episode_0065

After dreaming that nightmare, Flora got ready and headed to the training grounds.

She didn’t feel like falling asleep again.

To be precise, she couldn’t fall asleep, but she just needed to confirm one thing with Carcine.

That yesterday’s incident was not caused by her.

She wanted to confirm that it was just an incident within the training grounds, unrelated to Flora Vagrant.

So, she arrived at the training grounds where she had been yesterday, even in her dreams.

“Oh, right. My little sister told me to bring a gift for Carcine…”

She momentarily remembered that, but she couldn’t back down.

With a determined look, Flora stepped into the training grounds.

“─────!”

Nothing had changed.

The knights who had woken up early were diligently warming up.

After waiting for a while, a formal knight came to escort her, and like her sisters, she observed the knights’ training session.

As the morning drills began.

Flora naturally found herself watching Carcine.

But it didn’t last long.

Because the scenes from her dream were still vivid in her mind.

She felt like she would hear that voice again in reality.

Like she would see Carcine collapse again, just like in her dream.

Like she would be blamed for it.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

As time passed, Carcine was the only one still training alone.

In other words, all the other knights had finished their activities and were heading into their rest time.

In more direct terms, it meant that the same thing could happen again during this time.

“No… way. How could the same thing happen not once, but twice…”

With a shiver down her spine, Flora bit her lip.

When she asked the knight who was in charge of the morning training in place of Mark how long it would take for Carcine to finish running around,

“Well, it will probably take at least 20 minutes.”

He replied like that.

With 20 minutes to spare, it wouldn’t be a big problem to quickly go and come back.

“I’ll go see Theo for a moment and come back. You guys stay here.”

-Yes, Lady Flora.

The handmaidens didn’t seem worried about her going to see Theo alone.

Because he was Theo Ramstair.

A knight whom the Lady often met.

They didn’t doubt that anything would happen, as they thought.

Flora also had the same thought.

If it was Theo Ramstair, he was a trustworthy person. So, it was best to ask him.

There had been an incident yesterday where someone tore Carcine’s pouch, so she wanted to know if anything like that had happened in the training grounds.

That kind of question would be enough.

-Whoosh.

Flora, who was heading towards the water fountain, glanced around.

If she headed towards the water fountain, she could just go straight ahead. Theo was probably there.

Carcine still had time to arrive, so she could quickly ask a question and come back.

But for some reason.

The place she saw in her dream, the place where Carcine appeared.

It bothered her strangely.

Even though it was just a dream.

She heard the same voice and saw the same scene in her dream.

She hesitated to go down that path.

So, she rationalized it.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if I turn back… it won’t make much of a difference. It’s just because of this uneasy feeling.”

She rationalized turning back on that path.

That’s how Flora chose the long way around.

A path that wouldn’t catch the eyes of Carcine or the other knights.

“Make sure it sticks. Huh?”

“I can’t even stick one of these?”

The voices of the knights could be heard little by little.

Among the knights resting, Theo’s voice was occasionally mixed in.

But there was another sound mixed in.

-Crack!

“Fire…?”

A fire in the training grounds.

How often did fires happen here?

Were they burning trash?

…Incinerating?

-Thud!

With each sound of sparks flying, Flora’s steps quickened.

She felt a growing unease with each passing moment.

Surely not.

It couldn’t be.

There were knights who tore Carcine’s pouch yesterday, but there were so many people here.

Surely they wouldn’t openly start a fire like that.

-Thud!

With each sound of sparks flying, Flora’s steps quickened.

Almost as if she were running, she quickly turned off the side path and could finally see what was happening at the water fountain.

“Wow, it’s burning well!”

“This is mine, dude.”

“Let’s share this, you jerk.”

The flames were vivid.

Knights holding various items.

And…

A pouch that had been torn apart and sewn back together with thread and needle by someone trying to salvage it, with its contents spilled out.

One of the knights picked up an item from the pouch and threw it into the flames.

The notebook transformed into a fire starter, crackling as it caught fire.

It was Carcine’s notebook, which Flora had seen before.

