Ch.132132. Trust Me, It’s Me.

“Ahem! So, you’re saying you built defensive formations in advance to block the monster wave?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And the fact that you even saved the mercenary members means you knew the monster wave was coming in advance?”

“I simply recruited defensive formations and mercenary members in preparation for monsters entering the territory.”

In the reception room of Lake Territory mansion.

Baron Byron glanced furtively at the Etherian Princess with a puzzled expression.

“There was no need to hire so many people?”

“More mercenaries applied than expected, and most were skilled, so I planned to hire them first and then filter them out later.”

“…And the monster wave occurred before they could be filtered out…”

“I was fortunate.”

“Hmm, before coming to the mansion, I looked around the defensive formations and saw they were being repaired.”

“That’s right. There’s no harm in preparing again.”

Baron Byron stared at me intently before bowing his head toward the Etherian Princess.

“Your Highness, I’ve finished all the conversations I needed to have with my son.”

“I don’t mind. I simply wanted to have tea with someone my father favored.”

“…Haha, is that so?”

Have I ever seen Baron Byron with such a flustered expression?

That alone was a satisfying enough result.

The Etherian Princess silently lifted her teacup, and Baron Byron continued.

“If I may ask, Your Highness, why did you suddenly visit Lake Territory?”

“Selden invited me to visit.”

“…Pardon? Is that truly the only reason?”

“Is another reason necessary?”

“Ah, no, not at all. Hahaha!!”

Silence descended once again.

It felt exactly like standing with your hand raised, waiting for punishment.

Baron Byron fidgeted with his innocent teacup again before turning his gaze toward me.

“Ah, by the way, I stopped Miria from coming along.”

“…Thank you.”

At that, the Etherian Princess paused.

“Who is Miria?”

“My older sister.”

“I see.”

Both Baron Byron and I simultaneously made questioning faces before continuing our conversation.

“Your exile will end soon, so naturally you’ll return to the family?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

“What does that mean? Are you saying you’ll remain in Lake Territory?”

“For now, I’ll focus on repairing the defensive formations. I’ll think about what comes next later.”

“Any other reasons?”

“Well, leaving home has cleared my mind, so I’d like to stay a bit longer.”

Baron Byron stroked his chin and slowly nodded.

“We’ll discuss that matter later.”

“Understood.”

Afterward, a boring conversation continued between the Etherian Princess and Baron Byron.

Unlike his usual visits to Lake Territory where he would stay for days, he seemed uncomfortable and promptly returned to the family.

The Etherian Princess also left for the Imperial Palace, saying the unsettling words, “I’ll come visit again next time.”

And so.

I thought all I had to do now was prepare to welcome the protagonist, Serion Lykus.

However, an incident broke out immediately.

“M-Master! War has broken out!”

Federix burst into the study, raising his voice just as I was trying to leisurely read a book.

War? Could it be the Alphonse family?

Was this something that didn’t happen in the original story but changed because of me?

“Which family has declared war on our family?”

“N-No, that’s not it. The Cardrian family has declared war on the Parseche family.”

The Parseche family where Elina is?

So it finally happened.

I recall hearing that the Cardrian family was desperate to create a pretext…

I put down the book I was reading on the desk and spoke.

“Have they already received permission from the Imperial family for war?”

“According to the Parseche letter, it doesn’t seem so.”

“Then that means we still have time.”

I nodded slowly, but Federix wore an urgent expression.

“No, sir. The Cardrian family seems about to invade Parseche soon.”

“…You mean they’ve created a pretext?”

“The letter doesn’t specify, but they wouldn’t invade before Imperial permission otherwise.”

Wars between families always require Imperial approval.

However, there’s one exception.

Wars with a legitimate pretext can be waged while requesting Imperial approval.

Of course, if the Imperial family later objects, the war must stop, but by then, damage to both families is inevitable.

“The Cardrian family probably plans to end the war before Imperial approval comes through.”

