“All right, I’ve spoken at length about the harsh realities. Nord-kun, do you understand your current position now?”
“Ah, yeah. I didn’t want to, but I do.”
“Good.”
Sons of influential nobles often come with responsibilities. Power comes with responsibility, as they say. And Nord-kun understood that responsibility, but he was trying to run away from it.
Evia and Kaden-san were trying to help Nord-kun, and this time, my arrival pushed Evia over the edge. She gave him two choices: either be thoroughly trained or abandon all responsibility and become a commoner.
That’s where I presented a third option.
Of course, it wasn’t that different from Evia’s proposal.
Nord-kun, bowing his head as if dejected, had his spirits crushed by the stark reality and was now extremely dispirited.
The word “responsibility” is not something people inherently like. It’s something you have to do because it’s necessary, because it can’t be helped, because it’s your duty.
While there are likes and dislikes involved, ultimately, it’s a simple choice: do it or don’t do it.
The weight of responsibility changes depending on the standing one is born into. And as one lives their life, the nature of that weight changes.
The responsibility of an heir to a great noble house is too heavy for Nord-kun, for the “now” Nord-kun. I, who rose to the rank of general, can empathize with that.
In my case, if I don’t take on my responsibilities, I can’t provide for my family and would put them in danger. Rather than abandon this responsibility and run, I feel death would be preferable. It’s from this feeling that I’ve worked to elevate my position and am prepared to bear my responsibilities.
That is to say, the existence of my family is precisely what allows me to bear such responsibility.
What if I had nothing, truly nothing at all? If my family, like Suella, Memoria, Himik, Evia, Yukiera, and Sachiera, and my work colleagues like Kaido, Minami, Kitamiya, Katsu, Amelia, Keiri-san, and Muil-san, along with instructors Fushio and Kio, and all other beings who supported me, did not exist, and I had achieved the rank of general solely for my own sake, could I have borne this responsibility?
Probably not. I would not have been able to maintain it. I would have run away.
Family is an anchor. Companions are restraints. Teachers are walls.
While all of them may seem to hinder me, that’s not the case.
Because I have an anchor, I can reaffirm my place without being swept away by thoughts of escape. Because I have restraints, I can stop myself, reflect, and exercise self-control. Because I have walls, I can see goals that surpass my current abilities and foster the drive to overcome those walls.
I believe that the anchor, restraints, and walls are what provide support. And because I have support, I can continue to challenge the formidable opponent that is responsibility.
He, however, lacks that. Evia and Kaden-san and the others had something similar. But he missed the opportunity to obtain it and grew up without it.
Whether he recognizes this or not will greatly change the future development.
To draw Nord-kun’s attention, who was looking down with a somber expression, I clapped my hands loudly to gather his focus.
“So, that’s the end of the harsh reality talk. From here on, let’s have a more relaxing conversation.”
“A relaxing conversation… what do you mean?”
Evia, sensing my intention, observed quietly. Because Evia was observing, Kaden-san and the others also assumed a waiting stance. It won’t be for the worse, but to be trusted this much feels a bit embarrassing.
Dispelling the oppressive atmosphere, I gave him a smile. Nord-kun, though wary, listened to my words. He instinctively understood that my smile was a threat, so he was quite hesitant, but that couldn’t be helped.
“It’s like a career counseling session, you can think of it that way. Until now, we’ve been pushing what we want you to do. From now on, we want to hear your wishes first.”
“Even if I say them, my wishes probably won’t come true.”
“There’s a big difference between saying it and not saying it. People often say it’s a waste of time if it’s bound to fail, but you demons have lifespans many times longer than humans. A mere few hours of waste is nothing now, is it?”
There’s also the saying that it costs nothing to try. And if you don’t say it, it won’t start.
“That’s true…”
Seeing him dally, Evia was about to scold him impatiently, but as I signaled for a bit more observation with my gaze, she sighed and agreed.
“Well, it’s not like I’m asking you to talk about your dreams or vague desires about what you want to be in the future. Rather, from here on, it’s about what you realistically want to be.”
“What I want to be?”
“Yes, first of all, let me explain how to fulfill your desire to live as a recluse, a NEET.”
“You can do that!?”
“It will be limited, but not impossible.”
First, I need to grab Nord-kun’s attention, as he’s become timid and given up on everything. He’s leaping at the possibility of becoming a recluse as he wished, but is it because he’s faithful to his desires, or is there a reason he must become like that? I’ll confirm the reason later.
“First, create an environment where no one will complain about you being a recluse.”
“Environment?”
“That includes public perception, income, and daily activities.”
For now, I’ll teach him how to fulfill his wish. Nord-kun’s eyes are now shining with more hope than before, and I continue my explanation while feeling suspicious gazes from all directions.
“The biggest problem with being a recluse is income. Naturally, if you don’t work, no money will come in.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Without money, you can’t maintain your life. Well, there’s the option of living deep in the mountains, farming, and being self-sufficient, but the reclusion you’re talking about isn’t that, is it? It’s a decadent lifestyle of just lazing around, eating, and sleeping repeatedly, right?”
