Episode 134

A few days later.

Back again in the Academy headmaster’s office.

Whether it was fortunate or not, Ismail—as always—completed the task I gave him quickly and thoroughly.

“Looks like he’s being bullied.”

“Whaaat?!”

I was horrified at what I heard.

Who in their right mind would dare mess with a Kallios—someone so powerful he could strike down even a flying bird?

“W-Who is it?”

“The main guy’s some kid named Danvers Campbell. He’s a year above Joshua and takes the same business class.”

Business studies was Joshua’s major, so it was the class he attended most often.

Which meant he was constantly running into that jerk.

“Danvers Campbell… Danvers Campbell…”

I muttered the name Ismail gave me with a voice like a blade.

Ismail, watching me with a somewhat startled expression, scolded me.

“Don’t go around glaring like you’re about to kill someone. Seriously, it’s scary sometimes.”

I’d gotten those kinds of reactions countless times in my past life because of my bright red eyes, so I didn’t take it seriously.

Not that I could say they were always misunderstandings, either.

I ignored Ismail’s comment and asked again,

“Danvers Campbell… why does that name sound familiar?”

“He’s the eldest son of Count Campbell. Cousin to the Second Prince—technically, the Empress’s nephew.”

“Ah.”

With that, I grasped the situation immediately.

The Second Prince, who was the same age as Ismail, didn’t attend the Academy regularly due to health issues.

…Though whether it was truly about his health was anyone’s guess.

So of course, in the prince’s absence, his cousin had been running wild like a fish in water.

‘Still, who does this extra think he is—messing with a Kallios?’

As I clenched my teeth, staring at the ceiling in rage, Ismail added in a calming tone,

“Well, it’s not like it’s that severe yet, so don’t worry too much.”

“He came home with bruises the other day.”

“He did? From what I saw these past few days, he’s been paying up before getting dragged to the trash heap.”

Ismail shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

And true, the injuries Joshua had a few days ago weren’t exactly extreme.

If I hadn’t looked closely at his face, I might’ve missed them altogether.

But hearing that he had been handing over money just to avoid beatings didn’t exactly put my mind at ease.

‘So I was right. He did go to that pawn shop the other day…!’

Once I got home, I’d have to ask the maid in charge of Joshua’s room if any accessories had gone missing.

And as I was mentally plotting how to absolutely destroy that Danvers—or whatever-his-name-was—

“So, what are you going to do now?”

Ismail suddenly asked.

“You know as well as I do—me using my powers won’t change much.”

“……”

“Besides, our class schedules are way too different, so there’s a limit to how much I can keep watch.”

He was absolutely right.

Ismail’s power wasn’t brainwashing, so even if he stopped the bullying once, it wouldn’t last.

And the academy restricted access to classroom areas—only students and faculty could go in.

Which meant we couldn’t just assign Joshua a bodyguard or a servant to keep an eye on him.

Thinking deeply, I muttered ominously to myself:

“…Guess there’s only one solution after all.”

“What solution?”

“Bear-kicking duty.”

Ismail’s eyes widened with alarm at my response.

“Wait—you’re not seriously going to—?”

He hesitated, lips parting in disbelief.

Yeah. He was definitely thinking what I was thinking.

I gave him a wide grin, one that sent shivers down anyone who’d seen it before.

“When words don’t work, fists will.”

* * *

A few days later.

I left the Academy headmaster’s office after parting ways with Ismail, who had another class to attend.

It had taken quite a bit of effort to shake off the headmaster and faculty, who insisted on personally giving me a full tour of the academy.

I deliberately wandered only through the quiet areas where there were no students, exploring the wide school grounds.

Fortunately, since it was still before lunch, not many students were out and about.

The business department building, where Joshua would be, was deeper inside the campus—unfortunately, out of my view.

‘What kind of command would scare them the most?’

Standing in the middle of the wide lawn, I racked my brain on how best to terrorize Danvers Campbell and his lackeys.

Teddy bear was useful, but giving the right command could be surprisingly tricky.

Unlike seven years ago when I saved Ismail, this time I was dealing with noble brats, so I had to be extra cautious.

To completely shut their mouths, I had to choose my words carefully.

As I pondered—

“…Belze?”

A chilling voice called out from behind me.

Startled, I spun around.

Not far away, a familiar head of white hair swayed gently as she approached.

“Diana?”

“I wasn’t sure, but… it really is you, Belze, isn’t it?”

I looked at Diana as she came toward me and let out a silent sigh.

‘Right. She enrolled in the academy too.’

I’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of avenging Joshua that I completely forgot the heroine was here too.

Wearing her neatly pressed uniform, Diana looked just as pure and lovely as she had in the previous life.

I could feel the eyes of the few nearby students starting to turn our way.

