The middle-aged man was crying his eyes out right in front of me.
“Bwaaaahhh!”
Needless to say, it was Piers Robinhood.
“W-We raised our daughter with so much love and care.”
“I understand how you feel.”
He wasn’t even drunk, yet he was making a complete fool of himself. I could understand crying this hard over marrying off his daughter, to some extent. But collapsing onto the floor and bawling like this? As a noble, it was… questionable.
“Count Johan D. Gospel!”
“Y-Yes…?”
“My son-in-law!”
“…Huh?”
What was with this man? Was he bipolar or something? Just moments ago he was grinding his teeth in rage, and now he was acting all friendly.
“Take good care of my daughter!”
“…You have my word.”
“You see, that girl is actually—!”
Smack!
Unable to watch the disgrace any longer, Stan finally knocked Piers Robinhood unconscious.
That guy really had it rough.
At the same time, though, something about this felt unsettling.
Why was he so calm today?
“That’s more or less the situation. He was trying to say he was looking forward to having you as part of the family.”
“Really?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could at least believe that he was genuinely trying… until he saw that newspaper. Though… those stories aren’t actually true, are they?”
Stan smiled as he spoke, but there was unmistakable killing intent behind it.
Right. You’re just like him.
At least you know how to restrain yourself. I’ll give you credit for that.
…Or maybe you’re only holding back because I’m not someone you can snipe.
Either way, the storm had finally passed. Someone had waved a gun around, someone had collapsed onto the floor sobbing, and someone had made such a spectacle of himself that his own son knocked him unconscious.
It was admittedly astonishing that all of those things had been done by the same person.
Still…
Didn’t that count as ending on a good note?
“To be honest, I still don’t like you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret.
“But Emily likes you, so I’ve decided to try to accept it.”
“You’ve made the right choice.”
“Then we’ll be leaving for today. We’ll come back once Father has had a chance to calm down.”
“……”
“Even if you keep making that face like you just bit into a bug, our families are connected by marriage now. You’ll be seeing us from time to time.”
“My face always looks like this.”
“I see.”
I felt completely drained.
Still, the misunderstandings had been cleared up. I’d nearly been drenched in tea, and I’d nearly been shot…
But all things considered, I’d say it went fairly well.
Maybe I really had gotten stronger.
I definitely felt a lot more at ease than I would have in the past.
After all, even if the worst-case scenario had happened…
It wasn’t like they could actually kill me anymore.
***
There was a time when I actually believed that.
It didn’t take long to realize just how badly mistaken I was.
Because after my meeting with Piers Robinhood…
I was immediately summoned by Ariel as well.
No, to be precise… by Duke Ether himself.
“Johan D. Gospel.”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
At first glance, Tronios Ether looked no different from a patient recovering from a serious illness.
I’d figured he and Ariel might have staged a convincing fight, but apparently they’d gone at each other for real.
On one hand, I couldn’t help feeling proud that Ariel had managed to win.
On the other… was that really something to be proud of?
A daughter beating up her own father…
I could only hope that any children we had in the future wouldn’t turn out like that.
“Johan D. Gospel.”
“…….”
Thud.
Just as I thought he was calling my full name again, Tronios Ether casually tossed a newspaper onto the table in front of me.
I didn’t even need to look at it.
It was last week’s paper. The one that had splashed the scandal linking me to the Imperial Family across its pages.
Ah…
Did I have to explain myself all over again?
This really wasn’t easy.
Still, there was one saving grace.
For once, I was genuinely innocent.
I didn’t need to make excuses.
I only had to tell the truth.
Fortunately, he hadn’t started hurling magic at me the moment I walked in, so there was still every chance we could settle this with a conversation.
All right.
Stay calm.
Explain everything clearly and logically.
“So… here’s what actually happened. The truth is, it’s all a mis—”
“You should’ve been more careful.”
“…Huh?”
“The wedding ceremony will be held before long. How much longer am I supposed to keep hearing these kinds of scandals?”
