Chapter 39 - The Commoner Dormitory Assault (1)
"Young Master, what are you staring at so blankly?"
As I lay on the bed, gazing vacantly at the ceiling, Kania approached with a puzzled expression and asked.
"Take a guess."
"...Pardon?"
I tossed the quiz at her in a dazed voice, and she gave me a slightly exasperated look before asking back.
"How am I supposed to guess that?"
"...Serena could figure it out just by looking into my eyes."
But when I teased her with a mischievous grin, she scowled and started walking toward the bed where I lay.
"Er... so, you're looking at the system, then?"
She finally sat on the edge of the bed, stared piercingly into my eyes, and gave her answer.
"...You're impressive as always, Kania."
Her expression was so serious that I decided to stop teasing. Slowly sitting up in bed, I began to explain.
"Yeah, I was looking at the system."
"...But why were you just staring so intently? I remember that in the past, your pupils would dart around whenever you checked the system."
"...Oh ho."
Her sharp follow-up question made me newly appreciate just how clever she was. Smiling warmly, I continued.
"I used to have all sorts of things to do with the system, but unfortunately, right now all I can do is stare at it."
"What do you mean by that?"
Kania tilted her head in confusion again, so I gazed at the system window floating before my eyes and murmured softly.
[System Updating]
"...The system's under maintenance."
Because of the outrageous stunt I pulled at the ball yesterday, I'd earned a whopping 3,000 Villainy Points all at once after parting with Serena and boarding the carriage. And from that moment, the system had frozen, displaying only that message.
Thanks to that, I couldn't use my usual staples like the Mind Reading skill or the Information Search skill. According to the Prophecy Book, during a "system update," everything except penalties and quests goes offline temporarily... so probably even Villain's Intuition won't trigger.
'It's already going to get a lot less user-friendly after the update... this is just too much.'
Well, the system only really helped with villainy acts anyway—it never did much for clearing main quests. Still, losing access to useful skills like Information Search was a real bummer.
"...Young Master."
"Yeah?"
As I smacked my lips in regret, Kania suddenly lowered her voice.
"Miss Serena is right outside the door."
"...How do you know that?"
"You know well that my black magic is incompatible with solar mana, star mana, and lunar mana. I can easily sense presences like that."
"...Impressive."
I smiled warmly at how Kania was already showing her prowess despite her curse barely being neutralized. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.
"...You must have known I was here, huh?"
"What?"
"I can tell from how quickly you opened the door and your expression. Not that it's some brilliant deduction, so let's skip it... Mind if I come in?"
"What's this about?"
As Serena tried to slip past me into the room, I grabbed her arm in a panic and asked. She gave me a matter-of-fact look and replied.
"Do I need a reason to enter my fiancé's room?"
"Still..."
"...Didn't I tell you? I'll win your heart within a year. So I'll always give it my all."
With that, Serena forced her way inside and began inspecting every corner of the room.
"Hmm... the room's pretty clean."
"...Lots of incidents lately, so more cleaning staff."
"They must be skilled. Not a speck of dust."
Serena murmured as she ran her finger along the windowsill, then turned to Kania, who was fidgeting awkwardly on the bed.
"So, why are you here?"
"I'm the Young Master's servant..."
"That's not what I'm asking, Miss Kania."
Serena cut Kania off firmly, sat beside her on the bed, and fixed her with a cold stare as she began questioning.
"Are you planning to harm Frey? Or help him?"
"...The latter."
"Yes, that's the truth. Thanks for answering."
Kania, tense as she spoke, looked momentarily flustered when Serena accepted it so readily, then shook her head. Serena glanced at her, smiled at me, and said,
"Frey, is this part of your usual fake cheating routine?"
"I've never faked cheating even once."
"Liar. You've gotten good while we were apart, but not good enough to fool me—probably."
Perhaps due to the Absolute Obedience Magic, Serena tacked on "probably" unconsciously. She suddenly dropped her smile, her expression turning icy.
"But whether you targeted her or it was coincidence... you picked a good one this time."
"What?"
"A stray cat's always a stray cat, after all."
I stared blankly at Serena's cryptic words when Kania quietly spoke up.
"...Come to think of it, you hate cats, Miss Serena."
