Chapter: 228
After the suspicion that Prince 2 might be behind this affair came to light, I followed Grandpa’s orders and wrapped things up at that place.
First and foremost, I had to intimidate the commoners there.
When I told them that if the events of today got out, their disappearance would be instantaneous, their faces turned pale.
But thankfully for me, the one in the center of it all was Mane.
Born as a merchant, he quickly grasped that he could actually be in deep trouble and actively cooperated with me.
Because of that, handling the situation in the commoners’ dormitory wasn’t too difficult. Mane was desperately running around to prevent any danger from approaching him.
Next on my to-do list was to find Luca.
It would be a problem if the idiot trio started gossiping about this incident all over the place.
So, I needed to shut them up, but there was no point in threatening them; they wouldn’t listen anyway.
That’s where Luca came in. Given his high stature among the commoners, he could certainly ensure those three kept their mouths shut.
“Those three? No problem at all. I’ll have them sworn to secrecy within a week,” he replied.
After explaining the situation to Luca, that was his response.
If someone else had said that, I wouldn’t have bothered, but given who he was, I couldn’t shake off the chill running down my spine.
This guy might just bury them somewhere and call it perfect secrecy.
‘…Are you saying to kill them? You know that, right?’
“Professor Peda, just so you know, that’s not what I mean. You get that much, right?”
“Ah, is that so? Almost slipped my mind.”
…Was he serious?!
Though there were some minor issues, I managed to get through them and asked Karia to find out why that dumb representative thought Prince 2 was backing him.
“Boss, I’m sorry, but gathering information is easy, but breaking through the Academy’s security is a bit tough, you know?”
‘There’s a secret passage.’
“Don’t worry. I looked into it considering that the old lady’s joints aren’t doing great.”
“Really? That’s new info for me!”
All these operations were aimed at handling this incident as quietly as possible.
[Pressing this issue will only be bothersome and yield almost nothing. However, you will lose a lot.]
Grandpa said that if I complained to the upper-ups about such trivialities, I’d just receive a half-hearted apology.
He also explained that the resulting grudges would be plentiful and varied.
[So this time, we’ll just learn the general details and bury it.]
‘Are we just letting this pass as a minor incident?’
[Exactly. You’ve already been loud enough. If the other party has any brains, they’ll stop here.]
If they didn’t, Grandpa seemed to expect a lot of fun to come from that.
Without further explanation, I can’t know the details, but one thing is clear.
From now on, I can leave these matters to Grandpa.
Wow, how is it that a cleric can be so adept at politics? Is it because he’s a cleric that he’s politically savvy?
From what Johan said last time, it seems the church is a magic dungeon of its own.
After going through this whole process, the next evening, I sought out Karia in a back alley to hear the results of last night’s events.
“Congratulations, Boss! Prince 2 seems to have taken quite the liking to you!”
…What? What the heck does that even mean?!
At first, I thought Karia was spouting nonsense just to tease me, but no, she wasn’t wrong, just a bit exaggerated.
Prince 2 actually had had an interest in me for a while now. He even came to me directly to extend his hand right after the midterms.
At the time, I thought I had narrowly escaped danger, but it seemed Prince 2 had been keeping an eye on me this whole time.
Thanks to that, he got wind of my duel against Prince 1 at the last Partran Festival faster than anyone else. Yes, the one where I humiliated Prince 1 in front of everyone!
“I heard Prince 2 doesn’t care much for Prince 1.”
That’s putting it mildly.
Prince 2 despises 1st Prince.
Due to the rivalry over the throne.
Because Prince 1 is the one who became a benchmark to compare his own talents with.
And because Prince 1 doesn’t even treat him as a rival.
The Prince I believe would want to mock Prince 1, placing him under his foot.
I can only imagine how much joy he felt when he learned of Prince 1’s humiliation.
And what warm feelings must have blossomed for the one who brought that humiliation upon Prince 1?
“It seems he wants to pull you into his side in some way or another.”
The moment I heard this, I realized I’d never be able to avoid Prince 2 for the rest of my life.
Someday, somehow, he’d face me and I’d end up calling him the “dumb prince” right in front of him.
Sigh… What can I do? As long as I possess my mesugaki skills, this is a hurdle to be jumped over. Better not waste my energy on an unsolvable problem and focus on other things.
‘But then…’
“Why did you target me? Is it because the dumb prince truly is a dumbass?”
“…Are you talking about Prince 2?”
‘Yes.’
“Right. So why?”
“Look, Boss. You’re not going to call him the dumb prince in front of him, right?”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer that. I didn’t want to, but it was clear I would.
“Wow.”
