By means of the skill of Epona the hero, named【My loyal knights】, I borrowed her power and some of her skills.

I immediately rented a training room in the castle and tried to move my body around, though my physical abilities were vastly different than before.

The most noticeable change was the increase in the amount of mana I released.

Although my mana reserve was nearly a thousand times greater than that of a normal person, the drawback was that I could only release at most ten times the regular amount at once, but now, it was nearly thirty times the regular amount.

You could say that I had overcome a weakness.

With this, I should be able to come up with more possible tactics.

[I truly am… no match for you… Lugh-sama…] (Tarte)

Tarte knelt on the spot while breathing really hard.

I sparred with her to test out my power.

I deliberately fought Tarte, who was at full strength, without using mana to enhance my physical abilities.

Until now, Tarte would’ve surely won if I had given myself such a handicap, but today, victory was mine.

[I didn’t think I could become this strong. I’m looking forward to using【My loyal knights】on you, Tarte.] (Lugh)

[I look forward to it as well. The thought of your essence flowing inside me and always connecting me to you is absolutely marvelous.] (Tarte)

Is it just me, or did that sound subtly seductive?

I would like to grant【My loyal knights】to Tarte right away, but I wanted to do all kinds of experiments.

I wanted to have some degree of control over the skills I would give.

Among my skills and the ones I borrowed form Epona, there was one skill I clearly wanted to give to Tarte.

Among the skills I owned, there were【Limitless Growth】and【Rapid Recovery】.

This combo was extremely brutal. …I understood something when I fought that demon. A creature like that wasn’t something any regular human could deal with.

I wanted Tarte to go beyond the human limits.

Then, there was Epona’s skill called【Egg of Possibilities】.

I tried out various things to see if I could pick out those three skills to grant power to Tarte.

[I feel remorseful about having you use a skill that can only be used on three people on me… But… At the same time, I want you to choose me no matter what!] (Tarte)

[There’s no way I wouldn’t choose you. You’re my family, and my precious assistant.] (Lugh)

At first, I took her in as a mere tool. But now, that wasn’t the case anymore.

…It may be shameless of me to say something like that after I gained her affection through brainwashing, but I trusted that our bond was genuine.

[Yes! You mean everything to me, Lugh-sama! Have you decided who the other two will be?] (Tarte)

[One of them has to be Dia] (Lugh)

Dia was my girlfriend, and one day, we would tie the knot. Even with that in mind, she was the best mage I knew.

I had no reason not to choose her.

[Who is your last choice?] (Tarte)

[I’m a little conflicted about that one. My safest choice would be Maha. But what she provides is logistical support, so her fighting ability isn’t that important. If I wanted battle-ready forces, I could choose my dad, but… I’m going to hold off on that for now. Once I deem it necessary, I’ll make my choice.] (Lugh)

I could only choose three people in my lifetime, so I shouldn’t be hasty.

If anything, a situation where I’d be down to one option was preferable.

[In my opinion, Maha-chan is a good choice. She loves you just as much as I do, Lugh-sama.] (Tarte)

[I’ll think about it. Now let’s go back. We’ve been invited to a dinner party.] (Lugh)

[I am feeling nervous. I will do my best not to embarrass you, Lugh-sama.] (Tarte)

I wasn’t worried about that.

Tarte’s maid skills were already top-notch after all.

***

This dinner party wasn’t planned by the royal family, but by the nobles who, just like us, were allowed to stay in the royal castle.

The participants were the aristocrats and their servants who were allowed to stay with them in the castle.

There were about 50 people in total.

And they could all drive away a baronial family such as Tuatha Dé with ease.

As soon as we entered, all their eyes were on us.

First, they were looking at the topic of the moment, aka me, and next were my mother, Tarte and Dia.

They were all so used to looking at beautiful women they were tired of it, but despite that, these three stood out from the rest, and they couldn’t help but be drawn to them.

While it made me feel proud, it also made me feel gloomy.

Tarte was fumbling around, but Mom and Dia were used to all this.

I also saw a familiar face.

Naoise Gephis.

The heir to one of the country’s four major dukedoms and our classmate.

He gave me a slight wink.

[I humbly thank you for your invitation today.] (Cian)

My father bowed, and we followed suit.

