The next morning, Bell arrived in the territory, very happy.
"Master! Girls!" She shouted with joy but also said in a low voice, "and the bitter Ixion," to resume her joy, "Bell-chan, I missed you so much!!"
Rudel welcomed her with open arms; the girls also greeted her.
"I'm glad you're back. How did it go?"
Rudel asked, and she, still being hugged by Alisa and Airi, replied:
"Everything is in order. It's messy and dusty, but nothing has been stolen from the palace. They kept their promise."
"I see. It's good to know they really aren't trash as I thought."
"By the way, Master, what about those suitcases?"
Bell asked about Rudel's luggage, which was being loaded onto Ellen's ship that had arrived this morning.
"You arrive at a good time, Bell."
Ixion said, approaching her to explain the details.
"The Master and I are going to the capital on important business. Therefore, I will leave you in complete control of the place."
"Really!"
"But! You will not be able to move my main body, and it would only move in case of an attack due to an order I gave. Avrora is now under your care, as are the new armors I made, and I hope you don't dare play with them or let anyone touch them."
"Tch. Bitter."
She made an electric sound like clicking her tongue; Ixion saw her as an older brother would a annoying younger sister.
"With Bell here, we can depart now."
Rudel had just said goodbye to his family and his other fiancées, but Alisa and Airi wanted to be with him a little longer.
From the prow, they were watched by Sara and Ellen, who were hurrying him.
"Duty calls. We'll see each other as soon as possible."
"Take care, Rudel-san."
"I hope nothing happens at the palace. It's strange for the Prime Minister to call you after a year without seeing you."
"That's why I'm going. To solve that problem."
With the last suitcase full of gifts on board, Rudel went up the stairs with Ixion by his side.
After boarding, Rudel asked Ellen something he couldn't get out of his head.
"Hey, Ellen, do you think my brother will be okay?"
He raised his hands to wave goodbye to the girls, who wanted to cry.
"I couldn't say. The relationship has worsened to the point that he doesn't even want to come out anymore."
"His butler even told me he doesn't want to talk to him."
"Does she really want to get married? That attitude is really the opposite of someone who wants to get married."
Ellen sighed as the ship began to move away slowly.
"I fear the worst."
Rudel watched his house gradually fade from view.
"I hope Lyle can manage to make her fall in love. But if the other side doesn't do their part, I can't do anything more than pray."
◇
When the ship moved away from my family's territory, Ellen summoned me and Sara to a meeting in her room.
Her room was what you would expect from a high-class girl, but knowing she's a pervert, I expected some kind of weird toy or a rope. There are candles, but I can't take them as something strange.
After I served them tea, Ellen explained to Sara her role in the palace.
Sara wasn't stupid, but since it was another country with a different culture and language, it was normal to pay attention to details.
But in the middle of their chat, I noticed she was saying strange things to her.
As if she were saying the palace is terrifying when they are actually useless.
Is this what they call "hazing the newbie"?
After finishing explaining the situation, Sara said:
"It makes me a little nervous. It will be the first time I set foot in a foreign country, well, its capital to be exact."
"Don't be nervous. Those idiots won't do anything to you, but if anyone bothers you, tell me, I'll teach them a lesson."
"Personally, I feel you don't have to envy anything about our capital. When I went to your country, I was amazed, there were things I had never seen before and I thought, 'So this is what a more developed country looks like,' and despite being very patriotic, I kept my words to myself."
"That's amazing, coming from you."
She laughed at what I said.
"Did you expect me to be some kind of lunatic who despises others for their nationality? I'm sorry, but hating someone for being a foreigner is not my thing, especially since I love traveling to unknown and exotic places."
"I appreciate what you say, Eleonora-san. But currently, your country is the best here. Mine is currently going through a crisis, and in a few years, we will see slow growth from what it once was."
"I'm sorry."
I replied, lowering my head; Sara took my jaw to lift it and look her in the eyes.
"Don't apologize, Rudel. You didn't do anything wrong, they were the ones who started everything, you were just a victim who received collateral damage."
