Chapter 24

Chapter Five: Fate

1

R OSWALD MERLIN GOLDBERG, HEADMASTER OF Aslan Magic Academy, quietly looked out of the window of his office. The black curtain of night had yet to open on a new day, but there were a great many guards rushing around the buildings outside.

“Luke is strong. ’Twas that strength of his that saved us this night. Oh, how pathetic…”

Who exactly those words were directed at was unclear. Perhaps the headmaster was speaking to himself, unable to protect the students of his academy, or perhaps—

Thud, thud!

There was a booming, rough knock at the door, which then opened without the slightest pause for a response. An academy instructor entered—a man named Duke.

“I’m back, old man. Silver lining is that we had barely a scrape here tonight, let alone any casualties… You been to see him?”

“Hmph, Luke appeared completely unfazed. He even looked annoyed by my fretting over his well-being,” the headmaster replied. “Ho ho…truly, the boy looked quite displeased with me indeed. Strong, that one.”

“Yeah,” Duke nodded. “Looks like he killed all of his attackers. Much as I hate to admit it, the kid really saved us. I mean, if it weren’t for him—”

Thump!

Roswald drove his fist into the wall.

“What kind of instructor am I, when I cannot protect my students?”

The headmaster’s words were drenched in anger and regret. This behavior was so uncharacteristically concerning that it made even Duke fall silent.

“To be so brazen too…” Roswald continued. “The contemptuous, uncivilized brute responsible for this will rue the day that they undermined my academy, I will make sure of that.”

“You realized it too, then?”

“Of course. The long life I have led hasn’t been for naught. ’Twas someone on the inside that guided the attack this night, no?”

“Yeah,” Duke agreed uncomfortably. “I don’t want to think it, but that’s the only explanation that makes sense to me.”

“Nor do I wish to believe it, yet nothing can be done about that now.”

There was someone in their order who had betrayed them. It was not an uncommon occurrence by any means, but that did not make it any easier to stomach.

“Heck…this might spell the end of the whole academy, so that might not even matter much.”

“Indeed. The noble faction will not allow this incident to go unpunished… ’Tis an awful thing that I must consider now.”

“Damn right. We’d all forgotten, but this attack’s exposed just how weak Milestia really is…” Duke paused. “Nah, I think maybe we already knew. We were just tryin’ not to see the truth all this time.”

“…Hmph.”

Roswald stroked his long beard and silently turned to face Duke. In the headmaster’s eyes dwelled the stubborn light of determination.

“We’re having a meeting. Call everyone together for me, won’t you?”

“Sure.”

With that, the two of them left the headmaster’s office.

***

In the aftermath of my agonizing scream, cursing my own blasted fate, the newly awakened students of the dorm began to gather.

At least it was only the first years in this building, I suppose, so about forty people. Wait, no, some idiot went and lost to Abel, then transferred out, so now that’s thirty-nine students.

Everything that followed was chaos and pandemonium. Some students began to cry and wail. Some seemed driven into confusion after what was presumably their first time ever seeing a corpse. Then someone was sick—then someone else—then another. It was hell.

“I’m sleepy.”

Guards arrived immediately, and as the person at the center of the incident in question, I had to answer to them. Night passed quickly into day, and I barely got any sleep.

I got tired of thinking and just answered basically whatever they asked me…but thinking about it now, shouldn’t they have let me get some rest first, given the state I was in? This whole country’s really gone to crap, huh…

“I’m sorry. ’Tis the fault of my academy, and thus responsibility lies with me. I am bound to protect you all, yet I failed. I never imagined such a thing could happen here…I am still at a loss. More importantly, though, I am so glad that you are safe.”

“…”

“Freya…yes, yes. We grew so used to peace that, on some level, we convinced ourselves it would carry on forever… But no matter how long the peaceful days might last, nobody can ever know what the morrow may bring…”

“…”

Jeez, this atmosphere’s suffocating.

