How To Live As An Academy Extra Villain

118 – Ellie (4)

For a moment, I felt like a fool. It felt like I was in a dream. The surreal scenery in front of me had that much power.

Alcmene. Alcmene Luchetta Canias. The first princess of the current empire.

A person who is hidden behind a veil, with much unknown due to her appearance and rarely appearing on official occasions.

A person whose name was mentioned in passing in Eugene’s story, so I hardly knew anything about them.

But the girl above me claims that she is that princess. The princess who harassed me at the ball and the innocent commoner girl were the same person.

I turned my gaze away again. The golden girl was still waiting for my answer. Her radiant blonde hair naturally reminded me of that ball. There was no trace of falsehood in her clear gaze at me.

“Eli…”

“Not that… I just told you… Sniff…”

The girl muttered as if she didn’t like it. Her voice still had a hint of moisture.

“I apologize… Your… Highness…”

“Ed. Are you stupid? Or pretending to be?”

The girl sitting on top of me pressed her body even closer. I could hear even her quiet breaths. She opened her lips and whispered my name.

“Ed… Edwin Reed…”

In my mind, the days spent with Ellie flashed by. Those appearances that were overflowing with nobility, even though she was called a commoner, finally made sense.

Ellie, who boasted an outstanding magical ability, Ellie who always received the highest score in etiquette classes, Ellie who knew the pedigrees of the nobles by heart, Ellie who said Crest Bridge near the capital was her hometown…

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“Of course, it’s only you… You’re the only one…”

My thoughts twisted endlessly. The memory of Ellie saying that she would kill her aura vee if she couldn’t go to the ball suddenly came to mind. If Ellie was Princess Alkemene, then what about her aura vee?

… Then, what about Ellie’s parents who were downstairs?

“…Ed…”

Countless thoughts tangled like an unbreakable knot.

“…Ed…!”

I was awakened by a small shout. The girl’s face was suddenly so close that our noses were touching.

“To be thinking such strange thoughts in front of such a beautiful lady… What on earth are you thinking…!?”

“…I’m sorry… No, I apologize…”

“…Not that…”

“Eli…”

“Not even that…!!”

For a moment, I couldn’t figure out how to respond to this girl. But as I saw her puffing up her cheeks, I finally realized. The girl was still the person I knew.

“…Alcmene…”

“Hehe…”

The girl’s dissatisfaction disappeared in just one word, as if the snow was melting quickly. She displayed a bright smile, as if a flower had bloomed.

“…Alright? Now come down…”

“No. I want to continue like this a little longer… It’s been a while, you know…”

The girl vehemently shook her head, refusing my request. Instead, she leaned in closer. Now, there was no distinction between us. It was as if we had been one body from the beginning.

“So, you’re the princess…”

“Yes… Did you feel disappointed because I may have lied?”

“I was surprised, but it’s not that… But why act like a commoner so much…”

“Don’t show your face to everyone. Wear the same clothes as them, eat the same bread. That’s how he will come on the day when three stars set.”

“…?”

“It’s the fortune-telling I received when I was four years old. It said there was a bad omen in my destiny. And it was very strong. It told me to be cautious until the aristocrat comes…”

The girl continued explaining.

“Thanks to that, except for those who were in that position, no one knows my face. I had to pretend to be a commoner even in the academy. Well… Now there’s one more person added…”

“Then it’s not possible, right? Until the aristocrat comes…”

“You’re a fool, Ed. You still don’t get it? The day we first met was… the day when three stars set.”

I was at a loss for words for a moment. It was extremely difficult to respond to that statement.

“It’s just a coincidence… There are five days a year when three stars set…”

“Today is the same too.”

Even my last question was interrupted by the girl. Her voice was becoming stronger. The girl’s claim was becoming clearer.

“Huh?”

“Today is also the day when three stars set.”

The girl lifted her buried body and looked at me again. There was a strong conviction gleaming in her eyes.

