Episode 25
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 25
Elysia was more than a little surprised to find the Art Hall packed with people. While it wasn’t as large as the Main Building—a second structure of that immense scale was nearly impossible, after all—it was still incredibly big.
The buzz of countless voices echoed through the hall. Only now did she truly grasp the enormous scale of the Art Department, which she had only ever heard about.
Unlike Lucian, who roughly shoved people aside to forge ahead, Elysia had to stop or twist her body to avoid those rushing toward her.
She pressed her fingers into her furrowed brow, smoothing out the lines of irritation as she reminded herself.
Patience, patience… I can’t get suspended twice. Even a punk has some pride…
“Aren’t you going to stop?!”
She yelled at Lucian’s retreating back, but her desperate cry was swallowed by the crowd’s murmur in less than a second.
“That crazy bastard!”
Elysia suddenly thought of the pistol in her inventory. She could just shoot him in the leg and knock him down… But she quickly shook her head.
No… Of course not. Am I going to become a terrorist who pulls out a lethal weapon inside an educational institution?
“Aah!”
“What? What’s wrong with them?”
Just as she was about to call out to Lucian again, she saw the female students in front of her scream and stumble backward. Elysia immediately pushed her way between them.
There was Siene, sitting on a wooden bench in the lounge. And there was Lucian, forcefully dragging her down from it.
Siene struggled to pull her arm free, looking flustered. But when she saw the crazed expression on the man’s face, she shrieked and slammed the book in her hand down on the top of his head.
“Let go!”
…I’ve always thought this, but she’s the type to let her hands do the talking, isn’t she?
The dull thud of the impact echoed loudly through the hall, and Elysia found herself impressed despite the situation. Lucian, however, didn’t even seem to register that he’d been hit. He demanded furiously, “You tore it, didn’t you? Were the things I said to you that humiliating? But even so, as a fellow artist, you shouldn’t have gone that far.”
“What on earth are you talking—”
“You can’t possibly be unaware of what happened at the main gate.”
Siene’s face crumpled in disbelief. Seeing her eyebrow twitch, Elysia had a premonition. The floodgates of hell were about to open. Biting her lip, Siene glared at him with murderous eyes, her face pale with rage.
Elysia found herself counting down.
3, 2, 1. Loaded and ready to fire.
“I regret that a work you poured your efforts into was destroyed, but I find it regrettable that you are holding me responsible. The fact that you suspect me must mean you’re aware that your words to me that day were an insult. I suppose I should be glad you’re capable of feeling shame.”
“What?”
“Frankly, it’s a relief. Because that painting was dreadful.”
Her tone was a stark contrast to her body, which was trembling with fear. Elysia unconsciously gave a thumbs-up.
…For someone who’s scared, she’s got a sharp tongue.
Forgetting that she was supposed to be stopping him, Elysia simply watched the scene unfold.
The Little Count, momentarily stunned by Siene’s sharp words, threw a sheet of paper he was holding at her shoulder. Catching it reflexively, she saw that her name was the last one written in the visitor log and bit her lip, looking troubled.
“Why were you here on Saturday night?”
“You’re making baseless accusations. If I had seen it was broken, I would have notified a guard. In the first place, it was too dark and the screen was in the way, so I couldn’t even see inside—”
“You rarely come to the painting rooms after regular hours. You always finish your work faster than anyone and disappear somewhere, don’t you? Huh? Isn’t that right? I’m just so curious why such a noble genius would grace us with her presence.”
“…I just went to get something.”
As Siene stood there, her lips moving but no words coming out, the man leaned in threateningly and sneered.
“At that late hour?”
“I had something to do until the evening…”
“Oh? Is that so? Then tell me. What were you doing from day to evening that made you avoid the painting room when it was crowded, only to enter late at night?”
“…”
“You’re going to have to explain why you only showed up at night when there was no one around, aren’t you? Huh?”
Elysia could read the predicament in Siene’s expression as she clamped her mouth shut, unable to answer. At that moment, a pink system window popped up.
♥ Favorability Event:
Your rival in a hostile relationship, ‘Siene Reve,’ is in a crisis! (╬Ò‸Ó)
You currently have 1 available weakness (Family Situation). Use it?
Yes (Expose Siene Reve's lies to everyone) | No (Keep your mouth shut)
Tip! Using the weakness will grant you +100 Favorability with Lucian Violante! ♥
…Is this a player’s choice, or a villain’s? And what the hell am I going to do with that bastard’s favorability? Ah, not interested. No thanks! Piss off!
With a dumbfounded expression, Elysia naturally chose ‘No.’
Only then did a memory surface. The plaza at dusk, and her encounter with a woman in a cloak, her hands smudged with paint.
“…Do you make money painting here?”
“I really hate you.”
That had been on Saturday evening. It seemed Siene had been saving money by taking on odd jobs, painting in the plaza.
Elysia remembered how Lucian had insulted her by bringing up the Reve Viscounty’s family situation. And she remembered Siene’s face as she’d gritted her teeth, talking about her family’s circumstances.
