The Rumor Mill Goes Wild
The next day, I left my room with a sense of anticipation. I could immediately tell that the academy was even more worked up than yesterday. No, it had completely lost its mind.
It was hard to tell whether this was the empire’s greatest gathering of brilliant minds or some back-alley dive bar. From the corridor leading to the cafeteria all the way through the classrooms and lounges, students clustered in groups of three or five, buzzing with gossip.
What on earth were they talking about with such fervor? The answer was obvious: the rumors about me and the Dragon race’s princess, Elteumia.
I’d tried to brush it off as the same nonsense from yesterday, but something felt off. The scale was different.
“Hey, did you hear? Yesterday, the Lethe princess apparently burst into Eros’s room crying and clung to him.”
“The word is she’s completely tamed now…! And get this—someone even overheard their conversation.”
“Yeah, I heard it too. She was begging, ‘Not there…!’ or something. Oh my god, the two of them alone in his room in broad daylight… What the hell were they doing? It’s downright obscene.”
“They say she told him, ‘So do it properly…!’ Ugh.”
Listening to the details of the rumor, I couldn’t help but think these people were utterly deranged. Was this really the kind of filth that should be circulating in an academy full of nobles?
It was so ridiculous I could only laugh bitterly.
Just yesterday, the rumors had been somewhat academy-appropriate—something about a genius making the proud Elteumia submit. Now it had twisted into a full-blown scandal of carnal lust.
And worse yet…
“How do they even know the exact dialogue?”
For some reason, fragments of the negotiation that had taken place inside my room—only bits and pieces—had leaked out with completely different implications. People’s filthy imaginations had filled in the blanks, turning speculation into accepted fact.
At this point, the person most affected, Elteumia herself, had no way to endure it. I heard that the haughty Dragon race girl had locked herself in her room since morning and refused to take a single step outside.
…Just how did this get so twisted? Why? How?
I walked down the corridor, clutching my head as the questions swirled endlessly.
Rumors naturally grow fat with embellishment. But this time, the details were far too specific and malicious. The conversation that had happened in that room should have been known only to Elteumia and me.
Only a few fragmented sentences had spread, but it was clear someone had leaked them. Who the hell would do something like that?
I was about to leave with that question burning in my mind when I overheard another group of female students chattering.
“Is that rumor really true? Who heard it? Is there actually a witness?”
“It’s legit! You know that combat department student who was standing guard outside Eros’s door yesterday?”
“Ah, the one who’s always standing there?”
“Yeah! Apparently she was muttering to herself in the hallway with this completely dazed look on her face.”
“…Really?”
“Totally! She was blushing, mumbling, then started messing up her own hair and everything!”
…What?
Wait a second. What did she just say?
My feet stopped. Without thinking, I whipped my head around and glared at the ash-gray-haired girl who was, as always, walking expressionlessly behind me.
It was you.
Lise. The mastermind behind all of this was standing right in front of me.
It was her.
She must have felt my gaze. Lise stopped walking and looked up at me. Her red eyes blinked in confusion, as if asking, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Facing that innocent expression, irritation surged up from deep inside me.
Of course. That’s why she knew details of a conversation that should never have leaked.
I’d told her to block anyone from outside. Instead, she’d eavesdropped on the conversation, completely misunderstood it, muttered about it to herself, and blown the rumor up to this insane degree?
Ah, I see. I never specifically told her not to let anything leak from inside the room. So it’s my fault… my ass!
I wanted to grab her by the collar right then and there and scream at her, demanding to know what kind of perverted demon had possessed her brain to create such filthy gossip.
At the very least, I needed to give her a piece of my mind to feel satisfied. I’d worked so hard to shed the label of a degenerate, and now she’d dragged me right back into it. It was infuriating.
But a desire was just a desire. I, Eros Brioche, didn’t have the courage to vent it openly.
I swallowed the boiling anger and let out a deep sigh.
I have to endure it. If I lose my temper here, everything I’ve built up until now will lose its meaning.
I had resolved to keep my distance from her to avoid death flags. Scolding her or making excuses would only lead to more unnecessary emotional interaction.
I couldn’t afford to revive my death flags by sharing feelings with the game’s main heroine. Besides… wasn’t the whole point of this to manipulate public opinion in the first place?
“Lise.”
“Yes?”
“Go to Princess Elteumia right now. Get the item she promised me.”
“…Pardon? Understood.”
Lise’s eyes trembled faintly for a moment. But she didn’t ask any further questions. She simply turned and walked away without a word.
I wanted to ask why she’d made that face, but… what did it matter now?
Watching her retreating back, I irritably swept my hair back and headed toward the dormitory.
Once back in my room, I sat at the desk, rested my chin on my hand, and began pondering my next move. How should I handle this? How could I use the situation to my advantage? Most importantly, how could I escape the stigma of being a degenerate?
How much time had passed?
