“Tweet! Tweet!! Twaaaak!”
The sky is clear, and the birds are noisy.
But is that really a bird? It’s so loud.
Just that bird is annoying enough, but some crazy girl is blocking my way.
“Are you listening, sister?”
It was Lily, who had her pink hair in pigtails and was flaunting a truly insignificant figure.
She really bothers me by coming here first thing in the morning.
Didn’t she say she was studying theology or something?
I just need to go and take my exam, but just by looking at her, it’s obvious she can’t study at all.
The smell of failure is evident.
It would be better if she at least pretended to study.
“So, this morning is grilled orc fish, right?”
Grilled fish by an orc is something special.
It reminds me of the intelligent orc chef who used to be my drinking buddy.
He grilled fish really well.
When I brought him sea dragons, he expertly filleted the meat, leaving out only the parts that were good for vitality.
But this pink-haired girl suddenly gets angry, as if she’s heard me.
“No, what kind of dish is that in this world? I told you to stop trying to get the Crown Prince’s attention!”
What nonsense is she spouting?
Did I ever try to get that guy’s attention?
Did I beat up any nobles for that?
What kind of attention is that anyway?
“When did I do that?”
“You’ve been causing quite a stir in Atlerina these past few days, haven’t you?”
Ah, that. Those nobles?
Seeing why she came to find me, it’s possible that the nobles who got kicked out are clinging to Lily.
Or maybe it’s about the Crown Prince.
“That’s just how life is.”
“Isn’t it all just to seduce the Crown Prince?”
“Sorry, but I’m not into men at all. The Crown Prince, even less so.”
Really, if I had no abilities and only this body, I might cling to someone to survive.
But if I’m comfortable, I won’t bother with unnecessary attachments.
Noble ladies dream of becoming empresses or queens, but once they achieve that, they’ll just bear children and barely leave the palace, which isn’t really living.
“What’s wrong with our Crown Prince?”
What’s her point?
I clenched my fists.
“Lily, a person’s fist is not just for decoration.”
“Eek?”
“My fist can strike your cheek anytime without hesitation.”
Have you heard of it?
Gender-equal punching.
I’ll hit anyone who annoys me, regardless of gender.
“Ugh. Ugh! Once again, you’re trying to bully me, sister!”
Is she paranoid?
Or is it really because of everything she’s been through?
Either way, it doesn’t sit well with me.
“Try to bully me for real?”
“Huh?”
“Really, try to bully me.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I’ll smooth out the wrinkles in your brain one by one.”
As I lightly flicked my fingers, she trembled with her pink hair.
“Stop. I’m just here to deliver a message!”
“What is it?”
“Father has come! He’s looking for you in the Dean’s office!”
First of all, I’m Olivia Raphael Ashtar.
My father is Duke Ashtar.
In other words, the Duke is here at the academy looking for me…
Ugh, that’s frustrating.
She should have told me this earlier.
The Duke is a strict man with his children.
‘I knew it was about time for him to come, but why didn’t that crazy girl mention this first?’
I stared intently at my intellectually challenged sister’s chest.
“I should get my revenge, right?”
“Why are you staring at my chest like that?”
Looking closely, I realized that my body…
My chest has likely stopped growing.
Regardless of its size, if it’s small, it’ll be hard to nurse a child.
Tsk, tsk.
There’s no need to bother doing anything.
Just state the facts.
“Let’s be real. You’ll probably have a flat chest for life.”
“What?”
“My curses always work.”
Curses are a form of magic too, after all.
“And what about you?”
Lily’s eyes turned toward my chest.
“Sure, what do you think will change if you look?”
“Sorry, but my chest is always as ample as it is now.”
Syria or Ella might envy my chest.
Honestly, I don’t care either way, but after a few days as Olivia, I’ve gotten quite used to it.
I smirked slightly at this pink-haired girl.
“Sorry, but my chest is already big enough.”
“Eek!”
“If you’re jealous, you should have grown more.”
Leaving Lily behind, who was fuming while looking down at her pathetic chest, I headed toward the Dean’s office.
***
I walked into the Dean’s office without any thoughts, and it felt like walking on thin ice.
There was a blonde figure, presumably Duke Ashtar, standing by the window with his arms crossed, while maids were lined up neatly against the wall.
They were probably combat maids.
The maids didn’t spare me a glance, and after a while, the Duke turned to look at me.
