The friendly demon Rattatosk left a curse.
I can’t even be bothered to remember what it said in its final moment, but I know for sure that its curse remains tightly bound to this world.
That woman.
‘Is she starting to look at me rationally now?’
She was once Regif’s mother, but now she seems to be considering me as a potential partner.
‘At the very least, a rational candidate. At worst, a stud to continue the family line.’
The current name of her family may be ‘Ludvecia’, but if you think about it, she was once a pureblood Habsderk.
‘If she recognizes the traces of Regif remaining in me due to the curse, then it means the Habsderk curse still lingers.’
The Habsderk family cares about no one outside their own bloodline.
A beauty.
An S-ranked mage.
The Habsderk territory. And even the threat posed by the Demonic Land above it has somewhat dissipated with Rattatosk’s demise, making the threat to the territory less immediate.
She’s a widow with no sons, only a daughter.
To noblemen, she’s an extremely valuable catch, and it wouldn’t be strange if the king himself took her as a concubine or queen.
‘The fact that she’s still in mourning clothes and remains a widow means that Ludvecia herself refuses romantic advances due to the Habsderk curse.’
I may not know what she’s been up to since becoming the Marchioness of Ludvecia, but based on Instructor Esta’s reaction, I have a vague idea.
“Marchioness, what exactly…?”
“After sending Seia to the Academy, I’ve been feeling a bit lonely. Besides, I feel like I’ve kept my loyalty over the past ten years…”
“What?”
Instructor Esta is flustered.
Given the other party is an S-rank mage, it wouldn’t be easy, even for a Sword Master like her, to accurately gauge the Marchioness’s true intent through intuition.
However.
“Haha, it’s a joke, Instructor Esta. Do you think I’d seriously go after a 17-year-old student?”
Ludvecia waved her hand and laughed as if it were just a joke.
Her voice and gaze directed at Instructor Esta clearly suggested, ‘Of course, it’s a joke.’
“Oh, I see. Of course.”
Instructor Esta, still startled, let out a sigh of relief.
‘She’s clearly still a v*rgin.’
Shall I tell her later?
Right now, that woman harbors similar thoughts to mine.
‘She wouldn’t go after a 17-year-old.’
Seventeen is underage.
But if you wait just three more years…?
“So, how does the person in question feel about being treated like a son?”
As I remained silent, Ludvecia turned her attention to me.
While Instructor Esta was flustered, I stayed as calm as possible, causing Ludvecia to grow slightly anxious.
“Hmm, that’s a bit troublesome.”
I quietly took a sip of coffee, then leisurely set the cup down.
“If I become Marchioness Ludvecia’s son, does that mean I’ll become Red Sol Ludvecia?”
At first, I brought it up playfully for personal reasons.
“That’s right. Oh, is the name ‘Phoenix’ more important to you? Hmm, in that case, what should we do? To use a middle name, at least a duke’s rank is necessary.”
“How about I establish a Phoenix Duchy, how about you become the Duchess?”
And then I counterattacked.
“Duchess, you say?”
“The Phoenix Duchy practices polygamy, and I plan to set up individual rooms for each wife.”
“What…?”
Instructor Esta, puzzled by the absurdity, tried to stop me, but under the table, I gently tapped her ankle with my shoeless foot.
I’ve got this.
She seemed to understand my signal as she quietly sipped her drink.
“Are you suggesting I approach not as the Marchioness of Ludvecia, but as a woman?”
“As long as you’re beautiful, lovely, and charming, I don’t care about age.”
“Pffft!”
Instructor Esta spat out her tea.
“Oh my… So even if I’m a widow with a 17-year-old daughter, it doesn’t matter?”
“If they truly love me with ‘genuine’ feelings, I won’t be concerned about the details of their situation—whether they’re noble or commoner, married or not, v*rgin or not, human or not…”
I lightly traced my finger on the table, drawing a line through the condensation on the surface.
“As long as they’re not underage and I like them, it’s all OK.”
“Hmm.”
“Even if there are ulterior motives or benefits to their feelings, as long as the foundation of those feelings is ‘genuine’.”
What if Ludvecia approaches me with pure reason, not because of a curse?
If she were genuinely willing to overcome even the “Habsderk Curse” left by Rattatosk and approached me with rational, deliberate intentions, then I might be willing to reconsider my stance.
But in her current state, that’s not the case.
‘It’s not that she instinctively felt a romantic connection when we first met, but rather, due to the curse, it’s obvious that she’s in a state of excitement.’
I know.
What kind of state is that woman in terms of mana right now?
It’s not that her heart is in it; her body is simply in a heightened state of excitement.
If I make a wrong move now, I might end up being just a tool to release the pent-up tension of the past ten years.
“…Phoenix.”
Ludvecia said, swallowing and straightening her back.
“You are more serious than I expected. Or is it that you didn’t understand my offer of making you my son?”
“I understood both rationally and politically.”
“Then why are you rejecting it?”
“It’s not rejection. I’m simply expressing my ambition.”
I raised my half-filled coffee cup, as if making a toast.
“I aim to become the master of my own family, not someone’s adopted son or husband by marriage.”
“Hmm.”
“It’s possible for Lady Ludvecia to be under Phoenix, but to be called Red Ludvecia while forsaking the name Phoenix? That would go against my identity.”
