I Possessed a Character in an Academy Without a Protagonist – Chapter 39

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Please keep that a secret from Schlus……”

“Keep what? What?”

“The fact that I sucked on his fingers……”

Erica tilted her head at Iris’ quiet request.

Iris had said it was to aid the recovery magic.

Then wasn’t it a legitimate medical procedure?

What reason was there to keep it a secret?

“Why?”

“Anyway! Promise me!”

“Ah, okay.”

But when Iris avoided the question and demanded silence, Erica had no choice but to agree.

Because Iris wasn’t the type to make such requests normally.

No, she was someone who wouldn’t create situations that required such requests in the first place.

So Iris’ urgency was all the more palpable.

“By the way. I don’t think I ever said we were lovers, right?”

“Yeah. You didn’t.”

“Don’t tell me Schlus-”

“No. Schlus never said it either.”

“Then why did you reach such a strange conclusion?”

At Iris’ reproachful gaze, Erica had to hold back the laughter that threatened to come out.

Iris, who was always at ease and in control of the situation, looked so flustered that Erica couldn’t recall seeing it more than a few times in her life.

“No matter how much I ask, you don’t give me a proper answer, Iris. So I made my own guesses. Were you not? Dating each other?”

“No!”

“Pfft…… Hahaha!”

“What’s so funny?!”

When Iris finally started to get angry, Erica couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore and burst out.

When she usually spoke with a serious expression and a low voice, most people would lower their eyes and tremble.

But seeing her openly angry like this wasn’t scary at all, only cute.

It was like watching a child throwing a tantrum.

“Hoho. So will you tell me properly now? What your relationship is?”

“Tsk…… Fine.”

“Is it related to that? The fact that you can see the future.”

“Pardon……?”

Iris’ mouth closed at Erica’s nonchalant question.

It wasn’t that she had never revealed the fact that she had future sight.

When she was young, she had told others several times.

But everyone ridiculed Iris and treated it as a delusion, so she eventually decided to keep her future sight a lifelong secret.

She probably did tell Erica once when she was very young.

But the fact that she still remembered it and believed it……

She couldn’t help but be a little shocked.

“You still believed that?”

“Yeah, of course. Was it a lie?”

“No……”

“Then it’s fine. What’s the problem?”

Iris couldn’t continue speaking in response to the innocent answer.

Erica wasn’t stupid either.

She wasn’t a fool who would believe everything anyone said and get scammed.

That meant Erica trusted Iris deeply enough to believe even the most outrageous things she said.

Realizing that fact, Iris couldn’t help but smile faintly, feeling so grateful and touched.

“As you guessed, it’s about the future. Actually, ever since I met Schlus, I keep seeing the future about Schlus.”

Iris’ future sight showed the future somewhat randomly, but it wasn’t entirely without rules.

The future shown by her future sight tended to appear more often and more intensely the more it was related to Iris herself in a bigger and deeper way.

In other words, the fact that Schlus appeared a lot in her future sight meant that in the future, Iris and Schlus would become close.

Whether in a good way or a bad way.

“What kind of future was it?”

“It was a future where Schlus dies.”

“Ah……”

A sigh escaped Erica’s mouth as she listened with anticipation.

“Schlus dies. Sacrificing himself for others. To prevent that, I approached Schlus and tried to change the future. But even so, only the time and method of his death change, Schlus keeps dying……”

How many times had it been?

Seeing the future where he dies.

She had already given up on counting.

No matter how much the future changed little by little, it eventually converged to a future where he died.

When she directly prevented his death by being stabbed on the Day of Magic, she thought she had finally prevented his death this time.

But in another future, in another place, for another person, Schlus died.

Endlessly.

Among them, there was also a future where he threw himself and died for Erica.

“Sc-Schlus? Really?”

“Yes.”

But she decided not to tell Erica that fact.

Because she was tenderhearted, it wouldn’t be strange for her to feel a sense of indebtedness for something that hadn’t even happened yet.

“That can’t be……”

On the other hand, Erica’s mind was becoming quite complicated.

Schlus should be an evil person who sold his lifespan to a demon and gained power.

But he dies sacrificing himself for others……?

It was hard to accept.

