Chapter 12

No matter the world, there are always men who let themselves be swayed by women.

In this world, it was the Crown Prince.

Originally, he was supposed to fall in love with the Holy Maiden, the protagonist, and gradually gain the acceptance of those around them, leading to a happy marriage.

The fool who rushed things had overlooked something important.

It was because the protagonist was Olivia that she was bound to the Crown Prince.

It would be futile for a fake Olivia to do the same. Perhaps it would have been better to make a move as myself.

Haha, I got a bit lost in thought in the world of a dating sim.

"So, you're telling me to clean up your mess?"

Enough with the escapism.

I'm using my summer vacation to visit the home of Angelica's family—the Redgrave Dukedom.

The current head, Vince Rafa Redgrave, was a dignified man with his gray hair slicked back. He was tall and well-built, a middle-aged man with sharp eyes.

Standing next to him was Vince's son, Angelica's brother, Gilbert Rafa Redgrave. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, but his facial features closely resembled Vince's.

He was in his early twenties.

Both of them were glaring at me.

I straightened my posture and made my request.

"I have no connections at the palace. I can't do anything in this situation. I have prepared platinum coins for funding."

The stack of platinum coins was the money I had earned from gambling at the academy. The crystallization of the debts and allowances of the foolish noble children had become a considerable amount.

I piled them up and offered them.

In essence, I was asking for protection in exchange for money.

Pathetic? If I can buy my life with money, I'll buy it!

Gilbert was about to say something, but Vince stopped him with a hand.

"For a baron who has risen from nothing, you've certainly gathered a lot. Indeed, court operations require money. You are the dueling agent for my daughter. I'll take care of you. However, it's difficult to protect everything. You are not my foster child, nor are you a comrade of the same faction. You got involved in my daughter's rash decision, but to put it another way, you were the one who stuck your neck out."

He was saying that I shouldn't have been involved in the first place...

I wanted to do a victory pose in my heart.

I would use my status as a student to the fullest and steer this crisis in the direction I wanted. My life starts here!

"Understood. I want to ensure that my life and the safety of my family are not compromised."

Vince was interlacing his fingers on the desk.

"...Your honor has already fallen. Are you going to give up your position next?"

It was good that I had beaten up five people in the duel, but I had also broken their spirits. It was far from an honorable duel.

"I will return the titles and the knighthood that were to be bestowed upon me."

With this incident, the large sum of money, the title, and the knighthood, I was asking for a clean slate.

Considering that I had dueled the Crown Prince, it was a cheap price to pay.

I could also escape the dating scene.

Gilbert asked me a question.

"I have one thing to ask. What is your true purpose? If you had that much power, you could have weathered the situation and risen to prominence. You could have even become a viscount in one generation. What did you want so badly that you would give it all up?"

I was irritated, I wanted to punch the characters, and I wanted to escape the dating hell.

There were various reasons, but I couldn't say any of them, so I said something plausible.

"I couldn't leave the Crown Prince, who was being deceived by a woman, alone. For the sake of the country, I suppose. I just thought someone had to do it."

Vince chuckled pleasantly.

"If that's your true feeling, it's admirable. But, while it might be fine for a game, it's troublesome in reality. Thanks to you, the court and the noble families are in a panic. The Redgrave family has officially ended the engagement between Angelica and the Crown Prince. She is not suitable for him. Don't you think so?"

I felt like I was being tested.

I didn't care about making a good impression. If my life was saved and I was freed from the noble status and the dating scene, I would be satisfied.

I had beaten up those five people to vent my frustration, escaped the dating hell, and lost my noble status. Ah, I was getting closer to the result I wanted.

"Their relationship is not for me to speak of. Personally, I hope she will continue to learn at the academy. I want her to become a fine queen."

"...I see. Changing the subject, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"It's about my daughter. She seems to have been quite affected by this incident. She looks haggard and lacks energy, which is hard for a parent to see. I wanted to send her to a suitable countryside for rest, but the family's affairs are quite busy."

It was probably about sorting out the foster children and the same faction, or cleaning up the mess. Angelica had betrayed the family, so the ducal house couldn't just sit by.

Parents and siblings of the students had been coming to apologize every day, and it was very busy.

It was a big problem if the children and siblings they had sent as companions betrayed the master's daughter.

Many people came to apologize to Angelica, and they probably wanted to send her to a place out of reach for rest.

"Your home has good conditions. I would like you to take her with you when you leave. I'll send a few caretakers with you."

