YM778.TV Chapter 35: A Friend
“…It seems so.”
After discussing with Kania about how to defend the ‘Raid on the Commoner’s Dormitory,’ both of us finally decided to monitor the situation together.
Of course, Kania, who will be in a lot of trouble if anyone finds her snooping around, is now hiding in my shadow.
“It’s strange. I thought they would make a move at this point.”
“If you take a look at the main quest window floating in front of me, it seems true that the raid hasn’t happened yet…”
After several days of intense surveillance, there was no sign of an attack, as both of us gradually became exhausted.
This is because it’s a job that forces us to stay up the entire night, while keeping our nerves sharp, and as a result of that, our mind and body gradually reached its limit.
“…Just in case, the raider isn’t aiming for this situation, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“Perhaps they’re delaying the raid in order to discover our existence or the presence of any guard, and maybe they also want us to drain our stamina.”
“Hmm…”
If the raider had noticed that both of us were monitoring the dormitory, there would be a high probability that a penalty window would have appeared.
However, in preparation for such a situation, I bought various items from the back alley a few days ago which aids in hiding my presence.
In addition, although it’s not as efficient as the old brooches, I regularly carry a few magical artifacts imbued with dark mana and I was planning to bark orders while using them, so even if someone finds out, I’ll be mistaken for using black magic.
“So, there is no chance our existence will ever be discovered.”
“…I see.”
When I conveyed those to Kania, she nodded quietly and whispered.
“However, I believe we should still assume that the raider is aware that someone is trying to stop him.”
“Yes, I think so too.”
I muttered under my breath as the sun gradually rose in the distance.
“…Because our opponent is the Demon King.”
Soon afterwards, as I was trudging my body back to the dormitory, I asked Kania a question that flashed through my mind
“By the way, Kania. What’s Ferloche and Clana’s stance on the commoner’s dormitory raid?”
“I was going to report their recent moves when we arrived at our dormitory.”
“Well then…”
Nodding to Kania’s reliable answer, soon my steps stopped when I found someone approaching me from afar.
“…Hello.”
Ferloche approached all the way right in front of my face, she then glared at me with a stiff expression.
I ignored her and tried to pass her by, but Ferloche grabbed my arm and stopped me.
“What the hell are you trying to do?”
“…Let me go.”
“Tell me. What the hell are you trying to do…”
“I told you to let me go.”
I wanted to get some shuteye before going to class, so I tried to shake off her hand with a stony expression. However, Ferloche grabbed me using the Blessing of the Sun God and yelled.
“Are you planning to raid the commoners’ dormitory!?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Recently, I’ve been sensing an ominous aura around the commoners’ dormitory. And now, I can feel that you’re overflowing with that same ominous aura.”
Having said, I thought Ferloche was about to shoot me with her holy power, so I flinched back. However, she just bit her lip and opened her mouth.
“Look at that. As expected, you are up to something.”
“…So what?”
“I know everything. In the previous timeline… No, I saw the future.”
Ferloche pointed at me with a determined look and began speaking.
“Even if you’re my master right now… if there are a lot of victims.. if it’s such a situation…”
However, she couldn’t finish her words and lowered her head.
“”……..””
And soon silence reigned for a while.
“…Come clean my room at 7 o’clock tonight.”
I was still disturbed by her appearance in the dream I had last time, so I left her with those words and walked past her to head to my dormitory, as she loosened her grip around my arm.
“Frey.”
However, just as I began heading to my dormitory, she called my name and grabbed my arm once more.
Because of this, I felt so annoyed that I almost screamed, but….
“Are you really planning something…?”
However, when I noticed she was looking at me resentfully, I kept my mouth shut.
“What the hell are you so dissatisfied with? After all, is it because I rejected your proposal? Or are you aiming for something?”
“What are you talking about…”
“In fact, I want to kill you right now to prevent anything bad from happening, but if I do so, the recording will spread… Then Clana, who is already having a hard time dealing with a fool like me, will be in danger.”
“…What?”
“Although I hate you to death, I still obeyed you for her… for the sake of innocent commoners, I can even give you this body that you covet so much.”
Having said that, Ferloche bit her lips tightly and immediately fell to her knees as she started begging while grabbing my leg.
“It’s a conclusion I finally arrived at after deliberating hard for a few days. So… please accept my offer and please don’t touch the commoner’s dormitory.”
