"Eldergast!" Sir Sizemore barks at me.
"Y-yes?!" I freeze in place. Sir Sizemore walks over to me and slaps me on the back.
"I think we finally found a weapon that suits you!"
"Really?!" I ask with excitement. I'm currently holding a short sword. I had hoped I had some talent with the short sword so I could have an excuse to keep the one I won from the Combat Wizards tourny I entered.
"About time too. I was worried you'd end up like those other useless women who only use staves as walking sticks."
"That's a bit mean, sir."
"Heh like I care. They aren't my students! McGreggor can keep the fat and flabby all to himself." I grimace. He lacks tact. Although this might be as much tact as one can expect from a military veteran. Sir Sizemore was a commoner that rose through the ranks over the years of service. He didn't have the same educational background as the aristocracy. And if the movies depicting how a bunch of military dudes talking with each other is to be believed, then I suppose this might be tactful all things considering. "So are the rumors of you having a Dragon Scale sword true?"
"Ah, yes! How did you know?"
"Sir Grey. He commented on how he was jealous of it. I can't see why though. He uses longswords."
"I'd wager it was mostly jealousy regarding the nature in which I acquired it. Getting something for free is always better than paying for the exact same item!"
"Ha. No truer words can be spoken!" Sir Sizemore bellowed heartily. "20 more strikes on the dummy and you can finish up for the day."
"Yes, sir!"
"And watch your arm! Don't let it sag!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
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After combat basics, I headed to the room to bathe. I got especially sweaty today and knew Maria wouldn't be back for a bit as she had mentoring sessions with Simon. Since she didn't show up to lunch, I told Simon to let her know not to dawdle on her way back today. The bath that Lindsay drew up felt extra good today. She added a bit of lavender to help me relax. It had been fairly stressful lately. The weekend killed me with the whole black handkerchief thing - ah shit, I just remembered I never ended up asking Professor McGreggor for more information about the archduke's lands. And speaking of the Professor, the mentioning of light magic really makes my skin crawl. Then Maria skips lunch and I pound out my aggressions on a straw dummy. I'm sure my arm is going to sore later.
After my bath, I ask Emily to prepare some tea and snacks. Maria should be back soon, and if she missed lunch, she will likely need something to hold her over until dinner.
"Miss, you have a guest," Emily has returned no sooner than she had left.
"Me? Now? Why didn't they just knock?"
"Well miss, it's a gentleman. He can't enter the dorms without an escort."
"Oh. Who is it?"
"Lord Simon Clark."
"Simon? Why isn't Maria with him then? Nevermind. I'll go find out." I head out of the room to meet Simon at the entrance.
"Simon!" I greet him. "Why isn't -"
"Maria never came to class," he interrupts me.
"What do you mean?" I ask worried now.
"She never showed up. I waited till the end."
"Shit. I don't like this. Skipping lunch is one thing, but she would never skip class! Did you happen to see her at all today?" He shakes his head. I figured it was unlikely. Maria's entire day revolves around giving all the capture targets equal opportunity to spend time with her, even if they themselves are not aware of it. "Ok. We have to think of where she might be......." I start to pace while recalling our conversations. Nothing out of the ordinary happened this morning. We both got ready and had breakfast like normal. Last night we spoke about the secret character and speculated about the archduke. Oh, she mentioned the library. We were going to do research there. But - that doesn't seem likely. Missing lunch to go to the library might be possible, but also missing class - that's not like Maria. But I also don't want to completely disregard the possibility.
"Hey Simon, can you do me a favor?"
"Yes."
"Maria and I talked about doing some research in the library. Though we didn't make any solid plans, do you mind checking just in case she's there? And if you do find her, give her a scolding for making her friends worry!"
"Yes," and with little ceremony, Simon walks away quickly.
He's not likely to find her there. Ok, let's think about this. Maria is the heroine. What happens to heroines? They get bullied. Lady Angelica probably did - THAT'S IT! Maria is probably in some sort of slight danger because of Lady Angelica. What happens in these types of stories? Let's see there is:
gang of girls cornering the heroine and being mean and/or physically violent
hmm, not likely she would miss more than just lunch
Stealing her clothes while changing forcing her to hide in the changing room
she has combat basics before me, I would have seen her when I went to class
Tricking her to go somewhere and getting kidnapped
a possibility, but seems like more an end game tatic
Locking her in an empty room
very high probability
Trapping her on the roof
buildings here are fairly short, but also could be a possibility
Out of all of these, being locked in a room is the most likely scenario. Now how do I go about this? I doubt Lady Angelica would tell me the truth, so there is no reason to even speak to her. And I am still under her radar, and I would like to keep it that way as long as possible. What would the game do? The heroine is trapped by the villainess, then a capture target saves the heroine. Ah! That's what I need to do! I need to tell a capture target that I can't find Maria and send him forward on his quest! I am so smart! Maria is lucky she has me to be her best friend! So who do I go to? Sadly Simon is out of the question. I just sent him to the library. The professor is still on the hell no list. That leaves Duke Victor, Prince Levi, and Sir Grey. I don't particularly like Duke Victor, so sorry buddy, you're getting a veto. Actually, Prince Levi is the best choice. By telling him it will automatically inform Sir Grey. There's a better chance one of the two of them will find her! I puff up with pride. Haha! Take that game! I know your secrets! Now, let's go save the heroine!
YOU ARE READING
The Heroine's Best Friend
RomanceMy 2nd life started as a stupid cliche story. I was isekai'd away to an otome game. Well, at least I wasn't reincarnated as the villainess. I have the best seat in the house; I'm the best friend of the heroine! My job is pretty simple. Pop up to exp...
