Vol. 1 Chapter 3 – The Legendary Me-e-e-e!

“Just as I thought… it’s there.”

I stare intently at my open palm.

So many things happened yesterday that I did not have the time to pay attention to it but it is definitely there.

That said, I am not talking about the arm I was supposed to have lost. Magic particles are drifting through the air.

In my previous life, after the Empire sealed magic through some unknown method, every last magic particle vanished from the atmosphere. No, maybe it was the other way around…Because the magic particles vanished, magic became unusable.

That should have been the case, and yet, when I concentrate my awareness, I can now clearly feel their presence. Apparently, even the magic particles that should have been lost have recovered after three hundred years.

‘I won’t know for sure until I try it, but… if I can use magic, I might be able to research to my heart’s content again.’

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the moment I realized magic particles existed was probably the moment I felt the most excited since achieving reincarnation.

“What is the matter, Ozma-dono?”

Shirley tilts her head and looks up with clear, unclouded eyes at the creepy man who had suddenly started staring at his own palm and grinning.

“Ah, no… It’s nothing.”

Right now, together with Shirley, I had left the royal castle early in the morning to avoid people’s eyes and headed out into the city.

“It really is… the royal capital.”

I recognize the shape of the roads. However, not a single one of the buildings lined up here is the same as it was when I was alive.

It is a district I remember, yet buildings of a style different from the ones I know stand there. That strange sense of discomfort instead made the passage of three hundred years stand out all the more clearly.

“It must have changed quite a lot since your era, Ozma-dono.”

“Yeah. The shape of the roads is the same, but the architectural style is completely different. It was not this neat and beautiful back then. Well… the last time I saw it, the cityscape had been scorched black by the fires of war, so I suppose that makes me feel that way even more.”

“This country is peaceful, after all.”

Shirley smiles gently.

Today, she is wearing a white blouse with a green-based jumper skirt. I do not know whether it is the current fashion or whether it has become established as traditional clothing but many of the women walking along the road are all dressed in similar outfits.

“How should I put it…today, you look normal.”

When I say that, she gives me a blank look.

“Normal… you say?”

“No, when you were wearing armor…well, you were not really hiding much, so… I wondered if that was the kind of thing you liked.”

In an instant, her face turns bright red like a ripe fruit and she raises her voice.

“Wha!? N-No, that is not it! That armor is the formal attire of the Royal Guard Knights, and, um… spirits dislike iron and prefer nature, so I suppose one could say that the parts it covers have to be kept to an absolute minimum…”

“Ah…I see. So that’s what it was… Then do all the other knights dress like that too?”

“Yes. There are some slight arrangements, but they are generally more or less similar.”

“Men too?”

“Gentlemen as well. However, that only applies to those who possess a certain level of spirit power or higher…”

“Spirit power…”

As for me, I am extremely curious about this thing called spirit magic, which I have heard mentioned many times since yesterday. After all, it is magic that I, the court magician of the Kingdom of Edvard and the father of combat magic, do not know.

I do not know what these spirits are, but judging from the conversation, they seem to be life-forms (?) with their own wills, and magic is manifested by forming a contract with them.

“Um…Ozma-dono, do you not like this kind of clothing?”

“No, I think it’s cute. It suits you well.”

In truth, I do think she looks cute. I had the impression that she was rather stiff and formal, but dressed like this, she looks like a girl her age.

“I am relieved to hear you say that. This is my first time going out into town with a gentleman, so I was worried whether this kind of outfit would be acceptable.”

“Really? That’s surprising.”

“Surprising… you say?”

“Well, Shirley, you’re beautiful…”

“B-Beautiful!? D-Do you truly think so?”

“Y-Yeah. I thought you were probably popular…”

When I called her beautiful, she leaned her face closer in excitement, but the moment I said『you were probably popular』her mood suddenly dropped. With a deep wrinkle forming between her brows, she muttered quietly.

“Being popular with people I do not wish to be popular with is nothing but unpleasant…”

Faced with such an extreme reaction, honestly, I can only feel bewildered. As expected, a woman’s heart is difficult to understand.

Even before I reincarnated, Miska, who served as my secretary and my disciple Claire had constantly told me that I『had no delicacy』 but…

Yeah, this is awkward. I decided to quickly change the topic.

“By the way, Shirley. I would also like to try learning this spirit magic. What should I do?”

“As expected of you, Ozma-dono. You are so diligent! In that case, I believe it would be best for you to study at the Academy. You can see a spire over there and that is the Academy’s school building.”

