Chapter 95

---

The development of the Brutoise Earl's territory is proceeding smoothly.

I've been busy traveling back and forth between the capital and Eastwood.

Normally, it takes about 35 days by carriage via Brunhild to travel between the capital and Eastwood, but I can move instantly thanks to my spatial teleportation.

Spatial teleportation is a troublesome magic if it becomes public, so my movements are kept strictly secret. However, I think it will eventually be discovered since there are sightings of me in both the capital and Eastwood on the same day.

Well, even if it does get out, I have plenty of excuses prepared.

Huh? Why would it be bad if it got out?

It's because spatial teleportation is a strategically very important magic.

For example, if you could instantly move an army behind enemy lines and launch a surprise attack, the results would be immeasurable, right?

Or what if you sent an assassin to the king or prime minister's bedroom using spatial teleportation?

Powerful people wouldn't be able to sleep soundly, would they?

I can do that, but I don't want to, so my excuse is that only I and a few others can teleport.

If they keep pressing, I'll ask, "Do you want me as an enemy?"

I can become a strategic-level weapon on my own, so even the king can't do anything reckless.

Ah, I have no intention of showing mercy to those who oppose me.

No matter who they are.

Of course, I'll take the minimum necessary actions to avoid making more enemies, but whether they become my enemy or not is up to them.

---

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"..."

"Is something wrong?"

I try to gauge the situation by looking at the face of the woman in her thirties, but she shakes her head in response to my gaze.

There's no choice, I'll have to bring it out earlier than I planned.

"Here, this..."

Her displeased gaze is drawn to the object I've brought out, and I can see her mood improving.

When I look at the woman in her thirties again, she nods.

"I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to visit you, so this is a token of my apology."

"Are you giving this to me?"

"No gem can match your beauty, but I believe this necklace will enhance it even more."

The woman in her thirties, who is Dorothy's personal maid, nods in agreement.

Dorothy must be in a better mood now, as she is examining the necklace I gave her with a smile.

So, I take the necklace, move behind her, and put it on her.

When she lifts her hair, I can see her beautiful and alluring nape, and I feel that the effort of staying up all night to make this necklace was worth it.

"It suits you well."

"Thank you. I thought you had forgotten about me since you haven't visited in so long."

Until just now, she wouldn't even look at me, but now she's looking at me happily.

Looking at her, I realize how adorable her slightly childish smile is, right before she fully transitions from a girl to a woman.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. The Earl of Brutoise can't just be playing around, after all."

Dorothy calls me 'Brutoise' because I don't call her 'Dorothy' directly.

If it were known that I called the princess by her first name, it would be troublesome, so this is her cute way of retaliating.

Dorothy, who just said something really mean, and the maid, who is shaking her head and pressing her temples, are both adorable.

Dorothy lifts a delicate, pale hand to hold the teacup and take a sip of tea.

Her gesture is so cute.

Ah, the necklace I gave her this time has enhanced barriers, poison resistance, and improved healing, so I secretly gave the maid an instruction manual.

Time flies when I'm with Dorothy.

I need to head back soon.

"Next time, let's go out of the castle for a date."

"Really?!"

"Princess, that's not ladylike."

Dorothy, who almost knocked over her chair in her excitement, is being scolded by the maid.

The gesture of sticking out her tongue at the maid is also cute.

"I think it will be a good change of pace for Dorothy, who can't leave the castle often since graduating from the academy."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

---

After meeting Dorothy, I don't really feel like it, but I have to report to the king about the development in Eastwood.

The construction of the city is going well and is on schedule, so the atmosphere was pleasant throughout.

Then, I bring up a certain matter.

"I have a request to make to His Majesty."

"What is it?"

"A few days ago, the God of Magic appeared at my bedside and told me to go to a certain place, where I found something."

It's a bit of a setup, but it's fine.

The king's eyes opened wide for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and gave me a suspicious look.

"I've heard about the God of Magic from Dorothy, but you mean the God of Magic appeared at the Earl of Brutoise's bedside?"

"Yes."

The king thought for a moment and looked at me again.

"The God of Magic told you to enshrine and use what you found in the Eastwood temple."

"Exactly. It's a stone tablet."

"A stone tablet? ... No way!"

Ha, it's worth it just to see the king's worried face.

"Yes, it's almost the same as the one in the Great Temple."

"What?!"

The stone tablet in the Great Temple is the one I used to create my status plate.

I thought I might be able to make one since I became a god of magic, and it worked.

Thinking about it, my power extends to all magical items, so it's natural that I can make one.

However, I needed to prepare the materials, including a magic crystal from a rank A or higher monster, mithril, and divine silver.

I also prepared other materials, but that's beside the point.

