Pandemonium - 1
"Haaah..."
I'm exhausted. Even with magic power that borders on omnipotent and a body unconsciously reinforced by it, my mental strength and stamina can't keep up. Especially conversations with nobles—they're far more draining than I'd imagined. After all, I'm the only Franz currently in this territory. I couldn't afford to show any weakness. I'd kept every word measured, every sentence careful, and only now had I managed to steal a moment for myself.
"You've accomplished quite a lot today, young master. The head of the family will be pleased."
"...Huh? Sven? What brings you here?"
I'd retreated to a small resting room prepared in a corner of the banquet hall for the weary when Sven appeared without a sound. His face remained as expressionless as ever, yet somehow the distance between us felt slightly closer than usual. Was that just my imagination?
"I anticipated you would be fatigued and prepared a beverage."
"Ah... right. Thanks."
I accepted the herbal tea Sven offered. It wasn't ginseng, but the medicinal herbs from the Great Mountain Range seemed to have absorbed high-quality magic power while growing, giving them potent effects. After calming my unsettled stomach, I gazed out the window.
"That was truly impressive."
"You think so?"
Honestly, even I hadn't expected it to turn out this well, but the Artificial Sun continued to illuminate the night sky brilliantly. It was, in every sense, a sun. The city below was now flooded with light as bright as midday. At this rate, people might start calling it a city that never sleeps. Come to think of it, there used to be a saying on Earth about a country where the sun never sets. That had more to do with the sheer size of its territory, but I'd achieved it through sheer magic!
"Are you maintaining your magic power adequately?"
"This much is fine. Once it's deployed, the consumption rate drops significantly."
"How on earth..."
Even Sven seemed overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the sun—his voice trembled slightly. Even with low consumption, the pressure wasn't nonexistent. Magic power was an omnipotent force that manifested according to one's imagination. The more you understood what you wanted to create, the deeper you delved, the less magic it consumed. Through research and rising in rank, magic power tended to develop unique characteristics... but with my modern knowledge, I had some understanding of how the sun worked. Though I couldn't confidently claim to know everything. Most ordinary people wouldn't know the details of how the sun formed, its structure, or the intensity of its heat until they looked it up online. Still, even general common knowledge was enough to drastically reduce the magic power required to manifest it.
"Hmm..."
That wasn't the only factor. Making it larger and stronger than usual felt like it would kill me from exhaustion, but somehow my magic power seemed to flow more smoothly than before.
-Ssssss.
"Young master?"
Golden magic power rose from my hand. Sven looked startled, but I fell into thought. Staring closely at the golden magic...
"As expected, I still can't tell."
The color seemed a bit fainter than before...
"Oh dear. Young master, I shall take my leave now."
"Huh? Alright. I've rested enough, so I should head back out too..."
"No, young master. Please remain here a while longer."
"What?"
Why suddenly? Sven wasn't the type to say something like that. Under my gaze, the corner of Sven's mouth twitched ever so slightly. Was that... a smile?
"Then I hope you rest well."
"Uh... okay?"
With those words, Sven left the room, pressing a switch beside the door on his way out. It was a soundproofing mechanism. Of course, it meant little in the face of magic power, but it wasn't entirely useless either... Still, why now?
I stared blankly at the door for a moment before hearing a rumbling sound from the direction of the bookshelf.
"Huh?"
Was there a secret passage here? I knew such passages existed. Father had shown me the ones known to direct descendants of the Franz family, and there were supposedly others known only to my brother and me respectively. But I hadn't known about this one...
-Rumble!
I looked toward the bookshelf where the noise originated. The rumbling grew louder until, with a grinding sound, the bookshelf slid open and a person emerged from within.
"Grace noona?"
Grace noona had been at the banquet until recently, but she'd left earlier than me to greet the guests. She'd clearly been exhausted too, so I'd told her to rest first... When had she...?
As I stared in surprise, Grace noona rushed toward me from the secret passage, her face filled with worry.
"Are you alright? How's your body?"
"I-I'm fine."
Seeing the concern in her eyes as she leaned almost against me while I sat on the sofa, I felt my weary mind begin to recover. That's just like her. Having her nearby always put me at ease.
