“I’m going to protect my friends~!”
Pastel walked confidently through the trading district. Crowds gathered on both sides of the street.
“With popularity comes responsibility!”
She spun around and raised her arms high.
“Yay~!”
Behind the lively pink-haired girl, about 200 gloomy soldiers followed. They were fully armed, complete with rifles at their hips.
As she walked, Pastel casually glanced back to assess her numbers.
A reassuring amount of personnel.
Is this the achievement of smuggling that started when we barely had enough to eat?
Proud!
“Everyone! Let’s give it our best!”
She waved one arm and cheered.
The tense-faced soldiers hesitated, unsure if they should respond to the only excited Viscount.
Huh.
Have they all become dull from eating sword rations on the battlefield? Or is it just military discipline?
Max, the head of the guard unit, approached with a similarly tense expression. He then spoke in a low voice.
“Are we really going to ambush the Academy like this? While our regular forces aren’t large and are vulnerable to surprise attacks, the Academy is fundamentally a training ground for officers. If a crisis strikes, the senior students will convert to soldier status in no time.”
Wha?
There’s a serious atmosphere and topic.
Anyone would think we’re up to no good.
Looking around, the bystanders seemed suspicious of Max’s anxious expression and quiet voice.
This can’t be happening, this can’t be!
At this rate, I’ll be misunderstood as a bad kid!
That misunderstanding is more than enough for the devil alone!
Pastel boldly shouted.
“Ambush? We’re going to protect our friends, the students!”
She spread her arms wide as if to be heard by the crowd in the bustling streets of Sky Island.
“The current situation at the Academy is too chaotic! With the Chancellor gone and a terrorism plot discovered, we are facing internal and external crises, yet we are just having repeated faculty meetings without addressing it properly!”
She clenched her fists vigorously.
“Everything is wrong! We can’t protect the innocent students who just want to focus on their studies!”
She pointed back at the soldiers.
“So we’re stepping in to sort out the chaos and protect the students! Before a bigger tragedy happens!”
Pastel paused mid-speech, suddenly realizing the implications of her words.
I’m going to sort out the chaotic current system with my soldiers and make it peaceful. Trust me, I have no bad intentions.
Eep.
Now that I say it, it sounds like something a rebellious coup would say.
Pastel gaped like a baby bird.
I just thought the Academy’s guard was lacking, so I ignored the rules like a bad kid and planned to reinforce the soldiers to protect my friends. How did such a heinous statement come out of my mouth?
Could it be that I’ve become so used to standing over the devil that my speech has gotten worse too?
Ah!
Devil!
Why did you raise me like this…!
Max lowered his head with a serious expression.
“Understood, Your Excellency. Given that as the trading guild expands, a clash with the Academy that manages Sky Island is inevitable. Right now, while the Academy is unprepared, might be the perfect time.”
“What?”
I suddenly feel like I’ve been appointed as the instigator of a coup.
“That’s not what I meant…!”
Pastel floundered in panic.
“I’m just going to protect my friends! If a terrorist attack happens during the tournament, it’ll be hard to get help from the Knight Corps in a short time, so I want to increase our forces! I’ll even share some soldiers to protect the most at-risk Elcia, that is, my friend!”
Max’s expression turned understanding.
“Understood. We’ll be going to protect your friends, Your Excellency.”
Ah.
He gets it right away.
Phew.
Pastel sighed in relief.
I’ve returned from being the bad kid staging a coup against the Academy to being the good kid going to protect my friends.
Max surveyed the soldiers.
“We will infiltrate the Academy.”
“Yes!”
The soldiers responded in unison.
Infiltrate…?
Is there something off about the word choice?
“Um, you understood correctly, right?”
You’re not thinking of protecting friends as a convenient pretext, are you?
“Yes.”
Max confidently placed his hand on his chest and replied. He looked ready for battle.
Whoa!
He is reliable, but!
Somehow, it feels like a different kind of reliability…!
Ah!
Pastel trembled and startled at the intense gazes around her. The crowd was whispering intensely.
People who understood the situation explained to those who were bewildered, creating a chain reaction where earlier arrivals explained to the later ones.
The murmuring grew in number and intensity by the second.
Oh no.
Pastel’s body shook.
Shiver shiver.
I should feel good receiving so much attention, but why does it feel like this?
Because it’s a completely wrong misunderstanding!
I saw some of the viewers leaving to spread the surprising news.
“Oh no!”
I’ve completely lost control!
I’ve been certified as a bad kid across all of Sky Island!
Pastel flailed her hands in despair as her face gradually turned red. Steam was rising from her face, and tears were welling in her eyes.
I, I, I’m not that kind of bad kid!
But the words I said are true!
Ah!
Devil!
Why did you raise me like this!
It’s your fault, devil!
She shut her eyes tight and screamed with all her might.
“It’s a misunderstanding…!”
The whispers stopped, and all gazes turned to her. Then, a more intense whispering began.
The abandoned truth before an enticing falsehood.
An unstoppable spread.
Ah!
“I don’t know!”
Faced with this harsh reality, Pastel decided to run away.
She dashed away.
The pink-haired girl moved at incredible speed.
Max was surprised and chased after her.
“Follow the Viscount! From now on, it’s a race!”
The soldiers shouted, armed troops trailing behind the fleeing Viscount.
“Please believe me…!”
#
“Huff! Huff!”
After running madly, they arrived near the Academy, and Max exhaled, trying to catch his breath. The soldiers who followed were in the same state.
