Chapter 108: Academy Romance Manipulation Team (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Academy Romance Manipulation Team (3)
I was momentarily flustered, but I didn't let it show.
In these situations, isn't the typical development of a novel for the protagonist to mess up out of embarrassment and get called a pervert?
Besides, while I didn't remember Boradori ever specifying exactly which platform the original work was serialized on, I could be certain of one thing based on the stories she’d told me.
It definitely wasn't Novelpia.
If so, there was a very high probability the original was from the Yellow House. If not there, then the Green House.
RoFan isn't an easy genre in the "Moon Village," and if the developments Boradori described had actually happened there, the readers would have been spitting blood in rage.
If Boradori’s testimony about the original work's popularity wasn't a lie, then my theory had to be correct.
And whether it was the Yellow House or the Green House… they wouldn't be able to take an overtly R-18 route.
Even if the RoFan genre is a bit—no, a lot—more lenient regarding maturity ratings compared to other genres!
Even if this wasn't the world of a novel but reality!
If the "RoFan force" existed, wouldn't the platform's "suppressor" exist as well?
Therefore, that word couldn't have been what I thought it was.
There are plenty of words that end with that sound.
If you think of a typical RoFan-style line, there’s "kiss."
Even if it wasn't that, there were plenty of other words like "fitness" or "chess."
So, this was clearly a Trap of Resonance—no, a trap set by the Princess!
"Just jump him! You say she can't win? It’s fine. I’ll do the legwork in advance and slip him some medicine...!"
So, that line must also just be a misunderstanding.
"Don't worry. I told you. Father and Mother are both on Sister's side! We just need to make it a fait accompli, and everything will take care of itself..."
So, those words must surely be filtered through the lewd demon living in my head.
...For some reason, the Fire Spammer and Senior Loreliya were flushing red and couldn't say a word, but this was all just a misunderstanding...
"Just provide the location. Then I'll use the royal family's secret magic to create a spatial barrier—a 'Room You Can't Leave Without Having Sex'—and complete the setup..."
Holy shit.
It wasn't the lewd demon inside me.
Why was the word "sex" coming out of the mouth of a foreign princess—someone I just met today, no less?
I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I’d had a similar thought before, which only added to my confusion.
"I told you not to worry so much! No matter how much of a dense, clueless bastard Arwen is, he’s not the type to lack a sense of responsibility. Actually, it doesn't even matter if he doesn't have any. If it comes to that, I'll just have him kicked out of the royal family..."
"T-There's no need to go that far..."
"No! A bastard with no sense of responsibility like that should be kicked out for the sake of the royal family's honor! So!"
Seeing Princess Ruelle quickly suppress the Fire Spammer's opinion, I quietly curled up in a corner.
I couldn't bring myself to offer an opinion because the Confucian Dragon inside me hadn't died yet.
"B-But..."
"Sister! Both you and my brother are adults. To begin with, everyone who enters the Imperial Academy is an adult, except for a few ridiculous geniuses, right? Sex isn't a bad thing. Rather, it's a noble act of creating new life..."
...I see. Is this why Uncle Aeryun and Boradori ran away?
Was this the wisdom of age...? No, definitely not.
Dammit, who could have predicted this?
Fortunately, the development where the Confucian Dragon sleeping inside me fully awakened did not occur.
It wasn't because Princess Ruelle came to her senses and realized what nonsense she was spouting.
"I... I absolutely can't do it..."
It was simply because the Fire Spammer's life force had hit zero.
"Actually, I knew it wouldn't work."
After sending away the Fire Spammer, who had shriveled up so much she was practically as limp as a slime, Princess Ruelle—who had been passionately shouting about sex just moments ago—spoke while elegantly sipping her coffee as if nothing had happened.
"If she had that kind of courage, things wouldn't have ended up like this."
"......"
"......"
"......"
"G-Give me some kind of reaction! I'm embarrassed too, you know!"
Princess Ruelle shouted, but none of us could say a word.
"Fortunately, you still have a sense of shame left."
"Erika?!"
Instead, Ruelle's guardian, who had returned after escorting the Fire Spammer, said exactly what we were all thinking.
"No matter the circumstances, for a princess of a nation to say 'se—' in the presence of a man..."
"Anyone listening would think it's some forbidden word from a blacklisted book! Why can't I call sex 'sex'!"
"...The reputation of the Dale royal family is being demolished by these siblings."
At Erika's lamenting words as she squeezed her eyes shut, Princess Ruelle cleared her throat and spoke.
"Ahem! T-This was all just a strategic decision. Think about it. If I had put her in there and told her to just kiss him from the start, do you think Marie would have been able to do it?"
"Hmm..."
"It would have been difficult."
At those words, Senior Loreliya and I had no choice but to nod.
Honestly, I couldn't imagine the words "P-Please make it a kiss!" ever coming out of that Fire Spammer's mouth.
"Demanding something much harder than the actual goal to gain a psychological advantage in negotiations—that's the absolute basic of basics."
"......"
Ahem.
Suppressing Erika, who looked like she wanted to say something, with another cough, Princess Ruelle looked at Senior Loreliya and me.
"Just to be clear, I'm not defending her just because she's family. I'm just being honest, so please don't misunderstand."
She took a sip of her coffee, let out a deep sigh, and began to speak her true feelings.
