Chapter 52 52: Antagonising Antagonist Antagoniser

Practically the moment we walked through the academy gates the following morning, trouble arose. Solo-fidgeting by that yet phenomenal entrance, evidently in wait for someone... A wild Protagonist appeared. "Oh!" The instant she saw us, or more likely, me, her expression brightened and she perked up with an enthusiastic wave, her pink twintails bobbing as she approached, bouncing with glee. "Sir Enki! Good morning...!" Suppressing a sigh ready to erupt from within, I put on a smile and raised my hand. "Goo--" And suddenly. "――How tremendously impertinent. Lady Tichá, your abhorrent attitude truly has my intrigue piqued beyond compare. Do tell me, what exactly makes you think you can address the attendant directly whilst ignoring his master? The arrogant incivility. Not only are you so rudely passing over my presence in favour of a mere attendant, but you have doubly insulted me by ever so clearly disregarding my previous, generously bestowed advice for you to brush up on standard noble etiquette, or rather, the fundamentals of basic social conduct and decency as it were. I am deeply offended, and you have damaged my reputation by treating me in this awful manner. How will you compensate for such disrespect, I wonder?" As if having thrown a fat brick at the pink girl's head, or perhaps a metric ton of bricks, Lucretia stunlocked the enemy with a relentless barrage. Seeing the utterly dumbfounded expression that resulted from the opposing young lady's face, it was hard work stifling a laugh. 'Hah, holy hell... wow.' I know I had heard a similar thing yesterday, but there was an inexplicable difference between eavesdropping behind a closed door and witnessing it just a few feet before my eyes. Besides, wasn't this just a little bit more savage than that time? With the knowledge that this vicious person would never bare such frightening teeth towards me, I knew there was no reason to be worried, but even if that was true... 'Imagine dating someone like that... That's fucking crazy.' For a moment, I felt like I was able to gain a peek into what the crown prince's life might have been like growing up. Perhaps only fitting for an Antagonist, I couldn't help but feel that this girl would grow up to be a scary woman indeed. The mage apprentice was correct. Fortunately, I would be long gone by that point. 'Well, at least she doesn't act that way towards me.' "My Lady, is it really necessary to be so harsh? Lady Tichá only--" "Enki. Are you questioning my actions?" "...Certainly not." 'Nevermind. Yep.' When Lucretia abruptly started on her own towards the academy's main building, I naturally had no choice but to follow. Walking past the Protagonist, her newly-wetted eyes staring pleadingly at me, I flashed her a wry smile before hastening my pace to match Lucretia's. Thereafter, as soon as we entered the academy's main building, finding a place isolated enough with no surrounding eyes, she halted in her tracks and turned to face me halfway. "Are you going to tell me what you are up to or not?" A low, almost threatening voice flowed into my ears. "Do you plan to continue defending another lady in front of your supposed master? A lady who so blatantly disrespected the one you serve, and with countless offences at that? Tell me, where exactly do your priorities lie, because I find myself most confounded as to what you could possibly be thinking." Lucretia's eyes continued to narrow, those intense, red gems shooting subtle glares at me. "I decided to play along with your request because you are supposed to be helping me, but did you perhaps forget which side you are on? At this rate, not just His Highness, but you, too, will--" She was clearly frustrated, not able to understand why I seemed to defend the Protagonist, our shared enemy. It was understandable why she might be concerned, but at the same time, it was tiring. "Lucretia." Interrupting her, I looked straight into her eyes. "I told you yesterday, didn't I? That girl is hiding something. I need to get close to her in order to figure out what that secret is before attempting anything." Even when the Contracts were only 1-star Difficulty, I still had no choice but to build rapport and trust with the Protagonists in order to reveal an opening in their defence. I was still weak, so that was the only method I had available to me. The third Contract was different only because the Protagonist was an opponent I had to fight from the very beginning, for one, and also because I didn't risk anything just from shooting her right in the arena, but it could have easily been the same as the first two if that weren't the case. The fact