Endo and Kobayashi’s Live Commentary on the Villainess - Chapter 12

Lady Liselotte Riefenstahl is a strange person.

Other than her, all of the noble ladies at this academy treat me as if I don’t even exist.

I guess that’s how it is. No one would bother to talk to the weeds or pebbles they walk by on the path, after all.

I don’t have a family name or even a father, so it can’t be helped if, from a noble’s point of view, I’m unworthy of their attention.

However, Lady Liselotte’s the only one who treats me as an equal. Even a rival. She’s strange.

At first glance, her fiancée is also kind to me, but unlike her, he really isn’t strange.

To him, all the students in the school are under him, so it’s not strange that he’s equally kind to everybody. It’s a rule so simple that even I can understand it.

“Miss Finne, where are we going?”

Ah, right. As he called out to me from behind, I remembered that there was, in fact, one more ‘strange’ person. He has already spent a month and a half by my side. I guess I’m not such a weed anymore, lately.

A God? Under strange circumstances, this man, Baldur Riefenstahl, became something like my bodyguard.

I suppose we were equals now? No, since he was always asking me for commands and told me to address him as ‘Bard’ without any titles, I suppose he thinks of me as above him?

Of course, I don’t know what people would think if I suddenly started to give him instructions and call him by a nickname like that, especially since he was older than me, so I got him to agree to 【Bard-senpai]instead.

‘MIss Finne, how could I both be your escort and have you call me such a respectful name when I cannot best you in combat…?’ He seemed to remain hung up about it, but thankfully for the sake of protecting my peaceful school life, I managed to get him to agree.

Maybe the Riefenstahl family judges people based on their strength?

“I’d like to get some exercise, so I was thinking of hunting a few monsters. You don’t have to follow me, Bard-senpai.”

That’s why I was headed towards the mountains behind the school where there are endless amounts of monsters, but that serious knight didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go alone, as he remained half a step behind me.

It was a lie when I said I wanted to get some exercise. The truth was that I wanted to hunt for my dinner. It would be kind of awkward to say it now though.

“I’m strong, after all?”

As I looked up at him, I said something even I thought was really arrogant.

He was tall and muscular, whilst I was short even for a girl, so it was a little frustrating having to look up at him every time I wanted to talk. So, why not try and catch him off guard with a surprise attack?

“I know. That’s why the prophecy predicting the impending arrival of enemies even Lady Finne, who is as strong as any monster, could have trouble defeating is such a dire one. For the sake of this country’s future, I cannot leave your side for even a moment.”

Don’t you think it’s rude to compare a lady to a monster?

I felt myself frown at his words, but, well, I’m not unaware that I’m strange in my own way as well. I’m not much of a lady, and I don’t really see myself becoming one anytime soon. I guess that’s fine.

“…You won’t be wearing your wand on your waist?”

As he asked me that, I looked down at my clothes.

I was wearing the regular school uniform and had tucked away the wand in its inside pocket. It wouldn’t exactly be easy to pull out in a crisis.

In this school, both the male and female uniforms were similar to magician’s robes, but apart from some set standards, students were free to wear whatever they wanted.

Some of the male students seemed to only wear athletic clothes all the time, but most of them wore a blazer at the very least. Girls normally wore skirts that were below the knee in length, but many had beautiful, custom-made dresses brought in.

I had the mandatory exercise uniform that I was required to buy, but since that cost the entirety of my savings, I couldn’t even buy the regular uniform. As a result, I had nothing to wear other than the exercise uniform.

Well, that was until one day when Lady Liselotte came up to me and said, ‘If there is such a shabby looking girl at the same school that I attend, then the academy’s reputation will be thrown into ill-repute,’ and gave me what looked like a normal school uniform at first, but was actually made with such luxurious cloth that I had never touched anything like it before. What’s more, she gave me five… I still wear them gratefully.

It was perfect for my build, so I don’t see how Liselotte could have ever worn them. Because of how it fit my height and width perfectly… And my chest.

“Ah, no, it’s just that this wand looks so expensive, so I was thinking that I should keep it safe, right? When I tried to return it to Liselotte before, she said something like ‘You intend to have me use your second-hand goods? Keep it.’ I don’t really understand her…”

Then, she and His Highness begin to flirt with one another again. It’s always like that.

Really, such a strange person. Though, to be honest, she’s a very cute person.

“When Liese has decided on something, she usually won’t back down. Besides, I’d feel sorry for such a good wand if no one were to use it.”

I don’t really understand Bard-senpai’s words, but I don’t really have much of a reason to use a wand in the first place.

“I don’t really need a wand though? Well, maybe if I have to back-up Bard-senpai with recovery magic…”

I suddenly realized that I didn’t need to make a concession like that.

“Anyways, Bard-senpai, you don’t use a wand either, right?”

As always, he had his favourite sword on his waist. I’d never seen him carry a wand before. Did he even have one?

“Ah, this sword also functions as a wand.”

“Wooow! That’s cool! Where did you buy that?”

I dreamed about having something like that for myself, maybe with knuckle dusters or at least a machete, but Bard-senpai shook his head.

“It’s a family treasure of the House of Riefenstahl. I was adopted into the main family as a result of my engagement and, perhaps because he doesn’t have a true son, the present head of the house took a liking to me and granted me this blade.”

For some reason, I didn’t like the fact that he said that so indifferently at all. I felt fuzzy.

That Bard-senpai had a fiancée.

When it came to the top of this school, although he was the top competitor for the second strongest, he had never been able to beat me.

“…Hmph.”

As I sulked slightly, Bard-senpai suddenly looked at my face.

“What’s wrong?”

When I saw the worry in his eyes, just for a brief moment, I felt like I’d won a little victory.

“Ah, no, it’s just that I was thinking being a noble must be tough, right? For commoners like me, the idea of having a fiancée when I’m still only in school isn’t really something I can understand.”

“I don’t understand it well, either. Or rather, I’m not sure I even agree with it.”

I caught myself staring at his face that seemed to mirror my opinion exactly.

“Is there anything to complain about? If she’s Liselotte’s sister, she must be beautiful, right?”

When I asked him that, he made an expression that made it seem as if he had swallowed something awfully bitter.

“Well, the daughters of the main household are certainly beautiful, but I can’t think of them as anything other than my younger sisters because we grew up together. What’s more, Liese’s two younger sisters are twins, so I was told to pick one or the other… However, both of them cry and complain about how I haven’t chosen yet, and their other sister is only nine… Well, it isn’t something I can back out of, so one day I will have to choose one of the three, but… just thinking about it makes me want to go to the mountains and never come back.”

As we approached said mountains, Bard-senpai looked up at them wistfully.

“It’s unusual to hear you talk like that, Bard-senpai.”

I say that, but to be honest, it’s unusual to hear him talk much at all. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling even though he still looked bitter.

“I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“Then… Wanna stay in the mountains after all?”

Until we’ve eaten all the delicious meat that we can hunt. Then, without words… He gripped the magic sword on his waist.

When he turned and locked glares with me, we both grinned.

After all, both he and I were battle junkies.

Running rampant was the most fun thing in the world.

Trying to rid myself of that strange fuzzy feeling I had felt before, I sprinted forward while he followed after me.

He’s a noble, and I’m just a commoner.

Someday, he’ll be a lord as well.

Even if I came to like him, it wouldn’t end happily.