Rumors are always like this.
They start from something insignificant, and as they spread, they gather more details, with all sorts of embellishments piling on. Eventually, even something that never happened is transformed into something that feels like it did.
Even if everything is a lie, the waves created by it end up making the lie appear like truth.
In extreme cases, even if you ate chocolate, they could turn you into someone who ate shit.
Thinking about it that way, this situation wasn’t so strange.
It was true that I had taken Seria to the women’s dormitory, and it was also true that I didn’t go inside the dorm but turned around.
The part where the story got twisted into me trying to enter the women’s dorm but being stopped by Seria… I wasn’t sure exactly how it got distorted, but it wasn’t something that was completely incomprehensible.
Yeah. I get it.
I get it, but…
“Hmm. For a scoundrel who tried to enter the women’s dorm, you don’t look so bad.”
“Dean! I’m really innocent here.”
Having a one-on-one meeting with the academy dean didn’t seem quite right.
How far are they planning to escalate this?
The incident began a little earlier when Lilith had informed me about the rumors.
Feeling like things were escalating, I hurriedly went with Seria to the academy square.
Because Seria didn’t like crowded places, it was a place we hadn’t visited much, but as always, there were a lot of people here.
From first-year to fourth-year students, it was mostly the outgoing types with free time who gathered here.
And the moment we arrived, I felt it.
Among the many people in the area, some were pretending not to notice but were clearly glancing our way.
“…Rudion.”
It wasn’t just me who noticed the gazes. Seria frowned slightly as well.
She knew what those looks meant.
“Are they the ones spreading the rumors?”
“Hey, be careful with your words. One of them is the princess.”
“Does it matter? The rumor has already spread so far. Is being careful with my words going to help?”
“…Well, that’s true, but still.”
Whatever the case, it was clear it wasn’t a positive feeling.
Seria seemed to pick up on the atmosphere as well and, in a slightly gloomy voice, apologized to me.
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, it’s my fault for starting it.”
“Why don’t we tell the truth now? Even if it gets to the royal family, I’m really fine with it…”
“You’re saying that again.”
“No, I really mean it…”
Forget it. At this point, I didn’t think revealing the truth would stop the rumors.
As Lilith had mentioned, the rumors seemed to be spreading among the first-years.
The people who had stared at us earlier were all first-years, too.
Of course, if we left it like this, it would probably spread throughout the academy quickly…
“Let’s go back.”
“Won’t it be alright if we don’t do anything?”
“Doing anything at times like this only makes things more complicated.”
Unless we went to extremes—like physically attacking someone to redirect the rumor—the more we tried to do, the more it would just add fuel to the fire.
Therefore, explaining ourselves now would only be bothersome and wouldn’t help resolve anything.
We had no choice but to find another way. Thinking that, I decided to leave the area, but then my messenger rang.
It was a message from Professor Reina.
[Reina: Can you come back to my personal lab?]
[Reina: This time, just you. No Seria.]
I had only just left the conversation, and now they wanted me back. Was something happening?
With that thought in mind, I returned to find the person waiting for me.
The academy’s dean, and Reina Trier’s childhood friend.
Dain Valhack.
A man who, under Reina’s insistence, dyed his once-beautiful blue hair the same orange as hers. A man who spent his life being manipulated by Reina, eventually married her, and continued to be swayed by her until the very end. However, despite all that, he was a man of great ability and character, never once sullying the position of academy dean.
That man was now sitting, waiting for me.
“Well, I’m going to get some fresh air, so you two have a good chat!”
And with that, Professor Reina, who had called me here, ran off.
So here I was, having a one-on-one meeting with the dean.
“So, you’re the Rudion.”
“…Yes. I’m Rudion, a senior from the first-year advanced class, and the student council secretary.”
“Hmm. For a scoundrel who tried to enter the women’s dorm, you don’t look so bad.”
“Dean, I’m really innocent here.”
I tried my best to highlight my accomplishments and prove that I wouldn’t do anything bad, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.
No, frankly, I didn’t even need to make such an appeal.
