“Uhh? What’s this combination?”
The von Byrne Mansion.
Trie, who had been invited to the backyard, tilted her head.
Erica and Iris, who arrived earlier, were sitting at the table waiting.
“Welcome. The tea is ready.”
“……?”
Aintz appeared from behind, dragging a chair over and sitting across from them.
Aintz, Iris, and Erica.
It felt like someone was missing.
“What’s this about?”
“Essentially… it’s the Anti-Schlus meeting!”
“……”
Trie almost burst into laughter at Erica’s serious tone as she propped her chin on both hands.
But she figured she’d at least hear them out and sat down.
“After the entrance exam and the midterm, I’ve lost first place to Schlus! I’ve never missed first in my life! Do you understand this frustration?”
“No, I don’t really…?”
“We can’t let Schlus run wild until the finals! Here we have two specializing in elemental magic and two in combat magic. All four of us are competing for the top grades. If we combine our forces, it shouldn’t be impossible to bring down Schlus.”
Trie folded her arms, looking around with a disinterested expression.
Aintz nodded as if it were thrilling.
And Iris, as usual, maintained her smile… though if you looked closely, she was coldly tracking Schlus’s words with her eyes and occasionally licking her lips, while now she just stared blankly.
Which meant she wasn’t really listening.
From what she could tell, only Aintz and Erica were fired up.
Trie thought it was time to slip away.
“Is there really a need to eliminate him? If we do that, Schlus will have to drop out because of the promise made at the entrance ceremony.”
“Who cares about such verbal promises? Promises that are fine to keep or break should definitely be broken.”
“……”
Trie was left speechless by Erica’s shameless attitude.
It was clear whose influence had shaped such thinking.
Having that kind of mindset was how a woman could rise to the top of the three great magical families and earn the title of ‘Iron Woman.’
Trie admired this in several ways.
“So, we’re gathered here to brainstorm ways to surpass Schlus! Does anyone have ideas?”
“Umm…?”
Aintz and Erica turned to look at Iris with eager expressions.
Iris, who had been smiling slightly awkwardly, slowly parted her lips.
“Well… that’s tough. I think I need a bit more time to think.”
“Then Iris passes for now! Trie! What about you?”
“Huh? Well, we could share answers secretly during exams? Or break Schlus’s legs so he messes up the surprise test?”
“WHOAA! That won’t do!”
Trie jumped in surprise at Aintz’s sudden scream.
“We can’t commit fraud just to defeat a friend!”
“Yeah! No tricks like that!”
“……”
So what are we supposed to do then?
Trie shot a weird look at the two who seemed too in sync, despite fighting every day.
When it came to this, they had a lot in common.
“Hm… how about we form a study group?”
“A study group?”
“Yeah. Since both subjects have frequent quizzes, wouldn’t sharing notes and hearing from the other two majors improve our performance?”
“……”
“……”
Erica and Aintz’s expressions froze.
Are they seriously calling this a study group, like evil villains meeting up?
Trie was about to chuckle incredulously when…
“That’s a good idea!”
“That’s it! With that, we could beat Schlus!”
“Huh…?”
Trie was deflated by their enthusiastic reactions.
Surely, everyone in this room was elite among elites, and yet they looked so foolish.
“Perfect. Then let’s meet once a week for our study group. We mustn’t let Schlus find out—”
“Young master.”
“……?”
Just then, an old maid peeked into the backyard, calling for Aintz.
“Not now. We’ll talk later—”
“Actually, I think you should see this now.”
“What is it?”
“They’re asking for permission to bring in the carriage from the South…”
“The South?”
All four pairs of eyes gathered.
Ultimately, Aintz sprang to his feet, followed by the curious trio.
Was it perhaps the bounty referred to by Schlus?
He had said he’d provide some of the spoils taken from the South, and it seemed that had just arrived.
“Are you Aintz von Wiegenstein?”
“Yeah. That’s me.”
“These are the items sent from the Holy Knights. There’s quite a lot; may I place them down here in the open area?”
“Go ahead.”
The porters moved busily, starting to unload boxes from the carriage.
Boxes continued to emerge and were placed in the open area one after another.
Having piqued her interest, Trie quickly dashed over to inspect the contents.
