This Villainess Is A Natural

"Who... might you be?"

Suddenly faced with the Protagonist herself, I wasn't sure what action to take.

Honestly, the first thing I wanted to do was just whip out the Black Wisp and shoot her in the head right at that moment. That way, at least everything would be over in an instant.

However, unfortunate as it was, there was no way I could view that as a valid option. It was just far too much of a risk. 

Not because I was scared of the consequences, necessarily, but because of one descriptor Tag in particular.

――#HidingTruePower.

I had no idea if she possessed some kind of magic or other power to protect herself from the bullet, but regardless, I was certain things would immediately turn disastrous if she ended up surviving somehow.

And even without any explicit proof, there was little doubt within me that she would survive.

At this moment, I realised. The biggest obstacle for me in this Contract would certainly be that singular Tag.

Until I figured out exactly what kind of power she was hiding, I couldn't afford to act rashly. If there was one thing I had to do in this Contract, it was not to act recklessly, lest everything turn into an utter dumpster fire.

Ultimately, if I messed up at all, things would instantly become a whole lot harder―to the extent that it's impossible to predict what might happen.

Even if a situation arises where the Protagonist appears to be vulnerable at a glance, I have no way of knowing whether it's just an illusion or a real opportunity.

There must be some logic as to how the 3-star Difficulty was assigned, after all.

If it truly was as easy as it appears at first glance, there's no way the Difficulty would be that high. Until I'm able to recognise the difference between a real and fake opportunity, or until I discern that hidden power of hers and neutralise it, I have no choice but to bide my time.

For the moment, I just needed to get out of the classroom.

Thankfully, just because the Antagonist, Lucretia, had recognised the Protagonist's danger, it didn't at all mean she was actually in danger herself, so I was sure I could leave her in the classroom without risking anything.

Then, how should I leave? 

On one hand, I could ignore her question and just leave the classroom. However, now that she had addressed me directly, I thought doing that was a bit awkward. I didn't want to act in a way unbecoming of an archduchess' attendant, after all, or else things might also just become unnecessarily more difficult in various ways.

More than that, though, this was an opportunity I could use to get close to her.

Fundamentally, I thought utilising the same strategy I had used to dispatch the first and second Protagonists―and the entire reason I purchased Charismatic―would perform the best.

Taking everything into consideration, there was only one thing for me to do.

"I am My Lady's personal attendant. I apologise if my presence has disturbed you. I will take my leave."

Serving a firm bow to accompany my freshly-cooked greetings, the moment I moved to exit the classroom, the Protagonist hurriedly called out, tossing a sunny smile.

"Oh, I see! No, you haven't disturbed anyone! Rather, it's nice to meet you! My name's Ayla T--"

"Enki."

Suddenly, such a stern tone called out from behind me.

"You are dismissed."

I couldn't see her face, but the power contained in that voice was astonishing.

'She really is a noble...'

As if a wave of unseen pressure washed over me, I lowered my head again.

"Certainly."

"Eh-- Huh? Hey, wait a second..."

Walking straight past the Protagonist, I briskly left the classroom, closing the door firmly behind me. Then, glancing around to ensure there was no one else present in the outside hallway, I leaned my ear against the door I just closed.

"―Lady Lucretia!"

"..."

"How could you treat him like that?"

To my surprise, that previously bright voice was now raised, albeit muffled by the door.

'Hm? Treat me like what? What're they going on about in there?'

To an even bigger surprise, a low voice was returned, also somewhat muffled.

"...I see you still haven't learned how to properly address a noble in conversation, Lady Tichá. I wonder, was your pursuit towards that of a future in which the prior identity of a lowborn was countervailed, not in fact vain? And yet, are you, such a mannerless thing, truly intending to lecture me on the correct convention as to the ways I treat my attendants?"

"W-what does status matter here? He was in the middle of a conversation with me...! You can't just order him to leave like that..."

