episode_0027

The fact that the Academy ranked Firunea second only to the Crown Prince was hardly surprising. The Seriratus family was, after all, an overwhelmingly powerful house.

“Oh, I see.” Or perhaps, “Well, that makes sense.” It was the kind of news one could easily brush off.

But no one had anticipated that she would make her entrance alongside an unfamiliar noble.

A few students, who had been eyeing Virdem with suspicion, finally opened their mouths.

“Now that I think about it, that guy was the one who showed up in butler attire during the special admissions exam…”

“Ah, right. The swordmaster butler.”

“Special admissions exam? He’s a special admit?”

Given the Seriratus family’s influence, it wasn’t entirely implausible that they could get even a mere butler admitted as a special student.

But still…

“…He’s being treated like an absolute right-hand man.”

The butler was escorting Firunea.

Anyone who dared act out of line like that would be torn to shreds.

—Firunea had ordered it.

The students who had been whispering about the butler’s audacious position soon realized that such trivial details didn’t matter much.

“It’s oddly quiet for an entrance ceremony. I thought I was in a library.”

After the assassination of Duke Pitus, Firunea had rarely appeared at official events.

At most, she would invite other nobles to her birthday parties.

Only today did all the nobles come to a realization.

“…She’s beautiful.”

Leah muttered under her breath without realizing it.

Hair that shimmered like spun silver, a face traced with soft curves, a voice like rolling jade, and an elegant dress that exuded grace while maintaining dignity.

She was a peerless beauty, one who made Leah—who had put in her utmost effort—feel like a pig wearing a pearl necklace.

Even the butler’s plain face beside her only accentuated Firunea’s beauty.

…No, “plain” wasn’t quite the right word. He looked slightly intimidating.

Just as Leah and the other students were drowning in self-loathing while staring at Firunea’s appearance—

“Le—Leah! I found it! I found him!”

The oblivious Almeria came running over, holding something—no, someone—strange, with a bright smile.

“…?”

Leah frowned at the person her sister had brought along.

“What’s this?”

A very small, adorable black-haired student.

But at a glance, they looked extremely displeased.

And for good reason—they were being carried under Almeria’s arm like a sack.

Almeria answered proudly.

“Our savior!”

“Ah… So this is the person you were looking for on the street last time?”

So it wasn’t a delusion after all. They did look somewhat wolf-like.

The surprise was short-lived, though, as Leah frowned at the sight of them dangling helplessly.

“No, but they clearly hate it. Let them go.”

“No, they don’t. Right?”

“…”

The female student remained silent, raising their head slightly—

Only to tremble violently upon seeing Firunea and her butler before burying their face again.

They looked utterly miserable. Almeria, however, kept pinching and pulling at their cheeks, committing blatant harassment.

“Ow, so cute. Aren’t they just adorable?”

“…”

Leah regretted not dyeing her hair and moved as far away from Almeria as possible.

She could only pray that this student wouldn’t drag her into any lawsuits against her sister.

“Was it really necessary for me to enter with you?”

“Why dwell on what’s already done?”

At my whisper, Firunea replied playfully.

I let out a small sigh. If not for Firunea’s forceful insistence (refusing would mean three days of her sulking), I would’ve entered first.

I attracted far too much unnecessary attention.

“L—Lady Firunea! Would you honor me with a dance—”

“No, no, please, dance with me instead!”

Firunea’s lineage and beauty drew the gazes of countless students the moment she entered.

Naturally, the young nobles flocked to her, eyes bloodshot with desperation.

They were clearly dying to dance with her—or at least exchange a few words.

‘What should I do?’

I glanced at Firunea, who winked back.

‘Leave it to me?’

…The task fell to me.

One by one, I turned them away.

“My apologies, but the young lady is wearing new shoes and cannot dance at the moment.”

“What? No, since when do you get to decide—cough, hack—”

Occasionally, someone would snap, but they’d suddenly start wheezing and retreat.

…Must be Firunea’s doing.

Of course, among them were nobles whose status made it impossible to dismiss them so easily.

“…”

Clank, clank…

The sound of metal, wholly out of place at a ball, echoed through the hall.

A woman as tall as I was, with icy blue hair and decadent eyes, clad in magnificent armor that had clearly seen battle, approached slowly.

I swallowed dryly. She was beyond my level.

“Greetings, Lady Olbessia.”

