Soudouki Vol 2 Chapter 2 (Patreon)

Chapter 2 – Business Chance Arrival!

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Part 1

The holiday of the knight academy was once every eight days.

One year consisted of 365 days and one day consisted of 24  hours──even though it was the same like earth, for some reason the unit  of week was different.

It seemed this was because the number eight was esteemed as the  perfect number by the continent’s biggest religious organization, Europa  faith.

The creation of heaven and earth took 80,000 years and completed by the effort of eight gods.

Those gods created this Aurelia continent and seven islands. In other words there were eight lands created.

Like that, the holiday finally arrived but…….

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「Baldr-sama, can you accompany me shopping today?」

The cafeteria that was enveloped in a tense atmosphere was instantly  pushed into a world of chilling ice by the nonchalant words of Seyruun.

「C-can I come along too?」

Brooks mustered all his courage and raised his right hand.

「I’m sorry.」

A tragic end for Brooks.

Seyruun mercilessly cut him down with an impeccable smile. For some  reason Brooks felt shivers ran through his spine by that savageness of  Seyruun. It looked like he was a soft M.

「T-then perhaps at another day……!」

「I refuse.」

「……Yes……」

Brooks shivered with a smile of ecstasy in exchange of losing something important as a human.

「It should be fine isn’t it even if Brooks come along?」

「READ THE MOOD A LITTLEEEEEEE!」

Brooks’s expression changed and he hit the table after Baldr tried to intervene because he was pitying Brooks.

(Don’t you know that Seyruun-san want to go out alone with you? Stop  making that conflicted face as though you want to say 「Even though I’m  trying to invite you along」 to me!)

The classmates who were watching that going on were also enraged with eyes that looked like they were going to cry blood.

「──Can something like this be allowed?」

「How long our trial will continue?」

「Don’t give up! Surely there is a path of breakthrough for us!」

The gazes of the male classmates who were talking to each other in  low whispers were poured toward Silk who opened the door to the  cafeteria right at that timing.

「Silk-san, please tell him off strictly!」

「The academy isn’t a place to flirt with maid!」

「Going to a date with just the two of them is absolutely unforgivable!」

It was also questionable whether it was alright for students who  aimed to be knight to tattle childishly like this, but they couldn’t  really be blamed in this case.

At present, the gap of strength between them and Baldr was too wide.

Only Brooks and Silk could possibly oppose him head-on.

With Brooks supporting Seyruun half-heartedly (joyfully), their only remaining hope was Silk.

「──Right.」

Silk nodded spiritedly in respond to their demand. She then started walking toward Baldr briskly.

Silk was gathering the heated gazes of her classmates that were  filled with expectation while she stood in front of Baldr and declared  this.

「I’m coming too. You promised me to look for armor for me the other day.」

「THAT’S WHAT YOU MEANNNNNNNNN!!!」

The men who wished for Silk to pulverize Baldr and Seyruun’s date for  them underestimated Silk’s own feeling that wanted to go out together  with Baldr.

Human could only see what they wanted to see.

After that, a strange sight of many male students hugging each other  while crying manly tears could be seen in the cafeteria. It made the  instructor who came to the cafeteria by chance to get creeped out.

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「Not yet! Our battle still isn’t over!」

「That’s right! I swear I’ll overtook that guy one day and make her turn toward me!」

「……I won’t hand her over to you.」

「Seyruun-tan is my wife!」

「It’s a hundred years too early for you!」

Their oath ended in vain. Would there be any future for them who got into a falling out so quickly like this?

Only god knew the answer to that.

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Part 2

The next day, the weather at the royal capital Cameron was beautiful with clear blue sky.

Seyruun was dressed as maid like usual, but Silk was dressed with light pink dress while carrying a blue parasol.

Perhaps it was a male heart’s hopelessness to feel freshness from this due to never seeing her in plain clothes before.

「Now then, where should we go first?」

「I was the one who forcefully came along at the last hour, so I don’t mind if we take care of my business for last.」

Silk answered so to Baldr’s question.

「I too don’t care where we’re going as long as I’m together with Baldr-sama.」

It seemed that Seyruun also didn’t intend to deviate from her position as a maid and entrusted the decision to Baldr.

「Hmmm……then, let’s try visiting my purveyor first.」

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When they went south from the knight academy, there was a residential  area for relatively wealthy commoners sprawling out. There was a chic  café in a corner of that area with a long line that continued until  outside the cafe.

Olive Brown Cafe. That name was engraved on a white signboard that  was decorated with flower. The signboard was put on the street.

Actually it was a café that was creating a stir in the capital right now.

「I thought it will be a hit but, to think it will be to this degree……」

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It would be a bit expensive but, if there was a confection that  commoner could eat daily, wouldn’t it be popular? That was Baldr’s idea  and it really came true.

Certainly noble was important customer, but their purchasing  frequency was unstable and it was a fly in the ointment that one should  be careful when dealing with them.

If it was possible to obtain profit from many commoners, then it  would be a stable source of income compared to associating with noble  even if the profit that came from each commoner was only a little.

Selina also agreed with this idea of Baldr. They signed the contract  for the permission to use the recipe and for supplying sugar with cheap  price and this Olive Brown Café was opened.

A long queue was formed everyday in front of the café because here  they could eat confection that only noble could eat until now, no, that  not even noble could eat.

It was already decided to open the second café eight days after the opening.

All the guests here were money tree for Baldr.

Baldr held down the supreme bliss that was welling up inside and somehow stopped with only making a low 「gufufu」 laugh.

Although Seyruun alone was seeing through what was going on in  Baldr‘s mind seeing how she was aware of the fetish hidden in him.

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A girl wearing brown café apron was arranging the line in front of the café energetically. Baldr approached her and said.

「I’m Baldr, the one who has made the reservation.」

「Are you Baldr Cornelius-sama? The manager has told me! Please this way.」

The girl looked extremely nervous and guided Baldr’s group to inside  the café in a fluster. He wondered just what had the manager told her.

Baldr was like the owner of Olive Brown Café, so it was only natural  for the girl to be nervous. But Baldr himself didn’t notice that.

「Is this café connected to Cornelius territory?」

Silk asked Baldr after seeing the girl acting stiff and nervous toward Baldr.

「No, we only had a bit of interaction. That should be all.」

Supplying the recipe and the sugar that was indispensable for the  cooking couldn’t be called as a bit of interaction. However Baldr didn’t  have the self-awareness regarding that.

「Welcome. I am the manager of this café, Frigga. Please allow this  inept self to give my all in serving your group today, so I hope  everyone can enjoy yourself.」

The café manager had a chubby body shape, but there was elegance from his bearing. He deeply bowed toward Baldr.

「I’m looking forward to it. But please, there is no need to act that formally.」

Other than the manager, all the café employees were also attending in  full force to welcome them. Baldr was bewildered by the exaggerated  welcoming.

「Hey, are you really unrelated with this café?」

Silk glared at Baldr because this was different from what he said. It  was unclear whether this café would also treat her this respectfully  even if they realized that she was the young lady of Randolph House. As  expected this was strange no matter how she looked at it.

「No, I shouldn’t have done anything significant for them……」

「That’s preposterous!」

「Kyah!」

A loud voice like a cracked bell suddenly cut in. Silk and Seyruun screamed cutely in surprise.

A male around thirty wearing a tall chef hat, an apron, and a necktie  was staring fixedly at Baldr with a face that was red from excitement  while looking like he was going to fall on his knees and started praying  to Baldr anytime now.

「My name is Tyron, the one serving as the main patissier of this  café. If I can repay you for the inspiration that visited me when I saw  your recipe even for a little, there won’t be any greater happiness than  that for me.」

Tyron was laying bare his deep emotion that he looked like he was seriously going to cry. He tightly grasped Baldr’s small hand.

The waitresses didn’t even glance at Tyron’s eccentricity and placed  on the table freshly baked confections that was put on pure white  porcelain plates.

It was the castella that was made from Masaharu’s knowledge.

In order to sell the castella that was completed at Cornelius,  Selina’s Savaran Company immediately started searching for partner at  the royal capital.

During that searching, Selina was able to get acquainted with Tyron  who had just gotten discharged from a café because he was too stubborn  and Frigga who was gathering information between companies looking for a  new concept.

It was a good fortune that was almost a miracle.

Selina and Frigga met in the middle of business discussion about  sugar that was produced in Cornelius. While they were standing and  talking about how to use the sugar, Tyron who accidentally passed by  began to speak passionately about confections to them.

When Tyron tried making castella for the first time, he was moved and  shed river of tears while monologuing that the history of confections  was changing at this moment.

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This was Silk’s first time seeing castella. She tilted her head  cutely because her interest was slightly attracted to the confection.

「I don’t really get it but, you’re saying it was Baldr who thought up this thing?」

「Strictly speaking it wasn’t me who thought it up. I just knew about it.」

「Please enjoy. This is a new page of the history of confections.」

Silk brought the castella into her mouth just as Tyron recommended, and her expression changed.

It was only at this moment that she even forgot there was Baldr  beside her and became enraptured by the supreme bliss of the sweetness.

Male also liked sweetness, but for female it was already more like an instinct.

That feeling of euphoria had gone past being a mere sense of taste and felt more like a drug to the brain instead.

The proof was that even Seyruun that had experienced eating castella  several times before was being spellbound with the bliss inside her  mouth that Baldr was completely chased out from her mind.

The mellow texture that left behind a fluffy softness in the mouth. And then the elegant sweetness that was melting the tongue.

The level of this castella was different from the prototype that was  created by Seyruun or Selina. This was the professional taste. It was  truly a first-rate product that people of any age could enjoy.

Silk’s fork kept wandering on the plate for a while even after she  finished eating. She then finally returned to her senses with a gasp.

「Is it to your satisfaction my lady?」

「It’s amazing! I have never eat a confection this lovely!」

Even Silk who was born in a great noble house wasn’t aware of the existence of confection with this kind of mysterious texture.

「It’s a great honor to hear that from a noble lady such as yourself.」

Tyron rubbed his nose bashfully.

It wasn’t like Silk had introduced herself, but she had the  appearance of a noble lady no matter how one looked at her, so it was  only natural to notice that.

「……Perhaps it will be better to mix tea leaves into this for male customer who isn’t good with sweet food.」

「Tea? Ooh! I see, you mean neutralizing the sugar’s sweetness with  the tea’s fragrance and astringency! What an exciting idea……I can’t stay  idle here!」

From Baldr’s point of view, he was simply recalling the matcha  castella and black tea chiffon that Masaharu often ate, but to Tyron it  was like the weighty words that were no different from a god’s oracle.

Tyron leaped to his feet and ran toward the kitchen, but three men who seemed to be apprentice patissier clung on him.

「P-please wait! Chef! There are still a mountain of order from the customers!」

「Nunuh……however I won’t give up! I’ll finish the orders! And I’ll also take the challenge of creating new menu!」

「That’s impossible! Just what are you thinkinggg!」

「There are times for man when he has to fight no matter what even knowing that he will lose!」

There were shrieks and screams from the kitchen, but Baldr decided that he didn’t hear anything.

Although he felt creeped by the influence he gave just from  carelessly speaking an idea, he left the Olive Brown Café in a good mood  because he was convinced that the business he planned would keep  growing.

Silk sighed deeply after she witnessed the kitchen that was transformed into a scene of pandemonium and whispered.

「……You’re quite the savage aren’t you Baldr.」

「Eeeeee?」

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Baldr and co next headed to an armor shop after leaving Olive Brown Café.

The noble Silk had already owned a first-class protectors, but  because Baldr gave her a warning 「Because of your talent in body  strengthening, those protectors are unsuited for you──or rather they are  nothing but shackles for you Silk」, she made a promise with him to  search for replacement together.

「As expected from the capital, it’s really big……」

When speaking of armor shop, in Cornelius such shop didn’t only sell  weapon and armor, but it also existed as a utility shop that even  received order of kitchen utensils. On the other hand, here in the  capital there were several shops specialized for armor standing side by  side. They were also bustling with people.

「Welcome. What are you looking for today?」

「We want to pick a good material for her leg guard and armguard. And also boots with strong cushion.」

「Please pardon my rudeness, but may I enquire who could this lady be?」

「She’s a student of the knight academy.」

Silk’s beauty that attracted people’s attention and the elegant  attire that she wore well was really far from what people imagined as a  knight who wished to fight at the frontline. The shop owner opened his  eyes wide in surprise before he politely bowed.

