**Chapter 22 Translation - *I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game***

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At Gallimar Academy, the schedule moves at a relentless pace.

As the most prestigious educational institution on the continent, its curriculum is equally demanding. There are no exceptions, not even for the first-year students.

There’s hardly any time to adjust. 

The lectures are packed with specialized knowledge and endless academic papers. Assignments rain down like a storm. The Spartan style of education seems to scream, "If you can’t handle this, you don’t belong at Gallimar." 

And all of this happened within the span of a single week.

- "This is insane."
- "I’d heard Gallimar was tough, but I didn’t expect it to be this bad."
- "Have you finished your assignments? I can’t even understand half of it..."
- "And we have a practical exam in two weeks? Why do we have eight exams in just one semester?"

The students of Class A, the brightest prospects of the empire’s future, were no exception. Despite being the top students, they too were struggling under the crushing weight of the workload. In fact, they were being worked even harder, as their advanced placement classes came with double the responsibilities.

- "Before we begin today’s lecture, I’d like to inform you that Class A’s assignments will be triple that of the regular classes."
- "Great talent requires great nourishment."
- "This is a directive from the headmaster, so please complete it with excellence."

Surprisingly, there had yet to be any dropouts. Maybe it was because they were all elites from prestigious families, and had come prepared for such rigor. Though, that didn’t stop them from complaining among themselves.

“Ha ha.”

Of course, none of this really mattered to me. 

As I absentmindedly twirled my pen, the pink-haired girl sitting next to me fidgeted before speaking up.

“U-um, Lord Yuda...?”

“Ah, Lady Regia.”

“Well, um... I’m doing my assignments, but I ran into a part I don’t understand…”

“Oh my, I must help you then!”

The academic material in this world was something I had mastered long ago. Back in the days when I was searching for a happy ending, I had repeated countless studies. Unless we were talking about the latest research from the magic towers or alchemists, there wasn’t anything that could stump me.

“Let’s see... You’re working on a problem involving the limits of illusion magic?”

“Yes, but no matter how many times I try, I keep ending up with a paradox...”

Our protagonist’s "newbie" behavior was enough to tug at the heartstrings of this veteran. Her green eyes were filled with frustration.

“It’s so hard... I just can’t do it.”

“It’s not that hard! If you use the 'Iliya's Formula,' it becomes quite simple. Let me show you.”

“Huh?”

Smiling, I scooted closer. Flustered by my enthusiastic approach, Regia turned red, her reaction adorably innocent.

“Now, now, focus.”

“Y-yes...”

Step by step, I walked her through the solution. As we worked through her assignments, a quiet voice from behind commented.

It was Irene, her expression indifferent as always.

“Surprising.”

“Pardon?”

“I didn’t expect you to be good at studying, too.”

“Hehe, I’m quite the model student.”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. Helping the protagonist gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.

“It’s perfect. I think I finally understand it, thank goodness!”

“Well, it’s thanks to your clear explanation, Lord Yuda... Hehe, thank you so much.”

“You’re a diligent student.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I finished the impromptu tutoring session. Before we knew it, a lot of time had passed, and we stood up from our seats.

“Well then, shall we head back now?”

“Y-yes!”

“So it’s finally over?”

We left the quiet library. As we stepped out of the room filled with the scent of books and paper, the warm sunlight greeted us, along with a gentle breeze.

*Whoooosh.*

The campus outside was basking in the soft touch of spring. The petals of flowers bloomed freshly, the bushes swayed gently, and the air was pleasant, not too hot, not too cold. We walked through the peaceful scenery.

“The weather is quite nice today.”

“It really is.”

“Gallimar’s campus is truly beautiful, now that I think about it.”

“Well, it’s practically the size of a small city.”

“There’s a reason it’s called the best academy, after all.”

As we engaged in light conversation, a group of students appeared, walking toward us from the opposite direction. They were also first-years.

Maybe they were headed to finish their assignments too. I was about to pass by them with a simple nod, but something felt off. They were giving us strange, openly hostile looks.

- "That’s him, right? The one Lady Vanity mentioned."

I strained my ears, using my power of *Lies* to enhance my hearing to the extreme. The students' murmurs reached me, laced with animosity.

- "He doesn’t seem that strong. How did he end up as the top student?"
- "Didn’t you see the placement exam?"
- "I only heard that Princess Charlotte forfeited."
- "She’s always been a mysterious figure."
- "She must have found him too boring to continue. Probably didn’t think he was worth the effort."
- "That sounds about right for her."

They had no idea I could hear them, given the distance. 

But, unlucky for them, I could hear everything, even if they were on the other side of the continent. 

A mischievous smile crept onto my face.

‘Emilia again, huh.’

Her name echoed briefly in my mind. A week had passed since the start of the semester, but the students' opinion of me hadn’t improved. After all, I hadn’t done much to impress them.

Most of them thought I was just a bubble waiting to pop, and those who didn’t were still reserving judgment.

Emilia had played a big part in shaping this sentiment.

- "I’ll make you regret it."

Apparently, her threat wasn’t just an empty promise. She was carefully crafting public opinion against me, isolating me, likely planning to strike when the time was right. It was an amusing thing to watch.

“House Vanity’s influence is quite intimidating.”

