After taking down the black mages hiding in the dungeon.
The thing awaiting our return to Zahav Castle was a grand triumphal procession, impressive considering how hastily it had been prepared.
"Waaah! The Lord's back!"
"He wiped out the dungeon's black mages and returned!"
"Thank you for saving my son!!"
"With the Lord, I might let him have a go once!"
"You lunatic! You're a man!"
"But the Lord is a Zahav, isn't he?"
"Makes sense."
Praise for me poured in from all directions. Amid it all, the creepy remarks made my head spin for a moment. I just couldn't wrap my head around what was going on.
Clutching my head, I turned to Hilda, who seemed the most puffed up about it all.
I'd normally ask Karen, but... she seemed a bit sulky right now.
"Lady Hilda. You look pleased."
"Heh heh. Didn't I tell you on the first day of class? I want to get ahead. Looks like I picked the right side. I never dreamed I'd stand in such an honorable position so soon."
"Hey, Sir Calton. Take a look at your daughter. Is this for real?"
"Ughhh! Finally in Zahav... Yes! Blood doesn't just vanish, so now things are normalizing! From here on, we must serve even better..."
"..."
Glancing back at Calton, he was shedding tears like he was bawling his eyes out in感動. No way he'd hear me like this.
I didn't want to see a middle-aged man snotting and crying like that.
Finally letting out a deep sigh, I whispered in Hilda's ear as she basked in the surrounding adulation.
"Fine. I won't complain about you enjoying this anymore, so explain what's going on. We bolted from the middle of the succession ceremony without any proper announcement and dove straight into the dungeon."
"Ah, that's what was bothering you. We've been together the whole time, so I know you don't know either... but I have one guess."
"What is it."
"Lady Jevella."
"Hm?"
"You've met Lady Jevella, and you've heard a bit about what she does. What did you think?"
"Honestly, she's more suited to being Patriarch than I am."
"No, that's not right. The head of House Zahav must be the vanguard in all disputes."
"..."
I subtly floated the idea, but it didn't land at all. Southern power-worship customs were no joke.
As I sighed inwardly, Hilda nodded.
"Well, it just means you were that impressed by Lady Jevella's workload."
"Yeah. Something like that. Sure."
"Lady Jevella is incredibly capable. She watched everything at the succession ceremony and made her decision. That you'd win and return around now."
"...Is that even possible?"
"If she trusts your strength and character that much, absolutely."
Even as she spoke, she waved tirelessly to the cheering territory folk, sometimes flaunting me as we whispered close together.
Hilda was naturally imprinting herself on those around us as she continued.
"Lady Jevella could never be the head of House Zahav, but as its lady, no one could be more perfect."
"...True enough."
Setting aside the incest angle, there really wasn't a better woman than Jevella.
No, it was incest for others, but exogamy for me...
The derisive nickname "Incestuous Noble House" wasn't for nothing. Endogamy everywhere you looked.
I shook my head briefly. Then Hilda's excited voice from the procession suddenly turned serious.
"So, my lord. You must never make Lady Jevella sad. Now that you've formally ascended to Grand Duke, few in Zahav Territory—no, the entire South—could oppose you. Still, please don't neglect her."
"I had no such intentions, but out with it. Is it that bad?"
"Yes. That bad. I guarantee just her going on strike would halve House Zahav's assets."
"...Yeah, that tracks."
No matter how I thought about it, someone that capable should be Patriarch. But whatever.
Damn dungeon causing all this hassle.
Tsking lightly for a moment, I figured ignoring the fervent cheers wasn't right, so I raised my hand lightly in acknowledgment.
-Waaaaah!!!
The territory folk's cheers grew even fiercer.
Getting this much praise for just catching some black mages was embarrassing... but honestly, it felt pretty good too.
I see. So this is why Hilda craved advancement.
The taste of success—something I'd never properly savored in my past life or this one—was surprisingly sweet.
"Oh, by the way, Lady Hilda. Why've you been calling me 'my lord' since earlier?"
"The die is cast. If I can't switch lines now, might as well brag to everyone."
"..."
So she plans to milk the "Enoch's knight" image for all it's worth?
Hilda had gotten way too frank since that day she took a fresh look at me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
While Enoch was busy smashing black mages.
Cornelia, for her part, joined negotiations with Jevella.
And realized the opponent before her was a monster in a different sense from Enoch.
