'W-what on earth is going on here?!'

Pasmo could not hide her confusion, faced with a situation she had never experienced before.

She had received advances from men plenty of times in the past.

There were plenty of men who would reach out to a woman like herself, not from the Hernan Empire, with exotic charm.

Bang!

"Pasmo Ti-e. Answer my question. What did you do to Milia Fille?"

But this was the first time she had ever been subjected to words bordering on threats, and had them said to her face.

And to make things worse, he had her cornered against the wall, his face so close their breaths could mingle as he locked eyes with her.

'He's... he's beautiful.'

Oddly enough, the only thing Pasmo could think as she looked at the fierce demeanor of Luca was that his eyes were unbearably pretty.

As soon as the thought occurred to her, her embarrassment faded away, replaced by a fluttering excitement.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're Milia Fille's assigned handler. What does your job entail?"

"Ah~ The role of the Theodore Faction's handler is to help new members adjust to the faction! There are handlers besides me assigned to others, not just Milia!"

Pasmo's eyes sparkled as she spoke.

"By the way, who are you? Could you possibly be Milia's boyfriend? Oh my! But Milia already has Theodore! Are we in the middle of some tragic love triangle?!"

"......"

Luca fell silent at her attitude. The situation was so unexpected that he could not come up with a proper answer.

The problem was that Pasmo took his silence as a confirmation.

"My, my my my! Is it true? Girl! This kind of deep, fated love destined for a tragic end, it's so thrilling!"

Sensing the hint of madness in her, Luca realized if he stayed silent, the conversation would spiral into a very tiresome direction.

"... My friend likes her. I'm just here to find out what happened to her."

"Really? Are you just making an excuse about a friend?"

"Believe it or not, that's up to you. But you won't get a different answer from me."

Pasmo tilted her head for a moment at his detached answer, then pulled out a fan to cover her mouth slightly.

"Come to think of it, Theodore's attitude toward Milia does seem a bit strange."

"In what way?"

"I don't want to tell you just for free."

Luca narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What do you want?"

"There's only one thing this girl desires."

Pasmo smiled with her eyes.

"Pleasant company."

* * *

"Tch, should I say I was lucky?"

Luca clicked his tongue, thinking about what happened with Pasmo.

'She's a strange girl. Maybe I should have learned more before speaking to her.'

Ever since she started talking in that weird manner, he thought something was odd, but he had never guessed she wouldn't be a citizen of the Hernan Empire.

― Pasmo Ti-e Information-

Name: Pasmo Ti-eYear: Second YearClass: SDepartment: Alchemy Division, Aberrant Transmutation SchoolFaction: Theodore FactionOrigin: Duchy of Tie in the Ramata EmpireTraits: Distinctive speech, appearance, and aesthetic sense typical of a Ramata citizen. More details require an extra fee.

There were so many people in the Theodore Faction that even Luca couldn't grasp all of them in such a short time.

'Still, it wasn't a bad haul.'

― Theodore was not the type to approach women, but he behaved differently toward Milia.― He gave her many gifts and made active advances.― Stranger than that, he always made sure to place vain and showy people around her.― Come to think of it, I might have been chosen as her handler because my wealth outstrips that of the others.― One more thing: I'm in the Theodore Faction for fun, but most of the others don't have anywhere else to go.― I don't know what will happen next, but you'd better prepare just in case.

He could only say that he'd gotten lucky. According to Pasmo, the other members would never have shared such information.

'People who have nowhere to go except the Theodore Faction... Is that why they show such loyalty to Theodore?'

As Luca was mulling over this, someone stepped forward in front of him.

"I'm back, young master."

"... Bella."

With a courteous face, eyes closed and head slightly bowed, Bella greeted him. Luca called her name, his voice tinged with genuine delight. Bella tittered.

"Did you miss me?"

"... Enough nonsense. Tell me what you found out."

"Heh."

Bella gave a faint smile, then pulled a few sheets of paper from inside her robe and handed them to him. Luca took them and skimmed over the contents.

"I figured you'd gather some information while I was away. Likely about the Theodore Faction, right? So I found something else."

"Something else?"

"Yes. Information on the Partigel Duchy."

The paper Bella handed over contained a family relationship chart for House Partigel.

"There are so many potential heirs in the Partigel family that things are quite complicated. Among them, Theodore Partigel has a comparatively weak power base."

"Hmm."

"Most of all, his only real talent is sociability. He has no other abilities compared to his kin, so expectations for him are low."

Other than being sociable, Theodore had no particular talent. He had barely scraped into Hernan Academy and always drifted between Class C and D.

However, being a member of the Partigel ducal family and enjoying financial freedom given to all blood relatives allowed him to form a faction by leveraging his partying skills.

"Making a faction is impressive, but it's not one of particular note. Other successful factions leave Theodore's alone because, frankly, they just don't want to associate with the vulgar types."

"Hah, how amusing."

"So, within his own family, Theodore is basically ostracized. The reason he works so hard in society isn't for the house, but to join an outside power."

