Chapter 26: Save 13 – Bad Loser

It happened after Rudel's farewell.

Alisa and Airi were imitating Rudel. They wore eyeliner for their eyes and both dwarfed their pupils to imitate him. Alisa went first.

"I am Rudel van Bradford, I am a country baron and I hate having to look for a mate since noblewomen are scum."

Then it was Airi's turn.

"I, Rudel. I'd rather spend my time surrounded by robots than with my girlfriends, I really like to pretend I don't care what other people think of me."

Alisa burst out laughing out loud.

"Haha, that did seem very him, especially the last bit."

Their voices echoed in the room.

WHEN she was with her entourage, she was never able to give her opinion let alone do things she had an interest in, it was because none of them truly understood her. But now it's different.

She can laugh foolishly at very absurd things like a normal girl.

Suddenly, a voice sounded approaching their table.

It was the same maid who came to call Rudel.

"I am sorry once again to interrupt you Lady Bismarck, but an important person requests to speak with you."

Alisa looked at her and asked for Rudel. The maid replied that he was no longer there.

Alisa kept thinking to herself that Rudel must have gone somewhere after leaving. She turned her gaze to Airi, she gave her a warm smile.

"You don't mind if I'm late?"

"Not at all, it's someone important who called them isn't it? It's normal for you to go, besides, at any time Rudel-san may come and ask where we are."

Alisa nodded her head, after getting up she left the room giving a glance at her friend's warm farewell smile.

◇◇◇

She had come to the room where Rudel had also come. She was surprised at the person she saw, but frightened by the fact how the person in question was.

He was fanning himself with some papers he had in his hands, his face was very red and his hair a bit messed up. Alisa leaned over speaking to her respectfully after seeing her.

"It is a pleasure to see you and even more so outside the palace, Your Majesty the Queen."

After greeting her the queen noticed her.

"Oh, Alisa you are here, I was so sorry to have you see this, but... o-forget it. I wanted to ask you a few things, please take a seat."

The Queen's words sounded strange, but Alisa nodded and sat down like a lady. They talked about several things after that.

◇

I was walking around the outskirts of one of the buildings, I was hanging out before going to the girls, at that, I noticed a group of guys at one of the tables in the garden.

As I approached I asked one of them what was going on, he didn't see my face, but he seemed very excited.

"You see; this is a strategy game like chess. If your flagship sinks, you lose, if you sink the enemy's, you win. The current guy is the one who's been winning the most-"

Suddenly he stopped as he turned to look at me, his face looked like the same face I make when I see nobles.

"Guhh, Bradford."

When he said my last name all the guys around turned to look at me, I felt very uncomfortable from their stares. But I showed no weakness whatsoever and responded nonchalantly.

"What's the matter, did the mouse bite their tongue? Or, maybe I'm such a big existence that it left them speechless?"

A voice sounded from the center.

"Well, if it isn't the newly appointed gentleman. Would you gentlemen please get out of the way."

The guys around me moved at the sound of it and I could see the person speaking to me. Just like with the stupid prince I made a face of disgust for the person in front of me, it was....

"You seem to be taking it so easy in this new semester."

"...The greenish one."

I blurted that out and he heard it.

"What do you mean greenish!!! You're rude you know that? My name is Frey van Nightray, son of a margrave and heir to-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go on with your game."

I shut him up immediately why his soft voice is very annoying and almost feminine.

His ridiculous face looked annoyed, but then with a big expression he smiled.

"I had a very good idea, would Baron Bradford care to have a game with me?"

"When you say it sounds very disturbing."

"You really are the worst kind of man you know!"

"At least I look like one."

The boys around chuckled.

"I'll overlook it this time, again. Would you like to have a confrontation between us through this game?"

"See, there it doesn't sound weird. And my answer is no."

His face was getting redder and redder from the anger he had, I was having so much fun.

"I understand, I guess the baron is a man who only uses his traps, but not his head."

At that moment my face and tone changed expression.

"Hoo~ you look very confident."

"Of course, as the son of the noble strategist it's normal for me to have a lot of these confrontations whether imaginary or in games. Anything that has to do with strategy is something I have to deal with."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but you sound confident is what matters."

