Ch.201Superior (1)

To understand the full story, we need to go back in time a bit.

About two months ago. After finishing my business in Lure and returning to the village, I took a quick shower and then threw my slightly tired body onto the bed.

An Aura Awakener’s body wasn’t so weak that it would get tired from just a few days of marching, so this fatigue was probably closer to mental exhaustion rather than physical tiredness.

Anyway, after several days of overlapping events that literally wore out my mind, I soon threw myself onto the soft mattress.

Unlike the common straw mattresses of this era, this one was packed with cotton. A gift from my father, enchanted to perfectly conform to the human body.

Dressed only in light, simple indoor clothes, I buried myself in it and tried to fall asleep, but…

‘…Hmm.’

For some reason, a strange feeling gradually spread through my mind, and after not knowing what to do, I got up from the bed to grab something to eat.

My midnight snack was a traditional dish introduced to me by the werewolves—fried grain topped with spicy forest herbs and shredded meat—whose soul-stirring taste had captivated me since I first tried it.

…Let’s set aside the minor flaw that these herbs are poisonous to humans who can’t use magic.

Anyway, while savoring that peculiar taste that seemed to stir my K-soul, I finished my simple meal and was about to return to bed, feeling the onset of food coma.

-Knock knock knock.

But then, out of nowhere, there was a knocking sound at the door in the dead of night.

Wondering what was going on, I opened the door to find the Wolfblood sisters emanating a strange atmosphere. While my mind was sluggish from the food coma, the sisters somehow ended up coming inside—

…Thinking about it carefully now, it seems that ‘love’ gave me a push in the back around that time.

Even though Gretel had used specially crafted scented candles targeting only me for that particular purpose, I happened to possess a ‘toxin resistance’ trait.

Considering that this trait’s range of application is broader than one might think, perhaps ‘love’ intervened here to cloud my judgment.

Anyway, in that hazy state of mind… after various things happened, the next day.

Quite predictably, the village was turned upside down by the scandal.

Given the rather suggestive atmosphere, it wasn’t so much that people were shocked about the relationship itself, but rather excited that I had finally lowered my defenses and accepted their feelings.

And for a man to do that thing with two sisters in the same bed… how should I put it?

In the Frankish Kingdom, which is close to an animal kingdom in terms of social norms, such ‘manly’ behavior—though somewhat questionable—is not problematic at all, as even adultery is treated as romance.

To be frank, without the Abrahamic monotheistic beliefs that established monogamy as the mainstream culture, and instead with a loose polytheistic society taking root, the result is polygamy.

While the mainstream religious orders recommend monogamy for social stability and human emotional reasons, this remains merely a recommendation.

There might be some social disapproval, but legally and religiously, there’s no problem whatsoever.

…At least, only in the legal and religious domains.

To be blunt, after that eventful first night, my reputation took a strange turn.

While the upper class might indulge in perversions far more deviant than sleeping with sisters, ordinary people don’t know that—and this fact greatly influenced the outcome.

The image of a straight-laced young man that I had built up until now was completely shattered in one fell swoop.

Well… the truth is, I don’t particularly need to care about such an image, and for a lord in the Frankish Kingdom, romantic affairs and related scandals are often considered a kind of credential.

It’s a difference between cultures that view a ruler’s morality as a virtue of leadership, and those that prioritize ability—or where there’s a stronger separation between public and private domains.

Honestly, one can’t deny the primal reason that stories about the ruling class’s affairs are simply very entertaining.

Anyway, after becoming an infamous playboy who did that thing with two sisters simultaneously overnight.

[My son. You are… quite peculiar indeed.]

‘…Yes.’

Inevitably, I found myself in a position where I had to consult with my father about this important family matter.

※ ※ ※

In truth, under normal circumstances, a one-night stand would likely be overlooked without much issue.

In the Holy Kingdom, where solemnity and conservative sentiments prevail, people might be shocked and make a fuss, but frankly speaking, in the animal kingdom that is the Frankish Kingdom, a one-night stand is just…

In this era where political marriages dominate upper-class society, marriage among the nobility has strong business aspects, so it’s quite common for couples to just have one child (an heir) and then live separately with their respective lovers.

And this is likely to proceed almost equally for me as well.

I am the heir apparent to the Alzar Barony, one of the core powers in eastern Frankish Kingdom.

This position of heir apparent goes beyond a simple title, essentially making me the center of future power.

In other words, whether I like it or not, I am destined to become a public figure with a certain social position, and in this era, the romantic relationships of high-ranking individuals—especially those in power—can never remain purely private.

Marriage to a spouse is nothing more than a means of political marriage—a union of powers or an exchange of political interests.

The influence of political marriages is truly remarkable, so frankly speaking, I couldn’t even consider mentioning something like a love marriage in good conscience.

To be blunt, in a situation where some, like the Habsburgs, obtained the position of Prince-Elector in the Holy Empire through a single marriage, rather than wasting this marriage opportunity, finding a suitable match is a viable option.

In the Frankish Empire, one cannot become a lord without being at least mid-tier, so there are many cases of lords being stripped of their authority, but in such situations, a good marriage can allow one to inherit territory…

Especially the fact that I have no siblings means there’s only one path for continuing the bloodline through marriage, which might be why my father looks at me with such a disgruntled expression.

[…How about keeping it at the level of a lover for now?]

And that’s why, for these reasons, my father seems to be suggesting that I should keep this complicated relationship just at the level of lovers.

It seems he wants to secure the best possible marriage partner for me, a rising star, but at the same time, he’s aware that such a decision could make him unpopular, hence his approach.

If I weren’t an old soul with memories of my past life intact, I would likely have rebelled fiercely against my father’s reaction.

And in reality, I do have stronger objections to the opinions my father has presented to me.

However, these objections aren’t emotional outbursts, but rather based on somewhat rational reasons.

‘Father. But… they’re both mid-tier?’

First of all, both Hannah and Gretel are mid-tier individuals with tremendous value.

Our territory is so large and populous that mid-tiers are numerous and their value is diminished, but strictly speaking, each mid-tier is a superhuman worth at least 1,000 soldiers.

[…Mid-tier?]

‘Yes. …Did you not know?’

But could it be that my father hadn’t been informed of this fact? Realizing that information hadn’t been properly shared only after hearing my father speak, I opened my mouth.

‘Gretel is a mid-tier witch, a witch.’

[A witch! You mean she can train magicians…?!]

‘Yes. Quite possible.’

What particularly caught my father’s attention was the possibility of recruiting a mid-tier user who rarely submits to those in power, potentially achieving the remarkable feat of training magicians.

But judging that this alone wouldn’t be enough to change my father’s firm mind, I carefully opened my mouth to get to the main point…

‘Father, actually. I… I’m not far from reaching high-tier. Really just one step away.’

[What did you just say—?!!]

It was bait so tempting that my father couldn’t resist biting.