Little Tyrant Doesn’t Want to Meet with a Bad End

Just slightly before midnight, in the Azure Manor’s dining room far away from the academy’s central district, Roel watched with twitching cheeks as the black-haired man sitting opposite to him gorged into his food.

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As a successor to a marquess house, Roel had seen plenty of young masters and young misses, but never had he seen any of them ravenously wolfing down their food.
Seeing how Paul nearly choked himself from stuffing down chicken drumstick, he felt like he had taken in a beggar instead. 

Are you here just to freeload off my food? We’re supposed to be talking over dinner, but all I see is you eating and me talking!

Roel sighed softly before taking a sip of wine.
He couldn’t help but compare the young man before him with the other far more graceful member of the Ackermanns.

They were both from the same family, but there was such a huge difference between them. 

Meanwhile, Paul washed down all of the food in his mouth with a big gulp of water before releasing a satisfied exhalation.
It looked as if he had finally come back to life.

“Big brother Roel, thanks for the food.
My dining etiquette was probably a little inappropriate due to how hungry I was.
Sorry about that.”

“You haven’t eaten for the day? Why?”

“Hahaha, I lost my pocket money so I’ve been starving for the last two days.”

“…”

Why don’t you lose yourself while you’re at it too? Oh, wait a moment!

Looking at the young man who was scratching his head awkwardly, Roel suddenly remembered that there was indeed such an event in Eyes of the Chronicler.
Paul had lost his money shortly after enrolling in the academy and nearly fainted by the side of a building after starving for two days.
It was around then that Charlotte Sorofya stumbled upon him.

Charlotte recognized him as the person who had blocked her carriage on the way to the academy.
She should have harbored deep hatred toward him, but his pitiful state evoked her sympathy instead.
So, she treated him to a meal, which, in turn, left Paul deeply grateful to her.
This became one of the crucial foreshadowings for their future relationship development.

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It was supposed to be the first significant event between Paul and Charlotte after their first meeting, so Roel was initially intending to butt in just to be safe.
However, he simply had his hands full with far too many things that it slipped his mind.

Who could have thought that Paul would end up seeking him out instead?

Eat all you want, boy!

The sudden realization of just how important this meal was lifted Roel’s mood considerably, resulting in his expression becoming far more amicable.
With a grand wave of his hand, he ordered a couple of side dishes so that Paul could eat his fill.

Despite the huge divergence that had occurred from the game, it would be a lie if Roel were to say that he wasn’t bothered by the original plotline.
Even if it was just to avert the smallest chance of things going awry, he thought that he should recall all of the significant events in the game and attempt to break all of the flags.

It was just that it was too exhausting for him to do so, especially now that he had his hands full with all sorts of stuff.
On top of that, this act of distrust toward the two ladies made him feel a little uncomfortable too.

So, it was quite a relief that Paul was stirring up changes on his own accord, such that Roel didn’t even have to put up his guard at all.
Perhaps, in view of their friendship, Paul might even try to avoid Nora and Charlotte. 

Putting aside their biological needs, men were still more inclined to look for other men for help.
It was somehow much easier to share their problems with fellow brothers, and they wouldn’t feel like they had lost their dignity either.

In order to express his gratitude to Paul and encourage him to do the same in the future, Roel specially opened a thirty-year-old exclusive from his wine cellar.
That was the best one he had at the moment since everything in the wine cellar was freebies from the academy.
If they had been at the Ascarts’ manor instead, Roel wouldn’t hesitate to pop those rare hundred-year-old ones!

Paul was touched by Roel’s generosity.
In truth, he had only met Roel a couple of times thus far, but the latter always seemed to be there for him at every crucial moment, be it leading him to the academy or backing him up before those Austine seniors.
On top of that, Roel had never asked him for anything in return.

Even when he came knocking uninvited to freeload off a meal in the middle of a night, Roel still welcomed him warmly like a true friend.
He was moved by the sentiments, but at the same time, it made it hard for him to voice out the other intent he had for coming here.

“What’s wrong? Feel free to voice anything you have on your mind,” said Roel upon noticing the look of hesitation on Paul’s face.

The latter took a while to buck up his courage before speaking up.

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“Big brother Roel, can I… join your faction?”

“…”

Roel was taken aback by the sudden request that he wasn’t able to reply right away, and his delayed response caused the atmosphere in the dining room to grow a little tense.
He put down his wine cup to look at Paul intently as he found himself placed in a dilemma. 

There was one key character that he couldn’t overlook when it came to Paul’s affairs, and that was his older sister, Lilian Ackermann.

It was only natural for Paul to join Lilian’s Purplerose Faction considering that they were family members, but the commotion that occurred prior to the entrance ceremony seemed to have changed his mind.