I walked over to the table and there I saw a board.

It was a large board that took up almost the entire table. It had some small ships that seemed to move with the magic power you put on the board.

Just by looking at that, I know I've already lost, since my magic power is minuscule.

Ixion was somewhere hidden, so I will need him to avoid embarrassment, I hope he noticed the voice of my heart calling him.

Among the trees I noticed something moving, so my voice actually reached him.

As I sat down this guy explained the rules to me. I opened my mouth and mumbled under my breath.

"Ixion, you know what to do. I'm counting on you."

I heard no response, but the phantom movement of the tree disappeared.

"All right let's get started." -I said with an innocent smile.

"Alright, I'll show you what I can do no matter how much you beg I won't hesitate even if you beg for mercy!!!" -he exclaimed looking at me with his face well confident of his victory.

◇

"I win... again..."

I had just sunk this guy's flagship for the sixth time, no, the seventh I think it was.

The guys around us were talking.

"Hey, is Bradford really that smart to pull off maneuvers that impossible?"

"I don't know, I'm more shocked by the fact that he used different formations undetectable until the time of the attack."

"I'm more shocked that he didn't lose a single ship, even the sacrificial ship came back safely, that's amazing!!!"

The voices of these guys echoed in the place, for a while now more and more people were coming.

But the main problem was not the crowd but the boy in front of me.

His face was pale, his sweat was pouring out of his pores like a watering can, his hair was disheveled from all the times he scratched his head, he was biting his nails while saying things that made me feel miserable.

"N-no... this can't be... I can't accept that this has happened nine times in a row."

Wow, it was nine, that made me feel worse.

But more annoyed that Ixion seemed to be having fun doing this. I hope he didn't develop something weird from winning.

"I-I'm the son of the noble strategist, my father is the most renowned man in this country, I'm his son and tried to follow in his footsteps... there's no way I'd lose in something like this multiple times..."

I didn't want it to come to this, I just wanted to win once and that was it, but this kid bullied me into continuing this and reluctantly without effort I did it.

Now I was a mess. The guys comment this time were directed at him.

"Bradford, you cheated didn't you?"

"You can't cheat at this, it's impossible. The only sure thing, even if we don't want to accept it is his skill in strategy."

"So, Frey is inferior in both combat and strategy?"

"It seems to be so; the worst thing is that it was several times in a row."

(Hey you bastards, shut up.)

I stood up to get out of there, but my hand was grabbed by this guy.

"W-wait please, just one more time, just one more time I beg you, I think this time I'll win, just one more I beg you!"

I kind of understand how he feels, but....

"No, goodbye."

I abruptly removed his hand from my sleeve and walked out of there, I took one last look and noticed that boy clutching his head as he seemed to cry.

I can't tell if he had a good strategy or not.

As I walked down the hallway Ixion spoke in my ear.

"Master, I have something to notify."

"What is it?"

"This happened while you were playing..."

Hearing him, I stopped walking and made an angry glare at him.

"Where are they!"

"In a party hall."

◇◇◇

"My relationship with Rudel says?"

Alisa was talking to the queen about various things like her life in the academy and what happened with her ex-fiancé.

The queen apologized to her for her son denigrating her, Alisa couldn't be angry with him future King of her country so she forgot that, but her heart had already been pierced by his cruel words. She was really hurt by what he said and tried to forget it.

Then, the queen asked the same question to Rudel.

"He is mostly my squire, but he is also my friend."

"I know he is sometimes a pain in the ass, but he is not a bad man, I am grateful to have him as your patron."

"I understand, but Alisa. You know even if it is as you say, a man and a woman are totally opposite beings, do you know if he doesn't have other things on his mind?"

"Things on his mind? Like which ones can I ask him?"

The Queen's face turned red at his question.

In a slightly timid voice she said....

"Y-you know, something deeper between you, how sentimental, for example."

Alisa's face turned red after hearing that and she immediately replied.

"D-don't joke, please, he's a baron and I'm a Lady Alicelotte, we're from totally different worlds, it's unthinkable even. More so that we are not of the same faction."

The Queen's face was still red but now she made a different expression just for her answer.

