Harunsdel.
When it comes to this infamous family, even ten mouths wouldn’t be enough to talk about them.
Each member of this family has an absurdly complex personality, but if there’s one thing they all share in common, it’s this:
A bloodline devoid of morality.
They show absolutely no hesitation if it means securing their own gain.
The Harunsdel Merchant Guild too inherited the snake-like nature of this family and has continued its selfish path without pause.
Naturally, this same principle applies to their succession struggles.
In any normal family, using such filthy means would have gotten someone disowned. But here? It’s accepted without question.
“So. You even managed to get a promise out of her?”
“Yes.”
Menemen Harunsdel.
He’s the one who said that if I wanted to be hired, I should try forming a friendly relationship with Camilla.
Even now, that condition struck me as odd.
Does that mean forming a bond with Camilla Bliss holds that much value?
That thought kept circling my mind while I was tampering with the Knight Department’s evaluation records.
“……”
Of course, Camilla is someone destined to become incredibly powerful in the future.
No matter what hardships lie ahead, she’ll rise to the top as a swordswoman.
I know that. Deep down, I’m certain it will happen again this time.
But still—
Could Menemen have recognized that same potential?
An adopted daughter of a crumbling noble house.
Her younger brother, both her support and the legitimate heir of the family, is dead.
She possesses no inherited sword techniques from her family.
She has to stand against the legacies of established sword families relying solely on her individual talent.
Because of that, Camilla puts her life on the line with every step forward.
There’s no way Harunsdel isn’t aware of her circumstances.
From the outside, Camilla looks like someone who could fall at any moment and no one would find it strange.
On the surface, the title of “Number One in the Knight Department” and “Genius Female Swordswoman” she holds now will likely only last until the day she graduates from the academy.
You didn’t recognize Camilla’s potential, did you, Menemen?
With the kind of pettiness and arrogance you showed in the original story, there’s no way you would’ve seen it.
I looked at Menemen, who was pretending to calmly sip his tea, and thought to myself.
If that’s the case, then what he wanted to evaluate through Camilla must have been something else.
The ability to form a friendly relationship with Camilla Bliss, the woman in the entire academy most averse to men.
To prove whether I was a man capable of approaching her, someone who stood as the top of her year and held an authority that was practically absolute among the students.
“Impressive. You’re quite capable. No one’s gotten her to agree to a private meeting until now.”
“Then, could you tell me something?”
“Tell you what?”
“Don’t you think it’s strange? Telling a prospective aide to seduce a woman.”
Menemen grinned, baring his teeth over his teacup.
“Are you offended? Or do you just want to hear the answer?”
“I need to know the client’s true goal in order to deliver the right results, don’t I?”
“If you want to hear it, then sign this.”
With those words, Menemen handed me a sheet of paper in the form of a contract.
[Non-Disclosure Agreement]
I didn’t feel any magical power from it.
Menemen fiddled with the tip of his staff as he began to speak.
“Are you thinking something like, ‘Can this piece of paper really enforce secrecy?’”
“Yes.”
“Straight to the point, huh? Fine. You’ve proven yourself at least halfway.”
His hair was already streaked with gray.
Combined with the staff he carried, he had the appearance of an older man at a glance.
Perhaps he looked this way on purpose, trying to mask a youthful face that would otherwise be hard to take seriously. It almost seemed like he was playing at being an adult.
“Butler. Humans are creatures who won’t even consider an obvious future….unless you put it right in front of their eyes.”
“If you don’t focus on your studies, your grades will fall. If you don’t exercise regularly, your body will weaken… Obvious causes and effects. Things any human should know, but in the heat of the moment, they pretend not to.”
“It’s the same thing, Butler. You know perfectly well what happens if someone breaks a contract with the Grand Merchant Association, the owners of Harun City, our Harunsdel family… and yet there are always people who try to violate it without a second thought.”
I shrugged. It wasn’t something I particularly cared about.
“Then wouldn’t it be enough to put some kind of mechanism in place?”
“No. No. On the contrary, if you shove something ominous like that in their face, fewer people will sign. And organizations tend to get sloppy when they rely too much on such mechanisms.”
“……”
What he meant, more or less, was this: use a plain contract to lull them into lowering their guard, get the signature, and then make sure they pay the price afterward.
Was dressing up something simple in long-winded, self-important words just Menemen’s habit? On top of that, he slipped in a bit of merchant-guild bragging as well.
More than anything, hearing a nineteen-year-old spout off about “human nature” did nothing for me.
From my modern perspective, the only thought that came to mind was, So what?
“…I’d like to hear the main point now.”
I quickly signed the document and handed the pledge back to him.
Menemen opened his mouth, looking satisfied.
“If you succeed in this matter properly, I have another job for you. I’ll pay you generously.”
“What is it?”
“It’s simple. Sleep with my half-sister. Get her with child. Make it so she can’t involve herself in the family’s succession dispute.”
“……”
“I’ll cover it up, so I’d like you to make it happen by any means necessary.”
Disgusting bastard.
Disgust surged up from deep inside me.
Even if I weren’t the one sitting here, he would’ve given the same order to someone else.
“I see. So you needed someone reasonably good-looking who knows how to seduce women…”
“…I’ll let that rude tone slide this once. You’ve got it exactly right. You said you like gold, didn’t you? I know your type well. People who live as slaves to money. Far more trustworthy than those who prattle on about ideals or loyalty.”
“……”
“So, what’s your answer?”
At that question, I slowly opened my mouth.
***
And so time passed, and it was Saturday.
I was standing face to face with Camilla.
Not as her younger brother, Adel Bliss, but as “Adel”, the head butler of the Shifter family.
“…Who are those people?”