“Please refrain from making assumptions about my family. The Reves are by no means struggling.”
In the end, that had been a lie. The Reve Viscounty’s financial situation was indeed dire enough that a genius who should have been focused on her studies had to earn her own living expenses.
Poverty was by no means a crime, but admitting it could feel like one. Especially in a place where being poor was treated as something strange and rare.
Moreover, considering the woman’s pride—the kind that would rather break than bend—Elysia had a feeling she would never confess what she had been doing that day.
“She was with me.”
She hadn’t stepped forward with any particular intention. It wasn’t out of some grand sense of goodwill, either. She simply knew something, had seen something, and stated it as fact.
She felt everyone’s eyes snap toward her. What are you looking at, you bastards… As she scowled in annoyance, people quickly turned their heads away.
Looking weary, Elysia dragged Lucian away from Siene. He shook off her hand and demanded, “With you? You two, who’ve been fighting since the first day of school?”
“I’m the one who beat you up, not her.”
As she replied nonchalantly, she felt Siene’s sharp gaze boring into the side of her face. Her expression seemed to warn, ‘Don’t you dare say it. If you do, I’ll kill you…’ She looked ready to slap her at any moment.
She hadn’t even considered pleading with her to keep her secret. Elysia was almost impressed that she could still be so feisty in a situation like this.
I can’t tell if she’s actually brave or just clueless. Elysia sighed lightly and added, “You know how it is with women’s fights. It’s like trying to cut water with a knife.”
“That’s for married couples.”
“Shut up. Anyway, she was with me until evening, so your theory that Siene Reve deliberately waited until no one was around is debunked. She’s just one of the people who visited the painting room after you left.”
“Why are you making excuses for her?”
“Hah… You frustrating bastard, did I say she’s definitely innocent? She’s still on the list of suspects! I’m just saying we can’t be sure right now!”
Despite what she thought was a rather kind explanation, he failed to calm down. She raised an eyebrow and warned in a low voice, “So let go of her, calm down, and let’s have a productive conversation. Got it?”
“Still…”
“Why can’t this bastard understand a single word I’m saying? Hah… Hey, you.”
The student she had suddenly addressed pointed at himself with an awkward finger and mouthed, ‘Me?’
Yes, you, who else? Elysia nodded and held out her hand.
“Unwrap that bundle.”
“Th-this is mine…”
“I’ll give it back, so hand it over.”
The student approached her hesitantly, placed the bundle in her hand as if a child feeding a wild animal, and then quickly scurried away backward.
It’s not like I’m going to eat you… Suppressing her unease, Elysia turned around and held it out to Siene.
“Try sticking this into the table.”
“What?!”
Siene stared in disbelief at the carving knife in her hand and then at the wooden table Elysia was pointing to. With a deadpan expression, Elysia crossed her arms, flicked her fingers, and said casually, “If you can’t do it, I can’t prove you’re not the culprit.”
“What does that mean! I don’t even know how to—”
“Hurry up.”
Fumbling, Siene gripped the carving knife clumsily and stroked the table, looking lost. Then, with a face on the verge of tears, she looked up at Elysia, who was half a head taller than her.
“I can’t. I don’t know how. I don’t know anything about sculpting.”
“Who knows? Maybe if you try with all your might, the entire universe will help you out. Just try it. Ah, and by the way, if you can’t do it, you’re getting dragged away for sure. Good luck.”
At her words, Siene’s slender fingers, completely unsuited for such a sharp tool, trembled as they forced themselves to grip the knife. The tool, held loosely in the hands of a woman who didn’t even know how to hold it properly, wobbled precariously.
Just as Siene, biting her lip with tears welling in her eyes, was about to slam the knife into the table, Lucian shot forward like a lightning bolt and knocked it out of her hand.
Seeing the carving knife clatter to the floor with a clear ring, Elysia stared at him with a look of pity.
“Are you back to your senses now?”
Lucian stared blankly at Siene’s hand.
Her movements lacked even the most basic form. The hand that held the knife’s handle like a paintbrush belonged to someone who didn’t know how to wield a weapon. If she had brought it down, her hand might have slipped and been cut by the blade.
Witnessing it firsthand, his surging anger subsided. Lucian looked quietly at Elysia, who had managed to grab him by the collar, metaphorically speaking, and drag him back to his senses after his lapse in judgment.
“You think someone with this little strength could tear a canvas? And then move it? Besides, she’s left-handed. The canvas was torn diagonally from right to left. That means it was a right-handed person.”
Standing beside her, Siene’s face flushed red and purple as she asked, “What are you? You knew I couldn’t do it and made me?”
“Of course you couldn’t. How could you?”
“But you said I’d be arrested if I couldn’t…”
“Ah, that? Just added a little spice to make things tense.”
A pair of furious pink eyes glared at her. The expression was so terrifying that even Elysia was startled and almost took a step back.
Siene pressed her eyes shut for a moment to calm her breathing, then opened them. But she couldn’t help the rage that welled up at the sight of that infuriatingly nonchalant face.
Is this woman completely insane?!