It happened after Rudel's farewell.
Alisa and Airi were imitating Rudel. They used eyeliner for their eyes and both shrank their pupils to imitate him. Alisa went first.
"I am Rudel van Bradford, I'm a country baron and I hate having to look for a partner because noblewomen are scum."
Then it was Airi's turn.
"I, Rudel. I prefer spending my time surrounded by robots than with my friends, I really like pretending I don't care what others think of me."
Alisa burst out laughing.
"Ahaha, that really seemed like him, especially the last part."
Their voices echoed in the room.
When she was with her entourage, she could never give her opinion or do things she was interested in, it's because none of them truly understood her. But now it's different.
She can laugh foolishly at very absurd things like a normal girl.
Suddenly, a voice sounded approaching their table.
It was the same servant who came to call Rudel.
"I'm sorry to interrupt again, Lady Bismarck, but an important person requests to speak with you."
Alisa looked at her and asked about Rudel. The servant responded that he was no longer there.
Alisa stayed thinking that Rudel must have gone somewhere after leaving. She directed her gaze to Airi, who gave her a warm smile.
"You don't mind if I'm delayed?"
"Not at all, it's someone important who called you, right? It's normal for you to go, besides, Rudel-san could come at any moment and ask where we are."
Alisa nodded her head, after standing up she left the room giving a look at the warm farewell smile of her friend.
◇◇◇
She had arrived at the room where Rudel had also come. She was surprised at the person she saw, but what scared her was how that person was.
She was fanning herself with some papers she had in her hands, her face was very red and her hair a bit messy. Alisa bowed speaking to her respectfully upon seeing her.
"It's a pleasure to see you and even more outside the palace, Your Majesty the Queen."
After greeting, the queen noticed her.
"Oh, Alisa you're here, I'm so sorry you see this, but... f-forget it. I wanted to ask you a few things, please take a seat."
The Queen's words sounded strange, but Alisa nodded and sat like a proper lady. They talked about various things after that.
◇
I was walking on the outskirts of one of the buildings, passing time before going to the girls, when I noticed a group of boys at one of the garden tables.
As I approached, I asked one of them what was happening, he didn't see my face, but seemed very excited.
"You see, this is a strategy game like chess. If your flagship sinks, you lose, if you sink the enemy's, you win. The current guy is the one who's been winning with perfect time—"
He suddenly stopped upon turning to look at me, his face seemed like the one I make when I see nobles.
"Guhh, Bradford."
When he said my surname, all the boys around turned to look at me, I felt very uncomfortable under their gazes. But I showed no weakness and responded nonchalantly.
"What's wrong? Did a mouse bite your tongue? Or maybe I'm such a grand existence it left you speechless?!"
A voice sounded from the center.
"My, if it isn't the newly appointed knight sir. Could you move aside, please, gentlemen."
The boys around moved upon hearing it and I could see the person speaking to me. Just like with the stupid prince, I made a disgusted face at the person in front of me, it was...
"You seem to take it so calmly this new semester."
"...The greenish one."
That slipped out and he heard it.
"What do you mean greenish?! You're rude, you know? My name is Frey van Nightray, son of a Margrave and heir to---"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Continue your game."
I immediately shut him up because his soft voice is very annoying and almost feminine.
His ridiculous face looked annoyed, but then with a big expression he smiled.
"I have a very good idea. Would Baron Bradford mind having a game with me?"
"When you say it, it sounds very disturbing."
"You really are the worst kind of man, you know?!"
"At least I look like one."
The boys around laughed under their breath.
"I'll overlook it this time, again. Would you like to have a match between us through this game?"
"See, that doesn't sound weird now. And my answer is no."
His face was getting redder with the anger he had, I was having a lot of fun.
"I understand, I suppose the baron is a man who only uses his tricks, but not his head."
At that moment, my face and tone changed expression.
"Hoo~ you seem very confident."
"Of course, as the son of the noble strategist it's normal I have many of these confrontations whether imaginary or in games. Anything having to do with strategy is something I have to deal with."
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you sound confident is what matters."
I walked to the table and there I saw a board.
