Chapter 35

【 False Rumor 】

“I’m tired, that’s for sure.”

Last night, I did my first night patrol alone.

Aside from catching a couple who had been in an empty classroom late at night, there wasn’t anything special that happened.

But trying to patrol and write the report by myself definitely wore me out.

‘Still, I have to get used to it.’

Everything I did was for my future.

Until I revived my family and uncovered its secrets, I had to keep working hard.

Only then could I return to the comfort of my original world — to that little room I called home.

“Let’s see.”

I opened the report box installed in the central hallway of the Academy.

Inside were a few letters containing complaints and suggestions addressed to the Disciplinary Committee.

‘Not too many today.’

I took the stack of papers and headed for the classroom.

As usual, I planned to sort through the letters early in the morning.

From experience, doing it beforehand saved time in the afternoon.

‘Besides, it’s not boring since there’s someone who keeps talking to me while I work.’

As soon as I entered the classroom, Layla greeted me, just as I expected.

We’d probably end up chatting casually while I went through the contents of the report box.

But the moment I heard the topic Layla brought up, I couldn’t help but feel a little taken aback.

“Gideon, I heard you’re dating Lisa. Is that true?”

“…To give you the conclusion first — it’s not.”

“Oh, really? That’s unexpected. From what people say, it sounds like you two are definitely dating.”

“May I ask where you heard that rumor?”

“I was talking with other club members in the clubroom yesterday, and I heard it then.”

Apparently, the rumor—or to be more precise, the false rumor—had spread throughout the Academy.

Well, it wasn’t all that strange for it to spread that fast.

After all, the subject of the rumor was none other than Lisa Balmuth.

A powerful candidate to become the next head of House Balmuth.

A rumor about someone like that being in a relationship?

Of course, it would spread like wildfire.

The only problem was that the supposed partner in the rumor was me.

“I heard you and Lisa were in the cafeteria yesterday—hugging and patting each other’s heads and all that?”

“That’s nonsense. And how could I possibly dare to pat Lady Lisa’s head?”

“Well, if you were lovers, wouldn’t that be possible?”

“Yes, well. If we were lovers, then regardless of rank, it would indeed be possible.”

“Uh-huh, right. Then when you graduate, are you going to become Gideon Balmuth?”

“…Pardon?”

I didn’t immediately understand what Layla meant.

But once I caught on, I let out a quiet sigh.

“And why exactly would my last name suddenly become Balmuth?”

“Huh? Isn’t that how it works? When you get married, you usually take the surname of the higher-ranking side, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but your premise is wrong. I just told you that Lady Lisa and I are not in that kind of relationship.”

“Oh, right, right. You did say that. Sorry. I guess I just assumed it was true since everyone’s saying it.”

Layla laughed awkwardly.

Then, looking genuinely curious, she asked again.

“But you and Lisa… you’re really not dating? Maybe you’re just keeping it a secret from everyone?”

“Really, we’re not.”

“Is that so? Hmm, that’s strange. These days Lisa doesn’t even eat with me anymore—she’s always eating with you. And since you’re both in the Disciplinary Committee, you spend so much time together, too.”

“If it were someone else, I suppose it’d be possible for feelings to develop. But Lady Lisa is… far too extraordinary for me to even think about such things.”

I’d never actually lived in a class-based society, but through the game, I’d learned just how remarkable people from ducal families were.

In the game, it was shown countless times how powerful and influential a duke could be.

Maybe because I’d seen it so much, children of ducal families felt like they lived in a completely different world from mine.

Well, that went for the princess standing before me too, of course.

“So Gideon, you’re saying you have no intention of becoming Lisa’s lover?”

“Even if I did, I doubt it would be possible.”

“Then what if Lisa likes you first? What would you do then?”

“In that case… I probably wouldn’t have any choice.”

I gave a small, wry smile.

Lisa confessing to me first, huh…

Yeah, I’d experienced that a few times in the game.

So I had a rough idea how it would turn out.

“If that happens, whether I like it or not, I’d end up becoming Lady Lisa’s lover. Knowing her personality, even if I refused, she’d just reject my rejection.”

“Yeah, I can totally picture that. No expression, just saying, ‘You. From today, you’re my lover. Don’t think otherwise.’”

“Yes. And then she’d add, ‘The right to choose belongs to the strong,’ and physically overpower me.”

“Ha ha ha! What’s that? That sounded oddly specific. Is that from experience?”

“Well… something like that.”

While increasing Lisa’s affection points in the game, there had been quite a few situations where Lisa confessed first.

Because she was written as a character who did things at her own pace and didn’t care about others’ opinions, Lisa was the only character who would confess first.

And every one of her confession lines had been quite memorable — among them, the one I just mentioned was especially unforgettable.

