Chapter 391

“Huh? A-Allen is going to be the successor?”

What?

At the unbelievable news, my gaze instinctively turned towards the source of the voice.

The window table over there.

Allen, his younger brother Leon, and Elaine were sitting there.

The surprised exclamation came from Elaine.

I would have reacted the same way.

Compared to the moonlight that was Leon, Allen was just a firefly. How could he be the successor?

As far as I remembered, such a thing had never happened in history.

It was natural.

Leon was a core main character, a friend of the protagonist, while Allen was an extra, no different from my past self.

Of course, I had discovered that even extras could grow, but still, compared to Leon, it was absurd.

“…Should we go over there first?”

“I don’t mind either way.”

“Ah, right. Then.”

I headed towards the table where Allen and his group were sitting, with Regina.

And without waiting, I asked immediately.

Because I was curious.

“What’s this? What successor?”

“Oh, Team Leader, you’re here? Ah, Professor, you’re here too.”

Allen stood up and greeted us.

Leon and Elaine also stood up.

We exchanged brief greetings and sat down facing each other.

I asked again.

“What successor are you talking about? Is there another meaning of ‘successor’ that I don’t know?”

“Haha, what else could it be? The successor of our family.”

Allen said clearly, smiling, that he was the successor of his family.

“Our family… Viscount Benesse?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

“Does that make sense?”

The reaction came out immediately, without even needing to think.

Anyone who knew Allen would have reacted the same way.

“Huh? T-Team Leader, what are you saying so disappointingly…”

But he himself seemed shocked, looking at me with trembling eyes.

I’m the one who’s shocked right now, you punk.

“Your Grace, that was a bit harsh.”

Regina pointed out, like a professor.

Yeah, I guess I was a bit harsh…

“The position of successor isn’t necessarily decided by ability.”

…Isn’t this a roundabout way of calling him incompetent?

Allen seemed to feel the same way, as he let out a violent cough.

“C-Cough!”

“T-That’s right, Professor. A world where even someone with low abilities can be a successor, isn’t that a world full of individuality?”

Elaine, why are you adding fuel to the fire?

“C-Cough! Cough!”

He’s going to die, he’s going to die.

“A-Ahem, I think we should stop joking around now.”

I stepped in to salvage the atmosphere for my pitiful friend.

But.

Unexpectedly, Leon responded seriously.

“Professor Regina, Senior Max, Senior Elaine, you are all amazing people who will remain legends in the academy. It’s natural that my brother seems lacking in your eyes. I understand. But.”

Leon continued.

“As a family member, I feel that my brother has grown mentally and in terms of ability to an incomparable extent compared to before. My father must have thought the same when he chose my brother as the successor. He has sufficiently met the qualifications for a successor.”

A sincere acknowledgment of his brother that hadn’t existed before.

It seemed new to Allen as well, as his eyes welled up with moisture.

“B-Brother.”

“…Please refrain from such expressions.”

“Ugh.”

Though he was immediately rejected.

Anyway.

I also chimed in for my friend.

“Yeah, Allen has definitely grown a lot. Even from my perspective as a friend.”

“I know it’s thanks to Senior Max.”

“Haha, thanks to me? You know it too, don’t you? That people don’t change unless they have the effort and will to change themselves.”

“That’s true, but.”

“That’s how it is.”

Honestly, it was true that I had made a significant contribution to Allen’s growth, but I wasn’t so clueless as to emphasize it in a place like this.

“Anyway, congratulations, Allen.”

“Haha, thanks, Team Leader.”

The atmosphere ended on a warm note.

Still, I couldn’t help but ask one thing.

Because this incident had completely changed Leon’s otherwise certain future.

“But what about you, Leon?”

“What do you mean, what about me?”

“Weren’t you originally aiming for the position of successor?”

“That’s true.”

Leon readily admitted it.

It was something everyone knew anyway.

“Honestly, it would be a lie to say I’m not affected. But for now, I intend to focus solely on my academy work and studies. I believe that being faithful to the immediate tasks is the best choice right now. Ah, of course, I haven’t forgotten what Senior Max said.”

The request I made at the graduation ceremony.

He must be talking about that.

As expected, Leon was a reliable guy.

“Yeah, if your thoughts are that straight, there won’t be any problems.”

I chuckled.

And the topic naturally moved on.

“Elaine, how have you been lately?”

“Ah, recently, I received certification from the Magic Tower.”

Certification from the Magic Tower.

It was a necessary procedure to be treated as an official magician in society.

Only after receiving certification could one be officially registered as a member of the Magic Tower and receive a certificate of qualification.

That was used as a qualification to get a job as a magician.

So, it wasn’t strange at all that Elaine, a graduate, was going around getting certified by the Magic Tower.

“Ah, I see. So you got your certificate?”

“Ah, here.”

Elaine took out something that looked like a certificate from her pocket and handed it to me.

I knew.

That Elaine would officially acquire the qualification of an Archmage through certification.

Still, I had to pretend to be surprised for my friend.

First, let me see…

Huh?

“M-Master?”

A surprised voice escaped my lips.

Allen and Leon, who were next to me, also seemed startled.

“M-Master?! Where, where!”

“L-Let me see too!”

Allen and Leon scrambled to get a look at the certificate.

And.

“I-It’s really Master!”

“Huh? A-And from two Magic Towers, Fire and Water?”

Gasps of astonishment erupted.

It was understandable.

Master was not a title given to just anyone.

It was a title barely bestowed when one had completely mastered magic in that field, surpassing even the title of Archmage.

So, in a word…

Elaine had now reached a state where she had completely mastered both Fire and Water elemental magic.

