The end of the first year at the academy, and the arrival of winter.

Winter break was a time to catch a breath from the daily sword training and busy academy life.

The hero, Bolt, was spending his vacation at an orphanage in the remote western region, caring for children.

'In the end, I couldn’t confirm it this time either.'

Ethan Richard Blackwood's personal maid, Lillis Rosewood.

Though she was now recognized as a noble of the Blackwood family’s branch and went by the name Lillis Blackwood Rosewood, Bolt was well aware that she was the same Lillis from the original game.

And now, he was starting to suspect that Lillis, like him, might be a transmigrator.

In fact, seeing how she tried to prevent Agnes from drinking at the banquet and how effortlessly she handled Natalie’s drinking habits, Bolt had reason to believe she might be.

Of course, there was still room for doubt, and Bolt wanted to be more certain.

'I should have somehow gotten Lillis to say something at that last banquet.'

However, the banquet ended in chaos due to Natalie’s drunken outburst. Instead of challenging Bolt, she had insisted on sparring with Ethan, of all people.

Thanks to Lillis’s quick thinking, they managed to calm Natalie down, but that was as far as it went.

As soon as Natalie settled down, both Ethan and Lillis left the after-party, leaving the atmosphere among the remaining guests far from pleasant.

'Indeed, these kinds of gatherings don't suit me. It seems my presence made Natalie uncomfortable, so I should leave first.'

‘Wait, Lord Ethan. I’ll apologize on Natalie’s behalf, so if you could just...'

‘I don’t see the point of accepting an apology from someone other than the person who caused the trouble. And even if I did accept it, that doesn’t mean I have any reason to stay.'

‘...’

‘Since Lord Ethan insists, I shall also take my leave.’

'...Lillis, you can stay a bit longer. I saw that you had some acquaintances among the hero’s companions. Feel free to socialize with them.'

'No, I will leave as well. I think it’s best if I prepare to leave for Blackwood early tomorrow morning.'

'...If that's the case.'

Ethan, who already didn't seem to like Bolt much, expressed his complete displeasure, which Bolt vividly remembered from the way Ethan furrowed his brow the moment their eyes met.

Already in a bad mood, Ethan made his displeasure clear, and Lillis, who had displayed fatigue while calming Natalie down, naturally left with him.

Though Seraphine tried to keep the conversation going with the remaining guests, the mood was too far gone to recover.

Despite Seraphine’s best efforts to create a valuable opportunity for Bolt, he couldn’t determine whether Lillis was indeed a transmigrator.

…No, it might have been better if that had been the only thing he failed to achieve.

The banquet ultimately brought the worst possible result for Bolt.

The cohesion within the hero’s party, which he had painstakingly built, began to show cracks.

“E-Everyone, stop! If you play with food, I-I’ll have to punish you...!”

“I lost my doll, and you expect me to find it myself? Do you think I came all the way here in this uncomfortable carriage to babysit you?”

Volunteering at the western orphanage.

This was one of the episodes available during the winter break of the first year at 『Luminor Academy』.

The goal was to solve the mystery of the children’s disappearances in Seraphine’s hometown orphanage and eliminate the roots of the Dark Cult.

It was a significant event, and originally, Bolt had planned to bring all the members of the hero’s party.

Not only could they gain valuable experience, build camaraderie, and strengthen their bonds, but the final battle against the Dark Cult’s high-ranking official, the mastermind behind the kidnappings, would also be a lot easier.

However, the group planned for the orphanage volunteer work had been reduced by half, leaving only three members.

Natalie, shocked by the footage of her drunken antics shown by Seraphine via a magical recording device, returned to her hometown.

Thomas, who had planned to join them later after stopping by his hometown, sent a letter saying he was too worried about Natalie to come.

Agnes, who had lost her affection for the hero’s party after witnessing Natalie’s chaotic behavior, silently returned to her family home.

In the end, only Seraphine and Silena, the two who were willing to follow Bolt no matter what, accompanied him to the orphanage.

…And they were the two least suited to dealing with young children.

“Haa... I don’t understand why you’re crying. You’re the one who couldn’t take care of yourself. Stop crying, will you?”

“I-I told you not to play with food! Why, why do you keep picking on me...! Hmph...!”

One person was making a child cry. Another was crying because of a child.

Silena, with her strong individualistic nature, was ill-suited to caring for children, while Seraphine was too soft-hearted to handle the children’s pranks.

Seeing the two struggle, Bolt couldn’t help but miss the others who should have been here.

