Enrico was sitting in a carriage, watching the road through the window. After spending a day learning how to handle a spear with Takeshi, he decided to leave. There were still two days before he had to return to Astrong, and he needed to use that time to continue with his own plans.
The red necklace had already received the alchemy magic, increasing its effect, and Enrico had only not done the same with the second artifact because the amount of mana required to apply the technique to an object of that size was much greater than he could provide at that moment.
Even so, his blood had already surpassed the level that the villain from the original story managed to reach.
The red necklace glowed faintly.
Its function was to improve the blood for two full days, as well as strengthen the physical body of whoever used it. There was only one more day left before the effect ended, and, from what Enrico had noticed over the past few days, his physical strength would probably surpass that of practically every First Circle character the next day, with the exception of the main prodigies and Kai.
[We can say that you really are at the lowest level of Class S now. So, congratulations on your effort.]
Enrico snorted and looked toward the other side of the carriage.
Three girls were sleeping peacefully under a blanket: Yumeha, Rina, and Aoi. Seeing them reminded Enrico of the conversation he had had with the emperor before leaving.
"I would like you to take care of Rina as well. I will send her to Astrong."
Rina was only supposed to be sent to the academy six months later, but Renzou had decided to move up her enrollment. For Enrico, that was great. The earlier she started training at Astrong, the more time she would have to evolve.
"Alright, sir. But... I would like to know why Aoi is going too?"
Rina was smiling behind Enrico, while Yumeha looked to the side, somewhat dissatisfied.
"Because she is my daughter's friend."
"That's all?"
Renzou answered with an expression that made it clear he was not lying. What irritated Enrico was noticing the amused smile on the emperor's face.
"Anyway, sir..."
"You can call me father-in-law. You are going to marry both of my daughters when you turn eighteen."
Renzou's smile grew even wider. Enrico began to suspect that the emperor was trying to make him go through the same situation he himself lived in, surrounded by several wives and responsibilities.
"Oh, and my two older daughters said that if you surpass them, you can come back to form a bond with them."
Renzou seemed pleased with the possibility of putting Enrico in an even more complicated situation than his own. However, the emperor was left speechless when he heard the following answer.
"Of course. If my potential is greater than theirs, I'll accept."
Rina and Yumeha, who were standing behind him, were surprised by the frankness of the answer.
'Master is quite direct... even so, if my sisters want him, they'll have to get past me.'
'It seems my Ketsumei is insatiable. I'll have to work hard.'
The two had completely different thoughts.
Enrico, for his part, did not seem to care. If he needed to marry four women to survive and be able to face the evil gods in the future, then he would do it. The problem was that, before thinking about that, he needed to increase his own potential.
"Boy, you have some audacity."
"I know."
The conversation could have continued, but Enrico completely changed the subject.
"Sir, I would like you to recover only the last zone that was stolen by Tianlong."
Renzou became more serious upon hearing that.
"Why?"
"Simple, sir. I want the five territories to form an alliance for at least ten years."
Renzou remained silent for a few seconds, analyzing the request. To him, that seemed like a much greater demand than simply recovering lost territory.
Enrico, however, knew exactly why he was making that request.
The original story began when Kai was fifteen and continued until he turned twenty-five. During that period, events would accelerate more and more until the characters reached the point where they would all end up dead. This meant that there were about ten years to prepare.
At first glance, ten years seemed like enough time.
But Enrico knew they were not.
The Evil Gods were not enemies who could be faced simply by waiting for the protagonists to become stronger. Even the first of them, considered the weakest among the Evil Gods, already possessed power greater than that of any Ninth Circle mage. To defeat him, five Ninth Circle mages would have to fight together or someone would have to reach the level of an Archmage.
"Something big is going to happen in the future, then?"
"Yes. All life in this world will end."
The answer made the emperor place a hand on his chin, unable to hide his surprise. It was still difficult to believe something so absurd, but the person standing before him was the boy who had saved his life and who, until then, had demonstrated knowledge of events that no one could have predicted. If Enrico had truly seen the future, then those words had to be taken seriously.
Rina and Yumeha also became uneasy, especially because of how naturally he had spoken about the end of all life.
"Do you think Tianlong will do something like that? They really want to take over our territory."
"They will. I have something that will make them accept the alliance."
"Your confidence pleases me, Enrico."
Yumeha simply nodded, as she already knew that her master knew the future because he had told her directly. Knowing that Enrico trusted her enough to reveal something so important made her happy.
Rina, on the other hand, became even more determined to evolve quickly. If Enrico really knew the future, then there were even more reasons for her to become his Musubinin.
"But seriously, Enrico... could you really not tell me how you can see the future?"
Renzou showed genuine curiosity. Enrico remained silent for a few seconds, thinking about how to answer. He decided to mix some truths with lies, enough to make them take that information even more seriously without revealing the true origin of his knowledge.
"Alright. Since I trust you, I'll tell only the three of you."
The three immediately nodded, making it clear that they would not reveal it to anyone.
"I didn't see the future. I was there at every moment and saw the world without a single living being with my own eyes."
The three froze.
For a moment, Renzou did not know what to say. So that meant Enrico had not simply observed the future from somewhere.
He had lived in that world until the end and witnessed everyone's death.
Renzou felt that perhaps he should not have insisted so much on that question. Maybe he had touched upon a memory that Enrico preferred to keep buried.
"And as for how I returned to the past... it was through a relic. That's all I'm going to say."
Renzou sighed and decided not to pressure him any further. If that was the strategy Enrico wanted to follow, then he would respect it. Even so, the decision to form an alliance between the territories had been made. Even if that meant cooperating with Tianlong, a territory he considered a rival.
The emperor then looked at Enrico with the most serious expression the boy had seen since he woke up.
"Alright, Enrico. But know one thing: even if we manage to form this alliance, if they attack us, we will retaliate."
"I understand. And I won't stop you."
Renzou nodded and allowed them to leave. After the farewells, Enrico left the room accompanied by Rina and Yumeha. Before leaving for good, he said goodbye to Yumeha's and Rina's brothers and sisters, who asked him to return someday. He also said goodbye to Takeshi and Daigo, who accompanied him to the exit.
The two girls remained beside him the entire way, and Renzou watched his daughters' backs as they walked away. Yumeha seemed a little sad about leaving, while Rina kept her fists clenched and wore a determined expression. The emperor simply sighed and went back inside.
The carriage was already waiting for them outside Tsuyokuni's territory. As soon as they entered, Enrico settled into the seat and began mentally organizing his next steps. His next destination was Sanos, where he intended to obtain the fourth artifact from one of the best shops in the region. The object was dormant and had not yet awakened, but that was exactly what he needed.
To buy it, he would have to spend half of the money Renzou had given him as a reward.
Just thinking about it made Enrico feel a pain in his heart.
'Half my money...'
Even though it was a huge amount, he intended to save that fortune for something else in the future. Even so, that artifact was necessary.
'Well, all that's missing is this artifact and I'll have everything ready. I'll still need to wait until I reach at least the Second Circle before going to the vampire territory... Well, another reason to improve quickly.'
Enrico sighed as the carriage continued toward Sanos, unaware that, at that very moment, something was beginning to happen at Astrong Academy.
In his absence, a dispute for control of Class A had begun.
On one side were his friends from Class A.
On the other was the crown princess who was competing for the right to one day take control of Sanos and who was now beginning to move her pieces through Class S.