The Protagonist’s Party is Too Diligent – 55
EP.55 Discovery (4)
She must have realized that something was wrong the moment she noticed the door had been locked in an unusual way. It wouldn’t have taken long for her to guess that someone was inside. And if that someone happened to be the person she suspected of killing her father, it would have been even more shocking.
Not to mention, that person was now sitting on her bed, casually handling a gun.
…Had I gone too far?
The thought crossed my mind for a brief moment but was quickly dismissed. If things truly spiraled out of control, I could always turn back time and adjust the situation.
“What… What do you want?”
Mia asked, her eyes darting between my face and the gun in my hand.
“Do you know what this gun is?”
I asked calmly.
“……”
Mia hesitated, seemingly debating how to respond. She could easily claim ignorance and move on. After all, the gun had been hidden under the bed in a place without any special locks. For someone who hadn’t known where to look, it would have been impossible to notice it was there.
But the problem was that I was the one asking.
It wasn’t just about knowing where the hidden space was. What mattered was how people around me viewed me. The Emperor and his children had always treated me as if I possessed some kind of clairvoyance, and during the last lesson, I had demonstrated my fearsome abilities.
So, it made sense that they’d expect me to be capable of finding something hidden under a bed. Whether I actually found it or not was almost irrelevant.
“Firearms are prohibited on school grounds. Are you not aware of this?”
I asked.
It didn’t matter how she had managed to smuggle it in. What mattered was that she’d been caught.
“May I ask why you brought this gun with you?”
I asked, still seated on the bed, gazing up at Mia.
“Th-that’s…,”
She stammered, visibly trembling, her face still pale. She looked pitiful in a way.
To be fair, Mia herself might not have been at fault. The blame lay with her father. Maybe even her mother. Mia, on the other hand, was just a child who had grown up believing everything they told her.
She hadn’t even used the gun yet.
However, under imperial law, things were far less forgiving. At a minimum, this could lead to her expulsion from the academy. And depending on her reasons for hiding the firearm, it could easily cost her life.
Even worse, if the Emperor desired it, he could fabricate any reason necessary. With enough justification, the entire Crowfield family could be wiped out. Compared to the circumstances surrounding her father’s death, this situation was infinitely more dangerous.
After all, I was the imperial princess.
“D-do you plan to kill me?”
Mia Crowfield stammered for a long while before finally asking me that question.
“…Close the door first. Then, we’ll talk.”
I said.
Only then did Mia, flustered, hurriedly close the door.
Silence.
The room felt stifling with just the two of us inside. Alice knew what was going on, of course, because I had told her in advance. But aside from Alice, no one else knew about the dark history between Mia Crowfield and me.
“Would you mind telling me why you believe I would kill you?”
I asked.
“…Because I am a child of the Crowfield family.”
She replied.
“In that case, you should also be aware that I cannot simply kill a noble like yourself, yes?”
“F-father…,” she stuttered, swallowing hard before continuing, “You killed my father….”
“….”
I gazed at Mia Crowfield in silence.
Was she speaking based on solid evidence, or was this merely a blind belief?
The last time, I had initiated the confrontation by revealing part of the truth to provoke her. But now, it seemed important to understand what exactly she knew.
“And what makes you so certain?”
I asked.
Mia closed her eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them again, speaking hesitantly.
“…On the day my father died, you weren’t in the imperial palace.”
“….”
I waited for her to continue, but no further explanation came.
“Is that your only piece of evidence?”
I pressed.
“It’s not just you. Every time a noble died mysteriously, one of the Emperor’s children would go missing from the palace,” Mia added.
“….”
I see.
It wasn’t surprising. The Emperor had never bothered to hide it. In fact, he probably wanted it to be known—making a statement to the nobles: those who defied him would be eliminated.
So, it made sense that Mia was so convinced. After all, I had killed her father.
“So, are you seeking revenge? Are you planning to kill me?”
I asked.
Mia didn’t answer immediately, her expression faltering.
Was it fear? Was she afraid that answering incorrectly might lead to her death right here and now? Or perhaps she was worried that by confessing her intent, she would lose her chance for revenge?
“…I’m not sure.”
She finally admitted, her voice wavering with uncertainty.
“….”
Not sure? After going through the trouble of preparing a gun and a Marmaros, was she still uncertain about whether to kill me or not?
I paused for a moment, deep in thought.
In the original story, Mia eventually gave up trying to kill Claire, but only after being confronted with irrefutable evidence of her father’s wrongdoing during the Crowfield episode. That episode was still a long way off in the current timeline.
From the moment Claire first appeared, Mia Crowfield’s suspicions about her never wavered. Could those unshakable suspicions truly falter now, just because of my appearance?