"Yes, I do. Very much."
Kania smiled faintly.
"That's a shame. The Young Master loves cats."
"Sure, as 'pets.' I get it."
Serena's subtle smile crossed with Kania's sharp one. I watched the exchange with interest until Serena suddenly scowled and plopped into a chair. I raised an eyebrow.
"...That chronic condition again?"
"Yeah, you just worried about me, right? Probably."
"Whatever. Get out of my room. I don't want to see you trembling pathetically."
"Yes, understood."
"Wait—no, hold on a second."
Realizing why she'd suddenly collapsed into the chair, I stopped her as she turned to leave and issued a command.
"If you sense anything suspicious at the commoner dormitory, contact me immediately."
"Understood."
"For this order, don't follow it naturally—treat it as my desperate plea."
"Yes."
As I finished, Serena gave a faint smile and, instead of a goodbye, said her usual line.
"I love you—probably."
She turned and headed out of the dormitory.
"...Young Master, I have a question."
"What?"
As I sighed watching Serena go, Kania asked from beside me.
"From what you explained in the carriage last night, Miss Serena doesn't fully trust anything about you right now."
"Right?"
I nodded, and she frowned.
"Then why not tell her everything?"
"........."
"Even if you did, she'd doubt it to the end because of your command, so no penalty would trigger. Yet why..."
"...There are reasons."
I began explaining slowly to her.
"First... it's because of the system's trials."
"The system's trials?"
"Yeah. Because of them, everyone who 'worries' about me—except you, the black mage—gets cursed."
"...I see."
Kania nodded gravely, and I sighed.
"Right now, the ones worrying about me are my sister Aria and my fiancée Serena. So I have no choice but to make sure they stop."
"Is that why you won't tell Miss Serena everything?"
"Yeah. If I did, even if she doubts it due to my command... the chances of her 'love' and 'worry' fading would drop drastically."
I spoke calmly, but Kania frowned.
"Still... after the curse ends, you could..."
"No. Second reason: her family."
"...Ah."
I cut her off firmly, and she looked convinced.
"You saw her suffering just now? That confirms the family subjugation curse is active."
"...Horrible."
"In previous loops, the Moonlight leadership decided to eliminate me before the Demon King wiped them out... but because I proposed to the imperial princess, they moved faster than expected."
I paused to catch my breath, closed my eyes tightly, and continued.
"So if she doesn't try to kill me sincerely from now on, the pain will intensify beyond what she's felt before. For Serena's sake, I need her to hate me."
"...If she does try to kill you sincerely, it'll be tough, though."
"I'll hold out somehow until we catch the Demon King."
I gave a wry smile, and Kania sighed.
"Somehow it feels like the whole world is designed to paint you as the villain."
"Tell me about it. What a shitty world."
We stared at the floor with weary eyes for a while before Kania asked again.
"But why give Miss Serena that order?"
"What order?"
"To report if anything happens at the commoner dormitory."
She tilted her head, so I smiled slyly.
"Remember our outing plans?"
"...Pardon?"
"Time to get ready. You too."
Kania looked flustered.
"B-but... the 'Commoner Dormitory Assault' hasn't ended yet. If we leave..."
"Actually, the outing is because of the assault."
"Pardon?"
I stood and slipped on my jacket.
"Seems the assailant knows we're watching, so no attack. If we vanish—the usual watchers—they might strike then."
"But if it happens while we're gone..."
"That's why I told Serena to alert us at the first sign. She's smart enough not to get caught and will warn us before it starts."
"...I see."
Kania nodded, convinced, and stood.
"Where to, then?"
"Somewhere close, since we might rush back if contacted..."
I'd always wanted to buy clothes for Kania, who only wore suits, so I was about to suggest a nearby shop when—
"Frey!!"
"Gah!!"
Serena burst through the door without knocking, startling me.
"Serena, no knock—what the hell..."
I calmed my pounding heart and glared coldly, but...
"I spotted something suspicious."
".....!"
Her confident words froze me.
"I did good, right?"
I watched her beaming innocently, then sighed quietly and told Kania,
"...Outing's on hold."
"Yes."
Looked like the main quest was starting.
"What?"
We arrived at the commoner dormitory tense and ready, only to find... a perfectly peaceful building.
