Survival 106

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“I’ll take responsibility for dissolving the current faction, and ensure it never harms the Speda family again…”

“Again.”

A short and harsh decree.

On a well-maintained sofa that she probably cherishes

I crossed my legs.

And there stood Riu, unable to even sit on the sofa, standing in front of the table, her head deeply bowed.

“Negotiation is basically about bringing what the other person wants, right? Your proposal is meaningless. We can make it happen on our own without that, can’t we?”

“Grr.”

Riu, seeming frustrated, clasped her head again.

She must be desperate.

Not only for herself but even her sister’s expulsion was at stake.

“The Caspera family will show the utmost courtesy to the Speda family. In addition, we promise support materials, including military supplies to the north…”

“Tsk.”

Instead of responding, I kicked the rug on the floor.

In response, her violet hair twitched.

“…What do you want?”

“Something meaningful to us and feasible. Is it so hard to come up with a proposal that satisfies just those two conditions?”

“…So, we will have a meeting within our faction to somehow find a benefit for you…!”

“Again.”

Seeing Riu continue to give wrong answers was distasteful.

‘This is below expectations.’

If it were simply about crushing Riu’s dignity, I would have just accepted her declaration of surrender earlier.

My relentless rejection of her offers wasn’t about toying with her.

Protection from the Caspera Earl’s family?

Connections within the aristocracy?

Such things were utterly useless to me.

There was only one thing important to me.

A test subject that could potentially alter the original history.

Moreover, a character who experienced significant tragedy in the main storyline and held a certain importance in the original work.

In short, it had to be Riu Caspera.

Different from Luciana, who pursued noble duels of honor.

After all, she was a character who got expelled early on.

But.

‘This won’t do.’

Where did that venomous demeanor go, to be groveling like this?

It was woefully insufficient to change history, to change fate.

“Hmm. Oh dear, it’s getting late. It must be about time for Lady Luciana to finish tuning her equipment.”

“What?”

“I’ll give you 30 minutes. If you can’t come up with a satisfactory proposal within that time, I’ll proceed with the original expulsion plan.”

But it was a threat in the infirmary.

Far from being subdued by it, Riu, in that short time, had rallied many nobles and even hosted a tea party.

In short,

‘She’s not without ability.’

Traditionally, wild beasts are raised by pushing them to the edge of a cliff.

Riu needed to grow more.

She was only young and clumsy, caught by the scruff of her neck.

The malice and venom she harbored were not ordinary.

With that mindset, I pressed on.

“Ah. Did you think of something? Let’s hear it.”

“You madman…!”

“Hmm?”

Riu, clutching the hem of her skirt tightly, trembled and glared at me.

Was it an expression of anger or an attempt to gain sympathy?

Just as I was about to declare that it would absolutely not work,

-Drip.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“You madman, what do you really want…? Even if I promise not to resist anymore, you won’t accept it, even if my family offers compensation, you won’t accept it! What do I need to do to satisfy you… sob…”

It wasn’t simply an act to elicit sympathy.

It was raw grief poured out from desperation.

“…Sigh.”

Was it an illusion that her figure overlapped with someone else?

[…Farewell.]

After the final showdown, Luciana, having been expelled as the price of defeat, was on her way home.

Unlike Riu, who was just whining without offering a solution,

There were certainly similarities.

Utterly lonely.

In bearing the sadness all by herself, if it was her strategy to gain sympathy, it had been somewhat successful.

‘Is there no helping it?’

I had hoped she would grow more.

But this seemed to be her limit right now.

“Riu, you got the order wrong.”

“…Sniffle.”

“Your family, your faction. Throw them all away. Is your situation now because of your family and faction? No.”

Swoosh.

I placed a finger on her forehead.

“It’s entirely because of you.”

“Because of me?”

Unable to even think to remove the finger rudely poking her forehead.

She muttered blankly.

“Yes. You were just scared of the order in this academy, where even a noble’s son could threaten a countess and get away with it.”

“Well, you tried to gather forces to stop it, but isn’t it a pity? Because you’re up against me.”

-Push.

Applying pressure with a finger, I pushed her back.

Her body staggered weakly.

“Well, I can’t say there was no adverse effect. That such a thing is possible, that the mess started—all because of you, so shouldn’t you be the one to fix it?”

“Sigh, huff.”

A hint shoved almost down her throat.

Did Riu realize something? She stopped crying and took a deep breath.

“Hans Byron, you know… I’m currently the leader of the noble faction.”

“So?”

For the first time, a positive response that wasn’t just ‘again.’

Her amethyst pupils also brightened.

“I’ll keep pretending to oppose you outwardly.”

“Pretending, huh.”

“And provide weaknesses of our members to contribute continuously to your faction’s success… would that be enough?”

Aside from her confidence faltering at the end, it was a nearly perfect answer.

A method that could bring significant benefits to Luciana and her followers without relying on family power.

And, it provided a justification to not expel her while accomplishing such a task.

That was enough.

“Indeed, with this level of usefulness, Lady Luciana would also be satisfied.”

“Phew… Sob!”

Once again, tears streamed down her cheeks.

Not of sorrow, but mixed with relief.

