“You are not angry?” said the girl, surprised in her voice.

The redhead had led them to a side office to plead for her case. Adrin could hear it in her voice even when she was calm and collected.

After everything was said, the redhead was wondering why he hadn’t thrown a fit after his secret was made known to others. To be honest, he would have thrown a fit if he was still the same young man almost two weeks ago. Alfred’s journal had taught him a lot.

He wasn’t the same young man because he had realized the better way to chase after his dream. [Foresight] also told him that, people knowing what little he could do was fine as long as he kept his triumph card hidden. Instead, this sudden exposure could work for him.

And to be realistic, where would he find the tons of metal needed to build the full-blown mechs? Only the mage family or people in power have that scale of resources. It would take decades to amass that much metal, and he couldn't wait for that long.

Making them take the oath was the right move, but he should have provided some sort of loophole himself. Adrin knew that he should have thought more about it.

He should also have used the revelation of the blue flame to make himself and the girls appear to be too valuable to be taken lightly off. Maybe then the kidnapping wouldn’t have happened and he didn’t have to dirty his hands.

He had made the decision based on fear. An emotional decision. The very thing that he had always advocated against. Adrin guessed that not even who realized the fault was immune to it.

He sighed inside. Adrin had to expect everyone and their mother would already know by the time he arrived at this countryside mansion. Nothing was juicier to be passed around in between these gossip-loving ladies. No wonder the maids looked like they wanted to eat him alive with their eyes.

He had to admit that it came as a surprise when she told him about the magical recording. Adrin secretly breathed in relief when she hinted that no one could duplicate it anymore.

Anaxandra had waited for him because she wanted to give a heads up and relevant things about the world they inhabit. Emi and Nerina were with him as the girl explained in great detail about the undead threat and the true value of the blue flame. Its mana purification effect was the only way to make sure the undead wouldn’t rise again.

However, Adrin had never thought that this kingdom was the only remaining kingdom of men after being ravaged by a single [Necromancer]. According to her, many centuries of magi-lore were burned by the undeath chaotic green flame or buried under rabbles.

He didn’t expect that small detail about the undead. Now he worried about revealing the green flame he had just discovered.

Emi tugged his arm and pulled his derailed thoughts back into the room.

“No, I’m not, I’m just worried,” he replied. He had too much in mind to get angry.

Adrin also understood what Ana desired more than anything else. The girl wanted approval.

More accurately, she wanted to become someone who was worth the title of Matriarch. The girl wanted to be a great leader by her own merit and not just because she was born to it. She might not realize it yet, but she was already on the right path. A great leader should have that kind of mindset to succeed.

“But I hope you have learned a lesson, you know, as the next Matriarch,” he said. “Some knowledge is better hidden than made widely known.”

“Are you telling me a good leader lies?” The smart girl quickly came to the conclusion.

He really envied this part of her.

Adrin chuckled. Perhaps his previous comment about her was mainly out of jealousy. In his eyes, Ana had won the lottery. She had both a brilliant mind, was born in a wealthy family, and inherited peerless beauty. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter.

“Lie is a heavy word, but misdirection is warranted if it saves lives.”

The redhead had looked at him calculatingly when he had chuckled, but her eyes opened wide as she heard his reply. Her eyes then moved rapidly from side to side as if she was searching for a memory related to his statement.

The girl then almost lost her footing when she recalled something.

“How- how do you know this?”

“Well, my spirit had led a group of people towards bettering their lives,” ‘if getting richer is considered as getting better at living,’ Adrin continued inside his head.

There was this look on her face that Adrin knew all too well. The look of someone who had been hooked to align their goal with his. He’ll make a great leader out of the redhead, in equal exchange, of course.

He wouldn’t mind being a subject of political marriage if it got to where he wanted. Ana’s beauty alone would make it worth it.

Adrin chuckled inside like a villain and his evil plans.

“I know that look,” Emi suddenly said.

“What look?” Nerina asked.

“That’s his scheming face,” the girl answered.

Adrin sighed. If he had a weakness it would be the girl, Emilia. What he would do without her? Now Ana was looking at him with a suspicious look again.

“I’m not scheming anything, just aligning my objective with the future Matriarch. Another skill a leader should learn to master. It will make it a lot easier to make people work together.”

“I see,” Ana said, nodding while perhaps shelving the thought to be pondered later. “Let’s go, everyone should be waiting for us,” she continued.

The girl led the way after walking out of the door. Adrin could smell it after a short walk, whatever they were going to discuss after this, it felt like worth it from the smell alone.

The current Matriarch had chosen the place well. They were currently in the fourth layer of the city where most of the land was filled with farmland and patches of untouched forest. This place reminded him of the luxurious recluse of the rich in the old world.

The open-air buffet-style feast under the stars was joined by quite a crowd. Two long rows of tables were filled with delicious-looking dishes and Adrin wasted no time to taste a sample.