There was a knock, and the door opened as Lise entered. In her arms was a wooden box engraved with luxurious patterns.
“I have brought it.”
“…No way. She actually gave it to you.”
I shot up from my seat without realizing it. Honestly, I’d been only half convinced. No matter how urgent the situation was for her honor… I hadn’t expected her to hand over something so precious so easily.
In my haste, I practically snatched the box from Lise’s arms.
I set it on the table, flipped open the latch, and the room was instantly filled with a heavy, bloody scent and an aura thick with mana. Inside was a pile of herbs glowing with a faint red light.
“…Holy shit. It’s real.”
A gasp of awe escaped me involuntarily.
Even after seeing the contents with my own eyes, I could hardly believe it. What exactly was Dragon Blood Grass?
It was a family treasure from the Lethe Ducal House—praised as pure-blooded dragons within Dragonis Kingdom, the first nation of the other races. They treated it like an elixir, consumed by direct descendants to aid their growth. A miraculous herb impossible to obtain on the open market.
Wow. She must have been really desperate.
Either she was terrified of being tainted by my infamous reputation, or she was simply a sheltered fool who didn’t understand the ways of the world. Either way, it was a blessing for me.
With this, I can raise my circle.
At my core, I was a mage who used mana, not aura. Seeing Dragon Blood Grass—said to be especially effective for mages among all elixirs—made my heart race.
I closed the box and thought carefully. The fact that I possessed Dragon Blood Grass must never be known to anyone, especially influential nobles.
Even with Lise watching, I didn’t care. I opened a hidden space deep beneath the bed and stashed the box inside. Then I stood up and straightened my clothes.
“…Lise.”
“Yes?”
“You must never, ever speak of this to anyone. Understood?”
“…Pardon? Yes, of course.”
“Never.”
“Yes. Do not worry.”
…As if I could trust her not to worry me.
“…Sigh.”
I let out a small sigh, opened the door, and stepped outside.
Since the princess had paid the price, it was only right that I deliver results.
The moment I entered the plaza, every student’s gaze snapped toward me. Their eyes were a chaotic mix of reverence, disgust, and curiosity.
I ignored their stares and walked slowly. I was looking for the right person when it happened.
Whether by coincidence or by the princess’s design, a sharp-featured man wearing a third-year magic department uniform blocked my path. The brooch on his chest suggested he was the heir of a fairly prestigious noble family.
“Eros Brioche!!”
He immediately raised his voice, pointing at me with a flushed face.
“Yes?”
“Are you truly a noble?! How can a person do such a thing?!”
“What exactly did I do?”
I asked back with an expression of perfect ignorance.
“Don’t play dumb! How dare you… to Her Highness Princess Elteumia! The entire academy knows! To turn someone of Dragonis’s noble blood into a victim of your filthy lust—you are a disgrace to the empire!”
Several people around him nodded in agreement at his passionate speech.
Haha. Their attitudes sure flip fast.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“What?”
“It is true that the princess came to my room. However, it was not for any vulgar or base reason.”
“Nonsense! When there are witnesses!”
“It was an academic discussion regarding Moving Casting. That is all.”
“…”
“The princess had deep questions about the principles of Moving Casting. Despite her exalted status, she could not suppress her pure academic passion and curiosity for the truths of magic. That is why she personally visited my room.”
“Academic… passion?”
“Exactly. I told her I would never teach her, but she persistently sought me out. In truth, seeing her sincerity and passion for magic—her willingness to bow her head before the pursuit of truth—left me deeply moved.”
I placed a hand over my heart and did my best to look profoundly touched. Then I looked at the man before me.
“Yet you, senior, are slandering that pure and noble intention as nothing more than vulgar lust. Are you not ashamed?”
The crowd began to murmur. The senior’s face turned bright red.
What if Eros is telling the truth?
What if we misunderstood?
Amid the whispering, the senior finally lost control and shouted in rage.
“You despicable—! Don’t deceive everyone!”
He completely lost his reason and exploded with anger. The moment he reached out toward me—
“Step back.”
With the sound of air being sliced, ash-gray hair filled my vision.
“Ugh?!”
Lise was standing in front of me, pressing the sheathed sword against the senior’s chest.
The senior, overwhelmed by an inexplicable pressure, shouted in confusion.
“What is your relationship with Eros Brioche that you would interfere?! If you have nothing to do with this, then stay out of it!”
“…”
Lise paused at his question, seemingly deep in thought.
…? Was that such a difficult question?
Couldn’t she just say guard, escort, or knight? It was that simple.
But when she finally spoke the conclusion she had reached after careful deliberation, I genuinely wondered if she was insane. No, what the hell was wrong with this woman?
“I was told… I am his exclusive maid for relieving his desires.”
“…?!”
“Hey, hey! Lise!!”
“Yes? Ah, but I am also in charge of his protection…”
“Shut up.”
“Pardon?”
“I said shut up.”
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
…I’m screwed.