Anoseka Volume 3 Chapter 6

This is MTL. So, I cannot guarantee that the translation 100% contextually accurate or appropriate.

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Chapter 6 "Fun School Trip?"

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Part 1

When the school trip was just around the corner.

Julius received some unpleasant news.

The person who brought the news was his fiancée, Angelica Rafa Redgrave.

She is the daughter of Duke Redgrave and has known Julius since childhood.

Her shiny, shining blonde hair is braided and gathered together.

Her distinctive feature is her red eyes, which exude a strong will.

Raised as the princess of Duke Redgrave and educated and polished as the next queen, Angelica was very beautiful.

Angelica has been carefully raised because she will eventually become Julius's wife.

However, Julius —— was now finding Angelica a nuisance.

"My father has arranged for His Highness to attend the meeting."

Julius looked at Angelica, who told him about the matter without hesitation, and he crumpled up the document with the schedule on it, clutching it in his hand as if to show it to her.

Why did Julius act so blatantly?

That's because the venue for the discussion was the royal palace, and the date and time was the day of the school trip.

"Duke Redgrave is also meant to go out of his way to hit me on the day of the school trip. No, were you the one who set it up, Angelica?"

Angelica, who was told that she had set it up, blatantly showed her disapproval.

"Please consider the situation. The Offley and Lafan families have been demolished. The trouble is just beginning. As for the schedule——Well, I'm afraid you have to understand."

Not long ago, the Offley family, which had been the subject of bad rumors, and the Lafan family, which had abandoned their noble duties and was actively engaged in debauchery, were defeated in a war and destroyed.

It was carried out by Count Roseblade, but it was Baron Baltfalt who was working behind the scenes.

The royal court is simply saying, "Demolition" to make it look like they were the ones who brought them down.

Both the Roseblade family and the Baltfalt family prioritized profits and saved the face of the royal palace.

Julius was not happy about such an exchange.

"It's just that the royal court is in a hurry to clean up the mess because some misdeeds of the Offley family that were overlooked have been exposed, right? The Roseblade family did a good job. They put the troublesome cleanup on the royal palace and took all the profits."

Angelica had a sad expression on Julius's sarcasm.

"I have told you all about it. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Angelica leaves Julius's room.

Diagonally behind Julius, Jilk was also in attendance.

He is expressionless, but seems irritated with Angelica.

"——There is a possibility that they saw through the matter of the school trip."

When he said that, Julius's expression clouded.

"I thought I had done something wrong to Chris, but this is a waste of time for us."

What the two of them are talking about is grouping for a school trip.

This grouping, however, is determined during the first year and remains unchanged thereafter.

He said, "I had done something wrong to Chris ", because [Chris Fia Arkwright] was originally in the same group as Olivia.

Jilk let out a small sigh.

"It's a shame that we went to the trouble of consulting with a teacher who had a good handle on the situation, and got us and Olivia into the same group."

After all the work they did, the result is that they can't participate in the school trip with Olivia.

It's a huge loss for both of them.

"——Because of that, we had to move Chris to another group, but it wasn't your strategy, was it? I didn't tell you to go that far."

Julius felt sorry for Chris.

Jilk, who was suspected, hurriedly denied it.

"I wouldn't go that far either. It is true that Chris-kun and Olivia-san get along well with each other, but I would never do such a cunning thing."

Julius sneered at Jilk, who said he would never do anything to kick out a rival who was in love with Olivia.

"I don't blame you for saying that, though, as we're the ones who did the cowardly thing with the groupings."

"——Well, that's right."

Jilk also seemed to reflect that it was not a line he would have said.

"Chris probably doesn't know the circumstances, but I guess we'll have to make up for something later."

"I'll arrange something on my end. But still, Angelica-san is giving us a problem."

The two wondered if Angelica had found out about their plans and forcibly interfered with them.

"Honestly, I didn't think Angelica would go this far. Because she would stay in the royal capital instead of going on a school trip."

Although they softly say they are discussing the future, this is part of the factional struggle.

As the situation changed, they expected that Duke Redgrave would move to adjust the factions.

Jilk looks towards the door after Angelica leaves.

"She's a very compassionate person. The flaw is that she doesn't realize when it's going too far."

"——Is it affection?"

They are silent for a few seconds, then let out a sigh before talking about the upcoming discussion.

"So? What's going on inside the royal palace?"

In response to Julius's question, Jilk gives the information he had investigated beforehand.

"Duke Redgrave is praising both the Roseblade and Baltfalt families. He says they are honorable in fulfilling their duties as nobles."

For Julius, it was an unexpected.

"Duke Redgrave gave praise? The two houses that caused all the trouble?"

"The Offley family belonged to Marquis Frampton's faction, you see."

The faction that is in conflict with the Redgrave Duke family is led by Marquis Frampton.

So the Roseblade and Bartfalt families, who had dealt a painful blow to Marquis Frampton, brought benefits to Dukes Redgrave.

Julius' expression clouds over.

"Another faction fight, huh"

"I guess he is not honestly happy about the prosperity of the two houses, but he is thankful for the damage they have done to the hostile faction. ——It’s really annoying to hear all the troublesome stories."