The king thought for a while but surprisingly gave his approval.

"The Earl's words are not important. The fact that the Earl possesses the stone tablet is everything. I recognize it as yours."

The king might be a good guy after all.

He wrote a note recognizing my possession of the stone tablet and stamped it with the royal seal.

I think it's unusual for a noble to be recognized as the owner of such a valuable stone tablet, but the king must have his reasons.

"So, the Earl will just enshrine it in the Eastwood temple?"

"Yes, it has certain functions, so I plan to use it."

"Is the priest for the temple already decided?"

"Currently, only I can hear the voice of the God of Magic, so I plan to serve as the temple's head priest for now. The God of Magic will likely send someone who can hear his voice to me soon, and I'll entrust the temple to that person then."

"Hmm, it's an important item, so management must be strict."

After the report, I also got permission for my date with Dorothy before leaving.

The king, as a father, emphasized Dorothy's safety, but I would provide the best security anyway.

---

I visited the Royal Knight Academy.

I came to scout third-year students who are scheduled to graduate next year.

The construction of Eastwood is going well, and the population is steadily increasing, so Peron, Fédérer, and Wood are telling me every day that we are severely understaffed.

As a new noble, it's not enough to just say we're understaffed.

I really need experienced personnel, but if good talent were easy to find and willing to join mid-career, it wouldn't be a problem.

That's why Fédérer and Wood are telling me that recruiting excellent new graduates is the top priority.

While being led to the reception room by a staff member, I found an interesting student.

He was sparring with three other students in the training ground. He wasn't particularly well-built, but his sword skills were so advanced that he could easily overwhelm the three of them.

That's because he has a hero-level aptitude for the unattributed element.

The unattributed element can enhance physical strength, but few people can fully utilize their aptitude.

While it's generally known that the unattributed element can enhance physical strength, most people don't undergo proper training and just enhance their bodies haphazardly.

This student, however, is a student and can perform near-top-tier physical enhancement, so it's no wonder he can handle three opponents.

Moreover, I can sense a smell that doesn't show up on his status... my intuition tells me he's an interesting person.

"Who is he?"

"Oh, that's Dragon von Gajés, the son of Baron Gajés. He's a third-year and a very talented student."

"Can I interview him as well?"

"He wants to join the Royal Knight Corps, but... I understand. I'll make sure he attends the interview."

"Thank you for your consideration."

The staff member led me to the reception room, where Gérard spoke to me.

"I was also keeping an eye on that student, but he strongly wishes to join the Royal Knight Corps, so I excluded him from this interview. He's not easy to move, you know?"

"He's interesting. I'd like him to join our household if possible."

"Indeed, his sword skills are exceptional, but you find him interesting for more than just that, right?"

You understand well.

I smiled and answered Gérard's question.

Soon, the scheduled students were brought in by the staff, and the interviews began.

It was a group interview.

Dragon wasn't among them, but I proceeded with the interviews.

Thinking about it, they are all the same age as me.

There are viscount, baron, and even earl's children.

I don't know much about knights, so I basically leave it to Gérard, but I check their abilities and rewards carefully.

After the group interview went smoothly, I interviewed Dragon.

He is a small human, and his sword style prioritizes technique and speed over strength.

"I am Christoph von Brutoise. This is Gérard Kudo Fubis, who serves as the deputy commander of our military. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"My name is Dragon von Gajés. It is an honor to meet you, Earl of Brutoise."

Hmm, his responses are polite but not overly enthusiastic.

But my intuition is telling me!

This guy is interesting!

So, I need to figure out what makes him interesting!

"Lord Gajés is said to be very talented, competing for the top spot with Lord Egnazio. I saw you sparring with three opponents earlier, and your skills are as rumored."

Egnazio refers to Egnazio von Desilgem, a fellow third-year student at the Royal Knight Academy who attended my birthday.

Egnazio has already agreed to join my household, and if Dragon joins as well, I can welcome the top two students from this year's Royal Knight Academy as my vassals.

By the way, I didn't interview Egnazio today.

That's because Egnazio is the son of Baron Desilgem, a southern noble who supports the king, and I was reaching out through his father's connections.

For nobles, such connections are a valuable tool.

"I am flattered, but I am still a young and inexperienced person."

A Japanese-style modesty.

There aren't many people in this world who have such Japanese-style modesty, so it's even better.

After that, we chatted to lighten the mood.

Yes, I tried hard to find out his preferences!

"To be honest, I would like you to join our household, Lord Gajés."

"Although it is a great honor, I intend to join the Royal Knight Corps."

"I see, that's a shame. I thought you would be a good candidate to test our Bruto Trading Company's prototypes."

"Wh-What? Test... prototypes..."