Twisted Development (5): What on Earth Is This?
Arnold Stenman—my perception of him started getting a bit muddled after enrolling in the academy. I'd always heard that the Stenman family was ruthless, wicked, and utterly depraved... Even my own grandparents trusted them once and got burned for it. Before our first engagement meeting, everyone around me warned me to stay on guard. They said you could never predict when they'd betray you, so you shouldn't show even a shred of mercy...
"......"
But now... I have no idea.
He helped even a cold-hearted girl like me. Twice, no less. And not with trivial things—these were major favors.
Why...? What on earth...?
Is he different from the Stenmans I've known up until now? If so... should I try warming up to him, even at this late stage? But now? After treating him like an enemy for the past five years...? Won't he think it's weird?
"Ugh... "
I don't know...
But one thing's for sure... it wouldn't hurt to take off these colored glasses a little and see him clearly. -
My original plan was this: If the waiter approached Elisha, Varis would pretend it was an accident and interfere to stop her from drinking it. I'd memorize the direction the waiter came from, track down their hidden room, and stop them from plotting anything further.
That way, from Elisha's perspective, it'd look like Varis saved her, naturally passing the event's affinity boost to him.
"S-sorry... "
I think I'd fulfilled my role adequately.
"I-I won't do it again... "
"Please forgive us... i-is that okay...?"
To the point where the young ladies who'd shown open hostility at first were now sniffling and begging for mercy.
"Hmm... "
This should be enough, probably.
"You'd better be careful. "
"“Got it!!”"
I glared at them coldly, as if to say there'd be no next time, and they flinched so hard their shoulders shook before nodding in unison.
"Fine—"
After wringing that scream-like agreement from them, I left the trembling, terrified girls behind.
…
…
Stepping outside, the banquet hall was bright and lively again. The speech must have ended, and the real festivities were underway.
~~ ♩ ♪ ♬ The orchestra's music invigorated the splendid atmosphere of the hall.
"I'm Everd."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Berlo. Let's get along."
Groups of people mingled, bonding in their own ways.
"This banquet food is delicious~?"
"Right up my alley."
Others enjoyed the feast together.
"Care to dance with me?"
"Sure."
Some danced to the music.
"To future success!"
"“To success—!”"
Still others raised their glasses in toasts.
Everyone reveled in the banquet in their own diverse ways.
"Have you returned, Master?"
Back in the hall, I reunited first with Eily. For reference, Eily didn't think much of Elisha, so I'd excluded her from the plan from the start.
"Hey~ Arnold!"
"…."
After linking up with Eily, we headed next to Varis. Naturally, he was with Elisha. Seeing Elisha looking fine and the water stain on the floor, it seemed Varis had pulled off his role perfectly too.
"Where'd you go?!"
"Uh... bathroom?"
"Really? Then let's have fun! That food over there looks tasty."
With everyone gathered, the beaming Varis zeroed in on the banquet spreads first.
"Alright! Let's start there~"
He got all excited like a kid at a buffet and dashed straight to the table piled highest with food.
"…."
I hope he doesn't break a plate...
"Eily? Varis is too hyped up—keep an eye on him so he doesn't cause trouble."
"Ah, yes! I'll grab some food for you too while I'm out, Master!"
Worried, I tasked Eily with watching him. She agreed to bring back some grub for me and left.
"…."
Wait a second...
"…."
This leaves just me and Elisha...?
"…."
"……."
But by the time I realized, we were already naturally alone together.
"…."
The moment Eily and Varis left, an awkwardly eerie tension settled around us.
"……."
The atmosphere was painfully awkward. Well, after five years of bad blood, we weren't going to magically become buddies just because we ended up here together. Probably, like always, Elisha would snap coldly and leave first...
—
"Arnold."
Just as I thought that, she spoke to me first.
"…?"
I was a bit flustered. Elisha, initiating... and with such affection.
"…Why?"
Of course, it wasn't the first time. After the thug event last time, she'd approached me once things settled. But the situations were worlds apart.
Back then, I'd helped her, so it made sense for curiosity to spark as an outlier. But this time? No such excuse. From her view, this event starred Varis, not me.
"Well... "
Another difference from the event: unlike her flustered state before, she seemed calm now, with some resolve.
"Better late than never... congrats on enrolling."
But... what she actually said was kinda out of left field. Like she had nothing to say but wanted to talk, so she forced it out.
"Uh...? Yeah... congrats to you too."
I replied in kind to her congratulations.
"Come to think of it, I didn't say this last time... thanks for helping me back then."
She gazed at me with a wistful look, reminiscing about the thug event. It was a gentle gaze I'd never seen before.
"Don't sweat it."
"…Really?"
She smiled at me for the first time. Not joyful—more bittersweet.
"You don't have to worry about those two from earlier?"
"Eh... they'll figure it out."
"Haha, what’s that supposed to mean."
After that, our chat stayed bland. Stiff and unnatural, like we'd just met.
"I'll head out now... hope you enjoy the rest of the banquet."
The quiet conversation dragged on, ending with her night greeting to have fun before parting.
