The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 53
EP.53 Discovery (2)
“I will keep an eye on Mia Crowfield.”
Initially, I intended to keep it a secret, but our diligent princess often sought me out on weekends to study together. Although she wasn’t the type to dedicate herself entirely to studying all day, Alice seemed to believe that reviewing the week’s lessons on the weekend was a given, even when it wasn’t exam season.
I could only imagine how intensely she would study once exam season actually arrived. It would be beneficial for me as well. While I often reset time during regular classes to grasp anything I didn’t understand, having Alice around was helpful.
Anyway, if I didn’t mention this in advance, Alice would undoubtedly search for me all over the place.
“…Did Crowfield do something wrong?”
“No, she didn’t.”
I lightly shook my head at Alice’s slightly concerned question.
“But Mia Crowfield could pose a threat.”
In the original game, she was one of the strongest magic dealers. If you fully upgraded her staff and properly combined and equipped her with Marmaros, she could spam spells with damage equivalent to other characters’ ultimate skills. Especially in the first game, where the balance wasn’t perfect, there were a few overpowered Marmaros that made it nearly possible to cast spells infinitely during her turn.
Although this world differed somewhat from the game… it still retained some system elements. If the spells from the game existed here, even a fraction of them could be lethal to me.
“Wait, are you thinking of… eliminating her?”
Alice’s face was full of rejection as she spoke. Naturally, she didn’t know about the possible future I foresaw. For Alice, Mia Crowfield was just another classmate.
Honestly, I didn’t harbor any ill feelings toward Mia either. Sure, her father was trash, but Mia herself wasn’t a bad person. If anything, she leaned toward being good, especially in terms of her strong sense of justice.
“No, I’m not.”
That was my truthful response.
I wasn’t trying to eliminate Mia Crowfield. My goal was to avoid any potential danger and prepare for defense. Besides, who would deal with the body if I killed a student inside the academy?
“Really?”
Alice asked again, still doubtful. I gave her a firm answer.
“Really.”
She studied my face as if searching for something, then finally sighed and nodded.
“…Alright. If you say it with that expression, I suppose I have no choice but to believe you.”
…I wasn’t sure what kind of expression that was. I was just as expressionless as always. For a brief moment, I wondered if Alice had some kind of psychic ability to read people’s emotions. Of course, I dismissed the thought immediately. I had read the original story in detail, including all the character profiles and their abilities.
There were no spoilers for the sequel, but the settings regarding the main characters had mostly been revealed. Alice definitely didn’t possess any psychic abilities like that. If she had, there was no way she wouldn’t have noticed the Emperor’s schemes.
“Well, Crowfield’s attitude has changed… If you feel there’s a threat, we can’t ignore it.”
Alice muttered to herself and then suddenly looked at me.
“Should I help?”
“I’m fine.”
“…You answered that a bit too quickly.”
Alice looked a bit hurt by my immediate response.
“The fewer people tailing someone, the less likely we are to get caught.”
I had prepared this answer in advance, anticipating Alice might say something like that.
“Still… What if I get close to Crowfield first and try to gather information?”
“Your Highness, you’re the daughter of His Majesty, the Emperor. Approaching her would only raise her guard.”
If the daughter of the man who killed her father came near her, of course, she would be extremely cautious. Though Mia didn’t seem to harbor any particular ill will toward Alice, it would still take time for her to warm up, at least half a year of gradual effort.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
I confirmed again to Alice, who spoke with a hint of disappointment.
To be honest, I felt much more comfortable doing this alone. It allowed me to relax a bit.
*
Thanks to what I said, I managed to get Alice off my back.
This wasn’t my first time surveilling someone. I had done it before when I assassinated the Count, tirelessly exploring all possible routes, retracing steps, and resetting time repeatedly.
The same method worked well within the academy. I had a high-performance pair of binoculars, and even a scope typically attached to a rifle, which could be used effectively on its own.
Each dormitory room had a large window, strategically placed to give a scenic view. The academy wasn’t an isolated skyscraper, but it did stand in the midst of the capital. Although the surrounding environment was carefully managed, it was still located in the heart of the city, surrounded by buildings.
Between the dormitory and the nearby structures, however, there was a large lawn, designed to provide a calming view when looking out the windows. It wasn’t as vast as Central Park in the middle of New York, but the greenery within the bustling city had its own way of soothing people.
It was the weekend, and students were sprawled out on the lawn. Couples sat on picnic blankets eating sandwiches, and others were napping. Well, it was spring after all.
But I wasn’t here to watch them.
