OHNIR – Chapter 26
Chapter 26: The Plot
Regardless of whether the System had anything to do with it, the plot was unfolding right before her eyes.
As Gloria cast a questioning glance her way, Kelusta seamlessly smoothed over her own unpleasant expression, feigning surprise. “It sounds like someone is crying.”
Her face was a mask of concern, but inwardly she wanted to grind her teeth in frustration.
An important plot point in an otome game naturally had to do with a male lead.
Of the four main capture targets, Kevit had been spending a lot of time with her since the start of school, and she had successfully gotten closer to Satrick. Even Wend, who had shown the least interest so far, had at least been properly introduced… However, there was one person she hadn’t had a chance to interact with at all.
—Musen, the male lead of the demon route. He was both the pitiful, helpless boy bullied daily in the early game and the ruthless, great Demon King of the future who could slice a crowd of people into thin strips with a flick of his finger.
Originally, after realizing Musen’s identity might be extraordinary, Kelusta had planned to approach him at the first opportunity. But she hadn’t anticipated being delayed by one mission after another, and her plan to “brainwash” the future great Demon King had never gotten off the ground.
And now this—Gloria was ready to explode if Satrick so much as glanced at her, and she’d gotten jealous at the dinner table just because Kelusta had praised Wend a little too much. If Kelusta were to rescue Musen right in front of her, who knew if she’d even survive!
Even if she were lucky enough to live, her favorability score certainly wouldn’t survive…
“—Filthy, unclean, a base creature without a surname… Your existence isn’t even as clean as the mud beneath my feet. You’re a disgrace to this academy!”
The faint sound of mocking laughter interrupted Kelusta’s thoughts. The tone was laced with obvious malice, and every crude word reached the ears of the two girls. Gloria frowned, a flash of disgust in her eyes.
“The Holy Light Magic Academy respects every one of its students,” she said coolly. “When the school board was established, the principal had every member sign an Oath Contract… Therefore, I cannot simply stand by and watch these people tarnish the academy’s reputation.”
The Oath Contract was a magical item used to monitor the signer’s actions. If a signer broke their promise, the scroll they had signed would automatically incinerate, signifying a violation of the oath’s rules.
The Holy Light Magic Academy’s Oath Contract included the clause that “school board members must, within their capacity, uphold the reputation of the Holy Light Magic Academy.” Thus, if Gloria ignored such remarks today, the scroll bearing the signature of the Silentdis family representative would be nothing but a pile of black ash by tomorrow at the latest.
The eldest daughter of the Duke would naturally not allow such a thing to happen.
—And this also killed any plan Kelusta had of slipping away. She was now unavoidably about to face the pitiful little demon being bullied.
“…It’s over. My favorability is definitely done for,” Kelusta lamented to the System. “Old Sy, Old Sy, I really misjudged you—even if this plot point has absolutely nothing to do with you… you definitely knew Musen was getting beaten up here right now!”
The System’s scanner wasn’t just for show. Of course it knew Musen was here, and of course it had intentionally failed to remind Kelusta.
First, the convergence of the world line was inevitable. Just as Satrick by the swan lake would still notice Kelusta, even if she didn’t run into Musen today, as the temporary host of the plane’s core, she would meet him sooner or later.
Second, well, who told this heroine to be so chatty last night? Besides, judging from the last disastrous crisis, Kelusta always found a way to coax the final boss into submission. It just required her to use her brain a little—this was a golden opportunity to mess with her without delaying the mission. How could a qualified system pass it up?
“Respected temporary host,” the System said with infinite gentleness, “you can always make an extreme trade.”
It had a point. Kelusta’s best option now was to salvage what she could from the worst-case scenario.
Since Gloria’s favorability was destined to drop… she would have to make good use of this opportunity and recoup whatever points she lost from Musen.
“I’m starting to feel grateful for my seductress self from last night…” Kelusta couldn’t help but feel a wave of sorrow.
Thanks to the intoxicating atmosphere while Gloria was drunk, her favorability had unknowingly risen by a full eight points. When Kelusta had secretly checked the records this morning, she found that it seemed to tick up by one or two points almost every time she moved an inch closer to Gloria…
It was now at a high of 25 points, easily breaking past the 20-point bottleneck. A joyous occasion indeed.
To be honest, Kelusta was very unwilling to let it drop back to where it was because of something like this.
She had to think of a way. Even if she still lost some favorability in the end… at least she didn’t want to go right back to square one.
