NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 323
Yuridia and Victoria wiped the blood trickling down.
Fawning over Luna was essential, but that didn’t mean they could simply hand over the authority of the first-years to Teron.
They quickly readjusted their posture.
“I understand that you trust Zero. But it’s dangerous to underestimate Teron. He’ll do anything to win her over, you know?”
“That sly guy? Do you really think that’s possible?”
“Well… it wouldn’t be easy, that’s for sure. But what if he resorts to torture?”
Luna’s eyebrow twitched.
A sign that her thoughts were shifting. Victoria seized the moment without hesitation.
“Oh my, torture, you say. How utterly cruel. How can this world be so brutal?”
“Don’t you think you’re taking it a bit far? Are you really suggesting he’d go that far…?”“Teron is practically at the edge of a cliff right now. Maybe he won’t do anything immediately, but who knows what he’ll attempt later? If he snaps…”
Zero might die.
Victoria didn’t voice this last thought out loud.
She knew Luna’s imagination would fill in the blanks.
‘Who knows, Luna might even be imagining something more horrifying than death right now. No, I’m certain of it!’
Because Luna was in love with Zero.
Perhaps, Luna’s heart heard Victoria’s earnest wishes.
Luna crossed her arms, grumbling.
“So… what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Lend us Rezé. If we can find out what kind of terms Teron is offering Zero, we’ll have an advantage in the negotiations.”
“We’re planning to offer something much better than Teron. Don’t worry about the money. Yuridia’s purse will cover it. Oh~ Hohoho!”
“…?”
Yuridia turned her gaze towards Victoria.
“Why do I have to pay for all of it? Isn’t it only fair we split it fifty-fifty?”
“I’m broke. Do you really expect a devout lamb of the goddess to have money?”
“And that’s supposed to be a good thing? Go out to the plaza and collect donations or something!”
“Oh~ Hohoho! The goddess’s lamb does not accept money. Prayers are sacred, you know.”
“Is that so? I’m curious—if this lamb’s body were set aflame, would you still refuse money?”
“Resorting to violence, are we? How crude and vulgar.”
The weasel and marten began bickering again, while Luna looked on, bewildered.
Meanwhile, Rezé was deep in thought.
‘T-to gather intel? That’s impossible!’
It was a den of Teron’s supporters—a place where anything could happen.
She would be lucky if it ended with her getting roasted like a rabbit.
But.
‘B-but if Luna is asking… I-I have no choice but to do it.’
Even among friends, there’s a hierarchy.
And Rezé was at the very bottom.
Her timid nature often relegated her to the lowest rung in the pecking order.
‘A-after all, it wasn’t me who first reached out to be friends… it was Luna.’
Besides, refusing a friend’s request wouldn’t be right.
She didn’t want to disappoint her friend.
She didn’t want to be hated by Luna, her first and only friend.
‘I-I’d rather die.’
Yes, she’d do it. She’d accept Luna’s request and preserve their friendship.
Even as Rezé resolved herself with a firm determination, Yuridia and Victoria continued their argument.
“Let’s split the cost evenly!”
“And what if Zero falls into Teron’s clutches because of this? Love is in danger here, this is an emergency!”
“Why does love have anything to do with this?”
“It seems you haven’t noticed. I’ve seen it myself. Every time they meet, those heated glances they exchange!”
Zero only made brief eye contact to avoid drawing too much attention, and Teron merely nodded politely to leave a good impression.
But Victoria, with her rich imagination and love for romantic stories, interpreted things a bit differently.
The problem was that Yuridia was also an avid reader of similar literature.
“That…! Now that you mention it, I’ve felt it too. Those occasional secret conversations…”
“See? Now you understand. This is a serious crisis!”
“But… perhaps… it might not be so bad after all.”
“Y-yes… it could be… quite something to watch…”
Whatever “it” was, the two were clearly lost in their own imaginations.
As the two let their fantasies run wild, Luna scratched the back of her head and said,
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”
“Eh? Right, of course. No matter how close they are, that’s impossible, isn’t it?”
“…What are you talking about? I meant it’s impossible to lend you Rezé.”
“W-what? Are you really going to let Zero be taken by Teron? If Zero falls under Teron’s influence, this won’t just affect his grades; there could be other… complications…!”
Sure, their preferences were important, but they couldn’t let them interfere with Luna’s love life.
As Yuridia and Victoria were about to speak more urgently—
“No, you’re asking the wrong person. If Rezé is the one you need, then ask her, not me.”
The three of them flinched.
Luna was right. It was Rezé who had to act, not Luna. But…
“Why not just order her?”
“How could I give an order to a friend? Are you guys idiots?”
Yuridia and Victoria looked at each other.
They’d grown up in a world where hierarchies were everywhere, even among friends.
So how could Luna consider it otherwise?
Luna resolved their question with a simple answer.
Luna draped an arm over Rezé’s shoulders and smiled.
