Chapter 36

After the magic training ended and it was a good time, we headed to the cafeteria for a meal.

When we arrived, it was a bit earlier than the peak rush hour, and about 60% of the seats were taken.

Unfortunately, today, the "two-timing girl drama" had already begun, and in the center of the room, Cavendish was loudly declaring something while showing off the two-timing girl who was clinging to him.

Today, even the student council president was there, making it even noisier than usual.

So, we didn't enter the cafeteria but peeked from the entrance, which made us look very suspicious, but the people who saw us understood and didn't complain.

The content of Cavendish's loud declaration was that he would outperform the student council president in the next exercise.

The top performers in the exercise would be announced at the assembly, so the results would be clear.

In response to Cavendish's declaration, the student council president, with a very relaxed smile, said,

"Then let's do this! The one who wins the exercise will become Lina's official boyfriend! The loser will give up on Lina gracefully! Lina, is that okay with you?"

He then took the hand of the two-timing girl clinging to Cavendish and kissed her fingertips.

A loud scream echoed through the cafeteria.

Thanks to the thin barrier he had set up to dampen the sound, it was all over without any major incidents, but if it had hit anyone directly, it would have been disastrous.

In fact, a few people who were hit directly were staggering around, and I wondered if they were okay.

The two-timing girl, in response to the student council president's words and the kiss on her fingertips, was writhing with joy.

"But, but, I'm not anyone's yet, you see, I think of everyone as friends, so I don't want you to fight over me!"

...Why are we being shown such a farce?

Most of the students in the cafeteria and those who had stayed at the entrance, including us, all had serious faces.

In the midst of the two-timing girl, Cavendish, and the student council president's voices, no one else spoke.

Our appetites suddenly vanished, so we decided to disband and come back at a different time.

The students at the entrance followed suit.

When Arshain, Shell, and I returned to our room, we all sighed without a word.

It seemed that even the student council president had fallen for the two-timing girl, following Cavendish.

I couldn't understand what was so appealing about her, but since we had only been in this world for 20 days, it was relatively quick for two people to fall for her.

Would Arshain, Yegram, and Digray fall for her too?

...What was it again? My sister said that in a dating sim, you need handsome, high-spec boys to make the girls swoon!

If handsome is the criterion, Arshain, Yegram, and Digray would fit, as well as the student council president and the secretary. Even the intelligent and tough teacher would qualify as a handsome man.

With Cavendish, who only has a good face, added to the mix... isn't that too many?

The two-timing girl had also approached Yegram, so it seemed that two-timing wasn't enough for her. What? Is she changing partners every day? Is she more of a slut? A slut girl?

No way! I'm repulsed! I can't understand! I definitely don't want to get close to her! Even if I'm not her target, I'm sure I'll get caught in the crossfire or be accused of something!

If I keep watching Cavendish, it's certain that it will happen!

The most important thing is to stay away from her!

While I was thinking about this, Arshain, who had been diligently doing his prince duties, seemed to have finished and got up to check on me. After confirming that I wasn't sleeping, he carried me to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was crowded with students who had also decided to come at a different time.

Everyone had the same idea!

When we headed to our usual corner seat, Yegram, Digray, and, for some reason, the secretary were there. The secretary stood up and bowed to Arshain.

"Prince Arshain, may I join you for the meal?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

After Arshain's nod, Yegram and Digray also nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

So, we ended up sitting together.

Shell moved to the next seat, but Yegram caught me as I tried to move and made me sit next to him, so we ended up at the same table.

After deciding on our meals, Digray asked,

"What's going on today? It's unusual for you not to be with the president?"

"Yeah, we haven't been together much these past two or three days."

"Ah, is that because of the young lady with Prince Cavendish?"

"Right, I think Hauer's behavior changed after meeting her..."

"Did he become stupid?"

"Ah! No, well... he suddenly became obsessed with her..."

"About an hour ago, Prince Cavendish and the president declared that they would compete in the exercise to win her as a girlfriend."

"......I see, what do you think of Hauer's behavior?"

"......Well, he was always attention-seeking and had an unnecessarily high pride, but I didn't think he would challenge a prince to a duel."

Yegram, who didn't seem to have a good impression of the president from the start, had a harsh opinion, but Digray and the secretary chuckled, indicating that they didn't think much differently.

"Right, he had a high pride, but he always showed the appropriate respect to the royal family."

"Has that changed because of her?"

"......How to put it... it's as if he's become a different person, or he's no longer holding back... Prince Arshain, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thank you. I heard that she stayed at the palace before coming to the academy."

"Yes, she arrived at the palace about two weeks before the academy started."

"Did Prince Cavendish show any change after meeting her?"

"Hmm? My brother and I didn't have much interaction to begin with... but yes, I do think he showed some abnormal behavior towards her."

"......Prince Arshain, could you consult with Chief Tailsmya once?"

"About what specifically?"

"......Whether she has the talent for the charm spell."

"Charm spell...?"

"It's fine if it turns out to be a false alarm, but if she is using the charm spell to control Prince Cavendish and Hauer... the damage won't be limited to them."

"Isn't that a bit premature? They might just be infatuated, which is more likely, isn't it?"

"I hope so, but if she is using the charm spell, I'm worried that their actions will become more extreme and involve more people."

The secretary's expression was so serious that it was almost painful.

Just then, our meals arrived, and everyone, including the secretary, took a breath.

Let's eat first.

During the meal, there was no particular conversation, and after I finished last, Arshain said,

"I understand. While I think Oconnell's concerns might be a bit exaggerated, as Yegram said, if there's a possibility, we should at least consult."

"Thank you."

"I hope it's just a misunderstanding."

"Exactly, but watching her... she seems like a completely different creature from the other young ladies."

"True! Where did she leave her modesty, manners, and etiquette? She's supposed to be a princess, you know?"

"That's right. Even if she's from a small border country, there are limits. ...I can understand if they are being manipulated by her."

"Hmm, but maybe they're just blinded by her novelty?"

"Yes, that's true too."

"Why did you think of the charm spell, Senior Secretary? Wouldn't you normally think it's love at first sight?"

"......My father is the captain of the royal guard, but his hometown is a border region, as you know.

When my grandfather was the head of the family, I often stayed there.

Among the refugees who had fled from the neighboring country, there was a charm spell user.

She was a young, inexperienced magic user, and the male refugees were fighting over her every day.

My grandfather, out of sympathy, decided to protect her, employed her as a servant, and also trained her in magic.

However, once she gained control over her magic, she changed dramatically.

She cast the charm spell on all the promising, good-looking soldiers in the manor and began to manipulate them as she pleased. The manor and the region fell into chaos.

It seemed that a civil war within the region was just a matter of time when the woman fell in love at first sight with a traveling performer and easily made him her own with the charm spell. Until then, she had shown affection to all the men she had charmed but had not chosen one.

But when she met the performer, she became obsessed with him and distanced herself from the other men. The charmed men, who couldn't tolerate this, killed the woman and the performer. When the woman died, the charm spell was lifted, but the soldiers lost their sense of self and were no longer useful as soldiers."

"......"

"Because of this incident, my grandfather's territory, despite being on the border, became a region with an extremely low number of soldiers and was almost invaded by the neighboring country. It was saved by the national army, which was called for help despite the humiliation."

"......So, that's why you were concerned about the existence of the charm spell. I understand. If the charm spell is being used, the potential damage is terrifying."

"Exactly, I hope it's just my overthinking, but watching Hauer makes it hard to ignore..."

"I'll also inform the palace about the possibility, not just Chief Tailsmya."

"Thank you."

We disbanded in a heavy atmosphere.