It was a large board that occupied almost the entire table. It had some small ships that seemed to move with the magical power you deposit into the board.
Just by seeing that, I know I've already lost, since my magical power is minuscule.
Ixion was somewhere hidden, so I'll need him to not be embarrassed, I hope he noticed the voice of my heart calling him.
Among the trees I noticed something moving, so my voice truly reached him.
As I sat down, this guy explained the rules to me. I opened my mouth and murmured in a low voice.
"Ixion, you know what to do. I'm counting on you."
I didn't hear a response, but the phantom movement from the tree disappeared.
"Very well, let's begin." I said with an innocent smile.
"Alright, I'll show you what I can do. No matter how much you beg I won't hesitate even if you ask for clemency!!" he exclaimed looking at me with his face very confident in his victory.
◇
"I win... again..."
I had just sunk this guy's flagship for the sixth time, no, the seventh I think it was.
The boys around us were talking.
"Hey, is Bradford really that smart to make maneuvers that impossible?"
"I don't know, I'm more shocked by the fact he used different formations undetectable until the moment of attack."
"I'm more amazed he didn't lose a single ship, even the sacrificial ship returned safely, that's incredible!!"
The voices of these boys echoed in the place, more and more people had been coming for a while.
But the main problem wasn't the crowd but the boy in front of me.
His face was pale, sweat came from his pores as if from a shower, his hair was disheveled from all the times he scratched his head, he bit his nails while saying things that made me feel miserable.
"N-no... this can't be... I can't accept this happened nine times in a row."
Wow, it was nine, that made me feel worse.
But what annoyed me more was that Ixion seemed to enjoy doing this. I hope he hasn't developed something weird from winning.
"A-and I'm the son of the noble strategist, my father is the most renowned man in this country, I'm his son and I try to follow in his footsteps... it's impossible for me to lose at something like this several times..."
I didn't want to come to this, I just wanted to win once and that's it, but this guy harassed me to continue and reluctantly without effort I did.
Now he was a mess. The comments from the boys this time were directed at him.
"Bradford cheated, didn't he?"
"You can't cheat at this, it's impossible. The only sure thing, though we don't want to accept it, is his skill in strategy."
"So, Frey is inferior in both combat and strategy?"
"It seems so, the worst is it was several times in a row."
(Hey bastards, shut up.)
I got up to leave there, but my hand was taken by this guy.
"W-wait please, once more. Just once more I beg you, I think this time I'll win, just one more I beg you!"
I understand a bit how he feels, but...
"No, goodbye."
I roughly removed his hand from my sleeve and left there, I gave a last look and noticed that boy was holding his head while seeming to cry.
I can't say if he had a good strategy or not.
As I walked through the hallway, Ixion spoke in my ear.
"Master, I have something to notify."
"What is it?"
"This happened while you were playing..."
Upon hearing it, I stopped walking and made an angry look towards him.
"Where are they!"
"In a party hall."
◇◇◇
"My relationship with Rudel, you say?"
Alisa was talking with the queen about various things like her life at the academy and what happened with her ex-fiancé.
The queen apologized for her son denigrating her, Alisa couldn't get angry at the future King of her country so she forgot that, but her heart had already been pierced by his cruel words. It really hurt her what he said and she tried to forget it.
Then, the queen asked her the same as Rudel.
"He's more than anything my squire, but also my friend."
"I know he's sometimes a headache, but he's not a bad man, I'm grateful to have him as my patron."
"I understand, but Alisa. You know that even if it's as you say, a man and a woman are totally opposite beings, do you know if he doesn't have other things in mind?"
"Things in mind? Like what may I ask?"
The Queen's face turned red at her question.
With a somewhat timid voice she said...
"Y-you know, something deeper between you, like sentimental, for example."
Alisa's face turned red upon hearing that and immediately responded.
"N-no joking, please, he's a baron and I'm Lady Alicelotte, we're from totally different worlds, it's unthinkable even. Even more so as we're not from the same faction."
The Queen's face was still red but now she made a different expression only because of her response.
