episode_0049

A heavy silence descended on the square.

Seldianne’s sudden bombshell statement.

An absolutely unacceptable claim for the nobles, that all nobles should come together and apologize to the commoner Erto.

The hundreds of noble students gathered there were momentarily dumbfounded and looked as if they could not believe their ears.

“… What is it?”

Of course, the same was true for me.

Seldianne suddenly wants to apologize to me?

And you’re not even doing it personally, but you want to persuade all the nobles to bow their heads together?

why?

The first thought that came to my mind was:

Seldianne was the leader of the noble union, the most powerful of the group of students who tried to expel me from this academy.

Of course, there was Kelg Durakal’s malicious design and her misunderstanding because she didn’t know the truth, but in any case, it was Seldianne who tried to throw me out without even defending me, her friend.

And what did you say when you came to see me yesterday?

She was the one who kept nagging at me, even though she didn’t apologize for what she had done, like saying that breaking up with Tirisia was a predetermined ending.

After being hit in the back of the head like that, even the most insensitive person cannot help but sense her true feelings.

Seldianne hates me. So much so that she’s never considered me a friend.

That was my conclusion.

I tried to trust her until the end, but after seeing her attitude of crossing the line until the end yesterday, I ended up making that judgment.

Surely that thought wasn’t wrong.

That must have been the case,

What was happening in the square right now was completely opposite to what I thought.

Seldianne is asking for the consent of all the nobles to apologize to me.

What on earth is this strange thing?

Did I eat something wrong this morning?

Why on earth did she torment me so much?

“… … ”

I was looking at the center of the square with my brow furrowed, not knowing what was going on in English.

“Hmm… As expected… ”

Heidiera nodded her head while groaning heavily next to her.

She had a look on her face that suggested this was going to happen.

“Look at that! I said it right!”

On the other side, Lucica was glaring at my face with her eyes burning.

“No… No matter what, that’s a bit… ”

Since Seldianne said such things, it seemed that Lucica’s opinion had some merit, but even so, it was hard to imagine that the young lady of the Elkonja family, who was so full of pride, liked me.

It’s just that, after hearing some harsh words from me and thinking about it with a cool head, he realized his mistake belatedly.

Now, I guess you feel guilty and think that you should apologize as a nobleman or as a person.

In any case, what was more important than Celdianne’s intentions at the moment was that she was standing there as a representative of the nobility, not as an individual.

Seldianne would know better than anyone that the nobles would not agree to such a request.

There was a moment when I thought that perhaps the place she was in right now was a place where she had to take a considerable amount of risk.

“Let me say this again! We had a serious misunderstanding and tried to expel a student from the Academy! Fortunately, we avoided pushing him off the cliff, but we ended up injuring him badly!”

Celdianne stood on the platform she had created, her hand on her heart, and loudly preached why she should apologize to the commoner Erto.

“If our nobles let this go without even apologizing to Erto, it would clearly be wrong! We have sinned, so we should not just ignore it, but face it head on! Even if the other party is a commoner, isn’t it the noble’s duty to admit our mistakes and apologize?!”

At her shout, which was almost a truism, the crowd in the square began to roar.

Only then did the noble students realize the situation, and they began gossiping and discussing something with the people around them.

Even in the midst of all this, Celdiane did not stop talking and continued to walk around the stage to persuade the nobles.

“As the leader of the noble union that day, I will represent you when I apologize to student Erto! It would be fine if only you were the one to bow your head. However, I want to make it clear that it is the will of all the nobles to apologize to him! So please grant your request!”

Although Seldianne appealed with sincere eyes, the reaction from the group of nobles surrounding the stage was lukewarm.

Groan, groan, groan—

They were constantly exchanging opinions about the current situation with their close friends or colleagues pursuing the same interests, but they were unable to come to a clear answer.

But one thing was certain: their expressions.

They were chattering with the people around them, frowning and shaking their heads as if they were refusing customers at the market.

What it meant was clear.

A face filled with the unwavering determination that the entire nobility cannot bow their heads because of a mere student who is a commoner.

In short, what the female student who was their representative was saying was nothing more than nonsense that wasn’t worth considering.

“Please tell me the answer…! Your Highnesses…!”

Seldianne also felt the air and looked at the nobles surrounding her with tense eyes.

“This is… an atmosphere where there is absolutely no hope, Lord Leto… !”

“So, there’s no way the city nobles would accept such a request… !”

Heidiera and Lucica also expressed skepticism about what Celdianne was doing.

It was natural.

Even I, as the person involved, think she is doing something ridiculous.

As expected, after a while of commotion, voices began to arise among the nobles, one by one, expressing their opinions.

“Why should we do that?!”

“No matter how much Elkonja says, it is difficult to follow!”

“Does it make sense for nobles to bow their heads in groups for one commoner?!”

What was emerging from the crowd were signs of resistance that still maintained a moderate tone.

A reaction that everyone in this place, except for Celdiane, takes for granted.

But she did not back down and continued to ask the nobles to join her in apologizing to me.

“This is what I sincerely ask of you! We, I! have done a great wrong to Erto! We must sincerely apologize to him!”

Seldianne even lowered her usual young lady-like speech and bowed her head first to the nobles, abandoning all pride.

But her stubbornness was having the opposite effect on the crowd.

“So why do we have to apologize together!”