"Yeah... see ya."
"Yeah, later."
Unlike usual, she even hinted at next time.
"…."
Watching Elisha walk away, I pondered.
What the hell was this flow...?
It felt like she'd cracked open the tightly shut door to her heart and was tentatively reaching out now.
Had something changed in her feelings? But there was no reason for it. I'd handed the event spotlight to Varis, so from her side, nothing should make her see me differently...
"Yoo-hoo~ Arnold!"
"Master!"
But before I could dwell, Varis and Eily returned.
"Uh, yeah... "
"Try this! It's so good!"
"You have to try this too!"
For now... like Elisha said, maybe enjoy the banquet?
The event went smoothly, and nothing else should pop up right away.
"…."
Still, Elisha's unexpectedly kind side toward Arnold—something absent from the original story—lingered in my mind.
"Ugh... I don't know who it was, but... I'm so pissed...!"
Meanwhile, after Arnold left the room, Vieka—who'd been thoroughly thrashed—clenched her fists tight.
"And he was way too strong... Is he in cahoots with Elisha?"
"He showed no mercy... Ugh... Could he be that ex-fiancé from the broken engagement rumors...?"
"If so, then the Stenman family...?"
The other young ladies groaned in pain, barely able to stand.
"Anyway... what now? Looks like we failed to mess with Elisha... You giving up?"
One staggered over and asked Vieka, dragging her unsteady body.
Should they just call it quits? They'd meant to slip her the aphrodisiac, but the interferers ruined it completely.
"Ugh!! As if!"
But Vieka let out a sharp groan like she was outraged, her hatred for Elisha burning fiercer.
"We have more ways! After this humiliation...! I'll destroy her whole family!!"
She grabbed the nearly broken sofa in the messy room and hauled herself up. Venom gleamed in Vieka's eyes.
"Hahaha... Next time, just you wait... "
Vieka forced a smile through the pain, grinding her teeth with vows and anticipation to crush her for good.
The banquet event passed without a hitch. Academy life continued smoothly after that.
"Arnold, I'm thinking of doing some manual labor this weekend."
Then one day, I heard Varis wanted to work a part-time gig.
"Manual labor?"
This line hinted at the next event, actually.
"Yeah! The Grain family’s looking for day laborers for their fields~"
"My allowance ran out lately, so I figured I'd earn some living expenses working weekends."
It was the event where protagonist Varis helps out on the Grain family lands—Elisha's home.
Seemingly mundane at first glance, but it tied into a massive incident.
The reason? While peacefully farming, a pack of ferocious beast monsters rampaged into the fields.
For some reason, more violent than usual, the monsters attacked the farmlands, turning the fields to ruins in an instant. And it didn't stop there—Elisha ended up in peril from the berserk beasts.
In that crisis, Varis shone, pulling off heroic feats. With insane skill and combat sense, he felled the monsters and saved the imperiled Elisha like a dramatic play scene.
Affinity skyrocketed, of course, marking the point where Elisha starts falling for Varis—a key event.
"Sounds good. Mind if I tag along?"
"Huh? But aren't you a noble, Arnold? Short on cash?"
"Nah... no real reason."
Then I couldn't sit it out.
Future hero Varis could handle rampaging beasts solo, sure. But with my covert help, it'd be smoother, so better to watch from nearby.
…
…
"Vieka... this the spot?"
Meanwhile, in a secluded forest a bit from the Grain farmlands.
"Yeah, just sprinkle this around everywhere, and we're done."
In an area known for frequent monster sightings, Vieka pulled out suspicious vials and scattered the contents.
"What's this stuff? Ugh... reeks."
The liquid's foul stench made one young lady pinch her nose with thumb and forefinger.
"Heh heh heh, berserk potion I went to great lengths to get. Let it seep into the soil, and the local beast monsters will go even more feral."
Terrifying just thinking about it, yet Vieka cackled as she poured, driven solely by her resolve to crush Elisha.
"Then what? The berserk monsters will go wild and naturally invade Elisha's fields. Her family will be in chaos, obviously."
This wasn't mere personal revenge. Monster rampages could harm not just one person but countless innocents. She was literally summoning disaster.
"What?! We can't do that! Even if... what if innocents get caught up...!"
"Shut it! Less talking, more sprinkling. Wider the area, better the effect."
"Ugh... I want no part of this..."
Yet Vieka pressed on with her ambition. No—now she was consumed by hatred.
"But... is it okay to use this much? The label says a small amount's enough..."
The reluctant young ladies followed her lead, sprinkling the potion on the soil.
"It's fine—better this way for maximum ferocity. Custom-ordered, three times stronger than standard."
A timid one asked Vieka, who gave a deranged reply.
"That’s not good at all?! And you said it was regular potion at first!"
Any normal person would freak at such atrocity.
"No... we have to! I didn't plan triple strength originally—"
But Vieka's mindset was utterly warped.
"The banquet humiliation boiled my blood too much...!"
Especially the shame from that one man.
"That supposed fiancé of Elisha's... Grr...!"
Her fate derailed massively by him... Whether Arnold could predict this was doubtful.