Chapter 108: Love Is Blind (1)

“You’re really just… absurd.”

“Huh?”

The tanned blond Saint suddenly spoke with a hint of exasperation.

“To be honest, I was pretty confident in myself, you know?”

“Whatever it is, I think you can keep that confidence. Judging by the girls in the garden, they’re all totally into you. That girl from earlier too.”

Rona paused to think, then smiled with satisfaction.

“Adorable, really.”

Ugh.

Risir couldn’t help but admire the scene internally.

She looked like the kind of person who could say “What a cute little puppy” and make it sound completely natural.

What do they call that type again?

Prince-type?

No wonder women swoon over her.

Maybe if I acted like that, girls would lose their minds too?

Yeah, they would, just in a different way.

He really was a former desire demon and the “Golden Sun.”

Even if you just erase a line and dot, that level doesn’t just disappear.

Feeling an odd sense of defeat in the face of the Golden Sun’s overwhelming masculine charm, Risir continued the conversation.

The two shared what had happened since they last met.

How her attempt to hone her healing powers unexpectedly gave her a chance to use her “specialty,” and how that built into growing influence.

…And then, Risir’s story.

“Fine, fine. You win. I was stupid to even think about competing with you. Happy now? Satisfied?”

“…I didn’t even say anything?”

Just as they were involuntarily trading feelings of friendly defeat—

“Lord Eron!”

“See! I told you he went this way!”

A group of young ladies appeared and lit up the moment they spotted Rona.

Their gazes quickly turned to Risir.

“Huh? Who’s that?”

Rona didn’t miss it.

Some of the girls were glancing at Risir with sparkling curiosity.

Her expression subtly changed.

“Ah, I’m Risir.”

“Risir? Hmm… That name sounds familiar? Have we met before?”

“Who knows? I’m not usually found in gatherings like these.”

“What’s your relationship with Lord Eron?”

A servant and her master.

Saying that would’ve flipped the entire situation upside down.

So Risir glanced at Rona before replying,

“A friend. I was wandering around trying to find this guy, and ended up disturbing the mood here. I’ll be gone soon—just need to wrap up some business.”

“Oh my.”

“How amusing.”

Risir didn’t realize…

Just how alluring the title “Eron’s friend” sounded to these girls.

Their stares at him were only intensified.

“What’s going on?”

Rona stepped in.

She drew close to the group of women and cast her usual magnetic aura.

“Are you interested in my friend?”

“Eh? Oh…”

“N-no, it’s not like that…!”

As Rona leaned in and spoke with charm and grace, their wariness shattered instantly.

Before long, Risir was completely pushed out of their interest.

All their feverish attention shifted toward the ‘nobleman’ standing before them.

“…”

Rona, hiding a subtle sigh of relief, turned to Risir.

“Anyway, I should get going. Let’s talk again sometime. And if you ever need my help, just call me. I’ll have Caria let you stay at the mansion until the Fienne situation’s resolved.”

“Lord Eron!”

“Wait, let us come with you!”

Rona, having rattled off everything at lightning speed, led the group away from the scene.

“So that’s the Golden Sun?”

Still not quite understanding Rona’s motives, Risir was left with a strange sense of defeat.

After reuniting with Rona, I returned to my room to rest.

Still can’t get used to this.

Lying on the bed, I thought back to the recent days I’d spent training intensely during my spare time.

My body itched for action.

I deliberately ignored the Blue Lotus lingering at the edge of my vision and drifted into thought.

Come to think of it, what happens after this is resolved?

What started as a simple plan to earn political points with a city councilor had snowballed into something massive.

Along the way, I’d unintentionally stacked up several achievements.

From what Rona mentioned during our chat, the city council was now keeping a close eye on me.

In a complex, yet overall positive way.

Apparently, they were racking their brains over how to reward my accomplishments.

Is something big coming my way?

Maybe my goal of establishing a foothold in Bondalles would be realized far sooner—and more grandly—than I ever expected.

