episode_0051

“A. E. I. O. U. A. *Ahem*. Ras Etgard, it’s an honor to welcome Leone’s rising star like this. *Ah, tsk*…I should have done it with more dignity…”

A tall, slender beauty, appearing almost 180 centimeters tall, was muttering to herself in a quiet cafe.

Her tall stature and well-trained, firm, sturdy physique were those of a warrior, yet at the same time, her beauty was so striking that she looked as picturesque as an actress.

Like a beautiful actress practicing her stage lines, she was reading something resembling a stack of manuscripts and memorizing it.

“Hmm. But this fellow is a bit late. Should I scold him sharply about manners? But then again, I read that a leader of the new generation shouldn’t do that…”

The name of this strangely muttering beauty was Skada Eisenstein da Sephiroth.

She was the illegitimate child of the Emperor of the Sephiroth Empire and the Empire’s Second Imperial Princess.

Her long, wavy black hair had a slightly wild feel, and her red eyes were as delicate and brilliant as ruby crystals.

From her birth to her appearance, everything about her was alien, ill-suited for the imperial family.

She was an unwelcome child, born from the Emperor’s one-time ‘indiscretion’ in his life – the Emperor who was famous for being devoted to his wife – and allowed to live due to legalities.

Furthermore, instead of the silver hair that all imperial family members were invariably born with, she had dark black hair, closely resembling her mother’s.

However, the surrounding suspicions that she might not be of imperial blood because she lacked silver hair were thoroughly refuted after several rigorous verifications.

Moreover, the verification was spearheaded by the Empress and her father, Duke Rodrigo, who could only see her as a thorn in their side, leaving no room for dissenting opinions.

Thus, the girl whose life seemed unlikely to last long, desperately survived amidst the viper-like power struggles of the imperial palace and has now put her name forward in the imperial succession competition.

In any case, the significance and importance of Leone Academy in the imperial succession competition are by no means small.

As it is a cradle for imperial family members, explicitly created by the Founding Emperor as a ‘field of competition,’ both the grades received at Leone and the achievements gained on battlefields as a dispatched cadet are crucial factors in the imperial succession.

And achievements gained on the battlefield naturally begin with having proper subordinates.

Therefore, ‘recruiting talent’ during academy life holds significant weight in the Emperor’s assessment of a competitor’s leadership and people skills.

“This fellow. Punctuality is life on the battlefield…! Should I scold him like this? No. I should show a generous side… *Sigh*… Anyway, Ras, that guy is really tempting.”

Lacking any supporting external forces and having no network herself, Skada is always thirsty for talent acquisition.

Naturally, completely disregarding the social status of those who would become her subordinates is precisely her value system.

Pushing for the special admissions program for socially disadvantaged groups was primarily driven by the intention to find pearls that might be buried in the mud.

She knew very well that her half-brother and rival, Leon, was someone who would absolutely never extend a hand to commoners.

Although it had no direct connection to the policy she pushed, Ras Etgard was the greatest talent she had witnessed since entering the academy, and she coveted him deeply.

“Well… Etgard is certainly not from a socially disadvantaged group, but he’s also not of a status that Leon would extend his hand to. It’s ridiculous. As if imperial blood is blue or something.”

Before she knew it, she had forgotten her charismatic line practice and was simply whistling, making a swishing sound.

Skada waited for Ras for about five more minutes, a bored expression on her face….

“I apologize for being late. I suddenly gained a companion.”

“This fellow…! How audacious of you to be late and make me so terribly bored. But a companion? Weren’t we supposed to have a deep and confidential conversation about each other today…?”

As she stared at Ras with a wide-eyed, surprised expression, a handsome man hesitantly approached from behind, somewhat awkwardly.

And the handsome man, offering an awkward greeting, was very familiar to Skada as well.

“Haha…. Hello, Princess-nim. It just so happened that I’m accompanying Ras.”

“Eh? Garett?? Why are the two of you accompanying each other so amicably?”

Faced with a completely unexpected combination, she could only have question marks floating above her head.