“We’re friends, after all.”
Rezé’s eyes widened, even from behind her long, curtain-like bangs.
‘I… was I the one who didn’t truly see Luna as a friend?’
Rezé’s face turned red, embarrassed by the realization.
The idea of ranks among friends—
It might apply to others, but not to Luna.
Only now did she understand.
‘I’m such an idiot!’
Her vision blurred, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She was on the verge of tears but held them back.
Now wasn’t the time to cry.
“Y-you’re right. Luna is absolutely right. It only makes sense to ask directly.”
“Rezé, you’ve heard the situation, so I hope you’ll agree to help. We need information on what terms Teron is proposing.”
Rezé could feel the anxious gazes of Yuridia and Victoria on her.
She wanted to tell them: she was Luna’s friend.
To proudly declare that she was worthy of being Luna’s friend.
Yes, she would prove her worth.
Prove that she deserved to be Luna’s friend.
“I-I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure? You’re not pushing yourself too hard?”
“I-I’m fine. I can do it. It’s… one of my skills…”
With a few quick hand movements, Rezé transformed a flat, thick piece of paper into a large box.
The box was decorated with the hallways of Annwood Academy.
Inside the box, Rezé poked her head out and spoke.
“I-I’ll be back soon.”
“Be careful. And while you’re at it, bring that idiot Zero with you.”
Rustle-!
As the box lid closed, Rezé vanished.
Yuridia and Victoria were speechless.
More than Rezé’s incredible stealth technique…
‘She’s not just Luna’s pet rabbit; they’re friends? Which means… in Luna’s heart, that rabbit holds a higher status than us?’
‘Ugh! Losing out to a rabbit… how humiliating!’
The unshakable trust between them was something Yuridia and Victoria found themselves deeply envious of.
To have a friend who cherished them like Luna did with Rezé…
“Luna, could you spare a moment? I’d like to discuss the future of our first-year class.”
“Yes, I think that’s a splendid idea.”
Yuridia cautiously broached the topic, with Victoria immediately chiming in.
They both knew Luna would likely respond negatively.
“Why would I…?”
Just as Luna was about to reject their offer, she suddenly remembered.
-Please, just promise me one thing: don’t assume the worst of everyone who approaches you.
Zero’s words about not pushing people away without reason.
Why did those words come to mind now?
Yuridia and Victoria’s proposal was obvious.
They wanted to form an alliance.
Creating cliques to suppress others wasn’t befitting of a noble.
But…
‘Ugh… maybe I should at least hear them out?’
They were undoubtedly trying to recruit her into some kind of “Luna faction,” but listening wouldn’t hurt.
After all, they were still preferable to Teron.
‘Factions and rivalries may not be the noble way…’
But to protect Zero, she needed strength. Even if it meant going against her pride.
“Fine.”
“Understood. That’s unfortunate, but… wait, what?”
Yuridia and Victoria stared at each other in disbelief.
Had they heard right?
“L-Luna, did you just agree?”
“Yes. Lead the way before I change my mind.”
“A-are you serious?”
“What? Was that all talk? If you’re not serious, forget it.”
“N-no, that’s not it…”
They’d been certain she would turn them down. Yet here she was, agreeing so readily?
Yuridia and Victoria’s heads snapped around simultaneously.
“The banquet hall! Reserve the banquet hall immediately!”
“Set up the finest refreshments we brought from the Holy Kingdom! Now, hurry!”
The students serving them rushed about frantically.
The place was in complete chaos, with Yuridia and Victoria barking orders non-stop.
Luna looked up with a confident glint in her eyes.
‘Zero, just hold on a little longer. I’ll take care of this.’
The top-ranked Luna had finally entered the first-years’ power struggle.
Creak.
The chair Teron was sitting on made an unpleasant noise.
Was it because it wasn’t the high-quality chair he was used to? Or maybe the cramped space?
Either way, the noise seemed louder in the silence.
“Don’t bother hoping for rescue. No one knows about this place. Not even the rats or Teacher Caron.”
“Keke, aren’t you a little too confident?”
“For good reason.”
We were in a hidden room beneath the academy’s small weapon warehouse.
Even after countless playthroughs of this game, I’d never found this place, so Teron had every right to feel secure.
“Though I suppose the ruckus earlier might have alerted some rats. Not that it matters. Zero…”
Creak.
“As long as I can have you.”
Teron’s eyes blazed.
Being the center of attention was always exhilarating, especially with this kind of intense focus.
“Keke, if only you were a girl, Teron.”
“Sorry, but there’s no wriggling out today. I’m done waiting.”
Teron’s voice carried a steely determination.
He clearly intended to settle things today.
“Join me. I’ll make sure you’re well-compensated.”
“Keke, trying to buy me off? That’s insulting…”
“An advance payment of 100,000 gold.”
…It was hard to feel insulted when faced with that much money.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt