chapter_0016

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
16

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
16

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

Hearing the maid’s words, I
staggered to my feet.

Looking out the carriage
window, the scenery that had been constantly moving had come to a
stop.

Have we finally arrived in
Evans?

This journey was truly
exhausting.

I never thought I’d understand
the saying, “When you leave home, you endure hardship,” so
well.

The sleeping arrangements were
terrible.

The food was tasteless.

I couldn’t wash properly. All
I ever did was follow Possell’s orders and train.

But the worst part was the
bugs.

No matter how well-prepared we
were, we always camped with torches lit, right?

That means bugs were
inevitably drawn to us.

And the bugs in this damn
fantasy world are more vicious than modern ones.

Just thinking about it makes
me shudder.

A knight set up a magic circle
that repelled bugs, and the bugs would just linger outside the
perimeter.

Until now, I never felt the
need to learn magic.

Since I decided to be a tank,
I didn’t think I needed a magic skill tree.

But now I’ve changed my mind.

Even if it’s just to learn a
spell that repels bugs, I need to master some magic.

While I’m staying at the
Academy, it’s bearable, but after graduation, I’ll be camping
endlessly. Just thinking about not having a bug-repelling magic
circle then is horrifying.

Anyway, after going through
that hardship for just two days, I’ve grown sick of camping.

Living in such poor
conditions, worse than military training, I never want to camp again.

Today, I can sleep indoors,
right?

We’ve arrived in a village,
so we can sleep here, right?

Right?

As I got off the carriage and
looked ahead, I saw Possell talking to the village chief of Evans.

I couldn’t hear their
conversation clearly because of the distance, but judging from their
bright expressions, things seemed to be going well.

“Miss, did you get some
rest?”

As I was stretching, I heard a
voice from behind.

It was Karl, who was carrying
a load that seemed to be twice his size.

Karl’s punishment didn’t
end last night.

What he did wasn’t something
that could be settled with just a day or two of punishment.

After all, he had struck the
precious Lady of the family.

He continued to be assigned to
various gruelling tasks.

Whenever there was a night
watch, he was always called first.

If there was a beast attack,
he was the first to be summoned.

And on regular days, he
carried most of the knights’ luggage.

It was more like a slave’s
life than a knight’s.

Having lived such a life
throughout the journey, it would have been understandable for him to
look upset, yet Karl’s face still remained bright. It was something I
couldn’t understand.

“Miss?”

‘A little.’

“Even though the carriage
was garbage, I got some rest.”

I had just been marching with
the knights outside until I collapsed from exhaustion and ended up
inside the carriage.

Although the carriage was so
bumpy that I couldn’t really rest, catching my breath for a moment
did help.

“How is the journey? Are
you managing?”

‘Is that even a question?’

“Did you just ask such a
stupid question?”

Would you have managed?

I can confidently say, this is
the worst trip I’ve ever had in my life!

And if I think of it as
training rather than a trip, it’s no different! Winter training in
the army would be easier!

…Or maybe not.

Anyway!

If you expected a good word
from me, you’re greatly mistaken!

I could complain about this
trip all day long and not run out of things to say!

“Haha. It’s because the
Miss doesn’t go out frequently. Once you get used to it, it becomes
comfortable.”

‘Does it really become
comfortable with time?’

“Sloppy Knight, this
becomes comfortable? Maybe it’s because you’re a fool?”

I’ll probably get used to it
someday.

But that wouldn’t mean it
becomes comfortable, just a little less unbearable.

To become comfortable, the
technology would need to advance.

The ride on the carriage could
be improved, the camping facilities could be better, and the quality
of the meals could be higher. Will these things improve just because
time passes? Of course not.

Well, maybe it would get
better if an enormous amount of time passed—let’s say 300 years.

But by then, I’d be dead from
old age, so it wouldn’t matter, right?

When I snapped back, Karl
averted his gaze. He probably didn’t mean his words seriously, just
trying to lighten the mood.

‘Still…’

“Still, it might be okay
today. We’ll be able to sleep in a bed.”

“In a bed? Oh, Miss, it
seems possible for you alone.”

‘Excuse me?’

“Yes? Alone?”

“Yes. We knights plan to
camp near the dungeon.”

Karl explained that although
Evans is a rather large village, it can’t accommodate all the
knights.

If the Count’s armed forces
were to enter the village, it would probably frighten the villagers.

Since they are here for
training and not for work, they couldn’t risk causing harm to the
villagers, so it seems they decided to camp near the dungeon.

Well, okay then. Wouldn’t it
be better if I camped with them?

If the Count’s daughter ends
up in a village like this, that would cause a commotion in its own
right.

But I still need to stop by
the village?

There is something I need to
get from Evans village.

This is troublesome.

“Miss, you can sleep in
the village.”

Startled by the voice that
came without any prior indication, I turned my head to find Possell
standing behind me.

How can someone of his size,
who seems like the ground would quake with every step, move so
stealthily? Truly impressive.

“Sleep in the village?”

“Yes. You’ve been camping
all this time, so please rest comfortably for a day.”

‘But won’t that be
inconvenient for the villagers?’

