The Girl Who Sought Her Own Disaster
The girl named Arte, who had walked straight into her own disaster, was a model student. It wasn’t just that she excelled in her studies—her everyday conduct was impeccable too. Though timid, she was kind to others. She never looked down on people simply because she was smarter, nor did she discriminate based on status despite being a noble. She loved teaching, and her dream was to become an academy professor. In fact, there were later stories that every study group she had helped saw their grades improve. Pretty, kind, and brilliant. Even in the real world, she would have been overwhelmingly popular. And yet.
“Are you here to study with us too? Nice to meet you. Let’s work hard together! …Huh? What do you mean? We took the exam together…? Isn’t this our first time talking?”
She was the character who first revealed that Eres’s existence would vanish due to the magic sword’s side effects.
“Get lost.”
No matter what, she can’t get involved with me!!
“If—if you give me the chance…!”
“Can’t you hear me telling you to get lost? Offering to teach me is incredibly presumptuous. If you’re so eager to teach, why don’t you go instruct some commoner girl from the same dormitory instead?”
“Pardon? Are there other dormitory residents besides Count Colwen and Miss Eres?”
“…I’m referring to that Eres.”
You should stick with Eres! If any problems come up, I’ll handle them, so just stay close to her without a single worry!!
“But Miss Eres’s grades are higher than mine…?”
Just how much have you been studying! Instead of wasting time on such pointless things, you should have poured that effort into more important physical training and nutritional supplementation…!
“Please stop. Even though my master is wasting his time on useless physical training instead of studies that could actually benefit his life…”
“Did you just call it useless?”
“That said, it is improper for an outsider to directly offer such advice.”
“Isn’t your behavior the improper one?”
“Please take my side and stay quiet. Or at least try studying yourself.”
The days when she clung to me and sobbed seemed better. But Melina wasn’t entirely wrong.
“It is as my insolent maid says. I might ask for help, but you should not be the one offering it.”
“Th-that’s…”
“If you understand, go find someone else.”
“Ugh…”
Arte lowered her head deeply while sitting in formal seiza. From this angle it was impossible not to notice. Even in the game I had thought so, but they really were—
“…Mel. What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was attempting to poke her eyes. As expected, you’re blocking me.”
“Even I don’t have the confidence to take a hit there with my guard down.”
“Isn’t it strange that tensing your eyeballs makes them harder? Do you have muscles in your eyes too, Master?”
I don’t know. But somehow it works.
Melina glared at me, withdrew her finger, then gestured for me to lend an ear.
“What?”
“Come closer.”
“I already told you whispering into my ear feels disgusting. Just say it.”
“…”
“Don’t pull my ear. What is it?”
“Don’t you find it strange? If she had all her wits about her, would she really come offer to teach you, Master?”
“What do you mean by that?”
There were many points I could retort on, but once again Melina wasn’t wrong. At the moment, Arte was on the verge of losing her mind.
“Perhaps she came because she has an urgent request?”
“That much is obvious.”
“Let’s help her. For your reputation, for House Colwen’s reputation, and above all, for Lady Layla’s mental and physical well-being.”
“Why are you worrying about that? You’re the hostage I kidnapped.”
“Because she’s the one who made sure I ate properly whenever you weren’t around, Master.”
When she put it that way, I had nothing to say…. Being the same age and one of my victims must have created some common ground. I hadn’t known that.
“Then I refuse even more firmly.”
“…Can’t you act like a proper older brother even once?”
“That’s exactly why I’m refusing. Helping Arte would only give Layla a headache.”
Helping the girl currently kneeling and begging before me was no simple matter. It was far too personal—an act that outsiders were condemned for interfering in.
“Stand up. No matter how much you beg, I cannot help you.”
“…If you would at least listen to what I have to say…”
“Insolent wretch. Are you trying to paint Count Colwen as trash who steals another man’s fiancée?”
The worry Arte carried.
“…Pardon?”
It was a matter of romantic entanglements.
“You came to ask me to protect you from your own fiancé, correct? I already know everything.”
