Chapter 27

Chapter 27

We sneak Oswell over to the student council room where Rona and Gray-Senpai are waiting for us. And since Ashley had beaten Oswell senseless, he ended up having to carry his unconscious body all the way here. But that made executing the next phase of our plan much easier. If Oswell had been awake, he probably would have put up much more of a fight… But as it is, Rona made short work of him.

She wrapped him from head to toe in heavy metal chains — seriously though, where do you get these sorts of things? — and she was even humming while she worked. Like this is all completely normal. As if being in the student council room in the middle of the night wasn’t bad enough, her nonchalance towards tying a man up just seems to amplify the feeling that we’re doing something we shouldn’t be.

From Gray-Senpai’s stiff expression, I can tell he’s probably having similar thoughts. It must be quite disconcerting to know that his little brother/sister randomly has something like that in her possession. I know I wouldn’t be happy if I found out that Ashley owned heavy metal chains! And the fact that he seems like the sort that really would have such a thing just makes me feel that much more uncomfortable.

Not five minutes after Rona had finished her task, Oswell wakes up. It doesn’t take long for him to take stock of the situation. He wriggles around a bit, noting that he can’t move, and then surveys the rest of the room. When his eyes land on me, a self-deprecating smile finds its way onto his face. It’s a sneer so full of unbridled anger and self-loathing that my heart squeezes a bit.

“So you set me up,” he says, though it sounds more like an accusation than a question.

“……That’s right.”

And we really had. Everything has been going according to plan so far.

Ever since that day when I learned that Oswell was planning to kill me, we’d been slowly laying this trap for him and his master. By having Ashley purposely stay away from me, acting as if we had fought, we created a fake opening for him. We wanted to make Oswell think I was defenseless so that he’d let his guard down.

Of course, in doing so, I really was defenseless in a sense, since I don’t exactly have the ability to protect myself from him. In physical prowess alone, I would lose to Oswell ten times out of ten. I have zero confidence in my athletic skills. And although I’m not completely hopeless in the magic department, my abilities aren’t nearly good enough to fend off an assassin who’s trying to kill me. Just getting good grades in magic classes doesn’t really prepare you for that sort of thing. Go figure.

But thankfully, I still had the Randolph siblings on my side. I would feel a little safer knowing that they were always nearby during the day, ready to step in if I needed help. Since they are both quite a bit better at magic than I am, by having them around my chances of survival would significantly increase. And they would be able to watch over me from a distance without seeming suspicious like Ashley would.

The problem was convincing Ashley that I was safe enough with just them. He wouldn’t even listen to the idea when we initially suggested it. He was utterly against the thought of entrusting his job to the likes of someone else, even if it was only a temporary thing. We tried to reason with him, but he refused to budge on the matter until we changed our terms a bit. So in the end it was decided that the Randolph siblings would protect me during the day, but Ashley would be the one to watch over me at night. So in the evenings Ashley would sneak into the girls’ dorm without being seen, and then first thing in the morning he’d return to the boys’ dorm once he was convinced that I was safe for that day. And thankfully, since Rona is his roommate, there wasn’t anyone around to notice his nightly absences.

This continued on for days. We were all on edge, just waiting for something to finally happen. And then it did. Today during lunch, the hidden character finally addressed Leila by his first name. And according to Rona, that was our cue. That’s the final sign that Leila’s favorability with the hidden character has reached the max and that Oswell would be ordered to act. So we knew that he would come to kill me tonight.

In a rush, we finished all the preparations for our plan while doing our best to act as if nothing was amiss. And when night came, I lay in bed, wide awake. Waiting.

In the end, Oswell came to my room just like Rona said he would. Ashley had immediately hid himself under my bed as soon as we heard sounds of an intruder from outside. The plan was to have him remain concealed until Oswell decisively voiced his intent. In that moment, Ashley would pop out and subdue him.

Not yet. Don’t come out yet.

Thank goodness I kept sending hand signals under the bed to Ashley, since I’m sure otherwise he would have jumped out and ruined everything. Though, every time I moved, I couldn’t help but wonder how Oswell didn’t notice. Especially since after a while, the whole bed seemed to shake as Ashley fought to hold himself back. While I found his concern for me endearing and was secretly super happy to see just how much he cared, I couldn’t just let him destroy our carefully laid trap.

But it all worked out perfectly in the end. I smile in relief over at Ashley and note the dark circles under his eyes. He wasn’t able to sleep at all during the night for more than a week. It’s clearly added up. And anger and impatience seems to be rolling off of him in waves.

“Ashley, you’d better get some sleep now. We can take care of the rest from here.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been getting plenty of sleep. Since I reluctantly allowed the president and Rona to secure your safety during the daytime, I was able to sleep for some hours each day while the sun was still up.”

You really shouldn’t admit your reluctance right in front of the people in question.

