"It's already sprouted?" Surprise flickered in Dark's eyes.
"I used a few little tricks," Ollie said.
Ollie lifted the hem of her skirt and crouched down carefully, examining the tiny, tender sprout.
She stood about one meter sixty-six, with a pure and gentle appearance, a quiet, virtuous air about her, and a faint, ever-present smile that made people feel instantly at ease.
"The Diesel Seed absorbs the stray desires that drift free from people. Standing near it can calm the mind. Once it grows into a towering tree, it might make a fine spot for the sisters' spring picnics."
Dark nodded slightly and crouched down as well, studying the new sliver of life up close.
The Mother Tree of Desire's very name made it easy to associate with the Seven Deadly Sins.
Its leaves could be used to make Thought Notebooks, and its branches for advanced Thought Bottles.
If the bark were cut and the sap drawn out, it could even be refined into a special potion that let one recall the full range of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.
In short, it had many uses.
The unfortunate part was that its materials weren't well suited for Forging Magic Guide Spirits.
The Forging of Magic Guide Spirit Cards was closely tied to thought and spirit, and the materials from the Mother Tree of Desire carried too many tangled, chaotic notions — using them would turn the Magic Guide Spirit Card into a foul, reeking sludge during the refining process.
Dark reached out and lightly touched the sprout, then withdrew his hand and said softly, "Since you managed to sprout it in such a short time, you must have some understanding of how to grow it into a full tree within three months?"
Ollie blinked at him. "That's a secret."
Dark said, "Sister Ollie—"
Ollie laughed. "His Grace will tell you."
...
After looking over the Diesel Seed, the three of them didn't head back right away, but continued strolling slowly along the path through the flowerbeds.
Ollie rattled off the names of the flowers and plants growing there as though reciting a familiar list.
Dark had once known nothing about such things and cared even less, but things were different now.
He was gradually discovering that his own backyard flowerbeds hid quite a few treasures among the flora.
Those treasures, once properly processed, could all become rare materials for brewing potions.
By the time the orange-red sun had fully sunk beneath the treetops, Dark finally left the flowerbeds and made his way to the pool.
A fierce waterfall poured down from the cliff face, crashing into the pool below with a thunderous roar, magnificent and imposing.
The rare aquatic beasts kept in the pool sensed someone approaching and surfaced all at once, letting out affectionate cries.
Dark led Aurora to sit on a large rock and reminisced. "Whenever I'm in a bad mood, I like to come sit here. Watching the waterfall smash down from such a height — it's like slamming all your pent-up frustration onto the ground. There's something wonderfully cathartic about it."
Aurora said quietly, "You get in bad moods too?"
Dark looked a little surprised. "Of course I do."
Aurora stuck out her tongue. She'd honestly always assumed Dark was the carefree, thoughtless type.
Judging from the things he'd done in the past, that wasn't entirely wrong.
But now that Dark had recovered his memories from his past life, he'd naturally grown much more mature.
She turned her attention back to the aquatic beasts in the pool, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that an Aqualizard?"
Dark followed her gaze and saw a massive lizard surface from the water.
Its head was flat like a toad's, its body covered in dark green scaled armor, its four limbs splayed to the sides with webbed feet, and its long, powerful tail ended in a fin at the tip.
This was the first time he'd noticed an Aqualizard in the pool, and he couldn't help but ask, "Sister Ollie, is this a new arrival this year?"
Ollie smiled faintly. "Yes. His name is Aqua. His Grace rescued him from the laboratory after wiping out the World-Ending Dragon Cult."
"The World-Ending Dragon Cult?" Dark looked a bit surprised. "Now that's a name with some flavor to it."
Ollie said slowly, "It's a cult of madmen who tried to create a dragon beast capable of destroying the world. They worshiped a world-ending dragon beast from the ancient era named Glas."
"Pfft." Dark clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
Why not just call it Godzilla while you're at it? Maybe throw in a pound of nuclear wastewater?
Still, the presence of this Aqualizard sparked an idea in Dark's mind.
The Aqualizard was a water-attribute sub-dragon species, with countless varieties ranging from low-star to high-star.
The one in the pool wasn't especially high-ranked — probably somewhere in the middle tier.