That cheered me up a lot.
"Thank you, Sara."
"By the way, has your father sent you any letters?"
"Actually, no, but he told me that when things get better, he will send me a bunch of letters."
"I see, I hope he writes to you soon."
She said, and we continued talking about anything until dinner time.
But suddenly, Sara started to feel unwell.
"My chest hurts."
She fell from her chair.
"Sara, are you okay—!?"
When I went to check on her, I also fell to the floor.
My eyes fixed on Ellen, who had been smiling for a while.
She had put something in the tea; it wasn't poison but something that made me feel uncomfortable.
"It hurts so much."
What hurt wasn't my heart; it was my pants.
I could feel a huge discomfort down there, as if it wanted to break free on its own.
I looked at Sara to see how she was doing and saw her bringing her hands to the lower part of her skirt, slowly lifting it.
"It itches, it itches a lot."
She began to squirm and move her legs as if something were inside and she wanted to get it out.
Ellen approached Sara and explained our situation to us.
"It finally took effect, the response time wasn't a lie."
"You shouldn't worry. It's nothing bad, just a little aphrodisiac used on horses when the population is low."
"Ellen, why?"
I asked while trying to calm my lower part, which was screaming "I want out!" from my pants.
"There's something I didn't tell you. About going to the palace to sign our engagement was an excuse, that was done before you came, but you just need to confirm it."
"But what I really wanted was to get you away from Alicelotte, who was getting in the way."
Then she began to unbutton her dress, revealing erotic underwear.
"I also drank it. I've had an itch for a while that won't go away. Just like you have one that won't go away unless you calm it, right?"
"Was it necessary to go this far?"
I asked as I stood up.
First, I took off my shirt; my mind was really clouded, and I could only think about that.
"I wanted it to be special for us. But Alicelotte was in the way, and if I left Sara alone, she would surely get sad."
"Just look at her."
Sara was hyperventilating so much that she took off her clothes to feel cooler; she was also in her underwear.
After taking off my shoes, I went to both of them and hugged them tightly; my fingers dug into their breasts.
"For the record. I won't be gentle with either of you, I can't think of anything but calming it down."
"But, is it okay with you, Sara?"
I asked her with what little sanity I had left. With a red face and panting, she said:
"Do it to me as you wish. Just calm this itch in me."
Then I looked at Ellen, who was smiling.
"You can be rough with me, I want to see that unleashed masculinity that only they see."
"Alright!!"
I took both of them and proceeded to take the purity of each one.
First was Sara, as a punishment to Ellen.
◇◇◇
Ixion was by the door and soundproofed the place so no one would hear anything.
"I feel happy that the plan to take over humanity through genes is going perfectly, though I'd prefer to eradicate and conquer them. Then put the Master as king of the world; however, if it works out as I want but with another method, then welcome it.
◇
After several hours, we finally calmed down.
The place smelled of sweat and other odors.
For some reason, it felt cool, as if someone had turned on the air conditioning, so the humidity and heat from the bed slowly faded.
To my left, Sara was peacefully asleep; she was very beautiful while sleeping.
On the other side, Ellen was awake, staring at me fixedly.
Her hair was stuck to her face.
"You truly are the man the nobles fear. You were so cruel to me that I could only feel like I was in heaven. Ah, I can't feel my legs."
"I told you I wouldn't make it easy for you."
"It doesn't matter." She came closer and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "As a woman, I was marking my territory against those two. But doing this in a group doesn't seem bad; it's a pity that onee-sama is possibly engaged to your brother, no doubt she would be conquered by your manliness."
"Everything you say is terrifying for a woman."
"I am a special woman who is not afraid to show her true self to the man who moved my heart."
This time, her smile was one of happiness, not that of a pervert, but of a woman in love.
"I look forward to the future that awaits us. Darling."
After saying those words, my eyes closed; I was still tired, but with the confirmation of Ellen as another of my women.
