In some cultures, ignoring bad omen will result to tragedies. But according to scientist, they're completely unrelated. I'm on the side of science!

But ever since I lived here in Marzenthura, my trust in science has greatly improved and my logical thinking has completely assimilated Magic's logic and convenience. And still, I don't believe on bad omens.

***

It's been a month since I became a Marquis. Ever since then, things were not the same for me.

For example: Not being able to leave my office for a week because of the paperwork that came to me all at once. Even with the help of 10 clones of me, I can barely finish it in one week.

Another example is traveling back and forth from the Royal Capital to Behemoth’s Horn. The thing is, I got official recognition on owning the mountain and the forest around it. I had to talk with Fleiya about the changes and my terms which also involve making a town on the mountain's foot to start letting people live in the territory. Now, the territory is called Chardelier territory.

It doesn't just end there.

Apparently, King Valeshtyre has heard about the Sentinel Project from one of his assets. I didn't try to hide it, but I only let the dwarves take credit on it. However, he knew that it was actually MY project and now he wants me to give him one.

But of course, I rejected his wish.

Using his 500,000 gold coin loan from me, I give him a 30% interest instead of 20% if her really wants a sentinel. The current production cost of Sentinels would be 9,500 gold coins in the least since the materials that are currently being used are rare and extremely expensive.

Well, if he did accept my conditions, it would take him 10 years to pay me back instead of 6 years.

On my business' side, Roldenrauf firm is experiencing an increase of investors from many merchants and nobles from various prestige. This is because I have decided to start selling weapons both magical and non-magical ones with the King and Duke's authority.

Everyone is interested on the weapons since they are made by dwarves from Berigious. I received permission from Teldarg himself so there was no problem with the paperwork.

No matter how hard I tried to escape work, the feeling of getting forcibly pulled towards it is stronger than my magic.

And after a month of endless work, I finally get a time to breathe and relax. By ‘breathe and relax', I mean it in a literal way.

Right now, I'm outside the mansion. I'm lying on a hammock that's hanging from two trees that I asked Cherry to make using her Nature Magic.

By the way, Marie, Cherry, Matt, and Jane are with me. Since the hammock can only accommodate one person, they're just sitting on a cloth above the grass. We also have snacks if we ever feel hungry.

Ah…. Listening to Marie's laughter while playing with Shell and Ellom, Jane and Cherry's girl talk, and Matt… she's reading a book. Even though we’re out in the sun, the air is cool and is blowing against us lightly so it doesn’t feel hot under the tree. Everything feels so relaxing. It feels like we’re having a picnic.

We're just outside the mansion but still inside my property so it’s not that really considered a picnic.

“I wish everyday is like this…”

My heart loves this feeling so much I inadvertently said it out loud.

Hearing that, the three girls giggle and laugh at me.

“You really like being lazy huh, Key.”

“I do and I will be if there’s a chance.”

“That sounds really like Sir Key.”

“Jane, it's already a month. You're his mistress now, don't use honorifics anymore.”

Cherry calls me lazy despite being lazy for the last few days. I wonder why she stopped experimenting.

On the other hand, Jane gets lightly reprimanded by Matt since she called me with ‘Sir' again. It's not something to reprimand her though.

But somehow, Jane's blushing when she get's called a ‘Mistress'. That's cute, but I plan to make her my wife though. I haven't told her that yet to surprise her later.

From a distance, I can see Louise coming towards me. And on her hands is a deep violet book that I asked her to bring if they ever come to me.

“I got the book.”

“Thanks.”

After giving it to me, she sits on the cloth and plays with Marie.

“I love the feeling of being an aunty to this blob of cuteness! Please be a baby forever!”

“Ahahaha! Tickles!”

Louise snatches and tickles Marie all over while hugging and kissing her. She really loves Marie. I hope she doesn't go too rough on her though.

And speaking of which, Marie is already showing signs of growth appropriate of her age. Though her hair is longer than a normal 2 year old girl, the rest of her body is normal. I had Cherry's father check her up, and the Core that she came from is nonexistent. Other than that, she's really a normal child.

