The Shut-In Prince’s Splendid Social Debut — Me, a Villainous Imperial, Have Spent the Last Fifteen Years Fighting the “Wicked Thoughts” Eating Away at My Mind. When I Finally Returned to High Society, There Were Way Too Many People I Didn’t Recognize

◇◇◇◇

I returned to the hall with Serta.

The female knight’s corpse was already gone. Well, that was only natural.

The nobles were enjoying their conversations as if the earlier disturbance had never happened.

(They really have thick skins…)

Did this mean that something on this level was a daily occurrence?

Normally, I would think this was hardly the time to be holding a party.

The moment I returned, I received a rather enthusiastic welcome.

“Oi, the ‘Nose Hook Prince’ is back… Everyone, be careful—hide your noses!”

“Oh? You came back, Nose Hook Bastard. You’ve got some nerve showing your face again. Well, I’ll at least give you credit for that stupidity.”

“Uyu…………………… ……………Nn……… Seriously, no way.”

Because of the earlier incident, my identity as the Third Prince had been exposed.

Now I had suddenly become the “Man of the Hour.”

Unlike when I first entered the venue, there was no longer anyone ignoring me.

That said, not a single gaze was friendly.

The male nobles looked at me with open hostility, while the female nobles hurriedly covered their noses with their hands whenever our eyes met.

(You don’t have to worry. I’m not going to do anything…)

I had successfully fulfilled Mother’s request.

However, as a result, it seemed I had evolved from the “Shut-in Prince” to the “Nose Hook Prince.”

Was this what they called the “fame tax”?

Well, they say rumors last only seventy-five days.

All I could do was wait for the memory to fade from everyone’s minds eventually.

I headed toward the newly prepared top-class VIP seat.

Naphna was already sitting beside it.

She was my fiancée, after all. It would be strange to deliberately separate us at a social gathering.

When Naphna noticed that I had returned, she walked toward me.

Her elegant steps naturally drew everyone’s attention.

“—Yoan-sama, you have returned. I was worried that perhaps your condition had worsened. Are you feeling alright…?”

The sharpness from earlier had vanished.

Now she wore a gentle smile like a shy flower.

It was probably her way of saying: Let’s reset for now.

Both Naphna and I represented our respective Royal Families here.

If rumors of discord spread, it would have enormous consequences later.

Therefore, Naphna had created this opportunity to show unity.

“I appreciate your concern. I simply stepped out to cool my head a little. …Even though it was an ‘unfortunate misunderstanding,’ I behaved rather poorly. I sincerely apologize.”

I bowed my head toward Naphna.

“No, I should apologize as well for the many discourtesies directed toward Yoan-sama. I am deeply sorry. And I thank Yoan-sama for your generous understanding.”

Yes.

Reset.

The rest was necessary to show the surrounding nobles that our relationship was good.

That had also been one of Mother’s requests.

We needed to stage the friendship between the Tiarma family and the Perdraon family.

“Come to think of it, we have not properly greeted each other yet. I am the Third Prince of the Azellan Empire, Yoan Joachim Rodenze. I am very pleased to finally meet the beautiful ‘White Dragon Priestess’ today.”

“Fufu, you are quite skilled with words, Yoan-sama. I am honored to meet you for the first time. I am the eldest daughter of the Perdraon family, Naphna Selene Perdraon. —I thank the guidance of the ‘Sorrowful Mother’ who has connected this wonderful fate.”

Naphna held the hem of her dress and gracefully spread it.

It was a gesture so elegant that one couldn’t help but stare.

I found myself momentarily captivated.

The atmosphere among the surrounding nobles seemed to soften as well.

Regardless of what she might truly be thinking deep inside, it was incredible that she could shift the entire mood of the room with just her expression and movements.

Hopefully, my own impression improved slightly as a result.

In any case—

I had finally encountered this heroine.

◇◇◇◇

“You look beautiful today as well—”

“Regarding the lovely Naphna-sama—”

“Naphna-dono, about that matter—”

A little time passed, and numerous nobles came to greet her.

Everyone.

To Naphna.

The momentum was such that it practically formed a line.

Even nobles from hostile factions joined the queue, just to see her face or hear her voice once.

