Chapter 152, ‘Normally’ She’s Amazing

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

After we returned to the party venue, we exchanged the bare minimum greetings required of us as the invited guests despite being invited only as harassment by royalty, and were now leaving ourselves to the flow.

On the way, I saw Calsba (Younger Brother) and Clee (Younger Sister), but after giving me the expression of “wow, he really brought the rumored Wife with him”, they gave me a light bow and left.

They did not want to be seen by my companions. I too did not mind that. It would be annoying if our Parents found out that we met… but I still want to catch up with them later.

We don’t really write letters either.

To be honest, I think it would be fine if I just sneaked out and went home or sneaked out and killed some time…

 

“You can’t really eat much when you’re wearing a dress.”

“It wasn’t made with the purpose of eating, after all.”

“If this was going to be like this, the school uniform might have been better. It’s not like I would get scouted just because I dressed up anyway.”

“Why don’t you look for a romantic partner that you’re always talking about? That’s one of the purposes of the party. You could look for them in other classes, like the Mercury Class and Jupiter Class…”

“Ahaha, I prefer food over boys. I’m hungry because I worked up a sweat, and because this is a party for nobles, both food and drinks are delicious!”

“…If that’s what you want, then that’s fine.”

“Sorry. Argh. Those words are actually getting to me. I should have priorities…”

“So. which one is it?!”

 

Seeing Lady Violet talking so cheerfully with Ms. Kriemhild made going home harder. Because of that, I sat next to Gray, whose eyes were shining looking at the food he had never seen before. He became more excited as he ate bit by bit, watching them converse while holding a glass of champagne.

That being said, Ms. Kriemhild once again demonstrated how much of a good friend she is by making time to come over and talk with Lady Violet, even though she has many other friends and classmates here.

If it were a different student, I would be wary of them being after Lady Violet’s status, but not only is there no need to worry about that with Ms. Kriemhild, it’s also nice to see Lady Violet having fun.

 

— But what’s her situation right now?

 

I understand that Ms. Kriemhild who’s here right now, and the heroine of the Ring of Fire, are different people. However, there are still things I’m curious about.

There are six main routes in, ‘When the Ring of Fire is lit, World is Painted Red’, excluding derivations like the normal route and the good route. One of them is the True End. The rest are the individual routes for the love interests.

However, all the love interests are in love with Ms. Mary, and none of them show any signs of being interested in Ms. Kriemhild.

If things continue this way, she might find her own partner that even I don’t know about, become successful in alchemy magic, get a respectable job, and be granted a noble position without developing a romantic relationship with any of the love interests.

Ms. Mary doesn’t seem to be getting in Ms. Kriemhild’s way or trying to save her. Instead, she just interacts with her like a friend. And while her personality is reminiscent of the innocent and cute character of the heroine of Ring of Fire that makes one want to protect her, she also has the strength to hold her ground and not retreat even when facing His Highness.

… But I wonder what it is. Like the way she laughs, sometimes it makes me worry if I should just leave her like this.

 

“I want a boyfriend too. But because of the match, I’m now called ‘the bomber’. Do you think I’ll be able to get a boyfriend before I can get rid of that nickname?”

“Shouldn’t you take advantage of that? If I remember right… it was called ‘a body blow aiming for the gap’. Ms. Cyan told me about it.”

“I kind of get what you mean, but… okay, maybe I should give it a try. I could find a child-loving middle aged man who would like me despite my short height… actually, maybe I should have worn gothic clothes instead…”

“… As long as it makes you happy, Kriemhild.”

“Ahaha, come on, of course I’m joking… I should probably target the boy whose preferences got messed up by Ms. Cyan. I think I would have a decent chance if I exposed my thighs…”

“Wait-“

 

… Well, maybe I’m just worrying too much.

It’s not like she gets excited by voices or scents like a pair of Siblings I know, and she also had not awakened to shota like some perverted blacksmith. Moreover, she’s not a body fetishist like that damnable mage, and she doesn’t strip and pose to show off her beauty.

… Thinking back on it, I’ve gotten too used to ‘weirdness’. Maybe that’s why I’ve become so suspicious.

 

“Did you call for me, Clo?”

 

Like hell I did.

