I Possessed the Villain’s Childhood Friend – Chapter 30

“Practical training will be conducted with partners assigned.”

In the spacious training ground outside the building, the practical sessions for Elemental Magic Studies commenced.

“Partners will be assigned randomly, and changes are not allowed, so keep that in mind.”

At Professor Dande’s words, a wave of tension flowed through me.

According to the original story, my partner would be Sophia and the Crown Prince. Reina would be teamed up with Helen, but that was only if Aike hadn’t enrolled in this class.

Since I joined, there was a change in the student list, and I couldn’t predict how this would play out.

It would be great if Reina could pair up with the Crown Prince.

“Damn.”

But reality is always cruel.

Just like in the original story, the Crown Prince ended up with Sophia, and Reina partnered with Helen.

My participation in this class didn’t change the course of the narrative.

And my partner turned out to be…

“It’s a pleasure to work with you, Prince Aike.”

Ranked third in the entrance exam. The future candidate for the Pope, Atal.

“It’s a pleasure, Atal.”

He was one of Sophia’s supporters in the original story.

Of course, Sophia didn’t know that, but Atal’s support helped her in many ways.

Thinking about that, getting close to Atal wouldn’t be a bad thing.

“Prince Aike, you have Earth and Wind attributes, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Water and Light. I’ll need to rely on you during the combat practicals later.”

With his white hair and half-closed eyes, smiling, Atal resembled what I always thought a clergyman would look like.

“It’s an honor to receive support from the Pope candidate, Atal.”

“That’s too much praise.”

Atal, while not highlighted much because of Sophia in the original, had a high talent for Light Magic.

In fact, Atal was the one who saved Sophia when she was in peril, and his later encouragement of her as a Saintess is remembered as one of the original’s most iconic moments.

Of course, I wouldn’t get to witness that scene firsthand.

Out of necessity for my own life, but it was hard to suppress the feeling of regret.

“Have you finished greeting your assigned partner?”

With that comment from Professor Dande, the lesson resumed.

“Spellcasting is, to put it simply, a form of self-suggestion to interfere with the world’s rules. It’s an act of intervening in those rules to define and fix them. I mentioned that spells carry multiple meanings, right? To summarize, understanding a spell means creating your own equation that meets the answers required by that spell.”

It felt like a familiar explanation, similar to what I had heard from Reina earlier.

Yet, the others around, including Atal, showed no signs of surprise.

Was I the only one who didn’t know?

“The printed material I distributed contains my equations regarding Basic Magic. I pride myself on having compiled it in an easily understandable manner.”

This time, Atal and the others around nodded in acknowledgment.

So it seemed I was the only one who was out of the loop.

Did such explanations exist in the original too?

Regrettably, I couldn’t remember.

“Now, let’s move on to today’s practical topic. Until the next lesson, please use your equations to create a new incantation for Basic Magic.”

As the practical began, I faced Atal.

In my heart, I wanted to keep a close eye on Reina and Sophia, but that was of course impossible.

If they collided, a commotion would ensue, so I focused on the lesson for now.

“It’s the first class, so I guess it’s an easy topic.”

Atal’s genuine smile left me at a loss for words.

Creating a new incantation from a spell that already existed meant needing a high level of understanding about that magic.

And here I was, someone who had just begun using Elemental Magic today.

No matter how I thought about it, it was far too difficult of a topic for me.

… I have to be honest.

Knowing Atal’s personality, he would likely explain things kindly.

It wouldn’t do to put on airs and cause trouble.

“Um, Atal?”

“Yes?”

“The thing is…”

“I feel like I heard something similar last time.”

Just as I was about to tell Atal the truth, I heard someone’s voice.

Turning around…

“Have you already forgotten?”

With a cold gaze, Reina was looking down at Sophia, who was apologizing, “I-I’m sorry,” bowing her head.

“Reina, don’t you think that was too harsh on your classmate?”

And the Crown Prince, who stood to mediate with Reina.

I sought Atal’s understanding and listened to their conversation.

“Your Highness. Correcting mistakes is a crucial reprimand.”

“While that’s true, I’d say the severity of the reprimand was too much.”

Damn.

Listening to their conversation, it was clear.

This was following the same plot as the original.

During the practical, Sophia would slip and fall.

The Crown Prince would catch her, and Reina would witness the whole scene.

Seeing Sophia held in the Crown Prince’s arms, Reina would approach and admonish him for his conduct, similar to the first time they met.

Then Sophia would tremble, recalling their first encounter, while the Crown Prince would protest that Reina was being too harsh on a classmate.

Reina would frown and walk away, and this incident would lead to a friendship between Sophia and the Crown Prince.

“She has lived a life unrelated to decorum from the start. Isn’t expecting too much from her a bit unreasonable?”

“It’s been more than two weeks. She should have had ample time to study.”

“Only two weeks! It would be nice to be a bit more lenient.”

“…Understood.”

Eventually, Reina turned away with a frown, just like in the original.

This incident would cause Reina to completely oppose Sophia, and worst of all, complicate things between her and the Crown Prince.