Even so—

(That structure really is well-proportioned.)

I thought so while glancing at my fiancée’s profile.

Even looking around the hall, there wasn’t a single girl as beautiful as Naphna.

Slender limbs.

A blue dress the same color as her hair.

And the fullness of her chest was probably quite impressive for someone her age.

As expected of one of the heroines most loved by fans.

And she smelled incredibly nice too.

“She is certainly quite popular.”

“Yes. She truly is a beautiful person.”

Well, I had Serta beside me, though.

Serta was also drawing plenty of attention in this hall.

Her beauty was different from Naphna’s.

While Naphna possessed flawless elegance, Serta had the charm of a bewitching beauty.

After all, she was a Witch.

Naphna was perfect in every aspect—from appearance to gestures.

Serta, though slightly behind Naphna overall, had certain areas where she clearly and decisively won.

“Oh, did you meet Naphna before, Serta?”

“Yes, we spoke briefly three years ago. Naphna-sama probably doesn’t remember, though…”

Her tone sounded slightly prickly.

It seemed best not to dig any further.

“…I see. Then should I introduce you later?”

“Yes, please do, Onii-sama. I would definitely like to speak with Naphna-sama. This time, let’s see… —I think I can greet her in a way that will leave a strong impression.”

Serta said that while somehow gathering and lifting her chest right in front of me.

From the opening of her red dress, a heavy-class valley formed between them.

(Whoa… that’s impressive…)

Come to think of it, both Mother and Ange were also “big” in both directions.

Was that a trait of the lineage…?

Even among them, Serta had distinguished herself at a young age and quickly rose to the top rank.

A truly outrageous talent.

I had no idea what Serta was thinking, but perhaps this was something between women.

Probably not something a man should step into.

“Y-Yeah. Understood. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes. After all, I am a maid who will serve by Onii-sama’s side ‘Eternally.’“

Serta smiled brightly as she said that.

Earlier things had become awkward between us, but it seemed everything was fine now.

She appeared to be in a good mood.

Or rather—

“Eternally”? Did she mean staying by my side even when she became a granny?

That might not be so bad.

If I were disinherited someday, maybe Serta could take me in.

…In that case, would we end up becoming a married couple?

Well, I could think about that later.

(Now then—I should sort out the various situations.)

First—

Naphna.

In ERT, she had a terrible relationship with Yoan.

But this time, it seemed we could communicate reasonably well.

She was truly an unbelievably beautiful girl.

But even after meeting her in person, calling her my fiancée still felt strange.

Because I was the one who had planted an indelible trauma in this girl.

And on top of that, an enormous dreadnought-class trauma.

Given that—

I intended to fade out somewhere along the way.

This would also serve as insurance against becoming hostile with the protagonist.

The question was when.

If it happened now, when our relationship value was still low, the damage might remain small.

If we became too close, breaking the engagement through proper channels would become troublesome.

However, one important thing remained.

I had to ensure that Mother’s birth family—the Tiarma Family—did not suffer any disadvantage.

Even if the engagement were broken, I had to avoid severing the relationship between the two families.

So treating Naphna coldly was not an option either.

Ideally, the relationship would dissolve naturally from both sides.

Something like:

“We tried dating, but maybe we just aren’t compatible after all.”

If possible, it would be best if Naphna herself said it.

…This required some delicate maneuvering.

Next—

My magic.

Yes.

Unfortunately, there was some bad news.

My new magic was probably completely useless.

“Status.”

I opened the status screen and turned “Overcomer Display” ON.

――――
[Overcomer Display: ON]

Yoan Joachim Rodenze [Overcomer] Lv. 9 (Max 51) Limit Break: 1 time

▼ Vitality 928
▼ Mental Strength ♾️
▼ Strength 812
▼ Dexterity 580
▼ Intelligence 921
▼ Faith 589
▼ Agility 701

Equipment: Curly’s Treasure Sword (Wind)

Magic Power: 13th Tier ←New!
Magic Change: 13th Tier ←New!

Attributes: Darkness / Overcoming

Sword Arts: [Vertical Slash], [Sword Wave]
――――

Thanks to Serta performing [Magic Opening], the “Magic Power” and “Magic Change” entries had changed.

