XxXxX

"Face it, Balcus! That useless brat of yours just ran away!" The angry voice of a woman in her early middle age permeated the silence.

"What did you think would happen, huh? That waste of space can't even use magic properly!" She continued, ignoring the angry grimaces on the faces of other people gathered in the room. "I was even generous enough to find a marriage partner for that thrash, is this how you all repay me?"

"Zola… Leon is a really intelligent and resourceful boy, I'm sure he will be successful. Besides, it's this kingdom's sacred tradition to let our children experience adventuring if they want to, are you going to refute that?" A male voice cut off any further arguing, to the visible frustration of the still angry woman.

"Oh, please! As if that gnat could do anything other than pathetically die in some distant hole!" Zola argued back, grinning internally when she saw how Balcus's second wife, Luce Fou Bartfort, was struggling to not let out any sobs even as a steady stream of tears was flowing down her cheeks.

"Mother! Father! Come outside! Quickly!" The youngest of the Bartfort family sons suddenly barged into the room, nearly jumping in excitement that only a small child could muster.

Before anyone could question the young boy he quickly ran off, shouting something about the biggest airship he ever saw.

"We are not done here!" Zola shouted after Balcus who decided to at least investigate what all this ruckus was about.

As he neared the entrance to the mansion, an enormous shadow engulfed the building. Through the open doors he could see his youngest son , Colin Fou Bartfort, pointing to something in the sky while smiling from ear to ear.

Stepping up beside the boy he nearly tripped, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.

In the sky above his mansion an enormous black skyship hovered lazily, casting shadow over the whole mansion and the surrounding grounds. It shined as if it was made fully of metal, two large pods were to the sides of it's stern creating a profile that he never saw before.

"B-Balcus? What's happening?" His beloved wife hiccuped behind him, clearly still shaken after that hag's Zola's tirade about their second son.

Both of his older children showed up as well, curious about the commotion and the sudden shadow darkening the place.

"Stay back in the manor." He ordered while ushering his young son to join his mother, even as he protested.

Looking back up to the monstrosity of a vessel he saw a few small specks moving in their direction, showing the true scale of the ship.

He didn't have to wait for long, as a twenty five meters long skyship in an escort of two small knight armors landed before them, a few landing legs unfolding from the underside of the strange vessel.

Fearing the worst Balcus moved to the front of his family, even if such a thing wouldn't do much in the face of an armed aggressor.

With a low hiss the backside of the unknown ship slowly opened, forming a ramp.

Instead of attackers, a single person slowly walked out, causing his wife to gasp. With the left half of his face covered in white bandages and a half cape hiding his left arm that was in a brace he walked up to the front of the group.

"Father, Mother. I'm home." His second son declared proudly with a small smile.

XxX

When you join the JSDF, they often repeat that you always need to expect the unexpected, be prepared for everything.

I sincerely doubt that even they would expect to be Isekaied into a world that was nearly a mirror copy of a crappy otome game.

When I was laying in my bed and recuperating from a nasty gunshot wound I was ready to strangle my younger sister for introducing me to that game, it was so frustrating. Not only was I going to be in bed for the nearest month because of a misfire on a firing range, that she-devil decided to hide all my games and leave me only this abomination for entertainment. It was clear that it was constructed like the mobile games, playable for free but impossible to really play without microtransactions.

I would say no to that gremlin I called my little sister if not for the fact that she nearly begged me to finish that game for her because the battle segments were too hard.

I still don't know how it really happened but one moment I was feeling strangely sleepy and the next I woke up on a grassy hill in the body of a four year old watching the sunset and slowly drifting by clouds.

It took me a long few months to get used to it all, thankfully the previous memories of 'Leon Fou Bartfort' were still in my head otherwise it would be a quite awkward affair.

It took me another two years to realize that I was in a world that was eerily identical to the same Otome game I've played in the last days of my life on earth and what a shock it was.

