Kukuku. I Shall Destroy It All
The previous owner had hoarded far more than I expected. With this much, I could enchant every last item I owned and launch a full-blown business. It was fortunate these pieces had been crafted to accept enchantments so readily. Those women were truly idiots. How expensive could a scrap of cloth possibly be that they would pour money into it like this?
“What in the world is the Ashtar young lady doing?”
“Exactly. This isn’t some commoner marketplace! Have you lost your mind after being abandoned?”
Hoh, so there were a few with functioning brains after all. In that case, I had no choice.
“Doesn’t this academy pride itself on equality for all?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Even as they said it, their eyes remained glued to the goods I had brought. In the end, this was what noble young ladies were like. They studied etiquette and refinement from childhood to appear more graceful than anyone else, yet they were creatures who adorned themselves solely to raise their value in noble society. Add in the fact that they were women, and their extravagance far outstripped that of commoner females.
It had to be an unbearable temptation.
I thumped my chest and declared boldly, “Who do you think I am? Olivia Lapa Ashtar! I may be on the verge of expulsion, but I am still an Ashtar! Behold these dazzling accessories that cannot be easily obtained even within the empire!”
Surely they could not resist this. After all, the original owner had hidden them deep in the darkest corner of her closet.
I freely displayed the accessories before the young ladies who had clung to their pride until the very end—rings, necklaces, and all the rest.
“Wait… you’re not actually selling those too, are you?”
It seemed they had often seen the original owner playing with them. The price must have been considerable, then.
“Is there any reason I cannot sell them? This is an area where imperial law guarantees equality for everyone. Why not drop the act and be honest?”
Even the young ladies who had tried to preserve some semblance of noble dignity swallowed hard. Yes. Let us all be honest together. Everyone is equal here. Imperial law says so. There is no need to stubbornly cling to dignity even if this place turns into a marketplace.
“But still…”
“Your bodies seem honest enough.”
Their eyes and hands were already spellbound by what I had brought; there was no point in saying more. The outcome was decided.
“Ugh, seriously. This is all your fault, Miss Olivia. Fine, I’ll join.”
In the end, even the young ladies whose pride had seemed unbreakable joined the auction. The noble daughters of the empire were thoroughly marinated in luxury. They had to secure the finest husbands and families, after all, so they poured their efforts into perfecting their appearances.
The auction I had opened was meant to secure tuition, but it carried another purpose. The etiquette classes would be destroyed as well. I had no idea when or how the Four Heavenly Kings might strike. Was it truly necessary to retake etiquette lessons at the academy when I had already mastered them at home? That would be the absolute worst.
Therefore, I would begin by shattering this entire class system.
“What are these? They already have prices marked on them?”
“They are enchanted accessories!”
Brand-new accessories imbued with magic. Kukuku. They could not help but show interest. These were the empire’s finest pieces that the original owner had purchased, now enchanted with beneficial magic rather than curses.
“Then what about this one?”
One young lady lifted a ring.
“This ring eliminates fatigue entirely!”
“Oh? Is there one that reduces weight as well?”
I did possess such items, but handing over ones that could turn the wearer into a walking skeleton if misadjusted was out of the question for young ladies incapable of chantless magic. Still, I had something similar.
“It does not reduce weight, but I have a ring that reliably suppresses appetite. It is quite popular among women.”
It was famous as a medicinal aid, but the ring constantly controlled and restrained one’s hunger. I had created it myself. That saintess bitch and that kanf bitch ate far too much. Originally it had not been for dieting but to cut down on their food expenses. It should prove highly effective on noble young ladies.
“I’ll buy it!”
And so the traces of Olivia Lapa Ashtar, the original owner, vanished one by one. Rings and necklaces found new masters. The girls even sent servants to fetch checks or paid with platinum coins. I kept a few for insurance but disposed of most of the troublesome items.
Yes, yes, sell like wildfire. My pockets would fill while the etiquette classes crumbled. It reminded me of the market women in the kingdom haggling fiercely to buy goods cheaper.
“Wh-what in the world is happening here?”
Oh, a pig that appeared to be the professor had entered. It was difficult to tell whether the creature was male or female, but the clothing and those mouse-blood-red lips gave it away. The long hair proved she was biologically female. At least that much was settled. The auction took priority now.
“Come, come! Five million lino! Any higher bids? The performance on this is truly excellent!”
“Ah, five million five hundred thousand! No more!”
“Five million five hundred thousand! Any further bids?”
“Five million five hundred and ten thousand lino!”
Hmm. This should be sufficient. The location was the academy and the bidders were noble young ladies. Dragging it out excessively would only cause annoyance.
“Sold!”
“Miss Olivia Lapa Ashtar. What exactly do you think you are doing?”
“I was elegantly teaching the young ladies about commoner market life.”
The pig professor’s face twisted into something even an orc would envy. After glaring at me for a long moment, the pig spoke cautiously.
“Where is this place?”
Where is this place? Could this person truly be a professor at Attelina Academy? It was absurd. Even if academic standards had fallen, there had to be a limit. To employ a professor with absolutely no sense.
“It is called Attelina Academy. Or have you developed dementia at your age?”
“No, no! That is not what I meant! More importantly—dementia? How can a duke’s daughter speak in such vulgar tones?”
“As expected, it is dementia.”
“Pardon?”
“Attelina Academy is a place where everyone is equal. One may act like a noble or like a commoner. Is that not correct?”
Nobles, royals, and commoners were all equal. Even if a commoner might be slapped by a noble outside the academy grounds, inside these walls everyone stood on equal footing.
“Th-that may be true, but…”
“How can a professor behave this way?”
