An Unexpected Encounter
My mind fell into a strange state the moment I recognized Bellard Berwen. Conflicting emotions were crashing into each other—discomfort and a faint sense of fondness.
The discomfort came from the body. From Kyle. Even though I wasn’t Kyle, I was still using his body. From that perspective, there was no way I could feel any warmth toward the guy. He was the son of the woman my father had an affair with, and the one who had stolen the position of the next Berwen family head that should have been mine. There was no chance I’d look at him favorably. On top of that, I had spent nearly half my life being compared to him. That only made it worse.
On the other hand, I felt a slight sense of familiarity. Because Bellard Berwen was one of the characters I had used most often while playing Elion.
Bellard Berwen. In simple terms, he was an all-rounder character. Due to his inherently difficult personality, he started off as a villain in the early stages. But depending on how you progressed, you could recruit him as an ally and even add him to your party. Once he joined your side, he became an incredibly useful and reliable companion.
His greatest strength was, of course, his background as a member of the Berwen family. A house with both wealth and power that ranked among the top across the entire continent—not just the Empire—could smooth out the party’s financial troubles from the very beginning. He could also use his influence to remove external pressure or open routes that would normally be impossible to access.
But if that had been all, I wouldn’t have used him so frequently. Bellard’s second advantage was his raw performance. He wasn’t just born with a good background; his personal specs were outstanding too. Whether it was martial arts or magic, he possessed exceptional talent in both. He could learn almost any skill. In a single phrase, he was an ‘all-rounder.’ Add another word and he was a ‘performance monster.’ In both background and ability, he was one of the superior versions of Charlotte. Strictly speaking, his magic was slightly weaker than his martial arts, but even that was outstanding by normal standards.
Because of that solid performance, experienced players often favored him. I had been one of those players, which was why seeing his face brought me that small flicker of fondness. It felt like running into a character I had used to death in real life.
However.
Unlike me, it seemed the emotions he held toward me were entirely one-sided. And blatantly negative, at that. The look on his face as he stared at me could only be described as contempt. Not even the slightest trace of positive feeling could be seen. Even though we shared the same blood—albeit from different mothers—and had lived under the same family roof for quite a long time.
Well, that much I had expected.
No sense of rivalry, either.
The thought crossed my mind for a moment, but I quickly understood. There was no reason for him to feel competitive. The succession had already been decided in his favor long ago, and our abilities were so far apart that there had never been any real contest. He probably never even had the chance to feel rivalry toward me.
Most likely, the complete absence of positive feelings came from Kyle’s behavior. After being pushed out of the line of succession, Kyle had gone on a rampage that could hardly be called mere debauchery. It was a nonstop parade of utter degeneracy. To someone who valued noble dignity as much as Bellard did, it must have looked utterly pathetic.
Of course.
Not from this body’s perspective.
If it were the real Kyle, he would have felt wronged. He would have thought, Who the hell does this guy think he is, stealing my spot and then looking at me like that? I didn’t completely agree with that sentiment, but since I was borrowing Kyle’s body, I couldn’t exactly look at him kindly either.
There’s also something suspicious about it.
The traces left in this body couldn’t have occurred naturally. Which meant someone had injected this body with poison or a curse. I considered Bellard—or his mother—the prime suspect. These kinds of things always required a motive, after all. Who stood to gain the most from Kyle’s body growing weaker and his talent deteriorating? Bellard and his mother. That was why I strongly suspected the pair of them.
Well, it’s only a hunch for now.
I had no evidence. And even if I did, I lacked the power to press the matter. So for now, I couldn’t interrogate him or show any sign of suspicion.
I let Bellard’s words go in one ear and out the other. They were irritating, but I couldn’t afford to clash with him right now.
Fortunately, Bellard’s lecture didn’t last long. It seemed he had only come to deliver a brief warning. After leaving those final words, he turned and walked away immediately.
Once Bellard was gone, I started moving again, wiping his existence from my mind. But I hadn’t taken many steps before I had to stop once more.
“Ah.”
Because I had run into a familiar face.
It seemed he had spotted me too. The strikingly handsome young man widened his eyes slightly when he saw me, then approached and spoke.
Elion flashed a smile so radiant it could make countless girls’ hearts flutter. It wasn’t an exaggeration. The eyes of everyone around us were already locked onto his face. Just from this scene alone, it was obvious he would become one of the Academy’s most famous figures before long. Looking at the girls staring at him in a daze, it was as clear as day.
Of course, that only applied to the girls. The boys’ gazes toward Elion were far less kind. But that wasn’t particularly important.
“Yeah, hey.”