Freya came to explain a bunch of things to me right after the attack, but it was only yesterday that all this happened—or rather, a few hours ago. Seems as if all the teachers are still in panic mode. According to Freya, the school’s most likely going to be on an indefinite break. In other words, everyone here will be going home…but the logistics of that will take some time, so the academy’s finding us some temporary accommodation. In the meantime, there are dozens of Royal Knights here to give us the highest level of security this kingdom has to offer.

The indefinite break makes sense, I guess. I mean, this is the first time a student’s ever been attacked at Aslan Magic Academy. I’ll bet this attack has been a massive shock to everyone in so many ways. There’s that mysterious mana blocking to think about too…that stuff could threaten the decades-long peace of this whole magic supremacist kingdom. That’s a real serious weak spot for all of us. There’s no question that this incident has awoken a long-forgotten sense of danger in everyone.

They didn’t find anything on the bodies of the attackers that might have caused the mana blocking. They found some Shackles of Mana Sealing, I guess, but those are completely ordinary items used in the Kingdom of Milestia for arresting and imprisoning magic users that have committed crimes. If the attackers intended to commit a kidnapping rather than a murder, then it makes sense that they had shackles with them. But, well…Shackles of Mana Sealing are only effective when they come into direct contact with a person. The shackles couldn’t have caused what happened that night…so was this Dark magic all along? It’s just a feeling I get, but I don’t think the guys who came for me were talented magic users. Meaning…nah, there’s no sense in thinking about that now. All I know for certain is that I felt something similar to my own Dark element that night. That might have something to do with why they came after me in the first place. If Alfred hadn’t taught me how to handle myself with a weapon, I would’ve been helpless against them.

Hm…I wonder, does that mean those three succeeded in kidnapping me in the original book? As with most things, I don’t remember much, but I can imagine what was supposed to happen next: Abel would’ve found some way to rescue me, and being saved by him would’ve badly hurt my pride, causing my grudge against him to deepen… Yeah, that’s probably it.

As I pondered these things, my ears caught a fragment of the conversation between Freya and Amelia nearby:

“Not being able to use your spells must be really tough.”

“Yes…quite so.”

“H-huh…? What’s gotten into y—”

“Will you please just be quiet for a moment?”

“…”

I’ve never seen Amelia-san look so weak, and it sounds like Freya hasn’t either. Hmph…would the people of this kingdom truly be so feeble if their magic were sealed away? So these are the harmful side effects of an overreliance on magic, eh?

“C-come to think of it…Alice, you were covered in blood too, weren’t you?” said Abel suddenly.

Alice stared at him coldly.

“Excuse me, but what exactly is your misunderstanding? I will not be spoken to so casually by the likes of you. I am not as kind as Luke is.”

“S-sorry…”

“Hey! What was that for?! Social status doesn’t mean a thing at this academy!” Lily shouted indignantly.

“Oh, your screeching is so irritating. I am tired. Be quiet.”

“Wh-what did you just say to me?!”

“Luke…I’m so glad you’re okay,” Mia said, turning to me. “Are you hurt at all? Just say the word, okay? I’ll use my Healing ma—”

“Ah, I’m exhausted.”

Contrasting with the hushed tones of Amelia-san and Freya, the group gathered around me was as noisy as ever. My extreme drowsiness was making their voices sound even louder than usual, and it was hurting my head.

Alice should have gotten just as little sleep as me, but she seems fine.

“Very well. I will clarify this, just to avoid any further misunderstandings. I heard Luke screaming and rushed to be the first to the scene. I am his beloved fiancée, you understand? It’s only natural.”

“…”

“But, well, I was frightened when I saw the sea of blood at the scene,” Alice continued seamlessly, “and I slipped on my way to his side.”

“Y-you slipped…?”

“Yes, and quite badly, at that. That is why I was so covered in blood…or do you perchance not even possess sufficient intelligence to follow a word I just said?”

“S-sure…thanks for telling me…”

There was a brief, awkward silence—nobody seemed to know how to react to Alice’s statements.

I’m surprised she can rattle off all those lies with a straight face. Not that I’m complaining. I mean, I’d be in all sorts of trouble if everyone found out that I’d been sneaking Alice over to my room… So, yeah, let’s just say she slipped on all the blood, eh?