But judging by its condition, it seemed to be doing quite well.
It had clearly been fattened up nicely during its time at the ducal estate.
"Meow—"
Suddenly the Aqualizard let out a cat-like cry toward Ollie, startling both Dark and Aurora for a moment.
Ollie explained, "Aqua's vocal cords were removed during experiments on him and haven't fully healed yet, so that's the only sound he can make right now."
As they spoke, the smaller aquatic beasts leapt out of the pool one after another, scrambling to climb onto the Aqualizard's broad, flat back.
Some of the beasts bounced around on top of him, while others lay on their backs, showing off their soft white bellies to the sky — utterly adorable.
"Taming naturally vicious water beasts into something like this — no wonder it's the Duke's estate..." Aurora couldn't help but let her mouth fall open in astonishment.
Dark, meanwhile, studied the little water beasts thoughtfully, then asked, "Has this Aqualizard ever shed its skin?"
Ollie said, "No. If Young Master wants materials, the estate has blood crystals made from simply processed samples of his blood."
Dark asked, "Has his blood been replaced?"
Ollie nodded. "His blood was severely contaminated. To save him, we performed a total of eight bloodletting treatments, gradually diluting out the toxins with fresh blood. Even so, there are still trace contaminants remaining in his blood. That said, those shouldn't pose much hindrance to Forging a Magic Guide Spirit — if things go smoothly, they might even get purged out during the Forging process itself."
Dark mulled it over for a moment, then said suddenly, "So Mother bringing him back to the estate — was that partly for this reason?"
"Of course," Ollie said, her smile widening. "After all, Young Master is already a Magic Guide Master."
...
By the time the sky had gone fully dark, the three of them finally returned to the residence.
Alvit's work sometimes ran late into the evening, which delayed dinner in the household as well.
Dark and Aurora arrived at the dining hall first and found, next to the usual table, a slightly shorter one had been added, with chairs of all different sizes and shapes around it — obviously custom-made.
Not long after, his Magic Guide Spirits filed into the dining hall in a neat line, led by the maids, looking for all the world like schoolchildren.
The moment they spotted Dark sitting inside, the previously well-behaved spirits burst into a flurry of excitement.
Several of them even tried to break formation and dash toward him.
But Gatomon, walking at the front, gave a single light clap of the hands, and the commotion instantly settled.
The Magic Guide Spirits fought to control their impulses and took their seats one by one at the new table.
Dark propped his chin on his hand, smiling as he watched them, the melancholy of the day gradually fading away.
Before long, the maids wheeled in carts one after another, first serving a platter of cut fruit, then teaching the Magic Guide Spirits how to use knives and forks.
The dining hall grew steadily livelier, filled with the endless mewing of the Magic Guide Spirits.
Of course, some of the spirits without hands could only watch.
Some harbored a faint hope of their own turn; others looked a little dejected.
After a maid brought him a cup of goat's milk, Dark turned his attention to the new newspaper.
The situation in the capital had grown murky and unpredictable these past two days, and the Holy Church's movements had grown more frequent.
The previously stalled "execution plan" targeting the Demon King seemed to have been put back on the agenda, and the papers were once again touting the "achievements" of that Holy Church scholar named Abel Yerkes.
Earlier reports had claimed that after more than a decade, he had finally devised a method to completely kill the Demon King.
With nothing else to do, Aurora picked up a newspaper too, following Dark's example.
After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the adults finally arrived together.
Claire, Alvit, Suna.
The three of them sat at the far end of the table, still deep in discussion.
Dark set down his newspaper and listened in, gradually piecing together what they were discussing.
It turned out they too were talking about matters related to the Holy Church.
"Has it been decided?" Dark paused for a moment before suddenly cutting in.
Alvit didn't seem bothered by the interruption at all; instead, she smiled. "Broadly speaking, yes. The Holy Church is set to carry out a public execution of the Demon King in July. They've kept their secret well guarded — even many within the Holy Church itself believe Abel Yerkes has genuinely found a way to completely kill the Demon King."
"If we didn't already know better, we might half-believe it ourselves," Claire said, shaking her head. "The Holy Church really is skilled at pulling the wool over people's eyes."
