Not just her, but every girl present knew.
Kim Deok-Sung.
The one he favored the most, the one who had burrowed the deepest into his heart, was Olivia.
The fact that Kim Deok-Sung dashed off to France without a word was proof that he held Olivia in special regard.
Olivia was already leading the race.
But what if this engagement ceremony meant she monopolized his attention?
“…Maybe not only me, but everyone here might get disqualified from the race.”
Olivia’s solo victory was unacceptable.
As Eri said, even if it means I’m just a concubine, I want to be by his side.
No, I wouldn’t even mind not being a concubine.
A girlfriend, even if it’s an affair, I’d like to be wrapped in his arms.
But if things continue this way, even the position of a concubine might be at risk.
That sense of crisis consumed Rin’s mind and heart.
“In such a situation, for me to unleash this jealousy… this inferiority… this selfishness… You can call it ugly. But if this continues, there’s a possibility I won’t even be able to become his wife, let alone a concubine. So… I, I…”
Tears streamed down Rin’s face.
“…I just want to be by his side, no matter what.”
She didn’t want to lose the man she had fallen for.
Rin thought this and wiped her tears away.
A red tint flushed her face.
“…I’m sorry. I showed an ugly side in front of everyone. I’ll head to France.”
“No, it’s fine. Shinozaki. What about the others? Will they help Master? Hoshino-senpai?”
Hearing Nishizawa’s words, Kasumi opened a book to hide her face.
“Junior is a bad guy, the Black Beast who only favors princesses, but… I’m still a dutiful slave to Junior. Just like Nishizawa.”
Kasumi’s eyes shone brightly.
“And Bonaparte is someone I need to take care of too… So, I’m going. As the head of the cooking club.”
“I’ll go too. I’m the sword of my lord, so I’ll protect him.”
Before Kasumi’s words even finished, Makoto raised her hand eagerly.
“Alright. Hoshino-senpai. Makopi. Thank you for saying we should all go together. What about those guys over there?”
Eri’s gaze turned toward Ishihara and Yuji in a corner.
“Nishizawa. Is that even a question? As your brother’s younger sibling, of course, I’ll follow him!”
Ishihara pumped his fist like a delinquent.
“I’ll go too.”
Beside him, Kurosawa Yuji spoke in a serious tone.
“Kim is my precious friend.”
“Then we all agree, right?”
Hearing everyone’s opinions, Nishizawa Eri clapped her hands.
“Then, what’s next? The washboard?”
“We have to go see the club president.”
A smile crept onto Eri’s face.
“I’ll go and get permission for the cooking club’s overseas study trip. So, let’s start by drafting a plan.”
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Shuo Hero Academy.
Annex. Student Council Room.
While Aris was busy with her work, a group of familiar-faced students suddenly burst in.
Eri, Makoto, Rin, Kasumi, Yuji, and Ishihara from the Cooking Club—six members in total.
Aris swept her gaze over the group and spoke in a stern voice.
“What do you want? I’m busy, so please keep it brief.”
“We’re planning to go on an overseas study trip to France.”
“France…?”
Aris narrowed her brows.
“Yep. We’re going to France. It’s famous for its cuisine, right? We’ll do some culinary sightseeing and visit restaurants. That’s why we came to get your approval.”
An outrageous study trip disguised as an extracurricular activity.
But it wasn’t completely unreasonable.
France is globally renowned for its gastronomy.
It’s not an odd choice for the Cooking Club’s field trip.
Moreover, Shuo Hero Academy, claiming to be the best in Japan, officially supports students’ extracurricular activities.
So, overseas trips aren’t unprecedented.
“Here’s the proposal for the field trip.”
Swish.
Eri laid the proposal on Aris’s desk.
Aris reviewed the proposal.
“…The plan is more detailed than I expected. Very well. However, why aren’t Mr. Kim Deok-Sung and Miss Bonaparte with you? Aren’t they part of the Cooking Club too?”
Aris’s silver eyes scanned the Cooking Club members.
“Our junior and Miss Bonaparte were sent for a preliminary visit. They’ll join us on-site, President.”
Kasumi, the club president, answered Aris.
At her words, a faint smile appeared on Aris’s lips.
“I see. I’m not sure when Miss Bonaparte, who left for her engagement ceremony, and Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, who went to rescue her, became members of the Cooking Club’s preliminary team…”
As soon as Aris finished her sentence, Eri hiccuped.
“H-How did you know that…?”
