After running out of the banquet venue, Monica stopped in her tracks when she reached down the end of the stairs that connected the second floor to the first floor.
Due to her lack of exercise, she was out of breath after only a short run. Leaning her back against the wall, Monica tried to regulate her ragged breathing.
…That was scared me.
Needless to say, that was the first time someone has proposed an engagement to her.
Roberto was neither attracted to Monica's looks nor her personality. He was just attracted to Monica's chess skills and proposed to her to be his fiancee so that they could have more opportunities to play chess.
If it was someone else who had been there, most people would have raised an eyebrow and said, "That's ridiculous" However, Monica found it reasonable and even impressive.
Whatever people say about falling in love or loving someone, the idea of love simply didn't make sense to Monica who had never been in love.
Rather than being told that he was in love with her looks which were less than average, has no social skills, and can't say anything clever, it would be easier to understand if he just honestly told her that he proposed engagement because he wanted to play chess.
But that did not change the fact she couldn't accept the engagement itself.
This is going to be troublesome…
Returning to the venue now would obviously be a bad idea. Perhaps I should hide somewhere until the upcoming match against Minerva begins… As she was considering this, she saw something flickering up ahead.
"………eh?"
Five flaming arrows were floating in front of Monica.
The moment Monica uttered a sound, those flaming arrows flew straight towards her. It was an attack that a normal person would be unable to avoid. But Monica instantly formed a barrier with no chanting, preventing the flaming arrow from reaching her.
"I knew it… you are that Monica."
A voice came from the upper stairs sent a chill down Monica's spine. She looked up slowly and saw Barney standing on a stair landing. His face was shaded in contrast to the light coming through the glass window, displaying the cruel smile which clearly visible on his face.
He then descended the stairs slowly and stood in front of Monica, who remained cowering, unable to move an inch, and scoffed at her.
"Why are the Seven Sages pretending to be students in this school? Was the rumor that you were holed up in a mountain cabin a total fabrication?"
"No… I…"
Monica desperately tried to speak. But as she was unable to get the words out, her vision went dizzy.
"Could it be that you're hiding your true identity to start your school life all over again? Pretending to be a student at Serendia Academy, the most prestigious school in this kingdom, how extravagant your playing could be. On top of that, you've got several guys in your romantic life… haha, you seem to have a fulfilling life."
Monica was dumbfounded at the mention of having a man in her romantic life. Perhaps, or even without considering… he was referring to that incident.
He's talking about Nero and Lynn!!!
Apparently, Barney had taken her familiar and that spirit's all-out prank to heart. But she can't honestly tell him all the details, since the mission to escort the second prince was top-secret.
While Monica was hanging over her head pondering, Barney reached over and touched the ribbon tied in Monica's hair.
"You've changed your look quite a bit, haven't you? It never crossed my mind that it might be you until I heard your name… you seem to have changed a lot even when you can't even talk to people properly. Are you trying to be stylish?"
"I…"
"Good for you, isn't it? A man from a neighboring country even proposed to you."
"………….."
The more Barney's words cut into Monica's heart, the more hurt she appeared to be, and the deeper his smile grew.
"Oh, I get it. You pretended to be a helpless student to get close to the second prince, didn't you? It sounds like something you'd do… pretend to be helpless and then get on someone's good side… so you can take advantage of their kindness, right? Like a parasite!"
Monica was stunned by the severe insults thrown at her.
…Is that what Barney thought of me?
If only they could talk again like they used to… but that sliver of hope was trampled on by Barney with a mock. Monica Everett was hated by Barney. She was ostracized. She was despised—that was the reality.
The corners of Monica's eyelids were slowly growing hot.
I can't cry here.
Clenching her teeth, Monica struggled to hold back a sob. But the back of her nose was still tingling. The hopelessness made her want to collapse at her feet and cry out loudly.
"A devious person like you is bound to be disregarded by everyone in no time!"
I know. I know that nobody will ever want me for anything.
Nevertheless, in her childhood, Monica was happy that Barney stretching out his helping hand. That was why she just wanted to be proud of becoming his "friend"… nothing more.
I guess I was too selfish in wanting you to accept me as your friend.
"Stop right there!"
A valiant girl's voice echoed in the hallway.
