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Camilla had been in a rather bad mood lately. For someone who always sought out interesting things and rarely frowned, this was quite unusual.

Of course, she was human too, so she couldn’t always be in a good mood.

Whether it was seeing something physiologically disgusting, diving into something she thought was interesting only to find it boring, or witnessing something she didn’t like, those were the times when her mood soured.

This time, the reason for Camilla’s bad mood was the third reason. Having seen something she really didn’t like, her mood showed no signs of improving.

“Gilbert, I have something to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“How far along are you in your thoughts about having a child?”

“What?”

“As you can see, I have a well-trained body. That means I can bear as many children as you want. But even though I look like this, I’m still a woman. At least give me a heads-up so I can mentally prepare.”

“Ugh!”

Camilla, who had been watching Gilbert and Brynhild from a distance, swallowed her breath in disapproval.

The third reason for her bad mood was precisely this kind of situation.

Brynhild, the Grand Warrior of the Sigurd Tribe Union, who had recently made peace with them, had been publicly proposing to Gilbert after losing to him in an ancient duel ritual called the Volsung Saga.

The reason was absurd—she had vowed to marry the man who defeated her.

Camilla couldn’t stand this unreasonable coercion from what she called the “muscle-bound woman” (her own nickname for Brynhild).

As Gilbert’s closest friend, Camilla couldn’t tolerate such irrational behavior.

Moreover, having recently realized her own shortcomings, she had vowed to stand by his side. She couldn’t just watch this nonsense unfold.

“Alright. I’ll save him!”

“Save him? What are you talking about, Camilla?”

“Eek!”

Just as she clenched her fists in determination, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Startled, Camilla let out an unladylike scream.

Sweating nervously, she turned around to see Lily, who had stayed behind in Bismarck instead of returning to the territory.

“Lily! You scared me! At least make some noise!”

“I’ve been calling you, but you didn’t respond. What were you thinking about that you didn’t even notice?”

Lily looked at Camilla with a strange expression. While it wasn’t unusual for Camilla to act oddly, this seemed excessive.

“Really? Sorry! I was just thinking about something. Oh, perfect timing. I need your help, Lily!”

“Help? That’s not a problem, but what do you need help with?”

Usually, when Camilla was in this state, her requests were baffling, but the kind-hearted Lily always obliged. This time, Camilla seemed unusually enthusiastic, as if she had found something interesting.

“We need to save Gilbert from that muscle-bound woman!”

“Muscle-bound woman…? You mean Brynhild?”

“Yes! She’s forcing something unreasonable on Gilbert! If I don’t help my friend in trouble, I’m not a real friend!”

Lily glanced at Gilbert and Brynhild conversing in the distance. Her eccentric friend had reached this conclusion because of Gilbert.

Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to be a hassle.

“I’ll help, but what exactly do you mean by ‘save him’?”

“Of course, it means stopping her from forcing him!”

“Don’t you think we should consider if Gilbert actually likes what she’s forcing on him?”

“What are you talking about? That can’t be.”

Lily sighed at her friend’s strange logic.

As expected, she was getting dragged into a troublesome situation.

***

Gilbert was finally able to prepare to leave Bismarck after successfully making peace with the Sigurd Tribe Union. While his father, the Count of Lithuania, decided major territorial matters, Gilbert had provided the opportunity for this peace, so his absence would be problematic.

Moreover, to ensure no complications, even Seraphina, the Empire’s First Princess and his academy classmate, had been involved. The peace had to be perfectly concluded.

Fortunately, the warrior-like image he had shown during the saga had earned the favor of the chieftain, Tarhal, allowing the peace to be successfully concluded without major discord.

However, there was an awkward moment when he was told to take care of his younger sibling, but the main story was ultimately wrapped up safely.

The next main story… was an exchange tournament.

As he packed his belongings, Gilbert thought about the next main story. This time, it was an exchange tournament with another academy, a common trope in games and novels featuring academies.

This main story was one of the few without a game-over scenario. It was an opportunity for the Demia Empire Academy to gain fame beyond the Infractus Empire.