"Alisa, I'm not the most adequate to talk, but the title or rank doesn't matter in a mutual feeling. I just ask you not to suffer from the decision of having a man very close to you. I know when you were at his territory's mansion you slept in a different room, but even so you shouldn't believe a man being of low status can't have yearnings for a woman whether of high status or not, just remembering what happened a while ago---"
Suddenly the queen stopped, her face turned red just remembering what Rudel said.
Alisa looked at her strangely, when she called her, she didn't respond.
Someone knocked roughly and entered, it was a servant.
"L-lady Bismarck, please come quickly!"
Upon turning to see her, Alisa asked what was happening, the servant who was out of breath responded in panic.
"I-it's Baron Bradford!! He's beating some servants and nobles in the party hall!!"
Upon hearing that, Alisa quickly stood up, hastily said goodbye to the queen, but she was still with her head in the clouds. Ignored her and quickly left the place with the servant.
"Rudel, now what the hell did you do."
◇◇◇
Alisa arrived at the place the servant indicated, upon opening the door the scene she found was...
"Come on, pieces of garbage, apologize and I'll let you go after kicking your asses!"
...Rudel doing his thing.
Rudel was surrounded by four male servants and three girls in white uniforms.
Two of those servants were on the floor unconscious while the others were being punished by Rudel.
One was crouched with Rudel's foot on his head, the other was being grabbed by the collar of his shirt, Rudel's hands had black gloves.
Alisa upon seeing what he was doing ran towards him shouting.
"Rudel, what the hell are you doing?!"
Upon hearing that, he turned to see an annoyed Alisa.
"Good, you're here, give me permission to kill these pieces of trash."
"I won't actually kill them, but they'll wish they were dead."
Alisa asked what happened and the subject he grabbed, he threw to the side to point at a specific girl.
"That bitch over there hurt Airi."
Alisa immediately directed her gaze to the white-uniformed girl he pointed at.
Her face was of immense displeasure.
"That girl, if I'm not mistaken, is the daughter of Count Astolfo von Rossini."
Upon hearing her father's name, the girl quickly changed her expression to speak to Alisa arrogantly.
"Alice, you're late, what the hell were you doing? More importantly, control your dog."
"My dog, you say?"
Alisa's face, little by little, gave the impression of being a demon thirsty for blood.
"Rudel is not my dog, nor my vassal, so I don't have to order him anything, I want to know more importantly if what he said is true."
Alisa trusted Rudel despite being a problematic boy, but she heard her friend's name and her expression and reasoning changed drastically.
"The little bitch said and did horrible things to her, that's why I came to exercise justice as the knight I am. I'll tell you what happened..."
◇◇◇
Several minutes before the incident.
Airi was sitting quietly at the table where she and her friends were, she didn't know she was being recorded by a small security drone, if both knew they were secretly spied on for their safety, they'd hate Rudel, but Rudel himself didn't know either, it was all Ixion's secret work.
"I wonder when they'll be back?"
"Rudel-san left first, but he's not back and Alisa is still in her mysterious meeting."
Airi was worried about her friends even though both are safe.
If Rudel were here, he'd undoubtedly say something like "your smile recharges my heart with energy, thanks for worrying about me."
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching, when she turned to see who it was, it was a group of seven people, three female students and four servants.
Airi was a bit scared, as it was rare for white-uniformed students to approach her.
"D-do you want something, girls?"
She asked a normal question in a fearful tone. The girl in front of her smiled while speaking perversely.
"My, if it isn't the commoner who hangs out with nobility."
"Where is your mistress and her dog?"
Airi felt a shiver at those cold words.
"E-Excuse me?"
"You heard me, commoner, where is your mistress and her guard dog."
"Did they go to roll around and leave you waiting until they're done?"
"Or maybe they got tired of playing with you?"
"Please, don't talk about them like that!! They are my---"
"Your what?"
Airi stood up from the table, stood in front of the girl with strong eyes to reinforce her words.
"They are my friends."
"I suggest you retract quickly, because if Alisa or Rudel-san arrive, terrible things will happen to you."
The girl in front of Airi stayed silent for a few seconds, then out of nowhere started laughing like a monkey, her servants and companions did the same.
The girl then grabbed Airi's hair and brought it close to her face.
