ALL NOVEL Chapter 11
Chapter 11
—–CROW—–
“Ta-da! Ta-da-da! Ta-da-da! Ta-da-da-da! Tum-ta-ta tum-ta-ta~”
“…”
As we entered the academy and walked down the hallway, Eleanor started making sound effects with her mouth.
And she was shouting so loudly that every time we passed another classroom, I could hear bursts of laughter from inside.
Why did the embarrassment always have to be mine?
[1-4]
We arrived at the classroom Eleanor and I belonged to. I wasn’t surprised that we were in the same class.
It was the same in the game.
“Alright, Master. Are you ready?”
“Yes…”
Eleanor, who had been making sound effects, whispered to me.
As expected, she, the attention-seeker, refused an ordinary entrance.
It was frustrating, but there was nothing I could do. She was a character who would die without attention.
“So, the moment you open the door, I’ll cause an explosion, right? That’s all I have to do, right?”
I compromised to satisfy her attention-seeking tendencies.
If I refused, I would be swept away by her unpredictable actions, so I had no choice but to comply.
“Yes. With this, I can imprint my existence on everyone. I’m looking forward to it. Hmm, hmm.”
Eleanor started to put on a solemn expression.
But seeing one corner of her mouth twitching upwards, I could only feel pity.
Eleanor was a rather simple-minded girl.
“Shall we begin?”
“Wait, Noah.”
“…?”
I stopped Eleanor before she could do anything.
Eleanor looked up at me with an innocent expression, as if asking what was wrong.
I felt a bit guilty, but there was nothing I could do.
“…Wouldn’t it be better to open the front door than the back door to attract more attention?”
“Oh… You’re right. As expected of Master.”
“Alright, then are you ready? You open the door, and I’ll cast the magic from a distance, right?”
“Yes!”
Eleanor took a deep breath and stood in front of the door, getting ready. It was embarrassing to watch.
Bang!
Confident. She flung the door open with a confidence that was unimaginable for someone who was late.
Anyone would mistake her for a professor.
Anyway, as planned, the moment Eleanor opened the door and made her declaration, I detonated the magic I had prepared behind her.
Basic Magic
[Little Bomb]
An explosion erupted behind her as she struck a strange pose.
It looked silly, but also like a scene from a blockbuster movie.
Everyone’s eyes, including Professor Aira’s, were fixed on Eleanor.
“Hello! I’m Noah, and I’ll be the main character of Class 4 from today!”
Wow, how could someone say that with a straight face?
Anyway, while Eleanor was smiling smugly, I quietly opened the back door, entered, and sat down in my seat.
“Huh?”
I naturally blended into the crowd and observed Eleanor, holding my breath.
She seemed puzzled by my sudden disappearance, but then she smiled, perhaps realizing that she had all the attention.
Thanks to that, I was able to completely avoid the gazes that would have been directed at me.
2
The orientation ended smoothly, aside from the minor incident of the strange girl named Eleanor.
As everyone was preparing for the next day or making plans to hang out, Eleanor approached me with a dissatisfied expression.
“Master, don’t you think something’s strange?”
“What is?”
“Why do I have to write a letter of apology?”
“You do something that warrants an apology, so you write one.”
“Master was late too.”
“Being late isn’t the problem.”
Just being late wasn’t the issue. It was what she did afterward.
Aside from her lack of remorse, considering the commotion she caused, wasn’t it a natural punishment?
“…You’ll help me, right? We’re accomplices.”
“Are you trying to insult my honor? How dare a commoner…?”
“It’s too late to act like a prince now. It doesn’t suit you, Master. If you keep it up, I’ll tell everyone about the poses you were striking in front of the window earlier.”
“How did you…?”
She was talking about when I was experimenting with using [Contemplation] discreetly. Was this kid watching me?
And she was using it to blackmail me?
“…Give it here.”
“One-third is enough.”
“Thank… Alright.”
I almost felt grateful when she said one-third was enough.
Was it a thoughtless remark? Or was she cunning?
This was my first time writing a letter of apology.
Still, it was nothing compared to writing a self-introduction letter.
Moreover, I had [Contemplation], which could see through all principles.
[Contemplation – Activated]
But just like during the exam, [Contemplation] was useless.
Even if I could see through principles, it couldn’t write a letter of apology for me.
[Contemplation] was more useless than I thought.
Anyway, I barely managed to finish writing and handed it to Eleanor.
“Here, just copy this.”
“That was fast… As expected of Master.”
“What?”
It took a normal amount of time since [Contemplation] was useless.
I glanced at Eleanor’s paper, just in case, and saw the expected sight.
“…Why isn’t there anything written?”
“Actually… I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“That’s a terrifying answer.”
If Eleanor weren’t the protagonist, wouldn’t she become a criminal? I was worried.
“Oh? Noah! What are you doing here?”
Just then, I heard a familiar voice again.
The overly cheerful voice annoyed me, so I activated [Contemplation] to check, and it was definitely her.
“Ah, Lucia.”
