"My sister… you say?"

"Indeed. Your half-sister, Irene Vermont. She covertly searched the black market for Neomium for eight years, and then, after only one year, managed to outbid all others. She paid five times the final bid price for it at the last auction. It’s safe to say she hasn’t sold it since, so the current owner of that Neomium is undoubtedly Irene Vermont."

"…"

[The evil god 'Kali' strongly urges an immediate raid on your sister’s residence!]

For a moment, I was left speechless by the shock.

I hadn’t expected to obtain Neomium just because I’d discovered its whereabouts. I knew it would take time to approach the owner, and then even more time to negotiate for it. Yet the Neomium was much closer than I’d imagined.

‘But did it have to be Irene?’

Sure, this saved me the trouble of a lengthy search, but dealing with Irene would be challenging. Part of me wanted to confront her directly and say, “I know you’ve got the Neomium, so hand it over.” But the memory of her long nails scraping my cheek, or the sharp heels pressing against my inner thigh, made me wince involuntarily.

Not going to be easy.

“Thank you for sharing this invaluable information, Your Majesty.”

“It’s nothing worth fussing over. You may always ask for such trivial favors between us. Isn’t that so?”

She gave me a playful smile, and for a split second, my heart nearly stopped. Sure, part of that was because of her beauty, but that wasn’t the only reason!

What was she implying?

After a moment of intense mental calculation, I finally discerned the true intent beneath her bewitching smile.

"That means… Your Majesty could ask me for a ‘small favor’ any time as well, doesn’t it?"

"Quick-witted as ever. Isn’t it ideal? If we exchange small favors for mutual benefit."

"I’ll consider it carefully, Your Majesty."

"Your gaze reveals your reluctance. Such a wretched man."

I’d nearly fallen into her trap. Agreeing to an endless exchange of favors might lead to situations where I’d struggle to meet her “requests.” The Empress was notorious for never letting those she favored rest. She would relentlessly use anyone she deemed capable, treating everyone, herself included, with ruthless expectations.

The fact she’d purged an entire department overnight simply because they didn’t meet her standards was a clear indicator. There was no “certain limit” with her. Once I started, who knew how much she’d demand? That uncertainty was terrifying.

So it was best not to give her any leverage. A simple exchange on a one-to-one basis was all I could handle. Once favors became outstanding debts, a one-way ticket to hell was set.

"The palace is always open for talents like you. Feel free to let me know if you ever change your mind. Ah, and one more thing—I almost forgot to mention. Your green-haired slave."

"Are you referring to Charlotte?"

"Yes. After investigating her sword, I found it to be anything but ordinary. The ministers suggested she may possess the qualities of a Magic Knight and requested further investigation…”

A cold sweat trickled down my neck as Vanessa leaned close to whisper into my ear.

"Of course, I rebuked them and sent them away, saying no loyal subject like the Count of Vermont would dare conceal a Magic Knight from me."

"…!"

Her words sent a chill through me.

A Magic Knight—a rare being whose latent powers could awaken when wielding a unique weapon. Charlotte was known as a Dark Knight, yet the suspicion she could be a Magic Knight had lingered in my mind for some time.

According to Imperial law, a Magic Knight belonged to the Imperial Family upon awakening their power. Thus, I never bothered to correct the foreboding title of “Dark Knight” or verify her potential as a Magic Knight. I thought I could let it lie…

“My loyal subject would never dream of deceiving me, would he?”

“Yes. Th-that’s correct…”

“As expected. You never fail to meet my expectations.”

With a satisfied smile, Vanessa patted my shoulder and walked ahead. To decode her words:

‘You know I overlooked this once, so manage it wisely.’

This was bad. I hadn’t planned on aligning myself with her, yet here I was, from top to bottom, bound to her, slowly being pulled into her inner circle of loyalists. Politics was something I’d hoped to avoid…

When I returned to the dining hall with Vanessa, we found the kids happily eating and chattering.

“Huh? Huh? Why doesn’t it taste better just because it’s from the palace?”

“The cream pasta at the estate is tastier, Charlotte…”

They were whispering to each other in what they thought was a quiet tone, but I could hear everything. That palace food didn’t measure up to Vermont Estate’s? I didn’t cook it myself, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.

"The food at the Vermont Estate must be quite good, then…?"

"Yes! Yuri… Yuria, you should come over sometime to try it! It’s amazing!"

"Is that so…? At least the food’s good, then…"

Yuri tilted her head slowly, as if surprised. Did she think I was starving them? I was glad some of her misconceptions were starting to clear up.

…Just as I was thinking that—

“Oh! Charlotte, I think I know why the food at the estate tastes better!”

“What is it? What is it!?”

“I think it’s because the bowls are different! Those deep, thick dog bowls keep the food warmer for longer, so it stays—ack!”

“…"

“…”

“…”

As realization dawned, Yulia slapped her hands over her mouth. Charlotte’s eyes widened, Yuri’s spoon froze mid-air, and Vanessa’s piercing gaze fixed on me, eyes even wider than usual.

“Shall we swap those dog bowls out for something more… proper?”

“No! I like them just fine!”

“Me too! I actually think dog bowls maximize flavor scientifically… er…"

In the carriage back to Vermont territory, I sighed with relief at the kids’ innocent responses.

Right. As long as they were happy, what was the issue? We’d used those bowls for so long that I hadn’t considered how others might see it.

For a moment, Yuri shot me a look as if she wanted to kill me, and the Empress seemed to be pondering a suitable punishment. But after I gave a long explanation, they let it slide.

The kids’ spirited defense certainly helped. Feeding them in dog bowls didn’t mean I saw them as dogs, after all.

“I can’t enjoy food anymore unless it’s in a dog bowl! Just seeing one makes me salivate!”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s that intense… er…."

It almost seemed like Charlotte was turning into Pavlov’s dog, but that wasn’t my fault.

After dropping the kids off at the estate, Sylvia and I headed into town. Though we could’ve taken the carriage, I’d grown tired of sitting, so we decided to walk.

‘I’ll plan a proper approach to get Neomium from Irene…’

Had the Neomium been in someone else’s possession, I’d have had to rush negotiations before they sold it. But with Irene, who was deeply involved in dark magic, I knew she’d hold onto it, so I could take a cautious approach. My current priority was less the Neomium and more the sword lodged in my body.

Upon reaching the blacksmith’s, I kicked the door open.

"Ah! My lord, you’re back! I don’t know what kind of promotion you did, but we’ve been flooded with requests for swords from across the country—"

"Hey, Jacob. The sword you made is embedded inside my body. Care to explain that?"

"Huh? Inside your body…?"

"Sylvia. Show him."

"Eek?! Eeeeek!"

Swish, swish. Sylvia drew the sword from my throat, demonstrating for the bewildered Jacob, whose face turned ashen as he sank to the floor.

“F-forgive me! I swear, I never intended this! Please believe me, my lord…”

"Enough groveling. Just explain. What kind of sword did you make?"

"Oh, that sword… I crafted it after seeing my grandfather in a dream, inspired by a sudden stroke of genius. I hadn’t fully solidified the mana coating inside, so…”

"Skip to the conclusion. You know I won’t understand the details."

"In short… it’s a sword designed to transform into the optimal form based on the initial user’s body condition…”

"…What?"