The fun and exciting party was over, and there were only a few days left of the fall break.
In December, the second semester would begin.
I had been writing letters to my younger brother for a while, but…
“Uh, excuse me.”
“Hm? You two are…”
“I’m Alan, sir.”
“And I’m Betty!”
Alan, the black-haired cat beastman.
Betty, the tawny-haired dog beastman.
They were the leaders of the orphans.
“What’s up? Have you finished your tasks?”
“Yes, we’ve completed them all.”
“Well then, for your next task…”
“We’ve completed all the tasks in the mansion.”
…I see.
“How about a little test?”
I gave them a light paper test (high school entrance level).
…They got everything right.
I see, these two are quite capable.
“Were there any who couldn’t keep up?”
“Unfortunately, a few…”
“Those children… we think they might be ‘disabled.’ Some can’t see, or can’t speak. So, we were wondering if we could implement something like ‘disabled employment’?”
Hmm?
In this world where I can ignore the opinions of others or public sentiment, there’s no real benefit to specifically hiring people with disabilities…
“Well, that’s fine. I don’t fully understand, but is this a sense of camaraderie? If you’re determined to support those who are less capable, do as you like.”
If they’re okay with it, then that’s fine with me.
“Of course, we won’t leave them as they are. It’s still in the planning stage, but we’ll definitely find a way to utilize those who don’t meet the standards you’ve set, sir.”
Oh?
“Well said, Betty. Fine, you two are capable. I’ll appoint both you and Alan to be officers. For now, consult with Ada and manage the personnel.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And one more thing…”
I rubbed both of their bellies.
“Eek♡”
Magical pressure…!
“Ooh♡”
…Why is Alan, a boy, enjoying this too? Normally, boys don’t feel anything from this.
Well, whatever. Anyway, I pushed the magic gathered in their lower abdomens up to their brains, turning them into magic users.
I’ll call this process “magic awakening treatment” from now on.
After all, I need to increase the number of magic users.
I’ll buy up children from the nobles I met at the party and from slave traders…
I don’t plan to create an empire like the Holy Cross Empire, but children are easier to handle in many ways.
Once these children meet their quotas, I’ll perform the magic awakening treatment on them too.
The first batch of children should arrive by December.
…Anyway, Alan and Betty are extremely talented.
They survived that terrible slum and acted as leaders for the orphans.
At first, they couldn’t even speak politely, like stray dogs, but now they’re refined enough to use courtly language.
And they did all that with just a month of self-study.
Their learning speed rivals mine… no, it might even surpass mine.
Now then, let’s start teaching them magic…
“It’s the new semester, you useless bunch. Huh? Why are you looking at me like this doesn’t concern you? You teachers were pretty useless too, you know?”
“Well then, once again, you talentless lot. I’m Exus von Xanadu. I’ve been granted the title of Honorary Baron by the King, so from now on, call me Xanadu… no, that’s uncomfortable. Call me Lord Xanadu.”
“You talentless fools seem to have learned some pointless magic and can now use some weak spells. Congratulations. While you were wasting your time, I gathered 500 orphans, and 300 of them are now magic users.”
“How did I increase the number of magic users? Do you think I’d tell you? Well, even if I did, none of you could do it anyway. In any case, I’m steadily expanding my power.”
“Ah, but you’re all quite lucky. Take a look at this VR vision. …Understand? In short, I’m saying that those who follow me will be offered seats as senior members of my secret society.”
“Being a senior member is great! I’ll grant you the right to use the magic I’ve developed! Not only that, but you’ll have priority access to my new Game Gear products. Depending on your contributions, I’ll even give you magic swords, magic tools, and summon creatures! You’ll also have access to useful golems and study groups!”
“Even if you’re just collaborators or sponsors, depending on your loyalty, the quality and quantity of what I give you will increase or decrease. There aren’t many seats available! Come to me in droves!”
At the opening ceremony of the second semester, I was already enjoying myself as I delivered the keynote speech.
In order to recruit more members for my secret society, Aurora, I also started gathering members from the academy.
They don’t have to be full members—associate members will do.
This country will collapse eventually, and the church is so overbearing that who knows what will happen. I’m offering the nobles a new gamble.
Nobles, after all, usually leave bloodlines in both camps to avoid their lineage dying out…
If that’s the case, a secret society.
It doesn’t rely on blood ties, but it offers a solid connection.
A new structure to replace the Kingdom of Viltoria…
Up until now, the idea was, “Let’s socialize because we’re kingdom nobles,” but from now on, I’m offering them a new way: “Let’s socialize because we’re members of the secret society.”
Still, this secret society lacks the ‘prestige’ that the royalty and nobility love so much.
…Oh? That’s strange.
Didn’t I recently make a friend who’s the epitome of ‘prestige’…?
After school, I gathered those who were interested at the headquarters of my secret society, Aurora—located in a former slum mansion—and called in a friend.
“Th-that person!”
“No way!”
“T-the Second Prince?!”
“Indeed, I am Gilbert, the Second Prince. I’m a friend of Exus here…”
With those words, my friend Prince Gilbert appeared at my mansion.
Smiling, Gilbert praised me.
“Exus is a remarkable magician. I’m sure he’ll teach you all useful magic. True, the church doesn’t exactly hold him in high regard, but as for that, well…”
As expected of royalty, he’s smooth with his words.
He skillfully mixes reasonable guesses, wishful thinking, and light lies, making it sound as though I’m some sort of benevolent figure.
“If the Second Prince says so…”
“Indeed, my father says the Second Prince is wise.”
“My family even told me to win the favor of the Second Prince…”
The noble kids murmured to each other.
Of course, I’d already mixed in a few of my own, like Alan and Betty, dressed up and disguised among the crowd. No loose ends.
“This is going to split opinions…”
“Hmm, should I side with the First Prince or the Second Prince’s faction…?”
“I’ll side with the Second Prince. My older brother is friends with the First Prince, so I’ll form ties with the Second Prince…”
And just like that, they start picking up on some imaginary faction nonsense. I haven’t said anything. I just called my friend over.
I’ve never even thought about factions.
It would be quite troublesome if they misunderstand like this.
Well, I won’t bother correcting them.
It’s amusing, after all.