Following the instructions of the other party, we took our seats, and Tarte stood behind me.

Normally, we would’ve been seating in the lowest part of the room, but since I was the guest of honor this time, we were guided to the upper seats.

[Baron Tuatha Dé, I apologize for calling you here when you have to prepare for the ceremony. I wanted to ask your son various questions. Please sit down.] (Duke Gephis)

Duke Gephis smiled at me, but his eyes were saying otherwise.

He was of medium build and had gray hair. He had a well-rounded face and, most of all, a glow of intelligence.

He was a real aristocrat. The way he was dressed was flashy, yet harmonious and without a hint of nastiness.

…I looked around, but there was a good number of decent nobles.

That was probably because he was the one who organized this party, and as such, he chose his guests.

Birds of a feather flock together, they say. Was it because decent nobles gathered with other decent nobles, or was it because Duke Gephis educated his subordinates?

When we took our seats, our dishes were brought to us.

[So that’s how it is.] (Lugh)

I said in a whisper.

Today’s dishes were all made with ingredients from the north.

The three appetizers were sovie, a wild vegetable found only in the north, dressed with walnuts; bird ham made from a large pheasant called Harutakiji that also lives in the north, prepared with berry sauce; and finally, glazed sashimi made from salmon that lives in northern rivers.

The meat dish that came out next was, of course, also a northern dish. It was bear meat stewed in a local miso used in the north.

In the first place, the bread was made from rye, which was resistant to the cold.

Even though the royal castle would’ve provided me any meal I could ask them for, all these dishes were made with ingredients brought in from the Gephis domain and prepared by their own cooks.

This wasn’t because the duke missed the local food, nor was it to flaunt the excellence of his territory in front of the party guests.

By serving us such dishes here, he conveyed his position and intentions.

He meant to say that his family wouldn’t go along with the royals’, or rather, the metropolitans’ decisions, and that the Gephis domain would act on its own accord.

[What do you think of today’s food? Doesn’t it suit your taste better than the metropolitan cooking?] (Duke Gephis)

This was directed at me.

[Let’s see… It’s delicious, but the metropolitan food isn’t bad either.] (Lugh)

The point of his question was to ask me if I would go to the north, or in other words, if I would join the dukedom of Gephis.

Therefore, I replied that I couldn’t accept his offer under the current circumstances.

The atmosphere was getting a little insecure, then my father opened his mouth in response to that.

[Let’s stop this metropolitan roundabout conversation. This place isn’t tapped, and I can assure you that there are no traitors here. …Granted that there are no informants among the people you have gathered, Duke Gephis, we should be fine.] (Cian)

At my father’s words, Duke Gephis’ followers flew into a rage and stood up.

[There’s no way we would have such a fiendish individual among us!] (Follower A)

[Baron Tuatha Dé, don’t you think you’re overstepping your boundaries!?] (Follower B)

[My apologies for the offense. I tend to be a bit of a worrywart.] (Cian)

Doing things in a roundabout way was to avoid being outmaneuvered at a moment’s notice.

If during our previous conversation, the duke had said something like ‘Won’t you join my faction?’ and it was made public, this could’ve been regarded as treason.

On the other hand, if we were sure that this conversation would never be leaked, then we didn’t have to do that.

[Hm, I see. I believe in you all. So let me ask you directly. This decision from the metropolitans, we disagree with it. In the first place, are you capable of killing demons?] (Duke Gephis)

[I don’t know. I was able to kill the demon from back then, but I was unable to finish him off. No matter how many times I killed him, he kept regenerating, and without Epona the hero, I would have had no choice but to flee.] (Lugh)

[Oh-ho, so you were able to kill him, only not completely? I find that hard to believe. How were you capable of that?] (Duke Gephis)

[I possess an S-rank skill.]

[What sort of power does it grant you?] (Duke Gephis)

[To reveal my skills would be to reveal my weaknesses. Hence, I would like to remain silent about them.] (Lugh)

Normally, only one in a hundred million people had an S-rank skill.

You could say that possessing one was enough to qualify you as a hero.

[All right. But if you can’t kill them, then what’s the point?] (Duke Gephis)

[I have devised a way to kill them. However, I have not been able to prove its efficiency. I cannot say for certain that I can kill them unless I try to use it the next time a demon appears. That is why I can only say that there is a possibility that I can kill them.] (Lugh)

There was no point in hiding it, so I gave an honest answer.