As Monica lifted her head, she saw a girl running toward her with the hem of her skirt fluttering wide. It was Lana Colette. She stepped in between Monica and Barney and glared at Barney with glaring, sharp eyes.
"I might not have heard the conversation, but what the hell is going on here? You're from Minerva, right?"
"Oh, pardon me. Are you a student of this school?"
"I asked you what kind of situation is this. Why don't you answer me? …Or is it common practice in Minerva to corner a girl in the hallway and make her cry?"
When Lana lifted her thin chin and glared at Barney, he plastered a thin smile on his face and shrugged his shoulders.
"I apologize for not introducing myself. My name is Barney Jones and I'm a representative of Minerva. Monica and I are old acquaintances. We were chatting about the old days, and she got emotional and started crying because of nostalgia."
In response to Barney's smooth speech, Lana glared at him suspiciously.
"So… you're the person… that Monica didn't want to meet."
Lana muttered to herself and looked at Monica who was on the verge of crying.
"Let's go to the makeup room, I'll fix your makeup there."
"O-Okay…"
After saw Monica nodded, Lana gave Barney a gracious lady's smile.
"I apologize, Lord Jones. I have to fix my friend's makeup, so if you'll excuse me."
"……friend?"
At Lana's words, Barney's thin eyebrows raised and a smirk crept into his mouth.
"I think you should stop befriending that person. I am sure you would end up feeling unpleasant later. She is trying to take advantage of others by pretending she can't do anything herself, after all."
Hearing Bernie's words, Monica's body trembled as if she had been lashed with a whip.
"HAAAAH!?"
Lana's ladylike smile twitched, and a blue streak popped up on her forehead.
"Monica is not the kind of person who would do such a thing."
"She's pretending to be helpless, feigning can't do anything, but mocking others behind their back."
Lana's eyes coldly looked at Bernie.
"You really don't know much about people, do you? Why don't you get yourself a new pair of glasses instead of those ugly ones with no sense of style?"
This time, the smiling Barney's face twitched.
Lana and Barney both wore their most formal smiles, but their eyes weren't, and their eyebrows were twitching. And the first person to break the tense atmosphere was Barney.
"You will regret it, I'm certain. Didn't you see the chess match earlier? She's really smarter and more talented than anyone else. And yet, she's latching onto others' kindness, hiding her true identity, putting on a face that says she's powerless and can't do anything."
Hiding her true identity… those words made Monica gulped her saliva.
It was as Barney said. Monica has been hiding her identity as the Seven Sages. She's been lying to Lana.
Monica cowered back, but Lana reached out and squeezed Monica's hand. Then instead of Monica, she turned her harsh eyes on Barney.
"Hey, why don't you be honest with me? …you're jealous of Monica, aren't you?"
At Lana's remark, Barney's figure frozen for a moment.
Barney's smile began to fade. And underneath the mask of the smile that had fallen off, what was revealed was… anger and hatred.
"I'm sure you'll learn it one day. How much of a difference between you and her, whether you like it or not."
"If my friend was outstanding, I would brag her to my father! I'd tell him how great my friend was, how proud I was of her! And yet, how can you be so narrow-minded?"
"Ah, I guess ordinary people with no academic ability can't even feel a sense of frustration when the gap between them and geniuses is too wide!"
The moment Barney finished his mocked words toward Lana, Monica had opened her mouth before she even thought about it.
"Barney!!"
Lana and Bernie looked at Monica in surprise at her unusual loud voice. Still unable to think clearly, Monica continued to squeeze out her voice.
"Don't you dare say anything bad about my friend… or I won't be able to forgive you."
Barney scoffed dauntingly at Monica's words.
"And what does it matter if you don't forgive me? Do you think your words are going to hurt me now?"
The words he delivered were full of venom, but not with the same vigor as before. He was probably surprised at Monica who had never once talked back against him.
After taking a long breath, Monica said the words she had been unable to say for a long time.
"…Barney, I know I've always relied on you, but abuse of it, I also wanted to be a great person that you could rely on…"
Monica had always asked Barney for his help. She hoped to become the kind of friend who could laugh at each other on equal terms someday.
