Chapter 4: 7 Days Before Schools Starts (2)
The Rothstaylor family I was once a part of is a family of villains.
Drunk on the power of their name, every new generation had devolved into conceit and elitism.
The honorable and generous ancestors had all gone. All that was left was their sense of privilege as they condescendingly sat in high positions of power in the empire.
Actually, the Rothstaylor family had a big secret.
The head of the family, Krepin Rothstaylor, signed a contract with the Evil God of the Mythic Age, Mebula, to study the magic of eternal life. Due to this, many inhumane experiments had been conducted, sacrificing numerous lives in the name of research.
Two years later, this secret was discovered by Taylee, the protagonist.
After struggling until the end, Krepin Rothstaylor was finally defeated.
The head of the Rothstaylor family–Krepin Rothstaylor.
He was the final boss in Act 4 of ‘Silvenia’s Failed Swordmaster’.
After that, what happened to the arrogant and entitled Rothstaylor family was as expected.
The family's horrible downfall brought excitement to the players. Everyone who actively took part in Krepin Rothstaylor’s plans was executed. Even those who were only partially involved were, at the very least, either imprisoned or punished.
Considering all of that, my current situation was worthy of a second look.
Yes, I was cold and hungry, not knowing what I was to do with my life.
But wasn't I cut off from the Rothstaylor family in advance?
Simply put, there's only one thing for me to say.
This was actually a good turn of events.
* * *
“Did you just say you are thankful to me? I find that hard to believe.”
I stood up from my seat. But considering I have lived in the wild for the last three days, I probably didn't look my best. I’m guessing that’s why the princess looked taken aback.
Only a few days ago, she saw me as a noble, acting like a condescending jerk to others. It must've felt satisfying for her to see me now. Although there might also be a bit of pity there.
I thought of taking advantage of that. However, as far as I know, Princess Penia never let her personal feelings intervene with public judgment. Appealing to her emotions would more likely backfire.
What was the best outcome for me in this situation?
Regardless of whether I went to this school or not, it would be for Princess Penia to stop concerning herself with me.
Not only the princess, but all the other students of Silvenia Academy also needed to stop paying me any attention. If it was uselessly publicized that Ed Rothstaylor hadn’t been expelled, I would be the only one losing.
From the academy's perspective, it wouldn’t be strange if I quit school at any time. I was already straddling the border of expulsion. From a more academic perspective, I shouldn’t do anything to stand out until I was in a better position to not get expelled.
It would do me nothing good to be hated by the princess.
“My fate will be decided by Princess Penia. I will obediently follow your will.”
I calmly said, pretending as if nothing was wrong.
It was a bit disappointing, but groveling at her feet would only backfire. The more cornered and desperate one looked, the easier it was for people to think of them as useless and a mess.
Princess Penia was known as the 'Princess of Benevolence' due to her unique 'eyes'.
Eyes that gave insight into the depths of people's humanity.
She grew up recognizing when she was being told words of flattery, lip service, and malicious deceptions.
Hidden within a princess with seemingly infinite benevolence were the eyes of a monarch capable of weighing human nature with a glance.
I turned to look at my campfire, the burning firewood turning into ashes.
I could use Ignite to light it again, but I hadn't properly trained my body yet. I didn't want to use magic for no reason.
I walked past the princess and sat by the fire, stirring the embers with a stick to collect the scattered pieces back into the hearth.
"You have been here for three days now?"
“I have to do what I can to live.”
I’ve decided on a definite rule.
The best way to not receive attention was to not give anyone attention.
I didn't care what others did. If I kept this attitude, they would probably stop paying attention to me as well.
But the fact that this was the third princess of the empire had brought tremendous anxiety. Although compared to crying and begging on my knees, this was a strategy that had the potential to succeed.
Please don't pay me any mind, princess.
However, I knew that this alone was not enough.
"I heard the step every royal takes is noble. Even for short walks, dozens of servants were said to follow. Even half-day outings required the presence of heavily armed guards."
Bribery and flattery were necessary.
Nevertheless, there was an issue.
If you had nothing to offer, your words would be nothing more than cheap flattery.
"The sun is just about to set, and the noble Princess Penia is traveling alone in the dangerous northern forest. I suppose there must be a reason for that."
Even when she was walking around the academy, her servants followed and waited on her wherever she went.
In this situation, she must have had her guards with her, hiding among the trees with weapons in their hands. It was obvious that any wrong move toward the princess would have dire consequences.
"What are you trying to say? If you want to harm me since I don't have a knight with me, you will regret that decision."
Then I guess I could try saying things a bit more boldly.
I smiled.
"Professor Glast’s class assignment examination is rumored to be viciously tough among the second years. He's a professor who likes to make students suffer in quite unique ways each year. I’m guessing you must be taking his exam right now?"
I didn’t even look at the princess and continued poking at the campfire.
“If you go to the lake southeast of the forest, you will find a small rocky island in the middle of it. The size can only fit about one grown pine tree. That tree is 'The Guardian Tree of Merilda’. If you look inside the tree, you're bound to have a good harvest.”
“What did you say?”
“Either way, you will search through the entire forest anyway. It won’t hurt to stop by.”
I could feel the princess glaring at my back. Even though it felt like she was burning a hole through me, I pretended not to care.
“What are you planning? Do you still want to get revenge?”
“As I told you, I just want to continue attending Silvenia.”
