After Neonidas imagined the system in his mind disappearing, it vanished. In this novel, written by Orson's ex-girlfriend, only the main female character had a system, and she had to look into any mirror to see it, or at least any object that possessed reflective properties. For example, still water could serve as an example.
After Neonidas turned off the system, he looked at himself in beautiful mirror. He was a bit thin, but could generally be considered handsome. Perhaps he had a slightly childish or feminine face, but thankfully, thanks to Neonidas's distinct fierce expression, the feminine aspect wasn't that pronounced.
"Damn it... I look like a femboy who's had a lot of surgical operations. Well, if I build some muscle, things might change, but... Hmm, maybe a scar on my face wouldn't be such a bad thing," said Neonidas, but in the next moment, his mind drifted elsewhere.
As he looked in the mirror, he slowly lowered his eyes and started to sweat when he saw there was no swelling in his groin. He slowly pulled down his pants and then took off his underwear. Finally, he revealed his "snake" below.
"Hmmm, it doesn't show that much..." Neonidas said, then took hold of the tip and stretched it as far as it would go, being careful not to hurt himself.
"Hahaha! So I was hiding a treasure down there, huh? At least something good happened since I came to this fucked-up world."
After looking at the snake in his groin with satisfaction, Neonidas put his pants back on. Of course, when he remembered the portrait at the entrance, probably belonging to his deceased father, he had already guessed that the stern man, whose expression was evident even from a glance, wouldn't have a small snake.
"Heh... What should I do now? Ah, yes, I already read the novel to the end, and I know which boring and cliché ways to use to gain special powers... Yes, I should strengthen this bastard."
While Neonidas was trying to decide about the future, there was a knock on his door. "Come in!" he said, and the steward entered.
"My lord, the monthly council meeting is about to begin. You need to prepare," said the steward, bowing respectfully.
Neonidas rolled his eyes. "Ah yes, the meeting..." Since he knew the memories of the original Neonidas, he understood what the steward was talking about. "Let's go," said Neonidas.
The steward opened the door, allowing Neonidas to pass first, and then began to guide him down the corridor. As Neonidas walked to the meeting, he was trying to adapt to the expectations of this new world. According to the information he had, the mansion he lived in was the legacy of a noble and powerful family, placing a great responsibility on him. It was far from his ordinary life in the old world, but if he wanted to survive and grow stronger here, he needed to play this role successfully.
As he progressed down the corridor, Neonidas glanced at the portraits he had seen at the entrance. Many members of his family were painted on these walls, starting with his father's portrait. Strong, stern-looking faces and dignified postures... Each of them likely made the burden on the original Neonidas' shoulders even more pronounced, but for the current Neonidas... These paintings and the men depicted in them didn't matter much to him. At least, that was the kindest way to describe his real thoughts.
Finally, when they reached the meeting room, the large wooden doors opened in front of Neonidas. As he stepped inside, the other nobles in the hall rose respectfully from their seats. Neonidas surveyed them, hardening his gaze, but then thought that pretending was too exhausting and unnecessary, so he reverted to his former self. "After all, if that geezer emperor is going to cover my ass anyway, why should I bother with unnecessary things?" thought Neonidas.
All the nobles stood waiting, and after Neonidas took his seat, he said, "You may sit down, old men."
The nobles on the council of the dukedom exchanged strange looks. They had noticed something had changed in him since the moment Neonidas entered the room, but no one dared to say anything. Still, there were five nobles with the title of Marquis at the table, and they were bolder than the others.
"Lord Neonidas. Are you not feeling well today? This isn't surprising, considering your delicate body isn't very resistant to illness. If you want, I can personally send you some healing herbs cultivated by my wife," said Marquis Alexsaz with a piercing tone.
Neonidas looked at the Marquis and, with a somewhat ugly grin, said, "What great kindness. But are you going to send your wife too? If you do, I'll recover right away."
These words took aback Marquis Alexsaz. The other nobles in the room looked at each other in astonishment, unsure of what to say. Neonidas's brazen attitude was shocking; he usually behaved more moderately, but his current demeanor was extremely indifferent and bold.
Marquis Alexsaz tried to regain his composure and suppress his anger. "Lord Neonidas, of course, this could be taken as a joke. But I think your health should be taken seriously," he said with a trembling politeness in his voice.
Neonidas did not break his careless demeanor. "Oh, don't worry. I'm quite healthy," he said, changing the subject. "But I don't want to prolong the meeting with unnecessary details. We are here for important matters, aren't we? But don't take it personally, Marquis; I didn't mean to imply that your wife is unimportant. I think she's quite important, but since this isn't a gambling table, let's move on to the management issues for now," said Neonidas.
Marquis Alexsaz's face tightened a bit more; he had to endure Neonidas's mocking words, but the anger shining in his eyes was a sign that he would remember this. The other nobles, though uncomfortable with the tension, continued to watch the situation silently. After all, they had no courage to oppose the duke Neonidas, who was under the protection of the emperor and was also the fiancé of the beautiful princess.
Neonidas felt the unease and astonishment in the gazes of those around him and took secret pleasure in it. Even though he had to adapt to his new role in this world, suppressing his brave and free spirit from his past life was not easy. A little fun was good for him.
Leaning back in his chair, Neonidas settled into a comfortable position. "Well then, let's get to the meeting," Neonidas said, forcing himself to adopt a serious tone. The others in the room gathered their attention; clearly, the topic of this meeting was important.
Lord Avenor, a senior advisor, placed the documents he was holding on the table and leaned towards Neonidas to speak. "Lord Neonidas, production in the mines in our region has decreased. Complaints from workers in the northern mine have been increasing. Following the collapse incident last month, it was said that working conditions need improvement, but the cost will be quite high, and the dukedom is in debt. What do you say?"
As Neonidas listened to Lord Avenor, he furrowed his brows. Even though he was new to this world, he had gained considerable knowledge about dukedom management from what he had read and from memories. However, managing the situation was not easy because of the vested interests and complex social dynamics here. Moreover, he knew that due to the past of the body he inhabited, he might not survive long here; after all, not only the princess, his fiancée but also some forces in the dukedom were planning to eliminate Neonidas, taking advantage of his weak position.
"For now, our priority is to clear the debts of the dukedom. But the most reliable and easiest way to erase a massive debt... is to take on more debt. We will invest the incoming new debt and pay off our debts, and so on..." Neonidas looked at his watch but realized that not even half an hour had passed, letting out a tired sigh and burying his head on the table. Meanwhile, the other nobles had started to discuss what Neonidas had said.
"But my lord, what about the interest in the debts?" asked a Count, sitting a little further away.
"I'll take the new debt from the emperor, and thus the interest will be very low, or maybe at least my father-in-law will do me a favor and lend me the money at zero interest," Neonidas said with words that were entirely contrary to his character. But he was compelled to. After all, if he didn't want to die, he had to strengthen both himself and the dukedom.
Thus, a long meeting, which felt like hell to Neonidas, took place. He tried to conclude this meeting as quickly as possible, speaking as little as necessary, but clearly. Unfortunately, the meeting would last several hours, but fortunately, in the end, Neonidas's ideas were accepted... Well, perhaps it was because Neonidas had subtly threatened some nobles who didn't accept his ideas, leading to a majority decision to accept Neonidas's proposals.