A new document is being drafted in the external waiting room.
That was what the system window said.
I closed my eyes.
Another document.
Really, another document.
An enemy with a sword could be stopped.
An enemy who poisoned someone could be found.
An enemy who shouted could be out-recorded.
But enemies who wrote documents were different.
They never let you rest.
They killed your wrist.
They killed your brain.
And sometimes, they killed people socially.
Arsene Berhardt was doing all three at once right now.
The etiquette room was quiet.
We had prevented a complete contact restriction.
For now, we had avoided Liana Bell’s isolation.
Seria Blanc’s trust-recovery route had been preserved as well.
Eveline Rosette had crumpled her handkerchief a few times, but she had not struck anyone.
A major achievement.
But Arsene was writing his next document in the external waiting room.
Bad feelings usually turned out to be right.
Especially in this world.
The assistant knocked again.
By now, just seeing him stand by the door made my wrist ache.
It was probably a conditioned reflex.
Clarisse Elvine spoke.
"Come in."
The assistant entered the gray etiquette room.
In his hand was a thin document tied with a navy ribbon.
There was no wax seal.
An opinion statement hastily drafted in the external waiting room.
Arsene really wrote documents quickly.
I envied him.
No, I should not envy him.
That was the speed of tormenting people.
The assistant handed the document to Clarisse.
"An additional opinion statement from Lord Arsene Berhardt."
Clarisse first inspected the condition of the document.
"No wax seal. Drafted on the spot in the external waiting room. Author’s signature present. Delivery record present."
Having said that, she unfolded the document.
Eveline placed her handkerchief on her lap.
Seria lightly moved her fingertips, as if pressing down the corners of her mouth.
Liana clasped her hands together.
Beatrice folded her fan.
I did nothing.
More precisely, I could do nothing.
The card in front of me had already been changed.
[Speaking Rights Restricted.]
Until moments ago, it had read [One Intervention], but at some point the assistant had replaced it with a new card.
Terrifying.
The people here were too fast.
Clarisse read the document.
Her expression did not change.
That made me dislike it even more.
"Summary of contents."
She spoke.
"Lord Arsene Berhardt has raised an objection to Leon Cart’s qualifications as an educational supervisor."
There it was.
I had expected it.
But hearing it aloud made my stomach turn cold.
Qualifications as an educational supervisor.
A commoner.
A temporary private tutor.
No Academy certification.
No formal teaching credentials in noble etiquette.
Not a registered Magic Tower instructor.
Not a Knights’ training officer.
Not an instructor affiliated with the cathedral.
I had no credentials.
All I had were the memories of seven playthroughs of the game, desperate records made to keep myself alive, and a strangely efficient teaching trait.
In aristocratic society, that was difficult to prove.
Clarisse continued reading.
"He argues that Leon Cart, House Rosette’s temporary private tutor, is exerting excessive influence over the manner in which the three candidates speak, and that it is impossible to distinguish whether that influence is education or guidance."
Seria spoke very quietly.
"That is an exceptionally accurate and unpleasant sentence."
Clarisse immediately wrote it down.
"Lady Seria Blanc expresses displeasure at wording in the opinion statement."
Seria closed her mouth.
Clarisse looked down at the document.
"He further requests the following. First, a review of Leon Cart’s qualifications as an educational supervisor. Second, restrictions on Leon Cart’s direct instruction in future candidate training related to the preliminary evaluation. Third, if necessary, replacement of the educational supervisor with a formally appointed Academy instructor."
Silence.
The air in the etiquette room settled into a deep chill.
Arsene had struck exactly where it hurt.
Eveline.
Seria.
Liana.
Clarisse.
In the end, I was the common denominator.
I kept the records.
I taught them.
I corrected their sentences.
I changed their conjunctions.
I told them when to stop.
So all he had to do was remove me.
Simple.
And effective.
Eveline’s handkerchief crumpled.
This time, quite severely.
"That Arsene..."
She stopped.
Her lips pressed tightly together.
She looked down at her handkerchief.
Then she said,
"I am angry."
Clarisse’s pen moved.
