Prologue
.
Part 1
The day of the school festival.
The plaza in front of the school building was lined with numerous food stalls.
In one of them, I [Leon Fou Bartfalt] also work as a clerk.
The donut dough was shaped and thrown into the hot oil with a tool, and then turned over while keeping an eye on it.
When puffed and colored, remove it from the oil and place it on a tray lined with a sheet.
The donuts are left as they are for a few minutes, topped with chocolate and other toppings, and decorated as a product by my friends [Daniel] and [Raymond].
The three of us had a donut stall at the school festival.
——No, four?
[Three, two, one——Master, please take the donuts out of the oil.]
“——Oh”
The donuts, made according to the manual prepared by Luxion, had a beautiful color.
The prepared dough, oil temperature, and frying timing were all under Luxion’s control, so the dish turned out well for a novice cook like us.
Some roughness is noticeable, but there are many customers as it is mid-afternoon.
Most of the lined up topped donuts had been purchased.
The number of customers is also very good.
Sales are going well.
Daniel and Raymond, who opened a stall together, were all smiles at the good sales.
“This is what it calls selling like hotcakes!”
“I wasn’t expecting much, but this is going to be profitable.”
Next to the two happy people, I start preparing the next donuts.
Luxion speaks to me, sounding concerned about my condition.
[At this pace, sales are expected to increase by 10% of the planned amount. We are also reducing waste loss, which is a wonderful achievement.]
“I see. That’s good to hear.”
[——Master doesn’t look happy about it.]
“I’m making a lot of money, so of course I’m happy about it.”
[There has been no change in your expression since a while ago, though?]
I’ve been silently frying donuts since morning.
I just wanted to concentrate on the task at hand, but even Daniel is concerned.
“Are you sure you’re all right? When it’s over, you better get some rest, Leon.”
Raymond seems to agree with Daniel.
“You seem to be acting weird these days. I feel like your mind is not here.”
I can’t help but smile wryly, because Raymond’s words are so familiar to me.
“There’s a lot going on. After all, thanks to Roland, I’m a Grand Duke now. The weight of responsibility makes my stomach hurt.”
Not long ago, I was officially given the rank of Grand Duke.
In the Horfalt Kingdom, it is a rank above a Duke.
In the past, Duke Fannos was a Grand Duke, but then betrayed the Kingdom of Horfalt and took on the name of Principality.
Because of the various powers bestowed on the Grand Duke, since then the Kingdom of Horfalt has not given the title of Grand Duke to anyone, in fear of betrayal.
An exception among exceptions.
If I had to say, my accession to the throne as the Grand Duke is a remarkable achievement even in the history of the kingdom.
——Well, this is also one of Roland’s harassments.
Roland understands my personality of not wanting to be promoted, so he uses whatever he can to get me promoted.
It may be a luxurious concern to those around me, but to me it’s a nuisance.
Daniel and Raymond look at each other and whisper to each other in front of me.
“He’s calling His Majesty by his name. There’s a limit to having no fear.”
“If it were Leon, he would be forgiven. After all, he beat that Raschel.”
The Holy Kingdom of Raschel —— a troublesome country that has been hostile to the Kingdom of Horfalt.
It is currently under the administration of the Kingdom of Horfalt, which is ruled jointly with the United Kingdom of Reparto.
While frying the donuts, I said to them with a smile.
“You can call him whatever you want. If he gets mad at me for that, I’ll just give him back the title of Grand Duke.”
Even if I return it, I don’t think he’ll allow me to do so.
Or rather, many things seem unimportant now.
As I was taking the donuts out of the oil, Raymond turned his attention to the other stalls.
He seems to be counting, but his expression is a little sad.
“I knew it was smaller than when we were first-year students. The number of food stalls is less than half.”
Daniel takes the donuts off the heat, decorates them, and arranges them on a tray.
“It can’t be helped. We’ve had a lot of big wars in the last few years. I think it’s a good thing we were able to hold the school festival.”
“That’s true, but it does make me feel kind of lonely. —— I don’t think I’d want to go back to the first year, but still, there was a liveliness in those days.”