“Luke!”

A voice called down to me from the sky above. It was a voice I knew all too well, driving my mind into further depths of despair.

Yolande.

He floated down to land beside me.

“Ah, I’m so glad you’re safe!”

I said nothing, and he spread his arms wide as if to embrace me — oh, hell no.

The sight was so disgusting that I reflexively slapped him in the face.

I’ve done nothing wrong. Justice is on my side.

“Gross. Stay away from me.”

“Wh-wha…ah…th-that was so mean,” pouted Yolande, suddenly breathing quite heavily. “I-I’m just worried about you…”

“No…how could you? And to my brother, of all people…”

I shifted my gaze away from Yolande and his gross panting, over to Alice, who seemed to be upset for the wrong reasons.

Ah, now I remember. These two are always like this.

“L-Luke. You shouldn’t hit people… Instructor Yolande is just worried about you” said Abel.

Meanwhile, both Lonsdale siblings were quite disgustingly worked up—Yolande panting and flushed; Alice seething with unconcealed jealousy.

Oh, Abel. You really don’t know what’s going on here, do you? If only I could be so naive. Man, though, you’re way too kind, huh? Like, to an almost hilarious extent.

“I’m glad you’re okay too, Alice.”

Alice did not deign to answer, merely glaring at her older brother.

“Still, this attack,” said Yolande, his demeanor switching in an instant.

in an instant. “I never expected the Royal Knights to be so incompetent. Does nobody bother to patrol this academy?”

Yolande made sure to say that part just loud enough for all the nearby knights to hear. None of them raised their voices in protest at his comment, but there were bitter looks on many of their faces.

“The knights’ power has been declining, year after year. I suppose I can’t exactly pin all the blame on them though—this whole kingdom must be remade.”

Yolande’s comments sounded like trouble that I didn’t want to deal with at the moment. I ignored them and walked away.

I’m not thinking straight. I’m so tired. I just want to get some sleep. That’s all I want right now. The rabble can attack me all they like—I’ll kill anyone who comes at me. But please…just let me get my sleep.

***

Several days had passed since the incident.

“Luke…”

When Luke’s father arrived at the royal capital, he looked frailer than Luke had ever seen him. He descended from his carriage and hurried to his son.

“Father. I am sorry for worrying y—”

He was interrupted by his father’s embrace. Claude held his son tight to his chest.

“You are my pride and joy…and I am so, so glad to see you are safe…”

“…”

He’s a little weird, and he can get weirdly carried away about stuff, like with the incident resulting in my engagement to Alice… But from everything I remember, my father has always seemed to me like perfection incarnate. He’s always calm, no matter the situation, completely majestic, with the sort of demeanor only adopted by the truly strong.

“I’m sorry…sorry that I made you worry.”

Right. Maybe this is what love is.

Just as the thought crossed Luke’s mind, he felt a strong emotion emanating from his father It was intense and angry, bordering on murderous rage.

“Right then. Let us make quick work of destroying this incomprehensibly incompetent academy.”

What…did he just say?

2

“I SAID I WOULD DESTROY THEM! COMPLETELY and utterly, at that. The world has no need of an institution that would expose my son to such danger.”

Oh man, he’s serious about this…

There would be no arguing with him. Luke understood that the moment he met his father’s gaze to see red-hot flames of true rage burning bright within his eyes.

“Wait. I believe you may be being a little hasty, Father.”

And yet Luke objected.

“Oh…? You do not often speak out against my decisions. Mwa ha, hasty, then, am I? Very well, I will listen to what you have to say.”

“Thank you.”

Luke did not think to ask why. His father’s rage was extreme, but it was also justified.

Still, I can’t let the academy be destroyed over this.

Fierce, irrepressible emotions raged inside of Luke, all in service of his own extremely arrogant purpose. Claude, on the other hand, was overjoyed that his son had chosen to speak out against one of his decisions. He had to repress a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth as he reflected that this was what it really meant to be father and son. As happy as he felt, Claude could not break his majestic facade by smiling like that in front of Luke. He wanted nothing more than to be respected by his son, which ultimately caused his gaze to only become sharper when directed toward him. His looks became invisible arrows, an oppressive force bearing down on Luke, skewering him all over.

