The World of Otome Game
is a Second Chance for Broken Swords
Story Starts
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Chapter 3 -
Start of Academy and
Marriage Woes
Back to the present.
Previously…
Both guardians stoically raised their hands, while Luxion just interjected, "If Olivia's going to be Leon's mistress, then who exactly is supposed to seduce the prince and his entourage so Leon can swoop in afterwards?"
"..."
"..."
Blue eyes blinked twice. Grey eyes blinked back.
"..."
"..."
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"Finally!" Olivia shouted, vaulting from the ship to the harbour with her travel bag, hefting it as if it weighed no more than a feather. She was followed by her two guardian spirits—Sella and Leysritt, Lunar deities, a step above the run-of-the-mill guardian spirit. They were each pulling two medium-sized suitcases.
Next came Nicks—his recently contracted guardian spirit hailing from the dungeon in Leon's barony—and Leon, with a duffel bag slung over one shoulder while lugging a single large suitcase.
Looking back, Leon held out his hand for his sister. She brushed it aside with a sneer, hitched up her long purple dress, and stepped onto the harbour—nearly losing her footing.
Jenna's gaze flicked from Olivia's pile of luggage to her own beastkin attendant, burdened with just one large suitcase. With a sneer, she peeled away from the group, her attendant trailing behind.
Leon surveyed the airship harbour. It resembled a bus terminal or train station from their old world. Already, their father's vessel was pulling away from the harbour, beginning the long journey home. Although Leon couldn't secure a special airship for his father through Luxion, he did arrange for the AI to modify it, enabling a swarm of drones to operate what typically required fifteen to twenty men.
Taking the lead, Nicks steered the group toward the terminal where their capital-bound ship awaited. Leon spotted Jenna along with what he presumed were her friends. In fact, dozens of other students were already waiting there. Nearly half of them bore the crests and manners of families between knightly ranks and viscounts. Anyone from an earldom or higher had their own private dock within the capital.
As they lingered in line, the scheduled service ship pulled into the harbour at last. Leon saw Jenna moving towards the vessel, annoyance plain on her face, before she froze mid-step. At the exact moment, Nicks pressed a hand to his forehead.
Blocked by taller students around her, Olivia tugged Leon's sleeve—tiptoing for a glimpse—and asked what the fuss was about.
"Looks like the entourage of a ducal house just skipped the queue," Nicks muttered, giving a resigned shrug.
Olivia, putting on a devilish sneer—one Leon was certain the protagonist had not made throughout the game—clasped her fist within her palm, and said, "Well, we could just show them the errors of their ways."
Nicks's expression turned stricken as Olivia barked an order to her guardian spirits. Moving swiftly, Leon hooked her by the collar like a cat carrying its kitten and deposited her by his side.
With a pout and a stamp of her foot, Olivia shot Leon an indignant look. "What?! Isn't the academy supposed to treat us all the same?"
People were already staring as Nicks instinctively retreated, eager to distance himself from the pair.
Leon smothered Olvia's protests with his hand, pulling her against him while offering the onlookers an apologetic look. 'We're sorry,' he mouthed. The crowd lost interest, and the line shuffled forward onto the ship.
Leon winced as Olivia bit his palm. "Wait—can you do the privacy thing again?" he asked, finally releasing her. Grinning, she leaned against his side, guided his arm over her shoulders, raised her hand, and whispered, "Leugnun des Tons."
Nicks pulled a face Leon couldn't decipher. Leon frowned and said to Olivia, "Yeah—please include Nicks as well."
This was a conceptual spell Olivia had devised. It wasn't simply a barrier that blocked sound from leaving or entering; it shifted all sound within a three-dimensional sphere out of phase with reality's soundscape. To outsiders, there was no strange pocket of silence—sound waves simply passed through with no reflection or absorption.
At least, that was how Leon understood it. They used the spell whenever they discussed their game knowledge or memories of past lives. If anyone discovered the truth and believed this reality was based on a game, the revelation could be existentially dreadful. More likely, they'd be branded insane—hence why, apart from Olivia, Luxion, and the guardian spirits, Leon never spoke of such matters to anyone.