His eyes went wide as the taste exploded in his mouth. He might have moaned a bit as he had never tasted anything like it before. For once somebody understood what mattered the most to him. Adrin reached for another and savored the alien dish’s taste.

And he had many more to go.

“I’m glad you like it,” purred a familiar voice before her hand slipped under his arm. Her massive warmth pressed on his arm and back as the older lady with the red flaming hair pulled herself closer.

At this point, he didn’t really care where his two escorts had gone or what the Matriarch had in mind for him. Well, as long as she didn’t try to pry him away from all these delicious gatherings of food. He wasn’t a glutton but simply appreciated the simplest form of indulgence. As long as it didn't harm anyone else.

This was why he had never given up going to town once a month in the old world. Even if the trip itself took him a few days back and forth.

To her credit, the woman had dragged him from dish to dish and explained to him where it came from and interesting tidbits about the foods he ate. Some of the salads came from the border town of the elvish land which she had especially procured. The huge roasted whole three-horned stomper came from the beast-kin territory, a festive dish for that race.

Of course, in between those dishes, he was introduced to the people who had come to listen to what he had to say. Adrin recognized the distinct blue hair immediately who also introduced him to her dark-haired boyfriend. Alicia said he was just her partner for the night, but Adrin could see it in the young man’s eyes. The warning men gave when their love life was threatened.

He also shook hands with a white-bearded grandpa who tried to zap him secretly to no avail. The old man was smiling widely but his smile didn’t reach his eyes at all. He came with the top guy in the class who looked handsomely smug in his tuxedo. The young man also had gorgeous girls on each side. What a showoff.

An elven ambassador gave him a one-armed hug after they spoke about Nerina’s rescue from the unknown assailant. Adrin didn’t care to mention house Maron’s name as he didn’t think the Kingdom would do or wanted them to do anything about his personal business. Like those mercs, he could always blame monsters if suddenly the house was destroyed overnight.

The headmaster of the academy introduced herself next, who came along with a few instructors and a single family member. A girl barely in her teens gave him an elegant bow which made Rosabella’s grip tightened around his arm.

The instructor who gave him the [Shell] spellbook was also present and her an overly friendly smile. It creeped him out a little but he was able to keep his business smile intact.

Lastly, he was introduced to Reverend Mother Thalia, a blind woman who could tell exactly where he was even when he moved. She felt ancient as she hugged him even if she looked barely in her thirties. The woman oozed the same feeling as the Matriarch beside him just a lot older than the redhead.

Mother Thalia introduced him to another girl with platinum hairs who she claimed to be her great-granddaughter. Unlike the old lady’s black tint, this girl had a purple tint with a similar pale metallic gray overall. Everybody seemed to yield to this girl and even Rosabella had let go of his arm when the girl approached him.

‘Does mana make every girl beautiful?’ he began to wonder.

Aela and her friends couldn’t even stand in the same room as the maids, let alone these girls. He had enjoyed the time he had spent with them, but that didn't change the fact.

The girl with purple eyes was gorgeous, he could stare into them for hours, but he didn’t think that was why everybody seemed to behave in front of her. The people around him let out silent gasps as the girl’s hand-hooked on his arm as if it was an earth-shattering deal.

Adrin hadn’t spoken much other than exchanging pleasantries, but circumstances around this girl had made him really curious. The girl dragged him towards the table of drinks as if telling to talk freely with her.

“So, er who are you again?” Adrin asked as he reached for a glass.

The girl giggled as if asking such a question was that funny. Despite his doubt, Adrin still found the girl’s response endearing and heartwarming. Her innocence was just oozing out from her as if this was the first time she was seeing the world.

“Well, the people called me Princess Kimara,” the girl quipped.

Adrin coughed. If he had drunk whatever juice then he would have sprayed it all over the royal blood. That would have been unforgivable. He might get executed because of it.

“Drink?” he offered after several seconds of gathering his mind.

Kimara chuckled, “Sure, which drink do you think I should try?”

“I don’t know, take your pick,” Adrin poured the pink juice into his mouth and gulped it down.

The feeling of the liquid wetting his throat did make him feel a lot better. It felt like he was being pranked but he didn’t think it was the case. He didn’t know why, but the girl found each of his actions funny. Kimara giggled lovely as she reached for the same drink he had.

“Wait, shouldn’t someone taste it for poison?”

Kimara clicked the glass with a ring around her thumb before she took a drink. All while smiling ear to ear and staring into his eyes.

Magic poison tester, of course. What was he thinking?

“Your awakened spirit isn’t from this world, is he?” The girl suddenly asked.

Adrin cursed inside. Being so close to the Kingdom’s most influential girl so suddenly had caught him unprepared.

But shouldn’t somebody have already told him about this crucial fact? He was ready for Ana or even the Matriarch to make a proposal, but a princess? How anyone could be ready for this.

...