Even I had to admit that was the worst possible answer.
Maybe it was because I’d spent so much time getting unfairly beaten down that I’d developed a defense mechanism.
“Please give me one more chance to explain.”
“Then explain yourself properly.”
How incredibly generous.
As expected of Tronios Ether, a man who understood nothing of the human heart. It was as though he simply produced the appropriate emotional response for a situation that called for anger, with barely any actual change in expression.
Still, he did seem angry.
He was simply even more composed than that.
All right. This was a rare opportunity. Since he was being remarkably considerate, I had to make sure I didn’t mess it up this time and think carefully before answering.
“……”
I thought it over.
My situation.
My thoughts.
My state of mind.
After considering everything, I arrived at a single conclusion.
“Come to think of it… I think this is just the kind of person I am.”
“……”
There was no room for excuses.
In the past, I might have been able to claim I’d been forced into it.
But now, things were different. There wasn’t a single excuse I could honestly make.
Do I have other women in my life?
Yes.
Do I love those other women too?
Yes.
Am I pursuing other women even though I already have a fiancée?
…At this point, that was exactly what I was doing.
“I see.”
Tronios Ether’s expression remained as impassive as ever.
But as a fair and impartial father, he found me guilty.
It was only natural for a parent to think of their child first. And in Tronios Ether’s case, the situation had to be especially devastating.
Back when I became engaged to Ariel, there hadn’t been any other women around me.
Well, Yuna was there…
But we weren’t dating back then, or anything like that.
We were just in the early stages of something, and besides, no one else knew about it.
“I simply cannot understand the way you think.”
“I understand.”
“Even giving your all to love one person is never enough.”
Tronios Ether.
A man who had loved only one woman his entire life.
“Even protecting that one person is difficult enough.”
A man scarred by a lifetime of war after losing his wife at the hands of the Emperor.
“And yet you think you can go around carrying that many vulnerabilities without anyone exploiting them?”
And he was still a man trapped in the past.
Tronios Ether’s fears and frustrations were perfectly understandable. Having lived the life he had, his convictions were unshakable.
Even though the former Emperor Abraham was dead and Lobelia now sat on the throne, no one could say the past had been completely left behind. Problems still remained everywhere, and no one could confidently claim the world had become peaceful.
Just because we’d taken down a handful of major and minor terrorist organizations didn’t mean all the malice in the world had disappeared.
Things like that could emerge anytime, anywhere. They could never be eradicated completely. All Lobelia could do was prevent them whenever possible and deal with them when they inevitably appeared.
“What do you think would happen if, while you’re standing here right now, someone attacked the people you love? Can you honestly say you wouldn’t regret it?”
“I know what you’ve been through, Father-in-law. But your circumstances and mine aren’t the same, are they? Those girls aren’t so fragile that they need me to protect them.”
“Their strength has nothing to do with it. If you were to fall here and now, how do you think the people you love would feel? How many people would be left wounded because of one man?”
“……”
“Losing even one person is enough to tear your heart apart. The pain is so vivid that no other suffering can ever bury it.”
Mana churned violently.
An overwhelming killing intent radiated from Tronios Ether as he stood there leaning on his staff.
His expression remained calm. His movements weren’t violent, and his voice stayed perfectly composed.
“Even if you throw yourself onto the battlefield again and again, suffering wounds that bring you to the brink of death every single day, those scars never disappear.”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Little by little, the emotions Tronios Ether had kept buried began to reveal themselves through his actions. The steady tapping of his staff against the floor carried an unmistakable edge of irritation.
“I am not asking you to prove me wrong. I simply don’t believe anyone can accomplish what even I could not. And it cannot be proven.”
Bang!
His staff struck the floor with a resounding crash.
Then, just as suddenly, both the overwhelming killing intent and the surging mana subsided.
“We will consider this engagement null and void, Count Johan D. Gospel.”
He never raised his voice. He never lashed out.
But Tronios Ether’s decision was all the more resolute because of it.
He had chosen to erase this engagement altogether.
To become strangers once again.
If we became strangers, there was no reason for him to be angry.
