"Ru-Rudy Astria! Calm down and listen to me...!" The red-headed individual began to back away as he saw me slowly approaching him. "If, if you come any closer, I'll use magic...!" I ignored his warning and continued to walk forward. "Fire!" "Dig." Before he could cast a spell, I quickly used my magic. At the same time, the ground beneath the red-headed individual gave way. He fell to the ground with a terrified expression on his face. "Uh... D-don't come any closer!" "Ignite." I uttered the trigger word for the most basic fire magic, which creates a small flame at a single point. While it has no lethal force, it was enough to cause him pain. I grabbed the red-headed individual's arm and brought the flame closer. "Aaargh!!!" He writhed in pain as his clothing burned through, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air. I didn't find any pleasure in torturing people, but this was the most effective method. People are weak to pain, especially those who haven't experienced real pain before. "I'm sorry! I apologize, please!!!" "Speaking informally? Am I your friend?" "S-sorry... I'm sorryyy!!! Ahhh!!!" Though he apologized, I didn't stop. I continued to burn his arm without saying a word. "Aaahh!!! Huahh..." When I momentarily lifted the flame, he breathed heavily. Tears streamed down his face, and as I tried to move the flame back to his arm, he cried out. "Please... Just stop...! I had no choice... Garwel said it would be easy to get through if I did that!!!" Garwel? The mention of this unexpected name made me slightly puzzled. Garwel Handrei, the offspring of the Handrei Baron family. In the original story, he served under Rudy Astria. Of course, they weren't allies, and Garwel merely acted as a sycophant subordinate. However, he wasn't just a henchman. The Royal Academy. He was the mastermind behind the events that took place there. "...Keep talking." "Garwel said that if I claim this was all ordered by Rudy Astria, everything would be resolved..." I frowned. In the original story, I thought Rudy Astria was responsible for tormenting Evan, but now it seemed a bit different. Garwel manipulated Rudy Astria into making the red-headed individual act. Then, Garwel would have told him that if he was honest, he would be spared. In other words, the in-game Rudy Astria was merely used by Garwel. However, it seemed that my actions changed the outcome. This is insane... A baron or marquis would try to manipulate a duke? With this understanding, the events of the subsequent story made more sense. "He was scared, so he did it." "Huh?" "Never mind. I released his arm and stood up from my seat. I thought that Garwel might have done something like that since he was a member of the rebels anyway. The interlude school arc is the story where the rebels, who are one of the pillars of this game, make their first appearance. Garwel is a member of the rebels, and he causes a commotion there before being subdued by Evan. The story of subduing Garwel is more like a side event, while the main story revolves around a heroine who is also a member of the rebels. Although I could go and deal with Garwel right now, there was no need to. Once the interlude school arc begins, he will be half-dead at the hands of Evan anyway. Evan will gain a lot from that situation, so there was no need for me to interfere beforehand. "Whatever happened here didn't happen. And if the other guys around you bother me, you better know that it's not you but your family that will crumble." "Ah... Understood. I will manage it well..." As I walked away, I thought to myself. To be honest, I knew about the heroines' stories and Evan's story. However, I didn't know the stories of the people around them. Of course, if something happened, there must have been a reason. I didn't expect these minor events to be related to the main story. "I need to be more careful." Now that I knew that minor events were connected to the main story, I had to be more careful. If an event where Evan needs to gain abilities does not occur, it would be a catastrophe. The abilities gained in major events often required tremendous effort to obtain under normal circumstances. Therefore, I had to ensure that all events unfolded as they should. "This is really a headache." I wondered if I should reconsider accepting Astina's proposal. Still, since there was no main or side story related to Astina, I decided to go through with it for the promised duration.
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Raei Translations
***
On the weekend, Luna was at the library with Ena and Rika. Rudy didn't come because he had some business, so the three of them were alone. They were taking a break from studying. "Rudy said that?" "He's showing his true colors now! That jerk...!" Rika flailed her arms as she spoke. Rumors. The three of them were discussing rumors. The rumor that Rudy Astria had ordered Baron William's son to harass Evan. "Um..." "Ena! You say something too!" Rika urged Ena as she shook her. "I'll save my words." Ena had an unsatisfied expression on her face. Luna thought for a moment before speaking up. "Isn't the rumor spreading wrongly?" "No, it's not. You saw Rudy Astria being taken to the student council office last time, didn't you? Now the whole academy is in chaos, saying that Rudy Astria ordered it." Luna thought about Rika's words. Why did Rudy do that? There was no reason for Rudy to harass Evan. "See? Lately, Evan, a commoner, has been getting famous, so the high-ranking noble must have felt uncomfortable!" Luna remembered when Rudy introduced himself. Dismissive remarks. He did make statements that ignored everyone. However, Rudy's words were not meant for the nobles. He just wasn't interested in most people. He never showed any discrimination between who was a noble and who was a commoner. He didn't seem to be ignoring Rika and Ena, who were commoners, but rather just not interested. "I think there might be some misunderstanding." Luna trusted her own eyes. Rudy was a kind person, a considerate person, and just a bit awkward. "Now that I think about it..." She remembered seeing Rudy with that baron's son before. When the first class ended. "It seemed like he said something mean, but..." Luna recalled Rudy telling the baron's son to "get lost." At first, she thought he was just being mean to his friends, but now she realized it was a little different. Maybe Rudy knew those people were bad? And they took revenge by trapping Rudy. "Rika, I saw it, and..." Luna told Rika and Ena the story. Rumors are like that. People interpret the actions they hear about in the way they want. Even if the action is insignificant, it gets distorted by the ones who spread the rumors. Not only is the meaning of the action misconstrued, but the action itself may also be distorted. "Could it be that it just became like this because it's Rudy? His reputation at the academy is really bad." As Luna said this, Ena smiled. "If Luna says so, then it must be." "No... It could be wrong! Yeah... Rudy might have just made a mistake!" Luna felt like she said too much, so she hastily sat down, mumbling. Ena looked at her and smiled before speaking. "More importantly, Luna, why do you look so busy lately?" "Busy... do I?" "It seems like you have dark circles under your eyes recently, and you don't chat or walk with friends as much." "Really...? I feel like I'm just living my usual life..." Luna stammered, looking flustered. Ena watched her and chuckled softly. "Studying is good, but take it easy." "Yeah... I will." Lately, Luna had been spending her days at the library with Rudy. Of course, all they did there was study. Luna didn't stop there; she continued studying into the night. -Anticipation. Rudy had said that. That he was looking forward to her growth. Luna didn't want to disappoint those expectations. She wanted to show Rudy impressive results as soon as possible. "Hehe..." Luna imagined Rudy admiring her accomplishments, letting out a foolish grin. "Ah, by the way, I heard that tomorrow there will be an election campaign in front of the first-year dormitory with Locke and Rudy Astria?" "Election campaign?" Luna tilted her head at Ena's words. "Right, it must be the sound we just heard. It's supposed to happen in the morning." "Uh-huh." Luna hesitated for a moment before flashing a smile.
