Chapter 308

Just to clarify, in Luminor Academy, there wasn’t originally any festival after the hunting season.@@novelbin@@

The academy’s hunting festival was an intense final exam where students risked their lives to hunt monsters in the dungeon connected to the academy’s forest. Students would return with their trophies, and the competition would be about who caught the strongest monster and who captured the most.

It was a test where injuries were common, and while not every year saw fatalities, it wasn’t unheard of. That’s why, in the original Luminor Academy, a festival after the hunting season would have been unthinkable. After all, how could anyone enjoy a celebration when someone’s friend or family member might have died during the hunt?

The only time a festival could happen after the hunting season in Luminor Academy was after the second semester of the second year’s hunting exam.

That day, the "Hero's Party" defeated a dangerous boss monster from the dungeon and saved other students, who were close to dying. One of the saved students was a high-ranking individual whose death could have caused diplomatic issues, making the celebration well-justified. Plus, the meat of the "Giant Owlbear" they defeated had to be consumed, serving as the excuse for the feast and drinks that followed.

That was the only time in the entire story of Luminor Academy that a post-hunting festival, with meat and alcohol, ever occurred.

So, why was I sitting here with Ethan, with Lyria and Callaham across from us at this festival? The reason was simple.

They just decided to join our table of their own accord. Ethan and I hadn’t invited them, yet here they were.

"...And then Senior Lilith said this! She told me that if a man doesn’t get moved by such a passionate confession, he’s probably impotent, so I should just give up on him!"

"Uh, Lyria… I didn’t say it that harshly…."

"But it’s such a valid point!"

"That’s really useful advice, Lyria!"

"Indeed, Lady Rosewood must truly be a genius at seduction!"

"..."

By now, other athletic girls had gathered around our table, and Lyria had started spreading the gospel of my supposed "genius" in confessions.

The confession that was supposed to fail had somehow become known as the most passionate and intense confession in the history of the academy, and now people were treating me like the mastermind behind it all. The dizzying atmosphere of admiration was overwhelming.

Ever since Lyria and Callaham had started dating, she kept bringing me up every chance she got, spreading this ridiculous image of me as some kind of confession expert. With Lyria’s loud, enthusiastic nature, I couldn’t stop the nickname from spreading, even if I tried.

…For the record, Agnes was sitting at this table not long ago, but it took less than five minutes after Lyria and Callaham joined for her to flee back to the Hero's Party table, complaining about the noise.

"Ah, Lady Rosewood! Would you like another drink?"

"...No, I’m fine."

"Oh! You must be running low on snacks! I’ll go get some more—please, wait here with Lord Ethan!"

"No, no… it’s not that we need more food. As the maid, it’s my job to—"

"I’ll be back in no time!!"

"...do that…."

Since Lyria had told him I helped her with her confession, Callaham had started treating me with more respect than ever before, making it even harder to escape the attention of this musclehead couple.

'Individually, they’re already loud, but together… it’s like their noise synergizes…'

It wasn’t all bad, though. Unexpectedly, I’d grown closer to Lyria, and honestly, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

After all, I had gone through her route once before in a past life, and even though her character was divisive, I personally liked her as a healthy and attractive beauty.

"...And then, during the hunting festival yesterday, Senior Lilith also…."

…Though having her as a close friend turned out to be quite noisy and a bit much at times.

But, so what? If Lyria ended up happy, then I was content with that.

'Now that it’s come to this, maybe I should help the other heroines find partners too.'

While I hadn’t been intentionally playing matchmaker, two couples had already formed, or were on the verge of forming, because of me.

One was obviously Lyria and Callaham, and the other was Agnes and Prince Antonio.

Of course, the second couple was still in the "something’s brewing" stage, and it wasn’t confirmed yet. But given Agnes’s situation, if she didn’t end up with Antonio, her prospects of ending up with anyone else were slim, so I didn’t need to intervene much there.