‘Could it be that he sold his lifespan to a demon for that?’

As one possibility was presented, Erica became even more confused.

What if the reason he sold his lifespan was because he actually didn’t need it?

If he obtained such powerful strength not because he needed to live long, but to die sacrificing himself for others?

Then this mystery would be explained.

Although it was still hard to accept that Schlus was such an impossibly good person.

“So Iris wants to prevent the future where Schlus dies, right?”

“Something like that. Because I’m a Saintess.”

“Pfft……”

“What is it? Why are you laughing again?”

“It’s nothing. Hoho.”

Because she’s a Saintess……

Anyone else would have looked up to Iris for that, but Erica couldn’t help but laugh.

The Iris she had seen was just a girl of that age, rather than a lofty and noble Saintess.

“I’ll help too. To make sure Schlus doesn’t die.”

“Really……?”

“Yeah. Really.”

Iris looked a bit surprised, as if it was unexpected.

Erica thought Iris knew she disliked Schlus.

But Erica had her own ulterior motives.

‘If it goes as Iris saw in the future, Schlus becomes a hero, right? Without anyone knowing he sold his lifespan to a demon. I absolutely can’t let that happen.’

No matter the reason, a contract with a demon could not be justified.

Erica, a devout believer, held such a belief.

But if it went as Iris said, Schlus would die sacrificing himself before his lifespan ran out and would gain tremendous honor posthumously.

That was unacceptable.

Schlus had to be kept alive so he couldn’t die sacrificing himself.

Until his shortened lifespan ran out and he died of old age at a young age, whenever that might be.

Then the fact that he sold his lifespan to a demon would be exposed and his honor would be greatly diminished.

That was the proper end for someone who made a contract with a demon.

‘I’ll definitely make sure he dies of natural causes!’

Thus, Erica’s evil plan to make Schlus live a long, long life was established.

***

Let’s try to deduce the identity of the ‘distinguished guest’ Ludwig mentioned.

First of all, it’s someone that haughty head professor addresses respectfully even though they’re not present.

It could be inferred that they were of a very high status or someone Ludwig respected.

And the timing had to be considered.

Today was the day after catching and killing the Crow Henderson.

The sudden visit of such a distinguished guest today was more reasonably seen as an influence of yesterday’s incident rather than a coincidence.

But the problem was that yesterday’s incident was being handled with the utmost secrecy and had not been covered by any media yet. It was a measure taken considering the social impact.

So there weren’t many places that could have obtained this information, and if a precious person rushed over as soon as they heard this news……

“Ah, fuck.”

The Crown Princess. The emperor’s eldest granddaughter.

No one else came to mind.

Recalling the hooded guest I encountered this morning, I became even more anxious.

Enough to head straight to the chairwoman’s residence as soon as class ended without even looking back.

“No way. No way.”

Nah. It can’t be.

But then I remembered the description of the Crown Princess’ voice in the original work.

A slightly husky and androgynous voice.

Right.

It was the voice of that hooded person I heard this morning.

“Phew……”

When I arrived at the mansion, the hooded figure was still pacing in front of the main gate.

Did they go somewhere in between?

Or were they waiting the whole time while I was in class?

Considering the Crown Princess’ rigid personality, the latter seemed more likely.

This was really fucked up.

“Were you still waiting?”

“Now there’s some time-”

“Yes. There’s time. Come in, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

“…!”

Leaving behind the Crown Princess, who flinched slightly as if surprised, I opened the door and guided them inside.

They were the second most revered person on the continent after the Majins.

I would have to hint to Emilia as well to make sure not to do anything to upset their mood.

Ah.

Did I already upset their mood?

“Mr. Hainkel? That person……”

“They’re a guest. Please prepare some tea.”

“Yes……”

It seemed their appearance of being fully covered in a hood and long clothes looked quite strange.

After sending the Crown Princess to the sofa in the living room first, I briefly deployed a small recognition-blocking barrier so it wouldn’t be heard.

“They’re the Crown Princess. Keep that in mind and show the utmost courtesy. I can’t tolerate any discourtesy.”

“What? Th-The Crown Princess, you say?”

“I’m dropping the barrier now.”

Since my mana was barely enough, I immediately turned off the barrier and went straight to the Crown Princess.

