Become the Marquis Heir and Marry My Daughter
A short while before the banquet began in the imperial palace.
In the north, a little ways from the capital Drakir.
-Slash!
“Graaah!!”
A band of ruffians ambushed a certain viscount on his way to attend the capital's banquet.
“Hah, huff…!”
The viscount known as 'Rotten Herald,' who had been proudly showing off his carriage with its shiny incandescent bulb sign, clutched his chest…
“Th-thank you. Saintess!”
…and offered his thanks to the Saintess who had protected him.
“Damn it, why the hell is a Saintess riding along in some shabby viscount's carriage?!”
“Hehe. Because I had business in Viscount Herald's territory, of course.”
The assassins sent by Viscount Herald's political enemies recalled that he had recently inquired with the Papal Court about building a Heavenly Lord's church.
Normally, a high-ranking cleric would be dispatched from the Papal Court headquarters to handle the negotiations.
But why…!
“Why is the Saintess personally handling such a trivial task?!”
Why was she negotiating directly with the viscount and then attending the Millennium Founding Festival banquet with him?!
The assassins felt like they were dying of injustice.
“Should a Saintess refuse menial tasks just because of her high position?”
Of course, as the Saintess said, no one should shirk humble duties regardless of rank. Higher status simply meant greater responsibility—and the consideration that came with bearing its burdens.
That was why the Saintess often went on these out-of-town trips in place of busy priests when she had time.
And on her way back from one such trip…
“Saintess, leave this to us—.”
“No. I sense a thick aura of black magic from them… I'll handle it myself.”
“……This unpleasant feeling wasn't coincidence after all.”
To think she'd stumble upon such delectable prey for judgment!
Black magic from demons that devoured others' life force!!
She could smell it wafting from the robed figures before them.
“Kuhuku! You lot, barely scraping single digits in circles, think you can take on dozens of ghouls and zombie hordes?!”
The black mage was confident.
No matter how much of a Saintess she was, throwing endless violent ghouls and infinitely resurrecting zombies at her would wear her down eventually.
“With these hands, I shall judge you! Kehkehkel!!!”
In that moment, the black mage plotted to slip through the knights and kill the Saintess.
-Zing!!
“Huh?”
…Before he saw the two Holy Light Swords she drew.
“Wait, Saintess! Did you take my hand lantern again?!”
“Just borrowing it this once. Sir Toby!”
Having swiped one knight's hand lantern, the Saintess crossed the drawn Holy Light Swords.
The golden blades stretched out, forming a cross symbolizing the Heavenly Lord's love and grace.
-Clang!
“You dare reject the grace of reincarnation bestowed by the Heavenly Lord, yet recite judgment upon His daughter?!”
“Yes?”
The Saintess's sheer presence completely overwhelmed the black mage.
For a moment, he thought the Saint Ray from the Papal Court had descended.
And who knew—maybe he had.
“Kyaaak!!”
“Evil be gone!”
-Slash!!
“Huff?! My ghoul trisected in one strike?!”
The moment the Saintess swung her twin Holy Light Swords, the charging ghoul was cleaved into three pieces, scattering across the dirt road.
-Zing!
“You shall not tremble before the Heavenly Lord's blessing but fall like severed straw!! Aaaaamen!!!”
Ever since she could maintain the Holy Light Sword longer than anyone in the Papal Court,
the Saintess had been training in swordsmanship under Saint Ray alongside the elite knight order.
-Hummm!!
“Ooooh!!! Hallelujah!!”
“The Heavenly Lord's blessing has perfectly fused with the Saintess's muscles! Aaaamen!!!”
And the reason that elite knight order was so strong? They were zealots who healed halfway-to-death knights with holy power and threw them back into training.
For a Saintess who endured such hardcore drills…
“And He said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light!!”
-Slash!!
“And He saw the light, that it was good!”
…Reciting scripture while butchering ghouls and zombies was no sweat.
“All you evildoers, depart from me! You workers of iniquity, be gone from me!!”
“Eh? Eeeh?”
As far as the assassins knew, the publicly known Saintess did frontline duty but wasn't a combat specialist…
Yet contrary to rumors, over two-thirds of the ghouls and zombies had already been swept away.
By a single Saintess wielding twin Holy Light Swords!!
“Heavenly Lord!! As I return these twisted children to Your embrace, forgive this one who revisits death upon them—!!”
Had the Saintess become a master of twin-sword arts?
The assassins couldn't believe it, but…
“R-run!! We can't win this!!”
“The crazy Saintess is rampaging!!!”
…belief was irrelevant now.
If they wanted to live, they had to flee.
“Where do you think you're running, you horde of evil!!!”
