Chapter 4 Engagement (2)
Engagement (2)
Adel's face, seen for the first time in three days, looked less exhausted than when I'd first met her.
If back then she'd looked on the verge of collapse, now she merely seemed slightly fatigued.
'That must mean she'd regressed many times by that point.'
The pain experienced with each regression would have compounded her fatigue exponentially. Not that I felt particularly sorry about it.
In the end, that was her own affair.
'...I really have gone off the deep end, haven't I?'
Moments like these made me acutely aware of just how broken I'd become.
To think that I—once an ordinary college student who dutifully volunteered—had ended up like this.
All I could do was sigh.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"...No, nothing in particular."
"Then let's discuss the contract."
Tap!
With a flick of my finger, a sheet of paper materialized midair before settling onto the table. Adel picked it up and scanned its contents.
"The contract is bound by a geas, so violating its terms will incur a penalty."
For reference, the penalty was the consumption of one's lifespan.
Given how severe the consequences were, each of these contracts cost as much as a decent carriage.
Even nobles didn't purchase them recklessly. They might be wealthy, but their resources weren't infinite.
Of course, for someone of my standing as a duke, the price was hardly exorbitant.
"First: For one year, I shall act as Adel's fiancé and provide her with all possible assistance.
Second: In exchange, the Hardenberg family shall hold exclusive rights to the Este Count family's merchant guild for one year.
Third: The contract may be extended or terminated by mutual agreement when necessary.
In such cases, both parties must be of sound mind when reaching said agreement."
After reciting the terms, I glanced at her.
"This is the contract we established back then. Are there any amendments you'd like to make?"
"No."
"Good. Then you may keep this copy."
"...Why?"
"To foster mutual trust."
Adel's regression ability was essential to my goals.
To secure it, I needed to build trust first. If handing over the contract could earn even a sliver of her confidence, it was more than worth it.
"...I appreciate the consideration."
Looking slightly dazed, she tucked the contract into the folds of her dress.
"Ah, there was one more thing I hadn't mentioned yet."
At my words, Adel tilted her head quizzically.
"Come in, Evan."
Bang!
The door swung open, revealing a burly man. Black hair, black eyes, an earnest face, and a physique so massive he could easily be mistaken for a bear at first glance.
He was the vice-commander of the Black Crow Knights—and my former bodyguard before I became duke.
Despite his commoner origins, his rise to vice-commander had made him an aspirational figure among knights of humble birth.
"Uh..."
Adel's expression filled with bewilderment at his sudden appearance.
"You called, Your Grace!"
I shut my eyes briefly at the deafening boom of his voice. Come to think of it, he'd been the loudest one this morning.
"...Lower your voice."
"Yessir..."
Evan obediently toned it down—though I knew full well his volume would inevitably spike again.
I'd long since given up halfway, but if I didn't call him out, he'd only get louder. Hence the reminder.
'For someone so capable and good-natured, why does he have to be this noisy...?'
Adel glanced at me, then at Evan, before asking,
"...Who is this?"
"Evan. He'll be your escort knight from now on."
"At your service, Madam!"
"...Address her as 'my lady.'"
"Yessir! At your service, my lady!"
"...I see."
Evan's less-than-reassuring demeanor left her sounding deflated.
Not that I blamed her. Given his conduct so far, skepticism was warranted.
"No need for concern. Despite appearances, he's the vice-commander of the Black Crow Knights."
"...The vice-commander?"
Her dubious echo nearly made me laugh, though I stifled it just in time.
A sidelong glance revealed Evan's wounded expression.
"Indeed."
"...Thank you for your excessive generosity."
"Think nothing of it. My fiancée's safety is of utmost importance to me as well."
"Sir Evan... I look forward to working with you."
"Yessir! I'll give it my all!"
His overzealous reply seemed to unsettle Adel, who turned back to me with a slightly strained look.
"Do you have any other questions?"
"...No, none."
"Then I'll take my leave. Ah—Allen can fill you in on the bride training lessons."
"I understand."
With those words, I stepped out of the audience room and made my way toward the office.
Just how many documents would be waiting for me today...
