The Fourth "Let's Talk About Weiss Fancent" Meeting: Noblesse Upperclassmen Edition

"Now then, I, Priscilla Shertz, will attempt to bring this meeting to order and summarize our findings."

The scene was a private room within the Noblesse Magic Academy. Gathered around a white circular table were Priscilla, Neil, Eva, Sierra, and Eleanor.

The Witch Sisters had technically finished their graduation exams, but they still had a few supplementary classes hanging over their heads. They were taking their sweet time earning those last few credits, mostly because they found the whole thing a massive hassle. Normally, the school wouldn't stand for such blatant foot-dragging, but when you’re as brilliant as they are, the rules tend to bend.

On a whiteboard—which felt jarringly out of place in this world—the following words were written in bold: [Why is Weiss Fancent so incredibly strong?]

The whole thing had been Eva’s idea. She’d casually mentioned wanting to hear everyone’s opinions, but when the conversation turned into a chaotic mess, Priscilla had been forced to step up and take charge.

The first to raise her hand was Eleanor.

Wobble, wobble. Something definitely shook.

"I really think Weiss-kun is just a harder worker than anyone else. I-I mean, obviously, his talent is terrifying, but his effort is right up there with it! Or rather... ugh, how do I put it? Do you know what I mean...?"

Wobble, wobble, wobble.

She sounded incredibly unsure of herself, but as Eva watched the display, she let out a little hum. "Heh heh heh. Truly impressive."

Noticing the direction of Eva’s gaze, Sierra puffed out her chest, refusing to be outdone.

"I’m putting in the effort too! I drink my milk every single day, and I make sure to jump and land hard on my heels every night to stimulate growth. Even when it comes to Mana capacity, I’m not about to lose to Eleanor."

As Eleanor tilted her head in confusion at her sister's logic, Eva whispered again. "Heh heh heh. Such a hard worker."

Neil, ever the stoic, was the only one providing a serious answer.

"Much like Allen, it’s clear he has a defined goal. There’s no doubt in my mind that Weiss has something he’s desperate to achieve—like the abolition of slavery. Though, it’s patently obvious the Demon Race is involved in his motivations."

Priscilla nodded at his sharp analysis. As expected, Lord Neil is just so wonderful.

But that was when Eva decided to stir the pot.

"Oh? But Neil, didn't you have something you wanted to achieve too? And yet, you still lost. I'm not sure those two things are actually related."

For the record, Neil and Eva were on decent terms now, but they used to bicker constantly. There was also that one time Eleanor had absolutely lost it because Neil spoke ill of Sierra. Their classmates still talk about that day in hushed, terrified tones; apparently, it was a nightmare.

"...I don't appreciate your tone," Neil muttered. "However, Eva, didn't you lose during the Sports Festival as well? How do you account for that?"

"Heh heh heh. You’ve been keeping such close tabs on my records? I didn't realize you cared so much. Could it be that you’re actually in love with me?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

Priscilla tried to play peacemaker, desperately begging them to calm down, but Sierra’s smile only grew wider. She was the type of person whose mood spiked the moment a fight broke out. Eleanor, of course, was the exact opposite.

"P-please, everyone, just stay calm...!"

"Oh, this is wonderful," Sierra chirped. "This is exactly how Noblesse ought to be!"

Just as the tension reached a breaking point, Priscilla let out a shout that barely managed to halt the impending explosion. Sierra looked disappointed that the fun had stopped, while Eleanor let out a massive sigh of relief, stroking her wobbling chest.

"I agree that he's a hard worker," Priscilla said, trying to get back on track. "But more than anything, it’s his tenacity. Lord Neil is almost certainly right about that. Eva-san, what do you specifically think?"

Priscilla put a little extra pressure on that last word.

Despite being the one who suggested the meeting, Eva acted like she was just being asked for a casual opinion. "Well, it's definitely thanks to his Darkness and Light attributes. And that Inviolable Domain of his—that really is a masterpiece. But honestly, I think it’s that."

Despite the request for specifics, she remained maddeningly vague. I don't know if she was doing it on purpose or not, but Sierra couldn't take the suspense.

"...What do you mean by 'that'?"

