Chapter 211

Chapter 211

The Heroine of the 1st Playthrough Remembers My Training.

Episode 212: Liana Rumenhark (2)

“Lady Lucia, today’s speech was also perfect.”

“….”

“Compared to the other side… the difference in level is so vast that I’m embarrassed to even comment. Hahaha.”

Pedro Longist, walking alongside Lucia, laughed lightly.

To describe their interaction accurately, they weren’t walking together; Pedro was merely trailing closely behind Lucia.

Whether Pedro didn’t notice this distance or not, he continued to speak to Lucia.

“When Calliope’s third son defended a commoner at the first trial, I thought he’d lost his mind, but looking back now, it was for the best.”

The commoner who triggered the conflict no longer mattered.

“Because this opportunity allows us to root out all the mold that has been eating away at the empire. Hahaha.”

The situation had long passed the point where an apology would suffice.

Now, the important thing was whether they could eradicate the deep-rooted evil practice of ‘equality’ that existed in Carnea.

‘…It was strange all along that those lowlifes didn’t know their place and acted out of line.’

Pedro’s lips twisted.

Regardless of success, Pedro could not tolerate the fact that commoners dared to stand against nobles.

This wasn’t just Pedro’s opinion.

The majority of nobles believed they were facing reverse discrimination at Carnea.

Everyone being equal?

How could that be?

The blood of nobles is noble, and the blood of commoners was base.

Wasn’t that common sense?

The time had come to end the ‘equal’ facade they had been forced to maintain due to Carnea’s school rules.

‘…I will make the commoners who have infringed upon the authority of nobles realize their place.’

However, there were two names that bothered him in this process.

Liana Rumenhark and Yujin Calliope.

Pedro clicked his tongue inwardly.

If it were a mediocre noble, he would have suppressed them with force.

But unfortunately, their opponents were the Imperial Family and the Calliope family.

‘Despite being pushed out of the succession battle, he’s just full of greed…’

Pedro didn’t believe in the justification that Yujin and the Princess were standing against the nobles for the sake of commoners’ rights.

The reason Yujin and the Princess were putting on this act was solely to gain power.

‘…They’ll only come to their senses after they die.’

The reason the Princess survived even after losing the succession battle was because she didn’t covet power and lived quietly.

‘Has she lost her mind to the power of the throne…?’

But at this moment, with the Emperor’s death imminent, the Princess seemed to be aiming for the throne by even borrowing the strength of the commoners.

Although commoners were inferior in every way compared to nobles, their numbers were greater.

‘Yujin Calliope is the same.’

It seemed that Yujin Calliope, the third son, was also using this commotion as an opportunity to regain power within the Calliope family…

Yujin and the Princess could not both become the leaders of the commoner faction.

There could only be one head.

They would also know that if they continued to fight each other, they would destroy themselves before even facing the noble faction.

But the moment they were pushed back, they would lose both power and their lives.

That’s why they were confronting each other without yielding an inch.

This was the purpose of Yujin and the Princess that Pedro, or rather most nobles, anticipated.

“Because Her Highness the Princess and that third son of hers are fighting each other for dominance, the lower ones don’t know what to do, it’s quite a sight. Hahaha.”

Pedro laughed loudly, recalling the scene at the speech venue.

Frankly, the speech the Princess gave at the beginning was truly admirable.

‘…To use the teachings of the Goddess Church, which states that all beings are equal under the Goddess, to advocate for the rights of commoners.’

For the Princess, who came from the noblest lineage, to say such things, many people couldn’t help but be swayed.

In fact, even some nobles converted because of that speech.

However, everything changed because of Yujin’s intrusion into the speech hall.

Frankly speaking, Yujin’s speech wasn’t as beautiful as the Princess’s.

But with amplified magic and fervent followers, his intense agitation overshadowed the Princess’s emotionally charged speech.

As a result, the commoners who were being persuaded by the Princess were now conflicted about whether to support Yujin or the Princess.

‘…On the other hand, the noble faction has one head.’

The noble faction, with Lucia as their overwhelming leader, could unite further while mocking the divided commoner faction.

“….”

Lucia continued walking without even responding to Pedro’s chatter.

An ordinary person would have noticed Lucia’s mood and shut their mouth by now.

But Pedro, blinded by the joy of victory, continued to ramble on.

“Well, he’s just a loser who was pushed out of the family’s heir competition anyway. Is it because his mother came from a ruined family? Haha.”

“…I see.”

Only after hearing Lucia’s chillingly cold voice did Pedro finally seem to realize that Lucia was in a bad mood.

‘…Why?’

