Chapter 77
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Picnic Preparations
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“Ugh...”
“Hey, wait!”
I spotted Lady Artel collapsed on the floor, shedding tears, and was about to call out to her. But before I could even sit up in bed, she hastily got to her feet and fled far away.
What the heck...
I was momentarily flustered by her bizarre behavior, but right now, reuniting with Artel wasn't the priority. There was something more urgent.
“Mother!”
“...”
“Kairen has come to pay his respects...!”
It was none other than using the excuse of a formal visit to finalize the creation of the 5th Knight Order, as I'd mentioned before.
“I'm sorry, but I can't approve the creation of the 5th Knight Order.”
“Pardon?”
“Setting aside political reasons, the members are the problem.”
But the moment I entered the office with that in mind, Mother's thunderous words left me wearing a dazed expression.
“Succubus Queen. Are you letting a mere ten-year-old child drag you into this foolishness?”
“...I'm sorry!”
“Of course, there's no restriction on holding multiple positions as knight commander, but you won't be able to handle the demands of the demons.”
Glancing sideways amid all this, I saw the Succubus Queen—who had said she'd gotten permission last time and headed to the office—standing with her hands behind her back, forehead pressed to the floor.
Her body was drenched in sweat, so she must have been like that for quite a while.
“Mother, but...”
“And even setting aside the Succubus Queen, every single one of the founding members has issues.”
Despite my persistence in trying to speak, Mother cut me off with stern reprimand.
“First, Sigrune. Extracting talent like that from the north, where dissatisfaction is already high, would cause significant losses.”
“...Ah.”
“But beyond that issue, her ability control is still too unstable. Didn't she cause another incident because of it?”
Honestly, she was right, so I quietly nodded and began gauging Mother's mood.
“Second, Lanya. She used forbidden spells right in the heart of Belverk under the excuse of extraterritoriality. No further explanation needed.”
“...”
“And third, Artel von Scharhen.”
Just as cold sweat began to form, the name of the person under watch slipped from Mother's lips.
“...That bitch is out of the question.”
At that moment, Big Sister Lilien, who was slouched beside Mother as usual, suddenly made her eyes glow red and spoke.
“Lilien has given me a rough account.”
“...”
“The fact that I didn't immediately expel her from Belverk is the last courtesy I can offer.”
Mother's eyes glowed red as well, forcing me to forcibly lift my nearly bowing head and cast my gaze downward.
“Therefore, the creation of the 5th Knight Order is something even you, Kairen, cannot be permitted.”
Damn, no matter how much I racked my brains, I couldn't find any logic to counter Mother's words.
What do I do?
Giving up on thinking, I subtly sought help from Big Sister System.
Recommended Solution: Cling to Mother and whine.
The cuter you sob, the more bonus points you'll get.
Looking at the messages floating before my eyes, it seemed better not to have asked for help after all.
...Damn it.
But right now, I truly had no choice.
Now that I was ten, I wanted to act a bit more mature, but in the end, I'd have to imitate a lisping child again?
But on second thought, overcoming embarrassment and mustering courage in this situation seemed pretty adult-like.
Not an excuse, of course. This was purely a strategic ploy to maximize my strengths!
“Ugh...”
After repeating it to myself like brainwashing, I steeled my resolve.
“But Kairen is scared!”
I rushed to Mother with a teary face and swiftly burrowed into her slightly startled embrace.
“...Is something wrong?”
“W-Well... I had a dream recently.”
As I buried my face in Mother's bosom, her somewhat worried voice rang out.
“I dreamed that the adults who always cut and beat me were catching me again.”
“...”
“Of course, now Mom and the family and Schwarz protect me... But it's still so scary.”
In that moment, I mumbled in the shakiest voice possible, then slowly lifted my head.
“And now, as a proper member of Belverk, I want to have my own force!”
Having grown accustomed to hugging her, I easily avoided pressing my face into Mother's chest and began urging her on with sparkling eyes.