I simply nodded calmly in greeting. I wasn’t the type to respond warmly, and I had no intention of doing so right now anyway.
…Still.
It’s the same as before.
Looking into Elion’s eyes, I muttered to myself. It hadn’t been long since the entrance ceremony, but there was no way he hadn’t heard the rumors about me. I—well, Kyle—was probably one of the most talked-about people in the entire Academy. Yet there was no change in Elion’s gaze. None of the negative emotions others usually showed when they looked at me were present. If anything, I could feel a sense of goodwill.
Just as I had expected. He possessed exactly the kind of character one would expect from the protagonist. And the more I felt that, the stronger my sympathy for him grew.
I’ll definitely help you.
Even if I couldn’t solve everything that was going to happen to him, I would do my best to support him. I was renewing that resolve when—
A clear, beautiful voice reached my ears. When I turned my head, I saw a familiar face. It was Charlotte. Wearing the Academy uniform, she gave me a small, polite bow.
“…Mm. Yeah.”
I hesitated for a brief moment but gave her a similar response to the one I had given Elion. Even though she was a princess, this was inside the Academy and I was her senior. At this point, I had no choice but to speak casually to her.
Anyway.
They seem to be getting along well.
Seeing the two of them together, it looked like they had properly become friends. In the game, Charlotte was the first person the protagonist formed a connection with, and they stuck together afterward. It was following the exact same flow I remembered.
Additionally, Charlotte’s gaze toward me hadn’t changed much from before. I secretly nodded, thinking once again what an excellent personality she had, when—
Charlotte suddenly said those words.
Repay me.
Now that she mentions it.
There was no need to think deeply. She was referring to what happened on the train. She had said the same thing back then—that she would repay me later.
I hadn’t been thinking about it at all.
I had completely forgotten. After all, I had never intended to accept anything in return. I hadn’t done it expecting repayment, and I had my own reasons for helping. There was no need to accept anything.
I was about to refuse immediately when—
…Wait a second.
I froze. I had suddenly remembered my current situation. My funds were nearly gone. I didn’t have money for tuition or dormitory fees. In a little while, I would even have to worry about food expenses. And now, a princess of an entire nation was offering to repay me.
Isn’t this… an opportunity?
Even if Charlotte’s circumstances were a bit special compared to ordinary royalty, she was still a member of the royal family. If she used the word “repay,” she surely wouldn’t plan to brush it off with a trivial amount. She would probably offer a proper reward. If I asked for it in money, I could likely receive a considerable sum. Enough to not have to worry about tuition or living expenses for quite some time.
Yes. This was an opportunity. I should accept the repayment. I’d ask for money.
Having made up my mind, I opened my mouth—
“……”
—and stopped again. My thoughts had reached Elion, who was standing right there. Elion had a strong sense of justice by nature. He seemed to hold goodwill toward me for now, but there was no guarantee that would last forever. If I asked Charlotte for repayment right in front of him, his opinion of me might drop. From Elion’s perspective, helping someone in danger was only natural. Receiving compensation for doing something that should be taken for granted wouldn’t look good at all.
Of course, it probably wouldn’t reach the level of outright hatred, but the mere possibility that my evaluation could decrease was a problem.
…Sigh.
After thinking it over for a long time, I decided to give up on receiving money. However, I couldn’t just throw away such a good opportunity entirely. So the choice I made was—
Elion’s eyes widened in surprise. Then he began examining me with a serious expression. The reaction was stronger than I had anticipated, so I quickly added,
“No, it’s not that serious. Just a bit off, that’s all.”
I couldn’t reveal the true state of this body here. Even though I was walking around normally, my condition was still quite serious. If these two found out about it, I would undoubtedly be dragged straight to the Academy’s infirmary. And I would receive a diagnosis saying I needed treatment for a very long time. That couldn’t happen. I had things I needed to do, and if I caused a scene like that, it would only give the Academy and various other parties ammunition against me.
Elion asked, his eyes dripping with worry. I nodded and answered,
“Yeah. I haven’t been sleeping well lately, either.”
I kept my tone as calm as possible.
Elion still looked somewhat doubtful, but he eventually nodded.
Charlotte, who had been watching me closely, spoke up. I told her my dormitory location and room number, then left the area.
This should be fine.
It had been an unexpected encounter with an unexpected result, but it wasn’t bad. No, it was actually quite good. As I had thought earlier, there was no way Charlotte—a member of the royal family—would send some cheap potion you could buy off the street as repayment. She would probably send something quite decent, and that would be a tremendous help to me in my current state.
Carrying that sense of satisfaction with me, I quickened my steps toward the dormitory.