forcing her to stay!"
(I know part of that is a lie since she helps you cook.)
"The sacred tree sapling will wither if it's not in the hands of my older sister, who has the aptitude of a priestess! Don't you two even know that? The development from now on will go wrong if the sapling withers!"
That must be something Diana couldn't allow from where she stood.
It wasn't that I had a problem with her demand, but there was one thing that bothered me.
"Aptitude of a priestess? Wait a second, don't you also have that aptitude?"
Diana's wording bothered me, so I tried asking her. In response, her gaze towards me clearly became a ridiculing look.
"I don't have that aptitude. My older sister is the only one with the ability to become the priestess."
Erselica began to sweat coldly.
"Eh, wait. Wait a second. Aren't you two twins? It shouldn't be strange for you two to have the aptitude. You know, just like how you two have your pigtails to make it a fifty-fifty possibility?"
Diana said "Our hairstyle has nothing to do with that!" before talking about the priestess aptitude.
"Before the Vermillion Household was destroyed, my parents said my older sister is the only one with the aptitude of a priestess, while I have none."
I shuddered upon hearing that and turned my gaze to Ixion.
"Was there a mention in the document of the Six Great Nobles that the priestess is decided based on bloodline?"
Diana denied Ixion's information.
"My parents, the previous priestess, and the guardian said I don't have the aptitude. It's impossible for them to be mistaken. Besides, the priestess has the role of connecting the sacred tree with the people. The priestess said I don't have the aptitude, so obviously she is correct rather than some document somewhere."
Diana's assertion made Erselica and me hold our heads to the limit.
"It can't be. Our plan to make Diana the priestess and Lugh the guardian..."
"Ixion, you liiiiiiiarrrrrr!"
Diana looked at us with disgust.
"Do you understand how much I've prepared until now? My house was burned, and I was expelled when I was a child; after that, I worked hard to take care of my older sister until we reached the academy. I thought my older sister could finally become Liam's or Jude's lover, and the danger to the world would be avoided, and yet..."
She was saying things that caught my attention.
"Wait a second. Could it be that you were the one who made Jude go after Lucy?"
"That's right. The safest ending of the game focused on Jude. It's my older sister's fate to be with Jude."
The safest ending, also known as the most acclaimed ending by players, was that what you called the best ending? It seemed the best conclusion of this extra content was where Lucy and Jude got together.
But I threatened Jude, so that will never happen. That guy is no good for her.
I made a complicated expression. Seeing that, Diana said, "What? Do you have a complaint?"
"It's more of a question than a complaint. Lucy hates Jude, right?"
I asked Erselica to agree.
"Yes. I think Jude is the only one she wouldn't want to be with. Because she seems to really hate him. I've seen something like that before. It seems her hatred is already at a level that it's physiologically impossible for her to accept him. I think it's absolutely impossible for those two to become lovers."
If someone I liked told me something like "it's physiologically impossible for me to be with you," I wouldn't be able to stand up again for days.
Diana was also a woman, so she seemed to understand what Erselica was talking about.
"... B-But, in the game, my older sister and Jude were..."
Erselica looked at Diana with a face of understanding.
"In this world, we wouldn't have to go through hardships if things could progress like in the game. But this is our new 'real life,' so we shouldn't always think it's a game."
At Erselica's words, I wanted to say. "Are you seriously saying that!?"
She became a little sad.
"You've been through many hardships until now. Although the cause of your failure was because your goal was to kill me, and now you're the one with your head on the guillotine, and to top it off, you have a reverse harem of useless ones."
Erselica wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"Don't say it. I'm already regretting it. A little."
Then Diana said.
"Haa? It can't be? Don't tell me, you aimed for something like the reverse harem with the protagonist and main characters? Hahaha, how pathetic. I still remember when I read how the original game was going to be. Really, if it weren't for the RPG theme, I would have been disgusted even approaching it, and even more so with that cliché heroine, hahaha."
A vein appeared on my forehead.
"It really shows that her popularity as 'the innocent girl every man must protect' was something no one expected to be rejected and changed. I'm partly glad it's like that. Oh, that's right. Did you know that technically that girl's magical power is superior to Liam's? In contrast, Liam's magical power is only above average but still inferior compared to hers."
Hearing that irritated me for a moment, but then it made me curious.
Is Airi more important than Liam to have more magical power?
"Could that perhaps be because of the saint's story?"
Diana laughed while responding to me.
"Ah, who knows. I only remember that in the original otome game, that girl had a more important role. And that she also fought, and precisely your floating sphere was her partner."
I just heard something as unexpected as it was amazing.
"Was there really no explanation for the gender change?"
Airi was originally the protagonist of this world, but then they changed it to Liam. I understand they did it because the main capture target was the crown prince.
