Chapter I: Before the Wedding “This should be it for the invites...” “Very well, I shall send them through the Gate Mirrors at once. Those with local addresses will be distributed by the knights.” “Thanks a bunch.” Laim, the butler, bowed after taking a huge bundle of stamped wedding invitations from me. My shoulder hurt like hell. It was the first time in my life I’d used my official wax seal so much in one sitting. Wedding invitations were a lot more difficult than mass emails, that much was for sure. The original plan was to get confirmation of attendants, then use [Gate] to bring them all to Brunhild on the day of the wedding. But fortunately, Granny Tokie decided to take that burden off my hands. She was definitely better than me when it came to Space-time alteration, so it was a major relief that she’d offered to help out. I took out my smartphone and pulled up the to-do list. “Now all that’s left is... the souvenirs...” In this world, there wasn’t any tradition of giving wedding gifts, but some wedding parties prepared souvenirs to give away to the guests as they prepared to leave. That kind of practice existed back in Japan as well, but it wasn’t particularly common. I wasn’t sure what to hand out as the wedding souvenir, though. I briefly considered collectible mugs or plates with our faces on them, but I didn’t know if that would be well-received. “Hmm... Let’s see... Maybe I can get some ideas online...?” I browsed online until I came across some gift catalogs. And I suddenly cooked up a bright idea as I gazed at it. If I showed the Page | 12 catalogs to our guests, I could just have them individually choose the kinds of souvenirs they wanted. Still, most of our guests were nobility, so I wasn’t entirely sure if they’d want to pick out ordinary things like tableware, bags, and stuff like that. That was why I decided to come up with my own catalog with interesting and exotic items. A massage chair seemed like a good idea, and unusual foodstuffs seemed smart as well... Hmm... Maybe instant curry pouches? Eh... I’m not so sure that’s the best idea. Maybe weapons or armor would be good. Oh, how about a magic-boosting accessory or something? I’m sure people would jump at the chance to get their hands on an artifact of some sort. The possibilities were truly endless. “Man, I could use a change of scenery...” I put my phone back in my pocket and left the room. A little walk around the castle felt nice from time to time. I had a few duties to attend to, but nothing urgent. I was blessed to have plenty of capable subordinates who kept things running smoothly. I walked through the halls, smiling at the maids who busied themselves sweeping. Eventually, I made my way out to the training grounds. Everyone appeared hard at work. They all quietly clashed against each other with wooden swords, honing their skills. I was pretty impressed by how well-built most of them had become. “Hm?” By the side of the training grounds, sitting on a bench, was a girl staring toward the sky. It was Elze. She was sitting idly, a water bottle and her gauntlets by her side. I wondered if she was taking a break or something. She hadn’t noticed me, so I slowly crept up on her in an attempt to surprise her. Page | 13 I positioned myself behind her before reaching forward and covering her eyes with my hands. “Guess wh—? AUGH?!” “Whuh?! T-Touya?!” Elze struck me on reflex, making a loud cracking sound ring out. It felt like she’d busted my nose! “S-Sorry! I-I didn’t mean to do that!” “I-It’s okay... That was my bad...” I should’ve known better than to expect anything else from Elze. She wasn’t the kind of girl who’d react to something so playful with anything less than a strike to the schnozz. Holy crap, I’m bleeding... She made me bleed a ton! Elze is probably stronger than any bad guy I’ve faced so far at this point... “Come forth, Light! Soothing Comfort: [Cure Heal].” I had to use magic on my face to heal myself, which I honestly didn’t ever think I’d have to do. I made a mental note to never surprise Elze ever again. “A-Ah, good... The bleeding stopped. Sorry again...” “Nah, don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have tried to spook you. How come you were all spaced out, anyway?” “Oh, well... It’s just... I thought about how we’re getting married, and then I kinda freaked out...” Elze let out a sigh, laughing softly as I sat down next to her. W-Wait, are these the pre-wedding blues I’ve heard so much about?! Sometimes a person can get nervous about their impending marriage, which turns into cold feet about the whole thing... In some cases, people even call it off! Wh-Wh-What should I do?! Does she want to cancel the wedding?! Page | 14 “D-Do you have anxieties or something?” “Anxieties? Yeah. A ton.” A ton?! A cold sweat broke out along my