"MISTER LEON! This is unacceptable. If you wish to master the art of tea,
then you must be aware of how abhorrent it is to trouble a lady! This is not the
behavior of a gentleman."
"I'm sorry, Master. But I…I…!"
All the customers had long since left the café. Now, as Angie had sought out
my Master, the only sound was him lecturing me. I could pretend to listen and
brush off anyone except him. My Master's words cut deep. I couldn't defy him.
After all, he was more than a simple professor at some whatever school. He
was my master in the artful way of tea.
Master placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "I know this must have been
trying for you. A true trial. Still, you
must not give up. The path of a true gentleman lies ahead of you. And your
quest to master tea will continue as well."
"Yes, you're exactly right, Master!"
The path to becoming a gentleman was steep and treacherous, but I—
I heard a sigh. I glanced back to see the queen collapsed at one of the round
tables, looking exhausted. Angie sat beside her.
I'd already changed into a clean set of clothes, and Daniel and Raymond had
stepped out to invite some people over so we could party later. As for those
loathsome "customers," they had fled after receiving the queen's pardon, but I
still remembered their terrified faces. I wouldn't let myself forget those.
"It looks like the two of you are done," said the queen. "Would you mind if I
had a word with you next?"
Master straightened his posture, smoothing his suit. "I'll prepare a spot of tea
for you, then. Mister Leon, I hope you don't mind if I borrow your set?"
"Of course not. Please, go right ahead." My tea set and tea leaves would be
overjoyed to be graced by my Master's use.
Right now, I was more concerned with the queen's irate face.
"Leon," she said, "I do believe I'm angry."
I sank to my knees and slapped both hands against the floor, kowtowing. "I
knew you would be. I completely understand. Please, just spare my family! I
don't care what happens to me, but please let them be!"
My theatrics clearly flustered her.
"What? N-no, you misunderstand me. That's not what I meant. Angie, help!"
She turned in her seat to look at Angie for assistance, which made clear that she
wasn't truly that cross with me. If the queen were genuinely ticked, she'd have
me driven out of the kingdom.
But I still wanted to tease her a bit.
Unfortunately, Angie did realize I was putting on a show. "Your Majesty, he's
toying with you. He can tell you're not that serious."
"Eh?" Mylene glanced back at me.
I stuck my tongue out. "Tee hee!"
She leveled an ice-cold glare at me. I was making it harder to clean my slate in
her eyes. "To think I expected better from you. I should have known."
"I'm terribly sorry!" This time, my apology was sincere.
Despite the circumstances, I felt blessed to have an opportunity to drink
Master's tea again. The powerful fragrance crashed over me from behind like a
violent wave. He was using the same tea leaves I had, and yet the difference
between our brews was night and day. Even the scent was more potent.
Master's expertise is unmatched.
"Your Majesty," my master began, "might I ask why—"
"Enough," she interrupted. "If I'm not careful, someone will find cause to
tease me again, so I'll be frank. Leon, I came here to address my grievances with
you. This isn't some official punishment. These are my personal feelings."
I figured as much.
Whatever my reasoning, I'd still beaten her son to a pulp. A mother couldn't
easily forgive that kind of thing.
In the game, Queen Mylene functioned as an antagonist. Not surprisingly, she
aligned herself against the protagonist, given her close relationship with Angie.
It only made sense. Although, I did think it a tired cliche for female-oriented
games—having the mother-in-law be spiteful toward her daughter-in-law. Not
that Queen Mylene could help it; she could hardly accept her son falling in love
with a commoner. Her opposition made perfect sense, and yet the demands of
the genre painted her as the villain trying to rip the main characters apart.
I found it absurd. This perfectly logical queen had to be the bad guy? Come
on.
Granted, in the end, Queen Mylene did always come to accept the
protagonist after the latter was recognized as the Saint. In this world, the Saint
was an extremely important spiritual figure. Although, the game got pretty
loose with the hard details. Still, the protagonist's power impressed all the more
when she wielded it as the Saint.
Whoops, got a little offtrack there.
Anyway, what grievances had the queen come to air?
"Please go ahead, I'm listening," I said.
"Very well. First, allow me to apologize on Julius's behalf. You shouldn't have
had to oblige his selfishness."
I'd never dreamed she'd start with a sorry. Awfully polite for a supposed head
honcho of the villain parade.
"As his mother, I struggle to understand how things could have come to this.
