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Chapter 231 [Illustration]

Then, the most unexpected event of all.

“I don’t know. Maybe to cause confusion or something? Well, that’s just an excuse for the teacher. I was simply bored,” said Charlotte. She had assassinated herself on the second night.

Charlotte had just thrown away the group mission.

But what about the importance of her Temple grades?

***

At night, when the assassinations were supposed to take place, Ellen and I had dinner and then trained, while Harriet, being bored, watched us train.

As we headed back, thinking of getting some rest, we found Charlotte calmly drinking tea in the sitting room of the mansion.

In the original storyline, Vertus was the one who assassinated himself. This time, Charlotte had been assigned to be an assassin instead of Dettomorian, and she was the one who assassinated herself.

The reason? Because she was bored.

Harriet was puzzled because she knew that Vertus and Charlotte had been designated as assassins, so it didn’t make sense to her that Charlotte would assassinate herself.

“But... Is that really okay for you?”

Although they would not have a decisive impact on the imperial succession, the Temple grades were still important.

“Win or lose, the profit is the same, isn’t it?” Charlotte said.

Her justification was that she was acting in this way—an assassin killing herself—to cause confusion.

Since Charlotte and Vertus had been leading the discussions so far, they were increasingly under suspicion. They were even exchanging blows, so to speak.

In such a situation, if Charlotte was assassinated, it would suggest that she wasn’t the assassin, and Vertus might also avoid suspicion.

‘Win or lose, the profit is the same...’

Both Charlotte and Vertus were on the same team this time.

‘So, in the end, she just dumped the responsibility onto Vertus, huh?’

She’d lost interest in the group mission and didn’t want to participate any further in it. And, by giving up, she could mess with Vertus as well.

So Charlotte just gave up.

Harriet seemed somewhat tense, while Ellen looked indifferent.

Charlotte was watching the two of them with a gentle smile. She really knew how to manage her image.

Charlotte looked like someone who was just about to reveal their true, enigmatic character.

“There’s a hot spring here. How about we take a bath together?” she suggested softly.

“Wh-What? With me?!” I exclaimed, startled by the sudden proposal.

“What?! Not with you, of course!” Charlotte shouted, her face turning red.

***

In the end, everyone who was present agreed to Charlotte’s proposal since they had all been planning to wash up and rest.

Reinhart intended to use the indoor hot spring, while Charlotte, Harriet, and Ellen headed to the open-air bath.

“Ugh. It’s cold.”

They wrapped long towels around their bodies and walked to the hot spring one by one. Harriet, fascinated by the open-air bath, shivered as she walked barefoot on the snowy ground before entering the bath.

The three of them entered the bath, maintaining a slight distance from each other.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Ellen seemed to be lost in thought, while Harriet appeared somewhat restless. Charlotte quietly observed the two of them.

None of them said a word.

Whenever she was faced with a situation where she had to win, Charlotte had always tried her best to win. For the first time, though, she had chosen of her own volition to give up in such a situation.

She was annoyed, and had lost interest in the group mission. If she gave up, Vertus would have to clean up the mess, and there was a part of her that had wanted to mess with him because of that. She thought it was more fun that way.

However, there were two main reasons why she’d ultimately gotten annoyed and lost interest in the group mission.

Charlotte looked at those two.

Ellen Artorius...

The younger sister of the hero, Ragan Artorius, and predicted to be more talented than the hero himself. She had already set an example by stepping onto the path toward superhuman ability on her own. Although Reinhart had soon followed as another example, his level was not comparable to Ellen’s.

Harriet de Saint-Ouen...

The heir to the prestigious magic nation, the Duchy of Saint-Ouen, and the greatest talent in the history of that great family. She was born with unparalleled talent in all areas of magic, which required significant financial resources. She would continue to grow endlessly with the support of her family.

It was no exaggeration to suggest that these two would reach the pinnacle of their respective fields on the continent in the future.

The pinnacle of superhuman ability, and the pinnacle of magic...

‘But these two can’t seem to live without Reinhart,’ Charlotte thought.

It was a funny thing.

Reinhart’s individual background was quite insignificant. Yet, within less than a year, Reinhart had managed to make these two geniuses, who could be considered the future of the empire, his people.

It didn’t seem intentional, but that was how things had ended up.

He appeared to be living recklessly, yet everything he did turned out well in the end.

Reinhart... Would it be an exaggeration to say that the future of the continent lay in Reinhart’s hands?

Reinhart claimed to be her friend, and Charlotte thought so too.

She regarded Reinhart as her friend, but she wasn’t like these two, who were so fixated on Reinhart.

She wouldn’t give up on a group mission just because Reinhart wasn’t there.

