Crimson Birthday Party (1)
“Many thanks for coming, Baron Luke.”
“None at all, Lord Count. Incidentally, this side of...”
“Ah, the introduction was late. My son, Nox Rubrum.”
“Hello, Baron. Thank you for traveling all this way. We’re truly grateful.”
“Huh? Heheheh!”
My perfect noble greeting earned a hearty laugh from Baron Luke.
“Glad to see you, Nox. I heard all about you, but I never imagined you’d turn out so handsome and poised.”
“I appreciate the praise.”
“Relax, kid. You’re still young; loosen up and enjoy yourself. Today’s your birthday, right?”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds.”
“Fufufu. The lad’s got spirit.”
Baron Luke ruffled my hair lightly.
Then, still grinning, he turned back to the conversation with Count Rubrum.
“Count Rubrum’s got plenty on his plate. Three sons and a beautiful daughter to boot.”
“Couldn’t have put it better.”
“By comparison, we only ever manage daughters no matter how hard we try. It’s a real shame...”
Luke trailed off, then fixed me with a gaze that was anything but pure.
He looked at me like the child I was would make the perfect house pet.
“If only I knew that, I’d have brought my own daughters along. What a shame.”
“You should come visit sometime.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. Our territory is always open to you.”
“I’ll contact you later, then.”
“Mmm.”
Baron Luke couldn’t tear his eyes away from me as he bowed and took his leave.
I understood his thoughts perfectly.
No title, no backing—just a strikingly handsome child. In truth, I was an SSS-level son-in-law candidate.
Yet I had no intention of forming ties with the Luke family.
When the price was the same, why waste time on a mediocre baron family instead of...
“…Count Zeros.”
Time to invest that energy right here.
Count Zeros entered the hall, his impressive “high-body” figure and expensive taste for fine food making him stand out immediately.
The moment he appeared, Count Rubrum’s face twisted into something foul.
“No matter how much you invite him, he actually shows up.”
“Quite the flash. No money, yet he still overdoes it.”
“When did you start talking like that? A birthday party shaking Rubrum finances?”
“Well, who knows? There are nobles borrowing just to attend these gatherings.”
The Zeros and Rubrum families, which divided the eastern reaches of Lumina Kingdom, had a very peculiar relationship.
They kept an eye on each other’s celebrations, yet when they met, they snarled at each other like rival wolves.
“So this is the infamous young master from the rumors?”
“Nox Rubrum.”
“Hmph. Such a pale face, yet you’ve never done a day’s real work, have you?”
“Isn’t that to be expected? I’m a Rubrum.”
“Why lock you in a back room, then?”
“What did you say?”
The second round of snarling began the instant the words left my mouth.
While the two counts glared at each other, I locked eyes with the girl following behind Count Zeros.
Lily Zeros.
Right now she was nothing but plump and plain, but she was destined to become a legendary beauty after losing that weight.
Though I already knew everything, there was no reason not to buy the dip.
“...”
Lily’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head slightly.
“My name is Nox Rubrum. And yours?”
“...Lily.”
“Beautiful name.”
“...Thank you.”
Lily fidgeted with her fingers as she answered.
“Was the trip hard?”
“A little, but... I’m fine now.”
“Really? Good for you. Thanks for coming to my birthday.”
“Not at all.”
Lily still couldn’t meet my eyes, only twisting the hem of her dress.
“...Do you like sweets?”
“Huh? Yeah, I do.”
“Perfect. There’s real chocolate cake over there. Want me to bring some?”
Lily’s eyes widened as she stared at my face.
Heh. She really was easy pickings.
“Together...?”
Lily whispered, voice cracking with eagerness.
I gently pinched the edge of her sleeve, just one centimeter.
It felt exactly like buying a hundred-dollar stock for a hundred won.
Luring an innocent girl really was simple.
If I just held her hand and went for cake together...
The instant I did, a terrifying killing intent surged from behind me.
I slowly turned my head.
Count Zeros was broadcasting a single message across his entire body: *How dare you touch my daughter?*
“Brat, what are you doing?”
“...It seemed like the conversation was taking too long, so I was bringing her some cake.”
“Lily?”
Clear mistake.
I had completely forgotten that Count Zeros was a severe daughter-fool.
“Hmm. Since you’re the same age, get along well.”
The corner of Count Rubrum’s mouth lifted as he imagined the pain in Zeros’s gut.
“Grr...!”
Zeros’s face turned beet red.
I could almost hear the words bubbling in his throat: *That mad bastard dared to grab my daughter’s hand?*
Still, he wouldn’t ruin a birthday party with such crude rage.
“Come on, Lily! Let’s go eat cake with your father!”
He simply wrapped an arm around his daughter and vanished.
Of course, Lily never took her eyes off me.
It was a little disappointing, but the opportunity was still there.
I had information that could win over the Zeros family’s hostile father.
For now, I had to endure this boring greeting session.
Count Rubrum detained every guest and introduced me.
Every single one of them said the same thing.
“Such a refined gentleman.”
“Very handsome.”
By now I suspected the reason they gave me their names wasn’t my face.
It had been quite a while.
Only when a twitch began on my face did the greetings finally end.
“Thank you for your hard work. Now go spend some time together.”
“Understood.”
I bowed to Count Rubrum, who had finally freed me.
I loosened the collar of my shirt, scanned the hall.
For some reason, the familiar faces were nowhere to be seen.
No Emily trailing after me like a shadow, no two ladies scheming in the corner.
My younger brother hadn’t even arrived yet.
Something felt off, but it was only the 95th regression cycle.
Odd things happened occasionally.
He probably tripped on his way here.
I needed to handle my own business before my younger brother showed up.