Once just a bastard from a decent family, overlooked by the upper nobility, now on first-name terms with city council members in a major city like Bondalles?

Just by actively doing good and straightening things out, I was handed power and status on a silver platter.

Live honorably, and you shall be rewarded.

Is there any life more fulfilling than this?

Tracing back the beginning of this dreamlike rise brought me to one face.

Damn it, it’s Master again. Once I think of her, I have to worship.

I spent some time in spiritual reverence, recalling my master’s breezy voice and signature smile.

—My disciple~

Now that I think of it, I wonder how Master and Duran are doing.

If I ever get the chance, I want to show them how far their abandoned stray has come.

And if possible, I’d love to shove some despair into Master too.

Would I be able to go toe-to-toe with Master now?

“Power… Sword Force…”

So much for ignoring that Blue Lotus, I could practically taste it.

My heart raced, and a thrill coursed through my body.

The sensation I felt when I unleashed Sword Force.

That moment I transcended my limits and grazed the realm of the superhuman.

Until recently, I thought of power as nothing more than a stepping stone to success.

I never really understood those who were obsessed with strength itself.

But now?

I think I get it… just a little.

The realm I briefly touched was utterly intoxicating.

Sword Force.

And the power to wield it.

I now found myself desiring to make it completely my own.

“Clana, can I try using Sword Force just once?”

—Excellent idea.

The grumpy Murderous Fiend answered right away.

I nodded.

And I’ll die if I do.

No need to rush.

It’s not like I have to risk my life, once I recover, I can train freely.

Then curiosity struck me.

What level am I at now?

“Clana.”

—What is it.

“What would you say my current level is?”

—Didn’t I check during training? You’d just reached mid-6th tier.

“Could you check again?”

—Seriously. Do you think tiers change like a kid hitting a growth spurt? At your stage, you measure in years. Honestly, reaching this level at your age is already a miracle.

“My constitution’s a little… unique.”

—Bullshit.

Even while saying that, Clana manifested herself in elemental(?) form and appeared before me.

In her tiny, petite form, the Murderous Fiend placed her hand on my body and gauged my strength.

She looked as irritated as someone being forced into a pointless errand.

“…?”

But then a hint of confusion crossed her face.

“Well? How is it?”

“Wait a sec—“

“It’s a constitution thing, stay calm and just tell me the result.”

“Mana beginning to harmonize with intent… you’re definitely on the verge of 7th tier…”

7th tier.

A completely unrealistic realm for the me of the past.

“Wait…”

Back when I was in Bendel, even the family head I looked up to was just at 6th tier.

So was Sir Meltas.

So what, I’m about to surpass both the head of Bendel and Sir Meltas?

It didn’t feel real.

“Wait…”

I guess I’m kind of in the same stunned state as Clana.

It didn’t hit me before when I was just growing on my own— but now, when compared to people who once felt like towering walls, it felt… different.

Suddenly, I was curious.

What does it feel like to reach the 7th tier?

The Realm of the Superhuman.

That was another name for the 7th tier.

Starting from the 7th tier, one was said to transcend humanity, becoming a higher-tier existence altogether.

Naturally, the most recent 7th tier individual I had encountered came to mind, Gaderok.

Which made me tilt my head.

I wasn’t exactly in a position to say much, having only barely won due to his repeated carelessness, but… I didn’t really feel that kind of overwhelming presence from Gaderok.

Was it because his power was obtained through shortcuts, only temporarily?

“Clana, do you remember Gaderok?”

—The mage of the Blue Tower you cut down. Of course I remember.

“Wait, the Blue Tower?”

—Yes. The magic he used clearly belonged to the Blue Tower’s lineage.

“Oh… I see. But that’s not important right now. Clana, how does Gaderok compare to other 7th tier individuals?”

—A defective piece of trash.

“…That bad?”

—Is that why you’re getting confident? Let me tell you something—most idiots who die stupidly were exactly like you at this moment. Don’t forget that.