That was why both his killing intent and his mana faded away.
…In a way, it was an outcome even more terrible than if he had exploded in rage.
I couldn’t accept this.
“Father-in-law.”
“Address me properly, Count.”
“Please give me your daughter.”
“Denied.”
A firm answer.
And because he neither grew angry nor resorted to violence, I couldn’t see any way to persuade him.
If he had simply lost his temper or attacked me, I could have done something.
Once people poured out their emotions, they usually became more willing to listen afterward.
But Tronios Ether was different.
He had never intended to stand on the same footing as me in the first place.
That was why convincing him seemed impossible.
…Fine.
Then I’d have to make a bolder move myself.
“There was something Ariel once said to me. She told me that if we couldn’t obtain your blessing, we should run away together.”
“……”
“I feel the same way.”
“Are you trying to provoke me?”
“I’m only stating the truth.”
“……”
Honestly, that didn’t sound like such a bad idea anymore.
Wasn’t my original plan to return to my territory, become Count Damus, and live out the rest of my life in peace already in ruins?
After graduation, I’d be forced into service under the Imperial Household anyway.
Maybe living as a fugitive wouldn’t be so bad.
As for money… well, I had ways of getting it.
“So you’ve decided to make an enemy of me after all.”
“I just want us to have an honest conversation.”
“‘Begone.’”
The provocation was successful.
Though whether the result could really be called a success was another matter entirely…
Booooooom!
At the very least, I was about to experience firsthand why he was called an Archmage.
***
Rascal Ether had been living with mixed feelings lately.
When his older brother, Tronios Ether, announced that he intended to step down as Duke before long, Rascal’s heart had actually raced with excitement.
Of course, everyone around him had been quick to point fingers.
After all, he had competed with the young lady for the title, and people probably found it disgraceful that he looked pleased about winning.
Even so, Rascal Ether hadn’t minded.
It wasn’t as though this kind of infamy was anything new to him.
Ever since Ariel’s engagement had been announced, he’d already endured more than enough of those insults.
In the end, once he became Duke, all those ridiculous accusations would disappear on their own.
Such was the authority. Such was the prestige.
He would prove it.
He would prove that he was worthy of becoming Duke.
But the turmoil didn’t end there.
The first crisis came when Johan Damus took the Tower Master’s adopted daughter as his fiancée.
“That… that bastard! He’s lower than an animal! How could he sell off his own niece?!”
Ariel and Johan’s engagement had been arranged for political reasons, but they genuinely cared for each other.
The problem was that no matter how much he tried to argue that point, Rascal’s defense had lost all credibility once it became official that Johan was happily involved with another woman.
Even so, he had done everything he could to persuade the members of the family.
He had spoken with complete sincerity.
Just as the family members were beginning to waver and settle into a neutral stance…
“You son of a bitch!”
Johan Damus went and got engaged to yet another woman.
That lunatic had been unusually quiet lately, and now he’d gone and caused an even bigger disaster.
Fortunately, there was one saving grace.
The family itself had been in complete disarray.
Between the former Emperor’s tyranny and the emergence of the rebel army, no one had the luxury of worrying about such matters.
Of course, once the Emperor was replaced and Johan Damus received both a new family name and the title of Count, the situation began to turn around.
After all, who hated a hero?
Whatever the reality might have been, there was no denying that Johan Damus had rendered extraordinary service.
At long last, Rascal Ether was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Still, one concern remained.
“Johan Damus is a clever man. Just look at how many smokescreens he’s put up in anticipation of the achievements he knew he would earn.”
“……”
His older brother, Tronios Ether, thought far too highly of Johan.
I’m pretty sure that bastard just can’t keep his hands off women…
Rascal Ether’s assessment wasn’t entirely accurate either, but at the very least, he understood the situation better than Tronios Ether did.
What if Tronios Ether eventually realized what was really going on?
What if he canceled the engagement and decided to keep the dukedom for himself after all?
“…I suppose it can’t be helped.”
To complain now would have been absurd.
He had done nothing while things had spiraled this far out of control.
If events unfolded that way, all he could do was accept them.