Leaving that for now, I turn my attention to the book.

I leave the hammock and walk away from the girls since I want some time alone. The girls understood that so they just keep their silence and gave me some space.

“Now then…”

I look at the sky for a moment, and in an instant, I teleport to the sky. But I just didn't simply teleport in the sky, I teleported myself to where my eye can see 20 times more.

Now, I am very far from the Royal Capital with no one following me. That's also the reason why I used this technique, to prevent possible pursuers from following me.

I'm flying above a marshy forest in the middle of nowhere. If I want to go back, I can just use >.

Then on my hand, the book finally starts glowing in violet.

“It's about time.”

When I invoked the release magic, a whirlwind of magic surrounds me while I stay in the center. After that, a beam of violet light struck my forehead from straight above. The next moment, I could feel a life flowing into my mind.

[We have met again, Key.]

“It's been a long time, Lithius. Have you become impatient?”

[Thousands of years I have waited. Even for a thousand more, I can wait.]

“You sound so godly as always.”

[So you have collected the Immortal Sword. Though the power slumbers, it is there. You are faster than before.]

“Faster than before?”

That's weird. This is the first relic I've collected.

[Ah, that's right. You have become identical to your grandfather from outside and inside now when I met him the first time.]

“What the hell?”

[Well, the chances of your grandfather being you are next to impossible. On the other hand, I can feel a shard of the other gods inside you.]

“Oh yeah, I took some Divine Fragments that are from the other holders. I even came face to face with the God of the Wind.”

[Yes, I can see that in your memories. A piece of advice, your soul might be strong enough to take in more Fragments, but if you did, you might end up becoming something you don't want to be.]

“What do you mean?”

[The other Gods forbid bestowing more than one Divine Fragment. There's a reason for that.]

Then before continuing her words, a torrent of images floods my head all at once.

Like a video being played, faces of random people in suffering state, elements going wild, humans, elves, and every race dying and dying over and over again. If I put it into one word, it's hell.

[These are souls of the ones that tried to absorb more than one fragments. Their minds are breaking from the inside from the pain of their souls being ripped apart. Many times mortal has tried to grasp power they should not try to obtain.]

“So they fell to hell…”

[You have misunderstood. These souls are not in hell. They are beings that have been consumed by the fragments inside them. Because of that, they have fallen into a state of frenzy and madness.]

As she says that, the image in my head becomes clearer than before. Just like she said, they are still alive, but suffering. However, there are creatures like monsters and demons mixed with them. Some of them actually noticed me.

[Power creates suffering, suffering creates madness, and madness creates demons. With their souls twisted by power, the Demon God reigns over them and controls them. They hunger for power, and if they get their hands on the [Infinite] inside you, death befalls the mortal realm.]

The images immediately disappeared from my minds after she finished explaining. I'm thankful it finished since I was starting to get scared.

“Ok, if you say don't, then I won't take more Divine Fragments. Becoming a demon will surely end the world, or even both.”

When I said that, I could feel a giggle from her.

[You misunderstood again. Yes, taking more fragments will twist a mortal's soul and converts him into a demon. But this might not apply to you.]

“Huh?! What does that even mean?”

[You have a heart dedicated for your family, a sprit that never yields against enemies and power that no mortal is supposed to posses. Even though I'm a god that has been around since creation, your actions cannot be predicted using our knowledge. I still don’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t hate the outcome too.]

“I really have no idea what you're trying to say.”

[Who knows? You have the power to bend anything even fate itself. The string of fate coils around you like making a tapestry. Gods take actions against you carefully in secret since you have the potential to drag them to the mortal realm. With you, the future isn't clear. It’s you who creates it.]

I have a very good image of a certain part of my future though.

[If what you are thinking about your daughters that appeared from the future, they are just part of the endless stream of possibilities of time and fate.]

Ah right, she's inside my mind. She knows.

[And speaking of which, have you noticed a power that's different, yet the same with yours lately?]