The mere thought made my head throb, but as the Duke, there was no avoiding it.
***
How much time had passed?
At last, the work was done—reviewing the ducal household's budget management and verifying the finer details of various business ventures.
This should keep the workload at bay for a while.
Just as I was thinking that, something suddenly occurred to me.
'...Ah, right. Count Este's merchant guild.'
A dull ache pulsed in my temples, and I exhaled a sigh, leaning back into my chair.
The exclusive rights to Count Este's merchant guild meant that I could monopolize the goods they handled.
Of course, if I pushed the monopoly too far, it would backfire on me, so I'd have to exercise restraint—but that wasn't my goal in the first place.
What I was after were the military supplies Count Este distributed.
However, given his dealings with the Imperial House's armaments, he'd undoubtedly go to great lengths to conceal that fact.
Naturally, I had no intention of uncovering it right away either.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
Clang!
When I turned my head, I saw three assassins clad in black masks. Had they been hired by an assassination guild?
At a glance, their skills didn't seem particularly impressive.
"Tch, we failed!"
The assassins immediately tried to flee toward the window.
"You won't be leaving so easily."
Snap.
With a flick of my finger, their movements froze in place.
This was the application of the Hardenberg family's hereditary Space Magic. These fools probably hadn't even known I could wield it when they barged in.
'What's worth considering is whether this was meant as a warning...'
Perhaps simply establishing a connection with Count Este had already drawn the Imperial House's suspicion.
More importantly, what the hell were the knights doing while these intruders made it all the way into my office?
Bang!
The door burst open, and in rushed a man clad in light armor. The lean-framed man dropped to one knee before me.
"My apologies, Your Grace."
His name was Il-ho.
The leader of Crow, the secret assassination organization created by the Hardenberg ducal family—and my direct subordinate.
Of course, in the original work, an organization like Crow never existed.
I had gathered orphans who, in the original story, were noted for their exceptional combat prowess and molded them into this group.
An organization that handled both dirty and clean work—all for my sake.
Thanks to their existence, the Hardenberg family's influence had grown far beyond what it was in the original.
"So. Care to explain how they made it into my office?"
"I have no excuses to offer."
"I asked for the reason, Il-ho."
"Their numbers exceeded our expectations."
"And Adel?"
"Thanks to Sir Evan, she is unharmed."
"At least there's that."
Thud!
I lowered my finger, and the stiffened assassins crashed face-first into the floor.
"Ghk—!"
They writhed, groaning in pain as they struggled to escape. Normally, I'd have put them out of their misery right then and there, but...
'No need for mercy toward those who came for my life.'
"Il-ho."
"Yes."
"Take them and extract whatever information you can."
"As you command."
Snap.
Another flick of my finger, and the assassins collapsed, foaming at the mouth as they lost consciousness.
Il-ho gestured, and other Crow operatives appeared, dragging them away.
"Ah, one more thing."
"Your orders?"
"Begin investigating the Imperial Nest."
"...We're starting now?"
"Yes. It'll take time, but... it's time we began."
"As you command."
Il-ho bowed his head and vanished into thin air. Watching him go, I exhaled another sigh and turned my gaze to the world map hanging on the wall.
The world map bore a somewhat familiar shape, reminiscent of the world from my past life.
There was just one key difference—roughly 70% of the world's territory was marked as belonging to the Arieh Empire.
And if there was one being most responsible for conquering 70% of the world's land, there was only one candidate.
'The Emperor.'
In the original work—or rather, the original original work that Adel was familiar with—the Emperor appeared as nothing more than a gruff, easygoing grandfather.
A comedic figure who actively tried to stop the Crown Prince from confessing to the female protagonist, no less.
But the Emperor's true nature was far from that of a doting grandfather.
He was the final boss of The Villainess Turns Back Time—the true mastermind behind it all.
Because that's exactly what the Emperor was.
No matter how much knowledge I had of the original work, I couldn't be certain how effective it would be against him. After all, even in the original, they never managed to kill him.
'...This has been a long time coming.'
Closing my eyes, I could only hope that the plan I had spent so long preparing would succeed.