Today was a pleasant day where the enemy self-destructed.

Of course, as the speech went on, the atmosphere shifted from Yujin back towards the Princess.

No matter how much agitation there was, the content of the Princess’s speech was far more perfect.

Surely, the Princess would be designated as the leader of the commoners someday.

…But the noble faction wouldn’t just sit idly by until then.

By the time the leader of the anti-noble faction was confirmed, the noble faction would have already completed all preparations to defeat the commoner faction.

At that moment, Pedro noticed Lucia stroking her left wrist.

‘That’s why.’

Pedro slightly raised the corner of his lips.

During an argument after today’s speech, Yujin had briefly grabbed Lucia’s wrist.

Lucia had immediately shaken him off, but given her aversion to contact with men, the incident must have been quite unpleasant for her.

‘…I was oblivious.’

It seems that constantly mentioning Yujin reminded Lucia of an unpleasant memory.

Pedro chuckled and approached Lucia.

“Does the wrist that was grabbed earlier hurt? Let me take a look.”

Pedro reached out towards Lucia’s wrist.

Pedro knew very well what happened to men who dared to touch Lucia carelessly.

‘…I will overwrite that unpleasant memory.’

However, as the heir of the Longist family, he believed Lucia would accept him.

Pedro thought he was worthy of being Lucia’s partner.

This wasn’t just self-conceit; it was an objective assessment.

Aside from the Imperial Family and the great families, there were few families in the empire that could compare to the Longist family.

‘…I am the eldest son of the Longist family and the next head of the family.’

His brothers, who had competed for the heir position, had all become crippled or died in ‘unfortunate accidents’.

Some might consider it cruel, but Pedro regarded it as the necessary composure for someone seeking power.

Clench—

The moment Pedro grabbed Lucia’s wrist.

Lucia’s body suddenly stopped.

“…Vermin.”

And Pedro immediately regretted it.

A murderous intent, the likes of which he had never felt before, emanated from Lucia’s body.

“…How dare you… the trace of master…”

“L…Lady Lucia?”

Surprised by Lucia’s unexpected reaction, Pedro let go of her wrist and stepped back.

He had heard rumors that Lucia extremely disliked physical contact with men, but he never imagined she would react this violently.

“Lady Lucia. P…please calm down. I made a mistake.”

Pedro extended both hands, trying to calm Lucia, but her anger did not subside and instead turned into a sharp sword pointed at him.

‘…D…dangerous…’

Feeling a threat to his life, Pedro drew his sword, but his body trembled as if he were holding a twig against a typhoon.

In close combat, even a mage several ranks higher could be suppressed by a swordsman…

But right now, Pedro couldn’t sense even a sliver of a chance of victory against Lucia.

‘…Th…this is… Lucia Uruella…’

Pedro’s skills were also top-tier, but the difference between him and Lucia was overwhelming.

As Lucia approached under suffocating pressure, Pedro instinctively stepped back and shouted.

“Y…you shouldn’t do this! The L…Longist family is an essential family for the Uruella family!”

Although frightened, calculations were still running through Pedro’s mind.

Lucia wouldn’t kill him.

At least, not here in Carnea.

But as if scoffing at his thoughts, Lucia moved her lips.

Swish—

Pedro’s cheek split open, and blood flowed.

“…Bl…blood…!! Wh…what are you doing…”

“Shut up. Rapist.”

At Lucia’s words, Pedro screamed.

“…R…rapist! What are you…!”

He had only grabbed her wrist once, yet he was instantly being accused of rape.

“Lies! It’s a lie! Wh…when did I ever do such a thing…”

“The truth doesn’t matter. I am the one who creates the truth.”

It was an arrogant statement, but it was the truth.

Lucia was ‘the fairest scale’ and the next head of the Uruella family.

Swish—

Pedro’s other cheek also split open.

“He attempted rape and was accidentally killed… Well, there might be some rumors about excessive force, but how long will they last?”

“…If…if I…die…the L…Longist family won’t stay silent…!”

Lucia chuckled at Pedro’s desperate words.

“Is that so? …Do you think your brothers would agree?”

At that moment, the faces of his brothers who had suffered ‘unfortunate accidents’ flashed through Pedro’s mind.

Would they really investigate this incident while opposing the Uruella family?

‘…There’s no way.’

On the contrary, they would see it as an opportunity to gain the position of the next head and do their best to cover it up.

Thud—

“…Pl…please spare me…Lady Lucia…”

Having reassessed the situation, Pedro knelt down.

Looking down at him, Lucia said in a cold voice.

“…There is no second chance. Never touch my body again, Pedro Longist.”