Chapter 14
When Duke opened his eyes, he was sitting in front of a familiar computer.
He was briefly flustered by the sudden appearance of a computer.
Following the memories engraved in his body, he sat in the chair and turned it on.
By now, it had gone beyond habit and become instinct, so he launched a fighting game and entered matchmaking.
A few minutes later.
- “I hit first! Why is that his plus frame?!”
- “Fuck. Fine. Beat on your own all day.”
- “Aaaagh!! What are guns and swords doing in a fighting game?!”
Like any other game, fighting games inevitably had what people commonly called overpowered cheat characters.
At first, Duke chose a character with style, out of a fighting gamer’s pride, but once his last shred of reason snapped, he eventually brought out a cheat character too.
“Aww. It’s not cheating when I do it.”
But his happiness did not last long.
Bang, bang!
The keyboard keys scattered in every direction like popcorn.
“Fuck! Broooo!”
Duke had just received a taste of his own medicine.
Worse, he had been beaten by a legendary veteran of the fighting-game world while using a classic character, so he had nothing to say for himself.
In the end, his patience reached its limit, and he ended the game while pressing firmly between his brows.
When he had been climbing the ranks, he had at least felt a small sense of accomplishment, but now that he was at the highest rank, he could no longer feel that satisfaction.
For a moment, he remembered a friend asking why he kept playing and stressing himself out when he was already at the highest rank instead of simply parking there.
“Just inertia.”
He muttered toward the empty air, where no one was listening.
“Sigh. Time for some mental detox.”
Muttering alone in his room, Duke opened a webtoon.
The novel had ended, the anime was coming out tomorrow··· Ah, the webtoon.
After reading this week’s installment of <I Don’t Want to Be Emperor?> and pressing Like, he had nothing left to do.
‘I don’t want to play that stressful fighting game again··· Damn. I guess I’ll play a musou game.’
He launched a new game.
<Hexion Musou>
As its name suggested, it was a stress-relief game in which the player chose a character and mowed down hundreds or thousands of disposable soldiers.
It had RPG elements, so every match was different, and there were various builds to try.
Despite being a musou game, it even had a decent story and command inputs, not to mention the action.
Above all, it was safe to say that it included every action-game element popular these days, including parries and dodges.
Its controls, convenience features, difficulty, perspective, and camera had quite a few problems, so opinions were sharply divided, but aside from those issues, it was a fairly excellent game.
“It gets easier once you get used to it~”
The unavoidable motion sickness even after getting used to it was an added bonus.
With those thoughts in mind, Duke created a character.
‘What kind of concept should I go with this time?’
First, he set the custom appearance to a helmet and uniform.
His weapon was a greatsword, his primary magic was telekinesis, and he added several supplementary spells···
Then he set various minor traits and skills···
‘Huh? This feels familiar.’
Feeling déjà vu, he stood up to go to the bathroom before pressing the character-creation button.
Tap.
In the process, he accidentally knocked into the mug of cola sitting on the desk.
It seemed to have been pushed toward the edge of the desk while he was keyboard-shotgunning.
As he watched the cola spill toward the power outlet, Duke remembered.
“Oh, right. I died once.”
***
He opened his eyes.
It was an unfamiliar ceiling.
Although he had had an unpleasant nightmare, he did not spring out of bed.
I am a cool final boss.
Even when getting up, I must rise with charisma.
In this world, where he never knew who might be watching, he could not afford to show even the slightest opening.
He slowly rose from his place and rolled his shoulders.
Crack.
He would have loved to take a refreshing shower in a shower room, but he could not expect such luxuries in this fucking medieval fantasy world.
He could draw water from a well and wash in the inn’s backyard, but was it not a little strange for a final boss to be washing his back in a backyard?
That did not mean he went unwashed, either.
Duke was a charismatic final boss, not a medieval English aristocrat covering up his stink with perfume.
Fortunately, he had prepared a way to resolve this contradiction long ago.
“Purification.”
Shalala!
A cluster of light that seemed like it ought to come with a Shalala! sound effect enveloped his body.
It was a spell made by slightly modifying ordinary purification magic so that it made him seem as though he had washed.
