I Already Know That My Magic Power Is Ridiculously High! Now I Just Need To Get A Lovely Bride - Chapter 3:

There are several academies in the Empire, but my father is most likely talking about the Zakureon Noble Academy in the imperial capital.

“Academy, you say? To be honest, I’m not very interested. If I—one of Ortenos’ guardians—leave, it will leave a huge gap that other families can exploit. Besides, this is the year when Elmia—no, Lady Elmia—will be enrolling.”

Unfortunately, the situation surrounding the Ortenos region is extremely tense, and even a young noble like me stands a very real chance of being sent to the battlefield in the near future. If Ortenos were to fall while I’m away at the academy, it would be a complete disaster.

“What you say is partly true, Shalka. But if you stay in our lands, you’ll have a hard time finding a bride.”

“……”

I sensed that my father’s search for a bride for me had hit a serious snag. It seems that my unrestrained activities in town have finally caught up with me. Still, if that’s the case, perhaps going to the imperial capital—a place so far away where no one knows me—might not be such a bad idea.

“I see… So if you find a girl you like at the academy, you can bring her into our domain?”

“Heh, that’s right. Officially, we’re planning to send you as an attendant to Lady Elmia.”

Seeing the slightly scheming look on my father’s face, I realized my suspicion was correct. But what exactly does it mean to be sent as an attendant to Elmia?

“An attendant to Lady Elmia?”

“Yes… I don’t really like to say this, but if both Lady Elmia—the eldest daughter and next head of the Ortenos family—and you, Shalka, the eldest son without an inheritance right, are sent together, the academy could turn into chaos. Without proper measures, there’s no doubt that a bunch of fools will try to cozy up to you.”

My father said this somewhat reluctantly.

“I see. So by establishing a hierarchy in advance, it will make it clear to everyone that Lady Elmia is the next head of the family, right?”

“Hmm, sorry, but that’s exactly it. While Elmia is excellent as both a noble and a magician, she lags behind other noble children—who are constantly hardened by real battle—when it comes to social graces. The academy is a tough environment full of rivals, and it will really put her skills to the test.”

I realized then that my father had boldly decided to send Elmia to the academy to hone her abilities. He continued speaking.

“Shalka, you must be especially careful. Even though you’re still a child, all of our noble youth possess star-level magical power. No matter how beautiful a girl may be, you must never agree to become a son-in-law.”

“Beautiful girls, you say? Ha! Of course. My loyalty is solely to Ortenos, so when it comes to such underhanded schemes, I, Shalka, will turn them away without a moment’s hesitation.”

For a moment, I almost pictured a lovely young lady—someone like Lady Rokina—imploring me, “Will you come to our home?” and felt my face break into a grin. At the very last second, however, I held myself back.

“Hmm, you seem a bit agitated, but since Elmia is with you, it shouldn’t be much of a problem. That girl has grown strong since losing her mother. Even at such a young age, she’s taken up the mantle of Ortenos and shows a determined will to forge strong ties both within and outside our lands. You must support her.”

“Yes, of course. I, Shalka, will be Lady Elmia’s sword and shield.”

“……”

I then sharply extended my right index and middle fingers and held them in front of my heart—a traditional gesture passed down in the former Ortenos royal family. For some reason, my father fell silent, his expression clouded with melancholy.

“Is something the matter, Father?”

“No, I don’t recall you ever calling her ‘Lady Elmia’ so grandiosely before. Even though she’s your half-sister, she’s practically your peer. You used to be so close—why has your way of addressing her become so distant?”

It seemed my father was shocked by the way I treated Elmia. But I can only say it’s because I’m beginning to feel the burdens of growing up. I can’t always treat her like a cute little cousin. I tried to explain something along those lines, but it came out rather awkward.

“It must be the times. I suppose both Elmia and I had no choice but to change.”

“I see… I’m sorry. I never wanted our wars to be passed down to our children’s generation.”

(Hmm?)

With a solemn look, my father squinted into the distance, and it seemed he began to express his remorse over the negative legacy left by the older generation.

“Father, that’s not it.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s hard to handle Lady Elmia because she—being a girl of our age—is difficult to deal with.”

“……”

This was bad; the atmosphere had become awkward. It almost sounded like the grumbling of a middle-aged man struggling with a much younger female coworker. Well, mentally speaking, middle-aged is still middle-aged.

“Well, that’s that. But if you two are going to the academy, there’s one thing that worries me.”

“Something to worry about?”

It seemed my father chose to ignore my lighthearted remarks and pressed on.

“Yes—if the two of you with star-level magic are absent from Ortenos, our eastern defenses might collapse.”

“Ah, I see. So that is your concern.”

The “east” here refers to that country located to the east of the Ortenos region.

“Even though my stern glare keeps them in check for now, it’s only a matter of time before those people start causing trouble. Perhaps we should deal with them thoroughly once again.”

When he mentioned “Father,” he was referring to my grandfather. I realized that the matter my father had been troubled about since this morning was now connected.

“So, what does that mean?”

“In fact, there’s a job perfectly suited for your first battle. Shalka, can I count on you?”

At last, my first battle had arrived. It probably won’t be a large-scale war where I can earn great glory—it’ll likely be something like mediating a small skirmish near the border, and the enemy will be, at most, Satera-class knights.

“Yes, leave it to me.”

I once again gave my Ortenos-style salute to my father.