「I see, so you wish to look for protectors for the use of body strengthening then.」

Body strengthening put a heavy burden on the body, especially at the  joints. Protecting those was indispensable for Silk whose physical  strength was inferior to man.

She could easily break her bone if she made a mistake with her strength control. It really wasn’t a laughing matter.

Actually Baldr had experience of breaking his knee’s joint, his fist, and his upper arm’s bone.

Joint guard mostly had lame appearance. The difference from the  current protector that Silk wore with its luxurious ornament and  silverwork was like heaven and earth.

Even so it could relief the burden to the joints reliably, so Baldr  judged that it was a necessary item for Silk until she was able to reach  an exquisite control with her body strengthening.

It seemed the shop owner also understood that. He took out pink leg guard and armguard with elaborate design from his warehouse.

「These are designed for female use. They protect the joints while  also possessing elasticity to a certain degree. They should prove  useful.」

They would mitigate the impact from the radical stop & go  movement from body strengthening and protected the important  joints──Silk too understood enough about the importance of that.

Besides, although she didn’t understand why, it felt indescribably pleasant to follow Baldr’s advice in choosing.

「Then I’ll take them.」

Silk also purchased boots that were created from the leather of Melg  cow with outstanding cushioning and elasticity that protected the ankle.  Silk left the armor shop with a pleased expression.

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After that, the two of them accompanied Seyruun with her accessories  shopping before they visited a company that was Baldr’s destination.

It was at a section of the main street where companies that were  first class even in the capital were lined up. The signboard at the  storefront looked a bit worn out, but it had a tasteful look that gave  the impression of long history and traditional air. The signboard had  the words 『Savaran Company』 written on it with big letters.

「Excuse me.」

「Aaa! Baldr! I’ve been waiting!」

After he went through the door, Selina who was dressed up like a proprietress was there waiting with a delighted smile.

「Baldr! I wanted to meet ya!」

Selina energetically ran toward Baldr, but she came to a stop after taking just two or three steps.

*Guwashi—-*

Time passed for a while with complete silence due to that very bizarre sight.

Silk’s slender and long hand was grabbing Selina’s face in a tight  eagle grip when she was about to leap toward Baldr. Furthermore she was  also using body strengthening.

It seemed that even the person herself was doing it unconsciously.  Silk hurriedly let go when she heard Selina’s muffled groaning from her  blocked mouth.

「E-ehh? I’m sorry……」

「Puhaaaah! What are ya doing ya idiot! What’s the idea of suddenly grabbing a maiden’s face like that without saying anything!?」

Selina who was finally released from the suffocating hold looked furious with a bright red face.

Of course she would. She intended to leap into the chest of the male  she had a feeling for, but then she got held in the iron claw of the  woman beside him. It would be stranger if she didn’t get angry.

「Or rather just who are ya? Seyruun! How can ya let a harmful insect fly around Baldr even though there are ya at his side!?」

「……I have no excuse.」

Seyruun’s shoulders slumped at Selina’s words, but her face  immediately turned into hannya when she noticed a certain fact and she  raised her voice.

「……Wait, why are you here in the capital!?」

「Fu-fu-fu-……do ya think I’ll just quietly wait in Cornelius? Ya are still too naïve Seyruun.」

「As expected even I don’t expect that much, even so this is too fast isn’t it?」

In Seyruun’s expectation, it would at least take Selina three months  to prepare a branch store here in the capital while taking care of the  affairs in Cornelius for the transfer of control.

If possible she wished that Selina wouldn’t appear in the capital for half a year, that was her honest wish.

「Err……is she Baldr’s acquaintance?」

Silk couldn’t keep up with the conversation. She asked Baldr hesitantly.

「Yep. She is the president of Savaran Company and she is like my  childhood friend back at Cornelius. Don’t judge from her appearance, she  is really a capable merchant.」

「President? Even though she’s still very young……」

Selina had turned nineteen recently, even so she was far too young to  lead a company. In a normal company, let alone a head clerk, it would  be already amazing if someone of her age could become a sales clerk.

「I’m Selina. Best regards. By the way, can ya tell me who are ya?」

「I am Silk Randolph. A classmate of Baldr. Please take care of me.」

They were exchanging pleasantry at the surface, but there was a dangerous invisible spark when their gazes clashed.

The two of them were instinctually convinced that it was a birth of a new enemy here.

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「Is this place Savaran Company?」

A man appeared while it became an explosive situation with the  maidens. This man couldn’t be called as respectable even as flattery.

Behind him thuggish looking men were following in droves.

However none of them had the aura that a pro martial artist would  naturally emit. There was also no quiet killing intent that a hitman  would be clad with from them.

In other words, they only looked like amateur thugs without any grace at all. That was Baldr’s honest opinion.

Selina’s reaction was curt. It seemed she already had this kind of people forcing themselves in like this several times.

「What’s yer business here? There is an important customer right now, so can ya guys get out?」

「Heh. Girly, you can’t go through life just by acting strong y’know.」

「Right right. What’s with that attitude toward guests huh girl?」

Even their lines were like small fries.

Usually Glymur or Cell would drive them away without wasting any time  as Selina’s bodyguard, but the two of them were out right now by chance  in order to guard the delivery from Cornelius. The remaining Miranda  was unfortunately in the middle of menstrual leave.

For Baldr to be present at this timing could only be called as a godsend.

「Whaat? There are also these pretty girls here. Guess we’ll just borrow them too for a while.」

The man in the lead turned his indecent gaze toward Seyruun and Silk.  His lips twisted obscenely. Inside his head he was already imagining a  richly colored future where he handled these three beauties as he  pleased.

「Don’t look over here. It’s unpleasant. Your thing will fall off you know?」

「What did you say!?」

Baldr reflexively retorted when Seyruun whispered something that he couldn’t just ignore.

Silk ignored that and threw some provocative words at the thugs too.

「What’s with these rude men?」

Seyruun who held an absolute trust toward her master and Silk who  held an absolute confidence in herself were naturally taking such  attitude.

「These girls are really bigmouthed. I wonder how long you can keep acting that cocky?」

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「I’m sorry to interrupt while you’re busy but──」

Baldr who was getting ignored until that moment opened his mouth with the best smile that didn’t reach his eyes at all.

「What kind of business could you possibly have with Savaran Company?」

「We’re the members of the gang that control this block, The Owl of  Darkness. We heard that a mannerless hick opened up a shop here without  even greeting us, so now we’re here to settle the debt.」

「Own of Darkness, I’ve never heard that name at all. What kind of  chuunibyou group are you guys? Besides, we have notified the underground  guild from the beginning, so are you guys going to be okay doing  something like this?」

The man’s complexion clearly changed when he heard the underground guild got mentioned.

The underground guild never showed up openly in public, but they were  the organization that was more or less in control of the illegal  activity in the capital.

In the unlikely event that the thugs were judged to be going against  the underground guild’s decision, their lives would be forfeit as easily  as reaping the grass at the roadside.

If Baldr was speaking the truth…….

The man let out a long sigh to calm down.

「Y-you brat……don’t you dare joking around. I was surprised for a bit there.」

The underground guild held a tremendous influence at the capital, but  it was an extremely careful organization at the same time. It was  nearly impossible for ordinary person to get into contact with the  organization’s executives.

Even thugs at the bottom rung like them would only receive order  through the manager who was in charge of them. They had actually never  met anyone from the guild directly.

It should be impossible for a kid like this to contact the guild no matter what.

「A-anyway you bastards has angered someone you shouldn’t! I’ll sell you all into brothel including you brat!」

「Hee……someone we shouldn’t anger, you say.」

Baldr’s expression turned cruel.

In the end these men were only petty scoundrels who were used as disposable pawn by their coconspirator.

There was no doubt that they got quite the backer behind them with  how daring they were to try something in the middle of day like this.

Although it was highly possible that this backer must be getting  headache by the thoughtlessness of these underlings……Baldr laughed in  his heart.

「Can you tell me the name of this important person?」

「Haah? Forget about it, you better worry about your──!?」

The man was unable to speak until finish.

Baldr turned into a gust of wind and defeated the majority of the thugs without even giving them any time to retaliate.

Seyruun noticed how Baldr was in quite the bad mood.

Originally Baldr would never wield his strength against those in the  amateur category. But right now the men got their bones broken.

「Choose who you’re picking fight with carefully. It’ll be too late when you regret it you know?」

「Hiih! H-help!」

The thugs standing by outside were going to rush inside as  reinforcement when they heard the scream, but they were sent flying back  as though they had crashed on an unseen wall.

It was a wind magic that Baldr used.

Their bodies were thrown hard on the ground. They writhed in pain without even knowing what just happened.

Magic Cancel was the basic, but the thugs couldn’t even use such thing and got nearly annihilated.

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「Now then, let me ask you again. Who is this person you mentioned?」

「I-I don’t know! I really don’t know. Believe me!」

The man who was basking in the dark pleasure of tormenting the weak  until just a moment ago realized that it was actually them who were the  weak one here. He wanted to cry.

Just who could believe it?

A kid who looked like he had only just reached ten years old instantly beat twenty adult who had confidence in their strength.

Furthermore it was likely magic that blew away his men who were waiting outside just now.

In other words, the possibility was high that this boy had received quite the education growing up.

「──You see, body strengthening is a magic that interfere with muscle,  bone, and nerve transmission to forcefully draw out power to surpass  the limit. Even a kid like me can easily break adult’s bone, so do you  understand just how powerful it is?」

The man desperately nodded like a broken doll.

It was absolutely not the technique of a proper human.

He was so scared he almost pissed himself just from imagining what would happen to him if he opposed this kid.

「Now then, here is a question.」

Baldr bared his canine tooth while his eyes still weren’t smiling. It  was a fierce grin that made the man lost any strength in his waist.

「If I strengthen your pain receptor, do you think a human will be able to endure the pain from that?」

「──I-It’s Clan! Director Clan of Dowding Company!!」

The man yelled the name that he shouldn’t mention without the  slightest hesitation in order to escape from the death god’s reach.

「Clan ya said?」

「Selina, you know that name?」

It was a secret that Baldr almost said 「Do you know it Raide○?」 just now. (TN: A reference from Hokutou no Ken)

「He is this rude uncle who asked me to sell my company right after I  set up shop in the capital. He made this wild claim that we messed up  the market of high class product or whatever.」

「Speaking of Dowding Company, it’s the company that’s in the race for  the first or second rank in the kingdom isn’t it……so a big player like  that is taking this kind of nasty method huh……」

Even Baldr didn’t expect that they would try to buy the whole company.

He didn’t know how much money they had stacked up, but human didn’t  live solely for money, what’s more Selina also had her pride and soul as  a merchant.

The incident today was the result of this Clan relying on an extreme  measure after Selina who he looked down at refused his offer curtly.

Looking at these thugs, one couldn’t expect them to be able to control themselves properly.

In other words, this proved that man named Clan didn’t care whatever happened to Selina.

When he imagined that, Baldr couldn’t stop his blood from boiling.

To be honest, Baldr’s own misjudgment was big because he overestimated the underground guild’s influence.

Even though he had expressly asked Zirco (with Maggot’s shadow behind  her of course) to introduce him to the underground guild, he was  getting priorities backward now that this happened.

No, perhaps this was fortunate because it was just thugs like this  that came here instead of professional like the underground guild.

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「──Dowding Company is also the main company in Cameron. I heard that  they have many connections with influential nobles. This opponent is a  bit troublesome.」

Silk suddenly opened her mouth.

Her family, the house of Marquis Randolph was also regularly dealing with Dowding Company.

Of course there were also other merchants who rivaled Dowding  Company, but it was the unmistaken truth that they were the company that  dealt with the nobles the most in this capital.

「Guess so. We won’t be able to get to Clan with just these guys’ testimony.」 Selina said.

If Baldr and Silk complained using their status as noble, they  wouldn’t be able to ignore this case, but it was doubtful whether they  would be able to win the trial where the trustworthiness of their  testimony was contested.

The reputation, achievement, and the amount of tax paid between a  mid-level company that had only arrived from a countryside and the  biggest company in the capital were too different.

If they acted carelessly, the nobles who were targeting Savaran  Company’s secret might put their eyes on them and made Dowding Company  won instead.

If that happened there wouldn’t be any meaning to bring this matter to trial.

「It’s frustrating but, let’s contend ourselves with just putting these guys into prison……」

The thinking of Silk who knew about the situation behind the scene as a noble was most likely correct.

