Conflicts
The original novel of the world I now inhabit is titled The Empire's Strongest Are Obsessed With Me. As the title suggests, it is a story about an ordinary yet beautiful girl who enters the Academy and begins to attract the obsessive attention of the Empire's most prominent men. Though calling her "ordinary" feels somewhat mismatched, she is undeniably beautiful.
Setting that aside, while male-oriented fantasy academy stories might feature grand battles, this romance fantasy does not. Nor are there any massive incidents within the Academy itself. If I had to name one minor event, it would be the female students growing jealous of Silvia and attempting to ostracize her. Even that would be swiftly handled by the three male leads before it escalated, so it was nothing I needed to concern myself with.
"Haaam…."
In short, it meant I could enjoy a comfortable, peaceful isekai life without worrying about any threats. This was a world with knights and magic, and since I possessed talent, I could train as I pleased. As the second son of a count's family with a good relationship with my elder brother, there was no need to fight over succession. Could there be an easier life than this? Money would flow endlessly from the count's household, and I had no intention of idling away after learning swordsmanship. All I had to do was leisurely study at the Academy while watching Silvia and the male leads' love story unfold. At the same time, I could find a partner of my own.
By the way, when was that other one supposed to appear again? As I briefly recalled the boy known as the next Hero, I rubbed my gritty eyes and pushed the thought away. Perhaps due to fatigue, my mind felt sluggish.
"I'm tired."
After finishing another grueling training session and heading back to the dormitory, I gazed blankly at the sky. The sun had long since set, leaving only a dark sky and faintly twinkling stars. Staring absentmindedly at a sky I rarely saw in my previous life brought memories of that past rushing back.
What had become of me in the previous world? Most transmigrations like this happened after some trigger or death, but nothing of the sort had occurred to me. I had read plenty of novels, though I preferred well-regarded ones rather than obscure ones. I rarely left comments, so I had never posted malicious ones either. Had I died? I did not think so. There had been no signs at all. Of course, sudden death was still a possibility.
'……I don't know.'
Since dwelling on it would change nothing, I cleanly erased the thought and continued toward the dormitory. I held no lingering attachment to my previous life. If anything, I had secretly longed for this kind of isekai transfer. It would have been better if it were a male-oriented fantasy rather than a romance, but that was a minor issue. For now, I would simply live each day to the fullest.
@ The Academy was a place where seventeen-year-old boys and girls gathered at the peak of their youth. In this world, people held their coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen, so these students could be considered on the threshold of adulthood. Because of that, incidents that never reached outside ears occurred relatively often. Even if they had reached adulthood, their minds were still those of children.
Perhaps for that reason, the Academy strictly separated the male and female dormitories. At the same time, it tightly regulated relationships between the sexes. Of course, even these internal rules had loopholes depending on who was involved.
"……What's wrong, Leon?"
At an hour when all students should have been in their rooms due to curfew, Silvia asked Leonhardt, who had used his status as the Third Prince to pull her out of her room. Leonhardt stared at her while desperately suppressing his boiling emotions.
Leonhardt, the Empire's Third Prince. Selfish and self-centered, he had used his power and status since childhood to obtain whatever he desired. Of course, this was only possible because his half-brother, the Second Prince, and the First Princess had tacitly turned a blind eye. Unaware of this, Leonhardt believed the world revolved around him. As a result, his personality grew increasingly twisted.
He had to possess anything he wanted, whether object or person. To Leonhardt, Silvia was the most captivating person he had ever encountered. She was beautiful. No jewel, no renowned dancer of the Empire, no beauty of any kind could compare to her. He could not even bring himself to make the comparison. Her beauty was simply unparalleled.
It was not only Leonhardt who recognized this fact—everyone did. That was why they all desired her and spared no effort in courting her. Yet Silvia accepted no one's advances. Seeing this, Leonhardt believed he was the only one allowed to remain by her side. The radiant one whom everyone wanted, yet no one could have. The one who would possess her would be him alone. Therefore, he could not help but feel enraged.
"Leon…?"
Watching his twitching expression, Silvia called out to him again with an uneasy look.
"Why won't you listen to me?"
"……What do you mean?"
Silvia blinked and replied to Leonhardt's voice, which barely contained his anger. Knowing his personality and still remembering their previous argument, she feigned composure, determined not to yield control to him.
"I clearly told you not to get involved with that guy anymore."
At her calm demeanor, Leonhardt ground his teeth and spoke.
"You mean Felice?"
"Yes, that guy who confessed to you without knowing his place."
Even Leonhardt did not go around threatening every male student who confessed to Silvia. He was far too busy for such pointless actions. Moreover, he was confident that the others were no match for him. Only one person had ever truly gotten under his skin: Cain, the second son of a duke. The man who wanted Silvia just like him, yet refused to leave her side while pretending to help her. Cain, with his unshakable background that did not even flinch at Leonhardt's status, was an extremely troublesome existence.
And now, another troublesome person had appeared before Leonhardt: Felice van Astria. When he first heard that the second son of Count Astria had confessed to Silvia, Leonhardt had not paid it much mind. As always, Silvia had rejected him, so he assumed Felice would no longer concern himself with her. The problem was that reality had diverged from his expectations. Silvia had indeed rejected Felice's confession. Yet afterward, for some reason, she had grown close to him. Leonhardt found this fact deeply displeasing.
He could somewhat understand Cain. He knew how cunning the man was. But Felice was different. How could a mere second son of a count, someone with nothing particularly remarkable about him, occupy a place beside Silvia? It made no sense to him. Furthermore, Silvia rejecting his own invitation had greatly irritated him.
"I already told you, Felice is my friend."
Strictly speaking, she might have been the only one who considered him a friend. Swallowing the rest of her words, Silvia narrowed her eyes and looked at Leonhardt. Whether or not Felice had confessed to her, he was one of the few people in the Academy she could potentially call a friend. She disliked Leonhardt for interfering with that possibility.
Conversely, the mere fact that Leonhardt had spoken ill of Felice made Silvia's narrowed eyes and her words grate on his nerves.
"Your friend? That guy just wants to have you. What kind of friend is that?"
"……Leon."
"Listen to me. You're not the kind of woman who should associate with someone like him. You're going to become the Crown Princess."
The world revolved around Leonhardt. Even his elder sister and brother, who currently stood ahead of him, would eventually fall behind. The throne of the Empire would be his. Silvia was the woman who would become his partner and make him shine. She was not someone who should be close to a talentless second son of a mere count.
Leonhardt gripped Silvia's shoulders tightly and growled.
Even as he roughly seized her shoulders, Silvia steadied her expression and met his gaze directly.
"Don't say things like that or act this way, Leon. I'm not your possession."
"Silvia…!"
"Stop it!"
Leonhardt's face twisted in frustration as he ran a hand through his shining silver hair. Silvia let out a small breath and spoke calmly.
"Please stop. I don't want to fight with you."
Leonhardt's brilliant blue eyes grew cold. Watching Silvia turn and walk away as if she had said all she needed to say, he bit his lower lip.
"……How irritating."
Because he was someone who had to possess whatever he desired. The sight of Silvia turning her back on him felt as though she were leaving him behind. He found that utterly displeasing.