On the morning following that incident with Tarte, I went to my mother’s room.

[My, Lugh-chan! How many years has it been since you came to your mom’s room yourself!? Let me bring you tea and snacks. I have some cookies I’ve been holding on to.] (Esri)

My mother merrily stood on a stool to reach and take out the cookies she had hidden on her wardrobe.

The wrapping harbored a design that was in trend at the royal capital, so she probably kept it as a souvenir from someone else.

[Mom, you know why I’m here, don’t you?] (Lugh)

[Fufufu, of course I do. You’re here to thank me for giving Tarte-chan a little push, aren’t you? Did you do it right?] (Esri)

[We didn’t do anything. I sent her back.] (Lugh)

[No way! She’s so adorable, yet you didn’t do it!? Ah, was it because you don’t know how it’s done, Lugh-chan? Then let me teach you.] (Esri)

[I don’t need that kind of attention. Being taught that sort of stuff by my mother would be mortifying.] (Lugh)

…Why did she arbitrarily assume that I was a virgin?

I already had my first experience back in Milteu as Illig Balor of the Balor Company.

Although, the problem was that Illig Balor’s status didn’t allow me to casually obtain a mistress, and I would’ve felt guilty towards Dia, so I only did it with a professional.

And I also had plenty of experience in my previous life.

The reason I got mad when Tarte half-heartedly told me that she was ready to use her body as a weapon was because back when I was a boy in my previous life, I had to curry favor with people who had their own preferences, I also had a few acquaintances who used their bodies as weapons, and I knew what a painful and miserable life it was.

[If that’s not your reason for rejecting her, then I don’t see what it is. You two love each other deep down, yet you keep a distance between each other, I can’t help but find that frustrating. That’s why I encouraged Tarte-chan to take the initiative.] (Esri)

[I really don’t want that kind of attention. To begin with, telling Tarte to use her own body as a weapon is sheer madness. I’d never let her do something like that. You, mom, should know what it means for an assassin to use their body as a weapon, right? What on earth were you thinking by trying to lead her on a path like that? …I’m really mad at you for this.] (Lugh)

Knowing Tarte, she would’ve gone through with it.

No matter how agonizing it could get, she would’ve endured it all for my sake.

That’s why I was afraid for her.

[Uuu… Lugh-chan, you’re scaring me. I didn’t tell Tarte-chan to be a honey pot or anything either. I just thought a girl like her needed an excuse to go and seduce you.] (Esri)

I figured this was her intention, but she overlooked Tarte’s impulsiveness.

[If you do this again, I won’t forgive you next time. And I won’t talk to you ever again.] (Lugh)

[N-Never…! I regret what I’ve done, please forgive me! If you hated me, I wouldn’t find the will to live on!] (Esri)

She cried as she clung to me.

As always, she was as overly youthful in her behavior as she was in appearance.

…Come to think of it, I look slender myself, and I’ve often been told that I looked younger than my actual age. Don’t tell me that even when I’m past twenty, I’ll still look like-!? …Nah, this won’t happen.

I was just worried since I’d often been told that I looked a lot like my mother.

For women, it was one thing, but for men, being forever seen as youthful was nothing to rejoice about.

[I forgive you this time, and only this one time. Even without your unsolicited care, I’m always watching over Tarte and the others, so I understand them very well.] (Lugh)

Dia, Tarte, Maha.

They were my precious partners.

We had our own way of doing things, and didn’t want any meddling from the sidelines.

[Lugh-chan, this is where you’re still childish. There is no girl who can show her true feelings to the one she loves, is there?] (Esri)

I found her triumphant expression here a bit irritating.

Still, part of me couldn’t completely refute her words just now.

[I’m sure Tarte-chan would be thrilled if you were the one who made a move on her.] (Esri)

[Mom, do you truly regret what you did?] (Lugh)

[I do!] (Esri)

My mother saluted in an unnatural manner.

…She would be thrilled if I made a move on her, huh…?

It’s not like she was threatened into using her body despite not knowing what it meant back there, she was just getting swept along. If I had gently indulged her, she might have been delighted.

But that would have been wrong.

Any relationship based on excuses was bound to be toxic. Besides, if we were genuinely in love and entered a physical relationship, the fact that our first time happened for such a reason would leave an emotional scar later.

[I’ll be taking my leave.] (Lugh)

[Aww come on, let’s share some snacks.] (Esri)

[I’m busy. When dad comes home, I won’t be able to do my own work.] (Lugh)

[If I’m not wrong, he will be back in two days, won’t he? I can’t wait to see what kind of souvenir Cian will bring back.] (Esri)

[I wouldn’t be so optimistic about it. What’s certain is that I’ll be treated as an idol to raise people’s fighting spirits. And of course, that’s a hassle for me.] (Lugh)

My father was out for a meeting related to my medal award ceremony.

Since the royal capital was too far away, the meeting was being held in a city located halfway to the capital.

