Marie was in her room at the mansion.

　She was sitting upright on the bed and worrying about herself.

　The one in front of her--Rion is in front of her.

　He is beating his teeth with a clatter, trembling in small increments, and has a blue face.

''........I mean, are you that thing?　You're saying you forgot something important until now?

　Marie nodded, too scared to look at Leon's face.

''Huh ... yeah.''

　I can't even reply well because I'm trembling.

　There are several reasons why Marie is afraid of Rion.

　For one, she knows Rion's character.

　He knew the rebellious spirit he showed when he tried to use his reverse harem to hunt down Angier, or should I say the rebellious spirit he showed when he tried to use his reverse harem to hunt down Angier, he knew that he would do it when he had to.

　Normally it wasn't a problem, but when he decided to do it, Rion would do it.

　And the second thing is important.

　Rion had already experienced real combat and killed people.

　Marie understands that this difference is very large.

　There is less hesitation.

　The bar is lower for killing people.

(Killed.) I--my brother's going to kill me!

　And third.

　Marie is Leon's sister from a previous life.

　She knew the limits of what makes Leon angry, and even though she was his sister, she was able to identify that line. I've always tried to never cross that point.

　The reason is because I'm afraid of making her angry.

　She is stubborn and will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal.

　He usually got in trouble, but he understood that he shouldn't make them angry.

　The line of anger is very loose to begin with.

　He'd forgive me to a certain extent, and there was a part of Marie that understood that and relied on it in her previous life.

　But when she remembered what would happen if she crossed that line, she felt like she would collapse at any moment.

(Duh, no. You can't ever fall down. I can't even cry down. On the contrary, it irritates me. The only way to do that is to tell the truth plainly and apologize. If you don't you'll die!

　I could hear Leon walking through Marie's room.

　He walked as if he were spinning in circles.

'If I'd known earlier, I could have taken action. I wouldn't have lost the Luxion, the ship - and the Aroganz - if the prince you're keeping hadn't been quicker. Isn't it?

　Shivering, Marie couldn't stop sweating in a cold sweat.

'No, no, sir.'

　The rhythms are not working well.

　Marie is struggling to hold on to her consciousness that she's about to collapse.

''Well I'll decide what to do with you later. Go treat Brad first.

Yes!

　Jumping up from the bed and running out of the room and down the hallway, Marie went to Brad, who was just giving her first aid.

　But--.

(What am I going to do? I--I'm going to be done!)

　Marier, who had made an enemy of his biggest supporter and understanding, Rion, was quite trapped.

◇

　I make sure Marie has left the room and I put a hand to my chin.

'Well, it's going to get busy now.

　I have to take care of Noel.

　I decided to go home quickly and discuss some things with him tomorrow.

◇

　The next day.

　The person I consulted at the school is my homeroom teacher, Mr. Clément.

　He's wearing a shirt that looks like it's going to tear today.

　He has a more serious face than usual, but he had his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap.

''You're the second son of the Favell family. He's one of the most troubled children in the school.

There were other troubled children, weren't there?

　That's more surprising.

'We're going in different directions, though. But still, I'm sorry to be a bit of a cliché, but it's a tough job, Leon.

　Despite his appearance, he is a gentle teacher.

　Many students ask Mr. Clément for advice.

　In particular, there are many girls, and boys tend to be hesitant to ask him for advice.

　The reason?　Because I feel like I'm in danger.

'So, it was about how to get the airship back, wasn't it?

Yes, sir.

　What I'm consulting on is how to get back what was taken.

　This one is a bit tricky.

　We have to make those guys want to bet Einhorn on us.

　And we need to make it look like we're playing on equal footing.

''If I may conclude, it won't be possible. He's from one of the seven--no, six noble families. Even if I were to prepare a price for him, he wouldn't be pleased with a few treasures.

'This one is seriously ill. Why don't you complain to your superiors along those lines?

