That night.
"—And that’s how it went. Looking back, those few hours felt strangely long..."
"That sounds like it was quite an ordeal..."
This was the fourth time we had gathered for our nightly tea, and I had grown accustomed to the routine as I explained the day's events to the Madam.
Elise seemed to already be aware of Oresto, as she looked quite understanding of the situation. Once I finished my general summary, it was time for the next topic, but there was one thing I had finally realized. I decided to confirm it.
"Um... everyone."
"What is it?" Reinhardt asked.
"This is a bit sudden, but... have you all been intentionally avoiding the subject of my past?"
The moment I asked, time in the room seemed to stop. The reaction was dramatic; everyone's expressions instantly froze.
I knew it.
"What brought this up all of a sudden?" Reinhardt asked directly, his tone suggesting he had finally resolved to face the topic.
The reason I had noticed was Oresto's prying earlier at the Moulton Company. Every time the merchant had tried to dig into my history, one of the three men had invariably cut him off. Furthermore, when I had been invited to become a technician, the atmosphere had turned heavy. I had assumed there were some disadvantageous conditions involved, but in the end, their only concern was that they "needed to know the reason—the past—for why I possessed such knowledge and skill."
They had clearly imagined a dark history for me ever since our first meeting, when they saw that my Pain Resistance was unusually high. I had felt their consideration in not bringing it up all this time, and the gods had told me that people would normally hesitate to ask. However, looking back on today’s events, it finally clicked.
Wait a second. Is this being taken even more seriously than I thought?
"Um... I appreciate the concern, but I’m probably not as bothered by it as you all think."
"Are you serious? You're not just pushing yourself, are you?" Pioro asked.
"No, truly. I’m not just being polite. Of course, I don’t enjoy being interrogated, but if it’s someone I can trust like you all, I don’t mind sharing a little, regardless of any business about becoming a technician."
Actually, Gain and the other gods had specifically created a fake history for me for this very purpose. I might have allowed the misunderstanding to deepen by leaving it alone for so long, but for my part, I had been fine with being asked at any time.
"I’m sorry for confusing you. But I felt that if I didn't speak up now that I’ve noticed the tension, I might lose the chance to talk about it forever."
Now that I had realized how much they were worrying, it felt wrong to let them continue to walk on eggshells. I decided to tell them. I still felt a bit conflicted about using a fake background, but seeing their faces, I figured it was for the best.
"It’s fine, really. There's no need for you to apologize, Ryoma-kun," Reinhardt said.
"Indeed. We were perhaps being a bit too dramatic ourselves," Serge added.
Dry laughter echoed through the room. It was quite awkward.
"Ahem. Well then, Ryoma-kun," Elise said, clearing her throat. "Would you mind if I asked what you're comfortable sharing? About the grandfather and grandmother who raised you?"
"Of course."
I prepared my Status Board and made two titles visible that I hadn't shown anyone until now.
"In the village, I simply lived a normal life while being taught how to study and fight, so I didn't think there was anything particularly special about it. But it seems those two were fairly famous people in the outside world, so you should be able to tell by looking at this."
When I held out the Status Board to the Madam, she let out a sharp gasp before even taking it. Once she held it in her hand, she immediately covered her face with the other.
"Elise?" Reinhardt asked.
"You'll understand once you see for yourself..."
Reinhardt took the board and soon reacted in a similar fashion. The card was then passed to Serge and Pioro.
"T-The 'Disciple of the Sage'?!" Serge stammered.
"The 'Disciple of the War God'?! Are you serious?!" Pioro shouted.
"It is exactly as written," I said.
I had been told they were famous as part of my cover story, but seeing this level of shock in person made me realize just how legendary these people were supposed to be. It took quite a while for the four of them to calm down after realizing who my foster parents were.
"Phew... Ryoma-kun. Have you shown this to anyone besides us?" Reinhardt asked.
"No, you are the first."
"That’s a relief..." Reinhardt looked visibly moved. He quickly followed up by telling me that these titles were not things I should show others lightly.
"It seems like it would cause a major problem, judging by your reactions."
"Well, naturally! I mean, Ryoma, don't you know anything about these two?" Pioro asked.
"While learning knowledge and techniques from them, I had a faint inkling that they were extraordinary... but they weren't the type to brag or tell tales of their own heroism."
I told them that I had simply assumed I was being raised by an elderly couple who were a bit stronger and more knowledgeable than average.
"I see. That explains so many things," Reinhardt sighed.
"The fact that they were such humble people of character has actually backfired on our perceptions..." Elise added.
"No wonder you have such a massive amount of knowledge and you're so ridiculously strong," Pioro said.
"Growing up in such an isolated environment with those two as your only points of comparison, your sense of perspective was bound to get skewed," Serge concluded.
The four of them let out yet another collective sigh, looking exhausted. What they told me next were accounts of numerous legendary deeds.
Apparently, my grandmother, Sage Mealia, was a brilliant woman active in every field of study, particularly pharmacology and magic. She had attended the Academy in the Royal Capital, and even back then, she had published a staggering number of papers and research results. Even today, there are schools of thought called the "Mealia School" in various fields that continue to hold her work in the highest regard.