Now that she said it, I do have that kind of feeling. I've noticed this for the past few months already, but these past few weeks, the sensation has gotten stronger. It feels like a connection that's as strong as Cherry and mine.

It's not clear where and who is it coming from, but I feel that this power is alive.

[Before I leave, I'll leave you a piece of advice. Do not ignore a familiar feeling.]

“Why don't you stop being a tease and say it directly?”

Though our connection is fading away, I could feel her making a taken aback expression.

[I-I'm still a god! I can't be directly intervening with the mortal realm.]

After throwing those words at me, our connection disappears and the cyclone of magic.

But after that last part of our conversation, I was able to confirm something.

“God or human, a girl will always act like a girl.”

I fix my clothes a bit and look at behind me. At the same time, I equip > in full form.

“Maybe I'll have a bit of fun before going home.”

When I look at above me, I can see a 20 meter long snake with countless fangs that looks sharp enough to rip me apart. It's been trying to chew my barrier that I deployed beforehand.

I can say that it's strong enough to leave scratch marks on the barrier.

My current mode is > so I can't deploy the flying arms. I can't override it for some reason too.

I teleported out of the sphere barrier and to the giant snake's back. Noticing my sudden disappearance, the snake looks around in search of me.

“Hey, you oversized belt!”

“GURAAAAA!”

When I called out to it, the snake turns to my direction and lets out a deafening roar. Without wasting any second, it comes to me while breaking lots of trees on its path.

“Yeah, let's have some fun.”

***

“Geez, if you’re going to kill a monster, please at least try to be careful with the blood spray! You stink!”

“Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. That monster was too big so it can’t be helped. Ow!”

As Jane reprimands me, she scrubs my back with a cured towel. We're in the bath actually.

“Defeating a monster that big should have taken 30 magic knights equipped with full magic items, but you defeated it alone. Not to mention, it only took you half an hour to kill it. It would have probably taken days even for an army.”

“I was just having fun, Cherry. Besides, it was picking a fight with me.”

“According to the adventures' journal, that kind of monster probably owns that territory. It merely tried to defend it's home. Killing it might change that place's ecosystem.”

“…. Sorry.”

Not only Jane, Cherry and Matt are also inside the bath. They have pieces of cloth covering their nose because I stink so much.

Matt sure is harsh.

Well anyway, after I killed that Giant Snake Monster, I immediately went home with its carcass. The reason I stink so much is because of the smell created by my armor that boiled away the blood that sprayed on me.

I tried to kill it without damaging its skin since it looked really valuable. So instead of cutting it from the outside, I dived into its mouth and turned it's insides into grinded meat.

Probably because of the blood and everything inside it getting boiled by my armor, the smell stuck on my skin.

“So what are you going to do with the carcass of the snake monster?”

Matt asks me while pouring a lot of liquid soap on my head. Isn't that a bit too much?

“I’m thinking of selling its skin. It resisted my claws a bit so it's probably strong enough against normal weapons.”

“That may be true, but it's an organic material and will rot away.”

“I'll look for someone who's an expert for this. The monster's pretty big so it might be a rare one. And rare monsters have rare parts. Some might be ingredients to random stuff.”

I gave her a flexible answer since she's trying to corner me. After all, I can't just throw the giant snake's corpse away. It's too valuable.

If it did end up becoming trash, I'll just incinerate it with fire magic outside the capital. I say incinerate since the smell is bad and I have to burn it without leaving a trace of it. The smell is so bad that even Marie refuses to get near me.

At the moment, I have it outside the mansion enclosed with an air-tight freezing barrier since I don't have any means of storage for it. It's attracting a crowd at the moment since it's bigger than the mansion.

“Anyhow, we have to remove this stench from you. We have to be with the King to welcome the prince's return. It will be rude to come late.”

While saying that, Cherry uses her water magic and sprays a high-powered water blast at me while I stand in place. I have a barrier on my face so breathing is not a problem.

“Speaking of which, what do you girls know about the prince?”

Matt opens a jar of honey that she was told to bring by mom. After that, she wipes it on every part of my body. The front’s mine of course.