Natalie, on the other hand, just needed to avoid any interference, and she would naturally end up with her childhood friend, Thomas, so I didn’t need to worry about her either. As for me… well, things were going just fine with Ethan for now.

With four of the main and side heroines paired off, I was reasonably satisfied with the outcome so far.

As I’ve mentioned before, I believe that a woman who clings to an unattainable love for the rest of her life is like a beautiful apple left to rot in a storage shed.

The three main heroines were already beyond my reach, so there wasn’t much I could do about them. But the other heroines still had a chance to find a normal love with someone who would cherish only them for life.

'There’s no need to do the hero any favors, anyway.'

Since the Hero’s Party was already mostly complete, pairing off a few more heroines wouldn’t mess anything up.

With my decision made, I quietly stood up and began walking toward the table where the Hero’s Party was sitting.

"Master Ethan, may I excuse myself for a moment?"

"Sure. If you're tired, we can head back soon."

"I should at least say goodbye to Lord Callaham since he’s ended up running an errand for me. I’ll be back shortly, so please wait a little longer, Master Ethan."

"Alright, take your time, Lilith."

Leaving Ethan behind, who didn’t question where I was going, I walked toward the Hero’s Party table, pretending to head for the restroom.

By now, the rest of the party would probably be passed out, leaving just the hero. It was the perfect time for a quiet chat.

"Hey, Hero."

"Lilith, good timing."

When I arrived at the Hero’s Party’s table, the only conscious person left was the hero, who waved at me as if he had been expecting me.

I hadn’t seen it directly, but I could easily guess what had happened. Natalie, who gets tipsy after just one drink, must have been the first to pass out, and Thomas would’ve taken her away, as usual.

Then there was Seraphina, who was always busy, so she probably left early. Agnes, who doesn’t have many friends aside from Seraphina, likely followed her back to the dorms.

Celestina was busy after the hunting festival, so she hadn’t been able to attend at all. As for Silena…

"Mmm… For an elf, this much alcohol is… just like drinking water…."

She was sprawled out, face down on the table next to the hero.

"How much did she drink?"

"About four and a half glasses of fruit wine."

"Then I guess we don’t need to worry about being overheard."

At that level of intoxication, she’d be too out of it to even notice if someone carried her to bed and undressed her. So, it seemed safe to talk openly.

"You’ve become quite the celebrity lately, haven’t you? ‘Genius of Seduction,’ ‘Confession Master.’ It’s all anyone talks about in the academy these days."

"...Yeah, can you not remind me? I didn’t expect things to turn out this way."

"Did you really match up Lyria and Callaham?"

"Well, I suppose it ended that way, but I didn’t exactly plan it. It just… happened."

"...Hmm, is that so?"

The hero stroked his chin with a thoughtful expression, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Did I mess up?

"...Did I do something wrong?"

"Huh? No, not at all. It’s fine."

"Really? That’s a relief."

"You said it wasn’t intentional, right? So there’s no reason for me to blame you. Besides, it’s not like I was planning to bring Lyria into the Hero’s Party anyway."

"..."

Now, what would he say if I told him I was planning to match the other heroines with different men?

One thing was clear: He wouldn’t be too happy about it. Pairing the heroines off before the ending would be altering the original story of Luminor Academy.

But for me, based on my beliefs, it was something I felt I had to do. Three heroines abandoned after the hero returned to Earth was already too many.

"Hey, Hero."

"What?"

"No matter how many women fall for you and cling to an impossible love, you’re still planning to go back to Earth, right?"

"...Yeah."

"And you said you won’t get involved in anything here that you can’t take responsibility for?"

"Right."

"Good. Then I’m going to start doing things my way, and I don’t want you complaining about it."

"...Huh? What are you planning now?"

"I’m going to match the heroines you plan to abandon with other guys."

"......"

"I despise the idea of someone carrying the pain of unrequited love for the rest of their life as if it’s something beautiful. It’s not."

While my position and status might limit what I could do, I was determined to act as much as I could. Even if the hero didn’t approve of my plan.