Hi. Hi, guys.

　I greeted him lightly at first contact.
　That's all it took, but there was a buzz and a groan.
　Why?

I'm sorry, Dariel. They are so unexpected and confusing.
What do you mean by unexpected?

　I'm getting more and more confused by the chancellor's follow-up.

He greeted me in a more civilized manner than I expected. I was expecting Alanczil's son to curse me out the moment he saw me.
Why would you do that?

　Huh?
　Because Mr. Alanziel himself always does it!
　How can he be such a mad dog?

"Your son seems more flexible than Alanziel, whose only value is in strength. You're much easier to talk to than Aranziel.
It's the position I'm in.

　As the head of Lax Village.

　Now, the center guild directors who were waiting for me are a total of eight people.
　They were seated in regular and equal positions around a round table that was modestly but opulently built and easily recognizable.
　For some reason, there was one extra chair that was not occupied, but I immediately recognized it.

　It must have been Roselwy sitting in that chair not long ago.

　The rest of the attendees were all uniformly old, and the youngest looked to be in their late forties.
　It would be natural for them to be in a position to make important decisions. The older a person gets, the more wise he or she becomes.
　It's not just a matter of time.

''So........just in case you want to make sure.

　One of the board members sitting at his side said.
　He looked awfully nervous.

''Are you really Lord Arantzill's son?
I'm afraid so.

　The director's expression twisted inexplicably as he got the answer.
　It can't be helped, I suppose, after eating such a vague answer.

It's not clear to me either. I can't just say that I'm not sure. It's just that my origins and the circumstances under which Arantzill-san was separated from her son alive, I think that's the case...
"I think we all know of the misfortune that befell Arantzill. It's not something I like to mention.

　The chancellor does a good job of following up.

Arantzill's son, whom we thought was dead, has survived unnoticed. His son, whom Aranziel himself thought to be dead, survived unnoticed. By chance they were reunited and the bond between father and son was restored.
I see...

　The board members agreed at one point.

'Then how did you live until your reunion with Lady Aranziel, Lord Dariel?
You're asking for an intrusion.

　I just spoke my mind honestly, but then the atmosphere changed at once.
　The level of caution went up all at once, or rather the air was like that.

''........Lord Stallenweiss!　Your delicacy is lacking!
Soft-spoken, but with a glimpse of steeliness.　

　Mr. Alanziel, how scared are you of these people?
　I'm afraid I'm nowhere near as frightened as they are.

We don't mind.　I was picked up as a baby by a 'good-hearted person' and raised to adulthood.

　I'm not going to say that that 'heartfelt person' is the overlord of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King's Army, though.
　The story gets too complicated, so I have a policy of going without saying anything that shouldn't be said.

''Ho........that's odd.......''
What a compassionate person you are. That's not a very despicable thing to do.

　Well, the people who have done such merciful deeds are the demons.
　They are your sworn enemy.

For some reason, I've left him for a reason and am now independent. Fortunately, there is a village that welcomes me, and while I worked hard there, I was able to become the village chief.
That's a career move!
"The genius that stretches to the chief in the village I happened to end up in!　As expected of Lord Arantzill's bloodline!

　The tendency to try to tie any positive factor to Mr. Alanziel.
　I don't mind that.

''.........Well everyone, I think this confirms Dariel-dono's resourcefulness and boldness.

　The Chancellor says as he organizes the scene.

It is a matter of habit for those who manage adventurers like us. When they find a genius, they can't resist the urge to unleash his or her full power. I'm not sure what to make of it, but it's inevitable that everyone will want to do their duty as guild director when they see this Dariel-kun.

　I felt like I was wrapping my words in an oblique manner.

But Dariel's genius is too great for a single person to claim," he said. In fact, Dariel, who is of a generation that is already well oiled, has improved himself sufficiently.
Yeah, well...

　The other board members agreed.

'Why don't you let Dariel use his talents as he sees fit, instead of being an unseemly solicitor like Roselwy?　Wouldn't that be better for the entire human race?
I agree with the chancellor.
Dariel, you are a fully-grown man already. I suppose we don't need to meddle in his affairs.

　They're all summed up in that kind of rhetoric, but the bottom line is, let's avoid the confusion and make a non-aggression pact.

　As the heir to Mr. Alanziel's bloodline, I would be the most attractive pawn in the power struggle.
　But that doesn't mean I'm not an ally, and if everyone tries to win me over, it will lead to a battle for power, which will eventually develop into a bloody power struggle.

　I'm sure the other board members can't be as aggressive as they should be, especially since they've already lost a victim in Roselwy.

'For my part, it would be more helpful if you did. I'm putting all my heart and soul into doing my job as village chief right now.
'No avarice past, is it? How humble....

　My purpose in coming to this big city is to make sure that people like Roselwy don't disrupt my life again.
　If we can create a situation where the great people can fight each other in this way, all the better.

　I was just about to think that I had accomplished my goal as soon as I visited, and all I needed to do was take it easy and go sightseeing and go home, when I heard a kon-kon-konk sound.

　After a knock, the door opens.

'Sorry I'm late...'

　It was Marika who came in.

'Why!　I thought you were waiting in the other room?'
I mean, if you're going to see your grandfather, I should say hello to you too, because it would be rude not to. Your father told me to be sure to do so.

　Further towards the door, Mr. Aranzir was standing with a deflated expression on his face.
　This guy couldn't stop his wife, could he!
　And if you think about it, she was weak to Marika from the time she visited Lax Village.

''Who is this...?''
It appears to be Dariel's wife, Your Highness...?
You must have a baby. I knew that girl was cute at that age...?
'With a social position at that age, is it natural to have a family...?
''Arantzill-sama, I'm scared!

　The board members are all confused by Malika's appearance.
　One of them is frankly afraid of Mr. Arantzill.

　My wife, however, doesn't care about that and goes about her business at her own pace.

''Grandfather!　It's been a while!
Oh, oh...

　With a glance, I ran over to the President of the Center Guild.

''My father and mother send their regards. Thank you so much for inviting me!
I'm glad to hear that my granddaughter is happy to be here. I'm glad to see my granddaughter is happy to see her.

　Even the Chancellor of the Thousand Mountains of the Sea was swept away by Marika's wife power.
　She couldn't hide her confusion.

''No, you know what?　I'm in the middle of an important conversation with Dariel-kun, so I'll talk to you privately later...?
''Gran has grown up again!　She's been waiting to meet her great-grandfather for a long time, too!　Hey?

　There is no excuse for this as I say so and present my child in front of the board chairman.

　The atmosphere of the board of directors' meeting changes drastically.

''Chancellor...?''
What does this...?

　The icy gaze of the board members surrounded the Chancellor.
　As I pulled Marika back, I realized something important.

'You didn't tell them, Mr. Chancellor, did you?　That my wife is your granddaughter...?
Because that's the last thing I want to do!　They'll think I skipped out on you for sure!　And they'll hate you!

　Mr. Chancellor revealed his true feelings.
　The other board members also started to make a fuss around her.

''Chancellor!　What do you mean?
You gave your granddaughter as your wife?　Make a show of inviolability and then hold your genius firmly in your arms?
Disgusting!　It's not fair!　Why do you always do that, Chancellor!

　A stubborn cursing match with no euphemisms or tactics began.

''........I doubt anyone will believe it's a coincidence.

　If we get this far.
　I didn't want Malika to accompany me because of this, but Mr. Arantzill wasn't as useful as I thought he would be as a restraining agent.

　What do you think of this?
　I don't want this to be the start of a war of interference with me, but it's a hassle, so I decided to throw it into the hands of the chancellor.