What escaped my lips in response to Oscar's words was the exact same idiotic sound I'd made yesterday when Martha told me about the engagement.

  "Come on, what's with that stupid look on your face?"

  As Oscar laughed exaggeratedly, I asked back while my temples twitched.

  "...Sorry, but could you say that one more time? Who did what to whom?"

  "I said, you! Confessed passionately to Lady Erna Griebel! And got spectacularly shot down!"

  I felt the dining hall's collective gaze pierce me all at once. This bastard definitely did that on purpose. At this very moment, my face had been permanently etched in everyone's memory as the person at the center of the rumors.

  "...I have absolutely no recollection of that."

  I said as calmly as possible, lowering my voice. But Oscar leaned forward as if finding this unbearably amusing.

  "Yesterday at the Arcane Arts Society, you met Lady Erna, right? Apparently you made passionate advances on the spot and got coldly rejected. You were so persistent that Professor Maxwell finally had to step in and forcibly pry you away."

  The story had been embellished beyond recognition—it hadn't just grown legs, it had sprouted wings. I'd simply been confused and frozen by Erna's dramatic transformation. She was the one who grabbed my hand, and before I could shake it off, she'd distanced herself. I hadn't even had time to confess.

  "...That's completely wrong. Also, you've noticed something's off, haven't you?"

  I couldn't believe that Oscar would swallow such a baseless rumor. Which meant this guy was just enjoying the situation—what terrible taste.

  "Haha, well, yeah."

  Oscar admitted it readily and tossed butter-laden bread into his mouth.

  "I can't imagine you being that passionate. But rumors spread based on how interesting they are, not whether they're true."

  Oscar cheerfully stated the facts.

  "...You're treating this like it's someone else's problem. Help your friend out a little, would you?"

  "Help? With what? Thanks to this, you're a celebrity now. You've class-changed from just 'the Belmond second son' to 'the man who got shot down by a court magician.' Congratulations."

  "That's not a good thing at all..."

  I sighed deeply. Compared to the world's crisis, this might be a trivial matter, but at this point, I couldn't predict what consequences anything might bring. Besides, romantic entanglements with the sage Erna reeked of destruction flags.

  Though honestly, my real feeling was that it was just troublesome.

  I could no longer focus on eating. The surrounding whispers stabbed into my back like needles. I stood up quickly.

  "Hey, leaving already?"

  "I can't exactly relax in this situation."

  "Fair enough."

  Oscar glanced around and laughed.

  "I'll at least try to find the source of the rumor."

  "I see. Seems pointless, but well, do your best, Prince Rejection."

  "Say that again, and I'll ensure every steak you eat for the next year is well-done. Burnt to a crisp."

  At my low-voiced threat, Oscar shrugged and waved dismissively. That attitude of his was inexplicably infuriating.

  After leaving the dining hall, I organized my thoughts while walking through the chilly corridor. Present at yesterday's Arcane Arts Society were me, Erna, Professor Maxwell, and several other students. The professor would never spread such vulgar rumors. Would the other students add that much embellishment?

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The more I thought about it, one suspect emerged most clearly.

  Erna Griebel herself...?

  But for what purpose? As I considered that, last night's conversation with Martha flashed through my mind.

  'Between Master Dylan Belmond and Lady Erna Griebel.'

  The engagement being arranged between us. What if Erna wasn't pleased about that arrangement? Well, that was almost certainly the case.

  As a perfectionist, she wouldn't accept a political marriage partner chosen by her family. Especially if that partner was some unknown man.

  However, as sabotage, this method lacked some specificity.

  Even if I'd actually been rejected, that would be a personal matter and wouldn't constitute a decisive obstacle to an arrangement between families.

  No, in noble society where appearances matter, could it be possible?

  From Martha's story and Oscar's attitude, the engagement talk between Erna and me probably hadn't progressed publicly yet. Only among those close to both families.

  ...Well, I didn't know about it, but setting that aside.

  At that stage, what would happen if rumors spread throughout the academy that "Belmond's second son was rejected by Lady Griebel"? If the engagement was announced afterward, everyone would see me as "a pathetic man who forced an engagement through family power after being rejected." Sympathetic eyes would gather on Erna. That would affect House Belmond's reputation. I couldn't imagine Father would allow such a scandal.