Claude’s anger had also not dissipated in the slightest; his burning rage against those who had put his beloved son in danger could not so easily be sated. He truly wanted to fulfill Luke’s wishes, to the extent that he was able to, but could not so easily sign off on this one.

“There are three advantages to letting this academy continue to exist.”

“Hmph, three, is it?”

Before Luke had gained control of his own racing thoughts, he had given voice to them. He felt, simply, that he should probably wrap up his argument into three points—a habit that had been imprinted upon him by the siblings of House Lonsdale.

“First, there’s the fact that Aslan is the best magic academy in the kingdom. You’re right that they made a grave mistake, and I can’t even attempt to defend it. I think the idiots who trouble me with their incompetence should die, but it’s also true that this place has produced countless immeasurably talented magic users over the years. We need a place for elite students to learn from a staff of talented instructors, with a strict hierarchy system and the best resources. From my perspective, everything about this place makes sense.”

Claude listened quietly.

“This security issue has been exposed, so now we can remedy it,” Luke continued. “I think it would be somewhat of a waste to destroy this entire institution.”

The attack, in all truth, could easily have happened anywhere. The attackers were specifically targeting Luke, after all. Whether it had been Aslan Magic Academy or any other school that he had chosen to go to, the attack would have likely taken place regardless of venue. It wasn’t a matter of Aslan Magic Academy being particularly vulnerable, but of the Kingdom of Milestia as a whole becoming too complacent due to its magical strength. They convinced themselves that they were untouchable, and there were fatal deficiencies in their threat awareness.

“Second, I believe that this incident may prove the perfect opportunity for we of House Gilbert and our allies in the noble faction to seize greater power.”

“Oh?”

“I am sure that this attack will anger many aristocrats regardless of which side they are on. They will all be left in shock and disbelief. That’s why, as head of the nobles, you should take the lead in calming the other aristocrats’ malicious whispering. Doing so would earn you significant favor from the academy, the Royal Knights, and even from the King of Milestia himself. I am confident that such an action would work to the advantage of our house.”

Claude listened, then nodded.

“Brilliant.”

He was impressed, pure and simple. He had, in fact, already thought of everything that Luke had just said to him. Yet he entertained that course of action only as an individual—as if he were some ambitious noble who sought the throne—not as a father. Claude had a clear set of priorities, and compared to the blood-boiling rage that he felt at those who had put his son in danger, his ambitions to power meant nothing at all. Losing Luke, to him, would mean losing everything.

I expected nothing less of my boy! Oh no…I am so moved by all of this, I feel I might start to cry.

Claude was awed and overjoyed that his son had struck upon the same line of thinking that he had. It stirred up fierce emotion, lighting a fire within him. He was filled with such intensity that he felt that if he let his guard drop for even the briefest of moments, he might just burst into tears.

“Finally,” Luke said, moving to his third point, “I believe that there is worth to the academy, insofar as that it will allow me to demonstrate that I am more talented than anyone else who attends it.”

Claude was speechless for a moment.

“I…apologize, Father. This request of mine is selfish, of course. I simply cannot abide the thought that my inferiors believe that they are better than me. I wish to prove that I hold first place in their hierarchy—that I am the strongest.”

“Heh. Ha ha…”

Once Luke was done speaking, Claude began to laugh. First, quietly to himself, then louder and louder until he could no longer hold back his pride and adoration.

“Ah ha ha ha! You truly are my son!”

He was undoubtedly happy that his son had expressed a selfish desire, of course, but it was more than that. He had a perfect understanding of how Luke felt.

“You are looked down upon by your inferiors. Such humiliation is hard to endure.”

We really are father and son, thought Claude. Given how clearly Luke had expressed his desires, Claude had no hesitation in making his decision now.

“Understood. I will do as you ask. I will still be making my thoughts clear on the security situation at the school, however.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Claude had been intent on directing a portion of his rage at the academy, in truth, but did not admit that to his son.

