CH 8

When I opened my eyes next, I saw a brick wall and a stylish black lamp in front of me. It seemed that the boys’ dormitory was within 2 kilometers. If I knocked on this three times, it would be the end of [spring].

My relief was short-lived. A menacing voice came from my left hand. When I looked, I saw three male students and one female student surrounded by them and raising their voices, and I was surprised.

“You really messed up earlier, leaving us after giving us the wrong way!”

“I didn’t know! You must have been deceived by a fake!”

I could understand the situation from this short exchange. What should I do?

The female student was very slender. She had shoulder-length silver hair and a lovely face. If there were 10 of her, 10 of them would be cute.

However, that was not all. The male students must have noticed. They were approaching her in a group of three, but they were not pushing her around. Instead, it seemed that she could turn the tables at any moment. She knew how to handle themselves. From her posture and tense limbs, she probably had knowledge of martial arts.

I returned my gaze to the lamp in front of me. The goal was in front of me.

…Ha.

I gently took a step away from the lamp.

“Excuse me, you all. This is an event in progress. Could you please stop?”

All four sets of eyes turned to me, the sudden third party.

“…Never seen you before. I am the eldest son of the Earl of Pasai. Are you still going to interfere?”

The male students seemed to have regained some composure, but they looked surprised. They were giving me a condescending look.

The female students, on the other hand, were trying to keep a low profile and watch the situation unfold. They were wise to do so.

“Yes. As for Rudolph-sama of the Pasai family, his well-being is more important than anything else… Please do not be too lively.”

My opponent blinked. I faced him with a thin smile, looking down on the inexperienced man who couldn’t control his expression.

After all, what is a noble lady?

Every move is as graceful as a willow, and even her fingertips are beautiful. She controls poison with poison, hiding behind a beautiful smile. She has been drilled in such a way of fighting since she was young and is, in a sense, a master of deception.

Although my circle of friends is small, I had impeccable manners as a noble. Naturally, I knew the main names, positions, and characteristics of the nobility.

In a battle between nobles, the one who shows a weakness loses.

Rudolph said, never taking his eyes off me.

“…I apologize, but may I ask for your name?”

It’s natural that he didn’t know me. On top of that, it was a plus that he didn’t know me by sight. It was a minus that he couldn’t deduce my name from my attitude or appearance.

To him, I gave the beautiful etiquette of a lady, from the top of my head to the tips of my toe.

“My name is Rebecca・Slutarch. Please take a moment to get to know me.”

Rudolph trembled again and was overwhelmed with a feeling of helplessness.

“The Duke of Slutarch’s precious jewel…!”

I was confident in my complete victory, but I never thought that I would have such an embarrassing nickname.

***

I watched as the boys left, trying to fix themselves up, and let out a sigh.

The Academy’s principle is to eliminate the barriers of social status, but even then, the Slutarch family is the best Duke family in the country that maintains their connection with the royal family. Rudolph’s poor performance is no surprise.

I then turned my hand towards the girl who was approaching me and stopped her.

“Can you please not come any closer.”

She probably wanted to thank me. She looked shocked.

“I, I am not a fake. I did not trick them.”

“Whether you are a fake or not is not important. As long as there is a goal in front of you … I will see you later.”

I ended the conversation forcibly. Actually, I have been worried that other students would come since a while ago.

Before the girl could say anything, I knocked on the lamp three times.

Con, con, con.

In that moment, I found myself in a large hall. It must have been inside the main school building. I was starting to get used to transferring.

There were already 7 or 8 students there, all looking at me, the new title holder, with the same expression. I stood even taller than before. I wasn’t sure if this number of people was small or large. Of course, his highness was not there.

Without a pause, the female student from earlier appeared next to me. It seemed that it was not a fake after all.

“…May I ask why you helped me?”

Her eyes, which had asked cautiously earlier, were purely rational (intelligent).

… I had thought the same thing when I first saw her. It’s better not to underestimate her.

“Well, at that time, Pasai-sama and others didn’t even glance at the lamp, but I could see that you were slowly making your way towards them.

You knew the goal. You had the ability to reach it, and in addition, you were unable to reach the goal by cutting through Pasai-sama and others, and were in trouble.

… I’ve been talking to you as if you’re the real thing, but for me, whether you are real or fake is not important. As long as there is a goal in front of me, whether you are real or fake doesn’t matter, as long as you don’t try to surpass me by attacking me.”

“So, you’re saying [don’t come any closer], right…”

“Yes, that’s all.”

I sat on the chair by the wall and calmly took off one of my shoes. It was nothing, just a shoe rub. It couldn’t be helped after running through the forest so much.

Gently touching the (sore) wound, I checked its condition as I continued.

“Whether it’s real or fake, I couldn’t just leave a woman in distress surrounded by multiple men. It just felt wrong.”

A female student let out a gasp.

And then, for some reason, her hand suddenly touched my (sore) wound.

“So you helped me without any expectation of gain, is that it?”

Any objections I had before they could be voiced disappeared. I stared in amazement at the scene before me.

A divinely beautiful light, as if embodying a saint. It flowed generously from her fingertips and warmed my wound. Her fingers gently traced over the wound and it disappeared without a trace. It only lasted a few seconds.

“Thank you, Rebecca-sama. My name is Emilia. I am a commoner, so just Emilia.”

The female student smiled at me. The main character Emilia smiled at the villainess Rebecca.