He added several more spells to shave his beard and trim his hair, finishing his grooming.
Up to this point, it was a routine he had followed for more than a hundred years.
And from this point on came the routine that had begun today.
He took out his helmet, put it on, and donned the splendid uniform he had received from the clothing store yesterday.
Finally, when he draped the stylish cloak over his shoulders-
Ta-da.
I am a cool final boss.
“Ahem. Hm.”
That lame fantasy was over. He returned to serious mode.
He checked his clothes once more and headed toward Rex’s room.
Knock, knock.
The door opened.
Through the slightly open gap, A greeted him instead of Rex.
“Who are you?”
Correction.
Rather than welcoming him, she was closer to being wary of him.
A white tiger girl in a maid uniform glared at him.
It was the outfit Rex had bought for her yesterday.
A maid uniform reflecting twenty percent Rex’s tastes and eighty percent her own will.
‘So she really wears it.’
In the original story, they had had to give up several decorations because they were short on money, but in this world line, they had money to spare and could buy a remarkably sophisticated design for an ordinary maid uniform.
While he was absorbed in admiring the outfit, her sharp gaze fixed on his helmet.
“So you’re D. What brings you here so early?”
Swish- Tap, tap.
He heard her tail strike the doorframe.
Duke was not an expert in feline body language, but anyone could tell that this was wariness.
She actively conveyed her mood not only with her tail but also with an atmosphere vaguely resembling a hiss.
Indeed.
A hated him now.
The reason was simple.
He had met her by thrusting killing intent at her instead of offering a greeting, so there was no way she would like him.
Even so, he had plenty to say about her attitude.
‘Hey. Are you an animal? Getting petty over one little thing?’
Of course, if someone had pointed a sword at him the moment they met, Duke would have snapped their neck, but that was because he was petty.
If she was going to be the future empress, should she not be broad-minded?
Why was she still acting like this? She was not even a cat.
‘What? She’s beastkin, so isn’t she feline?’
‘Assuming that beastkin are like animals is speciesism. Waaah.’
While he was having such useless thoughts, she finally spoke, unable to bear his silence any longer.
“Lord Rex is sleeping right now, D.”
“Duke.”
“Pardon?”
“Duke. Just as you have the name Ari, I have a name too.”
A had revealed her name yesterday, and it was Ari.
Her real name was Arabella.
However, she used the name Ari in everyday life.
At his reply, her tapping tail stopped.
For a moment, he thought her wariness had finally eased, but he soon realized that was a misunderstanding.
“Hic.”
Well, well.
She was not wary. She was frightened.
Of course, the superstition that one would die if the Grim Reaper called one’s name still existed in this world, but was that really something to be so scared of?
Looking at her frightened appearance, he became certain.
‘Yep. She’s a cat.’
So much for the brave white tiger.
At this rate, it did not seem as though the story would progress even by the end of the day, so he directed his gaze over Ari’s head.
She had probably opened the door only a little so that outsiders could not see inside, but there was nothing she could do about his height.
The inn room was not very large, so he could spot Rex beyond her head from the entrance.
“Mmm···”
Rex was asleep alone in bed, scratching his stomach even though the sun was already high in the sky.
However, Rex had moved to the corner of the bed, and judging by the depression in the blanket on the other side···
‘They slept together.’
He could roughly imagine what they had said to each other.
One of them insisting on sleeping in the bed, the other saying they would sleep on the floor.
They had bickered and ended up sleeping in the bed together.
With a pleased smile beneath his helmet, Duke looked back toward Ari.
Cheering her up seemed impossible right now. How should he act in a way that suited his RP?
After thinking it over, he came up with a line.
“Tell me once Lord Rex has rested from his journey. I’ll be in the backyard.”
“Huh? Yes.”
Leaving her behind as she answered stiffly, as though determined to show that she was not frightened, Duke left Rex’s room.
***
After heading into the backyard, Duke spent some time meditating.
Though he called it meditation, his mind was racing as he planned what to do next.
‘Hmm. I must not get on Her Majesty the Empress’s bad side.’
He had built a wall between himself and the heroine at their first meeting because he did not want anyone to steal her from him, but he did not want to become her enemy either.