“Many of those who chanted along were Austine students, so joining the Purplerose Faction feels a little… Hahaha.”

There was a self-deprecating smile on Paul’s face as he revealed the intention behind his request.
When he finally found himself unable to continue speaking anymore, he tried glossing it over with a laugh. 

Roel frowned upon hearing those words as he felt something stirring in his heart.

As an illegitimate son, Paul was placed in an environment that was arguably more hostile than Roel’s.
While the descendants of the Ascart House had many hidden enemies in the world, on the surface at least, Roel was still in quite a privileged position. 

The Saint Mesit Theocracy was prosperous and stable, and the Ascart House commanded great military might.
Thanks to the close relationship between a certain ancestor who had a huge collection of perverted diaries and his liege, its territory was also vast. 

Roel was pretty much set for life as long as he didn’t screw up badly, and he was respected no matter where he went. 

However, it was a different case for Paul.
He was technically a prince, but he had no right to inheritance.
His identity as an illegitimate son was constantly faulted by others, and his two older brothers wanted nothing more than his death. 

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As for his older sister… it was hard to tell whether it was due to Roel’s interference, but Lilian didn’t seem to be as concerned about Paul as she was in the game. 

Isn’t she supposed to be a bro-con? Why isn’t she doing anything then?

In any case, the overwhelming animosity directed toward Paul made him a constant victim of isolation, snide remarks, and oppression.
In truth, he was already a strong-minded individual for being able to last this long in such an environment. 

As someone who knew Paul the best, Roel felt inclined to help him, but he harbored some doubts about the latter wanting to join his faction.

“I understand why you’re unwilling to join the Purplerose Faction, and I know that it’s impossible for you to join the Redrose Faction and Goldenrose Faction due to the hostility from their members.
However, you should be aware that I’m a noble from the Theocracy, and joining my faction will only put you in a worse position than before.
The normal thing for someone in your position to do is to not join any faction, so what brought about your decision?” asked Roel.

Paul was actually a free factionless student in Eyes of the Chronicler.
In fact, he even founded the Request Club, which was basically a ‘I’ll do anything that the client asks for’ club, the kind of thing which no one but protagonists of animes and mangas did.

Such clubs usually received trivial requests to look for missing pets and stuff, but interestingly, Paul’s Request Club came into contact with schemes and conspiracies instead.
It was his activities in this club that brought about his encounter with the main antagonist of the academy arc, aka Roel.

Just what is the train of thoughts that led to Paul’s change in mind to join a faction instead of making it out on his own?

Roel wanted the answer to this question, and Paul hesitated for a long while before giving out his response.

“I need a training field.
I wish to become strong, just like big brother Roel!”

“Ah?”

The hands that suddenly clasped around his own and the pair of gleaming eyes staring candidly at him left Roel stunned.
Then, his expression slowly turned peculiar.

That actually wasn’t my primary intention… 

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Roel quietly apologized in his head before turning his attention to another problem here.

“What about Senior Lilian then?”

“I’ll explain it to my older sister… though I’ll probably still be troubling you with this, right?” said Paul with a sigh as he lowered his head despondently.

The tension between him and the Austine nobles would worsen with this decision, and this would likely shake Roel’s position too.
The realization of the implications that came with this made Paul realize that his request was selfish, and he started to have second thoughts.
However, before he could retract his words, Roel had already spoken up.

“What foolishness are you spouting here?”

The sudden imposing voice made Paul raise his head, and he was surprised to see a rare disapproving frown on Roel’s usually gentle face. 

“Troubling me? Are you talking about the ignorant fools who express hostility toward you for no reason? Or perhaps the lackeys of the other two Austine princes? How absurd.
Do you think that I’d be afraid of them?”

Roel raised his right hand, revealing the pale blue ring sitting on his finger.

“Being a Ringbearer is more than an honor; it’s a responsibility.
As one of the leaders of the academy, it’s my duty to uphold justice and maintain a conducive learning environment for the students.
Any oppression that occurs in the academy is an affront to my honor, undermining the prestige of the Bluerose Ring I bear.

“Those cowardly mutts who bark at you to stifle their fears because they dare not question their father, do you think that they can possibly faze me? If that’s what you think, you’re really looking down on me here.”

Before the gaze of the stunned Paul, Roel stood up, picked up his staff, and strutted toward the doorway.

“I’ve approved your request.
You’re a member of my Bluerose Faction from this day onward, so make sure to properly submit your application form tomorrow.
It’s getting late now, so rest early.”

Leaving these words behind, Roel walked out of the room, leaving Paul to stare at his disappearing silhouette in a daze.
He sighed softly before slumping back onto his chair.

“When can I become like that too…” he murmured with gleaming admiration in his eyes.