Otome Game no Heroine de Saikyou Survival (LN) - Book 6: Chapter 5

The Girls

Claydale Kingdom, the Royal Sorcery Academy.

Two weeks had passed since the incident of attack of Princess Elena and she went missing. Because the kingdom prevented the matter from becoming public, the students other than the high class nobles and their staffs were ordered to standby at their own residents under the excuse that the academy was being repaired.

Among the students there were also those who couldn’t move because their territory was far or they had no separate residence in the capital, but the number of students in the academy right now had been reduced until only 30% of the usual. With that the academy was regaining its tranquility on the surface.

The high ranked nobles and the crown prince who was a royalty were remaining in the academy in order to quell the confusion among the remaining students and to control the flow of information.

That was why it was necessary for them to show themselves in the open doing tea party and the like, doing their daily activity in the academy like usual instead of moving around busily so the other students would be reassured. But the people gathered there were far away from feeling reassured. A strange tense atmosphere that was not visible to the eye was drifting in the air.

「Clara……. I heard that you were giving harsh words to Licia. Why did you do such thing……」

「That’s a strange thing to say, Er-sama. I was simply giving a lecture to the person over there about the “common sense” as a noble lady.」

Lady Clara Dandall put on a chillingly cold smile in respond to the words of Crown Prince Ervan who was calling another girl with a pet name right in front of his fiancée.

The rose garden in the seventh academy building was the newest facility in the academy. The building also had office for high ranked noble house. At the garden, five males and females were sitting around a table of white marble.

Ervan and Clara, the two who were betrothed to each other weren’t sitting side by side. They were sitting facing each other. Sitting beside Ervan was Alicia Mercis, a viscount daughter, a middle ranked noble.

The figures of Mihail and Rockwell, scions of margrave houses who were the aides of the crown prince originally should be at the sides of these two, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen in this place. But in exchange, the royal brother Amor and the grandson of the head priest Nathanital were sitting on their seats. They were looking at Clara as though she was an enemy.

Standing at a slight distance away from the table were their servants and bodyguard knights, and also maids who were dispatched from the palace, but among them was a Cruzian butler Seo who had an anxious face. His “lady” glanced toward him with a troubled face and he shook his head with a bitter face in respond.

Alicia──the girl who called herself [Licia] puffed out her cheeks a little in dissatisfaction seeing her young butler’s attitude. Then she put on a scared expression and touched Ervan’s hand under the table.

Clara shouldn’t be able to see that from her seating, but she seemed to sense something and glared at Licia with a dark gaze.

「It looks like, she still hasn’t understood anything.」

「Clara-sama, I never……」

Licia looked down with a sad face as though she had calculated the angle so it was visible. Ervan who became unable to meet the gaze of her terrifying fiancée changed the topic to somehow fix the situation.

「The tea is going to get cold like this. Let’s reheat it. Someone」

He lifted up the completely cold teacup that was placed in front of Alicia to urge the maids to take it, but then someone who had approached near him without him realizing it took the teacup from his hand with white fingertips before splashing the content on Licia’s head.

.

「Oh my, everyone, what could you all be doing over here while leaving me out of it?」

That act was just too abrupt that everyone including Alicia was dumbfounded. Meanwhile Carla who did that as though it was only natural was putting on a smile of genuine enjoyment with a pale face that had horrible dark circles around her eyes.

「Lady Carla, what have you done!」

*Bam!* Amor slammed his hands on the table as he jumped to his feet. He turned a sharp gaze toward Carla.

She poured tea on the head of a lady who was sitting beside the crown prince. It was only natural for her to be criticized after doing such thing, but the one who did that wasn’t the girl who was the victim, or even the crown prince who was the person with the highest status here, but the only adult in this place, the king’s little brother Amor. But Carla didn’t flinch even when such person was glaring at her. She only put on an ironic smile.

「Can’t the unrelated person please stay out of this?」

「What-!」

Amor was born as a royalty and he had never experienced being told like that until now. He was unable to find any word to say in respond and fell silent.

Carla moved glidingly without any sound amidst the dumbfounded people and looked down on Nathanital who was sitting beside Ervan.

「Move aside.」

「Tsu……」

Nathanital fell off the chair as though he had gotten pushed away. Carla elegantly lowered her body on it. That action made the frozen time started moving again.

「Y-you insolent-!」

「My, your highness Amor-sama, how do you do in this fine day? Are Er-sama and Clara-sama also doing well?」

It was as though she had only noticed his existence for the first time. But, she ignored that existence that was right in front of her eyes and smiled only to Ervan and Clara.

