In the courtyard of the Lufens Royal Castle, I was having a conversation with General Broa.
We were in the middle of a planning session for tackling the Dungeon of Baim.
"The Dungeon of Baim at this time of year? And squad leaders and above, no less...? Well, I suppose it is necessary. Setting aside Baim's forces, Lord Lyle's army is severely lacking commanders at the battalion level."
General Broa held a bundle of documents, with his adjutant knight standing beside him. On my side, the Valkyries flanked me on both sides.
"The shortage of commander-class personnel is critical. I want to get them assembled within a short timeframe. I don't care whether they're knights or soldiers — for anyone outstanding, I'll have rewards and promotions ready."
General Broa seemed to grasp my meaning, running his left hand through his hair.
"So you want them to compete against each other? It would be nice if it went smoothly, but... there are plenty of people in this world who'd sooner pull others down than let them get ahead. You'll need to be careful about how you set up the competition."
Hearing General Broa's words, the Third Generation spoke to me.
"Good — if you understand that, then let's leave this matter to him. He's someone who's always been in a position of authority over others. Delegate the various tasks to him, and Lyle should prioritize other work."
The Seventh Generation chimed in as well, sounding pleased.
"Having someone you can delegate work to — that's a fine thing indeed."
Since I'd conveyed what I wanted done, I gave General Broa a pat on the shoulder.
"Well then, I'm counting on you, General. I'll leave the details in your hands."
At that, General Broa shifted his gaze from the documents toward me.
"Um... there are actually quite a few other tasks as well..."
Just then, Novem appeared in the courtyard.
"Lord Lyle, is this a good time?"
"What's the matter? You're back a bit early."
General Broa looked as if he wanted to say something, but I moved toward Novem. Behind her stood a short girl — Innis. Just as I was noting what an unusual pairing that was, Novem asked if we could talk in a room where no one else was present.
We moved to the office inside the royal castle, and what Novem told me was about Innis's Skills.
From inside the Jewel, the Third Generation spoke in a startled voice.
"So that's surprising. Information? A Skill that useful actually exists?"
The Seventh Generation was surprised too, but also somewhat excited.
"With this Skill… Lyle!"
I understood what both of them were getting at. Innis's Skill — Information — grants knowledge and uses it to predict the future. With this Skill, there was nothing left for me to fear.
So I immediately decided to hear about the critical matters that demanded urgent attention.
Novem relayed Innis's demands to me.
"Innis is requesting an improvement in Rauno's treatment as compensation for her cooperation. My lord, the knighting of Rauno, along with a promise of future treatment —"
"— Before that, there's something I'd like to ask."
Novem fell silent, and Innis straightened her posture in the office sofa, waiting with a tense expression, wondering what I was going to say.
The Third Generation spoke in a serious tone.
"Right. At this stage, there are things I definitely want to hear about. But I'd also like to know how accurate her Skills are."
The Seventh Generation was serious too.
"First, let's have her provide some information and run a few experiments. Depending on the results, we may need to adjust the timeline for tackling the Dungeon."
I looked at Innis.
"…Actually, I'm troubled by a woman problem. I'd like you to investigate how to resolve it successfully."
Earnestly — I asked Innis with complete sincerity.
After a brief pause, Innis replied.
"…Huh?"
A dumbfounded voice could be heard from within the Jewel as well. The Third Generation sounded particularly exasperated.
"Oh~ seriously? You're going to ask about *that*? Lyle, you're a bit off the mark here, you know."
The one who sounded slightly irritated was the Seventh Generation.
"Lyle, now is not the time for jokes. There are far more pressing matters to attend to, wouldn't you say?"
I was being scolded, but if you asked me, romantic problems were equally urgent and important matters. An environment where getting involved with anyone was bound to cause nothing but trouble. Tense interpersonal relationships. Nothing but anxiety about the future.
Novem looked slightly troubled.
"Lord Lyle, that kind of question is perhaps a little much..."
Even if she had come seeking cooperation, she wasn't the sort of person I could confide in about something this personal. I understood that, but right now I wanted to get this area of my life sorted out too.
"I'm sorry, but this is an urgent matter too! I'm dead serious! Baldoa—the one I trusted—turns out he was perfectly experienced with women. Now my only allies are Damian and Mr. Maxim... and yet I can't even consult anyone around me about women!"
Baldoa had been dumbfounded by my situation with women—or rather, he had been more bewildered about how I managed to keep track of an ever-growing number of them.
Damian sought quality over quantity and simply couldn't understand my troubles.
As for Mr. Maxim—whenever I got close to Adele, he went on full guard. I wasn't even trusted.
Innis, exasperated as she was...
"Um, were you listening to what Novem said? Without a certain amount of information, the accuracy of my future predictions drops significantly. You can't just spring this on me and expect an answer."
I put on a smile.
"It's fine. I'll provide whatever information you need. Just ask me anything."
Innis kept glancing back and forth between Novem's face and mine. Novem let out a sigh and left the office.
"It would be difficult to talk with me here, so I'll step outside."
Once Novem left the room, I told Innis all the information she needed.
This way... I'd never have to worry about my romantic problems ever again!
"I thought it might be something like that."
Sitting on the sofa in the office, I repeated my questions to Innis as she used her Skill. But the emotions weren't the hopeful ones from before.
They were negative... negative emotions.
Because the answer Innis received after relaying the information and activating her Skill was—
"There is no way to end this amicably." Conversely, the situation had devolved into seeking negative solutions on how to minimize the damage.
"What... what happens if I make Ludmilla the main wife?"
Innis's form glowed faintly within the room as she replied in a slightly calmed tone.
"The Fanbeau faction would vehemently object, both before and after the main wife is officially chosen. Rianne Fanbayu would also begin maneuvering both openly and covertly. Kartavus is the second largest nation after Banseim, but once the post-war promise to restore Fanbeau territory is fulfilled, their national power won't be overwhelming. Resistance will be fierce, and it's highly likely two major factions will form."
I was sitting on the sofa with my knees drawn up. I let out a sigh, then—
"Then, who would make the main wife for everything to work out?"
Innis's answer was:
"To conclude, whoever you choose will cause problems. Conversely, the three you must not choose are Eva, May, and Monica—the demi-humans. Besides the succession issue, none of them desire that position."
Setting aside Eva and May, hearing Monica's name made me pull a complicated expression.
"Well, certainly those three are out. Then what about Aria or Clara?"
"If... if groundwork is laid, they could be recognized as the main wife. However, it's highly probable they would become someone's puppet. Aria Lockward and Clara Blumer might be able to support Lyle Walt as individuals, but as Empresses of the Empire, problems are expected."
Recalling their faces, I thought:
"Well, neither of them are good at that kind of scheming and back-and-forth, are they? But because they don't have that kind of hidden agenda, isn't that actually a good thing?"
The Third Generation sounded a little disappointed.
'Yeah, that's right. Clara would be perfect supporting Lyle from the shadows. Ahh, the image of her reading books with Lyle in a grand library suited them so well.'
The Seventh Generation added.
"The problem is that we can't choose Ludmilla or Rianne. If that's the case, won't we need a puppet—or rather, a figurehead empress—to keep the factions in check? Unless a third faction exists."
Miranda's face came to mind.
"Then it's Miranda!"
"She'd be expected to rein in the two major factions while performing admirably as empress. ...However."
"However?"
Things had been going so well up to this point, and now Innis was about to tear it all apart.
"There's a high likelihood she would take on additional concubines to strengthen her own faction. She would pull one of the two—Gracia Galleria or Eliza Rusworth—into her camp, but I suspect she wouldn't stop there."
"Huh? She can't rope in both? They used to get along, didn't they?"
Gracia and Eliza had been on good enough terms to exchange letters. Yet now, their relationship had undoubtedly grown delicate.
"...It would be difficult to fold both into the same faction. Conversely, if one of them were made empress, the other might well establish a faction of her own."
From within the Jewel came the voice of the Third Generation.
*'It's going to be a mess.'*
"Why does it always end up like this? Isn't there a more peaceful way?"
Innis addressed me in her usual flat tone.
"All of them possess considerable ability. They have the talent to accomplish quite a lot if they truly set their minds to it. To put it another way—why did you think it would be settled peacefully?"
Ignoring Innis's rhetorical question, I moved on to the next proposal.
"Then what about Vera!"
She was a merchant's daughter, but she had a gentle side to her too, despite everything. This might actually be a surprisingly good idea—or at least, that's what I was telling myself.
