The face of Benedict, returning with a painting of his daughter drawn by the Apostle of the Art Guild, displayed a smile brighter than ever before.
Heh heh heh. How could these nobodies possibly capture my beauty properly? I refused to even let them paint a portrait before, saying they wouldn’t do it justice.
That’s why, even though I wanted to place that painting of Lucy in the mansion, it was simply impossible.
But now, the cute depiction of Lucy, painted by the Apostle of the Art Guild, has finally come to my hands!
Where should I display it? Where should I put it to show off Lucy’s beauty to everyone in the mansion?
At the very least, the painting of Lucy standing under the moonlight must go in my room, and the others...
“I think I finally understand why your employer dislikes you. You just give off a visceral sense of repulsion.”
“Why are you suddenly making personal attacks?”
“But seriously, the way you’re smiling right now is just disgusting.”
Karia, who knew Benedict as the madman from the battlefield, found herself repulsed even further by his injuries and groaned in exasperation.
“Seriously, what did Mira see in this guy?”
“Well, it’s not like I was completely unpopular either.”
“If you’re famous for your achievements, then it’s a problem if you’re unpopular despite that.”
Benedict, feigning disappointment by slumping his shoulders, realized that Karia’s expression hadn’t shifted in the slightest, and soon reverted to his usual demeanor.
“Actually, it’s not just that I’m happy to receive Lucy’s painting. That’s certainly exciting, but what’s more thrilling is her surroundings.”
When Benedict visited Lucy today, he met two artists who sincerely cherished his daughter.
He saw the friends of his daughter, who had become close enough to call each other by name after spending so much time together at school.
He saw people, walking in the middle of the street, completely dominating the space, and instead of curses, they were filled with admiration.
Even when they occasionally complained, the ones nearby were quick to quash those grievances before Benedict had to step in.
“I’ve always been worried about our daughter. Right now, my presence keeps Lucy safe, but what will happen once I’m gone?”
No matter how monstrous Benedict was, he couldn’t escape human mortality.
Just like the heroes of the mythical era, one day, he too would be buried beneath the earth.
So, what would happen to Lucy when that time came? Who would support her once the pillar she relied on was gone?
The reason Benedict decided to send her to the academy, despite wanting to keep her by his side forever, was because of this concern.
He wanted her to be able to live independently, so he let go of her.
Looking back, he realized how irresponsible that was. After all, he was throwing her back into the world, where she would inevitably be hurt again by people who had caused her countless wounds.
Fortunately, Lucy was far better than a fool like Benedict. She successfully formed relationships with many around her, without ever losing herself.
“Now, what I have to do is clear. I will remove any obstacle that stands in my daughter’s way, even if it costs me my life. There will be many trials for our daughter, who is loved by the gods, so I must carry some of her burdens to be a proper father.”
“You’ll probably have to fight for your life soon enough.”
“I know. Seeing Lucy take an interest in the Fairy Queen’s Forest, it’s clear she’s received a revelation.”
There’s no fear in facing the Evil Gods from the mythological era. After all, battling them would be easier than facing Mira’s judgment once he’s passed on.
“We must prepare for battle.”
“Make sure it’s not too noisy. When your knights start moving, people will be in a panic.”
“That’s not too bad either.”
“What?”
“If we draw everyone’s attention, then it’ll show that Alrn’s knights have truly become sharper.”
At Benedict’s declaration, that no one could dare touch Alrn, Karia let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s all good, but if you keep going like this, you’ll have more marriage proposals than before, right?”
“I don’t care. I’ll reject any riffraff.”
“What if your daughter falls for someone at first sight?”
“...That...”
“If she starts saying ‘I hate you, Papa,’ can you handle that?”
Imagining that scene, Benedict collapsed to the floor, letting go of his posture, and began sobbing as he hugged Lucy’s painting tightly.
“No, Lucy. I can’t let you be with such a fool! Someone who couldn’t even defeat me could never protect you!”
“What are you talking about? Are you trying to make our daughter live alone for the rest of her life?”
“No! Nooo!”
“I regret even thinking you were cool for a second. Seriously.”
After the conversation with Erginos, there were many takeaways, but the most valuable was that I could finally pinpoint what I need to prepare.
The Fairy Queen’s Forest is a place I don’t know at all.
So, I have to throw myself into the situation and figure it out by experience. Fortunately, after talking to Erginos, I have some idea of what to focus on.
