"R-Rudy Astria! Calm down and listen to me...!"

The red-haired student started backing away as I slowly approached.

"I-I'll use magic if you come any closer...!"

Ignoring the threat, I continued forward.

"Fire-!"

"Dig."

I cast a spell before he could use his magic.

As I cast it, the ground under the red-haired student gave way.

He fell, his face filled with fear.

"Uh... D-Don't come closer!"

"Ignite."

I uttered the incantation.

The most basic fire magic.

A spell that creates a small flame at a single point.

It had no lethal power, but it was enough to make him suffer.

I grabbed his arm and brought the flame closer.

"Aaaargh!!!"

He began to writhe in pain.

His clothes were pierced, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.

I didn't have a perverse taste for torturing others, so I didn't enjoy it.

But this was the most effective method.

People were weak to pain.

Especially someone like him, who had never experienced real pain before.

"I'm sorry!!! I said I'm sorryyyyyy!!!"

"Are you speaking informally? Am I your friend?"

"I... I apologize!!! Aaaah!!!"

He apologized, but I didn't stop.

I just continued to sear his arm without a word.

"Aaargh!!! Haaah..."

I momentarily lifted the flame, and he gasped for breath.

Tears streamed down his face.

As I tried to bring the flame to his arm again, he yelled at me.

"Stop... please...! I had no choice... Garwel said it would be easy if I did it this way!!!"

Garwel?

The sudden mention of his name puzzled me.

Garwel Handrei.

He was the offspring of the Handrei Baron family.

In the original story, he served under Rudy Astria.

Of course, they weren't allies, and he merely held a position as a sycophantic subordinate.

However, Garwel was more than just a flunky.

Midterm Camp.

He was the mastermind behind the events that happen during the midterm camping evaluation which occurs after the exams.

"…Tell me more."

"Garwel said that if we just claim Rudy Astria ordered this, everything would be resolved…"

I frowned.

In the original story, I thought Rudy Astria merely ordered Evan to be harassed, but now it seemed different.

Garwel manipulated Rudy Astria, using the red-head student.

And Garwel must have told the red-head student that if they were honest, they could survive.

In other words, Rudy Astria in the game was simply being used by Garwel.

However, it appeared that my actions had changed the outcome.

This is insane... A baron or marquis would try to manipulate a duke?

It made the following stories a bit more understandable.

"He did it because he was scared."

"Huh…?"

"Never mind."

I released his arm and got up from my seat.

I thought Garwel might have done it.

He was part of the Rebels anyway.

Midterm Camp was the first appearance of the Rebels in the game, an essential part of the story.

Garwel was a member, and the story involved him causing a commotion and getting subdued by Evan.

The story of subduing Garwel was secondary, and the main story revolved around a heroine who was a member of the Rebels.

I could confront Garwel now, but there was no need.

Once the Midterm Camp starts, Evan will take care of him.

There's plenty for Evan to gain from the situation, so I don't need to get involved yet.

"What happened here didn't happen. If the others around you bother me, it's not you but your family that will crumble."

"Ah… I understand. I will manage it well…"

As I walked away, I thought.

Honestly, I knew about the stories of the heroines and Evan.

However, I didn't know the stories of the surrounding characters.

There must have been a reason for the events that happened.

I didn't realize that these small incidents were related to the main story.

"I need to be more careful."

Now that I discovered the small incidents were connected to the main story, I had to act more cautiously.

If Evan doesn't gain abilities from these events, it would be disastrous.

Usually, it took a tremendous effort to obtain abilities from significant events.

So, I had to ensure that all events occurred normally.

"What a headache."

I wondered if I should reconsider Astina's proposal.

There were no main or side stories related to Astina, so I decided to go along with it for the agreed-upon period.

Over the weekend,

Luna, Ena, and Rika were together in the library.

Rudy hadn't joined them, saying he had something to do, so it was just the three of them.

They were taking a break from studying for a moment.

