Iris and Estelle behaved so much like ordinary girls that it often made me forget this was a society bound by social hierarchy.
Whenever I started to think of this as just a normal world, moments like this would hit me with those societal details right in my face and leave me confused. And this time, it wasn’t just a little reminder; it was a full-blown storm right in front of me, so it was impossible not to feel confused.
Still, I had to pull myself together.
Now that Lina had appeared, it was possible she might naturally take her original role as a friend, but for the moment, the problem was that I still occupied that role.
“It seems only natural to address someone impressive and worth learning from with an honorific, doesn’t it? From what I hear, people of the Empire sort others solely by status and speak down to them no matter how remarkable they might be. That doesn’t happen in our Holy Empire.”
Wait, Lina was the one who started this argument, so why was Estelle now turning her provocative remarks toward Iris?
“In the Empire as well, it’s normal to address someone remarkable with respect, isn’t it? You should have figured that out just from watching me.”
Iris spoke in a tone that suggested she was clearly offended, but Estelle only smiled, as if she found the whole situation to be funny.
That girl. She was enjoying this. Seriously, her personality had always been a little twisted, but this just confirmed it.
“Really? But didn’t Lina just say it was strange for a commoner to be addressed with an honorific?”
“That’s only because people don’t realize how extraordinary Sir Theo is!”
“I can agree with that. But still, it’s a shame to see Sir Theo treated this way. It would be wonderful if we could bring him to the Holy Empire soon. Over there, a person’s worth isn’t decided by status alone…”
“Don’t say such nonsense! Sir Theo will remain in the Ermunt Empire!”
Seriously, these two were starting another ridiculous fight.
“Alright, alright, both of you, stop…”
“Please, both of you, stop…! It’s my fault! If you keep fighting like this in the hallway, it won’t just hurt your reputations, but also the reputations of both our empires!”
I was about to say something along the same lines, but naturally, Lina who held a position similar to mine as a close friend seemed to have the same thought.
“Lina.”
“Y-Yes, Lady Estelle.”
While I was beginning to feel relieved, thinking this might be my chance to pass the baton to Lina, Estelle looked anything but pleased. Unlike her earlier teasing expression when she was mocking Iris, her face now was filled with evident displeasure.
“Don’t interrupt Sir Theo when he’s speaking. It puts me in an extremely bad mood.”
Wait, that’s what upset her?
“It’s fine, Estelle.”
I tried to defuse the tension.
“No, even if Sir Theo says it’s fine, it’s not fine with me! You’re a close friend of mine…!”
The thing was, now that Lina had shown up, I had a feeling she’d eventually take over that ” close friend” role.
If that happened, I’d need to quietly fade into the background, make it through the Academy without drawing attention, graduate peacefully, and head home to take up farming.
After all, inheriting the family trade was an important responsibility.
“You can be friends with Miss Lina too. There’s no need to miss out on that opportunity because of me.”
Oh, and just now, when I said her name, she frowned.
Lina clearly seemed completely steeped in the values of a noble society, and I couldn’t help but feel that getting closer to her would be difficult.
Still, as my favorite character, I couldn’t help but wish I could squeeze in just a little and at least become friends with Lina, if nothing else.
But that seemed even more unlikely now.
“Ah, I-I apologize. I didn’t realize you were such a close friend to both of them. In that case, would it be alright if I called you Sir Theo from now on?”
Just moments ago, she had frowned at me simply for saying her name, and now she was suddenly offering to address me as “Sir Theo”.
She must really want to get close to Iris and Estelle.
Well, that was the natural progression of things anyway.
Besides, this wasn’t necessarily about Lina having a bad personality; in a society ruled by a class system, her behavior was more or less typical, which made it hard to blame her.
“…Do as you wish. But don’t get too close… no, never mind.”
Iris started to say something more but then cut herself off.
Unlike Estelle, Iris didn’t openly show her thoughts and feelings, which made her harder to read.
It seemed like there was something she wanted to say, though. I’d have to ask her about it later.
“If you’re going to address him as Sir Theo with proper respect and treat him with the dignity he deserves, I suppose we can allow it. If you want to win our favor, Lina, you’d best do it properly.”
“Ah, Estelle, really. I’m not trying to win your favor or anything, I just want to get closer to both of you…”
“Isn’t that basically the same thing? Don’t worry, though. Since I came to the Academy, I’ve been planning to make plenty of friends. Whether you’ll be one of them Lina depends on how you behave toward Sir Theo.”
Wow, of course. This is exactly the kind of character Estelle is.
A character who speaks her mind without filtering her thoughts. This often earned her the reputation of being rude.
