Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Ever since I ended up possessing this damned Grand Duke…
Every single day felt like it was getting worse in a different way.
Haa… whatever.
The Grand Duke is me now, and I am the Grand Duke.
There’s no point clinging to that past anymore. Nothing good comes from it.
“Damn it! As expected of the Grand Duke! Kidnapping a saint like it’s nothing! He’s doing what we can’t even dream of! That’s so thrilling! I admire him!”
Ignoring the nonsense from one of the knights, I stepped out of the heavy combat armor.
Pssh—.
Hot air vented out of the exosuit as steam burst into the air.
“Saintess.”
“…Yes.”
She no longer looked at me as a savior.
Understandable. The man who promised to send her home suddenly turned around and abducted her instead.
But I had no choice if I wanted to survive.
“When we arrive at my flagship, the maids will attend to you. Until then, I ask for your patience.”
I tried my best to remain polite.
There were too many reasons for that.
First, no matter how you looked at it, I was the one at fault here… or rather, “I” was, meaning the original Grand Duke.
Second, she was someone who would eventually marry the Crown Prince and become an empress. From a political standpoint, I needed to maintain a decent relationship.
And most importantly, there was the Relvon fleet from LaViel likely chasing us at full speed.
If even the slightest thing went wrong, she might end up begging them not to kill me.
Anyway, it was a mix of complicated reasons.
And fundamentally, a saintess was someone deserving of respect regardless of affiliation.
At this point, I had no choice but to treat her properly.
“…Um.”
She grabbed the edge of my sleeve just as I was about to turn away to change clothes.
“…?”
“I understand. If you had let me go… then maybe…”
She was right.
No matter how many human weapons-like knights were on this ship, LaViel’s technology could wipe them out with a single death beam.
So keeping her as a hostage was the only viable option.
But that was from our perspective.
From hers, she had every right to hate us.
Yet there was no resentment in her eyes.
…Incredible.
So she really is a saintess.
Erina had always been like that.
A person whose kindness was not erased even by a dark past life.
A person whose goodness shone even brighter in this ridiculous novel-like universe.
Sometimes she got emotional and went a bit wild, but still… she was undeniably a good person.
And that gentle heart of hers, along with something else just as overwhelming—
Damn it. Stop looking there.
“Thank you, Saintess.”
“….”
“We will do our best to take care of you during your stay.”
After all, nobles treated prisoners of war well.
And she wasn’t even a prisoner.
The flagship “Wolf’s Glory” had already docked with my ship, “Black Night of Calamity.”
The navigator skillfully completed the docking, and we transferred over to the main vessel.
I escorted her as naturally as possible.
“Please change into something comfortable and rest. The maids will assist you.”
She simply nodded in response.
I watched her being led away by the maids for a moment before turning my head.
There were still many things to handle, but at least the major crises had been resolved. I could finally breathe a little easier.
Then, Gehrnhard and Quereg rushed toward me.
“Grand Duke! You’re safe!”
Quereg saluted me sharply.
“Oh my, young master—ah, no, Your Grace. You look half-dead…”
“Watch your words. I think he looks much better now.”
Gehrnhard shot Quereg a glare, then smiled warmly at me.
“I will prepare your meal. Please rest.”
“Yeah… thanks, old man.”
I headed straight for the bath after sending him off.
Naturally, the maids followed behind me.
“Don’t come in.”
“…Understood.”
One sentence was enough to stop them.
This was a noble society, not exactly medieval, and Aramathis overall had a relatively open culture.
I sank into the warm bath and let my thoughts drift.
First, what I had gained and what risks remained.
The first gain was the activation of the Planetary Meltdown Engine.
Judging by the knights’ reaction alone, it was something beyond extraordinary. But I still couldn’t fully grasp its impact.
I’d probably only understand it once I went down to the surface myself.
The second gain… was the saintess.
Erina Roengrantz.
Her value honestly surpassed the entire planet of Aramathis.
Even without considering her ability to gather powerful figures around her through sheer charisma, she possessed immense power.
If I could secure her cooperation, she could restore barren land or save people freezing to death without needing the Akashic Records.
More importantly, her existence itself would legitimize what happened in the war.
Right now, my reputation was basically “that idiot Grand Duke.”