“Oh… Can anyone enter it?”

“Not just anyone may enter, but you are an exception, Ozma-dono. Once we return to the castle, I shall immediately instruct Giselle to make arrangements for your enrollment.”

Once again, I am being treated as an exception. If I carelessly say something that sounds like a request, it feels as though they will force it to come true no matter what, so I really have to be careful. Still, if that means I will be able to learn spirit magic, then this time, I will gratefully accept.

I walk side by side with Shirley down the central avenue that runs straight through the royal capital. It should be a place I know, and yet now, everything that enters my sight is fascinating.

Even with just the signs, I can read the letters but there are many things whose written content I do not understand. The writing itself has not changed but as words, they must be things that did not exist in the era when I was alive.

When I peek into the market, it is bustling with people. It is full of energy. Just as Shirley said earlier, this country truly must be peaceful. Seeing children running around between the shops makes the corners of my mouth loosen without thinking.

“This place… really is Vesta, isn’t it?”

“Vesta? Ah…That was the royal capital in your era, Ozma-dono. That is what I learned in my history lectures. After the Imperial occupation, its name was changed to Vestikaya, and after the founding of our country, it was changed to Saint Ozmaria.”

“That Saint Ozmaria name is… kind of…”

“Embarrassing?”

“I’d say it’s so far beyond what I deserve that I can’t bear it.”

“Ufufu, Ozma-dono, you are so humble.”

I say nothing in particular to her as she smiles happily. Even if I denied it, it was obvious that she would probably take that as humility too.

“What is that?”

On the other side of the main avenue, far in the distance, I can see something like a wagon with large sails stretched across it, pulling several box-like things with wheels. It looks a lot like that horseless carriage called a moto, but its size is incomparable.

“That is a spirit train.”

“A spirit train?”

“Yes. It transports people and goods along dedicated roads spread throughout the country. For example, if I remember correctly, Ozma-dono, you are from Rimel…”

“You know that well.”

“It is common knowledge. If you were to board that now, you would arrive in Rimel before noon.”

“Haaaaaaaaah!?”

This genuinely shocks me.

It might be the most shocking thing I have experienced since waking up in the world three hundred years later.

My hometown, Rimel, is a remote region where even the roads were hardly maintained. No, I do not know what it is like in this era but at the very least, that was how it was when I was alive. Father was technically a noble, but in practice, he was almost no different from a village chief. It was such a backwater countryside that the lord himself tilled the fields alongside his people.

Because it was a mountainous region, it could not be reached by carriage, and from the royal capital, the journey required crossing countless mountains on foot and took around two months.

After losing to the Empire, I did consider returning there once, but the roads were so terrible that I quickly removed it from my options, deciding that reaching it alive would be impossible.

So if I am told that I can reach it in only around half a day, of course I am going to be shocked.

Perhaps pleased by my reaction, Shirley proudly puffs out her chest a little.

“Rimel is now a major tourist destination. Ozma-dono’s birthplace is a sacred site and pilgrimage destination of the Orthodox Church of Ozma. The water from the well where Ozma-dono is said to have taken his first bath as a newborn is called holy water and traded at high prices. In the nearby area, there is also an amusement park themed around Ozma-dono’s achievements, called 『Ozmaland』which is operated directly by the royal family.”

“What did you say?”

“Ozmaland.”

There are far too many things to question here. The Orthodox Church of Ozma, Ozmaland… Is this country really all right?

“Th-That place called Ozmaland… If it is under direct royal control, does that mean the Clarie family has fallen after all?”

When I say that, she gives me a blank look.

“It has not fallen, though?”

“Huh? No, but the heir…”

“I only learned this in my history lectures, so I do not know the details, but after Ozma-dono’s death, the lord at the time…your father, Ozma-dono. That man apparently became fired up, took the maid who served him as his second wife and devoted himself to making children. In the end, he left behind three sons and one daughter, and currently, the Clarie family should be managing Ozmaland as their family business under commission from the royal family.”

“…A-A maid!?”

Without thinking, I nearly collapse to my knees.

At the time, there was only one maid serving at my family home. It was Alicia, whom I had doted on like a younger sister.

Even after I left home, we never stopped exchanging letters, and I knew that she did not think badly of me either. There was an age gap between us but I had even thought that if she wished for it, I would someday call her to the royal capital and take her as my wife. And yet, to think she had left behind children with Father of all people…

‘No, w-wait a second… that’s rough.’

The face of Alicia, who had waved to me with a lonely expression when I departed for the royal capital, crosses my mind.