This was the very situation I had to prevent.

Already, during their first meeting, Sophia had faced much harsher words from Reina than in the original, making it dangerous.

I shouldn’t have merely thought about it.

I had been too complacent.

“Aike.”

After Elemental Magic Studies ended, for some reason, the Crown Prince sought me out.

“You were watching earlier, weren’t you?”

“… Yes.”

“I don’t think Reina was simply criticizing Sophia’s conduct; what do you think?”

That was spot on.

The underlying reason Reina criticized was fundamentally jealousy, as the Crown Prince was close to Sophia.

But I couldn’t openly say that to him.

Revealing someone’s innermost thoughts goes against etiquette.

“Your Highness, you are engaged to Reina. If she sees you embracing another woman, it could damage your reputation. Isn’t that what she might be concerned about?”

“She was only caught before falling. I doubt there was any other intent from Sophia.”

“Even if it was an accident, and regardless of intent, rumors will spread.”

“… You make a compelling argument.”

Even if I held feelings for Reina, our relationship remained that of childhood friends.

But rumors could add weight to that relationship and hurt our reputations.

That was why Reina and I were unable to meet.

The Crown Prince, all too aware of that fact, smiled wryly.

“Then I should apologize to Reina separately. After all, she was merely speaking up for me.”

“…?”

He was going to apologize.

In the original, the Crown Prince never spoke to Reina after this incident.

Instead, he would apologize to Sophia, claiming that Reina was too harsh.

What in the world was going on?

Could it be that the story was slightly changing?

No.

It was time to acknowledge the truth.

Since I sought him out to find information on Anna, I had already expected this.

The person who would be most affected by my presence in this world wasn’t Reina, but rather the Crown Prince.

What repercussions this would have on Reina’s future, I didn’t know.

But at least I felt somewhat relieved that it didn’t seem like their relationship was tangled up.

“Hmm.”

Even though the biggest concern I had was resolved, I couldn’t just sit idle.

If the events of today caused Reina and Sophia to clash, it would ultimately disadvantage Reina.

If only I had known how Reina felt about Sophia, it would have made things easier.

If the original’s side stories kept being serialized…

A week after ‘She Heals the Wounded World’ concluded, a side story was published.

It was titled ‘Reina Rozelia.’

The content was, quite literally, about the antagonist who exited the story in its later half: Reina Rozelia.

That episode expressed how Reina truly loved the Crown Prince.

It also conveyed her loneliness as she always stood alone.

The author mentioned that this side story was supposed to be quite lengthy, but due to severe reader backlash, it was completely deleted instead.

While I regretted that it couldn’t be published, I recognized that it had to be that way.

The character of Reina Rozelia had earned the disdain of nearly all readers.

It seemed I was the odd one out for empathizing with her solitude.

However, it pained me that this side story wasn’t fully serialized.

If it had been, it would have made unraveling the story a bit easier.

★

I messed up.

I shouldn’t have let it turn out like this.

With my head pounding, I couldn’t focus on the subject I was preparing for.

“Why am I such a fool again….”

After conversing with Aike two weeks ago and receiving a letter from Anna yesterday, I came to a realization.

That was, I too had to change.

Until now, I had waited patiently for everything.

I wanted others to recognize my struggles.

I wished everyone around me wouldn’t leave.

But I now understood that waiting quietly wouldn’t yield anything.

If Anna wasn’t coming back, I had to go find her.

If Aike hadn’t sent a letter, I should have reached out personally.

Even if it brought about backlash from those around me, if something was truly precious, I shouldn’t fear that.

From now on, I’d change.

First, I needed to expand this narrow world, even just a little.

Then what should I do?

The first thought that came to mind was a nickname that I had acquired at some point.

Ice Princess.

It was given due to my always expressionless face and cold aura.

I thought it was something inherent to my nature, but if I could start changing that aspect, something might shift.

I really believed that.

“Ugh, I did it again.”

I recalled her figure, always keeping her head down.

That certainly hadn’t been my intention, yet I ended up hurting her again.

I wanted to ask if she was okay after witnessing her accidental fall.

I had no intention of reprimanding her at all.

The special admission student Sophia, with the familiar appearance, whom I first met in the garden when I was with Aike during the entrance ceremony.

Even though she harshly admonished me close to the level of verbal abuse, she later approached me to apologize, saying she would work hard and asking me to befriend her.

The first person who came to mind when I resolved to change wasn’t Aike or Anna, but her.

I had a strong intuition that if I could become friends with her, I could indeed change.

So today, I intended to apologize for what happened during the entrance ceremony and for ignoring her when she came to me afterward.

Yet, I ultimately failed to change.

Naturally, I knew that.

Sophia was a commoner who had never faced the decorum of nobility throughout her life.

I could have approached her in a friendlier manner, but my words unintentionally turned scolding.

I couldn’t shed the teachings of my family, which ingrained in me to always act strictly.

In the end, was I also simply a member of the Rozelia Duke House?

Then what impression did that girl have of me?

“I’m sorry, Miss Sophia.”

My apology, with no one to hear it, quietly dissolved into the air.