Leaving behind Emilia, who was standing there with her mouth open like an idiot.

That was probably genuine surprise.

This was the second time I had broken Emilia’s acting and drawn out her real emotions, right?

I felt strangely proud.

“Who told you?”

“Told me what?”

“That I’m the Crown Princess.”

They said that while pushing back their hood.

Then, the face of a beautiful woman with blond hair and sharp eyes was revealed.

I’m tired of saying this every time, but it was eerily identical to the image I had imagined.

She took out her long blond hair hidden behind her back and sat demurely on the opposite sofa.

Wow, look at that hair.

It’s shining.

I want to touch it once.

…… Of course, I’ll refrain.

I can’t add any more discourtesy than this.

“No one told me.”

“You’re saying it was just a guess?”

“Yes. I was lucky.”

“……”

Aria raised her chin slightly as if displeased.

I wonder if it’s still too early to call her Aria.

She didn’t have a name yet because she hadn’t gone through the coming-of-age ceremony.

If it followed the original work, she would be called Aria Victor Friedrich von Freya, or Aria for short.

“You live quite luxuriously.”

“This place was provided by the school. If I lose the top spot, I’ll be expelled immediately.”

“Hmph. Heartless bunch. As expected of a den of magicians.”

I responded courteously to her questions, but I couldn’t help but watch her reaction.

Whether I should apologize for treating her coldly in the morning and making her wait for over 2 hours……

Judging by how she’s not mentioning it first, does it not bother her that much?

“It seemed like a quite important class. Enough to go and attend after leaving me in the wind.”

“……”

My ass.

As expected, she had it in her mind.

At Aria’s chilling smile, I hid my trembling hands under the table.

She was someone who could decide my life and death with a single word.

In other words, I had to choose my words carefully here.

Should I bow my head and ask for forgiveness first?

That’s a good idea.

If you want to cut ties with Aria for life, that is.

Aria hates people who don’t admit their mistakes the most, but that doesn’t mean she likes people who admit their mistakes either.

What she liked were people who didn’t make mistakes in the first place.

In other words, I just had to make the discourtesy I committed this morning not a discourtesy.

You don’t know what I mean?

Honestly, I don’t really know either.

“Yes. It was a major class.”

“Oh. So that was more important than meeting me?”

“Yes. If you miss a class once, you can’t take it again, but I can meet Your Highness the Crown Princess again, can’t I?”

“……”

Silence settled over the living room.

I’m fucked.

I’m really fucked.

In the end, it turned into a sophistry of ‘I don’t think it’s a discourtesy, so it’s not a discourtesy’.

Honestly, I knew it was strange halfway through, but I just pushed forward.

Because it was obvious that if I tried to take back my words, I would incur Aria’s dislike.

It seems I’ve already incurred a bigger one though.

“Heh…… This is really funny.”

“I had no intention of making Your Highness laugh. I’m glad you’re happy.”

“Yeah. Hohoho…… To think a commoner would be so impudent. I can see why the nobles are repulsed.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Yes. Ohohoho…… Do as you please.”

Aria ended up bursting into laughter.

It was strange, but it seemed I had gotten through it well.

I don’t know if she felt favorably towards me or what, but if she’s laughing, it shouldn’t mean she was upset.

Aria expresses her emotions honestly.

In many ways, she’s a character with the opposite qualities of Emilia.

“H-H-Here’s the tea. I’ll s-s-serve it in front of you, so t-t-take your time.”

“Thank you, Miss Emilia.”

Soon, Emilia appeared pulling a cart with teacups and cake.

By the way, that stuttering act was really well done.

Anyone would think she was really nervous.

There was no way Emilia would be nervous in front of anyone.

After taking the teacups and cake off the cart, Emilia left the living room as if running away.

It was a truly masterful performance until the end.

“How strange. A guy who uses polite speech to a servant.”

“She’s not a servant. It’s just a relationship bound by a mere contract. There’s no reason to look down on a fellow commoner.”

“A fellow commoner? You won’t be able to say that anymore.”

“What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”

“Schlus Hainkel. I want to bestow you a title. Tell me if there’s anything you desire.”

“…!”

What a stroke of luck.

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