"Lady Eveline Rosette, emotional expression. No action taken."
Eveline gritted her teeth and smoothed out the handkerchief.
"And I have not done anything yet."
Good.
Very good.
A system window appeared.
[Eveline Rosette: Emotional Action Conversion Blocked]
[Resistance to Rampage Inducement Maintained]
Seria did not smile.
Looking at Arsene’s opinion statement, she said,
"I am displeased as well. And I will not use that displeasure to stab someone right now."
Clarisse’s pen moved again.
"Lady Seria Blanc verbalizes restraint from turning to aggression."
Liana quietly raised her hand.
"May I... speak as well?"
Clarisse nodded.
"Speak."
Liana looked at me.
Then immediately looked away.
Good.
She was speaking without looking at me.
"I was able to speak because my teacher did not speak for me."
She had said that earlier too.
But this time, there was more strength in it.
"And if it must be verified whether that was education or guidance, then I will be verified as well."
Silence.
Liana had said she would make herself a subject of verification.
Good.
Good, but too heavy.
I wanted to speak.
To tell her not to.
To tell her she did not need to do that.
But there was a card before me.
[Speaking Rights Restricted.]
Damn it.
Clarisse looked at me.
"Leon Cart. Would you like to respond to the opinion statement?"
She was granting me speaking rights.
It seemed possible because this was an official question.
But I could not speak at length here.
If I defended myself, Arsene’s argument would grow stronger.
If I asserted my own qualifications as an educational supervisor, the three candidates would become students acting under my influence.
I spoke briefly.
"I will say only one sentence."
Clarisse’s eyes moved ever so slightly.
"Permitted."
I did not look at the three of them.
I looked at Clarisse.
"Do not make them praise me. Do not look at what I taught them; look at what the three candidates could not do before and have now done in ways that can be verified."
The etiquette room fell quiet.
That was the end of what I said.
I could not say more.
I wanted to explain.
I really wanted to explain.
Praise was dangerous.
Praise became evidence of influence.
"I like my teacher" proved nothing.
"It is thanks to my teacher" was even more dangerous.
What we needed was not praise.
It was action.
Records.
Change.
Clarisse did not put down her pen.
She wrote slowly.
"Leon Cart requests verification of candidate actions rather than self-defense. Requests exclusion of praise."
Eveline looked at me.
"You are telling us not to praise you?"
"..."
I did not answer.
Speaking rights restricted.
Eveline’s face twisted.
"This is really uncomfortable."
Clarisse said,
"The educational supervisor’s speaking restriction is currently active."
"I know."
Eveline smoothed out her handkerchief.
"Then I will speak."
Good.
Clarisse looked at her.
"Lady Eveline Rosette. Do you intend to testify to Leon Cart’s qualifications?"
"No."
Eveline’s response was quick.
"I will speak about my change."
Clarisse’s pen moved.
"Permitted."
Eveline drew in a breath.
"If this had happened before, I would have seen Arsene’s document and immediately opened that door."
Accurate.
She really would have.
"And I would have confronted him myself."
That was true too.
"It might not have ended with words."
Her hand tightened on the handkerchief.
But she did not tear it.
"But..."
She stopped.
Clarisse’s pen stopped too.
Eveline gritted her teeth.
"And now, I said that I was angry. I did not move."
Good.
Very good.
Eveline did not look at me.
"I do not know whether this is education or guidance. But there is an action that can be recorded right now. I did not open the door."
Clarisse wrote.
"Acknowledges probable past action. Presents difference in current action. Speaks without external instruction."
Eveline exhaled.
A system window appeared.
[Eveline Rosette: Proves Educational Effect Through Her Own Actions]
[Suspicion of Teacher Dependence Partially Reduced]
Seria quietly raised her hand.
Clarisse said,
"Lady Seria Blanc."
Seria looked at Arsene’s document.
"That sentence brought three jokes to mind."
Eveline spoke quietly.
"Three of them?"
"That is a small number."
Liana nearly laughed very softly, then held it in.
Seria did not smile.
"The first is about Lord Arsene’s wrist health, the second is that the external waiting room ought to be registered as a document factory, and the third is..."