Of the three adults, neither Alvit nor Claire showed much concern regarding the matter of the Demon King.
Only Suna Montielfali had looked worried ever since walking in, appearing as if she couldn't bring herself to eat.
After answering Dark's question, Alvit turned to her and said, "There's no need to worry too much — just make sure you're prepared in advance. Even if something does go wrong, I'll have Eliza raise the banner and send troops to the Free City in the name of humanitarian aid, to help you all fend off whatever crisis might come. It would benefit Eliza just as much, so it's a win for everyone."
City Lord Montielfali let out a small sigh. "If it were possible, I'd still prefer that we half-bloods protect our own homeland ourselves. The Free City is both our hope and our dignity. But if it truly proves impossible, I'll ask for help."
"Good, that's settled then," Alvit said, relieved.
She knew her old comrade-in-arms's temperament well, but it seemed that these ten years as ruler of a city had changed her somewhat.
City Lord Montielfali went on, "Given how things are developing, it seems I need to return to the city ahead of schedule. Whether the Demon King is resurrected or executed, either outcome is bound to spur the remaining demon-race factions into greater activity. We're standing on what was once demon-race territory, and the Free City itself is full of mixed populations — we're very likely to be their first target."
"Mother, are you leaving?" Aurora, who had been listening quietly all this while, couldn't help but ask.
City Lord Montielfali nodded slightly. "In about three days. Once I've confirmed the execution ritual is really going ahead, I'll head back. As for you, you'll keep staying at your Aunt Demon's house. I know you won't make me worry, right?"
"Mm..." Aurora answered, but she was clearly downcast.
Alvit comforted her. "Little Aurora, just think of this place as your own home. And if you ever miss home, you can always write a letter."
Aurora nodded. "Thank you, Auntie." City Lord Montielfali sighed quietly to herself but said nothing more.
Leaving Aurora at the ducal estate had been a decision she'd made only after careful consideration.
On one hand, she wasn't a Magic Guide Master herself and couldn't give Aurora the education she deserved.
On the other hand, the dangers facing the Free City were only going to grow more severe, and though Aurora looked delicate and fragile, she sometimes did things that left her very uneasy.
There had been precedents before, and she simply didn't dare leave her in the Free City.
Aurora was her most precious treasure — even more important to her than the Free City itself.
...
Once everyone had gathered, the maids quickly began bringing out the food.
The three adults stopped discussing business and, led enthusiastically by Alvit, began asking Dark and Aurora all about their day's activities.
Naturally, there was nothing embarrassing about that.
Dark recounted the whole day's events one by one.
The itinerary, which he found rather dull in his own opinion, somehow had Alvit listening with great relish.
Once Dark had finished his account, she said with a smile, "So it seems little Aurora has had her eye on her Dark-gege for quite a while now, hasn't she?"
Dark hadn't mentioned any of the spots he'd once caused trouble at along the way, and yet Alvit had seen right through it at a glance.
Her question caught Aurora completely off guard, and she nearly wanted to crawl straight under the table from embarrassment.
Watching this scene, City Lord Montielfali suddenly realized that even if she formally proposed breaking off the engagement, it might not go smoothly at all.
Her little moon's life had already been filled early on with the mark of Dark.
This belated realization made her shake her head over and over.
But who else was there to blame?
Who had it been but herself, with her loose tongue, who'd let slip the "engagement" in the first place?
...
After dinner, perhaps having heard about Dark's exploits at Magic Guide Chess, Alvit suddenly got the urge to play a match.
She had the Maid Captain, Miss Jasmine, go fetch a long-dust-covered set of Magic Guide Chess from the storeroom.
The pieces of this set were nowhere near as refined as the newest ones on the market today, and the piece types were quite different as well.
But anyone familiar with modern Magic Guide Chess could quickly pick up the rules with just a little practice.
So Dark played his very first match against Alvit.
There was no surprise at all.
He was thoroughly crushed, routed without mercy!
Alvit always came across as a bit scatterbrained in front of him, so much so that he nearly forgot she too was a battle-hardened Valkyrie!
Even though commanding wasn't her greatest strength, whenever she did need to command, she'd never once faltered.