◇
Once we arrived in the capital, I said goodbye to Sara and Ellen because she said, "Our paths part here. I will take Sara to see the embassy they built in the kingdom, then we will go to the palace."
"Understood. We'll see each other later."
After that, I headed to the palace.
The guards received me, but for some reason, they were scared to see me; they showed me a kind of respect they normally wouldn't.
Before, they looked at me with disgust; now they look like trembling Chihuahuas.
What's wrong with them?
But that wasn't the only strange thing.
The maids, officials, and knights were the same.
They saw me and got scared; they were polite but now terrified of me.
"Ixion, why are they looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"
"Surely it must be because of what happened in the republic, and they must be afraid of you."
"Afraid? But what happened there wasn't my fault; they shouldn't be afraid of me."
"Don't you understand? What happened is something they must believe you did on purpose; the reason doesn't matter. The simple fact that you are the man who destroyed two countries in the same day is enough to be afraid of you."
"But that's good for us. Fear prevents them from betraying you if they know what will happen to them."
"You sound like a tyrant. Besides, fear creates rebels."
"That's only when there is equality of reasons. But look at me now; before I couldn't show my spherical body, and now I'm by your side while everyone watches."
I took a look around, and he was right. They looked away when our eyes met.
"That's what I told you. Fear will prevent them from doing something stupid like making you an enemy; instead, they will want to be your allies, but they aren't stupid either, I think? To betray you in the future."
"I'm glad to see how everything is turning in our favor without lifting a finger."
"Really, you sound like a dictator. If you were human, you would surely create famines on purpose to reduce the population."
"I consider that famine should only be carried out in rebellious countries and blame their rulers. That way, a new government would be installed and we could have them subdued without them knowing."
"Please shut up. You make me sick."
"Besides… I don't want to be seen as a monster or be feared. I am a normal person."
"That will never be the case. For you, being 'normal' died after you met me."
His words don't help, but as we talked, we arrived at the Prime Minister's room.
The secretary in the adjacent room told us he was waiting for us.
In my hand, I have gifts for him; I hope this is enough for him to forgive me.
I knocked on the door, and a voice from inside said, "Come in," and I timidly opened the door.
After entering and closing the door, I noticed the place was the same as before. Full of books piled in columns.
At the back of the room, near the window, there was an old man signing documents.
Our eyes met when he stopped writing.
After a year, we finally see each other again.
"It's been a while, Prime Minister."
The Prime Minister of the kingdom, Mayer Von Ritzburg, the man I haven't spoken to since what happened that day.
"Likewise, Marquis Bradford."
I was nervous; I said strong words to him to save Erselica's skin, and he got angry because of it.
If she weren't my family from my previous life, we would never have had this problem.
After a moment of staring at each other, he was the first to speak.
"You've grown a lot, I see; you've also gained muscle."
I'm surprised he started like that, as I thought he would talk about what happened.
"Sit down, Marquis, we have a lot to talk about."
I obeyed, and as I did, he kept looking at Ixion.
"I remember you well. The day you presented the evidence of Balzac's treason. I couldn't thank you, but thanks to you, we got rid of many parasites."
"It was a pleasure to do so. That guy didn't deserve to get away with it after framing the Master."
"You are very loyal to him, I see."
"Sadly. I am obligated to be."
"Hey!"
Mayer laughed silently and, after stopping, said:
"To start, Marquis, I would like to know everything that happened in the now republic from the moment you arrived. I will explain the reason later."
I started from the beginning, omitting the parts involving the game and the reincarnated ones.
Mayer nodded and said:
"I understand the problem now. But there is something much more important to tell me."
He looked at me fixedly and uttered the words I didn't want to hear.
"You see, when I went to Aster, I asked our officials there one by one about what happened, in case it was true that he went mad and attacked the country of his own volition."
"But they all said the same as you: they were the ones who started it all. But there is something you didn't mention and something they said."
"Here it comes, the question I wanted to avoid. What I didn't even tell my family."
"The statements and testimonies say the same thing."
His mouth moved in slow motion as he pronounced that word.
"They say you fought against a demon."