“Yes, it will take time to get an answer from the Imperial family. They scrutinize wars with pretexts quite thoroughly. Fortunately, they haven’t sent us a request for support.”

“Of course not. They would have judged that I, as the youngest son of the Alphonse family, wouldn’t be of any help even if they asked.”

“Unfortunately, we can only hope other families will help the Parseche family.”

Sigh…

The “Monster Blood” business I was uniquely sharing with the Parseche family is going to collapse like this?

I haven’t actually invested any money, so there’s no financial loss, but it still feels unsettling.

‘Is it because of Elina?’

My last conversation with Elina.

I told her to make the business successful so she wouldn’t get scolded by Marquis Roden, and that we’d meet again with smiles…

I never expected war to break out so quickly.

The outcome of a war between the Cardrian and Parseche families is obvious to me, even if others need to wait and see.

The Parseche family has only recently recovered from financial difficulties, and Elina’s mother passed away not long ago after being bedridden.

Their knights probably haven’t had proper training.

‘That’s why I asked last time if their knights were training well…’

But still.

I can’t directly involve myself in the war.

As I mentioned before, I am Selden “Alphonse.”

My involvement could bring harm to the Alphonse family.

That’s probably why Elina didn’t ask for help either.

I sighed briefly toward Federix.

“Other families won’t help them.”

“That’s not true. The Parseche family has maintained good relationships with other families recently.”

“No, those are families they became friendly with after recovering from financial difficulties. Such people will turn their backs in an instant.”

“…If even one family whose male heir is captivated by Lady Elina’s beauty were to help…”

Federix’s voice trailed off.

Even he knows that in this world, someone who chooses love over family would be considered foolish.

“By the way, why do you seem particularly concerned about Elina?”

“…I just thought Lady Elina was the first woman I hoped would work out well with you, young master.”

“Do Elina and I suit each other?”

“Yes, you’re somewhat spirited while Lady Elina is calm. That’s why you two got along well.”

True.

Elina’s beauty is certainly remarkable.

After meeting so many “crazy women,” her character seems even more admirable.

I looked at the dejected Federix and smirked.

“I didn’t know you thought of me that way.”

“And Lady Elina lost her mother not long ago, didn’t she? On top of that, now a war… I’m just sad that I can’t help.”

“I feel the same way. I want to help, but I can’t act under the name of ‘Alphonse.'”

“If we had received the letter when the Etherian Princess was at the mansion, the situation might have been different… The timing is quite unfortunate.”

I adjusted my posture while sitting in the chair.

“Even the Etherian Princess couldn’t do anything. All Imperial authority rests with His Majesty the Emperor.”

“Still, she could have spoken to the Emperor…”

“Well, that might be possible, but war approval is a sensitive matter, so it would take time to get results anyway.”

“It’s unfortunate. If you weren’t Selden ‘Alphonse,’ you could have helped.”

“…Huh?”

“I was just lamenting based on what you said about not being able to act under the Alphonse name.”

Wait a minute…

Why didn’t I think of that?

I can’t help with the war because of the ‘Alphonse’ family.

Conversely, if I abandon the ‘Alphonse’ name, I could help.

“Haha! Federix, you’re quite smart!”

“…Pardon?”

“I think you’re right. I just need to act without the ‘Alphonse’ name.”

“I was just rambling… Are you taking this so seriously?”

What if I enter the Parseche territory anonymously or under an alias to help with the war against Cardrian?

Not only would my business acumen improve, but I’d also make the Parseche family owe me a proper debt.

Including knights and mercenary members would be difficult, but…

Moreover.

There are several ways to end the war easily, so there wouldn’t be any losses.

As I rose from my chair, Federix anxiously spread his palms.

“I-I’ve decided to respect and trust all your choices, young master, but this is too reckless.”

I pointed at myself with my finger and grinned at Federix, who kept making a flustered expression.

“Trust me.”