brow. “I’m just thinking about how I’m gonna be a grand duchess, y’know? I’ll have a bunch of social responsibilities and stuff. Plus, if I have a kid, they’ll be a prince or a princess... so I gotta make sure they’re raised proper and all. Whenever I think about that, I get really anxious. I’m not sure if I’m up to that, y’know?” “You dummy.” “Owie!” I lightly chopped Elze’s head, which made her let out a little yelp. “You’re thinking too hard. You don’t need to change when you’re royalty. I’m the grand duke, yeah? But I’m still me. So you can still be you, Elze. You won’t be raising any kids alone, either. You have me and the other girls by your side. It’s all gonna be just fine, I can feel it. I promise you that. I want to make you happy, and I’m sure I will. We’ll live as a happy family. Hell, all kinds of gods have already given us their blessing.” Elze pouted a little as she rubbed her head, but my words gradually made her smile. “Hehehe... Is that right? I guess if you bring the gods into it, that’s a bit more of a relief. A little unfair of you to use that, though... Nobody else can call on gods for help like you.” If it helped soothe Elze’s anxiety even a little, I was willing to be as unfair as humanly possible. After all, I wanted to see Elze wearing a big smile on her face, no matter what came our way. That smile of hers was one of the reasons I could soldier on in a new world. Page | 15 “Don’t worry about this kind of thing on your own, okay? We’ll be together for the rest of our lives, so start relying on me some more.” “You’re right. Thanks for letting me vent. I know we’re in this together, so I won’t let my fears get the better of me.” Elze stood up from the bench and did a few warm-up stretches. Then, she turned around and gave me that big beaming smile I loved so much. “Thank you, Touya.” “It’s a husband’s job to listen to his wife’s problems. I just hope I helped.” “W-Wife?! G-Geez, Touya... We’re not even married yet... Ehehe...” Elze’s face turned beet red, which prompted her to turn on her heel and head back toward the training grounds. Maybe I got a little carried away, but she was a lot of fun to tease. So long as she wasn’t mad, that was fine by me. “Wait, crap... I should’ve asked her for wedding souvenir ideas.” “Hm? Touya-dono? Are you sunbathing, are you?” As I sat back on the bench, Yae and Hilde suddenly approached me. Based on their wooden swords, I presumed they’d been training together. I was honestly glad about how well they got along. Given that Elze had some anxieties, I decided to ask them if they were worried at all. “Anxieties, huh...?” “Umm... I wonder, I do...” The two of them turned to each other, as if deep in thought. Frankly, I’d have been more than happy if they didn’t have any immediate concerns. Page | 16 They spent a few moments thinking. Then, Yae finally nodded in my direction. “There is one thing bothering me, there is.” “Hm? What’s that?” “The food at the wedding ceremony... Is it true that I must refrain from eating large portions, is it?” Well... that’s definitely a Yae anxiety. Hilde also spoke up, though much more quietly. “I-I, um... If I get pregnant... I won’t be able to train so severely, will I...? I-I don’t want to gain weight...” Wow. Someone’s planning ahead. It’s true that I don’t want her to overdo it while she’s pregnant, though... I was pleased to hear that Yae and Hilde didn’t have any deepseated fears like Elze did, to be honest. “Why did you think we’d have anxieties?” “Well, I think it’s normal to mull things over before you get married. It’s a big step in life, isn’t it? So it’s only natural it might put things in perspective.” “I think marriage is a big step, but it’s also a partnership. There’ll surely be problems that come our way, but the strength of our bond will allow us to overcome everything together.” “Y-Yeah, you’re right...” Hilde’s words burned bright with determination. She was the kind of girl who really shined when it came to tough situations, so it wasn’t too surprising that she wasn’t getting hung up on the small stuff. “I believe in us all, I do. I think that we can accomplish anything together, we can.” Page | 17 Yae felt exactly the same way. She believed in harmony and put it above all else. In her mind, we were probably already a big family, so the wedding was just a means of making things formal in the eyes of the law. That easygoing nature was one of the things I liked the most about her. I wondered about how Linze was feeling, though. She was similar to Elze in quite a few ways, after all. “Hm? Linze?” “Linze-dono has been spending time with Tokie-dono, she has.” That made sense. If I recalled correctly, they’d been knitting together on the balcony lately. I didn’t want to hold up Yae and Hilde’s training any longer, so I activated [Teleport] and landed on the balcony outside our main sitting room. Linze was there, sitting on a chair, knitting and singing to herself. In fact, she was so focused on her knitting that she hadn’t even realized I was there. She displayed some rather impressive concentration, really. The image of her was so enthralling that I couldn’t help but stare at her for a while. Working so dutifully brought out her natural beauty. “Huh...? Touya? When did you get here?” “Oh, sorry. You seemed really focused, so I didn’t want to interrupt you.” Linze seemed to notice how captivated I’d become, so I gave her a vague enough answer. Then, I sat down at the table, looking over at Linze. She tilted her head in confusion. “Is something wrong?” Page | 18 “Well, it’s not a big deal. I was just wondering...” I outright asked her if she had any anxieties about the wedding. It was wrong of me to say it wasn’t a big deal, since I had no idea how she was feeling. “Anxieties, hm? I’d say I have a few, but I think my excitement is outweighing it.” “You’re excited?” “I am. We’ll finally become a proper family. Once we have our children, we’ll make many memories with them, too... I’m really excited for that future.” It seemed like Linze was more hopeful than nervous. “But where’d this come from all of a sudden...? Oh, I see... Was it my sister?” “Huh? How’d you know...?” “Well, it’s Elze, you know? She’s been busy, but I’m sure she’s been thinking hard. That said, I bet once her anxieties are settled, she’ll be firmly okay about all of this.” Linze really had a solid grasp on how her sister worked. It was quite amazing. I glanced at the table in front of me, looking at the pile of stuff atop it. “Ah, these? They’re a hat and some leg warmers... among other things.” I picked up the hat on the table. It was made of soft yarn and, judging by the size, was perfect for a baby. There were rompers, socks, bibs, and other baby clothes as well. “There’s enough for nine.” “W-Wait... Isn’t it a little soon to be making these?!” Page | 19 “Better safe than sorry, no?” C-C’mon, Linze... We haven’t even done... y-you know... that yet... Plus, I’m sure you won’t all get pregnant at the same time! It felt like Linze had already gotten past the wife stage and had made peace with being a mother. Given her current lack of children, I didn’t know whether to be amazed or concerned about her extreme maternal instinct. Still, she seemed happy, which was more than enough for me. Oh, right. I can ask Linze about the souvenirs. “Hmm... Things for our guests? Desserts, maybe?” Desserts... That’s a little plain, but it could work. People would probably enjoy being sent home with some cakes or something. “Any other ideas?” “Hmm... Sue’s staying over tonight, right? Why don’t you ask everyone during the sleepover?” Linze clasped her hands together as she spoke, presenting what seemed like a decent idea. I had slowly gotten used to the idea of them sleeping in the same room as me, but I still often ended up sleeping on the couch when they came over. I had a feeling I’d keep doing it until they forced me to stay in the bed with them... That was a little bit spineless of me, but I’d been making steps in my own way. For example, I’d recently gotten to the point where I could give them all goodnight kisses. Either way, getting everyone’s input about the wedding souvenir catalog seemed like a solid plan. I just wondered how many options to provide. Wedding ceremonies were no picnic, honestly. I’d been extremely busy, and I hadn’t had a single moment to relax. “Why not include some basic magic artifacts? You could create music boxes or something.” Page | 20 “Oh, yeah. Nice idea.” Leen, clad in her black pajamas, gave a suggestion. Music players would probably be popular with the nobles. Though some nobles had their own personal orchestras, so maybe they wouldn’t want it. Regardless, I set it down in my notes. We were discussing the situation atop our giant bed. Kohaku, Sango and Kokuyou, Kougyoku, Luli, and Albus were there too. They were sitting on the floor, playing a board game I’d put together for them. Mr. Mittens wasn’t there, however. He was hanging out with Sakura’s mother. “Wh—? Luli! I wanted to buy that property, you wretch!” “First come, first served. It’s not my fault that I landed on it. I think I’ll buy a house for this spot, too...” They were playing a board game where you traded properties, built houses on certain spots, and built hotels as well. It was quite a popular game. I decided to put it on the souvenir list after watching them have a good time. Apparently, Sue was feeling a little bit homesick, giving her similar anxiety to Elze when she thought about her upcoming marriage. When the time came for her to live with me, she’d be separated from her parents, her little brother, and her