“My companions.”
The demon of Harunsdel.
There’s no reason for Camilla to get involved in this.
All I need from her is a small favor, nothing more.
That’s why I came here to continue our meetings casually, without revealing who I really am, just to become familiar faces.
But beyond Camilla, a blond man and woman were watching me.
The siblings of House Damir.
Aaron and Awen had been spying on us in poorly done disguises.
“This shouldn’t be a problem.”
“…I don’t mind.”
They’re more wary of me than I expected.
And Camilla’s tone is cold…sharply so.
“……”
Well, considering I called her out here after secretly altering the evaluation records, it would be strange if she acted warm.
“So, what do you want?”
Her cold eyes glared as if piercing through me.
The smooth words I had prepared were suddenly stuck in my throat.
Not like when I deal with Sasha or Sally… No, has this ever happened since I came to this world?
Definitely not.
I could feel my heartbeat growing faster with anxiety.
“Ah, uh… that is…”
“You’re clearly an unauthorized intruder at the Academy. But I didn’t report you and came here instead, because I wasn’t completely sure.”
“…Not sure…?”
Damn it. I regretted the words the moment I said them.
What do I mean, “…Not sure…?” That was a dumb response.
I shook my head.
Just say it. Get it together, and this’ll be over.
I’ll bring up something about the dinner meeting, and once the mood softens, I’ll steer the topic toward the White Ship or Harunsdel. That’s all it takes.
“I’d rather hear what you want first.”
“…Is that so?”
Camilla stared at me for a long moment.
“…Are you acting?”
“…N-No. Acting?”
“A person who could beat professors. Someone who toyed with our records to the hundredth of a second. And yet now, you seem like some awkward young man. Which one is the real you?”
Her suspicion deepened. I could feel it.
“If you’re not the one who summoned me, then get lost. Are you mocking me?”
“…I am the one who summoned you.”
“Then get to the point.”
“…The point.”
Looks like there’s no option for breaking the ice first.
“……”
Get a grip.
I took a deep breath, slowly.
…Still, with this face, I thought it would work out somehow.
Come to think of it, she’s never been one to care much about appearances.
What’s on trial for Camilla right now isn’t my looks. It’s purely the attitude I’m showing her.
Her cold tone toward an unrelated man reassured me, as her brother… and yet, it stung a little.
If I weren’t her younger brother, Camilla would never show me any warmth. That’s what I was thinking.
A bitter smile crept across my face.
“It’s nothing serious.”
“I’ll listen.”
“It was all just part of an attempt to scout you. Because we believe you’re someone with great potential who’ll become an extraordinary figure in the future.”
“Why didn’t you go through official channels?”
“I didn’t think that would be enough to get your attention.”
“…Attention?”
We were sitting in a stylish fine-dining restaurant.
A server approached us, then quickly backed away, sensing the tense atmosphere.
“You’re saying you disrupted students’ studies for something like that?”
“…I regret that.”
Camilla’s blue eyes turned icy.
“You attacked a professor and delayed the entire knight department’s schedule….all for that?”
“……”
Suddenly, I felt like I’d committed a major crime.
I sat there dazed with guilt creeping in….until I snapped back to my senses.
Friendly relations with Camilla!
Right, this wasn’t over yet.
I opened my mouth. I could do this. My tongue wasn’t broken, after all.
“…The professor was only put to sleep…not a single scratch on him. And the magic tool re-inspection? That’s hardly my fault. The moment you scored a perfect 500 in [Magic Counter Swordsmanship], they would’ve ordered a recheck just to be sure.”
“Even if the outcome justifies it, the act itself doesn’t disappear.”
“I’ll give you that. But it’s not just anything. Camilla Bliss, you don’t realize your own worth yet.”
Camilla looked straight into my eyes.
It felt like she was daring me to show even a hint of a lie, so I instinctively straightened my back.
“You’re someone destined to become the strongest knight in the future. For even a sliver of your attention, someone like me would do more than just infiltrate the Academy.”
But no matter how sharp she was, there’s no way she could sense any deceit in me.
Because every word I said was sincere and true.
Even so, her response was lukewarm.
It was the kind of praise she would’ve been thrilled to hear if I were still her little brother…yet instead, she narrowed her eyes.
“…I’ve heard scouts are good at sweet talk. But… at the very least, you seem to be telling the truth.”
“…Phew.”
“I’d like you to tell me which organization you belong to.”
I held out the small card I’d received earlier from Menemen.
[Assistant Deran]
[Harunsdel Merchant Guild Headquarters]
A kind of business card, a proof of identity. Of course, it was a fake.
“……”
Is that it? Is this enough?
I swallowed nervously as I watched Camilla flinch slightly while taking the card.
But a moment later—
She pushed the card back toward me.
“Sorry. I can’t accept this.”
“Huh? Why not…?”
“…Someone in my family once gave me some advice.”
Camilla’s expression looked strange. Was it suspicion? Or caution?
I thought I’d gotten fairly used to reading her expressions by now, but I couldn’t make out what this one meant at all.
“Someone in your family…?”
“They told me to avoid any involvement with Harunsdel as much as possible.”
“……!!”
What does that have to do with refusing a business card? It’s just a piece of advice, isn’t it?
But that thought vanished almost immediately.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
…Ah.
When was it? Right. It must’ve been back then.
When I sold the wave stabilization drug Harunsdel had sent me at the auction house.
I definitely said this at the time:
– Big sister, listen carefully. Once you graduate, no matter what happens, it’s best to turn down any offers from Harunsdel. No matter how much money they offer… those guys aren’t right in the head.”
And Camilla’s reply?
– Mhmm. I understand.
“….Damn it.”
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