At Bella's conclusion, Luca stroked his chin.

"In that case... Did Theodore Partigel approach Milia because he wanted to grow his power with her?"

"In the current situation, that seems likely. The Fourth Princess may have a weak power base, but she's called the 'Undying Princess' for a reason—she's managed to survive for a long time. In the future, other factions may bet on her latent potential."

"A once-in-a-lifetime gamble for Theodore Partigel, then."

Even with the nickname 'Undying Princess', the Fourth Princess's faction was weak and there was no telling when it might be swept away by another. For Theodore, investing in her was a huge gamble.

"And now it's a bit tricky. If Theodore Partigel is making a once-in-a-lifetime bet, then our interference complicates things."

"That's true."

Theodore was making a considerable effort, so interfering made Luca feel like he'd be the villain. As he was reaching this awkward conclusion, his student notebook vibrated.

Bzzzz bzzzz.

"?"

It was Ottbo.

"What is it?"

—I, uh... I found something out... Is it okay if I come to your room?

"Go ahead."

Clack.

As if he'd been waiting outside, Ottbo came right in and glanced around.

"?"

"..."

Ottbo tapped his ear. Luca looked at Bella.

"Any eavesdropping?"

"None. Don't worry."

"Ha... uh... ah..."

At Bella's reassurance, Ottbo twisted his body and made nervous noises.

"What's wrong?"

"I, uh... I found something out..."

"That much I heard. What is it you found out?"

Luca furrowed his brow. Ottbo chewed his lip before speaking.

"It's... uh, this might not be information, but..."

"Out with it."

"... There's a report that Theodore Partigel made contact with the Third Prince."

The room was instantly drowned in silence. Not even breathing could be heard. As none of the three could find words, someone kicked Luca's door and burst in.

Bang!

"Luca Traverse!"

"?"

The one to break the silence was Isella. With a devastated expression, she practically wailed,

"Tomorrow, lady Milia and Theodore Partigel are going out alone together!"

"... Oh boy."

Things had gotten quite complicated.

* * *

"Hm~ Hm~ What should I wear~?"

Milia hummed as she sorted through her clothes. Just seeing the gifts from Theodore filling her wardrobe seemed to lift her mood.

"..."

And Isella, looking on, wore a pained expression.

"Isella, are you still suspicious of Theodore?"

"That man definitely has ulterior motives."

"Hehe, what's wrong with a man having intentions? It would be stranger if he didn't."

Looking in the mirror, Milia pressed a dress against herself and smiled faintly.

"Shouldn't you start dating yourself, Isella? Then you'll understand what I mean."

"I have no need for such things."

"Hm~ Really, now?"

Casting a sly look at Isella, Milia opened her jewelry box.

"I'm going out alone this weekend, so why don't you spend time with Luca?"

"... Pardon?"

Isella looked briefly flustered as Milia picked out earrings and held them up.

"Theodore asked me out on a date. He wants to spend time alone with me."

"B-but, my lady! It's too dangerous to go alone!"

Isella stammered as she tried to dissuade her, but Milia lifted a necklace for her to see.

"With this, how could I possibly be in danger? Besides, if anything happens, you'll protect me, right?"

"... Tomorrow is the new moon."

"That's right, isn't it? But it'll be fine. Theodore will be there, too."

Looking unconcerned, Milia's attitude made Isella bite her lip.

"Why do you trust that man so much? He could harm you!"

"No way. I'm a pretty valuable asset to Theodore."

"... Excuse me?"

Milia answered offhandedly, as if it was an obvious truth, but her answer was anything but light.

"Think about it. Even if he's a blood heir of the Partigel family, Theodore is the fifth son. He made this so-called Theodore Faction, but while it's large, it's not actually influential or profitable."

"That's... true."

"With less than two years left before graduation, his best recruit is that weirdo Pasmo Ti-e. If he graduates in this state, all he'll have is a short-lived title of 'Prince of Society'—a reputation that won't even last two or three more years. Do you think someone as ambitious as him will be satisfied with that?"

Milia spoke calmly and then beamed.

"In that state, he's just been given a last chance: Brid Hernan, the Undying Princess. If he joins up with me, maybe he can dream of a better future."

"... That's possible."

"Right. It's more than possible. Theodore will do whatever it takes to protect me."

Milia's reasoning was not wrong. Even when Isella secretly investigated Theodore, nothing particularly suspicious had come up.

So with the information they had, it was most logical to assume Theodore wanted to use Milia as a stepping stone for his own future.

"I get the enjoyment of my school life, and he earns the right to enter the Fourth Princess's faction. You could call it a win-win deal."

"..."

"Don't worry too much. Isella, you should enjoy yourself, too! This is our only chance at such a happy time."

For some reason, Milia's words felt sorrowful to Isella, and she could not bring herself to say anything in reply. She merely bowed her head.

"I hope you have a wonderful time together."

All she could do was let her go.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=Oh Theodore you sonnuvabitch...Assassination attempt on Millia?【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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