I know. It is not as though anyone is at fault. No one is at fault and yet this feeling of having been cuckolded is no joke.

She was a war orphan whom Father had taken in. If Father desired it, there was no way she could refuse.

When I imagine the hand of that middle-aged, paunchy man, my own father though he may be, reaching out toward the simple yet adorable Alicia, something sour feels like it is about to rise from the pit of my stomach.

‘I suppose I should be glad that I avoided committing the sin of letting our bloodline die out, but…’

In truth, whether Alicia was unhappy or not is something no one can know now and there is nothing I can do. No one can turn back time.

I felt as though I had been beaten down by the irreversibility of the time that had passed.

***

“Let us rest here for a little while.”

Even I never imagined that the matter with Alicia would leave me this depressed. Worried by my poor complexion, Shirley takes me by the hand, and I sit down on a bench in the central plaza.

‘I’m grateful that she’s worried about me, but of all places, it had to be here…’

I think Shirley simply has not noticed but this is the place where I was executed.

Three hundred years ago, this place had been nothing more than a stone-paved plaza but now fountains and statues have been installed, several green hedges have been planted and it has completely transformed into a beautiful park. That said, from my perspective, I died only yesterday…when I think that I died here, I cannot help feeling a slight chill.

“…How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I was just a little tired.”

I smile at Shirley, who sits down beside me and peers worriedly into my face.

Apparently, the name of the maid who became Father’s second wife has not been passed down, but honestly, it would be impossible to think that it was not Alicia. There is no use being trapped by what has already passed. It is already beyond my reach.

I absentmindedly look around.

Then my eyes stop on a statue standing tall in the center of the plaza. It depicts a rugged-faced, muscular man holding a spear and straddling a lion. Shirley follows my gaze, nods, and speaks with a somewhat proud expression.

“That is a statue of you, Ozma-dono.”

“Which Ozma is that supposed to be!?”

If I had not been dragged into the war, I would have been the very definition of an indoor type, holed up in my laboratory forever.

To put it bluntly, the me from three hundred years ago was all skin and bones, thin and lanky. Not once had I ever possessed a super muscular body like that.

“I mean! Why am I straddling a lion…?”

“Ah, that depicts the episode where you, Ozma-dono, defeated a man-eating lion.”

“That’s the first time I’ve ever heard of that episode!?”

Even the person himself is hearing about it for the first time. What a truly terrifying story. I have no idea what a man-eating lion is supposed to be. Besides, despite me being a court magician, why is this person engaging in hand-to-hand combat? Yeah, that is definitely not me.

“The daughters of this country gaze upon this statue and wish that, in the future, they may be joined with a manly gentleman like you, Ozma-dono.”

“…Somehow, that gives me an incredible sense of guilt.”

“N-No, the current you has only just reincarnated, Ozma-dono, so it is only natural that your physique and dignity are not what they once were.”

“That’s not what I mean!”

If anything, my current body is much more toned and in better shape. I can expect quite a lot from my physical abilities, and my body feels lighter than anything I have ever experienced before.

But then Shirley suddenly gasps with a『hah…』

“Ah… m-my apologies. This is, um… the place where you lost your life, Ozma-dono…”

Shirley looks apologetic. It seems she really had not noticed after all.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past…when I was executed, I was around where that statue is now, and beyond that…Feria was watching from around there.”

“O-Ohh! It is just as I learned in history. And right before you were executed, Ozma-dono, you shouted your love to Her Founding Majesty from here, did you not?”

“…………Excuse me?”

“Even if Ozma dies, my love shall never die! No matter how many times I am reborn, I will surely find you. I love you!”

‘What the hell are you saying!? Legendary me-e-e-e-e-e!’

I feel a headache coming on. This is an outrageous fabrication.

At the time, Feria was a child around ten years old. If I had shouted something like that, I would undoubtedly have died socially at the same time as I lost my life.

Judging from that theatrical phrasing, some third-rate playwright’s invention must have been passed down as if it were historical fact. This too is truly terrifying. The legendary me was a completely questionable person who defeated a man-eating lion in hand-to-hand combat and loudly screamed his love at a little girl.

Perhaps thanks to desperately retorting to everything, my mood clears before I know it, and we head toward the urban area along the Ille River, around the place that had once been the slums.

Now, there is no trace of the slums left. The whole area has completely changed, and compared to the streets we have passed so far, it looks especially prosperous. The shops lining both sides of the road have brightly colored signs hanging out front, creating a lively atmosphere.

“This area is… um, a pleasure district.”

