The dining hall felt as if time itself had frozen. The reactions from the Duke's family members to the outburst filled with righteous fury varied wildly.
The Family Head stared back with an ironclad poker face. The Duchess covered her gaping mouth in shock.
The Eldest Son scowled, gripping his utensils tightly. The Second Daughter glared with eyes full of contempt and disbelief.
The Youngest... just blinked in pure, innocent surprise.
Gulp, gulp!
I downed shot after shot of the strong liquor, letting the alcohol fuel my voice even louder.
A plan? I had no such thing.
I was just spewing out my emotions, excreting information like it was waste.
"Haha! Hahaha! The Duke's family is on the brink of destruction, yet you're all so carefree it makes me laugh! Hahahaha! Black mages drawing ominous ritual circles, mimic monsters disguised as territory folk roaming the streets, and high-ranking demons plotting your annihilation on purpose! And our esteemed, brilliant members of the Duke's family? Just happily chewing and swallowing delicious, thick cuts of meat!"
"...What the hell do you think you're doing, Starnassila Alzen?"
A raspy voice boomed through the dining hall. Unable to take it anymore, the Eldest Son, Starnassila Berga, finally spoke up, radiating intimidation.
Was it a lie that he was nearing Sword Master level at such a young age? A heavy pressure bore down on my shoulders, instinctive fear surging as the blood drained from my head.
Gulp!
But as if it were perfect timing, I took another swig and met his gaze.
"Puhah! Well, if it isn't him! The Duke's family pride and joy, the Eldest Son! The shining academy valedictorian! Vice Commander of the Starnassila Knight Order, Berga himself! With your cool intellect, unparalleled talent, and god-given instincts uncovering every danger and crisis—oh! The family's greatest blessing!"
Twirl, twirl.
I put on airs like I was in a play, exaggerating my tone and shouting. His face twisted even more as he gripped his utensils harder.
The menacing aura suggested he'd hurl them at me any second, piercing me through somewhere.
Oh, and by the way, Origin World is, genre-wise, an academy story centered around academy life.
But that's got nothing to do with me.
Because the Starnassila Alzen I possessed was a dropout trash long ago.
Nothing useful at all, that guy.
"But even that glorious Berga won't stop the Duke's family from falling! The high-ranking demon's curse clouds judgment, interfering with instincts and warnings, muddling intuition to hide crises and threats! Blind until the end, he'll shed bloody tears, cursing his own arrogance and lamenting his incompetence as the family crumbles!"
At that moment, the Second Daughter, Weller, shot to her feet as if she couldn't stand another word.
With her red hair and red eyes, she glared like a beast. The pressure was no joke.
"What the hell are you doing? Have you finally lost your mind? If that's it, I'll put you down clean. Better than dragging the family's honor and reputation lower. Don't you think so too?"
Mana gathered in clumps around Weller's hand, but from the head seat, a gentle wave of power disrupted it.
"Weller. Calm yourself."
"Mother! But this crazy bastard...!"
"Weller. How can you speak to your brother like that? Mind your crude language."
Thanks to the intervention from Starnassila Pitra—the one person here who could be called my ally... or at least neutral—I grinned ear to ear.
"Hahaha! Another pride of our Duke's family! The great mage Starnassila Weller's hysteria and nerves have reached their peak! And why is that? Because despite being of marriageable age, no man catches her eye!? Alone in her empty nest, cobwebs thickening in her nether regions day by day!?"
"You..."
Unlike before, genuine killing intent stabbed at my instincts amid the mockery.
"But the truth was different! The brilliant and great mage Weller never noticed until the end! The ominous, dangerous black mana spreading through the entire Duke's family, stirring disgust and fraying nerves! She never realized her hysteria wasn't baseless before meeting a gruesome death at the hands of a monster! Oh, tragedy! Such tragedy!"
"...Starnassila Alzen. Know when to quit your drunken nonsense."
Then, an overwhelming presence and aura crushed the entire dining hall.
A tidal wave of pressure made it hard to even twitch a finger. My tongue dried up, heart pounding wildly.
The rare Sword Master of the empire, the Duke's Family Head, Starnassila Urtega, was staring at me.
Gulp!
My consciousness was starting to waver from all the booze, but I couldn't stop here. I forced down another gulp.
"Phew... Father."
"Alzen. If you continue this disgrace, it won't end with confinement. Go to your room now."
"Was last night's temptation sweet?"
"...!!"
