Chapter 23 - Win-Win
It had already been a week since I won my fight against the protagonist.
The noisy Ranking Duel Encouragement Period had come to an end, and as calm returned to Redrick Academy of Magic—I was in hell.
“—Ah, Hollow, good morning! Nice weather today, huh?”
“—Hey, Hollow, our next elective is the same Magic History A class, right? Let’s head to the classroom together!”
“—Hollow, you always eat lunch alone, don’t you? If you don’t mind, could I join you? Oh, and here—I made a lunchbox for you!”
...Why the hell had I ended up on the protagonist’s friend route?!!!
No matter whether I went left or right, Allen stuck to me like glue.
Where did I take a wrong turn? How did it come to this?
I was certain I hadn’t done anything to raise the protagonist’s affection toward me.
If anything, I’d kept my attitude cold and dismissive toward him.
And yet... somehow, for some reason, the protagonist had grown incredibly attached to me.
If it’s come to this... maybe it’d be better to just slip into Allen’s good graces...
That thought crossed my mind—and I immediately scrapped it.
Last week, after Allen had been forcibly paired with Nia, I had come to a certain realization.
This world has some strange force... a kind of “corrective power” that works to make sure the main route is carried out.
At the moment, Allen might have been favorably disposed toward me... but in the original story’s main route, the protagonist and the villainous noble were always bitter enemies.
If this corrective power were to activate again, swapping Allen’s “affection” for “hatred”... and if we happened to be close friends who trusted each other with our backs at that moment—the result would be a disaster so grim I wouldn’t even want to look at it.
I want to believe such a drastic flip from affection to hatred won’t happen... but still...
I had no idea how strong the world’s corrective force truly was.
From here on, I planned to use a few upcoming events to test it thoroughly.
In any case, the unknown was frightening.
If I wanted to be safe, I should keep a certain distance from Allen.
Should I change my initial plan and transfer to another royal academy? ...No, that’s no good. That would leave the protagonist completely free...
Even though the world kept getting in my way, Allen’s leveling was still lagging behind.
His Unique Magic hadn’t evolved yet—it was still stuck at <Zero Counter>.
My Protagonist De-MC-ification Plan had been making steady progress, and it would be far too wasteful to stop now.
Besides, if I stray too far from the main route, I’ll lose my one overwhelming advantage—my knowledge of the original story.
Throwing away my own weapon would be the act of a fool.
For now... I’ll keep a relationship with Allen that’s neither too close nor too distant, continue the De-MC-ification Plan in secret, and begin my investigation into the world’s corrective power.
That was, for the time being, the best course of action.
After that, I need to inspect the new factory in Void Town, hurry and remove the new Mark of Defilement that Dia apparently picked up, and be ready for the next scheduled report at 1 AM tomorrow night...
On top of that, for Void Town’s growth, I still had to hunt down criminals in the royal capital and abduct any with useful Magic Factors... dig up my knowledge of the original story to list upcoming events and decide how to intervene... and, oh right, I also needed to make progress on my <Void> training to level myself up.
...Ugh. My to-do list is endless. I’m hopelessly short on time...
Perhaps because I was always so busy—
...Ah. Damn.
—I realized I had forgotten the short dagger I was supposed to use in the next Magic Imbuement class at home.
Should I use <Void Step> to go get it? ...No, I don’t want to use <Void> carelessly inside the school.
Well, I was a villainous noble now—skipping class was always an option. As I was thinking about that—
“Hollow-kun, did you... forget your dagger? I’ve got a spare one. You can use it if you want.”
Allen said that with a bright, guileless smile.
...He’s just a genuinely good guy, isn’t he...
If only he weren’t the protagonist, I could probably be great friends with him... I couldn’t help but think that.
One day, in the midst of my hectic routine—
“...Hm?”
I noticed a small letter slipped inside my desk.
What’s this? It’s... for me, right? There’s no sender’s name...
Using magic to melt the wax seal, I opened the envelope and found a single letter inside.
To Hollow
After school, I’ll be waiting in the chemistry prep room.
I have something important to discuss, so please make sure you come alone.
Nia le Ainsworth
Oh, great... Just when I’m buried in work, now it’s Nia? What the hell does she want with me?
For a moment, I considered ignoring it... but that would probably just cause more trouble later.
Delaying a nuisance never led to anything good.
And so, after school, I went to the chemistry prep room.
“—Nia, calling me to a place like this... what’s the idea? We agreed you wouldn’t pry into my business.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not prying into you. This falls outside the scope of our agreement.”
With that, she got straight to the point.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Denied.”
“H-Hey! I haven’t even said what it is yet!”
“Give it up. You can’t beat the Great Elder.”
“...!”
It seemed I had guessed right—Nia was at a loss for words.
“Y-You can’t know that without trying!”
“As the saying goes, ‘The fool learns from experience, the wise man learns from history.’ Which one are you?”
In battles between mages, upsets were rare, and the difference in ability was almost always reflected directly in the outcome.
The long history of Ronzolkia made that clear, and when the opponents were like Nia and Zova—who knew each other’s arsenals inside and out—it was even more so.
The gap between those two is far too great...
In mana, magical skill, martial arts, swordsmanship, experience, knowledge, and combat techniques—in virtually every aspect—Zova had her completely outclassed.
As a mage, the only thing Nia had over him was... well, youth.
This wasn’t because she was weak—it was because Zova le Ainsworth was far too strong.
An Origin-Class mage whose Unique Magic stopped his body from aging, allowing him to live on for countless ages—a man like a ghost.
Quite simply, the amount of time he had devoted to magic was on another level entirely.