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve already figured out the truth of the situation. I was just messing with you a little.”
Honestly, once Reina casually called me here, any idea of an unjust misunderstanding was already out the window.
The dean… Dain began to explain the situation, as if it were no big deal.
The reported issue was simply that I had been loitering in front of the women’s dormitory, and the investigation results confirmed that. However, the rumors had spread so sensationally that it couldn’t just be brushed off.
To be honest, the incident was still only circulating among the first-years, and when you looked at it, it wasn’t really a huge deal. But who was involved in this rumor?
Seria Lubetia. The moment the empire’s princess was involved, it didn’t matter whether the rumor was true or false.
What mattered was that the rumor existed and that I was tied to it.
But if we were to reveal the truth, there was the issue of the royal family getting involved, as it did before.
“…So, your choice has become quite important.”
Dain looked at me seriously and laid out two options.
Well, in the end, it boiled down to the same choices.
Either I took all the blame myself, or I dragged Seria into it and revealed the truth.
Of course, while the choices were the same, the outcomes would differ slightly.
If I took all the blame, the dean would turn the exaggerated rumor into truth.
That way, the story involving the princess would be neatly wrapped up.
In other words… if I became the crazy pervert who tried to enter the women’s dormitory, Seria would become the noble princess who stopped me.
Of course, I would face the corresponding punishment, even though I hadn’t actually done anything wrong.
But it would be presented to the royal family as just something that happened, and then it would be over.
It was an inefficient option. Aside from the benefit of quickly and neatly wrapping up the case, it made no sense from any angle.
But if I didn’t like that and decided to drag Seria into it to make the truth come out… it would inevitably involve the royal family.
‘Ugh, that’s a bit much, too.’
Honestly, I wanted to avoid getting involved with the royal family.
Not because I thought they were corrupt or anything—Lubetia Empire was a great place, even called the hopeful monarchy.
But…
‘They all dote on Seria too much there, don’t they?’
The royal family was full of Seria’s followers. Dotting fathers, doting brothers, even the attendants were completely smitten with Seria. Of course, Seria was cute, but their affection was almost terrifying.
And… what if this incident got to them?
It was clear that they would interpret it as some kind of secret affair with the princess in the middle of the night. If that happened, I didn’t even know what kind of trouble I’d be in.
“Let’s just say the rumor is true.”
If I was going to be tortured by them, I might as well embrace the label of a crazy perverted bastard.
That was the decision I made, but for some reason, Dain seemed even more flustered.
“Wait, are you sure that’s what you want?”
I knew he would react like this, but seeing his face confirmed it.
He never intended to place the blame on me in the first place. Sure, it would help him neatly wrap things up, but it was too much for a mere student like me to handle.
He probably never expected me to pick such an absurd option. From the beginning, he had probably set up this meeting as a warning—something like, “I’ll let it slide this time, but be careful next time.”
But now that I made this choice… it was natural for him to be taken aback.
“No… you don’t have to go that far,” he said, as if genuinely hoping I would change my mind.
But my resolve was firm.
“No. If I can carry this burden on my own, let me.”
Living as a crazy perverted bastard vs. living tormented by the royal family, who were die-hard fans of Seria—there was no doubt which option I would choose.
Perhaps recognizing my decision, Dain smiled warmly and nodded.
“…A little courage like this is what it takes to be with a princess. Alright, I’ll let you do it your way.”
Just as it seemed the situation was being resolved…
The door to the lab suddenly slammed open.
Bang!
“No!”
I was startled and turned around to find Seria standing there, the one who had been mentioned repeatedly.
For some reason, her face was bright red, and her expression was so complicated that I couldn’t tell whether she was angry or something else.
She looked at me for a moment, then spoke firmly.
“I can’t allow that. Absolutely not.”
Her voice, usually calm, was now subdued but with a hint of something that felt like joy. That was when I realized—she had heard the entire conversation.
Her face was still flushed, and though I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, I was certain of one thing: this was no longer going in the direction I had hoped.