"Oh. However, did I not do just that?"

"Y-you did, but it's wrong, so the point is that you shouldn't..."

'What's even going on in there...'

I was eavesdropping only to see if there was any additional information I could glean between the cat-and-dog-like encounter between the two, but I didn't expect them to be at odds the instant I left.

No part of me held any doubt that Lucretia would have informed me beforehand if she thought there would be any risk to her life, which was another reason why I was able to leave so promptly despite the presence of the Protagonist.

In any case, from last night until now, my impression of her as the Antagonist was certainly a bit odd.

After all, she was only a teenage girl, and though she had been putting on an act as if mature since even before, like a completely different person, the first sight of her that I caught wouldn't ever change. 

That is, the moonlit visage of her teary-eyed face.

Although she was unmistakably an Antagonist, perhaps it was only natural to find difficulty in seeing someone like that as a bad or evil person. 

I did get a certain sense from her that she was the type of individual who was willing to go to great lengths to accomplish her goals, but wouldn't it be more accurate to call that a strong sense of duty than villainy?

Either way, that kind of personality fit pretty well with the image of a grand noble I had in my mind, and seeing the consistently sophisticated way she carried herself until now, it more or less checked out.

Well, I also wasn't sure if she was trying a little too hard to keep up with the pressure of her position―both as an archduchess and as the person who seeked to save the empire.

Anyway, what I was getting at was simple.

She was only a 15-year-old girl――Could she really be that bad of an Antagonist?

"Oh? I shouldn't? And why shouldn't I?"

In the ensuing moments, that perception shattered.

"You are a commoner only adopted into this aristocracy, so of course, I do not hold any expectation for you to be able to answer, having not one fifth the experience of any one individual in this very classroom, but indeed, if you happen to have any sort of irradiant ideas sprout up in that evidently, shall we say, 'sturdy' skull of yours, please, pray tell. Let us hear it."

"Although you have been an official, registered noble for no longer than 2 years, you remain a noble nevertheless. Isn't that right, Miss Ayla of the Tichá County?"

"Thanks to that noble status so graciously bestowed upon you by your foster father, the Count of Tichá, you must possess even the slightest inkling of an idea about high-class etiquette, yes? You should thus be able to provide me with at least one, singular example of an instance in which my conduct is, as you put it, 'wrong'. That is, in any stretch of the imagination, which you have so evidently proven your adeptness at, like a true prodigy."

"Or is that not how it is? I suppose, if you claimed to have no clue at all of our Empire's culture, that would be rather humiliating indeed, now wouldn't it? Or would you perhaps disagree? I do try my very best to realise the truth of my people, both in the north and down here, but I am yet unfamiliar with those born of the Imperial Capital's ghettos."

"So? I implore you; educate me. What exactly is it that I shouldn't be ordering my personal attendant to do?"

"I'm sure, having me spell it all out for you so forthrightly like this, you could tell me? Lady Tichá."

Hearing such a magnificent explosion of superfluousness from Lucretia's mouth almost without any pauses, my jaw dropped from beyond the door.

'Holy shit.'

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hic."

Following a lengthy period of silence, I thought the argument between the two might have ended, when all of a sudden, I heard some strange, punctuated groaning.

'No, wait, is that...?'

"...Damn..."

I guess she wasn't such a bad Antagonist after all...

As the subdued noise grew progressively louder and louder along with rapid thumps that vibrated through the marble floor, I quickly jumped away from the door.

Bang-!

"Waaaaaaaaahh...!!"

The Protagonist burst through the door and, without even noticing me standing there, sprinted down the hallway, sobbing and wailing with an arm over her eyes.

Watching her back vanish down the unnecessarily long stretch of academy ground and turn a corner, I belatedly realised.

'...Wait. This is perfect.'

I could absolutely use this opportunity.

"Tsk. Don't go too far...!"

Without wasting any time, I hurried in the direction she went.