But the only child of the Silver Light Maggot and the Iron Wall  Ignis, the heir of Cornelius House, Baldr Cornelius had a different  thinking.

He would pay back his debt no matter what kind of method he had to  use or how much time he had to spend. It didn’t matter whether it was a  debt of obligation or revenge.

Baldr grinned.

「This is a good chance. I’ll make that guy regret being born for making us into his enemy before having him leave the stage.」

If it was impossible to face the enemy head on, he just needed to attack from the rear.

Of course he didn’t have the slightest intention of giving any mercy.

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Part 3

Until now Savaran Company was expanding by dealing with low class nobles and wealthy commoners.

The production of sugar and developing confection that was making use  of it were based on the concept of making high class food that only  noble could eat to be available to commoner.

The gold plating was also a tactic to increase sale by providing gold  works to low class nobles and commoners when previously only high class  nobles could afford it.

In the first place, there was no high class noble who would intentionally purchase cheap imitation product.

Nobles with peculiar taste who collected the Goth Collection that recently became the talk of the city were few in number.

There Baldr and Selina wracked their brain to create new product in  order to expand their market to the high class noble and even the royal  family using this opportunity of their advance into the capital.

A luxury item that high class noble would scramble for no matter how  much money they had to pay for it, a product that had no substitute──.

As long as they had something like that, it wouldn’t be that difficult to trap Clan.

The problem was what kind of thing could become such product…….

.

「Well, take a seat anywhere ya like.」

Baldr and other moved into the reception room of the company. They  sat down on the soft sofa without reservation like Selina told them.

「And……what are you planning to do now?」

Silk sent Baldr a gaze that was filled with anxiety and expectation,  but just when he was about to explain, a certain personality took over  Baldr’s consciousness.

.

『I can’t tolerate it anymore than this!』

.

Silk was speechless with opened mouth when Baldr suddenly yelled.

It was because she couldn’t comprehend what Baldr was saying at all.

Seyruun and Selina were already aware of the reason why Baldr was acting strange like this, so they weren’t surprised.

「Ah, pardon me. You girls can’t understand if I speak in Japanese.」

Baldr scratched his head with a wry smile. His expression looked somewhat sensitive and unbalanced.

Yes, he was Baldr but also not Baldr.

He was the young man from modern Japan who had kept silent for a long time until now, Oka Masaharu.

Actually it had been a year and a half since Masaharu came out like this.

He had mastered the use of the continent’s official language quickly  perhaps because of Baldr’s flexible brain when he was still a child.  Right now he was able to speak freely without sounding any different  from Baldr.

「Certainly it’s easy to live in Mauricia Kingdom even if it’s not at  Japan’s level. The sanitary conditions are also not bad. The custom of  bathing is also spreading among the commoners. But it’s still not  enough! Even though there are now great beauties like Seyruun and Selina  and Silk who can’t be found easily around Baldr like this! This is the  only thing that I can’t accept no matter what!」

Although it was a different personality that said it, to hear Baldr’s  voice calling them beautiful made the three of them blushed  unintentionally.

Masaharu’s monologue continued without even noticing that.

「Your skin will be fine. At the very least there won’t be any problem  even if you don’t tend to your skin while you are young, as long as  you’re careful to not be rough on them. However! However, I can declare  that these are the only things you’re lacking at! Those are……the hair  treatment and bra!」

「──Haah?」

Although Masaharu was talking passionately, the three didn’t understand the meaning of the words hair treatment and bra.

Even Selina only barely knew from Baldr telling him about 「I have idea of new products」.

However their woman instinct reacted there. They instinctually sensed  that there was something in Baldr’s words that was related to female  beauty.

「And? What is this hair treatment and bra thing?」

「Are you saying that these are things that will become a trump card against Dowding Company?」

Masaharu smiled and threw out his chest proudly at Selina and Silk’s questions.

No matter the world, woman’s desire to pursue beauty was extremely deep.

At the same time, it was also the honest truth that there were a lot  of males who were whipped by their wife. Before this truth, it didn’t  matter whether they were high class noble or the royal family, none  could escape.

Therefore even in this country, if they were able to grasp the heart  of noble women, they would be able to use it to exercise some degree of  political power.

Masaharu had been dissatisfied all this time since he was awakened as a personality in this world.

Hair was something so wonderful that it was even called as a woman’s  life, and yet how could this world’s residence be so indifferent to it?

Yes. He was a young man with slightly hopeless fetish that felt hair was moe.

In case of the commoners, most would only wash their hair with water and called it a day.

In case of noble, they would wash their hair with soap that was mixed  with perfumed oil, but when hair was washed using soap that contained  alkali, after washing the hair, the alkali would stick on the hair and  opened the cuticle.

Because of that the hair wouldn’t moisturize well and became dry. It would increase the number of split end of the hair.

The beautiful hair would become dried out, and then it would become sticky from oil. Masaharu couldn’t tolerate that.

This might be just his big talk, but he guaranteed that if the three  of them performed hair treatment properly and recovered their lustrous  hair that shined like angel halo, their charm would increase by twenty  percent.

.

「──Please tell us the way to create it right away.」

「Baldr! Spill it out, hurry!」

「Young master! This is for the world’s sake!」

It seemed that the words of twenty percent increase in charm had  slipped out from his mouth unconsciously. Masaharu who was surrounded by  the three intent gazes felt sweat trickling down his forehead. He  easily decided to yield back the control of the body to Baldr.

『I’ll leave the rest to you.』

「No no, return back the control after calming them down at least!」

After explaining this far, it would be impossible for the girls to  leave him alone even if he decided to back out from making hair  treatment.

Masaharu prayed that Baldr’s future would be filled with happiness,  no, rather he was cursing ‘normie explode’ before he went back to sleep.

.

Even in Japan, the custom of taking bath and washing hair everyday  only started after the second world war. The custom was to take a bath  once or twice per month at the Edo period.

Because soap was expensive, the women at that time used things like  lye and the like that contained alkali to remove the oil and dirt from  their hair before tidying up their hair using canola oil or pomade. Such  scene was drawn in the ukiyoe of that time. (TN: Ukiyoe=Edo period  woodblock print)

Even so it couldn’t be denied that such method was unhygienic. The people of Edo were constantly troubled by lice in their hair.

The hygiene in Mauricia Kingdom could be called as better, but it was  still only wealthy nobles who were able to take a bath every day. It  was already good for commoner if they went to the public bath several  times a week. Normally they would just wipe their body with water in  their house.

「──In other words, after washing away all the dirt with alkali soap,  you use hair treatment to neutralize the alkali with acidity, at the  same time you provide repair ingredient to the inside of the damaged  hair……」

「I don’t understand what you are saying.」

「Me too.」

「I also don’t get it.」

「Of course you are……」

Of course it would be like this.

Although Baldr somehow understood about the distinction between  alkali and acidity from his personal experience, in this world it still  hadn’t been elucidated just what kind of property they had  scientifically.

「A picture is worth a thousand words. Let’s try it out on the three of you.」

The three nodded without any hesitation at Baldr’s words.

They would be able to obtain beautiful hair that would glitter under  sunlight. Furthermore it was something that Baldr desired. After  understanding that, the three maidens had no reason at all to refuse.

The three maidens who decided to test the effect of beautiful hair immediately moved to considering the bathing place.

Savaran Company also had a bathroom because this building also  doubled as a residence, but it wasn’t so spacious for three people to  enter.

In addition Silk was reluctant to use a public bathhouse. That place also wouldn’t be good if they wanted to keep this a secret.

As the result of the discussion, Silk suggested that they did this in her house, the mansion of Marquis Randolph.

.

Part 4

Randolph House was an authority in Mauricia Kingdom that was also deeply connected with the royal family.

It was a prominent family with influence that could be counted within  the top ten in the kingdom. Alford(アルフォード), the Marquis Randolph of  this generation received the honor to marry princess Maria of Trystovy  Kingdom.

Because of that he was the strongest advocate to send soldier to  Trystovy where the civil war was still continuing. Maria too was the  single recipient of support from the Trystovy nobles who sought asylum  here as the highest ranked heir to the throne.

But unfortunately Mauricia Kingdom’s national strength was exhausted  after the Antrim War. It wasn’t in a state to dispatch troops in large  scale.

There was no doubt that Maria’s anxiety was also doubled by the  disastrous situation befalling her homeland that was worsening as time  passed. Her health was ruined because she was doing political activity  that she wasn’t used to. Seven years ago her condition deteriorated and  she died suddenly.

And then her only child Silk was the only remaining heir to the throne.

Alford forbid Silk to get involved with any political activity so that what happened to his wife wouldn’t happen again.

At the same time he also notified the faction that was maneuvering to  reinstate Trystovy royal family, that Randolph House would stop  supporting them if they involved Silk.

However Silk who knew about her mother’s dearest wish thought that she too had to fulfill her role for Trystovy’s sake.

In exchange of forbidding her daughter from political activity,  Alford allowed her to enroll into the knight academy and imposed her  with the task of graduating the academy with excellent grades.

Seven years after his wife’s passing, the 39 years old Alford was  still at his peak as a man. He was famous as a devoted husband. He  refused all of the marriage talks that flooded onto his lap and  persisted with his bachelorhood even now.

.

「I’m home Hans.」

「Welcome home Ojou-sama. Are those people over there Ojou-sama’s friends?」

A butler at the middle of his fifty welcomed Silk’s arrival in the mansion.

Just from looking at his bearing that left no opening, Baldr sensed that he had survived through a lot of battlefields.

「They are my classmate in the knight academy and his friends.  He is  the heir of Cornelius House, Baldr Cornelius. I believe he can be  considered as the top student in the academy. This girl is Seyruun, a  maid working in the academy. And then she is the president of Savaran  Company, Selina. Her company is handling something interesting.」

Hans was suspicious because this was a really curious group, but he wasn’t so careless as to show it on his face.

「Even this lowly me know about the military fame of Cornelius House.  Please I beseech young master to treat Ojou-sama well from here on too.」

「I too am grateful for being able to unexpectedly receive Lady Silk’s  warm friendship. I’m still just someone unworthy, but I shall strive to  do my best.」

Although Baldr was a heir of a count house, Silk was from one of the  ten top houses in the kingdom. Their status as noble was too different.

Baldr was already starting to regret yielding to Silk’s insistence to visit Randolph House.

「Right right. Us girls wish to enter the bath together, is the bath available right now?」

「Y-yes……please give us a little bit of time.」

Even a veteran butler with top class poker face like Hans didn’t know how to reply for an instant at Silk’s sudden request.

He couldn’t think of anything that could be the reason why she wanted  to enter a bath at broad daylight with friends who visited for the  first time.

「And, what will Baldr-sama do in the meantime?」

「I’m fine so I’ll just wait until they finish.」

「Then I shall bring you tea to the terrace over there.」

It was common sense that girls would take a long time when bathing no matter the world.

It felt like it would be hard to kill time while waiting for them.  And that was even truer when he was in the mansion of a prominent family  like Randolph House.

Baldr pushed down the fatigue inside himself that made him wanted to  sigh while seeing off the girls who were heading to the bathroom  happily.

.

In the end Baldr didn’t need to wait alone for long.

Marquis Randolph, Alford originally should be engaged with his  professional duties in the palace until evening, but just for today an  arranged interview got cancelled, so he returned home early.

This was a timing that was too unfortunate to simply be called a coincidence.

「What’s going on? I haven’t heard anything about a guest coming today.」

「It’s Ojou-sama’s friends who are visiting.」

「Silk’s friends? How long it has been since the last time she brought friend over? Don’t tell me that these friends are male?」

If that was the case, it would be necessary to exterminate them immediately.

「Two of them were beautiful girls but……the last one is the heir of Cornelius House.」

Alford’s complexion changed the instant he heard Hans’s words.

「Cornelius House’s heir you said?」

Alford himself was also a valorous man who participated in the Antrim War and even directly crossed sword with the enemies.

Although it was only for few times he had also met Ignis face to  face. Once he also thought that he was a reliable comrade in arms in the  battlefield.

He felt that Ignis was slightly too loose when it came to woman, but it was still within the tolerable limit.

However, with his position he was unable to defend Ignis for his decision to marry with Maggot who was just a mercenary.

Upper classes noble had the duty to keep their blood pure and passed down their house’s pride and duty to the next generation.

Perhaps it was alright to love freely, but lineage played a large part in supporting a noble’s existence.

To decide one’s wife uninhibitedly like Ignis would destroy the  nobility system itself. There was a risk that they would become unable  to carry out their duty to manage the kingdom.

