Iris turned around, and then I did too. Behind us was a girl wearing the same navy blue uniform as Iris. She was beautiful, with two side ponytails, her hair silver like the moon, two bright blue eyes, and a great figure.
"It's nice to see you again, Irisphylia," she said.
"Same to you, Erica."
I asked Iris who she was; they seemed to know each other.
"Who are you?" I said under my breath.
As if she were guessing what I was saying, the girl introduced herself.
"Erica Noah Redford is my name. The second daughter of Marquis Redford."
So she was the descendant of the founder.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Iris ojou-sama's escort. My name is Razel."
"Hmm? I wasn't asking for your name, but nice to meet you anyway."
She looked down on me, but she didn't belittle me that much, I think.
"Are you a friend of hers?" I asked, since they knew each other, but the way they looked at each other wasn't like friends.
"Yes, we know each other, but it's not a pleasant relationship."
"We are rivals-desuwa," Erica said.
(She said "desuwa." She's a true ojou-sama. Now say "It's a lovely morning" while lifting your skirt.)
"She has been my rival since childhood," Erica said, pointing at Iris. "Since we were little, my goal was always to defeat you in every visible aspect."
"Actually, our parents tried to get closer through us, and we played together. Erica always lost and ended up angry," Iris added.
"That's not true!" Erica protested.
The way she protests tells me otherwise.
Iris was telling me more details about their relationship. They often played together as children when Erica visited her family's territory. Back then, Erica's father owed a great debt to Iris's father, so they came to Iris's house when they were little to try to repay that debt. Iris says that instead of playing, she came to bother her, because she always played nasty pranks on her.
Erica got angrier as she heard Iris talk about her.
"I wasn't bothering you, they were games!"
Now she admits they were games and not trying to surpass her. But Iris got angry now.
"You say that, but once you put a beetle in my hair."
Erica, blushing, replied:
"I-I didn't do it on purpose, you know? It was just a little joke. I thought it would fly away as soon as I put it on your head."
(So you were playing, but you're embarrassed to say it.)
For a while they shouted at each other; they even went to get their food shouting at each other. Everyone was watching. The worst part was that they even shouted while eating.
(Women are really scary.)
After a pause to finish eating, Erica said to Iris, who was still eating:
"Irisphylia, I heard somewhere that you broke off your engagement with the prince. Is it true?"
Iris put down her spoon in the soup.
"Rather, he was the one who broke it off with me under false accusations, tarnishing my image and that of my family. What do you plan to do knowing that? Make fun of me, perhaps?"
Iris was probably expecting a haughty attitude from Erica, but what she received was something else.
"You're a clumsy woman for letting that happen. If it were me, I wouldn't have let him talk to me like that, much less allow him to tarnish my image in front of a bitch."
(Huh? She's cheering her up, but in a very strange way. Is she a tsundere who doesn't know how to act like one?)
While she was somehow giving Iris "encouragement," an axe-shaped hand came down on her head.
"It hurts!"
The hand came from a woman who spoke to her in an intense voice.
"What do you think you're doing, you huge idiot? You told me you wanted to cheer her up, not criticize her."
"I wasn't doing that, nee-sama, I swear!"
(She called her sister, so she must be...)
I turned my head, and behind Erica was a beautiful, tall woman wearing elegant clothes similar to a uniform: long pants and a white long-sleeved shirt, with the school emblem embroidered on her ample and firm chest. Her hair was long and silver like her younger sister's, but her eyes were amber and held a gaze similar to that of a wild animal.
"I apologize for the trouble my foolish little sister has caused you. I am Briana Noah Redford, the current head of the family."
I figured as much.
"N-no, it really wasn't any trouble," Iris tried to fix her image in front of Briana onee-san.
"She doesn't know how to use words correctly. She was very spoiled, and that ruined her communication with others, but I'm shaping her up with fists."
(Is she an Amazon who reforms people with fists?)
So Erica tries to look adult by saying words she thinks have depth. She reminds me a bit of Celia, who tries to act like high nobility by saying made-up words while drinking tea.
