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Chapter 95

After a moment of contemplation.

It’s called the trolley dilemma, right?

If you can save five people by killing one, is that the right thing to do?

Everyone can come up with their own conclusion, but no one can definitively say it’s the correct answer.

That’s what a dilemma is.

Then, let me ask again.

If you can save tens of thousands of innocent people by killing one evil person, what about that?

**- Of course, it’s the right thing to do.**

…Yeah. I think so too.

—-

I tried hard to suppress my killing intent and averted my gaze from Empress Isabella.

She’s sensitive to hostility… and my murderous aura is way too thick.

It wasn’t the time to reveal it yet.

If she found out that I harbored deep hostility toward her, not just as a political rival, her guard would only grow stronger.

Following Isabella, three members of the imperial family walked in side by side.

Leopold, with a light smile. Ernst, with a stiff expression.

And Leonor, who recognized me and winked in my direction.

The two princes were dressed in imperial formal attire, but Leonor, despite it being an official banquet, was in her knight uniform.

As a princess, she should’ve been wearing a dress… but it seems everyone has given up on trying to control her.

Well, who could stop a stubborn person even the Emperor has given up on?

The Emperor, receiving the nobles’ greetings, walked to the head of the banquet hall and turned to look down at the crowd.

“…Everyone, raise your heads.”

His voice sounds like he’s on the verge of death.

I didn’t expect Emperor Ferdinand to be in this state already.

I guess the burning of the capital left quite a mental scar on him.

Whether this is a good thing… or a bad thing, I still don’t know.

The nobles slowly straightened their posture.

The Emperor continued with difficulty, each word slow and trembling.

“Today… is a joyous day as the capital has finally regained its former glory… Everyone, forget your worries… and enjoy the banquet.”

With those words, the Emperor slumped into the throne.

Following him, Isabella, standing beside the throne, spread her arms and gave a speech.

“Thank you all for gathering here today. As His Majesty said, this banquet is to celebrate the revival of the capital, so please, with your enthusiasm and joy, bestow blessings and vitality upon the heart of the Empire that has risen once more.”

Her voice was like a lake filled with honey.

Sweet and fragrant, but once you step in, the sticky mess will trap your legs, and you’ll slowly sink into the swamp.

The banquet began.

—-

To the melody of the orchestra, pairs of nobles filled the central hall, spinning and dancing.

A strange heat filled the venue.

Men and women who locked eyes exchanged mysterious smiles.

Whether it’s lust or affection.

I leaned against a wall and watched the scene.

I didn’t dance. I didn’t even plan to…

Because if my veil were to slip while spinning, I had a feeling those laughter and cheers would turn into screams of horror.

Imagine a tiger joining the dance among the people.

…That actually sounds kind of fun.

The image of a tiger gracefully tapping its feet to a waltz popped into my head, and I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

I left the role of Freide’s dance partner to Nigel.

Nigel looked momentarily flustered but then nodded solemnly.

Watching him dance, I could roughly guess why he hesitated.

He looked a bit clumsy, after all.

Nigel doesn’t seem used to this kind of thing either.

After stepping on Freide’s foot once, Nigel wore the expression of a criminal who had committed a grave sin.

Freide whispered something to comfort her.

Thank goodness it wasn’t me; if I had stepped on her, she’d have to hop on one leg until she healed.

Empress Isabella sat beside the Emperor, and Leopold danced with a girl who looked about sixteen.

The daughter of Duke Bien, perhaps.

Since they’ve given up on the plan to engage her to me, it seems they’re targeting Duke Bien now.

A wise decision.

Two of the five Electors already support Ernst, so they need to win over the remaining three.

Ludwig is clearly on Leopold’s side, and while Faelun claims neutrality, considering the Second Prince Karl’s activities in the north…

It’s likely they’ll eventually support Leopold.

If they can pull in Duke Bien, it might just work.

They’ve thrown out the imperial unwritten rule of not marrying into the Electors’ bloodlines for political alliances.

Well, when it’s a matter of life and death, worrying about unwritten rules is just foolish.

The girl dancing with Ernst… I don’t know who she is. I’ve never seen her before.

Which means she’s not a high-ranking noble.

Isabella won’t like that.

While Leopold is building connections with the daughters of Electors, her son is busy with some useless girl.

Leonor didn’t dance.

I had a feeling when she showed up in her knight uniform.

She tossed aside all imperial traditions and just stood at the corner of the dais, arms crossed, looking down at the banquet hall.

“Not planning to dance, Princess Ai-shan Gi-or?”