Just a close sister-in-law—that was all he wanted.
But things had gone wrong from their very first meeting.
Things were fine for now, but if he left them as they were, the empire would split in two before it was even founded.
‘This isn’t Eastern Rome and Western Rome.’
As Duke, this was a situation he desperately wanted to avoid.
Of course, if he had been worried about that, someone might ask why he had thrust killing intent at her the moment they met···
'How could I resist that.'
Honestly, as a loyal subject, he could not let a scene like that pass.
After finishing his meditation(?), Duke made his decision.
‘Good.’
Project: Let’s Become Friends with Ari begins.
Just as his meditation was ending, Ari and Rex walked out of the inn.
Duke sensed their presence, but he deliberately continued meditating.
“···”
It was only after about two minutes that Duke unfolded his arms and finished meditating.
[I was waiting because I was meditating.]
Apparently used to typing by now, Rex typed with one hand without even looking at the screen.
With his other hand, he covered his mouth as he yawned.
After a week of travel, he had rescued A and then gone shopping with her immediately afterward, so it was only natural that he was tired.
‘It seems like there might have been a spark between them yesterday···?’
Duke waited outside the shop instead of standing between them, in case he accidentally triggered some strange flag.
The problem was that because he had not spoken to Ari even once after unleashing his killing intent, they were still awkward around each other.
But today, an event had been prepared to resolve the emotional gulf between them.
[Today we were going to find out Ari’s full capabilities, right?]
“That’s right, Lord Rex.”
Ari’s enhancement training was scheduled to begin.
After Rex rescued her, Ari had volunteered to become Rex’s maid.
However, Rex had no intention of leaving her as a servant.
She possessed the makings of a hero, and they had been able to form the <Hero’s Covenant> as soon as they met yesterday.
Because of that, Rex strongly insisted that she become a combatant.
But Ari had also stubbornly insisted on becoming Rex’s maid. (For some reason, she was fixated on it.)
In the end, after arguing back and forth, they created the inexplicable occupation of combat maid(?).
The maid uniform Ari was wearing now was the result.
[Then take good care of Ari, Duke.]
Rex sent him a message.
In the original story, immediately after Rex purchased Ari, he had sent her straight into actual combat.
That was because Rex was good at tactical command but did not know how to train an individual’s combat sense or technique.
But this world had Duke.
In a world where even teachers were fortuitous encounters, there was no reason not to use the finest instructor around, Duke.
‘Leave medicine to the pharmacist, and training to the knight.’
As a result, Duke took full charge of Ari’s combat training.
“It’s an honor that you hold me in such high regard.”
‘Yes! Time to sort out the hierarchy.’
Duke also readily accepted Rex’s request.
Becoming the teacher of Rex’s newly acquired subordinates was another way to solidify his position as second-in-command.
There was also the fact that he could dote on her to his heart’s content while she was still a total newbie.
Duke acted solemn on the outside, but inside he was excited like an immature child.
Duke was about to begin training immediately.
However, before he could say anything, Ari opened her mouth.
“Because I don’t acknowledge you.”
The white tiger girl was still wary of Duke.
“How are you going to teach me?”
Rex let out a wry smile at those words.
[Ari. Duke is a good person, so don’t be like that.]
Ari nodded at that point as well.
“I know.”
She could understand a hundred times over why he had unleashed killing intent at their first meeting.
If she had been in Duke’s position, she would have seen red and kicked anyone who attacked Rex, too.
She felt hurt emotionally, but that was something time would resolve.
However, there was one more reason she disliked Duke.
‘If only you weren’t here···’
If only Duke did not exist, she would have been Rex’s right hand.
Of course, she knew that too.
Without Duke, Rex would never have been able to escape the doctor’s laboratory.
But if the conditions had been right, she could have replaced Duke as well.
‘He’s only second tier, just like me.’
She had simply been less fortunate than Duke.
Her tendons had already been severed when she was brought to the laboratory, and afterward, she had even been fitted with restraints that sealed her mana and spirit possession.
If the conditions had been right, she could have performed just as well as Duke.
