Chapter 20: To Remain Myself.
âI hate Father.
Honestly, there arenât many people who could like someone who forces unwanted responsibilities on them and never offers a single word of praise.
Especially meâI think my sense of self was strong from childhood because of my past-life memories.
Before anyone else could influence me, I was already profoundly shaped by the person Iâd been in my previous life.
If Iâd been just an ordinary child, I might have absorbed noble values and accepted Fatherâs strictness as "correct" for a noble.
But being an adult doesnât automatically make someone right.
If anything, I knew all too well how much humans are ruled by their emotionsâfar more than children realize. And because of that, I couldnât help but feel Fatherâs behavior was driven by his own unresolved feelings.
Of course he refuses to accept Yous.
Heâs looking at his younger self.
My mother, Elenacia Austroheim, was also a "White Blessed" like me.
Thatâs why she died in an accident when I was little.
Somehow, I could sense that this tragedy was the root of Fatherâs harshness.
The way he sees Mother through me. The way he sees his past self through Yous.
I understand it all too wellâand thatâs why I canât stand him.
Above all else, the way Father is⊠overlaps with me.
Thereâs still a barrier I havenât crossed.
Going beyond the line with Yous, deepening our bondâbutâ
I still havenât told Yous I love him.
Itâs not just that the timing hasnât been right.
More than anything⊠I donât know.
Can I really say I love Yous?
In the end, emotion is what pushes us to make decisions.
But do I truly have that inside me?
Would it really be okay for me to say I love Yousâ?
"Oh my, oh my, what a delightful conversation! Letâs speak again soon, shall we?"
âWine glass in hand, Bronze Starâs leader, Golem Randolph.
The noble-hearted
 golem who carried S-rank adventurers on his back was, as always, diligently mingling with nobles for their sake.Golem had experience in these social circlesâafter all, heâd once been an adventurer who attended such gatherings himself.
Though that party had long since disbanded, and Golem, now a solo adventurer, had rebuilt Bronze Star from scratch.
His rank had dropped all the way to D, but now, heâd guided them back to their former glory.
Back then, he was just a member. Now, he was the face of the party.
And what concerned this okama most was Rinaria.
He didnât worry much about the othersâthey were professionals. As long as he taught them proper etiquette, they wouldnât make mistakes.
âRinaria Austroheim.
The only daughter of the Austroheim ducal house.
A family that had served as pillars of the nation for generations, their talents renowned.
Naturally, the same was expected of Rinariaâtheir sole heir.
Even if it clashed entirely with how she wanted to live.
Of course, birthright came with responsibility. Rinaria was bound by duty to her position as duchess.
She didnât reject all of it.
Even now, as an adventurer, she surely intended to return home someday and succeed her father.
Otherwise, she wouldnât be fighting so hard for his approval of her relationship with Yous.
DrestredâRinariaâs father, and Golemâs old acquaintance.
The two knew each other well.
Extremely well, in fact. Golem had fought alongside him, knew him as a fellow adventurer.
Yes, Drestred had once been an adventurer too.
Just like Rinaria, heâd left home in his youth, gained experience and success, then returned to inherit his title.
Their paths were identical.
Except for one thingâRinaria was a woman, and Drestred was a man.
In the end, gender differences haunted every world.
Men were praised for valor, women for beauty.
Had Rinaria not been a woman, Drestred likely wouldnât have objected.
Heâd never say it outrightâhis position forbade itâbut he wouldnât have opposed her this fiercely.
No matter his personal feelings, objectively, Drestredâs actions were justified.
And yet, Golem had chosen to side with Rinaria.
Why?
The answer was obvious.
The current Drestred was unbearable to watch.
The once-brave adventurer was gone, replaced by a man consumed by unchecked emotion.
To him, Rinariaâs defiance was an unbearable attack on himself.
And that only made her resist harder.
Unless someone compromised, this cycle would never end.
And in Golemâs eyes, Rinaria and Yous had already found the better solution.
"My, my, itâs been ages! How many years has it been? Oh, Iâm simply overjoyed to speak with you again!"
âEven as these thoughts ran through his mind, Golem greeted another familiar noble.
His role here was to gather informationâto confirm whether Rinaria and Yousâs challenge had succeeded.
"Oh yes, indeed. The 'Noble Prodigy' Yousrid is a proud member of Bronze Star. One might even say heâs the face of our party!"
First: Yousridâs reputation among nobles.
As Golem had said, Yousridâs fame within Bronze Star was unparalleled.
Called the "Noble Prodigy," he was wildly popular in high society.
There were even plays about himâproof that he had countless fans among the aristocracy.
And Golem was here to confirm it.
And on top of that, there was one crucial matter.
That was whether or not Yousâs true identity had been exposed.
After all, that was the trump card Yous and Rinaria had held ontoâthe key to gaining recognition for their relationship.
And then, there was one more thing.
âBy the way, did you hear? Lady Austroheimâs daughter has made a public appearance for the first time in five years.â
This was news from Rinariaâs world of nobility.