It might sound terrible for me to say, but we could have handled this matter if
he were to simply take a viscount's daughter as his lover. But at the palace, he
was always so curt with the girls, it never occurred to me he could become this
obsessed with one." Her Majesty glanced over at me.
Her clear blue eyes threatened to swallow me up.
Now wait a minute. This woman is gorgeous.
Her flustered innocence a moment ago made it all the more difficult to
believe she was in her thirties. In fact…she was downright adorable.
"However, I still cannot condone your behavior in that arena. Your fighting
style mocks honor. As a noble, you should have found a more amicable
approach, no?"
Yeah, sure, but the main reason I did any of it was to release all my pent-up
stress. I didn't really care to be "amicable."
I pursed my lips and meekly glanced over at Livia and Angie, hoping one of
them might come to my aid. Alas, neither paid attention to me. I feared they
were still mulling over what that earl's daughter had said earlier. They didn't
even notice me trying to make eye contact.
I turned to Luxion for help instead—praying desperately in my head that he
would answer me. Thankfully, his electronic voice came trickling into my ear a
second later.
"She expects you to find a more amicable approach? How foolish. Does she
not realize what kind of person you are?"
Alas, my partner was a jerk.
You sad, useless excuse for an AI! You should be nicer to me.
Mylene saw me glancing over at Angie and Livia and seemed to mistake my
silence for something else. She grinned teasingly. "Oh, is that what this is all
about? Ah, to be young."
I had no idea what she was talking about. Well, whatever it is, it benefits me.
Best to keep my mouth shut.
"Leon, I'm sure you're already aware of this, but you have a number of
enemies at the palace," she said. "People had great expectations for Julius. Not
to mention the other high lords' sons. Have you thought carefully about your
future?"
Screw the palace, had she seen how many people hated me at this school?
Honestly, why must such terrible things happen to such a moral and upstanding
person as myself?
"Of course I have," I lied, pretending I had any clue what was going on
politically. In truth, I was counting on Angie's daddy to keep me safe. I had no
plans to show my face at the palace and no interest in moving up in the world. I
definitely didn't want to get involved with any of the people in that world. They
could demote me for all I cared.
And those people who'd nursed those great expectations for Julius? Crappy
judges of character, to the last. I mean, seriously. The guy proved his
uselessness the second he gave up Angie for Marie. He had no business being
crown prince.
"You're quite powerful," the queen went on. "If only Julius could have had
someone like you by his side, perhaps he wouldn't have wandered so far down
the wrong path."
I wondered about that. At the very least, I would have been able to push
Marie away from him. Then maybe I could have found some other in-game
reason to nudge him toward Livia. Of course, by doing that, I would have made
Angie my enemy. Ugh. No matter what strategy I chased—whether it was the
"right" choice in-game or the right choice in reality—it all came down to a big
headache.
Unfortunately, cozying up to the prince seemed like even more of a pain than
the position I was now mired in. Not that there was any point in entertaining
hypotheticals.
"I don't think the result would have changed even if I had been," I said finally.
"Oh? Well, regardless, I had another motive for coming here today.
Something I would like you to help me with."
"What's that?"
She sat up straighter. "Since I married into the Holfort royal family from
abroad, I never had the opportunity to attend this academy. I hope to make
some memories of my own. Would you help me, Leon? I've always been so
curious about this place. All the women I know always speak so fondly of it. I
admit, I've been envious."
This thirty-year-old married woman with a mischievous grin wanted me to
help her make memories at the academy?
In my previous life, I might've said, Learn some self-respect, you old bat, but
this was different.
I stood up and took her hands in mine.
Ah, and what beautiful hands they are.
"Huh?" She gawked at me in surprise.
"Miss Mylene, I would be happy to honor your request… Please marry me!"
Her cheeks went crimson.
Livia and Angie both leaped from their chairs.
"Leon, what in the world are you doing?!"
"Y-you…! You're speaking to the queen!"
Even Master seemed shocked by the sudden proposal. I had to pat myself on
the back for managing to crack through that gentlemanly exterior.
I'm king of the world!
"Mister Leon," my master said, "if that's a joke, it isn't very funny."
Yeah, yeah, but just think for a minute: Why did any of us go to this school?
To study? No! This academy existed within an otome game. We students had
only one objective, and that was to get hitched! In other words, if Queen
Mylene wanted to make memories, this had to be what she was referring to.
She wanted someone to confess their feelings to her.
My deduction skills are first-rate. Behold my brilliance!
