The World of Otome Games is Tough For Mobs - Volume 7 - Chapter Pr

Prologue

I went to the market during the early morning on a holiday.

The market square was full of stalls, and was both busy and lively, which made me forget how cold it was. The market was surrounded by buildings, and as the morning sunlight came through the gaps it looked like a setting worthy of a fantasy world.

Vigorous shopkeepers raised their voices, advertising their goods. Shoppers were also haggling aggressively, their voices getting louder. Due to the amount of noise, you had to raise your own voice well to carry out any negotiations.

"They are in high spirits this morning."

I said with a still sleepy expression, and then my partner Luxion, flying next to me, replied in a low voice.

[Master… you always seem sleepy in the morning. It’s your fault for staying up so much. You should try to lead a healthier life.]

"I'm a night person, you know."

As always, I gave him an unmotivated excuse. It's not that I’m actually nocturnal, but I wanted to reply to his overly sarcastic and righteous argument. Luxon seemed to understand that as well.

[Your excuses are sloppy.]

"Give me a break, I'm tired." They woke me up just after sunrise, so there’s no way I’m excited after being forced to go shopping.

The reason I'm at the market so early is because Marie woke me up.

In the morning she said, "I'm busy, so take care of things."

I felt frustrated for being used by that little sister from my past life, but there was also a reason why I couldn’t reject her....

"I'm sorry, Leon. It is very difficult for me to carry everything by myself.” Noelle was shopping this time.

She has long hair combed to one side with a single side ponytail. Previously her hair color was blonde, but now the tips were pink, which made her stand out. Noelle was dressed in her house clothes, but she had her hair done early in the morning and was wearing light makeup.

Most people don’t bother to make even this much of an effort this early in the morning, and that is why she stood out, attracting the attention of the people around her, especially men.

Seeing Noelle’s somewhat pained expression, I apologized for the complaints I had just voiced. "I’m sorry, I wasn’t blaming you, Noelle, it’s

Marie’s fault."

"But I'm the one you are helping."

My job this morning was to carry the purchases, so Noelle was a bit sad, thinking that perhaps she was inconveniencing me. In the midst of this awkwardness, Luxion joined the conversation, as was his custom to annoy me.

[Your insensitivity is admirable, as always.] -Shut up.

[Oh, are you angry because I told the truth? First of all, it's your fault for not thinking about how Noelle will react to hearing you complain out loud.] Luxion’s words really bothered me.

"Seriously, you should try to be a little more nice to me." Do you think your words don't hurt me?

[You want me to be nice when you are clearly being mean to somebody else in front of me? What a practical joke.]

Do you really hate me so much!? And when have I hurt someone?

"I am a peace-loving man who is kind to himself and to others."

[Can’t you be more realistic in regards to yourself? Not to mention, it’s a contradiction for somebody to say they love peace when they wreak as much havoc in the country as you do.]

"It's not a contradiction in my mind, so it's okay."

[Your standards are too lenient. It has been almost a year since you came to study in this country and you’ve already forgotten how many times you’ve caused a disturbance?]

It is true that I did some damage in the Republic.

The first time was against the bastard Pierre of House Flavel. That is when Einhorn put an end to the undefeated myth of the republic, who had long boasted that they were invincible.

The second time was when we faced the Loic of House Barriere. The yandere Loic was stalking Noelle, so I broke into their wedding and stole the bride. I then used Arroganz and broke the pride of the Republic.

The third time was in a battle against Serge, when he tried to sacrifice Louise. I also beat him into the ground.

Wait… did I really get into three great fights in less than a year?

-Three times. See, I haven't forgotten.

[It’s good that you remember it. In that case, since you remember, doesn’t it seem a bit contradictory to you that you claim to be a lover and a defender of peace?]

"I did not start a single one of those fights. They raised their arms against me first.”

[But you provoked them to do it. If the Republic was wrong about anything, it was in accepting you as an exchange student.]

"But you also made a huge mess of this place! Don’t say it like I’m the only one to blame, because you’re just as bad!!”

[Thankfully I am not human. And since you, Master, are the one in command over me, you must take responsibility.]

Since I was the one who had given that order, I couldn't reply, so I closed my mouth and bit my lip in frustration. At that, Noelle was watching our conversation with a smile on her face. Apparently she was having a lot of fun watching us act this way.

"The two of you get along very well, don't you?"