Carla had the standing of a daughter of a count house, but she was the crown prince’s fiancée who would become the second queen so she was treated as a semi-royalty.

That standing was still below the royal brother Amor and even after marriage she would only had the same standing with Amor as the second queen but, with the Gift that she had obtained, Carla was already standing above Amor politically.

Even so, Carla was still just the crown prince’s fiancée. Other person might see it as her doing lese majeste with how she acted like this toward the king’s little brother Amor. But Amor who had witnessed Carla burning the rank 6 Minotaurus Murder to death even if it was already dying at that time felt an invisible pressure when facing her. He could only endure the treatment by gritting his teeth without saying anything else.

「W-wait a second! Rather than that Licia, you okay? Someone! Bring a towel」

Ervan cut in between those two and put his hand on Licia’s shoulder while calling out to the back. Then the girl’s young butler hurriedly run toward them.

「What are you doing, Carla?」

Ervan who couldn’t be said to have much charisma turned a strong gaze toward Carla who was sitting at his side. Behind him was Nathanital whose seat got stolen and then got ignored without even getting his name called. He was scared but he still glared at Carla while consoling Licia.

「Fufufu, I heard about how adorable Er-sama picked up a stray dog and came visiting only to take a look. Well, it was simply, simply smelly……I thought that the tea’s scent might help covering it up but, a stray dog’s smell can’t be erased that easily it seems. Pray forgive my blunder.」

The men’s eyes widened from just how outrageous Carla’s words were.

「Carla……you-, how could you say something so horrible-!」

「Please wait Er-sama. I’m alright, so please!」

Ervan reflexively got on his feet, but Licia stopped him by clinging on him from the side.

「……Licia」

「Carla-sama is simply in a bad mood right now. Er-sama and Amor-sama and Nathanital-kun are treating me kindly, so I’m fine……」

Licia clung on Ervan’s arm while pressing and rubbing her immature body on him. She slowly took Ervan’s hand and casually guided it toward her own body.

「Oh my, that is a strange you are mentioning. You make it sounds like a gentleman who is getting infatuated with other woman despite already being betrothed, is a fool.」

「……tsu」

Carla’s mocking words made Ervan averted his gaze slightly.

「I never-」

「My my, this stray dog really like to chirp. Don’t you think so, Clara-sama?」

「…………」

Clara who had been quietly observing the conversation until then lightly glared at Carla when she put her on the spot. She then turned a scornful gaze to the men and Licia while standing up.

「I have lost interest. I shall take my leave right now. Please do excuse me.」

「Clara-」

With Clara standing up from her seat, Ervan finally remembered why he called Clara to this place──to question her about her true reason saying harsh words to Licia. It made Ervan suddenly stopped calling her. Clara’s eyes looked slightly sad to see that, then she looked down on the men with a cold gaze.

「Er-sama, my opinion hasn’t changed. It’s fine to play with fire a little, but please be someone who know discipline at the very least. ──Also-」

「「……tsu」」

Amor and Nathanital looked like they wanted to say something back at Clara’s remark, but Clara stopped them with a strong tone.

「Amor-sama? Regardless of everything you are here with the standing as a teacher, and yet to me it looks like you are only favoring a particular student. A person who isn’t even fulfilling his role as the royal brother, is there any meaning in that person being a royalty?」

Clara moved her gaze from the speechless Amor to Nathanital.

「Also Nathanital-sama, you too are someone who will serve as in a sacred occupation in the future. I wonder what will the head priest think if he become aware of how you are being so infatuated with a girl. And where could my dear brother and the scion of Melrose House are right now? Those two are personage who should be in the service of the next king you know?」

Amor and Nathanital gritted their teeth because of Clara’s words. They couldn’t say anything back because there was nothing wrong with her words at all.

In addition she was also explicitly criticizing why the member of margrave houses that should be Ervan’s friend and his future aides weren’t present here. It made Ervan pressed his lips together with a pained look.

There was nothing wrong with what Clara was saying. Even so their emotion was a different matter.

Amor and Nathanital were staring with eyes that were filled with hatred toward the noble ladies who spoke harsh words to them and slighted Licia who had accepted them as they were. To them these two girls were like “villainess” in a play.

In respond to their stare, Clara scoffed「Hmph」 as though to make a fool of them and she turned her back to them as she walked away. Seeing that slender back walking away made Ervan recalled the girl who had been together with him ever since they were little. He was making a face like a little kid who was about to cry because of their relationship that had changed completely.

