Chapter 31

Nia Cynthia was assassinated.

This is the story that unfolds as we go through Act 4 of the Flame Butterfly chapter.

Act 4 is a breather episode where various characters get caught up with the heroines in some hilarious mishaps.

And that’s where the problem arises.

The method of Nia’s death isn’t recorded anywhere in the game.

And that’s not surprising at all.

What matters is the fact that Nia was assassinated and the reason behind it.

How exactly she was assassinated wasn’t at all important.

And that means…

“I have no clue how Nia got assassinated.”

If it were a mere matter of sending an assassin, we might consider poisoning, but…

Nia is a skilled royal magic knight actively working in that capacity.

The thought of her being taken out by an assassin was hard to imagine.

She must be aware of the risk her position carries and must always be on guard.

She would surely have some protective magic active at all times.

So if she were to be assassinated, what kind of method could possibly be used?

It’s already the second week since Nia came to the academy.

And still, I was completely at sea regarding her assassination.

To prevent it, I must know how it might happen.

But without any knowledge, what could I possibly do?

What’s more, Nia is a Magic Arts professor.

It’s not like I’d run into her often, being in the Martial Arts field.

“But then why.”

Why did Iris tell me that Nia was going to be assassinated?

“What’s she even trusting me for?”

The only time Iris and I had any interaction was back at the hospital.

Iris is positioned as the final boss.

Right now, I still felt way too inadequate to get involved with her.

“If that’s what she said considering Hanon’s surrounding environment…”

That makes even less sense.

Hanon is, after all, affiliated with the 1st Prince.

If Iris knew this, she’d be inadvertently revealing the weaknesses of the 3rd Princess faction.

That would be a bad move for her.

“Then perhaps she’s based her words on my actions so far.”

The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t understand.

I wanted to just go up and ask Iris directly, but…

Iris isn’t someone you can approach that easily.

Let alone whether she’d even provide an answer.

“If Iris calculated she could prevent the assassination in her own way…”

But I couldn’t figure out what that could possibly be.

Am I possibly overlooking something related to Nia’s assassination from my actions at the academy?

“At least give me a hint on when the assassination might occur.”

Being vaguely informed only makes it more of a headache.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a wooden sword struck up under my chin.

I quickly leaned back and stepped aside, only to see the boy in front of me yawning loudly.

“You’re gonna get hit if you keep zoning out like that.”

Lazily brilliant, Ban.

Ban was currently my sparring partner.

Today was a free sparring training day.

If someone requests a bout, you have to accept, no matter who it is.

That was what today’s class was about.

So, I called for a duel with Ban.

His fierce swordsmanship is an experience I’ve grown accustomed to absorbing over and over.

That’s why I asked Ban for a match.

“Sorry, I’ve been distracted. Can’t focus.”

“Hmm, but you usually take training seriously. Something big must be going on.”

Ban kindly understood my situation.

He’s a pretty generous guy, in many ways.

“Speaking of which, I heard you’ve been training with Isabel recently.”

I straightened my posture and launched a strike with my hand.

Ban skillfully deflected my strike with his wooden sword.

“Yeah, she asked me directly.”

“How’s it going? Any signs of progress?”

“Isabel was good from the start. She’s had a few bad habits, but she’s fixed a lot of them lately.”

Looks like Isabel’s getting a lot stronger.

“And her willpower is different now.”

Ban looked at me thoughtfully.

It seemed he was hinting at who the cause might be.

“I’ve been having that thought lately.”

Once again, my strike and Ban’s wooden sword collided.

“I was wondering if what you said to Isabel might’ve been intentional.”

“I just said that because I was dissatisfied.”

“Even if that’s the case, you’ve been really harsh on Isabel.”

Why is it that geniuses are all so perceptive?

It seems like Ban’s conclusion came from his position of observing from a step back.

“Are you actually friends with Isabel?”

Ban figured I wouldn’t have had any reason to make Isabel upset.

“Not at all.”

There is some kind of link, though.

A connection built over time through gaming.

But I can’t exactly explain that.

“I see.”

Ban and I stepped back from each other.

Since the battle with the forest guardian,

I had gotten a lot more accustomed to using my body.

I’ve been getting increasingly amazed by Bickamon’s natural talent.

If he had started relying on his body from the beginning instead of magic, Bickamon could have achieved great things.

That also meant I had become more accustomed to using my own body.

Now I had certainly surpassed my peak.

I have no idea how far I could grow.

“I have to get stronger to lead the story instead of Lucas.”

I’ll need to keep putting in the effort.

“Isabel is going to get very strong in the future.”

And the characters taking on significant roles in the story will be the same.

“I feel a bit bad for Isabel, but in a way, it’s because of Lucas that her talents were buried.

Now, it’s finally coming to light.”

Even Ban thinks highly of Isabel’s potential.

A true main heroine of the Flame Butterfly chapter.

I hope she continues to grow without any mishaps.

“You need to be prepared so you won’t get taken out either.”

Isabel is living with the determination to defeat me and get revenge for the way Lucas treated her.

Because of that, I absolutely cannot lose to Isabel.

No matter what happens, I need to win and burn the source of her fury.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ban and I finished our duel.