Negotiation ultimately means taking what you can, yielding what you must, to reach completion.
But Jevella smoothly deflected every condition Cornelia had prepared—even accounting for the last-minute changes—and pushed her own.
...And Cornelia couldn't deny they were far more beneficial for both sides.
'I didn't snag any of the interests I initially aimed for... but this will actually help more right now.'
Cornelia glanced at Jevella elegantly sipping her tea.
When their eyes met, Jevella smiled sweetly, sending chills down Cornelia's spine.
She knew full well how the woman had ruthlessly shattered her plans with that innocent face, as if oblivious to it all.
She yielded nothing for long-term gains, but freely handed over the information and funds Cornelia desperately needed now.
It was a trap, but with successive business failures and monster subjugation flops shrinking her position, Cornelia couldn't refuse.
In exchange, what Jevella took was academy students.
Specifically, the condition of sending academy students to southern dungeons under the pretext of practical training.
The academy gathered the Empire's most talented. Those selected for fieldwork were far higher-grade talent than adventurers.
Feed and house them, and they'd clear monsters on their own—what a deal. Clickbait's always right.
In the end, Zahav bought time to reorganize its chaotic house, while Cornelia learned her enemy and gained the power to fight back.
'One's a beast hard to even approach, the other's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Grand Ducal houses really are different.'
But her shock at Jevella soon turned to admiration.
If the Grand Duke's blood produced monsters like this, then she—imperial direct lineage, even if her succession claim was weaker—was even greater...!
A very blood-supremacist conclusion.
Having quickly patched her shattered mentality, Cornelia glanced around and confidently set down her teacup.
"By the way, Yuria's still at the academy, right? You'll get to see her after so long with this training."
"Oh? Does Your Highness know Yuria?"
"Yup? Ah, ahem. Yes. Of course. She got held back, so I graduated first, but we were academy classmates."
"I see. More tea? I got some fine leaves recently."
"Uh... I'd be grateful."
"Hee hee. In exchange, tell me how Yuria's been at the academy?"
"Well, that much..."
"Let me see. I'll bring out some sweets that go perfectly with it."
"???"
Yuria Zahav. The moment her academy-attending little sister's name came up, Jevella's demeanor shifted abruptly.
Like treating a close friend's little sister—utterly casual.
'Unbelievable! Unbelievable! How can that scheming woman...!'
Cornelia's fingertips trembled anew at Jevella's back as she hummed a tune, her mentality barely stabilized.
'What's that? What's going on?! Is she planning to poison the tea??'
Poisoning tea was Jevella's specialty, of course—but not this time.
Jevella Zahav. The infamous villainess who personally wiped out her father, all siblings before Enoch's arrival... even the illegitimate children, meticulously.
But there was one being she truly cherished.
The youngest, the sole survivor of the Great Purge.
The only sibling in Zahav who cried and raged for Jevella.
Yuria Zahav.
Ah, now with Enoch added, she had exactly two little siblings.
Regardless of Cornelia's deepening tremors from the distant cheers, a thicker smile graced Jevella's lips.
As expected, Enoch returned victorious, concluding the succession ceremony. Soon, Yuria would visit Zahav Castle too.
Excited at the thought of warm family time after so long—truly so long—Jevella accidentally overfilled her teacup, spilling some.
"Oops."
Jevella gave a troubled smile, pressing a finger to her lips playfully.
"Embarrassing. Shall we keep this our little secret?"
"...Y-Yes."
Cornelia wanted to go home, fast.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We cut across the triumphal procession to arrive at Zahav Castle.
As always, Jevella greeted me with a benevolent smile.
"Welcome home, Enoch. You were quick."
"I had a promise with you, sis."
How could she smile like that after such a past? Must be her kind nature.
Jevella, who had giggled at the hastily departing Imperial Princess Cornelia, spoke up.
"Hee hee. Look forward to it, Enoch. Your little sister from the academy—Yuria—is coming home soon."
"Oh?"
A flash crossed my mind.
Jevella seemed ambitionless, handing over the Patriarch position easily...
But maybe her sister Yuria was different.
If Yuria wanted it... the outcome would differ completely!
I grinned at the excited Jevella, curling my lips.
"Sounds promising."
"Does it?"
"Yeah. I've always wanted a little sister."
What? This part was sincere.
Only child in my past life, and in this one, just temporary brothers and a new big sis.
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