episode_0024

“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Just like the way Claire greeted Alice earlier, she extended the same courtesy to me.

It was a moment so awkward that it made my mind go blank.

Of course, I wasn’t actually losing my mind. It’s just a figure of speech.

Yes, I knew Claire. Well, I did know the Claire from my childhood, but the Claire I truly knew was not the same as the one who had become a villain under the Emperor’s rule.

I’ve emphasized this multiple times, but let me say it again. In the game, Claire was never the innocent image she portrays now. No matter what she said, she never backed down, and if someone offended her, she made it clear. There was never a moment where she stuttered or stumbled over her words.

The only time Claire would show surprise or anger was when stories about her beloved siblings were brought up.

In the original story, she was already dead.

…Of course, she’s alive now. I don’t know how or why she’s alive at this point, but it must have something to do with that person. There’s only one thing that has changed in this world, and that’s me.

Has the Emperor become more cautious?

At this point, it wasn’t an important story. The sister was a character who only existed in the background as the owner of Claire’s sword in the original story, so it wouldn’t be too late to pay attention to her when she starts to play a more significant role in the story. I have the ability to turn back time, after all.

Beside Claire, Leo Gray, who had been standing stiffly, also bowed his head towards us.

The protagonist of the original story, Leo Gray.

As befitting a game protagonist, he was handsome and had decent skills. From a storytelling perspective, he was a character who combined the traits of a cheerful shonen manga protagonist with a harem protagonist.

In terms of gameplay, he started off weak but grew stronger as the story progressed. In reality, his strength lay in his utility skills rather than pure combat abilities. With the “Inspiration” skill that temporarily boosted the abilities of other characters, he could raise their power by almost 70%, depending on the settings.

Moreover, his range skill centered around himself and also acted as a self-buff, allowing him to easily defeat enemies even at the highest difficulty levels as long as the other characters were properly set up.

But that didn’t mean his own stats were bad. In terms of pure abilities, he was among the top tier by the end of the game.

Thanks to this, he gained a reputation for being a character that players had to invest in early on. Since most of his important buff skills were unlocked in the middle of the game.

And that’s why I was curious about how this character would survive in this world.

The fact that “Inspiration” functioned as a practical attack power buff was ultimately due to the nature of the game. In reality, you could draw strength from encouragement, but it wouldn’t push you beyond your maximum capabilities.

In the game, this was expressed as the power of his words, but it was all just a game mechanic.

Similarly, I wondered how the allied guest characters or enemy bosses who were introduced as the “World’s Strongest Mage” or the “Worst Mercenary” would turn out in terms of combat performance. Would performance take precedence over abilities, or would the story dictate their outcomes?

Well, considering the game was turn-based and lacked the freedom of Western RPGs, the story would change drastically.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Sylvia Pegasus.”

“Sylvia…!”

Claire’s eyes widened at my words, then she quickly averted her gaze, meeting Alice’s eyes before bowing her head once more.

It’s completely different from the original story.

“No, it could be said that it was more than the original. In the original, Claire was better than Alice in every aspect, but that doesn’t mean Alice was submissive. If we were to nitpick, the atmosphere between Claire and Alice was like a bad sister relationship, where Claire unilaterally treated Alice like a younger sister.

The expression of the bad atmosphere was a bit harsh.

“Both of you.”

Alice, who was silently watching the two with lowered head, opened her mouth.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Uh, well, that…!”

In response to Alice’s words, Claire bravely raised her head again.

And looked at me.

I was a little surprised by her gaze. Even in a pressured situation, Claire’s gaze when looking at me was intense. Her gaze, which didn’t avoid and looked straight at me, seemed similar to the gaze I saw in the game.

Although her words were a bit stuttered. Oh well.

Claire grew up wonderfully. Without experiencing a terrible past.

“Sylvia… Miss!”

“….”

It seemed like a different word other than ‘Miss’ almost popped out, but still, not calling me ‘Unnie’ was a good choice.

Seeing her rushing towards me like this, it seemed like she had a close relationship with Leo, the protagonist, almost like siblings. And in some sense, she might have grown up more than Leo. Leo was born a noble, but Claire wasn’t.

“Yes. What is it?”

Claire replied to me a bit late as a rebuttal.

“By any chance…?”

Claire seemed to be about to ask me something, but gasped and held her breath.

All eyes around us were on this side.

In such a situation, asking a ‘Princess’ like me if I came from an orphanage, she finally realized what would happen.

Hmm.

Claire needed to learn to be more cautious. Well, in the original, Claire was portrayed as arrogant and rude but very quick-witted. Thinking about it, if she wasn’t quick-witted, she wouldn’t have survived in such a difficult situation.