Besides, in all seriousness, Queen Mylene would make for a perfect marriage
partner. "She's already had kids," you say? Hey, proof she's fertile! Nobles
needed a woman who could produce an heir, so that made her perfect for me.
"She's not a virgin," you say? Most of the girls in the school weren't either.
Virgins were a mere figment of culture anyway—they had no meaningful
currency. "What about her age?" you say? Who cares. I would take an adorable,
poised thirty-some-year-old over an untrained teenage beast any day! I'd rather
marry a human than a monster.
Thanks to partner hunting, I understood all too well now how pointless it was
to nurse fantasies about women. If I had to choose between the girls at the
academy and Miss Mylene, I wouldn't hesitate to pick the latter!
Wait, hold up. I proposed as a joke, but the more I thought about it, she was
perfect for me—you know, other than the difference in our status.
"I like you! No, I love you!" My mouth moved before I could consider my
words.
"I-I don't know what to say. I have children—and a husband. Besides, I'm so
much older than you." Her cheeks heated, and her eyes teared up with
embarrassment.
"That doesn't matter to me. You're radiant. Even if you already have a family,
I still love—guh?!" Something big and flat slammed into the back of my head.
Who did it?! I'll send them flying!
I spun around to find Prince Julius, his face drawn in anger. His suit was
disheveled, the buttons open to reveal his chest. Even his hair was in disarray.
He looked worn out, and he clutched a tray in trembling hands.
"Oh, uh, Your Highness," I blurted.
He lifted the tray up again. "You have some nerve, trying to seduce my
mother. It's only a shame I can't cut you down right here!"
Oh, he's actually mad. I guess I am hitting on his mom right in front of him.
Miss Mylene looked bewildered. "H-hold on a moment, Julius. This isn't what
you—"
"Mother, enough! Let go of his hand this instant! Bartfort, release her now!"
"Yeah, as if," I huffed.
Julius's patience snapped, and his fist flew, collided, and sent me reeling
through the air.
"Leon!" Her Majesty cried in dismay. She scrambled out of her chair to chase
after me, but Prince Julius grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of our café.
"Please, Mother, get ahold of yourself," he said. "My setup is right next door.
I'll listen to what you have to say there. Honestly, why are you even here at the
academy?"
As I watched them leave from the floor, I wondered whether the queen was
leaving with the good memories she'd hoped for.
***
It was break time over at Café Princess as well, so the guests had cleared out.
Marie was in good spirits, counting their newly earned rolls of cash, when Julius
suddenly stormed in with an unexpected guest.
What's the Villain-in-Chief doing here?! Marie ducked behind a curtain in the
back of the room.
The queen wasn't the main villain in the game; she just sided with the
villainess. However, that made her Marie's natural enemy. Unfortunately, Marie
lacked the power to defy her just yet.
Kyle tugged at Marie's skirt. "Master, I'm sick of this. The customers claim
paying the service fee gives them every right to feel me up. I'm not taking
another shift."
Marie's annoyance flared. Don't be silly! You have no idea how hard I work to
earn enough to cover everyone's daily expenses. The least you can do is grin and
bear it when I ask for your help.
In truth, necessity drove her present preoccupation with money. Ever since
that awful duel, Julius's family had reduced his monthly allowance out of
frustration with his conduct. Meanwhile, the other four boys were, in short,
destitute. Marie was working to feed five—plus herself—so milking the café for
all it was worth only made sense.
"Just three days," she promised Kyle. "We'll be able to relax after that."
"You mean it?"
He certainly is fussy for a servant, she thought as she once more peered
through the curtain.
Outside, the queen perched on a sofa with Julius seated across from her, a
coffee table sandwiched between them.
"Mother, I don't care to see you keep company with Bartfort. You mustn't let
your guard down around him."
Mylene remained quiet, her gaze piercing.
"I fear you may not be aware of this," Julius went on, "but that man will
deploy any manner of underhanded trick in the name of profit. What's more,
he's a conniving coward. His confession to you, in full knowledge of your status,
is nothing short of absurd."
But Mylene seemed more interested in surveying their setup, her scowl
growing fierce.
Marie blanched. Oh boy, she's super mad.
Marie could guess why, too—the queen now sat in a parlor clearly designed
for her son, the prince, to entertain and serve female guests. Marie trembled
with fear, newly cognizant of the danger she might be in.
"Julius," said the queen lightly, "I thought you said you and your friends were
running a café?"
"Oh yes, we are. Marie contrived a few alterations for us. What do you think
of my uniform? Doesn't it flatter me?" Julius gestured to his suit.