That thought had only grown stronger after she confirmed the new power dwelling in her body that morning.
“I’m stronger than you.”
Pfft!
Rex snorted at Ari’s declaration.
Ari’s eyebrow twitched at this.
“Lord Rex?”
[Sorry. Really sorry.]
“It’s not unreasonable for you to think that. But after I formed a covenant with Lord Rex yesterday, new power entered my body, so things are different now.”
After forming the covenant yesterday and sleeping in the same bed as Rex, she had gained a new skill.
Unlike Duke, Ari seemed to be aware of the power dwelling within her.
The power had strengthened her loyalty to Rex (and her romantic feelings), but it seemed to have increased her jealousy toward Duke by just as much.
She firmly believed that Duke, like her, had used power gained from the covenant to rescue Rex.
‘Yesterday’s killing intent too···’
It had definitely been power gained from the covenant.
And now that she had gained power from the covenant as well, she believed that the power balance between the two of them had reversed in her favor.
- Or so she believed.
Rex and Duke could easily read her thoughts.
‘Not at all···’
Rex wanted to correct her misunderstanding.
Before forming the covenant, Duke had been a human calamity; after forming it, he had become a natural disaster.
‘Of course, Ari’s skill is powerful, but···’
The power of that skill did explain Ari’s confidence.
At level 29, her fangs were backed by a powerful skill that made them more than capable of threatening even a third-tier opponent.
It was an astonishing skill, one that could even threaten the neck of a fourth-tier opponent if the conditions were right.
But against Duke, it was a different matter entirely.
He could guarantee that her skill would feel like a massage device to Duke.
Rex chose his words carefully to dissuade her from making such a reckless challenge.
‘How am I supposed to explain this···’
The only reason Rex knew that Duke was a ninth-tier monster was because he possessed the cheat skill Appraisal.
By comparison, Ari had no ability like Rex’s Appraisal, and Rex could not share his information with her.
More importantly, Rex was terrible at dealing with people.
He could not think of a way to explain things without offending either Duke or Ari.
As Ari continued glaring at Duke, Rex wavered between the two of them.
In that situation, Duke found Ari rather cute.
‘That’s how a tiger cub is. She’s still at the age when she feels brave.’
If she had been sixth tier, he would have personally beaten her down with his fists to establish the hierarchy.
But she was only level 29 right now.
For superhumans, that was practically adolescence.
At this level, reached by only one person in a hundred, one felt superior, became capable of smashing house-sized rocks, and enjoyed confidence that reached the heavens.
‘Besides, reaching level 29 in a short span of barely over thirty is exactly when she’d think she was an elite.’
By superhuman standards, she was an elite among elites.
Naturally, there was no avoiding confidence reaching the heavens.
Because Duke understood her feelings, no matter how much she acted uppity, he found her cute.
‘Her skill probably has something to do with it, too.’
Duke also knew what her skill was.
In the original story, where Duke did not exist, it was a cheat skill that made her the undisputed second-in-command.
But Duke was not someone who would be frightened by such a thing.
‘I trained so I could beat you even without a skill.’
Duke had assumed that his own talent would never cause a covenant skill to manifest in him anyway.
That was why he had trained himself to the point where he could go head-to-head with Ari at the end of the original story.
In that situation, even if Ari, still a fresh newbie, hissed at him···
‘Cute.’
At times like this, the proper response was to accept it with broad-minded generosity rather than retort in a way that lowered his standing.
Duke showed no particular reaction to her attitude and turned around.
“Follow me.”
“Hic!”
Perhaps she had heard that as ‘Follow me to the rooftop,’ because she began hiccupping again.
Duke offered an additional explanation to correct the misunderstanding.
“To learn your full capabilities, shouldn’t we get your equipment ready first? We’re going to the forge.”
Duke led the way, his cloak billowing behind him.
Duke coolly strode away.
He also sent Rex a message.
[Don’t worry. I have something in mind.]
[Good. I’ll leave it to you.]
Rex let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, as he headed toward the forge, Duke thought to himself.
‘I’ve decided.’
His relationship with her would be that of teacher and student.
‘The empress’s teacher···’
Just thinking about such a position already made his heart pound.