"..."

It was strange.

Feeling the faint breeze coming from the open window and stretching my body, I felt weird.

'.... Yeah, this is weird.'

For the first time in a very long time, I woke up without any worries.

I didn't need to think about my next fight nor did I have to think about some stupid quest that was hanging on my head like a reaper's scythe.

It felt strangely comforting.

First thing in the morning, my mood was great.

'I wish every day is like this.'

"Huam."

Stretching my body again, I yawned and got out of bed.

The moment I did I was surprised to see a metal tray resting on the table opposite the bed. I could see fruits, eggs, and several other interesting food choices.

"This...?"

I walked closer to it and saw a small letter.

[Enjoy your breakfast, Young Master.]

"Hoho~?"

My heart squeezed, and the joy I felt increased further as I suddenly started appreciating the decision to come here.

"I guess there's perks to being a noble."

I picked up the fork and knife that were by the side and prepared to indulge myself in the wonderful breakfast.

"....Where should I start?"

There were so many choices.

The eggs, the sweets, the bacon, the...

"I guess I'll start with the milk."

I was feeling a little thirsty. Smacking my lips, I brought the cup to my mouth and drank the milk. Ah~ It was so fresh. I fel-

Clank!

The door abruptly opened, revealing a familiar figure as he walked in my direction with a paper in his hand.

Without giving me a chance to understand what was going on, he smacked the paper on the table.

Plack-

"Read it."

I was so taken aback that I didn't know what to do and just lowered my head.

[Breaking] — <The Rise of the Twin Star of the Evenus Household>

"Pfttt!"

The milk spilled out from my mouth and onto Leon who stood frozen on the spot. "Ukeh...!"

But I couldn't care less as I took another sip of the milk, and...

"Pfttt-!"

Made sure to spit it out again.

"Ukh!"

My toes curled inwardly as I read the title of the newspaper again. I tried to drink the milk again, but Leon snatched it away before I could.

11

We looked at each other for a brief moment before shuddering on the spot.

"Ukh."

"Euhkh....!"

We couldn't help it.

This was a natural reaction after seeing what was written on the paper. The Twin Stars of the Evenus Household...

"Ukehh!"

I gagged, secretly rejoicing at the fact that I hadn't eating my breakfast just yet.

...There was the very real possibility of me throwing it all up in one go.

Taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed the newspaper and took a closer look at it. In there, I could see a picture of me and Leon standing together, crossing fists and swords.

The shot was nice, but... the title wasn't.

"Kh... Where did you get this?"

"I... Kh... found it downstairs. E-Evelyn gave it to me."

"S-she.. kh... did?"

"Ukh... yeah. She has s-several copies."

"R-really? Should we get rid of her?"

"Maybe, b-ut wipe your saliva first. You l-look stupid."

"Y-ou've got milk all over you.. kh."

"Kh... You're right."

The situation was a lot more dire than anticipated.

...And if things couldn't get any worse.

"Umm."

A soft voice echoed from the entrance of the room, gathering our attention. As both of our heads flicked to face the door, a familiar shy-looking maid appeared, her head lowered as her

voice came out in a whisper.

"...T-the master has asked for you two."

Finally raising her head, she looked at the state of the two of us.

"Should... I tell him you're coming soon?"

Leon and I quickly sobered up.

The head of the household was calling for us?

Leon didn't waste a second and directly left the room, wiping his face as he hurriedly went to change. I did the same, telling the maid to buy us some time before changing into a new set of

clothes.

Thankfully, my clothes weren't dirty.

But I still needed to change. I slipped into a dark blue blazer and a pair of matching pants, the fabric sleek and well-fitted. A crisp white T-shirt completed the look, its simplicity perfectly

complementing the blazer.

"Yeah, not bad."

I wasn't one to care much about style, but as a noble, appearances mattered. One had to dress

appropriately, like it or not.

Thankfully, my looks made up for the imperfections in my clothes.

Fixing my collar and hair, I eventually headed for the Household Head's Office.

It was located on the same floor as Julien's room-the second floor-and it took no longer

than a couple of minutes to reach the space.

Leon was already waiting for me at the entrance.

'He's quick.'

There was someone else waiting alongside him at the entrance. It was Evelyn who soon

noticed my presence.

Seeing her, I was once again reminded of the words she previously told me and my face tensed

subtly.

.... It was a good thing that she didn't notice a thing as the door opened to reveal an older man wearing a butler attire.

His disposition seemed calm as he scanned the surroundings, his gaze settling over me by the

end.

"You may come in. The Head is waiting for you."

He opened the door wide, displaying the insides of a wide office where a large wooden table

sat at the end.

