“Oh my, you’re quite large. Your chest is pretty firm too. You’re the type that ladies would like.”
“Please, not those words.”
I shifted my gaze away from Mrs. Laurence, who had come to fit me for a dress, and looked around. The women who had come to watch me dress were watching me with excited expressions.
…Is it really that entertaining to watch me get fitted for clothes?
“Don’t most women like handsome men?”
Well, that’s what the game said.
“Surely, there are many who like someone like Sir Quartz. Hehe…”
I didn’t miss Mrs. Laurence’s gaze as it turned towards the women watching me. But why is Viola here? I can understand Renny being here as my guard, but…
No, this isn’t the time to worry about that.
Just as men can admire women’s figures, women can admire men’s figures too.
“Then, could you take off your shirt?”
Are we going that far? Well, she is a professional, so it must be fine.
I obediently took off my shirt and spread my arms, standing bare-chested. This should be fine, right?
Mrs. Laurence’s measuring tape glided over my body. From my height to the lengths of my arms and legs, to my waist and chest size, she measured everything while smiling.
“Since you have such a large build, I’m afraid the latest fashion may not suit you well. I recommend we go for a classic suit instead.”
“Let’s go with what you said, ma’am.”
She’s an acknowledged expert in this line of work, so it’s easier to just leave it to her. I’m someone who usually just throws on whatever, so I’m clueless about these things. By the way, I feel like my chest is going to burst. Aren’t you all staring a bit too much?
I mean, I’d be embarrassed too if anyone stared at me that obviously.
Mrs. Laurence began jotting down notes with a pen.
“I’ll make about three sets for you. Just in case.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Hohoho… I’ll make sure they look splendid.”
So, is it the women’s turn now?
I’d like to take a look too… but that might be a bit awkward. I put my top back on and approached my companions, who were all staring at me.
“I’ll head out now, so follow Mrs. Laurence’s instructions well.”
“It would be fine if I stayed…”
“If it’s Johann…”
But even so, if I do that outright, I’ll look way too much like a pervert. It’s not like I don’t want to see, but I’ve got to have some decorum. Plus, with Shuri here, what would I do? I shook my head and stepped out of the room.
“Oh, Johann! Are you done?”
“Yeah, Lewis. Did you train well?”
“Thanks to Sir Kalintz’s guidance, I feel like my skills have improved a lot.”
Respect shone brightly in Lewis’s eyes.
Guess introducing him was a good call. His posture has even changed. The synergy between a naturally talented student and one of the continent’s top knights is like a double experience event. No, maybe it’s more than double.
He’s like a talent bump finding a good instructor.
“Make sure to learn as much as you can during the vacation.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I have some things to take care of, so I’ll go ahead. Make sure you get your measurements right.”
“Ha ha… I understand.”
I immediately moved my legs towards Duke Ryan’s office. I had some things to discuss with him before the debutante ball.
———–
I lightly knocked on Duke Ryan’s office door three times with the back of my hand and spoke.
“This is Johann Quartz. May I come in?”
“Come in.”
As I opened the door and entered, I locked eyes with the perpetually weary-looking man who always seemed ill. He smiled weakly upon seeing me, signaled to a man he presumed was his secretary to bring tea, and then began to speak.
“How’s the new house?”
“Thanks to your help in finding staff, I’m settling in quite comfortably.”
Spending a fortune on a new mansion was nice, but choosing the staff to manage it turned out to be more troublesome than I expected.
So, when I was struggling, Duke Ryan willingly offered to lend me a few servants, which made things easier than I thought.
Good to have a strong backer.
He takes care of any troublesome issues for me.
I help him out, and he helps me out. It’s a win-win relationship.
“I’m glad to hear that. I was rather worried when you mentioned buying the mansion.”
“Is that so?”
“A mansion is not easy to manage, you know. Just bringing in a lot of staff doesn’t solve the problems either.”
Well, it’s true that not every servant will do their job well.
“Still, since they’re the ones you sent, they’ve been working well, and it’s been convenient.”
“Well, I sent them with care… Now, let’s not linger on that. It’s time to discuss something important.”
Sure, that makes sense.