　Dr. Clement shook his head.

'You won't listen to them. After all, one of the people who will be attending the assembly is the head of the Fèvel family. He is your father, Pierre. The other heads of the House of Representatives may use it as a bargaining chip for their politics, but they won't take it seriously.

　He downplayed the issue of diplomacy.

　The reason for this was due to the myth of the undefeated who have been winning in defensive battles - limited to defensive battles, but never losing.

　Furthermore, it's also a pride for having the Holy Tree.

''Is there anything that Pierre would want?　It would be nice to have something that even the Six Great Nobles would want.

　Dr. Clement shrugs.

''That would be a legend of sorts. Legendary weapons and the rest of the treasures produced by the Holy Tree?

"Treasure?

''The Sacred Tree bears fruit, but instead of seeds, there's a ball of concentrated magical power sealed inside it. There aren't many of them, but there are always airships flying around near the sacred tree to look for them.

　The island where the sacred tree is located is a sanctuary.

　It seems that the treasure jewels are owned by the person who retrieves them, and the six great nobles are also fighting over them.

''Why would you want something like that when you can get unlimited energy from the Holy Tree?''

Where did you hear about it?

　Dr. Clement's eyes changed.

　Apparently Marie's knowledge was not wrong.

'Well?　I wonder where. So?

　When I asked for the rest of the story, Dr. Clément gave up or went back to explaining.

'We can't touch the holy tree,' he said. We can't even take the fruit ourselves. Or should I say no, we can't take it?　So when I see a fruit about to fall, I'll stay in the airship and watch. By the way, there's a legend that says love is good for the treasure.

　They say that when two lovers get a treasure ball, their love is forever.

　Hmmm. I'm not interested.

Sounds like you're not interested.

"I have a fiancé.

I'm sorry.

　What do you mean by that disappointment?　I'm curious, but I don't want to hear about it, so I decided to listen to something else.

　The way you get treasure balls takes time.

　It's competitive and hard to get them.

　As an international student, I have a limited amount of time.

　I don't have the time or tools to look for treasure balls.

So what's next?

There's only one thing that the six great noble families are so desperate to find. It's the Sacred Tree Seedling.

A sapling?

Yeah. But then I remembered what happened earlier. The fruit from the sacred tree is the jewel in the crown, right?　That thing in itself is a bundle of energy, not a seed. Then how do you think a sapling can be made?

　If a seed doesn't sprout from a seed, you can't get a sapling in the first place.

　

''So it's a legend?''

That's just it. The Six Noblemen have everything they want. If not, they provoke others into war.

　He fights defensive battles out of absolute confidence, and when he wins, he gets a fortune in the form of compensation from his opponent.

　........You're seeing a lot of things.

''A sapling? I'd like to hear more about that story.''

I only know the legends. Well, what do I know but Narcissus-kun?

　Narcissus "kyuu"?

◇

　The school's faculty room.

　The name of that person who has been given a private room is 【Narcis Carse Granger】.

　He is the third son of the current head of Granger's family who came from the six great noble families and became a teacher.

　I was introduced to Dr. Clément and when I entered the teacher's room, I saw one teacher sleeping on the sofa.

　He is in his late twenties, a man with a stubbly beard and gray hair in an all-black bun, apparently in his late twenties.

　He seems to be immersed in research, and I'm told that his class is not popular or free.

　Since it's not a required class, there are not many students taking it - or rather, no students, apparently.

'Mr. Narcissus,'

Hmm?

　Dr. Narcissus wakes up, missing a beat, and cranes his neck when he sees my face.

''........the bathroom isn't here.''

No, I have to go to the doctor.

Me?　Why?

　........He had a look on his face that said he really didn't understand.

　This teacher, this is still one of the men to be attacked.

　An insincere bad teacher?　Or, you know, like a research idiot.

'Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you. I'm Leon, an international student.

　Then Dr. Narcissus jumped up and grabbed both my hands.

