Chapter 40: Duties

After Fate’s father delivered his speech, we separated. He started talking to many nobles while I made a beeline for the cakes—or at least, I was supposed to.

On my way to paradise, a hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder. This hand felt ice-cold, as if it had come straight from hell. It was clear that the owner of this hand was intent on stopping me from reaching my delicious destination.

“Where are you going, L-U-M-I-N-A-S-A-M-A?”

The owner of this hand was my servant, Emilia Sluga Chem.

“Eh? Well, I’m going over there,” I said, pointing towards the line of cakes in the corner of the banquet hall.

“Hmmm~ is that so? Well, you’re free to enjoy the cake, however…”

“… however?”

I had a really bad feeling about this.

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“You have now become the leader of a faction, so please exercise restraint and do your duties.”

“Eh?”

Her gaze became stricter, and her aura grew more menacing. Before I knew it, she had stretched out a thin wall of mana around us. I presumed its purpose was to prevent sound from escaping.

“Haaa~ As I suspected.”

“Huh?”

Emilia suddenly let out a sigh and made a really tired face.

“Lumina-sama, did you even listen to the announcement Fate’s father made?”

“That? Well, yeah. What about it?”

“Then tell me what he said.”

“He’s exploiting this party to form a new faction in the royal court. He’s got quite the ambition, huh?”

Emilia nodded three times before asking me who the leader of the faction was.

“Why are you asking such an obvious question? Of course, it’s him. He’s an Earl, right? So, him being the leader is expected.”

“Haaaa~”

Emilia shrugged her shoulders deeply and let out a very heavy sigh.

“I’ve been suspecting this for a few days now; however, I didn’t expect it to be this severe.”

“Hmm? What are you mumbling about?”

Grabbing my shoulders and glaring intensely, she said: “Lumina-sama, he’s not the leader of a new faction in the royal court… YOU ARE!”

“Huee!?”

“Did you think it was creepy when he knew your name?”

“… N-no…”

I answered while averting my eyes.

“Lying is useless. We’ve been together since we were seven, so I know most of your habits. I can tell when you’re lying.”

“T-then…?”

“Yes, I even know that you were staring at the cake when you were making your speech.”

“… I’m so sorry.”

I escaped from her grip and bowed my head in an attempt to appease her anger.

“Haaa~ Good thing I also made this barrier project a false image; if I didn’t, the way you’re acting now would’ve caused an uproar.”

“Hee~ you’re quite capable…”

She gave a look of resignation before saying: “Lumina-sama, though my words may seem harsh, please bear with me for a moment.”

“Can I not bear it?”

“No… and stop looking at the cake.”

Kuh—since she made the barrier, she could control the images we saw from the outside.

“YOU AIRHEAD!”

“Heh?”

“Ever since you decided to teach the students how to use null-element magic, your airheadedness has started showing itself! At first, I thought you made me the one who taught the students because you were feeling shy… however… when you learned that some of your servants had higher statuses than you… You started escaping from reality!!!”

“E-Emilia… let’s calm down for a moment…”

“I am calm!”

No, you’re not… Look, you’re clenching your fists and your eyes are on fire. The only thing missing is you breathing fire.

“I know that we’ve only been teaching them for a few weeks… but I’m already tired… very, very tired. Lumina-sama, do you know how hard it has been?”

“N-no…”

“While you were drinking tea, I was teaching some students how to properly use magic. I’ve also been guarding against any trespassers who might see us practicing, so I set up a barrier to alert me. What’s more, I’ve been working hard to create connections with outside nobles by using the families of your servants!”

Emilia clenched her fists as she continued to rant.

“I’m only a 12-year-old commoner! But since I’m your servant, I accepted those duties to support you… however… I’m still a girl and am about to reach my limit…”

“E-Emilia…”

Tears began spilling from her eyes.

“Please, Lumina-sama, fix your behavior and start remembering the names of your servants. Please be the one who creates connections with people. Please be the one who talks to them… Please stop running away from reality once you learn your servant’s status is higher than yours… Don’t worry, I’ll be by your side… supporting you from the shadows.”

Did I really push all those duties onto Emilia?

Hmm… now that I think about it, Emilia was the one who taught them how to use magic while I only introduced it to them. For the past few weeks, I’ve been burdening her a lot.

Judging by her eyes, I could tell that she wasn’t lying. Even though she was a 12-year-old commoner, she spoke to Liza and the others as equals, despite their higher status. I guess I should learn from her example…

I should just accept that Fate is the daughter of Gerund, who is an Earl. I should probably include Liza and the others in it.

“… I understand.”

“R-really!?”

“Un… really. I guess I should stop avoiding the things I don’t want to hear and just accept them.”

“T-then…”

“… I….I’ll accept… being a faction leader…”

Well, I don’t think my being a leader will do much. Unlike others, I don’t have much ambition.

“Then, let’s get going.”

Emilia’s face suddenly became calm as she urged me to walk. It was as if what she just did was an act.

“““Yey!!!”””

I noticed that Liza and the others were high-fiving each other as we walked along.

Huh? Were Emilia’s actions just an act?

