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 30: Mob Talks to the Protagonist

Chapter 30: Mob Talks to the Protagonist

“Come on now… answer me, won’t you?”

Jessica’s voice had a teasing lilt to it—

Something that could easily be mistaken for playful banter.

But that smile—

That flawless, captivating smile—

Only made the words twist into something more unsettling.

The disconnect between her expression and what she was actually saying was so jarring that my brain nearly short-circuited.

(I already suspected she wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows… but I didn’t think she’d be the one to initiate contact. And from the looks of it… this isn’t some setup where the prince and his friends are waiting to jump me, either…)

I subtly glanced around. No one was hiding in the classroom.

The hallway was empty—Not a single noble lurking behind the door, eavesdropping.

This wasn’t some public spectacle.

It was just me and Jessica.

A perfect after-school scenario—Alone in an empty classroom with a stunning girl.

Under normal circumstances, any guy would be thrilled. But this was not one of those moments.

I had no idea what she wanted. And until I did—I wasn’t letting my guard down.

I took a careful step back, creating some distance between us.

“That’s quite the accusation. Sounds like something someone might misunderstand if they overheard. I’ve never had any intention of getting in anyone’s way—not that I even have the power to. I have no backing, no influence. I’m just an ordinary commoner—nothing more.”

[Oh please. How do you lie so easily? You do this all the time, don’t you? Are you lying to me too, Master~?]

(Not. Now. Lana.)

[Fiiiine~]

I didn’t have the luxury of indulging in Lana’s usual teasing right now.

If Jessica had already caught onto my plans—Then I was several steps behind.

And that? That would be bad.

The fact that she was confronting me this soon…

It made me wonder. 

Was she reincarnated too? 

Or was someone else feeding her information?

Either way—It didn’t matter. The how was irrelevant.

What mattered was what I did next. 

I had to assume the worst-case scenario and act accordingly.

“Oh? Are you really saying that? You—just a commoner with no power at all?”

“Of course. I was never given any recommendation from a noble family. I was in Class D from the very beginning.”

“Hmm~ But can you really say you have no power, when you defeated Lady Charlotte?”

Jessica’s doubtful gaze never wavered.

Still all smiles—Yet her eyes remained cold.

This was getting annoying. I really wanted to just walk away—But we were classmates now.

And if I wanted to keep up the harmless commoner act—

I couldn’t afford to run.

No ordinary commoner would dare walk away from someone as powerful as Jessica—

A girl with the Hamilton family’s backing.

So I stayed.

“It was pure luck. You never know how a match will turn out until the very end, right? The goddess of fortune just happened to smile my way that day. Must’ve been thanks to my good karma. You know—being an upstanding citizen and all.”

[Oh, sure. Your ‘good karma’—from making girls meow, woof, and warp their personalities?]

(Shut it. Don’t make this worse. Want me to put cat ears on you, too?)

[Pervert. Try it, and I’m calling the guards.]

(Why are you acting like a human all of a sudden…)

Seriously.

Imagine a spirit walking up to the knights and going: “Excuse me, my contractor is forcing girls to wear cat ears and meow.”

I’d either be ostracized from society—Or we’d both be labeled as degenerates.

Either way—I was doomed.

“So you’re saying it was just luck that you won against Lady Charlotte?”

Jessica’s doubt hadn’t budged an inch.

“Is there a problem? You didn’t see the fight yourself, did you?”

If someone like her had been at the arena, I’d have noticed immediately.

Pink-haired beauties stand out.

Hank had already confirmed it, too.

Jessica and the rest of her crew weren’t there that day.

So how was she so sure I wasn’t just lucky?

“Well, I suppose that’s true~”

“Then I’d appreciate it if you stopped slandering me. I’m already dealing with enough baseless rumors.”

“Heh, so the man who claims he only won by luck is worried about rumors? That’s quite funny.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

“Hold it. I’m not finished.”

Why? I already shut this conversation down.

She didn’t see the fight—

Which meant she had no grounds to judge my strength—

End of discussion.

So why was she still talking?

“I heard you used an Ice Spirit Sword to defeat Lady Charlotte’s Gilbert. And not only that—you stood against Black Lightning as well.”

“If you want an explanation, ask the spectators or one of the instructors who was judging.”

“No thanks. Why should I go through all that trouble when you’re standing right here?”

“Because in this conversation—you’re the one asking for information, and I’m the one who has it. That puts me in a higher position. If I don’t want to explain, then that’s that.”

I was already annoyed, so the words just came out.

Jessica might be the future Priestess of Light, and she had the Hamilton family’s backing—

But right now? She was just another student. And on paper, we were both commoners.

She wasn’t my superior—

And unlike her, I had been recommended into Class A by Maxwell’s family—

A house far more powerful than Hamilton’s.

Which meant—I didn’t owe her a damn thing.

“Oh? So you think you’re above me?”

“At least in this situation, yes. And like I said—I have nothing to say about my match with Lady Charlotte. So this conversation? It’s over.”

I let out a sigh and turned toward the door.

Then—A sudden pulse of magic erupted behind me.

It wasn’t as overwhelming as Charlotte’s—But it was still immense. 

A fitting power for the future Priestess of Light.

(So this is Light Magic, huh…? I’d heard it described as warm and gentle to allies—But when directed as hostility… It felt unnerving—almost suffocating. A power that only the protagonist could wield. And that alone was a problem.)

I had no special abilities of my own.

Just my knowledge of this world—and a body enhanced through sheer training and doping.

But Jessica? She was limitless potential incarnate. 

Lana’s powers might be able to counter her—

But I wasn’t willing to bet on a maybe.

Everything in my instincts screamed at me—

Tread carefully.

“Haaah… What’s with the intimidation? Do you always let your magic leak out like this?”

“Oh? You actually noticed? Honestly, I thought you’d be too dense to pick up on it.”

“You make it pretty obvious when you’re seething with hostility. You’ve got quite the… unnatural magic, don’t you?”

Jessica’s Light Magic was common knowledge among the nobility—But not among the commoners.

Even so— 

You didn’t need to be sensitive to mana to feel the difference.

The moment someone with Light Magic directed hostility at you—

You’d know.

Ignoring it would have been unnatural.

“Fufu, there’s no reason for me to explain this to you. But now you understand, don’t you? I’m quite strong myself.”

“Sure. If you want to believe you’re stronger than me, go ahead.”

“That answer is so boring, don’t you think?”

Honestly—This entire conversation was pointless.

And the longer she stood there—with that face and voice twisted in such an ugly way—the more I just wanted her gone.

A sickening disgust coiled in my chest—

One I couldn’t shake off.

I had to force myself not to deck her on the spot.

“Say… why don’t we have a match?”

…I figured this was coming.

The moment she started boasting about her strength—

It was obvious where this was going.

And there was no benefit to accepting.

The only thing it would do was draw more attention from the prince and his lackeys.

“I refuse.”

No hesitation. No second thoughts.

There was zero reason to entertain this.

“Oh? So that’s how it is. I suppose I’ll just have to discuss this with Prince Alec, then… What do you think, nameless commoner?”

“…!”

That smirk.

That ugly, smug grin—

Jessica from the original story would have never made a face like that.

That was the moment I knew—

If I left this protagonist unchecked,

She’d become a problem.