“According to rumors, the prince is known to be peerless in wars. He's also the General of the Army in southeastern part of the continent. He commands the 1st to 9th Knight Order and is going to be the next King of Valeshtyre Kingdom in the next 5 years.”

“He sounds like a great person.”

When I said that, Matt makes a very unhappy expression. ‘Really?’ is what her face is saying to me.

I just shrug my shoulders since I don't know.

“If you haven't met or seen him before, he sounds like a great person. Yes, he is peerless and strong enough to earn the title of War Tide General, but he is a ruthless and greedy person. He's also a known philanderer according to nobles.”

“He sounds familiar somehow.”

Matt giggles when she heard me mutter.

“Yes, he does. You two are not too different after all.”

“Hey!”

When I retorted, the three of them burst into laughter. I'm not wrong though!

“That's it! you girls are going to get it!”

“““NOOOOO!”””

***

I managed to remove the stench from my body thanks to the honey that Matt used. Though it ended up emptying the whole jar because we got too wild in the bath, it was helpful.

Right now, the four of us are inside a carriage wearing our best clothes.

I noticed this from before already. The three of them sure has their own color theme. Cherry wears yellow most of the time, Matt goes for green when we go outside, and Jane likes pink and majority of her wardrobe are pink dresses.

Me, well, I go for violet or grey if it's official business. On regular days, I just wear a plain white t-shirt and simple trousers.

But at the moment, I'm wearing clothes that were specially tailored for these kind of occasions. I had the tailor use golden threads imbued in liquid that has been diluted with Magic Core dusts and other materials to allow the flow of magic.

If something happens, I can just enchant the clothes and turn them into armor. Wearing the whole > is a pain and might get innocent people harmed. That stuff is made of fire after all.

“The streets sure are lively today.”

“That's because they treat the soldiers of war like heroes, Jane.”

“…. Really, Miss Cherlaine?”

“They have come from a terrifying experience and welcoming them like this will help them ease their hearts.”

Jane and Cherry are looking outside the window. Since Jane looks like she's not used to these kind of things, her eyes are sparkling from watching the confetti and flowers outside. I wonder how then clean it up though?

“Papa! Color!”

“Yes, it is colorful.”

While patting Marie's head, I hold her down since she looks like she'll jump out of the window if I didn't. She's very hyper today.

I brought Marie with me today since I want her to see the parade. But that's not the only reason.

A month ago, everyone who saw Marie in my arrival in the capital were expecting to see her during my Inauguration. At that time, I left her at home with Lapis and the maids to babysit her. It was nighttime so it can't be helped.

Also, the King himself requested me to let him see her since we've talked about it before.

“Hey, Matt, are you alright?”

While I was zoning out, I suddenly hear Cherry calling out to Matt.

When I look at her, she's looking really uneasy for unknown reason. Not only that, she's scratching her knees too.

“I feel kind of weird right now…. I don't know how to explain it.”

I touch Matt's forehead to check her temperature.

“You feel normal. Maybe you're just not used to these kinds of things?”

“I don't know…”

She looks really uneasy today. Maybe I should turn the carriage around and I'll come alone.

“Don't look at me like that. I'm okay, but the weird feeling is still here. But this isn't something that I can't handle. There's no need to turn around.”

“Okay… but if you feel worse, tell me ok?”

“Okay.”

Since she's just sitting beside me, I put my arm on her shoulder and lean her head on mine. Cherry and Jane are looking worried for her. Marie's not even an exemption.

“Is it the same this morning too?”

“I don't know.”

“Maybe it's that?”

What are they talking about? Their mood suddenly improved and I don't have any idea why.

“What do they mean, Matt?”

“….nothing.”

Weird. Matt never hides secrets from me. She just covers her mouth while hiding her happy expression. Even Cherry and Matt are giggling from my question.

“You really are indecisive at times. Please be considerate of a woman's heart and don't ask questions.”

“It was only one though…”

From a gloomy mood to a bright one, girls sure do change their mood pretty quick. They’re confusing to understand.

