Soudouki Vol 1 Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Chapter 1 – Domestic Affairs Cheat, Start

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Part 1

「Here, the pocket money for this month. Don’t waste them for useless thing okay?」

「Tou-sama! Thank you!」

Baldr held out both his hands with childishly energetic voice and accepted a silver coin from his father Ignis.

The majority of Cornelius House’s territory was occupied by forest  with few areas of arable lands. It couldn’t be said as a good situation  for their economy, even so they were still a house of count. Their  family was quite wealthy compared to the commoners in general.

The money that Ignis had given Baldr until now was 72 silver coins.  If this amount was converted to the currency of the modern Japan, it was  the equivalent of 1.400.000 yen more or less.

Ignis gave his son pocket money each month since he was five years  old in order to teach him the value of money and how to handle it.

However Baldr who possessed the knowledge from his previous life  naturally understood the worth of money. He even understood to a certain  degree how much influence financial affairs had on the society.

If simply looking from the result, what Ignis did simply became a  trigger that awakened the instinct of the man sleeping inside Baldr.

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「Fuhehehe……this shine is always nice no matter how many times I see it……」

「Young master. I’ve said this every time, it’s creepy seeing you making such face.」

Seyruun knitted her pretty eyebrows seeing Baldr staring at the silver coin in delight.

(Geez! Even though young master would be perfect if only he isn’t like this……)

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Seyruun became Baldr’s personal maid since around five years ago.

Ignis didn’t speak about the reason in detail, but it seemed to be  caused by his parental love that wanted to give Baldr a friend of the  same generation because he was worried by Baldr’s unstable mind.

Because of that Seyruun was also Baldr’s childhood friend. She  herself was also thinking of Baldr like a cute little brother who was a  handful.

Seyruun nostalgically recalled the time when she was brought to meet with Baldr for the first time.

Baldr who was still six years old at that time was a boy with attractive face and figure that everyone recognized.

However the speech and conduct that he sometimes showed would betray his appearance. It made Seyruun realized.

No, she was forced to realize.

『Aren’t ye adorable』 Baldr first said with a complacent smile and  kind eyes, as though he was a doting grandfather toward Seyruun. And  then Baldr yelled 『A little girl maid cameeee!』 with a red face while  rolling around. He looked like her big brother who was three years older  than her who got strongly influenced by a bad craze in the royal  capital.

──She wished that he would stop sending glances toward her while blushing with that upward gaze.

Although she was still an eight years old girl, as a creature called female, she was sensitive toward such gaze by nature.

In addition Seyruun was also popular as a beautiful girl with her  brown hair and reddish brown round eyes that she inherited from her  mother, and her symmetrical facial features. She wasn’t good with that  kind of gaze since she was a child.

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「Onee-chan, want to play?」

The one who talked with worried eyes to Seyruun when she was feeling  such confusion wasn’t the boy who felt like a grandfather or like her  strange big brother, but a slightly shy boy.

Seyruun felt puzzled by Baldr’s personality that kept changing in the  drop of hat, even so her desire to protect was incited by that worried  gaze so much that she wanted to hug him. She bent her knee to match her  line of sight with the boy and smiled.

「Of course.」

The instant she saw Baldr’s discouraged eyes, she thought of Baldr  not as the eldest son of her lord who she should devoted her loyalty to,  but a family that she should treat with tender loving care.

Since that day Seyruun became like a guardian for Baldr in place of  Maggot. She became his big sister who he could fawn on and also a friend  who was close to him in age.

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In the past Baldr was a delicate boy who was scared to even sleep alone.

But now at eleven years old he had grown to become strong-willed and  impudent. It made Seyruun to sometimes seriously question if there was  some kind of mistake.

「Sey-nee, tell me a story?」

「Ufufu……young master really love to hear old tale.」

The two would always be together starting from the morning when Baldr woke up until the night when he went to sleep.

「Sey-nee is warm……」

Hugging Baldr who liked skinship and slept greatly stimulated Seyruun’s motherhood.

If she had a little brother, would he be this adorable?

The more she felt Baldr’s body temperature the harder it was for her to let go. It made her unconsciously tightened her hug.

She was starting to question whether her affection had gone too far, even so she was unable to stop pampering Baldr.

On the other hand, her attitude would change completely toward the other personalities that sometimes appeared.

『N-no bra body pillow……guhah! Ouch! It hurts! Buberah! Gefuu!』

「A punishment has to be painful.」

『T-this is also good in its own way!』

Masaharu would look happy for some reason even though he was being hit. It made Seyruun got goosebumps and screamed.

「……Get out from young master already! This pervert!」

The next day when Baldr woke up he muttered 「My cheeks hurt for some  reason……」. Seyruun could only look at him while looking extremely  guilty.

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As time passed and the two became conscious of Seyruun’s maturing  womanly curve, the two didn’t sleep together anymore. But actually it  only happened two years ago.

Until then they were together even when taking a bath, so it was only natural that Baldr was unable to oppose Seyruun.

Masaharu who sometimes excitedly yelled things like 『Real maid  moeee-!』 with bloodshot eyes would get severely punished. Perhaps  because of that he quickly stopped appearing.

However──.

「This is the only thing that I won’t budge even if it’s Sey-nee……」

The eleven years old Baldr let out a stifled laugh like a bad guy. He  didn’t look like a little kid at all as his appearance suggested.

It was Baldr’s true nature that only Seyruun knew about. He didn’t show this side of him even to Maggot at this juncture.

Seyruun recalled the adorable Baldr with a distant gaze and let out a sigh that came from the bottom of her heart.

「……I have enough. I’ve given up already……」

「Because I believe young master won’t go astray from the path as a  human」 She didn’t say that. Because it would be troubling if Baldr who  had pointlessly a lot of knowledge rampaged even more than this.

「Kuhihi……the sensation of this cold silver is unbearable!」

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「──I lied when I say I’ve given up. Kneel over there, young master.」

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The instant she saw Baldr rubbing his pocket money on his cheek lovingly, Seyruun realized that her thinking was shallow.

It seemed it was necessary to strictly discipline Baldr once more in  order to raise him to be the next head of the house that wouldn’t bring  any shame no matter where he was shown.

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Baldr’s love for money didn’t start recently.

He loved money so much that it made one suspected that perhaps he had loved it since he was born.

Before Baldr had awareness about the things around him, even before  his other personalities rose to the surface, Baldr had shown interest to  silver or golden coin rather than to baby’s toy. He was a strange baby.

That tendency became striking since the memory of his past lives awakened when he was five years old.

A toddler who wouldn’t stop grinning when staring at gold coin no  matter how much time passed. That kind of eerie sight could often be  found in Cornelius House.

However fortunately or unfortunately, this strange habit of Baldr got  remedied by Maggot who greatly misunderstood that Baldr liked shiny  things.

In exchange of gold coin, she made a five years old held a knife or  short sword and taught him how to handle sharp things. This act was also  an aberrant enough act that Baldr learned how dangerous it was to show  his fixation toward gold coin in front of Maggot.

After that, Baldr stopped showing his hyper fixation toward money in front of his parents.

It was only Seyruun who was together with Baldr almost the whole day  who he showed a glimpse of his true nature to a degree that wasn’t too  excessive.

Of course this strange habit didn’t belong to Baldr himself or his previous life Oka Masaharu.

It was the sinful disposition of a minor general who lived at the  closing years of Warring States period──Baldr’s previous previous life  Oka Sanai.

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Oka Sanai, only a serious Warring States maniac or people from the land that he once governed would know this name.

He was born in the region of Wakasa. First he served Niwa Nagahide, a  senior vassal of Oda Nobunaga. After that he was employed by Gamou  Ujisato as a chief vassal. Due to Ujisato’s death there was an internal  discord in Gamou Clan and he moved to serve Uesugi Kagekatsu, a member  of the Council of Five Elders (committee of daimyo formed by Toyotomi  Hideyoshi to rule Japan until his son Hideyori came of age).

Sanai was known as a person skilled in war. He frequently raised  achievements in battlefield, but his name was remaining in history  mostly because of the way he amassed wealth.

Sanai was also doing merchant-like activity like lending money to his  colleague and amassed wealth. He was the top money-maker in Warring  States era.

Furthermore, he wasn’t simply good in making money. It could be said  that there was nobody who loved money as much as Sanai in the history of  Warring States period.

At the same time, he was also known as a valorous warrior. Once he  led less than 150 soldiers to toy with Date army that actually numbered  in 15.000. There was also a time when he blew away Date Masamune’s  helmet with a single swing of his spear and even drove him to a corner  where he almost managed to finish him off.

He also had a spirit of chivalry as could be seen with how he burned  up the debt contracts between him and his colleagues in the Uesugi Clan  whose territory was reduced, writing off all their debts that amounted  to a hefty size.

When Sanai left Uesugi Clan, Naoe Kanetsugu who once directly told  「Money is something dirty for a hand that is holding the war fan」 to  Masamune was said to lament 「Uesugi Clan has lost a samurai who could be  the most useful than anyone else for it in the future」.

It was a true statement. At that time the Warring States period was  ending and the era of civil administration was approaching. For Uesugi  Clan that was filled with a lot of muscle-brain generals, Sanai with his  talent in money-making would be more precious than even gems in that  new era.

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Because Baldr had Masaharu’s memory, he himself had the awareness to  feel ashamed about this fetish. Even so, the depth of Sanai’s sinfulness  in regard to desire for money had gained victory in Baldr’s personality  development during his childhood.

「──I lied when I say I’ve given up. Kneel over there, young master.」

Baldr didn’t just want to rub the coin to his cheeks, he wanted to  sniff the silver coin’s smell like a dog, enjoyed its metallic taste  with his tongue. But he barely managed to suppress his lust.

Because it couldn’t be said to be wise if he agitated Seyruun even more than this.

「I’m in the wrong. Please forgive me.」

「Good grief……I hope young master is really thinking that.」

Seyruun said that and let out a heavy sigh.

There was no way that Baldr would correct his conduct with just this.  Seyruun who had lived together with him since they were little knew  that better than anyone.

However she was unable to be too harsh when Baldr prostrated himself before her without caring of his appearance.

In the end Seyruun herself was also weak against her adorable little brother.

「Then, I’m going out!」

「Ah! Young master, please wait! I still haven’t finished talking!」

「Sorry! I’ll listen when I go home!」

Baldr sprinted out from the mansion like an arrow. Seyruun could only  place her hands on her waist and saw him off in exasperation.

She knew that lately Baldr was secretly scheming something.

It seemed he was gathering the town’s children, but unfortunately the  town’s brats had strong solidarity and they wouldn’t tell her anything.

「……Sheesh, there will be punishment when you go home!」

Even so Seyroon didn’t have even the slightest suspicion that Baldr would get involved with any wrongdoing.

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Part 2

「Sey-nee is completely suspecting me……」

However, he was still glad that his maid was Seyruun. It was because  she would still overlook Baldr going off doing things sneakily.

If it was a maid who was normally hired and under the command of his  parents, he would already get reported since a long time ago.

In that sense, Seyruun was Baldr’s childhood friend as expected. She  was an important existence for him who was like his big sister.

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「Baldr-sama! We’ve been waiting!」

Baldr went until the town. The one who appeared in front of him while  raising his voice energetically was Tyros(テュロス). He had a large build  that was unthinkable for a 13 years old. He had confidence in his  strength and planned to leave his family in the future to become a  soldier.

He was the third son of a tailor that was famous in the town. His  facial features were well-ordered and his personality was also gentle  and clever. He was plainly very capable, but for some reason he was  idolizing the younger Baldr from the bottom of his heart, not just  because he was the son of the feudal lord.

He was so loyal it was like he was a large dog who was fully devoted to its owner.

Though of course, it was because Baldr had knowledge and personality  that far surpassed what his age suggested due to the memory of his past  lives.

「Yosh, let’s head to the secret base.」

Baldr headed to a small arable land at the outskirt of the town with Tyros following behind him.

Baldr had saved the pocket money that Ignis gave him and used the  money to buy a barren land that had been neglected from a farmer for  cheap. That land was now becoming a small farm with a size around 1 are  (a hundred square meter).

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「Aa! Baldr-sama! Look look! It has grown this big!」

「Hey hey, is this thing tasty if they’re eaten?」

Two children were watering the farm happily in high spirits.

The two children were the boy Porco(ポルコ) whose father was a soldier and the girl Margo(マルゴ) who was a daughter of a merchant.

「I guess it’ll be time for harvest soon. We’re saved the trouble  because this crops doesn’t really to be looked after that much.」

Baldr muttered while looking over the farm.

「……I heard from Otou-san though. It seems this plant taste bad and cannot be eaten you know?」

「Eee~, that’s true? Baldr-sama?」

Apparently Porco who had strong curiosity had tried gathering information on his own.

On the contrary Margo who had big appetite had her head completely filled with nothing but eating the harvest.

「Well, it’ll taste bad if you eat it as it is. Though the nutritional value isn’t bad even then.」

Baldr felt his cheeks loosening seeing the two’s reactions.

The three of them were older than him, even then he felt that they were younger than him due to his previous lives’ memories.

「……Then, what are we going to do with this?」

Tyros who was the eldest among the three took a peek at Baldr’s face with deep interest.

There was no way that this thing was just a food that tasted bad  because it was Baldr who ordered them to make this farm. His eyes were  showing such deep trust.

Baldr felt embarrassed being seen by such earnest gaze. He became  driven by a sense of mission that he had to answer Tyros’s great  expectation and so he answered with a puffed up chest.

「Then let’s postpone the harvesting. Today I’ll teach you guys what we’re going to make with this.」

「Hoorayyyyyy!」

Even Tyros who was usually calm was jumping in happiness. It seemed he was really curious about the crop’s true identity.

(After all not a single person here has noticed just what this is  even though it has been growing naturally in the mountain all this  time.)

Baldr pulled out one of the crop that had grown big and walked toward  a plain wooden hut that was built beside the farm with the three kids  behind him.

「Then Margo, chop this into small pieces. Tyros and Porco, put some water into the pot and heat it over fire.」

「Understood!」

The three children busily moved around to do the preparation. Baldr  stared at them with a smile while secretly chuckling with a villainous  face.

(Ku ku ku……this day finally arrived. It’s time to make a killing using modern people’s information cheat!)

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The craving for money from Oka Sanai and the knowledge of Oka  Masaharu who was slightly ill with chuunibyou were combined consistently  inside Baldr. This actually happened around less than a year ago.

Until then Baldr was living with triple personalities. The boy Baldr,  the high school student Masaharu, and then the old general who survived  the Warring States period Sanai, their personalities would show up  alternately each time there was something that strongly attracted their  interest.

Baldr managed to safely grow up in such condition was due to his  parents’ unshakeable love, his interaction with Seyruun who was of the  same generation with him, and above all else it was due to Maggot’s  hellish training that didn’t allow Baldr to stay idle and worrying about  useless things.

Regardless whether the harsh training that put his life at risk was  something that wished for or not, it matured the boy’s spirit and  desired for the three personalities to join hand together for the sake  of surviving to see tomorrow.

It could be said that the current Baldr who should be called the “Neo  Baldr” was born in order to escape from Maggot’s evil clutches.

Baldr trembled and held his head when he recalled the days that he wished to forget.

Right now the crop before his eyes was more important than recalling that hell.

In the event of its completion……first he would save money to buy more  lands. He would increase the number of worker and formed a network with  merchants……ku ku ku, my dream is spreading infinitely!

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Seeing Baldr like that, Margo, Porco, and Tyros looked at each other and whispered.

「Baldr-sama is making that bad guy face again.」

「When I see that face, I can be relieved that he is the same kid like us……」

「No no, surely Baldr-sama is thinking about something that we can’t even imagine.」

Baldr’s disguise had already been seen through by the children.

