The Villain Bought the Female Lead - Ch. 49
Okay, I would admit it.
Choosing Finn was partly based on emotion.
Emotions should not interfere except when initially setting a goal, but I violated this principle and acted on emotion.
—Sob…!
I heard Finn’s pitiful sobbing.
Perhaps because I came, he no longer felt the need to hide and let it all out.
Finn Troa Toiren.
Except for having the lowest entrance exam scores, he never stood out in the original story, being a dunce among dunces.
However, even if it wasn’t mentioned in the novel, I knew about the persistence he showed during the class battle preparation period and in his fight against Fallon.
I valued those with talent.
My game board would be filled only with those who shone with a brilliant radiance of talent.
There was no need to fill the space with those who didn’t shine.
… so, this was an experiment.
A test subject to examine the limits.
Finn had no talent to speak of, not even a trace.
I could confidently say he had none.
This was a test to see how far someone like that could grow if given opportunities.
Who knew, if this model succeeded, it might be applicable to others. It could potentially produce a lot of useful talent.
“Ha, even I think this excuse is ridiculous.”
The possibility was not zero, but it was obviously more efficient to invest those resources in someone else.
Therefore, wanting to nurture Finn could be considered a hobby.
Just like how a character growing in an RPG game didn’t mean the player grew in reality. Despite knowing this, we still played the game—an ironic phenomenon.
“Alicia.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You relieved your stress by helping others.”
“… is that so? Yes, I suppose?”
I couldn’t criticize Alicia. We were pretty much the same.
“It’s just a ramble, so don’t dwell on it and forget about it.”
“Yes… I understand.”
***
A day after returning to Academia.
As I was about to enter the laboratory, it was unusually noisy today.
There shouldn’t be many people who could chatter since Finn’s treatment wasn’t finished yet. Why?
I opened the door with that question in mind and found the answer.
“Oh, Mr. Vargan! Excuse me for entering first.”
A brazen voice greeted me.
Frieda.
A woman I bribed on the airship, who played a significant role in shaking the saint at Class 5.
“Yes.”
“So, it was true?”
“Emily, I told you it was true.”
Maybe because they shared the trait of a lowly status, Emily and Frieda already seemed friendly.
As I sat down, Alicia naturally brought out a tea set.
Crimson tea filled the cups, and white steam rose, conveying warmth.
“Wow, it really looks like a picture.”
Frieda gaped foolishly.
I wasn’t curious about what she meant by <like a picture>, so I didn’t ask.
“This is the membership application form. If you write your name here, you can become a member of Arbor Frutal.”
“Oh, thank you.”
She quickly grabbed the paper as if afraid I’d take it back, glanced over it, and signed her name.
With crooked letters, she wrote <Frieda>.
Even a worm would have a better form than this.
“Aren’t you worried about not thoroughly checking the contents?”
“I can’t read difficult words yet.”
“You’re just ripe for getting scammed.”
“I’ve already memorized and understood the application form’s content, considering that possibility. I was just checking for any additional words.”
Frieda smiled sweetly and sipped the tea Alicia had prepared.
She looked at me with a subtle gaze, as if asking for praise.
“If you can’t read and write, it might hinder you in the future. Learn the basics as soon as possible.”
“Of course.”
“What are you standing there watching for, Emily? Do you not want Frieda as a member?”
“W-What?! If anyone hears that, they’ll misunderstand! It’s not that…!!”
Ignoring Emily’s noisy chatter, I read the book Alicia had opened for me.
Starting exactly where I left off last time.
Just as I was about to follow the string of words, Emily’s hand blocked the book.
“Explain it properly to us members too!”
… what a bother.
Not wanting to hear her nagging, I explained quickly and concisely.
If Frieda successfully completed the mission during the class battle, she would become a member of our research group and receive allowance for helping me occasionally.
The reason? Having betrayed Class 5, she couldn’t mingle with them anymore.
For the record, this was Frieda’s proposal.
“No matter how much I can earn, it’s lonely being alone.”
Frieda was a woman who had honed and utilized her acting skills for survival.
Her talent as a warrior was slightly above average, and her survival skills made her very useful.
For example, deceiving someone on my behalf during the class battle. There were tasks you couldn’t entrust to the soft-hearted.
Also, though she wasn’t a major character in the original story, she had significant charm.
Specifically, she was one of the characters most ideologically opposed to Liam. Liam couldn’t accept her cunningness. They clashed significantly during the second semester festival episode.
Honestly, that was reason enough to recruit her.
“T-Then… that… Liam too….”
“Enough chatter. Let’s get to work.”
Cutting off Emily, who was about to say something unnecessary, I turned my attention to the pile of papers in front of me.
There sure were a lot.
“Alicia, how many applicants are there?”
“A total of 121. 72 first-years, 29 second-years, 18 third years and 2 fourth years.”