faithful butler, Leim. I already told her she could go home through the portal in the castle any time she wanted, so that at least alleviated some of her concerns. “We’ll be starting a new family together, so at least I won’t be lonely...” Sue said, trying to be brave even though I could tell she was going to miss everyone at the Ortlinde estate. I gave her a big hug, quietly vowing to make sure she always felt loved. Personally, I felt sorry for Duke Ortlinde, since he had to watch his daughter leave him. Page | 21 “If it were me getting a wedding souvenir, I’d want a cooking set.” “Isn’t that something more for a castle chef, though?” Lu and Yumina chattered away with each other. It was true that most of the nobles we’d invited would hardly want to take cooking equipment back with them, but we weren’t just inviting highborn people. There were plenty of commoners like Micah, Dolan, Barral, and Aer. I had a feeling they’d get a lot of use out of some fancy home gear, so I decided to throw some more practical stuff on to the souvenir list as well. “So, what kind of things are on that list?” “Hm? Wanna see?” I projected the current catalog into the air. A second later, Yae and Lu found themselves drawn to the holographic images of various fancy-looking meals. “Ooh... I want to eat that meaty dish, I do...” “I’d love to try making it!” “We’ll get to try it when we go over to that world, just be patient.” I’d received permission from God Almighty to take the girls to Earth on a sightseeing trip after the wedding. We spent the rest of the night picking out various items for the wedding souvenir catalog... Frankly, it wasn’t the most sensual of activities to do with one’s brides-to-be. I probably could have been a little more aggressive, if I’d only had the guts... ◇ ◇ ◇ Page | 22 I’d finally put together the catalog. I printed it off with [Drawing], then bound it into a book thanks to the workshop. People could select what they wanted, mark it off on a postcard, and then forward it to Brunhild. The list was separated into three sections named A, B, and C. Honestly, the only thing that divided the sections was the price, but I didn’t really worry too hard about that, since I was making most of the gifts myself anyway. I didn’t want any reselling of the goods going on, so I also made sure to uniquely identify each item with a serial code. That said, I didn’t expect any of my guests to actually do that. It was now a week away from the wedding, and we’d just about finished the preparations. I was hanging around Brunhild like normal, while my fiancees had returned to their respective homes before the wedding. Elze and Linze had gone back to their aunt and uncle’s farm in Refreese. Yae went back to her father’s dojo in Oedo, and Yumina had returned to Belfast Castle. Sue had headed off to the Ortlinde Estate, while Lu and Hilde respectively returned to the royal courts of Regulus and Lestia. Sakura had moved over to Xenoahs with her mother, where they’d be staying with Spica. That was the house she’d grown up in, after all... I had a feeling her father would batter the door down once he realized she was there, though. Leen had gone back home to Mismede, though obviously she wasn’t visiting her parents. Paula had accompanied her, of course. I hoped that the girls enjoyed the last week of their single lives along with their families. Though honestly, it bothered me a bit. Once everyone left... the place felt all too quiet. Loneliness started creeping in around breakfast time. Page | 23 Takeru and Moroha got up early to train, while Kousuke got up early to plow the fields. Karina went out in the early hours for her daily hunt, and neither Karen nor Suika had gotten out of bed. The gods in my immediate vicinity just did whatever they wanted, like always. Sousuke was at the breakfast table... but he never spoke a word. He was playing Morning Mood by Edvard Grieg, but he didn’t talk to me or anything. Frankly, I was just amazed by how well he could eat his breakfast while playing the violin. Out of all the gods, only Granny Tokie made sure to spend time with me every day. Most days she just sat outside on the balcony, knitting away at the fabric of reality. Though sometimes she got up to speak with the maids or take a walk into the castle town. She acted like everyone’s grandmother at that point. It amazed me that she got along with everyone she met. I wondered if it was her divinity coming into play. After I finished breakfast, I found myself getting a touch bored. I’d been given a break from my administrative duties. My vacation started one week before the wedding and ended right after the honeymoon, so I had nothing to do at all. “Kohaku... I’m bored.” “Better bored than in trouble, no?” She raised a fair point. I slumped down on the couch, lifted