Chapter 127. Lion of the Coalition Forces (2)
Adrian’s shocking declaration that he would refuse to inherit the title of Count—
Seraphia desperately tried to persuade him. But Adrian’s resolve remained firm.
Seeing Adrian’s unwavering expression suddenly reminded Seraphia of something.
When had it been?
It was a conversation she had shared with Adrian over a meal long ago.
—I have no intention of becoming the head of House White Wolf. I have even less intention of becoming the ruler of the County.
—Is it….because of me?
—That’s right.
Adrian hadn’t bothered to deny it. He hadn’t even appeared interested in doing so.
Back then, she had truly felt devastated.
—Then why did you return to the family? If you have no intention of becoming the family head or the ruler of the County, then why—
—......
—I have something I must do.
—Something….you must do?
—....Once you finish what you must do, will you leave the family?
—Once my work is finished, you and I will never meet again, one way or another.
She didn’t know what that task was. Adrian hadn’t seemed willing to tell her.
But it meant that he would remain with the family until it was completed. She had resolved to change Adrian’s mind before then. She had sworn that she would make him stay with the family.
Again and again, she had promised herself that she would never give up.
But—
“I will not inherit the title of Count.”
....Apparently, she had failed.
Adrian had completed his task, but Seraphia had failed to change his mind. In the end, she had failed to become Adrian’s little sister.
That was why Adrian now intended to leave the family.
Seraphia swallowed her breath.
“I will! I’ll work even harder! I’ll study and work harder than I do now! I’ll do anything!”
She tightly clenched both fists.
“You don’t have to handle any of the family’s affairs! I’ll take care of everything related to governing the territory! I’m hopelessly inadequate compared to you, but....”
Her voice gradually became choked with emotion.
“I might not be able to help you….but at the very least, I won’t hold you back.”
Her eyes turned red.
“So...! So, please...!!”
Please don’t leave.
The final words caught in her throat. She couldn’t force out another sound.
She felt as though she would burst into tears if she opened her mouth even slightly.
She was afraid Adrian would hate her for whining. That he would think she was behaving like a child, complaining, and acting pathetically.
And then—
She was afraid that she truly would never see Adrian again.
Seraphia somehow swallowed back her sobs. She tightly bit her trembling lip.
But the tears gathered in her eyes threatened to spill out on their own.
Seraphia lowered her head.
At that moment—
“I’m not leaving.”
“Huh?”
“That’s right.”
Seraphia cautiously raised her head. The rims of her eyes were completely red.
“You’re….not leaving the family?”
* * *
I didn’t know what she had been imagining alone, but I had no intention of leaving the County.
“B-But you just said you wouldn’t inherit the title of Count….”
“That is all I said. Why did you interpret it as meaning that I would leave the County?”
Just as I said, I merely meant that I wouldn’t inherit the title of Count.
“Seraphia, you should inherit the title.”
“Huh...?”
“I will continue doing what I must within the County.”
“What?”
“I mean that I’ll help you.”
I hadn’t accepted Seraphia. My feelings toward her hadn’t changed.
They probably never would.
Seraphia.
The Monarch of Frost.
The Coalition Forces’ greatest enemy. The witch who took the Hero Ian’s left arm.
I knew.
All of that had happened in my previous life. But the memories remained vivid.
My comrades who had frozen solid and died.
The members of the Special Task Force who had become cold graves devoid of life.
Even now, and probably in the future— I would never be able to accept Seraphia.
But apart from that—
‘I no longer have any reason to kill her.’
I had to acknowledge what needed to be acknowledged.
The reason was simple.
When, where, how, and why had Seraphia fallen and become the Monarch of Frost?
I had discovered the answer.
She had awakened the Authority of Frost through the Elixir of Infinity.
She had awakened as the Monarch of Frost within the Vanished Social Club.
But things were different now.
Seraphia had awakened the Authority of Frost through Iliana’s treatment.
She had awakened as the Monarch of Frost through the Bond Skill, Mental Empathy [E].
Because of that, she hadn’t “fallen”.
She hadn’t submitted to the Abyssal She-Spider.
As long as Seraphia remained under the influence of Successor’s Will [EX], she would never fall.
Therefore, it was time to make my decision.
‘I will not kill Seraphia.’
Even without hearing Ian’s regrets.
Now, the opposite was true.
Even if Ian tried to kill Seraphia, I would stop him and persuade him otherwise.
That was the first reason I had decided to relinquish the title of Count.
The second reason was—
‘The Empire will begin moving more aggressively.’
Memoria had fallen by my hand. The cultivation chamber had also been reduced to nothing.
Luseria and the Abyssal She-Spider had been annihilated. Queen Marceline had been imprisoned as a traitor.
The Kingdom of Vatenberg was no longer within the Emperor’s grasp.
The Emperor wouldn’t simply remain idle.
The Predestined One.
In other words, this was the kingdom to which Seraphia belonged. The Emperor would continue reaching for Seraphia.
Even if only to stop that, I couldn’t leave the County.
No—
I wouldn’t leave.
The Emperor would also attempt to place the Kingdom of Vatenberg within his grasp by any means necessary.
