Title: Eccentric Baron

Summary: This was my second life. I was going to live it the way I wanted, and fortunately for me, I had the biggest gun in the kingdom. Why should I care for the norms of such a misandrist world?

This world was inordinately cruel to the rural barons and viscounts. How was it that we were treated worse than the commoners of the Kingdom? We were expected take all manners of abuse from women of our stature: verbal abuse, parasitic spending, getting cucked, etc. On top of all that, we were also expected to lay down our lives as the cannon fodder for when any foreign country decided to invade, which occurred yearly on different fronts. If we were found wanting in any regard, it was a sign of weakness. It signaled to our allies that they should launch their own assault to liberate our people from our incompetent rule.

Well, bully to all that nonsense. This was my second life. I was going to live it the way I wanted, and fortunately for me, I had the biggest gun in the kingdom. Why should I care for the norms of such a misandrist world?

Plus, Luxion was always chomping at the bits for a bit of genocide. Letting him loose on my enemies would make maintaining his loyalty significantly easier.

"You're not planning on courting the women here? What are you playing at?" a tanned noble asked with squinted eyes.

"Exactly that. I have no interest in even attempting to go for the respectable harpies here. I plan on finding a nice commoner to settle down with. Maybe pump her with a baby before graduation just to stick it to the system here," I snarked as I took a large swig of my drink.

I also jauntily waved at what appeared to be a merchant family's daughter at another table. The girl seemed appreciative of the gesture, but the father shushed her. Good dad. Noblemen trying to get on with commoner girls probably shouldn't be trusted.

Put me in a pickle though. Maybe I'll find a female adventurer to lay with or a guild receptionist.

A senior student (Lucle?) frowned and tried to admonish me.

"You shouldn't go against the grain here. You're new to how nobility works, but that isn't an excuse to go against social norms. Other nobles will just use it as justification to eliminate you and take your land."

"Their funeral," I snorted.

"You should be more considerate of your family."

"I'm an independent. My actions should only reflect on myself, is what I would like to say, but the world doesn't work like that."

Lucle nodded with a look of relief as he must have thought he was successful in convincing me to get in line. He was a good kid.

I stood up to leave.

"Leon?" he asked, startled by my sudden movement.

"Going to get something to look after my family. I'll be gone for about a week."

"You can't leave! We have classes tomorrow!"

"No, we have orientation tomorrow and the weekend."

"You'll still be missing the first four days!"

"And what in our previous conversation makes you think I care?"

With Cleare managing the defenses of my family home, I had peace of mind. Nothing bad would happen to my parents and little siblings.

Though, I felt slightly guilty that I set up Cleare as my defensive measures. She was definitely a crime against humanity type of AI, what with her excitement for research. Only felt slightly guilty. It was hard to muster up any sympathy for people planning to harm my family.

With my family secure, I could go about my school life with minimal care. Of course, I still did well in school. After all, if I was an academic failure as well, the staff would waste more of my time trying to correct me. I even put in the effort to be considered a model student since I was going to be turning myself into a social pariah. It was a small sacrifice since the workload hardly compared to my old job in my previous life.

It was better to be seen as just some capable but eccentric noble. Some nouveau riche who just couldn't adjust to the sudden change in status. Being noted as capable could possibly reduce the number of idiots who would plan on attacking my family's territory.

As I passed by some girls, I could already hear some whispers. They were talking about the recent grade postings. I had ranked seventh. Fairly high, but lacking when considering that the royal entourage and many other high profile heirs and heiresses had entered this year. There were small amounts of praise since some noted that in any other year, I'd have been in contention for the top spot.

Of course, all praise went out the window when the girls noted that no one had heard of me sending out an invitation. From there, the gossip turned sour.

There must have been something wrong with him. An uncultured lowborn. He must be a fop. Didn't he skip classes to go on a random expedition? Won't last long as a noble. Doesn't have the assets to make up for his eccentricities.

Perfect. None would approach me.

Ugh, I hated that I was pretending to be a model student. The staff, out of concern for the crown prince, wanted some extra protection. So they had the bright idea of asking me to sign up for the dungeon class on the same day as the crown prince. Can't disgrace the crown prince by having guards babysit him through the dungeon, after all.

Considering that I was trying to maintain good relations with the staff, I had no choice but to accommodate their request. And because it was a task that amounted to classwork, I would not be paid or receive extra credit.

At least I got the concession that I did not need to group up with anyone. It was most likely something that they realized was inevitable since I was noted to be a bit of a loner. None of the guys wanted to be associated with the eccentric noble in fear that the girls would label them as such as well. None of the girls cared to associate with a noble with no prospects.

As long as the staff left their concerns as merely lamentations, I was good to go.

Ugh, what to do? What to do?

Jilk, the slyest of the bunch, had stopped me from entering alone as the vanguard. He phrased it in honeyed words about being concerned about my safety, but I knew better.

"Kindly, don't bullshit me. If you want me to give you opportunities to impress a girl, just say so."