“Anyway, what I’m saying is that Lady Lisa and I aren’t lovers.”

“Then you don’t have any feelings for Lisa?”

“…No, I don’t.”

“Hey, you hesitated just now. You really don’t?”

“I do think Lady Lisa is beautiful.”

I didn’t just mean her looks.

Her sincerity — the way she always tried to walk the right path — that was something that, to someone who stayed by her side, inevitably felt admirable.

“But she’s too beautiful, and far too high above. So I don’t think I could easily let my heart wander that way.”

Simply put, she felt too unreal.

Close, yet unreachable.

In the game, my character could easily approach her, but facing her in reality felt completely different.

“Hmm… aren’t you thinking of Lisa too seriously?”

After pausing for a moment, Layla spoke again.

“You’ve spent time with Lisa, so you know — she doesn’t care about social rank or status. She only sees people for who they are. You’re a good person, Gideon, so I think it’d be fine.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

That’s what I said, but no matter what feelings I might have — with Lisa, no, with Lisa, Sara, Jason, and Layla — I couldn’t allow myself to get too close.

It wasn’t just that it could cause unnecessary trouble. There was also fear.

‘In the game, getting close with marquises was fine. But once you started dealing with dukes or royalty… people died a lot more than expected.’

I always said this, but this world was no longer a game to me.

If I died once, that was the end. I didn’t want to be hurt or caught up in trouble just because I crossed the lines between nobles or got too close to the powerful.

‘But wait — this false rumor about me dating Lisa… if I leave it alone, won’t it eventually reach the head of House Balmuth?’

The head of House Balmuth was an eccentric person, but still someone with common sense.

She wouldn’t do anything cruel to me, but… I could already sense something troublesome on the horizon.

“Anyway, Gideon. Then what about me?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I mean it literally — what do you think of me? You said Lisa’s beautiful, right? What about me?”

“Of course, Lady Layla, you are also very beautiful.”

“Hey, don’t give me those formal answers. Be honest. Am I pretty?”

“Hmm……”

I glanced over at Layla.

Bright blonde hair, fair skin, and a face that radiated warmth.

As a princess raised in luxury, she had that kind of charm that made people feel good just by looking at her.

Like an innocent child.

Yes, an innocent child.

Her appearance was more like a child’s than a teenager’s.

She didn’t even seem to reach 150 cm — definitely…

“…Hey, Gideon.”

“Yes?”

“You were just thinking about how short I am, weren’t you?”

“…No, I wasn’t.”

“Oh, don’t lie! You were just checking how short I am!”

Layla shouted, looking more sulky than her usual bright self.

Thinking about it, I remembered something I’d learned while following her story in the game — one of them being that Layla had a complex about her height.

‘Did she just hit the mark on her own? But then again, I was thinking she’s short just now.’

I laughed inwardly as I watched Layla pout and raise her voice.

Her expression looked hurt, almost tearful — but honestly, even that was kind of cute.

It reminded me again why there had been so much fan art of Layla.

“A-and I can still get taller, you know! I do stretching exercises every morning to grow taller!”

“Ah, yes. Understood. Anyway, Lady Layla, I have some work to do, so if you don’t mind…”

“Don’t change the subject!”

Layla, still pouting, grabbed my shoulders and shook me.

If it had been anyone else, I might’ve been annoyed — but Layla was… well, cute, so it didn’t bother me.

That evening.

There was no night patrol today, so for the first time in a while, I went outside the Academy to take care of some personal business.

“Mr. Regnil, I’ll be counting on you again today.”

“Leave it to me.”

That business was getting my weapon reinforced at the blacksmith’s in Daigon Village.

“Are these materials enough?”

“This much will do. It won’t take long, so please wait a bit.”

I nodded and quietly watched as my weapon was reinforced.

It had been a while since I went out to hunt monsters and strengthen my weapon.

Considering the incidents that were bound to happen soon, it was best to reinforce my equipment whenever I had the time.

‘Come to think of it, there should be an incident at the Academy soon.’

No matter what route the player chose, around this point in the timeline, there was always one event that happened at the Academy.

In the game, it was designed to raise the protagonist’s reputation — but to me now, it was just a bothersome event I wished wouldn’t happen.

Still, based on experience, it would definitely happen — and that event was related to Lisa.

It was also meant to highlight Lisa’s character as a person.

Meaning, I needed to make some preparations…

“Mr. Regnil.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Is there a butcher or a place that sells potion ingredients in this village?”

“If you head toward the village center, there are a few. But why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“I need animal blood. Very fresh animal blood, at that.”

The incident would probably happen next week.

If I prepared fresh blood in time for the day it occurred, it should be fine.

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