Records are more honest than people, but the people who keep them may not be.
I stared at that sentence for a long time.
The handwriting was perfectly neat.
A sentence entirely devoid of emotion.
Yet somehow, it made a person feel unpleasant.
Trust the record.
But do not trust the recorder.
Put simply, that was what it meant.
And I thought I knew who had written it.
More precisely, I did not want to know, but I thought I did.
There were not many young ladies in this world who spoke of records that way.
Villainesses who ran wild with swords were common.
Villainesses who stabbed people with cutting remarks were common too.
There were also quite a few young ladies who slipped poison into things with a smile.
But young ladies who killed people with records were rare.
I checked the back of the notice again.
Beneath the sentence was a tiny gray seal.
At first, I thought it was a candle’s shadow.
But it was not.
A slender quill.
A closed ledger.
And two letters inscribed beneath them.
C.E.
I swallowed a quiet curse.
Eveline straightened from where she had been leaning against the armrest.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"You just looked like you were about to die."
"I often do."
"I know that. I am asking why this time."
Eveline tried to snatch the notice from my hand.
I reflexively pulled it back.
My wrist hurt.
"Urgh."
"See? You are overdoing it again."
"Because you tried to take it from me, my lady."
"Then just show me."
"You should not pass records around carelessly."
"It is a document sent to my house."
"That is precisely why you should not."
Eveline narrowed her eyes.
"Are you trying to beat me with document etiquette right now?"
"I learned it to survive."
"I am sick of hearing that now."
"I hear it often."
"I hate that too."
Eveline looked genuinely displeased.
But she did not try to take it again.
Good.
Growth.
I placed the notice on the desk.
This time, I was not holding it.
The golden crown crest on white paper.
The gray seal behind it.
And that troublesome sentence.
Eveline read it.
"Records are more honest than people, but the people who keep them may not be."
Her face twisted.
Her handkerchief nearly wrinkled a little as well.
"What is this rude sentence?"
"It is an accurate sentence."
"What is accurate about it?"
"Records have authors. If an author writes only what they want to see, records lie too."
"But you did not write them that way."
"That is not something we should claim ourselves."
Eveline closed her mouth.
Good.
Now she stopped before getting angry.
In the past, she would have taken up a sword and gone looking for the person who wrote that sentence.
Now, she only glared at me.
Remarkable growth.
Of course, from the perspective of whoever got hit, there might not be much difference.
"Who wrote it?"
"Most likely Clarisse Elvine."
Eveline’s expression became strange.
"Elvine?"
"Yes."
"That gray-ledger house?"
"That is right."
As expected, in noble society, some houses required no explanation once their name was spoken.
Rosette meant swords.
Blanc meant society and information.
Berhardt meant closeness to the Imperial family and politics.
And Elvine meant records.
The Empire’s records office.
Inspection ledgers.
Taxes, trials, noble titles, even Academy recommendation rosters.
The Marquessate of Elvine always had a hand placed somewhere upon the Empire’s important ledgers.
In the original story, she was called this.
The Young Lady of the Gray Ledger.
Clarisse Elvine.
The third villainess.
She did not wield a blade.
She did not use poison.
She did not stab people while smiling.
She read.
She compared.
She found contradictions.
Then she wrote her conclusions.
The problem was that her conclusions were correct far too often.
That was why people hated her even more.
People hated having their lies exposed.
And they hated being exposed accurately even more.
A system window appeared.
[A clue concerning the third villainess has been confirmed.]
[Clarisse Elvine]
[Alias: The Young Lady of the Gray Ledger]
[Core flaw: She judges people solely through records.]
[Original destruction route: Framed for record manipulation / Expulsion from the Academy / Fall of House Elvine]
I closed my eyes.
Right.
That was how it went.
Clarisse had been a villainess in the original story.
At least from the player’s perspective.
She relentlessly scrutinized Liana’s scholarship eligibility.
She recorded every instance of Eveline running out of control.
She turned all of Seria’s social attacks into documented cases.