Thanks to the two ladies’ efforts, the hall was filled with nobles who could help my “easy-play route.”
Most of them still had no idea what to do right now.
They lacked the money, the talent, and my own power to fill the gaps.
Except for one.
The one staring at me like he wanted to kill me.
Count Zeros.
Aside from the fact that his daughter would one day become a legendary beauty, the count himself was one of the core pieces of my easy-play route.
The reason was simple.
He was one of the richest five nobles in the kingdom.
I picked up a glass of water from the table, took a sip, and headed toward the corner table.
“Hello, Count.”
My voice was calm and serious, not too loud.
“Lily, have some cake. It’s really delicious.”
“I... Father... Nox is here.”
“Eat it anyway.”
Zeros completely ignored me.
His stomach really was too narrow.
“I came to apologize for my rudeness.”
“...Apologize? For what?”
“I sincerely apologize for my disrespectful behavior toward Lady Lily earlier.”
I bowed deeply.
Only then did Zeros finally look at me.
“Hmph. Even a Rubrum brat has manners worth looking at.”
“I will also apologize to Lady Lily.”
“I... I’m fine. I forgive you.”
Lily, who had already fallen completely for me, answered with a blush.
“Tsk. Even your face is so plain...”
“Huh?”
“So you only came to apologize? You’re not your father sending you to scratch his gut?”
“Haha, of course not. You know my father wouldn’t do that.”
“Then get to the point. Apologies are enough; if you have nothing else, leave quickly.”
“I will.”
“You’re leaving?”
“No, I have something to say.”
I paused slightly before delivering the main point.
“As you know, Count Zeros, the eastern region suffers a major flood every fifteen years.”
“...I know that. But why bring it up now?”
“But you don’t know this part. The flood will come soon...”
It was clear.
This year’s flood was going to be catastrophic.
“...causing the Lethe River to flood wildly. Your territory will be reduced to rubble.”
“You’re throwing insults just to make me angry. If you don’t disappear right now...!”
“Count.”
I cut him off.
“Your territory has already shown signs of the disaster.”
Zeros’s body jerked violently.
Animals were far more sensitive to these signs than humans.
In previous regressions, massive animal migrations had always preceded catastrophe.
“Ah, Father...?”
When the atmosphere grew heavy, Lily began to worry about her father.
“...How can this be? You said you’d weed them out, yet the spies are still hiding.”
“That’s not possible. You know my father isn’t that meticulous.”
“Then how did you learn of this? You were locked in the back room not long ago!”
“Father!”
At that, Lily startled and tried to stop him.
Only then did Zeros realize he had spoken too much; he bit his lip and glanced around.
“Lily, go fetch some water for me.”
“Ah, yes.”
Lily, quick on the uptake, slipped away.
“What you said just now...”
“It’s fine. It’s the truth.”
I sat naturally in front of the count.
“However, I must warn you of one thing. I may look like the weakling everyone says I am, but I was never truly locked away.”
The important part was to stir the count’s imagination.
To make him feel like the worthless boy he saw was actually holding something enormous.
“What I want is a transaction with you, Count.”
“A transaction?”
“This is the method to protect your territory from the great flood that will hit the Lethe River in two months.”
I pulled out the documents from my pocket.
Inside were the perfect countermeasures I had discovered through 94 regressions.
Zeros’s gaze never left my hands.
Pretending not to care, he was clearly under immense stress.
He had come to the birthday party hoping other nobles might offer help.
“...What do you want?”
“What could I possibly want?”
“...Only gold, then.”
“Correct.”
“How much?”
“I’ll leave the amount entirely to you. After we survive this flood, you can pay me as much as your heart desires.”
“On credit. Even a brat like you can come up with such ridiculous demands. What if I give you one gold coin and call it done?”
“Then I’d be the one feeling the loss. Not you.”
“...”
Zeros desperately wanted the upper hand, but he couldn’t defeat the strong power of information in my hands.
“One more question. How do I know I can trust you? How can I be certain this isn’t a Rubrum plot to ruin my name?”
“It’s simple. Think from my position.”
“My position?”
“Didn’t you just say it? A ten-year-old brat locked in the back room knows nothing.”
“That’s...”
“If I were you, would you side with the Rubrum family just because I tossed you a bone on my birthday?”
I answered with a deliberately wide smile.
Zeros couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“...I thought you were a worthless brat, but you’ve actually been raising griffins?”
“I appreciate the praise.”
Zeros ran a hand through his hair and extended it to me.
“Fine, I’ll play along. But if these papers are nothing but empty words, I will never forgive you.”
“I’ll accept any risk.”
We shook hands.
This was the moment the merchant in Count Zeros’s heart opened.
“Ah, and there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”
“What is it?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to get to know Lady Lily as well. As you can see, there aren’t many of us my age.”
“You cheeky little brat...”
The moment my brazenness made a vein bulge on Zeros’s forehead, a huge boulder dropped into the relaxed hall, sending shockwaves through the room.
The door of the hall shattered with a deafening boom.
“Kyaaaa!”
“What’s going on?!”
People screamed and stared at the entrance.
A blood-soaked man stabbed his sword into the ground and panted heavily.
“That’s... Sir Felix?”
Someone whispered.
It couldn’t be.
The man standing there was unmistakably Sir Felix.
A Sword Master on the continent, one of fewer than ten who had reached the absolute peak...
A man who shouldn’t have been alive at this time.
The legendary Sword Master who was supposed to die the moment I turned five in every previous regression was alive and well.
He was shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Demons! Demons have invaded! Everyone, run!”
The “demons” that would awaken in ten years had attacked the Rubrum territory.
Before the words even left his mouth, the hall erupted in flames.
Not ordinary fire.
This was the inferno of the demons that would burn the world to ash.