“Ah… I-I’m sorry.”
As it turned out…
I didn’t need to explain anything.
Perhaps that was only to be expected of an Archmage.
Tronios Ether had already pieced together the situation without hearing a single excuse from me.
He already knew the article was nothing more than baseless gossip. What he was criticizing wasn’t me. It was the fact that rumors like this had spread in the first place.
…I couldn’t even lift my head.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
There was no excuse for that.
I should have taken steps to prevent this kind of nonsense from spreading in the first place.
Still…
I was relieved to discover that my future father-in-law was far more understanding than I’d expected.
I’d said it before, but it really was true.
The two Archmages suffering from PTSD were somehow the most mature adults around me.
Considering everything they’d lived through, no one would have blamed them for opening the conversation by throwing magic.
“When are you planning to hold the ceremony?”
“Ah… Well, we were thinking after I graduate from the Cradle.”
“I see. Come to think of it, I heard you’ll be serving the Imperial Household now.”
“Thanks to Her Majesty the Emperor’s gracious favor… that’s how it turned out.”
“They say that when people are separated by distance, their hearts drift apart as well. Even if that’s not truly the case, the emptiness still finds its way in. Looking at it that way, this worked out rather well. Ariel will be serving the Imperial Household as an Archmage too, so the two of you should have plenty of opportunities to see each other, shouldn’t you?”
“Haha, of course. I imagine we’ll be seeing each other quite often.”
In truth, I probably would be seeing Ariel a lot more often.
I was happy about that myself. It meant I could make up for all the time we’d lost.
Of course, I still wasn’t thrilled about being forcibly recruited into the Imperial Household, but if my future father-in-law was pleased, then so be it.
“Good. Take care of Ariel for me.”
“You can leave her to me. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Very well. I trust you.”
My meeting with Tronios Ether was surprisingly smooth.
Yeah.
This was what a normal conversation was supposed to look like.
There was no need for future in-laws to glare daggers at each other. Exchange a few pleasantries, casually mention any concerns, and move on. How much better was that?
If everything stayed like this, there’d be no problem at all.
“So then… when do you intend to sort out your other relationships?”
“…Huh? Other relationships?”
“I mean your arrangements with Lady Hermod and Lady Robinhood.”
“…Why would I?”
“Now that your engagement to Ariel has been made public, wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to end those false relationships you were maintaining for appearances?”
“…….”
Click.
My breath caught in my throat.
An indescribable terror gripped my entire body.
Had I just been thinking that Tronios Ether was the most reasonable one?
No.
He wasn’t.
He was a fanatic.
To a man who had sworn to love only one woman for his entire life, someone like me was practically beyond comprehension.
He genuinely believed that Ariel was the only woman I loved.
And if I told him…
that the other two relationships were real as well…
What exactly would happen to me?
“What’s wrong?”
“I-I… well…”
Whoosh!
The wound Abraham had left on me suddenly flared with pain.
It felt as though Laevateinn dwelling within me was sounding an alarm.
The temperature around us rose by two or three degrees in an instant.
Hey, no! Calm down!
This isn’t your master’s life-or-death crisis!
That’s my future father-in-law in front of us, not an enemy we have to defeat!
…Or wait.
No, I get it.
I understand!
“Ghk! My wound…”
This was it, wasn’t it?!
Laevateinn…
You are telling me to do this, aren’t you?!
“A-Are you all right?”
“My apologies for making such a fool of myself… The wound I suffered that day still hasn’t fully healed… ngh!”
I slowly pulled back the edge of my shirt, revealing the scar Abraham had inflicted upon me.
The wound inflicted by Laevateinn glowed a crimson red, like lava seeping through cracks in stone.
Without Mephi’s authority and Laevateinn’s cooperation, it was a wound that would have incinerated me in an instant. Every time Laevateinn activated, the pain intensified as well, but right now, that worked in my favor.
“So that’s the wound you received from the former Emperor’s sword… My apologies. It seems I’ve kept you here for too long.”