"Listen well, commoner, I don't know what you think you are now just because you're Alicelotte's pampered pet, and that trash noble's toy."
Suddenly, her eyes closed in pain opened showing panic.
"Pet? Toy? That's not---"
"Of course you are!"
"You think a woman almost of royalty like Alicelotte would hang out with a simple commoner because she considers you her friend?"
"Don't make me laugh, friends in aristocracy are like any business, you hang out with who benefits you and leave who doesn't serve you. That girl, before being dispatched had numerous and potential partners for her house, do you think for a second she would have gotten together with you if it hadn't been for that whole problem?"
Suddenly, memories came to Airi's head, when she found out who Alisa was, she only heard terrifying stories about her and the day of their meeting, she gave her the impression of being someone unattainable, Airi didn't want to be there so she prayed it would all end quickly.
It's there she understood that if it hadn't been for the duel, she would never have approached Alisa, she would continue her peaceful days with Rudel until graduation.
The girl saw a terrified Airi, crouched down to continue speaking to her.
"Then there's that trash baron, do you think people around don't see you as his toy? He's a poor peasant, he only thinks with his second head, so it's obvious that at this moment he must be asking Alicelotte for her body as payment for defeating her ex-fiancé."
Airi's face became more terrified by a strange image of those two in bed.
"Poor thing, you're upset because they're not having fun with you too. Hahaha, they must be disgusted doing it with a commoner and that's why they left you behind!"
Airi couldn't stand that and ran out of the place with tears in her eyes.
A small drone was recording all that. Then that video would be played by Ixion to Rudel.
◇
I told her in detail everything that happened.
Alisa's face made a demonic expression, she took several steps forward.
Upon hearing that, I spoke.
"It seems her punishment has arrived, now prepare yourselves for my---"
Suddenly, my cheek was pulled by Alisa who was pulling me out of the room.
"Wait, Alisa, why are you stopping me?"
"Idiot, even if you took measures on your own, I told you more than once not to challenge someone of a rank higher than yours."
"Before starting I said I was doing it as a knight defending a poor hurt girl."
"That's also why!!"
Suddenly we stopped and she turned to look at me with a hateful look on her face.
"Rudel, it seems you don't understand what you did!!"
"That girl's family is from a faction hostile to my house, she did it to annoy me and cause problems, she succeeded thanks to you!"
My expression changed to one of terror.
I didn't want Alisa's dad to get angry with me, that man would cut off my head.
"Then there's the matter of you exercising an order as a knight without the palace's consent, worse yet, you're a low-ranking one, you can't touch an aristocrat unless you're of a high rank or superior."
Alisa looked very angry.
She turned and walked in another direction, I asked where she was going.
"Where are you going?"
"To meet with that person before they leave, I'll go see my father before this gets worse."
I wanted to thank her, but there was another problem.
"What about Airi?"
I asked Alisa a simple question, she stopped and without looking back responded to me.
"This is a more serious matter, I'll leave that other problem to you."
From where I was, I could see how there were small water spots on the floor every time she walked.
This girl isn't honest. But I imagine she doesn't know what to say since part of what that bitch said was true.
Her former entourage were children of future partners for her family. Airi is a commoner, so she doesn't understand that friendship for nobles is just a contract.
Normally, anyone would blame her for not knowing, but her case was different, she was a commoner so something like making friends for work is a strange and senseless thing in her head.
I think the same, since I'm a reincarnated person, friends and work colleagues are different things.
I called a hidden Ixion somewhere and asked where she was.
◇◇◇
Airi was sitting in the garden behind the library.
The sun was setting, it would be a beautiful sunset she'd normally say.
But now she was discouraged.
She had heard horrible things about her friends and even more horrible things about how they treat her.
She had never thought about that until now, the tears stopped coming, but her heart still hurt.
Suddenly she felt something cold on her left cheek.
She let out a big "Kyaa!"
When she turned to see who did that, she saw Rudel with a soda can.
She upon seeing him, what she thought during what that girl said came to mind, she immediately turned her head away.
◇
"May I sit down?"
I asked Airi who was in a fetal position.
"If you want." she responded vaguely.