Logically speaking, wouldn’t I be an easier target to kill? Not in terms of method, but psychologically. I was nothing more than a cold, expressionless killing machine, after all. A kind of person who didn’t feel even a sliver of remorse when taking lives.
I had never shown any signs of humanity, so wouldn’t that make me easier to kill?
“…There’s something I want to ask you.”
Mia Crowfield spoke up.
“Yes?”
I tilted my head, curious.
“Why did you show a more human side of yourself when no one was around?”
She asked.
“A human side?”
I repeated, puzzled.
What was she talking about? Did she think I had smiled or something when no one was looking?
Mia’s expression seemed as if she’d given up on everything. Her face was drained of energy, like someone who had been worn down by too many thoughts and now just wanted to give up, to let go of everything.
It was the face of someone who had experienced too much at once, someone who just wanted to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep—like a soldier on their first day of battle.
“…I followed you.”
She confessed.
…What?
“I wanted to observe what you did when you were alone.”
Mia continued, her voice low.
…Huh?
“And… when you thought no one was watching, you acted like any other ordinary person. You sniffled, yawned, and even nodded off while sitting down.”
“….”
Wait, what was she saying?
When did I ever do something like that…?
…Oh.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
In the imperial palace, I was always on edge, knowing that someone was out to get me. Dodging Lucas’s sword strikes was easy enough with time manipulation, but the real problem was when Lucas didn’t strike at all. When he was lying in wait.
Unless Lucas jumped out with a smug “I’ve been here all along!”, I had no way of knowing where he was. So, I had to maintain my facade at all times, no matter what. If I didn’t, Lucas could report everything to the Emperor.
While Lucas acted nonchalantly in front of the Emperor, his respect for him was undeniable. Even though Lucas truly wanted to strike me down, his loyalty to the Emperor always came first.
But after coming to the academy… I had let my guard down, if only a little.
In the palace, I had relaxed a little in my own room, but it wasn’t the same as how I’d let my guard down at the academy. Even if someone caught me off guard here, the most that would happen was Alice bursting into my room unexpectedly. Alice had already started reading my expressions, so even if I slipped up a little, it wouldn’t be enough to make her faint from shock.
As long as I kept my face from crumbling like it did when I ate parfait, that would be enough.
But…
Had I let my guard down too much?
Mia Crowfield had been tailing me?
“Since when?”
“Answer me first.”
Mia replied, her face still clouded with confusion as she looked at me. But in her eyes, there was a determination—like she had resolved to get some answers from me, no matter what.
“Was everything you did just an act? Were you trying to deceive me, confuse me on purpose?”
“…”
“Did you really kill my father? Did you come to my room now to silence me? I can’t understand… is there any logic to your actions? Any consistency at all?”
“…”
Hmm. Mia had probably started following me at least a week ago. The only time she could have seen me dozing off was that early morning when I was waiting for the carriage. I must have yawned and sniffled then.
But there was no proof she hadn’t been following me even earlier. Even if I went back and stopped myself from slipping up that moment, there was no guarantee I hadn’t been caught before or after.
If I were to reset the time… it’d be safest to return to the beginning of the semester.
And as I reached that conclusion, I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. So much had happened in just two weeks. I could turn back time, but I couldn’t speed it up.
I had painstakingly arranged things to fall into place the way I wanted, and now, just for this one mistake, was I supposed to go back and do it all over again?
Well… I suppose. I could handle it more efficiently this time. The time would pass the same, but I’d need fewer resets.
The real issue was whether I could maintain my current relationships with everyone I’d met so far. From their perspective, I’d be meeting them for the first time, but for me, they were people I’d already interacted with multiple times.
Did I have the acting skills to pull off those first meetings again? To rebuild the same image I’d carefully crafted?
And… I didn’t want to lose the feelings I’d developed. That initial thrill of meeting the characters I’d loved in the game. If I erased those experiences, the emotions would fade, too.
No matter how much I criticized the game, my fondness for it had been genuine.
Even Mia Crowfield, who was standing right in front of me now…
“Please answer me.”
Mia’s voice broke the silence. She was practically pleading now.
“Why did you go out of your way to talk to me, the person no one else ever approached? Why did you help me solve that assignment? How could you show no hostility toward me?”
The more I listened, the more I realized how much I had overlooked.
I raised a hand, cutting Mia off mid-sentence.
After sorting through my thoughts, I slowly opened my mouth to speak.
“…I know the truth.”
If I had to start over, it was better to take a step back for now. It would be wiser to escape the situation for the moment and reassess my plan later.
“But there are things I can’t tell you right now.”
I said, meeting Mia’s eyes directly.