"Lady Seria."
I nearly spoke.
But I did not.
Clarisse looked at me.
That had been dangerous.
Really dangerous.
I had nearly violated the speaking restriction.
Without looking at me, Seria said,
"I will not say the third one."
Good.
She stopped herself.
"Until yesterday, I would have said one of those jokes. Not to make the other person laugh, but to stab them."
Seria’s voice was low.
"I still want to say it. But I will not."
She looked at Clarisse.
"Record it. Seria Blanc knew a sentence that could wound someone, but did not say it. And this is not praise for my teacher. It is an action I just did not take."
Clarisse’s pen moved.
"Acknowledges impulse toward aggressive speech. Confirms restraint. Excludes praise of educational supervisor."
Seria exhaled.
"This feels strange. Even words I did not say are being recorded."
Clarisse said,
"Actions not taken can also be grounds for recognizing change."
Seria blinked for a moment.
"I rather like that statement."
"Impression noted."
"I like it less now."
Even so, she did not smile.
A system window appeared.
[Seria Blanc: Successfully Restrains Herself Before Voicing a Barbed Remark]
[Trust Recovery Training Progress: 18% -> 22%]
[Suspicion of Teacher Dependence Partially Reduced]
Liana was last.
She remained silent the longest.
The core of Arsene’s document cut into her too.
Leon Cart guided her.
It was impossible to know whether it was education or manipulation.
That meant Liana’s words might also have been made by someone else.
Her "own words" would become someone else’s sentence once again.
Liana could feel that.
She clasped her hands tightly.
"I..."
Her voice was quiet.
Eveline started to move.
Seria started to move as well.
Both stopped.
Good.
They waited.
Liana took another breath.
"I learned sentences from my teacher."
Clarisse’s pen was about to move immediately.
Liana quickly added,
"And I decided when to use those sentences."
The pen stopped.
Good.
Liana continued.
"When Lord Arsene said he was worried about me, I was going to say only that I was fine, as I always had. But I said that I did not want him present during my interview."
Her hands trembled.
"That was possible because my teacher did not speak for me."
Liana did not look at me.
She looked at Clarisse.
"So what I wish to say is not that my teacher made me move, but that... he waited until I moved myself."
Silence.
The etiquette room became quiet.
I could not say anything.
Not merely because of my speaking rights.
Liana spoke again.
"Please examine whether that is education as well."
Clarisse wrote very slowly.
"Miss Liana Bell. Acknowledges learning sentences. Claims she personally determined when to use them. Requests interpretation of the educational supervisor’s absence of proxy speech as an educational act."
The wording was stiff.
But what it contained was not small.
A system window appeared.
[Liana Bell: Articulates the Difference Between Learning and Manipulation in Her Own Words]
[Resistance to Being Turned Into a Shield Increased]
[Suspicion of Teacher Dependence Partially Reduced]
Clarisse reread the three girls’ statements one after another.
Eveline.
She had not moved.
Seria.
She had not spoken.
Liana.
She had spoken in her own time.
All three were actions.
They were not words praising someone.
They were verifiable changes.
Clarisse arranged the documents.
"Provisional judgment."
The air in the etiquette room changed again.
"Lord Arsene Berhardt’s concern has valid aspects. Leon Cart is not a formally appointed Academy instructor, and he does influence the manner in which the three candidates speak."
Accurate.
Painful, but accurate.
"However, the changes observed in the three candidates today are difficult to explain solely as simple memorization or proxy speech."
Good.
"In particular, Lady Eveline Rosette’s cessation of action, Lady Seria Blanc’s restraint from voicing barbed remarks, and Miss Liana Bell’s personal decision of when to speak are recorded as actions each candidate performed independently."
Good.
Really good.
Clarisse folded Arsene’s document.
"Therefore, immediate revocation of Leon Cart’s qualifications as an educational supervisor would be excessive."
Eveline’s shoulders lowered.
Seria closed her eyes and opened them again.
Liana exhaled very softly.
I tried to exhale too.
But Clarisse was not finished.
"However, the qualification review itself is necessary."
Of course.
My breath caught again.
"Leon Cart is not a formally appointed Academy instructor, and it is true that his educational methods directly influence the structure of the candidates’ speech. Therefore, the following conditions will apply to the future joint preliminary evaluation."
Conditions.
More conditions.
I was starting to hate the word conditions.
Clarisse spoke.
"First. Leon Cart may not intervene preemptively during the evaluation."
I expected that.
"Second. If a candidate directly requests assistance, the reason for the request will be recorded as well."
Good.
Painful, but good.
"Third. In the next evaluation, Leon Cart’s speaking rights will be set to zero."
The etiquette room froze.
Eveline said,
"What?"
Even Seria’s expression immediately hardened, an unusual sight.
Liana’s hands trembled.
I closed my eyes.
Zero times.
It meant I was not to speak.
At all.
Clarisse remained composed.
"We must confirm whether, with Leon Cart present but not speaking, the three candidates can respond autonomously."
Eveline immediately said,
"That is too much."
Clarisse looked at her.
"Your reasoning?"
Eveline stopped.
Good.
Reason before anger.
"If Leon is there..."
She could not find the right words.
Seria tried to speak for her.
Then stopped.
Liana also began to open her mouth, then stopped.
Good.
The evaluation was still ongoing.
They would not speak for one another.
At last, Eveline said,
"Even if Leon does not speak, I can stop myself just because he is there."
Clarisse wrote.
"The educational supervisor’s mere presence functions as a cue for self-control."
Eveline’s face reddened.
"That sounds strange when you write it like that!"
"It is accurate."
It was truly strange, but accurate.
Seria raised her hand.
"I am similar. Even when my teacher says nothing, if he is watching, I stop before I smile."
I became even sadder.
My role was now being firmly established as a silent suppression device.
Liana quietly said as well,
"If I know my teacher will not speak for me, I can speak a little more."
Clarisse wrote down all three sentences.
"Interesting."
"Please use that word less."
I said.
Everyone looked at me at once.
Ah.
I spoke.
I had just spoken.
Clarisse’s eyes turned toward me.
"Speaking restriction violated."
Damn it.
I shut my mouth immediately.
Eveline spoke softly.
"You got caught."
Seria said quietly,
"It seems you need training too, Teacher."
Liana looked at me with worried eyes.
Beatrice covered her mouth with her fan.
She was not laughing, was she?
Probably not.
Clarisse wrote.
"Leon Cart. Violates restriction due to emotional reaction. Content is minor, but a self-control assignment is necessary."
I wanted to die.
Socially.
A system window appeared.
[Leon Cart: Speaking Restriction Violated]
[Educational Supervisor Trust Slightly Decreased]
[The required level of autonomous response from the three candidates further increases.]
Goddamn it.
I was the biggest problem.
Eveline held out her handkerchief.
"Need it?"
"No."
"You can crumple it."
"I am fine."
"I hear that a lot."
That verbal habit had completely transferred to her now.
Clarisse arranged the documents.
"The current judgment stands. Immediate revocation of the educational supervisor’s qualifications is excessive. However, the condition of zero speaking rights will apply in the next evaluation."
I quietly nodded.
This time, I did not speak.
Clarisse saw that and wrote,
"Maintains silence after violation."
She really recorded everything.
Then the assistant entered again.
I really hated this.
But this time, his expression was somewhat different.
He looked flustered.
"Lady Clarisse."
"Speak."
"Lord Arsene Berhardt has left the external waiting room."
Silence.
Arsene?
He had simply left?
Impossible.
The assistant held out a document.
"He left this document in his place."
Clarisse accepted it.
There was no wax seal.
A short card.
She read it.
Her expression remained calm.
But I could feel it.
This was bad again.
"Contents."
Clarisse spoke.
"Lord Arsene Berhardt states that he respects today’s provisional judgment of the Preliminary Archives Office."
Impossible.
"However, he says that should the joint preliminary evaluation continue, it is necessary to verify how private solidarity between the candidates appears from the outside."
From the outside.
Bad.
