u ask me whether Nozomu-sama is fragile or not, I'll say no."

Yes, as Mena Said, if Victor asked her whether Nozomu's spirit was fragile or not, it certainly was not.

He did not look away at all, even when confronted with the fact, and even when under Victor's gaze.

It was proof that Nozomu himself understood and accepted his current shortcomings. And both Victor and Mena understood that this wasn't something everyone could do.

Actually, it was neither wrong nor right to use such an exaggerated expression "drifting ship". It was just his way to shake up Nozomu's mind and look into his true nature.

"My key point is. Very few people can honestly accept and admit their own weaknesses ..."

Despite his hesitation and his weakness, Nozomu was firmly receiving Victor's gaze. It was nothing less than admitting his own weakness.

Victor drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and poured a new wine into the empty glass.

"For that reason, master kept surprising Nozomu-sama, by brewing master's own tea, didn't you, master?"

"... No, that's just what I really wanted to do."

Victor tilted his head in an aloof manner as he shook his glass and enjoyed the aroma of the wine he poured.

Seeing her master in such a state, Mena let out a sigh of dismay.

When one first met someone one didn't know, one would subconsciously put up a protective barrier, whether he or she intended to or not.

When Mena guided Nozomu to Victor's room, Victor showed Nozomu himself brewing his own tea, which was actually intended to surprise Nozomu and break down his subconscious barrier.

At the same time, if even a part of his subconscious barrier was broken down, the effect of exploiting his shortcomings would be multiplied many times over.

Mena once again looked at the figure of her master.

Her master was still enjoying the aroma of the wine she brought in.

Actually, Victor's hobby indeed was brewing tea. He did it as a hobby and for practical use.

"Good grief, master really is cunning, isn't he? Just like a swindler.

So, what would master say to Jihad-dono regarding the support of Nozomu-sama? According to what I heard, some of them want master to be his guardian..."

Among the assistance that Jihad requested from Victor was to become the guardian of Nozomu Bountis.

At first glance, this seemed like a good deal for the Francilt Household, but from what he saw of the current Nozomu earlier, there was no way he could accept it.

"Well, I suppose we can't talk about guardianship in his current state of mind, ....... But abandoning our relationship with him is not an option. I promise to provide him with reasonable assistance.

"We'll stay in touch with him?"

"That's what I mean."

Viktor nodded his head in satisfaction as he again drank the contents of his glass.

He must have really liked the brand of wine he just drank.

"What did you think of him?"

"Let's see. I think he is a good man. No wonder the ladies are so devoted to him."

Viktor returned a question, and Mena answered without hesitation.

“Indeed, the current Nozomu-sama does not have what we might call a long-term goal, but I still understand that he is extraordinary and has an unbreakable heart. And he has many achievements to prove it... "

He became a Dragon Slayer. At that age, he had mastered skills on par with Jihad, standing more than even with S-ranked vampires and destroying Abyss Grief.

Furthermore, even without using the power of the dragon he had taken in, he had mastered the katana technique and Qi control to Jihad's level.

Even in the special general training, he was able to stand up to a superior party by using traps and teamwork and came out on top.

None of this could have been accomplished by the power of the Dragon Slayer alone. At the core of these achievements was the growth of Nozomu himself, and above all, he was able to achieve them because he never gave up until the end.

"If we only need talent, we can find it if we look for it. However, not many people can move forward by believing in such a small possibility. In that sense, Nozomu-sama is extraordinary."

"Fuh~...."

Mena let out a sigh at her master, who sniffed in dissatisfaction.

As for Victor himself, he would have been happy if he could be Nozomu's guardian.

However, as the head of the Francilt Household, he couldn't be Nozomu's guardian, who was still full of hesitation at the moment, but he will reserve it and secure some position.

In the first place, the reason why Jihad told Victor about Nozomu's identity was to protect Nozomu's back, which had no backing. At the very least, Jihad predicted that Victor would not be able to refuse Nozomu's help.

This matter was just a matter of waiting for the right time. The reason it turned out to be such a hassle was that Victor's daughter was strangely close to the boy named Nozomu.

"Even if it wasn't a perfect score, I rated him about 80 points."

To put it bluntly, only a few nobles could withstand Victor's gaze. There was no way that a young nobleman who had been spoiled and raised in a pampered environment could endure his intense and intimidating gaze.

Even though he was facing Victor, Nozomu stared straight back at him, and Mena had already begun to take a liking to him.

Her master, however, had a complicated look on his face.

"... I haven't given him such a high rating."

As if to deny the maid's words, Victor slurped down the wine three times.

Watching her master's appearance, Mena let out a sigh as if to say that it couldn't be helped.

"Master doesn't like the fact that the young lady and Nozomu-sama are quite close, do you?"

"........”