So, I couldn’t help but be surprised either.

She was just an Archmage before.

That alone was incredibly amazing, but this meant she had become even stronger.

“Wow, a-amazing, as expected of our top student!”

“I respect you, Senior Elaine.”

Praises poured in.

But Elaine seemed embarrassed.

“N-No, I just worked hard…”

She was saying something that would make ordinary people feel inadequate twice over.

“It’s truly a great achievement, so there’s no need to be humble, Junior Elaine.”

Regina also seemed quite surprised.

“T-Thank you, Professor.”

I also added a word to my amazing female friend.

“Congratulations, and I feel once again that Elaine is an admirable friend.”

Honestly, it was a special feeling emotionally.

It wasn’t just about Elaine.

Allen, Baguette Senior, Diana, and others too.

Seeing those I had formed relationships with grow older, graduate, and confidently walk their own paths as individuals brought back memories and emotions.

So this is how it feels.

“N-No, what are you saying. Thanks to Max…”

Elaine suddenly blushed.

…Because of those words and her expression, the atmosphere became strange.

“Wait, thanks to Team Leader? What does that mean?”

“I agree with my brother’s question.”

Why do you brothers always agree at times like this?

“W-What, I just wanted to protect Max as a… Ah, aaaaaah?!”

Elaine’s cheeks instantly turned beet red as she realized her shocking slip of the tongue.

“B-Bathroom, bathroom!”

Elaine chose to flee instead of explaining.

…It was a wise choice.

But I was sweating bullets.

“S-So… you meant you wanted to protect me as a friend… right?”

The female friend who could answer my mumbled question was no longer there.

Allen and Leon were frozen like statues with bewildered expressions.

They had just been joking around and never expected such a shocking answer.

“Hehe.”

Regina’s inscrutable laugh.

…You’re scary, my dear wife.

“S-Shall we get up?”

“Yes.”

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I moved to another place with Regina.

* * *

The reception greetings were almost over.

Entertaining the guests was no ordinary task; it was exhausting.

A wedding ceremony was indeed a big event.

“Here.”

I poured water and handed it to Regina.

I thought she might be thirsty.

“Thank you.”

Regina quenched her thirst.

We took a breather.

Then, Regina suddenly said, “If stealing a woman’s heart was a crime, Your Grace would have been on the executioner’s block long ago.”

“C-Cough, cough!”

I choked on my water and coughed violently.

Then I barely managed to say, “S-Sorry.”

“No. I married you knowing you were a man of demonic charm, so what.”

“Cough, cough!”

“Still, it’s a big deal that even Her Majesty the Empress is so openly pursuing you.”

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“Well, what can I do? It’s the sin of having such a popular husband.”

“N-No, no, no, what sin…”

“But today, at least, I have no intention of yielding to anyone.”

“O-Of course, of course.”

“However.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t we take good care of our precious guests?”

“What?”

“It seemed like the food wasn’t quite to their taste.”

“Ah.”

In that moment, I realized.

One person, no, one elf, was missing from this place.

I had assumed she was sitting somewhere, but she was truly gone.

Gratitude washed over me for Regina, who had made me realize this.

“Thank you so much. Then I…”

“Yes, go take care of her.”

“I will.”

I moved quickly.

‘She couldn’t eat meat in front of others, so she pretended to eat and just left.’

The elf senior who used to enjoy happy escapades with me at the academy.

I could only imagine how dejected she must feel in a place like this after living like that.

I went straight into the kitchen, trying not to be seen by others.

“Please pack some meat dishes generously.”

“Ah, yes, Your Grace the Duke.”

The startled chefs packed meat dishes onto a tray.

After wrapping it in cloth to hide it, I left without delay.

* * *

“…You were here, Senior?”

Hiresia was sitting alone in the garden, staring blankly into the distance.

Her gaze turned to me.

“Huh? Aren’t you a busy person right now? Why did you come all the way here?”

“Well, I came looking for you because I couldn’t see you, Senior.”

“I was planning to go in later anyway?”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not taking care of you.”

“Hmph, you must have been busy as the star of the ceremony, so why bother?”

“Come on, Senior.”

I sat down next to the elf senior and subtly offered the meat dishes I had prepared.

“Have some of this.”

“What’s this?”

“I brought some meat dishes.”

“Huh?”

I noticed the elf senior’s ears perk up.

Smiling, I unwrapped the cloth covering the meat dishes.

“Eat comfortably, I’ll keep watch…”

*Munch, munch.*

“…”

*Munch, munch, munch.*

It had begun.

The elf senior’s eating show, which would put a food fighter to shame.

…She must have been very hungry.

I watched her with a warm smile.

“Mm-hmm, excellent.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Meat is indeed the truth.”

“I agree.”

It didn’t take very long.

The tray I had prepared was soon empty.

Only then did the elf senior’s face regain its vitality.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. Actually, I’m sorry for being late.”

“But you should go back in now.”

“Yes?”

“Shouldn’t your time today be spent for that one special person?”

Hiresia’s thoughtful consideration.

Knowing her heart, I nodded with a smile.

“Yes, I will. It’s still cold, so don’t stay out too long.”

“Hmph, I know.”

“Yes, then.”

“Ah, wait, one thing.”

The elf senior’s words stopped me.

“Yes, what is it?”

“Forget everything today and enjoy yourself to the fullest. It’s a precious time that won’t come again.”

A remark filled with concern for me.

My heart felt warm.

“Yes, I will.”

I replied with a warm smile.

The elf senior also showed a fresh smile, like a green leaf.

That was enough.