Common Lecture (2)

After finishing our meal at the Academy Student Cafeteria, Ethan and I headed to the Swordsmanship Department Building for our originally scheduled afternoon class.

The lecture ‘Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship’ scheduled for this afternoon was one of the few common subjects that both the Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department could attend, and Ethan and I had both registered for it.

As his Exclusive Maid, it seemed advantageous to create as many points of contact with Ethan as possible, so I planned to take as many common subjects like this as I could in the future.

Of course, if Ethan hadn’t been interested in this class, the premise of taking the same class wouldn’t have been possible in the first place. But as a scion of the Blackwood Family, Ethan was in a position where he needed to learn Magic Swordsmanship more than anyone.

One could say that our interests aligned to some extent, as I needed to create as many points of contact with Ethan as possible.

“It’s my first time taking a class together, so I’m a little nervous.”

“Is that so?”

“Aren’t you nervous, Lilith?”

“As Young Master Ethan’s Exclusive Maid, I have already observed his swordsmanship lessons many times, so I was merely thinking that this isn’t strictly the first time we’re taking a class together.”

“Indeed, now that I think about it, you could see it that way.”

No matter how much of a doting father he was, he was fundamentally a Sword Master and a Magic Swordsmanship user.

Even with my shallow knowledge of swordsmanship, listening to Harold’s lectures by his side always allowed some information to sink into my mind.

Considering that past, this common lecture wasn’t strictly my first class with Ethan. If I were to give it meaning, it would be the first class I’m taking *with* Ethan.

With those thoughts, I walked towards the indoor sparring arena in the Swordsmanship Department Building, where many students had already gathered, waiting for the ‘Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship’ lecture.

As soon as Ethan, who had a certain level of recognition as the Swordsmanship Department Vice-President, appeared, students began greeting him one by one.

“Hello, Blackwood Prince.”

“Yes. Thank you for the greeting.”

“Is Blackwood Prince also taking this class?”

“The Blackwood Family has traditionally used Magic Swordsmanship, which combines swordsmanship and magic, so it’s only natural.”

…For some reason, I suddenly felt annoyed again.

I was already being treated as a person of interest in the Magic Department and couldn’t make any proper friends, so why did Ethan have an endless stream of admirers wherever he went?

Moreover, the high percentage of women who approached him was subtly unpleasant.

“Your fiancée is also participating today!”

“Fiancée…? Ah, um. Th-that’s right…”

“You said your fiancée is from the Magic Department, right? Then, did your fiancée learn swordsmanship separately from Blackwood Prince?”

“I didn’t teach her. Lilith was already skilled with daggers.”

…Whether I was originally good with daggers or not isn’t important right now.

Those idiotic women are misunderstanding me as your fiancée right now, so why aren’t you denying it and just awkwardly equivocating?

As much as I wanted to interrupt the conversation right away and shout that I wasn’t his fiancée or anything, if I cut off the conversation like that, it would only make the atmosphere awkward.

More than anything, it was unbecoming of an Exclusive Maid to arbitrarily intervene and chatter during her Master’s conversation, so I stopped myself.

It might have been different if it were two or three years ago when I was forced to be his Exclusive Maid, but now I was in a position where I had voluntarily offered to become Ethan’s Exclusive Maid. Since I had decided to do it, I felt it was my duty to do it properly until the end.

So, I idly listened to Ethan and the other students’ conversation, waiting for the class professor to appear.

…However, my thoughts momentarily froze at the sudden appearance of a bombshell-level individual.

“Hey, Blackwood. We meet again here.”

“……Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot.”

At the appearance of Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot, the Hero, who was the protagonist of 『Luminor Academy』 and presumed to be the current likely transmigrator,

“So you’re taking this class too, Blackwood. Well, it makes sense, the Blackwood Family would naturally have a knack for Magic Swordsmanship.”

“…Aren’t you approaching me a little too familiarly? I don’t recall us ever getting this close.”

“We saw each other at the Entrance Ceremony, didn’t we? And we’re both the top student and vice-president of the same Swordsmanship Department. Isn’t that enough to be considered acquaintances?”

“If that’s enough to call someone an acquaintance, then you must be acquainted with Princess Seraphine as well. There’s only a difference between the overall top student and a department’s top student.”

“Well, someday… Ah, no. Don’t be so stiff like that.”

The Hero, who approached Ethan pretending to be friendly, and Ethan, who openly felt antipathy towards that attitude and did not lower his guard.

My mind was instantly thrown into confusion by that subtle combination, which seemed entirely mismatched yet somehow fitting.

‘Why is that protagonist suddenly acting friendly towards Ethan?’

Originally, the protagonist in the game was a character who had a bad relationship with Ethan from the start, to the point where they were explicitly marked as hostile, let alone friendly.

The ‘bad ending’ character in 『Luminor Academy』 not only openly abused his Exclusive Maid, Lilith, in front of other students from the beginning, but he also hung out with his gang and acted like a piece of trash, bullying commoner students.

Of course, the current Ethan was a completely different person from that scum; far from abusing me, his Exclusive Maid, he tended to be considerate and accommodating towards me.

If the protagonist of this world wasn’t just a dummy character created by the game system, then this kind of reaction would actually be a bit more natural.

…Nevertheless, for me, knowing the ending of their relationship as depicted in the original game, this meeting was nothing short of unsettling.

