Unwanted Encounter

Outside the academy building, Raziel was sitting on a wooden bench, eating the lunch prepared by Clarice. He recalled Sylfi trying to argue with him earlier, but after he ignored her, she didn't disturb him anymore.

Wasting time trying to defend himself or clear his image would be pointless, so he decided to avoid her from now on.

After all, Sylfi didn't like him a bit, and she would be even closer to Erick. This meant he would only get into a lot of problems by being near them.

'I need to break off that engagement before she gets on my nerves,' he thought to himself while savoring his food.

Raziel decided to find his father as soon as possible today and cut ties with that girl.

"After getting rid of her I finally gonna have peace. That crazy girl is a walking disaster."

"Who is crazy?"

While he muttered some words, a sudden question emerged from beside him. When Raziel turned his head to see who had asked, he nearly spit out his food.

The person who asked was a girl with pink eyes that sparkled softly, matching the hue of her short, flowing pink hair. Against her delicate white skin, the combination created a delightful and captivating presence, as if she belonged to a dream.

But Raziel didn't have time to admire her beauty, as he quickly identified her as one of the heroines and someone he didn't want to encounter.

"So... who is that crazy girl you're talking about?" The girl made a cute expression, trying to coax him into revealing his secret.

"Eh... n-no one, I was just talking to myself," Raziel stammered nervously.

"Oh, I see you don't want to tell me. But don't worry, I'm good at keeping secrets."

'Good at keeping secrets? My ass! You're a hideous manipulator, responsible for taking over all your family's business just by using Erick as your underling,' Raziel thought bitterly, finding himself in a very tight spot, as he really didn't want to interact with that girl.

The girl in front of him, Anya Beltremont, is one of the main heroines in The Great King of Éden, and she was someone who could easily fool everyone with her gentle and friendly face. However, beneath that facade, she was incredibly clever and cunning.

She was the one responsible for finding a cure for mana evaporation, the same disease that afflicted Clarice's mother. Later in the plot, she would officially become the current heir of the most famous and influential healer in the Gravantia Empire.

And she has to battle almost alone with other members of the Beltremont family to maintain that position, with few allies, while also seeking recognition from her father.

But that information now is very secret because she's using her little brother as a puppet to deceive her other siblings who are fighting to gain that title.

She's only going to reveal herself as the true mastermind behind her little brother's actions at the end of chapter four, when Anya joins the protagonist's harem.

"Hey, are you listening to me? Moo~"

"I need to go somewhere, so if you'll excuse m-"

When Raziel got up, wanting to get away from her, Anya suddenly hugged him from behind and said, "Please tell me~ I'm really curious who you're talking about!"

That girl was really good at acting and could easily fool him if he didn't know anything about her true personality. To avoid prolonging the conversation, Raziel gently removed her hands from him, careful not to cause any harm or leave red marks.

She would probably use that to blackmail him; her schemes were that underhanded. Among all the heroines, Anya was at the top of the list of those Raziel should never mess with or even glance at if possible.

"Sorry, I don't have time to talk right now. Excuse me," He hurriedly said as he picked up his lunch bag from the bench and left.

The girl watched him flee with a suspicious expression, then a sinister smile formed on her lips.

"I see... so this is Sylfi's fiancé... What an interesting guy," She muttered these words while thinking about how useful it would be to have the Harvestead heir under her control.

Raziel managed to escape from that girl and immediately tried to figure out what she was planning by getting close to him like that. He remembered that she had never interacted with him before, and in the game, she only appeared in the begining of episode four after his death.

It seemed very suspicious, and to him, evicting her would be a wise choice, considering she was described as someone unpredictable.

After returning to his class, Raziel started to read a novel he had brought from home. The place was relatively empty, so there was no noise to disturb him.

But as he opened the book, someone remarked, "Oh, I've read that one! The protagonist dies."

"What the hell! Don't spoi-"

When Raziel turned to curse the person behind him who had ruined his reading, he stopped short upon seeing who it was.

"You again..."

"Yes, it's me!" 

