Michael put the badly damaged long sword into its scabbard.
It has been five days since he entered the palace.
After beating up golems, he was almost done with the longsword.
“Why not protect the blade with a sword? A steel longsword is weaker than a mithril golem.”
“It’s been a while since I took off the mana circuit restraints. I only mastered protecting myself today. When I receive a sword from the 7th Princess, I plan to use it carefully from then on.”
“Oh, right. She will give you a sword..."
A hint of envy appeared in Sylvestian's eyes as he repeated the words, and then disappeared.
Michael watched this closely for a moment.
Soon Michael extended his right hand for a handshake.
“Now that I think about it, the announcement was late. You seem to know, but I am the 7th Princess. My name is Michaelis Agnito, a direct knight. You?"
“I am Sylvestian Millard, a member of the Royal Knights.”
“Aren’t you a direct knight?”
“Not yet, but it will be soon.”
“You were the knight who was chosen by the 8th Princess.”
"Yes... It's an honor."
Looking down at the wall and slurring his words was a reaction far from pride.
Sylvestian carefully explained the purpose of approaching Michael.
“Michaelis, I actually want to ask you something.”
"What?"
“I heard that once I am engraved in the royal family, I will change from that moment on. Really?”
Sylvestian seemed distraught about the imminent imprinting ceremony.
Since it was not something he could not understand, Michael was willing to answer.
“Hmm, it’s only day 3 so I can’t be sure, but that’s it. It certainly seems like it exists. The 7 Princess was someone I didn't have any feelings for until now, but after being imprinted on me, it feels a little strange to naturally put her at the top priority. I don’t know if you would understand if I told you that my will is tailored to the person being imprinted.”
“Then, after the imprinting ceremony, does this mean that I will give my whole heart to the 8th princess?”
“Maybe so.”
"Right. That might be a good thing..."
The idea of becoming complacent with reality seemed to be comforting to Sylvestian.
'This guy has a special member of the royal family in mind.'
Michael's eyes pierced as he saw Sylvestian.
'Yes, the whole royal family is there, so it's useless...'
At that moment, Michael heard that he was scheduled to receive a sword from Eve.
The faint look in Sylvestian's eyes came to mind.
For some reason, he felt bad.
Was he grumpy? Michael blurted out.
“Maybe not.”
"What?"
“What I originally hated was that I still hated it even after the imprinting ceremony. It made me think. I don’t think I completely changed before and after imprinting. It just reduces the feeling of rejection.”
“Didn’t you say earlier that you would naturally become sincere? Why are you changing your words?”
“I said it might be so, but I wasn’t sure.”
“Who are you kidding now?”
Sylvestian's eyes are a little wild. He glared at Michael. Of course, far from intimidating Michael, it was a look in his eyes that only made him more mischievous.
“After all, weren’t you trained to be loyal to all members of the royal family at the training center?
"Trying to choose an owner? Disloyal, Lord Millard.”
“Ha, is that what you’re saying?”
Sylvestian, who was laughing, didn't seem particularly upset.
It is normal to see that he does not get excited even when his lack of loyalty is pointed out.
It didn't seem like a stubborn homunculus.
Michael changed his attitude to become serious.
“Don’t feel bad. Even if it’s painful, isn’t it better to have a subjective opinion? In any case, to the royal family, the Homunculus is like an object that will be discarded when it gets tired of being used. Even my will was completely taken away, so I became unilaterally dedicated and loyal. If it changes, it will be even more painful when it is abandoned.”
“From what I heard, it seems so.”
Sylvestian silently agreed.
It was then that he was lost in thought for a moment and asked a question that caught him off guard.
“Michaelis. Then do you think that Her Highness the Seventh Princess can abandon you?”
It was an easy question, but strangely, Michael's lips didn't move.
Michael had very low expectations of the royal family, and Eve also had very low expectations of the royal family.
As Eve is a member of the royal family, he should have answered Sylvestian's question right away.
However, Michael could not admit it with his own mouth.
This is because an unpleasant feeling that cannot be known only by imagination crept up on him.
Michael's eyes became noticeably cloudy. Sylvestian noticed this and hurriedly took care of it.
“You asked a rude question. There seems to be no need to even think about such a possibility. Because Her Majesty the 7th Princess is not that kind of person.”