But the biggest problem here was the fact that Silk was bringing home someone of the opposite sex for the first time.

In other words, it didn’t matter that it was Baldr or if it was  anybody else, for Alford any male that approached Silk was nothing but a  harmful insect.

.

「And Silk? Where is Silk right now?」

Hans had detected the disquieting aura from Alford, but he had no choice except answering his lord’s question.

「Ojou-sama is taking a bath just now.」

His daughter went home with a man and then she went to take a bath.  There was only one situation that he could imagine from such scenario.

At the very least from Alford’s perspective, it was impossible for  his daughter to take such action if she and this boy were simply friend.

Aa, as I thought I shouldn’t let her enroll into the knight academy!

Allowing that adorable Silk to enter that nest of males who are smeared with desire is a mistaken in itself!

If, if Silk told me that she committed a mistake there──even if it’s Ignis’s son, he better ready himself to be unable to see tomorrow’s sun!

Hans guessed that Alford’s worry was just a misunderstanding, but he  didn’t have anything he could say to solve the misunderstanding.

Besides, he thought back, when he recalled the expression that was  peculiar of a maiden which Silk showed before this, he couldn’t claim  that what Alford was thinking was completely a misunderstanding.

As he thought, that boy needed to go through a slightly painful experience here.

Hans who had been taking care of Silk since she was a baby could also be categorized as an idiot parent.

.

Baldr was enjoying a whiff of tea at the terrace while basking in the  light of the sun that was starting to set. But even though he should be  drinking a warm tea, there was a gloominess that was gradually covering  his whole body with coldness.

In most case when he was feeling this kind of coldness it was because──.

「So you’re Ignis’s son.」

It was a tall man who seemed to run here with his full speed. He had a  sharp gaze, well-ordered nose bridge, and thick eyebrows that made him  looked strong-willed. Guessing from the grace that couldn’t be hidden  from his bearing, this man must be the head of Randolph House, Alford.

Though Baldr was unable to imagine the reason for this total hostility.

「It’s a honor to be able to meet your excellency for the first time.  This immature me is called Baldr Cornelius, the eldest son of Ignis  Cornelius. Pleased to make your acquaintance, your excellency.」

Ignis’s son──the harmful insect that was buzzing around Silk was  slightly different from his imagination. It made Alford felt taken  aback.

Baldr had a splendid silver hair that he inherited from her mother  and an amiable face. He was most likely around twelve years old, younger  than Silk. His appearance was too young for Alford to imagine that  there was a male and female relationship between him and Silk.

But the creature called noble would sometimes develop prematurely. It  also wasn’t rare for a child to have a fiancée already when their age  hadn’t reached double digit.

Alford pulled himself together once more.

「I was indebted to your father Ignis-dono at the previous war. I  didn’t realize that his son has enrolled into the knight academy, but I  don’t mind if you need to rely on me if it’s something within my  capability.」

Although he had the confidence that he would cut him down right away  at the day he asked him 「Father-in-law, please give me your daughter」.

「I’m grateful for your excellency’s kindness.」

「──By the way」

Alford hardened his resolve that this boy wouldn’t go home unharmed  depending on his answer. He then went to the crux of the matter.

「Answer my question honestly, without covering up anything. If you  lie to me, I won’t be able to guarantee your well being at all. Now,  swear to god that you’ll speak the truth──what is the relationship  between you and Silk?」

「Bufuuh!」

Baldr burst out when he finally noticed the true form of the  pressure, or rather the killing intent that he had been feeling since  some time ago.

It seemed that Baldr had been cornered into a sticky situation unknowingly.

Baldr tried giving explanation while cold sweat was drenching his whole body.

The bared hostility from Alford was really similar like the huge bear  he encountered accidentally in a forest while it was protecting its  cubs.

In other words, his life was genuinely in danger right now.

「N-n-n-no! I had just enrolled into the academy so there are many  things that I’ve been troubling Silk with, but it’s nothing that will be  any concern for your excellency……」

「Hou. So you are saying, that Silk is inviting an unknown man who had just enrolled into the academy into her house.」

(Crap, I can’t think of anything to say that will be able to convince  the marquis. In fact even when I asked Brooks he also doesn’t know why  Silk is this friendly with me……)

For the time being Baldr tried answering in a way that wouldn’t provoke Alford.

「──How about we wait until the girls return for now? I believe that  your excellency will be able to understand the reason of my presence  here after that……」

「Silk is taking a bath right now isn’t she?」

「For now I can only say that it’s a trade secret.」

If that product produced a result that was just like Baldr expected, a chance to evade this questioning would appear somehow.

Of course, it didn’t change the fact that he would be lying on a bed of nails until that time arrived.

Alford was calming down for the moment, but his eyes that were like a  hawk targeting his prey was clearly showing that this man could explode  anytime if Baldr made any careless statement.

.

Around the same time, the three girls took off their clothes in the  dressing room and wrapped their body in a towel while heading toward the  bathtub.

Selina who was the oldest one here with experience of managing a  company to some degree as its president was exposing her voluptuous  naked body without any shame.

Seyruun and Silk couldn’t help but felt envious of her abundantly ripened fruits on her chest.

However Seyruun and Silk’s beauty weren’t inferior to Selina by any means.

Seyruun’s risky sensuality that was only possessed by a girl who was  on the verge of adulthood, and Silk’s naked body that didn’t lose any  feminine softness despite her flatness, overflowing with the charm of  slenderness. Any man would feel desire seeing them.

Seyruun muttered with an envious gaze.

「……Selina-san, you have a nice style.」

「Even I looked about the same like ya when I was at yer age Seyruun.」

「I wonder if I can also grow as big as Selina-san……」

Silk’s shoulders slumped as she was listening to the two’s conversation.

The style of her mother in her memory was the same slender type like  her. She felt a small despair while staring sadly at Selina’s deep  valley.

She never hated the genetic she inherited from her mother as much as at this moment.

「Silk-sama is also really pretty with your toned body style……」

This time it was Selina who jerked when Seyruun turned her gaze toward Silk.

「Uuu……the flesh in my stomach is recently……」

Silk also let out a long sigh.

「My body constitution is actually easy to get fat too you know……」

The three girls were getting boisterous. Especially Silk who had no  immunity toward this kind of girl talk, she was getting excited and in  high spirits like never before.

This was the first time in Silk’s life to bath together with friend of the same age.

She was staring at Selina and Seyruun’s body with deep interest,  causing the two to get bright red from their face until their neck. They  sat down deeper into the water and hid their important parts with both  their hands.

「Silk-han, ya are staring too much!」

「Ah, I-I’m sorry……!」

For some reason the three of them then fell silent with blushing faces…….

.

Olive oil was mixed with honey and egg yolk, then the liquid was  smeared thoroughly on the hair for twenty minutes. When the ingredient  looked like it had permeated into the hair, the three washed their hair  with soapy water before they thoroughly washed away the soap with hot  water several times.

If they were negligent with this part, the alkaline would open the  cuticles excessively and the nutrition that had entered the hair at  great pains would leak out from the opened gap.

By the way, that state was called as alkaline swelling.

「I’ll wash it off, Silk-sama.」

「Thank you Seyruun-san.」

Was a feeling of solidarity blooming among them after exposing their skin to each other?

This was what people commonly called as naked socializing. Perhaps there was really an effect from such thing.

Usually the three would only perceive each other as enemy, but right  now they even looked like friends of close age who had known each other  for many years.

In the first place they had good affinity with each other as long as there was no Baldr between them.

The three praised each other’s hair while slowly massaging their  scalp with meticulous attention so that their hair wouldn’t be harmed.  At the end they neutralized the soap’s alkali component by rinsing their  hair with apple vinegar.

The three then stretched their legs and relax in the spacious bathtub  with pounding heart at what kind of result this treatment would bring.

The bathtub could easily contain ten people as befitting the bathroom  of a great noble. There was still enough space even if the girls  stretched out their whole body as they pleased.

「It has been so long since I’m feeling this excited.」

She had to inherit her mother’s will before she knew it. She had to  become even stronger and stronger──after she made up her mind like that  she forgot how to enjoy her daily life like this.

「Since I met Baldr, he always made feel in suspense and thrilled.」

Selina smiled looking like she was having so much fun she couldn’t hold herself back.

It was a natural expression without any worry, like a flower in full bloom.

Silk wondered what kind of past existed between Selina and Baldr. She  became envious at Selina who shared a past that she didn’t know with  Baldr and she unconsciously asked.

「How did Selina-san get acquainted with Baldr?」

「That time, when my shitty uncle was about to kill me to obtain my  fortune, Baldr gallantly appeared and saved me. Baldr was really cool at  that time.」

「T-that’s really unfair isn’t it!?」

To be saved by a prince on white horse, that was really a situation that any girl would dream of.

Even Silk who abandoned her ordinary happiness to walk the path of  knight was still a girl as expected. Once she harbored a longing for a  prince on white horse herself.

Seyruun continued.

「I am actually Baldr-sama’s personal maid. Please keep it a secret from everyone in the academy.」

「Eh! Even Seyruun-san!?」

Silk screamed after she learned that these two were possessing advantage toward Baldr that was even greater than she imagined.

She was too disadvantaged with her start too late like this! Though  let’s set aside the matter of what was this start about for now.

「Since when Seyruun-san has been together with Baldr?」

「It will be three years soon……Baldr-sama is acting meek when in front  of Silk-sama, but if I can be honest, he is still like a rascal who I  have my hands full with.」

「──As I thought……it’s unfair.」

Even though  the hot water should be warming her body, it felt like the inside of her heart was gradually freezing.

The female friends that she thought she had finally obtained had  actually gone ahead of herself. It was like a Baldr that she didn’t knew  had discarded her and left. It was a strange feeling.

Just why was she thinking like this?

「Silk-sama, what are you feeling about Baldr-sama?」

Silk approached the crux of the matter with a small mutter, even so Silk was unable to give any answer.

Because Silk was still unable to label the feeling that was inside her chest.

「At first──I admired his strength. I wanted to catch up to his  strength. But right now I don’t think that it’s like that anymore……how  should I say it, he isn’t like an unrelated stranger to me……though he  also feels different from my father……I’m sorry. I can’t really describe  it well.」

It was the fact that somewhere inside her, she felt like that Baldr  wasn’t a stranger since the first time she saw him. That feeling was  getting stronger with the passing of days.

Even so that didn’t mean that she was thinking of taking in Baldr to be a husband into Randolph House.

In the first place both Baldr and she didn’t have any sibling. It was  impossible for the two of them to marry each other in order for their  respective house to continue existing.

Then, what was she thinking about Baldr then?

She didn’t understand──what was this feeling of hers.

「You don’t need to force yourself to create an answer you know?」

「Eh……?」

「Because we are still around 14 years old, so there is no way we can  easily understand this kind of thing like adult. Ah, Selina-san looks  like she has plenty of life experience though.」

「What did ya say? This shortie, how dare ya bring up age there!」

「Wait! If you bring up my height there……that means war!」

「Hahn! Come back again after ya have become a bit more womanly if ya want war!」

「Now you’ve said it! You cow!」

「Jealousy is unsightly ya know? Washboard!」

Seyruun and Selina glared at each other. It was an explosive situation that might devolve into a catfight anytime.

Silk laughed while holding her stomach. It felt stupid of her to worry so seriously by herself like this.

「Ahah……aha, ahahahahahahahahahaha!!」

「What are ya laughing at!」

「That’s right! This is a battle with our pride as woman on the line you know?」

「But, because it’s funny……ahahahahaha!」

She tried to remember when was the last time she was laughing like this.

Thinking carefully, she too was still a fourteen years old child.  Whether Silk herself recognized it or not, there was no hiding her mind  and body that were still immature.

It felt like Silk was finally able to accept that immature self of  her right now. And then she just needed to become adult together with  Baldr, Seyruun, and Selina from here on.

During that time, she should be able to find the true answer of this feeling of hers that she didn’t really understand.

The outburst of her laughter just wouldn’t stop.

Seyruun and Selina were staring at Silk’s disgraceful behavior in  exasperation while also quietly exchanging warm gaze with each other.  For the two of them, Silk was also gradually stopping to be a stranger  to them.

.

At the same time.

There wasn’t any new development at all even though one long hour had  passed. Alford was gradually becoming unable to suppress his hostility  toward the boy in front of his eyes.

Alford made grinding sound from his clenched fists and laughed ferociously.

