The summer vacation was almost over.

　I'm just concerned that I haven't received any communication.

　Court work - is that taking a lot of time?

Oh, jeez. I just want to get it over with.

　As I'm out in the field working, my second brother, Nix, complains to me.

'You're really carefree, aren't you? You're a real carefree kid, and you'll be executed. That's all well and good, but I'm just worried that we'll be involved.

　The fourth son, Colin, doesn't know much of the story.

'Brother, you defeated five opponents in a duel, didn't you?　Then that's great.

　My second brother yells at me.

'We weren't supposed to fight with him!　Colin, you're no stranger to this!

　So I was working in the morning, and I was tired, so I stood tall.

　Some distance away, Angelica-san is teaching Olivia to work in the fields.

　The maids are looking at it with concern.

　I tried to help, but Angelica-san stopped me and I couldn't get to it.

'Here like this--Hee!　What a wispy creature!
"'Anger', it's a worm.
Worms?　I've heard of it, but... Hee!　"Libya, you're not afraid to grab it with your hand!"
It's nothing, really. Now, let's move on.

　The two of us got to know each other over summer break and call each other by nicknames.

　I'm now allowed to call them by their nicknames too, but it's basically nothing more than that. In the first place, I can't touch them because the maids are taking turns keeping watch.

　I don't even want to put out.

　It's a fool's errand to mess with the duke's daughter. I'm not a fool. So I'm not going to mess with you.

　Colin tugged at my arm.

"Which one are you going to marry, brother?

Huh?

　I shake my head at Colin's question.

'Look, Colin. You're dealing with a special student and a duchess. They're both too far out of my strike zone for me to marry them.

You wanna go to school?

　My second brother had resumed his work, saying that it had started again.

'My special sister is a commoner and difficult to marry. The princess of a duke's family is too high in status to be balanced. Do you understand?

Yeah, I don't know!

Ha-ha, that's an honest answer, Colin. Now, get your ass back to work.

Yes?

　My strike zone is both of us if you like, but both of us are out of it because of our status. They're not even close to the strike zone.

　It's already a ballgame to watch.

　Revere's was a one-bounce pitch that didn't reach the mitt, and Angier's was a ball that looked like it was thrown high and out of control.

　I don't even feel like swinging the bat.

　d*mn I like the look of it.

　More importantly, it's about my future now.

　Well, it's a situation that depends on the Duke.

　I don't mean to imply that things will go horribly wrong, but I have a mountain of white gold ready to go. It won't be a problem.

　It better be.

　And there's another one working in the field.

"My fingernails are getting dirty. My hands hurt!

　It's my second daughter, Jenna, who is whining.

　I told my parents about sticking a bomb in my armor, and because of the circumstances, I let her work this way during the summer holidays.

　I thought my second daughter should be more remorseful for trying to assassinate her brother and being allowed to work in the field. Well, His Highness's milk brothers. You should take into account the fact that I was half threatened by the people who carried out that order - I thought the standards of this world were strange when the work we usually do was a punishment.

'You should be grateful that you're allowed to do that much.

If you hadn't caused the problem, I wouldn't have set that bomb off.

　Well, I guess so.

　So I forgave you. In fact, it didn't do much damage.

"I don't want to work in the field!

　When I saw my second daughter complaining about it, I thought.

　The world of otome games is terrible, I thought.

◇

　The next day.

　The duke's airship arrived at my parents' house.

　It seems that they came to pick up Angelica-san, but it seems that they also came with an official from the royal capital.

　I guess they've decided how to deal with me.

　It is surprising that a person with a very high status among the officials--a person of high rank--came over.

　Lords and nobles are graded by rank, but the court nobles, the king's direct vassals who do not have a fiefdom, have a rank.

　This is something that lords also have, but barons and above only get a rank that allows them to visit the king at the royal palace.

　From the first rank, with the king at the top, His Royal Highness the Dauphin is the second highest. The royal family would be the second lowest, and in effect the top three ranks of officials would be ministerial class both above and below.

　The sixth lowest was the rank that gave them access to the king. Many lords are given this rank.

　Many lords of barons and above are given this rank automatically, and in terms of court rank, it would be a chief of staff or section chief.

　Well, there is such a rank.

　Even some court nobles have titles, and it's hard to explain that area. Or rather, I don't know much about it because it doesn't concern me.

　However, the official who came was a fifth-ranked official - an official of a higher rank than my father in terms of the court.

　That's why my father looked nervous.

　We were to talk in the mansion, and the official was smiling.