“I will have to apologize to Julia.”

“Mother? What for?”

“Mwa ha ha…I promised her that I would give hell to the imbeciles who put our son in danger.”

“…”

Luke gave his father a tired look—he genuinely was quite tired. The relief of his managing to sate Claude’s anger at the academy was quickly overtaken by all the accumulated exhaustion that the process of doing so had involved.

“Fear not, I will ensure that your academy remains. You may leave this matter in my hands.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Hmph. Ah, and in the next few days, we will be departing the capital and returning to Gilbadia. Ready yourself.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Well then, I have a few things to say to your headmaster. Alfred, I leave Luke in your care.”

“Yes, master.”

Claude walked away, and Luke bowed his head as he watched his father leave. Alfred, who had been doing his utmost to blend into the background, moved to stand closer to Luke’s side. Aslan Magic Academy was considered the foremost place for the study of magic, an unrivaled institution of learning. That said, the attack was unquestionably a huge failure—an inexcusable fiasco, no matter the school’s record of educational successes.

The balance of political power in the kingdom was, at that moment, beginning to shift ever so slightly in favor of the noble faction. This meant that unless Claude moved to calm tensions between the aristocrats and the Royal Academy, it would be incredibly difficult for the school to continue operating. Claude was only the head of the noble faction, however.

Will this turn of events truly bring fortune to the King of Milestia? The academy will not be destroyed but allowed to continue its operation, at the cost of a great debt to our noble faction. This is the answer that Luke arrived at, and, though he may not realize it himself, he walks the path of a conquest that he does not desire.

Claude walked toward the academy. He was incredibly handsome but succeeded in intimidating everyone he came into contact with. Those who knew him well, however, might well have been able to identify that he was in a good mood.

Luke truly is fit to be king; a born ruler.

Claude saw glimpses of that in him, yet he did not inform his son of the plot he had in mind. Yolande had asked him to remain silent, of course, but that was not the only reason that he did not discuss the matter with Luke.

Mwa ha ha…I can just picture the look on his face when he finds out!

The concept was quite far removed from the way in which any ordinary person would employ it, but to Claude, usurping the throne was to be a “surprise” for his son.

He did intend on learning his lesson from the incident with the Alice engagement, of course…but in the end, perhaps it was the incredible love that he bore for his son that continued to cloud his judgement.

***

In the small tavern in the royal capital that night, the man wearing the turban had been drinking at the counter since before most of the other patrons arrived.

“Hic.”

“You feelin’ okay there, Canis? You ain’t lookin’ right these days.”

“Nah…I mean, thanks for askin’, Butch,” Canis muttered. “But things have been terrible, no kiddin’.”

“What’s up? I’ll listen if you’ve got somethin’ to get off your chest.”

Canis lifted his ale stein and took another swig of his drink.

“So…I had somethin’ I was workin’ on all secret-like, all this time, yeah? But then some guys I don’t even know just came and took it all away… Just butted right in, and to top it all off, they screwed up so royally that now everythin’s so messed up, I dunno what to do,” Canis explained miserably. “Like, this was tough to begin with, but now…ah…those damn idiots!”

Canis was drunk, his speech slurred, and his words coming out in incoherent fits and starts. Butch couldn’t understand much of what he was saying, but he’d been running his little tavern for years and was used to chatting with heavy drinkers.

“Man, that sounds tough. I get what you’re goin’ through.”

“You do…?!” Canis exclaimed. “I…like, I’m gettin’ sorta tired…”

“People can’t just try and try and jus’ keep that up forever,” Butch said gently. “Sometimes you gotta stop and take a breath. Get some rest, that’s what you need.”

“Ah…Butch…”

Just then, the door swung open with a creak and a rattle.

“Still open?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, heck, if it ain’t Zack! You too, eh, Ferris? Welcome, welcome!”

The pair’s arrival was a gift from heaven to Butch, who let out an internal cry of joy as they walked in.

“Huh, Ferris, is it time to go already?”

“No. Well, yes,” she corrected, eyeing him critically. “But no. Things to talk about.”

