Master 91

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Just as Meredia was stepping out of the head’s office to respond to Whitney’s invitation.

“What on earth is going on so early in the morning…”

“…Shh.”

At the destination, the Lingard Count’s estate, an unusually tense atmosphere prevailed, more than ever before.

“Isn’t this the first time something like this happened?”

“I don’t know, I’ve only been here for a month.”

“Me too!”

The reason for such an atmosphere was actually quite simple.

Not only were Whitney’s closest aides—Runiel and Parsha, who usually resided in the mansion, Bergen, who had been hiding recently due to the Holy Nation’s landing, and poor Sasha, who hadn’t even been able to submit a leave request—gathered.

But also even the lesser maids who usually handled small tasks, including the great demon Riphael, recently handed over by the Holy Nation, were all summoned without exception.

Naturally, the original assembly location, the office, was too small to accommodate everyone.

Therefore, the gathering was relocated to the estate’s garden, where there was a space used for tea parties.

There, the maids stood in rows, bowing their heads with nervous expressions.

Beside Whitney, the executives stood with meaningful looks on their faces.

Whitney, who sat quietly in a tea chair, silently watched them.

And next to him, his younger sister Cecil clung close, sharply scanning the surroundings.

The whole scene looked like the demon king’s army urgently summoned by the demon king himself.

“The reason you have all been gathered here today is because a very serious problem has arisen for me.”

In such an unusual atmosphere, Whitney finally opened his mouth.

“It might sound silly at first, but please listen to me seriously.”

Those words were enough to pour cold water on the faces of the people already tensed up by the unprecedented large gathering.

“I don’t know how to satisfy the woman I like.”

“…Master?”

“Pardon?”

Even Runiel and Parsha, who were models of loyalty, flinched at that statement and failed to control their expressions, making it obvious how everyone else must have perceived it.

*****

“Everyone? What’s wrong?”

In the suddenly frozen atmosphere, I awkwardly scratched my head and forced myself to break the silence.

“If you’re joking to lighten the mood, just admit it.”

Bergen sighed heavily beside me.

“I’ve never seen someone with worse humor than me.”

If what he said was true and I was actually joking, the chill in his voice was enough to make anyone shrink back.

“Is there anyone here with dating experience?”

But honestly, I was about 200% serious.

Of course, I didn’t call all these people just for this reason.

Still, since everyone had gathered here, I felt obligated to address it once.

‘Today, Lady Meredia is coming to our house, and I have no idea how to behave.’

If it were just one-sided love, it would be another story.

But now that the feelings were mutual, and with my knowledge of romance being zero, I desperately needed outside help.

“Cecil, don’t you have any dating experience?”

“…Are you crazy? I’m still a student.”

So I tried involving Cecil, who was sitting right next to me, but her horrified expression quickly answered for her.

“Well… fair enough.”

“And I’m not exactly popular with boys.”

Actually, I knew there were a bunch of classmates secretly crushing on Cecil.

But I decided not to point that out.

After all, when someone is too perfect like my little sister, it’s normal for others not to even dare confess.

Nothing can be done about it.

“Then… Parsha definitely wouldn’t have any.”

“That’s so mean!”

“…Runiel?”

“I am only well-versed in handling swords.”

Turning my gaze elsewhere didn’t help either, as Parsha and Runiel had little to offer on this subject.

“Never mind. It’s my fault for asking.”

“…Apologies?”

“Master, if you were a true demon king, you’d just kill the men and take the women…”

“Parsha, please be quiet for a moment.”

One had dedicated their life to the sword, and the other had a twisted perception of reality.

Clearly, asking them was a waste of time.

“Hey, you.”

“Huh? Y-yes?”

“Don’t you know anything? You’re over a thousand years old.”

Grumbling to myself, I looked to the great demon Riphael, who had been avoiding my gaze all this time.

“Well, uh…”

“Master, demons have different customs from humans regarding marriage and romance.”

Just as Riphael began to stammer, Parsha, eyes sparkling, cut him off.

“Usually, the stronger party picks the weaker one for mating…”

“…Thanks for the explanation, Parsha.”

“And powerful demons often live their whole lives single!”

By that point, it was obvious why Riphael had been avoiding my gaze earlier.

Even as I tried to cut Parsha off, her explanation kept stabbing at the great demon’s heart.

“…Damn it. What are you looking at?”

Riphael growled, baring her teeth at the maids’ pitying glances, looking pitiful today more than ever.

“Don’t any of the maids have anything to say?”

“……!!!”

!!!

When I threw the question to them to shift attention, a dead silence fell among the maids.

“Haha, you really don’t need to be that tense.”

“…Should I raise my hand?”

“Are you crazy? Just stay quiet!”

I tried to encourage them, but it seemed our maids too had no romantic experience.

“Hmm… So many people here, and no one to give advice.”

At times like this, I really felt Alfred’s absence keenly.

“If I exclude just one person…”

“…Tsk.”

Come to think of it, there was one other who had gone through many trials.

