Chapter 46

* * *

I had eaten twice as much for breakfast as usual and was now tidying up my hair.

"You've been eating a lot lately. Your complexion has improved too!"

As Eloise said, I had been eating well and sleeping soundly, and I hadn't felt even the slightest headache.

With my condition improving, I had stopped avoiding people to prevent my energy from being drained.

'I can't stay out of the mainstream forever.'

Indeed, due to several days of static broadcasts, my ranking had slipped back outside the top 100.

'The competition in the rankings is fierce, indeed.'

Eloise marveled repeatedly as she looked at me, now finished with my grooming.

"Your beauty seems to have blossomed even more with each passing day. You were always beautiful, but lately, it's hard to look away!"

I gave a cold diagnosis.

"That's just flattery."

"Flattery? I feel so wronged!"

Ding!

[Throne 'Face Identifier' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[Right! I feel so insulted too!]

"Right. Anyway, Eloise, I have something for you to do."

Eloise, pouting with her lips jutting out in indignation at her taste being questioned, listened as I picked up my school bag.

"There's a commoner student in the third year named Rainy Rose. It seems her sponsor isn't providing adequate support. Check on her and bring her to our foundation."

"Understood."

"Make sure she's treated with the utmost care. As a student of the Squire Scholarship Foundation, she shouldn't be ignored by others."

Rainy was the daughter of a poor family, and her sponsor was the eldest son of a family that poorly managed their scholarship students.

If I hadn't noticed, I might not have known, but seeing Rainy, who barely managed to wear a school uniform and often went hungry, made it unbearable for me to leave her situation unaddressed.

This is the real world, after all.

'You reap what you sow.'

"I'll handle it perfectly. Don't worry, Miss."

I nodded and headed to school.

Despite my much-improved condition, my steps were heavy.

It was the day of the student council meeting.

"Haah."

I sighed deeply, and a voice came from behind.

"What's wrong?"

Damian, whom I hadn't seen in quite a while, was approaching.

"Today is the first student council meeting."

"It's just a meeting, so there's no need to worry too much."

Well, with the student council filled with those aligned with the Willow family, could I, the eldest daughter of the Squires, survive alone?

"I'll help if things get tough."

"Thanks... I appreciate the words."

Actually, I wasn't afraid of the Willow-aligned students tearing me apart.

I could handle it the way Thérèse would.

What I was worried about was what Clyde, with three black hearts, would do.

When Clyde has three black hearts, he doesn't assist the player in battle.

Moreover, the difficulty of the battle changes based on Clyde's condition.

Originally, a simple battle with about three monsters would turn into a fight against twenty.

'Can I survive?'

The life of an antagonist is so arduous.

* * *

After the lecture ended, I went to the student council room for the meeting.

Creak.

As the door opened, the executives, who were already seated at the conference table, all looked at me simultaneously.

'They all know me.'

The student council was a place where users of the game <God's Play> could actually participate, so even minor extras had to be implemented.

However, to clearly distinguish between the main and supporting characters, the extras had featureless, generic appearances.

With two male protagonists in this room, the extras' lack of distinction was even more pronounced.

'I feel a bit sorry for them.'

But in reality, beauty is always in the minority.

'That's how it is, kids.'

I found an empty seat under the weight of their scrutinizing gazes.

But it just happened to be between Clyde and Damian...

'Is this manipulation? We didn't set up the seating like this in the game.'

I sighed deeply as I sat down, and Clyde, who had been ignoring me, spoke.

"Let's start the meeting."

The Valhalla Student Council was a powerful group with actual military strength.

Politically, it was extremely threatening to have the heirs of various noble families under one roof, so an external justification was necessary.

For example, they were packaged as a group helping the busy Emperor manage the people's lives.

Therefore, the council's activities and meeting contents were documented and submitted to the Willow family and the royal court, making success in the student council a direct path to advancement.

Thus, the council members took the meetings very seriously.

