Chapter 52
Volume 2 Chapter 4 part3
I was in the back of the academy’s building .
I found Livia sitting in the corner, trying to hide, so I approached her and raised my voice .
“You seem gloomy . ”
Livia raised her head and cried .
“Leon, I don’t know what I should do . ”
Livia said so with a painful smile, and so I sat next to her . I had also visited Anjie, who had injuries on her face, but she said that she wanted me to go to where Livia was . She showed a very lonely facial expression .
“I’m not that good at comforting others . Even so, is it fine if I at least try?”
When she shook her head, I said “Is that so?”
“Leon . Am I Anjie’s friend? Do you think we’re friends?”
Were they friends, and would they still be friends after this? I was troubled on how to reply to such a question . Honestly, I had expected something like this to happen .
“Which do you want, a soft and gentle lie or the bittersweet truth?”
“──I want the bittersweet truth . ”
If it were me, I would have wanted the gentle lie, but this girl was strong . As expected of the almighty protagonist . No, I suppose it would be more accurate to claim that it was as expected of Livia .
“Perfect . I’ve prepared a sweet, warm drink . It has just the right amount of sweetness for hearing a bittersweet truth . ”
“You really are a curious person, aren’t you Leon?”
She made a complicated smile . Well, I was a human who had lived through another life, after all .
Once I handed over the beverage and Livia started drinking it, I began telling her about this bittersweet truth .
“It’s exceedingly difficult to answer that . In the first place, you two come from entirely different backgrounds and you have no points in common . Honestly speaking, the relationship between you two had been going a little too smoothly up until now . It wouldn’t go well if a farmer, who been working with a hoe, claimed that he would start fighting with a sword tomorrow, right? It’s the same thing as that . ”
Their family backgrounds varied, and all kinds of things between them differed too greatly .
There were exceptions, but even so, a majority of the factors still worked against them .
Livia was shedding tears .
“I was happy that I finally had a friend of the same gender at this academy, but it seems that it won’t work out between us . I would be a nuisance if I were by Anjie’s side . Even today, Anjie had been harshly criticized because of me . I was even told that Anjie doesn’t even see me as a person──”
Livia was crying .
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Did I have a clever speech to give?
One would be mistaken to think that I did . Something like that was the job of Julian and the others . Originally, they were the ones who were supposed to comfort Livia .
──So, I decided that I would comfort her in my own way .
“I know . Don’t you think that Anjie’s been holding various thoughts deep down? Since her followers had decreased and she was put into a weaker position after the duel, perhaps she sees you and I as replacements to those followers . It’s as you said, Livia . Anjie doesn’t treat us as humans . ”
When I said as such with a foolish grin, Livia looked at me in anger .
“Anjie’s not that kind of person!”
──If she already knew that, then I suppose that there wasn’t any problem .
“In that case, aren’t you guys fine? You know it yourself . ”
Perhaps realizing what I was saying, Livia was taken aback and then looked downward .
She looked at me with an embarrassed face .
“You really are mischievous, Leon . ”
“My bad . I don’t know how to comfort people . Generally, when I try to look cool and comfort a girl, I end up making a fool out of myself . ”
I had tried imitating the likes of Julian or Jilk .
Rather than being impressed, the other party would snicker . I was confident that I would get laughed at .
Something was off . I felt like I was missing something .
Perhaps it was the aura of an ikemen? It really was my face, wasn’t it? Ugh, having good looks really did give an advantage .
While thinking about such things, just a bit of Livia’s smile returned to her .
“I, I’ll try talking with Anjie just once more . ”
I nodded my head .
“Good choice . ”
That evening, Livia heard a knock when she was in her room .
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“C, coming . ”
When Livia opened the door, she saw Cara .
“Do you have a moment?”
Livia was nervous towards Cara, who was smiling .
“Oh, um, I do . ”
“To be honest, I want you to participate in the suppression of the sky pirates as well . It seems that you have excellent scores within the advanced class . Would you be able to help?”
“W, well, there’s something I should say about that . Making that request through such a sneaky method was──”
Cara made a strong slam on the edge of the door .
The noise startled Livia, and when she went silent, she noticed that there was a girl in the back who was giggling .
The girl spoke on behalf of Cara .
