Title: Only Gifted At Best-Miscellaneous

Summary: Details about certain aspects of OGAB not written in the original. General response/clarifications to plot elements I saw questioned in the reviews but written in story format. Some details may have changed as I considered situations more thoroughly after the first part.

Watching Chris recite his defeat lines was an enjoyable experience, but the truly gratifying part was how Redgraves' knight responded. It was a novel experience that laid out many of my gripes about the male leads. What's more, the audience seemed to agree. Instead of the being the sheeple of the past semester, they listened to the knight's words.

It made me glad that I had not stepped forward that night. As much as I would have loved to personally pound these brats, I knew they would have no chance of victory and sinking my future was unnecessary. It was incredibly stupid of Marie to have fast forwarded the plot. The game was difficult enough as it was.

Thinking about the false protagonist, my mind naturally drifted towards Olivia and my good mood plummeted. Somehow her disappointment irked me. It should not have. It was always a temporary thing.

Looking over, I could see I was already replaced. Angelica had decided to keep her by her side since Olivia was the only one to check up on her in the week before today. Funny how the villainess and protagonist could have a cordial relationship.

Bah, who needed her. I told myself she was a hinderance. Daniel and Raymond had spoken of it enough. It just stung to know how little I meant even to a girl who had no one else to rely on. It just cemented I was nothing more than a mob.

The only reliable thing in this world was Dia. And considering what I knew of Jilk, it was about time to ensure my investment paid out.

Luxion dutifully escorted the Queen, the Duke, the villainess, and the knight to the knight's hangar. A surprise addition to their group was Olivia, though she hung by the entrance. They were greeted by the site of me holding Jilk in place. I had snuck up on him and used a contact paralysis spell to lock him into place.

"What's the meaning of this, Sir Leon?" the Queen asked imperiously.

"I caught Heir Marmoria trying to sabotage the good knight's armor. I believe the box in his arms to be some explosive."

Jilk let out an indecipherable cacophony of noise. He was unable to speak as my spell had locked down his mouth.

The Queen made a gesture, and I released the spell.

"Lies, Mylene. I saw this man enter the hangar with this box. When I saw it lying on the ground, I picked it up. Before I could open it, he appeared behind me and locked me in place."

It was bullshit. I think everyone could see it for what it was. Judging by the Redgrave group's expressions and the Queen's disappointed look, they already knew Jilk was a snake. Given his family's background and how the matches were going, it was fairly obvious.

The problem was that the Queen was looking at me with a calculative expression. Why did she not simply denounce the boy?

"These are serious accusations, and what do you have to say in your defense, Sir Leon?"

"Your Majesty," Duke Redgrave growled.

"It is not an implausible situation. Jilk's first duty is to his foster brother. As ruinous as facing your knight is likely to be for Julius's reputation, it would be far more devastating if foul play was involved. The crown prince murdering his opponent when it is obvious that he is outmatched, I dare not consider the outrage."

"You know as well as I do that Julius and his friends would be so thoughtless as to do this. Their lack of consideration for any consequences is why we are even here."

"And you forget yourself. I am doing my duty as Queen and assessing all the facts. Justice cannot be meted out appropriately if you make decisions on assumptions."

The Duke only glowered. Even though we all knew the truth, the Queen was the supreme authority in the room.

And this bitch was going to pin a crime on me for the sake of her son and his friends.

"If you must know, I have a bet on the Redgraves. I was watching the hangar to ensure no foul play could ruin my payout. It is a well known fact that the Marmorias do... less than savory acts for the sake of the kingdom."

"Ignoring the fact you are slandering one of the founding families, how would you know the Marmorias performed such actions? Such dealings would not be something the public would be privy to."

Great, she was going to claim I was some spy.

"I pay attention to history. You did not think it obvious with how many of the major scandals somehow involved a rogue Marmoria, main or side branch? And yet the family is still respected? A word of advice, a hereditary black ops is a leak in of itself."