「You know, I too will run out of patience soon……so how about it, let us talk with each other using our fist, like a man.」

「Please-! Please wait just for a bit more! Your excellency will surely regret it if you miss this chance to see the result!」

(──Please, come back quickly! While I’m still safe and sound!)

Baldr’s body was drenched not with cold sweat anymore but with greasy  sweat already. He was impatiently praying for the return of the three.

While listening to the delighted voices of the maidens from the faraway.

.

Time passed. One hour and twenty minutes had lapsed since the three entered the bath.

Baldr had let out all the greasy sweat in his body and turned haggard  like a dried up old man now. Alford too was also similarly reaching the  limit of his patience.

「Forgive me. I’m truly sorry with all my heart, but it looks like I  can’t endure it anymore to keep looking at the face of the man who might  take my daughter away.」

Then just go wait at the next room, Baldr thought, but he  didn’t speak it out loud. Because he could see it clearly that a war  would break out the moment he said it.

「Your excellency, please calm down. I will never take away your daughter from you.」

「Fufufufufu……there is no thief who would claim to be a thief themselves……!」

Alford approached with bloodshot eyes. As expected even Baldr was panicking of how to react.

The opponent was the head of one of the ten great houses. As expected  his status made Baldr hesitated to use direct violence to suppress him  down……or rather, Baldr would be the one in danger if he chose such  method.

「Don’t think badly of me. You should curse your own bad luck for approaching my daughter.」

The instant Alford’s hands were about to squeeze around Baldr’s neck,

.

「Otou-sama, what are you doing?」

The goddess of salvation had finally returned back.

Alford moved his hands that were moving toward Baldr’s neck to land  on his shoulders with a movement that looked obviously suspicious. He  looked toward Silk with a twitching forced smile.

He couldn’t forgive a harmful insect that would take away his  daughter, but it would be even more painful to have his daughter hated  him. That was the sad nature of a father.

However, Alford who turned his gaze toward his daughter froze on the spot and lost all words.

There was no unnatural luster from oil or the like. Of course there was also no dryness and stiffness.

The hair possessed both radiance and luster magnificently.  Furthermore they looked like they had been refined like a smooth gold  works.

The hair distinctly shined on her head and glittered like an angel  halo. Although it was a sight that he had never seen until now, it was a  beauty that wasn’t unnatural by any means. It was as though the beauty  was laid bare from the inside.

「W-what is this? Just what in the world……?」

Alford was an important noble who was counted among the ten great nobles.

Even someone like him couldn’t recall anything to be compared to this  impact that he felt from encountering a creation this beautiful.

He was sure that he wouldn’t be this shocked even if he witnessed a gold of the same amount.

Silk combed her hair with her fingers. She enjoyed the smooth  sensation of her damp and glossy hair spilling out from between her  fingers while her eyes were sparkling innocently just like a girl her  age.

Alford’s expression froze once more at that carefree expression of Silk.

Her face showed no tension or determination that weighed her too  much. It was a face that befitted a girl her age. He wondered when was  the last time he saw such expression on her face.

「Amazing……I can’t stop touching my hair no matter how much time passed……」

「I can’t believe that our hair can change this much just by using that……」

「Oh no……I cannot let go of this anymore now that I know it. I won’t care how expensive it is.」

Silk, Seyruun, and Selina were unable to return from the land of dream from the result that far surpassed their expectation.

After seeing the state his daughter and the girls were in, Alford muttered in a small voice to Baldr.

「……Forgive, me. Perhaps I should be giving you my thanks instead.」

For giving his daughter’s smile back to her.

For liberating her daughter who was like a martyr from giving herself wholly to her tragic determination.

「──Baldr, what do you think?」

「Your hair looks really pretty. It really suit you.」

Silk’s expression immediately turned red bashfully and she looked  down while chuckling 「Ehehe……」. It was an indescribable cuteness.

Seyruun and Selina also nodded at each other with similar joy. Seeing  that, Alford narrowed his eyes coldly and believed that his judgment  just now was mistaken.

「……In the end you’re that man’sIgnis son.」

「Eh? Wait! Your excellency, what are you──」

「Wait! Otou-sama, what’s with you so suddenly!」

「Let go! Any man who got near my Silk has to be erased from this worlddddd!」

Alford stopped resisting his instinct and strangled Baldr’s neck. Baldr somehow endured it by strengthening his neck magically.

And then Silk desperately tried to make her father let go. It was a chaotic situation.

However that chaos was broken with just a single sentence from Silk.

「I hate you Otou-sama–!!」

「NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!」

A despairing scream, a wordless lamentation was echoing within Marquis Randolph’s mansion on and on.

.

Part 5

And then around a week after that.

The hair treatment and conditioner were presented to the royal family  through the intermediation of Marquis Randolph. It brought about an  immeasurable impact to the high class ladies.

Even among all the stories, the story of Mauricia Kingdom’s queen and  princess displaying their radiant golden hair in a banquet was  spreading like wildfire among the bureaucrat nobles in the capital.

What kind of magic that resulted in such beautiful hair?

At first, that unbelievable beauty made people to gossip that it was  the result of a new magic rather than the effect of a medicine.

However, when they learned that 『Apparently such result originated  from Marquis Randolph』, the nobles wasted no time to rush and enquired  at Alford.

Even great nobles who were usually haughty would entreat to Alford as  though they were going to prostrate themselves. Although Alford was  shocked in his heart, he said this with a mean smile.

「Actually, it was something that I obtained from a certain  acquaintance. Unfortunately it seems that they can’t still produce a lot  of it……」

「Please do something about it! If it’s money then I’ll prepare it no matter how much!」

「If I go home empty handed here, my wife will……!」

This was really something, Alford thought.

Alford too was one of the influential lords in the kingdom, at the  same time he was also a royalty who was safeguarding the heir to  Trystovy’s throne.

Although he had no intention to toss Silk into the battlefield of  such political strife, it was also a fact that there were a lot of  people who wished to make use of Silk and hindrances who he wished to  remove.

Naturally being able to make high class nobles indebted to him was a benefit that he couldn’t make light of.

「Originally these are something that I received for our own personal  use but……perhaps I can share it if my lords don’t mind the small  amount.」

「Ooo! I’m really grateful of your generosity!」

(I really can’t stomach that brat but……I can at least recognize his talent.)

.

Part 6

Baldr and Selina made an appointment with a man at the next coming of academy’s holiday in the eight day of the week.

「Sorry but, today Seyruun need to stay behind.」

「N-no wayyy!」

Selina took Baldr’s arm triumphantly. In contrast Seyruun bit her lip tearfully.

However they also couldn’t possibly bring a maid who wasn’t even a secretary to a business discussion.

The two of them left behind Seyruun whose shoulders slumped in  dejection at the academy. They were heading toward──the headquarter of  Dowding Company.

.

「Welcome, Mr. Baldr, President Selina.」

The man who welcomed the two of them was someone whose age was about to pass his thirty.

He had an intellectual look and black hair and black eyes that were rare to be seen in the capital.

He had a soft demeanor, but the presence that he gave off told the  two of them that this young man’s position wasn’t low by any means.

「I’m sorry for my late introduction, I’m the one entrusted with the  international affair department of this company, my name is Thomas  Philips(トーマス・フィリップス).」

Dowding Company that boasted the greatest scale of company in the  capital naturally also possessed a market route that reached far and  wide until other country.

Comparing their business within and outside the country, the quantity  of the product they handled in their business with other country was  slightly higher, but conversely the profit ratio from their business  within the country was higher. The people in charge of the two  departments were good rivals who competed ruthlessly within the company.

Within that competition, Director Clan (in charge of domestic  business) often acquire large project that had large sum of money  involved in it and raised absurd profit in an incomprehensible way,  while Director Thomas (in charge of international business) would  reliably raise profit with his logical business management. The two were  competing to raise achievement for obtaining the seat of the next  executive director.

First Selina bowed as the representative of Savaran Company.

「Thank you very much for your courtesy. Today we are intruding here  like this is regarding the matter of hair treatment that you might have  heard about.」

「Even my department has received a lot of questioning from other  country about it, whether Dowding Company has such product in our stock.  I believe that Director Clan must be at his wits’ end right now because  many of the nobles in this country are his regular customer.」

Thomas said that with a delighted look.

Baldr couldn’t decide whether this man was laughing because his rival  was in difficulty or because he had already known about the real  circumstance.

「You must have known about it but……it was our company which developed that hair treatment.」

「That seems to be the case. However, just how in the world your company managed to get acquainted with Marquis Randolph?」

That was the only thing that Thomas couldn’t find out.

He could still accept that they had developed a new product. After  all it wasn’t that rare for a talented merchant to release a product  that became a hit.

However when it came to creating a connection with noble, it was an  extremely difficult matter for inexperienced merchant to accomplish.

The explosive response to the hair treatment this time too would be  impossible without the support from Randolph House that was deeply  connected to the royal family.

「Well……that was only the guidance of coincidence.」

She couldn’t possibly say that Alford promised to accommodate their  effort while prostrating because he didn’t want to get hated by his  daughter.

「Understood. Let’s just keep it that way for now. And? Can you tell  me the reason why you are making appointment with me especially?」

The invisible pressure that Thomas gave off increased suddenly.

He was straight to the point and made the face of a capable merchant that wouldn’t allow any lie.

「Actually, Director Clan gave me an offer the other day to purchase  my company. Of course I refused, but for some reason I met an attack  from some thugs after that. I was really surprised because I should have  reached an understanding with the underground guild.」

As expected even Thomas couldn’t stop his eyebrow from twitching at Selina’s words.

Recently, the underground guild and the mercenary guild that they had  good relationship with for many years suddenly became uncooperative  with them. He received this report from his subordinate.

If this report was true, it was a failure that would be enough ground to fire the one who was responsible for this.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feeling wary toward Savaran Company who had reach even with the underground guild.

It should be difficult to even receive illegal request with the scale of Savaran Company right now.

And yet they instead received the protection of the underground  guild. Usually only very few large businesses would receive such  treatment.

「A mercenary that we are acquainted with has some clout with the  mercenary guild. That acquaintance pulled some strings with the  underground guild for us this time.」

Thomas nodded at Baldr’s words. He finally obtained the missing puzzle piece.

Indeed, if it was Baldr who had the Silver Light Maggot as mother, it  should be possible to make a request to the mercenary guild to act as  intermediary.

「That’s why, perhaps you can call this a revenge. How about using  this situation for Director Thomas to form a business partnership with  Savaran Company so you can export our product to other country?」

Thomas noticed Baldr’s intention and grinned.

「Director Clan’s reputation will be crushed with that. The demand for  this product within the country is skyrocketing right now. Naturally  the domestic department will demand the international department to  share the stock with them but……」

「Why can Savaran Company cooperate with the international department  but not with the domestic department? Then if the matter with the  underground guild is also exposed at that timing, I wonder what will  happen?」

Really, how malicious──was something that Thomas wouldn’t say.

「It doesn’t matter how great his contribution to this company has  been until now, he won’t be able to avoid getting fired. He will surely  be forbidden to enter any division with Dowding’s name from here on.」

Thomas himself was also disgusted by Clan’s method that often used  illegal way. He thought that such method was degrading Dowding Company’s  dignity.

If that man could be driven out from this company with this, then he wanted to take the chance.

It was only the very natural and logical consequence.

.

「──Well, that is only a secondary matter. Let’s return to the business talk.」

Thomas nodded vaguely at Selina’s words.

He was confused because it sounded like removing Clan wasn’t their main objective.

「Savaran Company greatly admire Dowding Company’s market and  distribution network. Although our company possess the product, our  market and distribution network are lacking. However only our company  can provide this product that will bring about immense profit──I believe  that both our company can be good business partners.」

After saying that, Selina took off the hat that she had been wearing all this time despite being inside a room.

It was a hair that was flowing silkily like gold art works, with  graceful dampness that was containing radiance like a jewel within.  Thomas was speechless with his mouth gaping wide open.

Had a goddess descended to this world──at this time Thomas was seriously thinking that unintentionally.

That was just how beautiful and fantastical Selina looked right now, like an inviolable being.

At the same time, Thomas’s brain was starting to calculate, just how  many noble would say 「I don’t care how much money I have to provide if  it’s for obtaining such hair」. Not just within the country, even outside  the country there would be countless such people.

Dowding Company had the customers and trust that would make such sale possible.

And that should be what Savaran Company was looking from them.

If he let go of a big chance like this, he better stopped being a merchant right away instead.

