# Chapter 43. First Day of School (4)
“That man is truly laughable! He so carelessly handles a woman who is already engaged, and he bad-mouths the Young Master despite hardly knowing him! If it hadn’t been for the Academy, he would’ve gotten a severe beating, I tell you!”
“…Leaving aside the latter, the former is certainly problematic.”
On their way from exiting the building and heading toward the dormitories,
Cecilia vented her grievances over the ridiculous situation she had just experienced.
After visiting the infirmary to get checked, she learned that, luckily, she had not sustained any serious injuries and that her treatment would simply involve applying ointment.
Thinking about the image of walking home affectionately with Rab, Cecilia found herself feeling quite disdainful toward Arthur, the man who had disrupted her dream.
‘What an uncouth and clueless individual, lacking both etiquette and perceptiveness! And on top of that, a man ought to be strong and exude a wild charm, not this frail stick of a person claiming to protect someone!’
While the latter part seemed to reflect more of her personal opinions, nonetheless, the first meeting between the original heroine and the male lead had culminated in a disastrously awkward end.
Although the storyline Rab had mentioned (or rather, contemplated) had already unraveled at this point, Cecilia regarded this incident as an opportunity to bring her closer to her fiancé.
Arthur had already made a poor impression on her during their first encounter.
Partially due to his status as a commoner, he was unfamiliar with the proper etiquette of the nobility, and while his awkwardness upon meeting Cecilia was likely due to her unexpected reaction, it was still considered rude.
Moreover, even if it wasn’t by his own design, the fact that he was a lackey to her disgraceful parents was enough to make Cecilia feel that there was simply no way she could see him in a positive light.
Even if none of this had happened, Cecilia’s feelings for Rab wouldn’t have changed. But with this clearer justification in mind, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
Moreover—
“Really, how dare someone grab a woman’s wrist like that? And not just any woman, but someone else’s fiancée! Thankfully, it wasn’t a serious injury, but if there had been more force and the wrist had broken… tsk.”
Though she walked as if it didn’t bother her, Cecilia could tell from Rab’s gaze, filled with both concern and relief for her wellbeing, that his kindness once again endeared him to her.
“Hmph… Even so, it’s difficult to completely distance myself from him because there are episodes that won’t progress without Arthur, plus, considering his growth potential, it’s hard to find a guard as suitable as him…”
Rab’s purpose in coming to the human realm was to stop the Evil God, who, through his followers, sought to scatter a malevolent energy across the continent to bring about the world’s destruction.
According to Rab, starting with this new batch of students, serious covert attacks and direct assaults on the enemies’ Academy would begin.
Why the Evil God targeted the Academy was unclear, but Rab suspected that it had something to do with human negativity. The academy students, upon death, would likely cause loved ones around them to experience overwhelming emotions such as anger, rage, and despair, all of which the Evil God feeds on.
Furthermore, in the previous chapter, there was an attempt to seize Rab’s unparalleled magical talent, leading him to believe that this situation could stem from similar motives.
“I’ll have a word with Knight Arthur. I need to convey my family’s greetings anyway, and it wouldn’t be right to ignore the knight sent from the house.”
“…Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
The genuine worry in his eyes was unmistakable.
Since their encounter a year ago on the back mountain, Rab had been gradually showing less restraint in concealing his emotions towards Cecilia.
While remnants of his former compulsion—that Cecilia and the protagonist were destined to be together for her happiness—still lingered, his growing acceptance of Cecilia’s affection for the young master, along with his own internal changes, began to become subtly noticeable.
From someone who once used only falsehoods to hurt her, he now wore his concern for her so openly that Cecilia felt an urgent desire to hug him and kiss him right then and there.
“…I’ll be fine. I just plan on giving him a letter with our family’s regards. I doubt he’d dare argue with me if I make my position clear.”
Having suppressed her rising emotions, she reassured Rab, who was still gazing at her with the wide-eyed innocence of a lost puppy.
Unaware that all his thoughts were laid bare to his fiancée, Rab secretly resolved to spy on Cecilia’s meeting with Arthur, which caused Cecilia to struggle with suppressing her laughter.