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Now then, what Baldr was cultivating in the farm was actually sugar beet.

Beet, it was also called as sugar radish. It was a plant that rivaled sugarcane as raw material for sugar.

It had a lot of leaves, so it was used as leaf vegetable, while the  remaining root part was used as fodder for livestock. It was a food with  long history, but even at earth it took a really long time before it  was starting to get used as raw material for sugar. Actually it was only  starting from the middle of 18th century.

Aurelia Continent had a temperate climate. Here sugar could only be  produced by the countries along the coast commencing with  Santjuan(サンファン) Kingdom at the south. Of course the sugar was made from  sugarcane in those countries.

In other words, the idea of extracting sugar from sugar beet still didn’t exist in this world.

「Have you properly cut it into fine pieces? Then let’s put them into  the pot and boil it. Pay attention to the fire’s strength so that it  won’t become too heated. That way will result in delicious thing.」

Baldr gave instructions one by one.

「Hoorayyyy! It’ll be delicious just as I thoughttt!」

「Hmmm……I heard that the taste is bland though……」

After that they quietly boiled it for an hour. Margo got bored at the  middle, but Porco who was brimming with curiosity continued to adjust  the fire while keeping watch quietly.

This kind of perseverance was Porco’s characteristic. He would become a good guard like his father in the future.

「Yosh, lightly squeeze the boiled root using a cloth. Then boil it even more while scooping up the scum and then it’ll finish.」

「That’s all~~?」

Margo tilted her head.

「Well, the amount of the finished product won’t be much but……you guys will surely get shocked.」

「There won’t be anything remaining if the juice is boiled down……」

Porco didn’t look convinced, but after strengthening the fire for ten  minutes, the sap that was squeezed out from the root was starting to  thicken like starch syrup.

When the brown and thick liquid was moved on a plate, Margo ran out of patience and clung on Baldr’s right arm demandingly.

「Hey, hey, can I eat this? This is the completed product right?」

「There isn’t much of it so only lick a bit of it with your finger.」

Then Porco and Tyros also reached out with their finger impatiently.

「Iitadaakima~su!」

The three put their finger into their mouth. Then they froze in that posture for a while.

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「IT’S SWEE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TT!!」

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The three let out a delighted voice. And then they became absorbed with bringing the beet sugar into their mouth.

In this continent, pure sugar made from sugarcane was precious item that was hard to obtain.

Beekeeping also hadn’t spread. Because of that the commoners could only eat sweet taste from fruits at this time.

「Uwah! Amazing! Baldr-sama, I’ve never eat something this sweet!」

「This is sugar isn’t it? How? How is a sugar created from this kind of garbage potato?」

「I can’t believe it, this is……amazing……」

With each lick Margo placed both her hands on her cheeks looking like  they would really fall off. Porco and Tyros were showing pure shock  from their whole body from learning the fact that sugar could be  extracted from an ingredient that nobody had ever even glanced at. Baldr  narrowed his eyes in satisfaction at their reaction.

(Now, with this my goal to raise fun is going to be achieved for the  time being. But my ambition has only just started! More money! More,  more! All the money! Let’s rake up so much money that it’ll be too  tiresome to count it! And then that──no no no no, that one is no good.  If I do that then it feels like it’ll be over for me as a human being.  But, but……kuh! Even though it feels like this time a mountain of gold  coin is within my reach……!)

「I wonder what’s wrong with Baldr-sama?」

Margo looked confused. Tyros answered her.

「He is thinking of something difficult right now.」

Porco muttered quietly beside them.

「He look like he’s writhing to me though……」

As expected, even these three couldn’t possibly imagine that right  now Baldr was fighting Sanai’s desire to cover the floor with gold coin  and then rolling around on it naked.

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This was repeating the same thing but, the extraordinary Warring  States general Oka Sanai who cornered the one-eyed dragon Masamune until  there was only just a step left to take his head (furthermore with a  small army force that didn’t even reach a hundredth of the enemy army),  he had a certain strange habit that couldn’t be explained with any  decent excuse at all.

It already wasn’t at the level of burning with tenacity to save money with his money lending business.

In reality, there were many generals other than Sanai who were also a  miser with money. Famous generals like Fukushia Masanori or Katou  Kiyomasa, they were misers who preached the importance of frugality and  saving money to their descendants.

However, just once a month Sanai would lock himself inside his residence and carried out a ritual alone.

And shockingly that ritual was, he would covered the surface of the  room with koban coins, got naked, and then he would taste the texture of  the koban coins with his whole body.

「Fuhyahahaha! The feel of this gold is unbearable!」

「These joys art what I’m living foorrrrrr!」

Most likely even throughout the whole Japan, this man was the only  one who carried out a version of bathing with money in the era of  Warring States.

Sanai was capable both as a warrior and as a domestic ruler, but he  had to change lords several times might be the influence of this hobby  that couldn’t be told to other people. That possibility wasn’t zero.

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(Damn it, the money……the money’s evil power is leading me astray……endure! Endure it Baldr!)

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About five minutes were necessary until Baldr recovered his serenity using his desperate perseverance.

「Remember, you mustn’t tell anyone about the sugar. Those who talk  will instantly get kicked out of our group, I also won’t let them become  my retainer. This is also a trial in order to become my retainer in the  future, you all understand?」

「Of course!」

「It’ll be fine~」

「Please leave it to me!」

Porco, Margo, and Tyros all nodded strongly.

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Baldr ordered the three who were in high tension after tasting sugar  for the first time in their life to harvest the remaining sugar beet,  then he headed to the shopping distsrict.

It was afternoon. the number of passerby on the street was  increasing. Baldr was walking to the street and a single merchant house  came into view.

It was a small building, but it had a refined atmosphere. A large  sign with the words “Savaran Company” written on it was decorating the  shop’s entrance.

「Are you making money?」

「So so I guess.」

Baldr’s question was instantly replied with words that were like a  password. The one who replied was the owner of Savaran Company, Selina  Savaran(セリーナ・サバラン).

「Looks like it’s going well for ya, Baldr.」

Selina showed a smile that was like a blooming flower. She was an 18 years old maiden.

Her long and straight bridge of nose, her rose colored small lips,  and then her almond eyes gave the girl the aura of a capable beauty  rather than a mere beautiful girl.

But for Baldr, his most important concern was the two ears on her  head──they were two dog ears that drooped down right at the middle.

Yes, she was a beastman.

Each time Baldr saw her ears with their first-rate fur, a desire to fluffle them to his heart’s content would strike him.

He had the feeling that if he could do that, he would be able to  obtain the answer to the proposition of 「Dog ear and cat ear, which one  is justice?」 that Masaharu was pondering even until the point just  before his death. But no matter how many times Baldr asked Selina, she  would never allow him.

Beastman wasn’t a rare race at all in Aurelia Continent.

The lineage of the hero Brocas(ブロッカス) who had a contract with the  beast king Zoras(ゾラス) was propagated, and the beastman race was  splitting into the dog ear race and the cat ear race.

A lot of beastmen had better physical ability and five senses than  human, but it was only a slight difference. They were no match for the  real dog and cat.

In other words, they were just human, but with animal ears and tail.

Selina’s father had unfortunately died in the past, and so she  inherited her father’s company. But then her uncle was aiming to obtain  her assets. Due to Selina’s good look too, he tried to kidnap her. Baldr  saved her from his attempt. That was how they met in the past.

Selina could vividly recall Baldr’s gallant figure at that time.

Along with that recollection, she was unable to stop herself from feeling the sweet ache as a woman in her abdomen.

At that time Baldr was still nine years old, but Selina was convinced  that his gallant figure wasn’t at all inferior compared to a hero in  legend.

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Savaran Company was a company that was opened by Selina’s father  Massoud(マスード). He who was a peddler fell in love with Selina’s mother  Lilia(リリア) and opened this company to settle down.

The company was small, but using the connections and market that he  cultivated during his time as a peddler, this company was considered as a  promising company within Cornelius territory.

If Massoud could continue running this company without any accident,  it might even be possible to develop this company into a distinguished  big company.

However Massoud was busy running around within the kingdom in order  to save Lilia who was ill with an incurable illness that rotted her  internal organs.

When he learned that the sickness couldn’t be cured even with the  church’s divine spirit magic, he turned his hand toward a forbidden dark  magic to exchange the rotted organ with his own organ.

At that time he had nothing else he could do but grasping at straws.

If Massoud was still thinking normally, there was no way he would try  something suicidal like that. But with the death of his wife fast  approaching, he didn’t have the composure to make a calm judgment.

As the result, Massoud transferred his own organ to his wife and died.

Lilia also died soon because her body showed a rejection toward the organ that came from other person.

Thinking carefully, if there was that kind of convenient magic that  could heal such incurable disease, it should be more well known in the  society. Right now Massoud must be receiving an extremely severe  scolding from Lilia at heaven.

Her father was intelligent, had the ability to take action, and also  amiable, but he was always careless in some respect like this.

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And so the sixteen years old Selina was left alone. Two days after  the funeral, her uncle from her mother side who she didn’t really know  appeared before her.

He intruded into the shop acting as if he owned the place, claiming  that he would look after her as her guardian, so Selina replied 「This  company is already mine ya know, I already registered it to the merchant  guild and received permission」.

Then the uncle’s expression immediately changed like a demon and he started persuading her.

He said, 『The company cannot be entrusted to a little girl with no experience』.

He said, 『I’m a renowned merchant even in the royal capital, so everything will go well if you leave the company to me』.

Selina who completely didn’t believe that her uncle was a capable merchant refused his suggestion.

No matter how she looked at him, he was only a hyena who was aiming  at her property. In fact her observation was right on the money.

The uncle who knew that it was legally impossible to overturn  Selina’s claim left Savaran Company after shouting filthy curses at her.

She wasn’t so stupid and weak that she could be trucked by that kind  of trash. Selina believed that, but just a few days later, Selina was  made to realize that she had misjudged how much of a trash her uncle  was.

.

「You damn little girl……I was just going to sell you off to a brothel if only you listen obediently.」

「Sorry but I have high ideal when lookin’ for a man. I refuse to have anything to do with a pig.」

It was Selina’s carelessness.

She must be feeling flustered too because she had only just inherited the company.

A regular customer approached her with a big business offer. When she  thoughtlessly came to a warehouse that looked empty, her uncle was  waiting for her there with a nasty smile and some thugs that followed  his order.

「Do ya think that nobody will find out if you do something like this?」

Selina tried threatening even knowing that it would be useless.

Murder for money would be sentenced with death, no exception. If  Selina was killed, there was a high possibility her uncle would be  suspected.

「A girl who lost both her parents fall into despair and drown  herself──there are a lot of such story. There won’t be any proof  remaining if you drown to death.」

「Ya-, fiend」

(If I die like this, I’ll get scolded by mum, just like dad……)

Selina still didn’t plan to give up, but she resolved herself because  the possibility was high that this place would be where she died.

There might be a chance if it was just her uncle alone, but the  number of the thugs was eight. Furthermore among them there were two  brutal looking people who clearly had killed someone else before.

Although beastman had more or less better physical ability than  human, she immediately realized that this wasn’t a battle that she could  win.

But, it was then──.

『Look at what we hath here. Some thugs art ganging up on a single cute child……』

It was a high pitched voice of a kid. Everyone there turned around in  surprise. There they found a pretty boy that looked like an angel.

The boy──Baldr spoke something incomprehensible. His words sounded  like foreign language and no one there was able to understand him, but  from his atmosphere he was clearly hurling insult to her uncle and his  gang.

「This brat!」

Thinking normally, Baldr looked like a poor victim who got involved in an incident.

However just from looking at Baldr’s eyes, Selina was convinced that she was saved for some reason.

Just like how people would come to a realization when they saw a lion  or a tiger, just by looking at the eye of the strong would convey their  strength.

Beastman was especially sensitive of such thing.

「Oi, kill him. Brat, curse your own stupidity in that world.」

『What, so ye guys art bored of living? Now I’m pissed off……』

The thugs must be thinking that it would be no trouble to pin down or killing a boy that was smaller than even Selina.

They reached out toward the boy with vulgar smirks. Baldr moved at that instant like lightning.

It happened truly in a flash.

He stole a blade from the pocket of the nearest thug and stabbed his  throat without a shred of hesitation. And then he stabbed the heart of  another person with a flowing motion.

Baldr stole the sword that man was equipped with. At the same time he  threw his blade with the speed and precision of a trained hand. The  third thug that was approaching was defeated with that.

Baldr swung around the long one-handed sword that didn’t suit his  small body as a warm-up exercise, then he provoked Selina’s uncle and  his thugs with a fearless grin.

『This sword is a bit hard to use but, oh well. Let’s fight, ye morons.』

Selina’s uncle and his thugs opened their eyes wide seeing the disdainful expression that Baldr sported.

There was clearly an arrogance that the strong would show to the weak in that look.

These thugs were in position that was looked down by the society  despite their daily deed of taking advantage of someone else’s weakness  and making fun of other people. It was impossible for them to mistake  the kind of expression that Baldr showed.

「T-t-this brat! Kill him! Kill him already!」

At this time the two brutal looking men had sensitively sensed that Baldr wasn’t an ordinary kid from the air that he gave off.

On the other hand, the other thugs who only measured Baldr from his  appearance rushed forward in high spirits to take revenge for their  friends. However Baldr’s small body vanished from view at the next  moment.

Baldr crouched low near the ground and cut off the shin of three people.

「GYAAAAAAAAA!」

There was nobody who could stand after they lost their dominant leg.

Baldr didn’t even spare a glance at the men writhing in intense pain and threw a knife toward the uncle.

「Hih……hiiiii!」

Her uncle’s scream sounded closer than Selina expected. She unconsciously leaned back and turned around.

It seemed that her uncle had secretly closed the distance to take her hostage. He was a sleazebag in all respects.

「I’ve paid you guys a lot of money! You guys get that? Kill that brat already!」

Her uncle dodged the knife just barely and gave the order. In respond  the brutal looking men finally took action. They were emitting killing  intent that was in a different level from a mere thug.

Even so it didn’t cause the slightest change on Baldr’s composed bearing.

It was because he had instinctually sensed that the men had only ever fought opponent that was weaker than him.

『That Hahago-donoMaggot is hundreds of times scarier than this.』

Baldr didn’t hesitate.

He casually walked toward the opponents as though he was walking on an empty field.

Thinking that they were being underestimated, the two men slashed  with a movement that was far more refined than the other thugs, but that  was all there was to it.

Baldr dodged the sword and slipped onto the chest of one of the men,  then he lifted up the man from his waist and threw his down on the  ground. His heel then immediately stepped on the man’s throat with his  whole weight.

「Gegeh!」

The man let out a groan that sounded like it was squeezed out from his lungs before he stopped moving.

The other man felt cold sweats trickling from his whole body seeing  the boy wordlessly stamping his partner to death without showing any  opening at all.

(I can’t win. We are quite confident in our skill, but he is stamped  to death like a worm. There is no way I can win against this kind of  opponent.)

At the corner of his eye, the man saw his employer persistently still trying to approach the girl.

「Oi, look there. The girl is going to die you know?」

The man who sensed his defeat ran away at full speed while saying that over his shoulder at the same time.

The man was already three step away from the sword range at the instant Baldr’s attention was turned toward Selina.

The man kept running with increasing speed. He sighed in relieve believing that he had gotten away from the danger to his life.

However──.

*Gatsun!*

『Human can die even from rock, see?』

A slightly flat rock that could be found at riverbed hit the back of the man’s head.

Even such rock that could be found anywhere could become a weapon that steal human’s life if it was in Baldr’s hand.

