The Transmigrator Doesn’t Dream of Being the Protagonist – Chapter 26

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Tia’s eyes mocked me.

How pathetic. Time to show her who the real lightweight was.

“Alright, Tia. Let’s have a toast.”

We exchanged glasses of wine and drank.

“Tia, your cheeks are flushed. Are you sure you’re not drunk?”

“Fufu, surely I can handle more than you?”

I had inadvertently challenged her, and now Tia was determined to win.

We began drinking competitively, the night slipping away as we indulged in a boisterous drinking party.

“Heehee, when are you two going back?”

Tia, her voice slurred and unusually sweet, asked the question,

“We’ll leave when it’s appropriate. We’ll take a carriage…”

Sylvia, mindful of her father’s presence, replied vaguely.

“Hic, I-I’ll join you. Heehee. We’re going the same way, right?”

The drunk heiress rambled. My plan was working!

“Alright, you can ride with us.”

“Yay! Professor Sylviiiie. Heehee. You know I respect you, right?”

The drunken daughter of the Erze family giggled.

Ethan and Tia continued their drinking party until the early hours of the morning, like college students on a retreat. Finally, when the ball was winding down, Ethan and Sylvia returned to the academy, taking a carriage and then using the transfer stone.

It was almost afternoon when they arrived back at the academy.

Ethan was impressed by Sylvia’s ability to maintain her composure, even after a night of drinking.

“Ethan, take care of your classmate.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Ethan and Sylvia parted ways at the academy entrance.

Ethan and Tia walked towards the dormitory, Tia stumbling every few steps.

“Heehee! Ethan, you know I care about youuu, right?”

“Tia, I think you’re a bit too drunk.”

Honestly, I wasn’t exactly sober either.

It had been a while since I last drank.

I had tried to pace myself…

“Whaaat are you talking about? I’m completelyyy soberrr.”

I think your skull is the one that’s broken.

I was certain that Tia would wake up with a massive hangover and a healthy dose of regret. It was in her nature to be prideful.

“I’m telling you, I’m not drunk!”

“……”

“Hmph! You’re ignoring meeee? Do you know how hard it is to be the daughter of the Erze Trading Companyyy? You’re adding to my stress byyy ignoring meeee!”

Tia rambled incoherently.

Being the head of a trading company is stressful?

That’s like Bruce Wayne complaining about the burdens of being CEO.

“Are you seriously going to ignore me now?”

I decided to ignore her.

I briefly considered carrying her on my back,

But she probably weighed a ton.

My social debut hadn’t been a disaster. I hadn’t caused any major incidents, and I had even won a duel.

“Looks like you two had a fun night.”

That was, until we ran into Sepia at the dormitory entrance.

I had foolishly believed it was a decent weekend.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The sky was gloomy, threatening rain.

But Tia, oblivious to the weather, was smiling brightly.

“Heehee! Good morning, Miss Honesty!”

Tia waved, her greeting fueling Sepia’s anger.

The scent of alcohol clung to Tia and Ethan.

It was obvious they had been drinking together.

“Ethan… What’s going on?”

“Miladyyy! Why aren’t you answering my greeting?”

A vein throbbed on Sepia’s forehead.

‘He drank with another woman until she was completely wasted?’

Tia, ignoring Sepia’s fury, continued rambling.

“Miladyyy! We’re forming a club! Wanna join us? Heehee. It’s gonna be so much fun! Imagine, club activities with friendsss!”

Forming a club?

What was she talking about? Sepia was annoyed by everything. But what irritated her the most was the drunken heiress. She had to get rid of her first.

“Vivian, please escort Lady Tia to her dormitory.”

“Yes, of course, my lady.”

Vivian dragged Tia away.

“Aww! Miladyyy! Let’s have some girl talk! Let’s go to a bar and have another drinkkk…”

Tia was dragged away, her voice trailing off.

Sepia’s head throbbed.

“Ethan, follow me.”

Sepia led Ethan to a secluded clearing.

It was a spot rarely visited by students, even on weekends.

“Where did you two go?”

Sepia didn’t bother hiding her displeasure.

Honestly, she didn’t feel the need to.

“We attended a social gathering in Central Ward.”

Ethan replied calmly. He just wanted this to be over. He was tired and sleepy.

“Who is your employer?”

“Lady Sepia von Logness.”

“But the Erze Trading Company… Ah.”

An ominous vision flashed through Sepia’s mind.

The hallucination from the siren’s song.

