Chapter : 6
Bad Ending Route: I Will Save You
The Queen of the School
My legs felt shaky as I stepped out of the Emerald Garden after Aaron disappeared.
Whoa. Guess I was more tense than I thought.
Those wild, sharp golden eyes. His towering height that made you tilt your head back just to meet his gaze. That blade-like tongue that made you feel like you’d be bitten if you dared say something useless.
But I endured all of it—and managed to strike a deal with him.
Everything’s going according to plan.
The blueprint I drafted all night clicked together like gears in a clock.
This exchange of information gave me two things at once:
One, Sally gets kicked from Freya’s page position.
Two, I get the potion for the Mage Promotion Exam.
Sally will now be expelled by Aaron in January—two months before the protagonist arrives.
Once Sally is gone from Freya’s side, Freya becomes targetable too.
Later, I can even aim for Freya’s page spot myself.
Having an upperclassman sponsor you as their page gives you bonus graduation points. Aaron, of course, refuses to take pages at all—what a pain of a man.
The tension drained and hunger rushed in.
I felt like I’d been talking to Aaron for over an hour, but only fifteen minutes had passed.
Good—I can still eat with Pina. Better hurry to the cafeteria.
But the closer I got, the louder the commotion became.
What’s going on?
A ridiculous number of students were gathered at the cafeteria entrance. They stood tightly packed around someone, muttering, “How pitiful,” and even snickering.
A cold dread crawled up from my stomach.
“What’s happening over there?”
“Oh, Yerina’s picking a fight with a commoner. Saying commoners don’t belong in the cafeteria.”
“What? Move!”
I pushed through the crowd, panic tightening my throat—and came face-to-face with the scene I had feared.
“I—I’m a student here too! Why can’t I go in?!”
Pina pleaded desperately. Yerina and two girls laughed at her cries. Yerina twirled her rolled-up bun of hair, flashing her canines like she meant to bite.
“How hilarious! Someone like you? In here?”
“Stop saying stupid things!”
Pina tried to force her way through but was slapped and shoved to the floor.
“Kya!”
“Don’t touch me, you filthy thing!”
My voice burst out of me.
“Pina! Hey—move!”
But the spectators blocked my path, forcing me to look over their heads at Pina sprawled on the ground.
No one cared. They just enjoyed the spectacle.
“You want to know why? Because you dared spill potato soup on our Lady Freya’s hair! And now you think you can waltz into the cafeteria? Who wants to lose their appetite eating next to a commoner?”
“Th-that… I know I was wrong. I’ll apologize to Lady Freya…”
Yerina sneered upward, laughter curling from her lips.
“Ha! You think a commoner’s apology can take responsibility for offending someone as noble as our Lady Freya?”
“I—I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Pina’s tears streamed down her face.
“Hey, look—she’s crying.”
“Crying?”
The two girls snickered while Yerina stepped closer and towered over her.
“Don’t cry. Go ask your parents why they gave birth to you as a commoner. Got it?”
Yerina burst into loud laughter, the crowd joining her. My temper snapped.
“Move!”
“Ugh, stop shoving!”
One boy shoved me back, knocking me flat. My tailbone throbbed.
Enough.
No one—not a single student—helped Pina, who had no family, no allies. The school claimed prestige, but its students were rotten with class prejudice.
What’s this? The pain’s gone…?
Then, suddenly, power surged through my hand.
This feeling…?
Teal wind coiled around my palm—Airan the wind-mage’s magic.
For the first time since arriving in this world, I was channeling magic. Fueled by anger.
Right—this is perfect.
I grabbed the boy who shoved me and threw him aside.
“I SAID MOVE!”
“Wha—?!”
He tumbled away. I dashed to Pina and hauled her upright.
“Pina! Are you okay?!”
Her hair was a mess, her uniform rumpled.
“Rana…”
“Oh wow, look who it is~ Isn’t this the pathetic fallen noble Airan who hangs out with commoners?”
Ugh. Just like a cheap villain NPC.
I stood and glared straight at Yerina.
“All this just to suck up to Lady Freya?”
“W-what?”
She was speechless. I pressed on, words slicing faster than her fan.
“Isn’t that what you want? Score points with Freya? Should I go tell her myself? ‘Yerina, precious daughter of a count, bullying a kid because she wants Freya’s attention.’ Congratulations—Freya’s got herself a loyal dog.”
“H-how dare you—what are you even saying!”
Her face went red as murmurs spread through the crowd.
“Oh? Supporting peasants now? Sure—of course you’d stick together! A fallen noble and a commoner! Perfect match! Airan Chandler, the orphan with no parents!”
Her followers chimed in.
“Right! She’s basically a beggar—of course you pity her, Yerina~”
“She’s protecting the school from lowlifes! How could she understand Yerina’s noble intentions?!”
