"It’s all well and good to support him, but if you don't handle your duties properly, the Student Council is going to lose all credibility, you know?"
"I am terribly sorry. I simply got carried away in the heat of the moment."
We had moved to the back of the Contest Venue, where Treisa stood, offering Alicia an honest apology.
She certainly had been putting her heart into it. The bloodlust rolling off her earlier was so thick I honestly thought she’d murder anyone who dared get in her way.
"Treisa-san, do you have a grasp on what exactly the trouble is?"
"To be perfectly honest, I haven't the slightest clue."
"I see..."
It was better than her making up some flimsy excuse, but being so blatant about it was almost deflating.
"Mariana came to get you, didn't she?"
"Again, in all honesty, I was so focused on cheering that I didn't even notice her. I suspect the members of the Cheer Squad probably chased her away..."
"I see."
Hearing that, Patricia muttered from behind us, "Maybe I should just kill those guys later." I decided to pretend I didn’t hear her. It would only be a hassle.
Why was this woman so obsessed with Mariana anyway? She’d gone out of her way to steal Mariana’s position and keep her away from the Academy—even if her true intention was to protect her, surely there was a better way to go about it.
Well, now probably wasn't the time to ask. Even if I asked her about her past deeds with total honesty, she’d likely only give me answers that would make Alicia blow a fuse.
"If the contest everyone was looking forward to has been delayed this much, it must be quite a significant problem, right?"
"Well, yes..."
Alicia spoke evasively, looking down with an expression that would have made an average man read way too much into it. Edward was dead, Belial had appeared, and the Barrier was gone—she was clearly agonizing over whether or not to drop those bombshells.
With the Culture Festival’s lively atmosphere masking the truth, speaking carelessly now could trigger a massive panic.
"I’ll just say it because it’s a pain otherwise, but things are definitely going to get much worse," Patricia muttered as she watched the two women with me from a distance.
"Well, you're here specifically expecting everything to go to hell, so of course you'd say that."
After all, her original plan involved destroying the Barrier herself and letting the Neighboring Country take over the nation through military force.
"Hmph. You really don't know anything, do you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just think about it. The people who flocked to that stupid, bald prince are nothing but a bunch of total airheads, you know?"
"..."
I desperately wanted to retort, but the words wouldn't come.
It was a total logic-bomb. I really, truly wanted to talk back, but since she was undeniably right, I had to accept the defeat with a heavy heart.
"Their thought processes are always coming out of left field. At best, they’re just petty and craftily stupid. Treisa’s only merit is her earnest excellence in both the literary and martial arts, yet she threw that away to try making bento. She ended up blowing up the kitchen and giving an entire squad of knights food poisoning."
"...Seriously?"
She spoke as if a lot had happened while I wasn't looking. She was unusually well-informed when it came to gossip about other women.
"If it’s going to be a hassle either way, it’s better to just spit it out quickly."
As if Patricia’s words were a prophecy, Treisa suddenly blurted out something ridiculous.
"No way! Could it be that something terrible has happened to Clive-sama?!"
"Eh? No, I don't think that's it."
"I don't think so either," I added.
As it stood, Clive was the strongest person in the school after me and the late Edward. He was more than capable of taking care of himself.
"Ah! C-c-c-could it be?!"
Treisa snapped her head toward Patricia, who was standing beside me.
"Could it be that he has eloped with Mariana-san, who went on ahead?!"
"Wait, what...?"
Alicia was left utterly stunned by the sudden accusation.
"I’ve made up my mind! The next time a thieving cat shows her face, I will stay true to myself and slaughter her—sometimes with brute force! I can’t waste another second!"
"Wait, Treisa-san?!"
Alicia hurriedly chased after Treisa, who was already sprinting away from the back of the venue toward the Waiting Room Tent in full plate armor.
"See?"
"What do you mean 'see'? You're ninety percent to blame for this."
She was nonchalantly acting as if her prediction had simply come true, but I’d seen the trauma flickering in Treisa’s eyes. She’d mentioned a 'thieving cat,' so she was probably having a flashback to Patricia’s Reverse Harem Era.
Just how many lives had this woman ruined? Destroying men and women alike without distinction—she truly was a Born Villainess.
"Well, at least this makes things go faster."
"..."
As I watched Patricia walk after them without a shred of remorse, I felt a slight sense that she really was more like a Spirit. She certainly wasn't a Demon.
At the same time, I felt a new sense of admiration for Edward, the man who had managed to stay sane and even find a weird sort of peace after being ruined by her.
That guy... he was a lot tougher than I gave him credit for. Seriously.