I’m the Main Villain but the Heroines Are Obsessed With Me

15 – 6. The Obsessed Princess in Disguise (3)

Elsabeth Arcana.

The current Empress’s child, and the most likely person to ascend to the throne in the future.

Ian knew a lot about her.

Was it because he liked her? Was she a character he found charming and interesting?

No, it wasn’t that. There was another reason.

‘In the original work, Elsabeth had a significant role.’

A role derived from her status as a princess. That was the reason Ian knew so much about her.

Even when playing from Ariel’s perspective, Elsabeth was a frequently appearing character.

However, that didn’t mean she was the heroine of Ariel’s story.

‘On the contrary, she becomes a character causing conflicts with Ariel later on…’

As a natural elemental mage, Elsabeth could see through people’s judgments using the eyes of elementals.

Ariel could not avoid the gaze of the spirits.

The girl who had participated in the commencement ceremony. The spirits of Erzabeth despised Ariel Volkhanov to the point of causing a frenzy.

Spirits never had hatred without reason.

If they disliked someone, it meant that person had some sort of problem.

As the princess burdened with the heavy duty of the empire’s prosperity, Ariel could not easily overlook this.

“Erzabeth, who does not understand why the spirits hate the heroes, personally began an investigation, which became the trigger for the confrontation with Ariel.”

There was no problem up to this point.

From the beginning, whether Ariel fought with Erzabeth or not, it had nothing to do with Ian.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

“As Erzabeth began investigating Ariel, she took out her sword. She started eliminating all those who were hated by the spirits.”

If more detailed investigation was necessary, she even conducted it in disguise.

“It’s safe to say that once caught, she never let go of the person.”

Erzabeth’s methods were extremely ruthless.

She would observe her surroundings and if she found any traces, she immediately deployed the royal clean-up unit if the other person showed any suspicious movement.

The next day, that person would cease to exist in the world.

And now, Ian himself became Erzabeth’s target.

“Why?”

For a reason unknown to him, Ian muttered curses to himself.

He pondered if he had missed anything… but no matter how hard he searched his memories, there was no apparent reason for her to be interested in him.

If he had to list something, it would be the entrance exam or the training session this time…

“I did show my talent… but that shouldn’t be enough to draw her attention to me.”

The one supported by the prominent figures of the Carlos Empire was the first princess, Erzabeth.

It was clear that Ian’s talent was at a considerable level, but she shouldn’t consider him enough to be a neck to hang.

If it was the second prince Bedon lacking support, it would be a different story. There were capable individuals aplenty around her.

To exaggerate a little, even if he just slightly turned his head, there would be masters far superior to him scattered around.

No matter how much he thought about it, it wasn’t about recognizing his skills and showing interest.

“Then what is the problem?”

Feeling a sense of unease, Ian gazed absentmindedly at the sky.

Ideally, he wanted to ask if he could transfer her to another squad. At the very least, to another platoon… but as long as she personally called the shots, it was impossible to escape from her.

Kaien quickly responded as if he knew what Ian was going to say.

“By the way, it’s already decided, so we can’t change it here.”

“…I will take good care of it.”

In the end, Ian had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

***

After the conversation with Kaien, Ian set out for the commercial district with Ersabeth. When they arrived at the business district, Ian led her to a suitable cafe.

Normally, he would have found a suitable shade and had a conversation. But it would be insane to have a discussion with her standing there, knowing full well that she was the princess.

As a result, Ian was doing something he wouldn’t normally do.

“Commander, try this too. It’s a food called macaron, and it’s currently popular among young people.”

“Yeah, I’ll enjoy it.”

Receiving the dessert handed to him by Ersabeth, or rather, Eri, Ian tried to maintain a poker face as he looked at her.

She continued to smile at him, seemingly pleased with herself.

‘This is a big problem.’

Suddenly, Ian’s mind became more and more anxious. It had been an hour since they started talking, and he still hadn’t grasped her intentions at all.

What was more concerning was the low possibility of getting the desired answers even if they continued the conversation.

They were just talking about trendy desserts at the moment.

Eventually, Ian had no choice but to make a decision.

‘First of all… it’s best to endure without getting into any trouble.’

Understanding her intentions was futile. Since it had come to this, Ian decided to wait until she reciprocated her interest in him.

He would investigate any suspicious points. If he lived his life without any wrongdoing and was good, she would naturally give up.

‘Yeah… I just have to endure as much as I can.’

He had no intention of showing any particular interest. He would keep the conversation to a minimum. Even if he did talk, it would be purely business-oriented.

“Oh, by the way! I forgot to mention something I wanted to give to the Commander.”

“Something you want to give me? What is it?”

When Ian, who was sipping his coffee, looked up at her, Eri rummaged through her bag and pulled out some documents, placing them on the table.