And she unearthed the Academy’s many corrupt letters of recommendation.
She did the right things.
But while doing right, she did not see people as people.
To her, people were entries on a record sheet.
Errors.
Omissions.
Repeated actions.
Risk values.
In the end, she too was victimized.
Someone manipulated records.
They made it look as though Clarisse had done it.
The ledgers she had trusted all her life sank their teeth into her.
On that route, she said until the very end:
Records do not lie.
Then she disappeared.
What a terrible thing to say.
It was not wrong, yet it created a wrong life.
Eveline snapped her fingers in front of me.
"Hey."
"Yes."
"Where did you go this time?"
"I was thinking."
"When you think, you sometimes look like someone died."
"They were not good thoughts."
"Then what is this Clarisse trying to do?"
I pointed at the notice.
"She means to review our records."
"We have not even submitted them yet."
"That is the problem."
Eveline’s gaze changed.
Good.
Now she understood the danger in those words.
"Who submitted theirs first?"
"Most likely House Berhardt."
"Arsene?"
"Yes."
Eveline’s handkerchief crumpled.
This time, it crumpled a little.
I immediately said, "Smooth it out."
"I know."
Gritting her teeth, Eveline smoothed out the handkerchief.
Slowly, but she did.
Good.
This was worth putting into the record.
But I did not write it down right now.
My wrist hurt.
"If House Berhardt sent its records to the Academy first, Clarisse Elvine would have read them first. And she would have confirmed that we had not submitted ours yet."
"Then that sentence was directed at us?"
"Yes. More precisely, at me."
"At you?"
"I am the one who keeps records."
Eveline said nothing for a moment.
Then she spoke quietly.
"Then is that young lady an enemy too?"
I did not answer immediately.
Enemy.
An easy word.
And a very dangerous one.
Especially for Eveline.
The moment I called someone an enemy, she would think of a sword.
Seria would think of venomous words.
Arsene would think of documents.
Clarisse would think of a record sheet.
I spoke slowly.
"For now, she is an examiner."
"An examiner?"
"Someone more troublesome than an enemy."
"Why?"
"You only need to defeat an enemy. You have to persuade an examiner."
Eveline looked sincerely horrified.
"That sounds worse."
"I agree."
Then the study door opened.
Count Rosette entered.
He wore indoor attire that was closer to a formal uniform than pajamas.
I did not know why nobles were so meticulously dressed even at night.
I had never seen a noble in pajamas.
There was probably a family crest embroidered onto their pajamas as well.
"I heard Clarisse Elvine’s name."
the Count said.
His hearing was good too.
Terrifying.
I tried to rise from my seat.
The Count raised a hand.
"Sit. Your wrist is not well."
"Thank you."
"So?"
He looked at the back of the notice.
"A gray seal. It is certain."
"You know of it as well, Count?"
"She is the daughter of the Marquessate of Elvine. She is qualified to participate in the Academy’s preliminary record reviews. She is not a formal examiner, but she checks candidate documents for omissions and contradictions in the preliminary archives office."
Eveline spoke as if dumbfounded.
"A young lady who has not even enrolled is allowed to look at other candidates’ records?"
"Because she is an Elvine, she is."
It was a brief and unfair answer.
But in noble society, it was an answer that worked very often.
Rosettes wield swords because they are Rosettes.
Blancs send invitations because they are Blancs.
Berhardts send protest letters because they are Berhardts.
Elvines read records because they are Elvines.
Commoners die because they are commoners.
I only thought that last part.
If I said it aloud, I really might die.
The Count looked at me.
"What do you think?"
"There is a high possibility that House Berhardt’s record was submitted first."
"Why do you believe that?"
"The notice sent to us already bears signs of review. If it were merely a general schedule sent by the Academy in a batch, there would be no reason for it to contain a handwritten sentence tailored to an individual candidate."
The Count nodded.
"Continue."
"If Clarisse Elvine left that sentence, she knows at least two things. First, that an educational supervisor on House Rosette’s side is keeping records. Second, that those records have not yet been submitted to the Academy."