"Therefore, he requests official observation of the three candidates walking together during the scheduled public guidance period in the Academy Central Corridor this afternoon."
Eveline’s expression hardened.
Seria narrowed her eyes as well.
Liana’s face went pale.
The Central Corridor.
The busiest path in the Academy.
A public passage connecting the main gate, auditorium, cathedral wing, training grounds, and archives.
The place where candidates first saw one another.
The place where rumors began.
It was also the place where Eveline and Liana’s public conflict had first escalated in the original story.
Having lost inside the archives, Arsene had moved the stage outside.
A public place.
A crowded place.
A place with many eyes.
And in the next evaluation, I had zero speaking rights.
A system window appeared.
[New Evaluation Conditions Added.]
[Location: Academy Central Corridor]
[Condition: Leon Cart Speaking Rights 0]
[Participants: Eveline Rosette / Seria Blanc / Liana Bell]
[Risk: Public Attention / Rumor Spread / Arsene Berhardt’s External Framing]
I closed my eyes.
Ah.
This time, it was not inside the archives.
It was in front of people.
Clarisse said,
"The request is valid. Actions under outside scrutiny cannot be assessed through evaluations solely inside the archives."
Eveline said in a low voice,
"Then we have to go?"
Clarisse answered,
"Yes. However, the conditions of observation will be specified."
She looked at me.
"Leon Cart. Your speaking rights during observation in the Central Corridor are zero."
I nodded.
I did not speak.
"The three candidates will not speak in place of one another."
Eveline, Seria, and Liana all nodded.
"Any contact Miss Liana Bell does not desire will cease immediately."
They nodded again.
"When emotions arise, Lady Eveline Rosette will verbalize them rather than act upon them."
Eveline gritted her teeth.
"You want me to say that I am angry?"
"Yes."
"I know."
"Lady Seria Blanc will stop any barbed joke before voicing it."
Seria said very seriously,
"I will do my best."
"Miss Liana Bell may use a response-deferral sentence if necessary."
Liana quietly said,
"Yes."
Lastly, Clarisse said,
"And the three candidates will not possess one another in the name of protection."
Silence.
That sentence was a little strange for the archives.
Cold, but a sentence that took one step closer to people.
Clarisse herself seemed to feel it too, and paused her pen for a moment.
Then she added,
"...That is record-appropriate phrasing."
Eveline spoke softly.
"You sounded a little like a person just now."
Clarisse immediately wrote,
"Lady Eveline Rosette voices an inappropriate but low-aggression impression of the evaluator."
"It was a compliment!"
"Compliments are recorded as well."
Seria quietly said,
"Teacher, she truly is a formidable opponent."
I did not answer.
This was a rehearsal for zero speaking rights.
Seria looked at me and narrowed her eyes.
"Are you already not speaking?"
I only nodded.
Eveline snickered.
"Nice. It is quiet."
I looked at Eveline.
I did not speak.
Liana said very softly,
"Still... I am a little anxious."
At those words, the playfulness in the etiquette room subsided.
She was right.
It was unsettling.
The Central Corridor.
Public attention.
Arsene’s external framing.
My zero speaking rights.
My students had to walk on their own.
I had taught them.
Now they had to do it.
That was education.
And it was education I truly hated.
The system window appeared again.
[Event: Central Corridor Public Observation]
[Objective: Maintain Conditional Solidarity Among the Three Candidates]
[Restriction: Leon Cart Speaking Rights 0]
[Failure Conditions: Eveline Rosette’s Public Emotional Rampage / Seria Blanc’s Public Barbed Remark / Liana Bell’s Silence or Proxy Speech]
[Caution]
[Arsene Berhardt is preparing an audience, not observers.]
An audience.
Bad.
Very bad.
I looked at the three of them.
Eveline smoothed out her handkerchief.
Seria lowered her hand without pressing down the corners of her mouth.
Liana slowly steadied her breathing.
They were still anxious.
Still clumsy.
Still capable of falling apart at any moment.
But all three of them were standing.
On their own feet.
I did not say anything.
From today on, not speaking was part of the lesson too.
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register