However, given that she lost interest and ended up here after Reinhart’s elimination, it did seem true that his absence was the reason that she’d lost interest in the mission.

‘What about me? Am I one of Reinhart’s people? No... What am I saying? This is ridiculous.’

Wondering whether or not Reinhart was one of her people would be the right thing to ponder instead.

By that logic, though, regarding Harriet de Saint-Ouen as one of Reinhart’s people was also absurd. The gap in status between the future Archduchess of Saint-Ouen and Reinhart, who came from a group of beggars, was basically the same as the one between herself and Reinhart.

The same went for Ellen Artorius. Although Ellen herself might not have been aware of it, among the imperial populace, Ragan Artorius’s status already surpassed that of the emperor. Heroes who became legends while still alive would see their fame decrease naturally just by remaining alive, but Ragan Artorius had exchanged his life for the greatest achievement in human history.

Put in a slightly blasphemous way, in the future, Ragan Artorius would surely be spoken of on an equal footing with the gods.

Ellen, with her status as Ragan Artorius’s sister, was no less formidable than Harriet. Both possess backgrounds too powerful to be simply linked to Reinhart.

Yet, no matter how one looked at it, they were Reinhart’s people. It didn’t seem like Reinhart was one of theirs.

Charlotte had an intuitive criteria when considering someone to be one of her people.

Someone who was “one of her people” should be someone who could give her something. She had to desire something from that person, and that person had to be able to fulfill it, whether it was loyalty, doing a certain task, or anything else.

Moreover, that person should not expect compensation for it, but should be blindly loyal.

From that perspective, these two were indeed Reinhart’s people, since they seemed willing to give Reinhart what he wanted, while they themselves desired nothing from Reinhart. They helped him without expecting any reward, which had to be blind loyalty.

As Charlotte pursued this line of thought, though, her expression hardened, and she realized a contradiction.

‘I am no different. If Reinhart were in danger, I would help, and if he needed advice, I would always provide it. If he needed the help of the imperial family, I would give it. And I expect nothing from Reinhart in return.’

What had begun as a relationship forged through the need to send letters was now being maintained without that need. The one thing she’d sought from him had disappeared, but by removing that link, Charlotte and Reinhart had redefined their relationship as one of friendship.

‘Harriet de Saint-Ouen and Ellen Artorius help Reinhart without seeking anything.

‘Therefore, they are Reinhart’s people.’

And Charlotte too, would help Reinhart without expecting anything in return.

In the name of friendship, Charlotte was willing to do much for him, and ask for nothing in return.

Thus, Charlotte de Gardias suddenly realized that she too, was ultimately one of Reinhart’s people.

‘Reinhart is not one of my people. I have become one of Reinhart’s people.’

Charlotte let out a sigh and chuckled softly at the absurdity, her laughter mingling with the snowflakes falling into the open-air bath.

She shook her head and found that quite a bit of snow had amassed on her hair. She watched blankly as the snow fell into the bath melted away.

Lost in thought, she hadn’t realized that much snow had accumulated.

***

‘I must possess what I desire. But instead of possessing it, I have become another’s possession. What a strange feeling,’ Charlotte thought.

And supposedly, her two competitors in this unknown situation...

Harriet seemed to cast a sidelong glance at her and Ellen as she calmly enjoyed the hot spring.

“Are you two close?” Charlotte asked.

“... Huh?”

“Yes. Very.”

Ellen nodded in response to the sudden question, and offered a confession that left Harriet in a state of shock and confusion.

Charlotte knew that the relationship between those two was like a sandcastle that could be swept away by a single statement.

It felt like a grotesque relationship, in which they both desperately ignored the impending ruin.

She could easily break it.

“You both like Reinhart, don’t you?”

With just those words, they would be forced to acknowledge the truths about which they had been pretending ignorance, which would make things awkward between them.

It would be amusing even if they tried to deny it.

No one could predict how their relationship would unfold, but it would undoubtedly be filled with sorrow and ugly incidents.

However, Charlotte had no intention of throwing such a stone.

‘Competitors, you say.’

She was a princess.

No matter how much she humbled herself to acknowledge them as friends, anything more was just impossible. Of course, no one knew what the distant future might hold, and even Charlotte acknowledged that possibility. But that was certainly not the present reality.

However, those two...

Just looking at their precarious state made Charlotte feel pity.

Harriet’s almost tearful expression in response to Ellen’s acknowledgment of their closeness was revealing. Torn between guilt and a sense of defeat, she unnecessarily poured water over her face.

She pretended to wash her face, the tears flowing from her guilt and sorrow mixing in with the water from the bath.

