I Married the Beautiful Female Protagonist In Order To Survive

33. Holy Crap, Let’s Get This Show on the Road!

Nobody wants to be told “You reek, get lost” by the goddess they adore, so…after seeing Filora, Zerora immediately scrambled back to the academy for a thorough “makeover.”

Some “relationships,” though unspoken, had quietly shifted. But when such a thing actually came to pass, Zerora didn’t feel the euphoric impulse to leap around and shout that he’d imagined before. On the contrary…he felt rather calm, as if…he hadn’t taken Filora’s earlier “gesture” seriously at all.

But this wasn’t unhappiness, nor the渣男 (scumbag) notion of “pursue her then get bored.” Zerora simply sensed something he hadn’t before, something Filora had been carrying all along: the weight of “responsibility.”

Later, inside the student council room at the academy.

Though Filora was temporarily unable to return to the academy due to her condition, the room was surprisingly not occupied solely by Zerora and Mel. Rather, it housed several familiar faces for Zerora. Mel, who remained as a “participant”; Moriarty, sitting with a scowl; Queen Louise III, who wasn’t afraid of trouble, having arrived secretly…

And Henry III, someone who ought to just buzz off—watching him with a terribly mocking gaze.

“Buzz off!”

Henry III’s look, as if observing “a brother and sister-in-law bickering,” made Zerora realize: he was forever incompatible with such “Prince Charming” types.

“Hmph, without the opportunities I provided, you wouldn’t even have the chance to stand outside Filora’s door as punishment.”

“!”

Zerora felt nauseous even saying one more word to this guy, so he simply flipped him the bird. Then, Queen Louise III, the highest-ranking person present, took the lead in starting today’s purpose, or rather, “starting the whole plan”—finding the person who attacked Filora.

The British Empire surely already had professional teams working on this, but Zerora didn’t want to just sit idly by, or spend his days feeding Filora. What Zerora wanted even more was to cripple the attacker, then snatch back the power they stole from Filora!

“Actually, Henry and I merely wanted to create an opportunity for you two to have a beautiful reunion and resolve your misunderstandings. However, the kingdom must have been too peaceful lately, making me a bit complacent. That’s why such a dangerous person appeared.”

The Queen sighed as she spoke, looking at Zerora. “Don’t blame yourself. If anything, the British Empire should apologize. Not only has Filora been subjected to this situation, but your original future has also been ruined…”

Zerora shook his head.

First of all, Zerora had a brain and knew “when the Queen apologizes, take the opportunity to back down gracefully.”

Secondly…without dwelling on Filora’s ordeal, Zerora felt: things turning out this way wasn’t so bad. If it was just a simple “overcoming obstacles and then confessing true feelings,” he would still be excitedly bragging to everyone about pursuing the goddess of his dreams.

Meaningless, like some utter buffoon.

So, Zerola harbored no complaints about the current situation; on the contrary, she wanted to prove herself with action.

Zerola glared sideways at Henry III.

“The day I punched someone hard, snatching the ‘qualification’ right out of their mouth, I immediately went to find Filora. I had no intention of taking any detours. Because if I was going, I’d need to leave the academy first, and from there, it’s a quick trip to the royal city, so…”

Zerola didn’t continue, because everyone understood the implication.

Unless something utterly “out of this world” was happening, the one who attacked Filora must be hiding within the academy! And following that line of thought, Zerola figured a “student” attack was more likely than a carefully chosen instructor. It wasn’t just a reasonable deduction, but also…

“Think about it, Filora’s so gorgeous, so outstanding, practically a goddess here at the academy!”

*Thump*

Seeing the usually gentle and amiable Mel slam her hand on the table, Zerola shuddered and hurried on, “So, maybe out of feelings like ‘jealousy,’ they targeted Filora. Otherwise, Filora would have lost more than just her strength, but her ‘life’ itself, right?”

“Jealousy… perhaps.”

Louis III’s gaze turned sorrowful: “Such students shouldn’t exist in an academy that the Great British Empire prides itself on… but saying that doesn’t offer much solace now.”

“Your Majesty, now isn’t the time to dwell on the attacker’s motives. I promise, once I find out who it is, I’ll beat their face to a pulp! Cough, cough!”

After Moriarty subtly reminded her to show restraint in front of the Queen, Zerola straightened her demeanor and continued, “And since this creep craves Filora’s power, attacking her, then… they’ll definitely target someone else next.”

“Though, the fact that Filora was their first target shows they have good taste… Naturally, they must be pretty powerful. If Filora hadn’t encountered a dangerous opponent, she wouldn’t have lost so easily, right? And… lost so quickly.”

Zerola fell into a deep thought, completely oblivious to the changing gazes around her.

Henry III even shook his head, saying, “Zerola, if you had shown this attitude earlier, the Great British Empire wouldn’t have had to…”

“Annoying, bug off, can’t you see I’m thinking? If I don’t personally drag that little brat out for Filora’s sake, I don’t even deserve to kiss her.”

So, you’re putting in this much effort just to kiss her!? It felt a bit strange, but somehow it also made sense, so everyone could only force a smile. They watched Zerola make remarks, even if muttered, that were still incredibly insightful.

“If that’s the case, luring out the culprit… is going to be difficult. Since they aimed for someone of Filora’s caliber from the start, there probably won’t be a second person in the academy attractive enough to provoke them into ‘acting.’ If their target shifts elsewhere, there will be more victims, and it will be even harder to find them.”

This wasn’t a boast, but Zerola felt that there were unlikely to be any more “suitable prey” in the academy. Moriarty was definitely one, but she knew about the situation, and the attacker, being cautious, wouldn’t dare make a move.

If… there was someone strong who “didn’t know” about the incident, that would be great, but… how could something like that happen so quickly?

Just then, Henry III’s voice, the one Zerola disliked so much, sounded in her ear again.

But this time, Zerola didn’t flip him off.

“Louise, let me assist in resolving this matter, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“You? But…”

“Have you forgotten? I have a sister, and isn’t she one of the Great British Empire’s finest too?”

After finishing his reply, Henry III turned his head.

And saw Zerola’s middle finger, which made him chuckle.

“Don’t steal my chance to prove myself to Filora, you blockhead!”

This person, would he go to heaven just for Filora?