After sitting down, I opened my soda and drank it, if she wanted one I have another hidden in my pocket.
"I heard through a strange little bird what happened."
"..."
There was no response. I continued anyway.
"I just wanted to say don't feel bad, if someone speaks ill of me let it pass, if someone does the same to Alisa, let it be, she'll handle that matter for both of us, she scolded me a while ago for hitting those girls' servants."
She looked at me after saying that last part.
"You really did that??"
"Of course, I don't want to hit a woman, I'm not saying it's ethical or anything, I just don't feel like it. Though I wanted to."
Her gaze stopped being sad and now turned towards me.
"Rudel-san, you can't hit a girl even if you have a true reason!"
I smiled at her energetic response.
"It seems you've returned to normal."
When I said that, her cheeks turned red and she turned her face to the other side.
"You're really cruel, you know?"
"A little, haha."
I started laughing at that accurate truth, she also laughed lightly.
"Rudel-san, can I ask you something?"
"Always, as long as it's not about why I can't get a girlfriend, it's fine."
"You'll succeed the day you stop looking like a liar."
"Your eyes."
"Huh?"
"Your eyes look elsewhere when you're lying, I know you well enough to know that."
She turned to look at me, she was right, as my eyes were looking at the grass swaying slightly in the wind.
"Rudel-san is a liar, but even so I know you feel what they say about you. Just like me you're sensitive."
This girl sometimes says problematic things for my fragile heart.
"And what was your question?"
"..."
Her silence lasted a few seconds to tell me unexpected words.
"Do you think it's okay for a commoner like me to be together with a girl like Alisa?"
That's something I didn't see coming.
"I'm the least adequate person to tell you that, originally I was only supposed to have her under my care in my territory and then return to normal afterwards, but now it happened that we became close."
"But... I think that girl thinks the same as you."
Airi let out a foolish "What?" at my response.
"That girl has no friends, like you and like me, we're from different worlds."
"I'm grateful to be close to you both, but even if we weren't, my life wouldn't have changed anything. With the exception that I never would have gone to that party, nor organized meetings for horrible people and walked around a certain area on a certain day."
Airi had a complicated expression on her face.
"I'm just saying mistakes or problems can be good for some, like us. When that girl returns, you should have a chat with her, of course without involving me."
I stood up after speaking, but before leaving I placed a soda next to her.
Airi gave me some warm parting words.
"You're very kind, Rudel-san."
"You think so? Because this whole school thinks the opposite."
Airi stayed sitting for a while as night fell, the garden lights turned on by means of a magical formula that detects the ambient temperature.
As I walked away, I whispered to Ixion to remove all those hidden security cameras, it makes me feel like a stalker pervert.
◇◇◇
Night had fallen and it was almost bedtime for the girls.
Airi was checking some recipes to prepare something for Alisa while they had a chat.
Her mood was better since she spoke with Rudel.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
It couldn't be the building supervisor since it wasn't the exact time for her rounds yet.
Airi got up and went to open the door, she thought it was Alisa who had returned so quickly from talking with her father, since who else would knock on her door at this hour of the night, much more in the commoner girls' dormitory.
"Alisa, I'm glad you're back alrea---"
But she was very wrong.
In front of the door to Airi's room, there were seven people. She recognized them all.
The person in the middle was one of the faces she could never forget.
The girl who spoke ill of her friends.
Her face had a truly annoyed expression.
Quickly, Airi tried to close the door, but one of the servants pushed it and from the force she fell to the floor.
The people entered the room surrounding Airi.
In a scared tone, she asked them.
"W-what are you doing here?"
The count's daughter looked at her with a face full of anger.
She grabbed her hair and brought it to her face as she crouched down.
"Your boyfriend hit my servants and threatened me, despite being a simple peasant."
The girl's words were getting louder.
"Did you tell him what happened, didn't you?! It's impossible someone told him after extorting all those girls."
"Now I'm angry with that trash."
Airi tried to speak, but the pain in her hair was great.
"R-Rudel-san is not my boyfriend, we're friends."
With her other hand she grabbed the other end of her hair.
"Even in a moment like this you deny it?"
The girl gave Airi a look from head to toe.
