Chapter 97
When the first half of the play ended, Baron Collet urged Lana and Monica to go have lunch together first. Apparently, Baron Collet had business to discuss with the nobles attending the school festival.
With the summer social season over and parties becoming less frequent, Serendia Academy's school festival was an important opportunity for the invited guests to socialize as well.
Lana and Monica decided to return to the school building to get something light to eat.
The cafeteria was open to the general public during the festival, but it was naturally crowded. So the academy had opened several classrooms and provided spaces where people could have light refreshments and tea.
"By the way, Glenn-san said he was helping out in the refreshment area..."
"He said his family runs a butcher shop, didn't he? Maybe he's serving skewers or something. ... Shall we go to that classroom, then?"
"Yeah."
The first half of the play had just ended, so the school building was fairly crowded. If Monica had still been living in the mountain cabin, she probably would have quickly become overwhelmed by the crowd and worn out.
(...Have I grown, even a little?)
Having Lana beside her probably helped Monica avoid feeling intimidated by the crowd. Lana was good at slipping smoothly through a throng of people. If Monica followed her, she could make it through without too much trouble.
"Lana, you're... good at walking through crowded places..."
"Am I? But the bazaars back home are even more crowded, you know. They're so packed that, if you're unlucky, you might not be able to move a single step... Oh?"
Lana stopped and looked ahead, so Monica followed her gaze.
Felix was surrounded by several students. Monica recognized them as the people responsible for directing and staging the play.
Lana, who was working on the play as part of the costume team, tilted her head. "I wonder what happened?" A bespectacled student trying to persuade Felix noticed Lana and waved energetically.
"Lady Lana Collet! Perfect timing! Could you persuade His Highness too, as a member of the costume team?"
"...What happened, Mabel-senpai?"
When Lana asked suspiciously, the bespectacled student, Mabel, flushed bright red and rattled off her words.
"The student playing Ralph fell from the stage set and was injured. He broke an arm, so he can't continue in the role. We need a stand-in!"
Both Monica and Lana stared at Mabel in shock.
Ralph was the protagonist. It wouldn't be easy to find a replacement for him at a moment's notice.
(...The fact that everyone involved with the play is gathered around His Highness means...)
As Monica gradually grasped the situation, she glanced at Felix. He merely shrugged, looking troubled.
"Yes, they've been begging me to be the stand-in. I'm in a bit of a bind."
Apparently, Felix wasn't particularly eager to take the role.
But Mabel desperately tried to persuade him, gesturing with almost comical exaggeration.
"Your Highness! Now that things have come to this, our only choices are to cancel the play or have you take the stage! The god of art is always giving me trials to overcome... But only after I overcome this trial will the thunderous applause of praise ring out!"
When it came to art, Mabel would retreat into her own little world, making her look a lot like some musician or other.
Felix probably did not want to cancel the play, either. It was the festival's biggest attraction.
Felix rested a hand on his chin and appeared to ponder for a while.
"Isn't there anyone else who could serve as the stand-in?"
"Playing Ralph, the protagonist, isn't something just anyone can do! First of all, he has to be a tall man who looks good in the costume! Second, although the second half has fewer lines, the main event is the dragon-slaying scene. In other words, he needs to be physically capable! Third, his voice! That's the most important part. An outdoor stage doesn't carry voices as well as an indoor one. In other words, we need someone whose voice carries well!"
Given those requirements, it did indeed seem that no one was better suited than Felix.
Felix was a tall, handsome man with long, slender legs, and his physical prowess was so impressive that his teachers praised him in swordsmanship and riding.
And because he was accustomed to speaking in front of people, he understood how to project his voice so a large audience could hear him. His voice carried remarkably well, even though he was not shouting.
Most importantly, the audience would be thrilled simply because the kingdom's Second Prince was going to play the role of its first king.
Monica quietly whispered in Lana's ear.
"U-um, about the costume... Could it be adjusted at this point?"
"That would be difficult. It was designed from the outset to flatter a tall man, so forcibly shortening the hem would make it look unnatural."
That left them with very few options indeed.
Mabel and the others were desperate not to let Felix escape, no matter what. They looked like snakes eyeing their prey.
While Monica was bewildered by the tense atmosphere, the door to a nearby classroom swung open, and an incredibly loud voice rang out.
"Aah! Monica, you guys came too! The spice-grilled meat just came off the grill! And I recommend the veal stew! The academy chef cooked our meat up real nice, and it's so tender it practically falls apart! It's fantastic, so you've gotta try it!"
With his uniform sleeves rolled up and an apron and bandana on, Glenn looked nothing like a student at this academy.
The students involved with the play were left speechless by the sudden intrusion, but when Glenn noticed Felix, he cheerfully greeted him with a broad smile.
"Oh, President! Thanks for using meat from my family's shop today! My pa and ma are so proud, they can hardly contain themselves! I've made them proud enough for a lifetime!"
Felix answered Glenn's beaming grin with a refined smile.
But Monica saw Felix's eyes narrow for an instant as he looked Glenn over from head to toe. There was no doubt he was plotting something.
"I'm glad to hear that, Dudley-kun."
"Oh, I can't thank you enough, President!"
"Really? Then could you do me a favor?"
"Of course!"
When Glenn nodded without hesitation, Monica groaned inwardly.
(Ah, no, Glenn-san. Don't agree so easily when the president asks you a favor...)
Naturally, Monica's unspoken plea did not reach Glenn.
Felix flashed a dazzling smile as he turned back to Mabel and the others.
"The replacement needs to be tall, physically capable, and have a voice that carries... correct?"
"Y-yes, that's right..."
"Then he's perfect."
As he spoke, Felix patted Glenn on the shoulder.
Indeed, Glenn was tall even among the boys his age, and he was physically capable as well. As for the volume of his voice, that went without saying.
Glenn, who had not understood what was happening, looked at Felix with a blank, bewildered expression.
"Um, a replacement? You mean a replacement for you, President? Oh, wait, is this like being student council president for a day!? So I just have to pretend to be you? I don't know if I can say smart stuff like you do, President."
"No, it's much easier than that. You get to slay a dragon and protect a beautiful heroine."
Felix's words made Glenn's eyes sparkle. He looked like a dog being offered a meaty bone.
Monica could almost see an imaginary tail wagging wildly behind him.
"Slay a dragon... protect the heroine... Whoa, that's awesome! That's so cool!"
"Cool?"
When Felix repeated Glenn's word with a puzzled tilt of his head, Glenn clenched his fists and corrected himself with an excited huff.
"It's crazy cool!"
"Yes, it is. Very cool. After all, you're about to play this country's hero. So be sure to hide that downtown accent, all right?"
"Got it! ... No, I mean, understood!"
The fact that Glenn thought he'd managed to hide his downtown accent was already a bad sign.
But Felix pushed Glenn toward Mabel and the others as if there were no problem whatsoever.
"As you can see, he's raring to go."
"I don't really get it, but I'll do my best... No, I mean, I'll give it my all!"
Mabel and the others looked anxious and confused. They weren't the only ones; Lana and Monica looked just as worried.
Glenn, however, was brimming with enthusiasm, asking things like, "So, what kind of dragon am I fighting?"
And so, the curtain was just about to rise on the tumultuous second half of the play.