The night was deep, there were barely any sounds to be heard other than the gentle hushing of the and the lonely chirping of the birds as they went about their lives. It was another peaceful night.
Inside a certain mansion in an excessively gaudy room, there was a woman in her late thirties, looking at the window with empty eyes. Her name was Vilma von Beldon, the same marchioness who had an argument with the Headmaster of the Royal Academy several days ago.
The humiliation she felt that day was unlike any other. She had never felt so defeated that she had to retreat. The humiliation that day had driven her mad as she couldn't do anything against the Headmaster even if she wanted to. She had never felt so powerless, especially to someone she considers lower than herself.
"Rita, I want to rest. Leave me be for the moment." ［Vilma］
"As you wish, Madam." ［Rita］
Heeding the marchioness' command, the maid silently left the room after bowing her head. She was calm and dignified like how she was supposed to be. Truly fitting for a maid serving in a noble household.
The maid's name was Rita, a commoner who was picked up by the marchioness to become a servant of her mansion. It was the marchioness' grace which increased her stature in life.
The marchioness of the Beldon household had always been benevolent towards commoners as she was one herself. She was someone who many people looked up to, someone who many people respect, someone who many people loveー well, used to love.
No one knows what the reason was, but ever since a couple of years ago, the marchioness' personality slowly changed into something that is contradictory to her previous self. It was a change no one expected.
Over the course of time, the marchioness became a hypocrite who loathes and sneers at commoners, she became someone who judges people by their status, someone who treats those who are of lower stature as her like trash, someone who only associates herself with people of the same status.
Her change, a couple years ago happened the same time she had picked up Rita to become one the household's servants. It wasn't just a coincidence. The reason for her change was Rita who she trusts the most.
Without batting an eye to her surroundings, Rita continued heading towards her room. The moment she arrived, she immediately closed the room, not letting anyone in nor see what was inside.
"Tsk! It's that new instructor's fault! If it wasn't for her, the plan would have gone without a hitch!" ［Rita］
Baaannnngggg
A loud bang resounded throughout the room as Rita hit the table with both of her fists, knocking over everything that was on top of it. Her face was painted red with so much anger that she might explode at any moment.
The reason for her anger was simple, it was because her plan's progress had been slowed down, and the reason was none other than the Headmaster and new instructors of the Royal Academy.
Rita was a practitioner of curse magic, and ever since she was young, she had been creating concoctions that would slowly poison the mind of a person. She has been using her talent to control the Marchioness.
She wasn't just alone. She was a part of a heinous organization which sought to rule the world with the use of demonic beasts, Iblis. Her mission was to infiltrate a noble's household and take control of it, destroying the kingdom from the inside.
The plan has been made for several years already. From meeting the Marchioness up until the current time, it was all planned. And it wasn't only her, other people were also planted in other households.
Ever since Rita became the marchioness' servant, she had been making herself appeal good towards her, making her gain the marchioness' trust quickly, and making her quickly become a personal maid.
By the time Rita achieved that, she slowly let the unsuspecting marchioness intake the poison she had made herself, and bit by bit, she gained control over the latter's mind. She had also started poisoning the marchioness' son by using the marchioness herself.
But there was one flaw in her plan, and that is that the marchioness needs to intake the poison on a regular basis, any interruption and her control over her will decrease drastically. There was also the side effect of restlessness during withdrawal.
Because of the matter in the Royal Academy, the marchioness has been missing the doses of poison she was supposed to intake. She was too worried about her son and his ranking in the academy.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Once those foolish instructors are out of the academy, the plan will progress smoothly once again. Once the marchioness is under my command, all that needs to be done is to kill the marquess, and I will be able to control the Beldon household completely!" ［Rita］
Regaining her composure, Rita swiftly concocted another dose of the poison in order to make sure that she never runs out of it. She added herb after herb into the mix and stirred it ever so gently, and with a little bit of curse magic, the poison was completed and ready to use.
Rita had made it stronger than usual, not only because she needed to take into consideration the days missed, but also because she was running out of time. She needed to complete the plan as soon as possible.
Because of their headquarters being destroyed a couple of months ago, the kingdom had become more active in purging the remaining members of their organization, leading to the demise of the agents planted in noble households. Rita is one of the few that remained.
It was because of that very incident that everything needed to be rushed so that they could exact their revenge. They need to control every household they can in order to bring fruition to their plan.
"Ah, it seems like I need to attend dinner now. I need to be careful since the marquess will be joining us. Tsk. This is why I hate festivals." ［Rita］
Like most nobilities, the lord will govern their fief while the lady will work in the capital in service to the kingdom. It is only in the founding festival and other important events that the lord gets to visit the capital.
Although the marquess will only stay in the capital for less than 2 weeks, Rita still needs to be careful as to not get discovered. She cannot let her plan get foiled at all cost. She was the hope of her organization.
Having fixed her appearance, Rita immediately headed to the kitchen and served the dishes to the Beldon family with the other maids. She was so dignified that she looked like a completely different person.
By the time they were finished serving the dishes, the only ones left in the dining hall were the Beldons and the servants that they trusted the most, who were standing nearby the doors. They were Rita and the head butler.