***

When we finally arrived to the palace, we got welcomed by knights that are lined up the stairs.

Unlike the time during the conferring of peerage, the Royal Capital is in maximum security since the Royal Family will come out to welcome the Prince's arrival.

While climbing up the stairs, some of the knights were looking at the girls. Especially to Cherry since her cleavage is emphasized by her dress.

I got annoyed by those knights so I used > and lowered the cover of their helmet.

They understood that it was something I did, so they made a snappy fix of their posture with their spears looking up the sky. All of them looked straight into empty space in order not to meet my gaze. I like this better.

“Welcome, Marquis Chardelier! I will be your guide.”

Arriving on the top of the stairs, we got welcomed by a butler. I thought that he looked a bit familiar. Turns out he was the Butler that guided me back then.

Continuing, he guides us to a place in the palace where we are going to watch the prince and his army’s parade. I can already hear the cheers and clamor from afar so I guess they've already entered the gates of the Royal Capital and are now heading to the Royal Palace.

During our walk, I talked with Cherry about Ghena.

The reason why she isn't here is because she was told to attend school by Cherry's father. She didn't tell me the reason why, but it seems to be because she can sense another person here in the Royal Palace that is not supposed to know about it.

I'm betting it's Sora.

“Please enjoy your stay.”

We finally arrived to a room that has a large balcony that's facing the main street. It has a large sofa, a nice wooden table with amazing carvings, and the balcony's beautiful too. I don't know how to describe or what to call it, but the stone railing of the balcony is beautiful.

“If you have some request, please let me know. I'll be outside the door.”

I let the girls enter the room first to get out of their attention for a moment. After that, I quickly take a gold coin from my pocket and gave it to the butler.

“Please get me a bottle of champagne and when you arrive, say it's from the king.”

“…. Why?”

“Just go!”

The Butler got puzzled when I whispered it to him instead of normally talking, but when I made him hurry up, he dashes down the hall.

If the girls see me drinking, they would get angry since I'm not allowed to drink. But if they believe it came from the king, they can't say no.

If you ask why I'm not allowed to drink, this is because I got too wild last time. But I think making a miniature solar system with sun and planets that has the size not smaller than trucks were cool though.

Going back to the present, I enter the room while getting suspicious gazes from the girls.

“What?”

“You better not bribe the butler for liquor.”

“… no, I did not.”

Cherry is sharp it's scary.

I quickly walk to the balcony to not meet their suspecting gazes.

And at that moment, I got blown away.

Not literally, but the impact of the flying flowers and confetti, the streets beautified with flowery decorations, the crowd beside the main street, and everything about them blew me away.

“Awesome…”

I got too amazed that I inadvertently muttered something in English.

When I look around the other balconies, I could see the other Dukes on a higher level than me, the Earls below my level, some Marquises in mine, and the Royal Family are in the center and highest position of the balconies.

Looking at the royalties, I notice that Thema is looking at me.

When I wave at her, she backs away and because of it, it got the king and the rest of the royal family’s attention to me.

They're waving back.

“Oh right, come here Marie.”

After I called Marie, I pick her up and showed her to the royal family. Seeing them waving at us, Marie waves back with both arms with a big smile on her face.

Before I noticed, the Marquises, Dukes and some Earls that could see me are looking at our direction, specifically at Marie.

I may have done something I shouldn’t have.

“Key, they're here.”

When Matt look at the main street while leaning in the balcony, Cherry and Jane follows her too.

There are so many soldiers on the street in full armor. Most of them have their armors dirty and some have missing pieces of the set.

And even though we're far away, we could see the most important person in the parade.

“Can you feel that?”

“I already did since it entered the gates.”

“To think that it would get stronger as it gets closer…”

“What do you mean?”

Leaving aside Jane who can't understand us, Cherry and Matt can feel what I can feel from that person.

“He isn't just using the Sacred Treasure. He was chosen.”

If he wasn't he wouldn’t be emitting such strong waves of magic power like me. Though I can control mine, his is overflowing.

Taking the Bottomless Scabbard from Prince Frelisk will not be easy.