Arc 31: Rumors (5)

I was deep in thought on my way to school.

True, I hadn't personally witnessed Serf Daniel die. Saibel had fired the arrow, and I'd passed out immediately afterward. I'd only been told at the hospital that he was dead.

... But even so. Just because I hadn't seen him die myself...

'Serf evaded Chryselakatos's Unerring Shot...?'

I'd thought he was completely off guard at the time. Had he actually had another means of survival?

'I don't understand.'

I couldn't accept it. Serf was definitely dead. There had to be some trick—

My thoughts continued to trouble me long after I passed through Constel's front gate.

"There he is! It's Frondier!"

"Huh?"

I was almost at the main building when I thought I heard my name in the distance and looked up. Only then did I realize how crowded Constel's grounds were today. They were positively packed.

"What? Where?"

"Over there! He's coming this way!"

As a few students spotted me, the people next to them turned to look, followed by the people next to those.

"Waaaaah!"

"Move! Me first!"

Then they started running. Racing one another. Toward me.

"... Huh?"

I stared blankly at the surging wave, then—

TAP-TAP-TAP!

I bolted sideways.

"Hey! Frondier! Stop! Why are you running away?"

A vaguely familiar face was hot on my heels, shouting at me. I answered without slowing down.

"Uh, just felt like it? Couldn't help myself?"

"I said, stoooop!!"

Their momentum was far too frightening for me to stop.

This time, another boy shouted at me.

"Hey! Is it true you're dating Elodie?"

"What?"

The unexpected question made me ask again. Even I was flustered by that.

What bastard had started such a ridiculous rumor—

"Is it true you're two-timing Elodie with Saibel?"

"What?!"

This time I shouted, genuinely horrified.

Apparently there was more than one false rumor. If those were the stories going around, I could certainly understand why the students had gathered to look for—

"Is it true you're dating Elodie, two-timing her with Saibel, and keeping Aten as your slave?!"

"No, what? Hey! Have you all collectively lost your minds?!"

I veered right as I fled. Students looking for me were everywhere.

I tried to head wherever there were the fewest students, but soon reached my limit. Far more people were chasing me than I'd imagined.

Eventually, I stopped and looked around.

"... Good grief."

I groaned at the sheer number of students completely surrounding me.

I couldn't understand how so many people could believe such an absurd story. Or... did it not seem absurd to them?

'Anyone dangerous here...?'

I quickly scanned the crowd. In short, I was looking for Named Characters. As long as none were present, I could find some way out. Persuading everyone to leave would be ideal, but I wasn't sure that was possible.

Good. Naturally, anyone important enough to be a Named Character would know there was no need to listen to rumors like—

"Hey! Frondier! I've heard everything!"

... Robald Rief was there.

I covered my eyes in despair. Constel's biggest troublemaker, that hotheaded idiot, had fallen for the rumors.

"I knew I was right! You were blackmailing Lady Aten!"

"You're still going on about that?"

Even the day we'd first met, he'd thought I had some kind of leverage over Aten. Back then, it had been a little piece of student gossip I could easily ignore. How had it come to this?

"Frondier, do you know something?"

Robald suddenly grew serious, speaking in a weighty tone.

"... What?"

"I can't speak for anywhere else, but here at Constel, justice exists."

So what?

"Frondieeer!! Tell the truth! You're two-timing those girls and blackmailing Lady Aten! Aren't you?!"

"No, I'm not."

"I don't believe you!!"

This fucking bastard.

Amazingly, though, the watching crowd seemed to agree with Robald. They nodded vigorously at his cry of disbelief.

Ah, and here I'd thought I'd worked pretty hard since becoming Frondier the Human Sloth.

All the diligence I'd shown throughout the first semester hadn't improved my image one bit.

"Frondier! What were you planning to do by blackmailing Lady Aten?! Wait, d-don't tell me! Have you already done it?! You... L-Lady Aten's body...!"

Gasps rose around us as Robald's imagination ran wild. Were these people all in on this together? Had they only gathered here to torment me?

Throwing caution to the wind, I said,

"Yes, I blackmailed Aten. I got some dirt on her, and we've already done all sorts of things together."

"... I can't belieeeve it!!!"

Robald shouted as though coughing up blood. This idiot wouldn't believe me either way.

But he sounded almost ready to cry. A little more and he'd be weeping tears of blood.

Did he have feelings for Aten? I'd never noticed that while playing Etius.

Was it because the player character had been Aster Evans back then, so he'd graciously accepted it and moved on? Aster was fine, but I wasn't because I was Frondier? Oh, right. He thought I was blackmailing her.

"I was joking. I don't know what rumors brought you all here, but they're all false."

With that, I spread both arms wide.

"Look at me."

"...?"

"I am Frondier the Human Sloth!"

I'd never imagined I would say that nickname myself. Certainly not so proudly.

"Do you think I could date Elodie?!"

"...!"

"Do you think I could date Elodie and two-time her with Saibel?!"

"!!"

"And do you think I could keep Aten as a slave on top of all that?!"

"!!!"

Robald's expression changed in real time. It practically said, “Now that you mention it, you're right.”