Normally, this event meant flames or destruction as standard... What suspicious vibe in this pristine state?
"...See? Totally weird, right?"
Serena pointed confidently, and as I stared dumbfounded, Kania broke into a cold sweat.
"...I sense terrifying magic."
Finally alarmed, I spread star mana everywhere—and felt massive magic enveloping the dormitory.
"You do use star mana? Why hide..."
"...Forget I just used star mana."
Having grasped the situation, I swiftly commanded Serena, who was eyeing me eagerly.
"...Hmm?"
She blinked blankly, then tilted her head.
'...Can't overuse memory wipes.'
As Serena eyed me suspiciously for some reason, I muttered inwardly.
The Absolute Obedience Magic made targets obey commands unquestioningly, but repeated memory deletions might let a genius like Serena spot the gaps and grow suspicious. She was already glaring a bit. Better avoid it unless emergency.
"Look."
As I met her gaze calmly, Serena picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the entrance.
- Flash!
The stone vanished upon contact, like hitting a barrier.
"...Looks like the inside and outside spaces are separated."
"Yeah, the stone vanished without trace. Wait here at the entrance."
I replied casually to her explanation and commanded, but Kania interjected urgently.
"We should retreat first."
"...Why?"
"You know. Only the Demon King or her second-in-command could deploy large-scale spatial magic like this..."
"...Yeah, just them. I know."
I replied calmly and pulled something from my pocket.
"But with this, no worries."
"...Pardon?"
Kania blinked at the Stone of Domination.
"Isn't that the 'Stone of Domination' for mental manipulation? I overheard you and the Demon King's minion discussing it last loop."
"...Right. In the original scenario, it's for awakening the brainwashed 'assailant.'"
I smiled leisurely at her.
"But its true power isn't mere mind control."
"What do you mean?"
I pocketed the stone again, stepped forward, ignoring her tilted head.
"You'll see with your own eyes soon enou—"
Spotting something, I yanked Serena and Kania into nearby bushes.
"Y-Young Master? What's wrong?"
"What... are you doing?"
They stared wide-eyed, flustered, but...
"...So, what's the problem?"
"Hurry! We're gonna be late!"
"A variable after all."
Isolet, Perloché, and Clana passed our spot. The two fell silent urgently.
"Mmph? Mmmph?"
(I'd covered Serena's mouth.)
- Flash!
The three entered the entrance—and vanished instantly.
"Phew... Frey? What the hell's going on? Why hide?"
As I sweated watching, Serena finally burst out questioning.
"...You're not planning something bad again, are you?"
She eyed me suspiciously, so I dodged her gaze and told Kania,
"Kania, cast perception-altering magic around us. Keep anyone from approaching the dormitory..."
"I can do that."
Serena stood, fanning out her fan wide.
"...There. No one approaches for a while. Satisfied?"
"No... but..."
"Spit it out. What are you planning in there?"
As she pressed, Kania watched sympathetically from behind. I closed my eyes quietly.
"Nothing big. Don't worry."
"...I'll trust you—probably."
Serena softened her expression forcibly, but her eyes brimmed with unease.
'As expected of Serena. Without Absolute Obedience Magic, game over.'
First reason for her anxiety: she couldn't trust anything about me. Second: she read the lie in my eyes.
Yes. Today, I'd subdue the mysterious assailant empowered by the Demon King and take their place.
The strategy I'd devised for this main quest: Pretend to be brainwashed by the Demon King, become the final boss of the "Commoner Dormitory Assault," get defeated, claim innocence, and expose the Demon King's identity to the world.
In other words, this incident wouldn't kick off the empire's fall and the Demon King's debut...
It would be the counterstrike against the Demon King—and the first step to a happy ending.
And the first step to turning Serena against me.
"Alright, let's go."
"Figure it out from experience, I guess."
"Be careful, Young Master."
With those thoughts, I headed to the entrance with Serena and Kania.
- Crackle!!
"...Where are we?"
"Oh my god."
And before my eyes unfolded...
"Kieeeek!!"
"Grroooaaar!!!"
...the dungeonized interior of the commoner dormitory, and mid-grade monsters charging at full speed.
"...Quest fail?"
Seems this loop got cursed.