Chapter 117: Klim Blake

One of the Four Great Ducal Houses of the Empire—the illustrious House of Blake.

The current Duke of Blake was infamous for his vile temperament. His name was synonymous with arrogance and cruelty in noble circles. And yet, when it came to politics and governance, he was… competent. Not brilliant, not disastrous—merely adequate. Enough to maintain his lands without collapsing them, enough to keep the machinery of the Empire turning without drawing too much scrutiny.

It was precisely that middling competence that made him dangerous.

His fourth son, Klim, had inherited only the worst part of his father—the rotten core of his personality—while receiving none of the qualities that might have redeemed it.

In academics and magical swordsmanship, he was slightly above average. Just enough to avoid embarrassment, but nowhere near enough to stand out. As for estate management, governance, or strategy—he possessed neither talent nor knowledge. From the outset, he had been excluded from the race to inherit the ducal title. No one even pretended otherwise.

He simply did not matter.

And yet—

Because he had been educated from childhood as a high-ranking noble, drilled relentlessly in etiquette and formality, he had somehow managed—by sheer luck and the weight of his family name—to secure a position at the very fringes of the Imperial Academy.

A man carried almost entirely by fortune.

Klim was constantly surrounded by sons of nobles belonging to the Blake faction. They trailed him everywhere, flattering him daily, praising even his most trivial remarks as though they were pearls of wisdom.

Needless to say, none of them respected him.

They endured him.

They laughed at his jokes, applauded his arrogance, and nodded along to his boasts—all for one reason alone: to maintain favorable relations with the House of Blake.

Thus—

A textbook example of a spoiled noble brat, drunk on shallow authority, was born.

“Hey! Make the horse run faster! I’m starving over here!”

“M-My deepest apologies, Klim-sama… but we are already traveling at nearly the maximum speed permitted on the public road—”

“I don’t care! Just crack the whip harder!”

“Y-Yes, sir! R-Right away!”

Currently returning home from school, Klim rode in his carriage accompanied by his two favorite maids.

He had one on each side, arms wrapped possessively around them, fingers wandering shamelessly beneath silk and lace. A greasy grin stretched across his face as he groped them openly.

“K-Klim-sama… how has life at the Academy been lately?”

“Hm? Academy life?” He snorted. “It’s perfect. Soon enough I’ll get to see the tear-streaked face of that Arden Viscount brat. You two should look forward to it.”

“Yes, my lord…”

“And his little sister—I’ll definitely get my hands on her too.” His voice lowered, thick with ugly anticipation. “When she comes to our estate, you two will be her instructors. Make sure you discipline her thoroughly. As harshly as possible. Understood?”

“Y-Yes, we understand…”

“Ku-ku-ku… The Academy is practically my playground. Honestly, being this talented is a burden. I can’t help but admire myself.”

He continued praising his own brilliance all the way back to the mansion, hands never once leaving the maids’ trembling bodies.

But beneath that very carriage—

(For someone who talks about talent and effort, it’s clearly just power carrying you… I suppose I’ll have to report all of this to Ryu-sama.)

Clinging silently to the undercarriage was Mimi, assassin of the Arden Viscount House, listening to every word.

The Second Residence of the Arden Viscount House—
The master’s bedroom.

Ryu listened quietly as Mimi finished her report.

“—And those were the exact words spoken by Klim, the fourth son of the ducal house.”

“…………I’ll crush them. I’ll blow the entire ducal territory off the map.”

The air in the room dropped several degrees.

“That will not do, Ryu,” Esther said calmly. “Blake may be rotten, but it remains one of the Four Ducal Houses. If their territory vanished, Arden would not merely suffer backlash—the Empire itself would falter. The other great powers would never ignore such an opening. I understand your fury at someone targeting Lena. But you must cool your head first. Shall we take a cold bath together?”

“…………Let’s go. You’re absolutely right, Esther. I have no rebuttal.”

Mimi blinked in astonishment.

(He’s actually going…? Ryu-sama can be surprisingly straightforward. It’s kind of… cute.)

Esther rolled up her sleeves with enthusiasm.

“Alright then. It’s been a while—shall I wash your back?”

“In that case, we’ll step out for a bath. Good work this time, Mimi. Thank you.”

“Yes! It was excellent training!”

Mimi left the room.

“When’s the next assignment going to be, I wonder—hm? Wait a second.”

(Huh? Ryu-sama and Esther-sama are bathing together? And didn’t Esther-sama say ‘it’s been a while since I washed your back’? That means this isn’t their first time… right?)