“If you’re thinking of befriending me just for the backing of the Blackwood Family, I’d advise you to stop now. I have no particular desire to befriend you, and even if we did become friends, I have no intention of lending you the Blackwood’s power.”

“I’m not saying I want to be friends for that reason. I just want us to be friendly as fellow top students in the Swordsmanship Department, so why are you so wary?”

“…You talk big for someone who showed up with women on both arms from our very first meeting.”

“……”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t particularly want to build a friendship with someone as lacking in self-control as you.”

The Hero, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot, seemed momentarily speechless, as if he had no rebuttal to Ethan’s righteous statement.

The women Ethan mentioned, who appeared on both his arms, were probably Celista and Silena.

Celista would stick to the protagonist like glue until the ending, with the exception of one or two episodes in between, and Silena would also be feeling a considerable amount of affection for the protagonist at this point.

Both characters probably had their own reasons for sticking with that guy, but objectively speaking, a guy who walks around with women on both arms wouldn’t seem very trustworthy.

Certainly, even I, without any background knowledge, would feel wary seeing the protagonist appear with Silena and Celista on both his arms.

“Those girls and I aren’t exactly what you think. We just became a little closer, and it just so happens that both of them are girls.”

“For that, both women seemed to have quite a bit of interest in you.”

“You’re also getting attention from women, Ethan, aren’t you?”

“But I don’t walk around with women on both arms without self-control like you. At least if you were to choose one of the two in front of me, I might be able to believe your sincerity.”

“……What?”

“It means I simply cannot trust a wishy-washy guy who walks around with women on both arms.”

“…I’m sorry, but that’s impossible.”

“Then it seems my befriending you is also an impossible story.”

With those words, Ethan turned his head with a resolute expression, avoiding the protagonist’s gaze.

Conversely, the protagonist, perhaps not wanting to give up on the conversation with Ethan yet, began to speak to him once more.

For some reason, Ethan’s attitude remained resolute from beginning to end.

“Don’t be like that…”

“You saw me sever the wrist of that trashy scion of Reidenhardt, so you must know.”

“…Yes. I saw it that day myself.”

“You are no exception, Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot.”

“……What do you mean?”

“It means that no matter how much you are the Hero who received a divine revelation, if you dare approach my Lilith, I won’t stand idly by.”

…Does he think I’m still his possession or something?

I already shed my Debt Maid status long ago, so what’s with “my Lilith”?

Of course, considering my current position, it was true that we couldn’t easily separate as I had to continue my life as Ethan’s Exclusive Maid for a while longer.

“…Alright, I’ll keep that in mind regarding that matter.”

“Good, as long as you know.”

“But regardless of Lilith, it’s true that I want to get to know you, so if you ever feel like talking again, just let me know. If you’re uncomfortable, I won’t bother bringing Celista and Silena along.”

“……”

“Well then, goodbye.”

With those words, the protagonist moved to a spot a little further away.

I wondered where he was going, but this time, he immediately approached Natalie and started a conversation.

He really does get around quite a bit, doesn’t he?

Well, Natalie is convenient to have around in both the early and late stages of the game, so it’s certainly worth building a friendship with her.

Since he didn’t interfere with Thomas’s enrollment and left him alone, a serious capture might be impossible, but if the goal was just a proper capture, then it was a perfectly fine play.

Seeing this side of him, I couldn’t help but naturally wonder if Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot was truly serious about his capture strategy.

As I quietly followed his gaze, I suddenly felt a somewhat piercing gaze from the seat beside me.

“…Is there something you wish to say, Young Master Ethan?”

“Does that man bother you, Lilith?”

“…I was merely trying to remember him because he seemed to be someone Young Master Ethan didn’t particularly care for.”

“Good. Remember that well, and if that guy ever tries to talk to you, don’t even bother responding.”

“……Yes.”

In truth, it was a difficult command to simply obey as a fellow transmigrator, but I nodded for now.

Since Ethan had expressed hostile feelings towards Gyeotmwa Jyosyegigot, I, as his Exclusive Maid, had to respect that choice.

Thinking that there would likely be other opportunities for fellow transmigrators to exchange opinions, I averted my gaze. By then, the bell signaling the start of the Academy’s afternoon classes had already rung.

Approximately one minute after the bell rang, a man walked into the indoor swordsmanship sparring arena classroom.

A new professor, someone neither Ethan nor I had anticipated at all.

“Huh…?”

“No way, that person…”

“The legendary Sword Master…”

At the appearance of a celebrity no one had expected, the sparring arena instantly began to buzz.

Ethan and I, who knew the identity of the person who appeared better than anyone, were also engulfed in a sense of bewilderment the moment we saw him.

“Lilith.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“…Did you happen to hear anything from Father separately?”

“…No. I just found out now as well.”

I never imagined we would reunite in such a way.

I had been relieved, thinking that since the setting had moved to the Academy, I wouldn’t have to meet him for a while.

This situation, where that doting father would follow Ethan all the way here… was something I had never seen before, not even in the game.

“Greetings, my students.”

“””……”””

“My name is Harold Richard Blackwood. Some of you may already know me.”

“””……”””

“Starting today, I will be in charge of the Fundamentals of Magic Swordsmanship lecture, so I look forward to working with you all.”

Ah, seriously.

Why did he have to follow him all the way here?