As she said so, her eyes blazed with resentment, hatred, and disgust.
I stared at her in silence, then soon opened her status window with ❰Inspect❱ skill.
[Stats] Name: Ferloche Astellade
Strength: 1
Holy Power: 8.3
Intelligence: 2.3
Mental Strength: 8
Passive Status: Blessing of the Sun God
Disposition: Saintess
Goodness Stat: 100
“Even though it is extremely detestable… and I will lose my qualifications as the Saintess… but I will let you hold me whenever you want. So, please refrain from harming so many people.”
Eventually, Ferloche closed her eyes and implored. Seeing her goodness stat, I heaved a deep sigh and uttered.
“…Always be prepared. I will call you whenever I feel like it.”
Upon hearing my words, Ferloche looked distressed for a moment, then soon opened her mouth with an expression mixed with relief and disgust.
“I…understand.”
Soon I again started heading towards my dormitory and left the Saintess, who was still trembling on her knees. I then whispered to Kania, who was hiding in my shadow.
“Kania, can you brainwash Ferloche?”
“Impossible. It’s impossible to completely brainwash Lady Ferloche unless it’s the fully awakened Demon King.”
“…I see.”
Discarding the first plan I had in mind, I opened the entrance to the dormitory building while racking my brain.
“Kania, I was thinking…”
“No.”
But when I tried to convey an idea that suddenly crossed my mind, Kania, who was in my shadow, resolutely cut me off before I could even say anything.
“Hey… I haven’t even said anything yet…”
“When you are assimilated into the shadow of the person you serve, you can vaguely feel the emotions of the shadow’s owner.”
When I had a slightly perplexed expression on my face, Kania spoke to me in a calm tone.
“What kind of dangerous thing are you planning to do this time?”
Then she inquired in a slightly furious tone. Upon hearing her voice, I sighed and said.
“Instead of trying to stop the raid on the commoners’ dormitory case, I was planning to become the raider.”
Having said that, I opened the door to the dormitory, and soon Kania emerged from my shadow. She then frowned and argued.
“Do you have to go that far?”
“…I want to unlock the skill and item stores as soon as possible. It’s still in the elementary stage.”
“But then, the Young Master…”
“Fine, we’ll talk about this later… For now, please report what I mentioned earlier.”
I urgently stopped talking because I thought this argument would get dragged out longer, and then asked Kania, who was still slightly upset, to report what I mentioned earlier.
“First and foremost, let me tell you about the events that had transpired in the ‘Alliance’ so far.”
Then Kania, who had reverted back to her impassive expression, took out her notebook from the inner pocket and switched to her work mode.
“Speaking of the overall plan, the ‘Alliance’ consisting of Her Highness Clana, Lady Ferloche, and myself is making steady preparations to bring down the Young Master.”
“I see.”
“Yes, as part of that plan, Lady Ferroche is receiving tutoring in various fields from Her Highness Clana, and meanwhile she divulges secrets of the Church to Her Highness Clana.”
“Does she know the secrets of the Church?”
Kania added a supplementary explanation as I titled my head because I could never imagine Ferloche doing espionage work such as collecting Church’s secret materials and handing them over to Clana.
“…She is manually copying all the materials that seem suspicious to her eyes.”
“Can I get my hands on some of those materials too?”
“Of course, I memorized them all. I’ll share them all with you later.”
Upon Hearing those words, I smiled as I once again realized Kania’s competence. Meanwhile, Kania frowned and said.
“And as for me, I’m currently handing over false information to Her Highness Clana.”
“False information?”
“Yes, I’m divulging various mixed up information to disrupt the investigation. Of course, I’m not handing over any information that would jeopardize the family’s position.”
“As expected, you’re really competent. If it weren’t for you, I’d be on the street right now.”
When I said so jokingly, Kania lowered her head for a moment and then continued reporting.
“And I’m training in a secluded place with Lady Ferloche.”
“Training?”
“Yes, Lady Ferloche has been requesting it for a few days. She said she wanted to get stronger. In addition, after training with me, she goes straight to Her Highness Clana to study, which she absolutely hated before.”
“…So there’s a reason why there is a slight increase in her holy power and intelligence.”
As I nodded my head because I realized the reason behind her firm resolve, Kania turned over the page of the notebook and continued reporting.
“For your information, as you saw earlier, Lady Ferloche is trying to prevent the ‘Raid on the Commoners’ Dormitory’ somehow.”