“I have not a single thing to be ashamed of.”
Rascal Ether had done his best.
He had devoted himself entirely to House Ether and had lived in a way that would not shame his ancestors.
That was enough.
Protecting this Duchy. That alone was enough.
“Are you watching, my honored ancestors?”
Looking up at the magnificent Ether duchy, Rascal Ether quietly fought back the tears welling in his eyes.
“I will protect it.”
Even if I never become the duke, that’s fine. It doesn’t erase the effort I’ve put in.
The ducal house is still intact, and it only grows stronger with time.
“As long as I can protect the home we’ll live in, I’ll be satisfied.”
Even today, Rascal Ether continued fighting a battle no one acknowledged.
Before he knew it, his dreams and ambitions had been replaced by a sense of duty.
And that sense of duty…
Booooooooom!!
…was shattered along with everything else by Tronios Ether’s rage-filled magic.
“Nooooo! Our mansion!!”
At that moment, Rascal Ether shed tears of blood and made a vow.
“From now on, I’m living for myself!”
It was his moment of awakening.
***
To be honest, I’m stronger than Tronios Ether.
With my contract with Mephi and the existence of Laevateinn, I surpass him in strength, firepower, and overall capability.
But…
“Like hanging a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.”
Mephi’s brutally accurate remark.
It stings, but she’s right. What good is all this power and ability if I can’t use them properly?
Instead of wielding my power, I’m the one being controlled by it.
“Whew…”
The best I can do is hold out.
Compared to before, that’s considerable progress in itself.
But…
“Is that really all you’ve got?”
I hadn’t demonstrated a level of skill that could convince Tronios Ether.
If anything, I seemed to have only fueled his anger.
What’s the point of having lofty ambitions if I don’t have the ability to match them?
“I’m actually more of a strategist than I look. The outcome will be different.”
I tried making excuses.
I’m capable of more than this. At the very least, I needed to give him that impression.
Of course, winning would be simple. If I truly unleashed Mephi’s power, if I fully drew out Laevateinn’s power…
That alone would probably be enough to defeat him.
I could unleash an attack that even Tronios Ether would have no way of stopping.
But that wouldn’t be enough. I’d have to utterly overwhelm him before there’d even be a chance of convincing him…
“I still don’t understand. What exactly am I supposed to trust you with to entrust my daughter to you? At this point, I can’t even tell what you were trying to prove by provoking me.”
“……”
Honestly, neither do I.
I provoked him just to keep things moving somehow, but I hadn’t thought about what would come afterward.
[Rage].
His words became magic.
But I couldn’t afford to take them at face value.
Each brief command carried countless effects within it, making it more dangerous the more literally you interpreted it.
Even now, that single word summoned not only a raging storm, but lightning, flames, and boulders hurtling toward me as well.
“Ghk?!”
The moment I sliced through the boulder before me, an unidentified liquid burst out from inside it and came flying at me.
What is that? What kind of liquid is it? I have resistance to most poisons, but would it really be safe to let it hit me without knowing what it is?
As I hesitated…
“Stop! That’s enough!”
An invisible force intercepted the liquid. It was Ariel’s telekinesis.
“What are you doing, Father?!”
Whether she had come because she heard the commotion or had anticipated this from the start, Ariel descended between us, glaring at her father.
“Ariel, did you know? Did you know this man was fooling around with another woman while engaged to you?”
“…I did.”
“And you just stood by and accepted it? Enduring all that heartache? Why should you have to suffer for someone like him?”
“Because… I love him. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, it isn’t. Why would you cling to a man who can’t devote his whole heart to one woman, especially when it only brings you pain?”
“I…..”
Ariel widened her eyes and declared,
“I was the one who came between them.”
“…What?”
“I was the second woman.”
“What are you…”
“I was the one who pursued a man who already belonged to someone else!”
“……”
Tronios Ether staggered at Ariel’s shocking confession.
For the first time in my life, I witnessed his genuine emotions.
“What do you mean…?”
The emotion on his face was utter bewilderment.
In the end, Tronios Ether could not bring himself to say another word.
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