01

The enchanting woman in a vivid red dress—Lizelotte—held wine that evaporated on its own, and the glass crumbled away as if it were lifeless vegetation, rotting into dust.

“—The dawn of magic and sorcery has arrived, and we have entered an age of upheaval. Prepare yourselves. He is a Demon God, for good or ill. They say it is best not to touch a god, yet there is nothing more troublesome than a god who has awakened.”

In the room directly beside the throne hall where Ains and the others had just held their private audience, three pairs of widened pupils stared at her.

His Majesty King Wenceslav, the supreme decision-maker of the Santia Kingdom. The deep wrinkles on his face carved the history Wenceslav had ruled through.

Seated beside him was Wenceslav’s son, Haral, the first prince of the Santia Kingdom. Fourteen and not yet an adult, he still struggled to restrain his emotions; his sharp, handsome features were dyed with shock. Haral leaned back, and his hands trembled faintly.

A well-built man steadied his surging emotions by breathing out slowly. Even so, his breaths were slightly ragged, and even Elliott—chancellor of the Santia Kingdom and Wenceslav’s right hand at the kingdom’s core—struggled to sort through the situation.

“I have no interest in politics. Handle worldly matters however you please. But steel yourselves. His interest in magic and sorcery is pathological. If you try to pull him into politics lightly, this country could be destroyed from its very foundation.”

Whether “pathological” truly fit or not, Wenceslav understood what Lizelotte meant.

“Even in an audience with the king, he said loyalty to the country was inferior to loyalty to magic and sorcery. Speaking so before me does indeed seem… pathological.”

“I understand why Lady Lizelotte sent my younger sister Kirishiya out of this room. Hearing this would greatly affect her future life at the Sorcery Academy.”

“And it would also affect her relationship with Lady Laika, and her relationship with Marquis Brandy as well. I see—Kansas Brandy’s political mind is a threat indeed.”

Elliott rubbed his heavy chin as he considered.

“As for cooperation between the Brandy Domain and the Ains Domain, it will likely be decided solely by Ains’s will. Judging by the mannerisms of that Silver Snow Knights woman—Sophia—their leadership likely already understands who Ains is.”

“Given how the Ains Domain was formed, if Lord Ains says yes, then a cooperative framework with the Brandy Domain will be established.”

To Elliott’s words, Lizelotte added matter-of-factly,

“And he likely has no interest in worldly affairs. He will probably say yes to that child’s proposal without much thought.”

“I will still be attending the Sorcery Academy for another year. I will keep as close an eye as possible on both Kirishiya and Lord Ains.”

At Haral’s words, Wenceslav gave a small nod, leaving matters inside the academy to his son.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Your Majesty, the budget conference will begin shortly.”

At the guard’s call, the gathering dispersed.

Just before Wenceslav left the room, Lizelotte added one more line.

“…I do not care in the least if you involve Ains in your worldly matters. But if I am facing Ains, do not interfere—not once. If you do, I will weather you and this entire country into dust.”

“…Your nagging stabs my stomach every time. I understand.”

Elliott followed behind Wenceslav as they left the room, and Haral, a step behind, gave Lizelotte a polite bow and departed as well.

“Whew. It has been a while since I spoke seriously. I suppose I will have to torment Mireine to change my mood.”

Mireine, already back in the maids’ quarters enjoying her free time, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Meanwhile, Ains and the others were heading home by carriage without any further incident.

That said, all the way until they reached the separate residence, Kansas endlessly complained to Ains about how what happened in the hall had chilled him to the bone and made him feel as though he might die at any moment.

Laika, exhausted, fell asleep almost immediately. Sophia kept her eyes closed, as if paying attention to the presence outside, and offered Ains no rescue.

When the carriage arrived in front of the estate, Riste and the other maids were already waiting.

“Master, lunch is prepared… however, you all seem quite tired, so we will replace it with something sweet.”

Seeing Laika rubbing her eyes, Kansas continuing to scold in a gentle tone even after disembarking, Ains walking beside him with a drained expression, and Sophia as dignified as ever, Riste changed the lunch menu.

While they ate, Kansas asked Ains,

“Lord Ains, with the Sorcery Academy and all, will you be staying in the royal capital for some time?”

When Ains told him he would be in Kirk for a while due to the Sorcery Academy, Kansas proposed that he stay at this estate.

For Ains, it was exactly what he wanted, and he accepted the generous offer at once.

A few days passed.

Ains lived leisurely—strolling the streets and savoring the food from stalls.

“This is bad… I’m completely living off them.”

Ains was eating brunch alone a bit late in the morning. Behind him stood a maid whose name he did not even know, ready to take care of everything about him unless he explicitly refused.

Ever since coming to the Brandy family’s separate residence, Ains had been carried along and cared for in every way—so much so that if he stayed silent, they seemed like they might even prepare his grave for when he died.

Even a weirdo like him possessed the perfectly ordinary sense that he had to repay this kindness.

“Where is Laika?”

Ains asked the maid behind him.

“Lady Laika is in the garden, exchanging sword strikes with Lady Sophia.”

“With Sophia’s skill, Laika might improve quickly.”

“The entrance examination for the Sorcery Academy is coming soon, so the young lady said it would be good stimulation for her as well.”

So even the Sorcery Academy tested swordsmanship. From what he had heard, the mages of the royal capital, Kirk, were mostly nothing but swollen-headed bundles of pride.

If swordsmanship was included in the exam, then at the very least, the Sorcery Academy’s educational policy was not rotten—or so Ains thought.

“…Maybe I’ll go take a look.”