Due to the series of major wars, the national strength of the Horfalt Kingdom is declining.
Actually, the school festival was supposed to be canceled, but the new headmaster felt sorry for the students and decided to hold the festival for one day.
Shishou is a wonderful adult who thinks about his students.
But the scale is still small.
There are only a few food stalls, and even the number of exhibits is small.
As we were feeling sad thinking about two years ago, we saw petite girls with blonde and black hair approaching.
They look like sisters, [Marie Fou Lafan] and [Erika Rafa Horfalt].
It looks like Marie is pulling Erika by the arm and taking her around the school festival.
The figure of [Creare] can be seen by their side.
It’s an object with a single lensed eye in a floating metal sphere, the same as Luxion.
The difference with Luxion is the color and the use.
Compared to Luxion, who is often sarcastic and ironic, Creare has a cheerful and easygoing personality.
——But it’s only on the surface that she is easy to get along with.
Inside is a dangerous AI with the dangerous idea that “new humans should be destroyed,” and she is a dangerous one who is not afraid to conduct questionable experiments on new humans.
Despite that, Creare is very kind to Marie and Erika, who have the characteristics of the old humans.
When the three of them come to our stall, Marie orders.
“Give me as many donuts as you can!”
“Ma, Marie-san? I’m not sure that’s the way to buy”
Erika is puzzled and reminds Marie, who tries to buy up all the donuts without restraint.
Marie says in front of us.
“It is fine. They’re probably in trouble because they’re unsold anyway. It’s human nature to buy them.”
Daniel and Raymond smiled wryly at Marie who was nodding with her arms crossed.
I let out a sigh, then leave the stall and poke Marie’s head.
“What are you doing!”
“I’ll give you service, just don’t buy all of it. I’m the one who’s giving you the pocket money in the first place.”
“You promised you wouldn’t say that!”
When I mention the pocket money, Marie is visibly agitated.
This is what this girl is all about, I am sure she wanted to act like a parent in front of Erika.
It seems she didn’t want to be told the pathetic story of getting pocket money from me.
As for Erika, she puts her fist over her mouth and giggles elegantly.
“I thought maybe so.”
Marie is teary-eyed when she learns that Erika has been aware of her from the beginning.
“Uuu~, because of Leon, it was exposed.”
“It’s probably because of your daily activities.”
I grab a few items from the lineup, put them in a brown paper bag, and push them to Marie.
“Here, I’ll give you a service. Take it.”
“Are you sure? Erika, let’s eat donuts together!”
Marie pulls Erika’s hand away from the stall.
“Eh, but we just ate——”
“It’s okay!”
At that time, Erika looked back at me with only her face turned to look at me and bowed her head with a slightly apologetic smile.
Seeing Marie’s happy back, my chest tightens from anxiety.
Perhaps the expression appears on my face, Luxion calls out to me.
[Master]
“——Aa, right.”
I changed my mind and looked back at my two friends.
I offered a donut for sale without permission, so I apologize for that.
“Sorry. I’ll pay for it.”
Raymond laughs.
“I don’t mind”
Then the unfamiliar girls came to the stall this time.
I tell the girls since it’s sold out.
“I’m sorry. We sold out a while ago, so please give us some time to——”
“I’m here to see Daniel-senpai and others!”
“Eh?”
Daniel steps out of the stall and waves to the girls.
“I’m going to take a break soon, so just wait a little bit. Leon, you go ahead and take your break. If you don’t, we won’t get a break either.”
——The purpose of the girls was to meet Daniel and Raymond.
I thought I would never hear anything romantic from these two, but it seems they have also been building a good relationship with their juniors.
.
Part 2
There were two people enjoying the school festival.
An eerie black ball floats next to a sharp-eyed, beautiful young man with white hair and brown skin.
The one-eyed flesh eyeball moved around, looking at the school festival with great interest.
Another one —— a little girl, eating while holding a crepe in her hand.
[Mia], who is eating and walking around, is warned by a beautiful young man [Finn Ruta Herring] with a troubled look on his face and a smile.
“Wouldn’t it be better to sit down and eat?”