Victor kept drinking his wine in silence. However, his back was somehow giving off an air of dissatisfaction.

The way he was silent and sulked was not like the great aristocrat he had been earlier but like a normal father.

"That's ...... no, he got a lot of red marks after all. To make my daughter have such a sad expression ..."

"Sir. After all, you were peeking at Miss Irisdina's behavior in the salon, weren't you?"

The sad expression he referred to was probably the expression on Irisdina's face when she saw Nozomu off.

Mena glared at Viktor as he peeked at Irisdina. However, Viktor, who was preoccupied with his daughter, didn't even notice her glare and began to walk around the room while raising his voice.

He also began to complain about Nozomu, saying that he couldn't trust such a small man with his daughter's back and that he couldn't hold back his emotions even though he was caught by surprise.

He was not at all like the nobleman he had been a few minutes before. He was just an ordinary father trying to keep his beloved daughter from being taken away from him.

However, the only thing that came to mind when Mena saw him like that was a disappointed smile. Mena, who was standing by and watching her master's ugly behavior, could only let out a sigh.

In fact, this was not the first time that Victor had shown his pathetic state.

Since the death of his beloved wife, Victor had cherished his two daughters, who were her last remnants.

However, perhaps his love for them had been too great, and he often got out of control.

Although he usually showed a resolute attitude as the head of the household, he once tried to gather craftsmen from all over the country to tailor the most suitable clothes for his daughter's debut in the social world, and when Somia ran away from home, he even tried to call a group of knights to search for her.

Especially when Somia ran away from home, even Irisdina ran out of the house to look for Somia, and Victor completely forgot himself and threw out even the knights he had gathered, charging into the town while shouting his daughter's name.

It was so serious that several of the knights who tried to stop him were blown away like leaves from a tree.

The usual Victor was not capable of blowing away the knights but when his daughter was involved, he sometimes showed his extraordinary ability. He was that much of a doting parent.

Perhaps this was the reason why Nozomu, who was sensitive to presences, did not notice Victor's presence in the salon.

By the way, even when he came to Arcazam, he also gathered several carriages' worth of local specialties as souvenirs for his daughters, and just before the party, without Nozomu's knowledge, his daughters smiled wryly at the gifts piled up in their rooms.

"So what about when he made young ladies smile?"

"+ and - 100 points!"

He is such a father who is in full throes of love for his daughters that, to be honest, makes him not even amused by Nozomu's existence.

Victor was sensitive to people's feelings and was skilled at reading their true intentions, so naturally, he was already aware of his daughter's feelings.

"Double scoring? So it was something that made Master jealous while rejoicing inwardly. But, aside from Lady Somiliana, Lady Irisdina has already told me about Nozomu-sama ......"

"Gununununu ..."

The second daughter was still very young and probably only thought of Nozomu as an older brother for now, but the eldest daughter already had her feelings for that young man in the danger zone.

Even though he knew personally that he was a likable person, it was still unacceptable for Victor.

The way he was jealous because of his love for his family was just like Irisdina. But when the other party was a strong middle-aged man, there was not the slightest bit of cuteness, and it was extremely annoying ...

"... Sir, isn't it time for you to leave your daughter alone?"

"What nonsense! A father will always protect his daughter from any danger that may befall her!"

It was absurd.

In the first place, the words were not convincing

As a father, if he wanted his daughter to grow up, he must not force himself to interfere here.

In fact, when Mena sharply interrupted, "In your case, the only reason is jealousy, isn't it?" Viktor was silent and let out a "Gununununu ..." sound.

Victor, seeing that it was irrefutable, immediately changed the logic of the conversation.

"By the way, you've been sending my daughters a lot of marriage proposals, haven't you?!"

Yes, Mena had sent dozens of marriage proposals to Irisdina and Somia.

In a sense, the future of these girls was up for them to decide.

Mena dismissed Victor's words with a nonchalant look on her face.

"Of course, I will consider the young lady's opinions. But good connections must be made early, and it is your daughters who will make the decision. In that sense, young ladies seem to be starting to think about choosing the right person."

According to Mena, the marriage proposal was literally just to provide an opportunity to make a connection. It was up to Irisdina and Somia to decide what to do with that connection.

In fact, Mena is a loyal retainer whom Victor also trusts. Viktor is also well aware of her keen eye.

Nozomu Bountis is originally single-minded, or rather, stubborn in a good way, not backing down once he has made up his mind.

This can be read from the fact that he did not blame his childhood friend for betraying him.

That's why Mena's words were irrefutable, but ...

"By the way, the young lady immediately noticed Nozomu-sama's change in atmosphere, and ever since she saw him off, she has been staring at the boys' dormitory with worried eyes from her room ..."

"T-, there’s no way I will acknowledge him!"

In a room of the vast mansion, the father's cries were heard.