[I see… It would be great if you could prove it. This would be the first time in history that someone other than a hero managed to kill a demon.] (Duke Gephis)

This man knew how big of a deal that was.

Because this would mean that anyone else would be able to kill demons, not just me.

[So rather than me dying in an accident, or maybe of illness, leading to the metropolitans losing their right to keep the hero close to them, I would be grateful if you could take a chance on that possibility. …Besides, I do not wish to die either, so I will resist to the best of my abilities. It would take some real backbone to kill someone like me who possesses an S-rank skill, after all.] (Lugh)

[Hahaha! Looks like you saw right through me.] (Duke Gephis)

We were being watched from the moment we passed on the highway, and as soon as we entered the royal capital, I realized that the place had been infested with some dangerous individuals.

In other words, in the event that I was unable to kill demons, they were thinking of lessening the casualties by having the decision not to send the hero to the countryside overturned.

[You’re quite fascinating. I see Baron Tuatha Dé was blessed with a great son.] (Duke Gephis)

[Yes, Lugh is my pride. Shall we consider this conversation over?] (Cian)

[Indeed. Regarding this matter, we have had enough of the metropolitan government. The royal family is still decent, but they’re being led around the nose by those people.] (Duke Gephis)

When he said ‘those people’, he meant two of the four major dukedoms, namely the dukes of the East and West.

The North and the South, respectively Duke Gephis’ family and the household of the duke who has deep ties with Tuatha Dé, are respectable, but as for the East and the West, you could say that they’re the wrong kind of aristocrats.

[Lugh-kun, if you’re truly capable of killing demons, you’re sure to gain more and more fame in the future. So much that the East and the West won’t be able to ignore you. With the hero’s powers and your own, we could erase their influence. Won’t you lend us your strength? Of course, we will pay you accordingly and do our best to back you up.] (Duke Gephis)

I was glad to receive support from a member of high nobility in my fight against the demon race.

Obtaining the backing of the duke of Gephis was also the most important factor in surviving the aristocratic society.

However, it was also a fact that if I accepted his offer here and now, it would be harder for me to act in the future.

[When you say that you wish to take me in, how exactly do you intend to do that?] (Lugh)

I encouraged him to explain while I was thinking about it.

[I will marry my family with Tuatha Dé. For there is no stronger connection than blood ties. With my son, Naoise, and your lovely daughter, Claudia-] (Duke Gephis)

[I refuse.] (Lugh)

I answered immediately.

This proposition was out of the question.

There was no way I would hand over Dia to anyone.

I decided that I would live my second life the way I wanted to.

Therefore, for the sake of my own love, I would even reject the proposition of a major noble and never look back.

[A refusal not from the head of the family, but from you?] (Duke Gephis)

[Yes, for what you need is not the power of Tuatha Dé, but the power of a second hero. I have no doubt that my father trusts me with that decision.] (Lugh)

[Yes, I will leave it all to you.] (Cian)

Perhaps did he not expect me to refuse, but Duke Gephis was frowning a little.

If it were purely based on profit and loss calculation, this offer would be impossible to refuse.

In the first place, they might have been showing us their utmost sincerity.

Because he didn’t pick any nobleman from his entourage to be Dia’s marriage partner, he picked his own family, and more precisely, his heir.

[…I see. It’s regrettable, but I’ll be looking forward to your success. Once you’ve defeated the demons, let’s meet again. I will make you a different proposition.] (Duke Gephis)

[Yes, I look forward to it.] (Lugh)

[Well, that’s the end of that topic. Please enjoy your meals without any worry. The desserts made by our cooks are excellent.] (Duke Gephis)

[I shall help myself.] (Lugh)

Man, he didn’t pull any punches.

He must’ve realized from my reaction that this was completely hopeless.

After that, I enjoyed my meals with no problem.

Dia was fond of northern cuisine. When I saw that, I guessed the recipes while eating, and I got a vague idea of how to prepare them.

Next time, I would try to make them for Dia. And not just that, but I would make them even tastier.

I love her. That’s why I would never let anyone take her away from me, and I wanted to do everything to make her happy.