*

I was enthusiastically attempting to join the Princess-nim, bringing Garett, who had been freed from hell.

Skada didn’t exactly get angry at my actions, but she did seem a little flustered.

“You must have had urgent matters to discuss with Ras alone, so I apologize for suddenly intruding.”

“It’s fine. It seems that scoundrel of a man brought you. It works out. I have something to say to you as well.”

I casually glanced sideways at the tall woman who called me a scoundrel after knowing me for so little, and I sipped my tea.

“Truthfully, I know Princess-nim called me here for recruitment… but what can I do? I’m just the son of a merchant who’ll inherit a trading company.”

For now, I should test how good her judgment of people is.

What reaction would Skada show to my answer?

She chuckled at my sly remark and retorted.

“You? Ras Etgard, you are a warrior. Not a merchant who handles money and calculations, but a fighter who gambles his own heart in war. Don’t try to deny it pointlessly. You’re a guy who has no intention of inheriting a trading company anyway.”

She gulped down her tea in a most ungraceful manner and continued speaking.

“I investigated to an extent that wouldn’t be rude. Your family has one more sibling besides you. A family that has raised a fighter of your caliber would never raise you to be a trading company head.”

“You say you investigated, but it seems you didn’t specifically check that my family pledges allegiance to the Valencia house. It’s not exactly a family secret, you know.”

“I did that too. But I can see it in my eyes. That you are a man with a very strong and free spirit. I don’t know about other things, but you don’t look like someone who would go under Leon. No… it would be like a lion crawling under a hyena, so I would desperately stop you.”

It’s a confident analysis, but I like her boldness.

Skada’s aura, which I felt during our direct confrontation, was quite excellent, though it still had a raw, youthful edge.

I felt that her charm and charisma for leading people were definitely superior to Leon’s.

Skada also requested Garett, who was sitting in front of her, in a polite yet forceful voice.

“Garett. This applies to you as well. I kept sending you offers, but you ultimately refused. However, you are excellent. If Leon’s era comes instead of mine, it would be a shame for you to merely wield a spear obediently under him. So, please lend me your strength so I can become Emperor.”

“…….”

Though she lacked nothing in personal ability, Skada’s end before my regression was ultimately defeat by Leon due to insufficient support.

It was an unfair starting line from the beginning, so she herself must have already known it would be difficult for her to win.

The Empress and Rodrigo’s influence would have already reached the nobles with some power and key figures within the imperial family.

The special admissions program for socially disadvantaged groups that she pushed for, even if it seemed a bit unreasonable, was probably a move born out of desperation.

It was clear that even after coming all the way to Leone, the forces willing to genuinely support her were ridiculously small compared to those supporting Leon.

So, wouldn’t she have tried hard to find a breakthrough even among commoners, if not among the children of noble families?

Of course, in my previous life, Irha and I caused trouble, so things probably got severely messed up even there….

But Skada ultimately needs to continue recruiting even some of those who might support Leon to her side.

Since her vision is unclear, she needs overwhelming skill that surpasses it, charisma that makes people trust and follow her, and finally, good strategy.

For someone like Garett, whose family strictly maintains neutrality, the current Skada must persuade them repeatedly to bring them to her side.

For victory, she had to persistently retry things she had attempted half-heartedly and given up on several times before.

In the first place, finding pearls at a jewelry store is a faster way than looking for them in a mud pit.

Her time was too short to find a finished product as complete as me among commoners, so she had no choice but to recruit nobles, whether she liked it or not.

Of course, I will help Skada, but I have no intention of becoming her faithful henchman.

After all, one doesn’t necessarily have to roll through battlefields with her and act as a loyal henchman to be an ally.

Moreover, no one else can be my master except Semere.

Because I fundamentally don’t take orders from anyone weaker than myself.

“I won’t be crawling under Leon, but unfortunately, I already serve someone. Instead of being a subordinate, I’ll be an ally. Don’t expect too much, though.”