"Alisa, I am not the best one to speak, but it doesn't matter the title or rank in a mutual feeling. I only ask you not to suffer from the decision to have a man very close to you. I know that when you were in the mansion in his territory you slept in a different room, but still you must not believe that a man being of low status cannot have longings for a woman whether she is of high status or not, just remember what happened a while ago-"

Suddenly the queen stopped, her face turning red just remembering what Rudel said.

Alisa looked at her strangely, when she called out to her, she didn't answer.

Someone knocked sharply and entered, it was a maid.

"L-lady Bismarck, please come quickly!"

After turning to see her, Alisa asked her what was wrong, the maid who was short of breath answered in panic.

"I-it's Baron Bradford!!! He's beating up some servants and nobles in the feast hall!!!"

After hearing that, Alisa quickly stood up, hurriedly said goodbye to the queen, but the queen was still with her head in the clouds. She ignored her and quickly left the place together with the maid.

"Rudel, now what the hell did you do."

◇◇◇

Alisa arrived at the place the maid indicated, when she opened the door the scene she found was....

"Come on you pieces of trash, apologize and I'll release you after kicking your asses!"

...Rudel doing his thing.

Rudel was surrounded by four male servants and three girls in white uniforms.

Two of those servants were on the floor unconscious while the others were being punished by Rudel.

One was bent over with Rudel's foot on his head, the other was being grabbed by his shirt collar, Rudel's hands had black gloves on them.

Alisa seeing what he was doing ran in his direction shouting.

"Rudel, what the hell are you doing?"

Hearing that, he turned to see an annoyed Alisa.

"Good, you're here, give me your permission to kill these scumbags."

"I won't actually kill them, but they'll wish they were."

Alisa asked what happened and the guy she grabbed, pulled him aside to point at a specific girl.

"That bitch over there hurt Airi."

Alisa immediately turned her gaze to the white-uniformed girl she pointed at.

Her face was one of immense discomfort.

"That girl, if I'm not mistaken is the daughter of Count Astolfo von Rossini."

Hearing her father's name, the girl quickly changed her expression to speak to Alisa smugly.

"Alice, you're late, what the hell were you doing? More importantly, check on your dog."

"My dog, you say?"

Alisa's face, slowly giving the impression of a bloodthirsty demon.

"Rudel is not my dog, nor my vassal, so I don't have to order him anything, I want to know more importantly if what he said is true."

Alisa trusted Rudel despite being a troubled boy, but she heard her friend's name and her expression and reasoning changed drastically.

"The little bitch did and said horrible things to him, that's why I came to exercise justice like the gentleman I am. I'll tell you what happened..."

◇◇◇

Several minutes before the incident.

Airi was sitting quietly at the table where she and her friends were, she didn't know that she was being recorded by a small security drone, if they both knew that they are secretly spied by their security, they would hate Rudel, but Rudel himself didn't know either, it was all secretly Ixion's work.

"You asked me when they will return?"

"Rudel-san left first, but he's not coming back and Alisa is still at her mystery meeting."

Airi was worried about her friends despite them both being safe.

If Rudel-san were here, she would definitely say something like "your smile makes my heart recharge with energy, thank you for worrying about me."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching, when she turned to see who it was, it was a group of seven people, three female students and four servants.

Airi was a little startled, as it was rare for students in white uniforms to approach her.

"D-do you girls want anything?"

She asked a normal question in a fearful tone. The girl in front of her smiled as she spoke wickedly.

"Well, if it isn't the commoner hanging out with the nobility."

"Where is your mistress and her dog?"

Airi felt a shiver at those cold words.

"So-sorry."

"You heard me, commoner, where is your mistress and her guard dog."

"Did they go wallowing and leave you waiting until they're done?"

"Or maybe they got tired of playing with you?"

"Please don't talk about them like that!!!! They're my-"

"Your what?"

Airi got up from the table, stood in front of the girl with strong eyes to reinforce her words.

"They are my friends."

"I suggest you take it back quickly, for if Alisa or Rudel-san arrive, terrible things will happen to you."

The girl in front of Airi was silent for a few seconds, then out of nowhere she burst out laughing like an ape, her servants and companions did the same.

The girl then grabbed Airi's hair and pulled it close to her face.

