The New Semester (2)
Someone among the ancients once said that people tend to understand others well but remain blind to themselves. To that proverb, Frelia Magnus could answer with absolute certainty: I know myself perfectly, so who the hell are you to lecture me?
“No, no, no—absolutely not! It’s impossible! I really, truly can’t do it!”
When someone begged this desperately, you’d expect at least a flicker of hesitation. But the wicked merchant before her didn’t budge an inch.
“It’s fine, Lady Magnus. Once you start, things somehow work out. Tasks that seemed utterly impossible at first always turn out to be nothing special once they’re behind you. That’s just how life is.”
If only I could boldly shout back, ‘You’re barely older than me!’ her life might have taken a slightly different path. But her willpower was far too weak to stand against that devilish tongue.
“Come now, it’s alright. I won’t ask you to do anything difficult, so just relax and leave it to me.”
In the face of the silver-haired girl’s bright, beaming smile, Frelia finally broke. She nodded with the resigned attitude of someone who had given up. After all, since the head of the Magnus family—her own father—had already given permission, no amount of struggling would change anything.
Thankfully, the task they assigned her was genuinely simple. Frelia, who had assumed she would need to learn things like speech patterns, atmosphere control, or how to read an opponent’s psychology, asked several times for clarification. But the answer was always the same.
She seriously doubted whether something like this could actually deceive anyone, but what choice did she have? She would just have to do as told. Maybe after a few failures, they would give up on their own?
“Um… what do you mean by that…?”
Iris wore a troubled expression. It wasn’t the shock of having a hidden truth exposed, but rather the look of someone who had suddenly heard something completely incomprehensible.
If the speaker had been someone uncertain, merely testing the waters, this performance might have made them doubt their own judgment and think, Did I misunderstand? But Frelia simply stared at her in silence, her expression unchanging.
That gaze—looking down at a fool dancing in the palm of her hand—made Iris grit her teeth inwardly.
…I let my guard down too much!
The other party had seemed far too innocent, far too ignorant of the world. Everything had gone exactly as Iris wanted. That should have been the first warning sign.
If not for the words Frelia had just spoken, Iris would have left while still underestimating her opponent. She wouldn’t have realized it had all been an act.
And the one who had so skillfully toyed with Iris using that polished performance had now pointed it out at the very end. What else could that mean?
There were only two choices: keep pretending ignorance or quickly beg for forgiveness.
The decision didn’t take long. Iris hurriedly lowered her head.
“I’m sorry!”
She had already tried to use the other party, and now that she had been called out on it, any clumsy excuse would only invite greater anger. In times like this, it was better to raise the white flag completely and ask for mercy.
At this point, Iris hadn’t actually caused Frelia any direct harm. She would probably receive a stern lecture and a sour look, but it shouldn’t be an irreparable mistake.
…Probably.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I have no intention of blaming you. On the contrary, I find it quite admirable that you have the consideration and generosity to think of your fellow students so early in the semester. I’m truly pleased that someone like you, Lady Iris, would come to me.”
The voice that reached her ears was unexpectedly gentle. At the same time, it also sounded like this:
“Thank you… for the high praise.”
Half in relief that she had somehow gotten through it safely, and half in lamentation over how badly the situation had twisted from the very beginning due to her misjudgment, Iris let out a quiet inner sigh.
It was different from what she had originally planned in many ways, but her goal of getting closer to Frelia Magnus had been achieved. She decided she should consider this not the worst outcome. At the very least, the other party didn’t seem inclined to reject her outright. She could simply improve things step by step from here.
Watching Iris Otreang leave with a thoroughly deflated look, Frelia thought to herself:
Whoa… that actually worked.
“Excellent work, Lady Magnus! You were truly amazing!”
“No, I don’t think there’s anything to call ‘amazing’ here…”
It wasn’t modesty. There really hadn’t been anything to it. She had simply spoken normally without thinking, and after receiving the signal, she had just quietly covered her mouth with her fan and stayed silent. Mistakes only happen when you’re actually doing something. When you’re doing nothing, what is there to mess up?