of my weakness hasn't changed. In order to succeed, I can only rely on exploiting the Protagonist's vulnerability. Now that the Difficulty had shot up to 3-star all of a sudden, it was no wonder that I should be using the same, reliable strategy. No, it was even more dire that I used it. Fortunately for me, the nature of a Beloved only made it easier to deepen our relationship, and thanks to #NaiveProtagonist, she shouldn't suspect anything, but that didn't mean I could take it easy or get careless. Until that secret, the #HiddenTruePower, is revealed, I cannot take any risks. It's easy to build affinity with the Protagonist this time around, and I have plenty of time to get her trust in me up to a level where she feels comfortable revealing everything. I have to keep in mind that the cards are in my favour; there's no need to rush. "To make my job easier, you'll play the part of what is essentially her bully. You'll antagonise her while I'll be the one to console her. You know good cop bad cop? Carrot-and-stick training? It's that sort of thing." To put it generously, it was a way to gently nudge the Protagonist in the "right direction". To put it bluntly, it was psychological manipulation. By having Lucretia take out all her frustrations on the Protagonist, I was making her do something she probably would've done in the original story anyway, and it would also benefit me besides serving as a way to soothe her scathed heart. For now, this was the most effective way to make use of the Antagonist's position. Obviously, I don't know for sure since I've never played the original game, but I would imagine the crown prince's love route would see him comfort the main character after she got harassed or bullied by Lucretia, who did so in an attempt to put a stop to her fiancé getting distracted by this random girl. At least, it makes sense to me that that's how it would go down, so my request really wasn't anything special. The only difference was, instead of the crown prince mending the Protagonist's torn and battered heart, it would be me. I could effectively mould the plot of the story however I wanted, so this shouldn't be a problem, and so long as I can control the 'when', 'where' and 'how' Lucretia does the bullying, it's even better. Because, that way, it also allows me control over when, where, and how the Protagonist is treated. "That's why your role is important here. Do you understand?" "Are you questioning my comprehension? I merely... do not feel comfortable observing my only ally so eagerly butter up to the enemy. Do you have a problem with that, or are you also inconsiderate in such a manner?" Observing her face, I could notice the deep-seated worry in her eyes. She most likely bore an irrevocable anxiety about me being 'stolen' from her, just like the crown prince, and there was no doubt about it. 'Even though there's nothing to worry about...' Frankly, I thought her excessive worries unnecessary, albeit understandable. Since the Librarian already told me I was unaffected by the power of the Beloved, I knew I would be fine, but I also understood why she felt so strongly about it. Of course, from her perspective, it was only logical that she would be concerned, but still. "Hey. I'm not an idiot who's so down bad I'd get won over just like that, you know? If you don't feel good about it, take out those negative feelings on her; it'll only help speed things up. Just make sure you don't do anything that could raise her affection towards the prince, and make sure you don't go so overboard that you put yourself at risk. Don't endanger her life, either, because she might lash out." If Lucretia did something that put the Protagonist's life at risk, it was yet unknown how the latter might retaliate. Considering her hidden power, it was better to take caution in that regard. With evident reluctance, she sighed. "...If you say so, then I will refrain from speaking of it further than this. Again. You are my sole ally, so I will place my trust in you... which is not easily earned, I'll have you know. Sincerely, I hope you will not betray it." Meeting my gaze with eyes of quiet, smouldering crimson, the Antagonist transmitted her concern directly. Receiving that earnest faith, there wasn't much to say. "Don't worry." In response, I could only give the anxiety-stricken girl a smile. "I promise, everything will go swimmingly." Since I wasn't someone who could shamelessly live on after letting down someone who was relying on me. That was the kind of mistake I couldn't ever let repeat itself. Not again. "So, just have faith in me to get it done. Alright?" In the end, maybe that――was the quality that made a 'professional'.