Kohaku up, and started petting her on the head. I kind of felt like an old man. The image of an old man sitting alongside his cat as the sunset flashed through my mind. Frankly, it felt a little concerning. Surely I wasn’t that old yet! I decided that the best course of action was to leave the castle and get some fresh air. Holding Kohaku in my arms, I activated [Teleport]. The two of us immediately found ourselves behind Brunhild’s guild building. It was Page | 24 a very popular place that typically bustled with adventurers trying to prove their worth. The adventurers hadn’t quite noticed my sudden appearance, so I slipped on a hood and entered the building. The place looked as lively as ever. Unlike Belfast and Regulus, there weren’t many magical beasts in Brunhild’s territory. And so, most of the adventurers visited to go dungeon diving on the islands Brunhild was connected to. Unfortunately, just dungeon diving alone wasn’t a great way of increasing one’s rank. Completing quests and helping out the guild was the fastest way to climb upward. If you did enough, you could get up to the veteran blue rank in no time at all. Dungeon diving, on the other hand, wasn’t really quest-related. It was just killing monsters and looking for loot. Since it wasn’t a formal guild task, it didn’t really help you rise up within their system. The real incentive to go looting in the dungeons was the rare items and monsters you could find down there. If you brought back some good stuff, you could make some serious cash. Sure, you could take the ‘collect X resources’ quests from the guild, but then you’d be a bit limited in your search. You’d also suffer penalties if you failed the quest or didn’t do it in time. That was why it was often considered better from a financial standpoint to just cut the guild out and sell the materials on the market yourself. And the guild itself had a counter for buying those materials, so they still won in the end. Regardless, Brunhild’s guild was more geared toward lowerranked fortune-seekers than high-ranked quest-takers. It was a place for people who wanted an adventure without necessarily caring about their ranking. Page | 25 Due to how busy it got, there were three separate reception desks in the building. I’d been here many times, so I headed to the desk I typically used. “Welcome to the Brunhild branch of the adventurer’s guild. How can I help—? Oh!” Misha, the catwoman receptionist, formed a slightly awkward smile when she noticed Kohaku at my feet and realized who I was. It wasn’t all that welcoming, for some reason. “Sorry to bother you. Is Relisha in?” “Oh, the guildmaster’s upstairs. Please wait a moment. I’ll check if she’s occupied.” Misha suddenly stood up and shuffled up the stairs by the counter. I felt a bit bad. I should’ve just called ahead. After a short while, Misha came scampering back down. “Thanks for waiting. Please go ahead.” “Thanks... Sorry again for getting in your way.” I bowed my head to Misha and continued up the stairs. After I got to the top, I made my way down the hallway on the second floor until I reached Relisha’s room. “Good to see you, Your Highness.” Relisha, the guildmaster, motioned for me to sit on the couch facing her. She was an elf, so she was a natural beauty... but something about her was seriously intimidating. “Thanks for the invitation to your wedding, by the way. I’ll certainly be able to attend on behalf of the guild. Did you have any business here today, though?” “Oh, well... Uhhh...” Page | 26 I could only murmur a bit in response. It was hard for me to take up Relisha’s time, since I knew she always had a lot on her plate. “Well, I was wondering about the academy. Have there been any issues?” “Nope, all’s fine there. Most newbies take the two-week course, then pass their exams with no problems. The really promising newcomers get sorted into higher ranks come the end, so we’ve got a steady supply of people clearing the low and mid-level quests.” “What about high-level quests? Who’s handling those?” “Ende and Norn, along with Nia and her Red Cat friends. They’ve been handling strong dungeon monsters quite a lot lately.” Huh... I had no idea they’d gotten so tough. “Ende’s a silver-rank, so he’s getting by fine with the quests. Norn and Nia are red-rank as well.” “Wait, what?! Ende’s at silver already?!” “That’s right. He recently took care of a group of minotaurs that appeared near the dungeon entrance.” I had no idea... I’d typically left dungeon affairs to the guild, so I hadn’t bothered checking up on individual rankings. Still, that was interesting. Given that Ende could fight Behemoths in his Dragoon, I had a feeling he’d rise to gold sooner or later. Norn and Nia were at red-rank, too. That was probably good, to be honest. They’d be able to take care of issues