"Nee-sama, actually..."
"Shut up. You look pathetic trying to act mature, and you only make a fool of yourself and cause problems for others. What this fool actually wanted to say to you is that she regrets what happened to you, and that if you need a shoulder to cry on, hers will be there whenever you want."
Iris stared fixedly at Erica, who looked away.
(You really are a tsundere!)
She blushed and thanked them both.
"Thank you very much for your comforting words. I appreciate them greatly. But, why are you here?"
Briana onee-san replied without losing her strong tone of voice:
"I work here in my free time. I teach only one subject because my main job is to protect this territory."
"I see. What subject do you teach?"
"Self-defense. There are many foolish women out there who let men disrespect them. I teach them how to deal with cretins like that."
Apparently, she likes to protect her territory in the absence of a male heir. And since she can't dispense justice on her own, she uses the school to vent her frustrations. Or so I understand.
Suddenly I heard a voice in my ear:
"Even though she says that, she actually loves hitting people. But she can only do it to criminals, and lately crime has dropped to practically zero because of her, calling her the 'Wild Horse.'"
"Wah! You scared me! When did you get here?"
Sharon was behind me; with a slight flick of her skirt, she greeted us.
"I just arrived. Their Highnesses will be out of class soon, and I wanted to bring you your lunches."
"I see. You're extremely efficient."
"By the way, Miss Irisphylia, can you explain why I've been seeing a man here for a while?" Briana said, looking at me.
(Did you just notice my presence now, or have you been ignoring me this whole time?)
Iris proceeded to give her a brief and short summary of my situation.
"I understand. But an unknown male can make the other students uncomfortable. You must understand that."
"I-I understand," Iris said. "I told him that, and he will only go out when accompanied by me or my exclusive maid."
"Thank you for understanding. By the way, you... what was your name?"
"My name is Razel."
"Right, Ravel."
(You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?)
"I heard from the letter sent by Her Majesty that you saved the princesses. Is that true?"
"It is. Any particular reason?"
"Not really. But I would like to ask you to please participate in my class."
"Can I do that even if I'm not a student?"
"I say so, so there won't be any problem."
"In that case, I'll be waiting."
"Very well. I won't take up any more of your time. Erica, don't fall asleep in class."
"I don't!"
And so lunchtime ended for us, and we went to the next class. Not before noticing that a pair of glasses was watching me from the door leading outside.
◇
Classes proceeded normally. There was one class left before going to Briana onee-san's class. Iris told me I could go in and stay in the back with the other waiting maids. I sat next to Liddy, who started telling me about delicious fruits she ate at lunch because she stayed behind collecting while Iris was arguing with Erica.
When class began, we were all surprised, and that's no exaggeration. The teacher for this class was a man. A young man in his twenties, wearing an elegant classic professor's suit, short black hair, and glasses that hid his green eyes. He introduced himself by writing his name on the blackboard.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, young ladies. My name is Brad Rapha Connor, and I'll be your history teacher."
He explained that the previous history teacher had passed away; she was very old, so it was normal. They needed a new teacher, and somehow, thanks to Briana, he became one.
"They accepted me because only the best of the best can enter here. But I'm a man, so I had everything against me; however, due to my high certification, I was able to get in. This shows that talent and effort are everything in this world. Remember that well."
"Yes!" the girls nodded.
Classes began normally. Everything he said was boring to me; I was falling asleep.
"...Thanks to the influence of 'Renner Hugheston,' the United Kingdom of Albion was able to develop over these 300 years. Being one of the few countries in the world that can compete with the technological and magical development of the Arklight Empire..."
He was talking about a guy who greatly influenced the region, but since it wasn't my country, I wasn't interested. Nor did I care who created such things in my own country.
Suddenly he said:
"The young man in the back."
All the girls' gazes focused on me.
"Y-yes. Is something wrong?"
"Please repeat the last paragraph I said."
"Huh?"