A lot of blood flowed from the head of the man who fainted and collapsed. The ground was dyed red.

It didn’t matter whether his flame of live sputtered or not, he wouldn’t stand up again.

「D-don’t move!」

Selina who was entranced by Baldr’s movement remembered that his uncle was trying to take her hostage when she heard that voice.

What a fool. Even though he might be able to at least keep his life if he ran away.

「Throw away your sword! Don’t you care what’s going to happen to this girl!?」

Selina wondered if there would be any meaning in taking her hostage  when she didn’t know this boy at all, but it seemed her uncle couldn’t  understand that with all the blood that rushed into his head.

『I can kill ye faster than ye can kill that girl.』

「Just throw away your sword! You hear──」

*Hyun* There was the sound of cutting wind. At the same time a sword  caved her uncle’s forehead and he died with blood spurting out.

He didn’t even know what had happened before he died.

Even Selina couldn’t see Baldr throwing the sword at all.

As she expected, there was no meaning in taking her hostage although in a different meaning.

.

「I, I’m in yer debt……」

Selina bowed to show her gratitude.

I don’t think that there’ll be any problem but, I still can’t  understand this boy’s language, so let’s refrain from provoking this boy  needlessly──the instant Selina thought that, her knees folded and she sank down on the floor.

When she looked at her feet, she noticed they were shaking.

The fact that she almost got killed had finally caught up to her.

「Fueh?」

Suddenly a warm hand patted her hand at that timing. A stupid voice slipped out from Selina’s mouth.

「Errr, I’m sorry, did I scare you?」

When she noticed, Baldr was now talking with the continent’s official  language that she was familiar with. He embraced Selina’s head and  continued to pat her hair kindly.

Although Selina didn’t notice that Baldr’s gaze was fixed on her dog ears.

『Dog ears……real dog ears……another world rocks!』

Baldr muttered other incomprehensible words while smiling awkwardly.  It was an innocent face that was completely far removed from like the  person who emitted killing intent like a demon god until just now.

Selina was moved to tears from the feeling of relieve, but then she snorted in laughter seeing Baldr’s panicked state.

.

Selina was immersed in that recollection while looking at the eleven  years Baldr in front of her who had grown taller and masculine.

He had good looks that would surely be well received among females  that gave off a friendly charm. He had truly grown into a figure that  was just to Selina’s liking.

「Try licking this.」

「There isn’t much of it eh……」

「Don’t ask for extravagance when it’s just a trial product.」

Selina tossed the brown pill that Baldr handed to her into hre mouth.

A sweetness with unique depth to it melted at the tip of her tongue. Selina’s eyes immediately narrowed in happiness.

「Nn~~~! Sweetness is the bestttt!!」

Although Selina owned a company, sugar wasn’t a product that could be  tasted that easily even for her. Not only it was expensive, the amount  of sugar that was circulating in this world was absolutely insufficient  in the first place.

「So?」

「It will depend on the person’s preference but, as for me I like this sugar better.」

「Yossha!」

Baldr cheered and clenched his right hand into a fist and pulled back his elbow.

Selina didn’t understand the meaning of that gesture Baldr made, but it still conveyed Baldr’s happiness to her.

「I want to make this as our territory’s local specialty but, growing  the corps themselves is easy. One day it will surely get exposed. That’s  why I decide to use it to make money for the sake of the next step. I’m  planning to expand the planting of the crops.」

「And ya gonna leave the sales to us for that eh?」

「Yep, that’s why let me touch your ears already──」

Baldr’s hand reached out toward the dog ears that had great fur. But Selina pinched his palm and smiled mischievously.

「I’m not that cheap of a woman ya know?」

Beastwoman would only allowe their ears to be touched by a man who they opened up their heart to.

In her heart Selina thought that she was alright if it was with  Baldr, but she didn’t want to give him permission when he asked with  joking attitude like this.

If he would love her as a woman then……she wouldn’t be unwilling.

「……Too bad. But to be more exact, what I mean is a bit different from leaving the sales to you I guess?」

「……hoo」

Selena sensed that there was a hidden meaning in Baldr’s words and changed her expression.

In one part due to the strong impression that Baldr left in her when  he saved her, Selina herself didn’t think of Baldr as a mere eleven  years old like his appearance suggested.

She especially felt that when she saw his mischievous smile.

「Actually, I want you to lend me the name of your company. Of course  I’ll have to rely on Selina to do many of the practical business but, I  want to move the money following my plan.」

「……How far are ya going to meddle?」

「Only with the fundamental policy. What to buy. What to invest to.  Will it be full price or half price? I’ll leave the rest to Selina’s own  judgment.」

「And how much is gonna be our share?」

「How about ten percent of the profit? I’ll also pay the cost for using your company’s name.」

Selina quietly leaned forward and brought her face closer until so  close like a lover who would give a kiss. She glared at Baldr with a  rough nasal breathing.

「Ya rate us too cheaply, thirty percent.」

「I’ll be the one who fund it all. The profit you’ll get is already enormous. Fifteen percent.」

「Doesn’t matter what ya gonna sell or how much ya promised, it’ll all  be just a pipe dream without our cooperation right? Besides, do ya have  anyone else who ya can rely other than me? Thirty percent.」

Selina was far more obstinate than Baldr imagined. She showed no sign  of lowering her price at all. Baldr scratched his head with a troubled  look.

It was true, he had no other acquaintance other than Selina who he could ask to do this.

It was a financial product that didn’t need any capital guarantee, so  there wouldn’t be any risk for Selina in this work anyway……that was his  lighthearted thought before, but it seemed that he underestimated the  matter too much.

It was easy to concede here but, thirty percent, who knew how much  money it would be in the future. He was reluctant to part with that much  money, it felt like his body was cut all over!

In that case──.

「……Then, I’m fine giving you thirty percent if you let me touch your ears.」

「Guh!?」

The unexpected retort made Selina to be the one who went red and taken aback this time.

Selina overcharged the price was simply because it was galling for her to let everything went Baldr’s way.

She knew that Baldr had no one else other than her who he could rely  on, but in the unlikely event that she lost her connection with Baldr  here, Selina would be the one with greater loss instead.

Baldr’s invention would undoubtedly produce a huge fortune. Naturally  Selina too wasn’t seriously thinking of refusing Baldr’s proposal.

The dangled carrot that was thirty percent share and the desire of  her maiden heart to use this good chance to take a step further in her  relationship with Baldr made Selina hesitated with bright red face.

「I-if it’s just for a bit……just this once okay?」

Selina even forgot her own words just now 「I’m not that cheap of a  woman」 and presented her droopy ears that were laying flat on her head  toward Baldr.

(That’s right. This is for the thirty percent share. It’s not because I want Baldr to touch them……)

「Funyah!?」

The feeling of Baldr’s slender fingertips rubbing the tip of her ears made a sigh slipped out from Selina’s mouth.

Selina felt ticklish, but there was also euphoria that was filling  her heart. She unconsciously narrowed her eyes and concentrated all her  focus into her ears.

Her shoulders were shaking slightly. Her ears were laying flat as  though in fear. Those things were stirring up Baldr’s excitement.

The memory of Masaharu who was ill with chuunibyou resurrected at the back of Baldr’s mind.

Dog ear is justice──the question of which was better, dog or cat.  That proposition which was thought would go unanswered for eternity was  now answered. Baldr was convinced of that.

(T-this fluffy feeling……it’s irresistible!)

「Nn……fukyuu……」

Selina was leaking out small cries like a puppy. She definitely  didn’t dislike having her ears touched. It was clear when looking at her  fluffy tail that was wagging energetically.

Baldr enjoyed the silky texture of the ear’s fine fur. Baldr who had  his longstanding desire fulfilled wasn’t satisfied with just that. He  persistently rubbed the pink colored back of the ear which was a  sensitive spot.

And then unexpectedly he leaned forward. He couldn’t resist the command of his desire that was going berserk.

However.

.

「DON’T GET CARRIED AWAYYYYYYY!」

.

「Guhah!」

Baldr’s stomach became completely open because he tried to embrace  Selina’s small head. Selina’s full powered attack which hit that place  sent Baldr flying for three meters.

It was a splendid body blow from Selina that didn’t give any opponent for Baldr to react even with his martial art skill.

「J-just a little! I told ya just a little! What’s more it was my  first time my ears were touched, and yet ya weren’t holding back at  all……!」

Seeing Selina’s flushed face and her teary eyes, Baldr realized that he had overdone it.

Fluffiness was certainly justice, but woman’s tear overturned even justice!

「I was in the wrong.」

「Th-this time is an exception ya got it? I won’t allow ya to touch them next time if ya can’t be gentler.」

「Yahoo! After two years of dogged perseverance, finally fluffing privilege GETTTTTTTTT!」

「O-only when I give the permission okay? I won’t let ya touch them that easily no matter what!」

That way of touching was dangerous to their reasoning──mainly to Selina.

.

「……Can I ask the two of you what have been you doing just now?」

.

「Eh?」

A voice suddenly spoke. When they turned toward the voice, there was  the head clerk of Savaran Company, Rorona(ロロナ) making an exasperated  face that was slightly blushing.

「NOOOOOOOO!!」

Baldr and Selina screamed in embarrassment when they noticed her standing awkwardly there.

「Good grief, president should be old enough to know better……well, you  aren’t that old yet but, president is still the proud head of this  company, so you have to be a bit more levelheaded.」

「I have no excuse.」

Selina was seriously dejected from the calm scolding of her trusted confidant Rorona.

Rorona was a senior employee in this company who was raised by  Selina’s father and mother as a candidate of the company’s future top  brass.

Even so she was still 26 years old. She was an alluring maiden with  beautiful black hair that was tied into a bun and curvy body.

There had been countless men who tried to woo her since the past, but  there still wasn’t any romantic gossip about her. Selina couldn’t help  but felt that it was a waste even though it wasn’t her problem.

「──It’s none of president’s business.」

「But I didn’t say anything!?」

Selina wasn’t incompetent by all means, but she was still unable to oppose Rorona.

In fact the majority of Savaran Company’s practical business was  still taken care of by Rorona with her outstanding ability to deal with  paperwork.

.

「Young master Baldr, it appears that you’re going to do something  interesting but, if you allow our company to be involved in it then a  share of twenty percent will be enough for us.」

The share amount she proposed was smaller than the number Selina  insisted just now. But Selina seemed to trust Rorona and didn’t  interrupt her.

「……You will have to take responsibility of the risk on your own you know?」

「Of course, we shall have to adequately scrutinize whether this work will have that much worth or not.」

Rorona seemed to be shrewder than Baldr thought. If he wasn’t  careful, Savaran Company might took over this business that he was going  to start with their overwhelmingly superior amount of capital.

This company had the capability to carry out Baldr’s plan in a scale that was dozens of times bigger.

「Please don’t worry. We won’t do anything dishonorable toward our important customer.」

Rorona smiled as though to say that she had seen through Baldr’s thinking.

In fact she had really seen him through.

Thinking carefully, if Baldr used the connection of his father Ignis,  he would be able to make use of a company that was bigger than Savaran  Company.

There was no way the sharp-witted Selina and Rorona would do anything  dishonest when the other party was a precious source of revenue like  the heir of a house of count.

Baldr scratched his head bashfully before he nodded at Rorona.

「If that’s so then, take care of me from here on as a partner.」

Rorona grinned boldly and then she muttered 「Right right」 as though there was something that she had recalled just now.

「Although young master called it the compensation for the share  increase, but please refrain from toying with president’s ear too much.  For beastman, the only one they will allow to touch their ear is only  the opposite sex that they have no problem to even give themselves to.  Though it’ll be different if young master Baldr want to accept the  president as partner in both public and private matter.」

「Ueh?」

「……Seriously?」

Selina went bright red until her neck and let out a strange scream.  Beside her Baldr realized that somehow he had stepped on an outrageous  landmine.

「Although it looks like president herself doesn’t seem disagreeable with it.」

「E-enough! Rorona! I’ll be angry if ya keep this up!」

「Please pardon my impertinence.」

Rorona’s dignity was completely winning here.

Selina would act like a shrew older lady in front of Baldr, but as  expected she was in a disadvantage when in front of Rorona who had taken  care of her since she was a child.

「Then, can you quickly arrange to sell this sugar at the capital?  Then using that money……there is something that I want you to buy as many  as possible──」

.

「Just where have you been loitering at!?」

At evening, what greeted Baldr when he returned to the mansion was  his father Ignis who was standing imposingly at the entrance with an  angry expression.

His father was wearing a gorgeous outfit and there was also the smell  of perfume from him. Baldr went 「Ah」 in realization of his blunder  after seeing his father’s appearance.

「Come to think of it……there is a party tonight.」

「Don’t forget that kind of thing! Go change your clothes quickly! Good grief……even though you’re the star tonight!」

「I’m sorry, I’ll hurry.」

His mother was training him hard just like usual in the morning, so  he completely forgot. He wondered what would she do if he got terribly  injured this morning from that training……?

He guessed that she would say something like「Just think of that wound  as a badge of honor. Enough with the tedious talk, get out already to  the party」 without giving a damn. He could imagine Ignis holding his  stomach due to stomachache if that happened.

Although it would be just Ignis reaping what he sowed for falling in  love with someone like Maggot, as expected even Baldr couldn’t help but  feeling pity.

(Now then, let’s prepare so that Tou-san’s stomachache at least won’t worsen more than this.)

.

Baldr rushed to return to his room. There Seyruun was waiting for him with a very dark smile.

「……Young master Baldr, you return early.」

「Uh……sorry……」

This was awkward.

Baldr felt a chill like there was a block of ice thrust into his back. He desperately bowed his head.

「Master and mistress asked me where is young master. Do young master  have any idea just how embarrassing it was for me when I couldn’t answer  them?」

Seyroon stared blankly at Baldr to express her resentment. Baldr could only prostrated to apologize.

Ignis wasn’t a tyrannical lord so Seyruun wasn’t punished, even so if  this was another noble house, it was even possible for Seyruun to be  fired.

Baldr only noticed now that his thinking was too naïve.

As expected Seyruun wasn’t just a mere maid for Baldr, for him she  was an important existence that was like his big sister and also his  childhood friend.

In the first place without her at his side, it was extremely doubtful  whether Baldr could maintain his personality’s identity like right now.

Baldr obediently kept his bowed and apologized to Seyruun from the bottom of his heart.

「──I’m really sorry. I’ll talk properly with Sey-nee too from now.」

To be honest, Baldr had also felt that there was a limit to progress  with the business discussion while keeping it a secret from Seyruun. It  would be best to properly explain the situation to her and won her over  as his ally.

Even from Baldr’s perspective, Seyruun had gone above beyond being a  mere maid. She was definitely an excellent assistant for him even if she  was evaluated without Baldr’s bias.

「Please don’t do something like this anymore. Then, let’s hurry to change clothes.」

Seyruun too couldn’t stay angry anymore than this after her cute little brother apologize to her by bowing his head.

Seyruun smiled wryly at how weak she was against young master Baldr  while pulling his hand to make him change into the dress suit that had  been tailored for the party.

.

Tonight would be the first time for the eldest son of Count Cornelius, Baldr Cornelius to show himself in a formal setting.

Normally the debut of a noble’s eldest son would be done when they  were around five years old. The reason why Baldr’s debut was delayed  until he was eleven years old was because Baldr had weak constitution.  That was the rumor that mainly spread.

For the nobles in the vicinity of Cornelius territory, regardless  whether they liked the count or not, the strength of the next generation  who would shoulder Cornelius house in the future was a serious matter  of interest.

It might not really matter if it was about a royal court noble in the  royal capital, but Cornelius House was an existence that couldn’t be  made light of for the military authorities and the nobles near the  border.

