“It’s quite a curious thing. Could it be that you, my lord, emit some kind of pheromone that makes children follow you so well? How do you manage to attract them like this…?”
“When you put it like that, it makes me sound like I’m up to something highly inappropriate.”
“Your hidden intentions are impure. On the surface, it may appear as pure goodwill, but aren’t you secretly hoping that when the child grows up, she will develop feelings for you and approach you with affection?”
“Hey now. Do you really see me as someone that calculating?”
“Perhaps not deliberately. But I’m certain it’s simply your instinct.”
“…”
On the way back to the mansion.
Hit by Sylvia’s sudden verbal onslaught, I was left speechless.
Instinct, she said.
It wasn’t something I could outright deny.
“Why don’t you just give up?”
“Give up? Give up what?”
“Why not quietly accept the position of Consort Prince? Her Majesty seems to have affection for you that goes beyond mere political interest, so life in the Imperial Palace might not be as miserable as you think.”
“…Are you seriously saying this?”
“I was joking.”
“…”
Of course she was.
There was hardly any benefit for the head of a Count’s family to marry not the next Empress, but the current one.
Even if I were to marry her, a mere Count’s household could never rise above the Imperial Family.
Thus, the title I would receive wouldn’t be one of equal standing but that of Consort Prince—far removed from any sort of absolute power.
And yet, the responsibilities I would bear? Likely dozens.
Unless my lifelong dream had been “to marry Empress Sister”, I had no reason to agree to this marriage.
“Of course, if proper negotiations were held, it wouldn’t be entirely impossible… But for now, I have no intention of forming ties with the Imperial Family.”
“That puts me at ease. I thought, given how you’ve been admired by a woman since childhood, you might recklessly rush into marriage the moment she showed interest. But now that I see you still prioritize your household’s prosperity above all else, I can rest easy.”
“…”
Of course.
Ever since I found myself in this world, my top priority has remained unchanged—a peaceful retirement.
Along the way, I eliminated anything that could threaten my life, which unintentionally led to my family’s exponential growth…
But isn’t power and wealth the best means to ensure peace?
I’ve built too much to throw it all away now.
But still… Sylvia.
Is she unloading all the complaints she’s been holding back today?
Did I do something to make her mad?
“Hey, do you have some kind of grudge against me? Your words seem unusually sharp today.”
“Oh my. You misunderstand.”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ chides you, saying you’re being overly sensitive.]
At that moment, Sylvia abruptly dispelled her Aura, reverting to the form of a young child and making a nasally whine.
It was painfully obvious that she was trying to worm her way out of this situation.
And yet, seeing the bright, innocent eyes of child-Sylvia staring up at me, the irritation I had felt melted away.
Had I really been that touchy?
“Hmm… Maybe it’s just my imagination.”
“Of course it is.”
Sylvia shrugged smugly.
As I watched her tiny feet slip out of her now-oversized shoes and wriggle her small toes, a sudden realization struck me like a hammer to the head.
‘Wait a second. The Empress also suffered from mana erosion, but she avoided its side effects by awakening her Aura, right? Then… if she dispels her Aura, wouldn’t she also revert to her younger self…?’
Why had I never thought of this before?
I should have realized it the moment I saw Sylvia revert to a child!
Gnashing my teeth, I cursed my past self’s incompetence.
‘Should I get down on my knees and beg…?’
If I got on my knees and pleaded, would she let me see it just once?
But what if she set a condition—like making me become Consort Prince in exchange?
Well, in that case…
There’d be no choice but to accept fate and become the Empress’s husband.
For the sake of my household, forging ties with the Imperial Family was undeniably the better option.
I’d have no choice but to accept a future where I worked like a dog for the Empire.
“…Huh!? What the hell am I thinking!?”
“What’s the matter, my lord?”
“I almost got played by the Empress’s schemes…! That was a terrifying strategy…”
“…?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ praises your mental fortitude for resisting mind erosion.]
A shiver ran down my spine.
My thoughts had naturally drifted toward accepting the idea of becoming Consort Prince.
That had to be part of the Empress’s plan.
Instead of persuasion through words, she was attempting to erode my mind from the inside—to alter my perception, little by little…
I couldn’t help but admire her terrifying tactics.
Just as Kali said, my iron will and sharp insight had saved me.
I had almost ended up brainwashed straight to the wedding altar.
But this wouldn’t be the last attempt.
I had no idea when the Empress would launch her next mental assault—but I had to remain vigilant.