The Marquis and Marquess of Grace are known for being just and kind. They wouldn’t have raised Claire differently just because she was an orphan.

A child who was loved and raised all her life.

Claire became that child.

There was no reason for her to be jealous of Alice just because she had a father.

“By any chance?”

When I asked, Claire, with a blushing face, stammered, “Um, by any chance, could you accept my greetings!?”

“….”

Once again, the atmosphere became awkward.

Alice’s expression was transitioning from stiff to awkward. At first, she thought there was something fishy about Claire asking for something and not greeting me, but now, she couldn’t understand the difficult words Claire was using.

“If it’s greetings, I’ve already received them.”

Claire’s face turned red.

And as Claire’s face turned red, Leo’s complexion paled. If he pales even more, wouldn’t his face color be similar to his hair color?

“Instead, wouldn’t it be better for you to introduce yourself first?”

When I asked that, Claire’s face turned even redder.

“I am… Claire Grace. I am the daughter of the Marquis of Grace.”

However, Claire’s voice, with her head bowed in respect, didn’t stutter like before.

“I see.”

“If you are the Marquis of Grace, you must not be far from the royal palace.”

Alice said with a thoughtful expression, as if she was searching her mind.

And then she looked around as if to show off.

There were still students surrounding us, but the expressions of those in the front were not very friendly, probably because they couldn’t easily move due to the people behind them.

“Remember this. As long as we attend this academy, we are just students like you. The title of princess is only a status outside the academy; inside, we are just people who came to learn, whether noble or commoner.”

Indeed, the issue was not only about the position among students but also about the relationship between teachers and students.

The principal is a duke, but among the teachers, there are viscounts, barons, and even commoners. If you factor in the class system, it creates a strange scene where teachers bow politely and use honorifics to students.

To prevent such situations, the rule is that “the class system does not apply within the academy.”

It may seem trivial, but this rule also has its merits. In reality, commoners and nobles have become friends, and it has led to the recognition of talented individuals after graduation. It played a role in breaking down prejudices.

“So, you don’t need to show me such respect here. Well, that doesn’t mean you have to follow my words forcefully. But if you show me that respect, I will treat you as a princess treats her subordinates. If that’s what you prefer, then do so.”

“… ”

There was no response.

But in the distance, faint murmurs could be heard.

There must be more than just the first-year students here. It was a corridor leading to the first-year classroom from the main building, so there would also be second to fourth-year students.

And this statement applied to all grades.

After looking around, Alice turned her gaze back to Claire and Leo in front of her and asked, “What will you do?”

Not bowing in front of the principal was probably Alice’s reason for thinking she couldn’t back down. Even though the rules shouldn’t be applied, she probably thought that as the emperor’s daughter, she shouldn’t.

However, she was willing to apply it generously in other aspects.

Alice seemed to understand why Claire, who had just shown respect to her, was being so rigid. Since Alice treated Claire as a princess, Claire probably saw her as a subordinate.

“Ah…”

Claire’s expression became a bit dazed for a moment, then she quickly smiled brightly.

Straightening her slightly bowed waist, Claire walked straight towards Alice and extended her hand.

“I’m Claire. Claire Grace.”

There was a stifled sound from the surroundings. It might have been Leo, who was behind them, making the same sound.

Alice stared at Claire intently, then reached out and lightly shook Claire’s hand as she extended hers. It wasn’t a smiling face, but it wasn’t a bad expression either.

Unlike the original Alice, she was extremely calm…

…

Wait, did she just mimic my expression?

“I’m Alice. Alice Pans Gryphon.”

“Alice.”

Claire, who didn’t seem intimidated by the expressionless Alice, smiled widely at her before releasing the hand she was holding lightly. Alice also let go of that hand without hesitation.

Then, Claire turned inward.

Where did that confusion from earlier go? Claire was now wearing a refreshing smile.

Her smile was similar to the one Claire had at the end of the original, when she died instead of Alice.

In fact, this expression was closer to Claire’s true nature, and the twisted attitude she had shown throughout the game was probably the attitude she had developed as she deteriorated.

“I’m Claire.”

And then, she introduced herself to me once again.

Extending her hand towards me, she confidently stated, “Claire Grace.”

I glanced down at Claire’s hand. It was a white hand with a bit of calluses. She must have worked hard in swordsmanship training.

Reaching out, I gently held Claire’s hand.

“I’m Sylvia Pangriffon.”

Despite my firm declaration, Claire’s eyes flickered a bit as she maintained her stiff expression.

But soon enough, Claire smiled brightly and lightly shook my hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you too.”

The hand I held with Claire was slightly warm.

I wonder if it was the same in the original work?