Published: January 4, 2026
“…Alright, do it.”
The next afternoon, in an open area of the mansion’s garden, I took a deep breath and prepared myself before giving the order.
Before me stood a dragon wreathed in flames.
It was the ring of Luthier manifested into reality by the armor ring — the Awakened Bahamut.
Bahamut opened its mouth wide and unleashed a swirling inferno from deep within its throat, aiming the flames directly at me.
In the next moment, my body was engulfed in fire.
“Ugh…”
Burned by the raging flames, I forced myself to memorize the sensation throughout my body.
Enduring the crackling heat on my skin, I counted silently — one minute.
“Hah!”
Using Leviathan’s power, I blew Bahamut’s flames away.
I could smell something burnt; the ground hissed and bubbled as the soil melted away.
Having understood the basics, I prepared for the next round—
“Kyaa!”
A scream rang out.
Turning toward the voice, I saw the maid Jiji collapsed on the ground, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.
Next to her, something resembling an envelope lay on the ground.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ar-Are you alright, master?”
“Hm?”
“Th-That… incredible flame…”
“Ah, that’s Bahamut. I burned myself on purpose.”
“Ehhhh!?”
Jiji was wildly surprised, her face showing she couldn’t comprehend what I had just said.
“Y-You burned yourself? Wh-Why?”
“I figured I should take the hit while I can.”
I glanced at the status display in the corner of my vision.
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Alarate
Prime Minister Prince
Gender: Male
Level: 10/∞
HP D + SSS Fire E + SSS
MP E + SSS Water D + SSS
Strength D + SSS Wind E + SSS
Stamina E + SSS Earth E + SSS
Intelligence E + SSS Light E + SSS
Spirit E + SSS Darkness E + SSS
Speed F + SSS
Dexterity E + SSS
Luck E + SSS
―――――――――――
Acting on behalf of Your Majesty to govern the empire, I had been appointed Prime Minister Prince.
Because of this command, my “+” bonuses likely included the entire empire’s worth.
In simple terms, I was currently invincible.
That’s why I wanted to endure attacks from Bahamut and Leviathan now.
“Why take hits now?”
“Jiji, have you received the smallpox vaccination?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. All the maids serving you have.”
“It’s the same thing. The smallpox vaccine is called variolation — it deliberately infects the body with the pus of a patient, a weakened form of the disease, to teach the body to resist it. This is the same concept.”
“Ah… I see…”
Jiji finally understood and nodded in agreement.
She slowly stood but still looked visibly shaken.
“E-Even so, such a powerful attack… such incredible flames…”
“Thanks to that, I learned that being burned all over makes it hard to breathe. This way, I won’t be surprised when it really counts.”
“Haa… Master, you really are amazing…”
“Anyway, what did you bring?”
“Ah, yes! A letter for you, master.”
Jiji hurriedly picked up the letter and handed it to me.
“Who is it from?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What?”
“The person who delivered it said nothing, only mentioned it was for the prince.”
“Hmm…”
I took the letter and examined it carefully.
For now, it didn’t seem hostile.
I opened the seal and pulled out the letter inside.
“This is…”
“What is it?”
“Take a look.”
I showed the letter to Jiji.
“This is… a menu. Quite the hearty eater, aren’t they?”
Even Jiji could immediately tell the letter’s content was a menu.
It laid out the basic three meals of the day, with occasional snacks, spanning about a month.
Aside from the menu, it simply said, “To the lifesaver” in a few words.
The handwriting was that of someone unaccustomed to writing.
I scrutinized the letter.
Was it some kind of code? I tried simple acrostics and more complex cryptograms.
Testing various possibilities, nothing meaningful emerged.
Then, something struck me.
The texture of the paper.
And once I noticed the feel, something else became clear.
A series of realizations came to me like a string of clues.