I looked at Leon for a brief moment before stepping into the room.

He, alongside Evelyn, followed right after me.

Clank-

A strange silence ensued as we entered the office.

Elegantly seated on one of the sofas positioned opposite the desk, where a gray carpet lay

beneath, Aldric glanced in our direction. His movements were calm, almost regal, as he took a

small sip of the tea in his hand.

"...You're here."

He placed the cup down, setting it aside and gesturing toward the seats opposite him.

"Have a seat."

For some strange reason, I obeyed his words without a question and sat down.

He was just standing there, and yet...

'Why does he give a familiar sensation to Delilah?'

No, it wasn't quite the same. Delilah's presence was overwhelming, driven by the sheer

intensity of her power.

On the other hand, his oppression came from something subtler. It was his casual demeanor,

the way he carried himself without effort, yet somehow made everything around him feel

small and insignificant.

'....So strange.'

The chair felt snug, gently hugging my body and slowly pulling me towards it.

It was quiet, all eyes on the Head who took another sip of his tea.

I grew curious, pursing my lips faintly.

What did he bring us here for...? He did mention he wanted to talk to us about something

important.

For some reason, my gaze fell on Evelyn. A thought struck me and my face fell. It couldn't

be...?

As if she had similar thoughts as me, she turned her head and met my gaze.

Her face was a little pale, and her lips were trembling.

The sight took me aback.

'....I get not wanting to be married to me, but you don't have to look so pitiful.'

It almost felt as though I was the one wronging her.

Tak-

The sound of the cup hitting the plate woke all of us up as I once again turned my attention

towards the Head.

His lips parted open, and my body grew tense at the inevitable talk that I didn't want to have.

"We will be attacked soon."

"I re-uh?"

Halfway through my rejection, I realized that something was wrong and froze.

Did he just...?

"

Blinking my eyes a couple of times, I shifted my attention towards Leon and Evelyn. They

both wore surprised looks as they stared at the Head with looks of disbelief.

'What's going on...?'

'We will be attacked?'

I could practically see their thoughts from their expressions.

...Just when I thought things couldn't get any more confusing, he lifted his gaze to look at me.

"It's about time you take on official duties. I want you to lead a team alongside Leon to get rid

of them."

"Uh?"

What did he just say?

I wasn't the only one shocked. Leon was as well.

He had more or less filled me up on the history of the Household, and so I had an idea of who

we were dealing with.

...And that was the problem.

I knew who we were dealing with.

There was simply no way for me and Leon to beat them. We were strong, but not enough to

beat the soldiers belonging to multiple Noble Households.

'The Head probably doesn't expect me to fight but lead, but even then, there's so many better

people...'

I clenched my teeth and felt my head throb.

Before I could even voice out my complaint, the Head took another sip, his demenour as calm

as ever.

"This is a chance for you to change your reputation amongst the people and the soldiers.

You're the next Head, Julien. It is about time you fulfill your duties."

Tak-

Finally, for the first time in a while, he finally properly looked at me.

His eyes were intense and staring into them, I struggled to find the right words.

But that was only momentary as I cooled my mind and emotions.

I wasn't going to be forced into a situation I didn't want to be a part of. And for that reason, I

rejected his offer.

"I thank you for the offer, but I'll decline."

"...."

The room grew tense at my rejection as the Head's gaze became more intense. I couldn't tell

what he was thinking. Was he surprised by my rejection, or did he expect it?

Eventually, his lips parted open as he asked,

".... Why?"

"Why else? I want to practice my swordsmanship. I've already fulfilled your previous

requests. I don't have time to waste."

I made sure to emphasize this last part and prepared to leave when his voice stopped me.

"You won't have to waste much time".

"Um?"

I paused, shifting my attention back to the Head who leaned back on his chair.

"The Alliance will probably attack in the next few days. The target will be the gold mine in

Westernborn."

"Right..."

I knew all about the mine. It was apparently very ric-

"It's been several years since the mine has been depleted."

"!?"

It wasn't just me who was surprised, but so were Leon and Evelyn.

Been years?

Then...

"For the past several years I bought raw gold in secret and pretended that it came from us."

"What...?"

Why would he do that?

No, it became clear to me rather quickly why he would do that.

...And the thought made me shudder as I suddenly realized why he was so adamant about

bringing Leon and me back to the Household.

"Are you planning on using the mine to bury the army of all the Alliance members?"

The Head didn't answer, but the faint smile on his face made the answer all too clear as he

took a gentle sip of his tea.

"It's an easy job. I'll take care of the aftermath. By the time we're done, we'll have absorbed over a dozen territories at once."