that might have otherwise fallen to me. I chatted with Relisha for a while longer before leaving the guild. Hmm... Where to next? I wandered around until I found myself at the school grounds. Page | 27 Fiana and Sakura were back in Xenoahs, so I dropped in to see if they needed a hand anywhere. When I got there, I saw something that I found a little hard to believe. The kids were playing in the yard, some on the slide and others in the jungle gym. But that wasn’t the issue. The sight I couldn’t quite process was the cheery, glasses-wearing girl and her purple Gollem companion who were entertaining the kids. “Oh, Tou! Long time no see.” “Beep.” “What, uh...? What are you guys doing here?” It was Luna Trieste and her Gollem, Viola. I’d already messed with her by using a curse, so she should’ve been free to live normally. “Hm? I’m a teacher.” “You’re a what?!” Luna’s words made primal dread well up in me from the pits of my stomach. Her? A teacher?! “Hm, are you okay? Did you come to see the children?” How’d this happen? I was so shocked that I immediately sought out the two teachers who’d been put in charge while Fiana was away. They were a human woman named Miette and an elf man named Leisale. Fiana had hired them to keep an eye on the kids and help her in class. According to them, Luna had wandered over one day and started to play with the kids. Apparently, the kids took such a shine to her that they wanted her to help out in the classrooms, so Fiana ended up hiring her as an assistant. And from there, she eventually became a teacher in her own right. Page | 28 I had heard from Kousaka that the school was hiring staff, since it was state-run and all... but I didn’t realize it was her of all people. “But why are you working here?” “Kids are sweet, aren’t they? They’re so pure with their feelings. An adult might say thank you, but if a child thanks you, then it’s always from the bottom of their hearts. Whenever one of these kids thanks me, I get a lovely tingle of joy shooting through me... Ehehe... Ehehehehe... It feels... so good... I might have finally found my life’s calling.” Luna grinned madly, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. The curse I’d placed on her made her feel pleasure whenever she was appreciated, but apparently she’d learned to exploit that system for a hit of the good stuff whenever she felt like it... “Are you sure she’s a good fit for this job? Isn’t she a bad influence?” “Ahaha... She’s a little quirky, but she seems to have a good work ethic. Plus, Viola helps a lot with heavy lifting,” Leisale, the elf, smiled softly as he spoke. Luna probably knew that if the gratitude wasn’t genuine, she wouldn’t get her hit of pleasure, so at the very least she was working hard. “Ms. Lunaaaaaa... Let’s play!” “Hey, Viowa... Let’s pway. Ms. Luna, c’mon...” “Let’s make a sandcastle, yay!” The kids started toddling over, surrounding Luna and Viola in seconds. They really seemed to like her... I guess they were oblivious to her perversions. “Okay, kids! Let’s build the bestest sandcastle ever!” “Yay! Thanks, Ms. Luna!” Page | 29 “Thank you!” “Mfh!” Luna turned away from the children, hiding her pleasurestricken face. She looked disgusting, frankly... Well, at least she had the good sense not to show the kids. “A-Ah... A-Anyway! Let’s get to the sandbox!” “Yeah! You too, Viola!” “Beep.” The kids dragged Luna and Viola over to the sandbox... Luna was practically bow-legged as she walked. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the whole situation. “We always teach the kids to say thanks. It’s an important life lesson.” “...Yeah, I guess... Though I wonder if that’s a good thing in her case...” I personally felt like thank you, sorry, and I love you were the three most difficult phrases to get right in terms of timing. If you put off saying any of those things, then you wouldn’t get far in life. I had a feeling teaching the kids to be open with their gratitude was a good thing, but Luna deriving so much pleasure from it was also a little... weird. Either way, so long as Luna stayed true to her need for pleasure, I was sure she’d do a fine job teaching the kids. I couldn’t believe she was the same frenzied mistress that was feared throughout the Reverse World. For better or worse, she was a reformed person now... probably. Looks like they don’t need much help here. Better head somewhere else. Page | 30 It was about time for lunch, so I decided to head to the Silver Moon. I hadn’t been there in a while. When I got there, the dining room was packed, which wasn’t a surprise. The food was as delicious as it was cheap. “My liege, one of our knights is over there.” “Hm?” Kohaku made me glance over at a nearby table, and I saw Lanz eating there. It made sense, given his feelings for Micah. He wasn’t wearing armor, so