Count Cornelius’s territory was the cornerstone at the national border with Haurelia Kingdom.

Although the two countries were currently at peace, it was hard to  say that the relationship between the two had improved. Count Cornelius  still had a heavy responsibility in regard to the national defense.

Although it was also true that due to welcoming a mere mercenary as  his legal wife, Ignis was said to dirty the noble’s blood and his  reputation among the nobles had fallen.

Because of that the number of people that was invited for the party  tonight was extremely few if taking Cornelius House’s fortune into  consideration.

.

「Long time no see, Ignis.」

「It looks like you haven’t changed, Mattis(マティス).」

The two men exchanged a firm handshake and hugged each other’s shoulders.

For Ignis who was hated by upper class nobles, this man was one of  the few people who he could call as a close friend. Mattis  Bradford(マティス-ブラッドフォード), he was Ignis’s comrade in arms in the past war.

Right now he was succeeding the viscount house of Bradford at the  northwest region of the kingdom, but he belonged to the Blue Flame  Knight Order of the kingdom army during the war.

His house was also known as a military family even though not as much  as Cornelius House. The military strength that he possessed wasn’t  something that could be underestimated.

Ignis’s eyes moved toward the girl beside Mattis who was looking up at him.

「Teresa(テレサ) has also grown big huh.」

「Uncle yourself is also looking healthy. By the way where is Baldr? I want to meet him after so long.」

「He is still changing clothes right now. I think he’ll come soon though.」

Teresa was a beautiful girl with red hair that suited her look. She  grinned broadly. Her appearance looked like a lively boy in a glance.

「As expected, I’ll hold back myself tonight, but be ready to see me  taking a win against Baldr tomorrow, uncle. I also have grown a lot  stronger since then!」

When his best friendIgnis sent him a wordless question asking just what was the meaning of this, Mattis could only shook his head in resignation.

Despite her beautiful looks, for a noble lady Teresa was a bit too  lively for these few years──to be frank, she had grown to be a tomboy.

Mattis couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that because it was a waste of his daughter’s lovely appearance.

He hesitated to say it out loud but, at this rate his daughter might become a female warrior just like Maggot.

In Mattis’s mind, he had a silly thought that perhaps Baldr would  break his daughter’s high confidence and if possible he would become the  husband of his unworthy daughter in the future.

As the eldest son of Cornelius House, there wasn’t any problem with  Baldr whether in status or in the political aspect to be his daughter’s  husband.

However that expectation ended up in vain. Since that day when Teresa  witnessed Baldr receiving Maggot’s harsh training despite being younger  than her, Baldr had become a target that should be surpassed one day  for Teresa.

Teresa didn’t understand why she was feeling this strongly about it  but, there was a side of her that absolutely didn’t want to lose against  Baldr alone.

.

「It’s great that both Lord Ignis and Lord Mattis are in good health.  And it seems your eldest son has also grown up to be a splendid young  man. This old man is happy to know that.」

A good-natured old man appeared. Ignis and Mattis straightened their posture in panic and bowed to him politely.

「G-General Ramillies(ラミリーズ)! Welcome, it’s a honor to see you here!」

This Ramillies had no peerage, but he was an authority in the  kingdom’s army. Currently there was no one who had raised as much  achievements as him. And not only that, he was also Mattis’s superior in  the past.

Even though he was already past sixty years old, his wide shoulders  and broad chest hadn’t looked emaciating at the slightest even now.

His hair had turned white and lost its luster, but his sharp gaze and  his tanned skin conveyed that he was still an active military man even  now.

「It was a great loss for the Blue Flame Knight Order when Lord Mattis  succeeded the lordship of your house. If possible I wish that you could  take up the seat as the knight order’s commander for several years  first.」

「That honor is too much for my incompetent self.」

Mattis bowed with a feeling of obligation that came from the heart.

Ramillies who was a commoner was intentionally talking in a  self-depreciating way, but in the past he was a demonic superior who no  one dared to oppose.

Furthermore when Ramillies fought seriously, the possibility of  Mattis winning wasn’t that high even when considering Ramillies’s old  age.

Ignis also knew of the way Ramillies fought that caused him to be  called as the demon god of the battlefield. Just like Mattis, he was  unable to raise his head against Ramillies at all.

On the other hand──.

「Ooh! Jii-samaold man/gramps, you still haven’t croaked yet.」

「Ha ha ha. I was also looking forward whether Silver Light-dono has slightly become like a wife.」

「I’m always acting ladylike even though I look like this. But with  our relationship, there isn’t any need for us to keep up appearances  with each other at this point.」

「……To be honest I still can’t believe it even now. To think that tomboy will become Lord Ignis’s wife.」

「I also think so too from the bottom of my heart about that.」

Maggot laughed loudly and slapped the back of the stiffening Ignis hard.

「What are you doing standing dumbly like that. Show Jii-sama inside already.」

「R-right……」

.

Ignis knew that Maggot and Ramillies had some kind of relationship with each other since the time Maggot was a mercenary.

Ignis and Maggot at first received the total objection from Ignis’s  relatives and it was really hard for them to marry. But then the king  recognized their marriage. Ignis suspected that it might be because of  Ramillies’s help.

Ramillies didn’t accept peerage and stayed a commoner, so it was  strange for him to have such political influence, but if Ramillies was  ordered to lead an army, most likely there wasn’t even a single person  in the military right now who could rival Ramillies’s skill.

If this old man who was even more precious than gems asked for a  favor, then perhaps even the king would listen without saying anything.

.

「By the way Jii-sama, can you take a look at my son’s skill later.  After all that kid is going to become a warrior who surpass me before  long.」

「……If you aren’t joking, then this is where I should tell you to keep your doting to your son in moderation you know?」

Although Ramillies replied to Maggot casually like that, his eyes were giving a sharp glint.

As far as Ramillies knew, people who could rival Maggot in battle  strength individually like Ignis or Mattis could be counted in one hand.

Furthermore if her battlefield intuition was also taken into  consideration, then Maggot was the strongest warrior in the continent  that Ramillies knew.

If there was someone who surpassed that Maggot, then it wasn’t something that he could just leave alone in various senses.

.

「Setting aside spear, my skill in magic and sword is self-taught. So I want to ask Jii-sama’s opinion.」

「……You don’t even need to ask me.」

.

To repeat, the talent of Ignis’s successor was a big concern for the kingdom.

It was a public secret that Haurelia Kingdom hadn’t given up in invading Mauricia Kingdom even now.

The upper streams of most of the rivers flowing through Haurelia  Kingdom were located in Mauricia Kingdom. In addition Mauricia Kingdom  was blessed with various resources. For Haurelia Kingdom, the land of  Mauricia Kingdom was something that they historically coveted and had to  be annexed at all cost.

Cornelius House had woodland territory which was an area with high  defensive ability. Even so they were continuously being exposed to the  great threat of the Haurelia Kingdom.

In the worst case that the lord there was incompetent, Cornelius  territory would be immediately trampled by Haurelia Kingdom unless  Mauricia Kingdom immediately took countermeasure.

In fact Ramillies was also secretly ordered by the king to observe Baldr’s disposition closely.

There wouldn’t be any problem in the immediate future, but depending  on the situation it might even be possible for the king to interfere  with the succession of Cornelius House.

Of course the king wouldn’t be able to avoid the backlash from the  nobles within the country if he interfered like that, but Cornelius  territory was just that important.

Of course there wouldn’t be any problem at all if Baldr possessed a talent that was worthy to be the heir.

And then if by any chance he really possessed a talent that surpassed  both his parents, then there would also be another choice that could be  considered.

Maggot looked satisfied that she was able to surprise a veteran like  Ramillies. She turned around with her magnificent crimson dress trailing  behind her and walked to where Ignis was standing.

.

Seyruun gracefully appeared wearing a blue dress looking like a noble  lady who got invited into the party herself. Seeing her appearance  informed Ignis that Baldr had finished his preparation.

「It seems the preparation is finished. Well then everyone, please take your glass inside the hall.」

.

Baldr looked in embarrassment at himself who was wrapped in a full  dress that looked like a white tuxedo. Seyruun seemed to be satisfied  with the result, but he himself couldn’t help but felt that there were  too many decorations with this outfit.

The Warring States general Sanai preferred to wear gaudy attire, but  in the end that was only limited to the battlefield. Normally he would  always dress plainly instead.

From the perspective of Baldr’s other previous life Masaharu, his  current appearance didn’t look any different from his friend who was  doing cosplay at Harumi Wharf.

Speaking of the formal dress for Masaharu who was an ordinary high school student, it would be just his school blazer.

「……It can’t be helped. This too is the duty of a noble.」

Baldr let out a big sigh and resolved himself before he started  walking toward the stage where the attending guests were watching.

「I can’t express how grateful I am to everyone here who graced us  with your presence today for the sake of our family. We are holding this  meager party is to introduce our eldest son Baldr. Every, I hope you  will keep honoring us with your friendship from now on too.」

Baldr waited for Ignis’s signal and stepped into the second’s floor stage that was shaped like a balcony.

.

「……Allow me to introduce myself. I am the only child of Cornelius  House, my name is Baldr Cornelius. Although incompetent, so that I won’t  besmirch the name of our family, I shall risk my life if it’s required  to become this kingdom’s shield and protect the people together with my  father. Here and now I swear to everyone that I shall never display  anything unsightly in battle.」

.

When Baldr came to himself, he realized Ignis was watching him with his mouth hanging open.

(Damn it! I was too nervous and spoke exaggeratingly like Sanai……!)

Maggot had been pointing at him since some time ago while holding her  stomach in laughter. O mother, that was not how a mother should act  toward her son was it not?

「Hmph, it’s just Baldr and yet he acted cheeky like that.」

Teresa muttered with a huff.

「I won’t tell you to follow that example but, that’s how a proper noble should be, Teresa.」

「Even I can give that kind of speech if it’s now……」

Teresa’s unveiling was when she was six years old.

Even when her age was taken into consideration, she still didn’t want  to recognize how splendid her rival childhood friend looked.

Teresa sulked with puffed up cheeks. Mattis had a silly thought of  how cute she was being. At the same time he also felt defeated toward  his best friend in the matter of raising children.

Before the party Baldr was rumored that perhaps he was born with weak  constitution and perhaps even an inborn disability. But his magnificent  speech just now caused the hall to be filled with a stir.

Even so most of the attending nobles were thinking that Baldr’s  speech was just following the script that had been prepared beforehand.

Even for noble who was demanded to have responsibility and  self-awareness since young age, it didn’t seem possible for an eleven  years old child to be able to talk like that as expected.

.

「That’s quite a splendid showing.」

「He seems to be a son with good future prospect.」

「Cornelius House can also be relieved for the time being with this.」

「Hmph, hopefully this isn’t just a mere show.」

.

Among the guests there were also those who couldn’t wipe their bias  toward Cornelius House, but the guests’ evaluation toward Baldr was  favorable in general.

However Mattis and Ramillies realized that Baldr’s speech wasn’t something that Ignis prepared for him.

Especially the old general Ramillies, he shuddered when he sensed the presence that Baldr showed just for an instant.

He realized that fact as someone who had survived through the battlefields for a long time. He reflexively glared toward Maggot.

He thought that it was too fast to make a kid this young to experience something like that.

.

It was the experience──of killing human.

.

It didn’t matter how young and childish he looked at the surface, it  didn’t matter even if there was no change in his attitude, there would  definitely be a change at the inside when human killed other human.

Human was that kind of creature.

Baldr didn’t look like a boy who would commit murder just for fun,  but at the very least there should be a wound carved into Baldr’s heart  that wouldn’t disappear for his whole life.

For those who lived with martial art, killing a human was an  experience that would come sooner or later, it was a trial. Human who  couldn’t kill other human wouldn’t be able to become a warrior no matter  how skilled they were.

Therefore a part of the nobility had the custom to make their children carried out the execution of death penalty.

Even so Ramillies never heard of something so reckless like making an eleven years old child did that.

「I swear I never make that child do anything like that. Even I don’t  know when did that child graduated from his virginity (of killing).  Though I think it’s from two years ago.」

Maggot noticed Ramillies’s gaze and shrugged with a mischievous smile.

Two years ago, the memories of Sanai and Masaharu were still in chaotic state inside Baldr.

During that time, most likely something happened that developed into a  situation where it would be kill or to be killed and Sanai’s  personality came to the front──that was Maggot’s guess.

In fact the incident with Selina’s case was two years ago. So Maggot’s guess was completely true.

「You are still his mother no matter what, so you should at least know  what kind of situation it was that made your son graduated from his  first time.」

Ramillies let out a long sigh at the statement of Maggot whose absurdity hadn’t changed since the past.

In which world there was a mother who could be found allowing her son  to do as he pleased even after that son had committed murder.

Murder at childhood could especially cause a big trauma.

Depending on the situation, there were even people who became a  hunter that thirsted for blood instead to escape the shock of killing  people. Those people would become unable to leave the battlefield.

「Well, there was a bit of special circumstance. Even like this I  believe that I still can at least understand whether there is cloudiness  or not in my son’s sword.」

Maggot smiled with a complete calm.

Although she might not be much of a mother, Maggot’s learning wasn’t so inadequate that she could be deceived.

Maggot believed that the reason Baldr killed someone wasn’t something  that slighted his own justice. She also believed that Baldr wasn’t  drowning in his own strength and he also wasn’t caught in darkness.

Although she had also ordered a retainer to secretly investigate Baldr’s relationship with Selina.

Maggot looked really uncaring and relaxed with nurturing her son by  not giving any interference, but she actually was a doting parent with  tsundere personality.

「……Good grief, you mother and son are really bad for this old man’s health.」

At the same time Ramillies thought that it was a waste of talent.

As the eldest son of Cornelius House, in the end Baldr would have to  content himself as being a mere feudal lord of a remote region.

The scale of Cornelius House was relatively large at the kingdom’s  eastern border, but in the whole kingdom it ranked around the 40th. The house was around medium-level as upper class noble, while its influence in politic belonged in the low rank instead.

If only Baldr was a second son, Ramillies would immediately bring him  back with him to raise him in the knight order with special education  gifted children.

.

When Baldr finished giving greeting in general, the small nobles swarmed him.

After they learned that the rumor of his sickness was wrong and he  was actually a boy with good prospect, he became an existence that they  wished to have connection with by all means.

「Please come visit our house sometimes. Our house has a daughter of the same age with young master……」

「I have just purchased a precious spear from our house’s regular merchant, so if you can take a look at it──」

「How about coming to look at our house’s prided garden next time? Next month it will be the best season to watch flower.」

Although Cornelius House only ranked around 40th place,  for the small nobles who ranked far below that, Cornelius House was a  large house that was enticing enough. Furthermore as could be seen from  how Ignis took in Maggot who was a mercenary as his first wife, it was  an extraordinary house that wasn’t too fixated with status for a great  noble.

In other words Baldr was an excellent article that might took their daughter to be his first wife.

Baldr looked troubled with so many people surrounding him, but he  smiled as though he was enjoying the situation. A red haired beautiful  girl appeared at that time.

She calmly raised a hand and commanded the nobles who were swarming Baldr.

「Excuse me but can you please move away from there?」

「Eei! Right now isn’t the time for……o-oh, isn’t this the young lady of Bradford House?」

「I want to talk with my best friend after so long. Can you please concede this spot for me?」

「Y-yes……」

Unable to directly oppose the young lady of a viscount house, the  small nobles who swarmed Baldr reluctantly opened a path for Teresa.

