Breaking Noble Noses (2)
The infirmary door had barely closed behind him when Roy’s scream echoed down the hallway.
“KRRRRAAAAAAGHHHH!!!! I will never forgive you!!! This humiliation—I will never forget it, EVER!!!!”
The target feels profound humiliation.
Yeah, that’s about what I expected.
I’d made sure my remaining points were at zero before trying it, just in case. No real damage done.
Was I worried about Roy’s grudge?
Not really. His opinion of me was already trash anyway.
Besides, I’d rather have him screaming curses like a normal person than whispering behind my back in that typical romance-fantasy double-speak. This felt way healthier.
Things are starting to feel a little more normal around here.
It was as if one layer of the cloying romance-fantasy filter that had been draped over Astra Radius had finally peeled away.
Who knows? By the time I graduate, the academy might actually be completely normalized.
Still, this is going to limit my behavior a bit.
Right now it didn’t matter because I’d burned through a thousand points in one go, but later I’d need to save up tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands. I’d eventually want to buy end-game weapons that only appear in the late stages of the game.
If I had to hoard points like that, would I really have to watch every single word I said?
First Use & Activation
Objective:
・Use 1 item
・Activate 1 skill
Oh?
Category: Trait Support
・Point Protection (30 points)
・Next Praise Recommendation (300 points)
(…)
So it’s a category that supports and enhances traits.
Perfect. That was exactly what I needed right now.
Finding praise targets was manageable for the moment, but having a skill that recommended them would be incredibly useful later.
While I was browsing the shop, a female student approached me.
“Gilliam Everchess.”
Sharp, fastidious eyes. It was one of the supporting characters—Shupi Valie, a noble girl.
She wasn’t a major heroine, just an NPC resident from the open-world mode.
“That was impressive. I never imagined you’d defeat Roy Edgers so easily. I’m dying to know how you did it. Would you care to join me at the party later and tell me all about it?”
“Party?”
“Oh my, you really didn’t know?”
Shupi’s eyes narrowed into sly crescents.
“It’s a social gathering for the new students. No upperclassmen allowed—just this year’s freshmen. Naturally, only nobles are invited.”
A noble party straight out of a romance-fantasy novel.
I could already picture the exhausting, nonsensical power struggles and roundabout verbal fencing.
“The invitation…”
Wait a second.
A freshman welcoming party on the very first day of the academy?
A beautiful girl sitting alone in the center of the room. No one dares approach her, as if they’re all afraid.
“Sure. I’ll be there.”
There was someone I needed to meet right away.
Besides, I already knew exactly how this party was supposed to play out.
“Ah, of course you’ll be bringing a female partner, yes?”
Shupi’s gaze slid up and down Marong.
“…”
Marong looked away. Her irises darkened into a gloomy indigo.
Going to the party with Liam…
She hated parties. Nothing good ever came from them.
But.
If it was with Liam, maybe… maybe it would be okay.
The problem was—
If I go with him, I’ll only be a burden. I’d cause him nothing but trouble.
Still… still.
Didn’t Liam have no one else to ask?
So many shocking things had happened in a row that she’d almost forgotten, but today was still only the first day of the academy.
It was common sense that freshmen had to attend the party in male-female pairs.
That meant Liam must have already considered who he would go with before accepting the invitation.
And since the only girl he knew was her, it was basically the same as already being invited—
“Can’t I just go alone?”
The light vanished from Marong’s eyes.
Even Shupi, who had clearly come looking for a fight, was visibly shaken by the statement.
“Y-you’re going to attend the party… alone?”
“Yeah.”
“No, you can’t just say ‘yeah’ and—ha, hahaha…”
Shupi barely managed to keep her composure from completely shattering.
So this is what it feels like when it happens to you…
She finally understood why Roy Edgers had lost all noble dignity and started screaming.
Attending a party alone?
What kind of absurd nonsense was that?
“…Very well. I shall inform everyone that Gilliam will be attending tonight’s party alone. That is acceptable, yes?”
So? What are you going to do about it?
“Sure. Thanks.”
“…”
Shupi felt a migraine coming on.
“R-right. See you later, then.”
She was absolutely not running away.
This was a strategic retreat.
Whispers began spreading among the various groups.
What does he even want…?
How did he do that earlier?
He crushed Roy Edgers and then provoked him like that.
We can’t just ignore him…
Should I try to meet him separately while I still can?
Meanwhile, the person in question—
Thanks for the invite.