"Listen well, commoner, I don't know what you think you are now just because you are Alicelotte's pampered pet, and the plaything of that trash of a noble."

Suddenly, her eyes closed in pain opened in panic.

"Pet? Toy? That's not-"

"Of course you are!"

"You think a quasi-royalty woman like Alicelotte would hang out with a mere commoner because she considers you her friend?"

"Don't make me laugh, friends in the aristocracy are just like any business, you join with whoever benefits you and leave whoever doesn't serve you. That girl, before she was dispatched she had numerous potential partners for her house, do you think for a second she would have hung out with you if it hadn't all been for that trouble?"

Suddenly, memories came to Airi's head, when she found out who Alisa was, she only heard terrifying stories about her and the day of their meeting, she gave her the impression of being someone unreachable, Airi didn't want to stay there so she prayed that it would be over quickly.

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That's when she understood that, if it hadn't been for the duel, she would never have approached Alisa, she would continue her quiet days with Rudel until graduation.

The girl saw a terrified Airi, she crouched down to continue talking to her.

"Then there's that trashy baron, do you think the people around don't see you as their plaything? He's a poor peasant, he only thinks with his second head, so it's obvious that right now he must be asking Alicelotte for her body as payment for defeating his former fiancé."

Airi's face became more terrified by a strange image of those two in a bed.

"Poor thing, you're upset because they're not having fun with you too. Hahaha, they must have been disgusted for sure, doing it with a commoner and that's why they left you behind!"

Airi couldn't take that and ran out of the place with tears in her eyes.

A small drone was recording all that. Later that video would be played back by Ixion to Rudel.

◇

I told him in detail everything that happened.

Alisa's face made a demonic expression, she took several steps forward.

Hearing that I spoke.

"Looks like your punishment has arrived, now prepare for me-"

Out of nowhere, my cheek was pulled by Alisa who was pulling me out of the room.

"Wait, Alisa, why are you stopping me?"

"Idiot, even if you took action on your own I told you more than once not to challenge someone of a higher rank than you."

"Before I started I said I was doing it as a gentleman defending a poor hurt girl."

"That's why too!!!"

Suddenly we stopped and he turned to look at me with a look of hatred on his face.

"Rudel, you clearly don't understand what you did!!!"

"That girl's family is from a hostile faction towards my house, she did it to annoy me and cause trouble, she succeeded thanks to you!"

My expression changed to one of terror.

I didn't want Alisa's dad to get mad at me, I'd get my head cut off by that man.

"Then there is the matter that you are exercising an order as a knight without the consent of the palace, worse, you are one of low rank, you can't touch an aristocrat if you are not one of a high rank or above."

Alisa looked very angry.

She turned and walked to another direction, I asked her where she was going.

"Where are you going?"

"To meet with that person before he leaves, I'm going to see my father before this gets any more serious."

I wanted to thank him, but another problem was there.

"What about Airi?"

I asked Alisa a simple question, she paused and without looking back answered me.

"This is a more serious matter, I put that other problem on you."

From where I stood, I could watch how there were little water stains on the floor every time she walked.

This girl is not honest. But I figured she doesn't know what to say since part of what that bitch said was true.

Her former entourage were children of future partners for her family. Airi is a commoner, so she doesn't understand that friendship for nobles is just a contract.

Normally, anyone would blame her for not knowing that, but her case was different, she was a commoner so something like making friends for work is a strange and meaningless thing in her head.

I feel the same way too, since I'm a reincarnate, friends and coworkers are different things.

I called an Ixion hiding somewhere and asked where she was.

◇◇◇

Airi was sitting in the garden behind the library.

The sun was setting; it was a beautiful sunset she would say normally.

But now she was despondent.

She had heard horrible things about her friends and even more horrible things about how they treat her.

She had never thought about it until now, the tears stopped coming, but her heart still ached.

Suddenly she felt something icy on her left cheek.

She let out a big "kyaa!"

When she turned to see who did that, she noticed Rudel with a can of soda.

She after seeing him it came to her mind what she thought during what that girl said, she immediately turned her head away.

◇

"Can I sit down?"

I asked Airi who was in the fetal position.

"If you want." -she replied vaguely.

After sitting down, I opened my soda and drank it, if she wanted one I have another one hidden in my pocket.