"Eh, a... Yes!"

To entrust a daughter to a man. I wondered if that was okay, but I couldn't do anything to a duke's daughter, and if I were suspected of having such thoughts, it would be scary. Here, I should accept it with a "Sure, it's a trip, leave it to me!" kind of attitude.

"Thank you. You may leave now."

"Excuse me."

When I left the room, I heaved a sigh of relief. My school life would probably end here, but I felt great.

The only regret I had was that I couldn't learn tea from my master. I was scolded for being uncouth during the duel, but he had given me a delicious cup of tea.

"Really, that's the only thing I regret."

The only other thing I was concerned about was Daniel and Raymond. How was the senior Lecrue doing? It was also a shame that I hadn't tried all the popular desserts in the student cafeteria.

...What, it seemed I had enjoyed my school life more than I realized.

◇

In the office where Leon had left.

Gilbert looked at Vince.

"What do you think, Father?"

Vince was smiling.

"As you said. If he were a clever child who only thought of himself, he would have quietly observed the situation. I think there are many such children, aren't there?"

The two of them looked at the mountain of platinum coins Leon had prepared.

"...He prepared quite a large sum of money."

"He gave up his position and honor to advise the Crown Prince. It's a commendable resolve. In contrast, the royal brothers' attempts to please are not good. They should have been the ones to advise. Still, the academy is a place where problems often arise, both now and in the past. There are too many children who are ignorant of the world."

The academy is a somewhat special environment.

It is a place to educate the next generation of nobles, so in principle, everyone is treated equally. But that's impossible.

In this special environment, they don't care about the world's eyes. They are obsessed with internal evaluations, which sometimes lead to such incidents.

It's a sandbox created by the ignorant. Problems are bound to arise.

This incident became a big fuss. And the students who returned home for the summer vacation would learn the reality there.

In fact, Angelica's entourage would also come to understand what it meant to challenge the ducal house.

"Well, I think there were many other ways to handle it."

"Is that so? Isn't it amusing? I thought Angelica was naive for challenging the duel, but to step forward in a situation where everyone is an enemy and no one will help... isn't that a beautiful story? A knight should be like that. At least, on the surface."

Gilbert asked Vince about his true intentions.

"What do you intend to do?"

Vince smiled slyly.

"She is a benefactor to my daughter. I'll clean up the mess for her. Besides, it would be good for you to have a reliable family. Don't you think the Redgrave family would be safe if we bring him in? This incident has made it clear that some families are not reliable."

The two of them looked out the window.

There, a single airship floated, over 700 meters long. Its design was unfamiliar, but the lost item discovered in the dungeon resonated with their hearts.

In a world where adventurers are revered, Leon's achievements are a source of admiration for men.

"I highly value his ability to easily defeat the elite young men of the noble families. But, how far do you intend to bring him in? Are you going to prepare a marriageable daughter from our family?"

Vince put his hand to his chin.

"That's a good idea, but it's a bit weak. The eavesdroppers and the sharp-eyed would jump at the chance. But let's start with the cleanup. I'll go to the court. I'll leave the territory to you."

Vince stood up, determined to get involved in court operations.

◇

The airship that recreated the Lusion's equipment.

Its name is "Partner."

Floating in the air, cylindrical robots with hands were managing the airship. They had collected and repaired the broken machinery when I obtained the Lusion.

The round, legless defensive guardians were also working.

The deck was refreshing in the wind.

Next to me, the spherical Lusion was floating.

'Are you not going to see the two of them?'

The two were Olivia, who had come for the summer vacation, and Angelica, who was heartbroken.

I was assigned a few maids as caretakers, but the two I was involved with were Olivia and Angelica.

"What do you want me to say? I can't come up with a clever line just because you expect it."

'No one expects that from you.'

"Do you dislike me?"

'I don't dislike you, but I don't like you either.'

...If you weren't competent, I would have grabbed that ball-like body and thrown it into the sky.

"...Sigh. I don't even know what to say. It's an official breakup. Plus, the two of them couldn't even have a successful conversation, right?"

Angelica had a talk with the Crown Prince, but it didn't go well.

The duel had ended the romantic relationship between the Crown Prince and Marie.

They say that love burns brighter with obstacles, but the Crown Prince, the person in question, said he would continue to love her even if their relationship ended and would pray for her happiness.

He was saying something strange about maintaining his chastity.

