Monica (´∀｀*) "Since the afterword is occupied by the suffering lord, I've taken over the foreword. The 8th volume of Seventh is on sale on February 28th. Reservations have already started, so please purchase it! -- That's all from the former afterword idol, Monica!"
Rosetta woke up -- wearing a nightgown she had never worn before.
She pressed her hand to her chest, and a maid spoke to her.
"What's the matter, Lady Rosetta?"
She looked at the maid's face.
"Eh-- ah--"
Her voice wouldn't come out.
Why was there a maid in her room at the student dormitory?
The maid answered her question.
"You were not feeling well, so I was asked to take care of you. I have the permission of the junior school, so please rest assured."
Rosetta nodded fearfully.
Her long, straight hair, which was usually in pigtails, now hung loose.
"A, ah, what about the marriage proposal?"
The maid explained to Rosetta politely.
"Duke Claudia has agreed to the engagement. Lady Rosetta will marry Lord Liam after he completes his training."
Hearing about the marriage, Rosetta still couldn't understand.
Her family was one that received seeds.
The title of duke was just a name, and there was no reason for Liam to be so particular about it.
"S, so you wanted the title of duke. That's why you went to such lengths--"
The maid shook her head.
"The Banfield family has no reason to be so particular about a title, even to the point of incurring a huge debt. Don't you know that, Lady Rosetta?"
A nominal title was nothing but pitiful.
Rosetta understood this all too well.
"But, I can't understand Liam's -- the earl's feelings. Why me?"
The maid chuckled.
"N, what?"
"No, I really envy you. Lady Rosetta is the first living woman that Lord Liam has ever wanted so badly."
Hearing this, Rosetta blushed and looked down.
"R, really?"
"Yes. The vassals were worried because he never touched a woman in the territory."
Rosetta was then taken care of by the maid and lay down.
The junior school was in disarray due to the cleanup, and classes were not in session.
There was no prospect of classes resuming.
Hearing that she could rest until then -- Rosetta fell asleep.
(If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up. I want to rest more --)
In the conference room of the junior school.
I was being interrogated by the teachers.
Although it was called an interrogation, my vassals were there to counter the teachers' lectures.
Especially, watching Marie was amusing.
"There was no need to kill them."
What do you think Marie replied to such a teacher's frivolous remark?
"Let those who came to kill go? How dare you utter such a lukewarm line in a place where the pride of the nobility should be taught. On the contrary, you should praise Lord Liam for showing his courage. The opponent must have been prepared to die when they entered the match, so there is no problem at all."
She countered every word the teachers said like this.
I sipped my tea while watching the teachers.
"But, this will create people who bear a grudge against the Banfield family."
I countered this with a snort.
"So what? If it's a grudge, it doesn't matter if one more is added. On the contrary -- why should I hold back? You should have stopped Derrick yourselves."
Marie nodded and said, "That's right, Lord Liam."
This guy is a perfect yes-man.
"Lord Liam, your actions this time have also caused problems at the junior school. While the circumstances are understandable, it was excessive. As a sign of reflection --"
I laughed at what he said.
"How much?"
"Huh?"
"How much do you want? I'm asking how much I need to throw into your incompetent mouths to make you shut up."
A few teachers stood up in anger, but Marie made them sit down with a glare.
-- Is this guy unexpectedly strong? The teachers are trembling.
But, it's not good to buy the teachers' displeasure too much.
"I went too far. Forgive me. But, I can't accept being told to reflect on something like this. As a punishment, I'll double the amount of the donation for next year."
"B, but, that won't solve anything --"
"Hey, are you going to complain to someone who makes a large donation? Or something? Are you saying that a fine is not a punishment for you?"
The principal of the junior school raised his hand to silence the teachers.
"-- Earl, we have given a severe warning about this incident. Please understand that."
The stance is that the junior school has given a warning!
They want to take credit for their efforts while taking money and staying silent.
It's disgusting -- but, the people who fawn over money are cute, aren't they?
That money, I don't even know if it can be infinitely created and has any value, though.
"Very well. Let's go, you guys."
As we left the conference room, the teachers were holding their heads.
After Liam left the conference room.
Mr. John folded his arms.
(I'll say it clearly. But, can't you counter it?)
If you guys had been more competent, this wouldn't have happened.
He felt incompetent.
The principal also seemed to have been stung by Liam's words.
"I intended to end it with a severe warning."
One teacher said, and the others nodded.
Originally, Liam had just brushed off the sparks that fell on him.
The teachers knew the opponent was bad, but they couldn't blame him one-sidedly.
However, Liam had also been provoking Derrick, the son of the Berkeley family, who were called pirate nobles.
They couldn't ignore that.
"He's called a prodigy for a reason. He's more competent than many adults."
The principal said this and sighed tiredly.
Mr. John also felt like sighing.
(Troublemakers are a problem, but so are overachieving students.)
At night.
I went out to the courtyard of the student dormitory and swung a very heavy wooden sword.
The physical education at the junior school makes the body soft, so I train like this from time to time.
As I wiped the sweat off, Kukuri appeared from the shadows of a tree.
"What is it?"
"Lord Liam, we investigated those who were monitoring the duke's family, and it seems their organization had grown quite large. They were holding the weaknesses of other families and working to undermine the Claudia family."
"There were some idle people, huh?"
"We have recovered all the materials. How should we handle them?"
If they could recover them so quickly, it probably wasn't a decisive weakness.
Even if the monitoring group had organized, it couldn't be that significant.
"Send them to the territory and get instructions from Brian. Tell him to use them effectively."
"Understood."
Kukuri disappeared into the shadows.
That magic looks incredibly convenient.
"Well, let's work up a sweat a bit more. Still, my body has gotten soft."
