Chapter 142
Chapter 142
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: 13. Cutting Water with a Sword (2)
“This is quite the predicament.”
“What is?”
“You being here.”
Duke Lebedev’s office. He had received word that his son would be stopping by briefly after such a long time, and he was waiting for him. But thanks to yet another visit from Duchess Calamity in the meantime, he couldn’t even wait in peace.
No, I probably wouldn’t have been able to wait peacefully even without her.
“You seem to have some free time on your hands.”
“Things really have been quiet lately. No wars breaking out in our territory, no harvests to manage. And the little lady’s settled down, so no need to keep checking in and scolding her.”
“Even so, I’d appreciate it if you could give me some space today.”
“What’s this? Got a guest coming?”
“Tch. Yeah.”
“At a time like this? Who?”
“Don’t ask.”
“Hmm.”
Why does this woman keep showing up? Sure, there was a time long ago when things burned hot between us, but that was just a fleeting thing from our youth. Ever since we married and took on our responsibilities, nothing like this had happened.
We’re both currently separated from our spouses, it’s true. But as heads of our houses, neither of us has any intention of getting together. That’s only natural.
Frankly, it gave him a headache seeing a woman their age show up dressed in something that revealed her figure so blatantly. And deep down, he hated himself for the memories of their youthful days that surfaced when he looked at her.
Do men never outgrow being ruled by their lower halves, no matter how old they get?
As if sensing his inner turmoil, she sidled up behind him, pressing her chest against the back of his head and whispering softly.
“Tell me. It’s not a big deal, right?”
“...Talk from a distance.”
“Why should I? Does it get you all excited?”
“We’ve both lived long enough. Let’s drop the games.”
“And if it’s not a game, what’ll you do?”
His head throbbed. Both Rias and this woman had their issues, but the problems ran in completely different directions. If Rias had been like this, his son might have found her overwhelming, but at least their bond wouldn’t have frayed to the breaking point.
On the flip side, for someone like me who’s no good at expressing or controlling emotions, this is even harder to handle.
It’d be better if the two of them had just swapped personalities.
“What? You really won’t tell me? I’m not leaving.”
“Please just go.”
“Tell me.”
“...My son’s coming.”
“What? For real? Then I’ll stick around to see him.”
“No, just get out.”
In the end, he couldn’t hold back and spat it out, but she ignored him completely, grabbing his cheeks from behind and stretching them. He let out a sigh at Duchess Calamity’s antics.
How do I get rid of her?
**
“You’ve arrived!”
They must have heard about my escape by now, but Lebedev’s private soldiers greeted me without showing any sign of it.
“Tolland, Edward. Long time no see.”
“...We’ve been waiting for your return.”
“Haha.”
“Please stop by whenever you have time.”
“Sure. After I wrap up the important stuff first.”
“Of course. The soldiers are all looking forward to it.”
I stepped out of the carriage briefly to shake their hands, and when I got back in, the Emperor was looking at me with a surprised expression.
“They’re not knights.”
“Yeah. Squad leaders... with about ten private soldiers under them. They also serve as guards for the villages on the outskirts of the territory.”
“Any reason you remember their names?”
“I make a point to memorize the names of soldiers I’ve marched or fought with.”
“Tough bastard.”
No matter how much I tag along, patrols and operations always carry the risk of injury or death. The least I can do is remember the faces and names of the people taking those risks.
The Emperor, who had been giving me that fed-up look, let out a smirk again.
“Ability, strength, personality, the way you treat women. Honestly, none of it really matches up.”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“Borrowing the goddess’s power without much faith to speak of.”
“That’s how it turned out too.”
It really was just how things had shaken out. The non-contract contract with the goddess was my choice, but everything else had been pushed along by the flow of the world.
If I were reborn again, maybe a simple life selling coffee from a merchant family would suit me better.
Of course, considering I’d been reborn as a target of affection, my life was probably doomed to be anything but smooth from the moment reincarnation was decided.
“So they don’t know who you’re with?”
“I didn’t even tell Father.”
“Planning to sneak off without introductions if things got dicey, huh.”
Busted.
I shrugged nonchalantly at her, but it didn’t land. I took a few hits from the Emperor’s cushion as she pouted her lips.
No, seriously—if a runaway son who’d come back for a quick visit suddenly presented his father with an Emperor, the daughter of the World Tree clan, and an elite from the Magic Tower, saying, “These are the women who want to marry me,” what would any father think?
For the sake of a normal conversation, I planned to introduce the guests later.
We’d reached the outermost gate of the mansion. I authenticated with my fingerprint, blood, iris, and mana pattern on the biometric lock, and the gate opened.
“...What’s with this system?”
“We’ve traditionally had a lot of demon assassination attempts. You need clearance to enter the main gate, and trying to scale the walls triggers an automatic intercept.”
“Sounds like it gave you a complex dealing with demons.”
“Pretty much.”
Once inside the outer gate, a beautifully maintained garden came into view. When holding gatherings outside the mansion, they often had tea time here, so it was always kept pristine and lovely.
Of course, a few poisonous herbs effective only against demons were mixed in.
Only Big Sis Mina could distinguish those, and sure enough, she’d already noticed, giving me a subtle look.
Next was the inner gate. Since it had to be opened from inside, I sent a signal.
The gate opened smoothly, and one person appeared.
“Hi, Yulius.”
“...Duchess Calamity?”
“Showing up right when I’m here feels like fate, doesn’t it?”
“What brings you here?”
“To discuss your engagement to our blockhead.”
This was already dragging on too long, so I suggested moving elsewhere.
“Oh my. And you brought girls along. Even though you’re still engaged to my daughter.”
“I’ll explain that later.”
“Fine. I’ll let it slide for now. But you’d better explain properly.”
As she waved goodbye and vanished, I let out a sigh of relief. She was better than the jealousy-and-inferiority-complex-packed Rias, but her clingy attitude toward a man young enough to be her son sent chills down my spine, dredging up memories from my past life.
The texture was different, but ever since that auntie at the facility from my previous life groped my crotch under the guise of volunteering, I’d been scared of older women approaching me sexually.
It wasn’t a joke—it genuinely terrified me.
I wiped away the cold sweat and turned to Big Sis Mina, who looked displeased, and His Imperial Majesty, who had pulled her hood deep over her face but still radiated worry. “It’s fine,” I assured them.
I handed our luggage to the servant who’d come late to greet me and arranged guest rooms for the three I’d brought under the pretense of friends.
Whew. Time for me to unpack and head to the office.
Four black swords.
I changed into the same outfit I wore at the cafe.
Sighed, stretched, relaxed as much as possible, then opened the door.
“The Duke is waiting. Young master.”
“...I’ll head in.”
“Yes.”
I followed the female servant—I remembered her name was Anne—speaking casually. The servants had always seemed uncomfortable with my formal speech, but the informal tone felt awkward coming out of my mouth after so long.
This was a tangible reminder that a not-insignificant amount of time had passed.
At the door, she stepped aside and bowed her head. I knocked four times lightly and entered.
“It’s been a while.”
“Indeed.”
We fell silent after those words.
At his gesture, I pulled up a chair and sat. Father stared down for a moment, pretending to think, then spoke.
“So. I didn’t expect you to contact me first, but what’s this about?”
“Not returning the sword... but I brought a replacement for the heirloom.”
“What do you mean?”
“I had business in the Dwarven Kingdom recently and met the dwarf who reforged our ancestor’s sword. He gave me a brand-new one with a similar feel as a gift.”
I unfastened two of the four from my waist and placed them on the table. Father drew one from its sheath, examined it briefly, showed a flicker of admiration, then quickly hid it.
“As you said, excellent craftsmanship.”
“He mentioned his skills have improved even more since then.”
“I see. So you plan to keep using the heirloom sword as is?”
“It’s a bit complicated.”
I rolled up my sleeve to show the scar on my arm from overusing the goddess’s power and revealed the slightly shorter sword on my left, which had become a holy sword.
I channeled a bit of power into it, and a golden aura bloomed amid a bright light.
“Due to some circumstances, this sword transformed into a holy sword and is bound to me.”
“...I see. Even away from home, you’ve been fighting your own battles.”
“It has nothing to do with the Lebedev honor or anything like that.”
“I know. You’ve always been that way.”
“Always? I don’t know what ‘always’ means, so be specific.”
At my words, Father looked up at me.
His tightly shut lips and the gaze fixed on me held an indecipherable emotion.