"Now that you mention it, you're right..."

He was the sort to say exactly what he was thinking.

Still, even I had to admit it was a compelling argument. It wouldn't be easy to dismantle such flawless logic.

"Robald, get a grip! We investigated the sources and details of the rumors and reached a final conclusion! We can't just dismiss them as baseless gossip!"

"Ah! That's right!"

Someone behind Robald restored him to normal—no, from my perspective, broke him again.

I asked the guy behind him,

"What details?"

"Ha! You'd like to believe these are rumors with no basis, but we've received plenty of evidence that you've known Elodie since early childhood, along with a full account of the circumstances surrounding your dungeon trip with Saibel!"

... That bastard Gregory. He'd gone to the trouble of adding details to make the rumors more credible. And what this guy had just mentioned was actually true.

I'd been wondering why so many people had come looking for me over such ridiculous rumors. So they had their reasons. Though they probably still weren't entirely convinced.

"Therefore, Frondier! Come with us quietly!"

"And what happens if I do?"

"Naturally, we'll reform you through the power of justice!"

I'd better not go.

When I didn't answer, Robald swung his arms around and cracked his neck.

"If you won't come, I'll drag you away by force!"

"You're going to use that power of justice right here?"

Robald grinned at my question. Something resembling madness gleamed in his wide eyes.

"You could say that!"

With a bang, Robald leaped toward me.

'... That's insane.'

From a standing jump, he soared so high I had to crane my neck to look at him. Then gravity brought him plummeting straight toward me.

KRA-BOOM!

I hastily dodged, and Robald's knee smashed the ground. That had been pure physical strength, without any Aura or magic.

"... Oof. That stings a bit."

Of course, there was no way smashing the bare ground wouldn't hurt.

"Frondier! Stop dodging! Submit to reform!"

"Hey! Do you even know what reform means?!"

Robald strode toward me. He clenched his right fist and drew it back in a move anyone could see coming.

Then, the next instant, he threw a straight right at me, shouting,

"I DON'T KNOW!!"

As I dodged, a frightening rush of air whistled past me.

Had this bastard just said he didn't know?

I slipped inside his wide-open guard and grabbed his waist and shoulder. Then I hooked his foot and shifted his weight...

"...?!"

... This lunatic.

He wouldn't go down. I'd executed the technique almost perfectly, but he'd simply braced himself against it. Sure, I'd held back a little because I only intended to subdue him, but still.

"A technique like that can't bring me down, Frondier!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the back of my neck and hurled me away.

"Ugh!"

I rolled across the ground to absorb the impact and shouted as I stood.

"You lunatic, it's not normal that I couldn't throw you! You freak!"

"But I didn't fall!"

The freak sounded positively proud.

"Hmm." Robald seemed to consider something, then spoke again.

"But you really do have a talent for fighting, Frondier. Not many people can dodge my blows. Fewer still try to counterattack in the middle of them. You've got good eyes and good instincts. So my defeat that day wasn't a fluke after all."

Apparently, he was recalling the ambush he'd attempted on the day we first met. He'd been knocked unconscious by a staff I'd made with Weaving.

... That really had been a fluke, though.

"I knew my judgment wasn't wrong."

He nodded as though he'd satisfied himself on some point.

... I had plenty to say about that, but the guy behind Robald spoke for me.

"Robald! Get a grip! He's the man who blackmailed Aten!"

"Oh! Right! Frondier! You're a bad guy."

I sighed at the idiotic exchange.

"Guess your judgment was wrong."

It happened then.

["Ah, ahem—an announcement from the broadcasting room to all Constel students."]

The school broadcast rang out. Everyone stopped and listened to the unexpected announcement.

Then the broadcast switched to an entirely different voice.

["Kill Frondier."]

"...!"

That voice.

It had faded in my memory, but the instant I heard it, I remembered.

Serf Daniel. It was his voice.

Realization struck, and I looked around.

Every student surrounding me had lost focus. Robald was no exception.

'All of them took a business card!'

Serf could give orders to anyone he'd handed a business card to. Controlling this many people at once... it was a truly terrifying ability.

'This is bad.'

Though their faces had gone blank, the students were watching me in proper fighting stances. This was Constel. Every student was a trained combatant. And Robald was right in front of me.

Metal clicked and clanged as they each drew their weapons.

I could feel cold sweat running down my skin. Until moments ago, there had been a playful edge to the crowd that had gathered over the rumors. Now, nothing filled the air but murderous intent.

'What do I do? How do I escape? Flying with Mjolnir is my only way out, but there's not enough time.'

As I was now, I could only use Mjolnir after reciting Menosorpo and eating a Dragon Heart. I didn't have enough time.

Besides, if anyone who hadn't lost their senses saw me using Mjolnir...

'... Still better than dying without doing anything!'

Having reached that conclusion, I was just about to recite Menosorpo when—

"Honestly."

Someone dropped lightly out of the air. Sunset-colored hair, blue eyes. The girl who appeared with a small sigh was Elodie.

"Hold on tight."

She wrapped her hands around my shoulders.

And the two of us shot into the sky.