Jilk, standing behind the prince, wore similar attire, although the hours spent
entertaining paying customers had left them both a touch, er, mussed.
"Bring that girl out here this instant," Mylene said, her voice virulently cold. "I
very much desire to hear her explanation for all this."
Julius deflated. "Oh, Mother. You're no different from the others. If that's the
attitude you're going to take, I can't possibly let you meet Marie."
Thank you, Julius! I knew you would protect me, my prince!
The queen slammed her hands on the table. The noise echoed through the
room as Mylene glared at her son. He cowered before her, as did Jilk. "I said:
Bring. Her. Here."
"N-no!" Julius protested. "Although, I will consider it if you agree to recognize
our relationship."
"Do you imagine you have the least right to say such a thing after the scandal
of your duel?" Mylene demanded, aghast. "Jilk, you're supposed to ensure
these things don't happen in the first place! And Julius, please, open your eyes.
Only a moment ago you condemned Leon for lowbrow profiteering. Now
please, in that light, explain this 'café' to me again!"
The queen pointed forcefully at a menu. "Do you see this? One hundred dia
for subpar tea and a paltry snack? And a service fee besides? Barely a season
ago, you were the heirs of the most prominent houses in the kingdom, and now
look at you. What do you even think you're wearing?!"
All right, Marie had always known Café Princess was less a café than a front
for the academy's girls to pay money for high-class male attention—but it was
so popular!
Mylene wasn't finished. "A conniving coward… Was that what you called
Leon?"
"W-well, yes, I—"
"Julius. The conditions of your loss included breaking ties with Marie. And yet,
here you are. Now imagine how difficult it might be to discern which of you is
truly the conniving coward whose word cannot be trusted."
"Your Majesty," Jilk protested, "Julius is only lending us aid. He has broken no
promise—"
"Excuses! Shameful excuses. And you have the gall to call Leon 'absurd'?
Julius, tell me this. Would you ever consider a man who abandoned his
betrothed for another woman and lost his position as crown prince anything
other than absurd? Do you truly think yourself in any position to judge
another?"
"N-no, um, I… But I—" Julius stuttered incoherently.
"Well? Answer me!"
The mood in the room grew heavy and darkened as Mylene continued to
lecture her son. Soon, Greg surreptitiously fled out the back. Chris and Brad, the
lucky jerks, missed the whole thing, having left earlier to do some shopping.
Marie, meanwhile, remained huddled in the back of the room, praying for
time to pass more quickly.
What's wrong with that old bat? Why's she taking that stupid background
character's side?!
***
I sat listlessly in a chair with my knees drawn to my chest, my cheek red and
swollen from Prince Julius's whopper of a punch. "She's exactly my type, too," I
mumbled in frustration.
An exasperated Angie rounded on me. "You idiot! What knight tries to seduce
the queen of the kingdom they serve?!"
Exactly. If only she weren't the queen, she'd be perfect! That's why I'm so torn
up about this.
Master had left to return to his work, leaving only Angie, Livia, and myself in
the classroom. Livia's eyes had been glued to her lap for a while now, and she
made no move to respond to my lament or Angie's scolding.
A knock suddenly fell on the door, and a girl peeked her head in. I didn't
recognize her.
"Um, do you mind if I step in for a moment?" she asked.
"Got a bad case of heartbreak, I'm afraid—we're closed today," I said.
"Oh, um, that really puts me in a bind. Miss Olivia, can I ask for your help?"
The girl turned to Livia, pleading.
"Ah, this is Miss Carla," Livia told me, speaking up for the first time since
Mylene had left. "She asked me to introduce you two."
"Yes, I asked her to mediate for me."
Angie's eyes narrowed, but when she noticed Livia tense up, her gaze
softened. Even so, when she returned her attention to Miss Carla, her face was
stiff.
Are these two going to be okay? It seems like things suddenly got super
awkward between them.
Miss Carla slipped into the room despite Angie's scrutiny. "My name is Carla
Fou Wayne. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Baron."
Carla? Wayne? Kinda familiar… Oh boy, where was this going?
"Uh, yeah," I said. "What's up?"
Beside me, Angie continued to glare at the girl, saying nothing.
"Uh, um, she's from the general class," Livia explained, flustered. "When I was
advertising for the café, she asked me to introduce her to you, Leon."
Was this also fate?