"Yes."
Only then did Michael's eyes return to normal.
“It seems like I interrupted your training too much. It was a pleasure talking to you, Michaelis.”
“Me too. It’s been a while since I’ve had a conversation with someone.”
“Next time, it would be nice if we could have a conversation with a sword.”
“I look forward to it.”
The two homunculus knights shook hands and parted ways, promising to move on.
***
The number of people in my place increased.
I sat on the sofa in the living room and was greeted by two girls and a boy.
“Lian Diaz meets Her Highness the 7th Princess.”
“This is Peoni Granice. Greetings to Her Highness the 7th Princess.”
“This is Hugh, the third son of the Balzamic family! It is an honor to serve you!”
The Third Empress's insight and personnel skills were excellent, as expected.
I liked the employees who seemed honest and sincere, although their personalities were different.
“Welcome to my place, and I hope you will help Cedella and assist me in the future.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Cedella, the exclusive maid, immediately began her education.
I think that this will greatly reduce the burden on Cedella, who was taking care of the 7th Princess's residence alone.
I felt better.
The new servants were the children of the Third Empress Filinelli in the first place, so they knew well about the circumstances of the imperial palace.
When the short training was over and everyone started to find their own tasks, I took Cedella.
I called her to the bedroom. There was urgent work to be done.
“Cedella, please visit the blacksmith workshop district outside the imperial palace.”
“You want to fit Lord Agnito’s sword.”
"Yes. The order form is here. The place to order is called ‘Riblo’s Blacksmith’. An owner is a man named Bablo Riblo, but it’s not a very famous place, so it may take some time to find it.”
Balbo Riblo was an unknown blacksmith who never saw the light of day because he was too stubborn about craftsmanship.
He won't be financing Bridgett's politics until five years from now.
His talent is discovered by the Marquis of Chensley and he becomes famous.
The equipment he created was loved by many nobles, but it was extremely fire-resistant.
It is said that because of the fair contract, they continued to suffer from poverty.
'I can't wait to see it.'
This time, I planned to discover future master-level blacksmiths and make them famous.
Coincidentally, the beloved sword that Michael used in his last life was also ordered from Balbo.
I wanted to give Michael a sword similar to the one he used in his last life as a gift.
So, I pulled out my memories and transferred Michael's sword and sheath, which I had seen in my last life, into the request form.
Art was one of the princess's liberal arts subjects, so the painting in the request was quite convincing.
I had more errands to run.
“And find an alchemy workshop worth taking over. It would be nice if it was a small workshop with about 3 people in it, and it would be good to handle potion alchemy.”
“Alchemy workshop... Are you talking?”
"Yes. Since the number of people living in the house has increased, I need to earn a budget. I’m thinking of starting a small business, but I really need an alchemy workshop here.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
“If you go to the workshop guild and ask, they will connect you to a place that meets your requirements. If Cedella looks at it and thinks it’s okay, sign an acquisition contract right away. Here is my seal. Since it wouldn't be good for people to know about being the Princess, I'll use my middle name. Sign the contract, but make sure to stamp it. Only then will the magic contract be valid.”
“I am unfamiliar with alchemy, so is it okay if I contract the workshop as I please?”
"It's okay."
I nodded without hesitation.
Cedella will have to deal with a lot of these things in the future. I needed to develop my perspective.
“You can make mistakes and you can fail. Cedella, do as much as you can.”
“I understand, Your Highness. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”
I thought for a moment and then spoke.
“Well, then...Stop by the southern branch of the Ravello River. Can you see if there's a good townhouse? Uh, um, that one. I think house prices will rise. I'm thinking of making some investments. I can’t buy this right now, but let’s just say I like it for now.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Cedella answered somewhat incomprehensibly to my command and then walked away.
I, who was left alone in the bedroom, gestured into the air.
A bundle of documents that had been hidden in the bed canopy came flying with magic and fell into my hands.
That was the information I had collected and organized over five days to re-enter the social world.
'These are the people we need to contact at Rosie's birthday banquet. What I need to do now involves planning a business that will make money using the alchemy workshop, and searching for information on the magic stone mine.'
I opened several books borrowed from the imperial palace library at the same time and began to create a new stack of documents.
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