As the second most powerful family in the empire after the royal family, students couldn’t help but keep an eye on her. No one wanted to be caught in her crosshairs.

Still, Emilia wasn’t the type to go so far as to kill someone. Though warped by her inferiority complex, she wasn’t cruel enough to take a life. She was a classic villainess in that sense.

“Well, this is starting to get bothersome... what should I do?”

How should I handle this for the most entertainment?

While I was contemplating, Irene, who had been listening from the side, whispered.

“You’re talking about that blue-haired girl from House Vanity, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Are you going to kill her?”

“Why do you always jump to that conclusion?”

Does she want me to kill someone that badly? I gave her a look of disbelief, and she awkwardly averted her gaze.

“...Forget it.”

“Do I seem like such a bad person to you?”

“Well, you do walk around with that eerie smile full of malice. Anyone would think the same.”

“I was born with this face, you know.”

“Another lie.”

Judging people by appearances, huh. This world really was unfair. It wasn’t like I chose to look this way. Pouting in frustration, I was suddenly interrupted by a timid voice.

“N-no, that’s not true!”

“Hmm?”

It was the pink-haired girl, Regia, her voice trembling but her eyes filled with resolve. She was trying to say something, though clearly nervous.

“L-Lord Yuda... you’re not a bad person at all!”

“Oh?”

“What?”

“Lord Yuda is a good person. H-he’s not bad at all...”

“My word.”

I couldn’t help but cover my mouth in surprise.

Did she just say I’m not a bad person?

“Lord Yuda is... w-warm. S-scary, but... not bad at all!”

Her green eyes were shaking as she stammered out the words, but her sincerity was clear.

Our protagonist was standing up for me. How could I not be moved by this?

I couldn’t hold back the swelling emotions, so I responded with a radiant smile.

“I’m touched, Lady Regia.”

“Well, you’ve always been so helpful to me, Lord Yuda... hehe, thank you.”

“Such an admirable student.”

This was how someone should react. It was refreshing, especially compared to a certain ungrateful fox. Maybe she should take some notes. I shot a glance at Irene.

“What?”

“Don’t you have anything to say after watching Lady Regia?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“...None at all.”

She refused to admit it to the end. Was this a challenge?

I grabbed her luxurious, reddish tail in retaliation.

“Kyaak?!”

“This is your punishment.”

“W-wait! Y-you can’t just grab my tail! It’s sensitive... eek!”

“Take it as you deserve.”

Our playful banter continued as we made our way back to the dormitory.

---

Several days passed.

It was around the time when students were finally starting to adapt to academy life. As they say, humans are creatures of adaptation. The students who had been overwhelmed by Gallimar’s rigorous schedule were finally finding their rhythm. I, too, was simply going with the flow.

- “Bubble top student.”

Unfortunately, the rumors about me persisted. Far from fading, they seemed to be growing stronger by the day. Clearly, someone was very upset. Perhaps I had pushed too many buttons last time.

Still, there hadn’t been any major developments yet. It seemed as though they were laying the groundwork for something big, preparing the stage for a more dramatic showdown. I could sense it instinctively.

Something interesting was about to happen.

And today, it finally arrived.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”

The moment I walked into the classroom, I was greeted by an unusual scene. A group of students, led by none other than the villainess herself, Emilia, were gathered around someone who had fallen to the floor.

“L-Lord Yuda...!”

When our eyes met, Regia looked up at me, on the verge of tears. She didn’t appear to be physically harmed, but it seemed her legs had given out. She must have been severely bullied while I wasn’t around.

“Excuse me.”

I made my way toward the group surrounding Regia. As I approached, someone stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

“So, the coward finally showed up.”

It was the girl with blue hair—Emilia. Her haughty tone and posture told me she’d been expecting this.

I gave her a knowing smile.

“I thought someone might be looking for me.”

“How arrogant.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Hmph.”

Emilia let out a sharp laugh, her lips curling into a sneer. Though she wore a smile, her eyes were filled with scorn.

“This is the end of your arrogance.”

“Hmm?”

“Today, I’m going to drag you down. Have you enjoyed playing the role of the ‘fake top student’?”

“Thanks to you, I’ve been having a lot of fun.”

“Then I hope you enjoy what comes next even more.”

With that, Emilia raised her hands, and in a fluid motion, she pulled off her white gloves, revealing her pale skin beneath. What followed was obvious.

*Thwack!*

She threw her glove directly at my chest. It landed with a solid thud before falling to the floor.

Before I could respond, Emilia spoke again, her voice clear and confident as she recited her lines.

“I, Emilia Vanity, in the name of honor and order, hereby challenge Yuda Snaikers to a duel.”

A duel.

An unavoidable fight for any noble who valued their reputation. Emilia had finally decided to settle this once and for all.

“The price for defeat… is that the loser must leave Gallimar Academy, as per the victor’s decision.”

Her blue eyes flashed with determination as the surrounding students began to murmur in shock. No one had expected the stakes to be this high. They stared at us with wide eyes, the atmosphere growing more tense by the second.

“What’s your answer?”

All eyes were on me now. Everyone was waiting for my response. With a wicked smile tugging at my lips, I gave them exactly what they wanted.

“I accept.”

Wow.

So the loser would be expelled, huh?

This was going to be fun.