Thud!

It was a considerable amount of documents at a glance. She pushed them towards Ian.

“I prepared some materials that might be helpful because I thought the Commander would be struggling a lot due to my sudden arrival. It’s nothing impressive, but I would appreciate it if you could make use of them.”

“Materials that might be helpful…”

“These are personal documents I have gathered about key members of other platoons. I hope they will be helpful.”

A thick folder of documents… As soon as I saw it, I was overwhelmed with emotions. I decided to give a light compliment, keeping my emotions in check.

“Impressive. It’s not easy to gather this much information…”

“I have a hobby of collecting information.”

Even just thinking about international affairs would be time-consuming, yet this person has a hobby of collecting information…

Of course, you must think that. Ian looked at the thick documents, taking a deep breath before opening the first page.

“Remember. No matter what the content is, never express admiration.”

That’s how he could protect his life. With determination, Ian passed the documents to the person in front of him.

“Hmm… There’s nothing to criticize. It’s beyond my imagination.”

“Thank you, Platoon Leader… It was worth the effort.”

Oh…

That determination was shattered in less than 10 seconds.

The level of information prepared by Eri was remarkable.

The strengths and weaknesses of the second-year members who would become Ariel’s companions, such as Celia Wigneron and Bianca Matiif, as well as detailed information like training routines, were recorded.

What was even more surprising was that it didn’t end there. I don’t know how she found out, but Eri’s prepared documents even included the past histories and individual physical weaknesses of each person.

“It’s not just the second-year members. It even contains information about the key first-year members, including Ariel…”

As Ian looked at the documents with a dumbfounded expression, Eri smiled brightly.

“hehehehe… It feels rewarding to receive praise from someone like Platoon Leader Ian.”

Looking at her smile intently, Ian reconsidered his plan.

“Upon further consideration… it would be a waste to completely ignore someone like her…”

To be honest, Ian didn’t have high expectations for Eri.

He thought she wouldn’t be of much help except for elemental magic.

And she couldn’t even show her talents when she was hiding her identity.

“So, I didn’t have much expectation…”

But if she could prove her value to this extent, the situation would change.

“She is talented… as talented as Tam.”

If she wasn’t a princess, he would have suggested working together even after graduating from the academy.

In the end, it didn’t take even 10 minutes for Ian to change his plans.

“I originally planned to let her naturally go her way without showing interest… but I can’t help it.”

If he carefully used her skills while taking cautious actions… a stable future awaited him.

“Five minutes from now, there will be a close combat understanding class by Officer Hailey Myles in the Tuhon Hall. Shall we go together, Commander?”

“Yeah, let’s go straight there.”

Ian, who came out of the cafe, immediately headed to the Tuhon Hall at Eri’s words.

Is it because he has let his guard down against her? Eri started to approach him more familiarly as if she had been waiting.

Of course, the more this happens, the more Ian maintained his tension.

“If I make a wrong move, my life could be in danger from the royal disposal unit. I must stay alert.”

He had to maintain an appropriate boundary without arousing suspicion.

Steadfastly focusing on that goal, he headed to the Tuhon Hall.

The class “Understanding Close Combat” hosted by Hailey Myles was held on the third floor.

Ian looked at Eri, who was sitting on the seat next to him.

It was a fresh experience to see a woman sitting where a muscular pig used to be.

It seemed that she wasn’t the only one who thought that way.

Ian felt a sharp gaze from the right side of the classroom.

Celia Wigneron, she looked unimpressed for some reason and glared at him with a scowling face.

“Why is she like that again?”

Seeing her unpleasant gaze, he wondered if there was something she didn’t like… but Ian stopped thinking.

“Never mind. Let it go.”

After all, she had become someone who had nothing to do with him. He didn’t feel the need to make an effort to understand her feelings.

It was at that moment when Ian turned his head again.

“Eri?”

He noticed Eri’s expression, where she stared intensely at Celia with a deeply wrinkled face.

In response to Ian’s question, she showed her characteristic friendly smile as if asking when has she ever done that before.

“You called, Commander.”

“Your expression doesn’t look good… Is there a problem?”

“No. I just happened to glance at you with an unimpressed look while looking at the Commander.”

Although she said she just glanced, her expression was rather stern. But Ian decided not to care and let it pass.

In the midst of that, the class had already started.

In the middle of the classroom stood a woman with fiery red hair. From Haley Myles’ mouth flowed her distinct, assertive voice.

“It seems like everyone’s here. Let’s start the class. As I explained in the previous session, today we will be conducting a practical exercise.”

Although it appeared to be a simple announcement to the students, Ian could sense it. Haley Myles was looking at him throughout her speech.

And in her gaze, there was a slightly impure intention hidden.

“There’s something going on.”

Ian furrowed his brows at the piercing gaze.