Volume 3 Chapter 10 Just A Slight Change In Angle Makes The Opening Ahead Quite Intense, Doesn't It？
Randy's bad friend, a guy recognized by Alan and Harrison, Luke.
In the main story, Luke plays the role of a helper character. In the otome game "The Saint of Destiny and the Rhapsody of Calamity," there are helper characters you can add to your party, besides the main characters you can pursue.
These characters can be limited-time ones or ones you can use throughout the game. Luke, however, is a helper character who only shows up near the end of the game.
But, almost no one includes him in their party. The reason is simple: there are hardly any events involving him.
Even other helper characters have had various events leading up to this point, deepening their bonds (friendship), which caused a bit of an uproar with players asking, "Why did they introduce such a character at the end?"
You might wonder why a helper character caused such a fuss... It's partly because of Luke's prince-like appearance and his unusual background.
The helper character, Luke. His real name is Lucas 'Highland'. He is the illegitimate son of a duke from the Dukedom of Highland, but he was driven to the outskirts with his mother by the family's servants, who feared a family feud.
They ended up in Victor Territory, which is his mother's hometown. While his mother worked as a servant in a mansion, Luke spent his childhood in Victor Territory with Randy, who was close to his age.
Knowing his background, Luke felt a deep gratitude towards the Viscount family, who accepted him and his mother, and he treated Randy like a real little brother, playing with him.
Yes, in the main story, Randy had an older brother figure named Luke, who was 2 years older. He was confident and always led Randy and the others. That is Luke in the main story.
Randy, who followed Luke around, grew up to be a straightforward young man in the main story as well.
But their personalities are quite different. You could say he was a good listener and a smart kid. On the other hand, Randolph Victor was indecisive and always sought others' opinions. That is Randolph Victor, the young man in the main story.
You could also say he wasn't mature enough to accept Elizabeth and Eleonora.
By the time Elizabeth visited the Viscount territory, his older brother Luke had left the country to become an adventurer, wanting to test his own strength after the death of his real mother──his true intention was to ensure that his presence wouldn't affect the Viscount territory.
After that, everything followed the game's storyline. Luke would learn in a foreign land that the grateful Victor family was destroyed by Eleonora.
To defeat the witch who took away his family-like people, Luke would end up helping Catherine and the others, who visited the former Dukedom at the end of the story... as the prince of a fallen nation leading a resistance.
For the first time then, Luke would mention that there were 3 children in the Viscount territory.
This complicated background and his appearance caused a stir, leading to rumors that he might become a main character in future content.
Originally, he was supposed to be a helper character for the protagonist, but this was related to Cecilia being called back to her family.
Let's rewind a bit...
* * *
Before Randy and the others even started expanding the bathhouse... Cecilia had returned alone to her family home in the Count Hartfield territory.
In the capital of the territory, Leonhart, Cecilia stood there, reflecting on the sunset over the harbor.
(I never thought this place would become a hope for everyone when I returned to the academy.)
It was still a small harbor, but exports of beasts to the opposite shore, Victor Territory, had already begun regularly. Of course, they had also started raising them, but that was still in the early stages.
For now, adventurers and knights were capturing slimes and evil plants and transporting them to Victor Territory. Both types were so common in the territory that they could be found everywhere. There shouldn't be any problems for a while.
It's definitely more efficient to raise them. But until that gets going, gathering the necessary materials is the Hartfield family's job.
Still, they succeeded in the unprecedented attempt to transport the beasts on a ship. Cecilia believes that the efforts of the people in the territory will surely pay off.
Of course, she doesn't intend to overlook the people who have been working hard in livestock farming in this territory. Thanks to Randy's plan, research on a beauty serum using pig placenta is also progressing, and she has heard about the promotion of pork that includes that.
Pork-derived extracts for beautiful skin.
At the same time, they will advertise that pork also has beauty benefits.
Randy is aiming for a placebo effect, but in reality, pork contains components that are good for beauty. With the placebo effect plus actual nutritional value, it would be a powerful combination.
(Considering the pork, it seems like things are going to get even busier)
There's still a mountain of things to do, but seeing the lively port at this time, the future of the territory looks bright.
The energy of the territory is definitely on the rise. The reason for calling Cecilia back is probably related to the recent assassination attempt aimed at Cedric and the others.
Right now, she has a bodyguard arranged by Miranda, but she has her own job to do. Normally, they should prepare their own bodyguards.
(But, with our family's busyness, can we even spare anyone...?)
It's not just Cecilia who needs protection. If the assassin is related to the beauty serum, then not only her parents but also the security at various facilities will need to be strengthened.
(If that's the case, does that mean they're thinking of making me take a break from school...?)
If she goes home instead of staying at the academy, at least they won't need to allocate personnel.
As various thoughts raced through Cecilia's mind, after a while of swaying in the carriage, she arrived home just as the sun was setting.
At the entrance, not only the servants but also her parents were unexpectedly there.
"Father, Mother──."
Cecilia's parents warmly embraced her as she jumped down from the carriage.
"First, I must apologize for the engagement matter."
Cecilia could only shake her head and say "no" in response to her father's apology. After savoring the reunion for a moment, the 3 of them moved to the Count's office, as the servants would not be able to rest at the entrance for a long time.
"Now, Cecily. I'm sorry for the sudden call."
Cecilia finally showed a bit of her personality and replied, "It's okay," to her smiling father.
"I heard about the assassin from Marquis Lucian..."
As her father started, Cecilia focused her ears, realizing it was about that matter.