“It’s all right. Urgh! My apologies, Duke. I’m not in the best condition, so I think I’d better head back for today.”
“It seems I wasn’t thinking. I shouldn’t have summoned someone who’s still recovering. How about letting our medical staff take a look at you first? In your current condition, even getting back seems difficult.”
“…No, it’s all right. I couldn’t possibly impose like that.”
“Don’t think of it that way, son-in-law. There’s no need to feel burdened. Make yourself comfortable.”
No, I’m feeling unbelievably burdened right now.
Please just let me go home.
I need to get back and seriously think about how I’m supposed to deal with this disastrous situation.
***
There was no escaping.
I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
More than anything, I wanted to run, but I couldn’t turn him down for fear that my flimsy lie might be exposed.
In the end, I found myself lying on a bed in one of the Duke’s mansion’s guest rooms.
I have to get out of here.
If Tronios Ether brings up what we were talking about earlier again, there’s no way I’ll be able to escape.
Should I pretend to be in pain again to get out of it? No, that would be far too obvious.
To begin with, you can’t keep relying on the same trick over and over.
“Son-in-law, are you all right?”
“Ah, Duke.”
“Stay where you are.”
I still hadn’t found an answer.
In the meantime, Tronios Ether had come to see me once again.
“You can answer while lying down, can’t you?”
…With his personal weapon, his staff, in hand.
“I heard an interesting rumor, son-in-law. They say you had a formal meeting with Piers Robinhood. I also heard Count Piers Robinhood looked every bit like a father marrying off his actual daughter. If it were nothing more than a simple cover, would he really have reacted so strongly?”
“Duke, I can explain everything.”
“Good. That’s exactly why I’ve come…to hear that explanation.”
“The thing is…”
“Shall I give you a little help? Go on. Tell me [everything].”
I could feel Tronios Ether’s Words Magic sinking into my body.
My throat trembled, and my mouth was beginning to open on its own.
“……”
I lightly bit my lip and resisted the Word Magic.
It wasn’t a command delivered with his full power, so I was able to break free. It also helped that I was no longer the weak person I used to be.
“Oh?”
But this was a mistake.
I should have just opened my mouth.
By resisting for no reason, didn’t I only make myself look like someone with something to hide?
Of course, it’s not like I have any excuses. It’s the truth, so what am I supposed to say?
It’s true that I’ve built relationships I can’t be proud of, and it’s true that I’m trash.
I’ve always been like this.
It’s just that Tronios Ether thought far too highly of me.
“I don’t understand.”
Thud!
A violent surge of mana erupted from Tronios Ether.
Anyone could tell he was ready to fight.
“F-Father-in-law! Please, at least hear me out first!”
“I was going to. Right up until you resisted my Word Magic.”
I hurriedly got to my feet and drew Laevateinn.
Tronios Ether. He was a monster rivaling the Emperor himself.
To begin with, wasn’t he someone who could easily be considered the third strongest person in the Empire?
If I let my guard down, I’d die.
“I told you to stay in bed, yet you keep refusing to listen to me.”
“…In a situation like this?”
“It would have been better if you had stayed lying down forever.”
Ah, getting up was definitely the right call!
If I’d stayed in bed, I would’ve been done for right there!
“Tell me. Why did you lay your hands on another woman when you already had Ariel?”
“Well…”
“This is your last chance. It’s the last mercy I’ll show you. You’ve done a great deal for us until now.”
Tronios Ether was definitely holding himself back.
He was glaring at me as though he wanted to kill me on the spot, yet the fact that he hadn’t immediately resorted to force spoke for itself.
He was furious beyond measure, but even so, he wasn’t lashing out blindly.
So… what do I do?
What could I possibly say to convince him?
No matter what I say, won’t the conclusion still be that I’m a complete bastard?
Even I think I’m a total piece of shit.
“I’m the victim.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
…Even I can tell that, in my panic, I chose the wrong words.
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