Shirley shows a bashful gesture. Even though I was the one who wanted to come here, a pleasure district would certainly be a high hurdle for a girl who said this was her first time walking around town with a man.

“It is said that this is the place where you, Ozma-dono, disguised yourself as a vagrant and hid…”

At the place she points to, there is a copper plate embedded into one section of the paving stones.

I stand beside that plate and look around. The buildings around me have certainly changed completely, but I recognize the shape of the road. There is no doubt about it. This is the place where I had been lying.

“The hollow in the stone paving beside that plate is said to have been carved out in the shape of your bottom, Ozma-dono, and it has become one of the royal capital’s leading tourist spots.”

“Just how hard is my ass supposed to be…?”

Of course, there is no such truth to that. I do not know whether it was worn away by exposure to rain, or whether someone hoping to turn it into a tourist attraction deliberately carved it out.

‘Still, to think the former slums became an entertainment district…’

Naturally, I do not see any shops open from the morning but I am impressed that it managed to change this much.

Right after the war, this place was a gathering spot for those who had lost their homes in the war, lined with shabby shacks and tents.

As I look around curiously, Shirley, for some reason, turns bright red and tugs on my sleeve.

“A-As expected, i-it seems there are no shops open at this hour, but, um… should you desire it, on Altezza Street to the east, the brothel that was your regular establishment, Ozma-dono, is still operating even now, so perhaps tonight…”

“Wait a second… What did you just say?”

“Your regular brothel, but?”

“I’ve never been to anything like that!”

Then her eyes open wide, and a shocked expression appears on her face.

“Eh!? B-But there is even the signature you left on the wall, Ozma-dono, and I have heard that the love poem you gave to a woman named Miss Miska, whom you are said to have dearly loved, is engraved on a copper plate as well.”

Miska. The moment I hear that name, I collapse to my knees.

“…That woman was my secretary.”

Since I had left all the paperwork to Miska, most of my signatures were actually written by her imitating my handwriting. That signature was probably written by her too. I do not know what happened, but after the war, she may have fallen on hard times and become a prostitute or something.

“That damn woman…”

Miska was cool, sharp-tongued and the kind of person who must have been constantly mocking me deep down. But apparently, once I was raised up as some kind of legend, she took full advantage of it.

I instinctively grimace. Meanwhile, Shirley asks me with a completely shaken expression.

“When one speaks of you, Ozma-dono, one speaks of boundless stamina. There are brothels all across the country displaying signs claiming to be establishments favored by you. Could those perhaps also be…?”

“All fake! Let me make this clear, I-I have, um… no experience with that sort of thing.”

“D-Do you mean to say you are a virgin!?”

“Could you choose your words a little more carefully!?”

Shirley is struck speechless, her face looking as though she might faint on the spot.

“T-T-T-This is a matter of great importance. I must report this to Her Majesty the Queen and r-revise history…”

“W-Wait a second!?”

“Our country’s historical records state that you, Ozma-dono, are a man among men with an insatiable sexual appetite… The number of regular brothels that have been granted official certification exceeds several hundred.”

“Hey! My private sexual matters are written in the history books!?”

“Of course they are! However, the establishments known as your regular brothels also receive preferential tax treatment. If all of those claims are false, we cannot simply ignore the matter. We must rewrite the historical records to state that you, Ozma-dono, are a virgin, inform the entire country that you are a virgin and strip those lawless people of their privileges!”

“Stop! Don’t announce my virginity to the whole country!”

I somehow manage to calm down Shirley, who is flustering and panicking. Still, when all is said and done, we are right in the middle of a pleasure district. To anyone watching from the side, we may have looked like a couple having a lover’s quarrel.

“To think that you were a virgin, Ozma-dono…”

Although Shirley appears to have calmed down somehow, the shock must have been great, because even while looking dazed, she circles the conversation back to it again.

“No, please spare me from that topic already…”

This is some kind of outrageous humiliation play. The current me may look like a boy around his teens on the outside, but inside, I am a middle-aged man in his forties. Having a young girl repeatedly say『virgin, virgin』to me is honestly painful.

Shirley places a hand on her chest, takes a long, deep breath and mutters as though trying to convince herself.

“If I think about it calmly, the fact that you are a virgin, Ozma-dono, should be kept secret. Its impact would be far too great. So to speak, it would be like the sun rising from the west. It would be as though common sense itself had been overturned from its very foundation.”

“That’s exaggerating…”

When I say that, she opens her eyes wide and thrusts her face close to mine.