“Chase them!! They won't have gotten far after tasting the Saintess's Holy Light Sword!”
Having failed their assassination, they bolted in panic.
Back to the first day of the Millennium Founding Festival,
“Pleased to meet you. Akion Energies. I'm currently running a sugarcane plantation in the south—.”
The official Millennium Founding Festival banquet began after the Emperor's address(?) praising Akion.
It was supposed to celebrate the empire's thousandth birthday,
“We met before, right? Long time no see, Akion Energies!”
“About that turbine pump I mentioned. If it's alright, perhaps visit our estate too—.”
yet people were flocking around the Energies family instead.
Everyone trying to make even the slightest connection with Akion.
“My little brother asked me to. Brother, we need a furnace that melts armor in one go. Please bestow your knowledge of earth magic on this humble brother!”
“Hmph. Do you know how much Akion begged for my help during the turbine pump and boiler development? Without my pressure values, it would've been impossible.”
His siblings were busy boasting by leveraging Akion.
Was this the Founding Festival or the Energies Festival?
Akion wanted to go home.
“When did I ever say that?”
“You did!”
“You totally did!”
“Not exaggerating or omitting doesn't mean there was no embellishment. You slanderous siblings.”
And they had reason: Moments ago, the Emperor had declared two imperial territories—for Energies, or rather, Akion alone.
At this historic Millennium Founding Festival, no less.
“Hehe, Akion. Don't be too upset.”
“I'd rather you spent that time on more research.”
“……”
“Speaking of, Lady Lucrecia, you've been coming to the workshop less lately—.”
“Ohoho! I-I see an acquaintance over there, so I must go! Since we're here, mingle with everyone!!”
Symbolically, politically, and in terms of future industrial policy,
the Emperor had nailed it: 'This guy's the real deal. He's mine now.'
To nobles who had to watch politics, this made him an extremely cautious target.
“Energies. Long time no see.”
And for the Volkov ducal house, with whom he was engaged, it was unwelcome news.
-Silence…
One corner of the banquet hall, where nobles gathered around Energies, fell instantly quiet at the call.
-Step, step.
The chieftain of northern warriors stepped forward toward Delpord.
His fierce impression and massive build, mixed with continental northern barbarian blood and scarred, looked even more brutal.
“Duke Arctic…”
“Congratulations. Thanks to your son-in-law, you scored big with imperial territories. So… you're Akion Energies?”
The greatest head of Volkov, who elevated the marquis house to ducal status.
As a swordsman, only peak Expert compared to his daughter, yet an excellent knight…
“The kid who used to hide in his mother's skirts, trembling in fear as a child, now stands tall before me. Time flies! Kahahaha!”
The war genius who commanded the army to finally complete the long-delayed Volkov Line walls against monster attacks, reaching grand general status in tactics.
“Allow me a formal greeting, son-in-law. I am Duke Arctic Volkov.”
“……I see the Blue Wolf of the North. Akion Energies.”
Finally, Akion's father-in-law (real).
Duke Arctic Volkov.
“Enough with the half-hearted pleasantries.”
One corner of the banquet hall's terrace.
A spot perfect for secret talks, often used by young noblemen and ladies for rendezvous,
“Your straightforward nature is as refreshing as ever.”
“Northern warriors don't care for flowery words. Straight to the point.”
…was now occupied by Akion, Delpord, and Duke Arctic.
“Akion Energies. How old are you now?”
“Eighteen.”
“Then you'll be of age next year and eligible for marriage. I'll take you north early next year.”
“Duke Arctic!”
“Fulfill your duties as a son-in-law.”
With every noble's ears attuned to this side amid the banquet.
Delpord had cast magic to block eavesdropping, but
the duke's declaration shook it momentarily with its shock value.
“I sent a letter! It was a unilateral cancellation, and as compensation, I increased the sponsorship funds!”
“Ah yes, by twenty, thirty percent. Grateful for that. I even considered seriously dissolving the engagement… but.”
Duke Arctic pointed at Akion with a scarred, burned finger.
“While I was late to the banquet on other business, the Emperor made his move. Declaring two imperial territories just for Akion Energies. Kuhuhu…!”
He grinned like a wolf eyeing prey,
sending chills down Akion's spine.
“The Emperor's essentially declared war on me. Over who claims Akion first.”
“Refrain from rash judgment, Duke!”
“Delpord, my friend Delpord. As his birth father and constant companion, you know best. How Akion's value soars daily.”
Unlike his barbaric appearance, the tactical genius Duke Arctic was shrewd in politics too.
The Emperor's imperial decree pushing magitech hard.
He saw right through its implications.
“Delpord. You know it too. No alliance tighter than marriage.”