And sleeping for 'some hours” definitely doesn’t sound like enough. Your patience is bound to grow thin the more tired you are, you know. You’re already emitting a pretty dark aura…. Just who knows when you might snap? I mean, look at those two. They’re already shivering in fear just from standing next to you.

“If you ended up collapsing because of me, then I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. I’d have to stay away from you from now on. For your own good.”

“There’s no need for such concern. When this is through, just by having you by my side, all my fatigue will disappear.”

Come on, Ashley. Take a hint, please? When you’re on edge like this, you’re a bit scary.

You look like you want to kill something….. but you’re still managing to hold yourself back….. which means you’re probably stressing yourself out…. And I’m afraid to see the aftermath once that stress explodes.

“Alldington-Senpai! I’m sorry for interrupting your conversation but…. We need to hurry up with this interrogation! Agh! Don’t glare at me like that, Ashley!”

It’s understandable that Rona would want to move this thing along… but I would have thought she’d act a little bit more gratefully towards me. Especially since, not only have I not pressed charges for her attempted murder, but I’ve also painstakingly kept it a secret from Ashley. Once this is over, I’ll need to make sure she realizes just how much she owes me for that.

“Alright. Oswell, is it true that the man you work for is Flügel Rodernetz?”

“………..”

“I’ll take your silence as acceptance.”

Plus, he’s already admitted as much to me anyway. He had yelled, “Don’t look down on Flügel!” at me back in my bedroom. You can’t really lie your way out of something that obvious.

There probably isn’t a person in this country who doesn’t know the name Flügel Rodernetz. He’s so influential that even a duke wouldn’t be able to disobey him. And the reason is because Rodernetz isn’t just an ordinary noble family.

In this world, only two countries exist. And this academy as well as all of the students that are in attendance here are affiliated with the country known as the Rodernetz Kingdom.

In other words, the name of the royal family that rules over this country is also Rodernetz.

“Oswell Arkwright, we already know everything. You’re the servant of His Highness Flügel Rodernetz, the first prince of the Rodernetz Kingdom. And under his orders, you tried to kill me.”

With such a conspicuous status, if he were to come to the academy himself, he’d be found out immediately. And as such a lofty figure, the moment he showed up we would have automatically suspected him of being the hidden character.

It’s just that we didn’t know. We had no idea that one of the people who is in control of this country was lurking nearby this whole time. Considering the royal family so rarely show themselves in public, the academy must have realized how big of an issue this could create and thus decided to keep his attendance a secret. Since if it was known that the prince was here, then even if it wasn’t by a lot, the discipline from within the school would deteriorate.

No matter what world you’re living in, there will always be people who are dissatisfied with the upper stratum of society. Conversely, there’s also bound to be a crowd of people who want to curry favor with said societal leaders. And there’s no guarantee that quarrels between the students attending this school will remain as a fight between kids. When the children of the rich and powerful pick a fight, if their parents get involved, that could cause a war to break out in the worst cases. And if the prince gets involved in one of those fights, then the parents of the other children will only become that much more desperate.

That’s why the prince kept his name hidden and attended the school as quietly as possible. He was able to live inconspicuously by mixing in with the other students, and at the same time he could gather inside information about the country and the nobles who are currently living here.

“His Highness must have ended up falling in love with Leila.”

And because of that, he decided he wants to kill me.

But, there’s still something that I just don’t get.

What reason could Flügel have to want to kill me? If this was the game, then I would have bullied Leila, so it would make sense that he’d try to kill me. He’d take pity on the poor heroine and get rid of me just so she can have a reprieve from my tyranny.

The only thing is, I haven’t bullied Leila. On the contrary, I’d like to be the one to demand reparation for all the sexual harassment that I’ve endured from him.

It’s not like Flügel was observing my interactions with Leila from afar and misunderstood. Since Oswell’s his servant, he had access to basically insider information, so there’s no chance he was misinformed. So, he should have known that when Leila and I were together, I was never the one bullying her…

So why? What did I do?

“I get that. But I still don’t understand why he’s aiming for my life?”

“Because you got in the way.” With unfocused eyes, Oswell explains slowly, his voice faltering and strained. “The closest person to Leila was you. So, he got jealous.”

“But, I’m a girl?”

“Doesn’t matter. Since you’re close with Leila Morton, your existence itself is a hindrance. Once you were out of the way, then the next targets would have been Lufrey Wood. And then Sarah Cosgrove.”

So in other words, he’s basically gone mad with jealousy.

In all the stuff I’ve read about this game, I’ve never heard of the hidden character going after Lufrey or Sarah before. Rona looks pretty shaken as well, so maybe this didn’t happen in the original plot of the game.

“You’ve got quite the admirable master, don’t you? To think he makes his servant do all the dirty work.”

This chapter is scrapped from readlightnovel.org

“You’re wrong, Miss Alldington.”

Oswell’s voice has become raspy now. Weak. Almost frail even.