Mia, who had cream on her cheeks, looked up at Finn happily.
“When I was a little girl, this was pretty normal.”
International students from the Holy Magic Empire Voldenowa enjoyed a school festival in a foreign country.
Finn removes the cream from Mia’s cheek with his finger and brings it straight to his mouth to lick it off.
Mia blushes and turns her head down at that action.
“K-Knight-sama!?”
“I beg your pardon, my princess. However, it’s not good to have cream on your cheeks forever.”
“If you know, please tell me, moo~”
Finn’s reverent words and actions provoked an unnecessary sense of embarrassment, and Mia turned her face away.
“My bad. Don’t be so angry.”
Finn, who was looking at Mia with a smile, was approached by his partner [Brave].
The area around his mouth was smeared with cream from sweets he bought.
[Buddy, me too, me too]
Seeing Brave waiting with a nervous heart, Finn takes out a handkerchief and wipes his mouth with it in amazement.
“Kurosuke, I understand your desire to eat a variety of foods, but why don’t you calm down a bit?”
Brave, who had his mouth wiped violently, said that this was not what he wanted and became displeased.
[Be nice to me like you were to Mia, buddy! And as I always say, I am “Brave”, not Kurosuke!!]
“Therefore, I have wiped you gently. Also, the name isn’t that different.”
[It’s completely different!]
Brave, who was making a lot of noise, attracted a lot of attention from the surroundings, but the students did not make a special fuss, as they were already accustomed to Luxion.
Mia comforts the grieving Brave.
“Don’t cry, Buu-kun. I’ll give you this crepe.”
[Mia —— is it really okay for me to eat it?]
“Yeah! I’ll buy donuts from the Grand Duke-sama’s stall and eat them”
Mia answered with a big smile, and Brave had an indescribable expression on his face.
“Didn’t you just force it on me because you got tired of it? Well, I’ll eat it.”
Finn put his hand on Brave, who honestly couldn’t be pleased.
“Don’t complain. Our princess is enjoying eating while walking. It’s our job to accompany her, right?”
[My partner is really sweet on Mia. Be nice to me too, even if it’s only half of what you did to Mia.]
“Maybe some other time”
Brave, who was lightly brushed off, followed them as they walked on, looking disgruntled.
So on their way to Leon’s donut shop, Finn and the others spotted a group of familiar faces.
Finn’s feelings about them are complicated.
Mia, who doesn’t know anything, looks at them and mutters.
“There are the Princes.”
Finn nodded slightly.
“I, guess so —— Well, it looks like they’re having a lot of fun.”
The trio had attracted the eyes of those around them.
The prince [Jake Rafa Horfalt], a small, quirky, short blonde with a stern look, is standing next to a tall girl? And he is glaring at the boy [Ethan Fou Robson] who stands across from him.
The prince [Jake Rafa Horfalt], a small, quirky, short blonde with a stern look, glares at a boy [Ethan Fou Robson] who stands next to him with a tall girl? in between them.
“Ethan, don’t disturb me and Aare!”
“I’m sorry to hear that you’re disturbed. It is His Highness who is interrupting me and Miss Aare’s making memories of the school festival.”
The scene appears to be a dispute between two first-year boys fighting over a second-year girl(?).
[Aare], looking troubled while the two of them are fighting, intercedes in the fight.
“You two, it’s a school festival, let’s have fun. That’s right! I heard that Bartfalt-senpai is having a stall up ahead. Rumor has it that he’s selling delicious donuts, so why don’t we three go?”
Both Jake and Ethan seemed to give in when Aare suggested it with her hands together.
They turn away from each other and take Aare’s suggestion.
“If it’s Aare’s request, I can’t refuse.”
“I don’t mind. Even so, the Horfalt Kingdom is the only country where the Grand Duke sells donuts directly at the stall.”
The three of them start walking in the same direction as Finn and the other.
Finn looks at the three of them and thinks.
(I feel complicated when I think that these three were originally Mia’s potential lovers. Plus, one of them has had a sex change and is now a woman.)
All three of them were male capture targets in that otome game.
