Last updated: Jan 17, 2026, 11:05 p.m.
View Original Source →After that, I took Ana with me for some high-speed grinding through the Great Orc Labyrinth. Toward the end, she had reached the point where she could take down the Orc King on the 100th floor all by herself without any help from me. Based on that, she’d likely reached at least Level 20.
Once her level stopped rising efficiently, we called an end to our speed-runs and returned to the Royal Capital. The days that followed were relatively peaceful. I spent a fulfilling winter break occasionally visiting the Elven Village to stock up on honey, heading to the Wind Mountain Labyrinth alone to speed-clear floors and play with the Blizzard Phoenix, and researching improvements for Vuitol and my firearms.
By the way, that pervert at the Elven Village was still doing whatever he pleased, but since there was no actual harm to me and the elves seemed to have accepted it, I decided to leave well enough alone.
Besides, no matter how much of a creep he is, he is still the Light Spirit. With him lending them his strength, it’s unlikely that any monsters would settle down nearby and cause real trouble unless something truly catastrophic happened.
Now then, I’d managed to achieve my original goal of preventing Ana’s condemnation and exile. In doing so, I’d successfully nipped the first catalyst for the Royal Capital's destruction in the bud. However, reality wasn't so kind as to let everything be resolved with just that.
First off, based on what the Duke told me, it seemed the Crown Prince and Amy got off with an incredibly soft punishment: a mere slap on the wrist provided they apologized. This meant I still had to stay on my guard. There was no telling what Amy might try next to get rid of Ana.
On the flip side, the story of the Crown Prince and the capture targets losing a five-on-one fight against me had spread through the nobility like wildfire. Word was that people were starting to question whether any of them were fit to be heirs.
The Crown Prince took the heaviest hit. By unilaterally trying to discard Ana—his political fiancée—he’d instantly lost the support of the Southern Nobles who rallied around Duke Ramslett.
As a result, the power balance within the Royal Palace, which the Crown Prince had previously dominated, was shifting. The court was now fractured into the Crown Prince Faction, the Second Prince Faction, and the Moderates, who were currently content to sit on the fence and wait to see who came out on top.
As for the Duke himself, he was apparently maintaining a stance of silent observation. Since he wasn’t aligning with the Moderates either, he and the Southern Nobles were being treated as an independent "Duke Ramslett Faction."
I didn’t fully grasp his endgame, but since he’d imposed a gag order on the nobles in his faction, I suspected he was waiting for the perfect moment to maximize the leverage of his support. He was likely keeping his options open so he could sell his loyalty to whichever side offered the highest price.
I’d heard all of this from Sebastian, and it struck me how much the situation mirrored the aftermath of Ana’s exile in the game.
Maybe I should have just finished off the Crown Prince right then and there instead of giving him a lecture, I thought, though I knew better. If I’d done that, I would have been executed regardless of the circumstances. Life is never that simple.
Then came the first day of our second year. As I walked through the halls, I could feel gazes piercing my back.
"Can you believe a commoner who dueled His Highness has the nerve to show his face?"
The whispers followed me, but it was exactly what I’d expected.
I ignored them and headed to the auditorium to check the new class assignments. It was there that I saw something completely unexpected.
Take a look at this:
──── Below, Class B ────
The first bit of good news: Ana’s follower—well, her friend—Isabella had been promoted to Class A. On the other hand, despite his grades tanking, the Crown Prince remained in Class A. I suppose the school couldn't very well demote the student they’d previously honored as the top of the class to Class B overnight.
And then there was Leonard. After managing to rank dead last for two final exams in a row, he had finally plummeted to Class B.
Serves you right!
But there was one even bigger anomaly. Did you notice it?
That’s right—the name of Prince Claude, the international student from the neighboring kingdom, was gone. I didn't know the exact details, but it effectively meant he had withdrawn from the academy.
I wasn’t the only one; the other students crowded around the board seemed equally shocked by his absence.
"Allen!"
Ana found me, her voice uncharacteristically bright.
"Good morning, Lady Anastasia," I replied.
"っ! A-Ah. Good morning."
She stiffened for a split second, glancing around restlessly before returning the greeting.
"More importantly, have you heard about Prince Claude?"
"No. I was surprised to see his name missing from the list."
"I see. I don’t know the specifics, but apparently, the Westadale Kingdom requested his withdrawal."
"I see. Well, a lot did happen."
"Indeed... regardless, let us go."
"Yes, My Lady."
At Ana’s urging, we entered the auditorium. She led me to a seat near the front. Thinking back to a year ago when I was tucked away in a corner at the very back, things had certainly changed.
After the teachers finished their characteristically long-winded speeches, Ana, the Crown Prince, and Amy were called onto the stage.
"Allen, you come as well," Ana said.
"Is that allowed?"
"Yes. You acted as my proxy. You have every right to stand behind me and witness this."
"Understood."
I followed her up. Seeing this, Marcus, Oscar, and Leonard followed Amy.
"Now then, I believe we all know why we are here. I expect you to accept the results of the duel," Ana declared.
Amy and the Crown Prince’s group grimaced in frustration, their gazes dropping to the floor. Then, trembling slightly, they bowed their heads and offered their apology to Ana.
"We retract our statements regarding House Ramslett and offer our sincerest apologies. We were in the wrong."
"We are truly sorry."
Neither of them sounded like they meant a word of it, but the fact that they were apologizing in front of the entire student body was what mattered.
"Very well. I accept your apology," Ana said. "In the future, I trust you will not be so quick to slight the name of Ramslett."
With that, the apology was concluded. The Crown Prince, Amy, and Leonard shot us overt glares before scurrying back to their seats. Marcus and Oscar, meanwhile, looked thoroughly embarrassed as they made their retreat.
"Hardly feels like an apology with those looks they're giving us," I muttered.
"It matters not. And one more thing, Allen—this is from me to you. It also serves as a declaration to the other students, so I would be pleased if you would accept it. Will you?"
"Of course."
"Good."
Ana took a breath and then raised her voice so the entire hall could hear.
"Allen! As my proxy, you have defended the honor of House Ramslett with great distinction! In recognition of your merit and in reward for your loyalty, House Ramslett has officially decided to place Allen and his family under its direct protection!"
She reached into her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and held it out to me.
"I embroidered this myself with my family's crest. Will you accept it?"
I wasn't entirely sure of the proper etiquette, but I knelt and accepted it with as much reverence as I could manage. A lone person—no, two people—began to clap. It was Margaret and Isabella.
Following their lead, the rest of the hall eventually joined in the applause.
The opening ceremony concluded without further incident, bringing a tentative end to the series of upheavals that had begun with the villainess’s Condemnation Event.
"By the way, Lady Ana," I asked later. "I’m a bit unversed in noble common sense—why did you make that declaration back there? The King has already recognized my status, hasn't he?"
"Hm? Oh. That was a warning to the other students," she said, her face flushing slightly. "It was a threat: 'Allen belongs to House Ramslett now, so do not touch him. If you do, you make an enemy of the Duke.'"
And so, the second year of academy life began—a year where the villainess remained, a development that should have been impossible according to the game.
Generate a new translation to compare different AI outputs and check consistency.