“For a skilled individual who won’t cooperate with Leon to offer help, whatever it is, it will be a great strength to me. But I’m curious, who is the master of someone who rejects a recruitment offer from an Imperial Princess of a nation…?”

“She is beautiful, charming, intelligent, strong… in short, an incredible person.”

Hearing my words, Skada furrowed her brow as if her pride was slightly hurt and asked.

“More than me??”

“Yes.”

Not adding “much more” was my small consideration to preserve Skada’s spirit one last time.

“It seems this conversation will be long, so shall we move locations? Surely, we’re not going to keep discussing this over tea, are we? In the distant East, there’s a saying, ‘Oath of the Peach Garden,’ which implies that big undertakings first require alcohol.”

“What’s an Oath of the Peach Garden? Anyway, fine. Let’s drink some refreshing alcohol and talk. But… isn’t Garett a bit uncomfortable because of his girlfriend? If he were to have a drinking session with a beauty like me, his girlfriend wouldn’t like it.”

Seeing Garett still hesitating and seriously considering the Princess-nim’s recruitment offer, I figured the Princess-nim must have shown quite an excellent side of herself during the year they spent together.

“Senior Garett escaped from hell right before coming to meet Princess-nim. From the hell that was his girlfriend, Emma…”

Anyway, on behalf of Garett, who seemed too deep in thought to have heard properly, I conveyed his happy situation.

“So that’s why he looked so grim. The reason to drink has increased, so we should go quickly.”

Skada grabbed the nape of Garett’s neck, who was still deep in thought, and lightly lifted him, then whisked out, carrying him.

“What, is she showing off her strength or something…? Did my words wound her pride? What a strange woman, anyway.”

I shook my head and followed the two of them out.

By the way, Skada forgot to pay the bill, so I ended up paying for the cafe.

*

“*Sob*… Emma… Now that I think about it, there were so many times she truly suffocated me…!”

“Cry in my arms, Garett. To think there’s such a painful woman, what an incredible story…. It’s a stifling and painful story, just like my own childhood!”

So these two aren’t very good with alcohol….

We had dinner and drinks, but then they suddenly started guzzling it down, and it turned into utter chaos between them.

Thanks to them, I was witnessing all sorts of strange sights, so I just let it be, but…

First, Garett, who, after gulping down alcohol, was beating his chest and lamenting Emma’s wickedness, was a rather pathetic and pitiful man.

And as for that tall, strong woman who was intently listening to his sorrow and empathizing passionately, the scene was truly bizarre.

Anyway, the two of them were amicably hugging each other and bragging about their suffering.

Since both had lived through hell, they had so much to talk about that there was no room for me to interject.

“Princess-nim..!”

“Garett..!!”

Are these two just going wild because it’s Friday or something??

“Whether it’s romance or recruitment… it’s always faster to have a ‘conversation of the body.’ You two are doing quite well.”

I was suddenly left out in the cold and a bit sulky, and my words were ignored, but what I said was true.

Of course, ‘conversations of the body’ are divided into the slightly sticky, intimate kind unfolding before my eyes right now, and the violent kind where blood and flesh fly….

That’s why, during my first meeting with Semere, I too bared my teeth and attacked, only to be beaten to a pulp and knocked out after a heated ‘conversation of the body’….

‘They called her the Mad Dog of Kashmir, and she truly is a mad dog. But I like those eyes…. So, I’ll make you my dog.’

Seeing the two of them emitting a slightly strange, rosy atmosphere in front of my eyes, it was somehow a night that made me miss Semere.

“Z..z..z…”

Eventually, the two who had been amicably hugging, crying, and laughing with each other, began to sleep, with their heads resting on the table.

“*Sigh*. You two, just get together. You’re absolutely meant for each other.”

I sighed, finished the bill instead of my pathetic seniors, and casually got a room to dump them in before leaving.

Somehow, I felt like I had reverted to being ‘easygoing Ras’ all day today.

Anyway, these two…. they’re grown adults, so they’ll figure things out, right?

It was Friday.