「Fuu, I can finally take a breather with this. Thanks a lot Teresa.」

「Aren’t you getting even cheekier after we haven’t met for a while, Baldr?」

「Cheeky you say……I don’t think that I’ve acted like that though.」

Their words seemed to be sarcastic but, the two of them looked at each other and laughed in enjoyment.

.

The first meeting of Teresa and Baldr could be traced to when Baldr  was still troubled by the triple personalities when he was six years  old.

That day Teresa who was a year older than Baldr was brought by her  father Mattis to meet with Ignis and Maggot who were rumored as the  heroes of the previous war and called with name like “the kingdom’s  strongest pair”. She was looking forward to it.

She was told that there was a boy a year younger than her at  Cornelius House. When Ignis told her 「His personality is a bit  difficult, so if possible please get along with him」, she was honestly  feeling disappointed.

It felt like the fantasy that she harbored as a child was breaking  when she was told something like that about the son of the heroes.

However that disappointment only lasted until she saw the training of Maggot and Baldr.

.

「What’s wrong? You’re going to die if you rest you know?」

『……Good grief, what an unbelievable mother ye are.』

The small Baldr spoke unknown words while dodging Maggot’s spear that was attacking him rapidly with paper-thin difference.

It was high-speed thrusts that might lead to death if Baldr made even  a single blunder──the name of Silver Light Maggot wasn’t just an  exaggeration by all means.

From what Teresa saw, the spear’s speed looked even faster than Mattis’s thrust.

And yet Baldr continued to dodge them all. Just how strong he could be to do that?

.

「That’s right! Pulling back when facing spear is just suicide! Know that your path to live is only forward!」

『What’s with this impossible game! Give me some cheat!』

Baldr gradually closed his distance with Maggot using only his small  body that still couldn’t even use magic. The spear tip assaulted him  without any mercy.

Even so when he finally approached until a distance where it looked  like he could leap into the opponent’s bosom, Maggot’s spear that was  only thrusting until now swept horizontally and blew Baldr’s body away.

「Yosh, that’s enough for today!」

Maggot smiled in satisfaction. Baldr gave her a thumb up even while his body was convulsing endlessly.

The meaning of that pose was unknown but, Baldr’s face was that of a  Man among man who had achieved something. For some reason Teresa felt  really irritated seeing that.

At the same time it also felt like her pride that was growing too big  because of all the praises saying she was more talented in martial art  than her little brother was smashed.

This was how Teresa became interested with Baldr. The chance to have a  friend of the same generation who also excelled in martial art arrived  for her for the first time.

(Interesting. There is no way I can’t do it if Baldr can do it.)

Since then Teresa became Baldr’s friend. She might be his only friend that was also a fellow great noble.

Although in contrast to Mattis’s expectation, in the end their relationship never crossed the category of being friend.

Because──.

.

「Yaa Seyruun. You have become even prettier after we haven’t met for a  while. You still haven’t decided to come to my place yet?」

「Thank you for your kind words, Teresa-sama. But, I will be young master Baldr’s maid forever.」

「How cold……then at the very least let’s enjoy ourselves together in a momentary tryst tonight.」

「Please stop with the joke……」

Seyruun bowed with an elegant bearing, then she immediately hid behind Baldr.

Baldr was used as a shield, but just this time he had to become Seyruun’s ally no matter what.

「Teresa, can you stop trying to steal my lovely big sister?」

「Lovely──!?」

For an instant Seyruun’s expression almost broke into a happy grin,  but she then hung her head down to hide her bright red face with her  brown hair.

Even then Teresa spread her hands widely and praised in exaggeration.

「Even your shy expression is so beautiful it will make the goddess ashamed. You are too good for the like of Baldr!」

In other word, this Teresa was a girl with extremely strong lesbian disposition.

Teresa smoothly stepped forward following her desire to embrace  Seyruun. In respond Seyruun desperately dodged using Baldr as a shield.

A very stupid looking offense and defense unfolded with Baldr in between.

「Fufufu, that coldness of yours is also charming.」

「Fuee……young master! Please save meee!」

Seyruun shrank back and desperately ran away from Teresa’s skinship.

It was the result of receiving sexual harassment that left a trauma in her.

.

「……Mattis, she is still not cured?」

「I wonder if your son can take her in」

「As expected I think it’s impossible as she is right now.」

Mattis watched the children with a grave expression. Ignis smiled wryly to console him.

It wasn’t like there was no noble with strange hobby, but it was also  a fact that homosexual person was ridiculed by the society just as bad  as Cornelius House that took in a mercenary as a wife.

And more than that, if Teresa didn’t feel any attraction toward  Baldr, then as a parent Mattis didn’t want to force her to marry.

「Good grief, I’m jealous that you can raise Baldr-kun to be a splendid young man like that.」

Although it was also unclear whether Baldr had really been raised well or not.

It would still be some time before Ignis and Mattis learned about Baldr’s hidden real nature.

.

Part 3

The next morning after the unveiling, Baldr who was rounded up for  training with his mother like usual this time found Teresa wearing  training clothes in high spirits beside him. There was also the figure  of the old general Ramillies who was emitting an overwhelming dignity  and tyrannical aura of a warrior despite only wearing a blue shirt and  gauntlets.

Maggot’s face was radiant like someone who had succeeded with her prank. It made him felt like he wanted to cry.

Baldr’s shoulders slumped and he muttered.

「……Why is the general also here?」

(He looks totally motivated. Rather, isn’t it like he is getting ready to kill someone?)

「Aa, General Ramillies was my former superior due to a bit of special  circumstances. Aren’t you happy, you can practice with a general from  the royal capital. I think you know already but, if your fight is too  unsightly, the training will be a bit harder from tomorroy, you  understand?」

「I’ll give it my all! Okaa-sama!」

(Yep, even now it’s already Extra Hard level, so if it become harder  than that the only future for me will be death. I only barely survive  every day……am I really a young master of a noble house?)

「Fight me first before that! Baldr!」

.

Teresa stepped into the training field with a determined spirit in her eyes.

The black training outfit with good tailoring suited Teresa’s red hair.

If only her personality was ladylike then she would be a beautiful  girl with many pursuers, and yet……Baldr couldn’t help but feeling it was  unfortunate his old friend was like this.

「Teresa, you alright with using that wooden sword?」

「My teacher said that I’m more suited to sword rather than spear.」

「Hmm, then perhaps I’ll take you on using a sword……」

「Muu, so cheeky even though you’re just Baldr!」

It couldn’t be helped that spear became the main weapon in the  battlefield, but few noble would stand at the frontline. Rather sword  was considered to be a noble’s taste.

Naturally Baldr was trained in not just spear but also sword.

Teresa looked displeased because it was like Baldr was going easy on her, but she didn’t complain any more than that.

.

「Are you two ready? Okay, start!」

Teresa went into attack at the same time with Maggot’s words as she  believed victory would go to the one who made the first move.

She moved with sliding feet, but her forward rush was still  accompanied with enough speed. And then she slashed down with her body  weight put into her slash to compensate for woman’s weaker physique.

Teresa’s teacher telling her that she had talent with sword wasn’t just an empty praise.

──But it was too clean.

In order to challenge a stronger opponent, one must took the opponent  by surprise or at the very least using combo that could unbalance the  opponent.

If a fighter attacked without any trick, they must have the awareness  that it would be over for them if their attack was dodged. They had to  put everything they have into that one attack.

A clean attack that was exactly like in training would only work against equally strong opponent or weaker opponent.

In the end, Baldr who had survived Maggot’s hellish training on top  of having Sanai’s memory could easily handle this attack without  problem.

Baldr dodged Teresa’s slash by simply tilting his upper body. He  rotated using his right foot as the axis and hit Teresa’s flank while he  was turning around.

「Guh!」

Although he held back, a hit from a wooden sword would still cause intense pain that made it hard to breathe.

However Teresa carefully took distance without looking shocked at all.

「Don’t you hold back on me!」

「……Sorry.」

Even though she was hit with a blow that might leave a bruise, far  from writhing in pain, Teresa sensed that Baldr was holding back and got  furious.

At the same time she had to recognize that she wouldn’t even be able to scratch Baldr with mediocre attack.

Even a slash that she thought as nicely done didn’t work. Teresa  didn’t live so high above the cloud that she could still believe that  they were equally strong.

She accepted the reality, even so she wanted to surpass Baldr.

Then how could she close the gap between their strength?

Threw away any defense. Threw away any combo too. Don’t worry about  conserving stamina too. Don’t think about the consequences and attack  just once, attack just once with all her strength poured into it!

Teresa bent her body forward and slowly built up her strength by  putting her weight behind her sword tip. Then like an arrow that was  fired from a bow that had been drawn to its limit, she flew toward  Baldr.

(Sharp!)

Baldr’s eyes opened wide in amazement at the extremely swift thrust.  It wasn’t like he was underestimating her, but she was like a completely  different person from before with this attack.

This was a feat that was achieved by the talent that Teresa was born with.

But, even so it was still inferior compared to Maggot’s attack that was like a death god.

And so, there was no way Baldr would helplessly get hit by it.

Teresa was convinced of her victory, believing that Baldr wouldn’t  make it even if started dodging now. The moment her lips warped into a  grin, heaven and earth was overturned and she could see the ground above  her.

「What?」

Teresa’s eyes was catching Baldr’s back when she came to herself.

At the moment of contact, Baldr grabbed the tip of Teresa’s wooden  sword and made use of her forward momentum to throw her behind him.

「Gahah!」

Teresa who put all her strength into her attack just now was unable  to do anything to reduce the impact when her back hit the ground.

Her lungs were pressured and her remaining air was squeezed out from her throat.

Even when she tried to stand up, the best she could do was only clenching her small hand.

「Match over!」

Maggot raised her arm to signal the end of the fight.

Baldr smiled wryly at Teresa who bit her lips in frustration while helping her to stand.

Although Teresa was feeling unhappy, she didn’t lose her cool and properly exchanged word of thanks with Baldr.

「……I’ll win next time.」

「No, you have grown a lot stronger. I’m surprised.」

Certainly her swordsmanship was really sharp that Baldr was  impressed. It could be seen that she managed to run across a really  excellent teacher.

It was impossible for a noble lady like Teresa who was cherished by  her parents to go through a deadly training like Baldr. Taking that into  consideration, Teresa’s battle strength was more than high enough.

「……Cheeky.」

Teresa pouted and looked aside.

There was no doubt that Baldr went easy on her, but in the past she  wouldn’t even be able to notice that. Now she had reached a level where  she was able to at last perceive the difference in strength between  them.

However Teresa didn’t want to recognize that honestly. It was because  Teresa who knew the mentally unstable Baldr in his childhood days  considered herself as his big sister.

.

「……How’s that?」

「Honestly I won’t be able to believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.」

Maggot and Ramillies had grasped the difference between the two even more accurately than Teresa.

Teresa had increased her physical capability using magic in the fight  just now. In contrast Baldr won overwhelmingly against Teresa using  only his base physical ability.

Ramillies didn’t know whether he would be able to find anyone who  could do the same thing even if he searched within the knight order.  That was just how sharp Baldr’s movement was.

「Gufufu……」 A stifled laughter leaked out from Ramillies’s throat.

(Interesting. What a fortuitous encounter with an interesting talent.)

In Ramillies’s old bone, his blood was starting to seethe hotly just like in the past.

.

「Now then, because I too am not as skilled as Maggot-dono in using  spear, I’ll use sword to face you. Is that alright with you Baldr-dono?」

「Please go easy on me……」

Maggot looked cheerful in a glance, but her smile didn’t reach her  eyes at all. After confirming that, Baldr readied his sword while  feeling cold sweat trickling on his back.

(Good grief……this grandpa isn’t a joke at all.)

It felt like there was a sword aura that stabbed into his skin just from Ramillies pointing his sword toward him.

Ramillies had already reached the old age of sixty years old, but his  muscle that was trained like steel didn’t look like they had emaciated  at all.

While his body was a bit short, the flesh had been thoroughly  tempered without exception. Added with battlefield instinct that was  based on his abundant experiences enabled Ramillies to keep his status  as a first rate warrior.

The two of them held their sword in front of them and pointed their respective sword tip toward each other’s eyes.

By doing that it made it hard to grasp the sword’s distance using sight.

This was the basic when fighting using sword.

.

「Fuh!」

Without any preliminary motion from his shoulders and elbows,  Ramilliess sword that looked like a dot from Baldr’s perspective  suddenly swelled up──the instant he perceived that, the sword was  already approaching right in front of Baldr’s face.

Baldr tilted his head to dodge the trust using mostly only his instinct.

(Hou, so he dodged this too without magic.)

Ramillies was impressed.

Whether using sword or spear, in one-on-one duel there were various  techniques to not allow the opponent to grasp the distance between the  two fighters. This wasn’t just using pure technique, but also included  predicting each other’s thought. Experience was important for it.

In the first place instinct wasn’t thought. It was reflex that was  imprinted deeply until the subconscious mind to derive answer from the  person’s vault of experience.

Seeing Baldr able to do that in his age made Ramillies felt more sympathy for him rather than surprise.

(……The Silver Light is really merciless even against her own son who is still this small.)

For Baldr who was still eleven years old to have that much duel  experience seemed too extreme even from the perspective of Ramillies who  was also a martial artist.

However it went without saying that in reality Sanai’s influence played a large part in it.

「Ho ho……is it alright for me to be serious if it’s like this?」

「Please spare me, I’m quite serious here.」

「Don’t worry, it’s not really a big deal even if old man like me get serious.」

Ramillies said that while launching an attack at Baldr.

It was an agile movement that didn’t suit his wide body that gave a sluggish impression.

He attacked Baldr mercilessly from up, down, left, and right with a speed that couldn’t be followed with sight.

Baldr whose muscle strength should be overwhelmingly inferior dodged  or parried all of those attacks. He completely protected his body from  getting hit.

And then Baldr stepped onto Ramillies’s bosom, but Ramillies’s  momentum didn’t slow down at all even then. With his short stature,  point-blank range wasn’t a distance that he was weak at by any means.

(Shit-! I blundered!)

With their difference in stature, Baldr thougth that he wouldn’t be  able to find any prospect of victory other than with close combat, but  it was unexpected for him that Ramillies wasn’t bothered at all against  that.

He thought that even if he was unable to defeat Ramillies easily, he  would be able to decrease the number of his attack somewhat.

At this point Baldr’s evasion had already been mostly left to just  his instinct. He wouldn’t make it if he took the time to think before  dealing with the attacks.

And then he focused on forming a plan to overcome this unfavorable situation.

(General doesn’t use magic to strengthen his body. Most likely he  still won’t use it even if I strengthened my body. Even so he will use  it without hesitation if it gets dangerous for him. If that happen then  it’ll be over for me with the difference in our physical and magical  ability.)

In other words, he would have to bring down Ramillies with one attack while he was still letting his guard down.

There was no other way for him to escape Maggot’s hellish training other than that.

.

「Amazing……Baldr has grown this strong……」

Baldr continued to endure the slashes that could send her flying with  just one of them. He was clearly standing in a different stage from  her.

Although she didn’t want to, she had to recognize that fact.

「My son has trained a lot longer after all……sorry to say this to you  Teresa-chan but I won’t be able to show my face if you can catch up to  Baldr that easily.」

Maggot also acknowledged Teresa’s talent, but Maggot’s training  wasn’t so lenient that it could be surpassed by her just because she had  met a somewhat capable teacher.

It was because that Baldr was the student that he could endure the  training, but normally, nine out of ten even a grown up would have  either their body or their mind breaking first if they underwent such  harsh training.

Setting aside whether it was alright or not for a mother to force her  son to undergo such training, although she felt bad for Teresa who was  considering Baldr as her rival since she was a child, Maggot had no  intention to allow her to catch up to Baldr even in the future.