"I heard through a strange little bird what happened."

"..."

There was no reply. I continued anyway.

"I just wanted to say don't feel bad, if someone talks bad about me let it go, if someone does the same to Alisa, let it go, she'll take care of that matter for both of us, she scolded me recently for hitting those girls' servants."

She looked at me after saying that last.

"Did you really do that?"

"Of course, I don't want to hit a woman, I'm not saying that because it's ethical or anything, I just don't feel like it. I wanted to though."

His gaze stopped being sad and now turned to me.

"Rudel-san, you can't hit a girl even if you have a real reason!"

I smiled at his energetic reply.

"Looks like you're back to normal now."

When I said that, his cheeks turned red and he turned his face away.

"You really are cruel, you know that?"

"A little, haha."

I started laughing at that apt truth, she laughed lightly too.

"Rudel-san, can I ask you something?"

"As long as it's why I don't get a girlfriend it's fine."

"You will the day you stop looking like someone who's a liar."

"H-hey, I didn't tell you anything cruel for you to answer me that!"

"Your eyes."

"Huh?"

"Your eyes look away when you're lying, I know you well enough to know that."

She turned to look at me, she was right, as my eyes looked at the grass swaying slightly in the wind.

"Rudel-san is a liar, but still I know you feel what they say about you. Just like me you are sensitive."

This girl sometimes says troubling things to my fragile heart.

"And what was your question?"

"..."

Her silence lasted a few seconds to say unexpected words to me.

"Do you think it's okay for a commoner like me to be together with a girl like Alisa?"

That's something I didn't see coming.

"I'm the least suitable person to tell you that, originally I was only supposed to have her under my care in my territory and then go back to normal afterwards, but now it happened that we became close."

"But... I think that girl also thinks the same as you."

Airi let out a silly "what?" at my answer.

"That girl doesn't have friends, just like you and me, we're from different worlds."

"I'm grateful to be close to you, but even if we weren't it wouldn't have changed my life at all. With the exception that I would never have gone to the party that one, let alone organize meetings for horrible people and walk around a certain area on a certain day."

Airi had a complex look on her face.

"I'm just saying that mistakes or problems can be good for some people, like us. When that girl comes back, you should have a talk with her, of course without involving me."

I stood up after speaking, but first I put down a soda next to her.

Airi gave me some warm parting words.

"You're very kind, Rudel-san."

"You think so? Because this whole school believes otherwise."

Airi sat for a while as it got dark, the garden's headlights turned on by a magic formula that detects the temperature of the environment.

As I walked away I whispered to Ixion to bring out all those hidden security cameras, it makes me feel like a perverted stalker.

◇◇◇

Night had fallen and it was almost bedtime for the girls.

Airi was looking over some recipes to make something for Alisa while they had a chat.

Her mood was better since she talked to Rudel.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

It couldn't be the building supervisor since it wasn't the exact time for her round yet.

Airi got up and went to open the door, she thought it was Alisa who had returned so quickly from talking to her father, since who else would be knocking on her door at this time of night let alone in the commoner girls' dormitory.

"Alisa, good to have you back already-"

But she was sorely mistaken.

In front of Airi's bedroom door stood seven people. She recognized them all.

The person in the middle was one of the faces she could never forget.

The girl who spoke ill of her friends.

Her face had a really annoyed expression.

Quickly, Airi tried to close the door, but one of the servants pushed her and from the force she fell to the floor.

People entered the room surrounding Airi.

With a frightened tone she asked them.

"W-what are you doing here?"

The count's daughter saw her with a face full of anger.

She grabbed her hair and pulled it up to her face as she bent down.

"Your fiancé beat my servants and threatened me, despite being a simple peasant."

The girl's words were getting louder and louder.

"You told him what happened didn't you!!!? It's impossible for anyone to have told him after extorting money from all those girls."

"Now I'm mad at that trash."

Airi tried to speak, but the pain in her hair was great.

"R-Rudel-san is not my boyfriend, we are friends."

With his other hand he grabbed the other end of her hair.

"Even at a time like this you deny it?"

The girl gave Airi's head a toe-curling look.