He was summoned there as the head of Tuatha Dé because there were various political considerations involved.

I also failed to understand why I, the ringleader, wasn’t asked to participate, but only the family head was called to that meeting.

[Please be at ease. I know Cian will ensure that you won’t have to do anything weird, and if there’s nothing he can do about it, he’ll make the necessary arrangements so that you’ll find your way out of this.] (Esri)

For an aristocrat, this was quite an outrageous thing to say, but knowing my father, he would probably do just that.

Tuatha Dé existed to serve the kingdom of Alvan.

But my father considered our family to be much more important than this country.

Therefore, if he had to choose between one or the other, he wouldn’t hesitate to pick our family. And he was a man who had the power to protect it even without his status as a noble.

[Ah, before I forget, please bring Maha-chan to our house sometime. We’ve had all kinds of conversations through letters, but from all of them, I can tell that she deeply loves you. Once again, as your mother, I have to see for myself what kind of girl she is.] (Esri)

[…I’ll be going now.] (Lugh)

Nothing I could say would’ve changed her mind.

I left her room feeling terribly dejected

***

My father returned one day later than expected.

As soon as he came home, he told me to come to the study in one hour, and went back to his room.

At first glance, he looked the same as usual, but just putting up that front was quite tiring for him.

I don’t think I had ever seen my father so exhausted.

He must’ve had a lot on his plate when he was away.

I asked Tarte to prepare a special tea I blended myself.

It was a drink that Orna recently started serving to customers as a treat.

It had a soothing and beautifying effect, and it had become pretty popular.

That tea even contained ingredients that were rather hard to come by. I wanted to serve some of it to my father.

[Better prepare myself not to lose my cool no matter what I’ll hear from him.] (Lugh)

I was ready for any kind of annoyance, but judging by my father’s behavior, I was convinced that this had turned into an even more serious matter.

***

[May I come in?] (Lugh)

I entered my father’s study.

He had changed his clothes and taken a nap, and although it was a short one, his complexion looked better than before.

[Lugh, have a seat.] (Cian)

Following his demand, I took a seat.

[It may be abrupt, but I think we should talk about the medal awarding ceremony. As you know, I was away from our domain for a meeting on that matter.] (Cian)

My father had a solemn expression.

It seemed he had some bad news to deliver.

Then I heard a knock.

[Who is it?] (Cian)

My father asked.

[It’s Tarte, sir. I brought you tea as per Lugh-sama’s order.] (Tarte)

[All right, come in.] (Cian)

Tarte saluted and poured tea from her teapot.

I got pretty much used to that routine.

After brewing the tea, she saluted once again and left the room.

[What a nice aroma. This is a tea I don’t know.] (Cian)

[It’s a tea that comes from a distant land. Drinking it gives you a relaxing effect.] (Lugh)

[…To think my son would notice my bad condition. I suppose the day I hand over my position as head of the family to you isn’t too far off now. This drink is great. It permeates through my body.] (Cian)

When my father smiled faintly and took a sip of tea, his expression softened a little.

This tea was amazing.

The tea leaves had mutated after being exposed to mana leaking from lands where dragon veins, which didn’t exist in my previous world, were flowing through, so it could only be made in this world.

I liked it so much I purchased fields and farmers from landowners, then I mostly invested in its cultivation.

And the farmers were extremely motivated themselves since I paid them higher wages than the previous owners.

[Now that I’ve calmed down, let’s get back to the matter at hand. Regarding the medal awarding ceremony in the capital, there is no issue with the procedure as it was globally within expectations. However, you will need to attend a certain number of very flashy events.] (Cian)

[I was prepared for that.] (Lugh)

My father told me everything in detail, but there was nothing particularly fishy about them, and they were all within what I could tolerate.

After saying that much, dad paused before speaking once again.

[The problem is what comes next.] (Cian)

[Are you referring to my encounter with that person?] (Lugh)

[There’s that too, but what comes even later is the real bother. …The higher-ups of this country are backing away from the matter of the demon invasion. The academy, a place that supposedly gathers the largest number of mages in this kingdom, was overrun by a single demon. The fact that he did as he pleased in the vicinity of the royal capital was also a painful blow.] (Cian)

The academy was located on the outskirts of the capital.

The city itself was doubly protected. A stronghold was built to repel any attacks coming from all directions, and should it fall, there was still a great number of mages ready to follow up, so an academy that even functioned as a fort was in a good position to defend the center of the royal capital.

But during the demon raid of that time, the outer fort was pretty much useless, and even the academy was about to collapse.

In other words, one mishap could’ve resulted in the destruction of the capital, the backbone of the kingdom.