''Oh no, it was quite a fuss this time. An annulment of the engagement and a duel. There was no shortage of topics of conversation, including the abolition of the Crown Prince's truancy.

Ha, ha.

　My father is listening to the conversation with a nervous look on his face, but the other party continued to talk as if nothing happened. What should I do........I'm very concerned about the topic of abolition, but I'm in no mood to interfere.

Even within the court, there were calls to hold the Baldfalt family accountable, but thanks to the duke family's actions, it ended without a hitch.

　I heard that Mr. Vince did a great job.

　Thank you, Angel Dad.

Oh, and, um, how is the Baldfart family doing?

　My dad couldn't resist asking.

　The official replied with a smile.

''Don't worry. I won't question your responsibility. Rather, Lord Rion will be officially recognized as an independent knight. Although he is still in school, we will hold a formal ordination ceremony at the royal palace. After all, he's the knight who advised His Highness against his folly. I hope other students will follow his example.

　

　A knight before graduation at an ordination ceremony?　I don't want to talk about that.

　Now I'm going to ask you a question.

'Well, wait. Where's my responsibility?　I hear they're going to strip you of your baronial title!

'That hasn't been mentioned, has it?　Speaking of which, there was a bit of a dispute, but Lord Rion is to be formally granted a baronetcy.

　A knighthood and a baronetcy.

　........This will ruin my plans, won't it?

　I don't want to show my face at the school now. I thought I wouldn't come back, so I had all I wanted to do!

I don't think that's a good idea.

Yeah. This is not the way to go about it.

　What, you're going to drop it and then raise it. He's a doer, too.

　As I looked at him expectantly, he prepared a piece of paperwork.

　When I read what was written on it, my dad said, "Heeeeeee! And I screamed. I was in the mood to scream like that too.

　The official smiled at me and said, "Lord Rion has been granted the sixth rank in the court.

"Lord Lyon has been granted the sixth rank in the court rank. Congratulations to you. Your promotion.

　I didn't hear anything about a promotion!

◇

　The duke's airship.

　Livia was allowed to ride with them. On the way, they are going to stop at the floating island where my parents' house is located to drop me off.

　On the deck, I talked with Angier.

'An increase in court rank is a promotion, isn't it?　But from the lords' point of view, it doesn't seem to matter.

　Livia didn't understand that area, but Angel, who was familiar with the matter, would explain it to her.

''It certainly may not mean much to the lord, but it could be said that the court recognizes it more than the sixth rank of many others. To put it plainly, it's treated as better than most others.

Is that supposed to be a prize?

It's all a matter of perspective. By the way, the ninth and eighth ranks are only available for one generation. The seventh rank is the highest that can be passed down to the next generation, but to move up one rank would require years of loyal service and a great deal of credit.

　Livia didn't quite understand.

'When you say years of loyal service, do you mean like ten years?'

'Up to the eighth rank is fine, but anything above the seventh rank is considered a family unit, not an individual because of its hereditary relationship. I've served my family and children diligently for three generations, or something at that level. If you do it normally, it will take a hundred years.

　Libya is surprised to hear that.

Well, that's how much credit you get!

Yes. Well, the court can't hurt you by promoting you. Since Leon is not a court nobleman, he doesn't get a pension. It's just that I didn't think they'd promote him.

　Even for Angier, the level of treatment is disconcerting when he is treated so well.

　Strange circumstances at the court. There have been many cases where I've wondered how things got that way. I am convinced that this was one of those cases.

　He concluded that there are individuals and groups that benefit from abolishing Julius and favoring Leon to the point of promoting him.

　Livia, who listened to the story, was not familiar with that area and didn't seem to understand much of what was going on.

'I thought it was a demotion from the Baron at best.

　Livia recalls.

'Oh, by the way, Mr. Rion said he used the money he got from a bet!

What?　And that would be ... the power of money?　No, but for that... hmmm.

　They don't have an answer, so they change the subject.

'Changing the subject, I heard that Leon is going to have an ordination ceremony before the new semester. Are you coming too?

　Libby was a little annoyed at the invitation.

'So, but I've never been to a place like that before.

Uniform is fine.

◇

　It sucks.

　I was taken to the palace. Think of it as a castle with a king in it.

　I was dressed in my knight's uniform with all kinds of decorations, my armor, allogants, was displayed in the hall, and as a bonus, there were many participants.

Why is it that there are so many participants? Why are there so many participants?

　As I mourn in the waiting room, my parents, who came to King's Landing for this day, look at me and cry.