“...Still no?”
“Hmm.”
“Mom...?”
I thought I'd gotten used to it, but this was the first time I'd lisped for so long, and goosebumps were starting to rise all over my body.
“...U-Ugh.”
Mother, who had been staring down at me blankly, suddenly pinched my cheeks and stretched them out.
“I'll indulge your tantrum this once.”
“...!”
“Never again after this.”
Dazed for a moment, I cheered with a triumphant yell at Mother's reluctant words.
“Mom is the best!”
“...Sigh.”
But as Mother gazed down at me with a faint smile, her expression suddenly turned stern.
“However, reconsidering the founding of the 5th Knight Order is still necessary.”
“Eh?”
“So, as I said earlier, build a sufficient force, and then I'll permit it.”
I tensed a bit, but fortunately, the condition from Mother's lips was quite reasonable.
“You promised!”
“Yes.”
For some reason, the Succubus Queen, still forehead-to-floor beside us, looked pale, but I couldn't let this chance slip.
“Oh, right.”
Having secured the promise for the 5th Knight Order, as I started to slip from Mother's embrace, last night's events suddenly came to mind, and I spoke up.
“Yes, what else?”
“I remembered the name of one of the adults who tormented me recently!”
Of course, I'd scour everywhere to uncover the black's identity, but that was no reason not to use a ten-year-old's privileges.
“...Tell me.”
In other words, tattling. In Belverk, it had the impact of a strategic nuke.
“Anastasia.”
“...?”
“Anastasia Korhart.”
Thus, to pinpoint the target for that strategic weapon, I uttered the black's name I'd learned last night.
“It was definitely her.”
“...”
“She was giving orders to the adults experimenting on me!”
To amp up the firepower, I slipped in a speculative but plausible guess.
“H-Have you heard of her?”
“...No, I haven't.”
Noticing Mother's face harden coldly as I tilted my head, she began gently stroking my hair and spoke.
“But one thing is certain.”
“...?”
“That name is tied to the Holy Church.”
Oh, then this was practically decisive intel?
“The Holy Church?”
“Yes, because...”
Thinking as expected of Mother, I perked up my ears with sparkling eyes, but her following words left me stunned.
“Korhart is the name of the goddess the Holy Church worships.”
Wait, that was a goddess in this world?
“And only two people could use that as a surname...”
As I narrowed my eyes in thought, Mother, stroking me while lost in contemplation, quietly specified the black.
“The Pope or the Saintess.”
“...”
“Haha, so the Emperor was telling the truth.”
I still didn't grasp the full picture, but Mother seemed to have outlined the black.
“Then...”
“Yes, Kairen. It's time to make our move.”
Staring at Mother, who tilted her head with an exceedingly gentle smile and expectant look.
“So, tell this mother.”
Her incredibly warm voice sent chills down my spine.
“The Pope or the Saintess. Which one should I kill first?”
No, Mother! War hasn't started yet!
“Whew...”
Calming Astridje, who had lost her mind upon hearing the decisive evidence, took even Kairen himself—a key figure—a considerable amount of time and effort.
“Finally calmed her down...”
About 40 minutes later, Kairen emerged from the office sweating, wiping his forehead with his sleeve as he started to walk.
A wise judgment.
Full-scale war with the Holy Church is a bit premature.
Suddenly, a system message appeared before him, speaking as usual.
“Is the Holy Church that strong?”
Kairen stopped in place, focusing his mind for two-way communication and murmuring softly.
It would be more accurate to say our compatibilities don't match well.
Kairen ended up with his mouth agape again, looking somewhat cute yet clueless.
That's why now is the time to strengthen our foundations.
The three quests were presented with that in mind.
The maids, already briefed on how to handle such situations, quietly averted their eyes and stepped aside to avoid the pitiful young master.
So, which quest will you tackle first?
“I think... Huh?”
Muttering blankly as he walked, Kairen suddenly bumped into something and halted.