For the first ten years of my new life I started to really enjoy myself. Beautiful sights, clean air and even with the 'poor' status of our household we still were nobles, living in a higher standard than the rest of the people. The manual labor we had to do didn't bother me that much, maybe aside from the extremely hot weather in the summer months.

Then my father's first wife, Zola, decided to 'help' me be useful and arranged for a marriage between me and one of her friends.

I just had to act after that, not willing to be sold off like a piece of meat. Sailing out in search of treasure was my only option, so I did just that.

"Master, we will arrive at the capital in twenty minutes." A baseball sized metal sphere brought me back from my reminiscing mood, speaking in a rather monotonous mechanical voice.

"Thank you, Luxion." Picking myself up from the captain chair on Partner's bridge, a three hundred meters class skyship prepared by my new partner, I glanced once more at the spacious room. Rows and rows of consoles blinked and flashed lights, all of it barely decipherable by me and all of it thankfully fully autonomous, courtesy of Luxion itself.

When all of this was just a game on the screen, Luxion was just a ridiculously overpowered cash shop item. I had no idea about its backstory or what it even was.

A dreadnaught class colonization vessel. The biggest ever built by the old humanity. Armed and armored by the best technology that was available at the time. Also the first and last of its kind, as it was never launched from its dry dock.

"No problem. According to the surveillance drones left in your family estate Zola once again accosted your father to get her hands on me." The drone replied, following after him.

"Again? She's tenacious when it comes to money, I'll give her that. How did she plan to do that this time?"

"She argued that such an unsightly and disfigured, good for nothing rural baron wouldn't be able to find any marriage prospect and that your father should push for the previous arranged marriage. She added that the ownership of your fortune and holdings should be also transferred to her son as he is the legitimate heir of the Bartfort family." Luxion reported.

Yeah… figures…

Touching the left side of my face the fine texture of my half mask greeted my fingers, hiding a large scar that reached from my cheek all the way to the forehead. A few larger burn scars were also on my left arm and part of my chest, tingling and feeling uncomfortably itchy from time to time.

"I am sorry Master. My frame lacks the proper medical facilities for cosmetic surgery at this time." Seeing that the young man fell silent the AI tried to continue the conversation.

"No, don't worry. The fact that you managed to somewhat restore the sight in my left eye is good enough. The medicinal salve you prepared for me worked wonders too, I'm not hindered by the scars in the slightest."

Who would have thought that crash landing on a flying island full to the brim with ancient automated defenses could end up like this? It was even a bit funny in a dark way. All of my injuries were from my skyship being shot down and the engine catching on fire, not from combat itself. To my astonishment the automated defenses of the ruined facility identified me as a civilian, otherwise I probably wouldn't be able to even reach the underground hangar.

"Were you able to scout ahead?" I asked, deciding to shelve that topic for later.

"Yes. To my astonishment you were correct in your assumptions, Master. Julius Rapha Holfort, Brad Fou Field, Greg Fou Seberg, Jilk Fia Marmoria and Chris Fia Arclight were all confirmed to be starting their education in the same school year as you."

"Of course they would…" Letting out a sigh I resigned myself to the inevitable shitshow that would unravel itself in the coming years.

When everything was just happening on the screen it was easy to not think about the consequences.

Now those people weren't just a bunch of pixels and code.

"Let's just hope that it won't escalate too much." I said before I could stop myself.

XxX

Ah… the good ol school days…

"Move faster! You'll be sorry if I'm late because of you!" One of the girls yelled at a demi human slave who was visibly struggling under the weight of the boxes and travel bags he was carrying.

"I'm sorry mistress, I-I'll move faster!" The cat eared servant replied, trying to keep up with his master.

"Oh! Look, it's Prince Julius! He's so dreamy!" Another girl exclaimed.

"Kyaaa! Do you think we'll be able to get an invitation to one of his tea parties?" Yet another squealed happily. Weren't the noble ladies supposed to act… refined?

