Early morning in the Kingdom of Altfode.
Bell floated cheerfully as she entered a room.
She was happy because she spent the entire night capturing bad children.
It's not known what happened to them. But for some reason, they were never heard from again.
She opened the curtains to let the sunlight into the room.
"Good morning, you two."
She spoke to two people in a cheerful tone.
Alisa and Airi were sleeping together peacefully in the same bed.
They were in their underwear.
Alisa slept like a baby, drool falling from the corner of her mouth.
While Airi used her breasts as a pillow.
Airi seemed to be suffering as two huge fleshy masses blocked her nose, but despite that, she didn't seem to struggle much.
"You two, it's time to wake up. There's mail from the master."
Alisa opened her eyes at Bell's voice.
She moved her right hand, grabbing a pillow.
"...Shut up."
Still drowsy, Alisa threw her pillow at Bell.
She laid her head back on the other available pillow.
As if she had a stuffed toy in her bed, she hugged Airi's head tightly with all her might.
Airi now seemed to be suffocating and raised her face to breathe and then went back to sleep peacefully on the soft fleshy mass she used as a pillow.
After getting up, Bell shouted at them.
"Hah? What was that! Even though I work hard every night to protect Airi-chan's chastity and getting rid of guys who want to assassinate you, you repay me like this? Unforgivable! Outrageous! You're going to pay for this!"
Bell moved in different directions taking pictures of how defenseless they both were.
"Great, like this! Oh, this angle is good! In this position, Airi-chan's butt is as big as Alisa-chan's!"
Bell's green eye blinked sinisterly.
"Fufufu, the master will feast on how vulnerable you two are. Master, will you remember Bell-chan? She is working hard for you even though I wanted to go on a stroll too."
Bell flew around the room cheerfully while continuing to take pictures of two defenseless girls.
◇
"Is something wrong, Lucy-chan?"
I woke up early to train my body before going to classes.
The semester was almost over. We had one more month of classes left.
Since I went down for breakfast, I went to give the little bunny I found its food.
But there's a problem.
"This is terrible."
I looked at Ixion, who spoke in a cold tone.
"Despite the food given and the surgery I performed. It seems it won't hold on for much longer."
"Eh, but we give it healthy food in a paste?"
I had a baby bottle in my hand while feeding the bunny. But she hasn't wanted to eat anything.
"Animals, unlike humans. Know when it's their time to leave this world. Probably, she doesn't have more than a week or two left."
That's disheartening. It was a good morning and now they just ruined my day.
Life is something precious; I who lost it once didn't realize how beautiful it was to breathe and feel the sun on my face. But months ago, I took lives during the war to save many more. I don't regret it, but I'm not proud of being called a hero for it.
◇◇◇
Alisa and Airi, who slept together in the morning, were changing clothes.
Alisa only has a hair clip in her mouth and a shirt over her underwear.
The front is open because she hasn't buttoned it up.
Bell delivered the letter Rudel sent yesterday.
However, Airi suddenly became a little sad after reading the letter with joy.
"Rudel-san is certainly sensitive when it comes to animals or death."
When the war ended. The girls accompanied Rudel to the cemetery who went to deliver flowers to all who died from the kingdom. He also wanted to go to the former Confederation to give his condolences to the families of those he killed.
Alisa told him that would be humiliating for them, so they only went to the combat zone and threw bouquets into the ocean and then prayed for them. Including Klein and his father, they did it out of modesty, although Alisa didn't really care about that.
"Certainly, a little bunny with severe organ injuries and a broken leg. As a living being, it's prey for any predator."
"Don't call Lucy-chan prey."
Airi got annoyed, showing a pout.
"Sorry. I didn't say it offensively, I was just mentioning that her health is in danger any way you look at it, I said it because reading this bothered me."
Airi read the part where Alisa narrowed her eyes.
"I heard the kingdom lost twice in the past, but isn't their confidence too optimistic?"
"The embassy is also quite weak. The queen said she was also interested in the possibility of making enemies."
For that reason, Queen Lecia is also taking a cautious approach.
However, it was also a problem that the local embassy was too weak.
Airi thinks with her hand on her chin.
"Hey, Alisa. What is that sacred tree Rudel-san talks about?"
"According to the information obtained from the kingdom and what he has sent us. It seems to be a kind of gigantic mass of infinite energy. It would be something like an inexhaustible reserve of electricity."
Airi was surprised to hear that, but a new doubt asked.
"I understand that, but, why is it called sacred? It's just a big tree, but sacred is overkill, isn't it?"
