The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 35
EP.35 Student Council (5)
“…Hey, hold on.”
Thus, the awkward meeting at the student council room had come to an end. Or rather, to be exact, it was after school, with all classes over.
Since I hadn’t officially joined the student council yet, it was more like a “maybe I will” situation, so there wasn’t much to do after classes. Yesterday, we studied at the library. Claire seemed like she wanted to meet me after school today, but I had a lot on my mind, so I hurried back to the dormitory. Well, I might get another chance after I’ve sorted my thoughts. If I really wanted, I could always turn back time and spend that moment with Claire.
Dating a heroine… Hmm, to be honest, I had no desire for romance.
It’s true that I was immersed in playing as the character Leo Grace. I’m not as good-looking as Leo, nor do I live as well, nor am I skilled in studies or swordsmanship like him. In reality, I barely managed to find a job, spending whatever free time I had on games or reading manga. Comparing myself to Leo, a guy who had women flock to him just by standing there, was impossible.
Still, I was the one controlling Leo in the game. There weren’t that many choices to make, and none of them drastically altered the ending, but a certain attachment to my in-game avatar had formed.
And now, I had entered the game I used to play.
I am interested in the couplings. I’m curious to see who Leo ends up with and how the altered story unfolds. Honestly, it felt thrilling knowing that I was the catalyst behind the change.
From the perspective of a player who originally played the game, my existence would probably make them cough up blood. Infinite regression without any risks? While my physical abilities may not be superhuman, this power allowed me to toy with even the strongest characters.
On top of that, thanks to this ability, I’ve already accessed information that should have been impossible for me to know. Like sneaking into the forbidden library deep within the imperial palace and reading all the so-called prophecy books. I didn’t even need to worry about escaping afterward; I just needed to read them once, then return.
…Anyway.
For these reasons, I had refused Claire’s invitation and returned to the dormitory.
The dormitory, fitting its luxurious label, was as clean and well-equipped as my room in the imperial palace. In some ways, it was even better.
As I stepped into my dorm room and was about to close the door, Alice grabbed the door handle and spoke.
There’s no way I could physically overpower Alice. I could avoid her if I saw it coming, though.
“…”
Knowing that, I let go of the door handle. Alice took advantage of the now unresisted door and stepped into my room.
Bang.
The door slammed shut a little too hard.
She seemed… a little angry. Or maybe just emotional. Was there even a difference?
“Earlier, Crowfield’s gaze at you wasn’t ordinary.”
Alice crossed her arms and asked after firmly shutting the door. It seemed like she was angry but trying to keep a rational approach to her questions.
“Do you know something?”
“…”
How should I respond?
Alice probably knew about the death of Count Crowfield. She might not know the exact cause, though. The Emperor likely wouldn’t have shared that detail with her. She might have her suspicions. Alice wasn’t a fool—just lacking information. She likely had doubts that the Emperor was eliminating his rivals one by one. After all, who would have a better understanding of a father’s character than his own daughter?
“Answer me. This is…”
Alice suddenly stopped speaking. She frowned as if contemplating something, then spoke as if making up her mind.
“This is a question from the next Empress. It seems like information I need to know.”
“…”
So that’s how she was approaching it.
There was a similar scene in the original story, but back then, no one paid much attention to it. Alice’s demeanor had been more desperate, like someone clutching at straws. Likely because, in most cases, her questions had been directed toward the Emperor’s children.
But the Alice standing before me now wore a serious expression. She wasn’t simply using her status to throw a tantrum—she was genuinely wielding her authority as the future Empress to demand answers.
And I was the one who had shaped this version of Alice.
…In that case, respecting her authority would be the right choice.
“I killed him.”
“…”
Alice continued staring at me, her expression unchanged for a moment. Then, about five seconds later, her face slackened as she made a small sound of disbelief.
“…What?”
“The explosion of the carriage Count Crowfield was riding in—it was because I planted a bomb under it.”
“…”
Alice, who had been standing with her mouth open, staggered over to my bed and sat down heavily. She looked up at me, her voice trembling as she asked.
“Why?”
“Because His Majesty the Emperor ordered me to.”
“…And back then, how old were you?”
“I was twelve.”
“…Since then, have there been any other assassination orders?”
“That was the first and the last for me.”
“What about the others?”
“I don’t know. But given the circumstances, it wouldn’t have been the only time.”
“…”
Alice fell silent, lost in thought.
It was different from her reaction back in the student council room. Perhaps because there, she hadn’t been the only one to hear the truth. In a situation like that, handling the fallout would have been nearly impossible.
“…Did you kill the Count… solely because of that order?”
“…”
Alice’s gaze, as she looked up at me, was filled with complex emotions.