I froze at his question. Because neither I nor Ixion know how to explain it, much less want to acknowledge it.
"Forgive me, Marquis, but for a man of my age, things like demons from fairy tales are something I cannot understand."
"Would you be so kind as to give your version of the events?"
I looked at Ixion, who nodded.
I proceeded to tell him what happened with that "demon," accompanied by the recording videos that Ixion compiled, including recordings of Sara and Lucy's statements in that "spiritual world."
After listening to me, Mayer-san brought his hand to his head.
"Forgive me, please. Something like this is impossible to digest."
"I understand; I can't even believe it myself."
Seeing him tremble, I gave him some of the tea I was preparing.
"Here."
"Thank you."
His hand was shaking, surely from fear after hearing what happened and seeing that video of the sacred tree turned into a monster.
"Normally, I wouldn't believe any of this and would label it as madness. But coming from you two and remembering that strange floating monster that attacked us in the war…"
"Even the most skeptical would believe in something supernatural if they experienced it."
"But things like demons and a spiritual world… The world is a huge place, no doubt; all this seems taken from some fantasy novel."
(In reality, it's a game world. But even for me, it's too surreal.)
After finally relaxing, Mayer-san explained the reason for calling me here.
"Very well, Marquis. Now I will tell you the real reason for bringing you here."
"I needed to make my report of the events. There are many nobles terrified of you because they think you've gone mad."
"Not only them. The opinion of foreign countries has increased to the point that we receive messengers from those countries asking for you to be imprisoned or handed over for being a danger."
"I think they are exaggerating, especially in this country."
I told him because it was really true; those idiots were exaggerating.
"It's true they exaggerate. In fact, the first thing I did was calm them down; those fools would undoubtedly be building barricades or trying to set a trap for you out of fear. But I calmed them down with threats so they wouldn't bother your family."
"Really? Thank you very much for the help, and what exactly did you tell them?"
"I told them: 'If it were true, he would have already killed the king, and since that didn't happen, then it's false.'"
"They all calmed down immediately."
It's incredible how those fools calmed down just because I didn't kill the king, so I couldn't have destroyed a foreign country. Their reactions towards me are too exaggerated.
Mayer-san stood up and went to a cabinet where he searched through a pile of newspapers for something.
"The real problem is international opinion. Just read this."
He handed me a newspaper from a country called Bauer; I read the underlined part and got very angry.
"'Demon King' for real? They're calling me a Demon King?!"
"Apparently, your title of 'Demon of the Kingdom' evolved into being the king of all demons for defeating that monster."
"And I wish that were the only problem with them."
"A group called the Ten Powers seeks to punish you at all costs, alleging words that have never existed like 'war crime' and 'crimes against humanity'; the nonsense they invent every day."
I was horrified, almost disgusted by this.
"War criminal? Do those idiots understand how they are treating me?"
"According to the explanation of the origin of the name they gave, of course they know."
"That's absurd!"
I got so angry that I hit the table in frustration.
"I am not a danger to the world nor a criminal who deserves to be judged! Besides, why didn't they make that declaration against Bandel, who had been terrorizing countries for years?"
"That is the issue here. The Bloody Knight worked for them, but they couldn't treat him as public enemy number 1. In contrast, you are someone who owes loyalty to the Kingdom of Altfode; obviously, they are upset and scared, surely they must think you will attack them at any moment!"
"It angers me so much that they treat me like a monster when the rulers of those countries are the problem here."
I was hyperventilating; Ixion gave me a pill and some water.
Little by little, I began to relax.
"Marquis Bradford."
Mayer-san called me; this time his gaze wasn't severe but relaxed. Like a grandfather looking at his grandson who broke a relic and saying with his eyes, "It's okay, nothing happened."
"I believe you. Everything you experienced was the fault of a third party; it's true that you cause problems, but it wasn't your fault."
"For that reason, I must ask you to just relax. Let this old man, who is the third authority in the country, cover your back while you relax."
His words were warm. They made me feel like a child being hugged and given cookies after a meltdown.