"I already said no. They just arbitrarily made that decision... perhaps it had to do with that other game the same developer was making?"
"Another game? Perhaps a sequel?"
We all stayed thoughtful for a moment.
This extra content arose from wanting to expand the game, but the romantic theme of boys falling for a girl is very rare. And even more so because it's Liam who does it or supervises the others who try.
"W-Wait, are you saying those lazy developers mixed in the removed parts from another otome game?"
The romance in this world is absurd, but it's not a strange idea to believe this bizarre world is based not only on an RPG game but also on an otome game.
God, how grotesque is this world I ended up in.
"Thinking about it won't solve anything. We should worry about the current situation."
Erselica, who was trembling, remembered what Diana had told her earlier.
"That's right. Shut up! If I'm happy choosing more than one boyfriend, it's not your problem! Besides, even you also set your sights on that smiling Lugh!"
"I sincerely chose a single person!"
"Hah! Sincerely, you say? You only chose him because you knew he was someone rich, handsome, and from a good family, right? It's ridiculous that you call it sincere."
As fellow women, they were able to guess what they were thinking mutually.
This ended up becoming a horrible exchange of insults.
"I'm still better than you, who aimed for the reverse harem with the main characters!"
"You were just reducing your target to one person, but what you did is basically the same as me!"
"Don't group me with you!"
The two were escalating and proceeded to start a catfight.
They grabbed each other's hair, pulled each other's clothes, and insulted each other.
What came to my mind while observing the state of the two was...
"Women who interfere with the main characters are pathetic."
"Look in the mirror when you talk."
Erselica and Diana finally ran out of breath and stopped their argument. Then I spoke again to get back on the right track.
"Well, in any case, all of us here wish to avoid the danger to the world. We should be able to work together."
Based on this conversation with Diana, it seemed she also wanted to avoid the danger to the world.
Then we reincarnators shouldn't fight among ourselves.
"What do you mean by working together? You crushed Derrick's event and separated my older sister from Jude."
I observed Diana arranging her hair and uniform while apologizing sincerely.
"I'm sorry. But it couldn't be helped since Derrick picked a fight with us. We also have our own position to think about. As for Jude, he's no good; he's emitting this dangerous vibe. We just say it's better not to choose him."
"Jude's desire to monopolize is a bit strong. That's also his charm. He'd calm down in the end if my older sister became his lover."
"A bit? That was a bit?" I really don't understand girls.
Diana complained to me.
"More importantly, it's a problem that you crushed Derrick's event! That event was really important, you know!? Besides, normally would you corner someone to that point!? I heard from Lugh that Derrick is now in a really bad situation!"
It seemed Diana saw the duel. She seemed horrified.
"It was Derrick's fault for fighting with me. Also, it's true I cornered him, but he was ruined by his own habitual bad actions. That's not my fault. To begin with, it's his fault for having been cornered."
"You're the worst."
Erselica stood up while Diana was looking at me.
"Still, Derrick doesn't have anything worthwhile to give him some sympathy? Well, just forget about him; you should work together with us from now on."
We could work together because both parties had the same goal.
Diana also seemed dissatisfied, but she might want our cooperation too since she accepted this talk.
"Anyway, return my older sister and hand over the sacred tree sapling to Aster. That's really important for the future of the game."
I took out the jar that had the small sapling. I had brought it with me because I thought it would be necessary in our discussion.
I placed it on the low table.
"You don't need to worry if it's about this; it's placed inside a special jar, so it won't wither for now— E-Eh?"
My right hand began to glow.
At the same time, it seemed the small sapling was also glowing.
"Brother, the back of your right hand!"
Erselica said that suddenly, so I looked at the back of my right hand. There, a kind of emblem was forming.
"What is this!? Hey, what is this!?"
Diana, who was watching me making a fuss, made a face as if she were seeing an incredible scene.
"W-Why!? Why is the 'guardian emblem' forming on this guy's hand!?"
Ixion spoke joyfully while watching us making a fuss.
"Oh, this thing has a keen eye. It seems the sacred tree sapling has considered the Master worthy as the guardian and chose him."
"MEEEEEEEEEE!?"
The small sapling chose me as its guardian even though the priestess hadn't been chosen yet.
Originally it should be Lucy, the heroine, who chooses the guardian among the conquest targets, but for some reason, it was the sapling itself that chose me.
There was a limit even to how unexpected a situation could be.
"I don't understand!? Not only has the priestess not been selected, but also no event has been successfully completed?"
Erselica trembled and then gave me a look; her mouth said something that sounds like some cliché without humor.
"... The protagonist's events, Liam's, could be progressing normally without us knowing."
"That's absurd, since Liam hasn't gotten together with Lucy in any..."
"... I wasn't talking about Liam, brother. I was talking about the true protagonist. The one who did things that Liam had to do."