As I said… the good ol days…

Leaving my own luggage to Luxion, I moved further into the school grounds to leave all this commotion behind.

Quickly finding my own room in the dormitories I began to unpack, trying to remember all there was about that otome game.

If my memory serves me right, the first contact between the main protagonist and the Prince would happen a bit before the welcoming ceremony in one of the side entrances to the great hall. After that she would be acquainted with Julius's clique and choose one of the capture targets to pursue. Or multiple if she was adventurous and stupid enough.

I still get goosebumps when I remember how convoluted it was to successfully finish the game with the reverse harem ending…

There also was the villainess of the game, Angelica Rapha Redgrave, to take into account. In the game she was a relentless antagonist that tried to undermine your advances in any way possible, earning herself a bad end in any scenario where the player won.

Now looking at it from the sidelines it was a rather natural thing to do for her, seeing as the crown Prince was her fiance. It was a bit cruel to think that she would be so humiliated and pushed down just because she was trying to fix her relationship. It was clear that she had at least some feelings for the blue haired idiot, going so far just for him and losing nearly everything in the end.

Come to think of it… Shouldn't the rest of the stooges be engaged to other ladies too? They all were from prestigious families, ones so high up the social ladder that they had to have arranged marriages already prepared.

"Luxion, could you investigate Julius's circle of friends? I'm interested if any of them have fiance's of their own." I voiced to the deceptively empty room.

"Of course Master. I didn't take you for one to take interest in men but I won't judge. I would prefer for you to at least have one female partner however with the hope that the DNA of old humanity that you possess would be passed to the next generation." The small silver orb replied.

"Har har, very funny. You don't need to worry, I'm straight as an arrow. I'm just interested in the reaction of the interested parties when the story starts." For an AI Luxion displayed a surprising amount of personality.

A sudden knock on the door stopped any further conversation. Gesturing to the drone to hide I made my way to the door, not knowing what to expect. It was wholly possible that Jenna, my biological sister, was going to once again try to wrangle some money out of me. She was trying to do that all the way from their estate, especially when Partner entered the docking bay of Luxion's main body.

They could travel on Partner all the way but it would take nearly four days instead of a few hours. Thankfully his family was clever enough to not disclose any such abilities of his enormous lost item. It was hard enough to play it down with the government, quite a few nobles practically salivated at the sheer size of Luxion. If it weren't for the laws of the kingdom they probably would try to wrangle it out of my hands immediately. Now they at least needed to be creative about it.

Opening the door I was surprised to see two boys my age.

The first one looked like a pleasant young man with short hair, tanned skin and quite some musculature if the school uniform wasn't able to hide it too well.

The second one looked a bit rebellious with a small smirk but the glasses he was wearing were a bit clashing with what he was trying to portray.

"Hello! I'm Daniel Fou Darland and this is Raymond Fou Arkin. We are your neighbors and we decided to introduce ourselves!" The first one Exclaimed happily, gesturing to the next two rooms beside mine.

"I'm Leon Fou Bartfort, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." I greeted them back, shaking hands with both of them.

"Wait, are you That Leon Fou Bartfort?! I knew that I recognized you from somewhere!" Raymond suddenly joined the conversation, having somewhat of a fanboy moment.

"You know of me?" I asked a bit dumbfounded.

It was true that my 'discovery' of Luxion and a few unowned flying islands made quite a bit of ruckus on the royal court but it was a bit unusual for such news and rumors to reach to the outskirts of the kingdom.

"Of course! An accomplished adventurer recognized by the crown! You managed to be knighted and to acquire the title of a baron by yourself even before entering the academy!" The bespectacled teen explained, his friend giving an agreeing nod.

"Well… you flatter me." I muttered out, surprised by the development.

"Why don't we go out into the town? I heard that there's a small welcome party hosted by the second and third years. It's some kind of tradition to share tips, tricks and information to help us start off." Daniel proposed.

