I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

54. Classic Tropes from Every Novel

Zeroah wasn’t “that” disappointed with this opportunity – at least, not as disappointed as she’d imagined. Though it was only temporary, and felt…almost miraculous, not entirely controlled by her own body, the moment she decided not to back down, to continue trying to reclaim Philo’s power, Zeroah felt, undeniably, that her command over her own power had “refined” itself once more.

No longer fearing that clumsy, terrifying weapon, she discovered, as her “vision” broadened alongside her strength: that lumbering weapon was perhaps her weakness! That was all Zeroah could glean, though, since that Ludwig seemed to sense the shift the “instant” Zeroah grew stronger, uttering an ambiguous, “Looks like it’s not the time yet; how troublesome…”

Then…she turned and ran!

They say villains run when they can’t win, but you’re running even when you can? How refreshingly unconventional! Zeroah wanted to pursue! But perhaps because she’d been struck squarely by that unwieldy weapon several times in quick succession, the forcibly operating functions of her body went awry as soon as she eased up even slightly. Zeroah swayed, nearly blacking out and collapsing forward.

“Zeroah!”

Fortunately, Philo noticed something was wrong and rushed over, catching her from behind.

Nonsense, a damn hammer of it!

“Wait, the Sprite got away!”

You must understand, this was the real matter at hand!

As far as the eye could see, that Sprite fought at the drop of a hat and fled even faster. Though Henrietta the Fourth over there tried to impede her, she leaped onto the roof of one of the academy buildings with steps like arrows in a way only the unusual could manage, and then… a leap of faith, gone without trace!

What to do now? To have the chance snatched away when they’d worked so hard to seize it, when they’d wanted to wrest Flora’s power back from her hands!

Zerola’s first instinct, naturally, was to give chase, but… close to her ear, Flora’s near-weeping roar finally made Zerola come to her senses.

“What Sprite are you still chasing? Look at yourself first!”

“…”

Helpless, to persist at a time like this would border on insanity. Not to mention that Henrietta the Fourth had never truly intended to stop Ludwigh, only offering a token “interception,” before coming towards her after the failure.

“Zerola, stop shouting about chasing her and take care of yourself. Now that we know who she is, she won’t be escaping us. And… the reason I didn’t truly impede her, is because the Sprite said something to me.”

Henrietta the Fourth paused, then continued, “She said she would be back to find you, when you’re stronger…”

Only then did Zerola finally relinquish her obsession.

After all… the whole affair didn’t seem to be over. More to the point, was what that Sprite displayed truly all of her power? At the very least, in that final moment, her surprise hadn’t stemmed from the growth of her own power, but from… something else entirely. Muttering, it seemed, about something called “Order”?

But all of that would have to wait until the future to understand.

Soon after, the Empire’s people arrived, sealing off the academy layer by layer, while initiating a “carpet” search for the Sprite who, theoretically, should still be within the academy’s walls. Meanwhile, Zerola followed Flora and Henrietta the Fourth to the student council room for a temporary respite.

Remaining in the academy at a time like this was indeed dangerous, so what Henrietta the Fourth insisted on explaining in the student council room must be no small secret. In truth, Zerola had been suspicious for a while now.

At this very moment, watching Henrietta the Fourth calmly shut the doors and windows, cutting off all possibility of “leaking secrets,” Zerola could no longer concern herself with her aching back. She stood with Flora to one side, and asked in a low voice,

“Henrietta the Fourth, just what in blazes are you up to?”

In a word: Zerola felt there was something very wrong with the woman before her!

She had been too preoccupied with dealing with the Sprite to consider it before, but now, having calmed down, Zerola realized: Henrietta the Fourth’s behavior was nothing like what one would expect from Henry the Third’s sister.

Or rather… her entire conduct, even her very appearance, was odd! Whether it was that she could “strike a deal of some kind” with the Queen, or the strength she’d displayed, or her purpose in seeking out Flora tonight…

Zerola felt she could put a blindfold on and still mistake this woman for someone else!

And then, after making certain no one could detect what was happening in the student council room, Henrietta the Fourth’s response struck Zerola’s worst fear dead center.

Though there was a divide between men and women, the look on Henrietta the Fourth’s face was the sort of punchable Zerola would not soon forget! Because it was too familiar!

“Zerola, do you think there’s something wrong with me?”

A shake of the head, a sigh. Zerola’s earlier suspicion solidified in that very next moment.

“Who do you think I resemble?”

It seemed improbable, but Zerola still yelled out!

“Henry the Third!?”

No wonder this one locked the doors and closed the windows, because her startled yell would surely have carried outside.

Zerola stared, disbelief plastered across his face, at the “young lady” shaking her head and offering a wry smile. Then, with considerable effort, he forced out the next words.

“Holy shit, you’re actually a woman!?”

“The opposite! How is it that someone with a brain like yours has so much luck with women!?” Henry the Third’s expression crumpled. “It’s a man in drag. Otherwise, where do you think my ‘sister,’ Henrietta the Fourth, came from? I was using her to lure out the attackers at the academy. No one in their right mind would send a completely clueless sister to do such a dangerous job, would they?”

He paused, clarifying things a bit further. “I *have* a ‘sister’, Henrietta the Fourth. It’s essentially a spare identity I use when my current one becomes inconvenient. Passing myself off as my sister gives me a lot more freedom while granting me certain advantages… Ah, but to tell the truth, it’s all just the Queen’s request. I’m not sure if it’s some kind of perverse amusement of hers.”

“This time, ‘Henrietta the Fourth’s’ appearance was, naturally, to find the attacker. Or did you think I had the confidence to send ‘Henrietta’ to deal with things solo? Of course, judging by the results, I severely underestimated the enemy’s strength. That elf… she’s truly dangerous. Someone I definitely can’t handle alone.”

“Regardless, she got away. At least for now… You two should rest properly. After this, barring any unexpected events, I’ll continue to operate under this guise for a while longer. I hope you won’t go blabbing it around.”

Henry the Third spoke with conviction.

But in truth… Zerola only caught a snippet of it before his attention wandered.

Because Zerola quickly noticed something else.

Why was Philora blushing? Uh… Could it be that Henry the Third, when alone with her, had said something he shouldn’t have while pretending to be Henrietta?

That Henry, you dare take advantage of Philora!? Don’t you value your face!?