"Recently, there have been multiple reports of magical creatures being corrupted by miasma in the capital area. Immediate action is required."

"That's true. The fear among the common people is growing. We need to pay attention to those who don't belong to the protection zones of noble families."

"Of course, the same applies to villages with unclear affiliations."

"We need to increase the security around the villages protected by the Willow Dukedom to reassure the common people."

If their arguments seemed to be subtly aware of my recent actions, like sending a knight squad to Pansy Village, it might be an overreaction.

Then, Damian, who had been silent, spoke.

"If we continue this way, the protection zones will expand endlessly. We can't manage the entire empire with unlimited funds."

Though he spoke kindly, his point was clear: stop making unrealistic suggestions.

The boys who had been enthusiastically suggesting more security forces everywhere were silenced by his sharp criticism.

Though the target was a commoner, they seemed to accept Damian's point without much resistance.

But not everyone thinks rationally.

"Then, wouldn't Miss Thérèse be able to help?"

Everyone, including me, looked at the boy who had spoken.

"I heard she recently sent a knight squad to a village at her own expense. For a whole month."

A generic face with greasy pompadour hair.

'Was his name Dorno?'

Dorno's words sparked a reaction.

"Right! If it's a matter of the Willow family, Miss Thérèse would surely step in."

"Perhaps she could double the protection zones. In the name of President Clyde."

'Hmm. Look at them.'

If I were Thérèse, I might have been pleased by the association with Clyde, but I wasn't.

'Now that I think about it, they've been behaving well since the start of the semester.'

So, are they daring to provoke a sleeping lion?

Ding!

[Throne 'Cider Pass' has donated 10,000 coins.]

[This is boring, but you guys are perfect targets.]

At that moment, Clyde slammed his hand on the table with a cold expression.

The boys who had been giggling and whispering to each other fell silent.

"Let's start with the executives who just spoke. If you want to expand the protection zones, use your own funds. To the same level as the Squire Scholarship Foundation."

"Excuse me, President. What do you mean?"

"Of course, I would be willing to contribute my own funds, but to the same level as the Squire Scholarship Foundation? That's too unfair...!"

"Shut up. Does that mean what you said just now was reasonable?"

"T-That's... I..."

I stared at Clyde with wide eyes.

'What? Why is he defending me?'

The executives, who didn't seem to be the only ones surprised, looked at me and Clyde with betrayed expressions.

It must be strange to see the heir of the Willow family siding with the eldest daughter of the Squires.

I feel the same.

Ding!

[Quest: Humiliate Dorno]

▸Reward: +500,000 coins

▸Failure: Expulsion due to the schemes of the Ling family, who dislike the Squire family

'Just this will lead to expulsion? That's too much.'

Well, whatever.

Though I was taken aback, I needed to perform to avoid expulsion.

I frowned worriedly, as if agreeing with Clyde's words a hundred times over.

My eyebrows must have formed a perfect frown.

"You're right. What you said just now was dangerous. If President Clyde hadn't stopped you, it would have been even more problematic. It wasn't something to report to His Majesty the Emperor, was it?"

The effect of my subtle provocation was excellent.

"Y-Yikes...!"

The executives, who seemed to feel more resentment towards the one who was trying to stop them, were trembling with their fists clenched.

If they can be shaken by just this, it's a problem.

'I haven't even started yet.'

I pressed my hand to my chest as if my heart was pounding with fear and continued.

"Moreover, to the same level as the Squire family. Anyone who hears that might think the Willow family and our family are in competition."

At this point, everyone was looking at me with the same thought: 'Everyone knows the two families are enemies, so what are you talking about?'

I glared coldly.

"Especially when it comes to the land ruled by His Majesty the Emperor, the ruler of the world."

My gaze landed squarely on Dorno.

He paled and couldn't say a word.

What more could he say?

A careless word could be interpreted as treason, potentially destroying his family.