Chapter 31: Improvising on the fly

“…So, Lady Fisalia,” she said in a firm voice, “may I ask why you dragged me out of the office?”

The one speaking was a beautiful girl with black hair, silver fading into the lower ends of the front strands. Her eyes carried a tense calm, as if she were deliberately holding herself back.

Walking beside her was another woman of equal beauty, though far more refined. Her posture was immaculate, and her faintly furrowed expression contrasted sharply with Maxine’s apathetic demeanor.

“I don’t have any grand reason,” Fisalia replied. “I simply wanted to ask you a few questions.”

“Questions?” Maxine shot back, frowning. “What kind of questions? If they’re not relevant, I would’ve preferred to stay where I was.”

In truth, Maxine was uneasy.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, she had started worrying about that strange little cat-girl she had, without realizing it, “adopted.”

They didn’t know each other very well—at least not to the extent that Nen wished or believed they did—but Maxine had already deduced something essential about Ryn’s core nature: she was a complete idiot.

And that made her dangerous. Dangerous in the sense that she could open her mouth at any moment and say something catastrophically stupid.

Given the situation, leaving her alone without supervision was like leaving a baby alone with an Aura Rifle. Utter irresponsibility.

On top of that, Maxine wasn’t thrilled by the idea of spending time alone with a noble. Much less with someone from the Fisalia family.

She loathed them to the bone. Arrogant, corrupt, and disloyal.

It wasn’t hard for Maxine to conclude that this whole situation was most likely a trap set by Lady Carlotta and Fisalia. Being separated from Ryn left only one possibility—a very real one—that the girl would mess everything up and incriminate herself with no help whatsoever.

That was why she wanted to return as soon as possible. To stop her.

“Straight to the point, huh? I like that,” Fisalia remarked as she delicately tucked a lock of her white hair behind her ear. “My question is simple: why do you spend time with that Nen?”

“…I don’t understand the question.”

“It’s exactly what I said. Why? I don’t understand it. You have talent. We’ve reviewed your records.”

“Is that even allowed?”

“For a committee member, yes. We may do so for selection purposes,” Fisalia answered in a neutral tone. “Your grades are decent. You have good command of earth-based sorcery. That’s why I don’t understand why you waste your time with—”

“Alright. We’re stopping right there.”

Maxine’s voice was firm. Cold. It didn’t waver.

“My time is mine. I decide who I spend it with. Understood?”

There wasn’t a trace of fear in her, despite being an ascended noble—someone clearly inferior in the social hierarchy.

In fact, the logical thing to do would have been to keep her mouth shut and smile.

After all, she didn’t want to jeopardize the reason her family—and she herself—had agreed to send her to Libelling Academy.

Her act of irreverence caught Fisalia’s attention. She knew Maxine von Ryu wasn’t rebellious—not like that Nen. This ascended noble knew her place.

Which made this attitude all the more unusual.

Fisalia sighed inwardly. That Nen really was like a contagious disease…

“I see…” she murmured. “What a shame. Staying close to that cat will bring you nothing but misfortune.”

“Is that a threat?”

“A threat?” Fisalia tilted her head, her mature features flushing faintly, giving her a sweet appearance. “Not at all. I would never lower myself to something so vulgar.”

That attitude… that elegant condescension, that disdain wrapped in courtesy. It was exactly what Maxine had always hated about nobles, with every fiber of her being.

“Now I have a question.”

“Go ahead. It’s only fair that I answer yours.”

“What kind of sorcery do you possess?”

“…Excuse me?”

“Your ears work, don’t they? What kind of sorcery do you possess?”

“Construction sorcery. Is there a problem with that?”

“…Nah.”

Silence fell between them like invisible pressure.

“I’m going back—”

“No. I still have a few matters to settle with you—”

“Nah. Let me go already,” Maxine replied, locking eyes with her. “Why are you so desperate to keep me from going back?”

It was a rhetorical question. She had already deduced the reason.

But she wanted to know if it was truly the case… or just a coincidence.

“What are you talking about, Lady Ryu? I merely wish to recruit a valuable member for the Committee.”

The tone was so unconvincing it was almost as if the noble wasn’t even trying to hide her falsehood.

The black-haired girl had had enough.

“If you’re going to play dumb, I’m not playing along. I’m going back right now.”

“I must ask you to reconsider that decision.”

As she spoke, Fisalia placed her delicate fingers on Maxine’s shoulder.

It was a gentle gesture—without a single trace of genuine kindness.

The blonde had begun to raise her Aura, lightly digging in her nails.

Maxine felt her blood boil. She couldn’t allow this. She wasn’t going to let a noble—again—walk all over her, thinking she’d be afraid.

With a sharp swat, she knocked the woman’s grip away.

“You going to force me, daddy’s little girl?”

Her silver eyes flared, and small white particles shaped like digital letters spilled from her body.

She didn’t care that they were in a public place.

If this bitch wanted to mess with her, she’d show her she had fangs and claws.

In response, Fisalia’s red eyes lit up as well.

“Enough.”

Before either of them could continue, a new voice interrupted them. Sweet… but toxic.

“Do you really think a duel in the middle of the shopping district is appropriate?”

Both of them turned.

“Lady Carlotta.”

“You…?”

“Madam Herz requests the presence of you both.”