But the maid standing before her—no, the girl wearing a maid’s uniform, Fiore Midas—seemed to have a different opinion. She smiled brightly.
“That very act of ‘just being normal’ is what matters. If you looked tense, wondering when the signal might come, or if you stiffened up from the pressure of having to perform something, the other party might notice.”
“Is that so…”
Since Frelia had no motivation to begin with, she had simply moved at a half-hearted pace. There was no point in arguing. She unconsciously fiddled with the cloth ornament near her neck.
Inside the ornament was a communication magic tool that had undergone several adjustments—voice modulation, noise cancellation, and so on. The other side was linked to Fiore, making it so that her words would sound like Frelia’s own.
Thanks to that, she had somehow gotten through this once. But it was still nothing more than a crude trick. Even if it could pass as setting the mood once or twice, covering her mouth with a fan every single time she said something plausible was far too suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
There would be more and more days when Fiore Midas wouldn’t be by her side. When Frelia asked about that, the answer she received was another masterpiece.
“Oh, that? After the first few times, you won’t need to use the fan anymore. Just speak naturally with your own mouth, and everyone will simply accept it as normal.”
“Isn’t that treating people like complete idiots…?”
“This sort of thing doesn’t really have much to do with individual intelligence. What matters is public opinion and image.”
The silver-haired girl said this with a bright smile, but Frelia found it impossible to accept. There was no way it would be resolved that easily.
“The wind doesn’t feel good. It might rain soon.”
“…Pardon?”
Weather forecast.
“Have you gotten used to your new home? Keeping the surroundings clean is good for your health.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Emphasis on cleanliness.
“It’s only natural to help each other in difficult times. If you’re ever struggling, please come to me.”
“Haha, if the young lady ever needs someone to rely on, please feel free to come to me as well!”
Courtesy greeting.
Frelia Magnus swore she had never once said anything particularly special. She had simply changed the subject because it felt burdensome to have someone staring at her so intently.
But then.
Why.
“Lady Frelia, just where did you obtain that information… No, it would be rude of me to press you. I look forward to receiving your advice again in the future.”
What exactly was ‘that information’? She wished they would press her so she could find out too. How was she supposed to give advice when she had no idea what they were even talking about?
“Thanks to your advice about paying attention to cleanliness, I was saved, Lady Magnus! I thought that guy Ura and I had grown close after cooperating during the entrance exam, but I never imagined he was using me to extract information about our family!”
No, when I said cleanliness, I meant your room. The physical space. Who told you to clean up your personal relationships?
“I never imagined the old royal faction had already secured this much influence within the academy…! I tried to stand with Marcel and fight back, but I only suffered a terrible defeat. So you had already foreseen that things would turn out this way, my lady. If you will have me, I wish to stand by your side from now on. No matter how powerful the Betua family may be, they would not dare carelessly touch the Magnus Marquis household!”
Aren’t you approaching a bit too quickly? And could you please stop coming while drawing the attention of dangerous people? If I have to fight against someone like Alphonse—a walking humanoid sun—I’m confident I’ll turn into a handful of ashes in an instant.
‘Wow! Amazing! You’re doing so well! Please keep it up from now on!’
‘See? I told you Lady Magnus has talent, didn’t I?’
Frelia had gone to the Midas siblings while desperately suppressing the urge to scream, but they cruelly drove her away. To make matters worse, even a handwritten letter from the Marquis Magnus himself—something she had never received even once in her entire life at the main house—was delivered to her.
What on earth was going on?
“L-Lady Frelia. If there is anything you require, please command me at any time.”
Every time some incident occurred around Frelia, Iris Otreang would jump in surprise and look shocked. But now, the intimidating aura she had shown during their first meeting was completely gone. Watching her, Frelia let out a deep sigh.
This damn world was twisted beyond all hope. There was no doubt about it.