On a clear, bright morning, I stepped out into the mansion's garden.
I walked over to a banyan tree, a species commonly found throughout the Almeria region.
Banyans are distinctive plants with aerial roots that hang down from their trunks like "beards."
When those beards gather and intertwine, they form new trunks. Since they start out as thin, thread-like strands, they retain a sinewy appearance even after knotting together and hardening, making the tree look like the body of an old man.
Combined with the original "beards," it was considered an auspicious tree, often called the "Tree of Longevity" or the "Hermit Tree."
Facing the banyan's beards, I drew Leviathan and slashed out in a sweeping strike.
The magic sword trailed an afterglow of pale blue light. Its blade struck the beard—and failed to cut it.
Starting with that strike, I unleashed one slash after another.
Strands that even a child could tear off with their bare hands showed no sign of being severed, no matter how many blows they took.
I was intentionally keeping them from being cut.
It was a technique embedded within Leviathan: the skill to control the trajectory of the blade so that even things easily sliced through remained intact.
For a while now, practicing this had become my morning routine.
After swinging Leviathan continuously for about thirty minutes, I sheathed the sword and caught my breath.
I looked at the ground.
Today, as well, not a single strand had been severed.
"Splendid as always, Lord Noah."
From behind me, I heard a young girl's voice accompanied by the sound of clapping.
Turning around, I saw a girl of about fifteen—the same age as me—approaching with the maid Zoe in tow.
The girl's name was Audrey.
The granddaughter of Thunder Imperial Prince Indra, she was my legal wife.
"Your technique was wonderfully sharp today as well."
"Well, it's getting there."
"Until I met you, Lord Noah, I couldn't even imagine such swordsmanship existed in this world. You truly are magnificent, Lord Noah."
Audrey said this as she drew closer.
Then, standing before me:
"What would you like to do about breakfast?"
"I'll eat here."
"Understood. Zoe."
"Right away, my lady."
Given the order by Audrey, Zoe, who was now the mansion's head maid, hurried off to prepare.
After briefly stepping back inside the mansion, she promptly returned with several maids in tow.
Briskly and efficiently, the maids set up a table and a single chair before me, arranging a tablecloth and tableware upon it.
Then, the food was brought out.
Audrey took the dishes carried by the maids and placed them before me as I sat in the chair.
"Here you are, Lord Noah."
"Thanks."
It was a typical morning, having breakfast while being served by Audrey.
For members of the imperial family, the role of household servants changed completely once they took a wife.
Serving my meals was the duty of Audrey, along with any concubines who might join the household in the future.
Even as head maid, Zoe was not permitted to serve me directly whenever a "lady of the house" was present.
Furthermore, barring exceptional circumstances, neither the legal wife nor the concubines ate alongside me.
This carried two meanings.
First, it emphasized that the master of the house was, strictly speaking, the imperial family member—in this case, me.
It was like a microcosm of the imperial palace.
Therefore, my legal wife, Audrey, served me.
The second reason was to elevate the status of the wife.
Only the wife was permitted to attend to the master of the house directly, emphasizing that she was the number two in the household.
While being served by my legal wife, Audrey, I engaged in casual conversation.
"Come to think of it, you'll turn fifteen next week."
"Yes, that is correct."
"We can finally perform the Rite of Name Removal."
"Yes! I've been waiting for it so eagerly!"
Audrey's eyes sparkled, and she answered with a touch of excitement.
There was another difference between the wife of an imperial prince and a commoner.
Namely, losing one's family name.
Currently, Audrey's full name was Audrey Ararat.
Through the ceremony known as the "Rite of Name Removal," the surname Ararat would be removed, leaving her simply as Audrey.
It was an old custom.
Anyone who became the wife of an imperial prince was strictly forbidden from divorcing.
A surname represented the "house where one was born."
By stripping it away, the ancient tradition signified that "she had no home to return to."
"I know commoners yearn for the Rite of Name Removal, but did you want it too?"
"Yes! Because with that, I can truly, genuinely become Lord Noah's wife."
"I see."
So it wasn't about the ceremony itself, but about truly belonging to me.
"At last, it's finally happening."
"Well, don't put too much pressure on yourself. The ceremony itself is just a formality. As you can see with the maids, once someone steps across my threshold, I have no intention of letting anyone else take them."
"Yes! Thank you very much!"
Audrey smiled with even greater joy.
☆
Almeria Province, the provincial capital of Nisir.
Having turned fifteen, I entered the fief alongside my legal wife, Audrey.
Custom dictated that an imperial prince live in their fief for several years to study government administration.
That said, I had been appointed Imperial Prince Minister of Justice long ago, and His Majesty had sought my counsel on administrative matters in a variety of situations.
Entering the fief carried no real sense of tension; it felt like business as usual.
Today, after wrapping up the usual administrative duties, I headed into town around early afternoon.
Fitting for a provincial capital, Nisir was quite prosperous.
Just about everything found in the imperial capital could be found here as well.
Overall, Nisir was like a slightly scaled-down version of the imperial capital.
I headed straight for my destination: a certain shop.
I had heard that she would be coming here starting today.
As I approached the establishment—
"She's here."
I smiled faintly.
A singing voice drifted out to the street.
It belonged to Alice.
Alice, whom I had saved in the past and subsequently patronized.
She had continued singing, and now she was a diva vying for the top spot or two in the entire Empire.
Accordingly, she had begun performing in various regions throughout the Empire.
Naturally, I continued to support her—covering her travel expenses, her mother's living costs, and even buying out the venues at her destinations if necessary.
All so that she could focus solely on singing.
Stepping inside, I found the layout similar to Keith's shop in the imperial capital.