　Hey!　This guy smells like a bottle.

"Foreign exchange student from Holfaat!　Actually, I missed you too!

Is that so?

Wait for me. I'll have your tea--oh!

　In his haste to prepare tea, Dr. Narcissus got caught in a pile of books and was buried in a pile of crumbling papers and books.

　He thought it was a very dirty room, but there are many piles of books that have fallen down, as if this has happened many times.

''Well for now, let's start with cleaning up, shall we?

　Dr. Narcissus emerges from the pile of books and looks embarrassed in front of me.

'I'm sorry,'

◇

　We talked as we cleared the room.

'Did you ever want to get to know an adventurer?'

'Yes. I'm more the type of person who goes out there and instructs people in person. I want you to actually go into the dungeon and learn from it on the ground.

　He says it's a hobby of his own, but he's also researching ancient times in dungeons.

　He's a teacher because it's convenient for him.

　And it seems that being from the Six Great Nobles is the reason why he can't be an adventurer.

''I've heard that Holfert can be an adventurer even if he's from a noble family.

'You can be, or rather, you have to be. We'll all become adventurers once we join the academy.

'Regardless of gender?　Oh, is that really?

　He was surprised when I nodded.

'Each and every one of you must be strong. Even the students who were able to study abroad before had unusually good grades in physical education.'

　The Arzer Republic is hosting international students.

　But apparently there are only a few foreign students who have come here.

　That's why there's so much we don't know about each other.

''So, on my side of the story,''

Are they from the holy trees?　It's certainly a legend, but the discovery itself has been reported several times.

　He nodded his head when he heard that the saplings themselves had been found in the history of the Republic.

'Then why is it a legend?'

The answer is simple. It didn't take root in the ground.

　If you find it, it will die. Even if you leave it alone, it will die.

　Even if they want to study it, they don't have enough.

　It seems that the Republic of Alsel wants to secure the holy tree seedlings no matter what.

The sacred tree is alive. Of course, it will probably die someday. I think the Republic wants to secure the saplings and get a new sacred tree before that happens.

　A plan for the next hundred or two hundred years.

　However, there was one thing that bothered me.

'I know it's important, but I don't think they'll want it in the future, and I don't think they'll want it right away.

　It didn't seem like the nobles wanted it down their throats.

　Dr. Narcissus swallowed his words, as if he wanted to say something.

　'I have my reasons for wanting to get it, but I guess I can't tell you.

'So, where is that sapling located?'

''There are examples of the saplings themselves being found in dungeons all over the continent. Even if they haven't been found yet, I think there's still a chance they could be found in any dungeon.

　Anywhere?

　When I was curious, Dr. Narcissus answered.

'The dungeons of Arzel, you see - they're all connected to the Holy Tree. In the first place, the roots go deep into this earth as well. You could say that everything is connected to the sacred tree.

It's a strange country.

Yeah?　I don't know, because it's normal in Arzel. But what do you want a holy tree sapling for?

　I mentioned Pierre's name.

　As I explain, Dr. Narcissus puts his hand to his forehead.

''........As someone who comes from the same six noble families, I feel sorry for you.

Then you have to help me.

　Dr. Narcissus shook his head.

''You guys don't understand, but the seven--no, the six nobles are not nobles under a single state. I want you to think of them as a collection of nations.

　Does that mean that complaining about the Fevers of Pierre is an interference in their internal affairs?

　The Favell family is a separate nation they have a lot of designs on each other.

　That's good to know.

Does that mean you're not going to side with Pierre?

　Dr. Narcissus laughed.

'That's the way it is. I can at least give him a heads up, but I doubt he'll listen.

Is he that bad?

　Dr. Narcissus, who was smiling bitterly, would talk about Pierre.

''I don't know if it's horrible or what, but he does whatever he wants, you know.

　Apparently, I don't have a good reputation at the school.

　Little by little, I build a plan in my head.