I released my knees, setting my feet on the floor, and, with a more serious
expression, instructed Miss Carla to take a seat as well. "Might I inquire as to
why you asked Livia to introduce us? Or more accurately, why you asked her to
mediate?"
Livia looked bewildered by the change in my demeanor, but if Miss Carla's
objective had been a simple meeting, she wouldn't have gone through Livia.
She had to know a guy like me was obligated to talk to any girl who approached
him.
Thing was, I thought I remembered this exact type of event happening in the
game. The protagonist, oblivious to the intricate rules of nobility, didn't always
notice when others used her to their own advantage.
"Oh, so you understand what this is about?" Miss Carla sounded surprised. "I
should have known, given all your accomplishments. You're not like the other
boys here."
"I'm flattered."
Livia shot a pleading look at Angie, hoping for some clarity. Angie absolutely
had something to say, but for some reason, she kept her gaze at her feet, lips
pressed firmly shut.
At a loss, Livia turned to me. "Leon, what's going on? Everyone is acting so
grim all of a sudden."
"Silence, please." Miss Carla's true colors were showing. She no longer had
any interest in Livia. "We have an important matter to discuss."
Livia, for her part, gaped in confusion.
Tch. Do you realize how ugly you look when you treat Livia like that—and right
in front of me? I wondered. Nah, I'm the idiot for expecting anything better from
a female student at this rotten school.
Regardless, this was gonna be a pain.
"Baron, I beg of you, save my family," said Miss Carla. "No, please…save us
all."
Angie lifted her head to pin Miss Carla with an unholy glare. She obviously
knew the girl had come here to request this from the start, which made me
realize the same.
After all, there was a reason Carla's name sounded so familiar.
Well, this sure brings back memories.
***
As the first day of the school festival drew to a close, I flopped down on my
bed. Angie and Livia had gone home before the afterparty, so Raymond, Daniel,
and I had been forced to entertain ourselves.
While I mulled over the day's events, Luxion drifted in front of me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Only scum commit adultery."
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Those were your words, actually. Don't you remember what you did today?
You tried to seduce the queen. Now then, allow me to confirm—did you not say
that cheating was an unforgivable offense?"
I waved him off. "You don't get it. I couldn't contain my feelings."
"Everything you say is so superlatively hypocritical that I'm actually
impressed. Perhaps you should consider carrying a mirror at all times so you can
remind yourself of your own true colors?"
"No, I mean, come on… If I had to say yes or no to Miss Mylene, obviously I'd
say yes!"
"She is the queen. If you had to say yes or no, it should obviously be a
resounding no."
Yeah, okay, but he had no way to understand my heart—he was an inorganic
AI, bound by "reason" and "logic"!
"You realize, when she spoke of wanting memories of the academy, she likely
intended for you to escort her to the other students' stalls?" he continued. "The
fact that you instantly took that as invitation to court her drives me to question
your sanity. Oh, pardon me. I suppose that wasn't much of a question to begin
with, was it?"
"You're the idiot here. This academy exists for one reason and one reason
only—finding a marriage partner. She obviously meant she wanted someone to
propose to her." I froze. "Wait, no, hold on. Maybe she did mean she wanted to
go around the school together. Like, for a date? Was that it? Augh, I never
considered that possibility. But the point of this school is getting hitched,
right?"
Although his voice remained as inflectionless as always, Luxion somehow
seemed exasperated. "That is a primary objective for the boys, yes, but the
academy is a place of learning."
"Seriously?! First I've heard of that."
"Wonderful. At last, you may begin to devote yourself to your studies."
"Sorry, but I still have a bride to find."
"You haven't yet given up on that? You don't know when to quit."
I shrugged. "I'm the kinda guy who keeps going even when everyone around
me hates my guts."
What a relief it would be to simply forfeit, but I couldn't escape society's
rules, no matter how much I might relish every chance to fight them. The worst
part? Even if I did try to run away, others would suffer the consequences. The
other nobles would point fingers at and whisper about my family. I couldn't let
that happen, not to my parents, not to my brothers.
Huh? What about my sisters, you ask? Pfft, who gives a flying fart about
them?
"I suppose it's all a matter of perspective," Luxion said. "Regardless. Master,
are you really going to help that girl?"
I frowned up at the ceiling. "We have a holiday after the festival. I'll help her
then."
"This will not benefit you."