Hearing Noelle’s words, we both responded at the same time.

- What? Are you blind?

[Noelle, I recommend that you get your eyes check out.]

After we spoke and shut up at exactly the same time, Noelle displayed another big grin. That smile, plus the rays of the morning sun, made her look radiant with light.

"Even if you say otherwise, you both get along pretty well, that’s for sure."

—Eh ～

I was about to disagree, when Luxion released a small bolt of electricity, giving me a small but painful shock. After that, Noelle took the shopping list from her pocket.

"You also look sleepy, so let's finish shopping."

When Noelle said that, Luxon spoke with a voice that only I could hear.

[…… Master, aren't you going to respond to Noelle's feelings?]

If I had the guts to do it in the first place, I wouldn’t even be going through all of this. What's more...

"Weren’t you supposed to report to Angie and Livia if I cheated on them with someone else? Why are you prompting me to do it?”

I replied in a whisper, and then Luxion spoke to me in a slightly more serious tone.

[I will not give any cheating reports as it’s only with Noelle. Also, if you say so, we could bring her to the kingdom of Holfault. What is the problem, then?]

The problem is that they were ignoring my own feelings.

Noelle was walking in front of me, browsing the stalls as she searched for items on the list. Apparently, she was already used to shopping in the early morning.

She was a girl with a cheerful and pleasant personality who was also a lot of fun to hang out with. By this I don’t imply that either Angie or Livia are boring, but Noelle certainly had a charm that the two of them didn’t. She was also pretty, and had a strong moral character.

I sincerely wanted her to be happy, but I wonder if it's okay for me to be that person. That is why I wanted her to find a better partner, and not choose someone like me.

"Both you and Marie expect too much of me.”

I had already realized that Marie has been sending Noelle and me to the market to buy some things so that we can be alone together. I'm sure she thinks that she is helping Noelle in her own way, but it's unnecessary meddling.

[I don't expect too much from you, but I don’t expect too little either. You could say that I hope you fix your way of being such a coward.]

"I'm not a coward."

After denying those words, Luxion continued as if he was expecting that answer.

[Oh? Remember when you got engaged to Anjelica and Olivia? If I recall correctly, you were such a coward that the two of them had to beg you.]-

“Don’t say it that way. That’s playing dirty.”

I knew I'd lose if we kept arguing, so I cut off the conversation.

Noelle stopped in front of a stall and began haggling, having found the last ingredients she was looking for. She then cutely asked to have an overall discount, and the owner of the store, an elderly man, blushed as he gave a discount for her sweetness.

If I had asked him, he would have given me a resounding no. This is one of the perks of being a pretty girl.

After witnessing that, a middle-aged woman with large piercings was haggling at another nearby stall. I watched for a bit in that direction; the woman was clearly bullying the shop owner.

"Hey, this is being eaten by bugs. Do you want to sell something like this at the same price as the rest? No one is going to buy it.”

"N-No, they just ate the surface."

"In that case, I’ll buy the rest off of you for the common price, and you’ll give me the one that was eaten as an extra. Nobody else will buy it anyways, right?”

"That doesn’t sound like a good deal, but ...... I understand."

“In that case, give me this and this too." -Ehhh???!

When the woman selected other vegetables that had also been (slightly) eaten by insects, she insisted that it be given also for free. In the end, the seller agreed because it would be better than going unsold, and the woman bought several vegetables for the price of one.

Apparently it no longer has much to do with whether a woman is pretty or not.

“Some women have great personalities.”

Noelle’s way of being was quite innocent compared to what I had just seen.

When I was looking at the woman's back in surprise and admiration, my gaze stopped on a suspicious shop. It was a small stand in the middle of two buildings, with products that appeared to be medicines. Several customers were browsing the merchandise, and they seemed to look like adventurers. - Adventurers of the Republic?

Since I came to the Alzer Republic, the only adventurer I had ever seen was Serge. Unlike the Kingdom of Holfault, adventurers have a low social status in this country.

The customers quickly bought the medicines and left. I got a little closer to see, but the salesman was covering his face with a hood and I couldn’t recognize him.

-Welcome.

He welcomed me, but his attitude was clearly unsympathetic. I thought it was just because he was interacting with me, but it seemed that the merchant himself was unfriendly by nature. The owner spread a cloth with various products on it, and I bent down and picked one up.

-Is this a drug?

After muttering, the merchant began to explain abruptly.