"Honestly, Marie is partly to blame for things turning out like this. No, honestly, she's a big part of it!"
...I couldn't deny that.
"Since I heard you already know everything, I'll just say it! The connection between that bastard brother of mine and Marie started even before she became his guardian."
"There are families that produce guardians, but not just anyone can become one."
Erika added to Princess Ruelle's words. Her tone and expression were full of pride.
"If you say that yourself..."
Princess Ruelle looked at Erika with an exasperated expression.
"It's called self-promotion."
Erika said this and began to explain what kind of position a Guardian of Dale was... or rather, she just started bragging.
"Guardians are usually paired with those of a similar age, but that's not always the case. Literally, they are beings who protect the existence of the royal family. If their ability is lacking, a guardian might come from another family. If there's truly no talent available, a previous guardian might serve for two generations."
"Yes, yes, you're great. Anyway. Being chosen as a guardian isn't based purely on talent. Talent is the baseline, but skill is also crucial."
"Therefore, to be chosen as a guardian, one must be at least fifteen and have their minimum magic proficiency recognized."
Since that "minimum standard" was the standard of the Dale royal family—the so-called Kingdom of Mages—it was likely anything but easy.
In fact, according to Erika, only those truly gifted in Dale pass at fifteen. Usually, people can only pass once they turn twenty.
"For the record, I passed at seventeen."
"Marie passed at fifteen."
"Then please replace me with Lady Marie as your guardian."
"If only I could."
"......!"
Ignoring Erika, who had collapsed from the shock of her own words, Princess Ruelle continued to explain just how advantageous a position the Fire Spammer had been in.
"They were childhood friends. She had the talent, so she was naturally recognized as a guardian. She suffered while putting up with my brother's nonsense, so he even felt a bit of a debt toward her. Naturally, not just my parents, but everyone in the royal family assumed those two would get married later!"
It seemed that not only the King and Queen of Dale but also the other princes and princesses never doubted that the two would end up together.
That was why, when the Prince said he was going to the Imperial Academy, they naturally sent the Fire Spammer with him...
"But then, suddenly! In a report covered in tear stains! That bastard brother of mine...!"
Princess Ruelle's breathing became ragged.
Just thinking about that time seemed to make her dizzy, and she even showed signs of hyperventilation.
"Haah. Haah. Whew. So. There was a huge uproar over whether to kill the bastard or not, but let's set that aside for now."
...That's not really something you just "set aside," but let's go with it.
"Anyway, even after things reached that point, seeing Sister act like that... does it make me angry or not!"
"You are quite openly expressing your anger."
"Shut up, Erika!"
"You always pick on me..."
Contrary to her words, it seemed to be a calculated move, as Erika's expression remained unfazed. Surprisingly, Princess Ruelle seemed to have calmed down a bit.
"Phew. Anyway. It's not like Sister is that young anymore. It's time to reach a conclusion."
She was right.
If the Fire Spammer were just an ordinary noble lady, the royal family would have supported her even if she didn't end up with the Magic Spammer. But the Fire Spammer wasn't just a guardian; she was someone who had learned the royal family's secret magic.
"If necessary, we might even process her adoption into the royal family..."
The fact that such words were being said suggested they thought very highly of the Fire Spammer. Was that why she could make jokes about putting them in a room to have sex?
"...In my heart, I just want to go with the original plan and throw them in there."
"......"
It seemed it wasn't a joke.
"But still. Since she promised to try this time."
As if she were stepping back just this once.
"So, I'm counting on you."
...No, seeing her grit her teeth as if she were barely holding back.
"Yes, ma'am."
"L-Leave it to us."
Senior Loreliya and I decided to grant our cute(?) junior's request.
Was it because a Korean author wrote this?
Or had the Empire just given up?
Not long ago, a famous villain and a demon had appeared at the cathedral—even if it wasn't inside the Academy itself. Yet, preparations for the upcoming midterm exams were in full swing.
The problem was that from the second year onwards, the exams focused on practical skills rather than lab work. Furthermore, those practicals weren't simple duels between students like in the first year, but something closer to actual combat.
"I heard that during the next class, we're going to a temporary dungeon on the mountain behind the Academy."
"We can prepare the magic there in advance, then."
The plan for the "Room You Can't Leave Without Kissing"—not the S-word—was being prepared much faster than expected.
"First, the official in charge of that area has been bribed."
"That is the proper attitude of a noble, Senior!"
At Senior Loreliya's words, Princess Ruelle clapped. The Senior looked at me with an expression that asked if this was really okay, but I just sighed and shook my head.
Right now, Princess Ruelle was just losing her mind, caught between a sibling hit by a RoFan Death Beam and a frustratingly passive close friend caught in the crossfire.
...It wasn't for our country, but for the sake of the innocent citizens of Dale—even if our nations were like cats and dogs—we had to do this.
"Great. Then if we go in early and prepare the magic...!"
And so, until the day before the exam, they seemed to have been sneaking into the temporary dungeon to set up the magic circle.
"Is this it?"
On the day of the exam, I looked at the prepared magic circle in admiration, but...
"What is this?"
"Isn't it a magic circle?"
"I know that, but..."
At Princess Ruelle's words as she stood there with a bunch of supplies.
"I didn't make this."
"Ugh, those damn dark mages!"
We could immediately tell whose magic circle it was.