“I don’t know what kind of farce this is supposed to be, but I’m reaching my limit.”

Bergen, who had looked bored the entire time, finally snapped as I looked at him.

“I’m only cooperating to save my daughter…”

“You don’t need to worry about that part.”

Fortunately, my gaze at him wasn’t without purpose.

“I made contact with the Shadow Witch a few days ago.”

“…What?”

“I’ll probably attend the full gathering later this month.”

I whispered low enough for only the executives to hear.

Bergen’s eyes narrowed upon hearing my words.

As expected of someone with good information networks; he understood the significance of ‘Shadow Witch’ and ‘gathering’ immediately.

“If that’s the case…”

“They’re extremely cautious, but bringing one bodyguard should be manageable.”

Just by hinting at it, Bergen seemed to grasp my plan already.

That’s why you should carefully pick your subordinates.

“So, what do you think? I’m always doing my best to meet your employment conditions, aren’t I?”

“Alright, alright, I get it.”

Since it was only fair to receive when giving, I gave a silent nudge, and Bergen finally sighed and thumped his chest with a dark smile.

“…Handling women, huh? Well, that’s my specialty.”

However, he then glanced around and lowered his voice.

“But talking about it here is a bit…”

“…Haha.”

“Looking at this lineup, I’m not even sure if you actually need my advice.”

Well, unintentionally, the current ‘Dream Team’ was indeed rather imbalanced in terms of gender ratio.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s a performance-based selection.”

“What?”

“Nothing… never mind. But for someone so confident, you’re coming off a bit timid. Don’t tell me you actually have no advice to give?”

Since I had no intention of recruiting a new character to this golden-balanced Dream Team, I hurried to change the subject.

“Hah, if you intended to provoke me, it worked. Still, it’s not a good time for a long talk, so I’ll stick to the essentials.”

Fortunately, perhaps because my words provoked him, Bergen began to offer me advice with a serious expression.

“When it comes to relationships between men and women, the gap in push and pull is the most important.”

“…Push and pull?”

“Yeah, if you just remember that, you won’t end up being a pushover.”

Could it be the so-called ‘playing hard to get’ that I often saw in online communities in my previous life?

“Love and romance really are universal, huh…”

“Well, that said, figuring out how to push and pull with that fierce lady…”

As I nodded absentmindedly, Bergen, who had been speaking with a slight smirk, suddenly grabbed the back of his head and ducked down.

-Flap flap…!

Before I could process what happened, a familiar platinum-colored canary, who had pecked the back of his head, landed lightly on my shoulder and handed me a letter tied to its leg.

—I’m leaving the estate. I’ll be there soon.

Naturally, the one who sent such a neatly written message in an elegant script was Lady Meredia.

“Judging by your face, it seems you’re already doomed.”

“……?”

“Still, as a senior in life, let me give you some advice: don’t become the kind of man who gives away his liver and gall.”

As I quietly accepted the letter with a smile, Bergen, who had been glaring at the canary perched briefly on my shoulder, spoke with a slightly more serious voice.

“One unexpected event, and your whole life can be ruined in an instant.”

If it were anyone else, I might have brushed it off.

But coming from Bergen, who had already lost the most precious thing in his life, I couldn’t ignore it.

“…I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll manage just fine…”

Seeing me respond with unexpected seriousness, Bergen quickly averted his eyes and quietly faded into a corner.

“Alright, everyone. It’s time to prepare this place as the interview venue. Runiel, have all the knight applicants gathered?”

“Yes, they have.”

Finishing my conversation with Bergen, I smiled again as I addressed the crowd, causing the maids to look puzzled.

“M-Master.”

“…What’s wrong, Sasha?”

Then, despite her trembling legs, Sasha somehow mustered the courage to step forward and question me.

“Uh, doesn’t our estate have a separate training ground?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Then why are we using this peaceful garden instead…”

Judging from the admiring glances the other maids sent Sasha, it seemed they fully recognized her promotion to head maid.

“That’s because this interview was planned by Lady Runiel… No, I should say Dame Runiel now, since she’ll soon officially become the head knight.”

“…It’s an honor.”

“Anyway, ask Dame Runiel directly.”

Wanting to give Sasha a little spotlight, I prompted her to ask the question herself.

After freezing briefly, she finally spoke to Runiel in a tearful voice.

“Why… why must we overturn the only peaceful haven in the estate…”

“It’s simple. The Lingard estate’s training ground is too open.”

“…Excuse me?”

Runiel’s answer was very much like her.

“In such an open environment, it’s hard for me to ambush the applicants effectively at my current skill level.”

“……!”

Indeed, to become a knight under the Lingard name, surviving at least one of Runiel’s ambushes would be essential.

“You heard her, Sasha.”

Wrapping up my thoughts, I flashed a smile at Sasha, who was trembling again, and issued a quiet command.

“Prepare several stretchers… no, transport sacks.”

“…Eek.”

For this knight interview, I could only hope that several worthy candidates would emerge.

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