episode_0188

“In the second semester, I won’t join the student council, Lillis.”

A week before the start of the new semester.

It was what Ethan, who returned to student council duties after the winter break, said to me.

Even though I was upset about what happened that day, I didn’t expect him to say he would leave the student council already.

Although Natalie was rude, I wondered if it was enough for him to give up his ties with Seraphine.

“When you say you won’t join the student council, does that mean you will also give up your ties with Princess Seraphine?”

“I’m not giving up. They gave me a reason to make it seem like I am.”

…Seeing Ethan refer to Seraphine as ‘they’ already, it seemed like he was quite upset about the past incident.

Just from his reaction earlier, it definitely seemed like he was fed up with Seraphine.

“If this is because of what happened due to Natalie’s drinking habits, she herself might come to apologize once the semester starts. Perhaps she couldn’t meet you during the vacation.”

“Yeah, that might be it. Even if she’s a commoner, she wouldn’t lack manners to that extent. Besides, she’s a fine person when she’s not drinking.”

“So, how about reconsidering leaving Princess Seraphine’s student council after hearing Natalie’s apology?”

“Sorry, but it’s not because of Natalie’s mistake. It’s just that my trust in Princess Seraphine has been shaken.”

“What?”

Not angry because of Natalie?

I naturally thought that Ethan’s anger stemmed from Natalie’s drinking incident that day.

Since it wasn’t that, I tilted my head in confusion, prompting Ethan to reluctantly continue his explanation.

“Because of drinking habits, making mistakes at a drinking party is something that can be easily forgiven. Everyone makes mistakes at least once. Natalie has never behaved improperly and has always been polite, so there’s no reason to be angry about it now. Even if it were Princess Seraphine herself instead of Natalie, I wouldn’t have been upset.”

“What? Then…”

“I called the knight because I couldn’t trust the princess, Princess Seraphine… just calling him to that place itself.”

“…Are you saying that calling an unannounced guest is the problem?”

“…Well, something like that.”

Ethan looked at me once in response to my questioning gaze, then let out a deep sigh.

“Lily, you know that the knight usually goes around with two women, right?”

“…Are you talking about Saint Cerista and the elf Sirena?”

“Yes. Frankly, I didn’t like it from there. No matter how much of a knight he is, openly walking around the academy with women on both sides like that.”

“But isn’t it the duty of the saint to be with the knight, and Sirena is the only elf, so she has no connections other than the knight, isn’t it inevitable?”

“It’s not just that. The knight’s recent indiscriminate behavior is even more displeasing. Just look at that girl Natalie.”

“What? Natalie?”

“…That girl was originally planning to participate in the final hunting festival with her hometown friend Thomas alone.”

…Well, that makes sense. If you don’t propose a party to Natalie, the original story would unfold like that.

I had a feeling that I could roughly understand why Ethan said such things.

Carrying both Serista and Selena on each side, the situation of recruiting Natalie as a vanguard didn’t seem like a good move to me, to be honest.

No one would deny Natalie’s excellent swordsmanship, but her equally famous attribute was her beautiful appearance.

With Serista and Selena already being beauties accompanying the hero, recruiting Natalie didn’t seem like a smooth move to others.

“If we needed another swordsman, I would have proposed to Nana or Karaham as well. But as far as I know, the offer was only made to Natalie. Only to that girl, the sole female.”

“…I see.”

“Of course, even if the offer was made to me, I don’t know if I would have accepted it, but still, an offer should have been made. It’s too obvious, isn’t it?”

Knowing the circumstances of the situation, I simply swallowed the knowledge I alone possessed.

Since Edan and Karaham are mid-bosses in parts 2 and 3 of the original, it wouldn’t be easy to approach them.

And recruiting both Natalie and Thomas together, I could see that the hero was truly acting with the pure goal of conquest, but that was also something I could understand from being a player of the “Luminor Academy” in my past life.

If someone unfamiliar saw this, they would only see Natalie as the target and Thomas as an inevitable addition.

Keeping those thoughts hidden deep inside, I casually made a slight comment.

“Perhaps the hero was closer to Natalie than Edan, so he proposed to her first? And if Natalie had refused, there’s also the possibility of offering it to Karaham next.”

“…Yes, if that’s all, it wouldn’t seem strange. It’s not wrong for strong students to band together to aim for victory in the hunt.”

“…Is there anything else besides Natalie?”

“Agnes Elizabeth Blaze. The fact that she suddenly joined the Gyetmyojoshegiwat’s party is suspicious.”

“Blaze… I see.”

…As Edan said, Agnes was also a new heroine who joined the hunt party this time.