All manner of tactics and strategies came to her effortlessly.
With his level of skill, Dark could only bully his peers.
The moment he faced a truly seasoned veteran like her, he barely stood a chance to so much as lift a finger.
The bitter defeat only stoked his fighting spirit.
A second match was quickly set up.
But Dark couldn't turn the tide and suffered another crushing loss.
Watching him lose again and again, Claire couldn't stop grinning.
Dark shot her a glare and immediately started the third match.
The scene from atop the Star Tower earlier that day now played out in reverse.
Alvit tried to let him win, but Dark caught her red-handed and called her out on the spot, forcing her to keep playing for real.
Dark absorbed the lessons from his losses, and his skill steadily improved.
Finally, after more than a dozen matches, he pulled off a brilliant comeback move and won his first hard-fought victory.
Before Alvit could even suggest "one more round," he decisively called an end to the session.
"Is it really this late already? Mom, I'm off to bed. Good night."
One win a day is enough!
...
Back in his bedroom, Dark pulled up the system panel and, smiling to himself at the slightly increased "Pride" gauge, drew off 1.5 points.
Among the Seven Deadly Sins, "Pride" really was the safest one after all.
It rose easily and was easy to keep in check.
Just from going out for a stroll and playing a bit of chess with someone, it had risen effortlessly.
"Pride, Greed, and Lust."
He looked over at "Lust."
In the mere handful of days since he'd come home, "Lust," which had been drained down to just 80 points, had already climbed back up to "89"!
Seeing it just one point shy of the "90" threshold, Dark could only shake his head.
It's not that I, Dark, lack diligence — it's just that there are far, far too many temptations at home.
"But with 'Greed' underperforming right now, maybe the return of the 'Lust' dragon king can help ease the resource crunch."
After a moment of earnest reflection, Dark washed up, put on a face mask, burrowed into bed, read a bit of the Around-the-World Travelogue, and drifted off into a deep sleep.
...
The fourth day back home.
June 7th, Thursday.
Since there were no plans scheduled for today, after breakfast Dark took out the tutor resumes he'd forgotten about last night and examined them carefully.
Sixteen candidates had passed the initial screening — six men and ten women.
Since the household was mostly made up of women, Dark leaned toward hiring a female tutor.
So he separated the applications by gender first, then picked up the six male applicants' files to look over carefully.
Going in with the intent of eliminating them, his gaze naturally grew more critical than usual.
Even so, he only managed to weed out five of the six male candidates.
Looking at the file of the last remaining male candidate, Dark found himself lost in thought.
He never would have imagined that an actual "Sage" would apply to be a tutor!
The developer of the "Silence Card."
The "Silent Sage" — Buckner Sellers!
An elderly scholar, eighty-three years old.
Though Sellers was known as an unusually low-profile figure within scholarly circles of the sages, the development of the "Silence Card" alone had made his name famous.
Sellers was the classic case of slow accumulation followed by a late burst — he didn't grasp the deeper principles until his sixties, but once he did, there was no stopping him, and within just a few years he became a true "Sage."
For a sage of this caliber to apply for a tutoring position surely wasn't about money or connections — it might not even be about reputation.
"Does he know his teaching charges would be a group of Magic Guide Spirits, and that's why he applied?" Dark couldn't help but wonder.
When Ollie had posted the job listing, there was of course no way she could have fully specified who the actual students would be.
She'd only indicated that the students were a group of children with virtually no foundation, and specified the requirement that all basic education be completed within three months.
So after the resume screening came the interview, and after the interview a trial period, and only after passing the trial would the position become permanent.
But speaking of the children at the ducal estate...
If someone had sufficiently good connections within the relevant circles, it was entirely possible to deduce who the students actually were.
"Let's set this one aside for now. Since Ollie thinks this old sage can be trusted, I'll ask her about it later."
After all, there were a full eighteen Magic Guide Spirits needing instruction, and Dark planned to hire more than just one tutor, so he needed to leave several interview slots open.
Next, he moved on to check the remaining ten female applicants.
"Debbie Giles, a graduating senior from St. Marian's Academy??"
"A sixth-year upperclassman?"
Just this first one alone surprised Dark.