It would be good to always be on edge and prepare for it.
It would be best to remain on high alert and prepare for whatever may come.
***
“Today is the day! Today is the day the Super Super Strong Sword comes back to me…!”
From the crack of dawn, Charlotte’s singing echoed throughout the entire mansion.
Thanks to her, every single person in the household now knew that today was the scheduled day for the completion of the Super Super Strong Sword’s repairs.
Watching her excitedly pacing near the front gate, brimming with anticipation, I couldn’t help but smile fondly.
‘It’s just the scheduled date, though. There’s no guarantee it’ll actually arrive today…’
I suddenly wondered what would happen if the sword didn’t return today.
Jacob’s forge was experiencing an unprecedented boom, already booked solid for the next ten years.
Of course, the Super Super Strong Sword had a special contract, allowing it to be repaired without reservation.
However, even with priority status, it still had to wait for the current batch of work in the forge to be completed first.
If the ongoing projects were delayed, the sword’s return could also be postponed.
‘It might be a little entertaining to see Charlotte heartbroken, believing the Super Super Strong Sword has truly died because the repair is late…’
[The Evil God ‘Kali, gasps at your sheer wickedness—but secretly agrees with your sentiment.]
The sight of an adorable child dramatically exaggerating a minor issue and sobbing like they had lost their entire kingdom was a universal source of amusement, regardless of nationality or race.
Especially since Charlotte was usually so cheerful, the contrast of her wailing would make it all the more satisfying to witness.
But then—
“The repair of the Super Super Strong Sword is complete, Count…”
“Welcome back! And it’s Super Super Strong Sword, not Super Strong Sword!”
“O-oh, right…”
Of course, someone as efficient as Jacob wouldn’t delay the repair of a VIP client’s weapon.
A carriage pulled up to the front gate.
Jacob stepped out, carrying a large wooden crate.
I was just about to go out and order the gate to be opened when—
“Mister! Mister! The Super Super Strong Sword is here! Open the door, please!”
“…!”
Bang!
The door swung open with force, and Charlotte rushed all the way to my office, pulling me out.
Had she learned some kind of teleportation technique?
Just a moment ago, she had been at the front gate—how had she reached me so fast…?
A wry chuckle escaped me as Charlotte practically dragged me outside by the hand.
“How have you been, Jacob?”
“Hahaha… Well, Count, as you can see…”
“…”
The greeting I offered out of courtesy was met with a voice that sounded like that of a dying zombie.
His slouched back, the deep, dark circles under his eyes, and his trembling hands…
The once refined and bookish Jacob now finally looked like a proper blacksmith.
“Super Super Strong Sword! Let me see it! I wanna check if it’s fixed properly!”
“P-please wait just a moment.”
Charlotte clung to the wooden crate, impatiently pleading.
Unable to resist, Jacob quickly broke the seal and opened the box.
From within, a holy white light radiated outward.
Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“There. It’s all fixed. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
“Wait a minute! This isn’t my Super Super Strong Sword!!!”
“…”
Inside the crate was a pristine, elegant longsword, exuding an unmistakable holy presence.
A weapon worthy of being called a Holy Sword.
Now that I thought about it… wasn’t this how the sword originally looked when Jacob first worked on it?
“This is your Super Super Strong Sword, Charlotte…”
“But it looks nothing like it! My Super Super Strong Sword would never look this pathetic! It’s supposed to be way cooler and way more powerful-looking!”
“Well… When I first started working on it, it did look the way you remember. But strangely enough, over time, the dark color gradually faded, and eventually, it became like this.”
“Huaaaah…!”
Jacob scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
Meanwhile, Charlotte’s eyes welled up with tears—then, she burst into sobs.
I hadn’t expected to see her cry this way…
“Huaaaa! My Super Super Strong Sword! Sniff My Super Super Strong Sword is… huh?”
Crying like her entire world had crumbled, Charlotte reached into the crate and grabbed the holy-looking sword.
And then—
The instant her hands touched it—
The brilliantly pure holy sword suddenly turned jet-black, as if it had clawed its way up from the depths of hell.
It reverted back to the eerie, menacing form we knew as the Super Super Strong Sword.
“Yay! Super Super Strong Sword is back…!”
“…”
“…”
Charlotte hugged the sword tightly, overjoyed.
Meanwhile, Jacob and I were left utterly speechless.
That sword… had definitely ended up in the wrong hands.
