"God, why the hell am I so busy?" I exhaled heavily, leaning back in my chair.
It felt like the moment I stepped foot on the Western continent, everything started piling onto me.
Not only had I been forced to deal with a Calamity, but I'd also been shoved into the position of Rank 1, put in charge of managing the guilds after being gone for two years, trying to balance my relationships with the girls, spending time with family, pretending everything was fine between me and my mother, and now—I was a Marquis.
'At this rate, I'll die of overwork,' I thought grimly.
The death of Duke Blazespout had created a massive power void in the Empire—one that Quinn had wasted no time in filling.
With me.
'I suppose because of his daughter, he gave up on opposing me,' I mused, my fingers drumming lightly against my desk. 'Smart of him. I didn't want to crush him.'
The first order of business was to move into an estate in the former Blazespout territory—now Nightingale territory.
Of course, my parents were coming with me. But now, I was the head of the family.
That meant my father was retiring from his position as Count Chase's Knight Captain.
"Arthur, I always knew you would do great things," Count Chase said as he patted my shoulder, his voice filled with pride.
"At just twenty-three, you are the most powerful man in the world."
"Thank you for your kind words," I replied smoothly.
The Count gave me a look before shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Please, be careful with your language, Marquis."
I raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"When you were Guild Grandmaster, it was fine to speak casually since I was above you in nobility," he said with a knowing smile. "But now, that is no longer the case."
I sighed, nodding. "I understand. See you later, Uncle Chase."
He smiled fondly before parting ways with us.
A luxurious black car was waiting to take us to our new estate.
As we drove through the vast Blazespout—now Nightingale—territory, my father turned to me.
"Arthur," he said, his tone softer than usual.
I met his gaze.
"I have yet to say this, but I am very, very proud of you and all that you've achieved."
For a moment, the weight of the past years—the struggles, the battles, the bloodshed—eased just slightly.
"Thank you, Father," I said, offering him a genuine smile.
He nodded, satisfied.
When we arrived at the estate, I was immediately thrust into the chaos of organizing the staff and finalizing the transition.
Neither of my parents were particularly helpful—not even Mother, despite her vast intelligence.
They simply lacked experience in this kind of administration.
Which meant all of it fell onto me.
"I'm going to die of overwork, aren't I?" I muttered to myself.
"Please, my Lord," a calm, clipped voice chided, "do not say such inauspicious things."
I glanced up to see Theron, my newly appointed butler, cutting a call on his phone with impeccable precision.
Theron was invaluable.
Efficient, experienced, and with the professionalism of a seasoned noble retainer, he had been the one keeping everything from falling apart.
His phone rang again.
He gave me a small bow before excusing himself.
As I engrossed myself in signing documents, he soon returned, his expression as unreadable as ever.
"My Lord," he said with a slight inclination of his head. "Princess Rin Ashbluff is here to visit."
I glanced up. "Rin, huh?"
Theron remained silent, waiting for my response.
"Alright," I nodded.
"My Lord," Theron pressed after a moment. "A Princess is visiting."
I frowned. "Isn't that fine?"
He exhaled through his nose, clearly restraining himself.
"No, My Lord," he shook his head, his voice carefully measured. "It may be different for your three fiancées, but now you are a Marquis of the Slatemark Empire, and she is the sole princess of the Western Continent. Even if you are friends, a certain level of… grace is required."
I raised a brow. "Theron, you do realize Rin just woke up and doesn't care about all that, right?"
Although Valen Ashbluff had chosen not to reveal the truth about her Gift, the world now believed she had been in a coma for years, only waking recently.
She had no political standing yet.
That meant no one expected her to behave like a proper princess.
"If anything," I continued, "she'd probably find it annoying."
Theron's expression didn't change. "That makes it more important, My Lord."
I sighed. "How?"
"If we do not prepare properly for her arrival, people may say we are disregarding a princess due to her inexperience. It may be overlooked now, but when she establishes her presence in the world, it may cause unnecessary problems."
I ran a hand down my face. "So you're saying, for her sake, we should do things properly?"
"Exactly, My Lord," Theron nodded.