“You’re speaking quite indirectly, get to the point….”
Ludvecia chuckled, tapping the table as if she found it amusing.
“Don’t stand above me?”
Smirk.
I responded with a smile instead of words.
“Hmm…”
“W-Wait. You, that kind of remark…”
“Interesting. A student of the Academy should at least have that much ambition. I was worried you might be a shallow person who would just say ‘yes’ to being my son.”
Ludvecia raised a hand, her tone shifting.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to take offense at my refusal.
“However, I haven’t given up on the idea of us being close. Sometimes, the charm of a woman lies in making a man like you change his mind.”
“Is that so?”
It seems she hasn’t entirely abandoned the idea.
“Of course. Being called ‘son’ could be just that, but a relationship between a mother-in-law and son-in-law can sometimes feel like a mother and son, can’t it?”
Flinch.
“Marchioness, that’s—”
“Instructor Esta, it depends on how Seia feels, but who knows what could happen?”
A mother-in-law and son-in-law relationship.
While it’s not usually by blood, what if that son-in-law was once the son who returned from Hell?
Terrifying, Rattatosk.
Even after being slain by the Azure Flames, he managed to curse this world.
“I see. But, please be careful.”
I downed the rest of my coffee and said.
“If I manage to win over Seia Ludvecia’s heart, it would be problematic if you end up becoming rivals for affection.”
“…Oh my, are you declaring that you’ll steal both the mother’s and daughter’s hearts?”
“Does it sound like a joke to you?”
I left a clear warning.
“If that were to happen, I would have no choice but to choose the one who is more ‘genuine’ toward me.”
Because…
The end of the Habs.
It’s not simply the end of -Haps-.
“The rivalry between women over one man is something I’m not fond of. Especially when that rivalry involves former comrades, sisters, or…”
Electra complex.
Oedipus complex.
A daughter envies her mother for her father’s love.
A son envies his father for his mother’s love.
In turn, the child kills the parent to claim the remaining one’s love.
[Habs Apocalypse]. No. 10-2. Yandere Apocalypse.
“Even if they are mother and daughter.”
A tragic end where, out of excessive love for family, one kills the child to prevent them from stealing their beloved.
* * *
While Marchioness Ludvecia went to touch up her makeup,
“Be careful. The Marchioness isn’t acting like her usual self.”
Instructor Esta warned me in a serious tone.
“I hate to say this, but it seems like she’s projecting ‘that child’ onto you.”
“That child?”
“…Regif Habsderk.”
That was me.
“I had a passing thought, but I never expected to hear it directly from you.”
“Do I really resemble him that much?”
“It’s not so much about the resemblance…”
Instructor Esta gestured to her eyes.
“It’s more about the way you look at people.”
“…”
“I still remember it, even though it was ten years ago. The way that 7-year-old boy looked at me.”
“And how was that?”
“Guarded, evaluating, with a hint of fear.”
“Fear?”
“It was the look of someone facing a catastrophe far beyond what he could handle.”
Is that so?
Back then, I must have looked at the heroines like that.
“Have I been giving off that same look?”
“A little different.”
“Yes?”
“Maybe it’s because ten years have passed, but there’s a distinct difference now.”
Esta pointed to my eyes.
“If you were Regif, it would be the look of someone who has grown confident, someone who now believes they can control what they couldn’t back then.”
“Hmm.”
“That’s the feeling I get. But of course, that’s impossible. Regif Habsderk…”
“Is dead.”
Ludvecia returned.
“This mourning attire is for him.”
“…What about your husband?”
“My husband is my husband, and my child is my child. I lost both of them, but losing a child is… different. Phoenix?”
Ludwigkiia lowered her voice seriously.
“I’m saying this as someone who sees you like a son—if you ever come across something like ‘blue flames’ at the Academy, get out of there immediately.”
“Marchioness.”
“Instructor Esta, I think it’s alright to say this much, isn’t it? It’s the most dangerous thing.”
“Well… I suppose.”
“If Seia ends up being on your team, she might tell you in my place, but unfortunately, that’s not the case.”
“?”
For a moment, I felt a chill.
“Wasn’t Miss Seia Ludvecia supposed to be the remaining teammate? Is that not why you came?”
“It’s the opposite, actually. Even though she was admitted as a special student, they’re still trying to maintain a semblance of ‘fairness’.”
Ludvecia, for the first time, spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
“What’s wrong with me looking after the children I treat like my own son and daughter within my domain? It’s not like I’m giving them any unfair advantages.”
“Then… who is the remaining team member?”
“Ta-da!”
Ludvecia clasped her hands together in a playful gesture, laughing.
“Your classmate, Ludvecia~”
She even used magic, styling her hair into twin tails.
“…”
“…I’m really joking. Don’t be so serious. Mama might get hurt.”
I understood why she was saying this.
“…Fine, I’ll overlook you calling yourself ‘Mama’, but please refrain from anything else.”
“Hahaha.”
Ludvecia quietly dropped her playful pose.
“I had originally planned to send Seia, but someone else suddenly insisted on going to the Old School Building instead.”
“…Someone else?”
“Yes.”
Rustle.
“Princess Evangeline di Ercy.”
“…”
?
“Who?”