Thomas decided to invest all the authority and asset he had in his possession to grasp this chance.

「Even if you look all across this Mauricia, Dowding Company is the  only one that can possibly answer Savaran Company’s expectation.」

This was a historical moment where Savaran Company and Dowding  Company entered a partnership that would cause a great fad that  swallowed Aurelia Continent in the future.

「A-and so, how about we have dinner together just the two of us to celebrate this partnership, President Selina?」

「──Ya know, though I look like this, I’m actually a chaste woman. Please pardon me.」

Even though he tried inviting her with great resolve, he was  instantly shot down in 0,2 second. Thomas felt even more dejected  compared to the time when he failed in a business deal…….

.

Part 7

「Shit! Shit! All of those bastards! They forgot just how much money I had made for them until now……those damn ungrateful curs!」

Clan’s numerous crimes were discovered and he was fired from Dowding  Company. His regular customers in the past also refused to give him any  employment. Now Clan was drinking alcohol in the city like he was  bathing in them.

Although he had talent in taking advantage of his opponent’s  weakness, he had no ability in managing business legitimately. There was  no way there would be a company who needed Clan who had lost the  backing of Dowding Company.

However Clan who was used to throw his weight around as a member of  the privileged class couldn’t forget the glory of the past and made a  request to the underground guild once more.

He could make a comeback if only he could obtain Savaran Company. That was the only thing Clan could cling at right now.

.

「More! Give me more alcohol!」

「……Sheesh, I won’t be responsible if you drink too much you know?」

「I don’t ask for your opinion! Bring me the strongest alcohol in this bar!」

Clan gulped down a brandy with strong alcohol content like it was water. He then choked over it and coughed repeatedly.

His stomach felt like it was burning. He felt nausea rising from deep inside his throat.

(Crap, did I drink too much?)

Clan vomited hard on the bar counter. His eyes snapped open at what  he saw. What he thought as the content of his stomach was actually a lot  of fresh blood.

His nausea wouldn’t stop. He vomited blood one after another. He couldn’t even speak anything.

(Quick! Call a doctor here quickly!)

Clan asked for help with incomprehensible wheezing. He noticed that  the bar master who looked amiable until just a moment ago was laughing  with a chilling gaze.

「The guild masterold man has warned you from the start. He told you, don’t try anything.」

(Even the underground guild betrayed and killed me!)

*Gopo gopo* Clan coughed an unpleasant sound while writhing violently.

He didn’t want to die, until he obtained back that glory.

His throat was blocked by a lump of blood. It became hard to even  breathe. Clan’s awareness was gradually sinking into bottomless  darkness.

(──I’ll die if I lose consciousness!)

Clan slammed his head on the counter to hold on his consciousness somehow.

However he couldn’t even feel pain anymore.

(No good, no good! If I don’t do something! I still don’t want to die-!)

「……This is the smallest mercy I can give you.」

The last thing Clan saw in his life was the master swinging down an ice pick toward his face with a troubled expression.

.

Part 8

The hair treatment that was starting to be sold under the combined  name of Dowding Company and Savaran Company caused a great influence  both inside and outside the country.

The order was flooding one after another. Even with Dowding Company’s strength, the production output couldn’t keep up.

The raw material’s cost was high enough, but of course the selling  price also corresponded to that. With how great the demand was, the  situation was starting to become one where only a part of the wealthy  and influential nobles could obtain the product with how limited the  stock and how expensive the price was.

Because of that, the noble that had no leeway with their financial state was strongly demanding for the price to be lowered.

「Good grief, it has been a long time since a turnover this heavy even for this company.」

When he thought back about the business that involved an amount of  money that surpassed the business this time, he could only recall the  emergency demands that occurred at the war time.

Dowding Company was obtaining income that could blind anyone’s eye  and deep connection with important people of various countries. They  left their business rivals in the dust and flew far higher over everyone  even within the royal capital.

Of course Savaran Company was also attracting great attention as a  partner that formed an equal partnership with that Dowding Company.

And then it became known that its president Selina was a beautiful  single woman with no relative. People who wanted to get closer with her  appeared continuously from other companies and even from among the low  class nobles.

There was even offer for her to become a concubine of a high class  noble among them, but Selina didn’t even listen to practically all of  them and refused curtly.

Selina herself also learned from the incident the other day and  increased the number of her guards. Presently Cell and Glymur and  Miranda would take turn to guard her constantly.

「Well, I’m devoted to Baldr though……」 she said. It was a maiden’s  heart that would make even flower blushes that made her unable to say  such thing directly to Baldr.

Either way, Baldr’s existence that obviously had strong connection  with Selina should be called as a thorn in the side of the low class  nobles.

If Baldr was gone, they would be able to make full use of their  authority as noble. There might be several people with such thoughtless  thinking in their head right now.

Although commoner’s right was guaranteed by the kingdom’s law, the  connection and solidarity between nobles possessed a power that couldn’t  be underestimated even now.

.

Meanwhile, the development of brassiere that Masaharu strongly  insisted was hitting a snag with the matter of its mass production.

Bra’s production needed a delicate manual procedures and  three-dimensional sewing that had to be adjusted in accordance to the  size. It was impossible to realize that with the current technology  level of Mauricia.

It was also difficult to notice its effect in a glance unlike with  the effect of hair treatment. That became a negative factor in its  popularization.

It was also difficult to ask a high class noble lady 「Let me measure  your bust size」……or rather it was impossible. Masaharu’s dearest wish to  protect the breasts that were dangling and jiggling immodestly was  forced to acknowledge that it was difficult to achieve at the present  situation.

However it was also certain that the present situation was extremely poisonous to his eyes.

『Having only clothes covering your uncovered breasts is just unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLEEEEEE!』

Masaharu might have yelled something like that.

However fortunately when Selina and Seyruun tried wearing the bra  that he forced on them, the beauty of their breasts increased further  and it contributed to the improvement of their style. He was in rapture.

──Unfortunately there wasn’t any conspicuous change for Silk with her AA cup.

「Okaa-sama……why didn’t you bless me with breast……」

It would take some more time for the dream bra that increased  breast’s beauty to start becoming popular among the upper class through  word of mouth.

.

Part 9

The knight academy was wrapped in noises.

Because today there would be a promotion exam for the first in a long time even for the academy.

It was stipulated that students would study in the academy for four  years, but those with the capability was allowed to skip grade.

And then this time, five first year students including Baldr, Silk,  and Brooks were challenging the promotion exam to move up to the second  year.

The exam consisted of written test and then a measurement of their  actual ability through a mock combat against second year student at the  end. No matter how talented they were, first year having difficulty to  win against the elites of the second year was the usual development each  year.

The second year students also had their own honor. Normally only the chosen elites were sent to join the mock battle.

However this year there was Baldr plus Silk and Brooks whose improvement was striking. Their skill wasn’t normal by any means.

Normally the second years would take on the challengers coolly, but  they couldn’t help but feeling depressed this time in front of their  abnormal juniors.

.

In front of the bulletin board that displayed the pairing for the  matches, the second years confirmed their opponent and held conversation  that might sound like grumbling.

「Who do you got?」

「A guy called Hermes(ハーミス).」

「Uwah! You’re lucky! Change place with me against Brooks!」

「You still have it good. I got Baldr……」

If they were defeated against their junior too easily, their pride would be wounded and they would feel frustrated and pathetic.

.

Meanwhile, Brooks who had finished the hellish written test at the  morning was finally liberated from the theoretical lesson he disliked  and laid down on the table limply.

「It’s over……anyway it’s over……!」

Baldr sighed in spite of himself and poked Brooks’s head.

「It’s pointless if you don’t pass. If that happen than I would just waste my time to help you studied.」

「Thanks a lot for that. That was my first time studying so much like that.」

When Brooks learned that Baldr and Silk would take the promotion  exam, he was the one who got roused the most and decided to take the  exam too.

The two of them were rival and friend that he had finally obtained. It would be unbearable to get left behind.

A first year without the two of them would be too dull and uneventful.

He had to pass the exam using all possible means to accompany them.

There he asked for Baldr’s help to conquer the theoretical learning  that he wasn’t good with and studied intensively days and nights. In the  end he succeeded to drag up his literary ability to a passing level.

「Yosh! I just need to rampage flashily now!」

It had been a long time since Brooks could do any practice other than  the basic. He was really looking forward to the mock battle with the  second year.

The second year who would Brooks’s opponent would surely be taken aback by how motivated Brooks was.

「To think that Brooks will really pass……」

Hermes who knew about how negligent Brooks in the past was already  surprised from just seeing Brooks seriously studying the books.

Hermes wasn’t really close with Baldr’s group, but he came from a  family of knight that had existed for many generations. He was an  all-rounder with good grades.

「I don’t have any other talent except swinging sword after all.」

The other first year Nelson(ネルソン) also laughed half in astonishment.  It seemed Brooks’s dislike of classroom learning was quite deep-rooted.

Nelson was the second son of a baron house. He was an oddball who  couldn’t accept being his elder brother’s spare and aspired to become a  knight in order to stand on his own two feet.

Nevertheless in the case of most heredity noble, the second son was  an important spare in case something happened with the eldest son. In  most cases they would form branch house as the eldest son’s vassal as  soon as the eldest son gave birth to a child. It really just a nice way  of saying taking care of them to be useless.

It could be said that someone like Nelson who tried to be independent  even if his family might sever all relationship with him was uncommon.

「Shut it. Even I can do it when I have to……」

If it was for the sake of getting stronger, he would work hard no  matter how much he disliked it──Brooks was sincerely thinking so after  he obtained a stimulation in the form of Baldr and felt just how strong  he had become.

.

「Well then, we will begin the afternoon exam at the arena.」

Around an hour after the instructor Lombard came to call Baldr and others.

The vanguard of the first years was Brooks.

It seemed the turn was decided based on their ranking in the written  test. It should be expected for Brooks to be in the lowest position.

As for Brooks himself, he was grinning fiercely without even trying  to hide his joy for being able to exercise his skill again after so  long.

Conversely the second year was looking sorrowful.

Setting Baldr aside, they wanted to win against Hermes and Nelson,  no, if possible they wanted to win against Brooks and Silk too and got  through this mock battle with more wins than losses somehow. That was  their thought.

「We’re counting on you Cunningham! Beat up that cheeky first year!」

「Ooo! Leave it to me!」

Brooks’s opponent, Cunningham had an imposing built with height that  surpassed 180 cm. At the very least he was superior in physique against  Brooks.

However battle strength couldn’t be decided with just body built.

「This is fun. It’s been so long since I’m feeling this excited.」

Seeing Brooks in high spirits like a kid, Cunningham cursed his misfortune without letting it showed on his face.

(This damn battle maniac……)

Brooks readied his spear and shield without even noticing what was  going on in Cunningham’s heart. He bared his canine and suppressed the  impulse to break out running.

It felt really pleasant for him with attention gathered on him like this.

It was like he became a hero in the world of fairy tale. He was getting such childish feeling that befit his age.

「Begin!」

With the signal from the instructor, Brooks and Cunningham exchanged a  bow before sprinting as though they were gliding on the ground.

The two had finished performing the body strengthening. They clashed like a streak of light.

As expected Cunningham had slight superiority in body strengthening. He was pushing Brooks back along with his shield.

(Tsk! As I thought it’s disadvantageous to face him head-on……)

If possible he didn’t want to lose even in strength too, but it seemed the wall of the second year wasn’t that brittle.

From the start Brooks was a technique fighter which didn’t fit his personality.

He was the only man who could take on Baldr in regard to spear technique.

And then…….

「Shit-! This rat……!」

Cunningham’s spear couldn’t land.

With his superiority in physical strength, Cunningham thought that he  would be able to progress with the match in advantage just by defending  using his shield, but he was starting to feel impatient because his  spear couldn’t even scratch the opponent.

It felt like his attack had been seen through completely starting from the moment of the attack until its trajectory too.

In fact, Brooks had grasped Cunningham’s attack completely, from where he was aiming at to the timing of the attack.

It was a special ability that Brooks excelled in more than anyone  else──his advantage from his extraordinary dynamic vision was sublimated  to a higher level through his body strengthening.

「Oi……that guy is amazing.」

「No way……I can’t believe it……」

It was a sight that was nothing but a nightmare for the second years.

Cunnigham’s was a top class fighter even among the second year with  his body built and attack speed, but it didn’t work against Brooks at  all.