"I don't know what kind of assassin this is. It seems they won't talk."
Her father sighed deeply, and Cecilia hesitated, saying, "That's..." Since they wouldn't talk, they had to consider the possibilities of various forces.
"Do you understand how much danger you're in right now?"
"Yes. I know all too well."
Cecilia nodded, and her father also nodded in agreement.
"Marquis Lucian said not to worry about the bodyguards. However, they were sent to the capital because they were needed in the first place."
Cecilia understood again that the female bodyguard must have had some kind of job originally.
"So, I want to bring my lovely daughter back to our territory──."
Cecilia stiffened at her father's expected words. She knew it was coming, but hearing it directly still hit her hard.
"Even if I make you take a break from school, I wanted to talk to you directly and decide."
Cecilia looked down at her father's earnest gaze.
"I-I understand the danger..."
She realized her trembling lips were moving on their own, but there was nothing she could do to stop them. It seemed that Cecilia had found joy in her life at the academy.
"But──!"
Cecilia raised her voice, but her father raised his hand to interrupt her.
"Do you really want to stay at the academy?"
Cecilia couldn't help but nod vigorously at her father's gentle smile.
"Then, we must assign a bodyguard to Cecily."
"A bodyguard? But our family..."
Cecilia tilted her head, and her father smiled again, saying, "Come in," as he called toward the door.
"──Excuse me."
A young man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a sweet face entered with a dignified voice. The armor he wore was familiar; it belonged to the Hartfield family, but Cecilia had never seen him before.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Luke."
He said politely. Cecilia stood up and curtsied in return, saying, "I'm Cecilia."
"I wanted to assign you a bodyguard, but as you know, our territory is still in trouble. We can't leave this area unprotected. The same goes for Marquis Lucian."
Cecilia nodded silently as she stood there, listening to his sudden explanation.
"At that time, I received a message from Lord Victor saying that if you need a bodyguard, he would send a reliable young man as a knight... He hopes you will get along well as friends, as he is his son's classmate."
"Is that really okay?"
"Yes, there are no issues on paper. Officially, he is already part of our territory."
The Count smiled, joking that there was no way anyone could audit the Count's territory right now.
"But what about Victor Territory? Even if it's small──."
Cecilia paused, choosing her words carefully, but everyone in the room understood what she meant. She didn't know Randy's abilities, but she had heard that he was also supposed to protect Liz. So, he must have some skills.
Plus, Harrison was also stationed in the capital as a bodyguard. She wanted to express her concern that if they sent out so many people, it might weaken the defense of Victor Territory.
The Count understood Cecilia's concerns and turned to Luke. It was as if he was asking, "What do you think?" Luke smiled gently at Cecilia.
"Thank you for your concern. However, if it's just a gap left by me or Mr. Harrison, it's not a problem. Victor's top strength is still intact..."
Cecilia could only nod in agreement, saying, "I see."
"This is the application form for the academy... but you and he will need to see if you get along. Spend tomorrow together, and if there are no issues, take him back to the academy with you."
At the Count's words, Cecilia looked back at the young man named Luke.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Cecilia."
Luke's perfect smile made it hard for Cecilia to respond, and she could only say, "Yes."
In the official history, Luke became an adventurer to avoid causing trouble for the Viscounts as Randy's older brother figure. But in this timeline...
──Alright, I'll make you a member of Randy's exploration team.
From the very first moment, he was slapped on the cheek by the eccentric Randy and grew up influenced by his oddness.
Knowing he was a noble, he was accepted and 'supported' by his childhood friend and her family.
To repay that kindness, Luke became a knight in the Victor family instead of an adventurer. ...Though, to be fair, Randy was so strong that Luke didn't really need to worry.
Anyway, as a knight, Luke ended up meeting Cecilia, someone he would never have encountered otherwise, through the unique connection of Randy.
* * *
And now...
"It's already lunchtime."
"What would you like to do? Will you go back to the mansion alone, milady?"
"No. Since we're here, let's go to the dorm to pick up our things."
Cecilia and Luke, who had finally arrived in the capital, decided to go to the dorm to collect their belongings for the move.
Unlike Randy and Liz, Cecilia, as a young lady of the Hartfield family, could use the Hartfield family's mansion in the capital. Because she had a male bodyguard, they decided to commute from the mansion in the capital to the academy.
So, they took a carriage to the academy to pick up their things, and in the distance, they spotted a tall figure with bright red hair that stood out.
"Oh, how convenient."
"Yes."
Just as they smiled, Liz happened to stop next to Randy, noticing the emblem on Cecilia's carriage.
Cecilia stopped the carriage in front of the two of them, and Luke jumped down confidently, saying, "Let me go first." Randy's eyes widened at the sight of Luke, but Luke ignored him and turned back to Cecilia, offering his hand.
With Luke's help, Cecilia got down from the carriage and curtsied to Randy and the others, saying, "Good day."
"Cecily, you're back!"
"Yes, just a little while ago."
While the two girls were happy to see each other, the two boys stood silently, staring at each other.
Ignoring the strange atmosphere that made Liz and Cecilia quiet, Randy and Luke took a step closer to each other.
""Ha!""
Randy and Luke both laughed at the same time, raising their hands happily as they moved even closer... The two of them firmly clasped hands in front of their chests and then pulled each other in for a hug.
"It sounds like you're up to something interesting, Randy."
"I might lose to you, but I'm guarding a noble girl from another country, Luke."
In the official story, Luke, who was burning with a desire for revenge against Eleonora, ended up joining her side like this.
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