"You'll be 18 soon, right? You're still a child to me. Until then, let me handle everything; just relax and enjoy your youth."
"You'll soon start your last school year. Don't think about anything; think about having fun with your friends and creating pleasant moments."
"When you work, you will long for those days of doing silly things and enjoying life without worrying about anything."
Even though deep down I am an exploited salaryman, his words reflect a pure truth.
(I have a second life; I must enjoy it more than ever now that I have people around me.)
"Thank you very much, Prime Minister."
"Although I said all that, you will now have to attend palace meetings, as you are officially a minister on paper."
"Besides, we still have to do the official paperwork."
He sighed and started complaining.
"What was His Majesty thinking by making you a marquis? He just broke the promotion system even more."
"Am I still in the third highest rank?"
"Yes, the worst thing is that when he heard about your new title, do you know what I said?"
"I remembered now, I didn't understand it at first, but I remember it well."
That stupid Leonis, before I left, said this while laughing: "Ahahahaha, brat. Congratulations, you just earned the supreme position of the court ranks, the number zero, which was only for the Saint."
"I hope they don't really do that zero number in the ranks."
"That number is just a speculation created by the temple years ago; no one really mentions the zero rank because it doesn't exist. But the zero rank for the Saint and the Demon King, it seems like a very funny story."
"Please, don't even joke about it to that guy. He would be capable of making it a reality."
Mayer-san stopped laughing when he realized it could become real.
"I'm sorry."
"If you're so sorry, please demote me."
"That was a good joke you made, especially now. You should know better than anyone that they will never demote you, no matter what you say or do."
"I was afraid of that."
"I guess I will always be this rank until I die or Leonis does."
"By the way, Rudel-kun."
This time he called me by my name; that implies that the trust between us had returned.
"I have here a document saying that the Roseblaire daughter will now be your fiancée, is that true?"
There's no point in denying it; it's already a fact.
"Yes, I also came here to sign those papers and talk with her father."
He sighed heavily.
"I'm afraid he left on a business trip and won't return for a few days."
"But I can't believe it. First the Bismarck daughter, then a foreign princess, and now the Roseblaire daughter."
"You know there is a limit to what a man can do, right?"
"Yes," I replied with embarrassment.
"I'm not reproaching you for anything. I was also a womanizer in my time; my wife, in fact, was the only one who could tame me, hahaha."
"Is that what I had heard? Did your wife really tame you?"
"Yes. We had many fights, but she made me happy. As a man who was once married, I will tell you this."
"Appreciate your future wives every day, tell them how much you love them. Because you will never know when the day will come where you can't say goodbye."
"I understand."
"Although, instead of me, you rather resemble His Majesty when he was young?"
Those words left me bewildered.
"What do you mean? I resemble that guy?"
"Please don't insult me, Mayer-san."
Mayer-san was laughing at me.
"I'm not joking, you really resemble him in personality. Carefree, causing problems at the palace, and being a womanizer, but hardworking and honest. But you are worse in all of that."
"That's why I was his tutor, because I was the only one who recognized his potential to govern. But I don't understand where he strayed from the path; he was a good student."
I spat my tea on Ixion, who was irritated.
"Please don't joke about that. That guy and I only have in common that we want to kill each other."
"You say that, but why haven't you killed him?"
"Because it would be troublesome later."
"That's an excuse. You don't do it because you don't hate him; he just irritates you, but in the long run, you grow fond of him in a distorted and bizarre way."
"Because Leonis is an irritating existence, but you don't feel like killing him because it would be like kicking a sick dog."
"Hahaha. He said the same thing about his older brother."
I was surprised at that moment.
"Older brother? Leonis had an older brother? Wasn't he the heir?"
I inquired more about the king's history to use it as a weapon against him.
"Of course, but talking about that would take all day, so it would be for another time."
"More importantly, how has life been treating you at home lately?"
He quickly changed the subject to prevent me from getting information. As expected from the sly fox his face reflects.
