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Chapter 280 [Illustration]

He seemed to have spent the entire day contemplating before finally making up his mind.

However, he still hesitated a long while over the Mister Temple application form. He couldn’t decide whether to fill it out or not.

Harriet and Ellen seemed to have already submitted their application forms. I wondered if they knew about each other’s decisions to enter the tournament and Miss Temple respectively.

“Just close your eyes and write it down.”

“It’s just... When I try to write, I get nauseous...”

We were in the dormitory lobby. Cliffman was frozen in front of a single sheet of paper, and I was urging him to just fill it out if he had made up his mind.

Deciding to do it was easy, but filling out the application form was another matter. We had been stuck there for quite a while when Riana de Granz walked over to us.

“What are you guys doing? You’ve been racking your brains for a while now.”

Cliffman stammered as Riana suddenly spoke to him. “U-Uh, w-well, it’s... it’s...”

He was particularly weak against people who approached him directly. He was like that with Ellen too, and although her approach was different, Riana was also the straightforward type.

Riana did not really distinguish between people she was close to and those she wasn’t. She talked to everyone without reservation and treated them the same way.

Since Cliffman was all flustered and couldn’t answer her at all, I finally spoke up.

“We’re just filling out the form to enter Mister Temple.”

“... You’re entering?”

Riana frowned deeply. She looked like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

‘Hey, what’s wrong with me? And besides, it’s not me who’s entering, anyway!’

“Not me. Cliffman is going to enter.”

“... He’s entering?”

“...”

She had the same reaction.

‘Wow, seriously? Him?’

This girl had a knack for cutting people down with just a few words. Cliffman looked like someone who had been caught dreaming above his station. Riana sat across from Cliffman and stared intently at his face.

“Hmm.”

That contemplative murmur could have meant anything.

Riana didn’t say anything about why he was entering or whether he could do it. She just stared at him, seemingly lost in thought.

Cliffman scratched his head. “Uh, uh... Maybe it really is too much... Ha, haha...”

It seemed he’d decided he should give up after all, and reached for the application form.

‘Maybe this isn’t going to work after all.’

Smack!

“Ow!”

Riana slapped Cliffman’s hand away from the application form with a loud smack.

“Give it to me.”

“Wh-What?”

“What’s so hard about filling out this stupid form that you have to sit here agonizing over it?”

Her expression showed a clear sign of amusement. She seemed to find the situation entertaining.

When I thought about it, Riana was technically the real slacker of Class A. She relied solely on her talent, had no interest in studying, and came from a wealthy family which allowed her to spend money lavishly. During this exam period, she had been forced to study thanks to Ellen, Adelia, and Harriet, which had caused her quite a bit of irritation.

She clearly didn’t want to miss out on this amusing situation.

Riana began filling out the application form for Cliffman, writing down his name, affiliation, and other details.

“When’s your birthday?”

“Uh, um... I-It’s...”

“Hurry up, spit it out already.”

“It’s June 18th...”

“Height and weight.”

.

.

.

Riana filled out the form, leaving only the signature line blank, and handed it to Cliffman.

“Sign it.”

“Huh?”

“Sign it. This part you have to do yourself.”

“I-I... I’m not ready for this...” Cliffman stammered, and Riana’s brow furrowed.

“Do it. Or do you want to get zapped? Want to get crispy?”

Spark! Crackle!

Seeing the blue sparks crackling at Riana’s fingertips, Cliffman hastily scribbled his signature on the form.

Riana knew exactly how to handle Cliffman.

Did she intuitively understand that the only way to deal with someone indecisive and nervous was to grab them by the collar and drag them along?

No, this was just how she naturally was. Riana took the signed application form from him and tilted her head.

“Does he have to submit this himself?”

“Uh, well... I’m not really sure...” responded Cliffman.

“He probably has to go in person, I’m pretty sure,” I said.

Signatures could be forged, after all.

Riana nodded. “There’s no rule against someone going with him, right?”

“I guess not...?”

Thud.

Riana promptly stood up and patted the trembling Cliffman on the shoulder.

“Hey, follow me.”

“W-What?”

“Don’t you understand words? Do you want to get shocked for real?”

“O-Okay, okay!”

Cliffman jumped up from his seat, and Riana led the way, the application form in hand.

“Can’t even handle something this simple. What a hassle.”

Riana walked on ahead, and Cliffman looked back at me with a pleading expression.

