chapter_0226

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
226

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
226

The Academy’s commoners’
dormitory was no different from what I remembered.

Compared to the dormitory
where the nobles stayed, it was utterly shabby, but most commoners
considered even this place luxurious.

As I looked around quietly,
memories of my school days at training camps began to emerge.

As I stood in front of the
dormitory, the students nearby hastily bowed their heads.

“Hello! Lady Allen!”

“Hello!”

Trying to remain calm, their
voices betrayed more curiosity than fear, failing to entirely hide
their discomfort.

They didn’t know the Lucy of
the past.

It’s true that the girl known
as Lucy Allen once boosted her notoriety by wreaking havoc
everywhere.

The name Lucy Allen, spread
through the mouths of many gossips, was known widely enough that even
commoners had heard it at least once.

So normally, they’d be wary of
me out of fear of my wicked deeds.

Who would have thought that
Lucy’s actions were so extreme that they ended up lowering her
credibility?

The issue was that what Lucy
did was far beyond the comprehension of an ordinary person.

She insulted the king by
calling him livestock.

She said the First Prince felt
creepy, making her uncomfortable.

She vandalised church property
while causing chaos.

And the list of Lucy’s
misdeeds went on and on.

Even one of these would be
shocking enough to cause endless outrage at the existence of such a
crazy person.

While nobles who faced
hardship from Lucy in high society might dismiss my actions as
typical, commoners who only heard tales of Lucy had mixed reactions.

Some believed the stories
outright, while others were sceptical; Is it even possible for one
person to cause so much trouble, logically speaking?

Those who doubted interpreted
the stories like this: She was created as a scapegoat to attach
anonymity to various incidents in high society.

Or she was a weak person,
unable to stop such horrific rumours from spreading, thus a victim of
bullying within high society.

The first-year students who
took the same classes with me knew firsthand that some of those
rumours were true, but the upperclassmen were different.

They rarely had to see me
during the first semester. Hearing about me only through rumours,
they thought; She must have been hated because she has outstanding
abilities for her age.

This notion was the basis for
why the second-year students made the first-years play pranks on me.

They considered themselves
highly intellectual.

No, that’s an
understatement. It’s too generous a term to describe those fools.

Rather.

Yes, a few second-year
students, afflicted with a severe case of adolescent delusions,
judged me as a loner being bullied among the nobles.

So, thinking I wouldn’t be
able to raise my voice no matter what happened, they acted as they
pleased.

When I first heard this talk,
it was so absurd, I thought; What nonsense are they spouting?

‘Are you saying this
seriously?’

…This guy, seriously.

‘Do you find it amusing to
tease a girl who’s practically your great-granddaughter?’

Is that how you want to play
it?

Fine, I can’t help it.

I have no choice but to teach
you a lesson.

Later that day, I deliberately
left sweaty fingerprints on the handle to make the fox wag its
tongue. With this plan in mind, I stepped into the commoners’
dormitory.

“Lady?! This place is
only for commoners…”

At that moment, the dormitory
warden rushed over, but there was no way he could stop me.

The second he reached out to
block my way, my eyes filled with contempt.

“Isn’t this too bold?♡
Harassing me sexually in front of everyone?♡”

“…No, that’s not it
at all! This isn’t in any way…”

“Should I scream?♡ A
bald pervert is attacking me!♡ Hmm?♡”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know
my place!”

As the dormitory supervisor
shrunk back in terror, the path into the dormitory opened up.

Maybe it was because he had
yelled so loudly just now, but the commoners inside the building were
all staring at me.

Bewilderment. Fear. Despair.
Puzzlement. Curiosity. Astonishment.

Seeing all those emotions in
their eyes, I quickly dismissed them and noticed someone holding onto
the conference room door handle on the second floor.

Mane. The current leader of
the commoners.

That guy is neither a good
person nor a bad one.

Mane is a merchant. He doesn’t
care about good or evil, only his own profit.

It’s uncertain whether or not
he was involved in this incident. However, it’s clear that he is
someone I can negotiate with.

No matter what variables might
arise, he won’t lose his calm.

The moment Mane saw my face,
he urgently tried to escape, but I didn’t allow it.

Leaping from the first floor,
I effortlessly landed on the second floor rail, blocking his path.

‘Where are you going?’

“Where do you think
you’re going? Are you seriously scared of this little girl? Wow.
You’re such a coward. Are you still wetting your bed or something?”

“…Why would I be afraid
of Lady Allen? My vision wasn’t good enough to take in her noble
appearance. I deeply apologise.”

The old saying what a load of
nonsense came to mind, but I decided not to press Mane any further.

I had to spend an enjoyable
time in the conference room starting now, and there was no need to be
harsh right from the beginning.