What may be an ally today may be an enemy tomorrow.

Such a situation continues every day in the kingdom's noble society.

Julius was fed up with such a situation.

He looks up at the ceiling and puts his fist to his forehead.

(Even in a situation like this, they just keep having fun with faction fights —— I really don’t like the adult world.)

Julius took a deep breath and then sat up.

"Both Roseblade and Bartfalt have done unnecessary things. So, are they going on the school trip?"

Jirk shrugs and reports regretfully.

"It seems so."

"——I see."

While getting themselves involved in the commotion, the other party was going on a school trip —— Julius did not find that amusing.

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Part 2

"A school trip on a luxury cruise ship is the beeest!!"

Anchored in the port of the royal capital were three luxury cruise ships.

The students of the school boarded as per their groupings, and the three luxury cruise ships set sail for their respective destinations.

All three ships were over 300 meters long and equipped with leisure facilities.

The interior is extremely luxurious, as the children of aristocrats board the ship.

It is definitely an airship that cost a lot of money.

Opportunities like this don't come often, so we were strolling around the ship, and Marie's excitement was at its peak when she saw the luxury.

"Ah~, how wonderful is that! I thought it was silly when I heard that it would take 5 days and 4 nights just to travel, but I can forgive it if I can play as much as I want on this a luxurious cruise ship!"

The trip is two nights and three days one way.

Even at the destination, we would stay for about two nights and three days, and we would spend practically only time traveling.

I thought it was silly when I heard it, too, but my frustration blew over when I toured the facilities of the luxury cruise ship.

"It's a few steps above what you'd expect, and you'd be surprised at how well you're treated."

When I heard about the school trip, I remembered my previous life, but I was wrong to compare.

To begin with, in the game, no events occurred during the school trip trip transportation.

Not even a single background was provided, so I did not know the details of the content.

Next to us having fun, Luxion looked unamused.

[——There is too much waste. But if this is the extent of it, we can provide facilities in Partner.]

Marie grinned at Luxion's statement.

"You hate to lose, too. Well, as for me, I'm not going to stop because I'm happy to see a gorgeous interior in Partner."

"Don't stir things up too much. Besides, does Marie know anyone in the same group? I met a few people in the same group, including Rukul-senpai."

Unfortunately, my friends Daniel and Raymond are in a different group.

The only person in the same group who is close to me is Rukul, a senior member of the same poor baron family.

The only other acquaintance I can think of who is on board is —— Deirdre-senpai, I guess? I can say that I know her, as she is going to be a relative of mine in a very special way.

——She's too flashy to approach, though.

Marie, who had been strolling, stopped in her tracks.

Her face is pale for some reason and she seems to be anxious about something.

"W-What's wrong?"

When Marie's condition changed drastically and I was concerned, she told me the reason.

"——Ellie, Cynthia, and Betty, those three."

Hearing those three names, I understood why Marie's face was so tense.

Ellie is a girl who loves to read —— but she has no other interests, and even her daily life is difficult on her own.

Cynthia is a lazy girl who stays in her room and sleeps all the time.

Betty loves to paint, but she dismisses everything else as useless.

All three of them are acquaintances of Marie, and they are the girls that Marie takes care of.

Is it a burden or rather a care? Marie takes care of her classmates, who cannot even manage their daily lives, as if she were their mother.

I can only assume that the teachers pushed those three into the group with Marie.

"What about Brita and the others?"

Marie had another group of three girls who were good friends.

Those girls, led by their leader, Brita, are apparently in a separate group.

Marie shook her head.

"We are going to the Water City with Chris-sama~! They were so excited."

"Chris? Is it Chris the capture target? Was Chris their oshi?"

I had no idea that Brita and her friends were fans of Chris.

"They are just easily influenced by others."

Marie and I walk away, and the conversation naturally turns to the protagonist —— Olivia-san.

We have eliminated the threat of that otome game's last boss, but who Olivia will be sharing her school trip with is an interesting topic.

"By the way, Olivia-san is in the same group as us. The two people on board with her are His Highness Julius and Jilk. Which one do you think is a potential lover, Marie?"

I thought she would be pleased if it was a love story, but Marie had a complicated look on her face.

I had thought that she could not honestly enjoy the love life of the young noblemen whom she had approached a while ago aiming to marry a rich, but it seems that I was wrong.

Marie seemed to be pondering something and was fiddling with her own hair with her fingertips.

"——I haven't seen them."

"Haven't seen them? Who?"

"I haven't seen His Highness Julius and Jilk. I have seen Olivia, so she is definitely on this ship. But there is a rumor among the girls that they are not on board."

From the time we boarded the ship until we left, we certainly did not see His Highness and the others.

My gaze naturally went to the right shoulder area where my partner, Luxion, was.

Luxion flashed his red lens several times, apparently scanning all the passengers on the luxury liner.

He tells the results.

[Julius and Jilk, I can't confirm their individual bio-signatures.]

"What about the other three? No, I know Chris is on a separate destination."

[Unable to confirm]

Perhaps, I asked if there were any other capture targets on board, as if I was clinging to the idea that there might be.

As a result, it cannot be confirmed.

"You're lying."