“It is not an exaggeration! If this matter is handled incorrectly, this country could very well perish!”

“My private matters are that incredible!?”

Even if I am told that the country might fall because I was a virgin, I have no idea what kind of face I am supposed to make.

“For example, among the nobles within the country, there are two families that claim to be your descendants, Ozma-dono.”

“There’s no way that could be true.”

“Yes, of course. You are a virgin, after all. Even without that, as a country, there are records stating that when you passed away, you regretted being unable to leave behind an heir. Therefore, we cannot possibly acknowledge the existence of any descendants. All the more so because you are a virgin.”

“You’re saying『virgin』way too much.”

I can feel a slight malice in it.

“But that was probably fabricated by their ancestors. Their families possess genealogies that list you, Ozma-dono, as their ancestor. They claim that since you were a man of boundless stamina who had slept with countless women, it would be strange if you had not fathered any children.”

“Even if they say that…”

“For nobles, face is more important than anything. If word spread that you were a virgin, Ozma-dono, those families would likely rebel. They would gather their pet nobles and plot treason against the state. They would say,【There is no way the great hero could have been a virgin!】Thus, the Virgin Rebellion would break out.”

“A civil war would break out because of virginity!?”

“Yes, most likely. However, that is still the better outcome.”

“There’s still more…?”

As I grow haggard, Shirley nods with a serious expression.

“Our country’s state religion is the Orthodox Church of Ozma, but the Orthodox Church would absolutely never acknowledge that you were a virgin, Ozma-dono. Rather, they would condemn the royal family as apostates who blasphemed the sacred Ozma, and a religious war between the royal family and the Church would break out.”

“That’s absurd…Does this Orthodox Church of Ozma really have that much power?”

“Yes, very much so. If the royal family and the Orthodox Church came into conflict, the royal family would be at a disadvantage. Most of the nobles and nearly all the common people would side with the Church. Their faith in you, Ozma-dono, is that deep. In the doctrine of the Orthodox Church, God, Ozma, and the high-ranking spirits are regarded as one and the same. To put it plainly, you are God himself, Ozma-dono.”

At that, I collapse to my knees without thinking. Forget being treated as a great hero, now I have finally been treated as a god.

“No… b-but if I’m a god, then having a pure body should be…”

Shirley quietly shakes her head.

“In the Orthodox Church of Ozma, sisters preserve their virginity for life. Taking the vows is regarded as marrying you, Ozma-dono, and it is said that after death, in heaven, they will spend their first night with you. If it were said that you were a virgin, Ozma-dono, it would be the same as telling all the sisters who ended their lives while preserving their virginity that salvation had never been granted to them. There is no way the Church would ever acknowledge such a thing.”

“What kind of religion is that…?”

“When you ask what kind… Let me see. As for its defining feature, all high-ranking sisters have huge breasts. What you favor, Ozma-dono, is regarded as sacred, so in the Orthodox Church of Ozma, huge breasts are considered sacred. Therefore, I hear that a sister’s rank is mainly decided by the size of her breasts.”

“Huh?”

“I have never met her myself, but apparently even Her Eminence the Archbishop, despite her advanced age, possesses such enormous breasts that they drag along the ground…”

“That’s beyond the level of huge breasts!”

“I hear that the sisters spend each day training by massaging one another’s breasts…”

“That’s definitely an evil cult! In the first place, why did it end up being decided that I like huge breasts!?”

“Because numerous erotic books discovered in your birthplace, Ozma-dono, are displayed in the National Museum and all of them featured huge breasts.”

For a moment, I cannot understand what Shirley is saying.

“Wait a second. What did you say is being displayed?”

“Erotic books?”

I remember that for a while, those sorts of prints were popular, and Father enthusiastically collected them. Father insisted that they were splendid works of art but as far as I was concerned, they looked bad to outsiders, so I had wanted him to stop.

“Due to the abundance of those huge-breasts works, the council of clergy officially recognized you, Ozma-dono, as an unparalleled lover of huge breasts.”

“Those erotic books belonged to Father!”

“Eh? But in Chapter Eight of the scriptures, there is also an episode where you, Ozma-dono, went on an expedition to the East in search of the legendary huge breasts and there, you met a silver-haired girl, massaged her breasts for one hundred days, and raised them into peerless huge breasts…”

“Restrain yourself! Legendary meeeeee!”

As I scream without thinking, Shirley gazes at me with a blank expression.

“Could it be that this is not true?”

“Why would you think it’s true!?”

“Then, Ozma-dono, do you dislike women with large breasts?”

“…………”

No comment.

In any case, the legendary me is far too awful. The more I learn about him, the more I discover he is a complete pervert, and as a result of worshiping a man like that as a god, some incomprehensible religion seems to have been established.

***

Around noon, Shirley brings me to a dining hall that she says she often visits. It is a large restaurant filled with the murmur of all sorts of customers. At a glance, it is clearly a very common, ordinary eatery.

“My recommendation is the stewed chicken shkmeruli. This restaurant’s version is exquisite!”shkmeruli¹

“Yeah, then I’ll have that.”

I do not even know what kind of dish shkmeruli is, but since I do not know whether the dishes that existed in my era still exist in this era, for now, I have no choice but to leave it to her.

‘Still… this is unexpected.’

I look around the interior of the restaurant.

Since she serves as a Royal Guard Knight, I assume she must be a noble of fairly high standing, so the fact that she regularly visits such a commoner-style restaurant feels quite surprising.

That said, honestly, I am grateful. Since I am a country bumpkin at heart, I am not good with overly formal restaurants.

Besides, right now, I am completely exhausted just from all the stories I heard throughout the morning.

After all, the legendary me is dangerous.

Despite being a magician, he is a monster who fights lions with his bare hands, possesses an ass of steel, is a lolicon, is obsessed with huge breats and is a sexual deviant with hundreds of regular brothels. On top of that, he is a god.

If it were me, I would absolutely never go near a guy like that. To be blunt, the people of this country worship and revere that kind of person. To put it mildly, I cannot help thinking that every single person in this country might be insane.

Worse still, because of their fanaticism, if they ever discovered that I was Ozma or that Ozma was a virgin, it could develop into civil war or even a religious war. Now I fully understand why Shirley and Giselle had been so careful to hide my existence ever since they came to pick me up.

‘I can never call myself Ozma again…not in this situation.’

I can only think that throwing away my name and living as someone else would be the best choice. However, thanks to being able to talk with Shirley at length, I have roughly figured out what I should do from here on.

While using various excuses to dodge whatever Her Majesty the Queen tries to force onto me, I will first learn spirit magic at the Academy. Then, once I have more or less gained a foothold in mastering spirit magic, I will escape from the royal castle, hole up in some countryside somewhere, cut ties with the secular world and spend the rest of my days immersed in magical research.

It seems like conventional magic can also be used and now there is a new research topic called spirit magic as well. If I can research magic as much as I like without anyone getting in my way, then I could even call that a dream life.

‘Yeah, not bad. No, actually, isn’t that the best?’

The moment I think that, Feria’s tear-stained face crosses my mind.

‘No, Feria. It’s not like I hate the idea. It’s just, being suddenly told to make children is a bit… You know, everyone has the right to choose, right…?’

It is not as though I have no interest in women and while I was not particularly popular, it is not as though I had absolutely no connection with women in my previous life either. Alicia surely did not think badly of me and since I was a court magician, marriage proposals were brought to me as well.

The reason I never had a chance to properly date, let alone marry, was simply because I spent my days immersed in magical research, because my subordinates and disciples got in the way, and because I was dragged into the war leaving me with no time for that sort of thing.

‘Can I call today… a date?’

When I casually turn my eyes toward her, my gaze meets Shirley’s, who, as always, is gazing at me in rapture.

The first girl I met after being reborn. That armor, which looked like something a lewd exhibitionist would wear, honestly made me recoil but she is truly quite beautiful.

Our ages are different enough that we could be parent and child, so I had thought that looking at her that way would not be allowed, but with my current body, we are probably around the same age.

‘Even if I were to live in seclusion somewhere, if it were together with a girl like her, I would have nothing to complain about…’

As I am thinking such things, she suddenly lets out a troubled voice.

“Um… Ozma-dono, if you stare at me like that…”

When I suddenly come back to myself, Shirley’s face is bright red, and she is fidgeting, twisting her body. Apparently, while lost in thought, I had been staring intently at her.

“Ah, yeah, s-sorry.”

I must not misunderstand. The gaze she directs at me is always filled with admiration, but the one receiving that gaze is surely the『legendary me』not the flesh-and-blood me.

However, perhaps this is what they call being tempted by the devil. I may have gotten carried away by the fact that my current self is a handsome young man.

I want to see her get even more embarrassed. That is what I ended up thinking.

When I think about it, it is completely the idea of a dirty old man, but regardless of my appearance, inside I am unmistakably an old man.

Yeah, it cannot be helped.

I once again meet her gaze and stare straight at her.