The person in question was Anya, who had followed him to his class for some reason.

"This isn't your class. What are you doing here?" Raziel asked, his confusion mixing with irritation.

"It's not prohibited to visit other classrooms, and I'm here to find someone," Anya replied calmly, her gaze steady.

"..."

As Raziel remained silent, Anya then said, "Wanna know who I'm looking for?"

"No."

"You're no fun," Anya retorted with a hint of frustration.

"Yes, I'm not, so get lost," Raziel replied curtly, his irritation evident.

The girl put on a surprised expression and pouted as she took the seat next to him. Her cheeks bulged like a child who had been scolded by their mother.

"Why are you being so mean to me? I know about your bad reputation, but I can feel that you're not a bad person," Anya said softly, her eyes searching his face for a response, but Raziel simply ignored her feigned innocence, wondering what this girl could want from him.

Seeing that he wouldn't fall for her cute approach, she decided to retreat, saying, "So you're going to ignore me? Fine, I'm leaving then. But I'll still come back."

She added with a mischievous smile before turning and walking away.

"I hope you don't," he replied firmly, hoping to discourage her from returning.

A few classmates present who witnessed the scene were dumbfounded as the third most beautiful girl in the school, known as the "Third Queen" of the Revery Academy, approached Raziel, who was considered an unfriendly and trashy person.

Raziel didn't intend to act like the original, but his bad reputation could be very useful in warding off irritating individuals.

***

It was already late in the afternoon, and all of Raziel's classes had ended. He decided to go home, intending to call his father to discuss his plan to sever ties with Sylfi.

As Raziel walked toward the entrance of the academy, suddenly his vision blacked out, and a cheeky voice said behind him, "Guess who I am?"

"Oh no... it's you again!"

The voice was familiar, and he easily identified the person as Anya, who had obscured his vision with her soft and smooth hands.

"Correct! It's me again~," Anya chimed playfully.

She then removed her hands from his eyes and stepped in front of him, her expression morphing into a cute and happy face. 

"Did I scare you? I know I did~"

Anya tried to tease Raziel with an evident playful tone, grinning mischievously.

'I have to find a way to get rid of her. But how... ah, I've got it! Maybe this can work.' Raziel mused to himself, confident that he had found a way to make her stop bothering him.

"Hey, you, follow me. I have something to tell you," Raziel called out abruptly, gesturing for Anya to come along. A plan was rapidly forming in his mind.

"What... follow you? And you want to tell me something? Okay then!" She replied animatedly, but in reality, Anya was very suspicious about his sudden suggestion.

Raziel had been avoiding her since their first interaction, so now that he wanted to tell her something, she knew something significant was about to happen. However, she was strong enough, and her position as the Third Queen was not just because of her good looks.

If he tried to do something, Anya could easily defeat him and perhaps have a bit of fun tormenting that guy.

After following him behind the main building of the academy, Raziel suddenly stopped. Sensing something was off, Anya asked, "What are we doing here? Ah! Do you want to confess to me?"

"...You know, I really hate people who pretend to be what they're not, and you're really getting on my nerves thinking that I will fall for your cute and friendly attitude," Raziel retorted sharply, turning to face Anya.

Her eyes widened, and she replied tremulously, "W-w-what are you t-talking about?"

"Drop the act! I know you're Anya Beltremont, the one actually pulling the strings behind your little brother's decisions. And I also know you're responsible for the death of Elias Beltremont, your older brother," Raziel declared, looking deep into her eyes.

After hearing the last part, Anya froze, lowering her head in almost despair, as if trying not to believe what he had just said.

"H-how... HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!" she screamed, then looked at him with a crazed smile and a desperate expression.

"Well, I have my methods," Raziel replied cryptically, maintaining a steady gaze on Anya.

"No, no, no, no one should have known that information! It's impossible!"

She stared at him with a nearly insane look and then said, "<For my contract with the Goddess of Nature, I summon spiritual beast, Mojnir!>"

Raziel quickly understood what she was doing, his face filling with horror, and he managed to utter just two words:

"Oh shit..."