“Mhm. May I speak with your master?”

Her voice was rough and husky.

Without waiting for my reply, Firunea stepped forward with a prickly expression.

“What does Senfenesia want?”

No matter how much Firunea adhered to her “ignore everyone” villainess policy…

Even she couldn’t pull that kind of attitude with the ruler of the North.

“…I was just curious, that’s all.”

Olbessia stared piercingly at Firunea with her blue eyes—

Then cracked a grin.

“Seriratus has birthed a monster.”

“Senfenesia has birthed a rude one.”

“Hah. I look forward to the tournament. Don’t disappoint me.”

With a laugh, Olbessia brushed off Firunea’s retort and turned on her heel as if her business was done.

Firunea continued glaring at her retreating back before whispering in my ear.

“Why are there so many unpleasant people here?”

“I believe it’s a result of their eagerness to gain your favor, leading to missteps. None of them likely harbor ill intent.”

For safety’s sake, we’ve been secluded in our territory, so few nobles know us well. In fact, given appearances alone, I—the young lady’s retainer—might be more famous.

But rumors spread.

The Seriratus heiress is beloved by the God of Magic.

Her beauty has even ensnared the Crown Prince.

The assassination of Pitus? She was the real culprit…

We hunted down every last one of those who spread the final rumor.

But the remaining whispers were more than enough to pique the nobles’ interest.

“I won’t waste words on these fools. It’s just amusing, that’s all.”

Fortunately, Firunea seemed more annoyed than angry.

And rightfully so. To her, the students here were little more than children.

If anything, the rumors were understated compared to reality.

Take that Olbessia, strutting around like she owned the place.

If she actually faces Firunea in the tournament, she’ll be turned into mincemeat in 0.1 seconds.

She’ll regret her arrogance then.

As Firunea fumed, she suddenly turned to me with a mischievous grin.

“Oh, right. Virdem, since this is a ball… want to dance?”

“…Pardon?”

Dumbfounded, I grimaced and shook my head.

“No, absolutely not.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t I just tell others the young lady couldn’t dance because of her shoes? If I were to dance with you now, what would the other students think?”

“Just take the shoes off.”

“My lady…”

Please, maintain some decorum.

Before I could plead further, the music changed.

The hall darkened, and someone stepped onto the podium.

Fiery red hair, a face so handsome it could seduce every woman in the world with just a whisper—

First under heaven, second to none.

The Crown Prince stood there.

“Hmm, seems everyone’s gathered.”

Clap clap clap clap—!

Immediately, applause filled the hall.

No wonder he hadn’t arrived earlier—he was giving the entrance speech as the student representative.

Well… it made sense for the Crown Prince.

His deep eyes swept over the students.

The way his gaze lingered slightly longer on Firunea was no illusion.

But it was brief. Soon, he raised his hands and began his speech.

“To all students entering the Academy, I have this to say—”

And I—

Ignored the speech entirely, scanning the surroundings vigilantly.

A gathering of nobles like this should be the safest place of all…

Yet the incident had occurred at the royal family’s banquet—supposedly the most secure of all.

There was no guarantee the unknown enemy wouldn’t try the same trick again.

A glance at Firunea showed no signs of discomfort or tension.

Which only made me more alert.

“And so, let us all unite our strength…”

I spread my senses wide.

Throughout the speech, I remained on edge, wary of any potential threat.

‘…Hm?’

Then, I spotted two familiar faces.

The first was Emily.

Hiding deep in a corner, she flinched the moment our eyes met and quickly looked away. Terrified, it seemed.

The second was Arin.

Almeria…? Wait, is that the Hero? Hard to see clearly, but for some reason, she was being harassed by a blonde student before locking eyes with me—

“…”

—and looking away gloomily.

Since when did the Hero and her get so close?

I’d ask for details later. For the 20-minute speech, I didn’t relax for a second, but thankfully, no assassins appeared.

“Phew…”

I exhaled deeply.

At the same time, a soft touch grazed my shoulder.

“Good work. Thank you.”

“…My lady.”

Firunea patted my shoulder with a proud smile.

A master touching their butler so casually wasn’t exactly proper, but the hall was dark, and everyone was focused on the Crown Prince, so no one was looking our way.

“I only did my duty.”

“And I’m only doing mine by thanking you.”