“Oh…”

Clana’s chilly but elegant warning only stoked my curiosity even more.

The 7th tier.

If I ever got the chance, I wanted to witness that power and presence for myself.

But—

Where the hell am I supposed to find a 7th tier?

A city councilor.

A tower master.

I prided myself on swimming in some decently big waters here in Bondalles, a fairly large city.

Even so, I hadn’t once met a true 7th tier in any proper way.

Maybe I crossed paths with one without knowing, but—

“Ah.”

Suddenly, a thought struck me.

I dug deep into my belongings and pulled out a certain parchment.

A one-time-use Death Note, which I had received as a reward for helping the Assassin Guild Master.

“Clana, what tier do you think the guild master of an Assassin Guild would be?”

—I have no clue what insane thought is going through your head right now.

“If I used the kill list she gave me as a summoning tool to meet her, that’d probably be super disrespectful, right?”

—…

“Yeah, I thought so too. Guess this isn’t the way.”

And so, my wish to witness a 7th tier seemed to end in vain…

Until a sudden opportunity arrived.

That night.

Just after I had eaten dinner on my bed (courtesy of a maid) and was about to drift off to sleep, Rona visited my room.

“Did I interrupt you?”

“No. I was just about to fall asleep, enjoying my patient’s privileges.”

“Patient’s privileges?”

“Eating dinner in bed.”

“Oh…”

“So, what’s up? Pretty late for a visit, no?”

“D-don’t misunderstand…! It’s nothing weird!”

“?”

“…No, never mind.”

Looking vaguely ashamed of herself, Rona finally got to the point.

“The master of this mansion is hosting a banquet soon, and I wanted to ask if you’d be interested in attending.”

“The master… You mean the head of the Golden Barley trading company?”

If I considered myself someone playing in the big leagues now…

That guy was swimming in very big waters.

His business wasn’t just in Bondalles, it spanned across many cities on the continent.

He might even have connections with the high nobility who ruled the world.

“Yeah. Apparently some very important guest is coming to the mansion, so they’re throwing a grand banquet to celebrate a big deal that just went through.”

“And I’m invited to that?”

“What do you think you’re lacking right now?”

“Hmm… Parental love during childhood?”

“…That’s a bit deep.”

“Shallower answer? Let’s see… what else could it be…”

“Forget it. Listen. You’ve already become one of the city’s rising elites. The position you’re in—or about to be in—normally takes outsiders years, even decades, to reach. They have to start at the bottom, meeting tons of people, building up their foundations step by step. But you? You shot straight up there in one go, without even giving people time to remember your face. Even this morning.”

“This morning?”

“There were so many people in the garden, and yet no one recognized you. Despite the fact that you handled the cultists and criminals, and you’re now a person of interest within the city council.”

“Oh…”

“That’s why this banquet is a perfect opportunity to make yourself known. And while you’re at it, you can network with some major figures from outside the city too.”

As expected of the prince of high society.

With a voice as smooth as silk, the Golden Sun delivered her words like a true professional. I couldn’t help but be impressed.

“That does sound convincing… But would I even be allowed into something like that just because I want to go?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to Caria and get it sorted.”

“Damn, handsome people really do have it easy in life.”

“Handsome…”

I had chosen that word to match Rona’s desired image of being seen as male, but her reaction was… strange.

With a subtly irritated expression, Rona repeated the word under her breath.

“Would you prefer… beautiful?”

“…Do you think I’m beautiful too?”

“If you’re not beautiful, who is?”

“…”

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But I thought I saw the corner of the Golden Sun’s lips twitch just a little.

“Well, doesn’t matter. I’m neither woman nor man anyway.”

I nodded along, matching Rona’s chosen persona appropriately.

“Oh right, Rona. Who’s that ‘important guest’ attending the banquet?”

And then, from the Golden Sun’s lips came a name I never expected—

“The Tower Master.”