“But why is she suspicious of me, and not the aristocrat who committed the raid in the previous timeline?”
“Your Highness Clana warned Lady Ferloche about the possibility of ‘variables.’ Because of that, Lady Ferloche now suspects Young Master as the raider.”
Upon hearing that, I remembered Ferloche pointing out that she sensed an ominous aura. When I inquired Kania about that, she replied with a calm expression.
“As expected, Lady Ferloche’s holy power is increasing day by day.”
“Um…? So Kania, maybe she noticed you earlier because you were assimilated with my shadow?”
When I asked that question, Kania shook her head in denial and answered.
“No, that’s not it. The magic spell that lets me assimilate with your shadow has already tricked Lady Ferloche.”
“How so?”
“It’s impossible to completely hide traces of black magic from Lady Ferloche. However, I can fake the intricacies. That’s why I made it seem like there exists a weak curse on the Young Master’s shadow.”
“Good job, then, even in front of Ferloche… Wait, then, why did Ferroche try to transmit her holy power to me earlier?”
When I inquired with a bewildered expression, Kania smirked and said.
“Back then, Lady Ferloche was trying to send her holy power to the black magic artifact that Young Master uses for deceiving others and chanting spells.”
“…Did you detect that?”
“Yes, that’s why I said Lady Ferloche’s holy power is increasing day by day.”
Upon hearing Kania’s words, I felt a little strange.
It’s nice to see Ferloche gradually becoming smarter and more assertive while being educated by Clana. However, at this rate, I’m going to die.
“So, what about Clana’s Reaction?”
“Her Highness Clana… Of course, she’s willing to prevent it if possible. However, in the first place, her dormitory is different, and she also has other concerns occupying her mind…”
“The Ball?”
“Yes.”
After hearing about the ball, when I inquired about Clana’s reaction, I felt a pang in my head again.
“Kania, how’s Clana doing these days?”
When I asked cautiously, Kania spoke with a grim expression.
“She’s been extremely depressed. She is struggling to maintain her confident appearance in front of us, and lately, she’s even sighing deeply.”
“…I see.”
“Although she has been increasing her influence faster than her past life. However, she’s being restrained even more so because of that. This engagement ceremony is also one of those restraints.”
Upon hearing that, I sighed for a moment while tapping on the desk. I then asked in a serious tone.
“…Is there any way to keep Clana from rushing too much?”
“I don’t think so. Her Highness Clana is now busy trying to seize power as soon as possible.”
“Of course, it’s because of me. Sigh, I need to give her a hand.”
As I sighed, imagining what would happen at the ball, Kania bit her lip and asked
“…How are you going to help, Her Highness Clana?”
“Just like always.”
I replied to her briefly and lay down on the bed to get some shut-eye, but soon Kania sat beside me
“I’m sorry to interrupt your sleep, but I have to ask this. What the hell are you planning to do at the ball tomorrow?”
She timidly grabbed my arm and began tugging it. Seeing her rather adorable appearance, I burst into laughter and I told her my plans.
“…Well, that’s my plan. All right? Then wake me up right before class starts.”
After I was done revealing my plans, I covered myself with a blanket and tried to fall asleep…
“Young Master.”
“Ah.”
I had no choice but to delay my sleep for a while as Kania took away the blanket with an absurd look on her face.
“Talk to me.”
“Later…”
“Then shall we meet in your dream?”
“……..”
That’s how I began to quarrel with Kania, who seemed infuriated.
I had an ominous feeling that this argument would continue until the bell rang.
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“Hello, Your Highness Clana.”
“…Hello.”
While Frey and Kania had been arguing for a long time, Ferloche greeted Clana, who had already arrived at the library in advance and was waiting for her.
“You seem to be working rather hard. It’s nice to see.”
Clana was examining various materials with a despondent expression when Ferloche came up to her and took a seat beside her. Clana then painstakingly smiled and praised her.
“…Thank you!”
Then Ferloche, who was crying inwardly because of the earlier events, also tried to answer with a cheerful smile. Soon the two ladies who were wearing masks picked up books from the shelves of the library.
“…All right, that’s enough. Let’s go to the dormitory then.”
“Yes.”
Thus, the two gathered all the books they were going to study today and began walking while facing forward, maintaining a slight distance from each other.