"And the third?"
"That she judged House Berhardt’s records alone insufficient to reach a conclusion."
The Count’s eyes glinted ever so slightly.
"Why do you think that?"
"If she truly believed House Berhardt’s records as they were, that sentence would not have been necessary. She would have attached an unfavorable review sheet immediately. But she suspected the ‘person keeping the record.’ In other words, she is waiting not for the incident itself, but for the discrepancy between records."
"A fair interpretation."
It was praise.
But I was not pleased.
The more praise I received, the more work I got.
The Count called for the butler.
"Bring every copy from today out of the records archive. Do not touch the originals. Copies only."
"Yes, my lord."
The butler left.
Eveline looked at me.
"Then we should submit ours quickly too."
"If we simply submit it, we lose."
"Why?"
"Because it will look like we wrote down only what favored us."
Eveline’s expression hardened.
"Then what do we write?"
I picked up the pen, then immediately set it down.
My wrist throbbed.
Eveline’s eyes flashed.
"You were about to write just now."
"I did not write."
"I heard it. The sound of your wrist screaming."
"There is no such sound."
"There is. Your wrist is very noisy."
That made no sense.
But it hurt too much to argue.
Instead of writing with the pen, I spoke.
"We need to write the unfavorable facts first."
The study fell silent.
Eveline spoke slowly.
"Why would we write what is unfavorable to us?"
"So that they will believe the rest too."
"What kind of strange logic is that?"
"Clarisse Elvine dislikes favorable records. More precisely, she suspects records arranged to be favorable and nothing else."
The Count chuckled quietly.
"Just like an Elvine."
"Yes. So we must write them first. The fact that Lady Eveline was once hostile toward Miss Liana Bell. The fact that Lady Seria Blanc repeatedly made remarks at social gatherings that could cost her trust. The fact that Miss Liana Bell truly felt anxious. And even the fact that I, a commoner teacher, have become deeply involved in a noble incident."
Eveline’s expression grew increasingly grim.
"If we write all that, are we not ruined?"
"If we do not write it, we will be ruined worse."
"Why?"
"Because the other side will write it."
Eveline fell silent.
I continued.
"If they write it, it becomes an accusation. If we write it, it becomes an educational task."
At those words, the Count tapped the desk with one finger.
Tap.
"Say that again."
"If they write it, it becomes an accusation. If we write it, it becomes an educational task."
The Count looked toward the butler.
Though I did not know when he had returned, the butler stood by the doorway.
"Write that down."
"Yes, my lord."
No.
I had only said it.
Eveline muttered quietly.
"Sometimes the way you talk is annoyingly convincing."
"I hear it often."
"I am going to use that one now."
"You may not."
"I hear it often."
My student had stolen my verbal habit.
A serious educational failure.
The butler brought over a bundle of copies.
Today’s incident record.
The messenger’s testimony.
The state of the wax seal.
Confirmation of the delivered gift.
Seria’s reply.
Eveline’s personal reply.
The record of Liana’s statements.
Beatrice Morgan’s confirming signature.
The papers were placed upon the desk.
Looking at them, I steadied my breath.
This was a shield.
But if held wrong, its blade would cut open your palm.
"First, we will establish the table of contents."
Eveline immediately said, "Do not write it by hand."
"I will dictate it."
"I will write it."
I looked at Eveline.
"You will, my lady?"
"Why? Do you not trust me?"
"I trust your handwriting."
"Then what is the problem?"
"I am worried you will write ‘that bastard Arsene’ in the middle of it."
Eveline averted her gaze.
So she had been planning to write it.
I swallowed a sigh.
"The title will be as follows."
Eveline picked up the pen.
She set her handkerchief beside her.
It was not crumpled.
"Say it."
"Draft Educational Supervisor’s Opinion."
Eveline wrote it down.
Her handwriting was unexpectedly neat.
Perhaps because it was the hand that wielded a sword, her pressure was even.
The paper was pressed down a little, though.
"First item: Observable facts."
Eveline wrote.
