Chapter 270: The Real Hailga

“Karbaldr, isn’t there any good method? Something that won’t make Professor Dyuf faint again…”

The protagonist of another novel threw a glance at me, seeking advice.

It’s not that I openly opposed the fake lover operation, but I did guide the discussion to the conclusion that such a method couldn’t be used.

If I were to answer ‘no’ here, I’d be marked as an annoyance by Senna’s readers.

‘A person who offers no ideas of their own but shoots down others’ suggestions, making things impossible either way, provokes frustration and irritation.’

I do have a solution in mind.

Though I’m not sure if it can be called a good method.

“The problems now are two things, aren’t they? That he likes Hailga very much, and that he spread rumors because of it.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s right.”

Since it’s really not a particularly amazing method,

if I blurted it out directly, I might not even get a chance to explain my reasoning and we’d just end up at the conclusion that ‘the fake lover operation is still better after all.’

So, before mentioning the method itself, I decided to first explain the reason I thought of it.

“But the version of Hailga he’s seen so far is a fabricated one, right?”

“Uh. I suppose so?”

“Judging by his comments about her face being pretty and all, he probably likes her looks too. But the decisive reason he started thinking about marrying Hailga is likely ‘because she seems docile, modest, and would obediently follow his lead.'”

The fact that he kept going on about making Vigdis docile was probably rooted in that same line of thinking.

Moreover, he even treated Hailga as if she were his subordinate.

This speculation is unlikely to be wrong, but to be sure, I subtly glanced at Pret.

“Senior Karbaldr is right. That guy, Drembi, usually went around saying things like, ‘A woman should always be demure and cautious in her conduct!’ or ‘A loud voice isn’t even ladylike!’ He also said his type is a woman whose attitude toward him is always filled with sincerity and who is devoted to him.”

“How do you know that, Junior Pret? You haven’t even been at the Academy for two weeks…”

“Haha! I believed the rumor was true, so I went around asking everywhere what that Drembi guy’s ideal type was! I thought if I helped Senior Hailga with her love life, I could get closer to other second-year seniors starting with Senior Hailga!”

“Ugh…!”

At Pret’s statement, Hailga shuddered in disgust.

Hearing that someone around her believed the rumor and tried to set her up with that villain, it’s only natural she’d be creeped out.

Anyway, my speculation was confirmed to be true, so I continued with what I was saying.

“Anyway, it seems one problem can be easily solved. Hailga, stop pretending. Just prove you’re absolutely not someone to be trifled with, and his feelings will cool off considerably.”

“Ah~! Now that you mention it! Senior Hailga, I thought something felt different about you… your speech and vibe are completely different?! I thought it was because you were so furious you couldn’t calm down, but your act has been peeled off??”

If it’s Pret, he must have known what Hailga’s true personality was like from the start.

And yet he’s putting on a surprised expression as if he just realized it now, widening his eyes… he’s really something else.

As expected, the most skilled at pretending among those present isn’t Hailga, but Pret.

Anyway, his comment could be ignored.

I unconsciously shifted my gaze, which had turned toward Pret, back to Hailga and spoke again.

“Next, regarding the rumor… can’t you just deny it in a crowded place and reject him? I don’t understand why you’re making such a simple problem difficult and can’t think of a solution yourself, needing to seek advice from those around you.”

“This isn’t that simple of a problem.”

“In what way?”

“Because the rumor is that I…”

I deliberately used an arrogant tone to maintain the possession body’s character.

Perhaps thinking I was taking her problem lightly, Hailga frowned and began to argue.

No, she tried to argue but suddenly stopped.

“Since my act is already exposed, I’ll just speak comfortably from now on.”

Maintaining a half-peeled-off act is meaningless, and acting out the 100% pretending version again in this situation would be strange too.

She must have concluded it’s better to just reveal her true personality comfortably.

Since it didn’t matter much, I nodded to show I understood.

“The rumor is that I like that guy, right? But even if I deny that rumor in front of others, will they really believe me? What if they think I was dumped by that guy and, ashamed of it, I’m trying to cover up the rumor?? And if I suddenly reveal my true personality, that guy might think I was pretending all along to seduce him. And he’d go around spreading that thought everywhere.”

As she spoke, she seemed to have unconsciously imagined such a situation, causing her anger to flare up.

Or perhaps she was just out of breath from speaking rapidly without pause.