The current relationship between the Imperial Family and the Church was rather estranged, so they had to do it.
“…Oh, Clana. Where are you going this early?”
“……”
As they were walking down the hallway while maintaining a slight distance from each other, the First Princess suddenly blocked Clana’s way.
“…Ah.”
Because of this, Ferloche was momentarily stunned. However, when she recalled Clana’s advice that she should pretend they weren’t close to each other, she rushed to the ends of the hallway with her eyes closed.
“Clana, do you have anything to do with that idiotic Saintess?”
“…No.”
Clana firmly denied her claim when the First Princess, who had been staring at Ferloche, inquired with a cold expression.
“In fact… Even if you’re doing a lot of things lately, you probably wouldn’t have approached the Saintess. The Imperial family is trying hard to keep the Church in check. So, it isn’t the case, right?”
Then the First Princess raised the corners of her mouth and began to caress Clana’s shoulder.
However, Clana, who was quite accustomed to such provocations, showed no reaction. Then the First Princess, who frowned for a moment, clapped her hands and said.
“Oh, come to think of it… Tomorrow is the ball, right?”
Clana’s eyebrows trembled upon hearing her words, and then the First Princess smirked and whispered in her ear.
“The fiancé candidates are all chosen with the utmost care for you by my mother, myself, and my brother. How about it? Shouldn’t you be grateful?”
“…Yes.”
Even in such a situation, Clana tried to keep her composure and answered, but eventually, she closed her eyes tightly upon hearing the following remark.
“If you don’t show up this time, or if you don’t choose a fiancé… you’d better be prepared.”
“But…”
“Anyway, mother who doesn’t really like the Church or the Saintess, believes you’re close to her. You realize what will happen if that’s the case, right?”
After saying those words, the First Princess tapped Clana’s shoulder, then passed her by with an elegant gait.
“…Gnash.”
Clana, who was standing in the hallway grinding her teeth for a long time, soon recalled that she had made a prior appointment with Ferloche and began trudging towards the dormitory.
“Your Highness Clana… are you all right…”
“Um, how far did you read?”
“Oh, that… 41st page.”
“I see, then let’s read from there.”
Clana, who finally entered her dormitory, smiled at Ferloche, who was waiting for her after arriving before her. She then opened the book.
“Your Highness Clana…”
“What’s wrong?”
However, Ferloche was still looking at her with pity
– Press…
Eventually, Ferloche gathered holy power and touched her lips, only Clana realized that blood was dripping from lips because she chewed it too hard.
“…Thank you.”
Clana, who had barely suppressed her emotions that were on the verge of exploding, thanked Ferloche and quietly began reading the book.
“Your Highness Clana.”
“Yes?”
Ferloche briefly watched Clana pitifully. She soon opened her mouth and cushioned her hand while transmitting holy power.
“Your Highness Clana, teach me how to overcome stupidity… in return I’ll be Your Highness Clana’s Friend.”
“…Friend?”
“Yes, friend.”
Upon hearing Ferloche’s words and seeing her bright smile, Clana nodded quietly and smiled back, then soon turned over the page of the book and said.
“…I think it’s page 14, not page 41.”
“Ah, I see.”
Thus, Ferloche and Clana began reading the book as they gazed at the first friend they had made in their lives.
‘After all, for Her Highness Clana’s sake I have no choice but to surrender to Frey.’
‘For Lady Ferloche’s sake… I have no choice but to get engaged.’
Just like genuine friends, they cared for each other
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– Rattle!
Meanwhile, at the border dividing the Western Continent and the Sunrise Empire.
“…At this rate, even if we are a bit late for tomorrow’s ball, we’ll be able to get there somehow.”
“Well, if that’s what Lady Serena claims, then it would be the case.”
Serena was chatting with her maid in the carriage, heading for the Imperial Capital at high speed.
“…But what are you writing now?”
The maid, who had been quietly yawning in the carriage, tilted her head and asked Serena what she was writing with such an intense look.
“A love letter.”
“Ah.”
The maid, who frowned at Serena’s words, shook her head and said.
“…Don’t you hate Young Master Frey?”
Upon hearing her words, Serena stopped writing for a moment, and said with a cold expression.
“I hate him so much that I want to kill him.”
“Then why don’t you give up on him?”
When the maid asked that question with a frustrated look on her face, Serena sighed quietly and answered.
“Because I’m his fiancée.”