When the Villain Joined the Knights to Avoid Doom Flags, but Somehow the Heroines Started Approaching Him - Chapter 25: The Academy

Chapter 25: The Academy

The game’s main stage is the academy.

A prestigious institution run by the royal family, primarily attended by nobles, located in the heart of the royal capital.

It’s here that the protagonist meets the heroines, and the story begins.

And now, Yulis and his group had been brought to this very place.
Thanks to the commotion earlier with Thor, they arrived just as the midday break was starting.

“Now then, about what happens from here…”

After stepping out of the carriage and dropping it off, Celia began speaking in front of the school gates, where guards stood watch.

“I think we should split into two groups. After all, we can’t all just stroll into the academy and hover around the princess.”

Of course, Fia’s safety was the top priority.

But restricting her every move would defeat the purpose of her attending the academy. If it were that simple, they could’ve just locked her in a room until the bounty issue was resolved.

The fact they hadn’t done so likely meant they didn’t want to disrupt her usual life.

Perhaps attending the academy as a princess carried more significance than Yulis realized. Or maybe there was some other reason.

Either way, when orders were given, they had no choice but to follow them.

And Yulis, with all his might—

“In that case, I’d like to act separately from Lady Fia, please!!!”

“Master, that was incredibly straightforward.”

“Seriously, saying that right in front of her? That’s just plain rude, you know?”

—wholeheartedly requested to be in a different group.

“Oh my, in that case, I’d like to request Sir Yulis as my escort.”

“Why me?!”

“Because it’s practical… and a little selfishness on my part♪”

And with that, Yulis fell to his knees.

Surely, he was the only man in the world who could receive a “I want to be with you” declaration from a beautiful girl and respond by weeping pitifully.

“Well, I don’t know about her selfish reasons, but practically speaking, the most suitable choices are either Lieselotte or you, Yulis.”

“Wait, I’m not included in that?”

“This is an academy for nobles, after all. While there are a few commoners here under special circumstances, having a commoner like you close to the princess would stand out. Things like manners and speech tend to make a noticeable difference.”

“…By that logic, I’m confident that my noble-like behavior is deeply lacking and thoroughly infused with the spirit of Yamato—”

“But you are an actual noble, Yulis.”

It seemed there was no escaping this assignment with patriotic spirit alone.

“As for me, I’m two years older than you all, so I wouldn’t be suitable either. You see, my naturally radiant older-sister aura makes it impossible to convincingly fake my age♪”

Celia said this with a confident smile, puffing out her chest in a self-assured gesture that was strangely cute.

And indeed, she possessed the kind of mature charm that made her seem like a proper “older sister,” a fact Yulis couldn’t help but notice as his gaze lingered just a moment too long.

“…Master?”

“Yes, sorry! I didn’t see anything!”

Overwhelmed by her grown-up appeal, Yulis quickly averted his gaze.

But the icy glare from his maid at his side stung more than anything else.

“So, that settles it. For now, Yulis will accompany the princess.”

“What?! Chief, it looks like the option of Lieselotte is still available in the draw!”

“Don’t forget the princess’s personal reasons.”

“Can’t we just conveniently forget about those?!”

Yulis wanted to shout at the top of his lungs that a life-threatening situation outweighs personal whims!

“The other three will stay on standby within the academy grounds to respond if anything happens. Any objections?”

““Objection!””

“Overruled.”

““No way!!””

Yulis didn’t want to step foot into the academy with the princess.

Iris, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to stay with her beloved Yulis.

And Celia, clearly seeing through both of them, seemed to enjoy the chaos.

Meanwhile, Lieselotte, who had been quietly observing their exchange, could only twitch the corners of her mouth at the scene.

“Fufu, I’ll be counting on you, Sir Yulis.”

With a refined smile, Fia gently grabbed Yulis’s sleeve, despite his slumped shoulders and obvious defeat.

“…Apologies, but I don’t actually own a school uniform.”

“There’s one in the carriage.”

“The sheer preparedness of this situation is making me want to cry.”

“Incidentally, your maid is the one who prepared it.”

“…Iris?”

“I-I just thought it was necessary! I mean, when it comes to preparing things for Master, a maid’s pride won’t let me sit idly by…! T-That’s all!”

Yulis almost blurted out, “Why’d you go and do something unnecessary?” but he held himself back.

Seeing how flustered Iris was, he realized it wasn’t intentional.

With a heavy sigh, Yulis climbed into the carriage. After some time, he reappeared wearing the unfamiliar school uniform.

“It suits you very well, Sir Yulis.”

“So no matter what I do, it seems wearing a school uniform was inevitable, huh…”

“From my perspective, having you as a student would’ve made things much easier to manage.”

“Excuse me?”

“That said, the current situation also has its conveniences, so I won’t complain.”

What is she even talking about? Yulis tilted his head in confusion.

But without offering any explanation, Fia started walking ahead, and he had no choice but to follow.

“Now, let’s head inside. Even with a late entrance, we should at least maintain some semblance of decorum♪”

“Wait, this is a situation where someone’s seriously trying to kill you, right…?”

An academy—a stage he thought he’d never set foot in.

Yet here Yulis was, tears streaming down his face, walking straight into it alongside a heroine.

By the time Yulis and his group had disappeared from sight—

“Well then, I suppose it’s time for us to get to work.”

“Sniff… Separated from Master… Fine, I’ll just take my frustration out on someone!”

“…Does that mean what I think it does?”

Lieselotte glanced at Celia, who responded with a sly smile.

“Being popular really does come with its drawbacks, doesn’t it? For now, I’d say two of us should be enough to properly welcome the visitors who’ve been hiding and watching us for a while.”