An Alliance Sealed

The engagement proceedings with the Merian Marquisate went smoothly. Rosel and Fenrir seemed somewhat taken aback, but they respected my choice and accepted it without objection. After submitting the official engagement registry to the Imperial Court, Micaris and I were officially betrothed. Now, I was on my way to the marquisate's estate to move in as a son-in-law. However... the constant chiming from the Special Shop's message window was practically ringing in my ears.

Just how many coins are they giving me?

I had accumulated a whopping 840 coins. Since I originally had 300, that meant a sponsor had gifted me 540 coins. It seemed whoever was sponsoring me was highly satisfied with my recent achievements: subjugating a Demonic Human, getting engaged to the daughter of a marquis, and receiving both a noble title and a medal of honor.

As I stared at the Special Shop interface inside the carriage heading toward the estate, Micaris spoke up.

"I'll be in your care from now on, Husband?"

"Hearing you call me that makes my chest feel a bit ticklish, Mica."

Micaris's face flushed as red as an apple.

"...Yeah. Even I feel embarrassed saying it."

After that, Micaris stared out the carriage window in silence. Perhaps she was reflecting on her past. While I was thrilled about our engagement, I still had work to do.

"Mica, please listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

"What is it?"

"During the two months left before the academy term starts, I'm going to undergo rigorous training. I feel like I'm not far from reaching the level of a Sword Saint."

"A Sword Saint at eighteen...?"

"You know me. I'm the Special Scholarship Student with absurd talent."

I took Micaris's hand in mine and continued.

"There are going to be massive changes in the world soon. A great Contamination might sweep over us, or Demonic Humans might keep appearing..."

"How do you know that?"

"Forne Gillette fell and became a Demonic Human, didn't he? It means the world's Contamination is creeping closer. Well, half of it is just my intuition."

She seemed skeptical when I mentioned intuition, but seeing my solemn expression, Micaris nodded.

"Alright, I'll be careful."

"And there's one more highly important matter..."

"What is it now?"

"At the entrance ceremony party for our second year, I plan to propose a party invitation to a certain young lady."

"A woman? Right after we just got engaged?!"

Predictably, Micaris flared up in anger.

"No! It's not like that. Remember how I said I plan to travel after graduating from the academy? I'm already planning our party members for that. But we don't have anyone specializing in divine magic. The lady I'm talking about possesses an incredible talent for the divine."

Micaris was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing silently. I pressed on to convince her.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? A great Contamination will soon plague the world. We must prepare ourselves before disaster strikes."

"If it's that important, why haven't you reported it to the Imperial Court?"

"Because I know they wouldn't believe a prediction with no concrete evidence."

Micaris let out a sigh and nodded.

"Sigh... Fine, I'll trust you. But if I catch you in any compromising situations, you know what'll happen, right?"

"Rest assured, nothing of the sort will ever happen. I just need your help securing her entry."

"Alright, then it's fine."

As Micaris and I continued our conversation, the marquisate's knight announced our arrival.

"We have arrived, Lady Micaris, Viscount Johannes."

I stepped down first and offered my hand to Micaris.

"Where did you learn to do this?"

"It's basic knightly etiquette."

Don't underestimate my extensive experience with romance fantasy novels. This is a staple scene in every single romance fantasy webtoon and novel. You could call it the Third Movement of the Romance Fantasy Classics.

"What are you grinning about? Let's go."

"Ah, yes!"

I entered the marquisate's mansion alongside Micaris. Upon stepping inside, we were greeted by a long line of servants standing in formation. As we approached, the head butler and the attendants in the center bowed deeply.

"It is an honor to meet you, Viscount Johannes."

"An honor to meet you."

"The honor is mine..."

Micaris nudged my side and whispered, "You're a noble now. Keep that in mind."

"Ah, right."

I cleared my throat and corrected my tone.

"Ahem. It is good to meet you all."

"The Marquis is currently in his study. He ordered us to guide you to him the moment you arrived, Viscount."

"...Then lead the way."

The head butler smiled warmly and began guiding me to the Marquis's study. Micaris, meanwhile, went to change her clothes. Since medieval dresses involved leather corsets, she probably wanted to get out of it as quickly as possible.

"This is the Marquis's study. I hope you have a pleasant conversation."

"Thank you for the guidance."

I knocked gently on the door and spoke.

"It is Viscount Johannes. May I enter?"

"Come in."

Opening the door, I was greeted by mountains of paperwork. The stacks were so high that I couldn't even see Marquis Dinlight's face.

Territory management is indeed a busy affair.

I sat quietly on the sofa, sipping the tea provided by an attendant as I waited. Eventually, Marquis Dinlight spoke up.

"I will finish processing this document before we begin. It's a rather urgent matter."

"No problem at all. The tea is excellent."

Calling someone over only to make them wait. He really lacks basic manners. But looking at that mountain of paperwork, I can't really blame him...

"I've finished the urgent tasks. Things have gotten quite hectic due to the engagement preparations."

Marquis Dinlight moved to sit across from me and continued.

"So, I hear you've been helping my daughter since the entrance ceremony party? I am truly grateful."