"You shouldn't push yourself with something like that... You didn't have to go that far..."
"No. I had to. This isn't the capital."
"...I see."
At my words, Grace noona murmured sadly. She understood that such displays were impossible in the capital, but this was the provinces—Franz territory. I had to demonstrate a certain level of ability.
"But for now, rest a little."
"I've already rested enough."
Shaking her head at my words, Grace noona began wiping the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief she'd taken from her bosom.
"It might not help much, but at least let me do this, Leo."
"It's helped plenty. Thank you, noona. Weren't you tired too?"
"I'm used to this much, so I'm fine. I've dealt with far more demanding guests in the capital."
Smiling at my words, Grace noona insisted she was alright. As she drew close enough to nearly lean against me, blue-tinged magic power began to seep from her body. I'd already said it was enough, but faced with the warmth in her gaze and touch, I simply accepted her care in silence.
The room had grown quiet. Even the sounds from outside were barely audible now. I sat half-reclined on the sofa while Grace noona sat beside me, leaning against my body as she wiped away my sweat. Her body, so close, radiated heat—perhaps from all the movement earlier. Not just that. We were close enough to feel each other's breath. Within that proximity, I caught the faint scent of her perfume, prepared for tonight, mingled with her natural body fragrance. Touch, smell, and even sound. Our eyes met.
"Leo..."
"Noona..."
Slowly, our faces drew closer. Our breaths mingled, and just as our lips were about to meet—
-Bang!
"Leoric Franz. Well done..."
"......"
"......"
The secret passage suddenly opened again, and another person appeared. It was Princess Amelia. She stood frozen in the passage, staring blankly at us.
"...Wasn't Grace nominally the wife of Franz's eldest son?"
"Th-that's correct."
My eyes met Princess Amelia's vacant stare. Were her usually dark pupils even darker than usual, or was that my imagination? I tried to straighten my posture...
"Noona?"
I'd tried to sit up properly, but Grace noona, leaning against me, didn't move.
"...Noona?"
Grace noona, who had been looking down, slowly raised her head. What? Her expression was the same as always... the same...
Terrifying.
"Oh my, Princess Amelia. If the greetings are finished, wouldn't it be better to rest for a moment?"
"............Grace Hamilion. Or rather, the wife of Franz's eldest son and future mistress of the Franz count family. I appreciate your concern, but I came because I have matters to discuss with Leoric Franz."
Something... something felt off. Hadn't these two become somewhat close? Hadn't Grace noona been accompanying Princess Amelia in my stead when I was busy?
"Leoric... Leo is currently too fatigued to converse with anyone outside the family. He needs to rest a bit more."
A chill ran down my spine. The atmosphere had turned icy. I didn't sense any magic power moving, yet I could almost hear the sound of crashing waves.
"How concerning. However, I can feel that Leoric Franz's stamina has recovered. More pressing is the depth of magic power I sense within Leoric Franz's body. His control is so masterful it's difficult to perceive, but now that it's linked to the sun, I can tell. We should discuss his future. As his sister-in-law, could you step aside for a moment?"
"......"
"......"
The two women's eyes locked. Sparks seemed to fly. No, more importantly—there was a word that bothered me. The depth of magic power and the sun? I looked at the princess. Meeting my gaze, Princess Amelia turned toward me and opened her mouth.
"Right now, the quality of magic power in your body has changed—"
-Bang!
"Leo-nim!"
Princess Amelia's words were cut off as yet another person appeared in the narrow room. With blue hair and sparkling eyes, Irina burst in without regard for the room's atmosphere and immediately rushed toward me.
"Leo-nim, honestly! Hiding such an amazing technique! You should've shown me when I visited before!"
"W-wait, Lady Irina?"
Couldn't she see Grace noona leaning over my nearly prone body and Princess Amelia watching? What about the cold atmosphere in this room? Did this girl have nerves of steel?
"As I thought from the beginning...!"
Clenching her fists, Irina charged straight at me. Startled, I barely managed to catch her, but she leaned in until we were nearly kissing, her eyes sparkling as she shouted.
"Let's get married!"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"Kyaa, I said it!"