The campfire crackled with a spark as I barely managed to revive the fire.
“This is… It can be considered a bribe that I'm offering the princess.”
I finally threw the stick I’d been using into the fire.
“If you don’t like it… There’s nothing I can do if you won’t take it.”
The princess glared at me for a long time. She later left after scolding me that whatever I was planning wasn’t funny.
Well, the princess's move was now out of my hands.
* * *
Translator - Plumper
Proofreader - kianianian
* * *
“Let go of me! Don’t you know who I am? I am Ed Rothstaylor, the second son of the Rothstaylor family! Get your dirty hands off me, you pigs! Just where are you touching me?”
“Taylee? Ha… A low-ranking failure of a student who's all talk.”
“Eh? P-Princess? The Benevolent Princess Penia? M-my apologies, I didn’t notice the princess.”
“Princess! If you defend bugs like Taylee, your noble and high name will be tarnished. Please punish him!”
“This… This is wrong. This is a trap! A setup! That trash Taylee is just jealous! That filthy bug!”
“Is he even the same person?”
As Princess Penia walked through the forest, she recalled what she saw during the entrance exam.
She remembered a vain nobleman who tried to force out Taylee, a student who eventually failed, by tampering with his test.
That Ed Rothstaylor was such a pathetic and ugly human being that the princess didn’t even need to use her unique ‘Insightful Eyes.’ Anyone could tell that he was an arrogant and unsightly man.
He grovels in front of those with power and becomes cruel to the weak. When the princess hid her identity at first, she was also a victim of such rudeness.
She believed that such a person shouldn’t belong in Silvenia, so she made a move herself.
Even though Princess Penia was still just a student, the Academic Affairs Committee couldn’t thoughtlessly ignore her opinion. After all, she held a position within the royal family.
Three days have passed since Ed Rothstaylor's evil misdeeds were revealed and his family excommunicated him.
The way he talked had become much more poised.
It may be true that three days should be enough time for a person to reflect on oneself and change. Though honestly, I didn’t have time to pay attention to that right now.
The problem she needed to focus on is the Class Assignment Examination.
The infamously evil Professor Glast’s exam of searching for the magic-infused marbles.
Students were tasked to find the marbles scattered throughout the northern forest and then return to the faculty building. The test started just after noon and continued on until now as the sun had almost completely set.
Of the 310 new students of the Magic Department, about 290 of them had already found marbles and had returned to the faculty building.
More than half of the students returned with a marble within the first hour.
Only a few students remained searching the northern forest until sunset.
Princess Penia had actually found marbles almost immediately. Having basic magic power detection abilities would enable anyone to find as many as possible.
The princess already found a lot of marbles: between leaves, near piles of dirt, under a small wooden bench.
But something felt strange.
The number of magic-infused marbles was higher than the number of students. It wasn’t more than just a few, it was several times more.
Even though it was only the first test since getting accepted, it felt way too easy. The exam itself was too kind to have been given by Professor Glast, who was infamously known for being an evil professor.
It was obvious there was a hidden intention. That fact wouldn't leave the princess's mind.
Most of the students quickly returned to the faculty building, assuming the exam was a ‘first come, first serve’ basis.
When the sun began to set, the students who were skeptical of the exam's easy difficulty also began to return without finding an answer. It was interesting to see them return with a good number of marbles, focusing on quantity rather than quality.
The moon was now in the sky.
Nevertheless, Princess Penia didn’t return to the faculty building.
She constantly thought that there must be some hidden intention within the test.
After walking for a while, she ended up at the lake.
There, she saw the rock island that Ed Rothstaylor mentioned.
A pine tree mysteriously sat in the middle of the lake under the moonlit sky.
According to him, that tree was ‘The Guardian Tree of Merilda.’
“Hmmm…”
Princess Penia held her chin as she thought it over for a while. Eventually, she gathered magic power at the tip of her toes.
“Water Walking.”
It was a spell that consumed a lot of power, allowing the user to walk on water.
But due to its poor magic power efficiency, it was hard to maintain for a long time. Thus, it was not a very practical skill in battle.
However, in this case, it should suffice for the short length so the princess could cross without getting wet.
Princess Penia slowly walked across the surface of the lake and noticed that part of the tree had fallen off.
Perhaps Ed Rothstaylor was still set on revenge and had set a trap.
If he were to do such a thing against the Benevolent Princess, things wouldn't end well for him.
Ed Rothstaylor should be well aware of that.
But there was nothing wrong with being more careful. The princess cautiously approached the old tree, alert as much as possible.
“A magic-infused marble…? But the color is different…”
There was a bright golden marble in the hollow of the tree, shining softly.
Princess Penia tilted her head.
“It’s a unique design… It’s golden in color and gives off a subtle glow but… there’s nothing else to it.”
Just in case, she tried to detect the marble's magic power, but the amount of magic itself was very insignificant. It was hardly noticeable.
“Although… it seems like an object with some meaning.”
The princess swept her platinum blonde hair up and lowered herself, careful not to have her well-managed hair touch the ground.
Crouching down, she looked at the marble stuck in the tree and thought about taking it.
“I can’t do that.”
She only discovered the marble because Ed Rothstaylor told her where it was.
The princess herself had not discovered it. Therefore, her pride wouldn't allow her to take the marble for herself.
In the end, Princess Penia decided to leave the lake.
She knew all too well how shameless it would be to pass the test in such an unjust way.
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