For the past several years, Rinaria had been considered absent from noble society.
Some said it was due to illness, others claimed it was to recover from injuries caused by an accidentâbut the truth remained uncertain.
Either way, the fact was that Rinaria had disappeared from the public eye and was said to be secluded in the Austroheim estate.
If that version of events hadnât been contradicted by any leaked informationâ
Then Rinariaâs secret could be considered perfectly protected.
âYes, yes, quite so. Itâs wonderful news. Now if only she could find herself a good matchâŠâ
And in that sense too, their plan had succeeded.
Without revealing her true identity, Rinaria had managed to ascend to S-Rank.
She was likely now with her companions, under the name Rinaria Austroheim.
Which meant that nowâ
âLeader, we have a problem! A message came in from RinaâLord Drest made contact with her!â
âAt that moment, Yousâs voice echoed in Golemâs mind.
A communication spell.
It was a form of magic that transmitted oneâs thoughts to another across a certain distance.
Rinaria had likely tried to reach Golem as well, but the distance must have been too great for the message to get through.
Yet Yous and Golem remained connected.
That brought them to the current situation.
ââŠSo, theyâve chosen to strike first. Yous, are you ready?â
âI am. Iâm nervous, but⊠I donât think we have any choice but to rush to Rinaâs side.â
âUnderstood. Then goânow.â
Their exchange was nothing less than that of comrades on a battlefield.
Their enemy was Drestred Austroheim, Duke of the realm.
To both Rinaria and Yous, he was undeniably the greatest threat.
A monster that had to be brought down.
âYes, yes, thank you. Letâs talk again soon. It was a pleasure seeing you today.â
With those parting words, Golem took her leave.
The polite smile she had worn shifted, subtly, into the cold expression of someone heading into battle, as she moved toward the place where Rinaria and the others were likely waiting.
This was itâthe decisive clash.
They had, without question, allowed Drest to make the first move.
But even soâRinaria had not broken.
And that was whyâ
If she could be of help, even just a littleâ
Then the decision Golem Randolph made, to stand with Rinaria and Yous, would hold meaning.
Father didnât attack me directlyâhe provoked the rest of the party to get at me.
Not that I care. At this point, being disapproved of by him is basically expected, so whatever.
But making sure everyone in the party hears itâthatâs a direct attack on my comrades.
Itâs petty. Disgustingly petty.
Seriously, to think you could pull something this pathetic so brazenly⊠You piece of crap old man!
What makes it worse is, even though his motives are pure trash, the way he goes about it is uncomfortably effective.
If his headâs really clear enough to play his role as duke, then that alone makes him formidable.
Which is exactly why⊠cheap tricks and smooth talk wonât win this.
What I need to do is twist things around and force the situation into the setup Iâve preparedâno matter how reckless that might be.
So, thereâs no need to dance to Fatherâs tune right now.
I switched the magic Iâd been using to mute sound into one that projected it.
In other wordsâ
ââDonât you agree, Father?â
Up until then, no one had been able to hear my voice, but now it rang out loud and clear.
The only one who might have noticed what I did was⊠maybe Anna. Iâd switched the type of magic so smoothly, no normal person wouldâve caught it.
From there, I went all inâexaggerating my gestures and addressing the noble audience around us like a performer on stage.
âThese people standing with me are the famed S-Rank adventurers, celebrated throughout history. They are the ones lighting the way toward our future.â
It was so out of the blue, so disconnected from the previous exchange, that naturally it left my party members confused.
But Anna, quick to catch on, gave me a lookâa silent signal to keep going.
My goal here was to completely cut off the string of direct insults Father had been hurling at me, and shift the narrative to my side.
If he thought to take advantage of my sound-suppression magic, then all I had to do was remove that advantageâlet everyone hear my voice.
Iâd intended to reveal my voice eventually anyway.
Now was the perfect time. While he was still off-balance, Iâd seize the initiative.
Howeverâ
ââIndeed. Quite so. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the honored adventurers of the Bronze Star party, our guests of honor today.â
That bastard of a fatherâhe completely saw it coming and shifted gears like heâd read the whole damn script in advance.
âNo way. Did he actually notice that I switched the type of magic I was using in that situation?
No, even if he didnât catch it, did he predict I would and act accordingly?
Either wayâ
âMany of you may already be familiar with their tales of heroism. I myself have heard these epic adventures recounted more than once.â
âHe stole the initiative. Instantly.
His next line came without a pause, smooth and uninterrupted, leaving me no room to wedge in a single word.
More than anything, his voiceâdespite not using any amplification magicâresonated louder than mine.
So this is what it means to be a high noble who commands a nation, huh!?
Father spoke slowly, deliberately.
He recounted the achievements of Bronze Star.
How they came to be recognized as S-Rank.
And above allâhe was trying to sever the connection between me and Bronze Star.
âWouldnât you agree, Rinaria? Their accomplishments are more than worthy of praise, are they not?â
If I agreed, then that would be itâRinaria Austroheim would officially acknowledge that she knows of Bronze Star only through their tales.