"Rudy did that?"

"He's finally showing his true colors! That jerk..."

Rika spoke animatedly, waving her arms.

Rumors.

The three were discussing a rumor.

The rumor that Rudy Astria had ordered the son of Baron William to bully Evan.

"Umm..."

"Ena! Say something!"

Rika shook Ena, urging her to speak up.

"I'd rather not."

Ena wore an expression of disapproval.

After a moment of hesitation, Luna spoke up.

"Could it be that the rumor is spreading incorrectly?"

"No, it's true. You saw Rudy Astria being taken to the student council last time too. Everyone at the academy is now saying he did under Rudy Astria's orders."

Luna considered Rika's words.

Why would Rudy do such a thing?

There was no reason for Rudy to torment Evan.

"Just look at it! Lately, Evan, a commoner, has been gaining popularity, so the high-ranking noble must have felt uncomfortable!"

Luna remembered when Rudy introduced himself.

His dismissive remarks.

He had made statements that belittled everyone.

However, Rudy didn't favor nobles over others.

He simply wasn't interested in most people.

He had never treated anyone differently based on their social status, whether they were nobles or commoners.

He didn't seem to care about Rika and Ena, both commoners, but he never ignored them either.

"I think there might be some misunderstanding."

Luna believed in what she saw.

Rudy was a kind, caring, and a bit of a clumsy person.

"Come to think of it..."

She had seen Rudy with a viscount's son before, right after their first class.

"It seemed like he said something mean, but..."

She remembered Rudy telling the viscount's son to "get lost."

At first, she thought he was being mean to his friends, but now it seemed different.

Could it be that Rudy knew those people were bad?

And in retaliation, they trapped him.

"Rika, I saw this happen..."

Luna shared the story with Rika and Ena.

Rumors were just that—rumors.

People would interpret actions based on what they wanted to believe.

Even a harmless action could be twisted by those spreading rumors.

Not only the meaning but also the action itself could be distorted.

"Maybe this happened because it's Rudy. His reputation at the academy isn't good."

When Luna said this, Ena smiled.

"If Luna says so, it must be true."

"No... It could be wrong! Yeah... maybe Rudy just made a mistake!"

Luna, feeling she had said too much, mumbled and sat down.

Ena smiled at her and started talking.

"Anyway, Luna, you seem so busy lately."

"Busy? Do I?"

"You seem to have dark circles under your eyes, and you're not hanging out or going for walks with friends as much."

"Do... do I? I thought I was just living my life as usual."

Luna stuttered, seeming flustered.

Ena looked at her and chuckled.

"Studying is good, but don't forget to take breaks."

"Yeah... I'll do that."

Lately, Luna had been spending her days with Rudy at the library.

Of course, they were just studying there.

Luna didn't stop at the library; she continued studying late into the night.

Anticipation.

Rudy had said he was looking forward to her growth.

Luna didn't want to disappoint his expectations.

She wanted to show Rudy her impressive progress as soon as possible.

"Hehe..."

Luna imagined Rudy admiring her achievements and let out a silly smile.

"Oh, by the way, I heard that Locke and Rudy Astria will be campaigning in front of the first-year dormitory tomorrow."

"Campaigning?"

Luna tilted her head at Ena's words.

"Yeah, I just heard it, so it must be true. They're doing it in the morning."

"Hmm."

Luna thought for a moment and then smiled.

***

The next day.

Today, Red Head had said he would go to the student council and confess.

He was going to claim it wasn't something I had ordered, but rather something he had done on his own.

However, another problem had arisen.

"Sigh."

Right now, Locke and I were standing in front of the dormitory.

In my hand, I held a banner with Astina's name and promises written on it.

Over the weekend, Astina had negotiated that Locke and I would campaign for her in front of the dormitory.

I couldn't understand why it had come to this.

Locke, who seemed irritated by merely standing next to me, was also annoying.

Students passing by would look at me and whisper.

It was clear that my presence was detrimental to Astina.