“…If you already know… Hic!”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
When Arte lifted her head, she suddenly let out a strange sound and fell backward. Why was she trembling like that? As if something terrifying stood behind her.
“…Master. Please turn your head away. You mustn’t take such a vulgar… embarrassing sight into your eyes.”
“You’re right. I won’t look, so stand up and fix your posture.”
There was no one behind me and only Melina beside me. Strange.
“The request I want to make is…!”
“That Foelta Alais keeps bothering you, so you want me to stop him. While we’re at it, you also want the engagement canceled.”
“The Alais family? That would be…”
“A marquisate. Colwen may surpass them in history and tradition, but they are not an opponent to take lightly.”
Pretty, smart, and kind. Arte was a girl who could not help but be popular. Naturally, there would be those who wanted to claim her.
“Foelta used his power two years ago to force the engagement. She endured somehow until entering the academy, but here she must see his face often.”
Being so good-natured, she had tried to get along with him at first. But Foelta was… well. He was Tarle’s friend. One of the friends that bastard had tried to introduce to me on the first day. In other words, a thug. Making others do his work was basic. He grew jealous if she got close to anyone, regardless of gender. He even tried to force her into bed despite not being officially married, and when stopped, he took it out on Arte’s family.
He didn’t truly love her, and I could tolerate him treating her like a possession. But when it began harming the people around her, Arte’s heart slowly burned away inside.
The reason she created the study group wasn’t only to prepare for her dream of becoming a professor—she needed connections to block Foelta. Well, most who gathered because they were bad at studying were commoners, so useful connections were unlikely to appear. Still, she had been desperate enough to try. Then a single miracle occurred for her.
A girl bad at studying but blessed with affinity and inclusiveness. Because Eres, who in Episode 1 had become friends with the heir of a ducal house, had joined.
…But right now she had simply come asking for help after seeing a powerful person who was bad at studying.
“Ask Eres for help. She’s close with the Ripelreus siblings, so even Foelta won’t dare touch her recklessly.”
Ultimately, it all came down to getting Eres and Arte together somehow. Honestly, I wished she would focus on training to become stronger rather than studying. But I had to follow the original storyline to some extent.
I also want to see a future where the two remain friends.
I knew that from a certain point onward, those who received help would forget about Eres, but since Arte was the first case, the shock had been greater. A friend she had spent an entire semester with, studied with, and even risked her life to save just moments ago—now treating her like a stranger and regarding her with wariness.
Yes, there had been twists and turns, but I had managed to save the Ripelreus siblings too. Surely Arte would also—
“That won’t work.”
“…Why?”
Why indeed! You’re not in any position to be picky about friends! Even if you were, isn’t Eres better than me, who gets treated like a complete scoundrel? What are you thinking?
“Miss Eres… is friends with Mr. Tarle.”
“Huh?”
“She’s close with Tarle Maerland, who is Foelta’s friend… I cannot trust her.”
“Wait, wait. Tarle is friends with Eres?”
I had seen them walking around together on orientation day. After that he avoided her, so I didn’t know much. At least they didn’t sit together in class. No, that couldn’t be. In the original, Tarle had been a scoundrel who indiscriminately looked down on commoners….
“I have no idea where things started to twist.”
“Leave it alone. Why should we help with someone else’s romantic quarrel?”
“Aren’t you saying something different from earlier?”
“If I had known it was this kind of problem, I would have kicked her out from the beginning.”
What exactly is so displeasing to you?
Well, in reality there wasn’t much benefit in me helping. The possibility of it escalating into a political fight was honestly none of my business. But the event where Foelta attacked Arte was essential for the future schedule.
Wait, then isn’t there a better method?
Since Eres had become good at studying, creating a study group would be meaningless now. Yet there was no other place for Arte to turn. If there had been, she would have used it in the original.
“Arte. You really don’t know me at all.”
“Y-yes…?”
“Bowing your head and licking my shoes while begging to be taken in wouldn’t be enough, yet you try to use me? When I overlooked it once and even presented an alternative, you should have obediently followed.”
“Eek…!”
Then I had to stop her from doing anything pointless. Fortunately, I knew Eres was close with Alto and Fria.