A cold sweat ran down my body as I remembered several things.
I was the one who got engaged to Airi.
I was also the one who killed the Bloody Knight.
I was the one who was in the duel event with Derrick.
Hey, this isn't funny. This world's logic is supposed to treat me as a villain of the day, so it's absurd to think I'm Liam's replacement.
Don't fuck with me; this is no joke. I don't want to be the "protagonist" of this world.
I looked in panic at the emblem that formed on my hand.
"... Then, what will happen to me from now on!?"
◇◇◇
At the academy of the Kingdom of Altfode.
Airi and Alisa were having tea with grave expressions.
Bell was floating near the two.
"That imbecile Ixion still isn't in contact."
Airi, who prayed for Rudel's safety from here, looked down worriedly.
"Do you think our letters have reached Rudel-san?"
Alisa was drinking her tea calmly, but she also felt worried inside.
"Despite her appearance, Eleonora is a woman who keeps her promise. She'll deliver our letters without fail."
However, that was only if the situation was one where the letters could be delivered.
The two didn't know how Rudel was at the moment, in this situation where there was no information coming from Aster.
They wished they could quickly head to Aster personally, but they were ordered to stay because the situation there was unknown.
"She should arrive in Aster around this time."
They could exchange letters frequently due to Ixion, but normally obtaining information would take a long time as now.
Bell consoled the two worried girls.
"He'll be fine. The Master is someone tenacious, and I don't think there's an enemy there who can defeat Ixion. Surely they're busy dealing with some troublesome matters."
Airi nodded her head.
"I hope that's the case."
Alisa sighed slightly.
"But that guy is reckless sometimes. Still, what the hell is going on in the supreme kingdom?"
Bell showed his motivation after seeing the two worry like that.
"I understand. Then I'll try to investigate a little."
Airi lifted her face.
"Can you do that, Bell-chan?"
"Leave it to me. I've sent a transmitter for communications. Although its performance isn't good, and Ixion won't like it, so it'll be more like hacking."
Alisa threw away the composure she had maintained until now and took up that offer.
"I don't care how you do it! Do it immediately if you can check how Rudel is doing right now."
"However, I'll only be able to obtain fragmentary information."
"I don't care about that. If Rudel is safe, then..."
Alisa put her hands on her chest and prayed for Rudel's safety. After seeing how anxious Alisa was, Bell performed unauthorized access to Schwartz, Ixion's main body.
Bell's green lens emitted a blue glow.
"Then, I'll investigate a bit. Emm~, the position of Ixion's main body at the moment is..."
Airi joined her hands in a gesture of prayer.
"Rudel-san, I hope you are safe."
Alisa hugged Airi's shoulder on one side.
"He'll be fine. Rudel is strong after all. There's nothing in the world that can defeat him."
Then—
"Hyaaaa!"
Bell let out a strange voice.
Airi stood up.
"Bell-chan, what's wrong?"
Alisa grabbed Bell with both hands.
Her eyes were very serious.
What happened!? Is Rudel safe? Answer quickly, you piece of junk!"
Bell told the two the information he had gathered.
"About that... I managed to obtain Ixion's log. I could only obtain completely trivial information."
"A-And!?"
Airi asked Bell to continue. Bell seemed really hesitant to answer.
It made the two even more anxious.
"Well. I was able to confirm the Master's safety. It seems Ixion is also properly by the Master's side. Ah, Erselica-chan and the others are also safe."
Alisa and Airi took each other's hands with palms pressed.
They pressed their bodies, and their very grown, large breasts squished against each other. They looked like two pairs of water balloons pressing against each other about to burst.
"I see, so Rudel is safe!"
"That's great, Alisa!"
They didn't ask about Erselica and the others at all. They simply felt relieved hearing Rudel was safe.
The two were smiling cheerfully, but—
"B-But, you see. Well... the place where the Master is staying at the moment... is the same place where Erselica and the others live."
A shadow appeared on the two's smiles as they stopped jumping for joy.
Airi worried about Alisa.
"... Alisa, surely there's a reason why they live together."
Alisa's cheeks twisted.
"You're right, there must be a reason. Perhaps the official there couldn't obtain a place for Rudel to live separately. That must be the reason. That must be so. If not, Rudel staying in the same house with that woman is just—."
And then Bell told the two about another piece of information he obtained from the words in the log that Ixion murmured.
"The information I obtained is varied and fragmentary, so it doesn't form a clear picture, but I managed to catch some words Ixion murmured. Let's see here, he once murmured..."
"This is what they call caught in the act of infidelity."
"... Eh?"
Bell, after saying that, was observed by Alisa and Airi.
Their faces were expressionless, the light in their eyes disappeared, and a black background showed in them.
_________________________________________
End of Volume 4.
Supreme Kingdom of Aster Introduction Arc completed.