Stella, who had just heard something ridiculous, finally stopped coughing, and was at a loss about what to do as she watched the maid wipe her saliva with a handkerchief.
But she had to say something.
“Ah, Father…? What was that…?”
“That’s quite a reaction, Stella.”
“I’m sorry…”
“Today, I had a conversation with Cadet Ian.”
At that moment, Stella’s heart skipped a beat.
When did they talk? More importantly, did the two of them discuss her engagement without even asking for her opinion? However, rather than overthink, Stella focused on her father’s words.
“I told him to marry you. He’s good enough to summon a 3-star summon without any foundation.”
“…What did he say, Father?”
“He said something strange. In the end, though, he agreed.”
“Agreed…?”
The Duke recalled Ian’s words and smiled faintly. A duke had to quickly grasp the political meaning behind others’ words and uncover any hidden intentions.
To someone as perceptive as the Duke, Ian’s words were metaphorical. The war between the demon lord and humanity had raged for centuries. For Ian to say that they could win within three years was essentially asking the Duke to wait for that time. As long as Ian didn’t have a child with another family, a slight deviation could be forgiven.
“He asked me to wait three years.”
“…Ian said that?”
“Yes.”
No, he wouldn’t have said that. If she knew Ian, he would never make such a statement. But the truth of that conversation was something only Ian and the Duke knew. Since Ian wasn’t present, she had no choice but to confront him later.
“Gulp.”
Even the thought of it made her anxious, but wasn’t it a young person’s right to act with courage despite fear?
Stella gulped down a glass of water to soothe her dry throat. It was a bad habit she had picked up at the academy—completely unlike a young lady.
The Duke’s face darkened.
“Stell—”
“Father!”
She slammed her hands on the desk, capturing his attention. His frown deepened. But she held firm, determined to overcome his disapproval.
“Did Ian really say that?”
“…What are you doing right now?”
“The Ian I know isn’t that kind of person.”
Her vision blurred as tears welled up, distorting her sight. But she refused to show any weakness.
In that moment, Stella realized how to deal with her father. There was no need for bold arguments. Simply following her own path while ignoring the noise around her was enough. It wasn’t the most diplomatic approach, but it was an undefeated one.
For the first time, Duke Hypnos looked slightly bewildered, unprepared for her defiance.
“Tell me exactly what Ian said.”
“…He said he would defeat the demon lord within three years. Then, there would be no need for you to marry him.”
“Is that so?”
If Ian had made that promise, he truly intended to defeat the demon lord. And if he succeeded, there would be no reason for her to sacrifice her future for the sake of humanity.
Not Princess Stella of Eritz.
She could become simply Stella—a cadet of the academy.
Realizing this, Stella burst into laughter.
“Father.”
“…What is it?”
“Forgive me for being rude, but I’ll marry Ian.”
“…Very well. If that’s what you want.”
“However, only if he hasn’t defeated the demon lord within three years.”
“You sound just like him.”
“Of course.”
She had no intention of marrying under family pressure. She was Princess Stella of House Eritz. With her charm, she could attract any man she wanted.
“Because I believe in Ian.”
***
Finally, the academy trip came to an end.
I thought I’d only fight low-level demons during this trip, but I found myself battling high-level ones as well. This week had been unexpectedly intense. High-level demons weren’t supposed to appear yet, and without me and the cadets, humanity might have suffered a devastating blow.
“Good work.”
Duke Hypnos handed us documents bearing official seals.
These seals confirmed that we had contributed to defending the region. After bowing briefly, we climbed into the carriage bound for the academy.
As the coachman cracked the whip, the carriage lurched forward—only to stop abruptly. We were thrown into disarray.
“Ah!”
“Hey!”
Noah and Dinua, seated opposite each other, bumped their heads together, while Stella and I rolled to the floor in a tangled mess. I scrambled to push Stella off me, her weight pressing down on my chest. She stared at me with wide eyes, but there was no way she could just sit on me like that.
“What’s going on?”
“Uh, there’s a carriage coming this way…”
“A carriage?”
Stella leaned out the window, her expression twisting with surprise.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“…It’s my mother.”
“Your mother?”
Now that I thought about it, Stella’s mother hadn’t been at the Eritz estate. In this world, it wasn’t uncommon for parents to be absent, and it was a sensitive topic I hadn’t dared to ask about. It seemed her mother wasn’t dead but had been elsewhere.
A grand, colorful carriage pulled up beside us. The door opened, and someone stepped out, knocking on ours.
Stella shook her head firmly, signaling not to open it. But there was no way to lock the carriage, so the door swung open regardless.
A striking red-haired beauty, who bore a strong resemblance to Stella, stepped inside. Unlike Stella, who dressed modestly, this woman wore a revealing outfit that showed off her figure without hesitation.
“My daughter, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“…Why are you here?”
“The estate was attacked. I couldn’t just stay in the capital.”
“Liar… You must have had another reason to leave.”
The woman smirked, her lips curving into an almost predatory grin.
Even that grin—something ugly on anyone else—looked stunning on someone as beautiful as her.
She climbed into the carriage gracefully, as if she owned the space.
Sponsor Chapters at the Patreon Shop: Along with BuymeaCoffee.
The Shop section on Patreon can be used as a way to make a one-time-payment. I will be creating products in the Shop section with the title of the webnovels. It will only have an image as the product, but it will count as the payment for the Sponsored Chapters.
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Things are Not Looking Good: Yes, things are not looking good. As you know, translation requires a lot of time and energy. I translate, edit and proofread the chapters on my own. I will be honest here, I started translating as a hobby, then it evolved to a hope of earning a living by doing something I enjoy.
However, I suffered a chain of misfortunes during and after the pandemic, and earnings from FSM and RTV helped me a lot. It became a significant part of my life. As long as my monthly income bordered around $200, I could make the time to translate in the middle of other works. Then RTV ended, and the earning decreased. Now, it has decreased to around $90-$100. And with PETTV nearing completion, that would decrease even more. A*dsence gets me about $ 0.50 per day, and you can’t get the payment until it reaches $100, so I can’t depend on that either.
It wouldn’t be an issue in normal circumstances, but it matters a lot to me since I am still dealing with a lot of financial troubles. I am currently looking for a job, and will have to invest my time and energy in it once I get it.
Long story short, if you enjoy reading this novel, support the translation if you can, either by becoming a Patron in Patreon, or sponsoring chapters at BuymeaCoffee. You can also take some time to watch a*ds to increase the revenue on A*dsence. Grains of sand together can form a desert.
FSM supporters has been supporting me from the start no matter what, so I would continue to translate FSM as long as I am alive. But for the other projects, I now desperately need your support so that I can spend the time and energy to serve them to you all. That’s all. Thank you.
As it was confusing in the chapter that described the battle I have to ask: How many demons were there in demon army rear? Was it one high level demon? Many high level demons? One high level demon and some upper level demons? Are high level demons the same as upper level demons or there is a diffirence?
It looks like Stella hates her mother and there is no love between parent and child and between duchees and duke. Duchees probably spends Duke’s money living lavishly in capital.
Thanks for chapter