“This is fate. Now even my father will have to acknowledge it. Right? Even if you’re not an aristocrat, it doesn’t matter. Ed, you are my…”

It wasn’t completely impossible to understand her words. I had already saved the girl twice. Once in Dracton, and once today.

However, simply feeling a sense of fate and being an existence that cannot be pinned down by destiny are completely different dimensions of things.

It was impossible to gauge what kind of impact this event would have in the future. Thinking about the subject made it even more so.

After overcoming the crisis, the sensations that had been suppressed all came rushing back at once. A burning heat rose to the face. The heartbeat gradually increased its speed.

Ellie’s warm body temperature and an unknown sweet fragrance intensified all these sensations. Making rational judgments in this swamp was an impossible task.

“…I understand… for now, I understand… Would you come down for a moment?”

“…What… was it an important conversation? Is something heavy…?”

“No… it’s nothing like that… it’s just…”

“Hmm…?”

Soon, the girl seemed to sense something was off about me. The silent girl threw a careful question.

“…Ed, are you embarrassed… by any chance?”

“…Huh…”

“…Why is she like this… she’s showing shyness she’s never had before… because you’re being like this, I’m feeling… strange…”

“I’m telling you to step aside for a bit…”

“…”

An awkward current swept between us in an instant. Alkemene blurred the end of her sentence and avoided my gaze, but I didn’t consider getting angry.

Seconds of silence passed as if it were an eternity.

-Knock knock! Bang!

“I came because you didn’t come even after some time had passed. If you stay for too long…”

It was the moment when the thought “Can’t I just take Ellie and leave?” began to cross my mind. Suddenly, the door opened, revealing Eda’s figure.

The tangled image of us, like a snail, was clearly reflected in her eyes.

The maid who saw us couldn’t say anything. After a moment, the golden girl jumped straight at Eda.

“Eda!!”

***

Afterward, chaos erupted in the old inn. Alkemene hugged Eda tightly and went downstairs. And she rushed toward her own parents.

Naturally, they couldn’t readily accept the situation that unfolded before them. Kisha even tried to overpower me and cast magic. Perhaps she thought I had performed some wicked sorcery.

However, Berakbarak’s attempt was thwarted by Alcmene. Despite a thorough investigation afterwards, naturally, no trace of evil was found.

The golden girl leaped back into her parents’ arms, and a tearful farewell unfolded before my eyes.

And I too needed to re-establish my relationship with them.

“…Edwin of Reed proclaims the empire’s sun…”

“It has been done. Arise quickly. How could I demand such formalities from you? It is I who would be lacking even if I were to bow.”

“Yes. Please arise. Could there be anyone like this in the world…”

I was in a separate space prepared in the inn. Barion knelt on one knee, trying to perform a ceremony, but I resisted.

Beside me, a woman resembling Alcmene smiled proudly and supported him. It was exactly the opposite of what happened earlier.

The respect she showed me was quite awkward. And when I think about her identity, it’s strange that the respect is actually familiar. How often does this person go and show respect to others?

I felt a peculiar feeling. The empire and the nobles were just vague existences to me. The concept of the empire was too vast and vast for me to grasp. What always mattered to me was our territory.

I had spent my whole life in the southern region, and it had not even been a year since I entered the academy. So I thought that even if I knew about the emperor in terms of knowledge, I would never encounter him in my lifetime.

The emperor is not only the supreme leader of the empire, but also the patriarch of the Daga family. And Caneas was definitely the most dominant among the various noble families.

Located in the west, which suffered almost no damage during the coming of the Great Demon, and inheriting both the direct rule of Drakna, the imperial capital, and the legacy. Even if other nobles had many complaints, there was a reason why they couldn’t openly overthrow them.

But the man before my eyes, he looks good…

“I unintentionally deceived you. I’m sorry. My daughter’s wish was so great. I just want to stay as an ordinary friend in the end. It’s just that things turned out this way…”

“No need to apologize. It is more than enough for me to apologize for my rudeness…”

“Very well. I have seen that you have elegance and treat people with respect. It’s quite the opposite, though your appearance looks just like your father.”

