Chapter 49: A Different Path?
by AfuhfuihgsA Different Path?
This is not good. What’s not good? Everything is not good. Stop it. At this rate, everyone will die…!
“What should I do?”
Now that it’s clear my strategy has failed spectacularly, I can’t continue like this. Some action is needed. Mari seems too kind to be affected by ordinary means, so perhaps… I need to become a beast in human form?
“B-But that’s too cruel…”
Indiscriminate violence, unspeakable insults, murderous intent that seems like it would kill someone immediately if not stopped, thoroughly isolating her surroundings to make her hated.
I thought of a few things Ariel did in the original story. Let’s pass on the insults. From the start, I dropped some harsh words at our first meeting and even hit her with fact violence this time, but she’s fine, so words don’t seem to work. Then all that’s left is action, but…
“Do I… have to?”
I resolved to bully Mari. There’s no disagreement about that anymore. But what I had in mind was, how should I put it, something more insidious and planned, like the politics among women I’ve only heard about. But is Mari’s mental strength stronger than I thought, or is the effect minimal?
“Should I go with the manly approach here?”
The manly approach… what was it again? It’s a bit different, but let’s assume there’s someone you don’t like. What would you do?
You’d fight them, right? But didn’t we do that today? I even won easily, didn’t I? Although the final firepower battle was close, I could have interfered at any time if I wanted to. I had a firepower battle as a kind of demonstration, but I still won, didn’t I? I won. Then… huh? What should I do?
Neither the male approach nor the female approach worked. Then what’s left for me? I don’t know. No methods come to mind. How can I make Mari antagonize me and burn with fighting spirit like in the original story?
The reason Mari was able to grow in the original story was not only due to her innate talent and effort but also largely because of her resistance against Ariel. Although Ariel lost to Mari in the first day’s duel, she was clearly above Mari due to her excellent family background and connections as a duke’s daughter, and Mari gradually resisted her bullying and desperately built up her strength. Being kind didn’t mean just taking it.
As Mari gradually grew, Ariel’s bullying became more severe, and later on, Ariel started to show her true colors first. Eventually, Ariel started to fall, and Mari kept rising, so their positions quickly reversed.
The current Mari needs the toughness of the original Mari. In the original story, Mari felt puzzled by the bullying but built up her strength purely for self-defense, without thinking about fighting back.
She studied, learned magic, reunited with her teacher after a long time and learned more, and in the meantime, gained some lucky encounters… It feels a bit awkward to call it lucky encounters, as if this were a martial arts novel, but I can’t think of a better way to express it. Anyway, thanks to the combination of various factors, Mari grew as if she had a booster attached, and the result… well, she gained protagonist-like strength.
“That’s why I started doing this, but…”
I need to become a villainess for Mari to grow. At first, I thought about helping her from the side. But that’s not it, is it? The reason Mari became strong was ultimately to survive against Ariel, wasn’t it? Then it’s right to follow that path, isn’t it?
“What should I do?”
The topic of thought returned to the starting point. How can I make Mari hate me? How can I make her burn with fighting spirit towards me?
Knock knock!
While I was racking my brain, a sudden knock was heard. Is it Mari? No, if it were Mari, she would have spoken first instead of knocking. Besides, the feeling is quite different from Mari.
This dormitory room, whatever magic they’ve cast on it, despite looking like an apartment, you can hear a knock on the door from anywhere, whether you’re in the bedroom or the living room.
“Excuse me. Lady Walpurgis, are you there?”
An unfamiliar voice from outside the room. Who could it be? I really can’t think of anyone. It’s a voice I’m hearing for the first time, and I didn’t make any appointments with anyone.
Well, even if I don’t know who it is, it would be rude to keep them waiting outside for long, so I should move.
“Who is it?”
“I apologize for the sudden visit. I am Arphi from the Philadel Count family. Could I have a moment of your time?”
Philadel, Philadel… Ah. I remember now. I heard they have a mansion in the capital and are a quite renowned count family. Although their title is count, considering their actual influence, they’re said to be considered equal to most marquis families.