"Heh heh heh. What do you think it is, Senior Sierra?"

Even though they were technically in the same year now, Eva made a point of treating Sierra with the respect due to a senior. Sierra seemed satisfied by the ego-stroke and let it slide.

That was when Eleanor chimed in with a simple, honest guess.

"I’ve got it! That refers to Debi-kun!"

She nodded to herself, wobbling as she did. "Debi-kun is really strong, after all."

Neil let out a heavy, audible sigh. Sierra’s cheek twitched. She had a hair-trigger temper when it came to people making light of her little sister.

"Something to say, Neil? If you're so smart, tell us what that is."

"Eva should be the one to answer."

"No, I want to hear your take. Vai is strong. How do you, personally, feel about that?"

"The one I fought directly was Allen. It’s not that I don't acknowledge Weiss's strength, but unlike the rest of you, I didn't suffer a pathetic defeat at his hands."

That was the final straw.

Sierra instantly manifested her Death Scythe. Neil responded by cranking his natural recovery to its absolute limit, bracing for impact. Priscilla, predictably, tried to jump in the middle.

"Enough! Act like adults! Eva-san, just give us a straight answer about that!"

"That, huh? But really... don't you all think it’s just... that?"

In reality, Eva only started this meeting because she’d heard the Intermediate-year Students were doing it. She wanted to see what would happen if she got this group together, and frankly, she was already more than satisfied with the results. She lived for the chaos just as much as Sierra did.

However, Neil and Sierra weren't stupid. They knew Eva was baiting them. The problem was that they weren't the kind of people who could back down just because they knew they were being played.

"Sierra, I’ve been looking for a chance to settle things with you. Shall we do this now?"

"Hmph. You think a 'recovery boy' like you has a prayer of beating me?"

"Senior Sierra, that’s going way too far!" Priscilla snapped.

"Oh? Is that so, 'recovery girl'?"

"For what it's worth," Neil added coldly, "you're the smallest one here."

The temperature in the room seemed to hit boiling point the second the words left his mouth. Eleanor snapped.

"Did you just... make fun of my big sister?"

Suddenly, the four of them fell into combat stances, looking exactly like they were about to start a Tag Tournament. Eva was practically vibrating with joy, cheering them on.

"Heh heh heh. Yes! This is it! Weiss-kun, you really are incredible to be able to captivate everyone like this."

A person’s charm isn't just about raw power. Ironically, it was because she herself was the Strongest that Eva Avery believed that with all her heart.

And for the record? She wasn't actually thinking of anything specific when she said "that."

"Priscilla, we’re settling this here and now!" Neil declared.

"Fine by me!"

"Eleanor, use your Darkness to snuff out their recovery!"

"On it!"

---

A few dozen minutes later, I happened to be walking past the room. I saw a strobe light of magical flashes leaking through the cracks in the door and decided to take a peek.

What I saw was the single greatest "deleted scene" in history.

It was Priscilla vs. Eleanor.

Neil vs. Sierra.

And for some reason, Eva was sitting on the sidelines acting as the ref.

"I won't let you insult Lord Neil!"

"I won't let you talk smack about my sister!"

"Is that all you've got, Scythe-girl?"

"Rich words coming from a 'recovery man'!"

In that moment, my inner gamer screamed. This was the world of Noblesse Oblige that I had played for the first time. That old sense of wonder and excitement flooded back. This was a Tag Match that was never supposed to be possible.

"...Whoa. Amazing."

Watching the high-level back-and-forth, I found myself grinning like a kid. I was just a guy trying to survive at this Academy, working harder than anyone else, but the truth was... I loved this world more than anyone.

Ironically, Eva was the only one who noticed me standing there.

I see. So that boy actually loves this world.

She felt certain that this was the true secret behind my strength.

Eventually, the "discussion" became so violent that Milk, Coco, Chloe, and Darius had to be called in to break it up. Naturally, that part was a "hidden scene" too.

I heard later that I didn't sleep a wink that night because I was too busy replaying the fight in my head.

"...Man, today was great."

Every once in a while, a day like this isn't so bad.

With that thought in mind, I, Weiss Fancent, finally drifted off to sleep.