“Very well. Even my servant wishes for your ruin. Then I shall make you pay the price.”
“Pardon? Why are you suddenly dragging me into—”
“From now on, anyone who tries to become close to you will have to fear not Foelta Alais, but me—Luke Colwen.”
The study group. She could no longer make one!
“Huh…?”
“Why are you questioning it? It is exactly as I said. From now on, if anyone wishes to speak with you, they must be prepared to become my enemy.”
If simply talking to her would bring harm, she wouldn’t be able to create a study group. Then there was only one thing left that could help her.
“That’s right. In that case, Miss Arte will have no choice but to seek out people who are originally hostile toward you, Master.”
“Th-that…”
Yes—Eres and the Ripelreus siblings. Coincidentally, those three had even formed an alliance to surpass me!
…Strange. It was clearly going according to plan, so why did I feel so sad…?
“N-no… Anything but that…”
“No? You’re still talking back to me.”
“Such… such a thing…”
Clear streams of tears flowed from Arte’s red eyes. Her legs seemed to have given out; the girl who tried to approach me collapsed, slamming her knees into the ground. Unable to stand properly, she crawled forward using her hands.
Th-this somehow looks wrong…?
That posture I had seen somewhere before. It was the deep dogeza apology pose mainly seen in Japanese manga. In that exact posture, she slowly crawled right up to me.
“I’ll bow my head… I’ll lick your shoes too… Please forgive me…”
She stopped in front of my feet and stuck out her tongue—
“Wh-what.”
If a female character says she’ll lick shoes and actually tries to do it, you shouldn’t let her!! If this were a game, the users would curse me for life and I’d get slammed with censorship!!
Oh, since the original was for adults, maybe censorship didn’t matter. But still, this wasn’t right! I had only spoken off the cuff!
I didn’t have a personality so filthy that I would actually make her do something that disgusting.
“Ah… Why…!”
When I pulled my foot away right in front of her, Arte looked up at me with her tongue still out, sobbing.
“A smart girl is doing something foolish. If time has passed, interest should have accrued by now. After missing the timing, you’re trying to proceed under the same conditions?”
“I’ll do… anything you want… At the academy, I…”
“What could someone like you, who’s only slightly good at studying, possibly do for me? Don’t say such ridiculous things.”
If Arte had been a combatant, I would have started training her immediately. But because she left the story early, interfering while twisting the plot felt awkward. And it was painful to watch the kind-hearted, gentle Arte suffer.
Time to leave. I needed to give her a chance to speak with Eres too.
“Mel, let’s go. My mood is foul today, so we’ll stay outside. I can’t stand this gloomy dormitory any longer.”
“Today too… Sigh…”
It might seem heartless to simply leave. But hadn’t Melina done the same? Saying it was improper to take in such an embarrassing sight. Simply watching until she calmed down would only be more humiliating for her right now.
“…It isn’t our place to say this, but please go to Miss Eres, Sir Alto, and Miss Fria. Since they are already hostile toward Master, they will accept you.”
Melina gave advice to the devastated Arte and followed after me. Nice assist. Since it had been spoon-fed so openly, she wouldn’t go anywhere else.
“Sigh… I didn’t want to go this far.”
“What other method was there?”
“It would have been better to just leave her alone. Why did you try so hard to attach that person to my sister?”
“There was a reason I had to. That’s all.”
“You’re saying that again…”
I had to. For Eres and Arte to remain friends. I did want that quite a bit. But even more than that, her influence in Endless Fantasia was enormous.
This is one thing I can’t be complacent about. I need to secure it without fail.
There was a place in the game that could only be entered once. You could obtain neither its name, location, nor any other information. Even the monsters that appeared changed every time—it was a cave of mysteries. Even after becoming Count and pouring every remaining minute of three years into searching, I had never found it.
I don’t believe in the game’s forced power or fate. But the fact that I still haven’t found it is suspicious.
Because it was Arte who had brought back information about that place.
I had to find it. The strongest and most overpowered item in this game—the one that had made Eres invincible. And the root of all the tragedy. The magic sword hidden deep within the cave.