I waved a hand. "Fine. Do as you please."
Theron gave a slight bow before excusing himself to make the arrangements.
As he left, I leaned back into my chair, exhaling.
Even my moments of rest weren't truly rest.
"And you," I scowled, turning to Luna, who was sprawled across the sofa, hugging a pillow while yawning in her teenage girl form.
Her galaxy-like eyes flickered toward me, half-lidded with exhaustion.
"You can't help me?" I pressed. "Weren't you with Julius Slatemark before me? He was a literal emperor."
"I'm a qilin, stupid," she muttered, shifting slightly. "I don't care about this."
I groaned. "Why have you actually turned into a teenage girl now?"
"Hey, I got hit by that stupid Axe King's full-power attack too, you know," she grumbled, burying her face deeper into the pillow. "The seal doesn't protect me from damage."
I crossed my arms. "So you got brain damage?"
She scoffed. "No, I just have no energy all the time."
"Then go back and stop taking my mana," I shot back.
She peeked at me with a lazy smirk. "The seal is in tatters now because you reached quasi Radiant-rank. Going back would slow down recovery."
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Well, when I fully reach Radiant-rank, you'll get all your strength back, right?"
She nodded absentmindedly before rolling over onto her back. "Yeah, yeah. Let me nap."
I exhaled sharply, choosing to ignore her as I returned to my work.
Hours passed.
It was almost time for Rin's arrival.
I glanced outside, watching as the black luxury car bearing the Ashbluff insignia rolled up in front of the estate.
Even though I was inside, my level made it easy to perceive everything happening outside.
The doors swung open, and every worker in the estate bowed deeply.
Rin Ashbluff stepped out.
No guards.
It made sense.
She didn't need them.
Rin was the strongest person in the Western Continent after her father, Valen Ashbluff.
Before I could say anything, she rushed forward and suddenly—
"Arthur!"
Her arms wrapped around me in a tight embrace, catching me off guard.
"I'm here to help!" she declared with a bright smile.
I blinked, momentarily tilting my head.
"…Help with what?"
__________________________________________________________________________________
"Seriously, what the hell?" My mouth hung open as I stared at the sheer amount of work Rin had managed to complete.
She turned to me with a smug smile. "Did you think I was stupid?"
"No, I mean—you've been sealed for so long, how?" I asked, genuinely confused.
Rin crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Arthur, if I had been sealed the way you believe, wouldn't I be acting like a five-year-old girl right now?"
I frowned, thinking about it. "…Yeah, that's true."
Her smirk widened. "That wasn't the case."
She leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming.
"Even in my manic state, I was able to learn. Whatever my parents gave me, I absorbed it. Because I was only manic when I could sense mana beings."
I stiffened slightly at that revelation.
"So as long as I had no contact with mana," she continued, "I wasn't mindless—I was sentient."
She exhaled, stretching her arms. "Of course, my parents checked up on me from time to time, and whenever they did, I'd lose control again. But beyond that?"
She shrugged.
"I didn't waste the eighteen years I was sealed."
I ran a hand down my face. "But seriously, you're better than me at this."
"Well," she said with a knowing look, "you never really focused on learning management."
I scowled, but she wasn't wrong.
"Your work isn't sloppy or bad," she admitted. "But you're simply taking on too much at once without proper delegation."
I nodded, reluctantly acknowledging the truth.
"If you're going to join the Council, your workload is only going to increase from here," she said, sighing.
My expression twisted in distaste.
"And that's why I'll help you!" she announced brightly. "I'll be your personal secretary for everything!"
I blinked. "But… you're a princess."
She huffed. "So what? A princess means freedom, not restrictions! And you've seen my ability!"
I stared at her.
I had to admit—her efficiency was terrifying.
She had taken my entire workload and handled it as if it were child's play.
It would be stupid not to use her help.
I exhaled. "Alright, you can help me."
"Yay!" she beamed, turning around swiftly.
Then, as she walked away, she muttered—just loud enough for me to hear:
"Now I'm under him one way… just need to be under him physically too as his secretary."
I froze.
She did not just say that.