"Actually, I'm doing well. There are problems with my siblings, but it's a family thing. But overall, I'm doing very well; in fact, I plan to return as soon as we finish this meeting."
"I see. It's good that you relax after that, but why don't you stay longer in the capital?"
"Huh?"
"There's no hurry to return home. Besides, do you want to leave this poor old man with all these snack gifts just for me? Do you know what they do to my colon?"
(He really is a sly old man.)
"Come on, tell me now about the fun parts of your journey. This old man needs to remember what an adventure was like, and you surely lived many."
"Now that you mention it, I didn't tell you the details about searching for the sapling of the sacred tree after Derrick took my ship."
"Well, I needed help, so I asked the guys to help me—"
The topic of what happened with Erselica never came up. So I understand that for him, it's not worth mentioning.
But seeing him listen to my stories makes me understand that even for him it wasn't important and it was just a whim for both of us.
So I will close this chapter of our lives and we will focus on living in the present.
By the way, Ixion commented: "It seems like a conversation between grandfather and grandson."
But neither of us wanted to contradict him.
I never had a grandfather, or rather, I never met the one in this world, but Mayer-san feels like the grandfather I never had, and he has told me he sees me as the grandson he never could have.
(Is this feeling of joy when being with an elderly person what they call 'the happiness of second parents'? If so, I'm glad it is like that.)
Our conversation lasted until night.
◇◇◇
At that very moment, as the queen was preparing to sleep and applying the face cream Rudel had given her, a maid knocked on her door and gave her a report.
"Huh? Rudel-kun is here?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. He has been locked in the Prime Minister's room for hours; they will surely come out anytime now because it's already night."
Upon hearing that Rudel was already here, she became very excited.
"It can't be! I haven't even looked for an opportunity to make a plan for us to meet!"
"Ah, let's see, free time, free time."
She ran to her drawer where she had a book with the activities she had to do.
There she found dates she couldn't move.
"Very well. This can be postponed, this cannot. This one either. Aaah, I'm running out of time."
Then she got rid of the book.
"Good. I'll put all that on hold and pretend to be sick."
"I must prioritize my dream date with him because I won't have another opportunity when that man arrives."
Normally, a wife wouldn't be making plans to meet another man since she is married.
But Leonis is a man who would make any woman commit adultery just to get rid of him, but in her case, it would be a secret official lover.
On the other hand, in a mansion in the capital, a maid was telling the same thing to a girl.
The girl was drying her hair in a room with two other older women.
Upon hearing Rudel's name in the maid's report, her hairdryer, made in the republic, fell to the floor.
"Rudel-san… you said?"
"Yes. He is at the palace right now."
The girl was boiling with happiness.
"Kyaah! I can't believe it!"
"Finally… finally, it's my chance."
The girl ran out of her room to her parents' room.
"I have to take advantage of this opportunity or it will be too late!"
But she didn't find her father there; then she went to his study, where he wasn't either.
She found him in the living room, reading a book to a little girl.
"Father!!!"
"Yes, what is it, Alicia?"
The girl's name was Alicia.
"I have a favor to ask you! No, it's the most important favor in the world, one where my life is at stake!"
"Don't exaggerate so much, tell me what it is."
"Please, arrange a dinner with Marquis Rudel Von Bradford."
That night, two women moved to make their dreams come true.
But this story will be told on another occasion.
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As you have already read the chapter, I will tell you straight out that what will happen now will be omitted. Because it is something we will see in the second part of this volume, volume 8.5, which will be released after this volume ends.
Starting from the next chapter, we will close the Bradford family arc and there will also be the beginning of a new era, without a doubt.
The fanservice is for Rudel. Did you like how countries are now treating Rudel like a certain Austrian painter? I like how everything is heading in a direction no one wants to mention: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/9761939?q=hikigaya_hachiman+
_________________
Here is the Mega link where you can see the chapters with illustrations in PDF format, as well as the characteristics of the characters and armor: https://mega.nz/folder/75wTzA4b#W-_qGvlSP9miCm1jpk54IQ