The first thing I need is a group of mages who can help install the complex magic that Erginos has been planning for hundreds of years throughout the Fairy Queen’s Forest.
Originally, Erginos had thought that a few mages would be enough, but after talking to the people around him, I realized this idea was very unrealistic.
"This material is very valuable here on the surface. Apart from the price, it’s scarce and hard to gather in such quantities."
"This one is also a problem. The Blue Mana Rose went extinct a hundred years ago. The dye made from it is a precious item, more expensive than platinum by weight."
"Getting mages capable of understanding this kind of magic is probably going to be difficult."
The issue was the generation gap. The time between Erginos’ era and the present had changed so much that his plans were falling apart.
That guy never bothered to look around, and now we’re facing problems because of it. We’ve had so many headaches because of him.
Seeing Erginos flustered and asking how to fix the plan, Benedict let out a hollow laugh.
Hmm. After hearing that explanation, I couldn’t help but think this is somewhat similar to someone I know who’s currently next to Erginos.
Is it common for skilled mages to be like this?
Anyway, after discussing with my friends, Erginos, proving that genius is still genius, came up with several revised plans on the spot.
The issue was that each of these plans still required the assistance of a large-scale group of mages, which posed a new problem.
At least the good news was that right next to me was the daughter of the head of that very large magic guild.
I know roughly what the Lazy Duke likes and wants, so I can make a good deal using that information.
Next, I need to prepare military forces for potential emergencies.
Since Agra, the filthy and shameless Evil God, is sure to stir up trouble, I’ll need someone ready to step in when the corrupted fairies inevitably leak out.
...In the worst case, I’ll need someone to stop the disaster if I fail.
Finding someone to face the Evil God is no easy task, but fortunately, I have Alrn’s backing.
The knights of Alrn are the kind of people who would willingly sacrifice their lives for what they believe in.
If I ask them if they want to participate in the war of the mythological era, they’ll answer with their eyes full of resolve.
Additionally, if I manage to convince the Art Guild, the Sword Master, or even Rasha, they might join the fight as well, so I’m not too worried about this.
There are other troubling issues, but these are things I can handle.
What I’ve built up so far allows me to solve these problems.
But there’s one thing I can’t solve alone.
It’s the fact that restoring the Fairy Queen’s Forest to its original state is too conspicuous!
Just thinking about the military aspect alone!
The last section covered Benedict’s plans and concerns about the Fairy Queen's Forest. Here's the continuation:
After being secluded for decades in the mansion, even though Benedict was still regarded as the strongest on the continent, if he were to lead his knights into battle, neighboring countries would likely panic and send envoys in fear of war breaking out.
The same goes for the mages of the Patran family!
Even though I laugh it off with my “Lazy Duke” persona, the reality is that my public reputation is almost that of a Demon Lord.
If such a person were to mobilize their magical forces, just hearing the news might send some into a panic!
And the process of purifying the Fairy Queen’s Forest itself is also problematic.
Not long ago, I nearly got caught by the delusional inquisitor after performing a miracle. If I proceed with purifying the Fairy Queen’s Forest now, I won’t be able to pass all the credit onto Faibi!
The Pope will be alerted to this!
More importantly, the real issue is how the kingdom’s factionalists, especially that fanatic royalist, will view all this!
If they see this action as treason, it could trigger a civil war!
Luckily, with the Second Queen on our side, we can avoid the worst-case scenario, but still, things could get very troublesome.
I need to get the First Queen on board with this.
‘At least there’s some use for this justification.’
So, when I meet the First Queen this time, I’ll have to ask for her understanding of the situation.
After all, the sickly King is practically sidelined now, and the First Queen wields more power than anyone else.
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
If I can convince that royalist, then it should all work out. If I can convince him, that is.
‘...Grandfather. Couldn’t we just get a stand-in for this? I’m not sure I can do it.’
“What nonsense are you talking now?”
‘No, but don’t you think Karia could handle it better than I could? She’s much better at this kind of thing than me!’
“What did I just say? I’m meeting with the First Queen in an hour. Do you think we can just find a stand-in now?”
I guess it’s not going to work? I’ll have to persuade that lunatic myself?
Beyond all the distortions of the Mesugaki Skill, I need to convince that person?
No matter how I imagine it, I can only see the worst-case scenario!
It feels much more likely that I’ll get stabbed by the First Queen!