The Couple-Hater's Resolve
I became Kael Lotus. Kael Lotus.
A major character in the original story, one of the members of the heroine Maria Frendis's reverse harem.
Early on, he acts like a total wastrel, but he's the type who only tsuns towards the heroine while taking good care of her.
At the same time, he turns into a dog utterly loyal to her alone.
"Of all the moronic bastards, I had to possess this one."
He's the king of morons, the one most blinded by love among all the morons.
Compared to the other male leads, he's tame, but Kael's no slouch either.
'Yeah, I get it. That could happen.'
I'm not saying I hate every couple in the world. Couples are necessary. Someone's gotta pop out kids to keep society going.
But "self-destructive love," where they throw everything away because they're blinded by romance? That's a whole different story.
They can love each other all they want. But if that destructive romance causes the nation to collapse, that's when it becomes a problem.
That was the part that left me most dumbfounded while reading the original.
Of course, what was even more absurd was...
"Just thinking about it makes me dizzy..."
The female readers seemed pretty satisfied, at least.
Naturally, since there were no tags like "female-oriented" or "romance fantasy," plenty of readers like me who got scammed by the author were pissed off. I remember that much.
Which only made me angrier.
To sum it up: The male leads burn everything they have just to win the heroine's love. In the process, the nation teeters and ultimately falls.
And among them, Kael Lotus, the eldest son of the Lotus family—the martial border count family responsible for the empire's national defense—is no exception.
But even if I've become Kael Lotus, can I really stop the nation from crumbling?
No. Not a chance.
Kael Lotus is just one of the countless trash-tier male leads.
The crown prince, the marquis family's prodigy, the great mage's disciple, the commoner boy with hero's blood... There are more than a few blinded by love, showing off their destructive romances.
"Sigh..."
And right now.
I am Kael Lotus.
At first a prickly wastrel character, but loyal and kind only to the heroine.
Since I've ended up as that guy, like it or not, I need to decide what to do from here.
"I hate the heroine, I hate all the guys around her, and I don't wanna hole up on some island either..."
I really don't like how this story unfolds.
The silver lining? I've become one of the main characters too.
Meaning I have the power to twist the plot and normalize this mess.
Then it's settled.
"Time to go smash the thick skulls of these lovesick idiots."
It's definitely not because I hate couples.
...
Anyway, it's not.
Of course, it's true that I've hated couples ever since my past life thanks to all the bullshit they put me through, but I'm acting purely for my own survival and a peaceful daily life.
I clutched my neck and died from high blood pressure, so even if just out of spite, I need to live a calm, enjoyable life this time around.
No way in hell am I letting the country fall so I can run off for some lovey-dovey escape.
Life as Kael Lotus wasn't hard.
Basically, as the eldest son of a border count family, he lived without any inconveniences.
That said, the Lotus family was a martial noble house, so the hierarchy was strict—adaptation was needed.
Especially the father's word was absolute.
"Kael Lotus."
"Yes, Father."
"You'll soon be old enough to enter the Imperial Central Noble Academy."
Kael was about to turn seventeen. At seventeen, all noble heirs entered the academy.
The Imperial Central Noble Academy. That was the story's main stage—and the root of all problems.
"Yes."
"Right. Your fiancée, the eldest daughter of the Adventus family, enters at the same time as you."
"..."
"You should at least meet your fiancée's face before academy. The Adventus eldest daughter arrives here in two days. Don't act vulgar this time."
"Yes."
Kael Lotus was portrayed very bluntly in the story, starting with his first impression.
He was the type to smash through all the Kyoto-style political bullshit and petty noble games head-on—fans hiding smirks behind folding fans and all that crap.
If someone gossiped just loud enough to be heard? He'd barge right up, snatch the fan, stomp their foot, no holds barred.
Thanks to that personality, he quickly won readers over from his debut. Because all that chaos was to protect the heroine.
Nobles called him a wastrel for it.
'Sucker.'
Of course, I had no intention of caring about others' opinions.
I was the border count's heir anyway. As long as I twisted the plot just enough to keep the nation from falling, I could return to the territory and live out my days happily.
"This will be your first meeting. Kael, don't screw it up. The Adventus ducal house is an essential ally for us."
"Yes, yes. Got it."
I finished eating and stood.
Father watched me suspiciously to the end.
"And I hear you chased off the tutor again. Academy entrance is right around the corner—when do you plan to take etiquette and swordsmanship lessons?"
This is why fathers and sons don't eat together.
Dads always nag when sharing a meal.
But this was a bit unfair. Kael Lotus did it, not me.
I'm different from Kael. I'm not the arrogant slacker wasting god-tier talent like in the original.
I'm the righteous wastrel smashing the thick skulls of lovesick trash.
"I'll properly attend the next lessons. Don't worry."
"You talk a good game. Just properly greet your fiancée. Understood?"
"Yes."
With that, I returned to my room.
One more key element came to mind while planning my future.
For my comfy life, I needed at least minimal combat power.
First, recall the original Kael's description...
'Number one in talent, right...'
He had the talent but lost the top spot to the prince—one of the male leads—due to arrogance and laziness. Still, his skills seemed legit.
But that's just about original Kael. No guarantee I absorbed his talent upon possession.
So, separate from adapting to Kael's life, I decided to test my abilities before the story proper began.
"Hey, you there."
"Y-yes? Young Master Kael?"
I called over a maid cleaning the hallway.
Her face flushed red.
Kael's face was to blame. Even I got annoyed at how handsome he was in the mirror sometimes.
"Follow me. Right now."
"Yes..."
Inexperienced kid. Panicking when I called her? Definitely a newbie.
I took her to the family mansion's basement.
True to a martial noble house, there was a family armory down there.
Other nobles might store wine, but the border count's territory was a frontier zone.
"Um... why are you taking me to the basement?"
The maid asked, face bright red.
No idea what fantasy novel she was scripting in her head, but I just needed her as a pack mule.
I placed my hand on the armory door. It opened automatically.
A strange emptiness hit me. The door had siphoned my mana.
Lotus family mana opens it; anything else gets no reaction.
As expected, weapons lined the racks.
And I...
"Hey. That one, that one, and that. Take 'em to my room. Oh, and that axe too."
"...Pardon?"
"What? Didn't hear me?"
I pointed at all the decent-looking weapons.
No clue what I could handle yet, so I'd swing the familiar ones myself and decide.
"Th-they're... too heavy...!?"
The maid struggled to lift them.
No street smarts... She should've called another maid or grabbed a cart—faster that way.
Sighing, I pitied her pathetic effort when a black sword caught my eye in the corner.
Plain-looking but giving off an ominous vibe. All black blade. Like it was advertising "I'm cursed~."
I liked it. Felt just like my mood when dropping 5700-character hate comments after going dark-mode.
"Nah, forget it. Drop 'em all."
Decision made. I grabbed the black sword and left the basement.