The knight snorted.

"Very well. But returning to the true matter at hand, you claim to be here to ensure your bet?"

"Yes."

"Then would not framing Jilk be beneficial to you? Would not framing him ensure another victory for the Redgraves?"

"I sincerely doubt Jilk would pose much of a threat in a fair fight."

"He would unlikely be able to claim victory, but he is another fight. It is possible that it would be enough to change the outcome of the final match. By removing Jilk through disqualification, you would increase your odds. And depending on the nature of your bid, you would guarantee victory since disqualification would allow you to load new champions."

It would? Not that it would matter, but it would be nice information to have for future bets.

"A very well thought out theory, but whether or not the crown prince won his fight is irrelevant for me. My bet was a parlay for up to four matches. Prior to the start, I bought into the heirs' reputation and felt the outcome of the fifth match to be too close and the increased payout to be too minimal to risk."

To this, I saw a glint in her eyes. I messed up somewhere.

"Then even more reason for you to orchestrate this sabotage. If you need only for the Redgraves to be declared the victor of four matches, then this would guarantee your victory."

Shit. She was right. While you could not conclusively use it to declare guilt in normal circumstances, it did establish a strong motive. Considering my judge, jury, and executioner wanted me to be guilty, strong motive was enough.

It would be enough for the Queen to make her judgement, and no one would be able to call her out on it. It was a sham, but there was enough that the general populace would not give a shit.

The only one with any substantial power to protect me were the Redgraves. And I could not count on them. I had no inroads with them, no leverage, and no prospects. The only reason they would want to support me was to add another black mark on the prince, and it would only be a black mark if this sham of a trial declared me guilty. They had more reason to see me fall.

The only way was to get rid of the motive. This was going to suck.

Casually taking my red card out, I made a show of presenting it.

"What's this?"

"My bet. Two hundred thousand platinum coins," I said before tearing it apart.

The Queen looked unimpressed.

"And? You are being accused of conspiracy and attempted murder. Two hundred thousand platinum coins is meaningless in the face of a hanging."

Well, shit.

Before I could call Luxion to bail me out, the tension reached a boiling point.

"Enough of this farce, Mylene. You've already plotted to claim him guilty regardless of his innocence," the Duke said with thinly veiled disgust.

Why was the Duke suddenly supporting me?

"Vincent, you overstep."

"You think this will save your son from what is to come?"

"And I suggest you reconsider how this appears from my end. If you stand by this boy, then I will have to start questioning if you are part of some conspiracy against the crown. It would explain how the boy conveniently entered a restricted area to your benefit. It would explain why money meant nothing to him if he was to paid. It would explain why you choose to support this frontier lord over your Queen."

"You dare?! Your brat and his infidelity are even why we are having these duels."

The argument began to devolve. Was this going to end in a civil war? This wasn't supposed to happen.

The game script didn't devolve into a civil war. I doubted my actions would have lead to that. The tension was already there.

So what changed for such a war to become a possibility? What differed from the game for this to occur? Why had the Redgraves not sparked a civil war in the game? Was it because the duels were supposed to take place during the third year? I failed to see how that would change anything. The Duke would have been infuriated regardless of the timing.

Unless...

Was it because he could wage his war? If I considered from that angle, things started to fall into place. In this timeline, the Redgraves still had all of their influence. Additionally, the heirs' poor showings may have convinced them that victory was more than achievable.

Looking at the two, war would be inevitable if left alone, and it looked to be a drawn out affair.

And Fanoss would capitalize.

Fuck.

I have to stop this somehow.

Returning to the conversation, it seems the Queen pushed for discontinuing the honor duels with the implication that Jilk's treachery would not be aired out. She was desperately trying to salvage what she could of her son's reputation, even if it meant condoning crimes. No effort was made to reconcile with the Duke because any attempts would have been stonewalled.

