Alicia and Mariana.
In the world of the game, these two women had been polar opposites: the villainess and the heroine.
A duke’s daughter and a commoner.
They were two elements that should never have mixed, yet here they were on the stage of the Academy—where, under normal circumstances, they would have triggered a violent rejection in one another.
In the original story, they were destined to clash until one of them was utterly ruined. In reality, things were looking quite different.
"So you’re the type who brings her own lunch too, Lady Alicia?"
"Since Ragna is that way, I thought it would just be easier to make them together, wouldn't it?"
"That mixed sandwich looks delicious."
"Do you want one?"
"Is it really all right? Thank you, I’ll take it! In exchange, please allow me to offer you these scones. They were meant to be my snack."
The two sat side-by-side on a bench behind the library, sharing their lunch on remarkably friendly terms.
How had it come to this?
This was all the fault of that fake Patricia, who was currently hogging the center of the main courtyard to indulge in her "Ikemen Paradise."
Ninety percent of the blame lay with Patricia; the remaining ten percent was on me.
I had stepped in to reform Alicia—the girl who was originally supposed to become a vengeful villainess and bring calamity to this kingdom. But well, that couldn’t be helped, could it? If I hadn’t, the frontier land where I’d been born and raised, the Brave Territory, would have been swallowed by monsters and wiped off the map.
However, the fake was a different story entirely.
Originally, Mariana Ocean—the girl currently raving over the sandwich Alicia had made—was the one who should have occupied the Protagonist Position. Somehow or another, Patricia had shoved her aside and built a reverse harem in her place.
My plan for Mariana and the Prince to enjoy a smooth romance, handle whatever disasters arose, and leave me to live in peace back in the Brave Territory had utterly collapsed.
Through some strange twist of fate, these two women, who had both been shaken off their original Villainess and Protagonist Routes, were now friends.
"Where did Ragna-san go? I thought the two of you always ate together."
"We don't. You're in the same class as him, shouldn't you know where he is?"
"Well... he always vanishes the moment the bell rings for break."
"Is he actually attending his classes...?"
"Yes, he stays in the classroom during the lessons and takes them quite seriously."
"Good grief, just where is he and what is he doing...?"
What was I doing, you ask?
I was watching this heartwarming scene from atop the library roof.
I didn't necessarily have to be right beside Alicia to protect her. In fact, if we were seen together at the Academy, the verbal abuse directed at her would only intensify. People mocked her as "damaged goods," a girl cast aside even by the House of the Duke.
If I were to silently overlook a situation where my fiancée was being insulted, the name of House Brave would be disgraced. However, if I went to protect her head-on, Alicia would likely try to stop me. Thus, I operated solo from the shadows.
The former villainess and the former heroine.
What a strange turn of events. It almost felt as if destiny were desperately trying to mend the warped strings of fate by bringing them together.
With the two of them united, there was no way the world would remain quiet. The movements surrounding them were growing increasingly suspicious by the day.
"Hmph. Look at that little piece of damaged goods, scurrying off to hide. To think she's stubborn enough to stay at this Academy even if she has to associate with a smelly commoner. I wonder if she'll just get expelled along with that peasant girl?"
"I agree completely, Lady Ekaterina!"
"Right? This is an Academy for nobles. I shall personally see to it that that detestable little brat Patricia is driven out as well. Oho-ho-ho!"
"As expected of Lady Ekaterina!"
Today’s batch of harassment-loving nobles had arrived.
When Alicia spent her time quietly alone, they hadn’t taken much action, but as soon as she started associating with Mariana, they began sniffing around like hounds looking for trouble.
"How trivial."
I truly wondered what their problem was, or why they couldn't just leave well enough alone.
In the class Mariana and I shared, no one felt like doing that. Mariana’s position had shifted into something akin to a strange small animal. Because she knew her place far too well, a psychological effect had kicked in where people felt like she was overdoing the humility, making them lose the will to pick on her.
"There's no way happiness will ever find a girl like that! Come along."
As Ekaterina and her group of underlings started heading toward Alicia, I deployed a small barrier at her feet.
"Gah!?"
"Lady Ekaterina!? Are you all right!?"
"Ouch... I tripped on— Eek! It's freezing!"
I smashed a second barrier into one of the faucets used for watering the flower beds in the back garden. The pipe burst, spraying water directly onto the spot where Ekaterina had fallen.
"L-Lady Ekaterina... are you all right...?"
"Can't you tell by looking at me!? Of course I'm not all right!!"
Slap!
"Hmph! This has ruined my mood!"
The soaking-wet Ekaterina slapped the cheek of the underling who had approached her, then marched back the way she came in a fit of rage.
"She's a bit too much of a small-fry to be the new villainess..."
Ekaterina had originally been one of Alicia's followers. Promoted from an underling mob to a villainess, huh?
Since I didn't exist in the original story, I was utilizing my position to fulfill the role of brushing away the sparks from behind the scenes. It was much easier work than dealing with them head-on.
"I can't say I approve of that."
As I watched Ekaterina and her lackeys retreat, a voice spoke from behind me.
"I agree. I don't think harassment is a good thing at all."
"I am referring to your habit of breaking school property."
It was Volsea.
The library roof was quite high, but he had managed to climb up here without making a sound.