"It's a body-strengthening drug, although I doubt that somebody like you needs it.” Luxon began his explanation with a voice that only I could hear.

[It's the body-strengthening drug Serge uses. This appears to be a spoiled product that is less effective than the one he used.]

Medicine to strengthen the body ... this was another concept that came out in the game. For example, this is used to temporarily increase status or increase attack power.

I picked the drugs in their glass bottles and began to compare the red ones with the blue ones.

-Hmm, that sounds interesting. Give me one of each type you have.

The owner was a bit confused when I told him I would buy it. But once he knew I was going to buy them, his demeanor softened even more than before.

"Just be careful when using them. You have to allow at least six hours to take the next dose. If you use them continuously, it will put a lot of strain on your body.”

I listened with curiosity to the seller as I handed him the money, and he took the drugs from the bottles and placed them in a wooden box.

There are precautions like real medicine. In the game I preferred to use all the ones I had at the same time.

After taking the wooden box and walking away from the stand, I started talking to Luxion again.

“It sounds like a real medication.”

Speaking with a laugh, Luxion answered me wearily.

[It's not like a medication, it is a real medication.] -Ehhh?

[It looks like you’ve made a bad purchase. This is the downside to having knowledge from the game itself.]

Luxion warned me while making a pained expression.

[To explain it to you in a way that you understand, it's basically the same as getting high. . Do you think highly effective drugs do not have a negative side effect on the body?]

… Although temporary, fitness-enhancing drugs have no downsides --- at least, that is how it was in the game.

In other words, the game characters that I applied the medicines on one after another… ended up overdosing?

"I bought them, but can't I use them?" I wanted to use them like a trump card in an emergency.

Seeing it used by Serge before, I too wanted to keep them like an ace up my sleeve.

"Now that I think about it, that bastard used several." Is higher quality medicine safer to use, then?

When I fought Serge to rescue Louise, he had used more than two consecutive doses. I thought there was no problem if it was high quality, but Luxion denied that.

[There may be some with minimal side effects, but I doubt Serge was using them at recommended dosages.]

Certainly Serge looked tough from the outside, and his words and actions were as rude as his appearance. He did not seem to follow the way the drug was supposed to be used. In that case.... did he really go that far just to fight me?

No, wasn't it actually a drug that was very effective and had few downsides?

-Oh now I see. The drug he took was very weak, right? I mean, I knocked him down with just one punch, after all.

After listening to my thoughts, Luxon agreed with me.

[It is very probable. If even you can beat him, Serge's abilities are much lower than expected.]

-...certainly that was what I wanted to say, but why do you have to take advantage of my words to emphasize the low opinion you have of me?

[It’s what you get for your day-to-day behavior. Even if...]

Luxion continued to deny the use of drugs for performance enhancement.

[Before you think about using drugs, why don’t you try to train your body instead? Also, I don’t recommend using those kinds of drugs. Leaving aside the compatibility with your physical constitution, drugs are not good.]

- My constitution? Oh, maybe you can make a safe and effective strengthening drug? […… In theory it is possible, but do you really intend to use them?]

"Well, as a secret weapon it would be useful, right?"

I decided to have Luxon analyze the medicine I received and come up with a body-strengthening medicine that would suit my constitution. After putting away the small box, I walked over to Noelle, who was waving to me with one hand while carrying a heavy shopping bag in the other.

"Leon, where did you go?"

"I just went to see something that caught my attention. Give me the bag,

I’ll carry it.”

I took the bag from Noelle’s hand and then started walking beside her. The two of us continued to walk in the middle of a lively and noisy environment. Noelle appeared somewhat embarrassed when she spoke to me; apparently she wanted to bring up the subject of changes in the mansion.

"Now that I think about it, the mansion is much more lively and noisier than before. Julius and the others act too much on their own.”

Noelle said with an awkward smile, and yes, I agreed with her.

“Well, Julius went crazy over fried chicken skewers, and Jilk’s collection of antiques only got worse.” He only brings garbage, and one corner of the mansion already looks like a dump. Whereas Brad…. umm, let’s just say he’s the one who only got a little worse.

We started talking about the five idiots, the prince and his minions who had only worsened since they arrived in the republic of Alzer.

Noelle said with a complicated expression...

"I don’t have any room to talk because honestly, they’re helping me a lot by letting me stay at the house, but they really should do something with Greg-san and Chris-san.” The truth is, it is uncomfortable to have to see them almost naked walking throughout the mansion.