Perhaps he would intervene militarily. He might even be willing to wage war.
I couldn’t continue relying solely upon Ian to draw the Emperor’s attention.
Until now, that had merely been speculation. I hadn’t been certain that Ian was drawing their attention.
But that was no longer the case.
The collapse of Violess.
Luseria had said that the Dark Merchant Company had suffered a devastating blow because of it.
The rumor had spread across the entire continent.
The Dark Merchant Company knew about it.
Everyone throughout the continent knew about it.
Naturally, the news must also have reached Ian.
And the collapse of Violess had never occurred in my previous life.
Of course, Isolde was publicly credited with causing it. My name had been completely excluded.
Furthermore, because Isolde had rampaged so violently, even the Dark Merchant Company had failed to discover my involvement.
But there was no way Ian wouldn’t know.
Ian must have recognized my hidden involvement behind the extraordinary collapse of Violess.
Despite that, he hadn’t revealed himself.
That meant—
‘Ian is currently in the Empire.’
He was drawing the Emperor’s attention within the Empire and tying him down so that he couldn’t move freely.
After all, Iratum had said this in Violess—
—In any case, Aucta from Afar and His Excellency are presently unable to move. Therefore, nothing must go wrong.
The Emperor was currently unable to move.
More importantly, the Emperor was searching for Ian.
In other words, every gaze within the Empire, including the Emperor’s, was focused upon Ian.
That was why no additional measures had been taken despite the devastating damage inflicted upon the Empire’s plans.
It was also the reason I had been able to move freely until now. But I could no longer rely solely on Ian to draw their attention.
The subjugation of the Lycanthrope.
The fall of Avarus.
The annihilation of Iratum and Craulgarr.
The collapse of Violess.
Memoria’s death.
And now, the annihilation of Luseria and the Abyssal She-Spider.
‘The Empire’s attention will turn toward us.’
Ian would no longer monopolize their attention. Therefore, I intended to investigate the Empire myself.
I would monitor the Empire’s movements, search for Ian, and, if necessary, enter Imperial Territory.
Under these circumstances—
‘Becoming a Count would be disadvantageous.’
If I became a Count, my activities would be restricted.
I would be bound by the kingdom’s laws and the rules of noble society, preventing me from handling matters that couldn’t be resolved through legitimate means.
[We hide within the moonlight and walk beneath the starlight.]
A member of the Special Task Force under the Coalition Operations Command.
The Special Warfare Unit’s Covert Operations Commander.
I shouldn’t become a brilliant star known as a Count. I had to remain hidden within the dark moonlight of a delinquent.
◆ Then what about the quests?!?
A message suddenly appeared before my eyes.
◆ If you don’t inherit the title of Count, you won’t be able to clear the Territory Quests!!
◆ That will place restrictions upon the functions of Management Mode?!
◆ Are you saying you’re going to abandon the County after everything you’ve done?!?!
As expected, the messages appeared capable of reading my thoughts.
Naturally, I had no intention of abandoning the White Wolf County.
I had no intention of discarding it.
Far from abandoning it, I intended to develop it even further. Therefore, I needed the functions of Management Mode.
They were essential for governing the County reliably.
But that wasn’t a problem either.
== [I’m in the Process of Inheriting the Title, Father!] ==
[Objective] — Obtain recognition from the royal family.
[Reward] — Unlock some functions of Management Mode.
[Upon Refusal] — Functions of Management Mode will be restricted.
As the quest objective clearly stated—
I had to receive the royal family’s “recognition”.
It didn’t explicitly require me to “inherit” the title of Count.
◆ Huh...?
I didn’t need to inherit the title officially.
Recognition from the royal family.
Until recently, that recognition could only have come from Queen Marceline.
That was why “inheritance” had been my only option.
Queen Marceline would never have recognized me. But things were different now.
Leon had seized actual authority, completely reversing the situation.
In other words, royal recognition now meant obtaining recognition from “Leon”, who stood before me.
“This is an unexpected situation, so I’m rather bewildered.”
Leon groaned thoughtfully.
Perhaps he could tell that my resolve was firm.
“Hmm. This makes things extremely difficult....”
Leon muttered with a serious expression.
“Is there a problem?”
“There is. A truly enormous problem.”
“Can’t you simply approve Father’s will as it was written?”
That would actually prevent matters from becoming unnecessarily complicated.
So why was it a problem?
Leon continued with a solemn expression.
“Adrian, this was the second matter I intended to discuss with you.”
“Please continue.”
“I intended to propose marriage to Seraphia.”
....What kind of bullshit was this all of a sudden?
“But if Seraphia becomes the Count, I won’t be able to propose to her.”
A ruling Count couldn’t become a Prince’s Consort.
Leon would have to marry into House White Wolf as a live-in son-in-law.
But a Prince couldn’t possibly become a live-in son-in-law.
“Adrian, just become the Count.”
Leon attempted to stamp the royal seal without further discussion.
Thud!
I barely managed to seize Leon’s hand before the seal touched the parchment.
“What kind of insanity are you suggesting?”
Seriously, what kind of madness was this?
“Huh...?”
She was the Monarch of Frost.