Jilk momentarily took on a shocked look before exhibiting a smirk.

"Ah yes, I suppose you would catch on quick."

"... So what are you offering?"

"What?" Jilk asked in shock.

I shook off his hand and scoffed, "Figures."

Bastard probably thought I would bend over backwards for the crown prince. Not worth the trouble that would invite with the staff.

Turning around, I took a step towards the entrance only to be stopped again.

"What's your price?" he hissed.

Oh, a blank check. That was interesting. I could get something good from this. Nothing too insane since this was a small thing but something nice nonetheless.

What to ask for?

... Actually, I had something that could give me some peace of mind and would be right up a spymaster's alley.

I asked if he was capable of discreetly investigating two names. Zola and the hag she had tried to set me up with. Jilk took on a knowing look. He probably misunderstood and thought I was trying to become the Bartfort heir. It would still work in my favor.

"A simple enough task," Jilk said with his hand stuck out.

As I grasped to shake it, he had another look.

"Something you wish to add?"

"I was wondering if you could also find a way to distract Angelica? She's a tad... overprotective of Julius. Wouldn't want her to spoil his outing."

I pondered on it a bit. It wouldn't be too hard a task. It could even be a reasonable excuse to the staff should they confront me on my decision to not act as vanguard.

"Simple enough. I can't guarantee anything, but I think I have an idea. Though, will the prince be opposed if I insinuate that he wanted me to look out for her safety?"

"That should be fine. Your help is most appreciated."

"You and your group should head in while I'm distracting Angelica."

Jilk beat a hasty retreat to his group.

I then went to introduce myself to the villainess.

"Lady Angelica, I know it may be impertinent of me, but might I join your group?"

"You are?" she asked in a formal tone. Her eyes were annoyed though.

"Leon Fou Bartfort."

Looking past her shoulder, I saw the royal entourage was quickly entering the dungeon.

"Leon Fou Bartfort? The solo adventurer?" she asked with a slightly brightened expression. She must have been a noble that appreciated capability.

"I suppose that is what they are calling me by, Lady Angelica."

"I'm afraid I must turn down the request. It would not be acceptable for another man to join my party when my fiancé is present for the class," she said with surprising grace. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. While the game would have painted her negatively, she was a ducal daughter and set to become a queen. She would have to at least be somewhat charming with all the training she underwent.

Still, I had a job to do.

I awkwardly put a hand on the back of my head.

"That kinda puts me in a bind."

"And why is that?" her eyes narrowed.

"His Highness actually asked me to look out for you."

"He did?"

"Mentioned something along the lines of being expected to party with his friends to instill the image of the founding families being reborn. Create his own legend, you know? Sadly, it would necessitate excluding you from his party. He's worried that you might be put in unnecessary risk so he asked me to act as your guide for the dive."

Angelica developed a soft expression. She was the spitting image of a maiden in love. God, this felt shitty to do.

But it had to be done to protect my ass. I did not want the villainess setting her sights on me like she would with the protagonist.

A month after the dungeon dive, Jilk knocked on my door.

"You'll likely be receiving favorable news from your family soon. We've even managed to root out some concerning elements involved with Zola," Jilk said with a smile.

"I see. I'm glad to hear that."

"You don't seem to be glad. Are you nervous?"

"Wondering what else you will ask me to do."

"Hoh? What makes you think that?"

"As you said, my family would have informed me of the details. You being here despite that means you want something from me."

"Ah, I suppose I should just speak frankly with you?"

"It would be appreciated."

"Very well. Recently there has been a string of bullying..."

My mind already knew where this was headed. I should simply state the canon. Angelica was the perpetrator. Just live along the plot.

But...

I recalled how softly she smiled when she had thought Julius had hired me to protect her. My fist clenched. She was just a girl in love. I couldn't do that to her.

So I lied. Just to spare her some pain.

"I'll stop you there. Here's a freebie. It's just some social climbers trying to get into Angelica's good graces without asking her. Either that or some members of an anti-Redgrave faction trying to pin the blame on her," I scoffed before gesturing for him to leave.

Jilk ignored the hint.

"What makes you so sure that Angelica isn't involved?"

"The girl isn't missing, right?"

"Wouldn't it be obvious that Angelica was the culprit if her rival suddenly vanished?"

"Is Brad also pursuing the girl?"

"... you're oddly well informed."

"And you all are oddly indiscreet. You should be more mindful of where you have your dalliances."

"Sage advice, I suppose."

"In any case, if I were Angelica and planning to make my rival disappear without suspicion falling on me, I'd pin it on Stephanie."

"Out of curiosity, why her and not any of the other fiancées?"

"There have been rumors that girls she find displeasing have been disappearing as of late."

"... I see. Just rumors?"

"You should ask Brad how many of the girls he invited are still here. You'll likely find the number coming up short."

"Your insight is most appreciated," Jilk said as he turned around. Before he left, he said, "By the way, you should reinforce your territory's borders. Our investigators noted that Zola had siphoned off quite a bit from there."