Oh my, what am I to do with this adorable fiancé of mine…
*
After parting ways with Rab, Cecilia returned to her dormitory and pulled out a square, flat communication stone from her bag.
When she activated it, the face of a familiar woman appeared on the square screen.
“Ria! It’s been such a long time!”
“Long time? It’s been merely two weeks since I last saw you.”
Belie, the head of the Black Blade Guild.
Since Cecilia started attending the Academy, Ria had completed her year-long break and returned to actively managing the guild.
Almost all the information Cecilia had gathered from the Netorie family was now in the guild’s possession. Additionally, with Cecilia’s focus now on her studies at the Academy, Ria believed there was no longer a need for her to stay any longer within the Netorie household.
“It’s been two whole weeks! Did you hear that our dear Ria had her fiancé provoke an entire student body and even had a showdown with some knight’s department hunk over her little sis?”
“Exactly how vast are your connections anyway, to get hold of such information so quickly… even about things that happened just recently?”
The Black Blade Guild dominated the information-gathering sector without peer.
Though the members she interacted with during her exercises seemed clumsy and few in number, they were in fact high-ranked operatives skilled in infiltration and assassination. The guild’s network of informants was vast and extensive, so extensive that it was no surprise they could gather news of incidents at the Academy with such ease.
“So why is it that during these two weeks, my dear little sister hasn’t contacted her sister?”
“…Someone from the Boichi Family made contact.”
“…Tell me more.”
The fact that someone from the Boichi Family had made contact implied that the Duke and Duchess had decided to begin their scheme to seize the Netorie family’s assets.
Cecilia, who had long since overcome her traumatic past with her parents during her time at the Netorie household, felt nothing but amusement at their blatant greed since their meeting at the banquet a year ago. Even now, stating it herself still struck her as absurd.
“The person our parents sent is the man who got into a dispute with the Young Master—he’s a knight student.”
“Ah, Arthur, right? When I heard the Duke and Duchess were backing him, I was skeptical, but it seems they’re putting his skills to good use.”
“It’s typical of them to have their heads on straight when it comes to underhanded schemes. Still, they’re foolish to think I’m still afraid of them.”
Cecilia had long since overcome her trauma of her parents while in the Netorie family.
In fact, entrusting their daughter with the very weapon that could take their own lives was akin to giving her an axe to cut their own throats.
“So, is the fake information ready?”
“Of course! We’ve already sent out operatives and established a fake base—complete with a legitimate business registration. Of course, it’s all a scam, but it’ll do the trick!”
The Duke and Duchess had demanded key secrets from the Count’s house.
The idea that a mere daughter-in-law could have access to such confidential information was absurd on its own, yet it was typical of her conscienceless parents to use their daughter as an industrial spy.
Anticipating her parents’ actions, Cecilia had asked Belie to prepare the fake information. This foresight proved invaluable when one of their spies within the Duke’s household revealed the full scope of the plan.
The duo had deduced that ordinary methods would not suffice to siphon the Count’s wealth, so they devised a scheme to send mercenaries to attack and torch an important business establishment under Cecilia’s name, thereby delivering a significant blow.
The plan was to secretly extract critical documents, use them in the name of the Duke’s family to launch the same business, and attract the funds from companies that once worked with the Count’s family into their own coffers.
“How utterly foolish.”
“That’s why I couldn’t help but laugh while reading the report… Seriously, are there even that many companies eager to affiliate with an empty shell like the Duke’s family, no matter how pristine their façade?”
The ignorance of her parents, knowing only one facet of an issue while ignoring its full depth, left Cecilia feeling embarrassed.
“I don’t understand why they’re going to such lengths just for money… But if they intend any harm towards the Young Master, no matter the relation, I won’t let it slide.”
“I’ll send the information via messenger bird right away. You give it to that knight tomorrow and we’ll commence our operation accordingly.”
“Got it.”
Phase one of the operation—a scheme where the fake business is attacked, causing no harm to the Count but instead wasting the Duke family’s resources and efforts.
Cecilia couldn’t help but flash a chilling smile at the thought of her very own parents falling into ruin, imagining their greed for wealth leading them to their doom.
“The Young Master… he’s mine… Anything that might harm the Young Master… I will eliminate it completely…”