  ...So she struck first.

  If so, it would be an extremely calculated form of information manipulation by Erna, aimed at breaking the engagement. Thorough scheming befitting a perfectionist. That possibility alone was enough to make my head hurt.

  ...What should I do?

  I held my head. There was no way I could win a battle of wits against that sage Erna. But if I silenced her using noble authority, that would be exactly what Erna wanted. And it would lead to the revival of villainous noble Dylan. I never imagined I'd glimpse destruction from such a vulgar rumor. Noble society might be more troublesome than I'd thought.

  In the end, without finding a concrete solution or making contact with Erna, the day ended with nothing accomplished. Martha had been giving me lukewarm looks, but when I tried to explain, that just made her worry.

  So, to the dining hall for breakfast. Oscar was chatting with other classmates in the noble lounge. When he spotted me, he beckoned with a grin.

  "Yo, Prince Rejection. Feeling any better?"

  "Stop calling me that. ...I wanted to ask your advice about something."

  "What's up?"

  Having the surrounding students step away, Oscar turned toward me with interest. I steeled myself and asked, swallowing my pride.

  "Is there any way to dissolve—no, to avoid a marriage arrangement?"

  A moment of silence. Then Oscar burst out laughing, unable to contain himself.

  "Pfft! What, are you seriously into Lady Erna... no, that's not it."

  Oscar laughed with amusement.

  "The source of the rumors, and now this consultation—it all connects. Your family has an engagement proposal with Lady Erna, doesn't it?"

  Sharp as always. I nodded.

  "So you want to eliminate the engagement—very much like you, Dylan."

  He continued with an expression of utter delight.

  "But well, let's see. Engagements aren't something you can easily dissolve."

  "Yeah, I know."

  I nodded. Of course. An agreement that could be dissolved so easily would hold no meaning in noble society.

  "However, it's not impossible."

  Oscar stared at me intently.

  "Actually, there are various methods. But the one that suits you best is—"

  Oscar paused briefly, then grinned and declared:

  "You just need to become so successful that no one can match you."

  "...Become successful?"

  At the unexpected answer, I reflexively asked back.

  "Yeah. Think about it. Lady Erna became a court magician at the youngest age in history—she's a genius. How many men in this country can match someone like her? Almost none. That's precisely why you, the second son of the promising House Belmond, were chosen. Your family's status and your personal future prospects—those two factors were considered."

  Oscar was probably right. Right now, I had just the right value as a piece.

  "But what if you became, say, the first-ranked court magician, or captain of the royal guard, or even prime minister? Then conversely, there'd be no woman who could match you. House Griebel would have no choice but to withdraw from the talks themselves, saying 'our daughter isn't suitable for the young master of House Belmond.'"

  It was truly reverse thinking. Instead of running away, advance so far ahead that the other party can't catch up. Rather than playing the villain to lower my value, pile up efforts to raise my value too high.

  "I see."

  That was an extension of what I'd been doing all along. The training and studies I'd begun to avoid destruction. I would continue those efforts, this time to avoid the engagement. Since it was never based on noble conviction in the first place, even if the purpose changed, the actions remained the same.

  Above all, that path wouldn't require throwing myself into destruction flags. Rather, it would take me even further from them.

  "...Not a bad approach."

  "Right? Well, it's definitely a thorny path. I don't know if you have what it takes."

  Oscar shrugged, but in his eyes, along with amusement, there dwelled a glimmer of something like expectation.

  A resolve settled in my heart. I'd stop struggling to return to the original. The gears that had gone awry once wouldn't return to their original state. Then I had no choice but to move forward.

  I would survive this collapsed scenario in my own way. First, to free myself from this ridiculous rumor and engagement talk. And then, to prepare somehow for the world crisis that would inevitably come.

  It was a path with no guarantees—but at least it was forward.

  "Thanks, Oscar. I can see the path a bit more clearly now."

  When I said that, Oscar nodded with satisfaction. The sky remained as blue as ever, and I felt the fog that had nested in my heart clear just a little.