‘Help me!’ His eyes seemed to say.

‘I’m sorry... but I can’t... there’s nothing I can do about her.’

Cliffman reluctantly followed Riana like a lamb being led to the slaughter. After a while, Riana returned with Cliffman, who looked like he had just been through an ordeal. It seemed they had submitted the application form.

“Hmm...” Riana murmured.

“Wh-What’s wrong now...?” Cliffman asked.

“First of all, you look too pathetic. Your hair, your expression, your posture—everything.”

Cliffman’s face fell at her harsh critique, but only for a moment. Riana sat him down and started messing with his hair, trying different styles by slicking it back or tousling it.

‘Right, she likes playing dress-up.’

It seemed she was now planning to do with Cliffman what she had done with Ellen. As long as the person had a decent appearance, it didn’t matter if they were male or female.

Of course, Cliffman was visibly flustered, his heart practically leaping out of his chest every time Riana’s hands touched him.

“Hmm... something’s still missing...”

It felt like the operation to make Cliffman Mister Temple had slipped out of my hands.

“Anyway, don’t worry, just trust this big sister.”

“Huh? Uh, o-okay... but why are you calling yourself my sister...”

“Do you want to get shocked again?”

“O-Okay, got it!”

‘Is this really how it’s supposed to go?’

It felt like Cliffman had been handed over from the male Reinhart’s grasp to the female Riana de Granz’s control. Riana had taken Cliffman under her wing and started molding him without any need for persuasion.

Even when I tried to add something, Riana would just dismiss me. She had taken full control of the situation. Despite the guilt slowly rising up inside me from Cliffman’s resentful glances, I had to admit that between the notorious Reinhart and Riana de Granz, the latter seemed more likely to succeed in turning Cliffman into Mister Temple.

Riana was indeed more meticulous about appearance and grooming than I was. So, in the end, I decided to leave it to the more capable person and not worry about it.

It didn’t end there. While Cliffman and Riana were bickering, Ellen spotted Riana from a distance and quickly approached.

It had been a while since I had seen her move so urgently.

“Riana.”

“Oh, hey Ellen. What’s up?”

“I want to buy a dress. Can you help me pick one?”

“A dress? All of a sudden?”

“Yeah,” Ellen said as she nodded. “I’m entering Miss Temple.”

“... W-What?”

Riana was momentarily stunned.

‘Why would she do that?’ Riana thought, shocked and confused.

And then came excitement.

“Oh. Ohhh! Nice!”

She now had the chance to dress up two of her favorite mannequins.

“Great! Both of you, come to my room! No, come to my estate this weekend! I’ll call all the boutiques in the capital!”

Riana de Granz, with Cliffman in her left hand and Ellen in her right, was on the verge of dying from happiness.

***

Riana didn’t ask any questions about Cliffman and Ellen’s sudden decision to enter the beauty pageants. She seemed too excited about the prospect of dressing them up to care about their reasons.

I decided to let her handle that on her own. I wasn’t well-versed in fashion, and my job was to ensure the winner by using the Revise function. If Riana dressed them up well, it would reduce the points needed to activate it.

However, Ellen’s participation introduced a new variable.

It wouldn’t be bad if Ellen became Miss Temple. Both Olivia and Ellen were incredibly talented. Honestly, I was happy to gain the talents of either one of them, but the most important thing was to gain Cliffman’s talent for combat.

Still, there was something else about the Ellen and Olivia situation. I had to vote for one of them, and the person I voted for had to win. If I voted for Ellen and Olivia won, I would end up with nothing.

Honestly, Olivia had a much higher chance of winning. Other considerations aside, she was just much more recognized.

But Ellen said she only needed one vote.

Ellen was entering despite knowing she had little chance of becoming Miss Temple.

“...”

‘Damn it.’

I already had so many headaches, and they just kept increasing. From large-scale issues to personal relationships, the problems only multiplied.

***

Although it was the exam period, the atmosphere surrounding the first-year cohort of the Royal Class had changed significantly. It wasn’t just because of the exams.

It was because of the newly appointed dormitory supervisor, Sabioleen Tana.

“Reinhart! Captain Tana wants to gather students who are interested in swordsmanship lessons!”

Ludwig, brimming with excitement, had run all the way to the Class A dormitory. It seemed an opportunity had arisen for those who were interested to have special swordsmanship lessons, even though it was the exam period.

