No matter how much I considered everyone around as "my friends," the thoughts of these "friends" were naturally different from one another. Even if they seed close on the surface, sharing jokes and conversations when I was around, they would often fall silent the mont I left the scene.
It wasn’t because they had bad relationships with one another, but because their connections had been forged through . What they knew about each other ca solely from what they had learned through . In such cases, people instinctively beco cautious about their words, avoiding unnecessary conflicts that could strain their relationships with .
This kind of awkwardness wouldn’t disappear until they genuinely considered themselves friends without my diation.
Of course, not every situation was like this.
"Why were you following the princess?"
"I told you, I wasn’t following her."
Sotis, people could dislike each other for no apparent reason, or misunderstandings could sour a relationship from the start.
And in such cases, the most inconvenienced person was . If one of them made an irredeemable mistake, I could simply cut ties. But when their falling out stemd from sothing trivial, I found myself uncomfortably stuck in the middle.
Luckily, Jake and Lottie weren’t part of such a pre-existing conflict before I got to know them.
After finishing my conversation with Jake and Lottie, I hadn’t gone far from the terrace when I found Sophia and Lena bickering.
Sophia, at least "officially," was a noble from Belvur, with an established status. Lena, on the other hand, hailed from a far-off land compared to Belvur’s position in the empire. While not directly across the empire, Belvur was in the east, and Lena’s holand, the Ricland Autonomous State, was in the north. The distance was far from insignificant.
The autonomous state wasn’t a country with a grand monarchy or a long history. As the na "autonomous state" implied, it didn’t have much of a voice on the international stage, likely serving as a puppet for the empire’s interests.
Lena had co to the academy to observe and the empire’s movents. However, since Lena herself seed friendly toward , Belvur regarded her as a suspicious outsider, no different from any other imperial citizen.
There was even a servant standing in the corridor, probably to keep an eye on her. Though the servant didn’t interfere in their argunt, their presence spoke volus.
"I hear my na being ntioned. What’s going on here?"
Since I had planned to talk to both of them anyway, I approached them directly and asked. Sophia’s expression briefly flashed with unease at my voice, while Lena continued glaring at her.
"This one here has been following the princess."
"I told you it wasn’t following…."
Sophia repeated her defense, but the sharpness in her voice had diminished slightly, likely due to my presence.
So, she was following .
That was the conclusion I reached in my mind, though I didn’t let it show on my face.
Honestly, Sophia wasn’t the only one I suspected of following . Lena wouldn’t have run into Sophia like this if she hadn’t been trailing too.
Keeping my expression neutral, I said, "Well, this works out nicely. I was planning to et both of you anyway."
At that, both of their gazes turned to . Sophia’s unease flickered again, while Lena’s expressionless face betrayed a faint sparkle in her eyes.
Lena’s admiration for hadn’t waned. If anything, it seed to deepen as ti went on. And why wouldn’t it? Every ti she saw in action, enemies would fall like dominoes.
Sophia likely felt the sa. While she could undoubtedly defeat in a straightforward duel, she had witnessed take down an entire squad of knights the previous night. Even if my victory relied on ti manipulation, the outco was undeniable. Her wariness was understandable.
"Both of you, follow ."
I spoke before either could voice any objections, eager to avoid the hassle of arranging separate etings with them.
There was no need to go to either of their rooms. Those weren’t their usual quarters, so visiting them wouldn’t reveal anything noteworthy.
I started walking without waiting for a response, and after a brief pause, I heard footsteps following . Judging by the timing, Sophia’s steps were likely the later ones.
The walk to my room was long enough to sort my thoughts.
*
"Neither of you are citizens of the empire."
There was no response to my opening statent.
I had gone through the trouble of brewing tea and setting a cup before each of them, but neither seed in the mood to drink.
Sophia sat stiffly, visibly tense since the mont she entered the room. Lena, on the other hand, exuded a sharp energy, as if she were keeping a close watch on Sophia.
I considered addressing their attitudes but decided against it. Better to let the conversation smooth things over naturally—or so I hoped.
…It turned out that hope was overly optimistic.
"So, there’s no need for either of you to do any favors. While you may hold the status of academy students and have been treated as cadets of the empire until now, I can’t ask you to abandon your identities or beliefs."
Neither of them responded, but their eyes were fixed on .
"Lena, you ca here as an exchange student from the autonomous state. It might have been a mistake to involve you so deeply in imperial matters. As a re student, you’ve been dragged into things far beyond your scope."
Lena’s expression suggested she wanted to say sothing, but I quickly continued to preempt her.
"Given your position as a student and your parents’ standing, it’s clear that your nation has certain expectations of you. However, I must ask you to keep what happens next confidential. Doing so may even go against your nation’s interests."
"…"
Hearing this, Lena seed hesitant to give the imdiate agreent I was looking for.
Whether her parents had explicitly told her to monitor or not was unclear. But the very fact that she had been sent to study in the empire suggested their intent. Maybe they subtly probed her during school breaks, or perhaps they outright instructed her to report on .
Lena was earnest and loyal, but I couldn’t be sure she’d defy her parents’ orders. Unlike the main characters of the original ga, I didn’t have the luxury of seeing what Lena did when I wasn’t looking. She was an original character who never appeared in the ga.
Still, my intention wasn’t to say, I can’t bring you because secrecy is too important.
"I need strength, and the people who provide that strength must be those I can trust. Lena, you are soone I trust. This is an unreasonable request, but will you help ?"
Lena’s abilities were unquestionably reliable. She wasn’t just playing a role—she had observed my combat style up close and adapted it into her own.
Having her support in battle would be invaluable.
If possible, I wanted her by my side in the final monts.
Besides, even if she shared the emperor’s plans with others, would it really matter?
The nobles of Belvur already had a general understanding of the situation. And even if the autonomous state learned about it, they wouldn’t be able to act militarily against the empire—not after witnessing the bombardnts along the border.
Could the emperor have planned all this with that in mind?
I couldn’t dismiss the possibility.
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