"Second: Facts unfavorable to the subject."
The pen stopped.
"You are really writing that."
"Yes."
"At the very top?"
"Yes."
"I think you are crazy."
"I hear it often."
"I said I am writing that one."
Though grumbling, Eveline wrote.
2. Facts Unfavorable to the Subject.
The instant she wrote that sentence, the air in the room changed strangely.
We were not writing a defense.
Nor were we writing an excuse.
We were writing a document meant to have its records verified.
Third.
"Interpretation and educational assessment."
Fourth.
"Future education plan."
Fifth.
"List of verifiable attached records."
After writing everything down, Eveline looked at the paper.
"This is boring."
"It is a good document."
"Can something boring be good?"
"Good documents are generally boring."
"It is like you."
"Am I boring?"
Eveline thought for a very brief moment.
"You are annoyingly boring."
I did not know what that meant.
It did not sound like praise.
The Count quietly reviewed the document.
"Write the unfavorable facts first."
I nodded.
"Yes."
"Eveline. You say it."
Eveline’s face froze.
"Me?"
"Yes. They are your unfavorable facts. Say them yourself before another person does."
Eveline looked at me.
It was not a look asking for help.
Nor was it a look asking me to kill her.
It was somewhere in between.
I said briefly, "No adjectives."
"I know."
Holding the pen, Eveline remained silent for a long time.
Then she slowly said, "Eveline Rosette has, in the past, displayed a hostile attitude toward Liana Bell."
Good.
"Please continue."
"Eveline Rosette has a history of reacting emotionally to remarks concerning her fiancé, Arsene Berhardt."
Very good.
A sentence that shaved away at bone.
"Continue."
Eveline glared at me.
"You really are cruel."
"The other side will be crueler if they write it."
Eveline gritted her teeth.
"Eveline Rosette was angered today by a personal message from House Berhardt, but rather than lodging a direct protest, she responded with a written reply."
I nodded.
"That is the key point."
Eveline wrote it onto the paper.
One letter at a time.
In handwriting pressed slightly too hard into the page.
When she finished, she sighed.
"This feels awful."
"It is a good sign."
"What is?"
"Writing your own unfavorable facts is supposed to feel awful."
"Have you done it often?"
"Yes."
"What exactly did you do in your original world?"
I played games.
I cleared it seven times.
And now, so I would not die here, I was making villainesses write self-reflection statements.
It was not an answer I could give.
"I learned it to survive."
"That phrase is banned too."
"I hear it often."
"I told you, that one is mine too."
The Count seemed to laugh quietly.
I had probably imagined it.
Count Rosette would not laugh in a situation like this.
Then a knock came from outside.
The butler entered and presented a letter.
"It has arrived urgently from the Ducal House of Blanc. It is a letter from Lady Seria Blanc."
Already?
I looked at the envelope.
White paper.
The thin silver wax seal of House Blanc.
There was a brief sentence written on its surface.
Homework submission.
Eveline spoke in disbelief.
"She really submitted it?"
"She is diligent."
"The girl who just escaped being framed for poisoning submitted homework?"
"She is a good student."
"I hate this. It means I have to do it too."
Educational competition arose in unexpected places.
I opened the envelope.
Seria’s handwriting was beautiful.
So beautiful that someone seeing it for the first time would be highly likely to be deceived.
Its title read:
Ten Facts That Do Not Stab the Other Person.
Good.
I read the first line.
1. Today, I did not become a poisoner.
Pass.
2. Lady Eloise Berhardt collapsed after drinking the second cup.
Pass.
3. Miss Liana Bell requested that the ring be checked first.
Pass.
4. Teacher Beatrice Morgan checked the wax seal and the messenger’s testimony.
Pass.
5. Lady Eveline Rosette did not go directly to see Prince Arsene over his message.
Very good.
Eveline peered over from beside me and said, "Why did she write that?"
"It is a fact favorable to you, my lady."
"Seria wrote it?"
"Yes."
Eveline made an odd expression.
Seria had written a fact that favored her.