Natalie and Thomas, who were from the same village and had experience looking after local children, would have eased the burden on Seraphine.

Even Agnes, who was not great with people but surprisingly good with children, would have been a better fit.

The volunteer work at the western orphanage was proving to be a tough start, foreshadowing a difficult journey ahead.

'Did I cause this mess by deviating from the original story…?'

If so, perhaps it would be better to strictly follow the original strategy.

However, if things followed the original storyline, he would eventually have to fight Ethan to the death by the end of the second year.

'I don’t know. There’s still about a year left.'

Although a year didn’t seem that long, especially considering how quickly the past year had passed, now was the time to comfort the tearful Seraphine and teach Silena how to handle children.

“Silena, they’re just kids. How can they understand if you scold them like that? And Seraphine, stop crying. You don’t want the priest to come and scare you, do you?”

All he wanted was to defeat the Demon King and return home, but every day felt like an exhausting struggle.

Unlike the troublesome summer break, winter break passed by in the blink of an eye.

Seraphine's student council duties delayed Lillis's return to the Blackwood estate, and similarly, the need to return to school early for the same duties made her return sooner than expected.

Of course, the atmosphere upon her return was still tense due to the events of the last banquet.

“……”

“……”

“……”

“Oh my, why is the student council room so quiet today~? What’s going on, everyone~?”

Orion, who hadn’t attended the after-party, spoke in his usual tone, but the other members exuded an awkward atmosphere.

“L-Lillis… here’s the budget list for the first semester club funding….”

“…Thank you, Lady Auguste.”

“Y-You’re welcome….”

Lizzy, who had clung to Lillis after two cocktails and made a scene, avoided Lillis’s gaze with an awkward expression.

“…Here are the gratitude documents for the replacement of the drinking fountains last quarter, President.”

“Th-Thank you, Lord Ethan….”

Seraphine, who had invited guests without consulting anyone and caused Ethan discomfort, also couldn’t meet his gaze.

It was a gathering of four people—two obvious victims and two apparent perpetrators. Naturally, the atmosphere was anything but pleasant.

While it was understandable that Lizzy might have miscalculated her alcohol tolerance, Seraphine’s situation was different. She couldn’t have known about Natalie’s drinking habits, so her feelings of injustice were understandable.

But if she was going to express her frustration, she should have at least given the student council members a heads-up that the hero’s party would be attending.

Since Seraphine had invited Bolt's party without prior consultation, the problems that arose were ultimately her responsibility.

She likely thought that by skillfully guiding the conversation and helping people become friends, she could handle the situation.

As a princess who had received extensive education in early diplomacy, Seraphine was adept at finding common ground among people and helping them build relationships.

But even she couldn’t control Natalie’s reckless drinking habits, and as a result, Seraphine ended up wronging Ethan.

Seraphine’s handwritten apology letter and the gifts she sent to both me and Ethan during the winter break somewhat eased my feelings.

…But it seemed that Ethan was still holding a grudge over that incident.

‘Things keep going wrong because of unexpected events that didn’t happen in the original story….’

It wasn’t a good sign to be at odds with Seraphine at this stage.

After all, she was a protagonist throughout 『Luminor Academy』, from start to finish.

Being at odds with Seraphine meant potentially being at odds with Bolt, the hero, which could lead to Bolt seeing Ethan as a villain.

Even if their relationship became strained, there might be ways to mend it, but becoming her outright adversary was an entirely different matter.

As I quietly pondered these concerns, the clock indicated that it was time to end the student council meeting.

“I’ve finished all the accounting audits, so I’ll be leaving for the day, President Seraphine.”

“Oh, Lord Ethan. If you have time this evening….”

“I’m sorry. I still have some unpacking to do at the estate. I need to finish organizing before the semester begins, so I’m afraid I don’t have time.”

“…I understand. Please have a safe journey home, Lord Ethan.”

“Yes, President Seraphine.”

Ethan’s refusal of Seraphine’s tentative olive branch was blatantly rude, but since the cause of his anger was ultimately Seraphine, everyone except Orion and Lizzy understood.

As a result, no one could easily restrain Ethan, not even Seraphine’s attendant, Luke.

“Lillis, let’s go.”

“…Yes, Master Ethan.”

At that moment, I still believed that I could somehow resolve the tension between Seraphine and Ethan.

…That was until we returned to the dormitory and Ethan said something unexpected.

“I won’t be joining the student council in the second semester, Lillis.”