‘『I was captivated by your beauty』… All right, this is it! I’ll say it. I’ll really say it!’

While gazing into her eyes, I tilt my head slightly and let a faint smile appear.

And then…

“I was captivated by your beautif…………………………”

I bite my tongue.

I freeze. Shirley stares blankly. The old man sitting beside us looks at me twice. The air is unbearably awkward. If I died right now, the cause of death would be death by embarrassment.

I hear a waitress in the distance say,『Don’t mind.』

Stop. Please don’t encourage me. Yeah, I want to die. I should never have come back to life. Lil’ ol’ me is gonna reincarnate one more time.

But at that moment, as if completely unfazed by that hopeless atmosphere, a shadow suddenly falls over our table.

When I lift my tearful face, I see men with villainous faces surrounding our table. Well, well, even salvation comes in the form of thugs sometimes. But truly, thank you. I could even call you my lifesavers.

They are not wearing armor, but they have swords hanging at their waists, and they are clearly wrapped in a disturbing atmosphere.

“What are you people!”

When Shirley raises one eyebrow in displeasure, a man steps forward as though pushing the others aside.

He has a slender body dressed in gaudy golden clothes that look expensive at a glance. Beneath his ugly hooked nose, he has a small mustache, perhaps because he thinks it looks stylish.

The moment that man steps forward, he glares sharply at me.

“You! Why are you here!?”

Shirley hurriedly rises from her seat and takes a guarded stance. The little mustache turns toward Shirley and twists his cheek bitterly.

“There was someone who informed me that my fiancée was committing infidelity.”

“Infidelity? Let that misshapen mustache of yours be the only joke here! I have no intention of being taken as a wife by someone weaker than me! Don’t tell me you have forgotten the contract with the Spirit King!”

“Of course I have not forgotten. But once tomorrow morning’s duel is over, you will belong to this Jotta-sama. Also, my mustache is cool.”

“Let that mustache be the only joke here. Your fifteen consecutive losses will simply become sixteen consecutive losses! Also, your mustache is ugly. I’ll say it again, mustache! Ugly!”

The little mustache makes an offended face.

‘Enough already, you two! I’m getting so distracted by the mustache that the important parts aren’t sinking in!’

It is not as though he heard the cry in my heart, but the little mustache shrugs, then turns a scornful gaze toward me.

“I suppose this is meant as some petty spite against me, but to have a tryst with such a lowborn man… I never thought you were a woman with such poor taste. Once I take you as my wife, I will thoroughly retrain you, so be prepared!”

“What! How rude! Do you even know who this person is…”

Shirley nearly blurts out my name, then twists her lips in frustration. For a moment, the little mustache looks suspicious at her reaction, but then he begins loudly rattling on in a mocking tone.

“This person? Hah! What do you mean, this person? From what I can see, he does not even seem to house a spirit so he cannot be a noble. With that soft, womanly face of his. I do not know what male prostitute he is, but if you were going to commit infidelity anyway, surely there were better partners!”

In an instant, Shirley kicks her chair back and stands, raising her voice.

“You bastard! To go so far as to call him a male prostitute! I will not allow any more disrespect than this. Even without waiting for tomorrow’s duel, I will beat you down right here!”

The men draw their swords one after another, and the surrounding customers scream and flee in panic. Ignoring the uproar around her, Shirley takes a dining knife from the table and shouts loudly.

“Come forth at once, Raideen!”

The next moment, the knife starts crackling as it releases purple lightning.

‘Ooh! So that is spirit magic! There is no change in the magic particles in the atmosphere. Does that mean it activates through a completely different principle? Ooh! Truly fascinating!’

I am so excited that I cannot help myself. But now is not the time for that. There are ten men, including the little mustache, and Shirley’s only weapon is a dining knife. This is the very definition of being badly outnumbered.

The little mustache twists his cheek unpleasantly and says with plenty of composure,

“This is not an official duel, after all. Do not expect one-on-one combat, my fiancée. I will not do anything that would damage the precious body that will bear my children but that man over there will not get away unharmed.”

“You bastard…!”

Shirley grinds her back teeth with a giri sound and takes a stance as though shielding me behind her.

‘Good grief…’

I still do not really understand who this man is or what kind of relationship he has with Shirley, but if he intends to harm us, there is no need to hold back.

While still seated, I call out to the little mustache.

“Hey, you.”

“What is it? Begging for your life?”

The little mustache turns his face toward me while grinning as if mocking me. It is all right. I can feel the flow of magic particles. I can use magic without any problem.

