Chapter 8: The Story Unfolds
975words
"Instructor Winifred! Instructor!" Her voice reached me before she did, piercing as a stepped-on magical parrot. "Major news! The Knight Commander has returned!"
She skidded to a halt before my stone table, hands braced on knees, gasping for breath as the delicate deer brooch on her chest bobbed with each heave.
Before I could remark on her unladylike entrance, Frederick—who'd been terrorizing an innocent ladybug with water magic—froze mid-spell. He turned slowly, blue eyes narrowing like a predator sensing a rival. A flash of annoyance crossed his face—so brief I nearly missed it.
The princess, oblivious to Frederick's reaction, finally caught her breath and straightened. Her expression—a perfect blend of false sympathy and barely concealed glee—intensified as she leaned toward my ear, voice dropping to a theatrical whisper:
"Instructor, that Captain Arthur... he's carrying a woman! A black-haired commoner woman of obviously low birth!"
She stepped back immediately, eyes wide and expectant, clearly hoping to witness heartbreak, jealousy, or complete emotional collapse play across my features.
Before I could formulate any response, I felt another gaze boring into me. I glanced down to find Frederick studying me intently.
His cherubic face tilted upward, one perfect eyebrow arched in question. His expression held none of the expected childish curiosity—only calculating assessment.
"Teacher," he asked, his voice quiet but crystal clear, "are you in love with that Knight Commander?"
My heart stuttered. This kid was dangerously perceptive!
We arrived at the Academy's central plaza to find it packed with students drawn by the news. They formed an impenetrable wall around the sanctuary entrance, craning their necks like hungry ducklings, their whispered conversations merging into a sea of speculation.
"Gods, it really is Captain Arthur! He looks absolutely wrecked!"
"Who's that woman he's carrying? Why would he touch a commoner?"
"I heard he rescued her at the border. They say she's under some terrible curse."
"A curse? How dreadful... But the way he's looking at her is just... so tender..."
When I appeared at the plaza's edge with Frederick's small hand in mine, the buzzing crowd fell into sudden, eerie silence. Then, like iron filings to a magnet, every eye swiveled toward me. Their gazes held emotions far more complex than those directed at the princess—sympathy, pity, curiosity, and the unmistakable anticipation of impending drama.
In an instant, I'd become the unwitting star of a tragedy about to unfold.
Steeling myself against the weight of their stares, I focused on the scene unfolding at the plaza's center.
Arthur knelt before the sanctuary's massive doors—carved with intricate Holy Light Runes—cradling an unconscious dark-haired woman. His silver armor bore the stains of travel and battle, his usually immaculate golden hair disheveled. His impossibly handsome face displayed raw anguish that even the most emotionally stunted observer could recognize.
【NPC: Arthur Krister, LV.35, Hero Knight Commander, Game Male Protagonist.】
【NPC: Anais, LV.5, Commoner, Game Female Protagonist. Status: Cursed (Beast Venom), Life Force Draining...】
Two status panels materialized above them—the game's fabled protagonists in the flesh. He was indeed walking charisma incarnate, while she possessed the delicate beauty of a tragic heroine. Their protagonist auras practically radiated visible light.
"I beseech the Academy Headmaster to grant the 'Holy Water of Life'! Save Anais!" Arthur's voice rang out—powerful, desperate, and heartbreakingly noble as it echoed across the silent plaza.
I glanced down at Frederick. He was watching the scene with his head tilted, studying the dramatic tableau with the analytical interest of a theater critic at a particularly engaging performance.
Suddenly, he tugged my sleeve. "Teacher," he asked with what seemed like genuine confusion, "isn't the 'Holy Water of Life' from our royal treasury? It's only kept here for the sanctuary's magical nurturing—Father still owns it. Shouldn't he be kneeling to me or Third Brother? What good is begging that old man?"
His observation—childishly blunt yet unnervingly accurate—earned him a light tap on the forehead. His logic was sound, but completely missed the point. Here was Arthur performing the ultimate romantic gesture of "love against all odds," and this pint-sized pedant was quibbling about property rights.
Arthur remained kneeling on the cold marble for the entire day, from blazing noon until golden sunset. He held his position like a statue, never shifting his weight or adjusting his burden. The way he gazed at the woman in his arms—with such tenderness, devotion, and profound love—was unmistakable to anyone watching.
When my eyes fell upon his devoted expression, a strange pain lanced through my chest—subtle yet unmistakable. Like a needle's prick—not deadly, but impossible to dismiss.
【System Notification: Character 'Winifred' affected by 'Plot Inertia'. Witnessing intimate interaction between secret love interest and another woman has caused emotional damage. MP-10.】
That damned "Plot Inertia" again! I felt absolutely nothing for Arthur, yet this body was experiencing heartbreak on my behalf! I was more unjustly treated than Dou E herself!
"Teacher, what's wrong?" Frederick's voice cut through my thoughts. For the first time, I saw genuine concern in those clear blue eyes. His small hand tightened around mine. "Your face... you look ill."
I shook my head, drawing a deep breath to suppress the foreign emotions of heartache and jealousy that didn't belong to me.
"Thank god I'm not actually Winifred," I thought with relief, mentally flipping off this ridiculous game system. "Otherwise I'd be genuinely heartbroken over this nonsense."
I swear, once I complete this mission and get back to the real world, my first act will be shipping ten thousand boxes of razor blades to the developers who abandoned this trainwreck of a game!