Hmm, he shows no reaction even after seeing me.
Shouldn’t he at least react to the changed appearance of his own daughter?
I guess I really am a discarded child.
Considering how coolly he broke off my engagement with the Crown Prince, that answers everything.
Anyway, I don’t know how long I’ll carry the Ashtar name, but for now, he is still my father.
I should be respectful.
“I hope you’ve been well, Father.”
I bowed as politely as possible, more than ever in my life.
Upon hearing my words, he approached me with a blank expression and said, “So you think I look quite at ease?”
Slap!
It’s a slap across the cheek.
That certainly stings a bit.
Still, if I back down here, it’s clear that Duke Ashtar will truly abandon me.
“…Even if it’s just a careless remark, is there really a need to raise your hand like this?”
“Do you think you can go around slaughtering nobles and still expect to receive praise?”
That’s not quite it, but I have my own justifications.
Somehow, I have to force my way through this.
“Then, do you wish for the Ashtar name to fall into disgrace?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just what I said. Although I have committed many wrongs, they still underestimate me simply because I bear the Ashtar name.
I personally punished those who have dishonored our family.”
Nobles are not only proud, but they also live and die by their reputation; if their honor is tarnished, it’s like their family name is thrown in the dirt.
“They must either retaliate or endure. That’s why I fought.”
“It’s all about how you package it.”
“Don’t you realize that because of your audacious antics, the heads of the families are now protesting to me?”
I guess that’s the case?
That was quicker than expected.
The Empire does have better communication technology than the Kingdom.
“It’s the Empire’s leading house. Do you really fear mere minor nobles?”
“Right. Not at all. They are not even considered nobles compared to Ashtar. But the nobles are the Crown Prince’s close associates! They will be the future Emperor’s confidants. How can you dare to make enemies of them?”
“Uh, well, if you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”
‘Think, Noah. You must now live as Olivia.’
‘Um, for now, just go for it?’
“Things that are wrong must be corrected. You are right, Father.
“But even if I flatter them, will they be satisfied?” A crowd of wolves waiting to tear apart the Ashtar name is everywhere, isn’t it? Even if the cause is me, we cannot say that Ashtar and they are on the same level, can we?”
Ashtar is the Empire’s foremost prestigious family.
Below that, they are all insignificant.
Of course, the Crown Prince is currently supported by those noble families, and Atlerina has produced nobles as elites up until now.
This time, that balance has been disrupted.
“Do you truly think you need to go to a monastery to regain your senses?”
‘A monastery?’
It’s fine if I escape on the way to the worst monastery.
But I’ve already sufficiently proven my worth.
“I am proving my worth.”
“What?”
“The nobles all know. The eldest daughter of the Ashtar family is considered a discarded horse. So I made them realize that they themselves are even less than that discarded horse. Isn’t it the Crown Prince who is wrong for trying to reform the Empire with such stagnant waters?”
I’m not ignorant of the Crown Prince’s thoughts.
He intends to gather the nobles and implement policies for the people once he becomes Emperor, but the Empire is heavily feudalistic.
Centralization is not well established, and the nobles who have ruled their territories until now will they truly help the Crown Prince for the sake of the common people?
The Duke’s eyes widened in surprise.
His expression seemed to ask what kind of crazy girl he was looking at.
Well, that makes sense.
Just recently, he claimed that it would be better to commit suicide than to remain unwed to the Crown Prince.
“Are you now criticizing the Crown Prince when you were about to kill yourself because of him?”
“As long as Lily is around, I don’t have to marry the Crown Prince, do I? The two who can’t live without each other are coming together, and I also have a chance to escape the cage.”
“In other words, I’m making it clear that I’ve been clinging to the Crown Prince, even discarding my pride, for the sake of freedom until now.”
“I see. So, you’re saying that you’ve been throwing away all your pride as the noble daughter of the Ashtar family to shamelessly pursue a broken engagement?”
“Isn’t that only natural?
Even if it means living alone, I cannot share a bed with someone like the Crown Prince.”
The Duke glared at me sharply.
I can’t lose.
I stared back at him without backing down.
“Stop.”
It was the Duke who retreated first.
His gaze, compared to earlier, had somewhat settled down.
‘Is he finally ready to have a proper conversation?’