Eri’s eyes widened.
Even she had just found out this information.
But how did Aris know?
“As the President of Shuo’s Student Council, there’s nothing that I’m unaware of in this academy.”
Aris spoke calmly.
Just then, a heavy silence settled in the Student Council Room.
Rin stepped forward and spoke.
“I apologize for deceiving you, President. But we must go rescue Kim Deok-Sung and Bonaparte. So, we ask for your approval for the overseas study trip…”
“I will also accompany you. To France.”
Thud.
Aris dipped the student council seal in ink and stamped the field trip proposal.
Everyone’s eyes widened at her words.
Feeling their gazes, Aris’s face turned slightly red as she said,
“…I cannot tolerate Shuo’s students being in danger as President. Now, here’s the field trip proposal, Nishizawa.”
Eri, receiving Aris’s proposal, smiled.
With the entire Cooking Club and Shuo’s strongest Aris joining,
they could save not only their master but also the princess.
Eri’s eyes narrowed.
Looking at Aris, she said:
“Looks like you also have feelings for our master, President?”
Hehehe.
Eri let out a cheeky laugh.
“That absurd delusion is unhealthy! I am simply fulfilling my duty as Shuo’s Student Council President by requesting to accompany you!”
Bang.
Aris slammed her hand on the table, her face slightly flushed.
“Oh? Then we’ll go with that. Anyway, thanks, President.”
“I have no hobby of being thanked for something that’s natural.”
Aris averted her gaze as she spoke.
Seeing her, Eri smiled.
Flutter.
Eri waved the field trip proposal in her hand and shouted,
“Then with the entire Cooking Club and President! Let’s head to France together!”
Master, we’ll protect you.
Eri swallowed her words and smiled.
It was the moment when Eri-ring’s heart-pounding French operation was about to begin.
Eri-ring has arrived♥
Paris, France.
The iconic Eiffel Tower standing tall in the city and the impressive Seine River flowing through it make it the most beautiful city in Europe.
A bastion protecting Europe from the red tide alongside the UK and West Germany.
And a place that has never appeared as a major background even once in the original story.
I am here now.
It’s been two days since I arrived in Paris.
While the National Intelligence Service prepares for the operation, I’m pretending to be an Asian tourist exploring Paris, assisted by Han Seo-jin.
Wearing sunglasses, I mutter quietly in Korean as I gaze at the streets of daytime Paris.
“Paris is just a neighborhood where people live.”
There’s not really any fantasy about Paris, but still, I can’t deny the expectations instilled by the media’s image of Paris as the ‘City of Light.’
However, actual Paris is dirtier and less friendly than I expected.
I can see why the Paris Syndrome exists.
“The operation preparations are all complete now. We’ll escort you to the safe house. Please follow me.”
Han Seo-jin whispers in my ear in Korean.
In the Paris cityscape, where the Eiffel Tower is visible, I follow Han Seo-jin and arrive at a mansion in the outskirts of Paris.
This is the safe house arranged by the National Intelligence Service.
Ding dong.
Han Seo-jin presses the intercom, and soon after, the front gate opens.
Creak.
Beyond the opened gate, I see the garden.
Thud.
Entering the mansion and going down to the basement reveals a scene that looks straight out of a spy movie: an underground bunker.
Numerous monitors are attached to the walls.
Operators in suits are busily talking on headsets.
And there’s even a conference table in the center.
The large Taegeukgi (Korean national flag) and the National Intelligence Service emblem on the wall are impressive too.
“Kim Deok-Sung, cadet, has arrived!”
“Salute to Cadet Kim Deok-Sung!”
The moment I entered the bunker, all the agents stopped their work and stood up in unison to salute me.
I even see an agent tearing up and another one fainting at the sight of me.
No matter how many times I experience this obnoxious, over-the-top nationalism, I never get used to it.
“Hello? I am Kim Myung-Soo, Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service and the overall commander of this operation.”
A middle-aged man wearing sunglasses approaches me, trembling as he extends his hand for a handshake.
I have a shallow understanding, but I vaguely know what the position of Deputy Director of the National Intelligence Service entails.
It’s one of the three publicly disclosed positions among the mostly classified organizational chart of the National Intelligence Service.
The Deputy Director oversees overseas intelligence gathering and espionage.
“Ah, yes. It’s nice to meet you, Deputy Kim.”
Is this how I’m supposed to address him?
I shake hands with Deputy Kim.