However Teresa smiled fearlessly.

「No, it’ll be even more worth it to defeat him if he’s this strong.」

Teresa knew a truth about Baldr that most likely nobody knew about except the people of Cornelius House.

Although the very young Baldr possessed absurd strength, he was a  timid boy who was strangely scared to interact with other people.

He wasn’t like that anymore now, but when his personality was still  unstable, he was swung around by the memories of his past lives as  though he was scared of the world itself.

The emotion that Teresa who liked the same sex harbored for Baldr at  that time might be a desire to protect, but at this point of time it was  a fact that nobody knew about, not even Teresa herself.

.

「Tsk!」

The wooden sword that was gradually becoming impossible for Baldr to handle was starting to leave red abrasions on his skin.

The exchange of sword fighting that didn’t allow even an instant of opening was robbing Baldr’s stamina more than expected.

Baldr who wanted to observe Ramillies’s habit for a bit more couldn’t hide his anxiety.

(Geez……he isn’t even allowing me to slowly wait for a chance.)

The situation would keep worsening for him at this rate.

Resolving himself, Baldr circulated magic in his body.

Body strengthening──it was a powerful magic with the highest versatility that was the basic for any warrior.

Maggot’s strength was using this body strengthening to specialize in speed. It gave her the nickname “Silver Light”.

.

(Hmm. Splendid magic execution but……how much of the Silver Light’s skill he has inherited now?)

Ramillies wasn’t letting his guard down at all but, he still had the leeway to measure Baldr’s capability.

Baldr’s martial skill that could make Ramillies’s blood to boil when  he was still eleven years old was nothing short of amazing, even so it  still wasn’t enough to make Ramillies use body strengthening himself.

However if Baldr’s speed could approach the level of Maggot, then as  expected even Ramillies would find it hard to endure without using  strengthening himself.

If he was forced to use body strengthening, then Ramillies would consider it as Baldr’s victory at that point.

.

(Now then my son, what kind of struggle you are going to show.)

Maggot watched the two with her full focus.

Baldr was Maggot’s prided son, but he wasn’t her successor by all means.

Baldr had inherited from Sanai the spear and sword technique from the  Warring States period along with Jujitsu too that was using bare hand.  There was also Baldr’s way to use magic that followed a different  concept from the human of this world.

It could only be called as Baldr-style already.

This fight would become interesting because Ramillies didn’t know anything about that.

Maggot watched with enjoyment. Her eyes narrowed seeing Baldr’s face  that turned manly. He was going to bare his fang even while sweating  like waterfall.

.

「SERYAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Baldr roared.

He screamed as though to say that he was going to attack now, but it  was a useful method to not let oneself feeling overwhelmed by the  opponent in a fight to the death.

Sanai’s memory knew very well about that effect.

Even Ramillies who was exposed to that voice had gone past being  shocked and straight into feeling uneasy from Baldr’s loud fighting  spirit that resounded from the bottom of his stomach.

That was undoubtedly the yell of someone who was acquainted with battlefield.

It didn’t matter whether they would live or die, only the thought of  slaughtering the enemy filled their mind──only a warrior with such  resolve could make this roar that overwhelmed the enemy, a warrior who  had transformed itself into a walking corpse for the sake of battle.

Regardless of their actual skill, this kind of soldier was formidable  and couldn’t be underestimated. Ramillies was aware of that from his  experiences.

(To think I’ll be reminded of the battlefield from facing a child like this.)

Baldr deeply lowered his body like a four-legged beast that was going to leap toward its prey.

It was just like Teresa before this. Ramillies sensed that Baldr was going to release a single attack with all his strength.

Ramillies took his stance vigilantly. Baldr’s strength that was  accumulated until the limit exploded and he flew very low on the ground  toward Ramillies with a shocking speed.

It was the basic to slash at the central part of the body for the weapon called sword. The opponent was also expecting that.

That was why at the end of Edo era, sword technique that slashed at  the shin like Ryuugou-style displayed its might at real battle.

However it didn’t matter how difficult this slash was to deal with, for Ramillies this attack looked too upfront.

(It’s a really good attack but……no, I guess it’s already terrifying  enough for an eleven years old child to be able to learn this kind of  technique?)

There wasn’t many knight who could do this kind of attack even among  Ramillies’s subordinates. At the very least there weren’t even five such  people as far as Ramillies knew.

If he considered Baldr’s future growth, he could only say that Baldr’s talent left him with vague fears inside him.

But as expected, it was an overestimation to consider him a talent that surpassed Maggot.

Ramillies felt just a touch of disappointment, it was so small that  it wasn’t even a ten thousandth of his feeling. With such feeling he  folded his elbow and easily knocked down Baldr’s sword that was creeping  on the ground.

.

「What!?」

.

In that instant, Ramillies’s dominant foot, his right foot felt like  it was sucked into the ground. He couldn’t help but panicked.

(Damn it! Earth magic huh!)

Baldr slashed while at the same time he activated a different magic that he camouflaged as body strengthening.

If this was a magic that could be easily recognized visually like  flame or water bullet, Ramillies would be able to easily dispel it.

That was why Baldr used his sword as medium to activate magic that caused the ground to cave-in which was hard to notice.

Certainly if it was just a magic to convert the ground under  Ramillies’s right foot into soft sand, it was possible to activate it  with a single word chanting.

Ramillies immediately tried to recover his balance with his left  foot, but Baldr was already making use of the momentum when his sword  was knocked away to half-rotate while extending his small arm.

Ramillies was unable to react to this because his sword was swung at the opposite direction.

Even if he tried to dodge he wouldn’t make it in time with his body weight currently placed on his left foot.

Baldr’s arm twined around his opponent’s left knee and he put his whole weight into it.

Jujitsu HizakarameKnee Entangling──it was  unarmed fighting skill for real battle that was developed in the Warring  States period to hold down the opponent for taking their neck.

In the Warring States period it was easy for the battle to become  melee and there one had to take the enemy’s head as the proof of their  achievement. Sanai who survived such era was naturally an expert with  that technique.

Ramillies too might be able to recover his balance if he seriously  strengthened his body with magic, but he felt that it would be shameful  for him to struggle at this point.

Ramillies’s waist that was thick like a large tree’s trunk shook unsteadily and he fell down face up along wth a heavy thud.

.

「Haha! I’m beaten, I’m beaten! To think you’re this talented!」

「No, I’m unable to make general even use body strengthening. I’m still inexperienced.」

The battle ended and the two exchanged words.

Baldr just barely succeeded in launching his surprise attack, but it surely wouldn’t work for the second time.

Although the fact that Baldr realized that heightened Ramillies’s evaluation toward Baldr even more.

「I never imagined using earth magic to cave the ground like that. I’m the one who is lacking in my learning.」

Ramillies was ashamed that without him knowing it he was already got imprisoned within preconception.

Magic was certainly convenient, but the era where magician using fire  ball or ice spear was the star of the battlefield was nothing more than  a story of the past.

The cause of that was, first, magic was something that distorted the  principle of the world. Magic would weaken considerably when it was  getting farther away from its caster.

Released type magic that was fired from the caster’s hand would decay  in proportion of its distance from the caster. So a magician had to  possess considerably strong magic power to be useful in the battlefield.

Naturally the number of such magician was terribly limited.

The other reason was the rapid popularization of CancelCancellation Magic that could neutralize the effect of magic.

Because it was a spell to return the distorted principle of the world  back to normal, it had good cost performance. It was said that a single  unit of magic power could cancel a magic that possessed three until  five unit of magic power.

Furthermore Cancel was just a rudimentary spell. So even common soldier with weak magic power could easily use it.

Due to those reasons, flashy attack magic became obsolete in the blink of eye.

Rising in its place was internal strengthening magic with body strengthening on the top of the list.

Human was born possessing magic power to greater or lesser degree. By  circulating the magic power inside their body, it would function to  block magic power intervention from outside and protect the body. This  internal strengthening magic had the trait of being difficult for Cancel  to affect, so this magic was popularized rapidly.

Learning the magic of body strengthening was essential even in the  kingdom’s knight order. The majority of their effort was spent to learn  of how to quickly apply the magic and which part of their body they  could strengthen.

Maggot who was nicknamed Silver Light was because she was an unparalleled genius in efficiently strengthening her reflexes.

However to strengthen the reflexes like this, it was absolutely necessary for the person to possess an extraordinary sense.

The case of people poorly strengthening their nerve’s transmission  system and then being unable to process the result which caused half of  their body paralyzed wasn’t something rare.

Because of that most soldiers only strengthened their physical strength and stamina before calling it quit.

At present released type magic was only used by those with  outstanding talent like the royal court magician for example. Other than  that this type of magic was only used for small things in daily life  simply due to its convenience.

But the way Baldr used his magic was something that could urge the revival of such released type magic.

No one had taken another look at this kind of magic because it  couldn’t be used for offensive, but in reality it could be said that the  possibility for that kind of use was infinite.

Although an excellent sense like Baldr would be needed to master that.

Ramillies was disappointed. He had to research this from the beginning first in order to popularize it within the army.

.

「You’re saved by the skin of your teeth Baldr.」

「Thank you very much! Okaa-sama!」

(I-I’m saved……in the truest sense.)

Baldr wanted to immediately sank down on the ground to relax, but he just barely endured it.

He managed to get through the fight without exposing anything  unsightly, so it seemed he was able to secure his life to keep seeing  the sun since tomorrow onward too.

Maggot looked at Baldr with a narrowed gaze. She only looked like she  was threatening Baldr, but actually she was narrowing her eyes with  fondness of Baldr’s growth.

Even Ramillies who knew Maggot very well was completely not  suspecting that she had such doting parent thinking like that. It must  be the fault of her daily behavior.

「But you’re still inadequate. It’s worthy of praise that you manage  to take your opponent’s knee, but if you have reached that far then aim  for his jewels as well.」

……It was the fault of her daily behavior, without a doubt.

.

Even so, Ramillies thought.

At first he could accept some parts of what happened by thinking Well, that’s because he is Maggot’s son after all, but there were too many parts that couldn’t be explained with just that.

That yell of fighting spirit that was directed toward an opponent who  held overwhelming advantage, it was the yell of someone familiar with  the battlefield.

It was already surprising enough that Baldr had experience of killing  human, but it was unthinkable for him to have experience in  battlefield.

No, it was possible for Maggot to disguise herself and participate in  a small skirmish at the border together with her son. Such possibility  couldn’t be denied but……as expected Ramillies wanted to believe that  Maggot wasn’t that irrational.

And then that magic……it was obviously a different technique from the acceleration Magic that Maggot mastered.

If that magic was something that Baldr thought up by himself, then  Baldr’s talent certainly had to be said as something that surpassed  Maggot.

The time right now was peaceful even if it was an unstable one, so  there might not be anything that would come of it, but if war broke out  again, Baldr wouldn’t just stop with Cornelius House, he might become an  existence that controlled the fate of the kingdom.

Ramillies sighed. At the same time he couldn’t help but thinking about Baldr’s future.

He was also feeling envy toward Maggot who was able to train this boy who was like an unpolished gem every day.

For a martial artist, being able to raise a talented disciple was a pleasure that was as sweet as encountering a worthy enemy.

.

Part 4

Oka Masaharu was different from Sanai. He was a commoner who was born  in an extremely normal family of a salary man of modern Japan.

However he was infected by chuunibyou, a sickness that was  characteristic of youth in their puberty. He was obsessed with a  particular hobby that was a bit out of the norm.

Of all things, he liked to seriously consider the case study if he was ever got reincarnated.

Due to some kind of fate, he was reincarnated to this world. Perhaps it was destiny in a sense.

Just when he thought that he got involved with a traffic accident,  the next moment a good looking pair of husband and wife were peering  onto him while talking in language that he didn’t know.

At the inside his mind was a whirlwind of complicated feeling like  bewilderment and disappointment because all his hard work for the  university entrance exam went to waste, but the next emotion that he  harbored was joy.

Because no matter how he got here, it was a reincarnation that he always dreamed of.

Perhaps after this there would be the development of 『Oka Masaharu’s  heroic fantasy, the legend of the strongest protagonist』. However, such  expectation was cruelly betrayed.

What differed from his expectation was that other than Masaharu’s  memory, there was also the personality of Sanai with him. And then Baldr  himself had also possessed his own ego.

Thinking back now, it was only because Baldr was still a toddler  whose ego hadn’t fully formed that his brain could adapt to this  abnormal situation.

The information amount of three lives was immense. To experience and  assimilate all of it in chronological order was clearly too heavy of a  burden for human brain.

The three personalities could settle down with each other though  imperfectly was thanks in large part to Sanai who refrained from butting  in while Baldr was still a toddler with few exp (information volume).

Masaharu himself, though he needed a long time he finally came to  accept that the main character of this tale wasn’t him. He accepted the  to walk the path of coexistence with Baldr.

It was a painful decision, even so compared to the happiness of living in another world it was nothing at all.

Yes, if he could just live then──.

.

『I-it’s going to break! My arm will break if it bends that way! Don’t get on my back right nowwwwwwwww!』

「……Is it just my imagination that it feels like you still have some leeway?」

『NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!』

What waited the three who began to live in coexistence was an insane  training that would bring death if they let their guard down for even an  instant. Even if they managed to escape death, heavy injury like broken  bones was commonplace.

No, perhaps Maggot herself believed that she had held back by a lot, even then her opponent was still a six years old kid.

Furthermore Masaharu was just a normal high school student. Maggot’s  training was something irrational for him, or rather it was already just  a torture.

『Full marathon with a spear poking at the back is just crazyyyyyyyy!!』

「Come on, come on! A large hole is going to open in your back if your speed drop even just for a bit you know!」

『No more! What kind of mother are you–!』

Such desperate training resulted in the memories of Baldr and  Masaharu and Sanai to fuse with Baldr as the main body while each of the  personality still gave great influence to each other.

Maggot’s training was too harsh, so the influence that Sanai gave  Baldr was relatively bigger, but it didn’t mean that Masaharu’s  influence was small.

Rather if the current Baldr’s objective was considered, it might be possible that his influence was stronger than Sanai.

Perhaps it should be said as something common for young man who was  ill from chuunibyou. Masaharu was well-versed with domestic affairs  cheat.

.

Part 5

「The responses are favorable. But it’s already exposed how that sugar  isn’t created from sugarcane ya know? Even if we keep it a secret, it  won’t last that long……」

Selina who returned from the capital was showing a happy smile with her elegant lips.

The sugar that Baldr entrusted to her was sold with higher price than she expected.

Thanks to that the stock of Savaran Company also greatly increased.  Even in the royal capital, there were few merchants that could handle  luxury item for noble like sugar.

How was a small company located in remote region in the kingdom like  the Cornelius Territory was able to procure sugar? The sly old foxes in  the big company who threw around their weight in the royal capital’s  merchant commerce guild were already starting to investigate.

「I knew that will happen from the start. I just need to buy some time.」

「I’ve finished buying the lands. Around five hectare (50.000 square meters) of barren lands that are neglected.」

「No no, five hectare is too much……」

She was really motivated. In Baldr’s plan, he planned to start with  just one hectare that he would procure through his acquaintance.

Five hectare was as spacious as the Tokyo Dome. It was an extraordinary size for Cornelius Territory with its few farmlands.

「Well, ya can just think of it as my prior investment.」

Selina snorted without looking guilty at the slightest. With just the  fund that Baldr entrusted to her, it would be just like an extra  earning for her company no matter how much she got from the sugar’s  sale.

Trade wasn’t just a matter of accumulating money. Investing to expand  the business’s scale was crucial. A capable merchant like Selina knew  that very well.

