“Thank you for coming, both of you,” Lord Reinhard said to us as we entered the room. “No words can express how grateful I am for what you have done for House Bloody. Aigis told me everything.”
“Yeah! Weiss is incredible!” Aigis added, looking as pleased as if her father had been praising her. Well, whatever. She was cute, so all was well that ended well.
“I do not know what we would have done without your rich knowledge. My wife’s condition is gradually improving, and just yesterday, she finally regained consciousness and said my name. I was so thrilled that I couldn’t help but share a passionate kiss with her!”
“Father… No child wants to hear their parents talk about that kind of thing,” Aigis chimed in, exasperated.
“Yes, right.” Reinhard awkwardly scratched his cheek. “My apologies.”
Hey, I understood how he felt. It was natural that he was delighted his wife was going to be okay. Heck, Aigis might end up with a little brother or sister sometime in the near future.
“I am glad to hear that,” I said. “As for the members of the Hades Church…”
“They were behind everything, yes? I interrogated the survivor, found out where they were operating out of, and crushed them. It’s been some time since I last wielded a sword, but I haven’t lost my touch!” Reinhard said with the smile of a dashing hero.
Each worshipper of Hades was strong in their own way…and he crushed their base like it was no big deal? In the game’s timeline, Reinhard was already dead before the opening act, so I didn’t actually know much about him. Was he actually crazy powerful?
“Of course,” he continued, “I also informed the lords of the neighboring territories to keep an eye out for the Hades Church. We should be able to limit their movement behind the scenes.”
“Thank you, Lord Reinhard. You did everything before I could even ask.”
“Yes, well, all under my wife’s direction, you see. She is incredibly smart,” Lord Reinhard said proudly.
Perhaps he had more brawn than brains, a bit like his daughter. Nonetheless, it was a huge deal that we were able to cut down the church’s strength. That would buy me time to build my own territory’s might.
“So, you wanted to ask something of me, yes? Fire away. If it is something within my power, I would gladly do it. Or, if you wish to take Aigis’s hand in marriage, I will most certainly see about making that happen.”
“Father?!” the girl in question yelled, her face bright red as she stared at me.
“Huh?!” I gasped.
“I knew Lord Weiss was well-liked,” Rosalia said.
“Heh heh, I jest.” Reinhard chuckled as he watched the two of us panic. “So, Weiss. What do you desire from me?”
I was still flustered, but I managed to collect myself enough to make my request. “I have discovered multiple monster nests in my territory. Naturally, it is my responsibility to eliminate them, but I do not yet have the manpower to make that happen. Once we are ready, I plan on sending my men to exterminate the beasts. When that time comes, I would like your assistance. Would that be all right?”
“But of course. Hm,” Reinhard said thoughtfully, “you lack the manpower but not the numbers, right? In that case, what say you to having joint training sessions with my men?”
“I could ask for nothing better. Thank you so much, Lord Reinhard!”
Did my voice crack just now? This was more than I could have hoped for. House Bloody’s troops were famous for being highly trained, and now my men were going to learn directly from them? Amazing.
Lord Reinhard suddenly lowered his voice.
“I’m not asking this as payment for my services or anything, but…I would appreciate it if you continued to be friends with Aigis. She seems to have grown quite fond of you.”
“You need not ask,” I replied. “Lady Aigis… No, Aigis and I are good friends already.”
Lord Reinhard briefly looked at me with wide eyes, glanced at his daughter, and then nodded at me contently. He must have been worried about her since she grew so distrustful of others.
“What are you two whispering about?!” she cut in.
“Heh, we were just having a chat, man-to-man. Right, Weiss?”
“Yes, exactly,” I agreed.
“I bet you were talking about dirty things.” She pouted, clearly annoyed that she wasn’t being let in on our little secret discussion.
Reinhard quickly changed the subject, and we began to chat about all manner of things, with Aigis included in the conversation this time. I ended up having fun with my new friends.
When poor Nyarl discovered later that he’d been left out, he was pretty sour about the whole thing, which I did feel bad about.
✦ ✦ ✦
Weiss Hamilton
Occupation: Lord
Alias: Incompetent Corrupt Lord(?)
Populace Loyalty: 20 → 25 (Due to tax reductions)
Strength: 45
Magic Power: 65 → 70
Crafts: 25 → 28
Skills:
Dark Magic Lv 2
Sword Skills Lv 2
Divine Blessing Lv 1
Unique Skills:
Visitor From Another World: A skill given to beings from another world who have been recognized by a being from this one. By being acknowledged by a human of this world, all of the inflicted negative statuses have been eliminated, and you can easily absorb knowledge from this world.
Two Souls: This body has two souls. Whenever you use magic, the amount of spiritual power you can draw from is doubled. Currently, the other soul is asleep.
Blind Belief in Your Fave (Leap of Faith): By imagining what Weiss would be capable of if he was the main character, this skill can make the impossible possible. This was a skill given on a whim by a god, and Weiss is neither aware of its existence nor able to see it in his status.
Chosen One of the Divine Spirit: A skill acquired by possessing powerful emotions and establishing an emotional bond with a Divine Beast. Increases stat-growth rate and the power of anti-god attacks.