…Honestly, I didn’t fully understand them.

Those categories hadn’t existed in the ERT era.

Regarding the Attributes Serta mentioned earlier—

My magic attributes were Darkness and Overcoming.

“Darkness” was fine.

The original Yoan used it as well.

The real problem was the Overcoming attribute.

Overcoming Magic was probably some kind of Production-type or Support-type magic.

Somehow, I instinctively understood it.

How to release magic.

What kind of magic I could use.

Perhaps because I had learned to manipulate the magic power within my body.

And—

The only Overcoming Magic I had was this:

“[Universal Glue]”

Something like glue emerged slowly from my palm.

Nyuu.

It formed a translucent sphere in my hand.

Apparently, only I could see it.

As for the effect—

I didn’t really know.

The only things I understood were these three points:

It could attach to anything, and it would never come off unless I removed it.
I could perceive what the target I attached it to was.
I could know where that target was—even if it were on the other side of the planet.

…And that was it.

(Isn’t this a huge miss…?)

If it at least stretched and contracted like a certain “Elastic Love”, it might have been useful. (T/N: “Elastic Love” is a reference to Hisoka’s ability “Bungee Gum” from Hunter × Hunter, which has both adhesive and elastic properties.)

But this thing only stuck to targets.

Since the opponent couldn’t even tell it had been attached, it wasn’t even effective harassment.

And even worse—

Aside from [Universal Glue], there was no other Overcoming Magic.

(What am I supposed to do with this…?)

…Well, maybe there were hidden effects.

For combat, I would probably have to rely on Dark Magic.

That one seemed perfectly usable.

Finally—

Saving the daughter of Margrave Grayash.

Since the incident hadn’t been explained in detail, I didn’t know where or how the girl died.

Naturally, I also didn’t know who the culprit was.

The only thing I knew was that it happened before the academy began.

Therefore—

I watched the beautiful silver-haired girl standing in the distance.

Name—

Fryure Miare Grayash.

Long silver hair.

Long eyelashes.

In terms of beauty, she could easily rival Naphna.

However, unlike Naphna, she gave off a slightly unapproachable impression.

Her nickname in noble society was—

“Ice Lady.”

Apparently, she earned that name because she treated everyone coldly.

(Well, it’s probably just a rumor…)

“Hmph. That Grayash girl is getting carried away…”

“Honestly. Even though she knows nothing of our struggles…”

Several nobles scowled at Fryure from afar.

They were likely nobles from the First Prince’s faction.

They seemed afraid their vested interests might be threatened.

Naturally, they wouldn’t welcome the Margrave Grayash family joining the faction.

Looking at her like this—

Fryure had quite the potential to become a villainess.

If she had survived, she might have stood back-to-back with Yoan in the villain world.

A pair of twin jewels.

“—Are you interested in Fryure?”

The one who asked was Naphna.

It seemed she had noticed my gaze.

“Ah, no, not particularly…”

“Fufu, it’s alright. Fryure truly is a beautiful person. She can do almost anything and was especially excellent among our generation. In fact, the one who taught proper lady-like manners to the tomboy I used to be was Fryure. If I hadn’t met her, I might still be running around with dragons in Daylago even now.”

Naphna giggled as she said that.

Watching her laugh like that, I thought she was truly skilled at entering people’s hearts.

And genuinely cute.

But—

I couldn’t reconcile this cheerful girl with the Naphna I knew.

Seeing her laugh so brightly with sparkling eyes somehow calmed me.

It made me wonder who this girl truly was.

“Actually, she’s a brave and kind person. But… because of the reputation of the Grayash family, she tends to be misunderstood. That frustrates me very much…”

Naphna spoke honestly.

I see.

Fryure and Naphna must have been good friends.

Perhaps that was also a side effect of me being a shut-in.

This relationship hadn’t existed in the original story.

“—If I had more power… would I have been able to save Fryure…”

Naphna suddenly murmured something meaningful.

Or rather—

It gave me an ominous feeling.

The tone of resignation in her voice felt strangely familiar.

“…………Naphna-dono, what do you mean by—”

Just as I tried to ask—