The first day of school life had come to an end, and the homeroom teacher and the assistant teacher left the classroom.
There were some students who talked behind my back, but the day passed without any major disruptions. All that was left was to head home. Just as I stood to leave, Reinhardt called out to me.
“Thomas, would you like to have some tea after this?”
I realized that being hit on by a guy was not something that made me happy.
“Claudia will be coming too, along with a few others.”
Standing behind Reinhardt were Claudia and four other students, male and female.
Ah, I know what this is. A faction.
The current king has nine sons and six daughters—quite the large family—and the king’s children are competing for the throne. The battle for the throne mainly involves three candidates.
The first is the eldest prince, Ehrenfried, aged twenty-four.
Although it’s typical for the eldest son to inherit the family title, in the royal family, rank often determines who becomes king. Ehrenfried, with his A-rank, is by no means weak, but he cannot afford to let his guard down.
The second candidate is the fourth princess, Ellis, aged thirteen.
Despite not being the eldest child or the eldest daughter, Ellis is in the running for the throne because of her exceptional S-rank.
The third is the seventh prince, Reinhardt, aged eleven.
The charming and handsome boy smiling in front of me. He, too, is an S-rank, making him rank higher than the first prince.
These three are leading the battle for succession.
Although the eldest prince Ehrenfried’s A-rank is high, which should theoretically make things less contentious, the struggle continues.
This is why factions have formed around the candidates for the next king.
In this country, however, the competition for the throne isn’t about dragging others down; it’s about demonstrating your own abilities.
The first king of this country was a hero summoned from another world. Even if a prince or princess were to sabotage their rivals to seize the throne, the hero’s bloodline seems to reject such behavior. It’s said that engaging in cowardly or ruthless tactics negatively impacts the rank of their descendants.
This connection to the hero’s bloodline had also affected the Lightstar family. The malicious deeds of the family head influenced the ranks of his descendants. That’s supposedly why Jaze , a farmer of rank F, ended up as he did.
In a twisted way, I should be grateful to the head of the family. Because of this, even though Jaze inflicted violence on me, I managed to avoid serious injuries. Not that I’d ever feel grateful.
Although I’m an exception, the illegitimate children of the family generally have higher ranks compared to Jaze . Despite this, the Lightstar family actively drove away its more capable members and allowed the family to decline with low-ranking individuals at the helm. Even if the family hadn’t collapsed because of the recent events, it would likely have met its end eventually.
Grandfather once said that the secret of the hero’s blood had to remain hidden, so it’s possible the Lightstar family wasn’t even aware of it.
All this thinking aside, could I refuse this invitation…?
“…Gladly.”
Forcing a stiff smile, I answered.
The venue was changed to a salon.
“I am Bruno, the third son of the Count of Dillinger. A pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Daniel, the eldest son of the Count of Eichhorst. Nice to meet ya.”
“Good day. I am Deborah, the third daughter of the Count of Holtzwart.”
“I am Lene, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Neubert. I look forward to becoming well-acquainted with you.”
Bruno was a slender boy with navy blue hair and kind blue eyes. The Count of Dillinger was a prominent figure in finance.
Daniel was a large boy with brown hair and brown eyes, and his tone was casual. The Count of Eichhorst was a military heavyweight, much like Claudia’s family, the Count of Baltzer.
Deborah had soft pink hair and big, lively orange eyes that gave her a charming appearance. The Count of Holtzwart was a key figure in internal affairs.
Lene, with her silky silver hair and golden eyes, had an air of grace and carried a divine, unapproachable aura. The Marquis of Neubert was a prominent family from the west and a member of the kingdom’s supreme council.
All of them matched the faction members my grandfather had described as belonging to Reinhardt. I’d prefer to stay independent, though…
“I am Thomas Bald Roxfall, a marquis. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Since the four introduced themselves, I followed suit out of courtesy.
“Now that we’ve deepened our friendship, let’s enjoy some tea.”
That was just introductions and greetings, right? Was this Reinhardt’s idea of bonding?
The conversation during the tea party was mainly about exchanging recent updates. This felt more like what deepening bonds should be.
“I’ve been too busy since the end of last year to even step into a dungeon.”
“Oh my, do you enter dungeons, Thomas?”
Lene’s surprise was evident in her tone. Now that I think about it, their levels weren’t very high. Perhaps they haven’t started entering dungeons yet.
“I started entering when a dungeon appeared in the Ashud territory.”
“I’ve also just started going into dungeons recently!” said Daniel, flexing his arm proudly.
“When did you begin entering dungeons, Thomas?”
“Let’s see… since I was seven years old.”
“What!?”
Lene gasped at my response. Reinhardt and the others also looked surprised.
“Wasn’t it dangerous to enter dungeons at such a young age?”
“All dungeons are dangerous. There’s no such thing as a safe dungeon, is there?”
“Well, that’s true, but seven years old?”
Ah, now that I think about it, seven years old is around first grade. It probably was a bit early to start fighting monsters. A bit late to realize that, though.
“Ashud territory is home to many dangerous monsters, so the weaker ones are usually confined to the dungeon’s lower levels.”
Plus, I had a clear goal of leveling up, so it was only natural for me to hunt monsters.
“Is Ashud territory really such a dangerous place?”
Lene’s questions kept coming. Was she trying to gather information about me?
“During the winter, dangerous monsters like Metal Bears come close to human settlements. I’d say it’s quite a hazardous place.”
Thanks to my father’s protection, I was never attacked by monsters while I was in Ashud territory.
“Ahhh… finally done.”
Stretching in the carriage, I let out a sigh to release the social fatigue I had built up. I’m not the sociable type, so tea parties drain me. I’ll probably have to attend more of these in the future, so I’ll need to get used to it while I massage my shoulders.