Karia mumbled about needing to investigate the crew around Prince 2 a bit more, then continued,
“Anyway, to clarify, the one who orchestrated this whole thing isn’t Prince 2 himself. It’s someone from his faction.”
The ones who are most aware of Prince 2’s affection for me are actually those distinguished members of his faction.
Back then, I was merely a talented individual, but now things have changed.
After the unprecedented situation where I outright crushed Prince 1, Prince 2’s gaze is naturally fixated on me. If I was to enter the faction of Prince 2, it’s only natural for him to cherish me.
“A light pressure on a potential competitor. It seems they wanted to tarnish your reputation somehow.”
So, to sum it up: they believed my existence could possibly interfere with their ascendance, and thus they decided to preemptively apply this pressure.
Hearing that made me laugh lightly.
Wow, I can genuinely feel how my reputation has risen. In the past, they wouldn’t have even bothered with such intimidation! Now Lucy Alrn is perceived as a threat?
[Hmm. If what this person says is true, this won’t be the end of such occurrences.]
‘Right?’
Since Prince 2 has taken an interest in me, they’re understandably trying to rein me in.
If Prince 2 doesn’t take his eyes off me, their sneaky plots will continue to hit from various angles.
As they say, birds of a feather flock together! Only fools flock with idiots!
…Huh?
As those thoughts swirled, a brilliant idea suddenly popped into my head.
If Prince 2’s favor is what’s causing them to apply pressure, then wouldn’t getting rid of his favor solve all these problems?
‘Grandpa, Grandpa.’
[What is it? I was pondering something.]
‘What if I just call him the dumb prince?’
*
Bea had never tasted anything so delicious before. She glimmered her eyes and giggled as she glanced at the girl watching her carefully.
“Why?”
“Um, aren’t you eating?”
“I have my own, thanks.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Several days had passed since she found herself stuck with Belma under Lucy’s orders.
At first, Bea thought it was just a nuisance, but as time passed, her thoughts changed.
Belma had started to remind Bea of her long-lost little sister.
Her somewhat oblivious demeanor suggested she didn’t know the ways of the world. Her genuine expressions of joy, and her clumsy efforts to care for others.
So, at some point, Bea started taking care of Belma seriously.
She felt she had to do something since Lucy had given her something.
In truth, it couldn’t even be called an excuse. That book Lucy had given her was indeed something monumental.
Bea could still vividly recall.
The book written in a language of the past that she couldn’t even comprehend. And the moment she handed that book to Adrienne and witnessed her reaction.
– …Where did you find this?
As soon as Adrienne received the book, her eyes twitched in disbelief, as if she had stumbled upon a treasure she thought she’d never see again.
‘Lady Alrn gave it to me.’
– Lady Alrn.
As she blinked and repeated that name in her mind, she suddenly burst out laughing maniacally.
It wasn’t the laugh of someone delighted to be alive but the insane cackle of someone who had faced the wayward dead with deep-seated resentment.
Bea had always seen the polite and childlike side of Adrienne, but that sudden transformation completely overwhelmed her.
Yet, it was only for a moment.
Not long after, Adrienne returned to her composed self.
– Please give my regards to Lady Alrn. This will be a precious item for both of us.
‘…Is it that important?’
– Of course! Ah, by the way, if there’s anything you need from me later, please let me know.
It turned out that book contained the secrets of a necromancer who had previously led a prestigious family.
Had it been passed to the black market, it would’ve fetched an absurd price.
Any necromancer would burn bright-eyed in search of such a treasure.
Lucy had given that valuable item to Bea without expecting anything in return.
At first, secured by a secret, Bea blindly followed Lucy’s orders, but not anymore.
The more things she received from Lucy, the more gratitude would replace her initial fear.
She found herself in serious contemplation about how to repay that kindness.
But if she was honest, Lucy’s family was stacked. They’ve got maces and shields and the finest armor. They’ve got a fortune that’d make heads spin, brains are on point, and the connections they wield are vast.
Was there really anything she could do to repay that?
No matter how much she thought, nothing seemed feasible, huh?
With her chin resting on her palm and dark thoughts brewing, she let out a sigh, venting her stress as she eyed a dessert that bloomed in front of her.
On her path back to the Academy dormitory, she spotted a crowd gathered in the plaza.
Had some announcement been made?
Bea tilted her head in confusion but soon spotted a friend on the outskirts of the crowd and called out to her.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Who? Oh, Bea!”
She recognized Bea’s face and immediately lowered her voice to a whisper, captivated by the atmosphere.
“Hey, hey! It’s total chaos right now!”
“So what is it?”
“I heard Lady Alrn called Prince 2 by a derogatory title?!”
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