“Then, you’ll leave Laura alone, right? You won’t expel her?”

“Of course. There’s no reason to ruin a valuable puppet.”

[Hidden Quest Complete]

[Caspera Subjugation]

[Reward: Change in perception of the Caspera Earl’s family]

[Hostility -> Interest]

It was a meaningful result for me too.

Although the reward mentioned in the status window was about the family’s interest, which wasn’t very useful, the mere existence of Riu in the academy was proof that the set history could be changed.

“Again.”

But something important was missing.

“Was it insufficient? But this is the best I can do…”

“No, I understand that. But you lacked manners. Have you still not realized who is the superior here?”

“Ah…”

Perhaps she hadn’t grasped the situation properly because she was crying.

I gently wiped away the tear stains with a silk handkerchief and gave her a smile.

“Use formal speech.”

The moment she heard that.

Her skin was originally milky white, but now her face had turned ghostly pale.

‘Now it’s finally fun to tease her.’

I must be feeling a bit more at ease myself, having achieved my goal.

Still hesitating and bowing her head, I sharply scolded Riu, “What are you doing? This is no way to treat a guest.”

I had already established discipline, but if I treated her too well again, she would become overconfident.

It was time to truly put her in her place.

A sweet sense of anticipation rose in me as I watched Riu flounder.

* * * 

“Lady Luciana, may I come in?”

“…Ah. Come in.”

A deep sigh came from beyond the door. Knowing the reason behind it made my throat dry.

Normally, as a servant, it would have been my duty to escort Luciana to her room right after class.

“You’re a bit late.”

I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by Luciana’s pointing it out.

“Ahaha, well, I had some matters to handle.”

“I’ve heard the gist of it from Liza.”

Suddenly, Luciana approached me and patted my shoulder, her touch filled with encouragement.

“You defeated Riu Caspera right from the start in the public duel.”

“Dragging out a fight only gives the opponent a chance to win. I simply acted in a manner that wouldn’t disgrace the Speda family name.”

“Indeed. Well done. They will be intimidated now.”

Although not eloquent or savvy, Luciana too was a noble and knew the nature of her kind better than anyone.

“However, that was only during class time. It doesn’t excuse being late to escort me. Why is that?”

A faint suspicion lingered in her eyes.

‘Damn, all because of that damn aura.’

I decided to gradually clear up this misunderstanding.

Fortunately, I could clarify this immediate suspicion right away.

“I had a confrontation with Riu Caspera.”

“…A confrontation?”

I reported in detail about the duel with Riu, the infiltration into her dorm room, and the coercion disguised as negotiation.

Of course, I left out the part where I forced her to do menial tasks and speak formally, and how I enjoyed seeing her feel humiliated.

Luciana smiled faintly after hearing the whole story.

“Hehe, I see. That would indeed justify your delay. Then, this means that any force opposing us is on the path to self-destruction.”

“There are still a few remaining, though.”

“Hm? Isn’t Riu Caspera, or more precisely, the Caspera sisters, the leaders who have gathered them? Or is there someone even more threatening?”

I nodded heavily in response to her question.

Considering the crown prince from the same imperial faction, the forces currently under Caspera’s lead represent the current state of the noble faction. However, there are those who have not joined this group. For example, Luke Daimon.

“The movements at the Magic Tower are suspicious.”

I recalled the conversation I had just had with Riu.

***

“The tea tastes awful. Are you planning to serve only cheap stuff, even though this is a count’s house? Don’t you have anything more expensive?”

“I, I’m sorry.”

“Is saying sorry all you’re going to do? Show it through your actions. Either spit out some valuable information or bring better tea.”

During the peak of my harassment, her painful groan snapped me to attention.

“Valuable information… would knowing where that magic bomb came from suffice?”

“Use formal language.”

“…Would that suffice, sir?”

Knowing her memories, I didn’t need to hear from Riu to know where it came from.

“What are you talking about? Where else but the Magic Tower could produce a bomb of this scale?”

“Ah, you already knew? …right?”

“Yes. But now, I’m very curious about the intention behind giving you this bomb.”

Obsessed with the bomb’s intended target, which was me, both Riu and I had overlooked the fundamental aspect.

I stared blankly at the bomb in my left hand.

[Magic Bomb]

[A bomb boasting strong firepower, infused with mana by a talented magician]

[Upon detonation, it causes damage proportional to the mana infused, affecting enemies within a wide area]

[Contains mana equivalent to 3 circles]

Three circles’ worth. Direct hit would be fatal. Even a skilled aura user would suffer critical injuries, or at least need a long recovery.

This was not an item worth investing in for someone who had just started with aura.

Then, what was the original purpose of the Magic Tower?

“These guys…!”

Isn’t it obvious?

They were targeting my precious lord, Luciana.

Of course, Riu, not desiring a war between families, would have aimed it appropriately. But a ‘clumsy operation’ could easily lead to a scenario where the bomb explodes while Luciana is present.

“Riu, who from the Magic Tower handed you this bomb?”

Under my menacing pressure, Riu cowered again.

“It was Ricky Circleia…”

Hearing another potential male lead’s name from her lips, my eyebrows shot up.

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