Of course, I would no longer allow her to become the fallen Monarch of Frost, but that didn’t change the problem.
“Absolutely not.”
I would never allow it.
Who Seraphia married was none of my business, but Leon was out of the question.
Marrying the Lion of the Coalition Forces to the Monarch of Frost?
There were limits even to insanity.
“Release me.”
“I can’t.”
“That’s an order. Release me immediately.”
“Make me.”
“Are you unfairly relying upon physical strength?”
“Are you unfairly relying upon your authority?”
Leon and I stared at each other.
“Hasn’t she already debuted in the Royal Social Season?”
“A debut doesn’t necessarily lead to marriage.”
“That is merely your opinion.”
Leon and I simultaneously turned toward Seraphia.
“H-Huh...?”
Seraphia was completely overwhelmed.
Leon addressed her in the warmest voice imaginable.
“Seraphia, what do you think?”
“P-Pardon?”
“I want to hear your feelings.”
“Ah, well....”
Seraphia’s gaze darted about nervously.
But only briefly.
“It is an immeasurable honor that Your Highness views me so favorably, but....”
Seraphia carefully selected each word before continuing.
“If my brother opposes it, then I must also....”
Leon released a short sigh.
I thought he had given up—
But then he looked at me with a gravely determined expression.
“So you were the one I needed to win over.”
“......”
“This was the third matter I intended to discuss with you.”
“What are you suddenly—”
“A horrific incident occurred in the Venenon Territory.”
“......”
“And there was something suspicious about the death of Count Edmond, who bestowed the title upon Viscount Venenon.”
It was the cruel incident perpetrated by Avarus.
Avarus had murdered Count Edmond and disguised it as an accident.
Then he had used Transmog to transform into Viscount Venenon and seized the territory.
Afterward, he transformed all its residents into Homunculi, but my intervention had reduced his plan to nothing.
At the same time, all the evidence had disappeared.
But Leon possessed Present Vision [L].
Its Retrocognitive Perception allowed him to trace a certain amount of the past based upon information from the present.
Using the report submitted by the royal investigators sent to examine the territory, Leon appeared to have deduced the entire sequence of events.
....That ability was truly absurd.
There was a reason people believed Leon would have become Commander-in-Chief of the Coalition Forces if Ian hadn’t existed.
Regardless, judging solely by the circumstances, I appeared to be the culprit.
Of course, Avarus had committed all those crimes.
But there was no way to prove it.
“At first, I wasn’t certain. It was difficult to believe that the White Wolf County possessed enough military strength to annihilate the Venenon Territory.”
“......”
“But after witnessing you fight, I understood. No, I became certain.”
....Damn it.
“Do you know this? Murdering a noble is a serious crime punishable by death. And that doesn’t even account for the massacre of the Venenon Territory’s residents.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Of course not.”
Leon grinned.
“I’m trying to earn your favor.”
“....Pardon?”
“I’ll cover it up.”
“Is that really something you can casually cover up?”
“Why wouldn’t I be able to? I’m the Regent.”
....Was this tyranny or something?
“Since we’re discussing it, I should clarify that I wasn’t responsible for the tragedy in the Venenon Territory.”
“I know.”
“....?”
“No matter how I look at you, you aren’t that kind of person. Naturally, I knew you would never commit such a horrific act.”
“Then don’t you intend to capture the real culprit?”
“Didn’t you already capture him?”
Leon’s Present Vision [L].
....The more I witnessed it, the more absurdly overpowered it appeared.
“But the other nobles won’t see things that way. Therefore, I’ll cover everything up for you—including the treasury you emptied. I’ll even exempt you from taxes.”
“Why?”
“Why else? I’m trying to earn points with my future elder brother-in-law.”
Leon smiled leisurely.
I nearly rebuked him, but stopped myself.
The incident in the Venenon Territory had constantly bothered me. If the royal family used it against me, it would become a considerable problem.
But if Leon intended to cover it up voluntarily, there was no reason for me to refuse.
“How many points did I earn?”
“Five points.”
“Oh! Is there anything else I can do to earn more?”
“If you recognize me as a noble through the authority of the royal family—”
“I recognize you.”
◆ You can now use the [Resources] section of Management Mode to view information regarding the resources within your territory, including deposits of rare minerals, undeveloped farmland, and abandoned ruins.
◆ The new function, [Resource Exploration], has been added!
◆ Territory Quest... [I’m in the Process of Inheriting the Title, Father!] has been….c-cleared….
That actually worked.
◆ You have obtained 3,178,000 Quest Experience Points!
◆ Your level has increased!
I immediately received the Experience Points for clearing the quest. It was a considerable amount, but my level only increased by one.
My current level was now 109.
Ever since I surpassed level 100, the required Experience Points had gone completely insane.
In any case, the main reward for this quest hadn’t been a large quantity of Experience Points.
“How many points did I earn this time?”
“....Ninety points.”
“Oh! Then how many points remain before you approve our marriage?”
“Aleph-Null points.”
“Hmm? What is Aleph-Null?”
“It means I will never approve it.”
“This was the fourth matter I intended to discuss with you.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I’ll give you the Venenon Territory.”
Seriously, what was wrong with this man?
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