Alisa had no choice but to nod at Airi's impressions.
"Maybe it's something similar to our belief in the saint. But even so, it's strange."
Alisa brought a finger to her chin.
(I want to know more about them. Not for the possibility of seeking an invasion but a way to avoid a possible tragedy. Also, I don't want to ask him to work for the kingdom's sake. I don't want him to feel obligated to do something he doesn't want despite being a minister.)
Alisa continued reading the letter, and then discomfort came to her.
"What's wrong?" Airi said curiously.
"Here it says he's having fun, in the classes. The problem is whether he's getting too close to another woman or not."
The biggest problem for the two would be if Rudel was cheating on them abroad.
Alisa herself also felt discontented because they separated immediately after their engagement.
Airi denied Alisa's worry with unease.
"He'll be fine! Rudel-san wrote here that he wants to meet with us. Besides, he's not the type of person who would cheat on us!"
Alisa smiled slightly seeing Airi's reaction and teased her.
"Who knows. After all, that boy is also a man. Moreover, he's a hero who rose to the rank of count in one generation. Any woman would surely feel her heart beat for such a man. If it were me, then I absolutely wouldn't let him slip through my fingers."
"C-Certainly Rudel-san is a wonderful man, but I don't want him to cheat on us."
Airi was about to cry. Alisa hurriedly apologized upon seeing that.
"It's my fault! Forgive me! I also don't want him to cheat on us! Actually, I'm afraid it might really happen!"
Alisa trembled while grabbing Airi's shoulders. Fear showed in her eyes. It was the panic known as "knowing your partner cheated on you."
The fear of knowing her first fiancé, Klein, cheated on her right in her face is something she doesn't want to experience again.
Ellen, who just graduated, was a danger.
There was a possibility that Rudel could be snatched from them if they let their guard down.
"I want to give him a warning just to be safe, but he'll also hate us if we question him too much. It's a difficult matter."
"Can't I write to Rudel-san that cheating is 'bad!' as our response?"
Alisa shook her head at Airi's suggestion.
"Even he wouldn't be happy if we suspected him of cheating despite him not doing anything like that."
"Alisa, I'm scared of losing him!"
"Me too!"
They hugged each other over the terrifying thought of losing the person they love.
◇
Another day of classes passed peacefully.
I was leaving the academy to take the rail train and go straight home to continue taking care of Lucy-chan.
When suddenly a limousine cut me off.
I got scared thinking this was going to be a movie-style kidnapping. I prepared to run away, but a well-dressed chauffeur got out of the vehicle and walked around to open the back door.
A girl got out of the back seat. The students around us became noisy.
That girl was the villainess, Sara, who introduced herself by lifting the hem of her skirt as a greeting.
"I apologize for introducing myself this way, I beg your pardon. I am the daughter of the interim head, Sara Ciel Rosenberg, of the six great nobles."
"You are the foreign student from the Kingdom of Altfode, right? Rudel von Bradford-kun?"
I answered a bit stunned by such a turn of events.
"... Yes, that's me."
She gave me a warm smile.
"I would like to take a bit of your time if it's not any trouble. I want to chat with you."
Why was she interested in me?
I was also curious about why she made that surprised face when we met before.
"Chat with me?"
"Yes, that's right. I would be delighted if you could accompany me."
I shrugged and entered the car just as she asked.
The interior of the car had a very luxurious decoration.
The seat was also soft. This was truly a car that the rich would have.
Sara also took a seat next to me. Then, the driver closed the door before getting in and driving the car.
Sara spoke to me with a nervous look while I felt I was in an unreal situation.
"Have you gotten used to Aster?"
She broke the ice with an innocuous and harmless question, but the real topic must be something else.
"Yes, thanks to all the people here."
"I'm glad to hear that. You can talk to me if you have any problems; you can count on me as a big sister. I wouldn't mind if you even used my name."
I had the feeling that I would be able to have many problems if I used the name of the princess of the Rosenberg Household. Although I wouldn't use it because it was scary.
"T-That's very kind of you."
"Oh, did you think I would be a worse person? Lucy must have told you something."
"Well, something like that."
However, you were the image of an evil woman at our first meeting.
She looked at me with an embarrassed face; even her tone was.
"N-Not all the time I'm like that."
"It's not persuasive to hear that from the person herself."
"It's just as you say."
Sara seemed to be enjoying herself with me. It wasn't like when she interacted with Lucy.