“That’s it!!”
Nord-kun, oblivious to the scornful gazes calling him a degenerate. He doesn’t seem to realize he’s digging his own grave and lowering his reputation, but I’ll proceed anyway.
“So, the first method for this leisurely, decadent life is…”
For me, this is where the real presentation begins.
“Finding a woman to support you.”
“Whoa!”
“There are women in this world who are infatuated with useless men, men with no life skills. By devoting yourself to such a woman, you can have your financial needs guaranteed and live that way.”
“Devote myself, how specifically?”
“You do something like being a host. You flirt with her every day, making her fall for you, maintaining the motivation of the woman who will support you, so she’ll gladly give you money and you can live without working. Well, pleasing her mood is a job in a way, but since the only person you interact with is that woman, it can be considered easy if you embrace it. Though, it’s the sort of behavior a degenerate would engage in.”
“……”
“I hate to interrupt your deep thinking, but this method has disadvantages, you know? Actually, it only has disadvantages.”
“What are the disadvantages? It’s fine if a beautiful woman supports me.”
“That’s the point. In the first place, in an environment where a beautiful woman supports you, the only benefit is a ‘zero-yen smile,’ which is a double-edged sword. Words like ‘I love you’ or ‘I like you,’ if said too much, can sound insincere. If you’re abandoned once, you’ll be thrown out with no assets, which is still the best-case scenario. If your daily actions are bad, you might even be sued for marriage fraud and go to prison. Do you have the confidence to woo women to that extent?”
“If I could do something like that, I wouldn’t be here.”
“Exactly. So, this first proposal is possible, but the disadvantages are too great.”
Fundamentally, it’s just changing your parasite host from the Nordis family to that woman. The first option is a setup to make him realize it’s completely unworkable. My aim is to explain away any actions he might take in this direction.
“For the next proposal, it’s a bit different from being a recluse, but if you study, you can earn income without working in a way, through passive income.”
“Passive income?”
“It’s also called wealth investment. It’s a method of earning money to live by moving large sums of money through real estate rentals and investments.”
In Japan, it’s like managing apartment buildings. You earn rent, use that rent for facility management, and the remaining money becomes your income. The income might be small, but you can outsource everything, so once the foundation is built, you can create a system where money comes in automatically.
“The disadvantage is that this method requires an astronomical initial investment. By the way, how much savings do you have?”
However, that’s only if you have the money for the initial investment. Realistically, it’s not something ordinary people can afford. Some people do reach that lifestyle by diligently saving from their daily lives.
“……None.”
It’s clear as day that Nord-kun isn’t that type of person.
“Then, this option is also impossible. But still, keep it in mind, as it’s something you’ll need later.”
Territory management, in a sense, is similar to a method of obtaining passive income. Well, the amount of paperwork and the amount of work would be vastly different, but there are similarities.
“And this is my main proposal.”
Now, it’s finally time for the main topic.
“It’s a way to earn money and establish a living base to obtain the passive income I mentioned earlier.”
“What do you mean? You said I wouldn’t have to work.”
“It’s a method to create an environment where you don’t have to work. In other words, it’s a method for preparation.”
I’ll put aside Nord-kun’s protests that the story has changed.
“Before I explain this method, let me ask you first: it seemed like you were aimlessly escaping reality without any sense of purpose. In other words, you seem to be living vaguely but dislike anything troublesome. Am I wrong?”
“……You’re not wrong.”
And the important thing is that, from interacting with him, I felt that if Nord-kun had a clear goal, he would act. He’s the type to act based on profit and loss, or rather, in this case, a demon species? It doesn’t matter, he’s the type to act for the benefit if the benefits significantly outweigh the drawbacks. In this world, he’s like a merchant. Honestly, he doesn’t have the personality suited for nobility. More accurately, he doesn’t have the personality suited for a merchant either… He’s not saying he dislikes everything; he’s the type who will act if you dangle the prospect of profit and pay him properly. The methods for living as a recluse I presented so far were to implant that purpose into his consciousness. Working to become a recluse. It sounds contradictory, but such a purpose is enough.
“Well, it’s a story with benefits for you. Please listen until the end.”
“Okay.”
“Excellent. If your ultimate goal is to obtain an environment where you can live without working, with everything taken care of, you’ll need to pay some attention to quality as well. Surely you don’t want to eat food like scraps and live in a stable, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. And wouldn’t you prefer to be taken care of by a beautiful woman, have delicious meals served, and be pampered?”
“Of course!!”
Is it because he’s a demon, or is he just true to his desires… Evia, who sighs at Nord-kun’s attitude, I apologize, but I think we need to educate this child a bit more before he falls for a con artist.
“Alright, then I’ll tell you a special method.”
As a prerequisite for that education, how shall I instill the joy of labor? While smiling inwardly, I ruminate on how to make him work for his goals.
Today’s word: Listen carefully to discussions of advantages and disadvantages.
Thank you for your continued feedback and error reports. If you find this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc. I am also currently serializing another work, Pandora Pandemic Panic! We’re fighting back with secret bases and other means! Please check that out as well!!