[If they’re backing away, that means they’re staying on the defensive… Are you saying that they intend to keep the hero close to the capital?] (Lugh)

[Exactly. Even if demons reappeared in the future, if they were to show up in areas more than a certain distance away from the capital, they wouldn’t dispatch the hero there… In other words, they would let people die. Officially, they claim that should the capital fall, it would mean the end of this country, but in reality, the metropolitans are merely retreating from the battle to save their own skin.] (Cian)

[May I know how that relates to me- no, to Tuatha Dé ?] (Lugh)

[…The noblemen who own lands far away from the capital are furiously opposed to that decision. Obviously, they refuse to be left to die in case a demon appeared. And out of every possible candidate, you were selected to deal with that, Lugh. By entrusting the safety of the capital to the hero, and dispatching someone powerful enough to eliminate demons, the metropolitans got the consent of the countryside nobles.] (Cian)

[They want to entrust me with killing demons? How come the metropolitans think I’m capable of that?] (Lugh)

Even though I played an active role in that previous battle, it should’ve been publicly recognized as only the discovery and surveillance of the demon.

No one should’ve been able to appraise me on direct fighting potential.

[It seems that Epona the hero shared a lot about you with them.] (Epona)

[…I deeply apologize, father.] (Lugh)

I remained silent.

I knew it would become a hassle if my true potential was revealed.

[Don’t hold a grudge against the hero for that. Apparently, some nobles jealous of your power badmouthed you a lot at some parties. Then the hero stood up for you, then she got furious, and… Well, you can probably guess what happened next.] (Cian)

[Considering that hero’s personality, it would come to this, indeed. I was careless.] (Lugh)

I definitely revealed every move I could perform on that battlefield back then.

I couldn’t blame Epona for this situation. It was my own fault for tying her down with nothing but a verbal promise even though I knew this could happen.

[Perhaps we could call it good fortune, but because of that, you could only be granted a reward worthy of your role. … In order to protect you, I demanded an unreasonable reward, but I didn’t think they would accept all of it. It was decided that on the day of your medal awarding ceremony, you would be given a special status prepared just for you. And all sorts of privileges that come with it will be granted to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.] (Cian)

I shouldn’t have expected less from those metropolitan sly dogs.

Did they think that if they were gonna use me anyway, they might as well throw a demon slayer title in the mix and spice up the medal awarding ceremony even more?

[Dad, please don’t apologize. This is the result of my own naivete. Only I have to pay the price.] (Lugh)

[I see, I’m glad you’re taking it in stride. The truth is I was thinking of preparing to go into exile with you and Esri.] (Cian)

[There is no need to do that for the moment. I’ll show you I can kill even demons.] (Lugh)

For any noble, this was a great promotion.

But the reality of it was that I was coerced into a bad deal where I would go on a suicide mission to subjugate any demon that could show up without relying on the hero.

The metropolitans themselves probably didn’t believe that I was capable of killing demons.

In order to convince the provincial nobles, they exposed their illogical reasoning to them to get their consent not to dispatch the hero, and even if I was killed by a demon several days later, they would plan to reject every request for the hero to be sent to the countryside with the excuse that they couldn’t go back on what they had already agreed on.

Either way, I already intended to obtain the power to slay demons, but now I had to hurry. Because at this rate, I would be the one to wind up dead.

[Also, you have a message that I’ve been holding on to, from Epona the hero. She wants to meet you the day before the awarding ceremony. And as an apology, she said she wanted to use her heroic skill【My loyal knights】on you so she can bestow the power of the hero to you.] (Cian)

I didn’t know Epona would be present at that meeting… As expected of the hero. …No wait, did the metropolitans summon her as a witness to convince the others of my potential?

[I’m grateful for that. The way I am now, I would be pretty much helpless if I challenged a demon. As expected of a hero… To think she has a skill that allows her to give her power to others.] (Lugh)

Although I said that, I already knew what kind of skill it was. It was one of the S-rank skills I learned about in the goddess’ room.

【My loyal knights】.

This allowed the user to grant their own skills to three people at most depending on their own strength and what the vessels of the targets could take. However, that power would wear off if the targets think “I want to oppose the will of the master” or “I will defeat the master”.

I was grateful that I could use the hero’s skills to fight the demons.

And this was something I could use to kill the hero. If “being opposed to the will of the master” was the condition for losing it, then there were many loopholes I could exploit.

[Lugh, let me ask you again. Are you really okay with this? I don’t mind if we have to escape the kingdom.] (Cian)

[Dad, be assured. I’m not saying I can do what I can’t do. An assassin doesn’t underestimate of overestimate himself. But I will show you I can conduct myself. Besides, it won’t be much different from what I’ve been up to until now. …I will assassinate the demons for the sake of this country, you’ll see.] (Lugh)

It had become a real pain, but not the worst kind yet.

The privileges they would provide to me were attractive.

And all things considered, that didn’t change what I already had to do.

Tuatha Dé had been assassinating aristocrats all over the country under the direction of the royal family for the sake of the kingdom of Alvan.

The only difference was that starting now, instead of targeting the nobles of this country, I would assassinate demons.

If it was for the sake of this kingdom, I would splendidly assassinate demons as a member of the Tuatha Dé clan.