The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror when I casually spoke with the household princess. Hey, look ahead when you're driving.
"... And, what might be your business with me?"
Just as I tried to move to the main topic, Sara brought her face close to mine.
"Huh?"
She touched my cheek with her left hand and looked at my face with moist eyes.
"W-What's wrong?"
This situation no longer makes sense to me. What was really happening?
"I'm engaged!" I was about to tell her that while she touched my cheek gently. It's almost as if she was about to say something like, "I love you." Or, "It was love at first sight."
".. Hey."
Her voice was gentle.
Her face came closer and closer to mine.
"Can you call me... Sara-chan?"
(We just met yesterday, and you already want to take this acquaintance relationship to the next level!)
(I must get out of here as soon as possible! My virgin-meter is warning me that something that shouldn't happen is happening!)
"Hey..."
She called me in an even gentler way while I was agitated by this unexpected event.
"Can you? Once is enough."
(Even just once is something that indicates it's very strange!)
"Don't you want to?"
Sara showed the face of a spoiled child that reminded me of those two when we strolled together. Her eyes look at me sadly thinking I won't say it.
"Y-Y-Yes, this is some kind of joke, I fell for it, hahaha!"
"I'm not joking."
That only scared me more.
"I just ask you once. Say, 'Sara-chan' in any tone. I'll even make sure to reward you in any way you want."
This is no longer a laughing matter.
Sara clung to my body; she even crossed her legs, and her knee touched me. Her large chest pressed against me.
"Come on. Don't you want to say it? I'll be sad; do you like making girls feel sad?"
"... Sara-chan."
I said it. I said something I shouldn't have. I hope this calms her down.
I looked at her face. She looked at me in astonishment and then...
"Rudel-kun!"
She jumped on me. She placed her large breasts on my body and pressed them while she seemed like a happy child having been praised by her father.
"Hey. Now you can say. 'Sara-chan is a good girl.' I promise I'll take you wherever you want or do whatever. Come on, come on, or. Do you want to make me sad?"
This girl was using me. Her beautiful eyes and sweet spoiled child's voice were making me her toy. At this rate, I'll be at her total mercy.
Wait, did she say whatever?
At that moment, unintentionally, I looked at her pressed breasts. She noticed my eyes and smiled in a cheeky way.
"My, Rudel-kun, you're a bad boy. But, think of me as a generous big sister. If you want 'that', I might indulge my cute little brother."
We're not siblings, and I think this is no longer normal.
(Ixion, this is bad! I think I'm going to lose my virginity in a car with a girl who isn't my girlfriend?!)
(Helpppppp!)
Just when I thought Sara was going to abuse my weak self. Ixion appeared.
"Master."
He spoke in a low voice so only I could hear.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your flirting with an unknown woman, but this happened..."
Sara kept pressing her breasts against me playfully, but I immediately pushed her off.
"Wait, Rudel-kun, I don't like it that you want to play rough!"
"Give me the address!"
I opened the car door and ran out. Since the car was just circling the academy, it was easier to get to the place Ixion told me.
◇◇◇
A few minutes ago. Warren and Clovis were leaving their classes to go home.
Because Clovis forgot some notebooks due to playing around, he told Warren to wait for him.
He waited very patiently in the garden inside the school.
Suddenly, a group of young men surrounded him.
Warren didn't notice their presence since he was reading a book.
"Can I help you boys?"
Warren spoke to a group of young men in a formal tone.
Among them, Derrick stepped forward.
"Finally, the wait is over."
"Excuse me?" Said Warren, who didn't understand what was happening.
Derrick smiled sinisterly.
"Hey, do you want to make a bet? If you win, you can get great prizes. It's very easy; we do it this way because we want to show the newcomers the hospitality of Aster."
"Is that so? Sorry, but this seems like something else."
"Gyahaha, I understand. But it's just that we are very excited. Don't you see how impatient we are to show foreign students the wonders of Aster?"
"I see. And, what is the bet?"
Derrick erased his smile for a serious face.
"You just have to 'swear'. Under this emblem and then compete against me. It's simple."
"I hope it's quick. My friend will be here soon."
"Yes. Yes. It will be quick only if you hurry. We also want to meet your other companions."
Warren looked suspiciously at Derrick, but none of the boys had anything suspicious hidden, not even Derrick.
Warren approached Derrick, murmured some words, and then...
◇
I was inside the school grounds.
"Rudel-kun, what's going on!"
Sara was behind me, chasing me.
"Tell me it's a joke, Ixion!"