However, for whatever reason, they all strayed from the path of capture targets before they met Mia.
At the same time that he is relieved that they did not become Mia’s lovers, he is also terribly bothered.
At the same time as I am relieved that they will not become Mia’s lover, I am terribly confused.
The reason is that he doesn’t like the fact that the capture targets are flirting with each other while ignoring a wonderful girl named Mia.
Mia doesn’t even look at the three of them, and she doesn’t seem to care.
On the contrary, she seems happy now.
“Those three seem to be having fun every day, don’t they? Ah, of course, Mia is happy every day too! My body is better now, and besides —— K-Knight-sama is by my side.”
Mia said shyly, and Finn blushed a little.
“——My Princess, are you going to kill your Knight with praise?”
“Eh? N-No, I mean it!”
As they were getting excited, Brave was pointing ahead as he finished the crepe Mia had given him.
“Oi, apparently they’re taking a break.”
“What?”
Finn looks in the direction Brave pointed and sees a stall selling donuts, with a messy sign hanging over the stall.
It was written that it was under preparation and would not reopen until after 14:00.
There is one woman who is rampaging in such a storefront.
The others are one boy and one girl.
“What does it mean that they are preparing? And I just came here, and now he’s not here!?”
It was Leon’s big sister [Jenna] who was raising her voice.
She has graduated from the school, but today she is dressed up and enjoying the school festival.
Looking around, one can see a glimpse of alumni who have come to the school as well as Jenna.
Leon’s younger sister, [Finley], is amazed at Jenna’s loud voice.
This one is calmer —— or rather, has cool down.
“I heard they were selling pretty well, so maybe he went out to do some shopping? I mean, I never knew my brother had a talent for baking.”
“Finley, you are so naive! When I was at the school, if there had been a stall like this, there would have been a flood of complaints”
“——When it was onee-chan’s time, right? How long ago do you think that was?”
Jenna clenched her fists in frustration as Finley calmly retorted.
“It’s been less than two years since I graduated!”
It was Jake’s foster brother, [Oskar Fia Hogan], who was troubled by the two sisters fighting in the storefront.
“You two shouldn’t fight. If you want donuts, I’ll get them myself outside the school.”
Jenna’s eyes lit up with excitement at Oskar’s response.
“As expected of Oscar-sama! Unlike some foolish brother, you are a wonderful man. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful man as my lover!”
The women around Jenna, who exclaimed that she had a younger, beautiful young boyfriend, looked at her with considerable jealousy.
The person in question seems to be aware of it, but doesn’t seem the least bit offended.
Surely she is bragging about it to everyone around her.
Finley, who saw through Jenna’s ulterior motive from the beginning, is the cause of her cool down.
“——Haa, why am I being forced to play along with my big sister’s bragging?”
Finley, who looked tired and exhaled a sigh, had the air of a struggling worker.
Mia, who was watching the three of them, looks disappointed.
“I see the Grand Duke-sama is out. Too bad, I wanted to eat a donut.”
Finn looked at Mia, who looked sad, and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Mia”
“Knight-sama?”
“Leave it to me —— I’ll find Leon and have him make you donuts right away.”
“Eh? You don’t have to go that far, Knight-sama!!”
While hearing Mia’s voice trying to stop him, Finn declares.
“I will make your wishes come true”
“Didn’t I say you don’t have to go that far, right?”
Brave, watching the two of them, was dumbfounded, but muttered a little happily.
[Even though Mia is feeling better, my buddy’s still overprotective. Yare yare daze.]
.
Part 3
When I came to the back of the school building, Creare had arrived first.
As soon as she sees that me and Luxion have arrived, she approaches us.
——The usual cheerfulness was gone, and instead it was an electronic voice that conveyed a sense of impatience.
[Master!]
“How is Erika?”
When I asked her straightforwardly just what I wanted to know, Creare started projecting images around me. The image projected in the air was a video replay of Erika’s suffering.
“She had the second seizure just a few minutes ago.”
“——Is it because Marie took her around?”
I put my hand over my mouth, but Creare did not answer.