Her hand, still on my shoulder, suddenly slid down and began groping my chest.

I recoiled in shock.

“No, my lady. Please don’t do this.”

“Oh? That line’s kinda hot. Say it again.”

“My lady…”

Somehow, she’s become even more shameless since coming to the Academy.

I’ve known since childhood that Firunea was a bit handsy, but other students wouldn’t see it that way.

I gently tried to calm her.

“Not the best time to say this, but perhaps a bit more caution would be wise.”

“I’m not worried. You’ll protect me, won’t you, Virdem?”

“Of course. I would gladly give my life for you.”

“…”

“But the enemy will undoubtedly come at us in ways we can’t anticipate. We mustn’t let our guard down.”

“Hmph, I know that much.”

For some reason, Firunea’s face turned beet red as she hid behind her fan and answered stiffly.

“—But those fools wouldn’t have guessed just how far I’ve come.”

“…I’ll concede that.”

Firunea’s confident smile was persuasive.

No assassin would assume she had become a monster capable of killing a hundred people with a single breath.

That was our greatest weapon.

Clap clap clap clap—!!!

Thunderous applause filled the hall.

I joined in to avoid standing out.

As the lights returned, the Crown Prince descended, accepting greetings from the crowd.

Then—

“Your Highness, uh—!”

A student rushing toward him tripped, wine glass in hand.

—Right in Firunea’s direction.

“…!”

Splash—!

I immediately wrapped my arms around Firunea and raised a hand to block the wine.

Still, a few drops stained her dress.

Without hesitation, I licked the wine off my hand.

After Pitus’s assassination, I had built resistance by consuming every known poison. No toxin could kill me instantly.

The real concern was Firunea. Without the same resistance, even a few drops on her dress could be fatal.

Luckily, it seemed to be ordinary wine. But just in case, I asked urgently.

“My lady, are you alright?!”

“Ah—”

Only then did I realize the problem.

I had held her too tightly.

Our faces were close—close enough to see the clarity in her eyes, to feel each other’s breath.

…I nearly lost myself. I quickly released her and stepped back.

“…”

The surroundings fell deathly silent.

“I—I’m sorry, so sorry, it was an accident, please forgive me!!!!”

The noble who spilled the wine abandoned all dignity, kneeling and begging.

And rightfully so. No—they had to.

This was Firunea. The Seriratus heiress, whose father had been poisoned with wine at a banquet.

Had I not intervened, she would’ve been drenched.

…The justification was overwhelming.

If Firunea willed it, she could annihilate this noble’s family right here.

In the frozen hall, only Firunea held the power to speak.

I stood by, awaiting her judgment.

If she declared black, I was ready to draw my sword instantly.

“Hmm…”

Flick—!

After staring blankly at me for a moment, Firunea snapped her fingers. The student squeezed their eyes shut, but—

The flames that manifested burned me—or rather, my butler uniform.

And Firunea’s own dress as well.

Only the wine was incinerated.

“…”

I forgot the situation for a moment and marveled.

Evaporating just the wine from the soaked fabric was a feat bordering on divine.

Even if possible, traces of purple should’ve remained, as if the fabric had dried with the wine—

Yet my butler uniform was still pristine white.

Any magic-inclined students present would’ve realized the staggering gap in skill.

Having erased the wine, Firunea delivered her verdict.

“Which family do you belong to?”

“Th—the Rotiars… My name is Ladan… Sob…”

“Calm down. Everyone makes mistakes.”

“…?”

Ladan looked up, disbelief written across his face.

Firunea—unusually, genuinely pleased—fanned herself as she spoke.

“No need to escalate things at an entrance ceremony. I’ll forgive you.”

“Th—thank you! Truly, from the bottom of my heart…!”

“It’s fine, really.”

Ladan pressed his forehead to the floor in gratitude.

Only then did the tension dissipate.

“…Ah, haha. Lady Firunea is quite magnanimous.”

“Truly. I’d have at least demanded a duel…”

The students’ perception of Firunea visibly shifted.

From a figure too beautiful, noble, and enigmatic to approach—save for the foolish suitors—

To someone they now admired for her unexpected mercy.

A good change. Firunea would gain more allies.

I smiled wryly as I observed the students.

“…Eh? Wh—why…?”

All but one—Almeria of the Hero’s family—seemed satisfied.

She stood there, eyes wide, trembling violently.