“I’ll say this first, and I’m not using a metaphor or anything. If you don’t hurry up and run, your ass is going to catch fire.”

“Hah? What nonsense are you…”

He was probably about to sneer at me. At the same moment the corners of the little mustache’s mouth lift, flames roar up with a sound from around his ass.

“Uwaaaah, hooooot!”

“Y-Young master!?”

The little mustache jumps into the air and his attendants panic in confusion. Shirley stands there dumbfounded. And I, inwardly, am freaking out at the power of my own magic.

‘Wh-What is this? Hey, hey, hey, the power is way off!’

Of course, the flames that rose from his ass were caused by magic. However, the spell I used was nothing more than simple『Ignition.』

In the Kingdom of Edvard, it was a beginner-level spell classified as life magic. Setting fire to any chosen spot with only one’s gaze and without touching it required a certain level of skill but fundamentally, it was an essential skill for housewives, used for everyday cooking.

I only meant to light a small fire and scare him a little, but for some reason, it activated with power on the level of『Fireball.』

“Gyaaaaaah! I’m burning! S-Someone! W-Water! You lot! P-Put it out! W-Water! Give me water! Hurry!”

As the little mustache rolls around on the floor, one of his attendants grabs a water barrel from the corner of the restaurant and hurriedly dumps it over him.

Naturally, the little mustache is soaked like a drowned rat. The fire is extinguished, but he pathetically lies there with his ass fully exposed, his eyes rolled back white, and stops moving.

“W-Was that a fire spirit?”

“No, th-there wasn’t any sign of that, was there?”

The inside of the restaurant grows noisy. The attendants look at one another in shock. Apparently, just as I can sense the existence of magic particles, these people can sense the presence of spirits.

‘Has my skill grown rusty because it’s been so long? I didn’t intend to burn him that spectacularly… But, well, I accomplished my goal more than enough.’

I look around at the attendants and raise my voice.

“Hurry up and throw him into a clinic or something. At this rate, he won’t even be able to take a shit by himself anymore.”

“Guh! R-Remember this!”

After spitting out a parting line with not even a shred of originality, the attendants carry the little mustache and rush out of the restaurant.

From here and there inside the restaurant, I hear people breathe out in relief. The murmuring does not stop. Since the place has many commoners, I can even hear excited voices from people delighted that an unpleasant noble has been made to suffer.

Still wearing a shocked expression, Shirley turns her face toward me.

“O-Ozma-dono, could that just now have been… a-ancient language magic?”

“Well… yes.”

The moment I say that, Shirley’s expression brightens.

“As expected of you, Ozma-dono! Amazing! Amazing! To think I could witness a fragment of the legendary great hero’s ancient language magic with my own eyes! I am deeply moved!”

As usual, she gazes at me with eyes full of admiration. However, as someone who failed to control the power of a beginner-level spell, I honestly feel a little awkward.

I clear my throat lightly and decide to quickly change the subject.

“By the way, what was that idiot from earlier? He called you his fiancée…”

In an instant, Shirley’s expression clouds over.

“…What that man said about me being his fiancée is not wrong.”

“Is that so? Then I did something bad…”

Honestly, I am shocked. While hiding the turmoil inside me, I say that, but Shirley shakes her head so hard it looks like it might come off.

“Not at all! With someone like that, if he had simply burned to ashes on the spot, I would have felt so much more at ease!”

“It sounds like… there are circumstances behind this.”

When I stare at her, Shirley shows all sorts of hesitation, then timidly begins to speak.

“This is a shameful matter, but my father, who passed away last year, left behind debt…to that man’s family, the Huleck family. As payment for that, the Huleck family came demanding that I marry that prodigal son… Jotta.”

‘I see… Still, what a pathetic guy, needing to use debt as leverage just to court a woman.’

I shelve the fact that I have never once courted a girl myself.

‘No, see, I simply never had the opportunity! I’m the kind of kid who can do it if I try!’

“There is no doubt that it would be a marriage into a higher-ranking family, but being taken as wife by a man like that makes my skin crawl. So I devised a plan. In this country, a contract with the Spirit King is absolute. Before the wedding with that man, I petitioned Her Majesty the Queen and was permitted to form a contract with the Spirit King.”

“A contract?”

“That I will not marry anyone except someone who can defeat me one-on-one!”

“I see…”

“No matter how much they try to pressure me by using the debt, in this country, a contract with the Spirit King cannot be treated lightly. Of course, since it is a contract, if I am challenged to a duel, I cannot refuse, but there is not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance that man can defeat me.”