The dream had come to life.

“It was because of you. Because you made me a target of ridicule by all the nobles. But did you think I wouldn’t be ignored in the training grounds because of that?”

“A kid who was ignored by the nobles couldn’t just be treated normally in the training grounds. You know that, so why?”

“You caused this situation, why do you keep denying it? You always made me a scapegoat.”

“You orchestrated everything from the beginning. Making everyone suspicious, making sure I got nothing. That’s why things are like this now.”

“You took my sword. You took the joy from my life. All because you didn’t like me, everything I had crumbled.”

“It’s all because of you. I ended up like this.”

With each word, Carcine’s voice pierced Flora’s heart.

With the sound of sparks flying, Carcine’s voice disappeared.

“Was it really… because of me…?”

Because the nobles were trying to ruin our family.

Because they were trying to infiltrate our family’s position from the outside.

Because they were even coveting Carne’s position.

Was that why this petty prank started and escalated to this extent?

Normally, she would have denied it.

But she couldn’t deny it.

There was only one reason why she would suffer like this.

Because Flora Vagrant had driven the wedge into Carcine’s use of the training grounds.

“Oh, no…!”

With a heavy heart, she went to seek advice that day.

Theo said it wasn’t her fault.

He said it was an entirely justifiable action.

And he said this.

“Please visit the training grounds sometime. If you contact me, I will arrange a scene that Lady Flora will greatly appreciate.”

This was the result.

Having contacted him in advance, Theo Ramstair was showing her this.

The sight of the pouch being torn apart, even though it had been sewn back together with thread and needle, and the contents being taken out and burned freely.

It was all because of Flora Vagrant.

-Crack!

Another one of Carcine’s items disappeared into the flames.

Through the flames, the image of Carcine from her dream unfolded like a canvas.

He was disappearing into the fire, just like in her dream.

Her eyes involuntarily widened.

-Thud!

With her breath caught in her throat, Flora immediately threw off her gloves.

-Pop!

“Th-Theo!”

“Gloves? Who did this! Who threw this at Theo’s face…!”

“…Huh?”

“Wait, could it be…?”

Amidst the confused knights, Flora shouted.

“What are you doing right now!!!”

She hadn’t wished for this.

She hadn’t wanted things to escalate to this extent!

“Why are you doing this? Why on earth!!”

“Miss Flora? When did you arrive? Please say something.”

Among the bewildered knights, Theo stepped forward.

“You arrived just in time. We had just started…”

-Thwack!

The other glove flew off and hit Theo’s face.

“Gloves…? Just like before? Could it be, Miss, are you scared?”

“I never asked Theo to do this. Why on earth are you doing this to Karsein?”

“Miss?”

“Why… why are you doing this…! I asked you!”

As Flora suddenly showed her displeasure, Theo looked bewildered, not knowing what to do.

“If you don’t like this, then I’ll do it in a different way. There are plenty of ways to do it. Shall we crush him in a knight’s duel? Or show him being trampled by a group? If those guys are bothering Karsein, we’ll help in any way. Just tell me. What do you want—”

Just tell me?

If you tell me what you want, I’ll show you a satisfactory result right away?

‘No.’

I didn’t ask for this.

I didn’t come here to meet you to ask you to torment Karsein.

I never asked you to torment Karsein!

So why are you saying that you want to do worse things to Karsein through me…?

“…Could it be because of me?”

In that moment, Flora realized.

That everything happening around Karsein was all because of her.

It started from a petty hatred.

She trembled with anxiety at the thought of her family being taken away.

She took away what belonged to someone who didn’t want anything and made it impossible for them to have anything.

From the Marquis allergy to the forgotten birthday to the Snowflake Festival.

Even the smokehouse she used as a refuge, beyond being a noblewoman.

All of these things happened because of her.

She had to cut it off.

She had to cut it off before the things she dreamed of started happening in reality.

But it was already too late.

-Thwack!

Another glove flew towards Theo’s face.

She recognized it at a glance.

The torn and tattered glove.

