Marius had come to Arneed Castle on the Ranleo border with Lovisa, Emma, and Raymond.
The proposal to strengthen the defense line had been made due to Hordia’s cowardly surprise attack.
A portion of compensation had been paid by Hordia, but it was by no means enough.
As everyone was racking their brains about how to proceed with a limited budget, Lucas proposed that Marius go out on defense.
When an anomaly occurred, he would instantaneously transfer via “Teleport” and incapacitate the enemy by casting status-altering magic.
Marius readily agreed, as it was the most cost-effective and seemingly most effective plan.
If he didn’t have to kill people, he didn’t mind combat between individuals.
Thus, Marius was taken around various parts of the country to increase the number of places he could teleport to, and ended up staying at Arneed Castle for a night.
The castle was chosen because it had rooms for the King to stay in during his progress.
Bernard had fallen from grace, and the faction that was against Marius had quieted down.
Otherwise, their plan to spend a night with Lovisa while traveling would likely have been crushed by strong opposition.
However, Emma and Raymond were also present, and Arneed was defended by 30,000 troops of the defense army, with General Lucius as its commander.
A modest welcome banquet was held, and it was a surprise to see Lovisa, who showed prowess as a drinker unbefitting her appearance, drawing applause.
Marius, on the other hand, did not get drunk at all due to the Sage’s buff.
The banquet ended early, as they couldn’t be too cruel to those who were on guard duty, but Marius was grabbed by Raymond and Lucius and taken to a gathering of the magic corps.
“Thanks to you, Prince Marius, I think I’ll pass the mage exam.”
Raymond expressed his gratitude to Marius for their mutual studies and then looked around boastfully at those nearby.
The ranks of mages were divided into Magician, Mage, Archmage, and Grand Archmage.
Above them all was the Magic King.
Raymond was more skilled in summoning, but his magic had also improved thanks to Marius.
“Prince Marius, you’re cheating!”
“Favoritism breeds resentment!”
Jokes and criticisms poured in from the magic soldiers.
Being able to use five spells was enough for a magic soldier, and as soldiers, they had to participate in training to improve their skills, making it difficult to learn new spells.
“Well, Prince Lucas and Prince Nilson are Archmages, though.”
Lucius, with a refined smile, tried to calm her subordinates.
“Even when extremely busy, the ability to strive for even greater heights is essential.”
With a gentle smile and words, the soldiers could not argue back.
“As expected of a castle commander,” Marius was impressed.
“Speaking of which, Prince Marius, what’s your rank? It must be quite high.”
“I’m a Magic King.”
He answered casually to Raymond’s question..
No one looked surprised, only a “As expected” expression.
It was probably Marius’s imagination that they all looked somewhat tired.
The news of the recapture of Balderra Fortress in less than a minute had reverberated throughout the country and reached their ears.
“To what extent of training did you go to reach that point?”
One person asked with sparkling eyes, while another interjected.
“Fool, you can’t reach it just by training.”
“That’s right. Exceptional talent and eternal training. It would be impossible without either.”
Raymond grumbled, and Marius felt uncomfortable.
It was true that it had taken time, but it was the result of his friends helping him level up. Since coming to this world, his only effort had been practicing his restraint.
While he had accepted that fact, he felt awkward when looked at with clear eyes by those who aimed for “higher heights.”
Perhaps “guilt” would be a better word.
(So it’s a matter of working harder, isn’t it?)
Interacting with the soldiers like this, he truly realized his own inadequacy.
The soldiers not only had ambition for promotion, but they also cherished their homeland and diligently trained to protect it with their own strength.
Marius, on the other hand, had simply stayed in Filat because he wanted to take it easy.
(What do I want to do…)
He had achieved his initial goal of learning the Taliant Language and had a general understanding of other countries to some extent.
But he had stopped there.
He had recaptured Balderra Fortress because he was angered by Hordia’s methods.
It wasn’t so much righteous indignation as simply being “irked.”
He thought that was fine.
As long as he had power, he wouldn’t lack for comfort or beautiful women.
At this point, that cynical attitude began to waver, much to his surprise.
He hadn’t felt anything when he was with the soldiers dispatched to rescue Balderra Fortress.
(No, perhaps it was because of that…?)
Had he received a spark in his heart without realizing it?
Soldiers mourning fallen comrades, burning for revenge, yet laughing together around a fire, sharing meals and sleeping quarters.
Those whose collars that prevented their escape had been broken, who had left the country that had oppressed them, yet had no concept of “being freed from slavery.”
Had he, at some point, developed something akin to affection for the people of this world?
(It’s better to realize it now than after losing them.)
He muttered self-deprecatingly.
Lucius and Raymond, sensing Marius’s change, brought the meeting to a close.
Marius stepped outside the castle and felt the night breeze.
Summer was coming soon, but it wasn’t particularly hot.
It felt like a humid, but not hot, rainy season in his old world.
Before him, the Cereoles Great Forest, considered another stronghold between him and Ranleo, rustled in the wind.
Unlike the Lake of Hades, the path was steep and narrow, only passable by children, and filled with monsters.
This Arneed Castle functioned more as a defense against monsters than against Ranleo.
(There are no monsters… not here.)
As long as Marius was present, even highly sensitive monsters would not approach, but low-level monsters were another matter.
Still, monsters generally wouldn’t leave their territory unless absolutely necessary.
Looking up at the sky, a silver crescent moon was visible, with stars twinkling here and there.
Marius used the grandeur of nature as a way to clear his head and reflect on himself, thinking “I am so small.”