　My mother is terrible.

''You've become such a fine young man. I used to think you were a bit of an idiot, but you're actually a great kid. Mom, we're so happy to see you.

　My father is crying too.

'I never thought you'd be knighted so soon. d*mn it I'm starting to cry.

　My second brother and second daughter are in their uniforms.

'Huh?　Where's the family over there?

　The second brother seemed to be wondering why Zola and the others hadn't come, but the second brother knew from the beginning that she wasn't going to come.

''There's no way they're coming. In the first place, Rion is an independent, separate Baldfalt family. Even so, he's six places higher........

　The story of my second brother and second daughter continues.

'What?'
'I thought if Leon continued to serve the court, he would be a target for the girls.
Leon?　This guy has the whole school hating on him. We don't know what's going to happen to us in the new school year either.
You're an idiot. He got a promotion. He means that Leon has been accepted by the crown. All the other idiots will understand.
Then I guess it's safe to go back to school.
I don't know. It's gonna be rough.　Some kids lost all their money.
Which one? Come on, man, make up your mind.
You're a pain in the ass. I don't know what you're talking about.

　d*mn it!　I'm afraid to go back to the school because of the hate I've earned from the entire school down the road. I never thought of going back in the first place.

　If I was going to go back, I would have been more lenient, and I wouldn't have gambled and made a rough deal. I acted spontaneously, I'm an idiot!

　Worst case scenario, I shouldn't have thought that if my family was involved and my life was in danger, we could all just get in the Luxion and run away. I had gotten carried away.

　Here's the hustle and bustle.

''The Crown Prince's father is the king, right?

　My dad gives me a cold look.

''It's obvious. Don't do anything weird in front of His Majesty. This time you'll get your head out of your ass.

　I ignore him and continue talking.

'How does it feel to promote someone who beat up your own son...?'

　My dad crossed his arms and thought about it and looked away from me.

'Well it's no fun, that's for sure. I wouldn't want to.

　That's right.

　No matter how bad my son was, he wouldn't think it was funny. I'd like to hear what you think of me.

　No, I don't want to know.

◇

　--That day.

　A knight was born.

　It is rare in the Horphath Kingdom to be officially recognized as a knight at the age of sixteen, and at the same time the title is officially given to him.

　The rank is sixth in rank.

　Success as an adventurer.

　And he also counted his admonition to the Dauphin's folly among his achievements.

　In fact, it is said that he was recognized for his ability to defeat five heirs of famous families, but the exact reason for this is unknown.

　However, it is a fact that a young and powerful knight was born in the Horphath Kingdom.

　Many people flocked to the royal palace to see such a knight.

◇

　Night.

　I had come to the student dormitory as school life was to resume the next day.

　From the moment I entered the upper class dormitory, like a hotel, the response was different than before.

　The attitude of the servants was clearly different than when I first entered the dormitory, as well as the higher grade of the rooms provided.

　The students in the dormitory also didn't talk to me, just looking at me from a distance.

　Danielle and Raymond didn't speak to me either, as if they were backing down.

　My room is now bigger than my room.

　I lie in bed in a large figure, looking up at the ceiling and muttering to myself.

'How did this happen?'

　It is Luxion who responds in a disciplined manner.

''Isn't it still the result of acting on an easy idea?　It was fatal that he decided it was okay to push himself a little too hard because I was there, and he got carried away and joined the duel. I shouldn't have thought it was okay to fail, so I went off on my own. The aftermath is also a problem. I paid a lot of money for my life, and a lot of money was spent on court operations. As a result, he got the promotion he didn't want. Well, to be frank I think he had it coming.

'Thanks for the right answer. If you've noticed, tell me on the way, a**h*le.

There was insufficient information to make corrections along the way. If I may say so, I'm a little surprised at the results.

　It is a useless AI.

'd*mn it's put me back into the married life thanks to it.

'Isn't that good? A promotion may change the way women look at you.

You think that's going to change?

''Yes. However, I was not able to make a bet in the duel. I made an enemy of nearly 70% of the students with that one. I gathered information, and I heard that the number of students, both male and female, who challenged the dungeons during the summer vacation and earned money was the highest ever.''

　Some of them bet all their money, and some of them were fools to go into debt. I shouldn't have assumed that I would never win that much.

　Well, if I didn't know, I would have definitely bet on his lordship and the others.

''By the way, the master's reputation has resulted in a lot of abuse, such as coward, foul-mouthed, and disgusting,''

You need that information?