Pastel, whose body had quickly recovered beyond human limits, felt apologetic.
“Ah, I’m so sorry. I ran off without thinking.”
Max wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s alright, Your Excellency. It’s better not to give them time to prepare. We might have to fight the Academy’s guards, so we should take a moment to catch our breath.”
“F-fight.”
Pastel trembled, her face turning pale.
“That sort of thing won’t happen!”
Her hands flailed in the air.
“We’re going to protect our friend! Leading the kind Academy with kind soldiers to protect the kind students! Then we’ll have a nice and kind situation.”
Pastel spread three fingers and then beamed.
“Kindness multiplied by three!”
It’s completely heavenly.
Her pink eyes sparkled.
“There will absolutely be no fighting!”
Pastel confidently proclaimed.
But she couldn’t instill that confidence in those around her.
Max and the soldiers exchanged glances, deciding to dismiss Pastel’s delusional claims about kindness multiplied by three.
Even their subordinates’ doubts were set to serve the Craft family, already prepared for that.
There’s no way they’d genuinely think kindness multiplies three. Just remember the content about there being no fighting.
While they couldn’t conceive of a way to enter the sacred educational institution without conflict, it was roughly conceivable. They probably had a scheme in place. The Craft family was the best at scheming in the Empire.
Upon reaching the Academy’s main gate, they faced armed guards prepared for battle.
Max and the soldiers were not surprised at all, as they didn’t believe the ridiculous claims of kindness multiplied by three.
The one who knew best, however, was shaking in fear.
Ah!
Pastel turned pale.
Kindness minus three times!
Completely hellish!
Gulp.
The guards’ eyes were tense and wary.
They looked like they were facing off against troublemakers.
The rumors must have already spread.
The Academy’s chief guard stepped out from the main gate. He stopped at a distance and spoke with a stern face.
“No matter how much the Craft family invests, this place is a garden of learning and a cradle of martial arts. You cannot bring soldiers inside.”
A clear display of respect and formal speech.
It felt as if she had suddenly become an outsider instead of a student.
Pastel felt suffocated.
I-I just thought the Academy’s guard was lacking, so I brought my soldiers.
Max gazed at her with a resolute expression, the face of a warrior ready for battle.
He looks reliable but!
I don’t want him to look that reliable!
I don’t need that kind of face…!
Waaah.
Pastel waved her hands in the air.
“We came to increase the Academy’s guard for the tournament as the Student Council! Only for the safety of the students!”
The guard looked on silently. His expression seemed to be questioning if it was bothering to create such a plausible justification.
But it’s true?!
As the commotion grew, students and professors gathered at the main gate.
The professors gathered at the scene, panicking and hurriedly discussing when they saw Pastel and her contingent.
Among them, Professor Carlow seemed to lead the discussion like a representative, and then Professor Horace stepped forward and shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Didn’t you say you brought those troops as the Student Council? The oversight of the Student Council is my responsibility! Otherwise, are you mocking yourself right now?!”
As the discussion continued, it seemed a responsible party had been decided, as Professor Horace stepped forward. The guard stood aside as if addressing a supervisor.
The professors and students ceased their commotion and watched the situation. The main gate of the Academy was crowded but filled with an unprecedented silence.
Professor Horace opened his mouth with the dignified expression of a true educator of the sacred institution.
“Your Excellency, did you say you brought soldiers to increase the guard for the Student Council?”
Pastel turned pale in shock.
Ah!
I’m not a bad kid!
Trembling, she barely managed to answer.
“Y-yes.”
Professor Horace closed his eyes, savoring Pastel’s answer.
“As representatives of the faculty and students, such a bold action by the Student Council…”
The guard seemed to prepare for the next response, as did the professors, keeping a wary eye for any potential clash.
Pastel appeared as if she was about to pass out.
Professor Horace’s eyes flew open. Then he grinned.
“I think that’s an excellent intention! Hehe!”
Amid the silence, only his laughter echoed.
Huh?
The professors turned to glare at the betrayer with shocked expressions. Professor Horace, with the face of a true educator, shouted at the guards.
“What are you doing! The Viscount is about to enter, and you aren’t making way for him!”
As Pastel remained silent, Professor Horace came forward.
“Let’s go, Your Excellency!”
Pastel was led, dumbfounded. Armed troops followed. The soldiers passed through the gate and completely entered, overcoming the confused guards.
Professor Horace smiled broadly.
“Without bloodshed!”
With that statement as if the plan was complete, the professors and students stared wide-eyed at Pastel.
All eyes fully on Craft…!
Waaah!
Pastel shuddered late to the realization.
Senpai!
If even Senpai makes such remarks about a coup, my heart…
My heart…!
As Pastel silently called out in her mind, she suddenly hesitated.
Huh?
She glanced around.
The professors were glaring at Professor Horace, muttering unspoken curses. Since they couldn’t openly curse, it seemed there was no intent for armed resistance.
The guards seemed bewildered, but since the overseer had acknowledged it and they’d crossed the main gate, they likely weren’t thinking of a fight either.
As for the students, they were just Senpai and friends.
Oh?
Thinking about it, this situation didn’t seem bad at all.
After all, the school belongs to the students, and the representatives of the students are the Student Council.
And I am the Vice President of the Student Council, the Secretary, the Planning Head, the Public Relations Head, the Volunteer Head, and the Discipline Head.
A grin spread across her face.
“That’s right! It’s a peaceful entry! Just as I planned!”
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Hehe.
