Chapter 31: Townsperson A Acts as a Chaperone

Now that my life as a background prop at the Academy had settled down for the time being, I had planned to spend my summer vacation running the Wind Mountain Labyrinth to earn some cash. Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn.

On the third day of break, I found myself at the entrance of the Northeast Forest—the same place where the ruins containing that Scroll of Appraisal were located. My companions for the day were Anastasia, the Crown Prince, the rest of the capture targets, and Amy.

"Your Highness, everyone—I look forward to working with you today," I said, kneeling to offer the formal salute of a subject.

"Right," the Crown Prince replied curtly.

He clearly had zero interest in me; his passionate gaze was fixed entirely on Amy. Anastasia, meanwhile, watched the Prince with eyes like ice.

As for why I was out here with this specific crowd, I had ended up helping the Crown Prince and his cronies with their independent research project at Anastasia’s request. Of course, even if she calls it a 'request,' a favor asked by a Duke’s daughter is effectively an order to a commoner like me. Refusal wasn't an option. It was plain to see that if I defied her, the whole thing would end with me being kicked out of the Academy.

Well, for the time being, I was told I’d be allowed to submit the project as a co-author, so I suppose I should be grateful. However, since it was a foregone conclusion that a lowly person like myself would be doing everything from writing the first draft to the final proofreading, I had mixed feelings about the whole arrangement.

But enough griping. To put it simply, this was the in-game event where the heroine, Amy, obtains the Scroll of Appraisal.

In the original game, during the Crown Prince’s route or the Reverse Harem route, Anastasia would tag along and hire an outside adventurer to act as a guide for safety. However, because a foreign object like me had been mixed into the Academy, the event had shifted slightly. Anastasia likely realized that rather than hiring some unknown mercenary, it was much more cost-effective to use the "convenient" adventurer in her own class for free.

On the other hand, the fact that every single capture target was gathered here confirmed that Amy was indeed charging down the Reverse Harem route.

Honestly, that route is a nightmare to complete. You have to show up everywhere and meticulously trigger every single flag, but Amy seemed to be doing just fine. Personally, I’d find it mentally exhausting to watch the girl I like get cozy with all my friends one after another, but apparently, the guys here don’t see it that way.

That said, Amy was apparently loathed by the other girls in class, and the bullying was steadily escalating. Well, Anastasia didn't seem to be involved in that, so it was none of my business.

"Well then, is everyone ready? If you’re prepared, I’ll lead the way to the ruins."

"Yeah. No problem."

"Then we shall depart. Along the way, we’ll be passing through the habitat of Horn Rabbits—rabbit monsters with horns. Please stay alert; if you’re careless, they can gore you."

"Hah! Who do you think you're talking to?" Prince Claude mocked, looking down his nose at me. "There's no way I'd be taken down by the likes of a Horn Rabbit."

"I, too, have trained rigorously as a future Knight Commander," Leonard added.

"I'll pick off something like a Horn Rabbit with my bow before it even gets close," Oscar chimed in.

"Hmph. I'll turn any Horn Rabbit into a barbecue," Marcus sneered.

"Hey, if you roast it, you'll probably leave nothing but charcoal," Crown Prince Karlheinz retorted.

I'm pretty sure a Horn Rabbit would taste foul if you roasted it whole without properly draining the blood first, I thought, but I decided to keep that to myself.

"U-Um... I'm sure Allen-san only said that because he's worried about us," Amy interjected. She spoke in a strangely sweet voice as she "admonished" the capture targets.

"Ah, you're right. As expected of Amy—you’re truly impressive to show such concern even for a commoner."

"That's my Amy for you."

"Hey, Amy doesn't belong to you, Claude."

"She’s right. She's mine, isn't she?"

"No, she is mine."

"Oh, my... I don't know what to..."

A truly nauseating exchange played out right in front of me. I glanced at Anastasia; she was watching the scene with a completely frozen expression.

Noticing my gaze, her face softened into a look of mild exasperation for a fleeting second before she turned back to the six of them. With her icy mask firmly back in place, she spoke.

"Your Highness, if we linger too long, His Majesty will worry. Let us depart."

Irritated at having the mood spoiled, the Crown Prince clicked his tongue.

"Fine. Let's move. You—lead the way."

I was too exasperated for words, but he was the Crown Prince regardless. I couldn't be disrespectful. Keeping my face blank, I gave a small reply of "Yes, sir," and began guiding them toward the ruins.