Chapter 28

Duke's Magical Genius - Chapter 28 (28/324)

28

After the mutually satisfactory deal was concluded,

the Duke smiled contentedly and began to look at me.

"Is there anything you would like to say?"

"Hem. Well, you see."

The Duke, who had glanced at me, began to speak.

"Do you happen to know anything about my daughter?"

How could I not?

The Duke had three children in total.

The first two were boys, and the youngest was a girl.

That girl.

'Had a rather arrogant personality.'

Iris Neron.

She was the pampered daughter of the Neron family.

Perhaps because she was the youngest daughter born late, or because the Duke had spoiled her so much,

she was also a person with considerable magical talent.

She could be considered a magician with talent in the top 5%.

People, after all, tend to develop different dispositions depending on their environment.

Iris.

This one had developed in a negative direction.

Perhaps because she was raised in such high regard and had considerable talent, she often ignored people she deemed beneath her.

'Could this person be...'

Why would he suddenly bring up his daughter? It was obvious.

"A, I have heard much about the young lady."

"K... hem. You have... heard?"

"Ha ha. Isn't it natural for everyone to grow up that way when they're young? I was the same, so I can fully understand."

I couldn't speak ill of his daughter in front of the Duke, so I had to react this way.

"Seeing your demeanor today, I feel that you could guide my daughter onto the right path. After all, you and my daughter share a common ground, don't you?"

The common ground was obvious.

He was referring to the fact that both of them had gone through their tumultuous teenage years. The problem was that the Duke's daughter was still in that phase.

If his request to guide her meant what I thought it did, this was clearly an implicit marriage proposal.

No, I can't. I must decline.

"To guide? The young lady is already eight years old, isn't she? There's only a four-year age gap between us. I don't think anyone is in a position to guide the other..."

"Heh heh. A four-year age gap is just the right difference, isn't it?"

I had to cut this off before it got any more dangerous.

"Ha ha. I understand what you're saying, but I'm still busy taking care of myself at the moment."

I'm so busy, what kind of marriage proposal is this?

Especially with an 8-year-old kid with a not-so-great personality. Unless I had a bullet in my head, there was no way I would accept.

My words, filled with a clear intention to refuse, should have been understood by now.

However, the emotion in the Duke's eyes did not waver at all.

"Ah, I understand that you will be even busier in the future. I don't expect much. For now... how about meeting my daughter once today?"

Ugh.

It was hard to refuse.

He wasn't proposing an engagement, just a meeting. If I firmly refused this,

he would think he was being insulted. Given that the Neron family was a prestigious one, it would be difficult to ignore this proposal.

I thought I should meet her at least once.

"...Since you put it that way, how can I refuse? I will meet the young lady before I leave. However..."

I firmly said to the Duke.

"After I meet the young lady, if I don't think we are a good match, I would like our conversation today to end here."

This was a significant concession on my part.

While the Duke's power and influence were strong, he couldn't force the son of the Celterion family to accept this.

The Duke, with a hint of disappointment in his eyes, nodded quietly.

"Is that so? I understand. If you don't think we are a good match after meeting, I will do as you say."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Very well. I will call my daughter. Please wait a moment."

"Yes, I will."

A short while later.

A girl entered the Duke's office.

A flowing green dress.

Her purple hair was styled in twin tails.

Overall, she looked like a very cute little girl.

She would grow up to be quite beautiful.

Despite her cute appearance, she had a terrible temper, which made her a character of great interest to players.

'Right.'

She was the youngest daughter of the Neron family.

Having seen her more than once, I recognized her immediately.

Let's see if her temper is the same.

'...?'

Iris Neron.

The moment I saw her characteristics, I couldn't help but tilt my head.

The characteristics were fine, but what about the talent?

Did this kid have such high-level magical talent?

I don't think so.

The characteristics matched what I knew.

Arrogant, especially disdainful of the weak, and fond of handsome people and luxury items.

That was the kind of character she was.

'Well, quite a few players were attracted to her despite her flaws.'

The reason was simple.

Single-minded loyalty.

That was the reason.

If you raised her well and corrected her characteristics, she would remain a loyal companion character due to this trait.

She was a character who, fortunately, didn't betray.

Strategies written by players started to come to mind.

'Was it about being handsome and giving her expensive things?'

That was probably it.

Although I had never raised Iris after reading those strategies,

she was a top 5%, A-grade magician.

While A-grade sounded high, there were characters with S-rank and even SSS-rank.

It meant that the efficiency of investing time in her was not very good.

Players who posted such strategies had essentially given up on clearing the game and focused on raising the affection of low-potential companions.

I was not that kind of player.

Unless you were among the top 0.1% of players in the entire continent, there was no reason to invest time and effort.

'At least SSS-rank or higher.'

That was the minimum level worth raising.

Iris was not that kind of character.

But why...

'Why do these two characteristics appear together?'

Companion of Mana and Magical Mind.

These were both top-tier talents related to magic.