And then she had conceded to Baldr before with the percentage of the  profit, so she thought that it was only appropriate that there was this  much benefit for her.

Selina would lose money if this business failed, but when she thought  of the amount of the estimated profit, that risk couldn’t become a  reason for her to hesitate in investing.

「……Then, I wonder how much I can receive from Selina’s earning?」

With the wide difference of the investment capital between them, it  couldn’t be helped that the majority of the profit was grasped by  Selina. Savaran Company acquiring the ability and evaluation that  brought them to the level of a big company wouldn’t be a bad deal for  Baldr.

But, no matter how close he was to Selina, he didn’t have the  slightest intention to let her have a free ride on his business plan.

When it came to money, it was better to have as much of it as possible even if just by a single coin──that was Baldr’s belief.

「Let’s see……how about thirty percent of the whole profit for ya? Even  with that my profit should increase dramatically compared to before.」

「Well, I’m not taking any risk of losing money here, so I guess that  amount is appropriate? I’m not going to complain at all if you add the  fluffing right of your ears to it though.」

「Th-that’s a no! I only let ya that one time because of the special occasion!! Ya can touch my ears only when I permit it!」

Selina’s face instantly turned red and both her hands pressed on her dog ears that stood up tensely in alert.

Although her tail could still be seen wagging around energetically.  It might be representing Selina’s unconscious desire of wanting to get  petted.

「──If young master teased president too much, I’ll seriously ask young master to take her as your wife you know?」

「I’m sorry. My tongue slipped.」

Rorona’s calm scolding made Baldr apologized reflexively.

He knew from being acquainted with her for these two years that she wasn’t the type to joke at all.

Selina’s expression turned a bit sullen seeing Baldr apologizing  without any hesitation, but it was absolutely impossible to make a boy  who was still eleven years old to imagine the graveyard of life, so  Baldr hoped she would understand.

「And, we have procured gold bullion as cheaply as possible but, what are young master going to do with it?」

Gold bullion was a gold ingot that hadn’t been processed. It didn’t  have any added value from getting processed, so compared to gold coin or  gold craftsmanship, it could be bought cheaply.

Even then gold was precious even in this world. It wasn’t something that could be purchased that cheaply.

「I also bought some old metal craftsmanship that were priced dirt  cheap. Ya aren’t planning to normally create some gold craftsmanship  right?」

Certainly, most of beautiful gold craftsmanship would fetch a great price.

However such thing only became viable for the first time when there  were three factors. Wealthy noble as customer, skilled craftsman with  wonderful artistic sense, and then the status of the company that let  the customer to have faith in the product.

No matter how novel the gold craftsmanship that Baldr could create, it wouldn’t sell at all with just that.

If the price was cheap that the number of people who would want to  buy it would be as many as the stars, but then they wouldn’t get any  profit at all like that.

Selina didn’t suspect at all that Baldr would do something stupid like that. Surely he had some other method.

「No, I’m just going to make craftsmanship. Though it’ll be a bit different from what Selina thought.」

「Eeeh?」

Selina became uneasy, wondering whether she was trusting Baldr too  much. Though if Rorona was asked, she would say that Selina was already  trusting Baldr too much since a long time ago.

However Selina noticed how excited Baldr’s eyes were. She realized that he was just teasing her and scowled with a pout.

「Ya really are wicked huh, Baldr. Do ya enjoy making fun of a cute girl like me that much?」

「It’s really fun when seeing the always unruffled Selina looking flustered you know?」

「Uuu……ya are really wicked just as I thought.」

「……Let me inform in advance, if I judge that our president won’t be  able to become a wife anymore, I’ll have young master take her as your  wife at any cost.」

「Scary! Rorona-san is scary—!!」

(E-even though this is really fun, I’ll need to risk my life from now on when teasing Selina huh……)

Under Rorona’s pressure, Baldr nervously straightened his back as though he had swallowed a rod.

「Au au……」

Meanwhile Selina seemed to imagine her relationship with Baldr in the  future. She shook her head with red face while writhing around.

Selina would be undaunted even when facing nobles in business  dealings, but this innocence. Just who was she taking after……Rorona  pondered.

(Even though normally she is riddled with opening, when push comes to  shove she’ll show an astounding decisiveness……as I thought, perhaps  it’s due to her father’s blood in her.)

That meant there was a risk of Selina making a blunder when it was  crucial. That was frightening, so Rorona nodded deeply in her heart that  she had pay attention as Selina’s subordinate.

Awkwardness filled the room for a while.

Then Baldr cleared his throat while pulling himself together. He took out a hair ornament from his pocket.

「I asked this to be made in a workshop as a sample……」

It was a hair ornament with a design that was fairly splendid even in Selina’s observation.

It was an ornament of windflower. The workmanship itself gave an  ordinary impression, but the honeybee decoration that looked like it was  attracted to the flower became a wonderful accent in the design.

One could catch a glimpse that a skilful craftsman must have been pouring his heart and soul into this exquisite creation.

However even more shocking than that was how this ornament was created from gold.

「This kind of handiwork……just how expensive it is?」

Selina asked with a gulp.

Even Rorona who rarely changed her expression was at a loss of words with her eyes opened wide.

It was a precious moment that he would want to preserve for eternity if only he had a camera.

However it was only natural for them to react like this.

That delicate and elegant molding and the shine of what was  undoubtedly gold must worth more than a hundred gold coins in Selina’s  assessment.

No, if it was noble with taste for this kind of thing than they might even pay 200 gold coins for it.

It was a high-class item that was almost impossible to be found in a remote region like Cornelius territory.

「It doesn’t even cost half a gold coin you know?」

「What did ya say!?」

No no, that’s just impossible. Even if she only considered the material for it, the cost wouldn’t go lower than ten gold coins.

The price that Baldr spoke out was so out of common sense that she doubted his sanity.

「This is just gold plating after all.」

「……Plating?」

「Yep, gold plating. The gold is only on the surface while the inside is bronze.」

「Even then, there’s no way that it only cost half a gold coin!?」

The plating method that was practiced by very few people within the  kingdom at present was by melting gold with mercury, coated an object  with the melted gold, and then dried the object with fire to evaporate  the mercury, leaving only the gold behind.

This method had the advantage of reducing the amount of gold  necessary, but it needed a lot of effort and time along with skill to  practice it. As the result, the necessary expense wasn’t particularly  cheaper than just using gold completely. To be honest the merit of this  method wasn’t much.

It was a minor technique. Even Selina wouldn’t know it if she wasn’t a merchant.

Baldr watched Selina with an expression that looked delighted from  the bottom of his heart. Then he threw even more bomb to the  conversation.

「By the way anyone can easily make this thing.」

「EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!」

Just as he anticipated, the two beauties who were rich in life  experience exposed their rare shocked expressions in front of Baldr.

After that the two of them shyly mended their expression and  hurriedly returned to their company in order to plan the new marketing  for the plating artwork.

Even though they were already having their hands full with things  like arranging manpower for the sugar production, its storage  destination, circulation to the market, etc., now there was this new  talk of plating artwork.

However their instinct as merchant told them that they shouldn’t let go of this chance no matter what.

Because this plating artwork commodity had the chance to cut open a  market among the middle level noble and wealthy commoner who couldn’t  buy high grade luxury item until now.

For Savaran Company that was a prominent business but in the end was  just originating from a peddler, this product would give them the status  that they desperately wanted.

It didn’t matter how difficult the leadership that was demanded from  them for this, they wouldn’t be a merchant if their soul didn’t blaze  hotly here.

(As I thought, I should have him take the president as his wife even if I have to do it forcibly……)

Selina’s ambition was burning and she yelled toward the sky while being utterly ignorant to the scheming of her confidantRorona.

「Yosshaa, I’m gonna do ittttt! Just watch me! Pops, mom!」

If she was able to secure this product, don’t mention Cornelius  territory, even being a leading big company in the whole kingdom  wouldn’t be just a dream.

The maiden who couldn’t help but being sensitive toward her social position when thinking about the futuremarriage had completely inherited the blood of determined merchant as expected.

.

Part 6

The workshop that was entrusted with the plating artwork by Baldr was  located in a place that took twenty minutes of walking from the sugar  beet farm at the outskirt.

The signboard that was written with the large letters of 『Gothe Workshop』 clumsily mysteriously suited this cosy workshop.

Perhaps it could be said as appropriate for this workshop of a  skilled craftsman who did good work despite his insignificant  establishment.

「Boss Gothe, how are you doing?」

「Ooh, young lord. Well, right now I’ve finally finished around twenty of them.」

「I told you no need to call me young lord…….」

It felt uncomfortable because when he called him “young lordwakatono”, it sounded similar with “stupid lordbakatono”.

At first this man acted haughty toward him and called him “boy”, but  then he would only talk to him with polite language llike this after he  showed him the plating method.

It seemed that it was because of the code about pecking order in the world of craftsman.

Gothe was Tyros’s big brother. He was still 33 years old.

It wasn’t just for show for him to have his own workshop at this  young age. He was a famous person locally for his shapely craftsmanship  that was overflowing with his individuality.

When Baldr caught sight of Gothe’s metal craftsmanship in a tool  shop, he secretly investigated his identity and learned that he was  Tyros’s relative. Then he asked Tyros to introduce him.

However Gothe scoffed and sharply rebuked Baldr when he came with a request for him.

.

「Listen boy. I’m not gonna make anything other than what I want to make!」

「I don’t intend to force you boss to create anything. But first can you take a look at this?」

Gothe wasn’t just skilled, Baldr learned from Tyros that he was also a craftsman with extremely strong curiosity.

At his age normally Gothe would still be an apprentice, but he had  become independent like this because of his clash against his  conservative master due to his insatiable curiosity and ambition to  improve himself.

Baldr judged that he had obtained Gothe’s wordless agreement and put a vase around 30 cm wide in front of Gothe.

「What? This thing……」

「Well, it’s a power source for a certain technology.」

「Power source?」

Gothe tilted his head in puzzlement.

In this world, when talking about power source it would be mainly  water wheel or windmill, or rarely it would be about a mechanism using  magic tool.

Gothe couldn’t even imagine what a small vase like this would power up.

「And, if you connect the vase’s electrode with this tray using a copper wire……」

Baldr poured acidic liquid on the metal tray and took the copper wire that was extending from the vase.

And then, he crushed a golden button that he received as a present  into a small gold plate. He connected the copper wire to it and then  soaked the gold into the liquid.

「Oi oi, boy. Just where did you get that gold from?」

Gothe himself possessed some gold as a craftsman for the sake of his  work, but it was strange for a kid this little to have gold.

It was only now that Gothe finally noticed the clothes and shoes that Baldr were wearing were too good quality for commoner.

(……Don’t tell me he’s a noble? No, there’s no reason for a noble to come to my workshop to show his stuff.)

「And then put this bronze craftsmanship of boss here──」

「Oi! That’s my work that I sold wholesale to Messina’s place!」

「It’s a really good work. It looks exactly like what I imagined.」

It was an ornament of large windflower with adorable honeybees  gathering on the flower petals. But the coloring was regrettably bad.

It couldn’t be helped in some way. Gothe was a craftsman, not a painter.

It was often said that sometimes that an owner of outstanding talent  would be lacking another talent. Gothe’s case was exactly like that. His  talent in coloring was insufficient.

「Wait for a while just like this.」

「……Just what’re you doing? Hm, this is……why is it bubbling? What’s more it’s hot?」

Gothe froze with wide eyes at the scene that overturned his commonsense from the foundation.

He once heard that there was an eccentric craftsman at the royal  capital who used magic in his craft, but even an amateur like Gothe knew  that what Baldr was using wasn’t magic.

But, he couldn’t understand what this young boy was using when he wasn’t even using his hand or fire.

(Interesting. When was the last time my heart is beating so hard like this?)

.

The vase that Baldr prepared was a primitive battery.

This vase thing was discovered as a relic in Irac’s capital, Baghdad.  Masaharu learned from a television broadcast that this thing was called  as Baghdad’s battery and treated as an OOPart.

Its construction was simple. You put a copper cylinder inside the  vase, then put an iron rod inside they cylinder. And then the inside of  the cylinder was filled with electrolyte.

It was something that could be created without trouble even in this world without science culture.

Masaharu’s chuuni heart was tickled seeing a TV program talking about  urban legend if there was already electricity at BC era and he so he  remembered this thing, but it was a secret.

In the experiment that German’s scienties carried out, this vase battery could provide 2 volt of electricity stably.

It was easy to do plating as long as there was electricity. It seemed  there was a possibility that the necklace plated with gold that was  discovered in Egypt was created with this method.

In reality when Masaharu was still alive, he once succeeded experimenting with plating the bolt of his beloved ZZR motorcycle.

He used a normal battery at that time, but because the principle was  the same, Baldr was able to look forward at the result without feeling  too worked up.

.

And then around 30 minutes later.

The craftsmanship was pulled up in front of Gothe who was watching with held breath.

「Wait, WHAT THE HELL IS THISSSSSSSS!?」

It couldn’t be helped that Gothe was shocked.

The windflower that was lacking any grace due to its garish coloring  was now adorned with a devilish brilliance from the gold luster. It was  emitting a radiant glitter.

「Do you want to try it?」

Gothe unhesitatingly nodded his head continuously like a broken doll at Baldr’s offer.

Since then Gothe wouldn’t stop acting politely at Baldr.

For Gothe who couldn’t complete something that satisfied himself  despite saying that he would only make what he wanted, Baldr’s existence  was like a messiah.

.

「This is the raw gold.」

Baldr spoke to Gothe who was reminiscing their first meeting.

「Is it alright for me to hold this much?」

「I might order more depending on the amount of your works.」

Gothe gratefully accepted the gold. Then Baldr replied to him while recalling Selina’s reaction before this.

If he requested them, Savaran Company would undoubtedly invest gold to this venture.

「Heheh, I’m really feeling blessed as a craftsman to be in this position.」

Gothe rubbed his nose happily and pointed at several of his completed works.

「I’ll finish fifty of them somehow in this month.」

「Yep, that many will be enough.」

They weren’t producing this for the common people, so there was no need to produce so many for now.

Even so if these products were sold…….

That ambition, to completely cover the surface of Baldr’s children  room──it had the space of easily more than twelve tatami though──with  several thousands of gold coins would become possible.

Baldr broke out laughing ‘guhehe’ with his drool almost spilling out when he imagined that scenery.

Baldr was starting to think that if such scene really became possible, he would be unable to restrain himself.

(……G-gold coins. My gold coinsss!!)

.

Part 7

Recently Baldr was hiding something important from me.

Seyruun felt a feeling of desolation like cold wintry wind raging inside her chest just from thinking that.

Seyruun also noticed that her feeling couldn’t be explained with just her position as a maid serving her master.

She thought that Baldr had changed to a surprising degree within these several years.

He was emotionally unstable when they first met five years ago. He couldn’t even communicate satisfactorily at that time.

However now he might be even bolder than his father Ignis at times,  while his martial arts skill had improved that even his mother Maggot  couldn’t take him on as easily as before.

His reputation was also excellent after the evening party the other  day. There was no doubt that he would become an excellent prospect for  the nobles everywhere to bring up marriage talks about from here on.

In comparison to that, how about herself?

Seyruun’s finger played with the hair that she was proud of that she  had continued to grow until her waist since three years ago.

Baldr called her cute, but somewhere inside there was a part of her  that thought her look was mediocre as expected compared to Maggot or the  head maid Emma.

.

Seyruun’s father Cyril(セロ) was a vassal from a family that had served  Cornelius House for generations. He was a knight that Ignis trusted  deeply and entrusted with the post as the current commanding officer of  Hohen(ホーエン) Fortress at the border.

