Hayashi Maki's words left Roswaal a little speechless.
But thinking of Echidna's matter and how much he needed this man, Roswaal chose not to argue further.
As he walked past Hayashi Maki, he instinctively glanced at Ram.
The girl, however, stood calmly behind Hayashi Maki, not sparing Roswaal so much as a look.
Roswaal gave a bitter smile and turned away without another word, heading straight back to his room.
He wanted to be alone.
After Roswaal left, Ram finally looked at his retreating back and let out a soft sigh.
Some things, once lost, can never truly be reclaimed.
Even though it hadn't been Roswaal's will and had been forced by this infuriating Hayashi Maki, Ram was not the kind of woman who wavered easily.
Now that she belonged to Hayashi Maki, and he'd kept his promise to her, Ram naturally would devote herself to serving him wholeheartedly.
Back in his room, Roswaal took out his own "gospel" and flipped through it.
After a moment, he let out a self-mocking laugh.
"I actually feel heartache over who Ram belongs to? How ridiculous. For Echidna-sensei's sake, I should be willing to throw away anything. Even my own life!"
Roswaal quickly hardened his resolve again.
He had been working toward Echidna's revival for hundreds of years. No matter what, he would not give up now.
"Well then, Hayashi Maki… Let me see what you're really capable of. As long as you can grant my wish, even Frederica is something I can afford to sacrifice…"
Soon, it was mealtime.
Hayashi Maki sat in a guest's seat, happily eating together with Aqua.
Today's dishes were made by Frederica and Rem, and they smelled fantastic.
The goddess Aqua had zero sense of crisis, treating this entire other world like a vacation resort.
Well, that was fine too.
It was still better than in the original story, where she followed Satou Kazuma around crying all the time and constantly showing off her so-called "blue wisdom."
Really, when it comes to a goddess, what matters isn't her "quality" so much as what kind of teammates she has.
Everyone has their own role to play.
Ram, Rem, and Frederica stood quietly to the side, waiting on them.
Roswaal sat at the head of the table. After everyone had eaten most of their fill, he finally spoke:
"Hayashi Maki-kun~, do you have any plans~ for the trip to the royal capital and the Royal Selection?"
"Sure do." Hayashi Maki nodded with a smile.
"Oh? Would you mind sharing them with me~?"
Roswaal showed an interested expression.
"Of course."
It wasn't something that needed to be kept secret.
"Since I'm already Emilia's knight, obviously I intend to help her realize her wish. Participating in the Royal Selection is just a stage in that. This trip to the capital, I mainly plan to gather intel on the other candidates."
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win a hundred battles. If we understand Emilia's rivals—who they are, what they're like—we can craft strategies tailored to each one."
Aqua eyed him skeptically.
"You sure it's not just because all the Royal Candidates are cute girls and you want to… 'get to know' them?"
"Heh, that is part of it," Hayashi Maki admitted without shame.
"I knew it!"
Aqua rolled her eyes so hard it was practically audible.
Emilia could only smile wryly.
What was she supposed to do with a knight this flirtatious?
And on top of that, he was openly eyeing her competitors.
cough "Anyway, don't sweat the small stuff," Hayashi Maki said. "The main priority in going to the capital is to prove Emilia's strength and give her backing."
"Second priority is gathering information on the other candidates so we can decide whether to weaken them or form alliances."
"Clap, clap, clap." Roswaal lightly applauded.
"As expected of Emilia-sama's knight~. You haven't even arrived in the capital and you're already thinking~ about making trouble for the other candidates."
"In that case, I'll also act as the situation demands~ during this little excursion to the capital."
Seeing Roswaal say so, Hayashi Maki curled his lip.
"You'd better. If you insist on being suicidal dead weight, don't say I didn't warn you."
"How could I~? I am a border margrave, after all, and the very first~ to support Emilia-sama. It seems~ you've somewhat misunderstood me, Hayashi Maki-kun~."
Roswaal spread his hands, giving a slightly awkward smile.
"Maybe it's just your clown makeup grating on me. I really can't see you as a good person. But if you can persuade Frederica to work for me instead, I might change my opinion."
At that, Roswaal was utterly speechless.
"Why don't you ask Frederica yourself~?" he said. "I only have one head maid left who can keep training the rest. If I hand her over too, I really will have nothing at all."
"Actually, I did ask," Hayashi Maki replied. "But Frederica said she has a contract with you and can't betray this mansion. So you might as well just give me the mansion too, while you're at it."
Hayashi Maki continued to shamelessly name outrageous prices, making even Roswaal roll his eyes.
"Forgive me, but I must refuse, Hayashi Maki-kun~. This mansion has been passed down in the Roswaal family for generations. I have grown very attached to it~. How could I simply give it away?"
"Alright then, pretend I never said anything." Hayashi Maki waved it off, finished eating, and left the hall with Beatrice in tow.
He'd only been half-serious anyway—but if Roswaal really had gifted him the place, that would have been a massive win.
Not that he'd been idle these days.
He and Beatrice had been working on developing new magic.
Hayashi Maki's internal mana reserves were massive, and even without direct physical contact he could channel it to Beatrice through their contract.
Because of this, Beatrice was now a full-fledged top-tier great spirit; she no longer had the weakness of depending on a contractor just to survive.
In theory, her combat strength alone could rival an army.
And together with Hayashi Maki, with the added effect of Beatrice's passive safeguarding, they could basically fight in a near-invincible state while freely casting spells for offense or support.
…
After the masters finished eating, Ram, Rem, and Frederica stayed behind to wash the dishes.
This time, though, Ram and Frederica hardly had to lift a finger.
With a flick of Ram's slender hand, all the dishes and utensils levitated into the air, spinning in a whirlwind.
With water and detergent wrapped into that wind, the dishes tumbled and swirled, scrubbed from every angle.
In just a few minutes, everything was sparkling clean and whisked back onto the shelves on a breeze.
Rem watched with open envy, her eyes misting over.
Her sister was back.
The same big sister who had always protected her—the powerful Ram, guardian of the oni clan.
Frederica, meanwhile, covered her mouth in surprise.
"Ram, your horn…?"
Ram touched the blue-glowing horn sprouting from the top of her head and nodded with a smile.
"Hayashi Maki-sama helped me restore it. I can use magic freely now without any risk."
"So, Frederica, how about you jump ship and come work for my master instead? He may be a bit of a lech, but he treats his people very well."
"U-um… why would you say something like that, Ram? I'm not that kind of easy woman!"
"You mean Ram is that kind of easy woman?"
"I-I never said that! It's just… I have a contract with Lord Roswaal. I can't just change employers as I please. So please tell Hayashi Maki-sama to stop targeting me."
Frederica gave an embarrassed smile.
She wasn't unhappy at being noticed—quite the opposite. But she wasn't about to sell her body for a job.
And beyond that, she didn't think she was really that pretty.
When people saw her teeth, they usually just got scared…