Before I obtained the Mana Body, I thought Companion of Mana was the best talent.

Magical Mind was a talent that helped understand magic more easily than others.

If she had such talents from the beginning, I would have raised her character long ago.

'Like Abel... has something changed from the original?'

If not, there was no way to explain this situation.

Well, fine.

I had to revise my evaluation by several levels.

Just eight years old.

If she possessed two top-tier talents at that age,

'Even in the entire continent...'

Top 0.01%.

That was roughly the level.

SSS-rank.

To find a magician who could match this kid's talent,

'You would need to bring in the five Great Mages of the Central Continent.'

In terms of an elemental mage, she was a talent on par with Ersiel.

With such talent, her personality was no longer an issue.

It could be changed.

The benefits of putting in the effort were undeniable.

The presence or absence of such a talent could determine whether the continent could be saved or not. Fantasy Defense was that kind of game.

For the advancement of individuals and the future of the continent, I couldn't back down.

So, I would have to reform her.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Iris."

"Nice to meet you, Sir Kyle."

The kid then began to scan me from head to toe, as if sizing me up.

Was she checking me out?

Her gaze stopped on my face.

Then her face turned slightly red.

Right.

Kyle, after gaining weight, had become quite handsome.

It seemed that his appearance worship characteristic had been triggered.

Her affection, which was -40, quickly changed to -30.

So, my face passed the test, huh?

"Please sit down. The Duke said he wanted you to meet me before I left."

"...I see."

The kid sat down and took a sip of tea.

After a moment of silence, she looked at me.

"I heard you're a magician."

"Yes."

"Which circle are you in?"

Look at that.

Her eyes, as she asked, were filled with a sense of superiority.

This kid, knowing I was a 1st Circle, was asking me this.

Given her significantly changed talents, she might have achieved a higher circle by now.

With such talent, it was possible for her to reach 2nd Circle at 8 years old.

"I'm a 1st Circle. What about you, Miss?"

"I'm a 2nd Circle. I think I understand why my father called me here... but I don't think we need to talk much."

Was the subtle cold treatment from the start because of this?

Disdain for the weak.

It seemed this characteristic had been triggered.

However, it didn't seem to be fully activated.

Behind me stood a powerful family.

In this place, at 8 years old, one had to consider such things.

Especially for nobles.

Nobles didn't receive early education for no reason.

So, we would at least have a conversation.

I asked the strangely cynical kid.

"Is it because I'm a 1st Circle?"

"...Not exactly."

There was some truth to it.

"Let me be frank. Do you think I'm weaker than you?"

If not, there would be no reason for the disdain for the weak to activate.

"..."

Faced with a direct question, the kid remained silent.

It was a silent affirmation.

"I'm overcoming the Hermemul."

"...At twelve, that's not particularly fast. They say you need to overcome it at a very young age to become a hero."

The kid then glanced at me.

It was the look of a long-time student who had failed the entrance exam multiple times.

Being young, a little provocation was making her true feelings show.

A young kid already filled with bad characteristics.

What a presumptuous brat.

She needed a good scolding to come to her senses.

Smiling slightly, I said to her.

"Your skills don't seem that great either. From what I can see of your mana... I can roughly tell."

With those words, I looked at her with the same expression she had shown earlier.

Lifting the corners of my mouth, I added a hint of disdain.

"...What did you say?"

A living provocation totem, complete.

"I'm just stating the facts. Is there a problem with that?"

"...Such a childish provocation. If you thought I would get angry at that, you're greatly mistaken."

To me, she already seemed very angry.

Given that I, whom she thought was weak, was unexpectedly countering, it was understandable that she was angry.

"A childish provocation? I'm stating the facts. I can end a magical duel with you in three minutes. I just don't want to see you drag it out, so I'm holding back."

Iris's face turned red with anger.

"...It's not wise to say things you can't back up."

She took the bait.

Now it was time to reel her in.

To resolve her disdain for the weak, I had to make her clearly recognize my strength.

"I always speak the truth. If you want, I can show you the difference in our skills. Even at 2nd Circle, I can easily handle a novice."

The moment I finished speaking,

the kid looked at me with a fierce gaze.

"I can't tolerate this insult. If you're so confident, let's have a match. Surely you won't back out like a coward, will you?"

No, I won't.

I want to teach you a lesson, you presumptuous brat.

"Of course not. Why would I back out?"

"...Fine."

The kid, answering through gritted teeth, then called a knight at the door.

"Training ground. Take us there."

"...What? Suddenly..."

"...Sir Wales. Do I have to repeat myself?"

Oh.

She was extremely angry.

Seeing her snap at the knight, she seemed very upset.

Perhaps due to the sudden commotion, the Duke and his retainers were rushing over.

Especially the Duke's face was very pale.

He seemed to instinctively sense that this meeting would not end well.

Tsk.

How much has he suffered to have such an expression?

For his sake, I should deliver a righteous judgment to this presumptuous brat.