***
The next day, the red-haired student planned to turn himself in to the student council. He insisted it wasn't something I told him to do, but rather something he had done on his own. However, another problem arose. "…Sigh." Locke and I were standing in front of the dormitory, holding a sign with Astina's name and promises written on it. Astina had decided over the weekend that Locke and I would campaign for her in front of the dormitory. I couldn't understand why we ended up with this outcome. The mere presence of Locke, who oozed annoyance, irritated me. Students passing by couldn't help but murmur as they looked at me. It was clear that me being here was only harming Astina. Yet, why didn't anyone stop me? Anyone could see that Astina's reputation was being damaged. A deep sigh rose from within me. As time passed, it was almost time for classes to begin. I started to pack up my things when Locke called out to me. "Hey, you." "What?" His eyes were filled with hostility, but unlike his usual aggressive demeanor, he seemed unusually calm. "Why did you order Baron William to bully Evan?" I ignored his question and picked up my belongings, heading towards the building. The truth would come to light today anyway. But telling him now that I was framed and the red-haired student would confess today would make the situation even more absurd. As I tried to leave, Locke grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?" "Answer my question, Rudy Astria." Why was he like this? "I didn't do it. How many times do I have to say that?" I shook off Locke's hand and walked ahead. Locke cursed under his breath. "You scum." I ignored Locke's insult and kept walking. "Why are you taking out your inferiority complex from your brother on others? Do you think that's what a high-ranking noble should do?" Why did he keep creating his own dark past? When the truth came out that I wasn't responsible, he would surely feel embarrassed. I tried to ignore Locke and leave, but then someone descending the stairs caught my eye. "What did you just say?" "Luna?" Descending the stairs was Luna. "You… what are you doing?" Her usual gentle face was gone, replaced by eyes filled with anger directed at Locke. "Luna Railer?" Locke seemed slightly taken aback by Luna's expression, but she didn't respond to his question, instead repeating her own. "What are you doing? Why are you cursing at someone who's minding their own business?" Locke scowled, and Luna seemed to grow even angrier, her voice full of hostility. "Not going to answer?" "I cursed him because he deserved it." Locke replied calmly. Luna's hand began to gather wind as she glared at him. "Then it's fine for me to attack you since you've done something to provoke me, right?" The beginner wind magic, Wind Ball, was unusual in size. Luna's magic level wasn't that high, but the size was similar to the wind magic I used. No, now wasn't the time to focus on that. If we started fighting for real, it wouldn't end well. For Luna, Locke, or me. There was no need for a fight like this. I stood up and grabbed Luna's arm. "Luna, it's okay." "Rudy?" I looked at Locke. "Get lost." "What?" "Leave while I'm still willing to let it go." Locke glanced at Luna and then went back inside the building. "Rudy! Are you sure it's okay to let him go like that?" Luna looked at me with concern. "Don't worry about it. You can't just throw magic at someone because they insulted you." Hearing this, Luna dispelled the magic in her hand and blushed. "That... I got mad all of a sudden and it just happened..." Luna seemed to give up on that matter and got angry at me. "Why did you just stand there and listen?! You should've argued back!" "What's the point of arguing with someone who won't believe me anyway?" "You should've said something regardless!" "Anyway, class is about to start." I tried to leave with a faint smile, but Luna grabbed my sleeve. "Are you really okay?" "I'm fine. But why are you coming out of the dorm now?" I tried to change the topic to ease Luna's ongoing concern. But it was strange. As I said earlier, class was about to start. Luna wasn't usually late. "Ah...! My hair wasn't cooperating today! I overslept a bit, too? So I'm running late!" Luna stuttered slightly. However, her hair looked as neat as usual. In fact, it seemed even tidier. Well, if Luna said so, it must be true. I trusted her completely and let it go. We walked into the building together, then parted ways in the middle as our classes were different. "Ah..." I realized I forgot to ask about Luna's magic. It seemed to have grown much faster than her usual pace. Although it weighed on my mind, I thought it was possible. My actions were entirely different from the original story, so how could every detail be the same as the game? "It's probably nothing."
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