For the first time, a twitch crossed his ironclad face.
"Hahaha! Our father, hiding endless thirst for power beneath that thick skin! Unsatisfied even at the pinnacle no one else can reach—the Sword Master realm—he betrays the Duke's family and humanity! He never realized it until the end! That his failure to resist the temptation wasn't mere unquenched thirst for power, but mental interference from an artifact!"
"..."
"Thus, the Duke's family falls! The most hidden, greatest dagger plunges in helplessly! Shattered to pieces, it becomes a demonic realm swarming with monsters and demons! The empire's top dungeon! And at its deepest, humanity's betrayer Starnassila Urtega loses his reason, mercilessly slaughtering his own kind. Tragedy! Such tragedy!"
"...Drag him out."
At the Family Head's word, knights swarmed in and roughly grabbed and hauled me away.
I didn't resist, locking eyes with him to the end.
Smirk.
My smile shook his poker face once more, igniting a petty sense of triumph in my chest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I screwed up.
I really went and screwed everything up.
"Now, what'll happen...?"
I had zero plans.
I just hurled out the information I knew indiscriminately.
If they listened carefully and acted, they might avert doom. Ignore it, and doom awaits.
Gulp!
I knew full well no one would seriously heed a trash drunken wastrel's ravings.
"Heh heh heh..."
So, I'd repeat it until they did.
No matter how grating the voice, hearing it enough times would sear it into their heads.
Gulp!
"Kuhah..."
The maid had cleaned spotlessly. Alone in the pristine room, I tilted the bottle.
It started harsh and burning, but kept going, revealing deep flavor and savoriness.
Probably a luxury liquor commoners could never taste in a lifetime.
"Hm... Huh?"
Then, neat rows of cigars caught my eye on the table.
"Oh..."
I'd smoked in my old life, so no aversion. I opened the case and picked up a thick one.
Great grip, heavy and sleek scent.
Even unlit, it screamed high-end.
Click!
Cut the end with the cutter, sparked a flame with mana at my fingertip.
"Sssip... Huh. Used magic."
I eyed my finger curiously while inhaling.
Never cast a spell before, but it came naturally.
Possession perk?
Effortlessly wielding this body's skills... So I had two perks?
...Might as well give proper ones if handing them out.
Even with no talent, I could light a fire, huh.
Makes sense. Third son of a duke's family—trained from childhood, fed pricey elixirs.
"Fuuu~"
Pretty strong cigar, so I inhaled shallow, not deep into my lungs, then exhaled.
Mild, smooth aroma, but intense nicotine punch relaxed my body instantly.
Gulp!
"Sssip, fuuu~"
Good booze, premium cigar—mind went blissfully blank, happiness bubbling up.
"Nice..."
All tension and stress melted away, a silly grin spreading.
"O-oppa..."
Then, a little one barged in without knocking.
"Cough, cough!"
"...What is it, Vivian."
Starnassila Vivian—coughing hard from the smoke right away.
The Duke's Youngest, just turned 13. If doom hits, the sole survivor besides Alzen.
One of Origin World's main heroines, too.
Still pre-growth spurt, petite... but she'd bloom gorgeously soon.
"Th-that is..."
She rolled her red eyes awkwardly, gauging me.
Her dark red hair, swaying to her shoulders, followed her movements.
I waited calmly.
The booze and cigar had me in a good mood.
"What you said earlier bothers me... I-is the Duke's family really gonna fall?"
"Yes. If nothing changes, the family falls, territory razed, all folk massacred."
"Gasp...!"
She covered her mouth in shock, scampering over with a scared face.
"..."
Seems she didn't hate Alzen.
No clashes in his memories.
Or rather, he never noticed her... Still, one family member without beef was encouraging.
...Could use her heroine status?
"Th-then what do we do, oppa? How to save the family?"
Her innocent face and question drew an unwitting smile.
"Hm... Big bro and sis won't listen to me, so go throw a fit. Demand territory inspection, check folk's status."
"Yes! I'll do that!"
I added as she bolted off desperately.
"Better go with Mother. They'll at least pretend to listen then."
"With Mother! Right! Thanks, oppa!"
Short legs carried her away fast. I deeply inhaled the cigar smoke watching.
"Close the door at least."
My belated words didn't reach her.
Too lazy for anything, I passed out drunk as is.
That night, coming to, I faced the Family Head in his study.
"...?"
"What do you know."
His deep, heavy question left me blankly gaping, still clueless on the situation.