I open my eyes when I sense someone entering the range of my senses. Although I want to get up to greet the visitor, I can't. I'm trapped between the girls' arms and legs. There's only one solution to this. I use my movement ability to appear outside the bed.
I watch as they bump into each other when the empty space suddenly appears. They let out a few sleepy complaints before continuing to sleep. I quickly wash my face and head downstairs to greet the person who has just knocked on the door once.
“Good morning, Lord Maki.” A man in his late thirties greets me. His black hair is perfectly combed, his dark eyes look tired, and he's rather tall and slender. “I've come on behalf of Lord Ritmo. He'd like to have breakfast with his brother. He mentioned it would only be a brief conversation.”
“Good morning. Very well, tell Ritmo I'll be there in less than thirty minutes.” I reply after roughly calculating how much time I'll need to get ready and fly to Puntsal.
“I'll deliver your message to Lord Ritmo. Have a wonderful day, Lord Maki.” The young man bids me farewell and begins walking back. I see him pull out a communication device, probably to notify Ritmo.
This man is responsible for maintaining Ritmo's house in Talar because Ritmo spends most of his time in Puntsal now. He's even been entrusted with small coordination tasks. Ritmo values him greatly. He's hardworking and dedicated.
When I walk back inside, I find two people already sitting on the sofa waiting for me. “I have to head to Puntsal soon. Ritmo wants to have breakfast with me.” I tell Sol and Brendu. They got out of bed as soon as I left.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Brendu suggests.
“We can go with you if you'd like. I've wanted to talk to Riku for several days now. She's getting close to giving birth, and I have quite a few questions for her.” Sol also seems interested in going.
“Get ready as quickly as possible. The three of us can go together. I doubt Arisa or Marga will wake up anytime soon. They stayed up very late.” They immediately begin getting ready. The two of them can stay with Riku while I talk with my brother.
“Ready?” They're already dressed and prepared to leave. Both of them nod, and I wrap them in my gravity mana so the three of us can fly together. Brendu can fly on her own, but she's still too slow. It'll be much more efficient if I carry her.
I fly a little slower than I originally intended. The scenery is just as beautiful as I remembered. The three of us enjoy the view until we finally arrive in Puntsal. My family has already configured the town's defensive barriers to recognize my mana and Imra signature, so I can now fly in without worrying about triggering alarms or being attacked.
A house attendant guides us toward Ritmo's office. Halfway there, the girls split off to visit Riku.
I don't bother knocking. I simply walk in as though it were my own home. “Did you call your favorite brother?” I joke lightly. I already knew Sers was inside. It's simply a way to tease him. “Oh, sorry. I didn't know Sers was here. He wasn't supposed to find out I'm your favorite brother.” I give Sers a small bow just to annoy him a little more.
Sers merely rolls his eyes while Ritmo lets out a chuckle. “Sit down. I only invited you because I wanted to have a conversation with my brothers. It's been a long time since the three of us talked alone.” Before sitting down, I grab a couple of bread rolls and a cup of coffee. My stomach couldn't resist the temptation.
Our conversation is perfectly ordinary, the kind we always have whenever we're together. We tease one another while talking about completely meaningless things. It's the kind of casual conversation that heals my heart whenever I'm under stress.
“Enough fooling around.” Ritmo holds his stomach after laughing for several minutes at Sers' antics. “Grandmother told me you're planning to expand our territory. Most of the surrounding regions are ruled by grade 5 monsters. It'll be a difficult battle for all of us.” Ritmo looks directly at me.
“We can make it happen if we mobilize enough people. It's time to expand. We have too many applicants and enough personnel to support it. We're reaching the limits of what these three villages can sustain. Their capacity is simply too small.” Sers gives his opinion.
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“Yes. I don't want to ask anyone outside for help. I'll deal with the grade 5 monster myself. I don't like owing favors to anyone. If things become too difficult, I can ask Brendu or Cokue for assistance.” I receive a light hit through my connection. “Glia can help too. She can easily handle several monsters of her own grade.”
“We've been analyzing this for several months. The nearest territory ruled by a monster is about six hours away on foot. Nearly all the monsters there belong to a species called Escamus. The grade 5 ruler has expanded its influence and actively attacks anyone who passes nearby. They've become a real headache.” Ritmo gives me some background.