“I have to sleep in such
a sloppy village?”

The comment meant to show
consideration turned aggressive due to my skills.

Not like this.

Panicking, I quickly looked
around.

I wondered if the village
chief of Evans, who had been conversing with Possell just now, was
nearby.

…Ah. He was there.

The village head, wearing a
stiff smile, was standing behind Possell.

For someone in his position,
he must have tremendous love for his village. To say it’s sloppy
right in front of him…

How am I supposed to fix this?

Can this even be fixed?

… Oh well. What if it can’t
be fixed?

Would those guys dare to mess
with a Count’s daughter?!

If they don’t like it, they
can try starting a revolution!

“I’d appreciate it. It
would be better for the knights too.”

Well, the knights have always
been very considerate of me during our camps.

Since I’m someone from the
family they serve, they tend to be very attentive.

Would it be better to just go
along this time? That would give the knights a little break too.

I glanced at the knights to
see if Possell might be right.

They were standing
respectfully, shaking their heads desperately.

What? Do you guys prefer if I
stay with you?

For fellows trying to read my
mood, they seem really desperate.

Why?

“Now. Miss. If you follow
the village head, he’ll show you a place to stay.”

‘Oh. Got it.’

“Alright, I understand.”

But as Possell leaned in
closer, insisting on my decision, I had no choice but to nod.

How could I refuse when that
intimidating giant leans in and asks? Even though my position holds
authority, what choice do I have if he threatens me like that?

When I said I would stay in
the village, the knights’ faces filled with despair.

Why on earth are they reacting
like this? What happens if I’m not with them?

After getting my permission,
Possell introduced the person standing behind him.

“This is the village chief
of Evans.”

I already know. I’ve seen
him in the game before.

He was someone who gave a lot
of minor quests.

None of those quests were
particularly important, so you wouldn’t seek him out unless you
were really desperate.

“How do you do, Miss Lucy? I
am Panata, the village chief of Evans.”

Village chief Panata bowed
deeply, as if it was an honour.

Even though he had just heard
statements insulting his village and had every right to be angry, he
didn’t show it at all.

It must be because I am a Lady
of the Allen Family.

He’s probably cursing me to
no end on the inside.

Saying things like ‘Lucy Allen
really is as arrogant and presumptuous as the rumours say.’

Ugh. I can almost hear Lucy’s
reputation plummeting.

“I am here today to escort
you, Miss.”

‘I am Lucy Allen. Pleased to
meet you.’

“You do know who I am,
right? Escort me properly, you sloppy village head.”

“Yes. Of course, I will do
so.”

Suddenly, I was thankful for
starting off as a noble.

If I had said this with the
status of a commoner or a lowly peasant, I would have seen terrible
consequences long ago.

Mesugaki’s end is said to be
true education (a beating), but I don’t want to be re-educated just
yet.

“Oh, and Miss, is there a
particular knight you would like to bring with you?”

“A knight?”

“Yes, you need protection
after all.”

Ah, a bodyguard? Well, it’s
true that I need someone to protect me.

Even though my personal maid
will accompany me, she wouldn’t be much help in a critical
situation.

If something were to happen to
me, who knows what Benedict would do?

To prevent such a disaster,
it’s necessary to have a bodyguard.

A bodyguard, hmm. If I had to
choose someone, there’s only one person.

‘I’ll take Karl.’

“I’ll take this sloppy
fellow with me.”

Although it might be fine to
take someone else, it’s best to bring someone who would willingly
give their life for me.

Karl will risk his life to
keep his oath.

“Karl, you say? He’s
currently on probation though.”

‘So what…’

“So you’re saying no?
Foolish Possell. Didn’t you tell me to bring whoever I wanted?”

Possell looked troubled but
eventually shrugged his shoulders.

“There shouldn’t be a
problem. Go ahead and take him.”

Soul Academy is not a
particularly important place in Evans Village.

Its only significance lies in
the dungeon near the village and a few hidden elements.

Once you gather all those,
there’s no real value to this village.

So even while the village head
was explaining about Evans Village, I wasn’t really paying attention.

Why bother showing interest in
a village I wouldn’t visit again after finding Mace in the dungeon?

“Hello! Miss Lucy!
Welcome to Evans!”

However, the moment I set foot
in Evans Village, I realised I had been mistaken about one thing.

Children chasing each other
near the village entrance, raising their voices.

People chatting near the well.

Workers sweating profusely as
they went about their tasks.

These were not the idle NPCs
standing around in the game.

They were people living their
own lives.

That’s right. This may be a
game world, but it was also a reality. While I was absentmindedly
watching the scene, the villagers saw my face and began to kneel one
by one.

Huh? What are they doing?

Why are they so scared? What
did I do?

‘Village chief, why are they
acting like that?’

“Panata, what’s going
on?”

“I’m sorry! My Lady! If
it displeased you!”

The village chief’s yell
caused the small seed of fear to grow and spread among the people.

Seeing everyone with their
faces turned pale and their heads bowed to the ground made me regret
coming to the village.

Just what kind of rumours have
been spread about Lucy Allen to make people act like this?!

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