His interest immediately piqued, and he read through it carefully.
"Graduated from Fool's House, with average final exam scores, and a graduation evaluation of 'Good.'"
St. Marian's Academy's graduation evaluations only had three tiers: Pass, Good, and Excellent.
A "Good" rating was actually quite respectable.
After all, those who couldn't Pass couldn't graduate at all, so a Pass was already considered mediocre, and Good was naturally above average.
The "Excellent" rating, meanwhile, was extremely strict, an achievement only a select few could earn.
Of course...
Anyone who successfully graduated from St. Marian's Academy, even with just a Pass, would be more than qualified to teach the Magic Guide Spirits.
And she was young and energetic, with drive — working for the ducal household would even give her resume a nice gloss.
If the Magic Guide Spirits learned quickly enough, she could even teach them some basics related to Magic Guide studies.
These were all points in her favor.
As for her character and personal qualities, that would have to wait for the interview.
"I'll set her aside for now."
Once Dark finished reading, he set her resume off to the side.
Being fellow alumni of the same school, he naturally felt a bit of a bias in favor of this soon-to-be graduate.
He then picked up the second female applicant's file.
"Monica Cook, hmm... why does this seem a little familiar?"
In the photo was a stern-faced middle-aged woman wearing glasses, and Dark found himself racking his brain trying to remember.
But he didn't stop reading while he thought.
Soon enough, he found the reason for the familiarity in the woman's résumé.
"She's the two princesses' tutor!"
Dark couldn't help but let out a wry laugh.
After the two little princesses received their acceptance letters to St. Marian's Academy, they'd effectively been set free.
For the next three months, with the queen's permission, they'd get to play to their heart's content.
Which naturally meant Miss Cook was now out of a job.
For someone to have served as tutor to the little princesses, her character and competence certainly weren't in question.
What Dark was more worried about was whether she was really as stern as her appearance suggested.
After all, the results of her teaching spoke for themselves — those two little princesses were hardly what anyone would call well-behaved.
To have raised those two princesses...
"Well, it's not really her fault, and I've already arranged for each spirit to have a supervising maid assigned, so that shouldn't be a concern."
"Looking at it that way, this Miss Cook could be hired outright without issue."
"Right, I'll set her aside for now too."
So after finishing Monica Cook's file, Dark placed it together with the previous two.
Next came the third female applicant's file.
Dark opened the file, glanced at it once, and closed it again.
Reason: simply didn't sit well with him.
...
The next several applicants each had their merits, but their shortcomings were fairly obvious too.
It wasn't until the seventh female applicant that Dark's interest picked up again.
"Let's see... a former director of the Royal Botanical Garden?"
The photo showed a kindly-looking old woman.
She'd been let go from the Royal Botanical Garden due to age — meaning a normal retirement.
And she still received a monthly pension equal to half her former salary.
For a woman like this, spending her remaining years in leisurely retirement should have been exactly the life meant for her.
But clearly, she had no intention of ending things there.
"Bardi Plant, sixty-one years old, with some expertise in plant-type magic."
"Hmm, I'll need to check her physical condition and mental state."
"Next one."
...
The eighth and ninth female applicants were decent too, but they paled somewhat in comparison to the ones already selected.
After weeding them out, Dark picked up the last file.
This applicant, once again, caught him off guard — quite a bit, in fact.
"Camilla??"
"What's she doing joining in on this?"
Dark unhesitatingly moved the "Silver Wolf Knight's" file over to the "reject" pile.
But a moment later, he picked the file back up, looking a bit sheepish.
The "Silver Wolf Knight," Camilla — wife of Viscount Greatbear, Diana's mother, and Aurora's aunt.
If she wasn't just here to join in for fun, then her reason for applying was pretty obvious.
"She's probably just looking for a legitimate excuse to come in and out of the ducal estate, isn't she?"
"Fine, whatever. I'll interview her too and see what exactly she can teach."
...
With that, the first round of résumé screening came to an end.
Dark had picked out a total of five applicants.
The five were as follows:
① The "Silent Sage," Buckner Sellers;
② St. Marian's soon-to-be graduate: Debbie Giles;
③ The two princesses' former tutor: Monica Cook;
④ The former director of the Royal Botanical Garden: Bardi Plant;
⑤ The "Silver Wolf Knight," Camilla;
...
