Chapter 28
After concluding a mutually satisfactory transaction, the Count began to look at me with a pleased smile.
“Do you have anything to say?”
“Um, that is…”
The Count, glancing at me, opened his mouth to speak.
“Do you happen to know about my daughter?”
How could I not?
The Count had three children: two sons and a youngest daughter.
That daughter was—
‘I remember her being quite arrogant.’
Iris Neyron.
She was the treasured youngest daughter of the Neyron family.
Perhaps because she was a late child, the Count doted on her excessively.
Moreover, she was quite talented in magic.
You could say she was a magician with abilities in the top 5%.
Originally, humans tend to develop their personalities based on their environments.
Iris.
In her case, it had developed negatively.
Being raised in luxury and possessing considerable talent, she often disregarded those she deemed beneath her.
‘Could this man be…’
The reason he suddenly brought up his daughter was all too obvious.
“Ah, I’ve heard about her.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“Haha. It’s common for children to grow like that when they’re young. I was the same way, so I fully understand.”
I couldn’t speak ill of his daughter in front of the Count, so I had to respond like this.
“Seeing you today, I feel that you could lead my daughter down the right path. You both have something in common, don’t you?”
It was evident what he meant by “something in common.”
He was referring to the fact that both had gone through a tumultuous period. The problem was that the Count’s daughter was currently still experiencing it.
If he meant what I thought he did by “lead her,” it was undoubtedly an implicit marriage proposal.
No, this can’t be. I need to get out of here.
“Lead her? But isn’t my lady only eight years old now? There’s merely a four-year difference. I don’t think I’m at an age where I can lead someone.”
“Ha ha. A four-year gap is just about perfect, don’t you think?”
It seemed I had to cut this conversation off before it became any riskier.
“Haha. I understand what you’re saying, Count, but I’m currently too busy taking care of myself.”
I was swamped, and there was no way I was going to entertain marriage proposals, especially to an eight-year-old girl with a less than pleasant personality. Unless my brain were fried, there was no way I’d accept that.
My words clearly conveyed my refusal, so he should have understood by now.
However, the emotion in the Count’s eyes did not diminish at all despite my words.
“Ahem. I fully understand that you will be even busier in the future. I’m not asking for too much. How about meeting my daughter just once today?”
Ugh.
It made it hard to refuse.
He wasn’t proposing an engagement, just asking to meet her once. If I were to reject that outright, he would surely feel insulted. The Neyron family was quite prestigious, so I couldn’t disregard even that suggestion.
I figured I’d have to meet her at least once.
“…Since the Count has said that, how could I refuse? Before I leave, I’ll meet my lady. However…”
I said firmly as I looked at the Count.
“After meeting my lady, if I think this isn’t a connection, I hope our conversation ends here.”
I was being quite accommodating here.
Although the Count’s influence and power were strong, he couldn’t force me, a child of the Seltarion family, to do anything against my will.
The Count nodded quietly, his eyes reflecting regret.
“I see. I understand. If you think it’s not a connection after meeting her… I will comply.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Alright. I’ll have my daughter brought in, so please wait a moment.”
“Yes. I will.”
A short while later, a girl entered the Count’s office.
She wore a fluttery green dress.
Her purplish hair was styled into twin tails.
Overall, she appeared to be a very cute little girl.
If she grew up, she would definitely become quite the beauty.
Despite her cute appearance, she had a nasty disposition, garnering attention from users in the game.
‘That’s right.’
She was indeed the youngest daughter of the Neyron family.
Having seen her more than once, I recognized her immediately.
Now, let’s see if her temperament remains unchanged.
[Heart Eye is activated]
[Iris Neyron (8)]
[Talent: Mana Companion, Magical Brain]
[Traits: Arrogance, Disdain for the Weak, Worship of Beauty, Enjoys Luxury, Single-minded]
[Favorability: -40]
‘…?’
Iris Neyron.
Seeing the traits of this little girl, I couldn’t help but tilt my head.
The traits were one thing, but what about her talents?
Did she really possess such high-level magical talent?
I didn’t think that was the case.
The traits roughly matched what I knew.
Arrogant, especially disdainful of the weak, and fond of beautiful people and luxury items.
That was about the character she was.
‘Well, quite a few users were drawn to her as if they liked that.’
The reason was simple.
Single-minded devotion.
It was precisely because of that.
If nurtured well and their traits corrected, they could become characters that would stay with you until the end due to those traits. It was fortunate they didn’t betray you.
Thoughts of guides shared by users began to surface.
“Was it mentioned that they were good-looking and should take expensive things with them?”
That was probably it.
Well, even after reading those guides, I had never raised Iris.
Top 5%, an A-rank magician.
That was the level I remembered Iris to be.
An A-rank sounds high, but there were characters above that, starting from S and going up to SSS.
This meant she was a character with poor efficiency for the time invested.
The users who posted those guides had essentially given up on clearing the game, focusing instead on raising the affection levels of low-potential companions.
Naturally, I wasn’t one of those people.
Unless you were among the top 0.1% in the entire continent, there was no reason to invest time and effort into such characters.
“At least SS rank or higher on the ranking chart.”
Only characters of that level were worth raising, right?
Iris wasn’t one of those characters.
But why?
“Why does she have those two traits?”
Companion of mana and magical brain.
Both were considered top-tier talents related to magic.
Before I obtained my mana physique, I had thought that the companion of mana was the best talent.