“He is….. Well, he certainly has gone insane. But he was originally a sincere and faithful man. He was kind. Compassionate. Caring. He possessed all the qualities needed to become a great king. But I ruined all that. I was the one who created the source of his madness. I drove him to insanity by following my own desires. That’s why I had to be the one to kill you. I needed to take responsibility for my mistakes.”

“But all you wanted to do was be a friend to me.”

Oswell snorts and looks at me as if I had said something idiotic. Although his lips are forming a smile, it’s not a happy expression. It’s a smile that makes me suspect that the Oswell Arkwright that I’ve known up until now was a complete fabrication. That Oswell has a rakish smile and always has a frivolous compliment at the ready. And no matter who it was, if someone needed help, he’s someone who’d silently help them without a second thought and no need for thanks.

But his smile just now is so miserable, so soul-crushingly tormented that it hurts to look at it.

“I wasn’t acting out of friendship. I love you, Cecile Alldington. So no matter how minuscule an amount, I just wanted to spend time with you. That’s also why I jumped at the chance to be your partner.”

Partner. Like when we partnered up for the magic test….

Ah. I get it. I know what he’s about to say.

Since I already know who Flügel is.

“He…. If he hadn’t paired up with Leila Morton, then he never would have gone mad. And if I hadn’t wanted the chance to spend more time with you, then I would have been his partner. He never would have come into contact with Leila Morton and he never would have given his heart to her.”

Flügel Rodernetz has been attending the academy under a false name.

If his fake name was too different from his true name, then that would have made daily life rather inconvenient. So, he used his childhood nickname and took on a family name that sounds similar to our country’s name.

Hugh Rodinet.

He’s the hidden character.

During the test that marked the beginning of the game, he’s the student that had been Leila’s partner. And he’s also the one who had paired up with Leila for the Rehearsal Ball. He and Oswell hadn’t been friends. He was Oswell’s master.

“He was someone who originally had a strong sense of justice. He never would have wanted to kill people for no reason like this. But because he belongs to the royal family, he never had the chance to meet with women until now. He has zero immunity against them, so when he met Leila Morton, her sociable nature charmed him instantly…. At the beginning, I actually thought it might have been a good thing…. HA!”

And over time, the sheltered prince who was drowning in his first love ended up becoming strange.

Calling Leila sociable isn’t exactly wrong but, inside, he’s a guy. Since they are the same gender, Leila’s probably just easier to talk to than other girls are, and so he mistook that fact with him being friendly and good-humored. Which, honestly makes sense.

Just having a good face while attending this academy all but guarantees you’ll have a flock of girls pining after you. It must have been really hard for him to deal with, since he’s not used to talking with girls. And to meet Leila amidst all that chaos, to finally interact with a ‘girl’ who isn’t obviously putting on airs and isn’t approaching him with ulterior motives, Leila must have seemed like an angel in his eyes. Flügel must have fancied himself very much in love with ‘her’. But seeing as one of his main assumptions, that Leila is a girl, is completely false, something tells me that he’s not actually in love.

“I can’t betray him. I’d rather die than betray his trust. And if possible, I’d prefer to die by your hand.”

“What!? No! Are you crazy!? Why should I have to dirty my hands for the likes of you?”

“Haha….. Your personality really is the worst. I have no clue what could have made me fall for you.”

Even though you’re saying that, you look like you’re about to cry.

“True. It really is a mystery. To be liked by such a great guy, I must be one of the luckiest girls in the world.”

“Cecile Alldington. Is it a favorite hobby of yours? Making men cry?”

Of course not. I’ll be much happier if we can all live our lives with smiles on our faces. And that includes you, Oswell. I’d much rather see you smile instead of shedding tears.

“Not at all. But that doesn’t mean I won’t. So prepare yourself, Oswell Arkwright, because you and Flügel Rodernetz have only a truly miserable fate to look forward to.”

Instantly, Oswell’s whole body stiffens.

He must be thinking that we’re planning to harm his master. But there isn’t one person among us who holds enough political or military power to safely go after a member of the royal family. Oswell, snap out of it! You would know that if you would just stop and think for a moment.

“But it’s our best plan. Since we have Leila Morton, we were able to come up with a solution where no one dies,” Ashley says, making a face like he can’t believe that these revolting words are actually coming out his mouth. He really hates the idea of relying on Leila for anything. And, right up to the very end, he was the one calling for the bloodiest option we have. It can’t be helped that he’s angry though, since they did try to kill me all but…. Seriously! Rona and Ashley are way too bloodthirsty. Before this is all over, I need to make sure to slap some sense into these violence loving maniacs; even if I have to force the dichotomy of right and wrong down their throats! No matter what, I will make sure they find a proper moral compass.

Hm, Flügel and Leila’s showdown should be ending any minute now… Just as I’m thinking this, a female student comes barreling into the student council room.

Only, it’s not Leila like I’m expecting.

“Cecile! We’ve got a problem! Rodinet’s collapsed!”

“…..Sarah, calm down a second. Can you explain to us what happened?”