057 Subjugation

Taming. It was a word I’d grown well-acquainted with through various works of fiction.

It involved making monsters obey you so you could fight alongside them—though some people just treated them as pets. The "fluffy" genre was always a crowd-pleaser, after all.

Naturally, the concept existed here in Noblesse Oblige as well, as did Summoning Magic.

However, much like Carta’s Flight Magic, it was both rare and incredibly difficult to master. Even making a weak monster serve you required an immense amount of talent and concentration.

There were various ways to tame a creature.

The orthodox method in Noblesse involved chanting a specific formula, bestowing it upon the monster, and performing the rite atop a magic circle to connect your hearts. Of course, this required a massive amount of mana.

Even if you successfully subjugated a monster, keeping it under your command meant constantly draining the master’s mana. Therefore, taming a weak monster usually came with more disadvantages than benefits.

If you just wanted something for comfort, cute pets existed in this world too. And if you wanted them to fight, they wouldn't be strong unless you shared your own mana with them. It was a double-edged sword; if handled poorly, your own combat power could be cut in half.

The difficulty of acquisition was astronomical. Since it relied so heavily on innate talent, it was often impossible to learn later in life.

It was said that high-level spells—Flight Magic included—required the caster to essentially possess multiple brains. Subjugation was the prime example of that. It was like growing four extra limbs and having to control them all to do different tasks simultaneously.

But there were people who could do it.

In terms of those close to me, that would be Olynn...

"Duke-kun, you're so amazing! Clap, clap!"

"Gah! Just hearing Olynn’s voice fills me with power!"

Shishitsu was currently performing push-ups at a terrifying speed. Every time Olynn clapped, the squirrel sitting on his head mimicked the motion. Even that small feat was actually incredible.

In his current state, however, Olynn was still weak.

In the game, Olynn was what players called an Awakening character. He didn't start as the strongest; his talent only bloomed after a specific, special trigger.

"I wish I could be more like you, Duke-kun."

"Hehehe! Stop it, you're making me blush!"

I had always liked her—or rather, him.

And I don't mean his appearance. The sight of him commanding multiple "Strongest Species" and standing tall against a horde of monsters had fascinated countless players.

But would Olynn really become the strongest in this world? Looking at him now, he was the image of a delicate girl, his upper arms thin and fragile.

I started to wonder. So far, the changes to the story had mostly been for the better. But... what if things could also change for the worse?

"Watching you is making me work up a sweat too. Maybe I'll take my top off."

With those casual words, Olynn reached for his shirt. As the fabric lifted, a slender white waist and a glimpse of a navel were revealed.

The expressions on my, Duke’s, and Allen’s faces froze in unison.

The way he’s undressing is... it’s exactly like a girl.

The tension finally snapped. Shishitsu exploded.

"I—I can’t stay here! Uoooooooooh!"

"D-Duke?! Where are you going?!"

Still shirtless, Duke charged out the door, with Allen hot on his heels.

That left me...

"Heave-ho... ugh, I can't get this jacket off. Weiss-kun, could you give me a hand?"

"...I’m going outside too."

"Eh? Wait, why?! Where are you going?! Hey!"

That was a close one.

I am Weiss Fancent. I must not be led astray by Olynn.

Well, this worked out fine. I decided to take a look around the mansion. Being able to investigate the fine details I never knew from the original game was one of my few privileges, after all.

As I walked, I spotted someone sitting in a chair, buried in a book.

Hah. Even in a place like this?

"Yo."

She didn't notice me. With her glasses on and her expression set in a look of grim determination, she looked quite beautiful.

"I see... no... but... ah, right..."

I assumed she was reading a book about Battle Universe, but I chuckled when I saw the spine. Man, why is everyone in this world such a good person?

"Cecil."

"Nn—huh? Fancent-kun? When did you get here?"

"I did call out to you. You’re a little too absorbed."

"I get like that with books. It’s the same when I’m playing games, I suppose."

I reached out and borrowed the book for a moment, flipping through the pages. It was filled to the brim with incredibly dense, complicated text.

The title was Kishi. It was a treatise on military strategy written by a great figure from the past—essentially the Sun Tzu's Art of War of this world.

Following the Calamity, Cecil had been deeply shaken by the fact that students were injured. Technically, there were zero fatalities, but that was only because the Demon Race had chosen not to press the attack.

While it was highly likely we would have won regardless, it would have been a victory built on sacrifice. Unlike in a game, Cecil refused to accept that, and she had been blaming herself ever since.

I told her she was wrong. It was thanks to her that so many people had been saved. But it seemed she still wasn't satisfied.

"...Thanks, Cecil. But don't put too much pressure on yourself. I’m grateful for what you did."

"...I understand. But next time, I'll do better."

Cecil’s eyes reminded me of the protagonist, Allen. They were straightforward, looking only at the path ahead.

Heh. How reliable.

While we were talking, a crowd of underclassmen swarmed out into the hallway. They had all changed out of their uniforms and were dressed in casual summer clothes.

"Duke, shouldn't you at least put on a shirt?"

"I'm just gonna take it off later anyway!"

It seemed Shishitsu had finally sorted out his feelings. He was still half-naked, but more importantly, it was almost time for the group assembly.

Actually, I just noticed that Cecil wasn't in her uniform either. With legs that long... those short pants weren't a bad look at all.

"Are you mesmerized?"

"Well, maybe I am."

"Fufu. I don't hate your honesty. But Cynthia-san will get angry if we're late, so I'll see you later."

Yeah, this side of Cecil is definitely one of her charms.

I headed back to my room to change as well. Thinking it was surely safe by now, I swung the door open—only to find someone who looked like a girl no matter how you sliced it. A girl, a maiden... no, an otokonoko.

Olynn was checking himself out in the full-length mirror, wearing a swimsuit.

He had on a thin, translucent rash guard—I had no idea where one even bought something like that. For some reason, it had "moe sleeves" that partially covered his hands. Above all else, his skin was incredibly fine-textured, without a single blemish.

"W-Weiss-kun?! ...Um, what do you think? Does it suit me?"

"...Yeah. It suits you."

Before I could stop myself, the honest truth slipped out of my mouth.

Dammit. I really don't want to "awaken" to this.