“What’s going on?”
From the Imperial Intelligence Agency,
[SR Blending Cat]
Lucia Punisher
She had already infiltrated Eleanor’s circle.
Moreover, she looked quite different.
Perhaps to match Eleanor’s attention-seeking tendencies, she was speaking in a very flattering and affectionate manner.
It was unsettling and surreal.
My whole body cringed today.
“Look at this! Professor Aira told me to write this much for a letter of apology! Isn’t it too much?”
“Really? That’s too much. But don’t worry! I’ll help you. Give it here.”
“Yes, yes. Thanks for helping, Lucia. You’re the best.”
“…”
What a disastrous combination.
Their voices were so high-pitched that it was uncomfortable to even participate in the conversation.
Moreover, Eleanor’s casual act of handing over the entire letter of apology gave me goosebumps.
Eleanor had eight sheets of paper. The one-third she gave me was two pages.
Two pages for me and two pages for her to copy. And the four pages she was supposed to write herself.
But by passing off those four pages as half, she didn’t have to write a single page.
“Hee hee.”
Evil.
Eleanor grinned mischievously.
Well… it was cunning, but it was just a prank.
It wasn’t directed at me, and Lucia was also deceiving Eleanor, so I decided to let it slide.
Still, I should be wary of her in the future.
I realized that this attention-seeker was more cunning than I had imagined.
“Here, Eleanor! Copy this, and it’ll be perfect!”
“Wow~ Thank you! As expected of Lucia! You’re even faster than Master Oz!”
The two of them, talking like they were in a play, were incredibly annoying.
Eleanor, who was only verbally grateful, started copying the letter of apology Lucia wrote in her own handwriting.
And in the meantime, Lucia started winking at me.
A rather fierce look. Did she have a complaint against me?
It wasn’t my fault that her acting was bad.
[Contemplation – Activated]
I responded to Lucia’s gaze by activating [Contemplation], and her tail twitched and stiffened.
She stroked her tail with both hands and glared at me with a slightly different expression than before.
Pathetic loser.
It seemed she still couldn’t control her tail.
“Then, Noah, I’ll be going now.”
“Okay! Thank you, Master.”
As I left the classroom, leaving Eleanor behind, Lucia also started talking to Eleanor as if she had something urgent to do.
“Ah! Noah! Come to think of it, I have something to do at the faculty office! See you later at the dormitory!”
It looked so awkward. Was it really okay with such exaggerated acting?
She was from the Imperial Intelligence Agency. Was this really acceptable?
“Okay! See you later, Lucia.”
Well, it didn’t seem to matter much to Eleanor.
She verbally thanked Lucia, but her eyes didn’t leave the letter of apology as she continued copying. I left the classroom after taking one last look at Eleanor. Lucia would probably follow soon.
* * *
As soon as I left the classroom, I leaned against a nearby pillar, creating a seemingly thoughtful atmosphere, and Lucia appeared.
“I was surprised, Prince Oz.”
“Yeah, me too. That was some impressive acting. Does the Imperial Intelligence Agency really operate like that?”
“…”
Lucia silently covered her face with both hands. She seemed embarrassed.
It was probably like having a secret hobby exposed to an acquaintance.
Her tail was curling up.
Weren’t her hands and feet enough? She was quite expressive.
“W-What a coincidence! Prince Oz, I never imagined we would be in the same class.”
“Really? It can’t be a coincidence. The empire was planning to approach Noah anyway, right?”
There were several reasons why Lucia infiltrated
No matter how much she tried to hide her identity, Eleanor was a princess of a kingdom.
There was no way she, who had barely escaped Chrysos, would have the time to clean up her tracks.
It was thanks to the empire’s decision to protect and observe her that she could live normally.
The empire must have erased her information on her behalf, since Eleanor was clueless about the world.
…Actually, even for the empire, it was just groundwork for their own benefit, but it was true that their favor brought peace to Eleanor.
“You also knew who she was, didn’t you?”
As I shared what I knew, Lucia narrowed her eyes as if it was expected.
However, since her face was still flushed with embarrassment, she didn’t look particularly intimidating.
Her tail was still curled up.
“Yes, Prince Oz, Noah was your target as well. By the way, do you know her true identity?”
“I suggest you give up on trying to sound me out, Lucia Punisher. Do you think I wouldn’t even know the name Eleanor?”
“A-As expected, you know.”
Her tail twitched, even as she tried to act indifferent.
Was [Contemplation] that intimidating? Enough to make even an imperial agent unable to hide her emotions?
Eleanor didn’t seem to mind much, which was strange.
“Then do you know this?”
Lucia started talking about Eleanor and Chrysos, perhaps to compare information or to extract information from me.
She had a confident expression.
[Erosion Rate 20%]
She was simply conveying objective facts, but…
“Princess Eleanor’s homeland, the Chrysos Kingdom…”
“You’re talking about its destruction?”
I didn’t like her callousness.
Wasn’t Eleanor someone she had been friendly with just a while ago?
How could she speak so indifferently, as if it were someone else’s business?
How could she so calmly talk about the fact that her friend had lost everything?
“Or are you talking about the fact that there are no other survivors from the Chrysos royal family besides her?”
Was it because she was from
Was it because their relationship was just a temporary, fake connection?
If she was only close to Eleanor for work, why was she acting so friendly?
Was it simply to extract information more easily?
“I’m warning you, it’s best not to try anything funny out of curiosity.”
Eleanor continued to grow from Chapter 1 to 12 of the main story.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
And that was paradoxically the same as saying…
“Keep in mind that I’m always watching Noah.”
Eleanor von Chrysos was that fragile.
* * *
Eleanor was more observant of others’ gazes than I thought.
Not just gazes directed at her. She was also sensitive to the direction of others’ gazes.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible for her to escape Chrysos, which was located directly beneath the shattered sky.
“Hmm…”
Eleanor was focused on copying the letter of apology, but she noticed the strange atmosphere between Lucia and Oz.
She saw Oz’s distorted expression when Lucia spoke to him.
Along with the trivial thought, ‘He’s still handsome even when he makes that face,’ Eleanor decided not to pry into their relationship for now.
The friend of a friend is a friend.
She wasn’t going to make such a ridiculous claim.
Eleanor had just been betrayed by someone she considered a friend, no, family, until yesterday.
For her, trusting others was more difficult than it seemed.
“What’s their relationship…?”
Eleanor knew how her actions appeared to others. Most would consider her a nuisance.
But she didn’t care.
‘Even if they hate me, it’s okay as long as they remember me…’
But even she liked those who treated her kindly.
Lucia Punisher and Oz Quabadis.
Ironically, they were the two whose relationship was currently suspicious.
‘Master is considerate of me.’
He was different from the rumors.
She had heard that he was incredibly arrogant and wouldn’t even speak to those without ability, but he was kinder than she expected.
Above all, he seemed similar to her, which made her comfortable.
‘Lucia accommodates me.’
She couldn’t understand Lucia.
Still, she knew that Lucia was making many concessions for her.
Moreover, the only person who could be with her at night was Lucia, her roommate.
“Should I… go peek…?”
A girl with a considerably shallow sense of guilt.
Eleanor decided to spy on them to see what was going on.
She knew her actions weren’t right.
But she couldn’t help it.
“If I don’t check…”
She could only live this way now.
-Princess, how about this dress? You look good in everything, but I think blue, similar to your eyes, suits you best.
She had a handmaiden whom she considered close, like a sister.
Her name was ‘Decentrah Heros.’
Eleanor’s current persona was modeled after her.
Decentrah, always cheerful and positive, was the ideal image Eleanor aspired to.
But Decentrah forgot about Eleanor.
-Who are you?
At first, she thought it was a joke.
But as time passed, she realized. She had been forgotten.
And the more people forgot about her, the more confused she became.
The relationship she had cherished like family for her entire life had crumbled overnight. She didn’t know what had happened.
‘Look at me.’
Something was happening in a place she couldn’t see.
Just like that, everyone forgot her.
She had endured such experiences. But she couldn’t endure it anymore.
Around the time she started to wonder if her existence itself had disappeared, Eleanor escaped Chrysos.
‘Please, look at me.’
But even the world she escaped to was filled with malice.
Even though nothing had been revealed yet, many condemned and resented her.
In the end, she had no choice but to hide her existence from everyone…
‘Please, everyone, look at me…’
But by then, the fear of disappearing had already consumed her.
Eleanor couldn’t bear being alone.
She was afraid that something would happen again in a place she didn’t know.
She was afraid that her existence would be forgotten again.
“Ah…”
Eleanor realized she was hiding behind the classroom door, peeking at Oz and Lucia.
A wave of self-loathing washed over her, but she suppressed it.
She had to. This was how she had to live now.
She could only live in this disgusting way, craving attention while suspecting everyone.
“I’m warning you, it’s best not to try anything funny out of curiosity.”
Flinch!
Eleanor flinched and trembled at Oz’s cold words.
It was a voice she had never heard before.
She shuddered, wondering if that voice, clearly laced with anger, was directed at her.
But she was relieved when she realized it wasn’t. And then she felt disgusted with herself again.
‘I have to stop doing this.’
It wasn’t right to eavesdrop on others arguing. It wasn’t right for her to intrude on their affairs.
She knew that.
As Eleanor was thinking about going back…
“Keep in mind that I’m always watching Noah.”
In that one moment, with those simple words…
The conversation they were having…
Her own childish actions…
Her selfish desire to be noticed…
Her sense of duty to rebuild the fallen Chrysos Kingdom and uncover the truth…
Even the fear that she would be forgotten again…
Yes, with those simple words…
“Ugh…”
She could forget everything.
She could put down those heavy burdens, even for a moment.
“Ugh…”
And she wept alone.
Although she was just Noah, not Eleanor von Chrysos, she was here, and someone was watching over her.
—–CROW—–