Furthermore Brooks continued to dodge the attacks in a hair’s breadth  while smiling calmly. It was obvious that Brooks was two or perhaps  even three level higher than Cunningham.

「What’s wrong? You won’t win with just dodging you know?」

Cunningham stopped attacking temporarily and provoked Brooks.

Even a master’s defense would be at its most negligent while he was attacking.

Cunningham lowered his center of gravity and waited for Brooks to attack. He was aiming to land a counterattack.

「Then let me take you up on that……」

Brooks took a step forward.

It was a casual step, but in the next moment his figure vanished into  empty air. No, he was accelerating so rapidly he looked like he  vanished.

「Partial strengthening!?」

Normal body strengthening couldn’t produce that much speed.

There was no doubt that Brooks had stopped strengthening his other body parts and focused to strengthen his acceleration only.

Partial strengthening affected the body’s balance negatively in the  whole. Because of that the number of people who could use it in real  battle could be counted even among the fourth year students.

After all it didn’t matter how much someone could move if their judgment and action couldn’t keep up with that speed.

This was a technique that Brooks could perform because of his dynamic vision that surpassed the ordinary people.

「Gufuh!」

Cunningham was hit while he was practically defenseless. He writhed while holding his stomach.

Although the spear tip was wrapped with round lump of cloth to soften  the impact, the target wouldn’t stay unharmed if they got hit by it  with a speed that the eye couldn’t follow.

A magician ran to Cunningham in panic and started healing him. The  second year students looked at each other with a pale expression as  though they had met a disaster.

「Match over! Brooks Irvine win!」

「Ouch ouch……as I thought it’s only good for one attack.」

Brooks let out a sigh of relieve. He fell down on his butt heavily.

The muscles of his calves and his ankles’ joint were screaming and convulsing just from that brief acceleration.

Even with Brooks’s technique, his control with partial strengthening was still incomplete.

However, this risk that it would be over for him if his attack missed just now felt indescribably fun.

And above all else, he was proud to win as the first year students’  vanguard. It was a sign of good luck. Brooks yelled with a carefree  smile.

「I win!!」

It was a bitter defeat for the second year students.

With this, they had to win against everyone other than Baldr if they wanted to have more wins than losses.

They knew well that Cunningham wasn’t a weak man by any means. That made their shock even greater.

However they mustered their fighting spirit even more in this  situation. Because they were also people who aimed to become knight.

「We can’t allow any more loss! We’re counting on you!」

「Got it!」

As expected from the knights in the making who would become the cornerstone of the kingdom’s defense in the future.

Lombard smiled in satisfaction at the second year students’ reaction. Hermes stood up from among the first year students.

「They’re really fired up. I got to do my best too here.」

(Though to be honest, it’s heavy to fight next after Brooks showed that magnificent fight.)

Hermes smiled wryly. Even so he was feeling that the tension he was unable to escape from until now was gradually leaving him.

.

This second match could be said as an intense battle.

Both sides were the cautious all-rounder type, which prolonged the  fight. But in the end experience and stamina proved to be the deciding  factor.

Hermes’s reaction was slightly late. The second year student’s spear struck his shoulder.

「Match over! Islands Descend win!」

「YOSSHAAAAAAAA!」

The second year students cheered.

「Sorry.」

Nelson cheered the dejected Hermes.

「No, you have showed off good enough there.」

Originally this was the normal development.

How far they could persist against the high wall of the second year.  This mock battle originally tested their guys and effort with that, it  was Baldr and co who were too exceptional.

「Now then, I should show off too at the very least.」

The sense of rivalry made them tended to forget that this was just an exam for advancing to the next grade in the end.

It was only natural to aim for victory when fighting, but the  objective here was to measure their mettle and strength as knight. It  was necessary to display enough of their strength in order to obtain  that recognition.

Nelson wasn’t an all-rounder like Hermes. He was an attacker that was closer to Brooks in type.

Of course he could also defend in the level above the standard, but  people tendency’s in this kind of thing was mostly originating from  their personality. Difference would be formed at the result no matter  what.

He wouldn’t be able to display his natural strength at all if he  turned to defense. Nelson decided to go into offense even knowing that  his opponent was higher leveled than him.

.

「Here I come!」

「Come-!」

The match this time was different from the previous match. It became an exchange of many hits.

The opponent was also a similar type. An exchange of strike that  would instantly end the match if it hit was continuing from both sides.

It was a battle of attrition where both sides were dodging full  powered thrust just barely. Nelson was clearly in disadvantage with his  lack of experience.

(It’s gonna hurt but I got no choice……!)

Nelson who was forced to make painful decision grinned in distaste.

Even so, it couldn’t be helped because the cause was his own lack of strength.

He didn’t even try to hit the approaching attack and stepped forward  instead. He let out an attack that aimed for a double knockout.

With Nelson’s skill, the best he could do was resolving himself to  attack while allowing the opponent’s attack to land on his body.

「Whattt!?」

The unexpected attack made the second year student Alan to hesitate slightly.

That momentary hesitation became Nelson’s ally.

Even so it was still a draw though.

「Guh!」

「Gahahh!」

The two spears landed on their target simultaneously. The two of them  were lightly sent flying from each other like balls that bounced from  each other.

However with how the attacks landed at the same time, the inflicted  damage displayed the difference in strength between the two of them.

Nelso completely fainted, in contrast his opponent Alan was still barely standing even while his knee was touching the floor.

「What the hell with the first year students this year……?」

「Match over! Alan Thames win!」

Alan never expected his opponent would aim for a double knockout. In  the first place a sane human wouldn’t even consider letting his enemy’s  attack hit him.

「……I’m looking forward to you getting into our class.」

Someone who could fight this much could be counted even if he looked among his fellow second year students.

Alan was convinced that this formidable opponent would grow even more.

.

It was Silk’s turn next with the first year students having one more defeat than win.

She was the one who had crossed spears with Baldr the most. It could be said that her growth was even more striking than Brooks.

However his opponent was the man who was considered as the second year’s strongest, David.

「Don’t think badly of me. I won’t hold back even if you’re a marquis’s daughter.」

「I shall prove to you that I’m not so weak that you have to hold back against me.」

Silk replied with a slightly hurt feeling.

For Silk who chose the path of knight in her search for strength, being treated like a weak lady was nothing but humiliation.

David Glasgow was a rising star who was anticipated to have a bright  future ahead of him. He had never yielded his top student position to  anyone since his first year.

The expectation that was put on him didn’t lose against Silk.

Certainly Silk’s innate talent was a threat, but there was no way he  who had worked hard for a year longer than her would lose. No, he  mustn’t lose no matter what. David was burning with fighting spirit.

Silk too mustn’t lose in this battle no matter what, in order to repay Baldr who helped her to surpass her limit.

Silk was the one who moved first. An attack flashed toward David.

The speed of that attack completely surpassed David’s expectation.

It didn’t have as much explosive power like Brooks, but she was being able to use partial strengthening to a certain level.

「Tsk!」

Even so it wasn’t a speed that was beyond David’s capability.

To be honest, even David didn’t have the confidence to dodge Brooks’s  attack at the first match, he still had a leeway to deal with Silk’s  attack somehow.

However David’s attack was also unable to capture Silk.

With a movement without a single wasted motion in it, Silk easily dodged David’s attack as though she was dancing elegantly.

「As expected. Don’t think that partial strengthening is an exclusive technique just for you!」

David too was also an owner of innate talent just like Silk.

The spear in David’s hand suddenly accelerated. This attack completely took Silk by surprise.

This attack looked like it was completely unavoidable, but Silk also  accelerated abruptly and deflected up the spear’s handle from below. She  managed to change the trajectory to barely miss her.

「……You almost got me just now.」

「I can’t believe you deflected it at that timing. I’m losing confidence here.」

Here the two were finally ascertaining each other’s skill correctly.

There wasn’t any underestimation or prejudice at all in their  estimation to each other. They knew each other just like those who had  crossed spear with each other could. They only held respect to each  other’s skill.

「Silk Randolph Trystovy, here I come.」

「David Glasgow, I’ll take you on!」

Silk attacked, David defended.

The exchange looked like a second year student who got an accurate  read of a first year student’s capability. But it also looked like a  first year student was driving a second year student to a corner without  fear.

Silk’s attack was showing an accurate combination, while David was  showing his skill in accurately estimating and handling every single  attack without wasted movement. Every student there was watching that  exchange with a bated breath in fascination.

Even Brooks couldn’t help but feeling envious toward the advanced offense and defense between the two.

「Tsk! I want to fight that guy.」

An advanced match between two evenly matched knights was just like a  chess match. Many times it became a match to predict each other’s move.

This time too, as long as both side committed no fatal mistake in  their reading of each other, David’s victory was unshakeable as  expected.

Silk didn’t have a trump card that could break the current  equilibrium. Therefore there was no reason that David could lose with  his superior experience and stamina.

David was basically switching into defense since just now was because he had calmly predicted his victory.

On the other hand Silk was also able to see the same future like David.

If she was unable to find a breakthrough solution, she wouldn’t be  able to endure when David switched into offense after saving his stamina  like this.

What would Baldr do at this kind of time?

Silk questioned herself while continuing an offense that showed no opening.

Baldr’s strength was certainly stunning, but his strength wasn’t from simply relying on body strengthening and martial art.

What Silk seriously feared and envied from Baldr was the flexibility of his thought and judgment.

It was Baldr’s nature to find a new way to overturn a situation that in a glance looked hopeless.

(To break this deadlock……body strengthening is useless. He still has some leeway, I shouldn’t gamble on the long odds……)

It was also nearly impossible to use a feint. She had tried it  several times since some time ago, but David had the skill to handle it.

A feint done in desperation would be just digging her own grave.

How would Baldr──fight someone stronger than him?

Silk took some distance for David to resolve herself.

Her action also meant handing the initiative of the battle to David.

(Has her stamina run out earlier than I thought?)

David observed Silk’s movement without letting his guard down.

However, the next action that Silk took completely betrayed David’s imagination.

Her mana swelled up drastically, then dust cloud whirled around Silk.

The rising dust was pushed down by wind to block the area between David and Silk.

「Cancel」

David chanted the magic of cancelling, but it wasn’t effective  against something that was already moving following the law of inertia.

Even though he erased the magic effect, the physical law that was already generated couldn’t be affected by the Cancel magic.

David and Silk’s field of vision was immediately covered up.

「Shit-! I can’t believe it……」

With him being unable to see his opponent, he could only believe in his own senses that he had trained.

David sharpened his nerves and waited for Silk’s attack.

「There-!」

A spear pierced through the dust cloud in a flash toward david.

However no matter how bad his eyesight was, David’s skill wasn’t so  half-baked that this attack would work on him with just that.

(Don’t underestimate me!)

The spear was easily deflected by David and vanished to outside his sight with a high-pitched sound.

The recoil when he hit the spear was too lacking. David realized his blunder.

「That’s a bait!」

「Collapse, double expansion.」

Silk took a great care to collapse the ground under David’s feet. She  kept sprinting really close to the ground and put the kinetic energy of  her spring into her fist that struck on David’s stomach.

The fist that was applied with partial strengthening wasn’t weaker than a spear thrust by any means.

It wouldn’t be strange even if this attack ruptured the opponent’s internal organs if it landed fully.

David’s extraordinary talent allowed him to immediately leap back to  get away from the impact. However Silk’s attack that even made use of  her foot stomp to strengthen it didn’t allow David to stand up anymore.

「Match over! Silk Randolph win!」

「I did it! Baldr! I did it!」

Silk turned around proudly. Her innocent smile really didn’t look  like it belonged to the gambler who went for sink or swim just now.

Baldr was spontaneously driven with the impulse to hug Silk and  caressed her head seeing her making merry adorably like that, but he  held back and only waved his hand to her.

That was because Baldr’s instinct was telling him that it wasn’t Silk who was drawing the short straw here.

.

「As I thought……I’ll be the only one who can take it easy……just can’t happen isn’t it?」

In a glance, Baldr’s opponent looked plain. He didn’t look like someone he needed to be on guard against.

The other second year students seemed to think the same. Their morale  had lowered so much it was pitiful to look at them after Silk defeated  their ace.

「Just a bit more……even though it was just a bit more……」

「Or rather, these monsters are going to climb to our class……」

They were hanging their head down in dejection.

These first year students would definitely become reliable comrades,  but at the same time they would also be rivals. The birth of these new  classmates would greatly influence them for good or for bad.

Baldr and his opponent faced each other and bowed.

