“No, that doesn’t make any sense. Love?”

Love? What is that?

Siwoo did not think at all that it was love.

“But that’s what Granny said?”

Who was this Granny to tell Amelia such a ridiculous story?

No, putting aside the fact that she said it,

Why did Amelia believe it?

It doesn’t make sense.

“That can’t be. Arte is a villain!”

“Siwoo, think about it. Why does Arte keep watching over you?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out by doing this!”

“Right. That’s where it all starts!”

Click.

Amelia glared at him like a detective would a culprit.

…Siwoo couldn’t understand what she was saying at all.

“Listen. At first, I thought it was ridiculous to say too.”

“It will always be ridiculous.”

“No, no! Siwoo, calm down and think about it.”

Whew…

Right, let’s calm down.

Although Amelia brought up this nonsensical story, she must have had a reason for saying it.

As he caught his breath, Amelia started asking his questions.

“Arte is watching over you, right?”

“… That’s right.”

“She even follows you, right?”

“Yes.”

“See! That’s love!”

“Where?!”

No, so much for staying calm!

He couldn’t stay calm at all.

That Arte loves me?!

Thump, thump.

He could hear his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

Think about it from the perspective of someone being watched!

“Well, think about it. Arte is very interested in you. That’s for sure, right?”

“That’s right. But that alone is not enough for it to be love. That’s just surveillance!”

“She even joined your club to follow you. And she took swordsmanship classes to be with you, right?”

“… That’s surveillance too!”

“She has no interest in other students and keeps watching you during class?”

He couldn’t understand where she was going with it.

Those are obviously just actions needed to watch over him, no?

After he passionately explained this fact to Amelia, she pointed out something he had never thought of.

“Of course, it could be surveillance, but Siwoo, are you someone worth watching?”

“…?”

“You’re just a bit better than other students, that’s all. Why would she watch over you?”

“There is a reason! It’s because she had to cover up the monster incident!”

“If she noticed that, she could have just killed you easily as she did Lyla.”

He was speechless.

No words of rebuttal came to mind.

He wanted to, but his mouth was sealed shut, and he couldn’t make a sound.

“You know, the Arte we’ve seen so far is no ordinary person. If you or I were exposed, she would…kill us on the spot.”

Amelia made a slashing gesture across her throat with her thumb.

Yes, Siwoo knew that.

She can infiltrate the academy, raid it with monsters,

And she killed Lyla so easily.

Someone like her definitely has no qualms about killing people.

The actions they’ve noticed are a small part of everything she’s done.

Arte is dangerous.

If she sets her mind to it, it wouldn’t be strange for her to kill them.

That’s why he couldn’t stop the tears after miraculously escaping the changing room incident where he thought he would definitely die if exposed.

“She…chose to watch me?”

“That’s right! There’s no need for her to watch over someone like you!”

Someone like you.

…Siwoo wanted to refute it, but he had nothing to say.
He completely agreed that someone of her caliber had no reason to watch over someone like him.

“Then why does she keep watching me…?”

“I told you! It’s love, love!”

In the end, it came back to this.

Circling back to the story Amelia was claiming all along.

“The reason she watches you? Because you’re attractive!…I don’t know about that. But I  guess your face is somewhat decent.”

“Hey?!”

“The reason she follows you all the way to your house? That’s because she loves you! She fell for you at first sight!”

He was confused.

Until now, he naturally thought Arte was watching him, but now Amelia’s saying that might not be the case.

…Not surveillance?

“Her joining the swordsmanship class to follow you, joining the club to be with you, all of it! … It’s because she loves you!”

Suddenly, Siwoo remembered that day.

That villain who infiltrated the academy, whose name he didn’t even know.

Although he seemed more animal-like than human, he was human.

When he first cut a person and felt that sensation send shivers down his spine, what did she do?

‘Don’t worry, Siwoo.’

‘It was just an unavoidable accident. Amelia and I were watching the whole time.’

‘Everything will be alright. It’s not your fault.’

‘You did nothing wrong.’

That gentle touch came back to him,
That gentle voice

“…She comforted me.”

“Hm?”

“Back then. The Chameleon villain.”

“Ah, ah…”

Oops.

Siwoo realized he had misspoken.

After that incident, she had lost her usual confident demeanor for a while.

He thought she had finally regained it, but he carelessly brought up that story again.

While Siwoo was worried she would lose her energy again, contrary to my expectations, Amelia spoke firmly.

“I’m sorry!”

“…Huh?”

“I said I wouldn’t hesitate to use any means for my goal, but look at me now. I need to reflect. Hmm.”