Why had nobody stopped me?

Wasn't it obvious that Astina's reputation was being damaged right now?

A deep sigh welled up from within me.

A considerable amount of time had passed, and it was almost time to attend classes.

As I tried to pack up and leave, Locke called out to me.

"Hey, you."

"What is it?"

There was a murderous intent in his eyes.

However, it was significantly calmer than his usual aggressive demeanor.

"Why did you order him to harass Evan?"

I ignored his question and casually picked up my things, heading toward the building.

The truth would be revealed today anyway.

Wouldn't it be more strange if I were to say that I was falsely accused and that Red Head would confess today?

As I tried to leave, Locke grabbed my arm.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Answer my question, Rudy Astria."

Why is he acting like this?

"I didn't do it. How many times do I have to say it?"

I shook off Locke's hand and walked forward.

Then, Locke spat out a curse.

"Filthy bastard."

I ignored Locke's cursing and kept walking.

"Why do you take out your inferiority complex toward your brother on others? Do you think that's something a high-ranking noble should do?"

Why is he creating an embarrassing moment for himself?

After cursing like that, it would be embarrassing for him when it's revealed I wasn't the one responsible.

I tried to ignore Locke and leave.

However, I saw someone coming down the stairs and speaking.

"What did you say?"

"Luna?"

Descending the stairs was Luna.

"What are you doing?"

Luna's usual gentle face was gone.

Her eyes, filled with murderous intent, stared at Locke.

"Luna Railer?"

Locke seemed slightly taken aback by Luna's expression.

However, Luna didn't respond to him and asked again.

"What are you doing? Why are you cursing at someone who's minding their own business?"

Locke furrowed his brow.

Seeing Locke's reaction, Luna seemed to get even angrier and spoke with murderous intent.

"Are you not going to answer?"

"I cursed him because he did something deserving of it."

Locke spoke calmly.

Wind began to gather in Luna's hand.

"So, it's okay for me to attack you did something deserving of it, right?"

The beginner wind attribute magic, Wind Ball.

However, its size seemed strange.

I knew Luna's magic level wasn't that high, but the size was similar to my own magic.

No, now wasn't the time to worry about that.

If we started fighting seriously, none of us would come out unscathed.

Luna, Locke, and I.

There was no need to fight like this.

I stood up and grabbed Luna's arm.

"Luna, it's okay."

"Rudy?"

I looked at Locke.

"You too, scram."

"What?"

"Leave while I'm letting you off."

Locke glanced at Luna and then went inside the building.

"Rudy! Is it okay to let him go like that?"

Luna looked at me, worried.

"Don't worry, it's fine. We can't just start casting magic over a few insults."

Luna's magic dissipated, and her face turned red.

"It was just... I got angry all of a sudden."

Luna seemed to have had enough, venting her anger at me.

"Besides, why didn't you say anything? You should have at least argued back!"

"Why bother with someone who won't believe a word I say?"

"You still should have said something!"

"Anyway, class is about to start."

As I tried to leave with a faint smile, Luna grabbed my sleeve.

"Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine. But why did you only come out of the dormitory now?"

To ease Luna's worry, I changed the subject.

But it was strange.

As I mentioned earlier, class would start soon.

Luna usually wasn't late.

"Ah... Today, my hair just wouldn't cooperate! I overslept a bit too. That's why I'm late!"

Luna stuttered slightly.

However, her hair looked just as it usually did.

No, it seemed even neater than usual.

Well, if Luna said so, it must be true.

I trusted Luna completely and let it go.

I walked into the building with Luna.

And we parted ways midway since we had different classes.

"Ah..."

I suddenly remembered, I had forgotten to ask about Luna's magic.

It seemed to have grown much faster than her usual pace.

The fact bothered me, but I thought it could happen.

My actions were completely different from the original work; how could every little detail be the same as in the game?

"It's probably nothing."

***

1/4 for the week!

Enjoy the chappy!