"You're a liar, just by looking at your body and face I realize you're his favorite toy, it's impossible the reason he came furious is because he respects you and not because of the hole between your legs."
Airi wanted to cry, not from the pain but from her hurtful words.
She didn't like people thinking she was with Rudel for perhaps a carnal relationship with benefits.
The girl threw her to the floor.
"Now that I see well, you have big tits. Why don't you let someone other than Bradford use them?"
The girl snapped her fingers and after that, the servants started playing with the buckles of their belts while giving Airi a lustful look.
Her hair was disheveled, but at this moment what terrified her most was the obscene movement the servants were making.
She looked with tears in her eyes around her, she wanted to call Rudel to save her as he always did.
It was there her brain thought something else.
(Why does he always help me?)
From the moment they met, he always treated her well, never left her alone, and if she wanted something he asked if he should buy it for her.
In the eyes of others, that perhaps looked like a boyfriend pleasing his girlfriend.
The girl ordered her servants to stop and they obeyed instantly.
"Don't tell me it's serious, hahaha, you really didn't notice he only helps you to get your body?"
"I don't know him and don't want to, but that guy is a man too, do you think a man would help a woman without some payment?"
"He must be waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask for your sacred place, after all, an ugly guy like that won't have many opportunities with a woman hahaha."
Airi's mind was breaking little by little, at the horrible questions she thought.
(What if he lied all this time?)
(What if he only helped me to be able to possess me?)
(He's never been with any girl apart from us two... could it be he was looking for an opportunity to say it?)
Tears streamed from her eyes, then she heard footsteps approaching.
An older woman passed by her door, upon turning to look, she saw what was happening and then approached the door...
Airi from the bottom of her heart shouted.
"Help me please, these people are---"
...She approached to close the door and walk normally.
But her expectations were betrayed once again.
The girl approached her and told her in a low voice.
"That's how the world works, commoner, we aristocrats command and you only obey, like good cattle you are."
With that scene, she broke. Tears burst from her eyes and her body fell forward, the girls laughed, the servants did too.
"Boys, destroy this room as punishment for believing yourself to be a human being, this useless piece of meat."
The servants and girls started destroying her room, breaking things, painting the walls, overturning her bed, and even stealing and breaking her underwear.
The girl once again approached Airi to speak to her.
"If you don't want this problem for you to get worse, I want you to do this for me, if you do it perfectly I promise you stability. Aristocrats unlike commoners have a code of ethics. You can only accept at this moment."
The girl put her mouth near her ear so she could hear, suddenly Airi's tears stopped to look at the girl in a terrified manner.
"S-something like that is..."
"You have no choice, unless you want my boys to have fun using those big tits of yours."
This time Airi gripped the wooden floor tightly, her nails broke and bled a lot.
In a painful tone, she said words that shattered her heart.
"Alright..."
The aristocratic girl smiled with a crescent moon on her face, with a snap, the servants and girls stopped and after an indication proceeded to leave there, she also headed to the door, not before looking at Airi in a destroyed room.
"I'm counting on you for tomorrow's thing, ah, and fix your nails and face so nothing is suspected. Goodbye. ♡"
As the door closed, there was only the sound of one person's breathing.
And then a sound of pain.
"Ahh... aah... AAAHHH!"
Airi let out a scream of pain, not at what happened, but at what she accepted, she gripped her head tightly while looking at the floor wet with her tears.
She let out a slight voice.
"Save me, Rudel-san... no..."
"Please, forgive me, Rudel-san...!"
No one could imagine that what was happening was actually the beginning of a game event, one that was unfortunately activated due to Erselica.
An event that would be a key piece in Airi's personal and spiritual growth. One, exactly similar with the exception that the aristocrat who harassed Airi was actually Alisa.
But the worst of all is that Liam wasn't there, with him around, Airi felt safe, but it was Rudel who occupied that position overshadowing all the growth, problems, and harassment she would have to go through to avoid breaking emotionally.
"Rudel-san, I'm so sorry!!"
The crying and tears echoed throughout the room.
Airi was about to enter an event without having met the minimum requirements to do so.
And now, she will pay the price for being happy alongside the villains.