Even in another world, the sky was vast, and the moon was splendidly beautiful, cleansing his heart.
Returning to the castle, he saw Lovisa and Emma carrying something on trays.
He wondered what they were doing, only to see them bringing food to the soldiers on guard duty.
(Is this something a princess of a kingdom would actually do?)
From Marius’s perspective, it was unthinkable.
While Lovisa was a strong patriot and not arrogant about her position, didn’t a Princess require some semblance of authority?
He quietly asked Emma, who was standing by behind her mistress, and received a reply in her usual tone.
“Some nobles frown upon it, but the soldiers appreciate it. His Majesty approves, as it consoles and inspires the soldiers.”
Indeed, being handed food by their beautiful princess and exchanging a few words might be enough to motivate any man.
“Right, I still owe you my thanks.”
Emma, unusually, initiated the conversation. Marius looked up in surprise and met her eyes, surprised further by her rare, faint smile.
“It’s thanks to you that my father has returned. It’s unthinkable that intelligence captured by the enemy would be returned.”
The maid, who had remained composed even when hearing of Fleg’s disappearance, was, after all, only human.
The suppressed emotions overflowed, and she had a captivating face that momentarily stunned Marius.
Unfortunately, it was only for a fleeting moment before she returned to her usual impassive expression.
“You should always wear such a radiant smile.”
“I only don’t show it to you.”
“Eh?”
He involuntarily stared at Emma’s face, only to be met with a reply, “I’m joking.”
She had never joked before.
It seemed her state of mind had changed for the better.
Lovisa joined them once her hands were free.
“Oh, are you two chatting behind my back?”
She tilted her head in a way that suited her.
“I was just thanking him for my father’s sake.”
“Ah, yes. It seems the whole country is abuzz about how it was more difficult to break the slaves’ collars than to retake Balderra Fortress.”
It seemed something considerable was happening in the country unknown to Marius.
Hordia, intimidated by this, had hastily returned the spies they had captured, to everyone’s amusement.
“I’m jealous of you, Prince Marius,” Lovisa murmured softly.
“Everything I do is just self-satisfaction…”
She drooped her shoulders sadly.
“I heard you changed the world with a new spell…”
Marius thought that creating new common knowledge was far more amazing, but Lovisa disagreed.
“It wasn’t that much of an impact. We were still taken advantage of by Hordia.”
For her and the people of this world, strength came first.
Being strong provided advantages in all aspects.
However, being too strong could also unite other nations against them, so a moderate level was best.
“In that sense, did I do too much? I was thinking of causing a stir at that Demonplay event.”
Marius, wanting to avoid a situation where Filat would be pitted against all the continent’s nations because of him, was met with a puzzled look from Lovisa.
“Prince Marius? Forgive me, but you seem to have… gained some substance?”
Emma warned him with her eyes to “be more careful with your wording,” and Lovisa attempted to rephrase.
“You had an impression like a cloud, but now you are like a tree with roots in the earth.”
Emma slumped her shoulders in disappointment.
By the way, Marius, who had moved out of her line of sight, didn’t notice, nor was he offended by Lovisa’s wording.
Rather, he thought, “So, I was seen through after all.”
He had simply gone along with the situation, so he must have given the impression of a flimsy piece of paper that would blow away with a gentle breeze.
He had no redeeming qualities for Lovisa, who had a strong attachment to this country and a sense of duty as a Princess.
“Just now, I realized I’ve grown fond of this country and its people. I’d like to do something for the country.”
“I see. In that case, why not do something so spectacular that it makes any attempt at unity seem futile?”
Marius pondered Lovisa’s mischievous smile.
“It depends on the mechanism. If it’s the same situation as a sparring match, I won’t be able to go all out.”
Emma replied with a wry smile that was more of a grimace.
“The content of the Demonplay is decided by lottery each year. The only rule is to avoid repeating previous years’ events. Last year was a tournament.”
So, it wouldn’t be a tournament.
“What was the result of the last one? It must have been Prince Lucas or Prince Nilson who participated, considering their strength.”
“It was Lucas who participated last time, and he came in second place.”
Lovisa answered.
Filat’s representatives were always contenders for the championship.
Lucas, in particular, was considered one of the continent’s top three alongside the previous representatives of Ranleo and Seraeno.
“Thanks to you, Prince Marius, it all fell apart quite suddenly.”
“What a heavy responsibility,”
Marius shrugged, but felt little pressure.
Unless the competition rules were something like “lower power levels earn higher scores,” he was confident he could achieve good results.
“I want to show them a strength that will make the people of Hordia even more fearful.”
As Marius said this, the three of them exchanged dark smiles.
When their laughter subsided, Marius’s expression turned serious.
“If I perform well at the Demonplay, would you two go on a date with me?”
“Oh, my. How unusual, for you to make such a bold and manly invitation.”
Lovisa’s reaction was neither cold nor warm.
“Yes. I want to say goodbye to my former self.”
“Excuse me, but all gentlemen’s propositions sound the same. I suppose they would say things like ‘I’ll make you happy,’ ‘I’ll die for you,’ ‘I’ll protect you forever,’ or ‘you’re the most beautiful.’ I have no way of knowing if they are true or false without seeing the results of their actions.”
“Therefore,” Lovisa continued.
“If you win the Demonplay, I’ll accept. Given your abilities, any other condition would be too unfair.”
Marius’s heart fluttered at her radiant smile, which could have enchanted any man and made him lose his judgment.
Of course, a portion of it was likely an act, but that was unavoidable.
That was likely how Marius had seemed to Lovisa until now.