The fact itself still seemed unfamiliar to Eveline.
I continued reading.
6. I wrote my reply without smiling.
Good.
Educational progress.
7. In my reply, I neither apologized nor admitted responsibility.
Pass.
It was a fact.
8. Even so, I felt a little proud of myself.
Hm.
I stopped.
Eveline held back a laugh.
"Is that a fact?"
"It is a self-report."
"Does it pass?"
"That depends on its intended use."
The Count asked, "Will you include it?"
I considered it briefly.
"I will. But not in the body; as an educational observation item."
"Why?"
"It is Lady Seria Blanc’s self-report that she felt a sense of accomplishment without smiling or using venomous words. It is an important change in trust-recovery training."
The Count nodded.
Eveline said with a weary expression, "You really turn anything into a lesson."
"Because I am a teacher."
"You are a commoner teacher."
"That is why I work even harder."
I read the rest.
9. Today, I was surprised that Miss Liana Bell did not give testimony unfavorable to me.
Good.
Very good.
This was the beginning of trust.
10. I still do not fully trust Miss Liana Bell, but I acknowledge that she kept her word today.
I stared at that sentence for a long time.
Just like Seria.
She had not completely become a good person.
Nor had she suddenly become a saint.
She was still suspicious.
But she acknowledged the facts.
That was enough.
No, at this point, it was a very great change.
A system window appeared.
[Seria Blanc: Successfully recorded facts that do not stab the other person]
[Trust-recovery training progress: 12%]
[Reliance on venomous verbal responses decreases slightly.]
Twelve percent.
Low.
But it did not matter as long as it was not zero.
I placed Seria’s letter beside Eveline’s draft.
"We will attach this as well."
Eveline asked, "Seria’s homework?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"It proves that Lady Blanc wrote both facts unfavorable to herself and facts favorable to herself. It also includes facts favorable to you, my lady."
"Then do I have to write something favorable about Seria too?"
"It would be good if you did."
Eveline looked deeply displeased.
"She was unpleasant to me today."
"Adjective."
"I know."
Eveline looked at the paper.
She thought for a long time.
Then she said, "Today, Seria Blanc replied without smiling in the face of a formal protest letter."
"Good."
"Seria Blanc did not run away after Lady Eloise collapsed."
"Better."
"Seria Blanc... did not interrupt Liana Bell while she spoke."
I paused briefly.
"Very good."
Eveline averted her gaze.
"It is simply a fact."
"Yes. It is a fact."
Good.
The villainesses had begun writing facts favorable to one another.
This was not a scene that existed in the original story.
In the original, they would have written only each other’s weaknesses.
And Arsene would have laughed.
Today was different.
Still awkward, but different.
Then a second knock sounded.
The butler was carrying another letter this time too.
"This one is from the cathedral scholarship dormitory. It is a written confirmation from Miss Liana Bell."
I wanted to press a hand to my forehead.
Instead of my wrist, my forehead had begun to hurt.
"Miss Liana too?"
"Yes. This is what is written on the envelope."
The butler read its front.
"I will take responsibility for my own words."
The study fell silent.
Count Rosette spoke quietly.
"A good sentence."
I nodded.
"Yes."
Inside the envelope was a brief confirmation.
I, Liana Bell, directly stated my condition today at the tea party of the Ducal House of Blanc.
I was anxious, but I did not speak on anyone else’s behalf.
It was my own judgment to request that Lady Eloise Berhardt’s ring be checked.
Today, I did not testify that Lady Eveline Rosette threatened me.
Today, I did not testify that Lady Seria Blanc silenced me.
If necessary, I will say the same thing through formal procedure.
It was short and unpolished.
But it was firm.
Liana Bell was still afraid.
Still anxious.
But she had begun holding on to her own words.
I set down the confirmation.
A system window appeared.
[Liana Bell: Successfully preserved her own testimony]
[Resistance to being used as a shield increases.]
[Temporary solidarity record is strengthened.]
Eveline quietly read the confirmation.