he was probably off-duty. The seat opposite him was empty, so I decided to take it. “Mm? Ah... Y-Your High—” “Shh! Don’t mind me, I just came here for some food.” Lanz almost gave my identity away, but I managed to stop him in time. “Welcome! How might I take your ord— Ah?” “Shh!” Micah appeared, and I had to stop her from exclaiming as well. I was a little surprised by her sudden appearance. I’d have expected her to be back in the kitchen. “I’m on waitress duty because Dad’s helping me out. He’s been staying here in preparation for the wedding, so I’m having him work in the kitchen to pay his keep.” “You’re charging your dad?” “Of course! Business is business. Even if he’s my dad, he’s a customer first.” ...Damn. Sure, he gets a free stay, but is it really free if he has to work for it? I feel bad for the guy. Page | 31 “It’s not just Dad, either. There’s a small group from Reflet working for their keep. Barral and Simon are among them.” There’s still a week until the wedding. Are their stores back in Reflet gonna be okay if they leave them unattended for that long? “So, what do you want?” “Oh, I’ll just have today’s special. Same for Kohaku.” “Gotcha.” Micah set down a jug of water before walking back to the kitchen. I gulped down the water, keeping a close eye on Lanz as he watched Micah walking away. “...Still haven’t told her how you feel, huh?” “Wh-Wh-What?! Huh?!” Lanz froze up, then started shoveling food into his mouth. It was pretty funny to see him get so flustered. Lestian men were pretty earnest and pure-hearted... Well, not that perverted former king, really. But most of them. “It’s pretty easy to tell, man. Why not just confess already?” “Well, Ms. Karen told me to go about it properly...” That made sense, but he still needed to act. The issue was that he didn’t know her very well. It was one thing to just sit in the inn at lunch, but he needed to make an effort with her. Though I couldn’t really talk, since I wasn’t all that assertive myself. “I’m sure her father, Dolan, knows about my feelings... Sometimes I can feel him glaring at me...” Leave him alone, old man... Wait, hold on... In war, if you want to take out the general... it’s best to target the horse he’s riding. “Lanz, do you play shogi?” Page | 32 “Ah, yes. I often play it with the other knights in our quarters. It’s quite good for tactical training! Why do you ask?” “We’re going to take out the horse.” “...What?” A grin formed on my face as my plan started coming together. Lunch had passed, and the dining hall was now sparsely populated. Lanz and I remained at our table, playing shogi together. After a couple of games, I realized that he was quite a talented player. In fact, he was clearly beyond my skill level. It got to the point where I had to start cheating. 《My liege... Move that piece...》 《Got it...》 Kohaku telepathically communicated instructions to me. She was looking at a shogi tips app on my phone, which I could glance at through our shared vision. That app was actually how Lanz had gotten so good, apparently. He played against the AI a lot. “Hmm...” Lanz, who didn’t know I was cheating, pondered his next move. The app was pretty high-level, so I knew it’d be enough to stump him. I glanced over to the kitchen and noticed that Dolan was watching us. Like a moth to a flame, he gradually made his way to the side of the table and began to spectate. All according to plan. “That’s check!” “...Damn, you got me...” Page | 33 Lanz managed to win despite my cheating. He was pretty damn impressive, all things considered. “Hmph... You got better all of a sudden, Your Highness...” “Oh, uh... I was just testing you at first, that’s all. Going easy on you as a warm-up!” Lanz almost caught me, but I managed to talk him out of the situation. Honestly, I wasn’t very good at shogi, but I was trying to lure a certain old man out, so that was fine. “You’re pretty good, Lanz. Quite the up-and-comer for our knight order. Hey, Dolan. Wanna play him?” “Huh? What?!” Lanz looked to his side, noticed Dolan was there, and suddenly stiffened up in shock. He must have been so focused on the game that he’d failed to register his surroundings. “Interestin’... Been a while since I’ve seen someone who can play like that. You good to spend some time playin’ me, lad?” “Oh, uh... Y-Yes sir! It’s my day off!” “Alrighty then. Let’s go a round or two.” I gave up my seat to Dolan, and Kohaku came out from under the table with my phone in her mouth. Micah was in the middle of wiping down some tables, so I walked over to her. “...Dad’s indulging in his habits again, huh? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tempt him like that, you know?” “He’s just having a little fun. By the way, Micah... what do you think of Lanz?”

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