"It's because they are the primordial idiots."

Noelle always had a tired expression from having to see the bare skin of some boys she really didn’t want to see.

Greg had become obsessed with weight training and was walking around half naked. At first he wore a tank top, but after he started training he stopped wearing it to show his muscles. Marie had already kicked him many times and told him to wear something, but he insisted on not wearing anything. According to him, his reason was, “I want Marie to see these muscles, the result of my training.” To make matters worse, Marie herself was glad to see that. She would always say, “Oh God ~ put on some clothes!” while gazing happily at his body.

These guys have no salvation. The last one was Chris… he also walked around the mansion half naked, only covering himself with a loincloth. Even if he wore a shirt or jacket over it, underneath he was always wearing a loincloth. Every day he cleaned the bathroom like he was obsessed with it, and lately he was working properly. But moving around half naked made none of that matter!

It was a really unique situation, I would say, although none of them did any harm other than Jilk. What’s more, even Jilk seemed harmless if only viewed from afar. His way of behaving on a day-to-day basis was magnificent, worth taking as an example; but instead he was very easily fooled and other times he even got into illegal things, so it was a great disadvantage for us. Simply put, Jilk was hopeless trash. The others were harmless, but weird.

Who would have guessed that those guys would get to this point? Until last year they were all full-fledged nobles, and one even the crown prince, but now it was not even funny to see them fallen to this point. Just because of that, because I acknowledge her efforts to be with those five idiots, is that I can be nice to Marie from time to time.

My younger sister in my previous life, who tried to live off the five idiots in this world relying only on the information she had obtained from the completed game… now she was nothing more than those guys’ babysitter. Apparently Marie was having a hard time taking care of those five, as they were all idiots. “The misfortune of others tastes like honey!” they say, so that means I can be nice to Marie too.

"Do you want me to force them to get dressed?"

I proposed to Noelle to make Greg and Chris put clothes on…

Wait, why am I proposing to make those two dress up? They, who are my enemies, people I hated with all my being.

Noelle, somewhat surprised, rejected my offer.

“I-I don’t think it’s necessary.”

We were still in the winter season. Still, I doubted that would matter to the idiots who spent their time half naked inside the mansion.

"Now that I remember, there’s something else I want to buy and it’s not on the list. Leon, can

I go check the stores one more time?”

"The baggage carriers will silently obey."

That's what it means to be a boy from the Kingdom of Holfault. However, it seems to be different in the Republic.

"Don’t worry. I’ll carry the other bags.” She didn't like that only I was carrying her baggage. Hearing Noelle’s warm words, tears almost came to my eyes.

Ah, the Republic is wonderful!

Seeing my expression of excitement, Noelle had a complicated expression on her face.

- ……I always ask myself this every day: why do you get so excited about such normal things?

“The normal things you mean are merciful actions done by a saint."

I wonder how many times we’ve been saying the same thing between ourselves.

Noelle always responded with a “Are the women of the kingdom really that bad? Both of them seemed pretty good to me,” while looking at me doubtfully. The women of the kingdom Noelle had encountered could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Also, Angie and Livia were already different from the women of the kingdom, so they didn’t count.

The girls of the kingdom…. It wouldn’t make sense to compare those who are born in a family of barons with those that are born in one of counts, for example. “Only part of them are terrible… or rather they were.” -They were? Why do you say it in past tense?

-Because I came to study here before hearing that they’ve already calmed down a bit. -Calmed down?

- Will they improve?

Many things happened and nowadays the academy was trying to correct this extremely elitist behavior of girls towards boys. As I was already here before I could see the result of that new education, I did not know how they are right now.

Noel looked for a greengrocer this time. After finding him she walked towards them. All the fruits were fresh, but Noel chose the best among those.

The Lespinasse family ... an important noble family in the republic and formerly part of the Great Nobles of the country when they were still seven and not six. And Noel, being a survivor of that family, was actually something like a princess. That is why it felt strange to see her observing and comparing some fruits with such eagerness in a public market.

"Lord, give me these!"

Noelle said, pointing to the seller the fruits he wanted to buy. The seller saw me, who was behind Noel, and then out of nowhere he added another fruit.

"This is a gift from me to you two, lovebirds. Boy what a good wife you chose, I envy you.