The one her sisters had told her to change into but she stubbornly refused to.

-Swish!

The sword was drawn immediately and thrust into the neck of a man.

“Karsein, what is the meaning of this!”

“How dare a trainee point a sword at a senior like the sky?!”

“Put that sword away immediately!”

Theo Ramstair.

It was his neck.

When he turned around with a surprised look, Karsein was already standing there.

Flora’s intimacy was quite difficult to raise.

The reason being quite simple, as revealed in Episode V, Karsein dislikes having something.

He doesn’t like receiving things.

He avoids spending time with his family.

He thinks their love should be for him to receive.

That’s why the best course of action for the Karsein I’ve become is to have nothing.

To have everything taken away, plundered, and to show only emptiness.

Because he’s a naive little boy.

Because his head is literally a flower garden.

Flora felt a sense of guilt for the first time as she looked at the powerless Karsein.

Yesterday’s two ointments torn apart were just a taste. Today’s main event was to instill guilt in Flora.

That’s how the stage was set.

‘…But why did this guy step forward to blame Theo first?’

In the game, he would just feel guilty and go back.

‘Is it because of this?’

[Guilt: 100%]

The satisfaction level was originally 70%.

As in Radiel, the intimacy box usually just needs to exceed that level.

Gradually filling it with more than the choices, scenes like this came out.

‘Well, it doesn’t really matter.’

Although Flora was taken by surprise, the situation didn’t seem to have worsened.

As long as all conditions were satisfied.

It was time to choose.

[3. Throw a glove at Theo’s face.]

As the choice appeared, I threw the glove at the man’s face.

-Thwack!

And then I drew the sword I had handed over to Mark and aimed it at him.

“Karsein, what is the meaning of this!”

“How dare a trainee point a sword at a senior like the sky?!”

“Are you so eager to die that you’ve gone mad! Put that sword away immediately!”

▶Warning! The threat level of the knights is rising!◀

A warning that a dead flag could be raised.

I knew.

But I didn’t stop.

Because I had a justifiable reason.

I was ready to not follow the contents of this choice if necessary.

After being hit in the face with someone else’s glove, the man’s expression changed immediately.

“Hah, I see. So it was you? Are you trying to cut my neck this time instead of the leader?”

Theo Ramstair sneered with his lips.

“It seems you tried to deceive innocent Miss Flora to punish me in any way possible. You wretched child…!”

-Clang!

▶Theo Ramstair is trying to frame you!

Finally, it happened.

[3. Don’t be mistaken. You deserve your punishment.]

“What are you mistaken about? I am not Karsein the trainee right now, but Karsein Vagrand asking you to account for your sins.”

“…What?”

Theo laughed as if he couldn’t believe it.

No. That was probably a confident smirk.

“I see. So you are here to execute me. What have I done wrong? Can you prove it?”

-Clang!

▶Choose a way to prove Theo Ramstair’s punishment!◀

[1. Flora’s testimony]

[2. Testimony of the knights]

[3. Burning items]

[4. Torn pouch again]

[5. Items stolen by the knights]

The evidence I chose was…

-Swish.

“This.”

[5. Items stolen by the knights]

It was one of them.

Upon seeing it, Theo raised his shoulders confidently and said.

“It came from my pocket. Well, are you trying to say that I forcibly took it from you?”

“I’m glad you know your mistake very well.”

“Is this supposed to prove my guilt? What are you talking about? It may look expensive for knights to use, but I can afford this with my salary. Moreover, where is the evidence that it belongs to the leader?”

Without any hesitation, I inflicted a wound on Theo’s neck with the blade of the sword.

-Drip.

“What is this you’re doing?!”

“Theo’s neck…! This is an act of violence! It’s a heinous crime!”

“We will report this fact to the ladies, not just Miss!”

As a thin line of blood flowed, Theo was taken aback.

The other knights also began to jeer.

But.

“This is a handkerchief given to me by my fiancée. I think it’s enough to prove your guilt.”

With my words, the water in the knights’ mouths froze cheaply.