When I simply smiled without
saying much, Mane dropped to his knees. He bowed his head to the
floor, hard enough to draw blood.

“I deeply apologise! Even
if I had ten mouths, I wouldn’t have anything to say in my defence!”

Listening to his lines flow
naturally, as if they had been scripted, left me a bit dazed.

The angle of his bow, the
earnest tone of his voice, and the natural delivery of his lines—none
of it seemed ordinary.

Luca and Mane both seemed to
have perfected the art of grovelling. Do they teach this method
somewhere?

“I truly regret wasting your
time, Lady! However, if you could grant me the mercy of explaining my
circumstances…”

Mane’s desperate pleas were
tinged with resentment towards others.

I could sense his
determination to drag others down with him if he was going to be
punished. One thing became clear to me:

Mane had nothing to do with
this incident.

Ever since he was young, Mane
had travelled around selling goods with his parents.

Through this, he learned and
observed a lot. Though his father led a significant merchant guild
and commanded many people, he didn’t always act high and mighty.

He was someone who could
discard his pride like an old shoe.

When necessary, he would bow
his head low, and if dealing with a high-ranking noble, he would
perform humiliating acts without hesitation, to the point where Mane
felt disdain.

One day, young Mane asked his
father why he had to go to such lengths. His father replied:

“No matter how much money
you possess or how great your influence is, if you don’t understand
your place, it can all disappear in an instant. Mane, remember this
well: Always understand where you stand.”

After seeing a merchant guild
disappear overnight due to flaunting its power, Mane kept his
father’s words close to his heart.

This remained true even after
he entered the Academy with excellent grades.

He was convinced that losing
sight of his place among the many influential people here would lead
to his downfall.

However, there were those who
didn’t understand what Mane considered basic common sense.

They were arrogant.

They believed their wealth,
which would make even most nobles bow down, would always protect
them. Boasting that their father led a large, renowned mercenary
group.

Claiming they possessed
talents sought after by the Magic Tower.

And asserting that the Second
Prince promised to make them knights.

Each had their own reasons,
and they ruled like kings among commoners, unable to cast aside those
habits.

They were lavishly treated
where they once lived.

They took pride in having
confidently been accepted into Soul Academy, which even most nobles
found hard to enter.

Even while competing with the
elite, they managed to stand out to some degree.

Thanks to those achievements,
they could reign over the commoner dormitory.

They refused to remember their
place.

It was because of these people
that Mane, who initially kept a moderate distance from the group,
decided to become a leader among the commoners.

When he saw them jokingly
bullying minor nobles under the guise of tradition, saying such
behaviour was acceptable at Soul Academy, Mane was convinced that
failing to leash them would lead to trouble.

It wasn’t out of any bond as
dormitory friends. He simply foresaw that if they caused an
irreparable issue, the repercussions wouldn’t stop at just them.

The reason commoners enjoyed
certain conveniences at Soul Academy was entirely due to the goodwill
of the higher-ups.

If the influential figures
here drew their swords in anger, oppressing the commoners would be
trivial for them.

If those idiots made a
mistake, it would endanger even himself. Thinking this way, Mane
desperately tried to control them.

Unfortunately, those he wanted
to leash turned out to be unimaginably foolish.

“That’s all.”

Finishing his explanation
based on the recent report, Mane looked intently at the expression of
the girl, who had her arms crossed.

Initially, Mane had been
certain he was screwed, but now he was not. Lucy Allen was far more
rational than Mane had heard.

‘A rough tone and attitude?
It’s only natural for a noble to treat commoners harshly!

Look, despite having the power
to overturn the Academy, she came to hear the story directly!

Even when there were plenty of
reasons to be upset, she patiently waited for the conversation to
end!

Just from this, it was clear
she had enough morals to let me live!

Therefore, it’s possible.

If the conversation goes well,
I might be able to prevent the entire commoner population, including
myself, from getting screwed.’

“So, Trash Leader.
According to what you said, those three trashy idiots are the
ringleaders of this mess?”

“Of course, it’s not
entirely without fault of the others, but…”

“Can you answer just what
I asked? Do I look as carefree as you?”

“Lady Allen is correct.
Those three are the ringleaders.”

The moment his judgement
solidified, Mane, who had been desperately racking his brains,
decided to cut out those he called the Foolish Trio.

Although other fools had given
implicit consent, those three were indeed the ones leading this mess.

As Mane nodded, Lucy Allen’s
gaze shifted towards the Foolish Trio.

While looking at their
stiffened faces, Mane prayed silently.

He prayed that those trash
would just keep their mouths shut. That they would understand the
weight of their wrongdoing and stay quiet.

But perhaps due to his lack of
deep faith, his prayers did not come true.

“You fools. Do you have
anything to say?”

“We challenge you to a
duel.”

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