Olivia tugged at Leon's sleeve. "Right… we're not even at the academy yet, so those rules don't matter. And honestly, people like that will flaunt their rank wherever they please."
"Leon's right. Despite what the academy claims, status and authority still matter at school. Even at the academy, equality is a façade—there are two distinct levels of classes," Nicks said from within the bounded field.
"Especially you, even knighted, your rank is barely a step above a commoner's. You can't even pass it to your children. Without your scholarship, you'd have been relegated to the general students," Nicks added, swinging his bag into a compartment as the group settled into a medium-sized suite.
"Mou, no fun," Olivia sulked as she sat in the recliner, her guardian spirits still flanking her.
Leon chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Come on—let's keep a low profile and enjoy ourselves at school, okay?"
"Fine, I'll be more cautious. I just need to help you find a wife—or ten—so I can have my yuri-yuri—"
"Sella," Leon said flatly.
"Ow!"
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Despite the crowded urban district, the academy's campus opened wide before Leon and his group. Towering buildings lined the campus, but it was the scale of the dormitories that impressed—especially since students could request specific customisations for a fee.
Leon had managed it by negotiating the early opening of their Terran dungeon and paying two platinum dias.
By then, Nicks had gone his own way—toward the general–class dormitories, leaving Olivia and Leon to report to the higher-class accommodations.
Mistress jokes aside, Leon had already appointed Olivia as his official vassal, and the palace had accepted it. Typically, this wouldn't be possible, since students rarely held titles of their own—they were usually heirs, or the second or third children of noble houses. Titles were only granted upon graduation or through specific achievements, such as adventuring milestones—like the ones Olivia and Leon had earned.
Leon and Olivia's case was an outlier: they had discovered seven floating islands—six of them with dungeons. It was an achievement unmatched in recent years, and the reward reflected that. Leon likely held one of the highest statuses on campus, even above some of the teachers.
Not that it would help—Leon couldn't throw his status around against someone from a higher family; doing so would only bring ruin to his barony.
The dorm proved far more luxurious than Leon had expected. The entrance resembled a hotel lobby, complete with a reception desk and a staff member waiting. Uniformed employees moved briskly to and fro.
"Wow, this place looks just like it did in the game," Leon heard Olivia mumble.
And with a quiet grunt, Olivia grew sheepish and mimed zipping her mouth and throwing away the key as they approached the receptionist.
"Ah, yes—Lord Leon Fou Bartfort and your vassal, Knight Olivia, your room is located here." The receptionist produced a map and keys once Leon and Olivia provided their details. Leon had requested two rooms with a shared common area, two large workshops, and a rather extravagant kitchen.
Leon's offerings worked wonders; unfortunately, all of it would be donated to the academy upon graduation.
"Please be sure to peruse the dormitory rulebook. If you have any issues, please alert the person in charge."
Suddenly, a student shoved between them, flanked by lackeys who spread out like a shield. "Hey. Show me to my room right now."
The student was an heir to a wealthy viscount. The receptionist looked troubled; she couldn't ignore Leon, a baron, for an heir, yet her own status was likely only that of a baronet or knight—lower than Leon's—which might cause her trouble later. Yet she also couldn't slight a viscount's heir.
Leon just shrugged and gave the receptionist a reassuring smile before leaving with the map and keys. He caught a glimpse of her relieved expression as he and Olivia departed for their new residence.
"Welcome to the dormitory! We'll guide you to your room immediately. Please allow us to take your luggage…" the receptionist said, as Leon, Olivia and the guardian twins turned the corner.
At last, they stood before the residence they'd call home for three years. Leon fitted the key; the lock clicked, and the doors swung wide onto a lavish common room. Two broad sofas and a pair of singles circled a knee-high table for guests. Leon hauled in his suitcase—the wheels sliding on smooth marbled floor—dropped his duffel onto the carpet, and collapsed onto the couch.
Leon let out a long sigh—"Now that we've arrived, I would appreciate you letting me out now," came a muffled voice from inside his duffel bag.
Leon promptly opened the bag, and Luxion floated out, his large red eye scanning the room's interior.
"Oh, sorry—it slipped my mind," Leon admitted sheepishly, still sprawled on the couch with his arms draped along the back.