However, the scale was slightly smaller, so the moment I entered, my eyes met Alice's as she sang.
Before Alice could do anything, I raised a hand to stop her.
I sent her a glance telling her to keep singing and took an open seat.
I simply listened to Alice's song.
I was thoroughly satisfied by her singing voice, which had grown even more polished.
When the piece ended, Alice temporarily stepped backstage.
At once, the patrons who had been listening in hushed silence all began talking at the same time.
Some exchanged impressions of the performance, while others simply chatted about everyday things.
I quite liked the bustling, diverse atmosphere typical of such establishments.
"Come to think of it, I'm moving to Gola next month."
"Gola? Why the hell would you go to a place like that?"
"You don't know? The current magistrate of Gola is Lady Evelyn, and she's incredible."
The conversation between a pair at the neighboring table reached my ears.
The magistrate of Gola, Evelyn... That was undoubtedly Evelyn, the servant I had dispatched from my estate.
Since it wasn't an unrelated matter to me, I was curious to know what made her so incredible.
"Ever since Lady Evelyn took over, she's been putting real effort into public order. Gola's so safe now that you don't even need to lock your doors at night."
"You're bullshitting me, man."
"Dead serious. Well, if you commit a crime, the punishment is brutal. But I don't do that kind of stuff, which is why I decided to move."
"Huh, that's amazing."
"Damn right. After all, she's a Wise Appointment."
"What's that? A Wise Appointment?"
"A Wise Appointment means an official appointed by the Wise Imperial Prince. The rest are Imperial Appointments, meaning officials appointed by the Emperor."
The man planning to move paused for a moment, then spoke with pride, as if it were his own achievement.
"Wise Appointments are few in number, but every single one of them is a fantastic magistrate. Wherever they go, the place either gets rich or gets safe. Nah, not saying Imperial Appointments are bad, you know? It's just that the Wise Appointments are on another level."
"That's wild. So I guess the Wise Imperial Prince really does have an eye for talent, huh?"
"That's part of it, but merchants who've spoken directly with the magistrates say they're all insanely loyal to the Wise Imperial Prince, talking about doing their jobs right to repay their debt of gratitude."
"To be that adored by his subordinates... honestly, that's the more amazing part..."
I listened to the men's conversation for a while longer, but no further information came up.
I had already received reports that Evelyn, whom I sent out, was doing reasonably well.
Still, it was nice to hear her actual reputation straight from the mouths of the common people.
Perhaps I would send Evelyn a letter of appreciation later.
While I was thinking this over, Alice returned from backstage.
Applause broke out, and the chatter died down.
The next song was about to—
"You the one they call Alice?"
—not begin.
Three crude men approached Alice from below the stage.
Alice's brow twitched for just an instant, but she replied with a cold expression.
"I am. What of it?"
"Lord Pascal has taken a liking to you. He's inviting you to sing at his mansion."
"My apologies, but no matter who it is, I do not accept such requests. If he wishes to hear me sing, please tell him to come to the shop."
"Hey now, you realize who you're talking about? It's Lord Pascal—the magistrate of this very city, Nisir. Besides, it's just for one night. You get what that means, don't you?"
"I have already stated my answer. Whoever they may be, please have them visit the shop."
"Hey, hey, sounds like you still don't get it. I'm—"
"That's enough out of you."
In the quieted shop where everyone had been watching the scene unfold, my voice echoed louder than usual.
I stood up from my chair and slowly walked toward the stage.
"Hah? What's with this brat? Do you have any idea who you're talking to?"
"We're Lord Pascal's messengers!"
"Never heard of him."
"Then we'll beat it into your body until you understand."
Wearing sneers, one of the men reached out to grab my shoulder.
"Bahamut."
'Understood.'
In the next instant, flames enveloped both of my arms.
I punched the lunging man square in his wide-open midsection.
The man was sent flying several meters, turning into a human torch as he rolled across the floor.
"Wha—"
"You bastard!"
The remaining two lunged at me as well.
I slammed my flaming fists into both of them just the same, setting them ablaze.
The flames persisted for only a dozen seconds before abruptly dying out, as if it had all been an illusion.
"What was that?!"
"Incredible... He's freely manipulating fire!"
"Who on earth is he?"
As the patrons buzzed in confusion, another group rushed in from the outside.
These ones were armed and in uniform—the city's police officers.
"Who is it?! Who's causing a riot in here?!"
"I am."
"You're the one—wha-!?" "Th-Thirteenth Prince?! Forgive my insolence, Your Highness!!"
The moment the police officer saw my face, he dropped to one knee before me in a flash.
"The Thirteenth Prince?"
"Wait, you mean the Thirteenth Prince, the Wise Imperial Prince?"
"He's the lord of this entire province of Almeria!"
The shop's commotion reached its peak.
Ignoring the noise, I addressed the police officer.
"These men attempted to abduct someone from this shop. Arrest them and throw them into a cell for a while."
"Yes, Sire!"
"After this, a man named Pascal will likely send his subordinates to demand their release. Tell them to come see me directly."
"Understood!"
Receiving my order, the police officers apprehended the men, who were still sputtering with smoke, and departed.
I turned back to Alice.
"Are you all right? You don't have to be so stubborn at times like this."
"No. Even you, Lord Noah, always take the trouble to come to the shop yourself. No matter who it may be, I cannot simply follow them."
"I see. In that case, let me hear you sing a little more."
"Yes! With pleasure!"
I turned on my heel and returned to my seat under the watchful eyes of the crowd, thoroughly enjoying Alice's singing as she began to perform once more.
Partway through, the man named Pascal came to grovel on his knees, but I ignored him and made him stay bowed to the floor until Alice's song was finished.