The air grew even heavier.

“…Fine.”

“Great,” Maxine added. “I was just dying to go back.”

And so, the three women headed off together, each lost in her own thoughts… the tension rising with every step.

"As you can understand from what I’ve said, it is more than clear that Kathryn is innocent of any crime falsely attributed to her."

"Eh…?"

They had barely stepped into the room when Lady Carlotta let out a small, almost imperceptible sound upon hearing Kaelvarion’s words. It was brief and restrained, yet heavy with discomfort.

As for Maxine, she had no idea how to react to the scene in front of her.

There stood Lord Kaelvarion. Facing him, Madam Herz wore a broad smile, as if all of this were nothing more than curious entertainment. Behind Herz, slightly to the left, Ryn remained surrounded by two burly guards whose sheer presence made her—despite her height—look smaller somehow.

What had happened while she was gone?

"Oh, our dear Maxine has arrived," Kaelvarion said in a cheerful tone. "I’m sure the two of us together can clear up this misunderstanding."

"...What?"

"Non."

"Hmph!"

Suddenly, Lord Kaelvarion was yanked through the air as if seized by an invisible force, landing unceremoniously beside Madam Herz.

The old woman wagged one finger from side to side while clicking her tongue.

"Once again, we cannot allow anyone to be given context. So, Lord Kaelvarion, I must ask for your silence."

"...Never do that again, Madam Herz."

The young noble smiled, his cheeks burning red, but it was obvious he was far from pleased. His pride had taken a direct hit after being dragged around like a rag doll in front of everyone present.

Even so, Maxine understood the situation from the few words the blond had managed to say earlier.

They were trying to find holes in Ryn’s alibi.

Now the problem was figuring out what the hell they had said.

The truth was that Ryn and she had been together in the changing room… where certain events had occurred—events Maxine desperately wished to bury in the deepest corner of her box of embarrassing memories.

After that, they had run straight into Carlotta.

But it couldn’t be that simple.

If Lord Kaelvarion was here, there had to be a reason.

Whatever Ryn had said… it involved him. But how, exactly?

Internally, Maxine cursed herself for being right.

She had left her alone for less than ten minutes, and she’d already gotten herself into this mess!

"Excuse me, Madam Herz," a voice interjected. "It was difficult to locate Lady Fisalia and Lady Ryu, but they are here now."

Carlotta and Fisalia took their places beside Herz and Kaelvarion.

"Excellent," Herz nodded. "Lady Ryu, if you would please give us your statement."

Just as she had expected, they wanted confirmation of whatever those two had said.

A bead of sweat slid down the back of her neck, sending a chill through her spine. If she said anything that contradicted the narrative already in place, it would be the end for Kathryn—she’d be expelled.

"I…"

Maxine paused briefly.

Then she saw it.

One of the very few good things about that catgirl was her height.

Ryn’s face—the only part not covered by the guards—began to move strangely. She frowned, giving her sweet features a bitter look, then dropped her tail over her forehead like some improvised bangs.

"...That bitch is copying me, isn’t she?"

Maxine complained internally. She couldn’t believe the audacity of that woman to pull something like this when she should have been begging for help.

Even so, she calmed herself.

She couldn’t lose her composure over something so stupid.

Then Ryn raised her hands and began to… use sign language?

She… hadn’t known Ryn could do that.

She was genuinely surprised.

Even though the gestures were rough and clumsy, Maxine could decipher—thanks to her experience—what she was trying to say.

Still, the lack of clarity combined with how subtly Ryn moved her hands so no one else would notice made it hard to read quickly.

"Is something the matter?" Madam Herz asked, turning her gaze toward Kathryn.

Fortunately, the cat noticed in time and lowered her hands.

"As I was saying," Maxine resumed. "The three of us were looking at clothes. I wanted to buy a pajama set…"

She felt Carlotta’s venomous gaze sink into her skin.

It was obvious she knew it was a lie.

After all, she and Lord Kaelvarion rarely separated when they went out in public. Logically, they should have arrived at the mall together.

For a moment, Maxine feared Carlotta would open her mouth. If she did, her lie would crumble like wet paper.

But it didn’t happen.

Carlotta bit her lip.

She seemed to have decided not to expose them.

Something so strange that even the usually cold Fisalia changed her expression, looking surprised… though she said nothing either.

Ignoring that, Maxine continued.

"I was going to buy a pajama, but… huh? Oh. Nothing. I was going to buy one, but then I remembered I’d left a potion half-finished in the spellcraft laboratory."

She picked up her story just as one of the guards looked like he was about to turn around, intrigued by the intensity with which she was watching Ryn.

When his attention returned forward, Maxine continued deciphering the signs.

Now Ryn frowned even harder, putting on an expression of pain. Then she pinched her nose and made a gesture that seemed to indicate… the bathroom?

Bathroom…

Ah.

That’s when Maxine remembered the stupid thing Ryn had said before the whole disaster began.

"Also," she continued, "Ryn was having severe stomach trouble, so we decided to leave. However, Lord Kaelvarion still had matters to attend to, which is why only the two of us left."

"I see," Herz said. "It all seems to line up."

Maxine let out a slow breath.

She couldn’t believe that nonsense had actually worked.

What the hell had she gotten herself into by becoming acquainted with that Nen…?