If Aintz received these items, it meant the same would be delivered to the Schulzenburg Mansion.
Inside were elegant ceramics, armor, weapons, jewelry, and more.
They clearly sent items that were high in value and could be stored for a long time.
Some items would surely increase in value if left unattended.
In fact, they were worth much more than a pile of gold coins.
“What’s the total worth of all this…?”
As the boxes continued to pour out, Erica felt as if she might faint.
She had just as much of a role in the Southern expedition as Aintz or Trie.
But regrettably, because of a promise made with Schlus, she felt wronged that she couldn’t receive them.
If only she had known they would give such a huge bounty…
“No, if I had to choose again, I would make the same promise.”
Erica shook her head, thinking this.
Her promise with Schlus was to help end her brother’s nightmare.
Back then, she thought Schlus was just boasting, but now she knew he wasn’t lying.
He must have made that promise because he had a solid method to stop the nightmares.
Even the expensive doctors they had summoned couldn’t solve Julia’s nightmares.
If she could fix her brother’s nightmares by giving up a few treasures, she would make that choice over and over again.
“Alright. Next carriage.”
“What?! There’s another carriage?!”
After unloading for a while, the porters began unloading boxes from yet another carriage.
Seeing this, Erica’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
Just a little, she felt a tad bit of regret.
“Wow, this is insane.”
Meanwhile, Trie was astonished by the spectacle, realizing the impact of the Southern expedition.
While he was the de facto owner, Schlus would probably only give about 30% of what the Holy Knights brought in.
The total scale was still this vast, even divided between the Schulzenburg Mansion and the Wigenburg Mansion.
The Holy Knights and Schlus had undoubtedly acquired immense wealth from this.
Not to mention they might end up with the Emperor’s favor and a noble title.
Though currently a commoner, Schlus was now certain to become a high-ranking noble.
To rise to such heights solely on his own strength without any family or backing was astonishing.
“Did I say something unnecessary…?”
Trie began to worry that she might have spoken in vain to Emilia.
“You should really give up. Schlus will never look your way.”
Remembering Emilia’s blank expression left her feeling uneasy.
The love between a high noble and a maid was bound to happen.
It couldn’t have been fulfilled anyway.
Even if it did, no one would be happy about it.
Trie had already learned this lesson through experience.
“No, someone had to say it.”
Even if she had to play the villain, she had to say it.
No matter how it began, the outcome was always a tragic love story.
Just looking at her mother’s case made that clear.
It was undoubtedly necessary advice.
So she said it.
It wasn’t because she hated the thought of some pesky fly buzzing near Schlus…
*
“Huff…”
At the door of the lecture room.
Ludwig let out a deep sigh, which was rare for him.
It was the first time this year he found himself not wanting to enter the lecture room.
“Ugh, I can’t stand him.”
Schlus Hainkel.
That guy had come back from suppressing the Southern rebellion.
Not just as a participant, having merely displayed some prowess in a few battles, but as the main contributor to the victory of the suppression army.
Just imagining how full of himself he must be made Ludwig’s head ache.
Moreover, he held the emperor’s trust as a direct knight.
Whether he received special treatment or not, it was bound to be problematic; what should he do about it?
There were many decisions to be made soon concerning Schlus in the staff meeting.
Screech…
As the bell rang, Ludwig finally opened the door and stepped inside.
9 o’clock sharp.
Not a single second late; perfectly on time.
“Glad to see you. Let’s jump right into the lecture—”
As Ludwig glanced around the classroom, he frowned.
There was an absentee.
It had been rumored that anyone missing his lecture wouldn’t escape failing, and there had been no absenteeism for recent years.
Ludwig clicked his tongue softly, took out his pen, and was about to write a note in his notebook.
Thud!
“……!”
The door swung open violently, revealing a figure.
A young man with a black leather scabbard at his left hip and a black eagle badge on his left chest.
Schlus Hainkel looked down at Ludwig with his empty eyes as he strode confidently into the lecture room.
All the students’ gazes focused on each of his footsteps.
“I apologize for being late.”
“Take a seat. I’ll mark you as tardy.”
“Yes.”
Even after he took his seat, the students were busy tracking Schlus with their eyes.
Ludwig gritted his teeth, sensing today’s class would quickly descend into chaos.
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