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"So, George, how are you faring at the academy?" ［Marquess］
"I'm doing well, Father. In fact, I am a top student of our year." ［George］
"I see... Then that's good... But you should know, just because you're a top student, that doesn't give you a right to humiliate your instructor." ［Marquess］
The Marquess delivered his words full of weight and irritation, with glares which were boring through George's skin. The atmosphere in the room immediately became heavier with his words.
"Abraham, you're being too much! Everybody makes mistakes!" ［Vilma］
"Don't think you're in the clear, Vilma! I knew that you threatened the Headmaster to remove them!" ［Abaraham］
"I-I did no such thing!" ［Vilma］
"Then are you saying that His Majesty lied when he summoned me?!" ［Abraham］
Hearing her husband's words, Vilma was quickly taken aback. She didn't expect that she had been exposed by His Majesty, the King, himself. She couldn't find any words to retaliate against her husband.
Following Vilma's scandal, Abraham was summoned to the castle by the King, and in that summon, he was warmed by the King to fix her wife and son's behavior. It was a critical matter which could cause the Kingdom's destruction.
The once peaceful dining hall has turned into pandemonium in just a matter of seconds, with Abraham's uncontainable anger swirling all over the place, making everyone else feel suffocated.
But just a few seconds later, that anger immediately disappeared in an instant as the butler quickly casted "Sleep" towards the marchioness and her son. The two quickly lost their consciousness as the spell took into effect.
"But well, I know that it wasn't your faults, so I will go easy on the two of you. Am I right, Rita?" ［Abraham］
"E-Eh? What do you mean, Your Excellency?" ［Rita］
Baaannnnngggg
Abraham raised his fist into the air and delivered it to the dining table with a loud bang, making the served dishes fly all over the room. Rita's words only added fuel into the fire.
"Don't act innocent! I already know what you are plotting!!" ［Abraham］
"I-I-I h-have no idea what you're talking about, Your excellency. I have never done anything to harm the Beldon household." ［Rita］
When Rita heard Abraham's words, her mind trembled virtually as she tried to regain composure. In spite of being shaken, she still stood her ground and continued with her act.
She was confident that the marquess was only trying to blame her blindly. There was no reason for her to panic as she had kept hidden every piece of evidence. Especially since the marquess was present.
"Then how can you explain this?!" ［Abraham］
Completely out of Rita's expectations, Abraham pulled out a vial of come sort from his pocket. It was the same vial which contained the same kind of poison that Rita concocts secretly in her room.
"N-No... That's impossible...!" ［Rita］
"I know my wife and son better than anyone. I know that they wouldn't act like that without the influence of others, so I ordered Janus to investigate every servant after His Majesty's summon, and... it looks like it was the right choice." ［Abraham］
"Well, that room was locked for some reason. It was the most suspicious one. The room was really hard to open without leaving any trace. Hahaha." ［Janus］
The butler just a few meters by the right of Rita said as he cracked his neck ever so slightly and then laughed lightly. He wasn't just any butler, he also happened to be the former head of the knights under the Beldon household.
While Rita had meticulously hidden all her tracks, it was still easy to spot for Janus who had the ability to see through hidden mechanisms. It was a completely terrible matchup for her.
'N-No, this isn't happening! I need to escapeー' ［Rita］
Rita screamed inwardly as quickly turned around, trying to escape with everything she had, but before she could even touch the door's handle...
《Paralyze》 ［Janus］
... she had already stumbled towards the floor as she was subjected to Janus' magic. The latter only looked at her pitifully as he slowly shook his head left and right.
"If I were you, I would just stay right there. Even if you were to escape here, the guards are already waiting for you outside those doors." ［Abraham］
With Abraham's words weighing down on her, Rita's last ray of hope quickly perished before her. Only a bitter end was what awaited her the moment she was discovered. It was game over.
...
Clack Clack Clack
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hallways as a group of people walked down them. It was Grey and his class who were currently heading towards the training ground in order to train.
It was the last day of the week once again and it was time to test the students' progress throughout the week. But when they arrived there, they saw a group of people they weren't expecting to see.
"Yuna...?" ［Grey］
"Ah, Grey..." ［Yuna］
It was Yuna and her class who was currently undergoing practical training. The only thing strange was that they were practicing in the training ground which was reserved for Grey's class.
"Why are you here? Don't you also have your own training ground?" ［Grey］
"Well, you see..." ［Yuna］
Yuna quickly explained to Grey the situation in order to prevent any trouble from happening. While they were doing so, many students couldn't help but look curiously at the two, wondering what relationship they have.
According to Yuna, because of the incident weeks ago, there are still classes with no training grounds. One of those classes asked Yuna to borrow their training ground and she agreed, leading to the current situation.
It was also because of this situation that Grey and Yuna met for the first time in the academy outside of break and dismissal times. Not to mention they also brought their classes with them.
While Yuna could have asked Grey via telepathy, she didn't do so as she was afraid of disturbing his class. She decided to just use the training ground briefly and tell Grey afterwards. Unfortunately, the training took longer than she expected.
