The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 74: The Power Word of Tea Party Hunting

Chapter 74: The Power Word of Tea Party Hunting

Edward’s involvement in the tea party budget reform ensured steady progress, and the once daily after-school tea parties gradually vanished.

The downgrade in the quality of tea and snacks irritated the nobles’ pride, leading to their discontinuation. 

Although holding these parties less frequently wasn’t a problem, the complete refusal to even submit requests through servants indicated the depth of their pride.

It may seem trivial, but humans are creatures who find it extremely stressful to lower their standards of living once they’ve improved.

Whether it involves limbs or family, they inherently despise losing or being deprived of what they once had.

If I weren’t influenced by the Brave territory, I might have protested too, but the harsh reality is that drastic measures are sometimes necessary. 

Honestly, the daily tea parties were likely one of the reasons for the drop in academic performance. 

Every day, endlessly, they gathered, mixing boys and girls, flirting non-stop—was this school turning into a daily dating simulation game?

The discipline at this school has significantly deteriorated! But then again, its disorder isn’t really causing any major issues.

“Hmmm.”

I mused while observing the students from the rooftop, as usual.

Despite the situation resembling a tea party strike, no student has come forward to demand an increased budget.

I anticipated some of the older students might lodge a complaint using Edward, but it seems the strategy involving him worked quite effectively.

Well, in the first semester, when Patricia and the others were gleefully socializing, they weren’t holding tea parties. Instead, they engaged in a cost-effective homemade lunch derby.

Since Edward was advocating against wasteful spending, nobody could really argue back.

Most students, skilled as they may be at making excuses or twisting logic, simply stay silent and scamper off with just one look from me—visibly shaking.

“Whoa, the Hound’s monitoring us!”

“How did he get on the roof… hunting tea parties?”

“W-We’re not doing anything!”

“We’re like unnoticed weeds, never even invited to the daily tea parties, so give us a break!”

And so, they tremble with fear over nothing. 

I used to enjoy my unrestricted surveillance, but now I stick out too much, making it awkward.

Despite the term ‘tea party hunting’ floating around, I’m not actually hunting anything.

“Alright then.”

I jumped down from the roof to set the record straight in front of the students.

“Just submit a proper request, and the school will fund your tea parties.”

“Hiii! I don’t want to die!”

“We wouldn’t attend even if they held one!”

“Holding a tea party now would just make the girls dislike us even more!”

The boys said this as they ran away.

I don’t get it. 

What exactly did that baldy say?

Depending on what it was, I might need to get Alicia, the “Empress,” to teach him a proper lesson.

“Well, they’ll probably start having them eventually.”

Since the regular classes are getting more support from the school, tea parties will likely become more active, and the boys excluded from the special classes will probably join them. 

This might naturally lead to some advantageous marriages, which isn’t a bad thing.

With the son of the Pentagram Marquis dead, the son of the Ignite family studying abroad, Edward being bald and foolish, and Clive having no chance as his fiancée is part of the student council, the remaining option is the son from the Cascade family related to Vorsea. However, I haven’t seen where he went. 

The chances for the special class girls to marry well seemed hopeless.

“Anyway,” 

I jumped back onto the roof and decided to hide in a less conspicuous spot. 

Next, I need to look into Patricia and Jelasis’s study abroad.

Did they declare war only to flee because they knew they couldn’t win?

If so, they’ll surely attack again.

I feel it coming. 

If I knew I couldn’t win, I’d hide until I could, and then strike back. It surely must be the same for them.

“Surprisingly, this girl Patricia seems to be quite sharp.”

I might be able to predict when the attack will occur.

It could be during the Sage Festival, a major event when the school grounds are open to foreign students and not just insiders. 

But then I reconsider.

What really is Patricia’s goal?

Initially, it seemed she was enjoying a reverse harem after snatching the protagonist’s role with her substitution magic. However, as soon as she failed to secure a sacred relic on Edward’s route, she quickly discarded him.

Without switching to another route, she just went abroad. Now, that really makes no sense.

“Hmm… maybe I should just ask her directly.” 

Though she has retreated abroad for now, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity presented by the Sage Festival.

If she blatantly targets Alicia and becomes an overt enemy, I have no intention of staying out of it. The best course is to strike first.

Maybe she anticipated this and has gone into hiding. 

She’s quite the capable strategist type, which piques my interest a bit.

Commanding a demon-possessed Jelasis and managing to pull off all this in such a peaceful world, she might be in a situation similar to mine. 

But, that’s just speculation.

“Guess I’ll just enjoy the peace until that day comes.”

The next day, when I had nothing particular to do, a bit of a mishap occurred.

I had thought that with no assassins from the Ignite family and a refresh of the teachers, there were no clear enemies at the school, and I’d be able to enjoy a peaceful school life until the Sage Festival. 

But that morning, as Alicia and I headed to school, I noticed a crowd of students gathered in front of the school building, intently watching something being displayed on a crystal.

Curious, I moved closer to see what it was. 

It was a video loop of me defeating a group of dark mages who were dressed as teachers.

“DOES ANYONE HERE KNOW WHAT A KISS TASTES LIKE?” 

“COME ON, ANSWER MEEEE!”

And with that, embarrassingly cheesy lines continued:

“WHAT FLAVOR IS A KISS!?”

“AND THE TASTE OF FIRST LOVE TOOOOOO!”