「Then, please allow me to take my leave too. Er-sama……your face right now, it’s truly so lovely. Fufufu」

Carla showed a happy smile toward Ervan who was making a look of suffering. She stood up and gently touched Ervan’s cheek, then she whispered into his ear with a melodic tone.

「My dear pretty prince. Please suffer more, become even dirtier, struggle unsightly within the flame. If you do that then surely you will become a good king just as I like it. Your charred bones……I shall gather and swallow them.」

「Hih」

Ervan pulled away when he felt physical heat from Carla’s fingers on his cheek.

It was something that would harm him and wouldn’t be able to be glossed off as a mere blind passion but, the royal guards around them didn’t know what Carla did, and even those who noticed got overwhelmed by the bizarre ghastliness that Carla was radiating. Nobody was able to move.

Carla’s wish was to dirty Ervan. The pure and innocent him, betraying those who he loved and those who loved him, becoming dirtier and wounded, and then falling down because of his self-condemning thought. Watching that was one of Carla’s few pleasure.

In the middle of that bizarre atmosphere, there was only one person who was different. Licia’s eyes that were filled with dark light collided with Carla’s gaze right from the front.

She too was an embodiment of darkness in the shape of human that was different from Carla. She was the monster of desire that was dirtying Ervan.

Even so, she didn’t match that girl who was so striking like a blade that glinted in the darkness. With that thought Carla put on a smile that was like a poisonous muddy swamp.

「This was really fun. Let’s meet again sometimes, Er-sama.」

.

「…………」

The crown prince’s two fiancées had left. Ervan couldn’t lift up his face after hearing their harsh words, but then Licia softly touched his cheek that became red with burn.

「Er-sama isn’t wrong. You are just a human, so it’s fine to run away when it’s painful. I’m here for you if you find it painful.」

「Licia……」

Licia smiled at him like a holy mother. It made Amor and Nathanital felt moved and sighed in admiration.

Under the table……she took the hand of Ervan who was still at a lost while she pressed her immature body on his arm. With that she held his arm in place even though he reflexively tried to move away. The moment his attention turned toward her, she softly whispered into his ear.

「I will……heal you.」

***

「My lady, that was……」

「It’s fine.」

Clara replied brusquely toward the words of her maid(Hilda) who were accompanying her on her way toward the carriage.

Clara had used her Gift [Foresight]. As the result of her calculation, she judged that it wouldn’t be wise to stay in that place.

Her standing would worsen even more if she stayed in that place. Even so her heart would tear apart if she didn’t say anything at all.

Ervan was only being deceived by that woman……the heroine. She thought that the kind Ervan would return to her side if she explained to him about the hypothesis that she reached based on her calculation, but her emotion rose to the surface and her persuasion didn’t go well.

She didn’t mind even if she didn’t become queen as long as he returned to her. But, in reality Ervan was the crown prince. She had to be the queen in order to marry him.

She could endure most things if there was some kind of circumstance and Ervan’s heart still belonged to her. But, Clara asked herself if she would be able to endure if his heart was choosing someone else than her.

Clara’s aunt the second queen couldn’t endure that and became sick mentally. Now Clara wondered if perhaps the game Clara too also noticed that she wouldn’t be able to endure that and became “villainess” in order to get away from them.

「What about that thing?」

「……I managed to procure it, but will you really use it?」

Hilda replied to Clara’s question with hesitation because she was worrying about her master.

Clara was a former member of assassin guild who lost her home because of the incident with “Ash Crowned Princess” several years ago. She also almost lost her life when Clara saved her.

In addition to that Hilda also knew of Clara’s weakness. It made her very devoted to Clara that she would even risk her life for her. She didn’t only serve as Clara’s poison tester, she was also trying to be useful by gathering information and the like within the academy.

The thing that Hilda procured was an illegal poison that was created using a unique method.

It was something that was left behind by an evil race person who was affiliated with the assassin guild in the past. It used human’s magic stone as ingredient, so when the evil race person established the way to create that poison, she apparently destroyed everything because of her moral value, but the curse user who was with the guild at that time recreated that method and succeeded in making the poison, although it was only in small amount.

That curse user also got burned to ash along with the catacomb when the guild was annihilated, but Hilda who remembered about this poison managed to find it inside another storage where that poison was stored because it was weak against humidity.