The emperor extended his hand and lightly laughed. But his subsequent words made it impossible for me to respond without questioning. Why is Father here…?

“Your Majesty…”

“Oh, just Barion would have sufficed.”

“…Barion, sir. Perhaps you know our father…?”

“I knew him. I’ve seen my Albert since his time at the academy. It was when he was the student council president. I suffered a lot because of him, who flirted with countless female students…”

Hearing his words, I felt a sense of comfort. And the story that Estelle revealed about Father when she came to our estate during summer vacation came back to my mind.

She clearly mentioned that she had been scolded by the student council president because of a girl issue.

But could it be, that student council president was…

“No matter how many times they talked, it didn’t make any sense. In the end, it was only after meeting your mother that he changed. But thanks to that, there was some kind of connection between them…”

Barion spoke hesitantly and fell into deep thought for a moment.

“I was so curious that I asked him about the secret. But he didn’t tell me until the end. It was so irritating to see him smile and shake his head…”

“…Barion. You asked about the secret…? About seducing women…? Why does it sound like something I’ve never heard before…?”

“Hmm. It was something that happened when we were kids…”

Barion snapped out of his reverie at the cold voice coming from beside him. Then, he cleared his throat and redirected the conversation.

“…But there’s something I want to ask.”

“…Go ahead…”

“…When I found out that the poison that affected that child was from the Basilisk, I thought I was going crazy. He even targeted her instead of me when I was away…”

“…”

“All the remedies were useless. There was no glimmer of hope anywhere. If I could, I would have sold my soul to the devil just to save my daughter.”

“Barion…”

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Lady Clotene raised her hand and comforted him.

“But then a miracle happened before us. Don’t you know how it feels when our daughter embraced me again?”

“…”

“That’s why I can’t help but ask. What kind of medicine is it exactly? What kind of skill do you possess that even I couldn’t find?”

I pondered for a moment. I was sure that I would receive such a question. Only up to that point.

If he had been just a wealthy commoner, I could find a way to evade the question somehow. But he wasn’t. I couldn’t question his social status and he couldn’t be unaware of what I knew.

After a short hesitation, I made a decision. Besides confronting him directly, I couldn’t think of any other way.

“…I cannot tell you that. But I swear. It is a medicine that has nothing to do with any evil. I would risk my life…”

“Do not… go to such lengths. I was just curious.”

“…?”

“I don’t have any intention of forcing an answer from you. I didn’t sense any malicious intent, and above all, my daughter asked me. You have many secrets, and that is what makes you attractive, so never think about revealing them… sigh…”

However, my resolution ended unexpectedly blandly. Barion withdrew his hand as if he had no regrets.

It seemed like he had other worries. He let out a deep sigh and placed his hand on his head. At that moment, the door of the room suddenly opened without any warning.

-Thud!

“Lord Alcmena…! For the sake of safety…”

The one who appeared after opening the door was a golden-haired girl. Behind her, a maid was looking at Alcmena with a perplexed expression.

“Ed…! Hehe…”

“…It seems your father’s face is not completely absent… Sigh… What should we do about this…”

Alcmena leapt onto my back just like I had carried her before. Upon seeing this, Barion’s worries deepened even further.

“…Ed. I’m sorry, but can you step outside for a moment…? I have something to discuss with Father and Mother…”

Alcmena stared at Barion, hearing his sigh. The joy from earlier was replaced with dissatisfaction in her eyes.

-Thud!

“Father! I clearly told you!”

“Oh dear…”

Alcmena pushed me forward. I couldn’t even properly greet them before being pushed outside, and the door closed firmly. I had no way of knowing what was happening inside the room. The faint echo of someone shouting was the only indication of something happening.

“It seems our Highness has accumulated quite a bit. Should we wait and have a conversation as well?”

I heard a hearty voice and turned around. A large man with a jovial smile and a woman with a nervous appearance stood there.