I realized this when I moved Avid. The machine was in better shape than my body.
I need to train again for a while.
When Rosetta visited the boys' dormitory, she was surrounded by the Banfield family's knights.
They were all women.
The reason was not just for protection -- but to prevent any infidelity.
When boys approached, they would draw their swords without hesitation.
She came to consult with Liam about getting rid of this dangerous guard.
But, Liam wasn't in his room.
When she asked Wallace, he said, "I don't know," and she was at a loss about what to do when Kurt told her where Liam was.
Guided by Kurt, she headed to the location -- and found Liam sweating from a very intense training session.
When she tried to approach, Kurt and the knights stopped her.
"I, I have something to talk about."
"It's still not a good idea. It's better not to approach him now."
Kurt pointed, and a leaf that fell near Liam was cut in half.
The knights swallowed hard at the sight.
Kurt explained.
"If you approach, you'll be cut in half almost without noticing. Liam becomes unapproachable when he's focused."
"W, what's going on?"
It looked like he was just training his body, but if she approached Liam, she would be cut.
Rosetta didn't understand.
"It's strange, isn't it? I was also stunned at first. But, Liam has pushed himself for years to reach that level."
Rosetta thought.
(My efforts weren't really efforts at all.)
Liam, whom she thought was at the top without doing anything, had worked harder than she did.
Knowing this, she felt ashamed of her naivety.
(In the end, I was saved by him.)
Rosetta left the scene, feeling she couldn't face Liam.
At the Banfield family's mansion.
Selina was urgently contacting the prime minister with the delivered materials.
"What is the emergency?"
"Prime Minister! It's the materials they investigated! They were not just monitoring the Claudia family but also acting as spies."
The prime minister checked the data and widened his eyes.
There, his own secrets were also investigated.
"—We let them do as they pleased. I'll take care of the aftermath. What about the original materials?"
"I only erased the data about the prime minister."
"You've given me extra work. I'll thank you later."
"What should we do with the materials? Brian is at a loss on how to handle them."
"What's the earl's reaction?"
"He's not interested."
"—Guide him to hand them over to the empire. I'll take them. It's a chance to hold the weaknesses of the nobles. It's meaningful for them to know that I hold their weaknesses."
"You're showing your cunning face again."
"Oops, I'm sorry. But, we'll take care of the people who gathered this. Tell the earl not to worry."
"Understood."
The funeral and the end-of-term ceremony were over, and I advanced to the fourth year.
And what awaited me was a long vacation.
"It's been three years since I last visited my hometown, but -- it hasn't changed much."
It was good to be back, but there were no significant changes in the scenery.
Things used to change a lot over a few years, but now there were no noticeable changes.
Wallace was carrying my luggage and looking at my mansion.
The reason he was here -- was because he was bored.
He apparently can't return to the harem because he's not a prince anymore.
"Ah, I'm so tired from the long journey. First, I need my own maid and guard. It would be nice if they were both beautiful. And, make the meal meat-centered and lavish."
Despite being a subordinate, he immediately started making demands.
I was thinking about kicking him out when --
"Long time no see, Prince Wallace."
-- Selina approached with a smile.
Wallace turned pale and trembled.
"Aaaaah!"
He screamed as if he had seen a ghost, and Selina smiled gracefully.
"Oh, how terrible, former prince. You make me sound like a ghost."
Wallace hid behind me.
"A, a ghost would be better! Liam, why is the head maid here!"
"Why? -- Because we hired her, of course."
"Why!?"
It would be more interesting to leave the care of the truly frightened Wallace to Selina.
Then, Rosetta entered the mansion a little later.
The people who came before me were the former duke and the current head of the family -- Rosetta's grandmother and mother.
"Earl, we don't know how to thank you --"
"I'm very pleased to meet you like this."
Dealing with the humble two was amusing, but Rosetta was flustered.
-- Stop it. You need to be more dignified.
I moved my jaw and signaled to Selina.
Then, Selina guided the two to Rosetta.
When the three met after a long time -- they hugged and cried.
-- Is something wrong?
I thought they would cry, "We've lost the title of duke! Mother, grandmother, I'm sorry!" but it seemed they were happy to be reunited.
"Well, it's still in the observation stage."
I left the trembling Wallace to Selina and found Brian with tears in his eyes.
"To think Lord Liam would decide to get married -- this Brian is so happy, I could cry."
"You're already crying. Stop it."
"This cold response! Indeed, Lord Liam must be like this!"
No matter what I said, Brian was happy, so I left him alone and called for Tenjo, who was waiting.
What was he doing in the back?
"Tenjo, let's go to the room."
"—Master, is that okay?"
"What do you mean?"
Tenjo was puzzled.
Wallace was stunned as he watched Liam return to his room.
"He really is into dolls, isn't he?"
To this, Selina cleared her throat and warned Wallace solemnly.
"Lord Wallace, if you don't want to die in this mansion, don't call Tenjo a doll in front of him. Lord Liam absolutely won't forgive anyone who makes fun of Tenjo. It's not a joke; your head will literally fly off."
Hearing this, Wallace nodded.
(Kurt mentioned this. I'll be careful.)
"O, of course. He's an important patron."
"Yes, please do. Still, Lord Liam is quite eccentric to be a patron of someone like Lord Wallace, who is neither a poison nor a medicine."
Wallace thought.
(Huh? Is my evaluation in Selina's eyes low?)
"Selina, I'm the former master's -- family."
"Yes, but I now serve Lord Liam. Is there anything wrong with considering the Banfield family's interests?"
"N, no."
Wallace anticipated that his long-awaited vacation would be suffocating -- and it turned out to be exactly that.
Brian (´；ω；｀) "Even if I'm given confidential documents, I can't handle them, Lord Liam! -- My stomach hurts so much."