The magical brain was a talent that made understanding magic easier than for others.
If she had originally possessed those talents, I would have raised that character long ago.
“Did it change, like Abel?”
If it wasn’t that, there was no explanation for this situation.
Well, fine.
I felt like I had to revise my assessment by several levels.
Only eight years old.
If she had two top-tier talents at that age.
“Looking at the entire continent….”
She was in the top 0.01%.
That meant she was SSS rank.
To find a magician who could compare to that little girl.
“I would need to call in five great magicians from the central continent.”
She was the kind of talent comparable to Erciel among summoners.
In this case, her personality wasn’t a problem.
That could be changed without issue.
The benefit of having someone like her was definitely worth the trouble.
Whether or not there was another talent like her could determine whether the continent would be saved or not. Fantasy Defense was such a game.
For personal glory and the continent’s future, there was no backing down.
So, what else? I guess I’ll just have to take a deep breath and nurture her.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Iris.”
“Nice to meet you too, Sir Kyle.”
Soon after, the little girl began scanning me from top to bottom as if examining me closely.
Was she inspecting my insides?
The gaze finally stopped at my face.
Before long, her face turned slightly red.
Oh, right.
I had found out after he gained weight.
He was unexpectedly good-looking.
Maybe that’s why the trait related to appearance worship or something activated.
The favorability rating, which was -40, changed to -30 in an instant.
So, my face was acceptable, huh?
“Please take a seat. My father, the Count, said he wanted me to see you at least once.”
“…I see.”
Soon after she sat down, she took a sip of tea.
After a brief silence, she looked at me.
“I heard you are a magician.”
“That’s correct.”
“May I ask what circle you’re in?”
Look at that.
In her eyes while she asked the question, there was an emotion akin to superiority.
This little brat knows full well that I’m in the first circle.
Given her noticeably changed talent, she might have achieved a higher circle by now.
With that level of talent, it wouldn’t be surprising if she reached the second circle at eight years old.
“I’m in the first circle. What about you, Lady?”
“I’m in the second circle. I think I understand why my father called for me… but it seems we don’t need to exchange pleasantries.”
Was her subtle coldness from the very beginning due to this?
Destruction of the weak.
It seemed that trait had activated.
But it didn’t seem to have fully kicked in.
Behind me, a powerful family stood firm.
In this area, turning eight meant considering such things.
Especially for nobles, it was even more so.
After all, that’s why nobles receive early education from a young age.
So, I figured we could at least manage a conversation.
I directed a somewhat sarcastic question at the strangely cynical girl.
“Is it because I’m in the first circle?”
“…It’s not necessarily just that.”
So, there are some elements that contribute to it, huh?
“I’ll be frank. Do you think I’m weaker than you, Lady?”
If that weren’t the case, there would be no reason for the destruction of the weak to activate.
“……”
In response to my straightforward question, she fell silent.
That was a silent affirmation.
“I’m overcoming Hermemu.”
“…At twelve, that’s not particularly fast. They say one usually needs to overcome it at a very young age to become a hero.”
Soon after, she began to glance at me.
That was probably the look someone would give a repeated exam taker.
She’s still young, so when I prodded a bit, her true feelings started to come out.
This little brat was full of nasty traits already.
It seemed like she needed a bit of discipline to come to her senses.
Smiling slightly, I said to her, “Your skills don’t look particularly impressive either, if I may say. But judging by your mana… I think I can guess what’s going on.”
As I spoke those words, I looked at her with the same expression she had shown earlier.
With a slight upturn of my lips, I mixed in a hint of condescension.
“…What did you say?”
A living provocation totem was complete.
“I’m just stating facts; is there a problem with that?”
“…That’s a childish provocation. If you thought I’d get angry over that, you’re very mistaken.”
To me, she looked already furious.
I was someone she deemed weak, unexpectedly striking back, so it was only natural for her to be angry.
“It’s not childish provocation; it’s merely the truth. I’m confident I could finish you off with magic in under three minutes. However, I wouldn’t want to see you cry, so I’ll hold back.”
As my words sank in, Iris’s face began to redden.
“…You should be careful with words you can’t take responsibility for.”
She bit the bait perfectly.
Now, it was time to reel her in.
To resolve that destruction of the weak, I needed to ensure she recognized me as a strong individual.
“I only speak the truth. If you wish, I can demonstrate the difference in our skills. Even at the second circle, I can easily handle a fledgling with no experience.”
The moment my words ended, she began to look at me with burning eyes.
“I can’t endure this insult any longer. If you’re so confident, let’s have a match. I hope you won’t back down like a coward here.”
Oh, I won’t back down.
Teaching this cheeky little brat a lesson is precisely what I want.
“Of course. Why would I back down?”
“…Alright.”
The cheeky little girl replied in a tone that seemed to chew over the words, and then she called for the knight by the door.
“Take me to the training ground.”
“…Excuse me? So suddenly…”
“…Sir Wales, do I need to repeat myself twice?”
Looks like she’s in a fit of rage.
Seeing her snap at the knight, it was evident she was quite angry.
Thanks to the sudden commotion, the Count and his retainers began rushing in.
Especially the Count’s face was as pale as a sheet.
He seemed to instinctively realize that this meeting wouldn’t end well.
Tsk.
How many beatings had he taken for his expression to look like that?
For the sake of that old man, I’d have to deliver a just judgment to this cheeky little brat.
—
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