And not just students—there were two girls beside her…

No, wait. More like her maids or peers.

The beloved heroine who charms wherever she goes—and the dramatic encounter with the jealous villainess who resents her.

If this were my past life, it would’ve been the perfect confrontation.

But sadly, in this life, the villainess standing next to the heroine barely had any presence at all.

“Who’s that, Diana?”

“Belze? That name sounds familiar…”

The girls beside her eyed me curiously, probably wondering about this girl in casual clothes.

“She’s a friend of mine, sponsored by House Kallios.”

Diana offered a vague explanation, mentioning me casually without even saying my name.

But even that half-hearted introduction was enough to make the girls’ eyes go wide in recognition.

“Oh! She’s that…!”

“You’re Belze from Belze Beauty Salon, aren’t you?! Wow, no way! It’s so cool to meet you! I’m Sara Travel, daughter of Baron Travel. My father used to be a high judge…”

Now that they knew who I was, the girls all rushed to greet me.

It was honestly kind of shocking.

“She’s here again?”

“Outsiders aren’t even allowed in. Just because she’s sponsored by a duke’s house doesn’t mean she should cross the line.”

“Diana, are you okay?! Why is she always…!”

Just like in this life, I hadn’t enrolled in the academy in my past life either.

Actually, I hadn’t been able to.

After failing the entrance exam spectacularly, I gave up completely.

The Duke offered to get me in through donation admission if I wanted, but I firmly refused.

Back then, my foolish self didn’t see the need for an education.

And even without enrolling, I could freely come and go with the title of “the girl sponsored by the Duke.”

Maybe it was the story’s meddling, or maybe it was my own desire to see Edwin…

But in my past life, I had constantly snuck into the academy whenever I could.

And every time I did, I ran into Diana.

Even when I did nothing, my reputation naturally plummeted.

Meanwhile, sympathy and support for Diana continued to grow.

All the socializing and networking she’d built up since childhood had created an enormous gap between us later on.

And at the time, I had no idea that anything about that was wrong.

“W-What brings you here?”

Seeing her friends act so friendly toward me, Diana hurriedly spoke up.

“You got permission from the staff before entering, right? This place isn’t really open to outsiders…”

She looked at me with concerned eyes.

Too many times had I seen that look to mistake it—it was the kind of worry used as a subtle jab.

“Well…”

I nodded vaguely.

Diana added in a tone that was half reminder, half warning:

“If someone sees you and says something, just tell them you came on an errand from the Duke’s house. That you brought something for Young Master Joshua.”

Her words irritated me a little.

‘Does she really think I’m a servant?’

To be fair, I had used that excuse in the past to visit Edwin, so a tiny bit of guilt poked at me too.

‘If I blow up right here, I’ll be instantly branded the villainess, huh?’

With a sigh, I glanced sideways at the two girls watching us with obvious curiosity.

“Diana, are you on your way to class?”

“Yeah!”

“I see.”

“It would’ve been great if you enrolled too, Belze. It’s such a shame…”

Diana puffed out her cheeks adorably.

To a stranger, she would’ve looked like someone genuinely flustered by disappointment.

But the words she spoke were nothing but scratches to my pride.

“You’re going to study again and retake the entrance exam next year, right?”

“Huh.”

The girls quickly covered their mouths and exchanged glances at the clear implication that I had failed the entrance exam.

‘Not a single peaceful day, huh…’

I’d long given up trying to understand Diana’s subtle way of speaking.

But that didn’t mean I planned to just take it quietly.

I looked at Diana and smiled.

“I didn’t take the entrance exam.”

“Huh? Why not…?”

“Didn’t really feel the need to.”

“What…”

At my words, Diana and her two sidekicks tilted their heads in confusion.

Anyone who could afford the tuition would want to get into the academy.

They couldn’t seem to understand what I meant by not even taking the exam.

But it was true—I simply didn’t feel the need to.

It wasn’t that I’d shunned studying like in my past life, but I wasn’t passionate about academics either.

And I had no reason to force myself into enrolling and clashing with the heroine repeatedly, defying the original story.

“Director! So this is where you were! Goodness…”

Just then, the headmaster and staff I had left behind came rushing in from behind Diana.

They bowed their heads toward me after sprinting over.

“Headmaster, I’ve decided.”

I turned to look at the balding middle-aged man at the front of the group.

“Huh? D-Decided what…”

“The building for the swimming pool commemorating my enrollment.”

Unlike Diana’s expectations, I still felt no need to take the entrance exam.

Now that I could freely use Teddy bear—

I had just come up with the most effective way to deal with the punks who bullied Joshua.

Looking around the vast lawn, I smiled and said,

“This spot would be perfect.”

I might as well just enroll myself.