The courtyard of the inn was gently enveloped in darkness.
Amidst the scattered lights, I fixed my gaze on the boy of the stars.
“…..”
Luke, trembling as he stared at his empty hand.
Watching him unable to hide his frustration, I absentmindedly scratched at my mask.
‘…Even I have to admit, this is some next-level unfairness.’
The spar was supposed to be about landing effective hits.
It’s still early in the original story, so it’s only natural that the protagonist can’t go toe-to-toe with the final boss yet.
That’s why I didn’t push myself too hard, and I’m sure Luke felt the same way…
But even so, having his sword taken away must have been a huge blow to his pride as a swordsman.
“Wow, that was an incredible spar. I couldn’t even see your movements.”
“Did you see how that knight walked on air earlier? I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
“And taking the boy’s sword? Even now, I can’t believe it.”
The passersby whispered among themselves as they watched our spar.
There seemed to be a few seasoned mercenaries mixed in, but not a single word of praise for Luke’s impressive skills for his age.
I guess the techniques I used were just too unconventional.
…Looking at the situation, it seemed like I should offer some encouragement.
He’d probably overcome this setback on his own soon enough, but as a fan of the original story, I felt I should give the protagonist a boost.
I handed Luke’s sword back to him and said,
“Stand tall, Hassan.”
“Huh?”
“My mistake. Stand tall, Luke. Losing to a stronger opponent is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Yes. I understand…”
My words seemed to have no effect, as Luke’s tone remained subdued.
Huh, did that not work?
It seemed like he needed more proper encouragement.
‘Hmm.’
After a moment of thought, I slowly sheathed my sword and walked to the center of the courtyard.
Step, step—
Sensing the change in atmosphere, Luke glanced in my direction.
I gazed at the distant sky and spoke.
“Luke Starlight. You are strong. You have exceptional talent, and while having your sword taken is a big mistake, it can be a stepping stone for growth.”
“…Yes.”
The boy of the stars still wore a dark expression, his frustration lingering.
I decided to share a line from one of the original story’s heroines, who was also Luke’s mentor.
“Lift your head and look at the sky. Are the stars shining tonight?”
“The stars…?”
At my words, Luke raised his gaze.
Then, with a stronger voice, he replied,
“Yes. They’re shining brilliantly.”
“Good. That’s something that never changes. You’re the same. Just keep moving forward as you always have. Understood?”
“Yes…!”
It seemed to have worked.
His response was much more spirited than before.
Well done, well done.
But now that I thought about it, I kind of felt like I’d become Luke’s mentor.
Between being the Grand Duke of the Empire, something akin to a Demon King, and now the protagonist’s mentor…
I clicked my tongue at the absurdity of juggling three roles.
“?”
I felt someone’s gaze and looked up to see Liliana watching me from the second-floor window of the inn.
When our eyes met, she gave me a crescent-eyed smile.
Her nature-like green hair and unrealistically beautiful appearance made her look like a dryad who had wandered out of the forest.
I hid my expression behind my mask and raised a hand in her direction.
“Let’s head inside soon.”
“Yes.”
As I entered the inn with Luke, I mentally tallied the gains from this outing.
I saved Liliana and built a rapport with her, rescued the elves and laid the groundwork for friendly relations with their autonomous region, and somehow ended up forming a mentor-like bond with the original protagonist, Luke.
Am I… maybe working way too hard?
‘When I get back to the capital, I should ask Lucy for a lap pillow or something.’
With that desirable thought in mind, I stepped into the inn.
***
The next day, after riding for half a day, we finally set foot in the imperial capital, Trieste.
“So this is the capital…”
“It’s…it’s my first time here…”
“Whoa, there’s a dwarf over there!”
As we walked down the main street of the capital, the young girls we’d rescued from the slave traders looked around in wide-eyed wonder.
To the side, large carriages passed by every moment, and in the market district, people were energetically haggling.
“Hehe, they’re so cute.”
“Indeed.”
Liliana watched the girls’ innocent reactions with a warm smile.
Perhaps she’d grown attached to them after sharing a room.
She seemed a little reluctant to part ways.
Well… they are children who’ve lost their parents.
She must have felt a lot of sympathy for them after hearing their stories.
As we walked, the sun began to dip overhead.