“…Well, whatever! I’ll go grab some food.”

After all, Mimi’s job was that of a servant-assassin.

There was no need to question the romantic entanglements of her lord.

Incidentally, Lena had gone to visit her friend Alice, bringing Homura along. She would not be returning anytime soon.

Perhaps that was fortunate. Ryu had a tendency to hide his more violent impulses from his younger sister. He did not want her to see that side of him.

Of course, once she returned, they would need to share information and discuss the fact that Klim had secretly set his sights on her.

In the grand bathhouse.

Esther washed Ryu’s back.

“As always, you’re covered in old scars.”

“Even though my body can shift freely between dragon and human forms, for some reason the old scars never disappear. Thanks to that, I’m stuck wearing long sleeves and trousers year-round. Think medicine could fix it?”

“I’ve told you before—at my current level, it’s impossible. I’ll need to grow stronger. My instincts as an apothecary tell me so.”

“I see. Then I’ll place my hopes in future Esther.”

They switched places.

Ryu carefully, almost reverently, scrubbed Esther’s small back so as not to hurt her.

“You’re still as tiny as ever. Will you ever grow taller?”

“I’ve already passed my growth phase! I’ll be like this forever! Got a problem with that?!”

“No. Actually, if you suddenly had a perfect model’s figure, it’d feel… off. Doesn’t suit your character.”

“Hmph. Selfish man…”

After washing, they moved to the cold bath.

Ryu stepped in slowly from his feet.

“Ahh… perfect temperature. Clears the mind nicely.”

Beside him, unexpectedly, Esther slipped in as well.

“Hyoohhhh—this is the worst cold wave since the Mondo Duchy incident!”

“You don’t have to join me.”

“It’s about the vibe, you fool.”

“…Well, if you freeze, I’ll just toss you into the hot bath to thaw.”

“Rescue me before I freeze!”

Before they caught colds, they returned to the warm bath.

“Anyway… what to do… Eliminating the brat is certain…”

“Mm. His erasure is non-negotiable.”

“But no noble stays silent after their son is killed. If we move now, the Arden Viscount House will be the prime suspect.”

“That is the core issue. What about striking him with lightning?”

“The lightning magic instructor would be suspected immediately. Rejected.”

“True.”

“I could stage it as an accidental death. That’s my specialty.”

“Your worst specialty…”

“For the record, I killed my father that way.”

“Ah. That’s right…”

“…………”

“…………”

Ryu slicked back his wet bangs.

“Tch. These petty schemes don’t suit me. I’ll crush them personally. If I precisely target only the Blake ducal mansion, the territory and its people will remain unharmed.”

“You can do something that precise?”

“I can. Between us—my control over magic actually improves when I’m in dragon form. After killing Klim, I’ll transform immediately and drop an enormous lightning spell on the Blake main estate alone. If I display magic beyond human comprehension, no one will suspect me sitting comfortably in the capital.”

Most would assume it the work of a god.

“Mm. Efficient. Erase only the ducal family, leave the land and people intact. The state will simply absorb it into imperial holdings.”

“I should inform Marquis Grace beforehand. If he’s prepared, there’ll be less chaos.”

“What do you mean?”

“To maintain balance, the Empire mandates exactly four ducal houses. If Blake falls, the leading marquis—House Grace—will automatically be elevated.”

The Grace Margraviate already rivaled the foremost ducal house in influence. Known as the Empire’s breadbasket, its name resounded across nations. Without that law, they would long since have been a ducal house.

“I see. Will you send a letter?”

“No need. He’s in the neighboring estate right now.”

“Huh?”

“When I returned earlier, I sensed familiar mana. Upon detection, it turned out to be Marquis Grace next door.”

“‘Detected’… you say that like he’s a pathogen.”

“He’ll probably come tomorrow claiming it’s a surprise visit. I’ll mention it casually then. He’ll likely be delighted.”

“Well, if it’s Marquis Grace, it should be fine.”

“Agreed. That’s the plan.”

“For now, we wait for Lena’s return.”

(Esther really is the only one I can speak to without restraint. I owe her more than I can repay…)

“Esther. After this, shall we have the head chef prepare some ice cream?”

“Nuohohooo! Splendid!”

They lingered lazily in the bath thereafter.

“Ah-choo!!!”

“Father, do you have a cold…?”

“I don’t think so. Perhaps someone is speaking about me.”

“In that case, I’m relieved.”

“Flora. Since we’re on the subject… you could wash my back in the bath sometime, you know?”

“Father, that’s extremely disgusting.”

“Eh… such cruelty…”