"You know what… let's go. I wasn't able to look around the capital before so we may as well." I agreed, walking to my desk to fetch the keys to my room.

XxX

Living in the academy turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Even when taking into account the sheer toxicity of the girls, especially from the first year.

As someone from earth, it often baffled me how men of this kingdom were able to withstand being treated like this. In many cases they were lower on social standing than the slaves and contracted servants that most of the girls flaunted around like some eye candy.

After our outing to the city Raymond and Daniel became my friends, both of them being the heirs to their families settled us on an even ground.

There was one small issue though.

The main protagonist, Olivia, didn't interact with the Prince and his clique yet. To make matters worse she was replaced by a girl by the name of Marie Fou Lafan.

I decided to just observe for now, not that I had any way of intervening outside of some drastic measures. I already had to wrangle Luxion out of trying to exterminate the Lafan girl and her household, even if it was right that doing that would immediately solve all of our issues.

"Mister Leon, please pay attention. The sacred art of tea party preparation is a serious thing." The elderly instructor called out to him, causing the rest of the class to chuckle. Quite a few higher nobles didn't even try to hide their amusement, commenting on how i was 'too prideful' after achieving some meager success or that I was just a savage that only fit to be an adventurer, not a noble.

"Of course, please excuse me." I bowed my head slightly, focusing back on the lecture.

The instructor straightened his back and continued the lesson.

"The first thing that matters in the tea ceremony is the entire atmosphere. First of all, I've gathered utensils. It is out of the question to hold up a vacant room! Be very particular about each and every utensil, and then invite the girl into your specialized room. However, remember that the spot where you're preparing your tea ceremony is not below third-rate."

Is there even a meaning to trivial lessons like this one? While thinking that there wouldn't be a use for them after graduation, the instructor seemed to have seen through me.

"Mister Leon…it seems you don't understand. Well then, let's put it into practice."

Being called up, it seemed as if I was a guest to be entertained.

It's not a big deal anyways.

XxX

"Okay… Now everything is just perfect!" I happily exclaimed after shifting the tea set a few millimeters to the side.

Looking around I proudly puffed out my chest and smiled at the empty room.

It took a bit of work, even with Luxion's reluctant help, but it was worth it!

The pristine white porcelain with beautiful flowery decorations, silver platters full of the best confectionaries the money could buy and of course the best tea one could find.

I've even changed the decorations of the room itself, making full use of Luxion's ability to manufacture and stealthily transport anything I needed.

I was pretty sure that this setup would be more than enough to receive royalty, not to mention anyone of the lower standing.

It was a shame that I would probably need to eat it myself at this rate, Nicks and Jenna will need to help me with it.

I originally sent out a few invitations to the girls closest to me on a social ladder but all of them were refused, some even calling me out as an 'ugly, disfigured upstart' for even daring to invite them.

Good times.

"Master, there seems to be a commotion outside. Do you want me to investigate?" Luxion's voice brought me back from my musings, giving me something else to do.

"Nah, I'll check it out."

Walking up to the doors I opened it slightly, peering outside through a small crack.

"But I received an invitation…" Olivia, the main protagonist of that accursed otome game said weakly with teary eyes.

"Stupid commoner! It's obvious you should have refused!" A girl seeming to be the leader of the group snarled, snatching the envelope with the mentioned invitation from the frightened girl's hand.

"There, see? No invitation, no problem!" She laughed, tearing it up into little pieces and throwing it back into Olivia's face.

Slumping to the ground the commoner girl sniffled silently, starting to gather the pieces as the group walked away.

"Remember your place, commoner!" The leader shouted back, making the already sobbing girl shake in fear.

Great…

XxX

I knew I shouldn't have come here.

I had hoped that with my mentor's invitation and the Crown's stipend I would be able to get a good education and help my mother. It was maybe a fool's dream but I really hoped that being an honor student would mean at least something.