“Are you…okay?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am?”

Fortunately, it seemed she had gotten over that incident completely.

She was her usual self again.

“Hmm, hmm. Anyway! As you said, Arte comforted you when you fell into despair. …You know what that means, don’t you?”

“No way. It couldn’t be…”

He tried to deny Amelia’s words, but unlike before, his voice had no conviction.

…Really? Is that right?

The memory of Arte’s bright, smiling face came to mind.

Did she notice my voice wavering?

Amelia grinned confidently and declared.

“Arte is watching over you, following you everywhere; it’s all because of love!”

…Is that so?

Siwoo came to accept her words.

They say men are prone to delusions.

If a woman is kind to them, they might fantasize that she’s interested in them.

But this is…

This isn’t a delusion, is it…?

It’s Amelia, of all people.

She knows Arte’s true identity along with him, and as a fellow woman, she’s confidently saying
Arte has feelings for me.

And she’s saying it so assertively.

There was also some logic and evidence behind it.

…Is it true?

“The reason she keeps watching over someone like you who isn’t even worth watching? It can only be love. She fell for you at first sight.”

“Is, is that so…?”

“Of course! Granny said so, too!”

He still didn’t know who this Granny was that Amelia mentioned, but Siwoo fell for her words.

It sounded so plausible.

“Arte just, um, doesn’t know how to express her love properly!”

“Seems a lot more than not knowing…”

“Ah, just take it as it is!”

He meekly tried to refute but was instantly shot down.

How unfair.

“So now we have one more way to stop her.”

“What method is that?”

“A very time-honored method.”

Slowly, Amelia approached Siwoo and placed her hand on his shoulder.

And then, she suddenly leaned her face in close…?!

As he flinched back in surprise, her smiling face proudly said,

“You have to seduce Arte.”

“…Me?”

“A time-honored method. The Art of Seduction, it’s quite famous, you know?”

Siwoo thought that perhaps Amelia regaining her usual self might not have been a good thing after all.

Maybe it was better when she was depressed.

“I have to seduce Arte?”

“Yes. Isn’t it easy? Just seduce Arte and stop her! Love cannot be stopped!”

“It seems extremely difficult.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

As suddenly as she had moved closer, Amelia backed off with a sly smile.

Her blue-green eyes shone brightly as if she had fully regained her energy.

“Don’t hesitate to use any means to reach your goal…. Isn’t that a good saying? It’s the same this time.”

A good saying…?

Leaving aside all the other famous quotes, that’s what she calls a good saying?

“The goal is to stop Arte. So then, you don’t need to hesitate about the means, right? If she comes to care about you more than the ‘Author,’ she’ll listen to you!”

Amelia grinned confidently.

“Use any trick you can to make Arte love you more!”

Siwoo wished she would choose her words better.

***

“…Wow, they seem close.”

[Right? It’s nice to see the heroine and protagonist together!]

They often meet over there.

Do they like meeting in that alley?

I observed their secret rendezvous while enjoying bread and coffee bought from a cafe.

[Kyaa, kyaa! That, that, that. Isn’t that a kiss?!]

“Hmm, it’s a bit ambiguous to call it a kiss… Didn’t she just lean her face in?”

[Heeing… Too bad.]

I overheard the Author making cooing noises.

By the way, Amelia’s expression hasn’t been good lately.

But it brightened up as soon as she met Siwoo.

Is this the protagonist…?

Protagonists really are all skilled at dealing with women, huh?

“How peaceful.”

[Right. Umm, I should start thinking of a new event soon.]

“…I have a good idea for you.”

As usual, I shared an idea with the Author.

Her excited voice told me the idea was right up her alley.

“…Mmm, tasty.”

It’s quite good this time. Maybe I’ll drop by again next time.

As I finished the bread in my hand, I observed the secret rendezvous of the protagonist and heroine.

How peaceful.

Author’s Notes
The Art of Seduction apparently belongs to the thirty-first of the  Thirty-Six Stratagems.

Translator’s Corner

The beauty trap (Honeypot) (美人計, Měi rén jì)

Send the enemy beautiful women to cause discord within his camp. This strategy can work on three levels. First, the ruler becomes so enamored with the beauty that he neglects his duties and allows his vigilance to wane. Second, the group of men will begin to have issues if the desired women court another man, thus creating conflict and aggressive behavior. Third, other females at court, motivated by jealousy and envy, begin to plot subversions that further exacerbate the situation.

That one is off Wikipedia. The Art of War is such a thoroughly analyzed text that it isn’t going to get much more concise than that.