She trusted me, but that didn’t mean she knew everything about me. Setting aside the fact that I came from another world, she wasn’t aware of all the things I had done in this one. The Emperor might see me as a difficult tool to handle, but Alice didn’t think of me as just a tool. The way she had been horrified when she saw the morphine I had kept was proof of that.
“The Count was running an opium business within his territory.”
“…”
Alice looked at me, as if waiting for more, so I continued.
“He also trafficked children to set up brothels. He frequently used them himself.”
Whether the Count had set it up himself or turned a blind eye in exchange for some form of profit, I couldn’t say. But what I did know was that Count Crowfield was a regular patron of those brothels. It wasn’t something I had only seen once. I had verified it multiple times by rewinding time and even heard it from the Count himself.
“They were likely children from orphanages.”
I added.
“…”
“And I am also from the orphanage.”
“…”
Alice, who had been quietly looking up at me, exhaled softly, as if a weight had lifted from her.
“Then… let me ask you one last thing. What if the Count had been truly innocent? What if your father wanted him dead purely for the sake of power? What would you have done then?”
“I wouldn’t have killed him.”
What I would’ve done after that, I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe I would’ve exposed the truth and helped stage his death, or perhaps I would’ve simply stepped aside and let things unfold without taking action. That’s something I can’t definitively answer since it never happened.
But one thing was certain: I wouldn’t have killed him. Even though I knew from the game what kind of person Count Crowfield was, I still double-checked everything just to be sure. After all, things could’ve played out differently than in the game.
In the end, I had decided to kill him.
“I see.”
Alice sighed deeply at my response, then nodded.
“So that’s how it is.”
She sat quietly for a few moments with her eyes closed before rising to her feet.
“Alright.”
Standing tall, Alice looked me square in the eye and spoke.
“From now on, you won’t have to do such things anymore.”
Huh?
I stared at Alice, wondering what she meant by that sudden statement. Alice looked at me with a determined expression and spoke.
“From now on, you won’t need to stain your hands with blood.”
“…”
Uh, well.
“That sort of dirty work won’t be necessary. Not when I become Emperor.”
She added, her voice filled with unwavering determination.
Hmm.
I couldn’t quite believe that someone who would become an Emperor could avoid dirty work entirely. Even in the modern world, national leaders didn’t personally assassinate people, but they often ordered soldiers or spies to carry out unsavory tasks. Reality didn’t run on chivalry.
“If His Majesty orders me to carry out a mission—”
“Ignore it. I’ll handle it.”
She interrupted.
“…”
What was this?
Had I accidentally pressed some kind of button inside Alice?
Alice’s words seemed somewhat unrealistic. Honestly, it sounded like something a child throwing a tantrum might say. No matter how much she was destined to become the next Emperor, the current Emperor was still very much alive and well. It would take decades for her to ascend to the throne.
And if the Emperor were to issue a direct command, how could I possibly refuse?
…Even though it seemed absurd.
“…Understood.”
I found myself wanting to agree with her, despite everything.
I didn’t believe Alice’s words could be entirely upheld. But I could sense her sincerity. She genuinely intended to shield me from the Emperor’s orders.
And seeing Alice like this made me feel proud.
“…Why are you making that face?”
Alice spoke curtly, as if annoyed by my expression.
Huh?
“…What expression are you talking about?”
I was sure I was expressionless. I would have noticed if my expression had changed. After all, I had trained myself to maintain a neutral face for years.
I had the urge to raise my hand and touch my face but resisted the temptation. If this was a bluff, I’d be walking straight into it. It was better to be confident that I wasn’t showing any emotion and just look at her calmly.
“Hmph.”
Alice snorted softly and turned away.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she walked toward the door.
With a soft click, the door opened.
…Had she locked it?
“Well, get some rest.”
She said that before closing the door behind her.
“…”
I was planning on resting, even if she hadn’t told me to.
I sat down on the bed. Initially, I had thought about organizing my thoughts for a bit, then resetting the time to have tea with Claire… but now, I felt like I should abandon that idea. After having such a conversation with Alice, it felt wrong to reset the time. Even if I had tea with Claire, there was no guarantee Alice would ask me the same questions or that our conversation would go the same way. Based on my experience with resetting the time, things never played out exactly how I wanted them to.
Even the smallest change in my actions would lead to drastically different results. If I knew what outcome I wanted, I would have to repeat my exact actions without the slightest deviation to achieve the same ending.
“Ignore the Emperor’s orders, huh.”
Did Alice have some sort of leverage over the Emperor? Or was she planning to use what I had told her as a weapon?
Both seemed unlikely.
So, it seemed Alice was simply determined to handle things herself.
…That thought made me feel proud of her again.
Perhaps my life in this world hadn’t been in vain after all.
With a satisfied smile, I lay back on the soft bed.