The Struggle of a Weak Aristocrat in a Different World Our Domain is Surrounded by Large Aristocrats

 C118: Influence

The air in the classroom becomes even stranger as the two of them flop down. Some looked at me reproachfully; some looked at me as if to say, “You did a good job,” but the majority of the students gave me a look that said, “Oh, my God, he’s done it.”

Even Yusuk, who is supposed to be one of my allies, has a very bitter look on his face. No, what do you want me to do? Before I can voice my dissatisfaction, Yusuk claps his hands and pretends to have remembered something.

“Ahhh, it’s about time. Good luck, Chris!”

Saying that, Yusuk ran away. He was moving so fast that I could only reach out my hand toward his departing back.

What should I do? I might have picked the wrong camp. I was made to regret the complicated atmosphere that remained after Yusuk’s departure.

I looked at Claire and Alice and saw that they had been triggered by some people and stood like a tuna with their upper bodies on the desk and my uninvolved classmates that still don’t take their eyes off me.

What kind of situation is this?

I felt so uncomfortable that I looked for help. Mist was still grumpy, but she noticed I was looking at her and rolled her eyes. But soon, she regained her grumpiness and turned away from me.

I shrugged and sat down in my chair, wondering what on earth I was supposed to do, when the bell rang for the first day of school. My classmates gave me a variety of looks, but went back to their seats.

Thank God. I have never been so grateful for the bell as I am now.

Later, the teacher came in and panicked when she saw Alice and Claire collapsed on their desks. However, their classmates looked mature and created an atmosphere of “leave them be” and the teacher, bewildered, began teaching the class normally.

What’s with this air…….What can I say, I feel helplessly delicate.

But this kind of atmosphere is temporary and will end soon. What I need to do more than that is how to increase Alfred’s allies.

A possible strategy is for me to go and persuade them one by one. Frankly speaking, now that I know the situation of the nobility, I can understand the nobles who can be managed by pushing and those who are still undecided. If I can persuade the children of such noble families and have them advise their parents, they will join the Orrard family.

However, among the royal faction, there are not a few nobles who are loyal to the royal family, so I cannot expect much in the way of recruiting them. The target, after all, is the neutral faction. If I could bring in Count Piazon and Mist, who lead a large number of nobles, I would be able to tilt the battle power at once.

Suddenly, I looked next to me. Mist was looking out the window with her hand on her chin. The expression on her face, glimpsed through her soft, cherry-red hair, was somewhat melancholy, as if she was not interested in the class.

From a moment ago, I couldn’t read Mist’s reaction. I wonder what on earth she is thinking…….

I don’t know what Mist is thinking, but I’m going to talk to her when class is over. While I was thinking about how to do that, the bell rang to signal the end of class.

As the teacher leaves, I call out to Mist.

“Mist, I need to talk to you.”

Mist looked up at me with her hand on her chin and her head tilted back.

“What is it?”

Mist’s cheeks relaxed and the corners of her eyes lowered as she leaned in toward me.

Mist’s somewhat happy expression was as cheerful as the cherry blossoms in spring, the same color as her hair, and as soft as the warm breeze in a field of flowers. It’s a look I don’t usually see on Mist’s face, and it took my breath away.

I really can’t read Mist’s feelings, I thought, and then she opened her mouth.

“What’s the matter with you?”

Mist asked me with a somewhat satisfied and devilish smile, and I felt cheated. She was teasing me for admiring her cuteness. Well, thanks to that, I came to my senses and told her my original purpose.

“You know, I’ve decided to side with Alfred.”

“I see.”

“So, Mist, why don’t you join the Prime Minister’s side?”

When I asked her that, Mist smiled so brightly that her earlier face was a blur. However, it quickly reverted to a grim look, turned away from me, and bit her lower lip. Then, she gives off a somewhat exasperated vibe.

Huh? What kind of reaction is this? I don’t understand. I mean, today’s Mist seems emotionally unstable. She’s totally unlike the usual Mist.

I could only keep staring at Mist’s slender backside. I wonder how much time has passed but Mist put an end to the time that was neither long nor short.

“I’ll think about…….”

Her voice was so brusque and it had a hint of anguish and conflict.

I didn’t care at all that Mist had given me a muddled answer, even though it could mean the difference between life and death if I was not careful. Mist’s reaction was so strange that it was all I cared about.

I really don’t know what Mist is thinking but I’m not in the mood to ask.

I couldn’t do anything special, so I told her to think about it and got ready for the next class.