The Plum Blossom Swordmaster Reincarnated into the Count Family
When I returned to the mansion, I noticed the maids’ eyes sparkling to an almost burdensome degree. They kept glancing back and forth between me and Yuria, smiling with unmistakable satisfaction.
The reason was obvious. They knew what had happened in the mental world. Elena, who had already left this world, must have blabbed everything to them.
“Welcome home, Master.”
The maids gathered their skirts and bowed in unison. Lined up on either side of the entrance from the moment we stepped inside, their simultaneous greeting was a magnificent sight. Every last one of them was a beauty of exceptional looks, which only made the spectacle more impressive.
I felt a swell of pride rising in my chest. So this was why the chairmen of massive corporations enjoyed receiving their employees’ greetings.
“Right. Anything happen while I was gone?”
“The army that marched north has won its victory and is currently returning. Also… Lady Elena has departed.”
Nepia, the acting head maid, spoke for the group.
The army’s victory was already something I knew, so it came as no surprise.
With this, Rapheli Kingdom’s triumph is all but certain. Once the war is fully over, the kingdom will have grown large enough to call itself an empire.
Rapheli Kingdom would soon suffer growing pains. The princess and the prince would clash over the right of succession. The timing had been delayed compared to the original story, but it would still happen. Only one person could sit on the throne, after all.
“Master! Lady Elena left a gift before she went!”
Nepia spoke with a touch of excitement in her voice.
“A gift?”
“Yes. Please allow me to show you! You’re going to be shocked when you see it.”
Curious about what Elena had left behind, I followed Nepia without protest. She led me to the first-floor hall. Hanging on the central wall was an enormous picture frame.
Inside it was a photograph of me in a tuxedo and Yuria in a wedding dress. It was a single captured moment from the wedding ceremony that had taken place in the mental world, enlarged into a grand portrait. Of course no actual photograph had been taken, but with Elena’s abilities, nothing was impossible.
“It’s such a beautiful picture! You held the ceremony in the mental world, didn’t you? Congratulations on your marriage, both of you.”
“Congratulations on your wedding!”
Led by Nepia, the maids called out in chorus. I scratched the back of my head, feeling oddly embarrassed, while Yuria’s cheeks colored faintly. The way her gaze lingered on the photograph told me she rather liked it.
“Sorry, but we’re going to hold the wedding again. About twice more.”
One would be a private ceremony held inside the mansion itself.
The other would take place outside—an official wedding to which Count Frucus and every noble of note would be invited.
The reason for holding two separate ceremonies was also a statement of my will: I would not slight the maids of the household. The people outside the mansion barely mattered to me… but social standing still existed.
In the end, that means I’ll be marrying Yuria a total of three times.
Yuria did not object. If anything, she looked quietly pleased.
I informed Nepia of the plan. The second wedding was scheduled for two weeks later. The timeline was tight, but with the maids of my mansion it was entirely doable. Yuria would take full command of the preparations; if she put her mind to it, everything could be ready within a week.
“Understood, Master! I’ll prepare a perfect and beautiful wedding!”
Nepia burned with enthusiasm even though the work was not strictly hers. I realized she rather enjoyed pomp and ceremony.
“Oh, and Lady Elena’s gift doesn’t end with the photograph.”
“She left something else?”
“Yes. It was so special we prepared a separate space for it underground.”
A gift that required its own underground chamber. Anticipation began to build.
Following Nepia’s guidance below, I let out a dry laugh the moment I saw it.
The underground space was a wine cellar—magically maintained at constant temperature and humidity. Roughly ten thousand bottles of wine were stored there. I picked one up. Liquid sloshed gently inside the sealed bottle.
“Lady Elena simply waved her hand and the wines appeared out of thin air. We were completely stunned. Right after that she vanished without a trace…”
I checked the label on the bottle. It was a wine that ranked among the absolute finest even within the world of God’s Atlantis.
“And before she left, Lady Elena repeatedly stressed that there was one particular wine we had to handle with extreme care.”
It stood at the very center of the cellar.
One hundred bottles in total.
I recognized them at once.
Dionysus’s Wine.
A special wine that raised one’s mana the moment it was drunk—and whose flavor and aroma approached perfection.
I immediately understood how this had come about.
Before leaving, Elena used Limit Break. She burned her entire remaining lifespan.
She had activated Limit Break to wield the full power of Illusion Butterfly Art without penalty, burned every last year of her life, used Full Recovery, and then employed Illusion Butterfly Art once more to create the wine.
Nothing else could explain this absurd quantity—especially one hundred bottles of Dionysus’s Wine.
I’ll have to thank Elena properly later.
I decided to put Dionysus’s Wine to constructive use. Handing bottles out to hardworking or talented maids under various pretexts would make them happy.
“We’ll use these wines at the wedding two weeks from now.”
“Yes, Master. I’ll see to it.”
Even the finest wine becomes worthless if you hoard it. You use it when the moment calls for it.
I took one bottle of Dionysus’s Wine with me and left the cellar. A few bottles for my personal use wouldn’t hurt.
The maids bustled about preparing for the wedding. I did not spend the time idle either.
There was unfinished business to settle.
The captured Kyle and his companions.
Over the past week, Yuria had tortured the desire demon Vitsol until she finally succeeded in restoring Kyle to his original self.
Baron Glebet had only been able to inflame strong desires, but the demon Vitsol could stimulate even the smallest of desires—or reverse the process and shrink a swelling desire back down. Vitsol had calmed Kyle’s desires and returned him to normal.
Kyle, who had been sitting blankly in the center of the cell, lifted his head the moment I entered.