That would indicate affirmation.
Marie’s behavior was causing Erika pain.
Instead of Creare, who does not answer, Luxion defends Marie.
[Marie does not know anything about Erika’s condition. And taking Erika around with her at the school festival is——]
“I know. She is trying to atone because of her previous life. She didn’t do anything like a parent, and now she’s desperate to make it up.”
Marie’s good intentions are making Erika’s condition worse.
Originally, I should have stopped her, but it was Erika herself who refused to do so.
[Erika-chan is saying that she wants to continue making memories with Marie-chan. No matter what, they’ll be separated for the foreseeable future, she said.]
For Erika, it’s not about making memories.
Perhaps, but she is making memories for Marie.
Erika has a previous life, just like us.
I was told that in a previous life, she was born as Marie’s daughter and lived until she became an old lady.
She has more life experience than us.
What Erika wanted to do, even at the cost of her own life, —— was to repay her mother’s kindness from a previous life.
Marie is trying to entertain Erika and make memories together.
And Erika is trying to create a lasting memory of their time together for Marie.
So the dream of a parent and child that did not come true in a previous life is being realized.
“It’s hard to have an overly-perfect niece. It makes it harder to support her.”
As if to fool myself that I couldn’t do anything, I complained, which was not my real intention.
Pathetic —— I felt pathetic about myself.
Creare reports to me about the current situation.
[As for Erika’s medical condition, I’ve been able to determine that the magic element is affecting her. But it’s a mystery, isn’t it? Why are the descendants of new humans, who are supposed to have conquered magic elements, having a hard time with magic elements? If it is because of the reincarnation, there must be some kind of change in Master and others as well]
We are the descendants of new humans who can use magic.
And yet, Erika’s body was unable to handle the magic elements that generate magic.
When we fall silent, Luxion says.
[The old human characteristics are very strong, you know. It must be an effect of that. Anyway, if things continue as they are, Erika’s life will be in danger. Master, we must put our planned plan into action.]
“——I know. I know that. But if I do that —— There’s a chance that Marie may never see Erika again, right? Luxion, you also”
[It is to help Erika. Besides, we may find a cure sooner than expected. And if that happens, she will be reunited with Master and others.]
As I look down with my mouth closed, Creare explains the plan.
[Well then, I’ll put Erika-chan in cold sleep and send her out of the atmosphere in the main body of Luxion. Once she’s out in space, she’ll be safe from the effects of the magic element.]
It seems that magic elements are covering this planet.
But out in space, the magic element seems to be non-existent.
The only way to escape the influence of the magic element is to flee into space.
In that case, the immigrant ship, Luxion, was the right choice.
I confirm again to Luxion.
“Is it really okay?”
[I don’t mind. There is no one better suited for the job than me. More than that, if my main body goes out into space, I will not be able to support Master. Master, please don’t cry because you are lonely.]
“——You stupid bastard. It would be refreshing to have you gone, you annoying, sarcastic and ironic guy. You too, don’t cry when you get lonely.”
[AI doesn’t cry]
“I wonder. You guys are strangely emotional, aren’t you? I’m pretty confident I wouldn’t be surprised if you were crying.”
[You don’t need that kind of confidence. To begin with, the idea that I would be insecure if I were not with Master is wrong. How much time do you think I spent alone before I met Master?]
As the two of us are talking, Creare makes a dumbfounded sound.
Her attitude was that she couldn’t bear to listen to our conversation.
[Since the policy has been decided, I will go to Erika-chan’s side. Also, if you want to carry out your plan, the sooner the better. The medicine I prepared for Erika-chan is becoming less and less effective.]
When Creare said that and left, me and Luxion were left behind.
I sat down with my back against the school building and hid my face with my right hand.
“Good grief —— How am I going to explain this to Marie? She’s gonna start crying and screaming and making trouble for sure.”
[If you are going to tell her, please do so as soon as possible. We don’t have much time. Erika has achieved what she wanted, which was to make happy memories. I don’t recommend that you delay it any longer.]
“——I understand. I’ll explain it to Marie when the festival is over and things have settled down.”
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