Those two cherished each other but also resented each other. Their relationship was one filled with nothing but guilt.

Why hasten the collapse of a relationship that was bound to fall apart on its own?

There was no need or reason to do so.

Charlotte had no intention of entering that sorrow. She knew how to disrupt things if she entered, but she did not want to make them any sadder than they already were.

A single statement could destroy their relationship. However, she couldn’t think of any way to do the opposite.

There seemed to be no situation that could satisfy both of them.

Charlotte could come up with many destructive methods, but in the end, she didn’t want to deliberately make them unhappy.

To be honest, she hoped neither of them would get hurt. Because, in the end, they were both precious to Reinhart.

However, no matter how much she thought about it, Charlotte couldn’t think of a way to make that come true.

***

The mission ended on the fourth day.

Vertus was eliminated.

It seemed there were limits to doing things alone. More than that, though, Charlotte hadn’t really consulted with Vertus before abruptly going ahead with her self-assassination, which seemed to have shattered his mental state.

Vertus had lost his cool not just because of the sudden crisis Charlotte’s actions had caused, but because he was infuriated after realizing Charlotte’s true intentions.

Since they were both assassins, winning and losing had become a joint matter.

Win or lose, the profit was the same.

That meant neither could outdo the other in terms of their score this time.

Therefore, Charlotte had essentially thrown in the towel and said, “Oh well, good luck on your own!”

Charlotte’s explanation to the teachers was convincing enough that she didn’t fail.

After leading the first two discussions and dominating the atmosphere, both she and Vertus would surely draw suspicion, and there might be suggestions that they were working together.

By dropping out when she did, she could evade suspicion and reduce the questions directed at Vertus, thus causing considerable confusion.

Anyway, thanks to that, she did not fail the mission, and Vertus struggled alone until he was eventually executed on the fourth day.

To everyone’s surprise, the one who deduced this was Ludwig.

It wasn’t because he’d discovered something from the crime scene or found evidence.

Already in an irritated state, Vertus had been trying hard to dominate the discussions during the meeting when Ludwig casually said, “Vertus, you’re talking too much. They say if you talk too much, you’re the culprit.”

“... What?”

An overly simplistic deduction, not even worth being called a deduction.

“Wh-Whoa, wait a minute. Ludwig? What are you saying...?”

“If I’m wrong, I’ll definitely, definitely apologize later. But for now...”

“What? No. This is not it—!”

“Let’s eliminate Vertus for now.”

“Ludwig, calm down. You guys can’t win this without me!”

With so many from Class A already eliminated, Class B had the numerical advantage.

So they simply overruled Vertus and eliminated him.

Mission over...

What was meant to be a game of meticulous deduction ended up resembling a typical game of Mafia. Just eliminating the suspect without proper reasoning. A sloppy game of Mafia...

Since the mission was over, all the students, including those who had been eliminated, were gathered in one place.

“Wow, Vertus really was the culprit. It was just a random guess,” Ludwig said, laughing cheerfully. He really had a knack for annoying people.

Vertus’s expression turned icy.

‘Oh. He’s revealing his true self. He’s going to blow up.’

He wasn’t angry at Ludwig.

He was glaring directly at the smiling Charlotte.

“Dear sisterSibling... Shouldn’t you at least warn someone before dumping a mess like this on them? Or at least say you’re about to make a mess before you do it?”

“Does royalty speak so crudely? You’re not Reinhart, you know. Ouch! Could you let go of me?”

His mask was now off, and he grabbed Charlotte’s shoulders.

Charlotte, wearing a mocking smile to annoy Vertus further, scratched at him. Only when they dealt with each other did they show their true selves in front of others.

Everyone knew that both of them pretending to be friendly with each other was meaningless, and they had come to accept their squabbles as a daily occurrence.

‘Wait, Charlotte. Why did you have to add, “You’re not Reinhart” in there?’

“Wait, Charlotte was the other assassin?”

“Then why did she get assassinated?”

Those who had been summoned back to the mansion when the mission ended were in disbelief, having never imagined that Charlotte was the other assassin.

“If you don’t get a failing grade, I’m going to strongly protest this group mission evaluation. Got it?” Vertus said to Charlotte.

“Why? I had my reasons. If you protest, I’ll protest too.”

“Reasons? What reasons?!”

This was the first time Charlotte had seen Vertus genuinely this upset. Vertus looked like he really wanted to slap Charlotte, while Charlotte kept her mocking smile, as if daring him to try.

Sometimes Vertus would get on Charlotte’s nerves, and sometimes Charlotte would get on Vertus’s.

However, neither of them could cross the line, and so one of them always ended up exasperated.

This time, it was Vertus.