“Why are there so few applicants in the third and fourth years?”
“There are several reasons. One is that Arbor Frutal is made up solely of first-year students. Another is that the forces that view it negatively in the student council are concentrated in the third and fourth years. Lastly, many students are already part of other research groups. These are the main factors.”
As I suspected.
With one exception.
“Didn’t you leave out an important detail to suit my mood? Alicia, what you did is called distorting information. Don’t do it again.”
“… I apologize, Master.”
“Isn’t it because I am the leader of the Arbor Frutal research group?”
In other words, it was called turf protection.
Even if I was a child of a great noble, I was still a first year.
They had no desire to work under someone who entered the academia later than they did.
Skill should be valued over age, though.
… but this was actually good.
It meant those with such a rotten mindset were automatically filtered out.
It saved me trouble, so it worked out well for everyone.
“When will we finish reviewing all this…?”
Emily stuck out her tongue.
“It’ll be quick. Pass on to me those who don’t meet the criteria I wrote down. I will make the final decision.”
“And then we’ll interview the selected candidates?”
“Yes.”
The theme of the research group was personal capability development.
We’d properly advertised this.
The name of the new student council, which they were hesitant to approach, had also disappeared.
It was reasonable for students to gather.
For me, who needed to recruit talent, this was clearly good news.
However, accepting everyone would decrease efficiency. There was a saying about selection and concentration.
I would prioritize characters who were prominent in the novel, and select those who, while less prominent, had talent, and those who showed potential.
It was a shame not to recruit the elite from the student council, but we could gradually incorporate them later.
For now.
“Let’s organize the documents.”
—Oh, wait a moment!
Frieda’s interruption broke the flow.
She looked at me with a face full of confusion.
“I can’t read the writing.”
“… I won’t leave it to you, so do other miscellaneous chores.”
“Okay….”
***
Erica’s room in the dormitory where she lived.
She was sitting at her desk, thinking about Vargan.
“That dastardly guy…!”
Not in a positive way, but negatively.
The class battle, in which she had completely played into his hands, ended in humiliation.
Normally, Erica didn’t care much about others’ opinions, but the failure of not leading her class properly troubled her.
From the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until just before she went to sleep.
Erica would recall her pathetic self being played by Vargan and stomped her feet.
Although the misunderstanding was cleared up, her relationship with Diphelia became awkward because of him. She hardly had any close acquaintances to begin with, and now she lost a potential friend….
No, no.
It was not because of friendship.
One should not be swayed by emotions.
One should act rationally.
Diphelia was a capable person as well as a saint.
It was not sad because she was a potential friend, but because it was a loss to lose such talent.
“…….”
Looking like a soaked cat, or rather, a downtrodden mouse, Erica picked up a fork and cut off the end of a slice of cake.
The neatly cut cake did not collapse or crumble. The soft layers of the cake quickly restored themselves after being cut by the fork.
Nom.
The piece of cake that entered Erika’s mouth melted, wrapping around her tongue. The harmony of sweetness and a slight sourness was excellent.
“…….”
Normally, she would have exclaimed in delight at the sweetness. But not today.
The high-quality cake topped with seasonal fruits tasted like stale rye bread.
Chew, chew.
A small piece that should have been swallowed quickly was chewed for a long time. Not to savor the taste, but because her mouth moved mechanically.
—Tap, tap.
A light tapping sound was heard.
It was the window where darkness streamed like sunlight. Outside, a yellow bird made of magic was visible.
Erica opened the window to let the bird inside. It was a familiar action. Her mother used this method to keep in touch with Erica regularly.
The bird that entered the room circled the space a few times and then gently landed on Erica’s shoulder, disappearing with a pop—leaving a sparkle.
The yellow lights, like stardust, reassembled into an envelope. Upon opening it, a long letter and two theater tickets were found inside.
“… what is this?”
A letter was usual, but the tickets were a first.
Erica placed the tickets on the desk and began to read the letter.
The beginning was simple greetings.
As always, words full of love and concern from her mother for Erica.
“… uh, … oh, no?”
However.
The more she read, the more Erica’s expression turned to shock. Her reading speed increased, and her gaze moved quickly.
It was unbelievable.
She didn’t want to believe it.
She was already stressed because of that guy, and now what was this?
“Ugh…!”
Erica almost ripped the letter in a surge of emotion but held back.
It was a precious letter from her mother.
Even if the content was terrible, it was written by her mother’s own hand.
“Ha……”
Erica let out a long sigh.
A very long one.
She held her heavy head.
She reread the specific sentence that troubled her the most.
“My beloved fairy Erica, spend a cozy time with Vargan on the upcoming engagement anniversary.”
If only it were a family gathering like last year…!
Erica wrote her reply, making sure not to include any harsh words. She often paused to sigh deeply while writing.
“… how should I explain this to Schugenhartz?”