Asshole couldn't even be forthcoming with the fact that someone was about to invade.

"Luxion, connect me to Cleare."

"Cleare has already apprehended multiple ships. All ships are of pirate origin. She asks for permission to utilize the samples."

I cringed at how the pirates were classified.

"Hold onto them for now. Barter their lives for any documentation they may have with any nobles."

"Cleare asks for when she receives any such documentation."

"Have her shackle the ones that accommodated us with explosive collars. They can work off their sentence by developing my island for the time being."

Luxion didn't question me on those who refused to cooperate. He was considerate enough not to burden my mind. Either that or he didn't want me to risk denying Cleare her New Human samples due to my squeamishness.

AN

1) One of those fics where I just turn my brain off. Turned out to be surprisingly well put together, but I have no idea where I would go with this.

2) Originally meant to be just a fic where Leon just tries to do his own thing regardless of whatever social repercussions there may be since he has the AI's to solve all his problems. Somehow turned into a story about Leon becoming like Jilk.

3) Deliberately written in a way where Marie isn't mentioned by name. Leave room for anyone to use either Marie/Olivia if they choose to pick this up.

4) Honestly, whenever I write Leon interacting with the boys in any semi-competent fashion, you see how similar Leon is to the five. Makes sense since Leon is supposed to be somewhat of a hypocrite.

Review Response

AinzNamikazeD: IDK man. Estranged son has a sister hiding her otaku stuff in a closet and taking the fall for her. Plus her friends having a crush on him. Sounds a lot like Oreimo. But yeah, not willing to write any incest.

Masked Guest: So I read that differently. Mobuseka is very much a story about miscommunications. I think Leon isn't wrong in his perception that his parents favored his sister. Marie even notes how easy it is for her to manipulate their parents because of their favoritism. Hell, their dad in the last volume outright says it and says he would not be happy receiving a hug from his son compared to a hug from his daughter.

What his sister seems to say is that their parents saw Leon as the one they knew could take care of himself, which is an aspect Marie often pursues after getting her shit rolled for prioritizing other traits. Basically he's the dependable one. Two different ways to be considered favored. An additional note, I really wouldn't trust Marie's notion of the favorite child since her parents did resent her for lying to them, getting Leon killed, not attending the funeral, and generally being a fuck up afterwards. It probably changed her perception of them and made her think they loved her brother more since they kicked her out of the family for him (a thought probably used to avoid taking responsibility and to explain that her shitty life was caused by someone else, something very inline with Marie in general).

Also, I'm pretty sure the novel did not imply that Marie quit university out of guilt. She felt guilty for sure, but she also resented her brother a lot since his death led to her shitty life (still a coping mechanism). Marie noted that she was just basically cutoff from the family after the incident. The likely scenario is that she no longer could afford to pay for university considering she didn't have a job and leeched off her family.

In Marie-route, Angelica has shown zero recklessness or vindictiveness compared to canon until she literally has a mental breakdown after Leon takes a knee, humiliates her, and generally gets her engagement more screwed up. The most she does prior is literally tells Olivia that she should stay away from Julius. She never acts on it. It's always her followers who do it without informing her. If anything, she's too passive still and keeps getting bad advice from her friends even after catching them getting in the way of formal introductions. Which is the exact reasoning why I wrote Villainous Villainess.

As for Olivia, she's presented as having been weak and a doormat in the main canon. That was how Leon found her, and how Stephanie was able to torment her so effectively to the point it lasted multiple arcs.

But honestly, these differences in interpretation could be simply chalked up to who did the translations. A lot of nuances can change.

Kuroi-Ryu-San: Yeah, Kyle is just a kid who thinks big numbers is all that matters when considering someone's worth, and will not accept that he was in the wrong. As for the being on the bottom on the totem pole, he's not exactly wrong to think he isn't bottom tier. The society is just that scuffed and it's something acknowledged since the rural boys typically aren't allowed to fight back even if the servants started the conflict.

Frosty Wolf: To start off with, no hate I'm just word vomiting. So this has little to do with Asian culture. Every culture (even modern ones) have families that would totally kick a gay member out of the house. Hell, a lot of western countries still do this. In fact, it is weird to proclaim Asian culture as weirdly homophobic, especially considering there are way worse places to be gay (literally stoned to death). Asian culture also produces a shit ton of gay content. A lot of the reservations against these things has more to do with the fact that most tend to just be explicitly pornographic in nature. Plus, parents reacting to finding out their child isn't straight after finding their gay porn is still a fairly reasonable reaction simply because porn.

Also to correct something, Leon was never kicked out by his parents. He was already living on his own when his mom found Marie's stash in his old bedroom closet. His mother was even trying to tell him it was okay if he was gay though very awkwardly.

As for Marie's punishment, kind of. Obviously I had other bits floating in my head that would explain why the punishment was actually reasonable but didn't put it in the chapter unless I just wanted to write a complete fic in one chapter. Basically, it was a bluff to scare Marie and let her know how close she was to getting completely cutoff... only for Leon to take her in.

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