Chapter 37

Released:

“Isn’t she Lina von Maria from the Maria County? I heard she’s a total braggart.”

“Oh, I heard that too. Apparently, everything she said about being close to Her Highness the Crown Princess and the Saintess was all lies.”

“Mhmm, I heard the Saintess scolded her properly yesterday, and today, Her Highness the Crown Princess challenged her to a duel match and said she’d consider being friends if Lina wins.”

The Academy was abuzz with rumors about the new students.

And understandably so, since the subjects of the gossip were none other than the Crown Princess and the Saintess, whose mere presence was enough to draw everyone’s attention.

“By the way, wasn’t it surprisingly cool when Lady Estelle was scolding that girl yesterday?”

“She was really powerful and cool.”

Things that would have been criticized as overly aggressive if said by anyone else somehow became cool when they came from the Saintess.

“Oh! It’s almost time for the duel match! Let’s hurry!”

Watching all this unfold, I couldn’t help but feel oddly relieved. I thought that it was a relief that the two of them had taken care of Lina, who I was wondering how to deal with in the future.

Even the ones who were always at odds somehow united when it came to things like this and acted in a similar way, which really made me think, “Ah, this is what makes them the main characters.”

But still, a duel match?

I didn’t think I’d get to see one this soon.

Duel matches, which frequently appeared in the game, were actually something the main characters often engaged in. Whenever they wanted something from each other but found it hard to ask directly, they would settle it through a duel match.

In the game, the first duel match typically appeared after the main characters advanced to their second year.

Yet, this time, it wasn’t between the main characters but with someone entirely different, which made the situation feel oddly interesting.

“Maybe I should go watch too.”

Neither Iris nor Estelle had gone out of their way to inform me about it, but they both probably assumed I’d hear about it through the rumors anyway.

The fact that they hadn’t even tried to suppress the gossip meant one of two things: either they didn’t care if I found out, or they actually wanted me to hear about it.

“Oh, Sir Theo! Here you are!”

On my way to watch Iris’s duel, I happened to run into Estelle who was, unsurprisingly, the hot topic of the latest rumors.

“Estelle, you’ve been quite the talk of the Academy lately.”

“Well, it just kind of ended up that way. Honestly, I tried to handle it quietly, but the fact that even Sir Theo knows about it is a bit embarrassing.”

In truth, even without the rumors, I had been one of the people who witnessed what happened yesterday.

Estelle’s way of confronting Lina was something I had only seen her do to Iris occasionally in the game when she was furious, so it was both refreshing and nostalgic; it actually reminded me of my gameplay experience. It was certainly an entertaining event.

“Actually, I saw you with Lina yesterday.”

“You saw that?!”

Estelle’s startled reaction made me nod in affirmation.

“You really handled her with words.”

“Well, she wouldn’t listen otherwise, so I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“She’s taken quite a hit to her confidence, so I’m wondering if today’s duel match might end up being too one-sided.”

“Come on, she’s still from Class A. Surely it won’t be that bad, right?”

Judging by the subtle jab in her words, it seemed Estelle knew Lina wasn’t particularly skilled.

Of course, I already knew that, and to be honest, the strange part was that she was even in Class A right now.

In the original game, Lina entered the Academy but started in Class C, then slowly improved her grades until she eventually moved up to Class A.

“Well, we’ll see soon enough.”

“That’s right. Oh, Sir Theo! Should we grab some snacks before heading to watch the match?”

“It’ll probably end quickly, but sure.”

I’d been a little disappointed yesterday about not having popcorn while watching, so this time, I was determined to enjoy it properly.

I bought some popcorn, and Estelle picked up a light drink, and together we headed to the arena.

“Well, at least you didn’t run away and showed up. I’ll give you credit for that.”

As soon as we walked in, we spotted Iris throwing a casual jab at Lina with a smile.

Wow, I didn’t expect to see this side of Iris so soon.

Even in the game, Iris wasn’t the type to verbally tear someone down, especially not in the early stages.

She was more of a character who crushed others purely with her skill.

However, after spending a lot of time with Estelle, something seemed to change in her. Without realizing it, she began throwing casual jabs at others or voicing thoughts she usually kept to herself.

“…I don’t know why you’re doing this to me, but I’ll do my best to try harder. So, please recognize my efforts, Lady Iris…”

Lina was still putting on the act of being a victim, but perhaps because of her previous behavior, no one seemed to buy it.

