Chapter 135: Cheer Up, Dorothy! (7)

It wasn’t until nearly 4 a.m. that Dorothy was finally released.

Fortunately for her, the ridiculous excuse of “I wasn’t trying to cheat; I was trying to catch an intruder who might come back” worked, at least for now.

This was thanks to Dorothy solving all the impromptu questions Sally gave her to check for cheating, proving her perfect score wasn’t the result of foul play but her own ability.

It was a moment when all the desperate studying she’d done to beat Sion finally paid off.

But that didn’t mean her attempted trespassing was forgiven.

Even after solving the problems, Dorothy had to endure nearly two hours of Sally’s lecturing.

She was scolded for acting on matters no student should, reminded that even warriors had been gravely injured and needed rest, and asked what a first-year like her was thinking trying to get involved.

It was only natural for Sally to say such things since she didn’t know Dorothy was a dragon.

Still, Dorothy couldn’t reveal her identity over something so foolish.

Suppressing her frustration, she endured the scolding, repeatedly murmuring, “I’m sorry,” “I won’t do it again,” and “I apologize,” all while maintaining a submissive posture.

At last, free from the lectures, Dorothy returned to her room.

“I can’t take this anymore, seriously…”

She collapsed onto her bed, muttering, her voice heavy with damp frustration.

“Why does everything I try end up like this…? Not one thing goes well…”

“You’re right, that’s pathetic. LOL.”

“What did you say?!”

“I said it’s unfortunate. Watching you fail repeatedly due to external factors is really upsetting and frustrating for me, too.”

“…….”

It didn’t seem like that…

Dorothy shot a sharp glare at Philia, who remained unfazed, keeping a poker face.

Sighing, Dorothy fell back into her gloom, lying face down on the bed.

The soft yellow glow of the bedside lamp cast shadows over her face.

“Maybe I should just give up…”

Staring blankly at the ceiling, Dorothy mumbled to herself.

Philia reacted immediately, her voice suddenly brightening.

“Have you finally decided to quit? Then let’s start the withdrawal process right away—”

“No, wait! Why are you in such a hurry? I just wondered out loud if I should, that’s all. Do you really hate me being at this school that much?”

“Of course! Back in the lair, I could lounge around reading comic books all day, but here, I have to do household chores with the other servants.

Plus, I have to clean up after you constantly. If I had the chance to go back to that life, I’d take it in a heartbeat.”

“Wow, you’re so proud of yourself, you freeloader…”

Dorothy narrowed her eyes at Philia, who coughed lightly before continuing.

“Jokes aside, are you really thinking of quitting? If you leave now, no one will know that you’re actually Dorothea, so you could walk away unscathed.”

Dorothy let out a long groan.

Lying on her side, she shifted restlessly before lowering her gaze to the floor.

“I don’t know. I started this whole thing just for fun, but after getting beaten down so many times and having my pride crushed, I can’t help but question why I’m even here.

And on top of that, I wonder if taking it out on innocent warriors because of what Sion did to me is really the right thing to do.”

“That’s true. You’re finally realizing that now?”

“No, I’ve always known. It’s just… I had so much bottled up that I thought I had to vent it somewhere.”

Dorothy pouted, her lips jutting out as she wore a sour expression.

She rolled over on the bed again, this time burying herself in the blanket.

“Anyway, it’s not just one misstep. I’ve already messed up four times in a row.

No matter how stubborn I get, I’m starting to feel like it’s impossible to recover from this.

If everything’s already gone off the rails, wouldn’t it be smarter to just cut my losses and walk away?

There’s no point clinging to something that can’t be undone.”

“Hmm…”

Philia looked down at the dejected Dorothy, contemplating for a moment before speaking.

“If you’re choosing to give up and go back, that’s entirely your decision, Master, and personally, I’d support that choice.

But saying that things have gone so wrong that they can’t be fixed feels a bit off to me.

In fact, from my perspective, the current situation might even be more ideal.”

“What? Right now? When I’m drowning in disgrace and humiliation?”

“Precisely because of that.”

Philia shrugged as she continued.

“Think about all the comics you’ve read so far, Master.

Have the characters who reveal their hidden identities and rise to greatness always been the perfect type from the start?

If anything, isn’t it more common for them to be the ‘seemingly useless but actually powerful’ types?”

“…Huh?”

Dorothy blinked.

Now that she thought about it, that seemed to be true.

“So what you’re saying is, being in a situation where I’m being looked down on isn’t necessarily a bad thing?”

“Exactly. The greater the gap between two images, the stronger the impression it leaves.

And if you add the narrative that you were ‘only pretending to play along at their level to hide your true identity,’ it could also explain all the embarrassing things you’ve done so far.”

“Oooh…!”

Dorothy sprang up and clapped her hands, amazed. Now that she thought about it, it made a lot of sense.

It was so like Dorothy not to realize that Philia had subtly mocked her along the way.

Philia smiled faintly at her and added.

“Anyway, given the current circumstances, I don’t think you need to worry too much.

In fact, since your position is already set like this, it might not be a bad idea to lean into it and play the part of the underdog who keeps getting knocked down by the hero—like a perpetual second place.”

It wouldn’t even be hard.

Dorothy would just need to keep doing what she’d been doing all along.

Although she felt a little guilty thinking it, Philia didn’t believe that Dorothy could beat the hero no matter how hard she tried.

It wasn’t about their abilities or stats—it was just the impression Philia got.

Sion seemed like someone born under a star of victory, while Dorothy seemed destined to be under a star of defeat.

If defeat was inevitable no matter how much effort she put in, perhaps it would be better to conserve her strength and unleash it all at once later.

But…

“……”

Dorothy, who had been nodding along until this point, suddenly frowned deeply, as if something didn’t sit well with her.

Philia tilted her head and asked.

“Why the hesitation, Master? Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s not wrong. But…”

“Then what is it?”

“……”

Dorothy hesitated, biting her lips and staring at the wall for a while. Finally, she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

“I don’t know why, but I really don’t want to lose to Sion.

It feels like I won’t be satisfied unless I strike back hard at least once.”

“Huh? Why’s that? It’s not like he’s done anything bad to you.”

“I know. But…”

Dorothy’s eyes wandered awkwardly, as if embarrassed.

There was no way she could admit it.

She couldn’t say that the noble and kind silver-haired hero somehow reminded her of the dark mage who had tormented her in the past.

Even she didn’t know why.

The two were completely different in character, demeanor, and behavior—so much so that anyone else would be baffled at the comparison.

Yet, Dorothy couldn’t shake the feeling. Something in her dragon soul was reacting.

That smiling hero gave off an inexplicably foul stench she couldn’t stand.

And on the off chance—no matter how slim—that there was some kind of connection between them…

She absolutely couldn’t lose.

Not this time.

“Still, I don’t think I can stand always being on the receiving end.

Even if I can’t turn the overall record around, I need to make a point at least once.

I mean, come on—I’m a dragon. Isn’t that much expected of me?”

Dorothy hardened her resolve.

“In that case, Philia, is there any kind of competition coming up soon? Something where I can face her one-on-one and really show the difference in our skills?”

“Hmm…”

Philia raised a hand to her lips in thought. It wasn’t long before she spoke.

“There’s one, though it’s not exactly a one-on-one match. If I recall correctly, it’s in about two or three weeks.”

“Really?! What is it?!”

Dorothy leaned in close to Philia, eyes sparkling with anticipation she couldn’t hide.

Philia, looking down at her eager master, slowly began to explain.

“So, what it is, is…”