"...It was no trouble at all."

"Dueling the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠young master of the Edelian family is hardly 'no trouble.' Thanks to you, my daughter was spared from disgrace. You have my sincere thanks."

...He's lying. He was a man who viewed his daughter as nothing more than a political tool. He was only trying to bind Micaris to me because I was a future Sword Saint. Still, I didn't have any major complaints. It was just slightly annoying that it benefited Marquis Dinlight.

"I also consider it a great honor to be betrothed to the lady I once served. I would like to express my gratitude to you, Marquis Dinlight."

"I am pleased that you received a title and a medal, leading to this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠engagement with my daughter. But why address me so formally? You are to become a son-in-law of our family. Call me 'Father-in-law.'"

"Then I shall address you as such."

Marquis Dinlight smiled warmly, seemingly satisfied with my response.

"Good. Is there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything you wish to request of our marquisate? If it is within my power, I will grant it. Consider it a token of my gratitude for helping Micaris, and a welcoming gift for joining our family."

"In that case, I would like to request your full support for the next two months so that I may reach the level of a Sword Saint."

Marquis Dinlight's face contorted in disbelief.

"...Reaching the level of a Sword Saint in two months? Is such a thing even possible?"

"It's not guaranteed, but there is a possibility. That is why I wish to focus entirely on my training."

I wanted to become a Sword Saint as quickly as possible, slay a dragon, and obtain its Dragon Heart. Only then could I prepare for the impending Contamination. No one else knew the immense weight of responsibility I was carrying. It wasn't that I particularly wanted to save the world. But this was the only way to achieve my ultimate goal. After all, I was aiming to become a Grand Duke.

"Very well, I promise you my full support. What do you need most?"

"First, I need a private training ground. I must prepare for potential Aura overloads. Second, I need knights to spar with."

"A private training ground is easy enough; I can clear out our knights' training field for you. But finding sparring partners will be difficult. You are already a 6-star knight, after all."

Marquis Dinlight stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Hmm, yes. I can grant your primary requests for now. Is there anything else you desire?"

"Nothing else at the moment. I am deeply grateful for your assistance, Father-in-law."

"Haha, this is the bare minimum. As I said, it is a gift and a reward for your deeds. I look forward to working with you, Viscount Johannes."

Marquis Dinlight stood up and extended his hand. I also rose from my seat and shook it.

"I look forward to working with you as well, Father-in-law."

"Likewise. I have high expectations for you."

After our lengthy conversation, I finally left the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Marquis's study.

I have a mountain of things to think about and do.

The Contamination would arrive much sooner than expected. To prepare, my party members needed to grow stronger quickly, and I had to recruit Eilyn Rutenia. My head began to throb.

"..."

I couldn't even rely on the original novel's plot anymore. It hadn't even been completed in the first place. I was starting to feel a bit of resentment toward the author I had once been so grateful to. It was great that they let me dream of a happy harem life with villainesses, but forcing me to save the world? This was far too cruel a task for a former ordinary office worker like Kim Geun-dae. Clutching my head would only give me a headache. I decided to stop overthinking and focus on what I could do right now.

First, I must become a Sword Saint.

While I was sitting in the training ground, deep in meditation, several of the marquisate's knights who had been watching me with interest approached.

"Sir Johannes, is it true that you have reached the 6-star realm?"

"To think someone so young could possess a noble title, a medal, and be a 6-star knight... Truly magnificent!"

"Would you mind having a quick spar with me?"

It seemed my presence had piqued the knights' curiosity. Since my body felt a bit stiff after the long journey, I figured it would be a good idea to show them a glimpse of my strength.

"Anyone who wishes to spar with me, line up. I will take you all on."

A crowd of knights quickly lined up. Let's start light.

"Gyah!"

The first knight was sent flying.

"Argh!"

The second knight swept the floor.

"Ugh-aaah!"

The third knight rolled across the dirt.

"..."

...This is completely below my expectations. I hadn't even used Aura. Even in a contest of pure swordsmanship, every single one of them had been blown away in a single strike.

No wonder the Marquis was worried about finding me a sparring partner.

I rested my sword against the sandy ground of the training field and spoke.

"Is there anyone else?"

The marquisate's knights hesitated, stepping back. They lacked skill, confidence, and even the desire to learn. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Brushing the dust off my clothes, I silently walked back to the corner of the training ground.

I might as well spend some of these sponsored coins.

Chime. I scrolled down the shop interface as I always did. By now, I practically had the layout memorized. I had a total of 840 coins. It was time to make a choice. First, I should purchase Hawk Eye for 300 coins. It was an ability I had been eyeing for a while. Just then, a message window popped up.

Eye of Clairvoyance?

Just as the Path of the Sword Saint and my innate talent had merged, Hawk Eye and the Eye that Sees Crisis had combined. I couldn't tell its exact effects just from the name. Still, since it was a fusion of two powerful skills, it was bound to be incredibly broken. I had 540 coins left. I had originally planned to purchase the *Path of the Archmage* to walk the path of a magic swordsman, but... my choice was this.

I would become a dark magic swordsman.