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“Even though I have a lot to prepare for the upcoming exams, what’s this about?”

“Hic, just follow me, you brat.”

What’s going on with her?

As I was dragged to a secluded spot, Bellen finally opened her mouth.

“Why now? When you said she was the one you wanted as a partner.”

“What?”

“I’m talking about Leana!”

“Ah.”

But why is this old lady talking about it?

“What does that have to do with you, Great-Aunt?”

Bellen made a sharp noise and attempted to smack me on the back, but remembering a previous painful encounter, she quickly withdrew her hand.

“This brat, speaking so rudely to the one who arranged your meeting?”

Arranged the meeting?

“To be honest, I don’t remember much since it was so long ago, but could you explain in detail?”

“Hah, are you young or senile already?”

What Bellen explained next made me realize things I hadn’t known before.

The story of Leana that I was familiar with went like this: The one who orchestrated Leana’s kidnapping when she was young was Prime Minister Gillum, one of the Empire’s key figures. And because of his obsessive nature, even now that Leana is grown, he’s still lurking, waiting for the right moment. The weak Derevian family didn’t have the power to protect Leana, and in this situation, the Derevian head saw the unexpected visit from Hersel as the perfect opportunity and proposed an engagement. The purpose, of course, was to use the Tenest family as a shield. The name Tenest carried a power even the Emperor dared not challenge. Ｒ

However, Bellen claimed something different.

“I was the one who sent you to Derevian. Didn’t I tell you back then? There’s a fine young lady there.”

It was a bit of a shock.

Up until now, the role I had known Bellen to play was this: The Mentor. The hero who saved Leana as a child. The one who motivated her to pick up the sword. The messenger who informed the Derevian head about who was after Leana. That’s it.

It did seem a bit odd that Hersel would randomly visit the Derevian estate, but I dismissed it as a coincidence. The Derevian estate is quite far from Tenest, after all.

“But now you say she’s just someone else? Do you want to cancel everything just because of a whim?”

Isn’t it strange that I, the player, don’t know about this? Originally, this body should have died. I wasn’t a character of much importance in the scenario, so this part of Leana’s story was probably omitted.

“Are you even listening to me?”

To summarize, not only was I a pawn of the Derevian head but also a piece moved by Bellen’s design. She probably thought that if she showed Leana to a womanizing scoundrel like me, I’d definitely fall for her. Anyway, this was yet another moment that made me realize just how insignificant this body truly was.

After organizing my thoughts, I fixed my gaze on Bellen and opened my mouth.

“I’m listening. And this isn’t just some whim.”

Bellen furrowed his brow.

“What the hell are you talking about…?”

If I didn’t give a definite answer, she would undoubtedly keep bothering me in the future. So, to put an end to this, I had no choice but to make something up.

“Did you think I didn’t know? That you used me to protect Leana from Prime Minister Gillum.”

Bellen’s eyes widened as if lanterns had been lit within them.

“How… how do you know that?”

“I’m aware of your unfortunate circumstances, so I played along. I willingly became your pawn.”

“And now you want to break off the engagement knowing that?”

Despite Bellen’s angry outburst, I calmly replied.

“Because I no longer feel the need for it.”

“What did you say?”

“She’s a woman who came here prepared to sever ties with her family. Recently, she’s been taking lessons from Great-Aunt, right? Then let me ask you, do you really think Leana will give up the sword?”

Bellen pressed her lips tightly together.

“Of course, I understand what you’re worried about. But don’t worry. Leana will protect herself from Prime Minister Gillum. I know she will.”

I was sincere in that statement. Even when this body died in the original scenario, Leana carved her own path. After that, she joined the other main characters in the grand finale. As the player, I was well aware of that.

“How do you know that?”

Of course, from Bellen’s perspective, it must have sounded like nothing more than an uncertain story. But reminding her of an issue that neither of us could solve would likely cause her to back down.

“So, what will you do? Leana will never lay down her sword. Since there’s no mutual affection, there won’t be a marriage either. Do you have any brilliant solutions to this problem?”

Here I am, Hersel, the scoundrel who refuses to listen. Leana is a woman so stubborn that she would sever ties with her family just to become a knight. Bellen, knowing this fact all too well, was left speechless.

Then, suddenly, a good idea came to mind.

This could actually be turned into something beneficial.

“Or.”

I decided to use this opportunity to pull off a little trick.

To accelerate Leana’s growth a bit more.

“Teach Leana proper swordsmanship. So she can protect herself.”

“You mean to properly train her? To make her a knight?”

“Yes. Leana will become a knight anyway. It would be better for her to learn real swordsmanship. I believe that Great-Aunt is the best teacher for her.”