—had absolutely no thoughts on the matter.
Well, he had thoughts, but none of them were related to the party.
I need to start investing in stats soon. Gilliam’s stats are definitely all F-rank, right?
How could he get stronger?
How could he get stronger efficiently and quickly?
“U-um…”
“Hm?”
When he turned, Marong was fidgeting like she had something to say.
“You’re… you’re really not going to the party with anyone?”
“Yeah, I’m really going alone.”
“!?”
In truth, he had wanted to take Marong.
But a hardcore introvert like her would probably have a panic attack the moment she stepped near the venue.
Did she actually consider going with me for my sake?
How admirable. As expected of a 5-star heroine. She really does follow the protagonist around.
Well, I’m technically the villain, but whatever.
The old Gilliam the villain was dead.
From now on, he’d live like the protagonist. Even if this was a subculture open-world game instead of a romance-fantasy.
“G-Gilliam Everchess.”
Why was she suddenly calling him so formally?
“Then… I suppose you’ll be eating lunch alone starting tomorrow?”
“What are you talking about?”
If he did that, he’d probably end up seeing Marong sneaking into the teacher’s bathroom with a sandwich again.
“Let’s keep eating together. If you don’t mind, that is.”
Marong’s eyes sparkled, turning a brilliant crimson.
“Yes! Th-then that’s perfect!”
What exactly was perfect?
Well, her mood seemed to have recovered, so it didn’t really matter.
Someone nearby whispered.
“So that’s the rumored Hwanranseong…”
“Shh, she’ll hear you.”
Subculture games usually had one central theme running through them.
In Astra Radius, that theme was stars.
And Hwanranseong—the Star of Brilliant Chaos—was the name of the star tied to Marong’s destiny.
If she walked the right path, she would become the witch who saved the world.
If she strayed, she would become the witch who destroyed it.
“Hehe…”
The 5-star introverted heroine smiled awkwardly, as if she was used to being talked about behind her back.
By the time I arrived at the hall being used for the evening party, the event was already in full swing.
“He really came alone…?”
“What is he even thinking…?”
Not only that, he was still wearing his academy uniform.
“How uncouth…”
“The Everchess degenerate, as expected.”
“…But was he always this kind of degenerate?”
The whispers spread, but Gilliam paid them no attention. He was looking for one specific person.
Ah, there she is.
Just as described in the original work—a girl sitting alone even in the middle of the freshman social party.
Although she was a new student like everyone else, no one dared approach her.
They couldn’t.
Golden hair.
A beautiful yet cold, expressionless face.
The Second Princess, Eletra Kshantias.
Found her.
My living hidden piece.
Of the thousand praise points I’d saved, five hundred had been spent crushing Roy.
The remaining five hundred had been poured entirely into a consumable item.
A rare medicinal white petal. Capable of reviving a spirit creature once.
If I gave this to Eletra, the princess would become my living hidden piece.
“Hold it.”
A large male student blocked my path as I approached Princess Eletra.
“What business do you have?”
“I have business with Her Highness, Princess Eletra.”
“You? Gilliam Everchess?”
Princess Eletra, who had looked thoroughly bored until now, lifted her head at the mention of my name.
Curiosity flickered in her sapphire eyes.
The notoriety of being the Everchess degenerate actually helps in times like this.
“Gilliam Everchess, know your place.”
“…And you are?”
I’d asked genuinely because I didn’t know, but the male student’s neck bulged with veins.
Why is he so angry? He doesn’t even look like her bodyguard.
Tsk.
This was annoying.
Just as I thought, romance-fantasy parties really weren’t my thing.
“Your Highness.”
From the male student’s blind spot, I slid an envelope containing Shindras’s Petal across the table. It glided smoothly and tapped against Eletra’s hand.
“…It seems words alone won’t get through to you.”
The male student ground his teeth, preparing to deliver physical discipline to this insolent degenerate.
“What disrespect are you showing to Her Highness—”
“Wait!”
Princess Eletra, who had opened the envelope, shot up from her seat in a hurry.
“Take your hands off that man!”
“Y-Your Highness?”
The student who had been pestering Eletra all evening looked stunned, but her attention was focused solely on Gilliam.
She personally shoved the frozen male student aside and walked straight up to Gilliam. Her sapphire-blue eyes sparkled brilliantly.
“How did you know I desperately needed this!?”
Every single person in the party hall turned their eyes toward Gilliam.
Toward the man who had suddenly appeared and instantly monopolized the princess’s attention.