“It’s truly an honor to meet you!”
Deputy Kim snifflingly grasps my hand and bows at a ninety-degree angle.
Other agents look at Deputy Kim with a mix of envy and jealousy.
This is really hard to endure.
I wave my hand and say, “Alright, let’s take a seat.”
“Understood. Everyone, gather around!”
At my words, Deputy Kim summons the key agents to the circular conference table.
Thud.
As Han Seo-jin sits next to me, the lights in the bunker go out.
Zing.
The projector whirs to life, and an article appears on the screen.
It’s from the famous French daily newspaper, Le Monde.
The problem is, it’s written in French, so I can’t read it.
‘What does that say?’
[It says that Olivia and William’s engagement ceremony will be held at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in four days.]
The Black Prince answers immediately.
In four days.
Just as the President informed me.
“There’s four days until D-Day. The details of the operation are as follows. First, when the engagement ceremony reaches its climax, the President will expose the recordings, and cadet Kim Deok-Sung will infiltrate the Notre-Dame Cathedral with the help of our insider, Bella, and challenge the target to a duel. Here’s the specific infiltration route.”
Thud.
As the chief pressed the remote button, the interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral unfolded.
“On the day of the engagement, the security is tight, and no one can enter except for invited guests. The entrance will be sealed once the event begins. But with the help of Bella, Olivia’s personal maid, we can go right here.”
A picture of Bella appeared alongside the view of Notre-Dame’s roof.
“We plan to break in through the roof and descend right in the middle of the engagement ceremony.”
Before the chief finished speaking, the Black Prince couldn’t contain his excitement.
[I don’t know who thought of this, but what a brilliant setup! It feels like a movie.]
What movie? It feels more like a light novel.
I sighed, knowing there was no other choice.
If it meant saving Olivia, I had to endure this cringy light novel style.
“So we drop in from the ceiling and challenge William that punk to a duel, betting Olivia on it.”
“Exactly.”
It was a reckless plan, to say the least.
But if it was William, I was confident I could win.
He was just a drugged-up loser hanging on without proper abilities.
Besides, unlike the original story where Doctor Moromoro was around, now that he’s out of the picture, this druggie wasn’t a threat to me.
The issue was with Gares, one of the 13 Apostles.
To keep an eye on him just like in the original, I’d need help from another hero besides myself.
While I faced William, should Olivia and Bella handle Gares?
Could that really hold him back?
I felt a bit uncertain.
Moreover, it wasn’t just William and Gares to deal with.
There were also heroes from the Royal Guard tasked with protecting the British royal family.
I’d need stronger forces to face them.
‘I guess tackling everyone on my own might not be the best idea.’
It felt a bit late to have this realization, but I really did rush into France.
If I had known this would happen, I should have called the others too.
[If you need your friends’ help, why not call them now? Partner. It’s not too late.]
‘Yeah, that does make sense.’
That’s the whole point of forming a cooking club, after all.
[Partner, trying to solve everything alone isn’t wise. We live in a world together, don’t we?]
The Black Prince gave me the usual cliché advice.
I never intended to solve everything by myself.
I’d take all the gains, but share the burdens with everyone.
Selfishness and cider.
I would live for myself.
What a beautiful cider path mentality it is.
Truly, web novels are the best.
‘That’s the plan.’
After giving a vague response to the Black Prince, I called for Han Seo-Jin.
“Han Seo-Jin.”
“You called, Kim Deok-Sung?”
Han Seo-Jin, who was sitting beside me, bowed her head.
“Fetch the cooking club members who stayed at the academy. It’d be better to have more power to deal with anyone other than William.”
“Actually, I just got off the line with Nishizawa.”
Before I could even finish, Han Seo-Jin replied as if she had been waiting for this moment.
What?
“Already?”
When on earth did she contact them?
“She’s currently being escorted here.”
And they’re already on their way?
“What do you mean…?”
Just as I was taken aback by Han Seo-Jin’s sudden statement, the bunker door burst open, and a familiar Japanese voice filled the air.
“Eri-ring has arrived! Your loyal and stunning galactic first beauty, Eri-ring, came running from Japan to France for you, Master!”
With a horrid light novel-like reaction, a girl with orange twin-tails and a collar trotted in – Nishizawa Eri.
“Junior, you’re a bad boy. You went to France without saying a word to your club president, such a naughty junior.”
And behind Eri appeared Hoshino Kasumi, puffing her cheeks out.
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