“Ow ow...”
He rubbed his forehead for a moment, then finally came to his senses and looked ahead.
“Ah, Lady Artel.”
“...”
“Fancy meeting you here again?”
In Kairen's view entered Artel, her eyes completely bloodshot.
“As I thought, it was a lie that your emotions returned.”
“Pardon?”
“You're acting right now too, aren't you? Your emotions.”
Without giving Kairen a chance to respond, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“I have no idea what you're talking about!”
“...”
“Anyway, have you made up your mind?”
Of course, Kairen couldn't comprehend her words and merely tilted his head before asking brightly as usual.
“Will you become my knight, or...?”
“Well...”
“...Ah, hold on.”
But only briefly—Kairen's expression suddenly blanked again as he stopped speaking.
“...”
Watching him, Artel bit her lip for a moment, then cautiously stepped closer.
- Swish...
She gently caressed the cheek of Kairen, who had frozen expressionless in place, then bowed her head deeply and murmured in a subdued voice.
“I'm sorry...”
Uttering words her conscience could barely allow, she buried her face in the now doll-like Kairen's shoulder, trembling as she whispered.
“...No, this won't work either.”
Realizing it was futile, Artel slowly stepped back.
“As expected, there's only that way...”
After wiping her eyes with both sleeves for a bit, she passed Kairen with a resolved expression and headed to the office.
“...Ah, where'd she go?”
Just then, Kairen finished his tag analysis and looked around puzzled.
- Creak...
But that sound was drowned out by Artel opening the office door.
“Hm?”
“Ha?”
Moments later, spotting Artel entering the office, Astridje and Lilien both made their eyes glow red simultaneously.
“You, do you even know where this is that you're crawling into...?”
“Wait.”
A few seconds later, as Lilien rose with a chilling expression, Astridje raised a hand to stop her and spoke coldly.
“Speak.”
And the next instant.
“...!”
Under the immense killing intent and pressure bearing down from above, Artel knelt without resistance.
“...I have one request.”
Yet enduring the strain, she bowed her head and spoke.
“I wish to become Kairen Nox Belverk's knight.”
A brief silence followed.
“And what is the reason?”
In that silence, Astridje shot Lilien—a glance to stay put as she tried to rise again amid emanating killing intent—and hurled the question with an eerie aura opposite to what she showed her son.
“The reason I want to become Kairen Nox Belverk's knight is...”
Artel, now pale and trembling, finally voiced why she'd come to the office.
“...Because I want to make him the head of Belverk.”
An answer no one present could have anticipated.
Meanwhile, at the eldest daughter's outpost in the northern harshlands.
“My lord, greetings. This is the orc morning salute!”
“...Sigh, what the hell is an orc custom anyway?”
“The roughest and finest etiquette in the world!”
The two knight commanders, who showed up as usual under the pretext of morning assembly, began bickering again before the eldest daughter lounging in her armchair, chin propped.
“What is it?”
She eyed them coldly without emotion, then tossed a curt question.
“It's time for you to give the order.”
“Indeed, my lord.”
The two snapped to attention, gazing at her with expectant eyes as they sought her intent.
“Isn't it time to return to Belverk?”
“Right now would be perfect timing, my lord.”
A short silence fell over the barracks.
“...Yes.”
Exhaling coldly in the quiet, the eldest daughter suddenly stood and answered the two.
“Prepare for the picnic.”
At that instant, the two knight commanders' eyes lit up as they saluted in unison and raised their voices.
“Yes, we'll prepare thoroughly.”
“Heh heh, prepare without a single gap.”
With that, the two hurriedly dashed out of the barracks.
“...”
The eldest daughter stood motionless for about a minute after, then anxiously glanced around before urgently pulling out a basket from behind the barracks and placing it on the desk.
...This'll be fun.
Confirming the teddy-patterned mat, lunchbox, foldable tent, and more all inside the picnic bag, her eyes sparkled brightly.