All these thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. From behind the withered vegetation, the sounds of unbearable insults mixed with the thuds of punches and kicks, causing Gloria’s expression to darken further.
“Let’s go see.” She shot a cold glance in that direction and took Kelusta’s wrist.
But unexpectedly, Kelusta was even more eager than she was. The girl’s golden eyes were filled with righteous indignation, as if tiny flames were burning within them. She squeezed Gloria’s hand back and declared, impassioned and furious, “How can this be? The academy has always promoted equality and friendship! For hundreds of years, there has never been an incident of insulting a fellow student! Both the principal and the school board lead by example, so how dare these students openly violate school rules in broad daylight—as a student of the Holy Light Magic Academy, my heart aches!”
Her final words were delivered with a dramatic cadence, full of genuine emotion. If the principal had heard her, he probably would have taken off his glasses and started wiping his eyes on the spot.
Gloria: “…”
She seemed to recall that this little girl had just experienced being lorded over by the daughter of Marquis Charles yesterday. Yet here she was, proclaiming that the academy had always promoted equality and friendship… It was enough to make even her, a member of the school board, blush.
How much had the academy paid her for this advertisement? Why wasn’t it on the books?
As if sensing Gloria’s deeply skeptical gaze, Kelusta rolled her eyes internally but flawlessly continued her performance. “Senior, as a duke’s daughter, you have cared for me, been considerate of me, and treated me with such gentleness all this time… You never once looked down on me just because I’m a commoner.”
At this, Kelusta’s voice seemed to drop, as if out of shyness. Her golden eyes, full of adoration and attachment, darted a timid glance at Gloria, but she continued, “It’s truly wonderful that our academy has someone like you willing to manage it!”
“Ding. Gloria’s favorability +2.”
“…” the System praised. “How shameless. Truly befitting of you.”
Gloria, however, failed to perceive this shamelessness. She blinked, her features softening. “You’re so lovely. Who would dare have the slightest thought of looking down on you?”
She reached out her free hand to pat Kelusta’s head, then glanced with a smile at the spot where the shouting continued, her voice turning cold. “Even if it’s just for that praise… I’m making this my business.”
Senior is so cool! Kelusta’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at her, like a little puppy staring at its owner.
Under this intense gaze, Gloria pondered for a moment, then, as if an idea struck her, she suddenly said, “Since you’re so concerned about the school… why don’t you take the lead—what do you say, are you brave enough?”
Kelusta froze. “Take the lead? …Me?”
“That’s right,” Gloria said with a grin. “Only then will those students who disrespect the school rules learn a lesson they’ll never forget.”
That’s right—and it will also give Musen a salvation he’ll never forget.
The brown-haired girl, her objective achieved, put on a look of dawning realization. A pure, excited smile spread across her face, and she nodded eagerly and emphatically at Gloria.
“Then Senior will have to back me up again,” she said softly. “I like Senior the most.”
“—Look at your black hair and black eyes, you unclean little brat.”
A pair of exquisitely made boots stomped down hard on a bruised arm. Surrounded by the jeers of his companions, a noble boy in a school uniform viciously grabbed the skinny boy’s hair, yanking his head up.
The boy’s dark eyes were devoid of any light, like a stagnant mire. The sight disgusted the noble, who instinctively slapped him across the face, roaring, “You think you’re worthy of looking at me with those filthy eyes?”
The blow sent Musen stumbling sideways. His teeth cut the soft inside of his mouth, and a trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of his lips.
…The pain was something he could barely feel anymore.
Filthy, unclean, disgusting… He had grown up as a wanderer, accompanied by such words. The endless bruises and wounds never fully healed. Even being unexpectedly discovered by a recruiter from the Holy Light Magic Academy hadn’t put an end to this miserable life.
In this academy, even commoners without protection struggled to get by, let alone a stray like him who was less than a commoner.
“…”
As ordered, Musen no longer looked at the noble. He lowered his eyes in submission as blood traced a path down his jaw, dripping onto the soil and staining it with dark marks.
One day, as long as no one dared to kill him…
The vegetation nearby rustled. Brittle leaves made a crackling sound, like bones being snapped inch by inch, as a sudden cold wind mercilessly swept them to the ground, where they silently crumbled into dust.
Musen stared at those withered leaves, his overly pale lips curling into a faint, blood-stained, chilling smile.
He would make sure to repay every single scar on his body… by taking it back from these people.
Comments
Post a Comment