After watching for a while, a woman approached and spoke to me.

Her voice felt oddly familiar.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties.

Is it possible?

A woman with purple hair tied up in a purple dress. Her lazy-looking eyes were strangely alluring.

She was covering her mouth with a fancy fan, but the upper part of her face that was revealed looked quite familiar.

Familiar enough to immediately recognize the source of the déjà vu.

Well, it made sense. If Ophelia were about seven years older, she’d probably look like this.

Claire van Sigmilus.

A prominent noble of the Ernst faction, and practically Isabella’s right-hand woman.

In the original story, she disappeared after losing a duel to Ophelia.

“…Lady Sigmilus.”

“Oh my, you know me? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Claire van Sigmilus. Please call me Claire.”

Claire gracefully extended her hand.

Is she approaching me at this point? I can’t figure out her intentions. Well, I should at least greet her.

I gently grasped her slender fingers, brought them to the veil-covered area near my mouth, and lightly kissed them while bowing slightly.

The scent of perfume mixed with a faint smell of medicine and blood.

The typical scent of a female magician lingered faintly on my fingertips.

“I’m Hachalr Median Ai-shan Gi-or. I’ve occasionally seen a lady from the Sigmilus family at the academy, so I recognized you at a glance, Miss Claire. You two seem to resemble each other quite a bit.”

“Are you talking about Ophelia? She’s my adorable little sister. She suddenly entered the academy, so it’s been quite a while since I last saw her… I wonder how she’s doing these days.”

She’s doing just fine. Driving the instructors crazy with her laid-back attitude.

Of course, deep down, she’s probably grinding her teeth at you.

By the way, that outfit looks similar to the dress Ophelia wore during her entrance exam.

No, actually, it’s more like Ophelia was the one dressing similarly to Claire.

Even though she hates her sister, she still dresses like her? What a puzzling personality.

“From what I’ve seen from afar, she seems to be doing well.”

“That’s a relief. No matter how busy her studies are, it would be nice if she visited the family occasionally. I miss her.”

Well, isn’t it because of you that she doesn’t come?

People would think you’re such a loving older sister.

“First-year students are at a stage where they need to focus on learning. I’m sure Ophelia misses you too.”

“I hope so… By the way, it’s such a rare ball, why are you standing here alone?”

“If I were to join them, the people around would be shocked.”

Everyone around would either step back or freeze, turning it into my own solo performance.

And then I’d have to dance a dance I don’t even know how to do?

Just thinking about it gives me chills.

“The hero who saved the citizens of the capital, and they’re afraid of you? Surely not.”

“Aren’t you afraid of me, Miss Claire?”

“Should I be? You’re such a dashing knight.”

Claire took a subtle step closer. Close enough that her sweet, peach-like scent became more distinct.

She’s really laying it on thick, even with someone of the same gender.

Did Isabella tell her to do this? To approach me?

“It’s right to be afraid. Respect stems from fear. Without fear, it’s hard to expect proper manners. Especially for an outsider like me.”

I replied in a stiff tone, keeping my distance.

Yeah. If those nobles weren’t afraid of me, they’d probably see me as prey and approach me.

Just like you’re doing now.

Though being so afraid that they panic is a problem in itself…

“Is that so…? I’m not sure.”

Claire smiled like a fox.

As if you don’t know.

Looking at the emperor, who’s lost all his charisma, sitting over there like a mere decoration.

“Miss Claire, may I ask why you’re not participating in the ball? Unlike me, I’m sure there are many who would be honored to be chosen as your partner.”

“Hehe… What a delightful compliment. Normally, that would be the case, but I’ve already given away my first dance to someone else today.”

Claire glanced toward Ernst. More precisely, toward the lady laughing and dancing with him.

So, she was originally planning to dance with Ernst.

Behind the fan, I could sense the hostility she was trying to hide.

Just from her gaze, it feels like she wants to hand that woman over to Isabella.

But as long as Ernst is involved, she wouldn’t dare act on it without Isabella’s orders.

“I see. Still, finding a new partner shouldn’t have been too difficult.”

“Hmm, I just didn’t feel like it. I wonder why? Perhaps it was fate that I’d meet such a charming knight like you.”

…Isn’t that a bit too blatant?

Academy’s Barbarian

Academy’s Barbarian

아카데미에 오랑캐가 입학했다
Score 7
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2022 Native Language: Korean
I possessed a character from a game I played. And to top it all off, I get to be a female warrior of a barbarian tribe with a bad ending. I have to escape.

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