"You're a liar, just by looking at your body and face I can tell you're his favorite toy, there's no way the reason he came here furious is because he respects you and not because of the hole between your legs."

Airi wanted to cry, not because of the pain but because of his hurtful words.

She didn't like them to think she was with Rudel, for maybe a carnal relationship with benefits.

The girl threw her to the ground.

"Now that I get a good look, you've got big tits, why don't you let someone other than Bradford use them?"

The girl snapped her fingers and after that, the servants began fiddling with their belt buckles as they gave Airi a lustful look.

Her hair was tousled, but at this moment what terrified her the most was the obscene movement the servants were making.

She looked around with tears in her eyes, she wanted to call Rudel to save her as she always did.

It was there that her brain thought something else.

(Why does he always help me?)

From the moment they met, he always treated her well, he never left her alone and if she wanted something he would ask if he would buy it for her.

In the eyes of the others that, maybe he looked like a boyfriend pleasing his girlfriend.

The girl ordered her servants to stop and they instantly obeyed.

"Don't tell me he's serious, hahaha, you seriously didn't notice that he was just helping you for getting your body?"

"I don't know him and I don't want to, but that guy is a man too, do you think a man would help a woman without some payment?"

"For sure he's waiting for a perfect opportunity to ask for your sacred place, after all, an ugly guy like that won't have much chance with a woman hahaha."

Airi's mind was slowly breaking down, at the horrible questions she thought.

(What, if he lied all this time?)

(Yes, he was just helping me so he could possess me?)

(He was never with any girl besides the two of us...could it be that he was looking for an opportunity to say so?)

Tears spilled from her eyes, then she heard footsteps approaching.

An older woman passed by her door, as she turned to look, she watched what was happening and then approached the door....

Airi from the bottom of her heart cried out.

"Help please, these people are-"

...She walked over to close the door and walk normally.

But her expectations were betrayed once again.

The girl came up to him and said in a low voice.

"That's how the world works, commoner, we aristocrats rule and you just obey, like the good cattle you are."

With that scene, she broke down. Tears welled up in her eyes and her body fell forward, the girls laughed, the servants did too.

"Boys, destroy this room as punishment for believing yourself to be a human being, this worthless piece of meat."

The servants and girls started destroying her room, breaking things, painting the walls, knocking over her bed and even stealing and tearing her underwear.

The girl once again approached Airi to speak to her.

"If you don't want this problem for you to get worse, I want you to do this for me, if you do it perfectly I promise you stability. We aristocrats unlike commoners have a code of ethics. You can only accept at this time."

The girl put her mouth close to his ear for him to hear, suddenly Airi's tears stopped to look at the girl in a terrified manner.

"A-something like that is..."

"You don't have a choice, unless you want my boys to have fun using those big tits of yours."

This time she squeezed Airi really hard on the wooden floor, her nails broke and bled a lot.

With a pained tone, she said some heart shattering words.

"Okay..."

The aristocrat girl smiled with a crescent moon on her face, with a snap, the servants and girls stopped and after a prompt proceeded to leave, she too headed for the door, but not before looking at Airi in a destroyed room.

"I'm counting on you for tomorrow, ah, and fix your nails and face so I don't suspect anything. Bye. ♡"

As the door closed, there was only the sound of a single person's breathing.

And then a sound of pain.

"Ahh... aah... AAHHH!"

Airi let out a cry of pain, not at what happened, but at what she accepted, she clutched her head tightly as she saw the floor wet from her tears.

She let out a light voice.

"Save me, Rudel-san...don't..."

"Please forgive me, Rudel-san...!"

No one could imagine that what was happening was actually the beginning of a game event, one which was unfortunately triggered because of Erselica.

An event that would be a key piece in Airi's personal and spiritual growth. One, exactly similar with the exception that the aristocrat who harassed Airi was actually Alisa.

But worst of all, there was no Liam, with him around, Airi felt safe, but it was Rudel who filled that position overshadowing all the growth, trouble and harassment she would have to go through in order to avoid breaking down emotionally.

"Rudel-san, I'm so sorry!!!"

Crying and tears echoed throughout the room.

Airi was about to enter an event without having met the minimum requirements to do so.

And now, she will pay the price for being happy at the villains' side.