“Then, Lumina-sama, since this is a political party, you will need to meet many people. First, you’ll have a talk with Gerund-sama’s closest business partners. After that, you will need to follow along with Gerund-sama and listen to his discussions. Also, since you’re the leader of this faction, they may need your instructions regarding political movements. Also…”

“Wait, wait! One at a time!”

Emilia materialized a pair of glasses and adjusted them while holding a bundle of documents.

“Don’t worry, I’m only giving you a rough outline of what we’re going to do at this party.”

“That was just an outline?”

“Yes.”

She gave a proud smile as she pushed me along.

Ah—the cakes… they’re getting farther and farther away…

---

It’s been an hour since the party started. Since then, Emilia had dragged me everywhere. First, I was forced to meet Mary’s parents. At first, I was really nervous; however, when we started talking, she kept thanking me while grabbing my arms. According to her mother, her daughter had been depressed because she couldn’t fulfill her duty as a servant of the four families. She said it was because of me that Mary now had a direction in life.

The same went for Victoria’s, Achil’s, Anthony’s, and Frank’s parents. From our talk before we departed, I expected only their mothers to come, but since their fathers came as well, it was even more intimidating to talk. The scariest was Liza’s father. His gaze was fiercer than the others. He observed me from head to toe before speaking, and I thought my mask might collapse from fear. However, Emilia promised me cake with apple tea after my talk with Liza’s father, so I managed to survive.

Our talk with Liza’s father went on for quite a while. He kept asking about my plans and reasons for forming a faction. I said I planned on developing and strengthening our magic, and for the reasons for forming a faction, Emilia answered for me. She said the purpose of this faction was to create a foothold for the movement of the new magic we had discovered.

The two of them started a heated discussion while I listened and enjoyed my Mille-feuille. I did my best to follow their conversation, but due to the jargon, I couldn’t understand half of it. In the end, they shook hands while emitting a dark aura.

“It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.”

“No, the pleasure is all mine, Harlington-sama… Fufufu…”

“Kukuku…”

The moment I finished my Mille-feuille, their discussion ended. Next, I was forced to tag along with Gerund-sama and Fate. Right now, he was talking to another Earl who had light brown hair and wore a green cloak.

“I’m planning to meet with Duke Mearess tomorrow. I want to let him know that my family will now stop supporting Verpur’s house and will switch to supporting Chis Chem’s.”

“I see. Then would it be okay for me to tag along, Amethyst-sama?”

“Harvard… don’t tell me, you’re also…”

“Yes, I also plan on telling Duke Mearess that I’m switching to supporting Chis Chem’s faction. Looking at the Fenyes heir, I can’t help but look away from his spoiled behavior. If I compare him to Lumina, she’s heavens above him in terms of dignity.”

“I

see… who knew that we, who were once political enemies, have become comrades because of our children’s chosen master.”

“I agree. They have a better eye in judging people than those children who can use powerful spells.”

They exchanged dark, ominous smiles. I really wanted to run away, but the dark shadows behind me prevented it.

“Oh, Amethyst, Faustina. How about we suggest to our children, who have become elites in the academy, to cancel their contracts with the spoiled heirs of the four families and become Lumina’s servants?”

Another noble, dressed as finely as Gerund, arrived. He had long, flowing silver hair.

“I thought of that before coming here, but I think it’s impossible. They’ve already chosen who to serve, and because they’re our children, I feel like they’ve inherited our stubbornness.”

“That’s true. I remember when we were still political enemies. You framed me for kidnapping the crowned prince and even suggested to the king that I be put under house arrest.”

“Haha, thanks to that, the Fenyes house was able to move quite freely because you weren’t there, Weinburger-sama. My plan to cripple the Karmerot house was a great success. Ahaha!”

“You really are a sly bastard, Faustina. It’s a good thing we’ll now be working on the same side.”

“I agree. With my plans, Amethyst’s support, and your influence in the military, we’ll be able to shake the foundations of the royal court!”

“Don’t forget about us, the Mayers, Ginsburgs, and Harlingtons!”

“We haven’t forgotten. General Mayers, Prime Minister Ginsburg, and Duke Harlington.”

“If you forget me, the Prime Minister, I’ll have your family’s status drop by a few ranks!”

“Spare us from that, Ginsburg! Ahaha”

The fathers of Fate, Liza, Mary, and the others were talking among themselves. They seemed to be reminiscing about their past deeds. Just listening to them made my hair stand on end.

Also, Emilia was taking a lot of notes as they spoke. She had a really enlightened look whenever she heard them discuss their schemes, like exploiting enemies' weaknesses or kidnapping important individuals. I’m quite afraid of how Emilia will grow up if she absorbs all of this.

“Sir Gabriel Chis Chem and Lady Clarisse Chis Chem have arrived!”

Eeeeeeeeeeehhhhh!?

Wait… I forgot… my parents were coming! Because I was focused on learning about the people of ‘my’ faction, I forgot about them.

Uhh… how should I face them…?

Should I talk to them like this?

(Mama, Papa, I became the master of the children of seven high-ranked nobles while I stayed in school. It seems like they’re planning to control the royal court by using despicable means. Please praise me~)

Like hell!

How should I explain this to them…