I swear, every world and era has this type of trash.
A memory of college bullies flashed through my mind.
Still holding Pina upright, I shot Yerina a stare.
“W-why are you looking at me like that?!”
For the first time, she looked rattled—wondering if the timid Airan she used to torment had been replaced.
Good. Be afraid of me, Yerina.
“Why would I ever hang out with suck-ups like you? I’d rather be with a commoner! Better than lowering myself to your level. Aren’t you ashamed to live like that?”
“W-what? You—you—!”
“Go stuff yourselves with cafeteria food! Oh, maybe offer the meal to Lady Freya while you’re at it! And YOU go ask your parents why they birthed you into a second-rate count family and turned you into a groveling bootlicker!”
My voice rode my wind magic and boomed like a lion’s roar.
Everyone froze. Silence fell like snow. Even I was startled.
Yerina spluttered, fists clenched, itching to slap me. Students tapped each other nervously, retreating.
That was when an elegant voice cut the tension.
“What’s all this? Flattery? I’d like to hear more.”
The sea of students parted.
Freya walked in, every step radiating noble grace. Her silver hair shimmered.
She must’ve heard my yell.
Yerina’s mask finally cracked.
Freya surveyed the scene, eyes landing on Pina and me. Her gaze sharpened.
“L-Lady Freya! It’s nothing, really! Just—”
Yerina lunged to grab Freya’s hand.
“Surrounding a student and calling it ‘nothing’? Explain, Yerina.”
Cold air swept from Freya’s body—her ice magic stirred by anger.
Yerina’s clique turned pale and started trembling.
“M-misunderstanding! T-that girl started—!”
“Girl? You call a fellow student ‘that girl’ now?”
“Th-that’s not what I meant!”
Freya’s calm voice hit harder than mine.
One by one, students tried to slip away—but Freya’s voice pinned them.
“Don’t leave. You’re going to hear this.”
Yerina stood like a mouse before a tiger.
“If this isn’t a misunderstanding, answer. Why were you trying to stop Pina from entering the cafeteria?”
Yerina wrung her hands.
“She… spilled soup on your hair, so I was… teaching her a lesson…”
“Teaching? By banning her from eating and making her a laughingstock in public?”
Yerina’s eyes reddened. Everyone now saw she’d relied entirely on Freya’s name to throw her weight around.
Whispers rippled.
“She really was sucking up to Freya…”
Yerina cried out desperately.
“B-but! For you, Lady Freya! A mere commoner—!”
“That was clearly an accident. And YOU are the ones embarrassing me! You call yourself a noble lady? Does your family think making someone a spectacle is normal?!”
Freya’s words pierced her like arrows. Yerina gasped.
“How’s it feel? Being scolded in front of everyone. Like it? Do you?”
“N-no! I—I only did it for you!”
“Oh? So that’s why Airan called it flattery? For my sake? In what universe is this for me?”
Freya wrapped a comforting arm around Pina.
“Did you forget who my page is?”
Yerina blanched. Freya’s page was Sally—a former maid.
“We are all students of the same academy. Don’t throw titles around here. Apologize to Pina. As a classmate.”
Silence. No one dared oppose Freya. In that moment, she was their queen.
Yerina trembled—then croaked:
“I… I can’t…”
Freya’s brows tightened.
“I did nothing wrong, Lady Freya! Why won’t you understand my heart?!”
“Oh, I understand perfectly. You think differently from me. Then I’ll act as a proper noble too.”
Freya stepped back, towering over Yerina.
“Yerina Rubiana—effective immediately, your Rubiana family will have no dealings with the Lartea house. I’ll inform my father.”
Yerina’s blood drained to ice. She collapsed to her knees.
“L-Lady Freya! I—I’m sorry! You—You said you’d come to my birthday party!”
Clinging, sobbing, she grabbed Freya’s arm—but Freya yanked free.
“Sorry, but I don’t know someone like you.”
Yerina crumpled, sobbing as students dispersed.
I shot her a cold smirk. She flinched, then ran off in tears.
Pathetic.
“Come on, let’s eat. You must be starving.”
Freya smiled at Pina. Pina wiped her wet eyes.
“Thank you, Lady Freya…”
“No, I’m sorry you suffered because of me. Go eat—quick.”
Her smile was dazzling.
The weight on my chest lifted.
Pina crept to my side.
“Rana… thank you…”
“Mm.”
Freya turned to me—a warm look in her eyes.
“Fighting for a friend suits you.”
Then she slipped into the cafeteria, as if it were the most natural thing.
Yeah. That’s the Freya I know from the game.
Sally had once been rescued just like this—back when the school bullied her for being a maid’s daughter.
Freya stepped in then too.
Time to kick out that ungrateful Sally as soon as possible.