I was curious about his purity. No, I'm not curious. I don't care. Wait, no, that's not good.

He was still the Crown Prince. The country would be in trouble if there was no heir, so he would have to have children with a suitable woman.

"I don't want to get involved because I can't solve anything by interfering."

'You are truly a hopeless person.'

◇

Inside the ship.

Sitting on a bed in what looked like a guest room were Olivia and Angelica.

Angelica looked even more haggard recently.

The talk with Julius after the duel didn't go well.

Olivia was accompanying Angelica during the summer vacation.

"It's laughable. None of my feelings got through. To lose to a woman I tried to separate, I must be a complete fool. I lost as a woman, too."

Julius had rejected Angelica.

He said he would not stop loving Marie even if they were separated.

"Angelica, you are not wrong."

"Right. I just got beaten down for challenging a woman who tried to steal my fiancé. It's laughable. Did I win the match but lose the contest?"

Thanks to Leon, she won the duel, but in the end, Angelica lost to Marie.

"It was all for nothing. I just dragged Leon and you into my selfishness."

Olivia looked down.

"That's not true. I just talked, but Leon was the one who really tried. Leon said... he intended to drop out from the beginning."

Angelica shed tears.

"I went to the Crown Prince without even saying thank you. I should have thanked him properly on the spot. I really am a hopeless woman. I didn't think he was that determined..."

Olivia was patting Angelica's back as she cried.

◇

—I overheard their conversation from outside the room.

'It hurts, doesn't it? I don't know if I have a heart, but are you not moved by this?'

Lusion's words pierced my heart.

"...I'm sorry, I misunderstood."

I did think that this couldn't go on, but I didn't really think I could do anything about it. I just wanted to escape the dating scene and punch those guys.

I didn't want them to take it so seriously.

I just thought it was a good time to cause a commotion.

'What do you intend to do from now on?'

"Drop out and go back to my father. If I can become a vassal and live independently on the island I found, I can live a peaceful life."

'...Will it go well?'

"No, it will. I challenged the Crown Prince to a duel. I paid a large sum of money to apologize. I won't be killed. Wait, I won't be killed, right? What should I do? I'm getting anxious. Maybe I should just run away?"

'No, that's not what I meant.'

In the world of the dating sim.

When the chaotic time ended, I felt a bit lonely.

But for a minor character like me, this is the right time to leave. I had a pretty intense time. I'm satisfied.

Things didn't go as planned, but I worked hard up to this point, so it's fine.

I did my best as a minor character.

◇

Summer vacation.

Marie was told to stay at the academy, and a messenger from the palace came to inform her of what would happen next.

The man was like a civil servant, and he proceeded with the matter in a matter-of-fact, businesslike manner.

The content of his message was enough to shock Marie.

"W-wait a minute. What do you mean everyone is disinherited?"

Gathered were Julius and the other male characters Marie had been involved with.

The civil servant man calmly announced.

"As you heard. Julius is disinherited and is no longer the Crown Prince. From today, he is just a prince. The other four are also disinherited. The Crown Prince... no, the prince, has also ended his engagement with the Redgrave family, and the others have received letters from their fiancées."

Zirk, Brad, Chris, and Gregg... the four of them received letters from their fiancées and looked a bit sad.

The letters officially ended their engagements.

Marie protested.

"That's too much! Just because they lost a duel, this is too cruel!"

To which Gregg, scratching his head, said with a slightly embarrassed look.

"It's okay, Marie. We were prepared for this."

"Huh?"

Chris explained the facts.

"For a while, I had been telling my fiancée that I had someone I liked. I had been told by my family and fiancée to reconsider, but it seems they gave up on me after this incident."

Marie didn't know, but the others, except for Julius, had been trying to draw a line.

The result was disinheritance.

They were no longer the heirs.

Julius was just a prince without the right of succession.

Zirk was guaranteed the position of a baron after graduating from the academy, but he had no territory to govern and no position in the court.

The other three were in similar situations.

None of them could expect support from their families.

The exception was Julius, who was judged to have value because of his royal blood. In other words, he was a prince to be used for diplomatic marriage. Moreover, he had a high reputation abroad, which made him a likely candidate for a foreign marriage.

Julius hung his head.

"I can't be by Marie's side anymore. But I will always pray for your happiness."

Marie felt dizzy.

If there was any misfortune for Marie, it was that her charm was real. She was only imitating the protagonist—Olivia—and the others didn't take it seriously enough to be genuine.

Her looks and her