It’s a sudden meeting with a noble lady, but I’m not too surprised. Everyone at home had warned me before I left.
[Miss, as you’re a duke’s daughter, you’ll have many occasions to meet other noble children. Don’t be surprised each time, just stay calm, alright?]
[Miss, you don’t need to waste your time for others. The only family above you is the imperial family. You can be confident.]
I remember everything perfectly. How to distinguish between necessary and unnecessary people, how to refuse politely, how to naturally keep people around, and so on. Although I’ve never had any practical experience due to the short learning period, I’ve at least mastered the theory perfectly.
I’m fully prepared!
“Come in.”
“Excuse me.”
As I slightly opened the door, a girl I’ve never seen before entered with a polite greeting. Arphi, was it? So she’s Arphi Philadel. I haven’t heard any particular stories about her. The fact that I haven’t heard of her might mean she’s an ordinary noble lady without any notable peculiarities…
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ariel Walpurgis.”
Seeing her polite greeting, I felt a strange sensation for some reason. On the surface, Arphi Philadel didn’t seem particularly unusual. However, she exuded a mysterious atmosphere and gave off a sense of déjà vu as if she were a being from another world. I don’t even know what I’m saying. It’s just a feeling I had.
“Please, have a seat first.”
First, I couldn’t leave a guest who had come all this way standing, so I guided her to the table.
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Expressing her gratitude, Arphi sat in the seat I offered and looked around, perhaps finding someone else’s room interesting. Meanwhile, I picked up the hand bell on the table. Normally, I would make the tea myself, but that’s only when close people are around.
Oh? If that’s the case, does Mari also count as a close person? That makes the picture a bit strange, doesn’t it?
I rang the hand bell to call a maid and asked for tea and snacks, then sat down facing Arphi. Looking at her eyes up close, they were gently curved but somehow felt alien.
They’re clearly smiling, likable, and pretty eyes, but… why do I feel this uneasiness? I’m not sure how to describe exactly what I’m feeling right now. If I had to make a comparison, it felt like looking at a mannequin. What am I thinking about a person right in front of me? This is rude.
“May I ask why you’ve come?”
“You seem to dislike unnecessary embellishments, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
I quite like that she doesn’t waste time with unnecessary talk. So, what’s the reason for her visit?
“Lady Walpurgis, have you ever thought about creating your own faction in the academy?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Until now, you haven’t shown much interest in factions or cliques. Your interest was solely on His Highness the Crown Prince. But now it’s different. You’ve proven your own abilities, and from now on, many people will flock to you.”
Oh? Is that so?
“By faction, I don’t simply mean having followers around. If you put your mind to it, you could create a massive faction that could become one of the pillars of the academy. You could become a power player in the academy.”
I don’t understand why she’s suddenly saying such things. What am I even listening to right now?
“I understand it’s sudden. I’d like to apologize for that. But you’ve shown your abilities, and there are probably already people moving based on what they’ve seen. I may have made the first move today, but from now on… well, it goes without saying.”
The word ‘faction’ brings many thoughts to mind. A faction, while it might be troublesome, would also have its merits.
There’s also what’s commonly called collective intelligence. Even things I can’t figure out on my own might be solved if I think about them with others, and they could be a source of strength when I want to do something later.s are social animals. It’s obvious that being with other people has more merit than being alone.
“So, I’d like to say this first. If you ever think about creating a faction, I hope you’ll remember my name. I don’t need a grand position like right-hand woman or anything. If you just make a place for me, I’ll do my best to be of use to you, Lady Walpurgis.”
“Why are you willing to go to such lengths?”
A sudden visit, a sudden request. Nothing seems quite right. So naturally, this question had to come from me.
But to my question, Arphi rather strangely asked back:
“Why are you asking such a question?”
“Pardon?”
“You’re someone who will inevitably stand above others. Isn’t it natural to start building a faction from the academy?”
Huh? Is that how it works? Am I the only one not understanding this situation right now?
0 Comments