chapter_0199

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
199

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
199

I met the Duke and Duchess
Partan the day after exploring the estate with Joy.

The two, already present at
the breakfast table, looked worn out, as if they had just finished
some urgent work.

For someone with their ranks
to be pressed with urgent tasks?

I was curious but couldn’t
ask.

‘Hello.’

“Good morning. Careless
Duke. Weak Lady.”

There was another issue I had
to address first.

The Duke, who was rumoured to
cause people to faint with just a frown, and the Duchess, who could
perfectly play a villainess in a morning drama, stiffened slightly at
my greeting.

These two were the faces
behind the Partan family’s notorious reputation.

Thanks to the Allen Family, I
was used to fierce expressions, but these two were on a different
level.

I was already breaking into a
cold sweat without anyone saying a word.

Seeing them through a monitor,
I thought there’d be a limit to how terrifying someone could appear.
Didn’t the text descriptions exaggerate too much?

No.

The game’s descriptions
weren’t exaggerated at all.

When these two whispered to
each other, it felt like watching a scene from a movie.

What genre, you ask? A crime
thriller or horror film. Something along those lines.

“Puhahahaha.”

The short but eternal silence
was broken by the duke’s loud laughter.

Despite his stern demeanour,
it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had suddenly said; Kill her.

But the Duke wasn’t that kind
of person.

“How long has it been since
we’ve had a child speak to us so confidently?”

“Indeed. Just like Joy said,
she’s a very spirited person.”

Though they might look
intimidating, they were actually good people.

They loved each other,
cherished their family, and worked hard to steer the territory in a
better direction. They embodied the phrase ‘noblesse oblige.’

So naturally, I assumed they
would take my boldness kindly.

Then why was I so nervous?

It’s like in a horror
movie—you know the ghost is going to jump out, but it still
startles you when it does. It’s similar.

Even though I knew they were
good people, standing in front of them made me naturally anxious.

I also worried; What if
they’re different from the game?

“Have fun while you’re
here.”

Having overcome the greatest
challenge since arriving in the Partan Territory, I headed out to the
streets with Joy.

“I’m excited. This time,
I’ll definitely become the Slaughterer of the Festival.”

Hearing her mention the title
Slaughterer of the Festival, you could tell that this wasn’t just
an ordinary quest.

Instead, it was a tradition
passed down in the Partan Territory.

The Slaughterer of the
Festival is a title given to the person who wins the most
competitions at the Partan Family Festival.

Regardless of status, gender,
or age, everyone who participates in the festival competes, and only
the person who achieves the best results can be called the
Slaughterer of the Festival.

Looking at Joy’s serious
demeanour, it’s clear that the title isn’t taken lightly.

Many participants at this
festival genuinely aim to win that title.

Consequently, the stall owners
are equally earnest.

They seriously prepare to
crush challengers, regardless of who they are.

“Why is the trajectory
twisted? I was sure…”

“That’s unfortunate, Lady
Partan.”

“…Can’t I try just one
more time?”

“You know that’s not
allowed.”

At the vendor’s firm
response, Joy slumped her shoulders.

Each stall grants only one
opportunity.

Even the daughter of the
Duke’s Family can’t break this rule.

With Joy stepping aside, it
was my turn.

The vendor’s face stiffened
slightly when he saw me, but he didn’t say anything further.

Instead, he handed me a staff
imbued with magic.

This staff was made for
entertainment purposes.

It contained a very weak magic
missile.

The goal was to hit a signpost
far from the stall with this missile.

It might sound easy, but
there’s one part I haven’t explained yet.

The target that needed to be
hit with the magic missile moves in an unpredictable, bizarre
pattern.

As mentioned, the vendors are
equally serious about this competition.

These people spend all their
free time, outside of eating and working, practising and designing
impossible trajectories.

“There are twenty
signposts. And there are twenty magic attacks stored in the staff. If
you hit all of them, you win.”

With the staff in hand, I
instinctively knew I couldn’t win this challenge on my own.

I barely have any magic
skills. So, instead of putting on a brave front, I used the Bracelet
of Play.

Immediately, my body moved of
its own accord, executing the best possible movements.

“As expected of Lady
Allen. You have a profound understanding of magic!”

“Remarkable! To shoot
down the targets we painstakingly created with such ease.”

The Bracelet of Play is an
item designed purely for entertainment purposes.

Its effect works like this:

You can win up to four
mini-games in a day.

There are no prerequisites. If
it’s a mini-game, you can definitely win it four times a day.

At first glance, this might
sound like an overpowered item, but there’s one critical limitation.

To prevent abuse, they
restricted the usage condition almost excessively — it can only be
used in mini-games occurring during a quest.

Despite its limited usability,
it was considered an essential item among veterans.

Initially, mini-games might
feel fresh and fun, but over time, they become a tedious chore.

The Bracelet of Play worked
perfectly not just in the game but also in real life.

After confirming that all the
targets were shattered and scattered on the ground, I returned the
empty staff to the vendor.

Then, a moment later, the
sound of applause reached my ears.