In other words, I would be declaring that thereâs no personal connection between us.
Which means that the bond between me and Yousrid, a member of that party, would be publicly erased.
No matter how heroic they are, no matter how much theyâre honored as S-Rank adventurers, thereâs no way I could declare him a fiancĂ©âor even a loverâafter that!
Father had been aiming for this from the start.
Of course he was. Even if he was trying to rip me and Yous apart out of personal spite, S-Rank adventurers are a national asset.
No matter how emotionally driven he might be, denouncing them as unworthy in front of the other noblesâthereâs no way the head of a ducal house could get away with something that reckless.
So instead, Father crafted this entire situation, pushing me to create the separation myself.
Iâve been dancing in the palm of his hand the whole time.
Damn it. Thinking I could handle this with cheap tricks and clever wordsâhow arrogant can I be?
I shouldâve known better.
The number of battles Fatherâs fought compared to mine isnât even close. Add in my past lifeâs age, and heâs still older.
Did I really think I could beat him in a direct confrontation?
âNo. Not yet.
No matter what, Father hasnât cut me off. Heâs still giving me a chance to speak.
If I hesitate for even a second, heâll interpret that as agreement and move on.
But right now, just this one instantâI have a window to act.
Think. Think, damn it!
Draw on every instinct Iâve honed as an adventurer in life-or-death situations.
This is my only shot.
If I agree, itâs checkmate.
I need to shift the conversationânow.
But if I go off-topic even slightly, Father will discard it without a second thought and return to his narrative.
Thereâs no room for pointless detours. No time for more than a moment of hesitation.
In that case, the only thing I can doâ
No time to waver. Say somethingâanythingâjust donât stop!
ââThey are an excellent party. But⊠surely, not all of them are present here today, are they?â
The words flew out before I even realized it.
But they were about Yous and the Leader.
Yeah. Thatâs right.
No big twist or fancy rhetoricâjust the truth.
These guys are the best.
But neither Yous nor the Leader are here right now.
And if theyâre missing⊠then I canât call this party complete.
If even one of us is gone, if anyone is missing, then we are no longer Bronze Star.
Thatâs whyâI canât agree with Fatherâs words here.
No matter what.
And thenâ
âAh, yes. Thatâs right,â Father said. âThe heroâs son is not among us today.â
âIt was such a casual thing. Just a single, thoughtless word.
But from that word, I understood everything.
It meant only one thing:
âI won.
The final piece of victory clicked into place right here, right now.
Ah, Father...
You slippedâright at the end.
If you hadnât let that word fall... if you hadnât called Yous that...
I wouldnât have had the certainty I needed to push forward.
âIf that is the caseââ
Father tried to resume his speech without a hitch.
He thought it was over. That I and Bronze Star had been publicly declared strangers, and that was that.
But his wordsâhis narrativeâno longer held any weight.
If thereâs nothing more for him to say, then thereâs no longer any reason for me to hesitate.
âYes, you are absolutely right. We must not forgetâBronze Star counts among its members a hero known to all.â
I didnât use the word son.
Because why would I?
No one here is supposed to know that.
Just like Father hadnât realized that Yous was still hiding his identity...
No one in this room is supposed to know who Yous really is.
And the only ones who do, right now, in this very momentâ
Are you and me, you bastard of a father.
Which meansâno one else here knows that you know.
âYouâve heard the stories too, havenât you, Father? Then naturally, we must introduce him.â
And with thatâ
The momentum shifted, wholly and entirely, in my favor.
âPardon the interruptionâmay I pass?â
A voice rang out through the hall, strong enough to rival Fatherâs own.
It was Yousâ voice.
Right on timeâresponding to my call, arriving at the perfect moment.
âAnd Father didnât try to cut in.
He realized it, the instant I interrupted him.
Heâd made a fatal mistake.
That from this point on, Iâd seized control of the entire stage.
He probably still didnât know what slip gave him away.
Didnât realize that in revealing his hand, heâd run out of movesâand that I knew it.
Thatâs why we continue.
To unveil the final trump card weâve been guarding all this time.
ââYouâre late, Yousrid.â
âSorry to keep you waiting, Rinaria.â
Without hesitation, I ran straight to Yousridâs side.
Amidst the murmurs spreading through the room, the young noble standing next to me was dressed in truly magnificent armor.
Platinum-white. A set everyone here has either seen beforeâor at least heard of.
âIâd like to introduce him, Father.â
Father couldnât stop it.
By this point, he mustâve realizedâthrough the gasps and reactions around himâwhat mistake he had made.
The nobles were murmuring in shock at the sight of Yousrid.
And it wasnât a normal reaction.
Yous was already well-known among the nobility. Famous enough to have plays written about him.
This kind of surprise didnât match that reputation.
Which meantâonly one thing.
âYousrid Platina. The man who will become my fiancĂ©.â
That nameâthe identity weâd kept hidden all this timeâthat secrecy was its very purpose.
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