“Alright. Fine. For a hundred times, I’ll concede that your words are right. Then, what do you plan to do moving forward?”
“Eventually, the empty positions will be filled by commoners.”
Atlerina is large, and there are many students.
There are also many commoner students who excel, just as much as the nobles who have private tutors since childhood.
In other words, they will naturally fill the swordsmanship, magic, and archery departments.
The archery department will probably soon turn into a firearm department, but still.
“You can’t possibly think of using commoners as the strength of Ashtar?”
“What can’t be done?
After all, Ashtar is the Empire’s leading noble house.
Apart from the noble families attending Atlerina, aren’t there many families under Ashtar?”
Not all of the nobles I know are everything.
There are noble children, like the commoners, who are behind on course registration.
Some are quietly holding their breath without taking me on directly.
“Go on.”
“I’ve established lines with the Crown Prince through Lily. At this point, it’s better to weed out the stagnant and nurture the commoners, who make up 90% of the Empire.”
Nobles make up only 10% of the Empire.
Of course, even among those nobles, there are ranks.
Those who are treated on par with commoners are common, and true nobles wield their power over them.
“There’s a possibility that the Demon King was killed by the Great Sage. And still, do you wish to allow the commoners to rise?”
“The Great Sage? Who is being referred to as the Great Sage? I can’t even dare to be called a Grand Magus; who dares to be called the next Grand Sage?”
“Who do you mean when you say the Great Sage?”
“Of course, it’s Noah. Given the lack of news, it seems something is happening with the Demon King.”
At that moment, my heart sank.
“Instead, the Four Heavenly Kings’ attacks have intensified. So, for now, we can’t just leave everything to the nobles.”
The Berta Fortress, which had been holding out against the Demon King’s army, is now in danger.
This means the Kingdom is now fully exposed to the attacks of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Yet, the absence of significant news suggests that perhaps the Four Heavenly Kings are taking a breather.
No, Pector is surely searching for the now-dead Noah.
He was surprisingly someone who enjoyed fighting me.
In the end, the fights always ended for some reason, but the struggle with a Hero was likely uninteresting for him.
Pector is someone who would give up if there’s no value in the opponent.
He’s probably looking for me.
Is it like a dead Noah saving a living Hero?
It’s painfully obvious.
It’s not as if they are proclaiming victory in the Kingdom, nor have I heard any rumors from the Hero.
“Speaking of which, your hair is similar to Noah’s. Could it be that you’ve awakened as a mage?”
That’s quite perceptive.
“Not exactly.”
“Then, you did suppress the nobles, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
It’s clear as day, isn’t it?
“How far do you intend to suppress them? Are you really going to make them drop out?”
The nobles who defied Ashtar and were struck down by me would find it impossible to drop out.
That would be too big a risk to shake up the political landscape of the Empire this time.
“They would only ask why I’m doing this for just a handful of students, but it’s a tradition for the children of those families to attend the Academy.”
That means future heads of families and the noble ladies are intertwined politically.
“Then, are you suggesting that they will end up repeating a year?”
“That alone will provide enough opportunities for the commoners to shine.”
They would have to endure for a year.
During that time, if the commoner students secure their positions and establish a foothold, even the incoming first-year commoners won’t be pushed down.
Once that happens, the commoners, who had been intimidated, will begin to assert themselves freely without yielding to the nobles.
After staring at me for a while, he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha! I thought you were a discarded horse, but you’re saying you’re the queen? If you had been born a man, you would have caused a bloody storm over the position of the head!”
“The position is usually inherited by the eldest son to avoid conflict.”
It’s not good to generalize the head of the family, but if an outstanding younger sibling were to take the position, a bloody storm would definitely arise within the family.
It’s better to pass the position to the eldest son and give actual power to the younger brother.
Of course, just because the next head of the Ashtar family is lacking in skill doesn’t mean I’m willing to help.
“Very well. The eldest daughter enhances the Ashtar reputation, and the second daughter forms ties with the royal family—truly a blessing for Ashtar.”
From his reaction, it seems the sons are also quite significant figures, so it makes sense he hasn’t mentioned them.
“Then, does this mean I’ve sufficiently proven my worth?”
“Indeed. However, I will continue to observe your actions moving forward. I still can’t determine whether you have been hiding your strength from the very beginning, deceiving everyone.”
“I understand.”
With those words, the long conversation between father and daughter came to an end.