It felt like, for the first time, I was truly seeing Estelle as she was portrayed in the game. So much so that her behavior up until now seemed almost unusual.
“…I’m sure you can’t believe me because I was rude from the beginning, but I can treat Sir Theo… and the two of you… properly. So please don’t be too harsh on me.”
“Alright, I’ll keep an eye on you.”
“I agree with Estelle. I’ll be watching too.”
Normally, the two of them would be at each other’s throats, but maybe the appearance of a common “enemy” had changed that.
Even Iris was agreeing with Estelle’s opinion.
Come on, you two.
You’re destined to become close friends, so don’t be so harsh….
“Um, I’m sorry. Iris and Estelle can be a bit extreme sometimes.”
“…No, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for them… Right now, their attention might be focused on you….no, on Sir Theo, but that kind of interest can shift in an instant, don’t you think?”
Ah, so was she telling me to behave carefully because I could be discarded at any moment?
“Yes, well, that could happen. I hope it turns out to be Lina.”
Still, it didn’t really bother me. After all, if not for Lina, I wouldn’t have even considered coming to the Academy in the first place.
In fact, if things became simpler and I was freed from it all, wouldn’t that be even better?
Of course, I might feel a little disappointed.
Watching the two of them constantly bicker while sticking together had been entertaining, after all.
“That’s true. I think I’d get along very well with the two of them.”
“I feel the same. I believe you’ll get along just fine.”
Even so, it felt like it was time to return to how things were meant to be.
As long as Lina filled that role properly, it was clear the worst endings could be avoided.
So there wasn’t really any reason for me to keep meddling and trying to balance things between the two of them.
***
Lina had been feeling increasingly unsettled for a while now.
She was sure she’d been making dismissive comments toward Theo the whole time.
“Yes, well, that could happen. I hope it turns out to be Lina.”
And yet, he responded with something like that.
“That’s true. I think I’d get along very well with the two of them.”
“I feel the same. I believe you’ll get along just fine.”
And then he went and said that, too.
What is this? What on earth is wrong with this man?
It made no sense to Lina how someone could be close to Iris and Estelle, the kind of people everyone wanted to befriend, and yet respond as if they’d willingly give up their place to someone else who openly declared they’d take it.
“…If I were to take my place beside them, no one would care about someone like you anymore. Are you really okay with that?”
Even when she deliberately tried to provoke him with harsher words.
“Yes, I’m fine with it.”
Theo answered with complete calmness as if her words hadn’t fazed him in the slightest, leaving Lina even more confused.
“Sir Theo! Why are you spending all your time with Lina? That’s my spot, you know!”
“Estelle, stop shouting. That’s actually my spot.”
“And you, Iris, can’t even come up with a decent comeback, yet you think you have any right to stand beside him?”
“…Oh, so you want to fight? Let’s settle this right here, Saintess, no titles.”
“Hey, are you two seriously fighting again? This is the Academy hallway! Everyone’s watching! Forget titles; what are you even saying? Just stop with the crazy talk…!”
It seemed that Iris and Estelle weren’t as close as Lina had initially thought.
What made it even more baffling was that their argument had somehow turned into a rivalry over Theo, who was a commoner.
Why on earth are they so obsessed with him? Sure, he’s got a nice face, but… is that it? His face? It must be his face… No, what am I thinking! Even so, he’s still just a commoner!
Lina found herself repeatedly plagued by questions she couldn’t quite understand.
“Alright, alright. Let’s move to our class already. We’re all in Class A, right? Let’s go~ Lina, come with us. You’re in Class A too, aren’t you?”
“Ah, yes, I am.”
Though she wasn’t too happy that Theo was the one looking out for her, Lina still thought that walking with Iris and Estelle might make her seem a little closer to them in other people’s eyes. With that thought, she quickly hurried to walk beside Iris.
“How about we all go visit our county together someday? It’s become a very popular travel destination lately.”
The Maria County had recently risen as a prominent tourist destination. Unlike the capital or other places, the County boasted a uniquely beautiful landscape.
It wasn’t particularly known for beaches or famous attractions, but the city’s scenery alone had made it a hot spot for travelers.
“I have heard that more and more people are visiting the Maria County recently, but… considering the term has just started, it might be difficult to plan a trip now.”
“Ah, true. That does make sense.”
Lina felt a little deflated by Iris’s sharp response.
“Oh, the Maria County. That’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit too. I’ve heard the city is beautiful.”
“Ah! Actually, I’ve thought the same! It’s difficult with the term just starting, but maybe we can plan a weekend trip together?”
However, the moment Theo mentioned he wanted to go, Iris abruptly changed her attitude.
What the heck…?!
Lina found the whole scene incredibly frustrating.
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