“Y-You…have always bullied me. You took my things, ripped my textbooks, and did so much horrible things to me.” Veronica stared right at Audrey as she spoke, but Leticiel could see from the way her shoulders were trembling that she was battling with her fear. Careful not to let Audrey see, Leticiel stroked her back reassuringly. Veronica’s eyes widened slightly for a moment, but she took a deep breath to calm her mind. She must have gained courage from Leticiel’s actions as the quivering in her shoulders calmed down. “P-Please stop! I’m not a toy…for you to play with as you like!”
Mentally, Leticiel applauded the girl for mustering the energy to spit the words out.
Audrey was flustered by this never-before-seen side of Veronica, but she was quick to get back on her high horse with a domineering expression. “Wh-What proof do you have?” she asked. “How dare you accuse me of bullying? You’re making baseless accusations!”
She still seemed to think she had the upper hand, but Leticiel silently reached into her pocket and pulled out a palm-sized cube. With the sound of cracking ice, the box unfolded and projected the scene that had been recorded inside of it.
There was no audio, but it showed Audrey’s followers gathering around Veronica’s seat. Audrey’s mouth moved, giving a silent order, and the girls started yanking things out of Veronica’s desk and bag. However, due to the spell Leticiel had cast, the items returned to their original places when the girls tried to take them. Shocked, the girls tried to use magic spells from a variety of attributes to take them out, but all of them were repelled.
Audrey, who’d been watching the confused girls, got even angrier. When she realized the items couldn’t be taken, she scribbled insults on the desk and chair and left.
The video was from two days earlier. When Leticiel had returned after helping a teacher with Veronica, she had quickly erased the messages.
Eyes wide, Audrey staggered back. A thousand years ago, when people had noticed this spell was being used, they had purposefully left it alone, and in fact, used it to hand fake information to their enemies. But there was no way Audrey could have done that.
“Th-Th-Th-Th-This is nonsense! That isn’t me!”
“Then I’ll show you other footage. You can be found in all of the records. Don’t you think that’s a little more than just a coincidence?”
True to her word, Leticiel showed Audrey and the others almost all of the recordings Zeke had made. If, after watching the recordings, the girls still insisted they were nonsense, then they would simply have to get a third party to judge.
“Th-That’s a dirty trick! Don’t sneak around in the shadows! If you have something to say, say it right to my face!” Audrey shouted, either starting to panic or having lost her temper.
Dirty tricks? Say it to her face? “Do you really have the right to say that when you and your friends spread baseless rumors from the shadows and take advantage of your opponent’s weaknesses, pushing them to their limits, Miss Audrey?”
Audrey gritted her teeth at Leticiel’s counterargument. The other young ladies didn’t have their usual bravado. One held her head in bewilderment and fear, while the other had her hands pressed against her face.
“Besides, isn’t bullying this peaceful world’s version of war? I believe all’s fair in war.”
“Hah?! I have no idea what you’re talking about! You’re crazy!”
“There is nothing wrong with my mind. I am simply following what appears to be the customs of the aristocracy in this period.”
“Such a custom doesn’t exist!” Audrey looked at Leticiel like she had gone insane, but Leticiel simply tilted her head questioningly.
“Then what is the concept behind bullying?”
“What?! Bullying is bullying! Nothing more, nothing less!”
After a pause, Leticiel said, “So that must mean it’s harassment then. Hiding someone’s belongings and making snide comments that directly attack a person’s mind, isolating someone by spreading malicious rumors… Doesn’t that mean you’re mentally backing someone into a corner instead of using physical violence?”
“Th-That’s right! So what?”
“I see. So it’s just like what you’ve been doing, Miss Audrey,” Leticiel said with an apathetic gaze.
Finally, Audrey realized that she had dug her own grave. Her face grew red and her shoulders began to tremble.
“We still have more recordings of what you and your group have done, Miss Audrey. In fact, I’ve recorded this entire conversation. You won’t be able to talk your way out.”