Then there was my grandfather, War God Tigal. He was supposedly undefeated against his peers before he had even been taught how to fight. He began hunting monsters at the age of seven, and eventually, in his quest for strength, he sought out masters to become their disciple. He absorbed techniques through pure talent and effort, sublimating them into his own style in an instant. There were even legends that in his later years, no weapon could withstand his prowess, breaking before he could even exert his full power. Whether that was true or not, he was undoubtedly a master blacksmith as well. It was said that if one of his works were found today, a single piece could fund the construction of an entire house.
In short, they were on a completely different level than any typical expert or intellectual. For the rest of the tea party, they spoke earnestly about how highly regarded these two individuals were.
For me, it was fascinating to learn so much more detail than the gods had provided. Since I was eventually going to visit the place where they had supposedly lived, I was glad to have the information. By opening up about my past, it felt like the bond between me and the group had tightened once again.
However...
"Just to confirm one last thing... if the wrong people found out about this?"
"It would be dangerous," Serge said flatly.
"You would be targeted," Elise warned.
"I’ve said it many times these past few days, but knowledge and techniques are treasures to those in power, you know?" Pioro added.
"The title of being a disciple of such famous people has immense value in itself," Reinhardt finished.
The gods probably figured that if I said I was the disciple of these two, everyone would stop asking questions and just accept my abilities. Gain and the others... could they have set it up specifically for that reason? As I returned to my room, I decided to ask them the next time we met in the divine realm.
The next day.
By my fifth day at the Ducal House, I had grown quite accustomed to the luxurious guest room. It seemed the servants had also grown accustomed to me.
"Ah, Master Takebayashi. The Head Chef was looking for you earlier. He’s holding a tasting party for the wedding dishes around noon and wondered if you’d like to join if you’re free."
"Thank you. I’d love to attend."
"Hey! About the venue setup this afternoon—are we finishing it today? I heard some of the guys arguing about whether it would be today or tomorrow."
"The foundation was finished yesterday afternoon, so I think the upper structure will take shape today. But we still need to do the decorations, so it won't be fully complete until after that."
Conversations like this happened frequently as I walked through the mansion. While we had been working on the wedding preparations together, there had previously been a clear line drawn, treating me strictly as a "guest." While that line still existed, it felt like the distance between us had shrunk significantly.
"The experiments we started the day before yesterday really made a difference," Lulunese told me. "Word of how you handled the girls who were almost fired has spread. Your reputation among the maids is that you are a very kind person. They also say they feel comfortable asking you questions."
I wasn't sure if being able to ask questions comfortably was anything special, but I supposed there were many workplaces where that wasn't the case. "Normal" could be a difficult concept to define.
"...In any case, I'm glad I'm not being feared anymore."
While chatting, we made our way to the magic training ground I had been permitted to use. Preparations for the sugar scrub improvements were already underway. In the corner, I could see Fei and Ox.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's begin the sugar scrub experiments."
"Yes, sir!" the maids replied.
"Last time, we tested fragrant oil combinations. Today, let's look at improving the scrub itself. Which oil feels best on the skin? How fine should the Mumito particles be? Please compare them under the same conditions and summarize any observations, no matter how minor, on paper."
After leaving the experiment to the collaborators, I called Fei and Ox over. The servants here—especially the high-ranking ones—were very capable, so I could trust them with the task. Since it only involved recording their impressions, I didn't strictly need to supervise them.
Instead, I was moving forward with preparations for Ox’s mana recovery medicine. With the wedding drawing near, I wanted to handle as many tasks as possible as efficiently as I could.
"Sorry for the wait."
"Master. I have brought my weapons and Status Board as you requested," Ox said.
"I have also prepared the mana recovery medicine," Fei added.
"Thank you."
To create the perfect medicine for Ox, I needed to match the mana recovery rate to the consumption rate of his telekinetic sword style. If the recovery was too low, he would eventually run out of mana. If it was too high, he would suffer from mana sickness. I needed to know exactly how much mana he had and how long it lasted during combat to calculate his consumption per second.
Fortunately, the Status Board allowed us to see mana capacity as a numerical value.
"Ox-san, your mana is 315. I wonder if that's considered low or high."
I had heard that for warrior types, 500 to 700 was usually the threshold for using supplementary magic.
"I never used magic at all originally," Ox admitted. "This is what I managed to scrape together through desperate training after I lost my hand. It is likely not a large amount."
If his total capacity was low, it would be easier for him to overdose. I decided I would start my adjustments from the weaker side of the medicine.
"Well, in any case, let's check the duration. Lulunese-san, the watch?"
"Right here," she said, producing a pocket watch magic tool.
I left the timekeeping and signaling to her and handed the Status Board to Fei. Then, I drew my slime katana.
"They say mana consumption can be affected by your mental state, so we'll measure it multiple times to find an average. We'll test various patterns later, but for now, let's have a serious sparring match."
"Understood!"
We spent the rest of the morning measuring his mana duration over several rounds. It seemed the sugar scrub experiment party was secretly watching us; I felt a bit bad for Libiola, the Greater Monkey-kin, who had to keep running around to scold them and keep them on task. I suppose it was hard not to be curious when people were having a loud, magical duel right next to you.