「I’ll use it. If everything can be ended with that then……」

「……As my lady wish.」

***

「Licia, what’s wrong?」

「I’m sorry, Nathanital-kun. I want to meet you alone no matter what.」

Inside a cathedral located in the academy. It wasn’t a match against the cathedral at the capital, even so it had the size of a medium sized cathedral at the province.

This cathedral was managed by priest that was also dispatched from the capital’s church, but when it wasn’t in use, it was possible to be entered if using the authority of Nathanital who was the grandson of the head priest.

Although they were just students who were still 13 years old, it wasn’t good for noble male and female to meet alone. But, the girl’s butler who should be reprimanding her went to give report about what Clara and Carla did in the tea party, so he wasn’t at the girl’s side right now.

「Yeah. I also wanted to meet Licia.」

That girl, licia smiled sweetly. Nathanital felt healed in his heart seeing that and replied like that.

She was “special” for Nathanital. Even so if it was the him from before, he wouldn’t open up himself to this degree toward this girl who was rumored to be raised by commoner.

Several months ago, an event that destroyed Nathanital’s view of the world happened.

The kidnapping of the first princess Elena. It was the doing of a part of the knight order and they also dragged Nathanital into it. There a girl who was the princess’s bodyguard saved them but, the girl slaughtered humans who were given their life by god. And when Nathanital tried to criticize her for that using god’s teaching, the girl told him to not talk about the weight of life using the words of “someone else”.

He couldn’t accept that. How could a child of god who was tasked to spread the word of god like him was not allowed to talk about god’s word.

……But, the girl’s words also stabbed into Nathanital’s heart like a stake at the same time. His view of the world was destroyed and when he was about to lose sight of himself, it was Licia who gave salvation to his heart.

『You aren’t wrong. Life and god’s words are both important. There are people who got saved because of that, so you aren’t wrong at all.』

The girl who called herself Licia wrapped Nathanital’s hand with her own hands while smiling sweetly to him.

『But, let go of the tension in your shoulders a little. You are free. If you do that, we can also walk while holding hand like this.』

The warmth of that hand……it helped Nathanital regained his wavering heart. For the first time in his life he fell in love with the girl who “affirmed” everything he was unconditionally.

「Actually……I, want to save Carla-sama.」

「Eh?」

According to Alicia, Carla was behaving outrageously like that because she didn’t believe in god. She talked to Nathanital that she wanted to borrow the strength of a certain person in the capital’s church in order to help Carla.

「I believe, that Carla-sama’s heart can be saved if it’s with the help of Ursula-sama.」

「…………」

Ursula. Even Nathanital knew that name.

Originally she was an orphan who was abandoned in front of a church, but she was devout to the teaching of the holy church, then she was awakened to light element, she saved many lives, and now the people were idolizing her as a “holy woman”.

But Nathanital also knew about her hidden side.

The Holy Church’s Guidance Corps──a corps that invited sinful people who didn’t follow the god’s teaching into underground of the church where the sinners would have their mind reformed. Ursula was that corps’ commander.

Nathanital didn’t know what they did underground. His grandfather the head priest told him that the corps was helping the sinners to open their eyes to god’s teaching, but he was forbidden to even get closer to the underground.

Was something terrifying being carried out there? It wasn’t like he didn’t believe his grandfather’s words, but he also didn’t want to proactively get involved.

The corps was a top secret matter that was only known by a handful of people even within the church. How did Licia know about it?

(……No, Licia is purely worried about Carla, that’s all……)

Ursula was said to be as strong as a rank 4 adventurer. If it was her guidance corps, perhaps it was possible to “educate” even someone as terrifying as Carla.

Even if it resulted in Carla never coming out of the church’s underground ever again……. Nathanital recalled the humiliation that he received in that tea party and agreed to Licia’s suggestion without ever telling her about the truth.

Even so it made him felt like he was committing a sin. Nathanital kneeled inside the cathedral due to his self-condemning thought and offered his prayer to god. Then something soft wrapped his head.

「L-Licia!?」

「It’s fine. Nathanital isn’t wrong at all. Believe in yourself more.」

Alicia kneeled in front of him and hugged his head. Nathanital felt flustered and raised his voice.

He tried to move away but the girl hugged him even tighter. Nathanital got his head buried on the girl’s flat stomach and she gently caressed his hair. He gradually relaxed from her affection and hugged Alicia back as though to cling to her.

「If it feels painful……I’ll sooth you.」

The girl hugged the boy’s head inside the dimly lit cathedral while caressing his hair like a holy mother. She let out a faintly dark and twisted smile while the holy symbol of the church was shining faintly at the background.