Among the onlookers who had gathered to watch, not a single person appeared to consider her the victim. Instead, they looked at her with mocking smiles.

“If you can manage to even slightly touch me with your sword, then you’ll win the match. Surely, for someone skilled enough to make it into Class A, that shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

“Ugh… O-Of course…!”

Lina bluffed but her trembling hands betrayed how nervous she was.

Judging by her appearance, it seemed she wouldn’t just fail to land a hit on Iris but would likely be taken down in a single move. The crowd murmured and started sharing thoughts that echoed my own.

“I bet ten silvers she won’t even touch Iris’s hem.”

“Yeah, same here. I’ll put down a thousand silvers on her not getting close to her clothes.”

“Hey, idiot, if you bet the same as me, it’s not a wager.”

“Honestly, betting on that woman in this situation would make you the real idiot.”

They chuckled among themselves and laughed as they placed their bets.

“Oh my, you kept saying how close to Her Highness you were all this time, so I actually believed it. But Miss Lina, I’m disappointed.”

“That’s right. It seems like the person she’s really close to isn’t Miss Lina, but someone else entirely.”

Even those who had trusted Lina until now seemed to have completely turned against her because of this.

This was turning into a situation where, if she won the wager, it was hard to predict what might happen, but if she lost, it would be practically the end for her.

On top of that, her upcoming exam scores weren’t likely to be good, and considering the demerits she had accumulated, it wouldn’t be long before she’d be unable to remain in Class A at all.

Well, whether she could even hold out until then was another question.

The Academy had both expulsion and voluntary withdrawal as options, but since both were considered disgraceful, most students who managed to enroll tried to endure by any means necessary until graduation.

Still, it was hard to believe that someone as mentally fragile as Lina could withstand such a situation, especially with everyone turning against her.

But no matter how much I thought about it, Lina seemed like an entirely different person from the character in the game who shared her appearance. It was both fascinating and slightly unsettling.

No matter how many playthroughs I had done, there had never been a case where another character became close friends with the main characters while Lina became a villainess.

Since Lina only appeared in the “Yuri Mode”, she wasn’t even mentioned in the other modes, and in that mode, this sort of thing never happened.

“Hmm…”

Maybe there was some kind of hidden hardcore mode I had missed.

Or maybe I got involved and things started to change.

Honestly, the latter seemed more plausible.

Thinking back, it didn’t make sense that I hadn’t discovered any additional modes despite playing so much.

“Shall we begin?”

“…Yes, I’m ready.”

While I was lost in those thoughts, the wager duel began. True to expectations, it ended in a single turn. Lina failed to block Iris’s sword and was sent flying out of the arena. Just like that, the duel came to an anticlimactic end.

“Wow, but still, she couldn’t block even once?”

“Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve blocked that either.”

“Iris is really incredible.”

Opinions varied, but one thing was clear. Iris was really strong.

Still, when I sparred with her last time, she couldn’t even hold her ground against me.

This was confusing. Was I really that strong, or had Iris gone easy on me and held back? I couldn’t tell.

“Oh my, it ended before I even opened the cap on my drink. Sir Theo, you went to the trouble of getting popcorn. Did you at least get to eat any?”

“Oh, uh, it’s kind of a rule to finish all the popcorn before anything even starts. Yeah, I ate it all.”

I continued to munch away, lost in thought, and before I knew it, my popcorn bucket was completely empty.

“Is that really a rule? Then I’ll try to finish all my snacks before it starts too, just like you, Sir Theo!”

“No, you really don’t need to go that far…”

“Hmm, if I finish my drink now, can I still claim I drank it all before the match ended?”

“Uh, no… The match is already over.”

“But Iris hasn’t left the stage yet, so I think I can argue it still counts!”

Estelle’s insistence on such a ridiculous point only made me laugh.

Haah… Lately, I couldn’t help but find Estelle and Iris a little too cute at times.

This was a dangerous feeling.

I shouldn’t be having these kinds of emotions toward the main characters…!

I’m supposed to help them fall in love with each other, not develop feelings for them myself! What am I even doing?

3 responses to “Chapter 37”

  1. JimmyJohns05 Avatar
    JimmyJohns05

    … Damn, is that it for Lina in this novel? surely not, right?

  2. Circle Avatar
    Circle

    Not gonna lie, with all the buildup, I was expecting Lina to pull something out of her hat.

    1. RKADE 14 Avatar
      RKADE 14

      I was also expecting a demon transformation or something.

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