「……Please treat me well.」

「Me too, go easy on me.」

The second year student looked easygoing, but Baldr was convinced that despite appearance, this person was a formidable enemy.

The presence of martial art hidden deep inside this person wasn’t something that could be hidden.

(Is he……the second year’s hidden trump?)

But the other second year students’ state was too strange for that to  be the case. From their reaction, Silk’s opponent was really their  strongest.

That meant, this man had been hiding his true strength until now.

He couldn’t let his guard down here no matter what.

The two of them quietly pointed their spear tip to each other. In the  next instant, they stepped forward with a loud shout and thrust their  spear at each other fiercely.

Both sides skillfully parried the spear and swung their spear just as  they separated from each other. They moved like they were the mirror  image of each other. And then after they dodged the swing with a  beautiful back step, they returned to their starting position and  stopped still.

From the side the way they fought looked as though they were  performing a martial art show where they had practiced the move  beforehand.

「……Oi, when the hell that Albert got that good?」

「I can’t believe it. He’s faster than David just now.」

The audiences were also making surprised comments.

Most likely this match would be over already if Baldr’s opponent was in the same level of the other second year students.

The second year students understood that difference in strength, that was why they were staring at Albert with a puzzled look.

Baldr and Albert exchanged spear thrust like they were dancing. They  thrust, swung, and struck to their heart’s content with extreme speed.

Amidst that battle, only the those two themselves noticed the slight difference in skill between them.

(This isn’t good. This guy is stronger than me……!)

Surprisingly, the opponent Albert was even stronger than Baldr whose strength surpassed even the instructor Lombard.

Furthermore that difference seemed small, but to Baldr it looked like Albert still hadn’t gotten serious.

(Guess I’ll try it……)

Speaking of this world’s spear art, it was similar to the fighting  style using lance that was used by the western knight at earth.

It put emphasis on destructive power and many of its moves were  straightforward, that was why swinging wasn’t really used at the other  matches.

In contrast to that, there were many school of spear starting from  Houzouin-style that could be seen at Japan’s Warring States era when  Sanai was alive. Many of their spear forms were influenced by the spear  art from China.

There was even a school that didn’t think of a spear as a simple thrusting weapon and developed a unique staff art.

The Chinese spear art that Sanai knew Fuuheihou(封閉法) was based on  three basic forms of outer spin, inner spin, and thrust. If the inner  spin form was mastered, it would be possible to suppress the opponent’s  spear in just an instant. (TN: My google-fu failed me. I couldn’t find  what is this 封閉法 thing)

Baldr’s spear coiled around Albert’s spear like a snake and almost  completely sealed its freedom, but Albert pulled back his spear with a  surprising strength just before it was completed.

No, perhaps it should be said that he brought it back instead.

If Albert didn’t do that, then his spear would already fall on the ground right now and the match would have been decided.

「──Cancel.」

Baldr shrugged in exasperation and chanted the Cancel magic.

The audiences who didn’t feel any sign of magic in use was puzzled by Baldr’s action.

However in the next moment, the man who was thought as Albert changed figure into a completely different man.

It seemed that the man had been using an advanced illusion magic without anyone noticing.

「You’re being too elaborate, headmaster.」

「Good grief, I thought that I would be able to avoid from getting found out.」

Ramillies scratched his cheek while laughing without looking ashamed at all.

He was making a carefree smile like a brat who failed in his prank for a bit.

(Good grief, even though this old man is already at this age……)

「I lose the bet because I got exposed……」

「Hah? Bet? What are you doing in this important promotion exam?」

Baldr retorted at the line that he couldn’t just let pass. Even so  the bad premonition that Baldr felt at the beginning hadn’t vanished. It  was getting even bigger instead inside him.

It felt like there would be an extra special calamity coming without  any way for him to run away……Baldr had felt a similar terror like this  many times before.

「D-don’t tell me……」

A freezing chill pierced through his whole body.

If his premonition came true, then it was already checkmate for Baldr.

.

「Have you grown dull from the capital’s lukewarm life, my son? (Mama wanted to meet you, my baby)」

A familiar silhouette was calmly standing on the balcony that had a  good view of the training arena. Baldr looked up with a despairing gaze.

Over there with radiant silver glimmers behind her, youthfulness that  didn’t show any sign of aging, and ferocious aura of fighting spirit,  was the strongest warrior.

The goddess of violence that he had looked at so much he was fed up with it was there.

「Okaa-sama, long time no see.」

(Checkmate. The end. The only thing I can do now is to endure the inhuman lynching.)

「I guess I need to make you recall about the harshness of your birthplace a little bit……」

.

The death match──or perhaps it should be called an abuse  instead──after that made everyone who watched it realized the reason of  Baldr’s strength.

It even made them puzzled how could Baldr still live to this day.

「Come on-! You can sleep after you die!」

「Shit-! This damn sadist!」

Even with Baldr’s physical ability, he couldn’t completely block  Maggot’s consecutive attacks. Several of them struck Baldr’s body. But  he wasn’t even given any time to fall on the ground when a swing from  above came pursuing his body.

Baldr barely dodged it by leaping to the side and recovered his  balance. That attack which missed its target carved a deep trench into  the stone paving.

If he stiffened from the damage’s pain even just slightly, that  attack would undoubtedly dealt a lethal damage that robbed his life.

As expected, even Ramillies couldn’t stop the cold sweat trickling from his forehead after witnessing this.

If he applied this kind of training to the knight order, the troops would definitely be annihilated just from the training.

To be honest, even Ramillies couldn’t comprehend how Baldr was able to grow up safely like this.

Though the reason was something that outsider couldn’t possible  understand. It was simply the immense mother’s love that brought about  the miracle.

「It’s only your speed in running away that’s improving (Mama is happy that you’re improving even while we’re separated)」

──She was a woman that was hard to understand in all respects.

.

Baldr was able to barely hold on his fighting strength because of his experience until now.

However the greatest reason was that Maggot had completely grasped  everything there was to know about Balrd, from his reaction speed, his  thinking, and even his tendency. She was holding back at the exact limit  where Baldr could just barely continue fighting.

Baldr would only prolong this hellish match the better he fought back. His mother’s love was just too excessively heavy.

Baldr’s small body was struck, hit, and sent flying along with a loud  sound from a heavy hit. Even then he was absolutely not allowed to fall  and collapse.

A merciless attack that would rob his life would come if he carelessly lied down.

The moment he gave up would be exactly the moment of his death.

Such one-sided lynching that only looked like a torture caused Silk to cover her eyes inadvertently.

Even though she should harbor a longing to Baldr’s strength, she  wondered why her chest felt painful seeing Baldr’s tattered state.

She even felt hatred toward Maggot who was inflicting cold-blooded violence toward her biological son.

But at the same time, she felt a strange affinity toward Maggot──like  a déjà vu, as though she had known her since a long time ago. It was a  dubious feeling.

At the very least based on her memory this should be her first time meeting with this woman.

.

Baldr was tormented one-sidedly by Maggot, but of course he didn’t  have any masochistic hobby. He was vigilantly waiting for a chance to  take revenge if there was an opening.

There was no way to overturn this difference in strength, but he  wouldn’t be satisfied if he didn’t at least give Maggot a scare.

(In the end it will be just a harassment but……)

At the Warring States era, the Houzouin-style spear art that was  extolled as “The Spear Houzouin” had a saying 『Spear when thrusting,  halberd when swinging, and scythe when pulling』.

The spear art at the Warring States era had remarkable versatility in battle, for example like the scythe spear.

And then, although Mauricia Kingdom’s spear art had thrust and swing  maneuver, it didn’t have any form for attacking when pulling the spear  back.

Baldr stepped forward even knowing that it would increase the damage. He performed a thrust toward Maggot’s neck.

Maggot easily dodged it, but the thrust was only a feint. He twisted his waist while pulling the spear with all his strength.

It was a movement that simply looked ordinary, but if there was a  scythe blade attached on his spear, then Maggot’s carotid artery would  have been severed already.

Maggot who was exchanging spear with Baldr certainly felt a cold chill of killing intent running through her neck.

She was able to feel it exactly because she was an excellent warrior.

「This impertinent kid……for now it looks like I don’t need to bring you back home for extra training.」

「Thank you very much……(One day I’ll put a cricket into your back!)」

「──Don’t you think that today is a good day to die?」

「How can that be, Okaa-sama.」

.

Baldr who was finally freed from tension fell on his knees and slowly pitched forward. Silk reflexively ran toward him.

「Baldr! Are you alright?」

She embraced Baldr onto her flat chest without any hesitation.  Maggot’s eyes narrowed seeing the action of this unfamiliar beautiful  girl.

(A harmful insect is already buzzing around my beloved sonBaldr just as I thought. Good grief, just what are you doing Seyruun?)

And then she stared at Silk appraisingly.

This girl was quite trained for her age although not at Baldr’s level.

Her looks too. Her gracefulness, her strong-will, and her honest  personality were really apparent from her face. Maggot liked girl like  this.

Her side profile was mysteriously capturing Maggot’s heart. Her flat  chest with its hopeless future was also making her felt an affinity with  this girl.

Most likely this girl was some noble daughter. Maggot felt that she wouldn’t be a bad choice to be Baldr’s wife.

「It looks like my son has been in your care. Can you tell me your name?」

Silk never thought that Maggot would address her. She even forgot her unreasonable hatred just now and answered reflexively.

「My name is Silk Randolph Trystovy, Okaa-sama.」

「Who are you calling Okaa-sama?」

「N-no! Pardon me. I have heard about Silver Light Maggot-sama’s great renown since I was a child.」

Maggot turned a searching look toward Silk. She let out a deep sigh  as though she had discerned something and shrugged with a low chuckle.

「I won’t mind if you come at our place as wife, but I won’t let Baldr  go to marry into your house you know? After all he is our important  heir.」

「P-please don’t misunderstand! Baldr and me aren’t like that!」

Silk went bright red from her neck above and she made a ruckus in  panic. Her hands unconsciously let go of Baldr who was in her embrace.

The back of Baldr’s head crashed on the stone paving hard after  losing Silk’s support. The dull sound echoed in the training arena in  vain.

.

Part 10

Sugar, gold plating, mayonnaise, and then hair treatment. The  enormous amount of fund that they produced, and the deep connection with  Randolph House and even the royal family.

The situation right now was different compared to the risky time when  the sugar was secretly produced little by little in a small corner of  Cornelius territory where it wouldn’t be strange if the effort got  preyed by other nobles anytime.

Baldr didn’t need to restrain himself anymore now that he possessed vast amount of money, trust, and also powerful backer.

「Money exist to be used in this kind of time.」

Farm expansion, establishing new manufacturing workshop, town  planning project, popularization of four crops rotation. Baldr invested  the fund he had been stockpiling until now into all these projects  generously.

It would still take a while until the effect of the four crops  rotation could be felt, but livestock had already been purchased and  their breeding was starting right now. With that the farmer’s spare  energy and productivity would surely improve to some degree soon.

His wallet became a little bit lonely like this, but it wasn’t any  problem at all because one day it would return by several times over.

The money maker Sanai was deeply aware that in order to obtain a lot of money, he first had to invest his money.

An unexpected economic boom was erupting in Cornelius territory. It  seemed that in order to protect the public order from the influx of  outsiders, a vigilante corps made up of mercenaries was organized with  Zirco at the center.

It was really an appreciated offer for the mercenaries who failed in  getting job due to the decreasing number of war throughout the  continent.

Furthermore a part of them was also given a guard duty as the private force of Savaran Company.

Their existence that could be quickly transformed into fighting  strength at emergency time and the financial revival of Cornelius  territory was a source of great headache for the people of Marquis  Selvi’s house which was a leading figure of the neighboring Haurelia  Kingdom.

Most likely their true feeling was that they wished to attack Cornelius while its strength was declining.

They must be grinding their teeth in vexation around this time while  waiting for the next chance to arrive. As expected they didn’t seem like  they had the leeway to make a reckless bet with low chance of victory.

No matter what they did, even Marquis Selvi wouldn’t be able to avoid  losing his position if by chance he failed in his next attempt.

.

「Fufufu……not yet. I can’t be satisfied with just this.」

More, he would pile up more money. He wouldn’t stop walking until he reached the end of that dream-!

Baldr continued making a solo performance with his chuunibyou coming  out in full force while Seyruun was watching him with cold eyes.

「Young master, how about you return to your senses soon?」

「Sey-nee, read the atmosphere for a bit……」