“Hmm? What’s goin’ on? Gimme the deets!”

“Gross. Annoying. Drunk.”

“Th-thas’so mean…!” Canis slurred.

Zack and Ferris walked over to the counter and took their seats.

“I’ll take an ale, as usual! What’re you gettin’, Ferris?”

“Mead.”

“Comin’ right up!”

Butch quickly prepared their drinks. Zack swigged his like a sailor, and Ferris sipped gingerly from hers.

“ Ahhh! That’s the stuff!”

“…Tasty.”

“Man, sure was a surprise when you came to see me outta the blue, Ferris,” said Zack.

“Huh? Ferris went to see you…? What for?” asked Canis.

“Asked about Gilbadia. We should go too.”

“Huh?” Canis hiccupped.

Zack took another swig of his ale, then turned to Butch.

“I’m actually gonna be headin’ back to Gilbadia tomorrow. Since…y’know…given everythin’ that happened at the academy.”

“Whoa, whoa, this is so sudden! Gonna be sad without you here.”

“Aw, heck, I’m glad to hear that! I was finally gettin’ used to the city m’self! Tough break!” Zack said. “But…Gilbadia’s my home, I reckon. I’d always planned on goin’ back someday. I owe a heck of a lot to the guild master who runs things out there.”

“I see,” said Butch. “You’re a real loyal one, eh? Ain’t gonna stop you if you’re goin’ for a good reason!”

“C’mon, I’ll be back before you know it! I’ll be sure to come an’ see you, all right?”

“Yeah, you better! All right then, you ain’t payin’ tonight!”

“Sweet! I got friends on the way, gimme drink enough for them too!” Zack grinned.

“Gah ha ha ha! Y’damn freeloader!” Butch exclaimed with a raucous laugh. “Fine, fine, call as many of the damn lads as y’like! I’ll drown ’em all tonight!”

“Hell yeah, I knew you had it in ya, Butch! Cheers!”

Ignoring the casual exchange between Zack and Butch, Ferris leaned in to whisper in Canis’s ear:

“Academy on break. Need to return to Gilbadia. Good chance for us, even. No reason to stay.”

Ferris’s expression was deadly serious as he listened, and yet none of it stuck in his alcohol-soaked mind.

“Huhhh? Hic! Whadd’ya say?”

Ferris fixed a silent glare upon him. Canis was far too drunk to talk about anything so important.

“Never could hold your drink,” she remarked. “Lightweight. Weakling.”

A short while later, Zack’s friends arrived. From that moment on, the loud peals of laughter never ceased, ringing out late into the night from the windows of the small city tavern.

3

I COULDN’T WAIT TO BE HOME.

There’s nowhere better than this in the whole wide world, I thought to myself, as I dived into my own bed and buried my face in the pillows. It had only been a few months since I’d entered Aslan Magic Academy, but so much had happened in that short amount of time. I’d had so many new experiences; though unfortunately, most of them had been irritating, troubling, or downright miserable.

Seriously, why is all this happening to me? Not even I know the answer to that one yet… But if there’s one thing that I’ve come to believe in, it’s fate. I made the choice to fight desperately against my fate, to prevent my defeat at the hands of the main character of this story, Abel, by putting in a little more effort. Honestly, while I might have caused a few disparities between the original story and this one, it sure seems like nothing about the fundamental underlying story has changed.

Or has it, I wonder? My efforts have brought obstacle after obstacle my way, an unending parade of issues. Is that why, now that I’m back home with my parents, all I want to do is stay here forever? Why can’t I stop wishing I’d never have to set foot outside again?

There’s nothing to irritate me here. Everything’s in order; all my needs are met. This place is wonderful. When the world out there is so full of nuisance and bother and bore, why should I ever trouble myself to leave this house again? I really should just stay here forever.

As I considered shutting myself off from the world entirely for a brief moment, another thought struck me.

Perhaps this is my fate?