He seemed intent on placing Akion under him.
Plus, the Seventh Princess's recent glow-up? Clearly from special magic tools Akion gave her.
To nobles' eyes, it screamed 'Akion and the princess are engaged.'
“My daughter came home sulking. Said Young Master Energies toyed with her words then unilaterally declared breakup.”
“Duke, that's too far with the jokes.”
“The first part maybe not, but the second is true, no?”
Words aside, it was just postponing marriage.
Yet the duke's obsession with Akion stemmed from wanting to bind him ASAP.
Akion had noticed that much.
Forced to hone political senses inside and out of noble houses, willing or not.
“Delpord. Let us acknowledge it. As comrades filling each other's lacks, the engagement must proceed—.”
“Then, if I abandon the Energies name, will that settle it?”
“What.”
“What?!!”
But an absurdly mad solution emerged,
leaving the Blue Wolf and the count both dumbfounded.
“Well done. You got us out of that crisis.”
After Akion's absurd remark left the duke stunned and he backed off promising to talk later,
“Before showing off that incandescent bulb, I was seriously considering leaving Energies.”
“Think about reinstalling all that infrastructure you built in another city.”
“Damn it. I shouldn't have been dazzled by Energies money!”
Akion and birth father Delpord escaped unscathed.
Of course, Akion was curious about his vague childhood memories of Energies.
Why sell off an incompetent kid like him to such an obsessively clingy house?
Judging by his father's mood, he wouldn't spill now.
“Your love life has gotten awfully complicated, son.”
“What slander is that, Father?”
Suddenly labeling his son a harem king, Delpord.
Akion was dumbfounded…
“It has. Heh heh.”
From Delpord's third-party view, too many women surrounded Akion now.
Hermione? Saw Akion like an academy professor, so excluded.
If she felt heterosexual attraction, it'd be straight to a convent. Anyway.
In Energies: Goldie, Ridaside's Tower Master.
In the capital: Saintess, and judging by the Emperor's glances, Seventh Princess too.
Last time's Isirel Volkov seemed smitten with Akion too…
“Son.”
“What.”
“Hang in there. As your father, I'll help with what I couldn't provide before.”
“Why the sudden sentimentality?”
Whatever form of affection they held for Akion, one thing was certain.
Akion had a harem constitution!!
“Even if we abandon the count title, we must leave heirs!”
“You're teasing me with this sentimentality…”
Still, one son with multiple daughters-in-law beat one daughter with multiple sons-in-law.
The imperial family had headaches from the latter.
And compared to Akion's shocking feats… that karma? Current Energies head could shoulder it together.
“Delpord Energies, Akion Energies. His Majesty summons you.”
“The Emperor summons me…?”
“Uh… not just me, Father too?”
Right on cue, the Emperor's summons.
If Seventh Princess talk came up, he'd smooth it over.
Entering the secret audience chamber, as Delpord predicted, the Seventh Princess sat beside the Emperor.
Delpord was confident in his guess…
“The ducal house is burdensome? What about a marquis house?”
“Your Majesty. Pardoning my impertinence, I request you repeat that.”
…But he hadn't expected marquis house talk.
“The western alliance's pressure on you has quieted. How about becoming a marquis? Then marriage to imperial blood poses no issue.”
“……”
Delpord recalled days cleaning up his predecessor's messes as Energies head.
That's why he was eating 'sell kids for power' flak from current Akion…
“Hahaha! Delpord, you're so thrilled you can't speak!”
“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty……”
And now, political fallout from this impending marquis promotion.
Maintaining count status honored ancestors' will, but western noble alliance glared, so he stayed put!!
He had to defend somehow…!!
“However, Your Majesty, Energies has not yet amassed merits worthy of marquis elevation. Please withdraw the order.”
“Then earn them. Energies, heed imperial command!”
No way.
Merit farming? Delpord's stomach churned.
Akion felt the same. Why another imperial decree!!
The two Energies rose and knelt immediately,
“Akion Energies. Believing you who brought light to Energies territory won't ignore the empire's ragged poor.”
The Emperor praised his benevolence, assigning the first sweet state-budget mission.
“Bring a mass-production method faster and finer than magic for cloth, so none go naked. This is my first edict upon Energies' name!”
First of food-clothing-shelter: clothing-related edict.
Solvable via semi-automation and factory-ization of sewing machines and looms Delpord mentioned!
Akion side-eyed; Delpord met his surprised gaze.
Emperor force-feeding marquis status.
No refusing anyway…
“I accept the imperial command!”
“I accept the imperial command…!”
Fine, let's do it.
Akion hurriedly recalled loom and sewing machine principles.