"Vera Trace is a merchant's daughter. Even if she herself doesn't dwell on it, the continent has a deep-seated tendency to value inherited noble bloodlines. In that environment, she would be a poor choice. I'd expect her to shoulder those burdens alone and be worn down to nothing in the end. And if that came to pass, her father, Fidel Trace, would use every means at his disposal to seek revenge—"
"I'm sorry. That won't work. Right, being worn down to nothing is no good."
She endures without showing any sign of her hardship, only to have it all dumped on her? No thank you. Innis continues.
"Whether it's for better or worse, having a merchant's daughter as empress would only amplify the power of Baim that we've worked so hard to diminish. The merchants' influence would spread across the entire continent—and with it, the standing of knights would decline while mercenaries proliferate. Even if we succeed in conquering the continent, the empire's glory would wither within a few generations."
Merchants grow rich while knights grow poor, as Innis puts it. The lords would respond by cutting their armies—turning to mercenaries instead, which would lead to a deterioration of public order.
The Seventh Generation, with all his might.
"...Lyle, at the very least, take Vera off the table. Things would only get worse than they already are. Well, even if she herself is decent, those grasping merchants would run wild using Vera's name to do as they please."
Because she herself is decent, what a terrible future that would be. In the end, the result was that keeping her from even the position of legitimate wife was, ironically, the best thing for Vera.
The Third Generation speaks.
"So that leaves little Shannon, then. Oh my—surely not that girl."
"...Come on, what about Shannon, who seems like the absolute worst candidate?"
Then Innis speaks.
"Shannon Sakurai, is it? If she were to become empress, her elder sister Miranda Sakurai would step in to support her. If they can conceal the handicap of her blindness, she possesses more than enough ability to serve as empress. As a wielder of mystic eyes... I would expect both Ludmilla Cartafuz and Rianne Fanbayu to be wary of her, and the factional conflicts would likely remain subdued."
The Seventh Generation speaks.
"What?! Isn't that the most positive reaction we've gotten out of you so far?!"
The Third Generation, also startled.
"How unexpected. That adorable little dud turning out to actually be competent..."
Finally, I asked.
"Then what about Novem?"
However, to this question, Innis responds.
"...There is too little information to form a prediction. At this stage, I cannot even speculate. However—"
However—
"At the current stage, both Lyle Walt and Novem Foxes are highly likely to meet unfortunate fates."
That was what I was told.
Several days later.
I arrived at Baim, where Baim was leading the reconstruction efforts, bringing an army of five thousand. I left Baldoa to defend Lufens, and others like Novem, Aria, and Miranda were also left behind.
Even if something happened, we wouldn't lose easily.
The surrounding rubble had been cleared away, but the unused areas were still untouched. The inner walls that had once been in use now contained the entirety of North Baim.
Baim, now much smaller, no longer had its former bustle. However, as the reconstruction progressed and results began to show, smiles returned to the people's faces.
In front of the intact buildings, food was being distributed, providing meals to evacuees and those without a place to live.
As we entered such a Baim, we were somehow kept at a distance by its residents.
General Broa, on horseback, awkwardly scratched his head.
"Well, we've certainly become objects of resentment."
I maintained my expression.
"Well, this is a first for Baim. To outsiders, it's infuriating, of course."
The dissatisfaction from the four-nation alliance was particularly strong. Zayin and Rolfis had suffered significant damage because of Baim.
For those who had experienced Baim instigating matters and having their land ravaged by mercenaries, this was seemingly a natural comeuppance.
"This will linger. If they're not careful, they might even declare independence once reconstruction is well underway," he added.
I answered General Broa's concern without changing my expression.
"Baim is a commercial city. We will grant a certain degree of rights. But only to a certain extent. Those managing the surrounding lands will be a separate matter."
To my words, General Broa stroked his chin.
"...So you'll split Baim in two, securing the surrounding areas. This way, Baim can only obtain food through purchase. When did you think of this? No, since when have you been thinking about it?"
I let out a slight laugh. The Successive Heads inside the Jewel had been wary of Baim's financial power and influence from the moment we arrived. In a sense, I had been thinking about how to curb those resources from the very start.
Perhaps my slight laugh tipped him off, because General Broa didn't press the question any further. He only looked at me.
"You're a frightening person."
I had one thing to say.
"I'm not even close to that level."
That was all I could say.