Many children continued to request matches with Ban afterwards.

Ban had recently started seriously training with swords again.

For a student at Jerion Academy, where becoming stronger is paramount, there could be no better partner than that.

So now everyone was lining up to challenge Ban.

Among them was Isabel.

She, who hadn’t even glanced at me, requested a duel with Ban.

“Don’t those two look good together?”

“Could spring finally be arriving for Isabel?”

I overheard the girls chatting from afar.

According to Sharine, it seems Ban and Isabel have been hanging out quite a bit lately.

“Spring, huh.”

Would it be okay if Isabel liked Ban?

As long as she has a reason to keep living, I wouldn’t mind at all.

“Princess Sweet Potato, let’s duel. I’ll show you today who really is superior.”

Just then, Seron rushed in.

My thoughts got complicated again.

Let’s just deal with Seron and toss aside the mess.

* * *

After scolding Seron until he cried, I left feeling refreshed.

Seeing Seron run off vowing revenge cheered me up.

For my mental health, how about I make sure to make Seron cry at least once a day?

That sounds like a pretty good idea.

Having gotten accustomed to moving on, I made my way to the student council room.

I opened the door with a creak, and saw two familiar faces.

“Hey, junior, you’re here!”

The vice president, Nikita, greeted me with a cheerful smile.

In front of her was another familiar face.

The moment that face saw me, it scrunched up.

Nia Cynthia.

She was Nikita’s older brother.

That guy has quite the expression.

“Are you joining the student council this time, Professor Nia Cynthia?”

Since it seemed like she has been visiting the student council room almost daily lately, I asked casually.

“I’m just here to visit Nikita.”

How bold of her to say she came to see her sister like that.

Her love for her sister is remarkable.

I approached Nikita and got my tasks for the day from her.

Nikita had gotten comfortable enough with me to hand out my tasks easily.

Nia’s eyes were boring into me.

She looked displeased with how naturally I was interacting with Nikita without any exchanges.

“Staring like that, my face might just get bored.”

“Getting bored wouldn’t be so bad.”

It looks like she still isn’t happy with me.

“By the way, Professor, have you felt like someone’s been watching you or felt threatened lately?”

I tried prodding her a bit regarding the assassination, and Nia tilted her head.

“People watching is something that always happens, and as for threats, maybe the love letters and a doll made of hair would qualify.”

I heard something I probably shouldn’t have.

Love can be scary.

Is that the kind of thing nobles have to deal with?

“And there’s always someone who makes me feel threatened.”

Nia smiled brightly at me.

Could the assassin actually be me?

“Onii-chan, why are you so mean to just junior?”

Nikita scolded Nia.

Despite everything, I couldn’t just watch as she constantly picked at what I said.

“N-Nikita?”

Nia seemed shocked that Nikita defended me instead of her.

“Junior always helps me out. Even though you must be busy training yourself, you still come here on purpose.”

It was a hint to cut back on the bullying a little.

But Nia couldn’t shake her surprised expression.

Nia turned to me with a trembling face.

“Th-that guy has ill intentions towards you.”

She said with a hint of reluctance.

As Nikita blinked her large eyes, she turned to look at me.

When our eyes met, I gave a thumbs-up.

“Yes, I still do.”

“See!”

Nia shouted hotly, while Nikita sighed long and loudly.

“Junior often talks like that but doesn’t mean it.”

And above all, junior isn’t my type.

If he grows just a bit more, I might consider it.”

A 2nd confession, 4th rejection.

“W-what?”

But Nia looked like she was lost in another thought.

I politely bowed my head toward Nia.

“Onii-chan, Nikita-senpai for me.”

“Shut up!”

I was scolded.

It looks like Nia didn’t want to leave us alone.

But she looked like she was hit with shock and couldn’t stay in the room anymore.

“I… I’ll be going now.”

Nia wobbled her way out the door.

Watching her leave, Nikita let out a small sigh.

“She used to be such a great brother, but she’s acting strange lately.”

“Isn’t that because she cares for Nikita so much?”

“That’s true. I haven’t had a great reputation in the family, but I’ve been able to do what I wanted thanks to my brother.”

Nikita should have grown up only to be a pawn in a political marriage.

But Nia, the heir who would later lead the duke’s family, took care of Nikita at every turn.

She even went as far as negotiating directly with the elders of the duke’s family.

If she didn’t let her younger sister do what she wanted, she’d turn everything upside down, even the succession.

That’s how much Nia cherished Nikita.

Nikita smiled slightly as she remembered the past.

“It must have been because of that responsibility Mother spoke of before she passed away.”

Nikita’s mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to her.

Therefore, during that time, her mother had said:

That her older brother, Nia, should take good care of Nikita.

Nia promised to uphold those words for a lifetime and changed into a devoted older brother.

“What a good brother.”

“Yeah, sometimes it goes a bit too far.”

Nikita said with that and went back to her work.

Just as much as Nia cares for Nikita,

I could see how much Nikita cares for Nia too.

Watching that, I couldn’t help but think of how Nikita would fall into despair at Nia’s death.

Could I remain silent about that?

I had no idea.