"…I just wished you to acknowledge me as your friend… nothing more. And when I did great or worked hard, I didn't hope to be acknowledged by someone else, but you, Barney…"
But it was an impossible dream. Maybe hoping for such a thing was already wrong from the beginning.
"But now, I'm giving up trying to get you to acknowledge me. I won't ask for anything from you again."
Monica closed her eyes lids as if to cut off everything. And when she opened her eyelids again, the boy she once believed to be her best friend no longer reflected in her eyes again.
Once Monica turned her back on Barney, he reached out to her as if he wanted to say something to her. But Lana slapped his hand away mercilessly.
"A man who keeps attached after that is lame, you know that?"
Lana dismissively said, intertwining her own arm with Monica's. While Barney simply stood there, without uttering a word.
After a short walk side by side, Lana let out a satisfied snort.
"You did a good job of speaking your mind." Lana grinned, and Monica gave a small nod with a blush.
"Today I feel… a little stronger." Monica looked at her uniform and smiled, the corners of her lips curling up into a smile.
"Thanks to the corset, I feel my back more straight, and because of my makeup, when I felt like crying, I was able to hold back my tears because I knew if I cried, my makeup would fall off… it was all thanks to you, Lana!"
"I promise to make you look more pretty than this."
When Monica nodded her head, Lana smiled cheerfully and hugged Monica's arm tightly.
＊ ＊ ＊
The moment he heard Monica's statement, a crack appeared in Barney Jones' train of thought.
Two years ago, Barney thought he had achieved a sense of relief when he had cut off his friendship with Monica. Every time someone praised the [Silent Witch] of the Seven Sages, somewhere in the back of Barney's mind would have thought about these:
—I was the one who had taken care of that girl.
—I was the one who hurt her and trampled on that girl.
The sight of the genius girl, who had even been chosen as one of the Seven Sages, sobbing and begging for forgiveness from him brought him a certain wicked pleasure.
But Monica no longer wanted anything from Bernie. Not even expecting it. Monica had decided so and turned her back on Barney.
The way her back was leaving away was the opposite of what it had been two years ago.
At that time, it was Barney who left Monica behind. Now Barney was left behind.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
Monica needed to be more conscious of Barney. She should be more and more conscious and terrified of Barney.
"…this is not acceptable."
Barney strode quickly down the hallway, looking for Pittman, the teacher in charge of Minerva.
Since Pittman had said, "I am not used at festive places," he did not show up at the banquet venue. So when Barney went to the waiting room, as expected, he found him there reading a book by himself.
"Mr. Pittman."
Pittman turned from his book and rounded his eyes at Barney, who stormed in as soon as he entered the waiting room.
"Oh, what's happened to you? You have such a scary look on your face."
"Please make me the front player for the next match."
"What? Wait, you can't just change it at the last minute… I'll get scolded if I do that!"
"It should be possible with the signatures of the advisor and the teacher of the host school."
With that, Barney dragged a flustered Pittman to the staff room.
Normally, it would be logical to ask Professor Boyd of Serendia Academy for his signature, but that would mean returning to the banquet venue where other Minerva students would be there. And he didn't have time to persuade them one by one.
Any teacher's signature of Serendia Academy should do good enough.
As he opened the door to the staff room, he saw an old professor sitting there. He recognized that face. It was Professor McGreggan, who used to be a practical teacher at Minerva until a few years ago.
Great! Barney thought as he lifted the corner of his lips into a smile after considering how bad the sight of Professor McGreggan has.
"Prof. McGreggan, could you please sign this document?"
"…hmm? Who are chuu?"
"I'm a participant in a chess tournament. I urgently need a teacher's signature concerning the event venue."
Barney arranged the appropriate lies and presented the documents to Prof. McGreggan.
Pittman, who had been dragged in halfway, asked, "Do you know this old man?" But Barney ignored him.
"A signature?. Sure, sure. Is this okay? Is not sticking out of the box, is it?"
"Yes, it's perfect. Alright, let me submit this document to Mr. Boyd for you, Prof. McGreggan."
"Okay, oh, say hi to Mr. Boyd for me."
Having successfully obtained McGreggan's signature, Barney smirked. Now he can be the front player in the next match—he can have a match against Monica.
I won't allow you to ignore me.
Whatever the past or future, Monica Everett must be frightened and shriveled up by Barney Jones, ever.