I didn't understand why he was asking me when I wasn't a student.
"I'm very sorry, but I'm not a student."
"That doesn't matter. You are in my class; everyone present, whether students or not, must pay attention to what I say, or they will be punished for wasting everyone else's time."
Apparently he wanted me to pay attention.
(I'm not a student, so why should I?!)
"Don't you know how to answer?"
"Well, I don't know..."
"..."
He started walking toward me, and then, from a box he had in his hand, he stuck a lightning-bolt sticker on my forehead.
"For each wrong answer, you'll get one of these."
"Huh?! Why?!"
"For being lazy."
The rest of the class was the worst experience of my life. Not even during my time as a Japanese student was I ridiculed like this.
"I don't know..."
"So sleeping in my class is the only thing you know how to do?"
"Sorry..."
My forehead was covered with a total of 18 lightning-bolt stickers. Almost all the girls had one or two stars on their foreheads; Liddy even had one, which made her very happy. For my part, I was the only one making the women in the room, whether students or maids, start laughing.
"Class is over. See you tomorrow."
The girls began to murmur among themselves:
"It was actually very entertaining."
"For a history class, I wasn't bored."
"I tried really hard not to make a fool of myself like that boy."
We were the last to leave; the teacher had gone to his next class. I was taking the stickers off my face.
"That huge idiot. I'm not a student, he shouldn't do this to me."
"Come on, come on, you partly deserved it. You can't sleep in a classroom," Iris replied, trying to cheer me up.
But I stared at her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, her cheeks red.
"You say that when you have three stars on your forehead."
"W-well, I did pay close attention. Let's go to the next class immediately!" she said, running away with Liddy.
I'd better hope the next class doesn't treat me the same way that four-eyes did.
◇
The self-defense class began in the back courtyard of the academy, a huge place with various training and sports areas. Briana stood at the front, with an energy that made the ground vibrate. She wore loose pants and a simple shirt as a uniform; the other girls' clothes were the same.
"Today I'm going to teach you how to defend yourselves if someone tries to kidnap you. I need a volunteer for the demonstrations."
I raised my hand without thinking, more out of obligation than eagerness.
"You, the escort. Come here," Briana ordered.
(I had already raised my hand anyway...)
I approached her. Without warning, she took my hand and, with a sharp twist, threw me to the ground. The impact resonated in my ribs.
"It hurts!" I exclaimed, so they'd think it hurt, but actually I can't feel pain anymore.
"First lesson: never trust a friendly grab," she said, showing a fierce smile.
Throughout the entire class, I was her personal punching bag. She slammed me against the floor, immobilized me, threw me over her shoulder... each move was more brutal than the last. The girls watched, somewhere between amazed and amused. Iris hid her face in her hands; Liddy applauded at every fall.
When class ended, I was lying on the ground, sore and covered in dust. I got up with difficulty.
"What was that?" I asked her, breathing heavily.
Briana wiped her hands on her pants.
"In this place, men are forbidden. Except for Connor, because he earned his entry with merit. The rest... I consider them weak. And you, with that body, seem strong, but in the end you're just another weak man."
"Weak?" A spark of rage ran through me. "If you want a duel of strength, I'll give you one. I believe in gender equality. Hitting women isn't a problem if they hit me back."
Briana raised an eyebrow, and her smile widened.
"That sounds like a good fight. Then I'll schedule a date. I'll let you know, don't miss it."
"With pleasure," I replied, turning around.
Iris approached and started shouting at me.
"What did you do?! How dare you pick a fight with a teacher?!"
"She picked a fight with me, and I always strike back."
I was also feeling a bit resentful about my situation.
"I'm fed up with this place. They belittle me, and I hate being belittled."
We left for the next class, not before noticing once again that a pair of glasses was watching me.
◇
Night fell over the academy, dyeing the gardens dark blue. I climbed the spiral staircase. The torches on the walls cast dancing shadows.
I was heading to my small room in the tower when I heard light footsteps behind me.
I turned around, and there was no one there.