Leticiel wasn’t actually recording anything, but since they had just seen the recordings, Audrey and the others’ faces paled, completely falling for Leticiel’s bluff. Their faces sure were busy, going from red to white as a sheet.
“If you’ve learned your lesson, don’t ever think of bullying someone again. I’ll back you into a corner no matter where you try to do it.”
“W-We won’t do it anymore!” Audrey spat with tears in her eyes before dashing away. The girls she had left behind hurried to follow her.
Once they were out of sight, all of Veronica’s strength left her and she sank to the floor. “Miss Veronica, are you all right?” Leticiel asked her immediately.
“I’m f-fine. You saved me, Miss Drossell.”
“Really? I’m glad,” Leticiel said, relieved. Veronica grabbed the hand Leticiel offered her and stood up, shrugging slightly and smiling. Mirandalette watched them, breathing a sigh of relief.
“I was so scared of what might happen…”
“Well, she won’t be able to make any careless moves now.” Audrey didn’t look like she was brave enough to bother them anymore. Leticiel still had proof, and there were plenty of things she could do if Audrey decided to target someone else.
“U-Um, do you think…she’ll be back?”
“We’ll fight her again if she does. Just as I said earlier.”
“Miss Drossell, you’re a reassuring ally to have, but I’d be terrified if you were my enemy.”
Leticiel could only give her a puzzled look.
After that, Audrey’s harassment came to a complete halt. Leticiel had been on alert for a while, wondering if the girls planned to surprise them when they let their guard down, but Audrey had started avoiding Veronica and the others whenever she saw them.
In the end, Leticiel had no idea why Audrey had been bullying Veronica, but after her interaction with Leticiel, she had become much meeker and didn’t bother anyone. It seemed the situation had truly been resolved.
“Um, Miss Drossell, where are we going?”
“To the gathering place for the Magic Lovers’ Club.”
That day, Leticiel brought Veronica to the magic training grounds. When she opened the door to the very last booth, where they usually practiced, she saw that Zeke, Mirandalette, and Hilmes were already there. Leticiel invited Veronica inside before asking her, “Miss Veronica, would you like to join our club?”
Veronica’s eyes widened in shock at the invitation. Because they’d been united to form a front against bullying, she knew that Leticiel had created her own club. But Leticiel hadn’t told her anything about it, and she had assumed that she would only serve as a hindrance if she joined because she couldn’t use magic.
“What? But…you never offered to let me join up until now. It’s because I’d be a bother, right?”
“Oh, that’s not the case.” Leticiel shook her head. She wouldn’t have even helped Veronica with her bullying problem if she were the kind of person who would reject a potential club member for a reason like that. “I don’t think you’re a bother, Miss Veronica. It’s just that the activities we perform in this club must be kept a secret from outsiders. I didn’t want to burden you when you were already having a rough time.”
Though named the Magic Lovers’ Club, they were actually a club that practiced sorcery. Due to the fact that Leticiel was researching national secrets, only a few teachers—such as Lucas—knew about the existence of sorcery.
Lucas had told Leticiel that he was concerned over Veronica’s bullying. Leticiel knew that it would be best not to get her involved in their secrets when she was still suffering. Besides, she couldn’t ignore the possibility that Audrey and her group might follow Veronica around until the bullying issue was solved. Preventing the leak of information was one of the bigger reasons for keeping the club a secret.
“That’s why we couldn’t let you near here until the issue was resolved, Miss Veronica. But we didn’t mean to leave you out of the group,” Leticiel explained, turning to Veronica. The other girl still didn’t seem to believe what was happening, her eyes and mouth open wide in astonishment.
“Welcome to the Magic Lovers’ Club, Miss Veronica. We’d love to have you.” Smiling slightly, Leticiel offered Veronica her right hand. Veronica hesitantly gripped it with both of hers, a smile spreading on her lips.
“Y-Yes! I’d love to join you!”