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 41: Mob Gets Removed from the Watchlist

Chapter 41: Mob Gets Removed from the Watchlist

“Oh, right. Lady Maxwell said that once you’re healed, she wants you to come to her room.”

I almost dropped the apple I was holding—along with the little wooden pick stuck in it.

Charlotte calling me in… Yeah, I had a pretty good idea what that was about.

Actually, there was only one possible reason.

There’s no way that carnivorous pervert would let her prey slip away.

She was probably stewing in frustration—desire, more like—and I had a bad feeling I was going to be her outlet.

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to decline. But if I did, who knows what kind of disaster might strike?

“Uh, d-do you think maybe… Lady Hamilton could come with me too?”

“…I’m sorry. I have plans that day.”

“But… it’s not like there’s a fixed date, right? She just said to come after I’ve recovered, didn’t she?”

“…Yes, well… I’m planning to come down with a fever every evening for the next month.”

I—I’ve been abandoned!

If Alicia had come with me, I was sure Charlotte would at least try to keep herself in check!

[…But what if the opposite happens? Like, she’s so pent up with frustration that she explodes later… or worse, she ends up getting more excited because Alicia’s there…?]

(…Please don’t speak such terrifyingly possible futures out loud… It’s giving me a headache…)

[Hey, weren’t you the one who said we always have to prepare for the worst!? I don’t really get how human social ranks work, but weren’t you the one who told me that you can’t go against nobles!?]

(Sometimes, Lana… being hit with pure logic is the cruelest thing of all.)

Can’t I at least run from reality a little?

Sure, I was glad when Charlotte started taking an interest in me, but this… This had clearly evolved into obsession.

Honestly, I was starting to wonder if she had intentionally chosen to fight against me, not to prove her strength—but to satisfy her own twisted desires. She wasn’t just heading down the path of a masochist… She was sprinting.

(…Maybe I should try bringing Charlotte back to normal.)

[So… you’re saying Charlotte isn’t normal right now?]

(Would you call someone who makes that face while getting verbally abused “normal”?)

[Well, from a spirit’s perspective… she might barely still count as normal?]

(If you’re gonna say that, don’t end it like a question!)

I had no idea how spirits usually saw humans, but from the way Lana talked, it sounded like Charlotte was teetering on the edge between normal and not.

As for us humans? Yeah, she was definitely over the line.

(Wait, no—this is getting off track. I was trying to talk about turning Charlotte back to normal.)

[Sure, sounds nice and all, but… Master, can you actually do that? I can only imagine this ending in disaster.]

(If I was the one who twisted Charlotte in the first place, then logically, I should be the one who can bring her back! There’s no one else who can do it but me…!)

[Ahh… yeah… suuuure… right…]

(Charlotte needs to reclaim that noble pride of hers! I just wanted to give her a little wake-up call—but walking around like that isn’t good for a villainess! It’s completely unhealthy!)

[If I’m using your words, Master… I’d say that kind of behavior is unhealthy for anyone.]

I didn’t have time to keep reacting to Lana’s every comment.

Now that I had a goal, it was time to start formulating a plan to restore Charlotte!

Luckily, I had plenty of time—since I was still stuck in bed and off from school.

“I just remembered… There’s one more thing I forgot to mention.”

“…!? W-What is it…?”

Just as I started brainstorming my grand plan, Alicia pulled me back to reality with a single sentence.

Now I was on edge again—bracing myself for another bombshell.

If she hit me with something else crazy now, I might actually cry.

But Alicia’s next words… were completely unexpected.

“Um… I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

Alicia lowered her head in front of me.

It was a sight so out of place, I couldn’t process it right away. For a moment, I just stood there, completely speechless.

Then, snapping out of it, I hurriedly climbed out of bed and rushed over to her.

“Wait! Lady Hamilton, please raise your head! Why would you do something like this!?”

“…I can’t. My friend caused you a lot of trouble.”

With those words, I finally understood why Alicia was bowing to me.

Anyone else wouldn’t have even considered it. But Alicia Hamilton—the one I knew from the game—was exactly the kind of person who would do this without hesitation.

Even as she kept her head down, she continued.

“My friend… Jessica really did something terrible to you. Not only did she suddenly challenge you to a mock battle, but on the day of, she even dragged the princes in and tried to gang up on you…”

That was just who Alicia was.

Because she cared so deeply about her friends, she could bow her head without a second thought when they were in the wrong.

Because she was kind, she could treat someone like me—a commoner—with genuine respect.

In the game, those good traits of hers were usually shown through her interactions with Jessica, the protagonist. But in truth, Alicia had a heart just as gentle—if not more so.

“…It’s fine, really. In the end, I still managed to win.”

Of course, I hadn’t told Alicia about Jessica’s whole “if you lose, you’ll get expelled” nonsense.

And really, none of this was Alicia’s fault to begin with.

“But… Edward, your shoulder—”

“Ahaha, that was thanks to Lady Maxwell. It’s nothing you need to worry about, Lady Hamilton.”

I smiled wryly as I said it, and Alicia slowly lifted her head.

There was still a bit of concern and unease on her face.

Well, sure, my shoulder had been sliced open, but with magic, it would heal in no time. It really wasn’t something to worry about.

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for, Lady Hamilton.”

“Even so…”

“In that case, how about I give you a condition for forgiveness?”

Figuring this might go on forever if I didn’t step in, I raised my index finger in front of her.

Alicia glanced at it, curious.

“From now on, I want you to stop worrying about this and smile like you always do. I’m sure there’s someone out there who finds comfort in that smile.”

“Edward… Fufu, if you say it like that, I guess I have no choice. Alright, I won’t dwell on it anymore.”

“Yes, please do.”

“Fufu… I wonder, Edward, do you also like my smile?”

“Well, who knows?”

“Ah! That’s mean! You could’ve just told me!”

Alicia puffed out her cheeks in mock anger.

And then, the two of us laughed at the same time.

I didn’t know if this girl was hiding her true nature or not.

But even if she was, unless she actually showed any signs of it, there was no need to stay on guard.

For now, at least, she was exactly like the shining heroine from the world of MagiRom.

(Well… every once in a while, a moment like this isn’t so bad.)

Pushing the whole “being summoned by the pervy cat” situation to the back of my mind, I let myself smile.

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[Afterword]

Prep school is rough.

Updating regularly has gotten hard.

So from now on, instead of updating every other day, I’ll be switching to updates every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Though this week, Wednesday’s not possible, so I’ll post on Thursday instead, then stick to the new schedule.

If it still gets too difficult, I might cut down to two updates a week.

I’ve officially become a test-taker this year, so I hope you’ll understand.

And as always, thank you for supporting this series!