“You’re going, right?” Ludwig asked.

“... Don’t you realize it’s exam period right now?”

‘I shouldn’t be the one to talk, but I have a lot on my plate, and you really need to study, you blockhead!’

Ludwig just laughed and scratched his head.

“Hey, how many chances like this do you think we’ll get? We don’t know when she’ll stop teaching.”

He had a point. I didn’t care much about my exam scores, and Ludwig was more interested in improving his skills than studying, which he had neither talent nor interest in.

“Anyway, make sure to tell Class A! The lessons will be at the Class B dormitory training ground!”

Ludwig left the task to me and dashed back to the Class B dormitory.

‘... Why do I always find that guy so irritating?’

I sighed, resigning myself to the fact that he was the protagonist I had created. It was my own fault. I went around the Class A dormitory rooms, relaying Sabioleen Tana’s message.

In the end, I was no different from Ludwig. Attending Sabioleen Tana’s swordsmanship lessons was much better than studying.

***

It was the exam period, but a group of students had gathered at the Class B dormitory training grounds.

It was just Erhi and me from Class A. Erhi seemed to be working hard lately, but I wasn’t sure how much he was achieving.

Cliffman had really wanted to come, but Riana had grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away. Ellen also seemed like she wanted to come, but she had something to discuss with Riana about the Miss Temple contest, so she couldn’t make it.

From Class B, there were Scarlett, Ludwig, and Delphine Izadra.

Delphine’s primary focus wasn’t swordsmanship, but she was curious about what the famous leader of Shanapell, Sabioleen Tana, would teach.

Sabioleen Tana hadn’t particularly acknowledged me since arriving at the dormitory. She had been assigned to this place to protect Charlotte, and I needed to remain inconspicuous. If something happened, she would come looking for me, but otherwise, she just acknowledged my greetings with a brief nod and moved on.

It was a bit disappointing, even though I understood it was for my protection.

‘Ah, sorry for ignoring you. But what can I do? If I openly acknowledge you, it could cause problems. Sorry Reinhart...’

I could read all that from her stern expression.

“Thank you for gathering despite your busy schedules.”

She kept the pleasantries brief, then took a training sword from the rack. It was slightly disappointing that the real ace, Ellen, wasn’t here. I was curious about how Sabioleen Tana would evaluate Ellen’s skills. But this wouldn’t be the only opportunity.

Sabioleen Tana seemed a bit puzzled by Ellen’s absence, though she didn’t show it.

“I am not good with words, nor am I accustomed to teaching. So, if you want to learn something from me, you will have to learn with your body. Those who realize much will learn much, and those who do not understand what they are doing wrong will learn little.”

Sabioleen Tana scanned the five of us who had gathered.

“Step forward one by one, starting with a volunteer,” she said.

“I’ll go first!”

Ludwig stepped forward confidently.

“What’s your name?”

“B-11, Ludwig, Captain!”

Sabioleen Tana and Ludwig...

In the original timeline, after the Gate Incident, these two would become teacher and student. In the relentless battles that followed, Sabioleen Tana was a harsh and brutal teacher, and Ludwig, despite finding them dreadful, had to get used to her rough yet rigorous teaching methods.

She taught Ellen as well, but Ludwig required more attention. She did not neglect Ellen, but Ludwig simply needed more guidance.

Ludwig and Sabioleen Tana...

My actions had unintentionally led to them meeting more than a year earlier than they would have in the original timeline. After the Gate incident, Sabioleen Tana had no choice but to be tough on Ludwig due to the circumstances.

Now, though, in a time of peace, could they build a more gentle and moderate teacher-student relationship?

“Here I come!”

“You don’t need to shout.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“I said you don’t need to shout.”

“Yes!”

“... Fine. Do whatever you want.”

Clang!

Sabioleen Tana effortlessly deflected Ludwig’s full-force attack with just her right hand, and in a single move, the tip of her sword was pointed at Ludwig’s neck.

“Oh.”

“Hmm...”

Sabioleen Tana tilted her head as she looked at Ludwig.

“Pathetic.”

“I’m sorry, Captain!”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s just the truth.”

“I will work harder, Captain!”

“...”

Sabioleen Tana stared intently at the enthusiastic Ludwig.

Once again, Sabioleen Tana’s thoughts were clear as day.

‘Hmm... Hmm... I don’t know why... But I don’t like him.’