So instead of pursuing a hopeless avenue, she opted to double down on the Redgraves untrustworthiness and hot head nature. Her statements seemed to insinuate that she no longer felt that her son's safety could be ensured. It need not be said that she thought there would be accidents.

The worst part was the Redgrave seemed disinterested in correcting her at this point. Whether it be because he was done trying to reason with her or because he wanted an accident was hard to say.

I needed an entrance to the conversation now, but I could not see one. It seemed to be a foregone conclusion even before I could speak.

"What do you think, Sir Leon?"

Looking over to the voice, I saw that it was the knight who asked.

"Me? I'm just a student," I said more for caution.

"True, but you are also part of the next generation of nobles. What's more, you are intelligent enough to at least attempt to prevent a scandal from occurring. I feel it is prudent to at least ask for your opinion on the matter."

"... Might I ask His Grace something?"

"Speak," the Duke said.

"Why is it you wish to continue the honor duels?"

"You best explain why you question this."

"More for clarification for your end goal. What is it you seek?"

"I seek for my daughters honor to be restored. The boy has slighted her, and I will see her compensated."

"If her reputation is what matters most, then have you not succeeded already? The students no longer respect the heirs. They only see them as something to be mocked."

"And yet my daughter's legacy will forever be tainted by their idiocy. She will forever be known as the woman scorned for a whore," the man said as his hair lifted. His magic fluctuated from the sheer anger he was holding in. I suppose Angelica's rage was inherited.

"And continuing these duels will not resolve that scandal. If anything, continuing these duels would only bring her down to the heirs' level."

"Explain."

"It is clear that your knight will win. There is no other outcome. Continuing on would only seem to be you taking your pound of flesh from children who were naive enough to fall for a temptress. It would be the petty and petulant revenge of a child. It would make your daughter look no better than the heirs."

"So you would ask us to forfeit? Regardless of the public's opinion, backing out of the duels would make us look weak. That our word is meaningless. That our determination is flimsy."

"Not forfeit, but to reopen the terms of the honor duel. With this incident, you can present the option of altering the challenge so that you can better benefit from the results."

"And pray tell, what do you suggest would achieve better results."

"Show that the crown prince no longer means anything to you. That he is so insignificant to you now that his slight is meaningless as he was never good enough to be engaged to your daughter."

"... Go on," the Duke said in a more contemplative tone. That was good. His rage was cooling, and he was more open to deescalation.

"Present him... no... Marie options to avoid the duel. After all, you don't care for his opinion. Show your magnanimity by giving her an out. Present her an option that appear as though you no longer care about whatever relationship the prince has because of what these duels have revealed about him."

"And how would you suppose we silence the naysayers? There will always be those who claim we backed out because we were weak."

"Present it as an alternative challenge. A test of character for the girl. If she passes, she gets what she asked for to start with. If she fails, she shows her true colors. In either case, you demonstrate that you cast aside the crown prince instead of the other way around. Besides, would you really want to keep him after what he has done to your daughter?"

"That's quite a risk. If she was able to tempt the five heirs, I doubt she would show her true colors. We would be fools if she were to choose the correct option. I see little benefit to giving her what she wants."

"But she will show her true colors."

"... If you can convince the Queen, I'll consider what you have said. As it stands, the Queen's insistence on ignoring Jilk's treachery will prevent an such plan from occurring," the man said in a sharp tone.

"I am open to discussions."

"Very well, how do you feel about these options?"

"While I am not enthusiastic about letting the girl off, I find it preferable to continuing these duels. I am, however, curious how you will get her to show her true colors. Depending on the manner, I may be agreeable to the plan."

It need not be said what manner she wished for.

"The fact of the matter is that we are certain she is a gold digger. From what I could gather, she has debts placed upon her from her family. What's more, I believe she seeks out her security first as demonstrated by how quickly she will inconvenience others the moment someone poses a threat. With these facts in mind, it is my belief that she will jump on any option that would wash away her crimes and payoff her debts."