But with the saintess on my side?
At least it would become “the guy who somehow didn’t completely fail at war.”
However, new problems had also emerged in the process.
I had effectively become an interstellar kidnapper.
And I had crossed an irreversible line with LaViel.
Especially her father, Lord Logan Roengrantz, who must be furious right now.
If not for the lack of interstellar pursuit capability in this sector, I would’ve been caught already.
There were still many unresolved issues.
The citizens were probably waiting for an official announcement about the energy system.
And food shortages weren’t solved either.
Plus the threat of alien invasions still loomed.
Haah… I don’t know anymore.
Honestly, the death flags from internal rebellion seemed mostly gone at least—
Then suddenly, a sharp sensation pierced through my body.
“…!”
This was exactly the kind of feeling that meant extreme danger.
I quickly finished bathing, dressed, and checked my room.
A pistol was in the drawer. I grabbed it and reloaded.
Click.
At that moment—
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
Probably Gehrnhard… but I couldn’t ignore that earlier feeling.
I hid the pistol behind my back and slowly opened the door.
Click.
And there she was.
“Ah… hello…”
The saintess stood there nervously, face flushed, avoiding eye contact.
She was wearing a thick jacket from somewhere, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“Saintess? What brings you here?”
“U-um…”
I glanced down the hallway. Empty.
“Please come in.”
I let her inside and hid the pistol again.
She sat on my bed, quietly watching me.
When our eyes met—
“Haah!”
She startled and quickly looked away.
…Why is she here, staring like that?
“Are you cold?”
“N-no?”
Now that I looked closer, she was sweating a little.
“You can take off the coat.”
“R-really?”
She removed it slightly, exhaling softly.
…This is bad.
“…You should put it back on.”
“Huh? W-why?”
“There’s a reason.”
There was nothing wrong with the outfit itself.
If only her chest size had been a B cup, it would’ve been fine.
A slightly revealing, pretty outfit.
But the problem was that it wasn’t a B cup.
Those… massive things were pressing against the fabric, glistening slightly with sweat.
Damn it. Did my danger sense react to this?
It was honestly threatening in its own way. Could probably kill a man.
She finally realized what I meant and hurriedly covered herself, face turning bright red.
“So, why did you come here?”
To change the topic, I spoke.
“…I have a request.”
“Are you uncomfortable with something?”
She shook her head.
“I want to meet someone.”
“A citizen of the Empire?”
I already knew, but asked anyway.
“Yes.”
It was probably her former maid from her past life.
Not hard to find.
Especially with my authority.
But…
Of course I wouldn’t do it for free.
“Let’s make a deal.”
“…Alright.”
She accepted surprisingly quickly.
“First. You will attend the victory parade with me.”
“…Okay.”
She hesitated slightly but agreed.
“Second. Bless the planet Jeonisis-VI with the blessing of the earth.”
The blessing of the earth—fertilizing land itself.
A single blessing could turn an entire planet into fertile farmland.
And her blessing was far beyond normal limits.
“Okay.”
No hesitation this time.
“Deal?”
I extended my hand.
She looked at it for a moment, then—
“Deal.”
She shook it, smiling brightly.
For a moment, it felt strangely dangerous.
Erina’s perspective
After meeting the Grand Duke, Erina was completely confused.
He said he would send her home, then suddenly changed course.
But that part was understandable.
What wasn’t understandable was the clothes.
They were… indecent.
Still, she managed to wear them, but felt deeply embarrassed.
So she wrapped herself in a coat.
And then she went to see him.
He accepted her request easily.
But in return, he made a request of his own.
For a moment she thought—
‘H-he’s going to demand my body…!’
She was ready to slap him and steal a ship and run away.
But thankfully, it wasn’t that.
Instead, it was something she could accept.
In fact, she felt relieved.
He wasn’t treating her like an object, but as a partner.
And strangely… that made her feel safe.
He was technically an invader of her homeland, but the war had been so one-sided it barely felt real.
So she didn’t really hate him.
And he kept lingering in her mind.
The way he hid his gun.
The way he treated her with respect.
A strange kind of kindness she had never experienced before.
And for the first time in either life…
She felt like maybe this man was someone she could stand beside.
“Deal.”
She smiled brightly as she shook his hand.