I swallowed the words I was about to say along with my champagne, and turned towards the pervert (Mrs. Vert) who called out to me.

Wait, did this witch just naturally read my mind?

 

“What’s the matter? I thought you were with your Son just now.”

“My Son is old enough now.  He wouldn’t be able to enjoy things with his Mother by his side. I’ve finished my greetings and the recruitment after the games, so now it’s time for the young ones to enjoy themselves. That’s when I saw you looking bored, so I came.”

 

She might be like that toward me, but Mrs. Vert seemed to be normal most of the time.

When I asked Lady Violet about her, she also said that Mrs. Vert was “always calm and collected, and anyone who specializes in magic respects her”. To be honest, I find it hard to believe because of the way we met though.

 

“You needn’t be so wary. I am not going to eat you. I’m not such an immoral woman that I would let my inclinations get the better of me in front of your Son.”

 

Hey, didn’t you ask me to do to you what I did to Ms. Mary right in front of Gray earlier? … I somehow managed to swallow those words down.

Damn, I’m resentful that my champagne glass is empty because I gulped it down. I really want to call her out on her audacity.

 

“Lord Clo, Lady Vert, please have this.”

“Thank you, Gray.”

“Oh? Thank you, Gray.”

 

As I was feeling bitter, Gray, who had been preoccupied with food up until now, suddenly handed us champagne on the tray.

He was as good at his job as ever, but…

 

“But today you have been invited as a guest, as Clo’s Son. You shouldn’t act like a servant. It’s fine if you just hand it over by holding it in your hand. In that case, it’s best to hand it over to Clo and have him give it to me.”

“Oh… I am very sorry. I knew that, but I just could not get rid of the habit…”

 

Mrs. Vert warned him first about something I had intended to warn him about later.

I don’t know much about etiquette in that regard, but it’s not good to carry things like the waiter. Gray is also a noble too, after all.

 

“Fufu, you are still young, Gray. You can get used to it from now on. That’s right… next time you find a girl you like, why don’t you give her champagne? It could be a conversation starter.”

“A lady I’m interested in…?”

“Yeah, I don’t know if you have somebody now or if you’ll find somebody in the future, but I’m sure the other girl will be happy to be with you.”

 

Damn. Who is this woman smiling with adult composure?

The way she stroked Gray’s head and smiled while gently admonishing him made me think of her as a gentle Mother. It’s not that I want her to look at me the same way, but I would like her to show even one-tenth of that composure when her perversion goes out of control.

 

“Oh, are you not drinking, Gray? There are only glasses for us… you can have mine if you’d like.”

“I would like to try it, but I heard earlier that this champagne contains a small amount of alcohol. Apri- my Master taught me that I should not drink even a small amount until I reach adulthood.”

“Oh, what a good Master you have. And you are also a good disciple for following their teachings. Fufu, what a good boy.”

“—Nn, nyuu…”

 

Just who is the woman really?

Gray would normally be embarrassed when petted, but he’s just letting it happen—Hm? Wait. There’s a little bit of alcohol in the champagne?

All the students attending Azalea Academy are certainly legally adults. Although it depends on the race, according to the law of our kingdom, they may drink small amounts of alcohol.

But earlier, that champagne…

 

“Hmm, what’s wrong, Kriemhild? You started staggering all of a sudden… if you’re tired, don’t push yourself and just take a break somewhere…”

“Huh? Do you suddenly clone yourself, Vio?”

“Vio? Clone myself? What happened to you suddenly, Kriemhild?”

“Anyway, it’s so hot-“

“No, I think the heater is maintaining just the right temperature—K-kriemhild! Why are you taking off your clothes?!”

“Ahaha, because it’s hot… why don’t you take off your clothes too, Vio?”

“Wait, Kriemhild. Calm down for a second, okay?”

“ It’s okay! If we all strip, nobody will feel embarrassed!”

“Doesn’t that mean that it’s normally an embarrassing thing to do?!”

 

I ran over to give Ms. Kriemhild water before she started throwing up.

I really didn’t want something like last time to happen and ruin her dress, and it was pretty dangerous in various ways.

 

 

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Author’s note:

※ Champagne etiquette typically becomes sloppy halfway through

 

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