According to what she heard, her father and Ignis were also raised as  childhood friends. He said that in life it was really important to have  a friend one could be frank with.

However, there was a definite difference between Cyril and Ignis, and Seyruun and Baldr.

That was how Baldr was a male and Seyruun was a female.

Seyruun’s fourteenth birthday would arrive soon. She couldn’t help  but feeling conscious of this matter was also because her older coworker  Mathilda was teasing her recently.

「How is it going? Is it going well between you and young master?」

「……For some reason when I heard your words, it sound like something really impure.」

「You’re still acting innocent……Seyruun, you will grow into a woman  soon, and the young master is also an early mature, so surely there is  also that kind of development between you two isn’t it?」

「Wha-!?」

Seyruun turned red until her neck.

At the same time she noticed that Mathilda’s gaze was moving between  her breasts and butts that finally grew bigger lately. She covered her  breasts with both her hands as though she was hugging herself.

She didn’t know about other nobles, but Cornelius House was extremely  gentlemanly toward female. She had no immunity against this kind of  flagrant staring.

「H~~~m, perhaps it’s still too early for Seyruun just as I thought.」

「Young master never stare at me with that kind of impure eyes!」

「Perhaps that’s the case right now. But what about tomorrow? Next  year? Do you think that young master won’t recognize you as opposite sex  forever? He is the son of that Ignis-sama. He’ll grow into an adult  quickly!」

「Uuu–!!」

Ignis was mentioned as an example here caused even Seyruun to be at a loss for words right away.

Before he married with Maggot, what would come to mind when Ignis’s  name was mentioned was a handsome and single count who got a reputation  as philanderer with many beautiful women.

Though right now it was impossible to even imagine him cheating (physically).

The possibility of his son Baldr laying his hands on multiple women as he grew up might be high instead.

「Besides, thinking normally aren’t you obviously a concubine  candidate already? I’m jealous……even I might be chosen as young master’s  partner if only I was born five years later and our age match each  other……」

「EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?」

Concubine? Me as a concubine? Not a childhood friend? Not a big  sister? Even young master is always calling me Sey-nee, Sey-nee, so there’s just no way…….

「Ee? Could it be that you weren’t aware? Fragol House and Dhaka House  at the neighboring territory are also taking in childhood friend as  concubine to be the coordinator of the lord’s mistresses. It’s an old  trick for nobles to leave the role of managing their women within the  house to their trusted childhood friend.」

「S-such thing……I……」

Mathilda’s words were like a bolt out of the blue. Seyruun’s mind  became blank. She couldn’t imagine herself becoming Baldr’s wife.

「Ignis-sama is kind so he surely won’t force you, but your parents  must be having expectation. After all this kind of attractive chance is  something that only a select few people can get.」

Is that so? Otou-san and Okaa-san didn’t say anything to me but……could it be, they’re expecting this from me?

.

In reality, Cyril never even considered offering his daughter to be Baldr’s concubine at the slightest.

Cyril was a conservative person with deep loyalty. He wasn’t a man  who would offer his own daughter for the sake of climbing up in life.

Even so, as a parent he would rejoice from his heart if his lord’s son fell in love with his daughter.

A large part of Seyruun’s mother Recella(リセラ) was also having such expectation inside her.

Either way, the only definite thing was that Seyruun’s parents didn’t  intend to push her into a marriage that she didn’t wish for.

.

She might become Baldr’s concubine──.

Just by having such thought planted inside her, Seyruun didn’t have  the confidence that she would be able to look at Baldr straight in the  eye.

Even though their relation was like a big sister and a spoiled little  brother until now, she couldn’t imagine herself meeting Baldr’s  expectation if he sought her as a woman.

「Is something wrong Sey-nee?」

「UHyAAAAAHH!」

Seyruun let out a completely unfeminine scream and bent backward reflexively.

Baldr had returned to the mansion without her noticing. He was peering into Seyruun’s face with a worried expression.

「Too close! Young master! Your face is too close!」

「S-sorry. I didn’t expect that Sey-nee would be that shocked.」

Baldr’s handsome face that was inherited from Ignis appeared like a  surprise attack. Seyruun pressed her hand on her heart that was pounding  hard and backed away.

(No good. As expected my heart is beating too fast I can’t look at young master properly……)

「There is something that I want to tell Sey-nee today.」

「Eeeee!?」

Seyruun whose brain was invaded by a pink flood became panicked  thinking that perhaps this would be a confession. Even so she turned her  gaze to Baldr with expectation.

「About the thing that I’m lately doing at the city secretly from Sey-nee……」

(Eh? This isn’t like what I’m expecting……)

When she looked carefully, Baldr was staring at her with a very serious expression.

Even Seyruun whose experience in romance was immature could grasp  that Baldr’s expression wasn’t one that was delirious with the heat of  love.

When she realized that, she became ashamed by her flustered self just now and writhed inside her heart.

(Sheesh! This is because that stupid Mathilda told me strange thing.)

Baldr had no way of knowing that conflict in Seyruun’s heart.

He thought that there was something strange with Seyruun, but he  childishly thought that it was because of him hiding things from her.

「Actually I became friend with some children in the city a little  while ago and planted a certain potato together with them. Well, that  potato now become source of sugar……」

「Haa? Sugar from potato!?」

Seyruun forgot her brain that almost boiled up from shame just now  and shrieked. She never heard of sugar that was a product from the south  getting produced in Cornelius territory.

If this wasn’t Baldr who was saying it, she would seriously suspected the person who told her that wasn’t right in the head.

「Sey-nee know that there are other people’s memories inside me right?」

Seyruun nodded wordlessly.

Seyruun was chosen to be Baldr’s maid exactly because of that circumstance.

She recalled Baldr at the early year. He would suddenly talk in  language that she never heard before, and then he would return back into  a normal boy who got attracted to children toy. He was an emotionally  unstable boy at that time.

After she observed him for a while, she noticed that the cause was  the personalities of two people inside Baldr who seemed to be older than  even Seyruun.

Since then Seyruun came to hate these two.

Until two years ago, Seyruun would accompany Baldr not only when  eating and sleeping, but even when he was taking a bath. It was in order  to protect the ego of the young Baldr and also to affirm his  childishness.

Seyruun’s ears were dyed red when she recalled something unnecessary, but Baldr continued without noticing that.

「I’m planning to use those memories to try various things for the  sake of this territory. Tou-san also said that I can do as I like if  it’s using my own allowance.」

This was Baldr’s own interpretation of Ignis’s words at his own convenience.

Certainly Ignis told him 「Use your allowance as you like」, but there  was no way he would even imagine that Baldr would use that money to  raise a new industry.

「Why is young master keeping it a secret until now?」

「……Sorry, as expected I got the feeling that I would just get made  light of if a kid like me said it. I would be really shocked if I got  laughed at by Sey-nee.」

Actually he feared that Sey-nee would expose his whole plan to Ignis,  but he also wasn’t lying when he said that he didn’t want to get  laughed at.

After all no matter what anyone said, Seyruun was the opposite sex closest to Baldr and someone he cared about.

(Besides, Tou-san doesn’t have the awareness to monopolize the benefit of this to Cornelius territory alone……)

Ignis was a just and upright person and also a peerless general, but he could only get failing mark as a bureaucrat.

He could be entrusted with the protection of the kingdom as a  general, but he was decisively lacking the necessary evil for a feudal  lord to enrich Cornelius territory even if he had to harm other  territory for it.

No matter how much time passed, Cornelius territory’s military affair  would stay destitute without any improvement if its feudal lord could  only be magnanimous in attempting co-existence and co-prosperity.

「But finally my effort is going to be on track. Growing the potato  itself isn’t that difficult, and fortunately Selina will also take care  of its marketing.」

.

「……Who is this Selina?」

.

Seyruun let out a voice so cold that it surprised even herself.

This was the first time Seyruun realized that it would be this  unpleasant to hear the name of an unknown woman from Baldr’s lips.

Baldr’s sixth sense turned on the alarm bell loudly in respond to  Seyruun’s low growl, but he was unable to guess the reason of this bad  premonition.

「S-she is the president of Savaran Company. I got acquainted with her two years ago, and since then we’re getting along well……」

「H~~~m. How old is she? Is she pretty?」

「If I remember right, she should be 18 years old right now. And as  for her look, well she is really pretty but, more than that her fluffy  dog ears are the best──」

Baldr realized that Seyruun’s expression had become like a noh mask  in the middle of saying that. It was as expression that he never saw  Seyruun made in this five years they were living together.

(I see……so young master was getting cosy with other woman while I’m fretting like this.)

「I’m happy that young master is sharing your secret with me. From now  on please don’t hide anything like this from me anymore and tell me  everything.」

「Y-yeah……got it. After all I think I’ll need Sey-nee’s help more from here on.」

「I see, you can count on me.」

He wondered why. Baldr had nothing but bad premonition even though he was able to persuade Seyruun successfully like this.

Seyruun’s new side that he never knew until now──or rather her dark side made Baldr unable to hide his bewilderment.

He would learn in the near future that his premonition wasn’t mistaken.

.

(Setting aside the concubine thing……I need to watch out so that harmful insect won’t get closer to young master. Urgently.)

In the end Seyruun was still unable to find the answer whether this murky feeling in her chest was love or familial affection.

But at the very least, she was certain that she didn’t want to allow an unknown woman get closer to Baldr than this.

.

Part 8

Baldr’s expectation wasn’t betrayed. The gold plated artwork was sold like hot cakes.

Only great noble of the kingdom was able to purchase something as  expensive as real gold artwork regularly. The like of small and middle  level nobles would only be able to purchase such thing a few times in  their life for momentous event like marriage ceremony and the like.

However, if they were able to obtain something as beautiful in the  price that was lower than a tenth of the real thing, it was only human  nature to want to dress up their wife or daughter with it for the sake  of vanity.

The gold plated artwork immediately became popular among the nobles.  Their delicate design that possessed depth in them without being too  garish was evaluated highly. Finally people who desired them even  started to appear among the great nobles.

「Its scarcity value will decrease if too many of it is produced. I don’t mind if boss create them following your own pace.」

「That’s a relief. It’s not my nature to cut corners with my work.」

Gothe’s expression was overflowing with happiness of finally being able to produce a work that he was satisfied with.

The “Gothe Collection” that suddenly circulated in the city, and yet the circulated amount was too few compared to the demand.

Inquiries from merchants that wished to place an order to the  mysterious artisan came one after another to Savaran Company that was  the origin of of the artwork’s sale to the market, but Selina firmly  refused those inquiries.

「Come back yesterday.」

It was obvious that if she naively introduced them to Gothe, they  would pile up a lot of money to headhunt Gothe to work for them. It  wouldn’t stop with that, they might even try forceful method like  kidnapping.

But the plating method which was the most important factor in this  product’s commercial value was Baldr’s secret technique. Gothe had sworn  to the blacksmith god Manos that he wouldn’t reveal this information to  outsider.

Even so the movement to investigate Gothe’s true identity hadn’t  ceased even now, but no matter which lead they followed, nobody in the  kingdom fit the profile of the gold artisan Gothe.

Though if it was just a very normal artisan who was dealing in trifling folk craft then such person existed.

「The new goods that Baldr invented are also selling well……ukuku. I can’t stop laughin’……」

The amount of money that Savaran Company obtained in just half a year could only described as a great sum.

Although the amount still couldn’t compare with the great companies  in the capital, it had completely surpassed the level of a company in  countryside.

Furthermore this growth had only just started. She got a vague  feeling of fears just from imagining how big the company would grow in  the future.

If there was just one miscalculation in Selina’s thought when thing was going smooth sailing like this──.

.

「Excuse me, miss president.」

A beautiful girl with brown blond hair bowing with a headdress snugly put on her head.

The figure of the boy who was usually beside that girl couldn’t be found there.

「Where is Baldr?」

「Young master is busy with supervising right at the scene right now.」

(Ya liarrrr! Ya’re the one who stopped him from coming here!)

Selina restrained herself from yelling with much effort and smiled warmly.

She had understood from the first time they met, not by logic but by her woman instinct.

This womanSeyruun was an enemy.

.

Going back in time half a year ago.

Baldr who pulled in Seyruun to be his ally brought her to Savaran  Company in order to introduce her. Seyruun would take the role as the  one getting in contact with the company from here on.

For some reason, at that time when she was introduced Seyruun gave some additional words with an extremely nice smile.

「Selina, let me introduce you. She is my maid Seyruun, someone who is  like a big sister to me. She will help out with various things from  now. Please get along well with her.」

「It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can get along well just like how you and young master are.」

A gaze that seemed to be appraising Selina could be seen appearing  and disappearing in Seyruun’s gaze while she introduced herself. It  convinced Selina that Seyruun was her rival.

「Now this is a really adorable big sister ya have there. I hope we  can get along too (Aren’t ya still a kid. Ya gotta get in my way?)」

「Me too. As expected from the president of a company, you have this  presence in you. No wonder Baldr-sama relied on you. (Don’t joke around  when your face itself is already a joke. This isn’t a stage where  middle-aged woman should show up on)」

The two of them were giving a friendly smile to each other cordially,  and yet Baldr felt like there was an ice block inserted on his back.

Seyruun and Selina calmly evaluated each other.

The victory flag was raised on Selina’s side in regard to the  maturity as woman. It wouldn’t be easy for Seyruun to compete with  Selina’s tight waist and voluptuous chest.

Seyruun’s fleshiness was already in a bit of disadvantage even when compared to other girl her age.

She heard that there were also men who felt that such slender body  like hers was charming, but the only opinion that mattered here was  Baldr’s. It was still unknown where his taste lay.

In look too, Selina was a classic beauty who anyone would recognize  as pretty, in contrast Seyruun was a cute type beauty that looked  commonplace someway or other.

There was a possibility that she might transform radically as she  aged, but Seyruun herself was aware enough that she wouldn’t be that  outstanding even in the future.

In contrast Selina herself also couldn’t feel so assured.

No matter how, Seyruun’s intimacy with Baldr from the two of them  spending time together since they were little was a threat. It was to a  degree that she would want to win her over to her side if only they  weren’t enemy.

Besides, it was envious that their age was close to each other.

The difference in age between Selina and Baldr was actually seven years. She would be 27 when Baldr became 20.

Seyruun who was only two years older from Baldr would be 22 when  Baldr was 20. She would be at her peak as a woman. Selina was unable to  make light of this difference.

As the result of their analysis of each other’s strong and weak  points, Selina decided to settle the match as soon as possible while  Seyruun chose to prolong the match as long as possible.

Seyruun was visiting Selina alone like this to get in contact with her was also one part of this woman fight.

.

「About the message from young master, he said that he wish to procure quicklime and volcanic ash this time.」

「Haa? I can still understand if it’s quicklime, but what does he need volcanic ash for?」

「Young master mentioned something about attempting to create Roman concrete next.」

Baldr had spewed out words that couldn’t become any explanation as always. Selina looked up to the sky in exasperation.

At the same time, it was also a fact that there was an expectation  rising inside herself that was looking forward to what he would create  this time.

「I’ll prepare a wagon of them before the end of next week. Ya tell Baldr that.」

「Thank you very much. I’ll be sure to tell young master so.」

「He owe me one with this.」

「Unfortunately, I didn’t hear anything about that from young master.」

(Kuh……at this rate the guard will keep hardening with me unable to do anythin’!)

Selina clicked her tongue in her heart.

「Then, guess I need to consider going to meet him directly to collect the debt.」

「I shall prevent that with everything I have.」

The gazes of the two beauties clashed and they chuckled ‘fufufu’ to each other boldly.

The woman fight was heating up more and more like this, but this  battle wouldn’t get out of hand with their position as fellow women who  wished to help a single man. It could only be said as admirable.