After finishing, Hailga panted heavily, seething.

“That’s a sufficiently plausible story.”

“Right? So…”

“Then. All the more reason you should speak clearly in front of others. That you weren’t pretending to look good for him, but that you stopped pretending because you find his liking for you utterly disgusting.”

Before the words ‘this method won’t work either’ could come from Hailga’s mouth, I quickly cut her off.

And spoke in a firm tone.

“To prevent others from misunderstanding, you just need to clearly reveal your feelings and state your position.”

“But if I humiliate him like that in front of others…”

“You seem anxious that he might use his family’s power to harm your family, but you don’t need to worry about that problem.”

“Why?”

Hailga asked in a sharp, pointed voice, as if challenging me.

The aggressiveness in that voice was likely because anxiety was tormenting her.

It’s not that she has a complaint against me. As evidence, the look in her eyes wasn’t irritation but expectation.

Noticing this, I could calmly continue explaining to her.

“He’s the guy who can’t even decide his own marriage freely, who pushed the task of persuading his parents onto you and your father. And now, having tried to pull a trick on the woman he likes only to get countered, he’d do well to ask for revenge, wouldn’t he?”

Maybe he could, but it doesn’t matter.

“Moreover, for a family to harm another family’s standing because their son was rejected by a woman is too undignified, isn’t it? The Opraushy Count family is already a family whispered about behind their backs as nouveau riche. If they did something like that, they’d just become an even bigger object of ridicule than they are now.”

For these reasons, his family would hesitate to step forward.

Although I think the possibility is extremely slim, even if his parents moved directly, it’s fine.

“And if, by any chance, his family tries to directly harm yours, that can no longer be considered courtship activities, can it? Furthermore, you and Professor Dyuf are members of the ‘Awakened Special Class,’ an important project under the jurisdiction of Her Imperial Highness the Imperial Princess. Her Imperial Highness would gain grounds to step forward and punish them.”

“If such a thing occurs, this princess will protect you.”

Even before I could ask a question to confirm her opinion, Fjodra quickly voiced her support.

Due to the original author’s meddling in pushing the fake lover operation, last chapter she could only say she couldn’t help, citing all sorts of reasons.

But now, as if asserting she actually really wanted to help.

Whether her feelings got through or not, Hailga showed visible relief at her declaration.

But too much relief isn’t good either.

I decided to give one warning at this point.

“Still, just because he can’t use his family’s power doesn’t mean the possibility of him harming you personally disappears. To give an extreme example, he could suddenly rush at you and swing a sword, so you must be careful.”

“……!!”

At my words, Hailga flinched, then muttered with a frightened face, ‘That guy would do something like that and more…’

Reysir’s face also clouded with worry upon hearing that.

For any reader who might think I’m putting Hailga in danger, let me clarify briefly.

The villain attacking Hailga is half an expected future.

Even if the fake lover operation were adopted, the same situation would unfold.

If he were a trivial extra villain who would just step back quietly because the target he was pestering got a lover…

His name, ‘Drembi,’ wouldn’t even have been mentioned in the main text.

Knowing he can’t win against Reysir, who won last year’s Bimu Tournament…

He’d likely lash out with a sword at Hailga, who seems easier to handle, spouting lines like, ‘If I can’t have you, I’ll break you!’

So, to prevent the mistake of choosing the fake lover operation for safety’s sake,

I decided to offer words that might help Hailga solidify her resolve.

“Anyway, even if an attack actually happens, it will only be once. After that, a ban on approach will be issued, so you just need to get through it well once.”

“Young Lord, aren’t you speaking too lightly about someone else’s matter?”

“Maybe so. But isn’t it better to risk danger and somehow pay him back, rather than finishing things by enduring the insult you received and avoiding it?”

“That’s true…! If I just let it go without paying him back at all, it would feel so unfair!”

At my first words, Hailga flared up in anger.

But after hearing what followed, that anger turned fully toward the villain.

And after that—

“Somehow, I think I’ve gotten too accustomed to pretending. If it were the old me, as soon as I heard such a rumor, I would have immediately gone to find the person who started it, confronted them, and gotten angry… To the point where I can’t understand why I felt powerless, tried to push problem-solving onto others, and sought to rely on them.”

– She added these words.

Suddenly, at this moment, I thought perhaps Hailga had hatched from the egg the original author made.