Of course, I wouldn’t go so far as to say an upset is impossible...
But the odds were about as good as flipping a coin a hundred times and getting heads every time—astronomical.
“...I know. More than anyone, I know I can’t beat Zova on my own...! But if I could borrow your strength, even a tiny chance might appear!”
“Haa... so it really is that kind of request.”
I sighed in exasperation, and Nia straightened her posture before bowing her head.
“—Please, Hollow. Train me in magic.”
“And why exactly should I waste my valuable time on something so troublesome? What’s in it for me?”
“Before long, I’ll inherit the headship of House Ainsworth. Just a short period of training, and you’ll have a huge favor owed to you by the next head of one of the Four Great Noble Houses. Isn’t that a good deal?”
“Hmm… yes, that is an appealing offer.”
“R-Right?! So—”
“—If you actually manage to inherit it.”
“...!”
“In the end, it all comes down to whether you can defeat the Great Elder. And with your current strength, you can’t beat Zova. That’s the end of the discussion.”
I turned on my heel, but Nia’s voice stopped me.
“W-Wait…! If you agree to train me, I’ll tell you anything I know! The Ainsworth family has been researching Magic Factors for generations. I’m sure I have information you don’t know—something valuable to you!”
“Your negotiation’s sloppy. I told you before during the mock battle—I literally know everything. Your secrets, the dark side of House Ainsworth, and even the ‘Factor fusion research’ Zova is conducting in his underground lab. Unfortunately, you have nothing to bargain with.”
“Th-Then... um, well... I...”
Her words trailed off—not because she’d given up, but because she was desperately trying to think of a bargaining chip and couldn’t find one worth using.
Too bad for her... original Hollow’s mind is razor-sharp.
Convincing the real-world me might be easy enough...
But deceiving Hollow von Heisenberg was extremely difficult—probably impossible.
“If you have nothing, then I’m leaving.”
I was just about to finally leave the chemistry prep room—when I felt a small tug on my uniform sleeve.
“Please, Hollow… there’s no one else I can turn to...!”
“Not my problem.”
“If I can just defeat the Great Elder, I’ll become head of House Ainsworth! Then you’d benefit too—”
“You’re persistent.”
“...I’ll do anything I can, listen to anything you say. So please... train me in magic...”
Nia’s voice trembled as she clung to me.
Uh... you’re way too close.
This body of mine has an embarrassingly low resistance to desire, so... please back up a bit.
Ah... what soft skin.
And such a sweet scent...
I could almost just push her down right now...
While a storm of indecent thoughts raged inside me, a devilish idea flashed through my mind.
...Wait. If I think about it differently—this might actually work.
Right now, thanks to the world’s corrective force, Allen and Nia had ended up connected.
In the main route, Allen grows stronger through rivalry with Nia, each driving the other toward awakening...
The two of them would, from here on, sharpen each other as worthy rivals.
But if I step in now and start personally training Nia... Allen will lose his rival, and his growth will slow dramatically.
Heh. So simple.
If they’ve been tied together, I just need to untie them.
...Hm?
Just then, my Hollow brain picked up on something strange.
...That’s odd. If the world’s corrective force were truly absolute... an ‘opportunity event’ like this shouldn’t even happen.
It went to the trouble of connecting Allen and Nia—so why let them be split apart so quickly?
Come to think of it... last week’s battle between Allen and Nia happened far too late. Way too late.
If the aim was to push them back toward the main route, it should have forced them into conflict much earlier.
Why didn’t it? ...Or perhaps—it couldn’t? Maybe the corrective force can’t be freely used, and is bound by some kind of restriction...
I dug deeper into the thought.
That day was... yes, the day I beat the protagonist in the Ranking Duel. After the fight, Allen and Nia suddenly grew close. Their common factor? They both lost to me. Could it be that the corrective force—
...No. This was still just speculation.
I’d need solid proof before making any conclusions.
At any rate, training Nia had clear benefits and almost no downsides.
Of course, I can’t get careless or overconfident... but no matter how strong Nia gets, she could never beat me.
<Void> and <Primordial Flame>—both Origin-Class magics, but their specs were on entirely different levels.
Mine was vastly superior.
If I train Nia, I can erase one of the protagonist’s power-up events for sure. She’ll almost certainly lose to Zova afterward, but I won’t take any damage from that. And if, by some miracle, she defeats the Great Elder, I’ll have earned a massive favor from the next head of House Ainsworth...
In other words, in every possible scenario, I couldn’t lose.
“...Fine. I’ll do it.”
“...Huh? What did you just say?”
“I said I’ll train you—special exception.”
“R-Really...? The lazy, arrogant, heartless demon Hollow is actually agreeing to my request...?”
“...Sounds like you don’t need my help after all.”
“N-No, no! Just kidding! Don’t take it seriously!”
“It didn’t sound like a joke at all... but whatever. Starting today, I’ll train you after school for one month. That work for you?”
“Yes, that’s perfect...! Thank you... really, thank you so much!”
Nia’s face bloomed into a radiant smile as she gripped both my hands tightly.
...As expected of a heroine—she really was adorable.
“I think I’ve misunderstood you. Sure, your mouth is awful, but... you’ve actually got a kind side, don’t you?”
“Hmph. Naturally.”
I turned my back so she couldn’t see my face.
Because right now, I was sure I was wearing an extremely wicked grin.
Heh... yes, yes, this is perfect! After a week of being shadowed by the protagonist and racking my brain over the corrective force, I’ve finally got the tide turning in my favor!
I’d be using Nia, sure... but that was fine.
After all, this wasn’t a bad deal for her either—a true win-win arrangement.
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