I entered my room after taking a good bath. At least they let me use the school's bathrooms and not a bucket of cold water in the yard.
I threw myself onto the bed and touched something soft.
*Boing.*
I felt a soft sensation in my hands, as if a meaty pudding were there. I pulled back the sheet, hoping that someone had really left me a dessert and now my bed would be full of food.
It wasn't. It was something much worse.
It was a pair of large breasts on my bed. The woman in my bed was wearing a baby doll that barely covered anything. I looked at her face to find out who it was.
It was Sharon.
"What are you doing in my bed?"
"Good evening, Razel-sama," she called me with her soft, measured voice. "May I accompany you?"
"No, I want to sleep," I replied, not very enthusiastic.
I told her to leave. There's little light inside, but she smells very good, and her half-naked body only makes everything worse.
"I came to calm you down. I noticed you were very upset today," Sharon said, sitting on the edge of my bed without asking permission.
"They've mocked me all day. The teacher covered my face in stickers, the principal treats me like a stray dog, and that Amazon Briana almost broke my bones. I don't like being stepped on."
Sharon nodded, keeping her expressionless face.
"We are the same," she said, and her voice trembled a little. "When I was a child, I developed a facial disease that prevents me from showing emotions. My face doesn't move. People always made fun of me because I didn't smile or laugh like everyone else. They called me broken doll, or porcelain doll. That affected my adult life... to the point of not being able to find a partner. No one wants a woman who can't smile."
I wasn't expecting this kind of deep story at bedtime.
"..."
"When the queen said I could be your partner, I felt happy. Because I want to have a family. But I know it's difficult."
I sighed, leaning my back against the bed.
I don't want to unnecessarily get involved with women here.
"I was also belittled, Sharon. But I met different people, lived through many things... and little by little, they changed me. I'm not the same as before. So cheer up; things get better when they're going badly."
"Do you think you could change me?" she asked, with a thread of hope in her flat voice.
I sighed again.
(Damn it, I can't say no to a beautiful woman.)
"I will. But not now. I'm exhausted. Let's talk more tomorrow, while the girls study. Now I need to sleep."
Sharon stood up and made a small bow.
"Thank you, Razel-sama. Good night."
She left the room. I stayed staring at the ceiling, but when I got ready to sleep, I felt like I saw glasses looking at me again.
It's probably Sharon. I'm sleepy, I don't really care.
◇
The next day, Iris gave me an errand.
"Razel-kun, I need you to go to the library to pick up some books. I have to catch up on several subjects and study a lot. The director gave me a huge list."
"Me? Didn't I come here to be a servant, you know?" I complained.
"I know. You're my escort, and this is part of your duty," she said with a mischievous smile. "Besides, I'm the only key piece to lure out the Phantom Troupe when they try to finish me off. So, please."
(I can't argue with her. Iris is my only connection to catch those bastards.)
"Fine, fine. What books are they?"
"History of the Kingdom, Genealogy of the Royal Family, and a Basic Magical Defense treatise."
I took the list and headed to the library. It was an annex building, with shelves that reached the ceiling and a sepulchral silence. The aroma of old paper and wood enveloped me.
I approached the librarian's counter, but there was no one there. Just a lit lamp and a pile of uncatalogued books.
"Miss Librarian?" I called in a low voice.
No one answered.
Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me. That same feeling of being watched that had accompanied me since my arrival. I looked both ways: there was no one. However, the book cart began to move on its own, rolling slowly toward me.
I turned and pushed it back. Then I saw a woman crouching behind it. She wore thick black-framed glasses, blonde hair tied in a bun, and the academy's navy blue uniform. She stared at me fixedly, with an expression that mixed distrust and... fear?
"What do you want from me?" I asked bluntly.
She stood up, adjusted her glasses, and spat out in fright:
"P-P-Pervert!"
"Huh? Sorry?" — I didn't understand anything that was happening.
_________________
The fanservice to introduce the new characters goes to Princess Alicia.
https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/11322604