Then, pretending it was nothing, she said, "Her handwriting is not bad either."
"Yes."
"Better than mine?"
"They are not items for comparison."
"Compare them."
"Your handwriting has more force, my lady."
"Is that a good thing?"
"Since the paper has endured, it is a good thing."
"Do you really want to get hit?"
"My wrist hurts."
"I will hit you later."
Scheduled violence was difficult to put into a record.
I simply let it pass.
The Count looked over the three documents in turn.
Eveline’s unfavorable facts.
Seria’s facts that did not stab others.
Liana’s confirmation of her own testimony.
He said, "Now we can write it."
"Yes."
"Who will write it?"
I looked at the pen.
Then I looked at my wrist.
Eveline looked at me too.
"No."
"I have not said anything yet."
"You did with your eyes."
"Eyes are not recorded."
"Then I will record it. Leon Cart just tried to pick up a pen with his eyes."
My student was growing in a strange direction.
The Count said, "Dictate it. The butler will write."
Good.
Power was convenient.
The butler had already prepared fresh paper.
Truly fast.
Could that man have a system too?
I dictated slowly.
Draft Educational Supervisor’s Opinion.
Author: Leon Cart, Temporary Private Tutor to House Rosette.
Subject: Lady Eveline Rosette.
I stopped there.
"Is there only one subject?"
the Count asked.
"The official opinion concerns Lady Eveline. However, I will list Lady Seria Blanc and Miss Liana Bell together as related subjects of observation."
"Why separate them?"
"The official responsibility of each house differs. But the incident itself was not separate."
The Count nodded.
I continued.
This opinion is not a document intended to assert the candidate’s innocence or another party’s guilt.
The butler’s pen stopped.
The Count’s eyes turned toward me.
Eveline’s eyes widened too.
"You are not claiming innocence?"
Eveline said.
"No."
"Why?"
"We are not conducting a trial. This is an educational supervisor’s opinion."
I spoke slowly.
"If we claim innocence here, Clarisse Elvine will demand evidence. But if we write an educational opinion, she must review the observed changes and educational plan."
The Count spoke quietly.
"You are changing the stage."
"Yes. House Berhardt raised this as a matter of honor, and the Academy received it as a conduct record. We will turn it into an educational document."
"Continue."
I dictated.
This opinion examines recent incidents at social gatherings from an educational perspective and records the candidate’s existing problematic behavior, current changes, and future corrective plan.
1. Facts Unfavorable to the Subject.
Eveline’s lips stiffened.
But she did not run away.
Lady Eveline Rosette has, in the past, displayed a hostile attitude toward Miss Liana Bell.
Lady Eveline Rosette has a history of reacting emotionally to remarks concerning her fiancé, Prince Arsene Berhardt.
Accordingly, this candidate is vulnerable to being provoked into losing control, emotional stimulation through her engagement, and provocation in public social settings.
Eveline gritted her teeth.
I did not look at her.
If I looked at her now, I might stop.
I could not stop.
2. Observed Changes.
During the recent incident, Lady Eveline Rosette chose a written reply rather than responding to House Berhardt’s personal message with a direct visit or argument.
In the same incident, she did not immediately react to statements using Miss Liana Bell as a shield, and respected the person concerned’s own statement.
This may be regarded as a change distinct from her previous problematic behavior.
Eveline’s hand rested upon her handkerchief.
Strength entered her grip.
But she did not crumple it.
Good.
Very good.
3. Related Observations.
During the process of receiving the formal protest letter, Lady Seria Blanc did not immediately apologize or admit responsibility. After identifying contradictions between the letter’s time of drafting and its contents, she prepared a written reply.
Miss Liana Bell directly voiced her state of anxiety and confirmed that it was her own judgment to request inspection of Lady Eloise Berhardt’s ring.
The foregoing may be verified through each party’s separate written confirmation and copies of on-site records.
The butler’s pen moved rapidly.
I took a brief breath.
Everything up to this point was fact.
Now came the interpretation.
4. Educational Assessment.
Lady Eveline Rosette’s problem is not a lack of ability, but a habit of acting first when provoked.