Even if one hadn’t stood out in the early main stories, performing well in the exchange tournament could earn significant reputation points.

Reputation points weren’t very useful early on, but as the story progressed, restrictions increased, making it essential to perform well in this tournament if one hadn’t gained much reputation early on.

But does this even concern me now?

After packing, Gilbert opened his status window to check his reputation points and reached a conclusion.

He already held the title of 5th Grade Knight and, thanks to being used in the Empire’s propaganda, had an impressive amount of reputation points that seemed unbelievable for the early stages.

Moreover, his status as the eldest son of the Lion Heart Count Family, a former disciple of the Swordmaster Briana, and the priest of Seraphina, the first in line for the throne, further boosted his reputation.

While his past infamy was a bit painful, it was undeniable that he had an excellent early game.

– Knock knock

While reflecting on his overall growth and the upcoming main story, Gilbert was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Are you already preparing to leave?”

“Brother, I’m here.”

It was his two younger siblings. Though unexpected, he welcomed them.

“Hmm. Both of you coming together—do you have something to discuss?”

“I thought you might leave without saying goodbye, so I came to say farewell.”

“I see.”

“Look. I used to find you annoying, but now you’re too cold for my liking.”

“I’ll take that into consideration.”

Gilbert had to suppress a bitter smile at Dorothy’s pouting face.

Even though they were his siblings here, it was a bit difficult for Gilbert, who had transmigrated, to interact with them. Having been an orphan in his original world, the concept of family was foreign to him.

“Whatever. But I do like the current you better.”

Though she sounded sulky, there was a warmth in her words that hadn’t been there before. Gilbert felt that his efforts hadn’t been in vain as he looked at her.

“I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Just saying it doesn’t mean much, you know?”

“I know.”

“Then that’s fine. If you keep it up like this, there’s nothing to worry about.”

As she turned her head away, Gilbert chuckled and roughly ruffled her hair. Memories of his previous world surfaced.

“W-what are you doing? You can’t just touch a lady’s hair, even if you’re family!”

“Is that so?”

“Ugh! Stop it already!”

Though her cheeks turned slightly red, Gilbert decided not to mention it to avoid further scolding.

Instead, he turned his gaze to his other sibling, who was standing awkwardly.

“Glinda. Did you come to say goodbye too?”

“Something like that. Dorothy was too shy to come alone, so she dragged me along.”

“Second brother, I told you not to say unnecessary things!”

“As you can see, this is the situation.”

Glinda smiled wryly and began sweating to calm the flustered Dorothy. Gilbert watched the scene with a smile, finding it endearing.

“By the way, brother.”

Finally calming Dorothy, Glinda called out to Gilbert with a serious expression. It seemed he had come with a purpose.

“Were you serious about what you said before?”

“Before?”

“Yes. About giving up your position as the heir.”

Ah, he had mentioned that to Glinda during the Lion King’s birthday. Thinking about his eventual return and Glinda, who should rightfully be the heir, he had no change of heart.

“Yes. I intend to give up the heir position.”

“Why? Just look at how well you’ve protected the territory this time. I believe you should remain the heir.”

“No, my decision stands. I will give up the heir position.”

“Brother.”

“Glinda. Being the heir means succeeding our father. That means ruling this vast Lithuania Territory. It’s not something you can do just because you can handle a Colossal Mech. It’s not the right fit for me. So, you take it.”

“But—”

“I won’t hear any objections. Think carefully about what’s best for the people of the territory.”

Glinda bowed his head at Gilbert’s firm words.

He couldn’t argue against Gilbert’s heartfelt reasoning.

“…Understood, brother.”

“Good.”

Gilbert nodded as he looked at Glinda’s bowed head.

No matter how he thought about it, it wasn’t right for him, who might return, to be the heir. Considering the fallout if he suddenly disappeared, this was the right decision.

And even if he stayed, Glinda, who had been trained as the heir, was more suited to managing the territory than he was.

In the end, the matter was settled with Glinda taking the heir position as Gilbert had said.

They spent the remaining time catching up on unfinished conversations before parting ways.

 

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