Then the first day I was yelled at by a small girl that I later learned to be a viscount's daughter, Marie Fou Lafan.

It only got more terrifying when I found out that she was a friend of his highness, the crown Prince Julius Rapha Holfort himself. I have tried to stay out of her way ever since.

It was somewhat working, even if it was really lonely to not have any friends or people to talk to.

Then I got this invitation and a small hope of making some friends pushed me to accept it.

I should have known better…

Looking down at the pieces of paper scattered around me I barely held back my tears.

"Are you okay?" An unfamiliar male voice called out to me, startling me out of my thoughts.

Looking up I saw a rather tall boy with black hair and a large black half mask covering his left eye. His right one however was enough to convey a bit of worry and curiosity, directed straight at me.

"A-ah… I'm so sorry! I'll clean this right up!" I panicked, starting to gather the pieces of my invitation.

He didn't reply but to my astonishment he walked up to me and going down on his knee he started to help me.

"I'm terribly sorry!" I blurted out again, fearing to be scolded once more.

"Don't worry. I saw what happened." He replied in a soft voice. "I should be the one apologizing. I should have intervened but I hesitated. Some knight I am…" He sighed, standing up and helping me to do the same.

"Where are my manners, I'm Leon Fou Bartfort." He introduced himself, bowing his head.

"Ah! I'm Olivia. Please don't bow to me, mister Bartfort, I'm just a commoner!" Panicking slightly I waved my hands between us, but the genuine smile he had on his face set me at ease a little.

"Nonsense. Even if you are of lower social status you are still a lady and you should be treated as such." He said with conviction. "I understand that your previous arrangements aren't going to work out. Would you do me the honor of accepting an invitation to my tea party instead?" He asked to my further bewilderment, gesturing to the still opened room that he exited from.

"A-ah… of course." Not seeing a way out I didn't have much choice but to accept. My only hope was that this young man wasn't like the rest of my peers…

XxX

This is awkward…

After presenting the unexpected guest with a seat, I got around to brewing the tea.

It was clear that Olivia was stressed, probably afraid too. I wasn't really paying attention to her outside of a few situations so it somehow slipped by me how badly she was treated by the other students.

"Miss Olivia, do you have any preference for your tea? I have quite a selection of blends for you to choose from." I asked, trying to get a conversation going.

"Umm… I'm sorry… I never had anything besides normal black tea…" Hanging her head slightly as if to hide her embarrassment the blonde girl replied meekly.

"That's not a problem at all. Let me recommend something for you. It's one of my favorites." Of course you idiot… Make her feel even more out of place why don't you…

Serving the tea for my guest and myself I sat opposite to her, relaxing for a moment.

"Please try those confectioneries, I was somehow able to procure them even with all the other boys trying to buy them out." I proposed, gesturing to the platter on the table with a smile.

Seeing that she was still somewhat hesitant I decided to loosen up a bit with the etiquette and served myself a piece of cheesecake. It was literally melting on the tongue, a heavenly little cloud of flavor.

Following my example Olivia did the same, letting a small surprised hum of delight when she tasted the threat.

"Sooo…" I tried to find a suitable topic for a conversation. "How is the academy so far?"

"Umm… it's not that bad… I'm learning a lot of new things that I wouldn't have the occasion to learn otherwise…" Olivia replied shyly, clearly trying for a neutral answer.

"You don't need to worry, you can speak your mind freely here." I cut her off, making her flinch slightly. "I grew up in a noble family in name only, I even remember a few winters where my parents had to sell furniture from our house to put something on the table for us." I continued, gaining her attention. She was clearly surprised, even a bit skeptical.

"Frankly speaking, I have more in common with someone like you than the other people here. When I was working the fields with my father and brother most of those brats here were having fun with their parent's money." Clearly not expecting me to call all of them out like that the poor girl nearly choked on her tea.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry about this, I get carried away sometimes." I reached out to her with a napkin which she took with a shy 'thank you'.