Accordingly, the education this candidate requires is not the strengthening of offensive ability, but training in delay, questioning, and proceduralization.
Lady Seria Blanc tends to defend herself by stabbing others, but in the recent incident she showed an initial training result in recording facts without smiling or using venomous remarks.
Miss Liana Bell is at risk of being used as a shield by others’ assertions, but she has begun training to voice her own wishes briefly.
If these three candidates act only as each other’s weaknesses, they are highly likely to repeat social conflicts. However, if they transition into a relationship in which they confirm each other’s facts, they may demonstrate stability in the preliminary conduct evaluation.
The Count gestured for the butler holding the pen to stop.
"That sentence. Again."
I repeated it.
"If these three candidates act only as each other’s weaknesses, they are highly likely to repeat social conflicts. However, if they transition into a relationship in which they confirm each other’s facts, they may demonstrate stability in the preliminary conduct evaluation."
The Count was silent for some time.
"That is a dangerous sentence."
"Yes."
"It could be read as meaning you intend to bind the three together."
"Yes."
"Will you include it anyway?"
"I must."
"Why?"
"They are already bound together. House Berhardt bound them, the incident bound them, and the Academy will bind them. If we claim they are not bound, it becomes a lie. Instead, we must decide in what way they will be bound."
The Count looked at me for a long time.
"You keep saying dangerous things."
"It is already too late for safe things."
"We should write that down too."
"Please do not write that down."
The butler had already begun to write, then stopped.
Dangerous.
The people of this house wrote things down too well.
In the end, the Count nodded.
"Include it."
I dictated the final item.
5. Five-Day Future Education Plan.
Day 1: Organizing records and voicing unfavorable facts about oneself.
Day 2: Training for Lady Eveline Rosette in responding to provocations meant to induce loss of control.
Day 3: Training for Lady Seria Blanc in voicing facts and restoring trust.
Day 4: Training for Miss Liana Bell in voicing her own wishes and refusing.
Day 5: Joint preliminary evaluation simulation training.
The educational goal is not the candidates’ unconditional reconciliation, but the formation of a minimum level of procedural trust in which they do not use one another solely as tools or enemies.
The butler’s pen stopped.
The draft was complete.
Only the sound of candlelight burning remained in the study.
I let out a long breath.
A system window appeared.
[Draft Educational Supervisor’s Opinion has been prepared.]
[Preemptive entry of unfavorable facts: Success]
[Partially fulfills Clarisse Elvine’s first-review conditions]
[Probability of a one-sided unfavorable ruling in the Academy’s preliminary conduct record decreases.]
Good.
But it was not over.
The system always attached bad news after good news.
It truly had a terrible personality.
[Warning]
[Clarisse Elvine finds Leon Cart’s method of recordkeeping interesting.]
[The record-verification interview is moved forward.]
I closed my eyes.
It had been moved forward again.
This world seemed not to understand the concept of schedules.
At that exact moment, a third knock sounded.
This time, everyone looked at the door.
The butler opened it.
A Rosette servant stood outside.
He held a gray envelope.
Gray wax.
The crest of a closed ledger.
Elvine.
I muttered quietly, "Fast."
Eveline asked, "Whose letter is it?"
"The examiner’s."
"That being more troublesome than an enemy from before?"
"Yes."
The servant handed the envelope to the Count.
After checking the wax seal, the Count looked at me.
"Open it."
"Me?"
"You are the recipient."
I looked at the front of the envelope.
He was right.
To Leon Cart, Temporary Private Tutor to House Rosette.
An envelope from a noble house addressed to a commoner.
It was not good news.
Truly not good news.
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a single short card.
The handwriting was the same as on the back of the notice.
Emotionless neatness.
It is necessary to confirm whether your record is a document defending the candidate or a document educating the candidate.
I felt unpleasant from the first line.
But it was accurate.
I kept reading.
I request a record-verification interview tomorrow morning at the preliminary archives office of the Royal Golden Crown Academia.