"Of course you did, Master. Your memory is utterly praiseworthy."
Leon chuckled at the sarcasm, long accustomed to the bite that coloured most of the AI's speech.
Olivia leaned against Leon. "Why not cloak yourself?" she asked, as Leysritt emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of refreshments.
"When I move, cloaking distorts the air—it would eventually be noticed. It's different here on campus—I can remain hidden while cloaked, with more cover to avoid line of sight."
The door rattled with a knock. Luxion blinked out of sight, activating his cloak while Leon grunted and stood to meet their surprise visitor.
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Leon found himself in an upscale bar off of school grounds, having left Olivia and the guardian spirits at the residence. He'd been dragged from the student residence along with the other first-year men by a group of upperclassmen.
"Uh, so…I'm truly happy to welcome all the new students this year." The speaker addressing them was an heir of a barony. "It wasn't long ago I stood where you do now."
The upperclassmen hosts were all from poor, rural noble houses. Leon realised all the underclassmen were from the same background as well.
Another first-year, by the name of Daniel Fou Durland, stood next to Leon. He looked healthy, with finely tanned skin and short hair, and a tall, muscled frame that gave a strong first impression.
'I might as well socialise,' Leon thought wryly.
"What's the point of this welcome party anyway?" Leon asked him.
"Don't you know?" Daniel tilted his head at Leon. "If we're a real group with solid bonds, we can consult each other when problems arise and share vital information. You know how important it is to get married, right?"
Ah, yes, the plight of a nobleman: trying to find a bride who wouldn't bleed him dry, lacked poor character, and stayed faithful.
'And you can only choose one,' Leon thought sarcastically, referring to the three criteria.
It certainly would make some things easier to be part of a group, but if a promising young lady appeared, Leon had no doubt a fight would break out—especially if she were within someone's strike range, no more than a rank up or down.
When Leon voiced his thoughts aloud, another student joined the conversation. Sitting across from Leon and Daniel, he introduced himself as Raymond Fou Arkin. In contrast to Daniel, Raymond's glasses lent him an air of intelligence, though he seemed more like a killjoy. He pushed his spectacles up his nose.
"Even if a fight over a girl broke out, as long as she's dating someone in our group, no one will lose their heads over it," he said loftily. "In the case of an argument, it's settled by the group. Besides, fights over women are apparently quite rare."
Once the upperclassman finished speaking, the feast began. From what Leon heard, the third- and second-year students were footing the bill, which meant that next year, it would be their turn to treat their juniors.
"I was looking forward to meeting the highly acclaimed and successful adventurer joining us this year," said an upperclassman as he approached Leon's group. "I'm Lucle, by the way. Happy to make your acquaintance. We're expecting great things from you, first-year."
He was a third-year, and seemed pretty laid-back—having already secured a marriage partner, he had little left to worry about. All that remained was to cruise to graduation and return to his territory.
Leon scratched the back of his head, unsure how to reply.
"Now, now—no need to act humble. Discovery of several floating islands, most with dungeons, lost items, riches—and an immediate elevation to a baron. You're quite the talk of my parents' territory."
Leon glanced aside. "Not like I had a choice. It was either make some money or be shipped off to marry some perverted old lady—and I had help."
A hint of condescension coloured Lucle's tone as his expression darkened. "Ah, yes—the scholarship student. A commoner turned knight, piggybacking on your achievements. The academy claims it wants exceptional students, so it admits someone of common birth."
Raymond sneered. Daniel didn't look too pleased either. Perhaps it was the natural reaction for anyone from a noble house.
The air turned cold as Leon offered the trio a serene smile. "That commoner-turned-knight is my vassal. She discovered and cleared a dungeon alone before ever teaming with me. I'll give you one warning—don't cross her." Leon shivered inwardly, recalling the petite, white-haired girl smiling as she unleashed her 253-centimetre demigod servant on Shirou.
The next moment, Leon's grin turned bright and careless. "Now then—let's enjoy the festivities." He clapped both Raymond and Daniel on the shoulders. The trio forced out brittle laughter, each trying to ignore the phantom sensation of blades pricking at their skin.
Leon refilled their cups and steered the talk back to marriage and its woes.
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END