I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 4 Chapter 4.4

It’s been a little over a month since entering the academy. Initially, life was hectic, but I’ve grown accustomed to it. Other students are also becoming more settled, and the restless atmosphere is calming down.

Caron and her friends have also integrated smoothly into the academy. The classmates who were initially distant—of course, carefully selected for their lack of ill intentions—have now become friendly enough for casual conversations.

Well, the reason no one approached me was because of me. Even though everyone has no particular hatred towards colorless, they apparently viewed me, the Count’s heir and top student, as an eerie presence due to the gap between common sense and reality that they couldn’t grasp.

If that’s the case, the solution is simple. If I take separate actions from Caron and the others, my classmates would find it easier to approach them. While my guarding abilities might decrease a little, they themselves are strong, and Shion and the others are by their side. I never intended to distance myself more than necessary, so it didn’t become a significant issue.

Thanks to that, Caron and her friends are able to enjoy their school life, which is a successful outcome. There’s no greater treasure than seeing their smiles.

However, I feel like Nina’s expression has been clouded more often. Probably because she still hasn’t grasped any leads on that certain culprit. Her attachment to this incident seems to be even greater than I anticipated.

To give Nina some peace of mind, I want to catch the mastermind as soon as possible.

“Excuse me.”

On a holiday morning, I visited the headmaster’s office.

By the way, the routine of patrolling the capital city, which was my daily task, is canceled for today only.

“I’ve been waiting.”

Since I had informed about my visit beforehand, the headmaster welcomed me in a normal manner. There was no eccentric behavior like before.

After exchanging greetings, we both took a seat on the sofa.

“Hmm?”

Suddenly feeling an odd presence, I inadvertently let out a sound.

Observing my reaction, the headmaster tilted her head.

“Is something the matter?”

“…Did someone enter this room before I arrived?”

I couldn’t quite grasp the nature of the strange feeling. However, thinking there might be some clue, I posed a safe question.

She blinked curiously and answered.
“Count Kushipos has come. The Royal Guards are scheduled to inspect the midterms next week, and we’re making final preparations for that.”

“Count Kushipos? I thought he had resigned as the captain a long time ago.”

“You’ve got it right. It’s likely your doing.”

“Oh, really?”

I shrugged nonchalantly, pretending not to know, although I had a hunch about it.

What I had done was the duel with the Sword Saint six years ago. After that, the royal palace was greatly disturbed.

First, the vice captain of the Royal Guards, who had acted as the judge, became permanently disabled. He had suffered serious injuries in the aftermath of the duel, which was to be expected.

Next, the captain of the Royal Guards was executed. The reason? Some members of the Royal Guards, upon learning about the vice captain’s retirement, held a grudge against me and challenged me to duels.

As some of the faction members acted recklessly and my subordinates dealt with them easily, I had intended to hold only their families responsible. However, aristocrats from the palace faction who feared my retaliation denounced the entire Royal Guards. As a result, the former captain was executed.

Lastly, Faeberun changed factions. Originally a noble faction that adhered to the monotheistic faith, they were so impressed by my strength that the entire clan requested to become my disciples. It’s quite something for a family of battle enthusiasts to willingly join the ranks of the one who killed their former head. And they were even willing to change their faith, showing their dedication.

They were quite persistent in their efforts to win me over, and I needed additional public escorts for Weimley, so I accepted them. Of course, I also made them convert to the polytheistic faith.

These three factors combined to greatly disrupt the power balance within the royal palace. With the absence of both the captain and vice captain, the Royal Guards were in chaos, and Faeberun, the strongest force, was now under my control.

… Well, it’s understandable to use retired individuals for support.

“Because of you, the position of ‘Sword Saint’ is still vacant. The military strength of the current Holy Kingdom has plummeted.”

“I don’t know about that. It’s not like anyone is willing to take on the role of ‘Sword Saint.’ Besides, if the Royal Guards are only, of that caliber, even if I did nothing, they would have deteriorated.”

I genuinely believe that the current captain of the Royal Guards would be swarmed and beaten up by several of Foranada’s servants.

Upon hearing my frank thoughts, the headmaster’s expression twitched.
“The Royal Guards have our top-performing graduate among their ranks.”

“Seems like their education is lacking.”

“That’s quite straightforward.”

I stated a fact. Not just in the academy, but the magical education in this world is far too outdated. When practical application is emphasized over theory, the educational protocol is at best mediocre.

“However, that’s not the topic I wanted to discuss.”

“You brought up the topic, though.”

Ignoring the headmaster’s protest, I pondered for a moment.

It’s quite timely that Count Kushipos made an appearance.

Ever since Nina displayed strong rejection, his son Eric, who is also a member of the academy’s A-class, has stopped persistently appearing. While we might coincidentally cross paths, we only exchange casual greetings. He wears a sorrowful expression, but it seems he has accepted the rejection.

To suspect a conspiracy just because parent and child are mentioned at the same time is a bit too conspiratorial. There are other matters to discuss, and I’ll keep the odd feeling at the back of my mind for now.

Adjusting my focus, I got to the main point.