I couldn't argue with that, but by asking Livia to introduce us and mediate,
Carla had gone and made the request official. Of course, she'd deceived Livia to
get her way, but in the eyes of the other nobles, it looked like Livia had
accepted her request and entrusted it to me. It didn't matter that Livia hadn't
known what Carla wanted beforehand. If I turned Carla down now, it would
reflect poorly on Livia, as she technically held the responsibility to complete the
task. Also, if I bowed out now, people would regard me as a lousy ally. Basically,
Carla had lured the both of us into a trap.
I could've refused her for that lack of transparency, sure. I wasn't absolutely
obligated to help the underhanded. I honestly didn't want to help her, either,
but I had another reason to do so, and a pressing one.
Carla wanted us to eliminate some air pirates. Pretty standard stuff for
nobility. The problem ran deeper than that.
"If her region is suffering at the hands of the unlawful, should she not request
aid from the crown instead?" Luxion asked.
"She should, yeah. The palace is way more ready to take pity on her sob story.
But, you see, these pirates have an essential item for the protagonist."
"Ah, then you have to undertake this request for game-related reasons?"
"In order for the protagonist—Livia—to wield the power of the Saint, she
needs three specific items," I explained. "Two of them, she must acquire on her
own. The pirates have the third. You can't get it until you wipe them off the
map."
The first item, the Holy Bracelet, was hidden within the dungeon underneath
our very feet. The pirates had the second item, the Holy Necklace. The last in
the trinity was the largest, and it currently hung out in the capital's main temple
—the Saint's Staff. Livia needed the first two to become the Saint. Once the
temple recognized her Sainthood, they automatically bestowed the staff upon
her. After she had all of these, her power would be greatly amplified.
"But I thought the air pirate event wasn't supposed to happen until our
second year," I muttered.
Wasn't it scripted to be the turning point in the middle of the story? We
should have had about another year to prepare. In the game, the protagonist
borrowed her love interests' help to defeat the pirates menacing a certain earl's
domain.
Incidentally, this was where the routes split and the protagonist got locked
into one specific route.
"Can't you request the kingdom's assistance instead?" Luxion asked. "Wayne
House is only a baronetcy. As a vassal house, they serve an earl, don't they?"
"Yeah…but they're kind of in a bind right now. Brad's former fiancée is from
that earl's house—Offrey House. Carla's one of her minions—she's pulling the
strings."
"Is this other woman like Angelica?"
"Nah, this one's hot garbage."
The Offrey girl was, in fact, my problem customer—the earl's daughter who'd
ground my face into the floor of the café earlier today. She'd been awful
enough in the game, but meeting her today had proven she was far worse in
person. I'd hoped for a pleasant surprise, like Angie, but too bad for me.
I should've guessed. In the game, the Offrey girl also lured those pirates into
her territory to begin with, all so she and her family could make them
henchmen. That in turn laid some of the groundwork that led to war in the
game's final act.
When I shared this with Luxion, he said, "Master, you seem to be prioritizing
your actions based on the benefits they paid in the game, but I see little merit in
involving yourself here in reality. Do you not agree?"
"If Prince Julius and his gang are going to be so useless, I have no choice. I
can't stand by and watch the situation devolve into war."
That would be even more of a pain.
Frankly, if Livia didn't become the Saint, I'd have to take Luxion and flee the
continent wholesale. Basically, if I let this problem escalate, none of this would
ever be as simple as "meet opponent, beat opponent."
"But why is Carla—no, you said the one pulling her strings was the ex-fiancée,
Offrey—why are they pushing this request on you?"
"Trap, duh. I told you, even I was turned off by her personality. In the game,
she's so despicable it's almost funny."
In the event, the Offrey girl got so irritated with the protagonist for being a
mere commoner at the vaunted academy that she lured the protagonist into
the pirate fight. Who knew I'd get wrapped up in it as well?
See, in the game, the Offrey girl had an issue with being called "new money"
and "upstart" all the time, so seeing the love interests fawn over the
protagonist pushed all her rage buttons. But since the idiot brigade barely even
noticed Livia in our reality, I couldn't really track her motives this time.
"Master, if you keep this up, then won't you end up as Olivia's partner?"
"Me?" I scoffed. "That's ridiculous. I'm a background character."
"If you say so." He paused. "Are you certain this is all right? From what you
describe, it seems Olivia should be at the forefront of this resolution. If this
involves the Saint's equipment, should she not, as the Saint, retrieve it herself?"
"You and I are better suited for the grunt work. Besides, Livia couldn't handle
this all by herself, not in her current state. I have to take over for now—and
anyway, it's more efficient this way."
"You're being overprotective." With that final warning, he went silent
altogether.