“You’ll help, right? Commoner?”
She was the daughter of an earl household, and she had many wounds on her face . She smiled and demanded Livia’s compliance .
“If you don’t help, misfortune will come your way . Sorrow will also befall upon that Baltfault jerk, the stuck-up Anjelica, and your family . ”
When she said that, Livia hung her head and clenched her fist .
“You’ll meet Cara tomorrow . Make your choice then, you dullard . ”
The duke daughter threatened Cara as well .
“Do your job as well, or your household will be in trouble . ”
Cara was a bit frightened .
“R, right!”
This was the first time Livia met a girl who had driven her into this far of a corner . Livia spoke up to the girl, who was abusing the power of her household to do as she pleased .
“I, I don’t think you should do something like this . ”
“Huh?”
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Despite the duke daughter glaring at her, Livia continued .
“Both Leon and Anjie are very strong people . E, even with your threats, those two will──”
When hearing that, the duke daughter laughed loudly . Her hands were over her stomach .
“Huh, what? Do you really think those two are your friends?”
“I, I do!”
When Livia talked back, the duke daughter grabbed her by the hair and dragged Livia’s face closer to hers .
“Nobles have no such things as friends . Anjie knows that the most . You’re just her pet who’s there to alleviate her heartbreak . Do you not comprehend that?”
“Y, you’re wrong!”
“I’m not . When a noble is on a decline, the people around them will soon separate from that person . It’s not an uncommon for friends to betray others . This is Anjelica we’re talking about . You know it yourself just from seeing her, don’t you? Her strength comes from her distrust of everyone and everything . To her, you’re not human . She treats you kindly because you’re her pet . ”
“I am not a pet . I am a human! Those two are my important──”
“You know nothing . Just what can you do for those two?”
“──Huh?”
Livia was quickly flustered in response to the duke daughter’s words .
That had to do with Livia’s distress .
She wondered if she would always be protected by those two, and if there was something she could do for them .
“Baltfault is more or less a noble credited with deeds . Anjelica is a natural-born pompous lady with assets and power . Are you really equal to those two? Friendship is amongst equals, right?”
“T, that’s──”
Livia’s gaze wavered .
“Can’t talk back, can you? In the end, you’re not friends . No matter how much you try to gloss over it, everyone sees you as a pet to those two . ”
This was her first experience confronting the duke daughter alone . Normally, Leon would protect her . However, Leon wasn’t here . Anjie wasn’t here either .
“Ah, I get it! Since you have that cute appearance, couldn’t it be that he’s after your body? Baltfault shouldn’t be qualified as noble if he’s going after a commoner due to his unpopularity . How pathetic~ . ”
“You’re wrong! Leon isn’t that kind of──”
“That’s how men are . Try tempting them by taking off a bit of your clothes . They’ll soon jump at you . Quite shameless, all things considered . You’ve made a mistake by not only entering the academy, but also thinking that you can stand alongside us . It seems some tough discipline is necessary for you . ”
Livia was thrusted away, and while she was rolling on the floor, a few girls entered the scene from behind the duke daughter .
They began laying waste to the room .
“S, stop it! Stop this!”
The duke daughter grinned .
“What a dump this room is . Roughing it up a bit would suit it just right . ”
A teacher, who had been patrolling around the women’s dormitory, had arrived at a troubled Livia’s room .
“Teacher, please help . These people──”
However, when the duke daughter looked at the teacher with a smirk, the teacher walked away as if there was nothing to see .
“──Huh?”
“Do you understand now? You aren’t equal to us──commoner . ”
Livia was shocked at how even the teachers had abandoned her .
When she sat down where she was and sobbed, the people around her began to laugh .
“You made her cry . ”
“So this is what commoners amount to . ”
“And she thought that she was at the same level as us, she doesn’t know her place . ”
The duke daughter left the door, accompanied by Cara .
“Well then, I’m off . ”
The other girls also left while ridiculing Livia . Once Livia closed the door, she sat there, at her wits’ end .
A sobbing Livia pondered the merits of being close with Leon, namely being under his protection .
The disadvantage was that her opportunities to grow in strength would be nearly gone because she was being protected by Leon .
Threatened by earl daughter, Livia decided to participate in the suppression of the sky pirates .