I reflected that my destiny might be to live life as a shut-in, locked in my childhood bedroom for the rest of my days. And then, unfortunately, I remembered the news my father had delivered not long ago:

“Actually Luke, something did come up. You have an offer of engagement from House Lennox. Her name is Mia, and I believe you’re in the same year at Aslan, so you might well have met—ah! That look on your face! This upsets you, then? I see you’re displeased, Luke! Right, I will refuse their offer posthaste. Don’t you wor — ”

“Father…might I have some time to think?”

The fact that my father had come to pour fuel on the fire just as I was pondering my future really only made things worse.

It does make me think there might be something like fate. Father knew I would be exhausted in both body and mind after the Aslan attack, so he waited until I got home to bring this topic up. I’d expect nothing less. He’s way more considerate than those foolish guards at the academy were.

Ugh.

My stomach hurts.

Where did this ridiculous talk of an engagement with Mia even come from? How did this happen? Seriously, I really don’t understand. Why…just why…?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the answer.

But Father did say that the choice was mine…so in other words, I can turn this down. Not to mention that House Lennox apparently claimed they’d be happy with a concubine position.

…I don’t get it. What’s an influential royalist family doing, making this offer in the first place? Why do they want this so badly that they’d even make the compromise of having their daughter become my concubine? Is it because Mia’s their third daughter? Has House Lennox been wanting to switch sides all this time? If so, why?

There was just too much about the situation that was incomprehensible.

What the heck is going on?

I went through the possibilities in my head, but there was too little information to go on. I couldn’t conjecture too far on this. I did, however, understand that the root cause was almost certainly my attempt to make Mia into one of my pawns.

That’s gotta be what started all of this. That’s when everything got weird. I don’t know much about the original story, but I think Mia was meant to be on Abel’s side, not mine. Ah…now I remember. When she experienced her first defeat, Abel was meant to be the one to comfort her in the depths of her despair and help her climb back up from rock bottom. I guess Abel and Lily did go to see her that day, but I sort of ruined it by getting there first. I see…so that was when they were meant to become friends, and I took that chance away from them.

So what, is this karma? I took advantage of Mia in her weakened state, became her false savior…all so that I could turn her into a loyal pawn. This is the result, then. In a roundabout way, that’s led to this proposal that she become my concubine.

Ah, damn it. See? This is the fate I was talking about. All these phenomena converge in a way that, in the end, always leads “Luke” to hole himself up in his parent’s house and shut the door tight. It might be a bit eccentric of me, but if this is some light-novel fantasy-book world, then this course of action should definitely be on the table… I’m just so sick of thinking about all this. The problems just keep coming, one right after another. I can’t keep putting them off, though. I have to seriously think about this engagement and face it head-on.

Refusing would be easy. All I’d need to do is tell my father I don’t want to do this. But…would that really be for the best?

I pondered that for a moment.

To aristocrats, marriages aren’t only about emotion in the first place. Deep links between two houses can be the foundation of real power and lead to greater things for both parties. That’s especially true with an offer from an influential house like this one. There’s also the fact that, for some unknown reason, House Lennox is clearly making significant compromises. Refusing in spite of that could worsen relations between our two families.

And, well…Father did agree to my request to spare the academy after the recent attack, but I caused him real trouble by doing so. My pride won’t allow me to be any further indebted to anyone in this world—not even my own father.

But that’s not the true reason I’m hesitating like this. It’s Mia herself who’s the problem. How do I put this…? There’s something unsettling in her that scares me. Not even I know what she might do if I refuse. If I knew that turning her down would just make her one of my enemies, then it would be a moot point. Whatever. Fine, bring it on. But I’m not so sure that’s how she’d react. She’s unpredictable. I can’t quite fathom what’s going on in her head enough to anticipate her actions, and that makes it difficult to decide what to do. If I turn her down, I’ll be leaving an unstable element out there, studying right alongside me at the academy, and I’ll never be sure whose side she’s really on.

Screw that. No. That’d be so much stress. What does Mia even think about this engagement offer, anyway?

Then there was also the issue of Alice and the rest of House Lonsdale…

I really don’t know what to do. Why do I have to waste my time fretting over all of this anyway? I just want to get strong and be happy in life…but I guess things aren’t that simple.