She had been secretly watching Tia and Ethan’s married life.

She now understood why they had returned together.

“The Erze Trading Company made you an offer, didn’t they? They want to recruit you…”

“……”

“Ethan, answer me.”

“Yes, they made me an offer.”

Sepia’s heart sank.

The puzzle pieces were falling into place.

“What did you say? Did you agree to join them?”

“I said I’d think about it.”

Sepia’s eyes widened slightly.

He had said he’d think about it…

She was furious, but she couldn’t express her anger.

She was afraid that pushing him further would be the end.

He might actually leave.

And she still had questions.

“…What was that about a club?”

“I’m forming a club with Arthur.”

“Who else is joining?”

Ethan saw no reason to hide it.

Sepia, with her connections, would easily find out who the members were. He listed five names:

Arthur, Anya, Ethan, Tesha, Tia…

“You didn’t… ask me to join?”

“You’re not interested in clubs, my lady…”

“Since when? Since when have you cared about my interests?”

Sepia bit her lower lip.

She didn’t need to ask.

She knew that Ethan wanted to avoid her.

And she knew that he had changed.

She had endured it all.

His unauthorized leave of absence.

His siding with Tia during their argument.

And this was the third strike. He had attended a social event with the daughter of the Linchester family, as her partner, while he was still a servant of the Logness family.

She needed to assert her authority.

“Ethan… You’re a failure as a bodyguard and a servant.”

“I know, Lady Sepia.”

“What?”

Sepia stared at Ethan, her eyes wide with surprise.

Ethan knelt on one knee, placing his sword on the ground.

“I apologize.”

Sepia understood what it meant.

He was resigning from his position.

Raindrops began to fall.

Sepia looked up at the sky.

“Thank you for everything.”

Ethan turned to leave.

“Stop.”

“……”

“I said stop.”

But Ethan continued walking.

He was no longer in her employ.

Sepia’s hand reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

“I told you to stop….”

“……”

“Say something! Anything! Ethan.”

“I’m no longer a servant of the Logness family.”

Ethan’s tone was calm and indifferent.

Sepia hated it.

Why wasn’t he apologizing?

Why was he acting so superior?

“You do realize the Logness family is paying for your tuition, right?”

She didn’t want to sound petty.

But she wanted to keep him by her side, even if it was for practical reasons.

“I’ll repay you as soon as possible.”

That wasn’t the answer she wanted.

All he had to do was promise to stay.

To apologize, to kneel, and to beg for forgiveness.

To say he wouldn’t do it again.

To say that she was the only one for him.

That’s what Sepia wanted to hear.

Sepia’s hand fell, her grip loosening.

Raindrops struck her face, tracing paths down her cheeks.

Footsteps faded in the distance.

Sepia was alone in the clearing.

It felt surreal.

Like a bad dream.

She almost expected Ethan to turn around and laugh, telling her it was all a joke.

Something had gone wrong.

She had just wanted to subtly threaten him, to remind him that she could fire him at any moment. She hadn’t actually intended to fire him.

She just wanted to make him realize that he couldn’t survive without the Logness family’s support.

She wanted to tell him that the Erze family would discard him soon enough.

She should have said something.

But she had been too shocked to speak.

‘He’s drunk. It’s just drunken bravado.’

Yes, that was it.

She had probably pushed him too far.

Sepia sank to her knees.

The damp soil soaked through her clothes.

She slowly picked up the sword from the ground.

Someone opened an umbrella above her.

Sepia slowly raised her head.

But it wasn’t the person she had been expecting.

“My lady, you’ll catch a cold. Let’s go inside. I’ll escort you.”

Sepia burst into tears,

Like a child, her sobs uncontrollable.

On their way back to the dormitory, Sepia kept her head lowered.

Her body trembled.

“My lady, please take a warm shower.”

“Okay…”

Sepia, her voice weak, followed Vivian’s instructions.

Vivian prepared a change of clothes and brewed some tea. By the time the tea was ready, Sepia, fresh from her shower, was sitting on a chair, her knees drawn to her chest.

Her nose was red.

She had been crying in the shower.

Vivian didn’t offer any words of comfort.

Only the sound of Sepia’s sniffles filled the room.

“My lady… I’ll leave the tea here.”

“…Thank you.”

Sepia replied, her head still lowered.

“Please call me if you need anything.”

“Okay… I will.”

Her voice was devoid of life. The fierce, cat-like Sepia was gone.

Vivian bowed her head and left the room.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