"And what of the test? What must she sacrifice in order to attain her freedom?"

"Her relationship with the boys of course and something of theirs if necessary. After all, Lady Angelica's reason for challenging Marie was to rescue the prince from the temptress. A most fitting test of character."

"An the boys' reputations?"

"Do you believe it still salvageable?"

"Humor me."

"Left off as it currently is with the prospects of improvement in the future. After all, the fault lies with Marie for beguiling them. They are young enough for people to eventually overlook these transgressions should the boys prove themselves in the future."

"But Jilk would need to take the fall for these options to be available."

"Is that not what he was born to do?"

"... Please, Mylene. This is as good of an offer as can be hoped for. Marie with choose us, and you will see that we were right to choose her," Jilk said.

"... Very well. Let's discuss the options we shall be presenting."

Much to my chagrin, I was escorted to the center of the arena as well. It appears that I would have to become the focus of Julius's ire for when Marie would inevitably choose the money. I doubt acting as a representative would matter much in the end since Jilk was aware that I was heavily involved.

I was more pissed that my winnings (which the Queen had extracted from the bookies) would go to the little gremlin who caused all this.

Epilogue-Marie

Louise held up her hand, and a crest lit up. At the second game's villainess's command, I was forced to kneel by the will of the Sacred Tree.

"Marie No Name, you caused quite the stir in Holfort. So much so that they decided to give us forewarning of what you might do."

I tried to defend myself, but apparently the Sacred Tree thought my words to be defiance.

"None of that now. We have much to go over about you stay here in Alzer."

AN:

1) Leon only got involved because of money, as Angelica predicted. He also only got further involved when he realized how shit the situation really was due to the accelerated timeline.

2) Olivia still had to meet Angelica for the introduction. Even though she wasn't close to Angelica, I feel she is empathetic enough to see herself in Angelica when she is at her lowest.

3) Olivia distanced herself a bit from Leon when he didn't step up. A bit of that hero worship died when someone suffering in a manner reminiscent of her was allowed to continue suffering.

4) Jilk is mentioned to be from a family of assassins. As in that was what they were known for. I'd expect that given enough scandals, someone could reasonably pick up enough cues to connect the dots and then logically conclude Jilk would be capable of doing something. Alternatively, he tried to get someone else to plant the bomb, failed because he has lost support, and then word spread enough.

5)Mylene had no winning scenario. She only had bad to worse options once Jilk got caught. She tried to salvage the situation through several methods, but you can only do so much when everyone else is pretty much set against you.

6) Duke Redgrave, while better than his daughter, is still bullheaded. His stubbornness is somewhat seen in later volumes. Him listening to an Academy student at all is merely him being open to more advantageous ways of handling the situation. Had Leon not got involved, he would have just had his knight beat all the heirs down. In a way, presenting the image of complete apathy is way more effective on the political spectrum since Angelica would now appear to be the one to break away from Julius instead of the other way.

7) The knight is honestly just there to move the plot along. He does bring up a good point in listening to what the students would think of the situation. Since the whole point is to salvage Angelica's reputation, finding out a student's impression seems important.

8) Both Mylene and Vincent know Leon is playing them. They allow it because in the end, it's a better option than what they would get from each other. Plus, each offer can be molded to suit their needs.

9) Last remaining details involve why Mylene might see offer 1 and 2 as wins. Offer 1 just ends everything, and nothing gets worse. The engagement was never going to be unbroken even if the Redgraves won, and Julius was going to break it if he won. It was the inevitable outcome without any risk. Option 2 is preferable to her because she knows Marie is trouble and would bring further problems down the line. Having the illusion broken forcefully in such a way would help garner pity for her son while hopefully waking him up to reality.

10) I saw a comment that thought Marie got off too lightly. I know I didn't write it explicitly in the previous chapter, but I felt it was semi-implied that option 2 was the poisoned apple. Literally too good to be true. Was there a way for me to make it seem more apparent?