“Wait, does that mean holding an auction inside the academy is acceptable?”
A sudden thrust like that was troublesome. This pig professor really did resemble a walking lump of flesh. I half suspected one of her parents had been an orc. She wore triangular glasses and possessed a body so thick that her chin and neck had merged into one.
Persuading such a woman was simple. Fat women always longed to be thin. I handed her one of the pre-enchanted rings.
“Take this and let us reach a suitable compromise.”
“This is…?”
“A ring that makes your figure appear slimmer the moment you wear it.”
“R-really?”
Even that pig-like body would look thinner. The problem was that it could make one too thin, but that was not my concern.
“Of course. Now listen, Professor. You are an educator. You must guide students by example, correct?”
“Th-that is true.”
“These noble young ladies will marry into various families and become mistresses. They will one day govern commoners in their husbands’ territories. Would it not help them to understand the lives of those commoners?”
When I shook the ring, the pig gradually began to cave.
“Th-that makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“Um, sister, could you give me one of those dresses?”
“Huh?”
It was Lily. She smiled faintly, eyes sparkling as she gazed at one of the dresses I had brought. When had this pink-haired pest slipped in? Ah, now that I thought about it, there had been a skinny girl trailing behind the pig.
“You are not going to say you cannot spare one for your own younger sister, are you?”
“No, I will give you one.”
If that flat chest of yours can actually fill it.
I handed it over with a bright, utterly innocent smile. Lily took advantage of the other young ladies’ distraction and began changing right there. As expected of an illegitimate child raised outside the family. On the contrary, I rather enjoyed it. I would get to witness that awkward sight firsthand.
“Why doesn’t it fit me?”
There was no way it would fit that body.
“That is because you…”
Have such small breasts and narrow hips that the dress has no life. No, I could not say that. She could still grow. Even men sometimes experienced growth spurts in their twenties. Why should a woman’s chest be any different? Yes, they would surely swell in time.
Unable to voice any of that, I gently comforted my younger sister.
“What… what is that look for?”
“Nothing. Just keep trying, dear.”
I did not particularly want these breasts either, but if I could share them, I would. I carefully stroked Lily’s head.
“Are you… are you pitying me right now?”
“Yes.”
When I answered firmly, tears welled in Lily’s eyes. She bolted from the classroom.
With that, I had destroyed the etiquette class as well. Next came theology and archery. From what I heard, theology was currently flooded with commoners desperate for grades. There was no need to pressure them. Therefore, I would shatter the archery department.
From the second year at Attelina, students who maintained attendance and performed well on exams enjoyed considerable freedom. Of course, those who failed to grasp the material would simply fail those exams, so the ones who played freely tended to be noble young ladies whose political marriages had already been arranged.
In my case, I had planned to head to the archery department and cause a scene, but—
“What exactly do you want?”
“Oh, if it isn’t the student council secretary?”
A strange black-haired woman had come looking for me. It was definitely Yuria.
“Yes. I am Student Council Secretary Yuria. Are you aware that your actions are undermining the very foundations of the academy?”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
What sort of absurd accusation was this to direct at innocent Olivia?
“Do not lie. From everything you have done so far, it is obvious you know exactly what you are doing.”
Of course, at first it had been about delivering justice to those who held grudges against the original owner. But the academy had turned out to be far stranger than expected. War always contained variables. No matter how powerful the empire might be, if the academy remained in this state, it would eventually fall to the Four Heavenly Kings. In the past, the kingdom had grown arrogant after one victory against the Demon King’s army with their carefully prepared elite forces, only for their nobles to be utterly crushed.
“Hmm. And?”
“And? You truly… This could lead to the worst possible outcome—national overthrow.”
I had no intention of going that far, but to maintain the Olivia persona, I needed to push matters at least this much. In other words, I was doing this for both the Olivia concept and the empire’s future. Even the hero Eugene, whose base was in the kingdom, had barely managed to stop Pector. Now that he had fought directly, he would likely come to his senses. Life was real combat. What remained for me was to ensure the empire could stand against the Four Heavenly Kings.
“If the empire’s future rests on people who possess nothing but pride and merely crave noble treatment, would that not be the same outcome?”
“How can you say such a thing!”
Now that I thought about it, she did not appear to have a family name. So Yuria was a commoner after all. A commoner who desired a noble-centered society.
“Now that I think about it, you must be a commoner, correct?”
“Why is my background suddenly relevant?”
“Tsk. A commoner who yearns for a society centered on nobles.”
The nobles had maintained the empire’s foundations for a very long time.
“What is wrong with that?”
Ah, I recognized the look. Those were the eyes of a woman in love. She stood beside the crown prince not merely as an aide but with a woman’s heart. It would only bring her pain. From what I could see, Lily had no intention of releasing Prince Aslan. Bloodline made it impossible anyway. “I simply wish to watch over him for the rest of my life.” I had heard such lines often during my travels, and I had learned bitterly how much nonsense they were.
“Well, if the other party is the crown prince, I suppose it cannot be helped. How unfortunate, Miss Yuria.”
I patted her shoulder lightly.
How pitiful.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I thought I had been removed from the picture, yet now my younger sister stands at the crown prince’s side.”
“What does that have to do with—”
“Your affairs are trivial to me. Today I intend to destroy the archery department as well.”
“The archery department? Do you realize all the noble sons have gathered there?”
Oh, they had all gone there? Their pride truly was impressive. If it were me, I would simply beg and transfer to swordsmanship.
“Of course I know. That is precisely why I will destroy it.”
Kukuku. De-struc-tion.
Ah, even I had to admit this was rather childish.