We reached a fork in the road: one path led to the church’s orphanage, and the other to the central residential district.
“Then I’ll be on my way. Thank you again for your guidance, Licht.”
“Sure.”
Though it was a short time, it seemed Luke had gained something from our spar, as he expressed his gratitude.
I gave him a casual wave, and the young girls approached, bowing their heads.
“Um… thank you, knight.”
“Th-thank you.”
Children who had already learned the harshness of the world at such a young age.
I wondered if I’d been able to give them even a little warmth.
Receiving their thanks made my heart feel strangely soft.
Then, one of the girls suddenly hugged Liliana.
“Big sis… sob … I’ll miss you.”
“You have to stay healthy and study hard, okay?”
“Sniff… yes…”
“Waaah…!”
Soon, all three girls were clinging to Liliana, crying.
Liliana had been so kind to them yesterday, and it showed.
This emotional farewell was making me feel a little awkward…
Eventually, I casually walked up to Liliana and spoke.
“They’re being sent to the church’s orphanage, so you’ll see them again. I know someone at the church, so I’ll put in a word.”
“Thank you… You’re really kind.”
Liliana looked up at me with teary eyes, her lips curving into a smile.
Her close proximity made the sweet scent of grass waft over me.
“…Not really.”
I turned my head away, feeling oddly embarrassed.
After waving goodbye to Luke and the girls,
Liliana and I headed toward the Debellion family mansion.
As we walked side by side through the central residential district, passersby glanced at us.
There were two reasons for this.
First, I had removed my mask and returned to my appearance as the Grand Duke,
and second, Liliana’s beauty was simply too striking, even for the wealthy merchants and nobles.
I wondered if the attention was bothering her, but when I glanced at her expression—
“Hehe.”
“It’s nothing.”
Liliana met my gaze with a sly smile, and I quickly looked forward again.
Luckily, she didn’t seem too bothered.
“By the way, are you sure you don’t want to go to the academy? The Mapleflower family offered a reward, so you don’t need to worry about repaying me.”
“I want to repay you myself. And…”
“Hmm?”
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
Liliana suddenly cut herself off.
Her evasiveness made a vein on my forehead twitch.
Liliana, there are two ways to make someone angry.
One is to start a sentence and not finish it, and the other is…
“Ah, it looks like we’ve arrived.”
Just as I was about to press her on what she was going to say, we found ourselves in front of the Develion mansion’s gates.
The mansion’s grounds weren’t as vast as the estate in the northern territory, but the sprawling garden was still impressive enough to put most noble families to shame.
“Wow…”
Liliana let out a small gasp as she stared at the massive gate that resembled the entrance to a fortress.
Though the Mapleflower family was a noble house of the elf autonomous region, it couldn’t compare to the grandeur of the Develion family.
Groooan.
As Liliana took in the sight, the heavy gates slowly opened.
Beyond them, dozens of servants stood in two neat rows.
At the center of the long procession,
a silver-haired beauty stood with her hands clasped politely, greeting me in a voice that was both familiar and dearly missed.
“Welcome back, Master.”
“Yeah, did anything happen while I was gone?”
“No.”
Lucy’s emotionless reply made me feel like I was truly home.
I briefly introduced Liliana to her.
“This is Liliana Mapleflower. Circumstances led me to bring her to the mansion. Please prepare a room for her.”
“Understood.”
“Um… I’m Liliana. Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Liliana bowed nervously toward Lucy, who stared at her with her usual stoic expression.
“…?”
But something felt off.
Lucy’s demeanor was subtly different from usual.
A small change that would’ve been hard to notice without my superhuman senses.
But I could tell.
Lucy’s eyebrows had twitched ever so slightly when she saw Liliana.
“Master, you once told me to tell you if there was something I wanted.”
“Huh? I did.”
“Then may I tell you now?”
While I was pondering Lucy’s subtle change, she turned to me and parted her soft lips.
Ah, right. I’d promised her a wish if she did well while I was away.
But why now, of all times?
‘Well… I guess it doesn’t matter.’
Though puzzled by Lucy’s odd behavior, I gave her a slight nod of approval.
A brief silence.
Then, under the gaze of Liliana and myself, Lucy spoke.
“Tonight, I want to be by your side, Master.”