At the very least, all my agonizing led me to a conclusion in the end: I decided to talk things over with Mia in person before making up my mind, thus completely kicking the can down the road, leaving the matter to my future self.

***

“I knew you were a home-wrecker, but I didn’t think it was this bad. I am past anger, even… I think most of all, I am simply shocked by your actions.”

“…”

“Don’t misunderstand me, of course. I’m not angry about this engagement offer. I understand the position that Luke is in. Concubines are not uncommon by any means, and I am not so narrow-minded.”

“…”

“What angers me, you see, is the way in which you advanced this offer with such secrecy.”

“Now, now, calm down, Alice. Let’s hear what Mia has to say ab—”

“Shut up, brother. Do not open your mouth again. You disgust me.”

“Wha-? That was s-so mean, Alice,” Yolande whined, growing flushed.

“…”

And so, the houses of Lonsdale and Lennox came over for a discussion.

To talk about the engagement, of course. Right now, Alice, Yolande, and Mia are here…and my father’s dealing with the others. He accepted another of my selfish requests to let the four of us talk.

“Sorry. I really didn’t know about any of this,” Mia said. “I had no idea that things had gone this far…”

Her voice sounded frail, like it might blow away in a gust of wind.

I see…so this was a surprise to the both of us. That makes things easy. Let’s get this proposal off the table.

“Right. If this isn’t what you want, then this talk of engagement is—”

“That’s not what I meant!”

There was real emotion in Mia’s voice, and suddenly she was briefly overcome by a small flare of a fierce conviction. The moment I met her gaze, I had a terrible premonition about what she might say next.

“I…I do love you, Luke…really, I do.”

See? I’m always right about these things.

Alice’s eyes were an infinite, freezing-cold abyss, whereas Yolande was grinning unsettlingly, for some reason, as he watched our exchange play out.

“Let me tell you something,” I said with a sigh. “The feelings you have right now aren’t real. They’re fake. I planted them inside of you only so that you’d become my pawn. It’s all an illusion, see? The whole reason I went to your room to comfort you that day was—”

“I know that,” Mia interrupted. “I know all of it. These emotions might have been fake at first…but they’re real now.”

“…”

I don’t feel guilty about what I did. I’ll never compromise on my own happiness, no matter what…even if that means treading all over the happiness of others. I did take advantage of Mia, and I did try to use her…but I’ve no regrets about doing that.

“I don’t love you,” I said bluntly, determined to lay the truth out entirely. “You still want to marry me?”

“Yes. I still want to be by your side. I want to be of use to you,” she insisted. “I’ll try my best, though. I’ll try as hard as I can…so that maybe someday you’ll love me back.”

I stared at her in stunned silence. Mia’s feelings were much more intense than I’d expected.

Her love’s way too damn heavy. What made her feel this way? I did take advantage of her weakness, but what did I do to inspire this kind of love? No, not “love.” I don’t think this is even really “love” at all… It’s gotta be closer to “addiction” than anything else at this point.

“I don’t mind being in second place,” she added with a giggle.

The ecstatic look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine—and immediately confirmed to me that the decision I was about to make was the correct one.

While I was infinitely confident in my abilities and unmatched strength, I faltered slightly in that moment. For some strange reason, a vision flashed before my eyes that made my stomach drop. It was a vision of my own tattered body lying in the dirt on a dark and lonely road, after being stabbed in the side by…someone.

Even so, I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made.

“All right. I accept this offer of engagement. You’re good with this too, right, Alice?”

“I have no right to object to your decision, Luke. I do wish to make one thing crystal clear, however,” Alice replied. She turned to Mia and continued, “I am on top, and you are on the bottom. Is that understood, Mia?”

“I understand. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about this properly, Alice.”

“Congratulations, Luke!” Yolande chimed in.

I sighed.

I’m really tired right now.

“How will you fare in the bedroom, Mia? Are you sure you will be capable of satisfying Luke?”

“Th-the bedroom…?”

“You don’t understand me? There’s only one thing to do in the bedroom, no? Se—”