"You should thank me for monitoring the perimeter and happening to find it by chance."
Upon arriving at the place Ixion showed me via a holographic map.
"Uwaa, Warren, hold on!"
I found a chilling scene.
"I'll get you out of there, just hold on, friend!"
I found Clovis trying to get Warren down, who was hanging upside down from a large tree that appeared out of nowhere.
He was totally beaten up. His mouth and face were swollen from several blows.
"Clovis, what happened?!"
I ran towards Clovis to also help him get Warren down.
The branches were strong.
We had to use muscle-strengthening magic to tear the roots off his body.
Sara finally arrived, and her exhaustion showed in her breathing.
"Why did you run off like that...?"
When she opened her eyes. She observed us.
"What happened here?"
Clovis cried while answering her.
"I don't know! I was delayed because I couldn't find my books, and then I saw a green glow, and when I went out to check, I found Warren like this!"
"A green glow?"
Sara seemed annoyed.
"This must undoubtedly be Derrick's work."
"Rudel-kun, I'm very sorry about this. I promise I'll take care of solving this problem today!"
"Wait, why are you apologizing? This isn't your fault, and what are you talking about?"
Sara lowered her head as she answered me.
"... The freshman hunt."
"Hunt?"
"Of freshmen? You say."
Both Clovis and I were astonished by something as savage as that.
"It's a dreadful tradition that some nobles of Aster do. It's prohibited, but only some families do it. It's a cruel celebration where they hunt foreigners and humiliate them to the point of breaking them and making them leave Aster."
"Is it an act of racism or xenophobia?"
"No. It's more of a mockery of those who don't back Aster economically. I'm sorry, during the first and second year I studied with Derrick, I told him to stop doing it. I heard rumors that his lackeys were the ones causing it, but not him. I didn't investigate further, thinking it was true, so, sorry."
Sara seemed like she wanted to cry.
I approached her and took her shoulders.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
"But I, knew it would happen again and didn't do anything!"
She raised her face with tears. She seemed truly remorseful.
"Even if that's so, you have nothing to do with it. Just like knowing a war will break out, you are not responsible for what others do."
"Rudel-kun... thank you, you're very kind."
Wait, when did I become someone so philosophical?
"At least... let me take your friend to the hospital."
"Thank you."
I headed towards Clovis and told him we would take Warren to the hospital.
◇◇◇
Sara looked at Rudel with moist eyes.
While he and Clovis lifted Warren, she murmured.
"... You really are very kind."
◇
After admitting Warren to the hospital, Clovis decided to stay with him.
I told him to come to my house or Erselica's if anything happened.
I headed to Erselica's mansion to tell her what happened.
Frey opened the door and was disgusted to see me, but I ignored him and pushed past him.
I shouted Erselica's name, and she came running from the kitchen. She was surprised to see me; she seemed to be washing dishes since she was wearing gloves.
I headed towards her and took her to a nearby room to tell her what happened first and then the others.
Of course, these guys got worked up.
"S-Something like that..."
She also couldn't believe what I was saying.
"Wasn't Derrick not supposed to show up to us if Liam didn't do improper things? Haven't you been watching him lately?!"
"Don't yell at me!"
My tone was high and loud because of what happened.
Erselica was scared by what occurred, but more so by seeing me angry.
Warren was just an acquaintance; we talked a few times, but he's still a compatriot from my country.
Clovis was trash, but it was the same. Moreover, he really seemed to suffer a lot over Warren's situation to the point he wouldn't stop crying.
"I think we shouldn't do anything."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"You said a teacher who belongs to the Lunor Household said he would talk to Derrick, right? In that case, we should leave this problem to the school."
I lied to Erselica. I told her a teacher who belongs to Lugh's household helped us; if I told her the villainess and I were being affectionate in a very weird way, she would get upset.
"Is it okay to leave things like this?"
"It's better not to meddle with events related to Liam. We don't want to end up in a situation like with Klein or Balzac again. We are in a country that is supposed to be a powerhouse. I don't like to say it, but brother, we have to turn a blind eye this time and focus on the heroine finding her destined person."
"You're asking me not to act when a classmate of ours ended up beaten?"
I looked at her seriously as she did at me.
"Yes. I'm asking you to be selfish. Meddling in the events of the story can go wrong. Derrick will be defeated either by Liam or by one of the capture targets by the end of the semester. We just have to endure."
This is infuriating; like a dog, I must flee with my tail between my legs.
Warren, I'm sorry, but I... am a cowardly scum.