A request.
In noble society, a request was generally an order.
A polite order.
An even more unpleasant order.
Required attendees: Leon Cart. Lady Eveline Rosette. Relevant written confirmations, if necessary.
Eveline spoke quietly beside me.
"Me too?"
I read the final line.
A recorder who writes the unfavorable facts first does not begin as a forger, at least.
I stopped.
This sentence was a little different.
It was still rude.
But it was not entirely hostile.
Just like Clarisse Elvine.
Even her praise sounded like a judgment.
At the bottom of the card was a name.
Clarisse Elvine.
Preliminary Archives Office of the Royal Golden Crown Academia.
A system window appeared.
[Record-Verification Interview unlocked.]
[Target: Clarisse Elvine]
[Risks: Suspected record manipulation / Candidate conduct-point deduction / Revocation of educational supervisor qualifications]
[Opportunity: First contact with the third villainess]
I set down the card.
My wrist hurt.
My head hurt too.
My life hurt.
After reading the card, Eveline said, "We are going to the Academy tomorrow?"
"To the preliminary archives office."
"That is still the Academy."
It was.
I wanted to say it was not, but it was.
The Academy had come too early.
And this time, it had opened its door and invited us in.
I spoke quietly.
"My lady."
"What?"
"Do not bring a sword tomorrow."
"Why?"
"It is an archives office."
"There are enemies in archives offices too."
"She is an examiner."
"Then should I not bring one even more?"
I looked at the Count.
The Count very naturally avoided my gaze.
No.
Please help.
She is your daughter.
Eveline picked up her handkerchief.
"Fine. I will not bring a sword."
Good.
"I will bring a wooden sword instead."
"No."
"A short one."
"No."
"A training one."
"No."
"Then can I bring my handkerchief?"
I thought for a moment.
"A handkerchief is permitted."
Eveline nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
I was not reassured.
I felt as though Eveline Rosette could threaten someone with a handkerchief too.
The Count said, "Leon Cart."
"Yes."
"What is most important in tomorrow’s interview?"
I looked at Clarisse’s card.
Records are more honest than people, but the people who keep them may not be.
I answered, "Showing her the people before the records."
The Count’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"To an Elvine?"
"Yes."
"It will not be easy."
"I know."
I folded the card.
Clarisse Elvine.
The third villainess.
The young lady who read records.
In the original story, she saw people only as records, and was ruined by records.
Tomorrow, I had to show her.
Records were necessary.
But records alone were insufficient.
And before that, there was something I needed to do first.
I looked at Eveline.
"My lady."
"What?"
"We will practice your first sentence for tomorrow’s interview."
Eveline’s face immediately died.
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Your wrist hurts."
"My mouth is fine."
"Damn it."
"Adjective."
"That is an exclamation."
"Reduce both."
Eveline gripped her handkerchief tightly.
But she did not crumple it.
Good.
I said, "Lady Clarisse Elvine asks: Lady Eveline Rosette, were you hostile toward Miss Liana Bell in the past?"
Eveline’s eyes wavered.
A brief silence.
Then she said, "Yes."
Good.
"The next sentence."
Eveline gritted her teeth.
"But I did not do that today."
I shook my head.
"That is unfortunate."
"Why?"
"Beginning with ‘but’ makes it sound like an excuse."
"Then what should I say?"
"And."
Eveline frowned.
"And?"
"Yes."
I spoke slowly.
"Yes. I was hostile toward Miss Liana Bell in the past. And today, I did not interfere with her own statement."
Eveline turned the sentence over in her mouth.
"Yes. I was hostile toward Miss Liana Bell in the past. And today, I did not interfere with her own statement."
A system window appeared.
[Eveline Rosette: Acquired a sentence acknowledging unfavorable facts]
[Response rate to provocations meant to induce loss of control increases]
I let out a quiet breath.
The test had already begun.
And its first question was neither swordsmanship nor magic.
Not running away from facts that put oneself at a disadvantage.
For a villainess, it was a far more difficult test than it seemed.
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