After sorting the remaining files away, Dark stacked the five selected résumés together and called for a maid. "Go fetch Sister Ollie for me."
Ollie arrived quickly.
Dark laid the five selected files out in front of him and said, "Tell me about these five."
Written records were, of course, never as thorough as a spoken account.
Ollie picked up the five files, flipped through them, and rattled off each person's specific circumstances along with her own inferences about their reasons for applying, as though reciting well-known facts.
It largely matched what Dark had already guessed.
Dark asked, "So this 'Silent Sage' — how trustworthy is he?"
Ollie smiled. "Young Master might not know this. The 'Silent Sage' is Claire Kite's teacher. Not a formal master-disciple relationship exactly, but there's real bond between them."
"So that's how it is?" Dark said, realization dawning.
Since he was hiring tutors, the Magic Guide Spirits' intelligence would naturally come to light regardless.
Whether the "Silent Sage" had come specifically because of that made little real difference.
Dark wasn't especially concerned about it either.
As long as the Magic Guide Cards themselves — the true bodies of these spirits — stayed in his hands, no one else could dig out the underlying source.
On the contrary, if the "Silent Sage" managed to derive some other kind of insight from studying the spirits' intelligence, Dark would be quite happy to see it happen.
Because he would obviously benefit from it too.
Once the connection between the "Silent Sage" and Claire came to light, Dark's opinion of him rose considerably.
"All right then, go arrange the interviews for tomorrow."
"Yes, Young Master."
Ollie gathered up the files and hurried off.
...
With the interview candidates settled, Dark had nothing else to do, so he called Aurora along, planning to go explore the back mountain.
When Aurora heard they were going to the back mountain, she changed out of her skirt into trousers.
After Dark ate a few "candy beans," he brought all of the Magic Guide Spirits along too, ready for a spontaneous picnic.
As if she'd guessed his intention to head to the back mountain, "Lion" Trina appeared right in front of the waterfall pool.
Looking at the picnic gear she had brought along to show him, Dark reluctantly agreed to let her come along.
It was the Magic Guide Spirits' first time entering such untamed wilderness, and after being cooped up in the residence for two whole days, they were positively giddy with excitement.
Aurora, too, had rarely set foot in an environment like this, and found everything fresh and fascinating.
Outside the walls of the Free City, monsters were common and dangerous, and she'd never been allowed to leave the city.
What she didn't realize was that the back mountain of the ducal estate was also very dangerous!
It was only thanks to Trina, whose "Presence" acted like a beast repellent, scaring off every monster that tried to approach.
Only the occasional dim-witted beast wandered in by mistake, and Trina dispatched them with ease.
She even picked out one or two edible ones along the way...
By the time Dark arrived at the treehouse in the back mountain, it was nearly noon.
To his surprise, the wooden cabin up in the tree was still there — and remarkably clean, too.
Trina, rare for her, actually smiled. "The old butler buried a little something under the tree, said that whenever you decide you don't want this treehouse anymore, you can just dig it up."
Then she waved a hand toward the massive tree bearing the little wooden house, and the tree, which had been perfectly still, suddenly stirred to life.
Accompanied by the soft rustle of leaves, the great tree extended a branch and patted Trina's hand, like a dog nuzzling its owner.
Dark went blank for a moment.
He asked, "Was this tree Corrupted afterward, or was it a demonic tree from the start?"
Trina's mouth curved into a smirk. "It was from the start. Though back then, it wasn't nearly this well-behaved."
"Right, I should've known..." Dark shook his head.
It wasn't until Aurora asked curiously that he told a bit about his own childhood.
After that, the three of them started grilling meat beneath the tree.
Trina's cooking turned out to be surprisingly good, and she'd brought along plenty of seasonings besides.
Aurora, following along and imitating them, found she could manage to eat it too.
Dark smiled with his eyes narrowed and told Meowth to go ahead and dig in.
...
By the end of the picnic, everyone's mouths were shiny with grease.
Dark had originally planned to take a long-overdue nap in the treehouse, but Trina spoke up before he could. "Chris is back."
...
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