The large windows were designed to help students relax, and if the curtains weren’t drawn, the inside of the rooms was clearly visible. Especially on a sunny day like today.
From my vantage point atop a building outside the academy, it would normally be impossible to get a good view of the dormitory far in the distance… but I had a large sniper scope in my possession.
I could clearly see up to 400 meters ahead. Of course, even at that distance, a person would appear about the size of a finger joint, but it was large enough to hit a target if needed—that was good enough.
I knew exactly where Mia Crowfield’s room was. There was no need to search the dormitory records. After all, the dormitory building was one of the locations implemented in the game. Not every room was designed in detail, but the rooms of important characters were. Especially the rooms of the protagonist’s party, which were naturally included.
In the original game, you could enter almost any house. Even if you barged in uninvited, none of the NPCs would get angry, let alone accuse you of trespassing. Instead, they would share their thoughts or talk about what they were currently doing. Of course, that wasn’t to suggest you were actually breaking into homes and gathering personal information. It was more of a game mechanic meant to immerse you in the world.
…Thanks to that, I knew Mia Crowfield hid important items under the floorboards beneath her bed.
Since I couldn’t just walk in and open the door, I was observing from the rooftop.
“……”
As expected, the window had curtains drawn. They weren’t particularly thick blackout curtains. They were thin, white curtains that would likely show shadows if there was light inside. But it was daytime now. The outside was brighter than the inside. So, the room’s interior wouldn’t be visible through the curtains.
Mia Crowfield was likely inside.
In the game, she was a character who preferred staying in her room. She even had a line like, “It’s dangerous outside the blankets…” It made sense that she wasn’t fond of being out in the sunlight.
Gloomy, timid.
That was the Mia Crowfield designed to fit those traits.
Though, the atmosphere around her had lightened somewhat, likely because her father’s enemy was nearby.
“Hmm.”
I made a sound as I pondered.
If so many characters had changed because of my presence, wouldn’t the future events I knew also drastically change? If the story’s development shifted too much, would my knowledge of what was to come become useless?
“……”
Even after mulling it over, I couldn’t reach a clear conclusion.
…I would worry about that when the time came. For now, observing Mia Crowfield was the priority. If things got really bad, I could always reset the time.
*
“……”
I should have anticipated this.
For someone who ranked staying indoors as their top priority, there was always the possibility they wouldn’t leave their room for the entire day.
I had been stationed on the rooftop for half the day, and the sun was now beginning to set. Despite that, the curtains of Mia Crowfield’s room hadn’t budged. No light came from inside either.
Was she sleeping?
I seriously pondered the situation, but with no signs of movement, no answers came to mind.
“….”
Fine.
I decided to put away the scope I had been holding. Since things had turned out this way, perhaps it was best to visit Mia Crowfield’s room directly. Thinking back, the fact that Mia evaded answering properly yesterday might have been because I spoke in front of so many people. If Mia Crowfield was trying to avoid being alone with me, I just needed to create a situation where we were alone.
…But if I went now, wouldn’t that mean I wasted my entire day?
“……”
Whatever, I might as well go talk to Mia Crowfield while I’m at it. After we talk, I can decide whether or not to reset the time.
With that thought, I stood up, patting my body which ached from lying down for so long. Fortunately, I had laid down a military poncho before lying down, which was a relief. With a deep sigh, I rolled up the poncho and got ready to go.
*
Luckily, I didn’t run into anyone I knew on my way to the dormitory. If I had, those social butterflies would never have let me leave without dragging me to a café for a parfait or something. As much as I enjoyed those moments, I had something important to do today.
I made my way to Mia Crowfield’s room, which was on a different floor than mine or Alice’s.
Standing before the large door, I took a deep breath and looked around.
No one was in the hall. Good. It was Saturday, so many students had probably gone home to rest. Or maybe “rest” wasn’t quite the word—high-ranking nobles were likely off receiving private lessons. But Crowfield Manor was too far away for Mia to make the trip home every weekend. Even in the game, Mia Crowfield was always in her room.
Alright.
I raised my hand and knocked on the door.
“Miss Crowfield.”
Nothing.
After waiting a moment, I knocked again, a bit harder this time.
Knock, knock.
…Still no response from beyond the door.
I glanced around the hallway once more before pressing my ear to the door to listen for any sounds inside.
Silence.
…Was she really not here?
“….”
I hesitated for a moment, then checked my surroundings again.
No one.
Alright, the opportunity was here, and time was on my side.
I pulled a lockpick from my pocket.