“…Yujin. I have no face left to show you. To be toyed with by a demon and commit every kind of disgrace… I’m a failure as an older brother.”
Kyle muttered in a gloomy tone from the floor of the cell. No pity stirred in me.
“Are you actually reflecting?”
“…Even if you killed me, I wouldn’t think it strange. Whatever punishment you decide, I’ll accept it calmly.”
“Even if I kill my own brother?”
“It doesn’t matter. I tried to kill you… If you want, I’ll end my own life.”
Kyle hung his head low.
It was not an act. Before coming here I had used Vitsol to stimulate the regret and sorrow Kyle already felt. I had not pushed too hard, however.
Overstimulate desire or emotion and a person turns extreme—like Yuria in the mental world. Push Kyle too far and he might actually kill himself.
But if I used Vitsol’s power carefully, I could place Kyle firmly in my grasp and make use of him—just as Baron Glebet had once controlled him through his desire for Yuria.
It had not been easy. Kyle was no ordinary man. Yet the weakened mental state that came from imprisonment, combined with the undeniable justification I held over him, made control possible.
“That won’t do. Atonement would be far too easy.”
“…Yujin. You want me to live and suffer.”
“Of course. Dying is too easy.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Kyle spoke weakly.
“First, renounce your position as heir. And support me.”
“…All right. The board has already tilted in your favor anyway. But… Brother Zent won’t accept it easily.”
I knew that. Given Zent’s personality, he would refuse to acknowledge me until the bitter end. I fully expected him to resort to underhanded methods right up to the last moment.
I have no intention of playing along.
I had Yuria, a Grand Master. Even without her, I did not believe for a second that the likes of Zent could touch me.
“Second. You’ll become a knight. Not for the family—swear your loyalty to me.”
It was common enough for a noble who lost a succession struggle to become a knight. Great territories like the Frucus domain were a little different, however. They usually carved off a portion of the land. Just as I had received the port city of Tevra.
“Loyalty… to you?”
“What’s wrong with serving your younger brother?”
“That’s not it. Yujin, you’re my younger brother, but you’re far greater than I am. I have no complaint about offering loyalty and serving you. Others will accept it as well. It’s just… I still have a dream.”
“Yuria?”
“N-no!”
Kyle shook his head in flustered denial.
“I’ve given up on my feelings for Yuria. She already… loves you completely. I have no right to come between you.”
“You’re only realizing that now?”
“…Haa. I don’t even know why I was like that.”
Kyle let out a long, deep sigh.
I stroked my chin and considered. If Kyle still had a dream, it could only be one thing.
“The Mount Hua Sect?”
“Yes. Mount Hua. I told you about it before. You said you’d help me, but… our relationship ended up like this. Even so, I haven’t abandoned that dream.”
“I’ll help you. On the condition that you swear loyalty to me.”
In fact, this worked out perfectly.
Having the Mount Hua Sect in my hand would be even better.
As a martial force, I could use them the same way I used a knight order.
“If you help… then Mount Hua will be safe. All right. I’ll swear my loyalty to you.”
At last Kyle was in my grasp. I carefully suppressed the smile that threatened to lift the corners of my mouth.
I had Yuria, but Yuria had only one body, and she needed to remain at my side most of the time. The more usable pieces I possessed besides her, the better.
“Kyle Frucus. As proof of your loyalty, lower your head and kneel.”
I issued the command with solemn gravity.
Kyle obeyed without a word of protest. He dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Kyle Frucus. From this day forward I shall be my lord’s sword. My loyalty will never waver for all eternity.”
Kyle’s expression brightened slightly. The guilt he felt toward me had, if only a little, grown fainter.
“Brother Kyle. But this still isn’t enough. You tried to kill me and take Yuria for yourself. Ending it with nothing more than an oath of loyalty feels a bit light, doesn’t it? You claim Baron Glebet controlled you? If you had handled yourself properly, you never would have been controlled in the first place.”
“…Yujin. You’re right. I harbored feelings I never should have. I couldn’t even control a single desire… I’m a failure both as a martial artist of Mount Hua and as a Taoist.”
Kyle berated himself.
“Brother. When you commit a wrong, you receive punishment. Cut off your left arm.”
“…My left arm…”
“I’ll spare the right. You still need it to hold a sword.”
Kyle’s eyes wavered. Then he bowed his head to me once more.
“I’m sorry, Yujin. I was a worthless older brother. And thank you for forgiving me with only a left arm.”
I slid a sword through the bars into the cell.
Kyle took the blade and, without hesitation, severed his own left arm.
“Ghhhk!”
Thud.
His left arm fell amid a spray of blood. Having sealed the pressure points to stop the bleeding, Kyle pushed the sword back out of the cell, cold sweat pouring down his face. The arm itself could not pass through the bars. I opened the cell door and retrieved it. Kyle remained docile throughout.
“Brother Kyle. I can’t release you from here just yet.”
“I understand. And I’m fine. I need to sort out the mess in my head while I’m here.”
“For reference, I’ve decided to hold a wedding with Yuria next week.”
“…Another wedding? No… of course. That time was the mental world.”
I could see Kyle desperately managing his expression. As expected, he still harbored feelings for Yuria. Not that it mattered—Yuria would never look his way again.
“We’ll hold two more in total. This coming wedding will be a simple affair inside the mansion. The second will be an official, lavish ceremony. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to remain in the cell during the first one. That wedding is closer to an event for the household staff than anything else.”
“…All right. Congratulations on your marriage, Yujin.”
I turned and left. Behind me, Kyle closed his eyes and focused on circulating his energy.