"The point is, I'm completely serious when I said that you can speak your mind here. I won't judge, I'll even help if I can." I smiled, seeing that she relaxed quite a bit.

XxX

I was so confused.

The young man that invited me was so different from other nobles. He was friendly, helpful, and smiled with a natural smile that was so hard to see in this place.

"It's… it's awful…" I suddenly blurted out but he just nodded and gestured for me to continue. "I don't belong here at all. Everyone just ignores me or outright bullies me… I came here to learn light magic but everyone just looks at me as if I was some plague bearer that should be kicked out… I'm always feeling left out… I grew up in a small commoner family, only me and my mom. She is a florist in a rural town. I want to go home, but I would need to pay back the stipend that the crown used for my enrollment and I don't have that kind of money…" I barely stopped myself from sobbing, grateful that at long last I had someone who would listen.

"Hmm… that's quite the predicament…" Mister Leon hummed in thought, looking upwards with his one visible eye as if in thought. "I'll try to help you but the social cues are different between noblemen and noblewomen… I'm sorry to hear that you feel this way but I can understand…" His genuine words warned my heart a bit.

"Leon, you here?!" A sudden yell and the crash of the violently opened doors nearly made me jump out of my skin, I barely was able to not drop the doubtlessly expensive cup in my hands.

"Jenna… good timing!" Mister Leon greeted the intruder, not perturbed in the slightest.

"And now I'm not so sure that I want to be here any more…" The brown haired noblewoman muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes at mister Leon in suspicion.

"Don't worry, let me introduce you." Standing up, the black haired boy presented a seat to the newcomer who huffed and proceeded to settle herself. "Olivia, this is my elder sister, Jenna Fou Bartfort. Jenna, this is Olivia, the honor student attending the first year of the special course."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I bowed my head, hoping that the good nature of my host runs in the family.

"Leon, you know that you can't marry just anyone, right?" Miss Jenna asked with a raised brow, causing me to flush slightly.

"I'm aware, yes. It just so happens that Miss Olivia here was accosted by other first year students just outside this room so I decided to brighten her day a little by inviting her for a tea." Mister Leon replied while serving a cup of a floral scented tea to her sister. "From our talk I surmised that you would be able to help us a little in that regard, dear sister."

"You give me fifty thousand and I'll do it." At these words I nearly fainted. Fifty Thousand? Fifty thousand?! It would allow my mother and I to live comfortably for a few years!

"I… I… I don't have that kind of money…" This was it, wasn't it? If I couldn't get any help here then I was going to suffer my whole stay in the academy.

"I'll give you eighty if you will be willing to help in the future if it's needed." Mister Leon replied to his sister, ignoring what came out as a mumble from me.

E-e-eighty?!

"Deal." Miss Jenna agreed immediately with a small, unladylike grin.

"Mister Leon, I couldn't take such help from you! It's too much!" I tried to protest but the young man only smiled gently at me. It was enough for me to feel the tips of my ears burn.

"It's nothing. I much prefer to help someone with my money than seeing someone in need unattended." He said it so nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather.

Listening to the ensuing lesson about social standing and how one should act I was further surprised when Miss Jenna didn't treat me like the other nobles. Just like her brother she seemed to not care that much about our statuses, not getting angry when I had a question or few for her to elaborate.

Maybe, just maybe, I could find a bit of peace in this school like this.

XxXxX

Author's Note: Hello! I love this series, even if it lacks in main character development. In my humble opinion the first game Arc was the best, with the following ones feeling a bit forced.

I'm going to go 'Leon isn't a total idiot and takes the fact that this is his life now a bit more seriously' route. The fact that he is in denial for so long and does nothing grates me a bit, the more into the story you go the worse it gets. There is barely any difference between Leon from the first novel and from the last, even if he could have done so much more.