Said the salesman, laughing eloquently. Meanwhile, Noelle and I look at each other with an awkward smile. We didn't want to reject the seller's good intentions, so we decided to say nothing and accept it. After taking all the bags, we walked towards the mansion.

Is it nine-something right now? I think we spent a lot of time going through various stores.

Since I hadn't had breakfast, I couldn't stand an empty stomach anymore, but apparently Noelle didn't even remember that she hadn't had breakfast either. She had not stopped thinking about the seller's words for a long time. She was somewhat embarrassed, her cheeks flushed ... and then she began to speak nervously.

"I-I didn't think that they would see us as a couple, hahaha… Does it bother you?" It doesn't bother me. In fact, I thought that had bothered you.

-Not really. Didn't it bother you?

-Hey? C-Of course not, not at all!

Seeing her deny that so strongly, I thought.

Can a girl as good as her really fall in love with someone like me?

Someday, I'm sure someone with the right to have Noelle's love will show up. That's what I think. But as for me, I don't consider myself worthy of having it. What about Angie and Livia? Well, they are also magnificent women, who in spite of everything decided to choose me ... I wonder what would have happened if before the two of them I had met Noelle…

As we were walking down the street, I saw a coffee shop open. As it was the weekend, many couples were seen coming and going. There were some who were even happily chatting about what to do from now on. Nearby there was a lonely man, looking very uncomfortable around the couples, and I could understand him perfectly.

"People seem to be having fun this early."

I said that and Noel tried to say something, but in the end she closed her mouth. -What's going on?

"N-nothing! We better get back quickly, Marie-chan and the rest are waiting for us.” Noel tried to hurry home and this time I looked back at the cafeteria.

"Let them starve, we'd better go get something for breakfast first and then brag about it to Marie when we get there."

If we tell her that we went to eat after finishing shopping, Marie will surely grind her teeth in envy… Sometimes I wonder if Marie is really happy, considering that she is envious of such trivial things as these. And that before she always said quietly "I'll go eat out, I don't like to cook ~". The universe is really confusing.

I took Noelle's hand to lead her to the cafeteria and then we sat at a double table. After receiving the menu, Noelle put down the bags and spoke to me. I assumed that her discomfort comes from the noteworthy number of couples that were around us.

"Ahahaha, I-I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, I was hungry anyway." I think I'll eat something heavy.

"If you eat so much, you won't get breakfast."

"I'm still growing, so no problem."

Youth is incredible. No matter how much I ate, I could still feel hungry for a long time. As I was looking at the menu, Luxion spoke to me in a low voice.

"Sometimes I am speechless when you take such daring actions despite being a coward." Although, well, even in these situations you don't do much of a thing, so I guess you're still a coward.

… Is he never going to shut up?

I looked at Noelle and she was looking at the menu while muttering

“Ummm ~ Should I order this? Ah, but I don't want to eat that much either ~ ”. She looked really cute wondering what to order. After looking away from the menu, she raised her head and saw me; she realized that I was watching her. Then, her cheeks began to slowly blush.

I wonder where girls like her were in my past life… Although, well, I'm pretty happy right now, so I have no right to complain. "Don't look at me, it’s embarrassing." -Hey? What’s wrong?

-… It’s embarrassing that you are looking at me while I am seriously thinking about what to eat.

Noelle said, embarrassed, and I couldn't help but laugh.

-Why are you laughing?!

"Well, I just thought that you were extremely cute." We better order fast. Noelle put on an angry expression, but it was clear by her voice that she was enjoying herself.

"Leon, sometimes you're pretty mean to me. Also, even if you don't realize it, you are quite a womanizer.”

-No way. I am a shy, pure and kind boy.

- ... I forgot to add liar. I still can't believe that you tricked Louise like that. Despite saying that, Noelle didn't really blame me for it.

"I'm so honest and kind that it really was hard to lie even if it was for someone else's sake. Rather, I'd rather you comfort me for that.”

—As always, you have an answer for everything… Well, it doesn't bother me though.

After that, the topic was over, so I raised my hand and called the waitress. Suddenly I realized how a lonely boy sitting nearby looked at me and clicked his tongue. Apparently I was the only one who had a feeling of brotherhood.

It seems that he thought I was eating with my girlfriend. Luxion muttered.

[Looks like you're having a lot of fun… By the way, should I count this as cheating?] Please don't tell. I’m just having breakfast with a good friend!