Moreover, even if Thomas was connected to Natalie as a middle link, it was still strange for Gyetmyojoshegiwat, a swordsman, to recruit Agnes, a magician, into his party.

And even more so because he recruited the terrible Agnes into his party.

“Lilith is known to have a relationship with Blaze, right?”

“…Yes. They took the spirit communication class together this semester. They have exchanged favors in a small way.”

“Right. So, Lilith, do you think that the bad-tempered woman easily joining someone else’s party?”

“…Even if it’s just empty words, it didn’t seem that way to me.”

If I made a vague comment here, there was a possibility that Edan’s suspicion would turn towards me.

So, I explained Agnes’s objective personality to Edan as objectively as I could.

“For now, there’s no one in the academy who can be considered a friend of Blaze, so she probably rejected all other party proposals. Maybe she doesn’t see it as wanting to cling to someone to gain points.”

“…Is that so? Her personality?”

“And Blaze’s gesture of bowing her head first before joining another party is even more unimaginable. She has a strong sense of pride and would never stoop to joining someone else’s group. The reason why her interpersonal relationships are limited is also due to her uncompromising personality.”

“…Yeah. Anyway, it just feels strange to me. Normally, Blaze Yeong-ae would never team up with a hero. So, I did some digging. I wanted to know what connection there was between the hero and Blaze Yeong-ae.”

If there was a connection between the two… there’s probably only one person that comes to mind.

In reality, when Agnes was first recruited into a department other than the Magic Department at the ‘Luminor Academy,’ it was almost as if it had been predetermined.

Even Agnes, with her dirty and stubborn personality, had a secret relationship within the academy with just one person whom she considered a friend.

“I later found out that Princess Serafin had a personal connection with Blaze Yeong-ae.”

“Oh…”

“Princess Serafin even connected Natalie and Thomas to the Gethmose Guild party. It was just something I happened to find out.”

“Is that so.”

“Princess Serafin connected Gethmose Guild with a girl twice… And then calling his party at that moment…”

“…”

“Of course, it could all be a coincidence. However, I don’t see any reason to endure that unease.”

…He was right. Instead of feeling anxious and maintaining the current relationship, it might be better to just cut ties.

Even if I were in Eden’s shoes, I would probably be feeling the same anxious emotions.

“Perhaps the hero didn’t approach to reveal any secrets but genuinely needed to be introduced to Natalie and Agnes. Or maybe he approached not for you, but for Augusta Yeong-ae. However, even so, I can no longer trust Princess Serafin.”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah. So, after this semester, I’ve decided not to set foot in Princess Serafin’s student council anymore. It’s my choice.”

Eden thinks that the hero is trying to approach me by asking Princess Serafin to create a gathering.

It’s not a certainty but a speculation, and even if it’s just a speculation, there was enough evidence to make a judgment.

Eden was saying that rather than leaving the possibility of me being taken away by the Gethmose Guild, he would rather give up the connection with the princess.

“I didn’t expect him to think of me to this extent.”

Of course, I knew he liked me from his confession in the past, but I never expected him to be willing to protect me to the point of cutting ties with the princess.

Moreover, considering that he had already found out about how Natalie and Agnes were approached by the Gethmose Guild, it seemed like he had been quite active during winter break.

With this level of speculation, it was natural for Eden to feel uneasy.

Especially since Eden didn’t know which direction the Gethmose Guild was moving in, his suspicions were only heightened.

“I don’t think there’s a need to sever ties with Princess Serafin, but…”

However, if forcing the current situation to continue would cause Eden to feel anxious, then that wouldn’t be a good situation either.

No, ultimately, by unnecessarily keeping the two together, there was a greater possibility that Eden would end up reciprocating Princess Serafin’s feelings, which would bring the story closer to the original plot.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to just keep our distance for now, which is just at a superficial level?

Misunderstandings can always be resolved later on, right?

“I understand, Master Eden. If that’s your wish, then the Princess Seraphine’s Student Council will only cooperate up to this point.”

“…Thank you for saying that. I’m sure Lillis also has a personal connection with Princess Seraphine or Auguste.”

“More importantly, it’s about Master Eden’s safety. Have I ever acted against your wishes, Master Eden?”

“…Not too many times, right?”

Come to think of it, it does seem that way.

Anyway, if Eden has decided to distance himself from Seraphine, then as his personal maid, my judgment leads to the same conclusion.

“Still, I will definitely follow your wishes this time, so you can rest assured.”

“…Yes. Thank you for saying that, Lillis.”

“As Master Eden’s personal maid, it’s only natural for me to give that answer.”

If it’s not me, who else would trust Eden?

I’m already anxious enough, of course I should trust myself as well.