I knew the master wouldn't like it, so I gathered some information. But it seems to have made him popular with some of the boys. That you've said what I wanted to say.

I'm so happy I'm crying!

　It's even harder to get married than it was before I entered the school.

　I certainly deserved it, but I would have weighed myself more if I had known this would happen. Because I don't think I'd be safe after beating up His Highness.

''Well, it's good. It's a feminine and male-dominated world, but marriage isn't everything. If you don't care about the world, you're free to do anything else. That's exactly what you should use the power of money to do. You can find a girl who is in need of money.'

Well, that's not too bad.

"It's a solution that suits the master.

　--What is this guy looking at me like?

◇


　Three days have passed since the opening ceremony.

　It's hard to say things are going well in school.

　After all, people are avoiding me.

　It's a relief that Danielle and Raymond have apologized to me, but it's going to take some time for us to get back to the way we were before.

　I'm still awkward when I talk to them, as if they both owe me a debt of gratitude.

　However, things seem to be going well for everyone except me.

　According to Luxion's research, neither Angel nor Libya are having any trouble with school life. It's hard to know what will happen from now on, since it's only been three days, but things seem to have settled down around them.

　Ange seems to be fed up with his cronies trying hard to win back his trust, but other than that, things are the same as before.

　Livia also proceeded to study during the summer vacation, and it had reached a level where I could no longer understand what she was saying.

　I'm scared that she'll ask me to teach her how to study.

　I'd rather apologize and apologize for pretending to be able to do it.

　And there is one more problem.

　Your Highnesses.

　You decided to never go near them again in a duel, but you didn't leave Marie. Even though they were no longer lovers, it seems that the seven of us, including Marie and Kyle, had taken on the dungeon many times during the summer holidays.

　Greg and Chris seem to be trying to build up their strength to fight me again.

　It seems that Zilk and Brad's main purpose is to earn money since their support from their parents' house was cut off.

　The same seems to be true for Marie.

　The family finances of the Viscount family, Marie's family home, are on fire from the start. There was no way they could expect support, and they seemed to be taking on dungeons.

　And Your Highness--Julius was working with such Marie and the others. It sounds like a ridiculous story, but what they're saying is that they happened to be together when they tried to challenge the dungeon.

　Even though my reputation was severely depressed after the duel, I've been sympathetic to His Highness and the others, and some of the girls seem to be cheering them on.

　And the seven of us look like we're having a lot of fun -- well, there's one guy who doesn't look like he's having a good time.

　This is the original culprit in this case, Marie.

　It seems that he is suffering from being surrounded by masks that seem to have lost their position, honor, and even their wealth. The point is that the rest of the masks are enjoying it.

　It's funny how everyone around them seems to be having fun, but Marie alone is in a hurry to see the reality of the situation.

　The end result of the little move around is no better than this, considering it's definitely not the outcome Marier wanted.

　That was refreshing. I'm going to sleep well today.

　I sat on a bench in the courtyard of the school building, and as I was thinking about that, someone sat on either side of me. I thought it was Daniel or Raymond, but the atmosphere was soft and smelled good, so I knew it wasn't.

　It didn't smell like a bastard.

　I looked up and saw Livia and Angel sitting there.

'Mr. Leon, are you alone today?'

Thanks for the heartbreaking words. I'm alone today.

d*mn it, don't you have to do something about that?　Better yet, go out with them if you're not busy.

　Angier looked a little tired, as if he had wrapped his cronies around them.

'Going out?　Where?

　Livia had a woozy look on her face.

'It's a crepe stall. They have a great reputation!'

　It's a quintessential maiden game world.

　It's a fantasy world of swords and magic, yet the crepes and sweet things are usually available. It's a female-friendly world.

　It would be the best world if it wasn't so hard on men.

''Do they have strawberries or chocolate?''

　But my body is asking for sugar, so I'm getting interested too.

　Livia replies, remembering.

'It seems there is. Strawberry jam was very popular.'

　Angers are rare in crepes themselves.

"A food truck. 'I don't have much experience with them. My cronies won't let me buy one because they say it's not something I would eat.

　Most of those crony girls would be buying and eating at a food truck. I think Luxion reported that.

　The two of them held my hand and made me stand, and I went straight for the crepe stall.

'Come on, Rion-san, hurry up.'

Come on. Come on.

　He pushed me back and started walking away.

　They're such sweet and lovely people, but they're untouchable to me. Isn't that too unreasonable?

　Really - the world of otome games is hard on me (mobs).