“A few days ago, I discussed this with Dad. He was considering sending a warning to the ruling monster. He wanted to ask Uncle Camux for help now that he's reached diamond rank, but now that you're here, we won't need outside assistance.” Sers seems very well informed.
I'm genuinely happy for Uncle Camux. I already knew he'd been working tirelessly to reach the next rank. A noble needs to be at least diamond rank to become a Viscount. I'll have to congratulate him when I get the chance.
“Since it's a southeastern border territory, it's one of our best options. It would also create a safer route toward the Frozen Forest, allowing us to kill several birds with one stone.” Ritmo hands me a folder containing everything I need to know.
The three of us begin reading through the documents carefully, making sure not to miss any important details. “This monster is strong. It'll be a difficult battle.” After reading the report, I realize this monster is far stronger than an ordinary grade 5. It's had years to grow stronger without any human interference.
“I know. We're prepared for casualties. We want as few people as possible to die, and we'll do everything we can to keep everyone alive, even though we know that's impossible. We can't deploy all of our forces because the other villages still need a minimum number of defenders. Everything depends on whether you can defeat the leader.” Ritmo's eyes become serious as both of my brothers look at me.
“I don't know.” I answer honestly. “It's impossible to say whether I can defeat it. I could die as well. Ever since reaching ruby rank, every battle I've fought against someone a full rank above me has pushed me to the absolute limit. If I focus solely on escaping, though, I'm confident it won't be able to catch me.” I don't want to give them false hope.
“That really is a problem. If even you're not sure you can defeat it in a one-on-one fight... I know you don't want to risk Brendu's life by having her fight beside you on the front lines, and if you bring Cokue with you, we'll struggle to hold back the other grade 4 monsters.” Sers stares at the ceiling while thinking.
“We could wait until Dad or Cokue reaches diamond rank before launching the attack. That could take a few months... or perhaps a couple of years.” Even Sers seems somewhat discouraged.
“Give me forty days. I'm going to try fusing several abilities. If I can obtain a rank V ability, my chances will improve considerably. I'll need to isolate myself inside a grade 4 dungeon to make it possible. I'm only twenty levels away from advancing another ability to the next rank. I can do it if I dedicate all that time to training and fighting.” After thinking it through, it's the only solution I can find.
“Forty days... That would be ideal. It gives us enough time to finish all the preparations and recruit more personnel. I'll inform Grandmother and our parents about the plan. I'm counting on you to make it happen, Maki.” Ritmo smiles broadly. He's already imagining the future.
“I'll be able to help on the front lines by then as well. I should be fully recovered and completely accustomed to having two arms again. My daughter will probably have been born by then too, so I won't have that worry weighing on my mind anymore. She'll become my motivation.” Sers also looks ready.
I rise from my chair. “I'm happy to see both of you so excited. I don't know when I'll see you again. I need to begin training as soon as possible. The girls will probably be upset that I'm leaving again, especially since Sol's, Arisa's, and Marga's vacation is almost over, but I know they'll understand.” I say goodbye to my brothers.
Now I have one more reason to become stronger. I can't leave that dungeon until I successfully fuse my abilities and advance my Death Sharpness to rank V. I already have several ideas about how to improve it, and it's the ability that will help me the most in battle.
I go to find Brendu and Sol so we can return. We spend a while talking with Riku before the three of us head back. When we arrive, Marga and Arisa are already awake. We tell them a little about what we did, and then I finally drop the bombshell.
They all look disappointed and a little sad, but just as I expected, none of them object. They understand the territory's situation even better than I do after spending more than a month living here.
“I'll go with you. I want to improve as well, and I don't want to stay alone in this house.” Brendu offers to accompany me.
“Alright, but you'll have to leave and come back every day. Thanks to my life affinity, I can recover my stamina and spend days without sleeping if necessary.” I reply. I already knew she wanted to come with me. After settling the final details, everything is ready.
“We'll leave for Marril City tonight. Make sure everything is prepared.” The four girls nod. Marril City has a rather special dungeon. I'll ask Uncle Camux to let me use it, and the girls can teleport from the Marquisate's capital back to their classes. Brendu will stay at my house in Marril City whenever she isn't inside the dungeon with me.
I go for a short walk to get some fresh air, a smile spreading across my face. The competitive side of me that loves training is thrilled. I'd planned to take a vacation, but I can't. The plans have changed, and I have to contribute everything I can to the territory.