This debutante ball isn’t just an opportunity to introduce my face to the political world—it’s a prime chance to catch that demon.
“I’m currently investigating the connection between the Agares cult and the nobles, as you mentioned. They’re still managing to keep their tails well hidden… but they’re hiding them too well, which makes it suspicious.”
So having such a clean concealment raises suspicion, huh?
“Then, have any findings come up in the meantime?”
“There are a few noblemen who stand out as suspected.”
Suspected nobles, huh? At least there is some outline forming. That’s a relief. The problem is that not only Agares but also Cidri is lurking around.
Depending on which faction Agares is collaborating with, things could either get easier or much more tangled.
Considering the original story, their aim is probably to gnaw at the Empire through civil war, and ultimately, either seize this world or hand it over to the outsiders.
…Thinking about outsiders makes my head hurt.
If it weren’t for that bunch, I could’ve pinpointed everything and claimed victory! Would’ve shouted “game over!” and gone on a date with Karina. This hellish, exquisite world. If demons and outsiders just fought amongst themselves and died, how wonderful that would be.
“Can you give me information on the suspected nobles?”
“First, I have suspicions on Baron Toonbury, who supports the third prince, Earl Heulimbeon, from the second prince’s faction, and Marquis Caliyon, from the first prince’s faction.”
“…I don’t know any of them.”
I’ve heard their names, but I can’t let on that I know them. I’m not one to have lived in the capital, nor am I versed in politics; it would be odd to act like I know them.
“If you’re not interested in politics, it’s natural not to know. Baron Toonbury is a recently rising figure. He suddenly gained power and became one of the third prince’s close aides. He’s notorious for being quite shrewd.”
“I see.”
I feel like he appeared briefly in the game, too, but he didn’t seem that significant. There’s no way he’d be so here, though.
“Earl Heulimbeon is his grandfather. He’s responsible for the military power in the Eastern region, as a marquis. His presence was crucial for the second prince to be able to compete with the other two princes.”
This doesn’t seem drastically different from the original story.
It’s a bit sad for the second prince, who’s bound to be disposed of if he becomes emperor, but from my current perspective, he’s not worth worrying about. I don’t have the luxury to care.
“Marquis Caliyon is one of the noble families in the capital. He supports the first prince, claiming traditions dictate that the eldest son should become emperor, even though the current emperor is the second son.”
Hearing that feels a bit peculiar.
“I’m mostly keeping my eyes on these three. I’ve excluded the others for now, as they aren’t showing signs of colluding with demons or are hard to verify.”
“I’ll handle the remaining search myself.”
“Will you manage that? Searching for a demon isn’t an easy task… No, but I guess someone who has dealt with demons knows better. I’ll leave that to you.”
“I’ll catch it with style.”
While ideally, it’d be easier to catch it and behead it right away, I should capture it if possible to extract all the information I can before killing it.
I need information from both the outside and demon side.
With the Agares cult now appearing as a new enemy, if I can’t extract information, I’ll have to fight the outsiders with an uneasy back.
“I’m putting my trust in you. And… let me add one thing: be cautious of the princes. They’re very eager to recruit you.”
“I’m not looking to be popular with men, you know.”
“Most men think that way. It’s only natural for a man to want to be popular with beautiful women rather than stinky boys.”
Duke Ryan and I exchanged sly smiles and chuckles.
“Anyway, that’s about all to be cautious about at the debutante ball. You don’t seem likely to fall for any noble ladies…”
“To charm me, they’d need to at least be a saintess.”
With Karina around, could someone with mediocre looks possibly win me over?
They’d need to beat Millia even to get me to think they’re pretty.
After living with her for a year and a half, my standards have skyrocketed.
“That’s quite a high hurdle.”
“Given the person beside me is staring daggers, there’s no way I’d take my eyes off to look elsewhere.”
“You seem like you’d be a good husband unlike me.”
As Duke Ryan said this, his gaze darkened.
Sigh.
“Well, I’ll be heading back now.”
“Understood. Then work hard on the debutante preparations. You’ll need to practice dancing, so it’ll be harder than you think.”
I left Duke Ryan’s office, under his farewell.
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