The applause had started with
Joy.

“That was truly amazing,
Lady Allen. Even as a mage, I’ve never been able to win at that
stall.”

As she genuinely admired me,
others nearby also began clapping one by one.

Regardless of my reputation,
the Duke’s Lady next to me was applauding, so everyone followed suit.

As a result, I received not
just simple praise but something akin to cheers, which made me smile
awkwardly.

Uh.

Well.

I mean.

It’s nice to be complimented,
but…

I’d never expected such a
thing, so I felt more embarrassed than pleased.

It was like I was put on stage
and suddenly became the star of the show.

Unable to handle their cheers,
I quickly pulled Joy along and escaped the area.

Afterward, Joy and I continued
to wander from stall to stall, competing in various games.

I didn’t always win.

Since my body hadn’t fully
recovered, I made silly mistakes just like Joy.

And even in simple games of
luck, there were times when I lost because the Dice God momentarily
looked away.

However, in most cases, the
Dice God favoured me, and as a result, by lunchtime, I had won five
times.

Now, I just needed to win two
more times with my own effort.

If I manage that, the
remaining three wins will be handled by the Bracelet of Play.

Hehe. See that, Armadi!

No matter how many times you
try to thwart my efforts, you can’t beat a veteran like me!

If you haven’t thought about
how to increase my reputation, start thinking now!

Just to be clear, I’m not
planning to settle for just the quest rewards.

If you’ve tried to mess with
me, you should compensate accordingly. Got it?

Feeling confident as I had
already assured my victory in my mind, I noticed a commotion in the
distance and saw the crowd parting.

What is this? Is there someone
else who can clear a path through a crowd like me?

Interrupting my walk, I turned
my head towards the noise and recognized one familiar face and
another I had sworn never to see again. They were accompanied by a
strict-looking group of soldiers.

“Brother, please. Please
wait a moment.”

One of them was Arthur
Soladin. The Third Prince of the kingdom and one of the few people at
Soul Academy who thought favourably of me.

“There you are, little
brother.”

The other person’s name was
Rene Soladin.

The First Prince of the
kingdom and the final boss in the Soul Academy kingdom story.

At the same time, he was the
one Lucy called a hikikomori* Prince and could never think favourably
of me. (*Shut in.)

Why on earth is he here?!

According to the game’s
story, he should be holed up in the capital city and never have come
out!

What’s this variable?!

Why has the story diverged
from the game?

Is it Benedict?!

Did Benedict give courage to
this hikikomori?!

While I was panicking, the two
of them continued to approach.

It was natural for the crowd
to part.

Two people with claims to the
kingdom’s succession appeared—who wouldn’t show respect?

Unless you’re out of your
mind, you’d lower your head on your own.

In that sense, maybe I am out
of my mind.

Should I say I was half-forced
into losing my mind?

“Lady Allen?! What are
you doing!”

Upon seeing the two princes
and displaying her respect, Joy was aghast at the sight of my head
held high.

I know, I look like a
madwoman.

But what am I supposed to do?!
The [Mesugaki] skill doesn’t allow me to bow my head!

I really do want to show my
respect too!

I want to beg for forgiveness
for my past mistakes while kneeling!

But what can I do?! The
[Mesugaki] skill doesn’t let me!

Even though I desperately
tried, the will of the [Mesugaki] skill was stronger than mine.

When the First Prince and
Arthur arrived before me, I still held my head up high.

“Greetings to the First
Prince and the Third Prince.”

“Yes. It’s been a long
time, Lady Partan. I’m truly pleased to see you’ve grown into someone
befitting the name of the Duke’s family. With talents like yours, the
Partan Family is sure to prosper in the future.”

After finishing his polite
remarks towards Joy, the First Prince turned his gaze towards me.

His eyes.

Those pitch-black eyes, so
dark they seemed to absorb all surrounding light.

They were staring directly at
me.

At that moment, I was certain.

It wasn’t because of Benedict.

It wasn’t his influence that
brought the Hikikomori First Prince here.

The First Prince came here
solely to meet me.

I don’t know why. I’m not like
Karia who can read others’ minds through their actions.

But there’s one thing I’m
certain of. It certainly wasn’t for a good reason.

There’s no way someone would
come to meet the person who called him a Hikikomori Prince with good
intentions.

“Are you ignoring me?”

I thought staying silent might
somehow defuse the situation, but the First Prince wouldn’t allow it.

What should I do?!

Is there any way to get out of
this situation?!

Desperately thinking and even
asking Grandpa for advice, but no answer came.

As long as the First Prince
stood before me, escaping from this situation was impossible.

This was a checkmate.

‘Greetings to the First
Prince and the Third Prince!’

“Greetings to the Hikikomori
Prince and the Pitiful Prince.”

Wow, at least it wasn’t
worse.

Surely others will just let it
slide now, right?

Thinking that, I glanced
around, but the reactions from everyone were unanimously cold.

Hmm. Still too much to hope
for?

I thought so.

…Haah.

Damn it.

I’m so screwed.

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