Bellen lowered her gaze with a serious expression. She seemed to be contemplating deeply.

She probably needed time to think it over.

“Tch, I’ll think about it.”

Bellen turned on her heel.

I celebrated inwardly.

Then, suddenly, a point of caution came to mind, and I called out before she could leave.

“And one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

“Please don’t tell Leana about this conversation we had today.”

When I said that, Bellen looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I wasn’t sure what kind of misunderstanding I might have caused, but it was better than letting Leana find out that I had intervened.

***

In the hallway of the dormitory where professors came and went, Bellen was returning to her room but couldn’t shake off her complicated thoughts.

‘How did he know that Prime Minister Gillum is after Leana?’

This was something she hadn’t even told Aol. Accepting someone who had abandoned their family as a guest was already breaking the rules; how could she possibly ask for their help? So it’s even stranger.

“Hmm.”

Speculating won’t lead to an answer.

Bellen shook her head.

There was something else that bothered her more.

‘Have I been seeing this brat in the wrong light all this time?’

His appearance and impression remained the same. His tone and voice were also unchanged. It’s hard to believe that the person had changed, but the words he said weren’t something a scoundrel would say.

This planted one thought in Bellen’s mind.

‘If there are no rumors of him changing, he hasn’t grown at all. So, has he just been hiding his true nature all this time…?’

It made sense. At the time of the arranged meeting, Hersel was only 16. Yet he knew about the situation with Prime Minister Gillum and the Derevian family and claimed he played along because he felt sorry for them.

This would mean he had been wearing the mask of a scoundrel while hiding his true intentions all along.

Of course, she wondered if this speculation was a bit too much. But Hersel’s last words before leaving had driven a stake into that doubt.

“Please don’t tell Leana about this conversation we had today.”

Was he secretly looking out for her?

Bellen chewed over those words with a bitter smile.

“Even though he looks like a scoundrel on the outside, he’s actually quite a decent fellow.”

It was the moment when Hersel began to appear different to her.

***

The study group of Schlaphe Hall was huddled together in front of the lobby fireplace.

Personal items such as small desks, cushions, and textbooks were scattered around. In the poor Schlaphe Hall, there wasn’t even a proper study room.

Woosh—

As Ricks added more firewood, Limberton asked.

“Why did you do that back then?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, during the celebration, when Hersel was about to say something, you quickly stepped in and spoke for him. It seemed a bit unnatural. I thought you were his interpreter or something. Haha.”

Ricks fell into deep thought.

It seemed Limberton wanted to know about that incident.

-“Of course, you can’t come…”

-“Hersel is serious!! Although the difference in rewards based on the dormitory makes sense in an academy steeped in discriminatory culture, we absolutely cannot overlook the acts of contempt and disregard. That’s why we must make our intentions clear to those at the top in the Adelle Hall. Right, Hersel?”

He even interrupted him like this and answered instead.

-“You worms couldn’t even…”

-“Of course, as Hersel said, it’s not enough to do it even if it kills us. The harsh reality is that only those with power are heard. So, at the very least, we must do everything we can to make our voices heard by strengthening ourselves.”

Ricks responded to Limberton in a thoughtful tone.

“He’s not good at saying things that please others. Maybe he’s shy, but his words are always rough. So I wanted to convey his intentions properly. I guess I just wanted people to think better of him.”

“Ah, that makes sense. He’s a bit like a porcupine, isn’t he?”

“That’s a fitting description. He’s prickly on the outside, but soft like down on the inside.”

Just as they were joking around, a shadow loomed over them.

Hersel glared at them with a frown.

“Limberton, stop chatting and focus on your studies.”

“Why is it always me…?”

“You got more subjective questions wrong than Aslay, who’s a foreigner.”

There’s less than a month left until midterms. While the practical exam in the magic realm was the most important, the written exam was also significant and couldn’t be taken lightly.

Ricks shifted his gaze away from them and looked around.

“What’s this herb?”

“Gosh, it’s poisonous. If you eat it, you’re done for.”

“What was the right spot to catch it on a slope?”

Perhaps the study group had more influence than expected. The lobby was bustling with students studying.

Although most were first-year students, there were also a considerable number of seniors among them.

‘Maybe we’ll really be able to show those Adelle Hall students something on the written exam too?’

Ricks smirked as he watched Hersel scold Limberton.

The changes around them were probably thanks to this man.

“Don’t talk back when you’re at the bottom of the class.”

“That was during the entrance exam. I won’t be at the bottom this time…”

“Yeah. You probably will.”

He’s a strange person.

He has a peculiar talent for drawing people in.

For some reason, if he were to stay here, and he had to move to another dormitory, he’d feel reluctant to leave.