"I see... So that's what happened..." ［Grey］
"Sorry, I wasn't able to tell you beforehand." ［Yuna］
"No, it's alright. Unprecedented things happen all the time. I'll just tell my class what happened and ask for their opinions." ［Grey］
"Un..." ［Yuna］
Casually walking back to his class, Grey then explained what happened to his class. But rather than his explanation, there were other things the students were more focused on. It was especially true for the boys.
"Hey, Instructor, can you introduce us to the girl over there?!"
"Yeah, Instructor, she looks really cute!"
"Do you think she has a boyfriend?"
The boys and girls all paid special attention to Yuna. The girls looked at her with eyes full of admiration, looking up to her beauty. Meanwhile, the boys looked at her like high schoolers who had just fallen in love.
While Grey understood why they became attracted to Yuna as she was extremely beautiful, he couldn't hide the feeling of wanting to beat up the boys in his class. After all, he was Yuna's boyfriend.
"Her name's Yuna." ［Julius］
"Eh? You know him, Your Highness?!"
"Yeah, I know her. We've eaten lunch together a few times already." ［Julius］
"Really?! Then does that mean you're close with her?!"
"Is she currently single, Your Highness?!"
The class' attention was quickly shifted to Julius as soon as he said he knew Yuna. The boys' eyes were especially sparkling as they looked at him like a savior, wanting to ask more details.
Meanwhile, Grey only became more and more irritated as the students inquired more about Yuna. He was barely holding his anger back as he knew that the boys meant no ill intent towards him or Yuna.
The class was so absorbed with their own world that they didn't notice Grey's scary expression. Actually, there was one student who noticed. It was Amelia who was now trembling after seeing his menacing smile which clearly wasn't one.
"Well, she's currently serving as the temporary instructor of year 2's alpha class. As for the other question, she isn't... Actually, her boyfriend's right there." ［Julius］
"""Eh?"""
It was only when Julius pointed his fingers towards Grey that the class noticed how terrifying Grey's expression had become. The moment they saw it, cold chills quickly came running down their spines.
Julius, who was the one answering their expressions also just noticed what face Grey was currently wearing. He felt trouble loom over his heart as he saw Grey's silent and smiling expression, clearly feeling a little killing intent.
"What's wrong? Why did you stop talking? Please don't mind me and just continue with your conversation. You were having such an interesting topic, it's a shame if you stop now." ［Grey］
Grey asked calmly as he maintained the smile over his face, but rather than comfort the students, it only made them more scared. Even the girls who didn't do anything wrong were scared, not to mention the boys.
"Sorry, Instructor!"
"Please don't punish us!"
"We'll do anything, just don't make the training harder!"
One after another, the boys bowed their heads before Grey. If one were to see the scene without any context, one would easily imagine the students were begging for their lives. That was how scared the students looked.
As for Julius and Amelia, they learned one thing, and that was how scary love was. Even though Grey was usually gentle in his normal self, he became very scary when Yuna was involved. Even scarier than when he was in teacher mode.
The issue was quickly resolved with only a little warning towards the boys. Well, even if Grey didn't warn them, they wouldn't think of Yuna picking up anymore. Grey's eyes were scary enough for them.
"Was everything alright?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah, the students were very understanding. They don't mind sharing the training ground with year 2." ［Grey］
"That's great news.... By the way, the faces of your students look pale. Did something happen?" ［Yuna］
"Nothing really. They might just be a little tired." ［Grey］
Yuna looked at Grey's students one last time to make sure, and when she did, the boy's eyes immediately turned away from her. Although she was curious about their reaction, she didn't pry further.
"What about your class? It seems like you're missing one person..." ［Grey］
"Un. It was Cadet Beldon. Apparently, he suddenly got sick and needed to stay at home." ［Yuna］
"I see..." ［Grey］
Grey mumbled in a low voice as he looked at Yuna's class. There, he could see Elise, Elaine and everyone else he saw before. The only one missing, like Yuna said, was the arrogant student from before.
Of course, it wasn't true that George was sick. He was just under grounded inside the mansion as the investigation towards Rita was ongoing, but Grey and Yuna has yet to learn of that.
"Instructor Grey, just asking. What are we going to do for practical training now that year 2 is present?" ［Julius］
"Ah, right..." ［Grey］
Grey was immediately made to think as soon as he heard Julius' question. While the issue with sharing is resolved, there was still the issue regarding the afternoon activities to be solved.
Both Grey and Yuna tried to think about it for a moment, but the moment their eyes met with another, an idea popped into both of their minds. They didn't even need to use telepathy.
For the second time, Julius felt a chill running down his spines as he saw Grey and Yuna's smile after they locked eyes with one another. He felt something ominous he couldn't quite describe.
"Noooo! Help meeee!"
"Arghh! Stop chasing me!"
"Ruuunn! Everybody, ruuuunnn!"
Screams echoed and chaos ensued as the students ran in all directions being chased by monsters. Grey and Yuna decided to not think about it too much and just do the usual. They just summoned a bunch of monsters and had everyone in both classes fight them in an open field.
While people usually say, the more the merrier, the students couldn't agree any less with their current situation. It has become even more hell-like to them. With double the instructors, there was double the trouble.
CHAPTER 93 END