Reincarnated as a Mob in an Otome Game, but the Characters Were Worse Than I Expected, So I Crushed Them All and Destroyed the Story - Chapter 29: Mob Stays on Guard

Chapter 29: Mob Stays on Guard

For now—The confrontation had settled, and my introduction was over.

Brad motioned for me to take my seat.

Apparently, I was seated all the way in the back row.

Well, that made sense. I was a transfer student—it’s not like there’d be a conveniently open seat in the middle of the classroom.

[Master… Everyone’s staring. This is really uncomfortable.]

(Haha, well, that’s only natural. I am the new student, after all. And with this handsome face, I’m bound to attract some attention.)

[Yeah, no. This definitely isn’t the kind of look you give a popular guy. It’s more like… how people look at something unnatural.]

(…Fair point.)

[Also, I think the prince is way more handsome than you.]

(WOULD YOU STOP ATTACKING ME!?!?)

Of course I knew that!

It wasn’t even up for debate!

I mean, come on.

If some nameless, faceless background character was somehow hotter than an actual story-important capture target—

That would be ridiculous.

It’s fine. I’ll just win with personality.

…Yeah. 

As I bickered with Lana in my head, I trudged toward my seat—when suddenly—something was shoved into my left hand.

Startled, I turned, only to see Charlotte, sitting properly at her desk.

For a brief moment, we made eye contact—and then she immediately turned away, facing forward.

I reached my seat, carefully unwrapping the small slip of paper—making absolutely sure no one else could see.

(Huh… I see how it is…)

The message written on the note was short but clear:

[We, the Maxwell family, were the ones who recommended you for Class A. However, this does not mean we will be your backing. Think carefully about what that means as you live your days here]

It was written in elegant, flowing script.

(Wait—so why not just back me up, then!? You’re telling me I have to survive in this den of monsters without any support!?)

I might as well be a gladiator, thrown into the coliseum, expected to fight beasts without a weapon.

I could already guess the reason behind Maxwell’s decision.

After I won my duel, they probably figured—

Rather than letting rumors spread that an A-Class noble lost to a D-Class commoner, it was better for the narrative to be: “An A-Class noble lost to another A-Class student.”

Alternatively, they might’ve wanted people to misinterpret my real request after the duel—

That I had demanded a promotion to Class A as a reward.

Either way—If they were going to push me into this mess, I really would’ve preferred if they followed through.

But I guess they didn’t want to risk their own reputation if I ended up causing trouble.

Which meant I was completely on my own.

(Sigh… If Maxwell had been my backing, I could’ve made some bolder moves right from the start… Guess I’ll have to keep a low profile for now…)

I let out a sigh.

Once again—

I was painfully reminded just how inconvenient it was to be a commoner in a world run by nobles.

◇◆◇

And just like that—ten minutes later, first period began.

The subject? Political Science.

Something that wasn’t offered in Class D.

Which meant I was already at a disadvantage from the get-go.

But honestly, I wasn’t too worried.

I had decent intelligence, and back in my old life, I did pretty well in politics and economics.

…Not that it mattered much.

This world’s politics were completely different, after all.

(Haaah… Never thought I’d actually miss having Hank around… Having a trustworthy friend really does make all the difference, huh…?)

Class A was tense. Most of the students were nobles, and they were constantly on edge—

Watching. Waiting. Ready to pounce on the slightest mistake.

It was like they were dying for someone to slip up so they could tear them apart.

You’d think they’d just enjoy their time at school, but no—

That’s just not how nobles work.

“Edward. Answer this question.”

“…Answer: Option 3. The Anga Mountain Range, spanning the northwestern region of Criminal Kingdom, has historically been a crucial defensive position during times of national crisis.”

“…Hmm. Very well.”

…The hell was the point of that?

Did they really think a single question was going to trip me up?

Sure enough, Alec barely reacted. 

But Lorie and Rob?

Yeah. They were glaring daggers at me.

Just how badly did they want to see me fail?

Not that it mattered.

Even if I did mess up, I had nothing to lose.

[Master… Why are they glaring so much?]

(Because I’m a commoner.)

[…Should I just beat them up? Watching my Master get looked down on for stupid reasons is seriously pissing me off.]

Lana’s voice carried a different kind of anger than usual. 

This wasn’t the irritation she usually threw my way—

This was genuine frustration.

She was mad on my behalf. And honestly? That made me… kind of happy.

It reminded me that, despite everything—

I really had built a solid relationship with her.

(I appreciate the sentiment, but don’t. This isn’t a battlefield—this is a fight against authority. And that’s a battle we can’t win by force alone.)

[Mmm…! But Master, aren’t you frustrated? This is so unfair!]

(I’m not frustrated. But I can’t forgive it, either. That’s why I made a vow—to change this world.)

If this world had been like MagiRom—

A place filled with kindness—

I would’ve never interfered.

I would’ve just stayed out of the story, living quietly in the background.

I never wanted to ruin anyone’s happiness.

But they were the ones who betrayed me first.

(I will eradicate the parasites that infest this kingdom. I told you that from the very start, didn’t I, Lana?)

[…When I first met you, I thought, ‘Wow. This guy is completely insane.’]

(Yeah, I figured.)

[But now… I guess I kind of see where you’re coming from.]

(That’s good enough for now.)

No matter what Lana thought, I wasn’t backing down from this.

But she was my partner.

And rather than just dragging her along—

I wanted us to face this together.

(Someday, a time will come when you have to decide, too.)

[…Yeah.]

And with that—

I shifted my focus back to class.

◇◆◇

By the time the afternoon had dragged on for a few more hours—

The final bell rang, marking the end of the day’s lessons.

As the teacher wrapped up their lecture, I let out a deep sigh and started packing my things.

(Haaah… My body’s fine, but my mind is completely drained… Seriously. A single wrong move in this place could get me killed. No wonder I’m exhausted…)

Maybe I’d take it easy during today’s training and head to bed early.

I needed to be in peak condition.

You can’t make the right moves if you’re not ready when the time comes. Timing was everything.

“Excuse me. Do you have a moment?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. What’s u—”

I turned around—and froze.

Standing there was Jessica—The protagonist of this world.

The very same girl whose capture targets had explicitly told me to stay away from her.

And yet, here she was.

Talking to me.

“…What do you want? I’m busy.”

“Oh? So you don’t even want to talk to me?”

“If it’s something important, I’ll listen. But if this is just small talk, then I’ll pass.”

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have brushed her off this hard.

But the classroom was empty. I glanced around—

Everyone else had already left.

I’d made the mistake of lingering too long after class—

And now, I was trapped in a conversation I really didn’t want to have.

I had to get out of here fast.

So I gave her the coldest response I could.

“Oh, don’t say such mean things~”

“Just get to the point already.”

“Aw, come on~ You really want me to say it right now?”

“Yes.”

That drawn-out, syrupy voice of hers was already grating on my nerves.

It was way too cutesy—

To the point that just watching it unfold made me feel annoyed.

Then—

She dropped the act.

“Tell me… Are you trying to get in my way?”

In that instant—

Every alarm in my head went off.

Jessica was still smiling—

But her eyes? Completely. Dead.

She wasn’t joking.

She was warning me.

“Come on now… answer me, won’t you?”

She beamed—a smile so radiant, so perfectly beautiful—

As she backed me into a corner.