“If you are the representative, shouldn’t you take full responsibility and apologize on your own?”

“Why are you suddenly protecting a commoner?! Lord Elconza!”

There were also people on the stage who couldn’t hide their bewilderment at Seldianne’s sudden change of stance.

“, Elconza…?!”

“What on earth do you mean…?”

Miyu and Juri.

The two noble ladies who usually followed Celdianne and guarded her from the side were also unable to accept her words.

It was such an obvious phenomenon.

Because Celdiane was the one who was more outspoken about class discrimination than anyone else in the Academy, and I was the one who received the most contempt from her.

For Miyu and Juri, who knew her thoughts and ideas well, it was unimaginable that Celdianne would bow her head for the common people.

But that was happening right before their eyes.

“Elconja! Why are you suddenly doing this!”

“There’s no reason to care about that guy, Erto!”

With trembling eyes, Celdianne spoke to the two people whose trust in her was wavering.

“… I’m sorry. Miyu, Juri. If you’re disappointed in me, that can’t be helped. But this time, I have to let go of the person I’ve been living as up until now and be sincere. I will definitely apologize to Erto. That’s because that’s the way to uphold my duty as a human being, regardless of whether I’m a noble or a commoner. Please, just this once, listen to me. ”

“Elconja… Are you serious…?”

“That’s ridiculous… That’s a lie… !”

At those words, Miyu and Juri looked shocked and took a step back from Celdianne.

“How can you say something like that…? You, the one who protected the pride of the nobility more than anyone else!”

“Are you saying that everything you’ve said so far was a lie…? Are you saying that you actually had feelings for that commoner man…!”

At the words of the two people who wanted to deny reality, Celdianne nodded with eyes filled with fear and sadness.

“Yes, that was your true heart. I feel endless guilt towards Erto student right now. That is why I would like to ask for your cooperation. You are the one who committed the greatest sin, but… my apology alone will not be enough to comfort his heart. What I need now are comrades who will bow their heads together… ! Please… !”

Her words were surprisingly sincere, even to me.

“This…traitor!”

“Liar!”

Rather, it must have been an incredibly shocking betrayal for the two people who had supported her until now.

Bam!

“Wow… !”

The enraged Miyu and Juri simultaneously pushed Celdianne’s chest, and Celdianne, who was defenseless and not wrapped in magic power, ended up falling on her butt on the platform.

Looking down at the fallen woman, the two noble ladies made remarks with cold eyes that completely took away the trust they had given her until now.

“We’ve been reading you wrong! Hypocrite!”

“I am ashamed of myself for considering this person a model of nobility!”

“Miyu…Juri…”

Seldianne didn’t even think about getting up from her seat, and just silently endured the girls’ harsh words with a sad expression.

Her face was one that keenly felt how much she was negating the life she had lived so far.

Beginning with Miyu and Juri’s departure, the reputation and prestige that Celdianne had built up over time began to crumble, and voices of discontent began to erupt from all over the crowd.

“Was it a lie that you only act for the nobles?! Are you deceiving us!”

“That’s right! And you were the one who bullied me the most, so why are you acting nice now!”

“If you want to apologize to a commoner, do it alone! Don’t involve us!”

“That kind of double-faced person is not our representative! He is a disgrace to the nobility! He is a disqualification from the prestigious family!”

Wow! Wow!

As if adding fuel to the fire, the nobles all gathered their momentum and poured out criticism towards Seldianne.

Since Seldianne had prioritized the nobles above all else and had been firmly supported by them, it was a great betrayal for her to say that she would ruin the honor of all nobles for the sake of the commoners.

The nobles were furious at Seldiane’s continued insistence on impossible and shameful demands, and they strongly opposed this sudden change in attitude.

Even if he is an Elkonja, it is impossible to suppress all the nobles with force and authority since he has turned them into enemies.

The crowd, too, had no hesitation in hurling harsh abuse at her from the moment they felt they had the upper hand.

What can a single family do in the face of the power of the group?

Based on that sense of relief, fierce hatred and ridicule were pouring down on Seldianne from all sides.

“Everyone… Please… !”

Even in such a situation, Celdianne did not give up and kept trying to persuade him.

Now, there was no noble who would listen to her words.

A solid crystal, once cracked, easily breaks.

When a crystal falls to the ground and shatters, losing its original shape and value, it simply becomes trash.

Celdiane Elconza.

That was exactly her current situation.

Because he has defended his position as a noble more firmly than anyone else,

The moment she raised the hand of a commoner, everything she had built up until then was shattered.

The dignity of the family, the admiration that everyone looked up to, even the popularity that she personally had,

In an instant, it shattered and turned into dust.

“Get out! I don’t need someone like you anymore!”

“Go and stick to that commoner you like!”

“If you beg me right now, I might accept it! Haha!”

The nobles sent out a barrage of criticism and contempt towards Seldianne, who was sitting on the platform, and after a while, they began to leave one by one, perhaps losing interest.

“Let’s go! There’s no need to listen to that woman any longer.”

“Dismiss! Everyone, disperse! The meeting is over!”

“Elconja I wasted a lot of time because of that guy, see you all tomorrow!”

“Wow! I’m in a good mood!”

―

――

The crowd gathered in the square completely disappeared like a swarm of ants scattering,

“… … ”

The only person left was Celdiane, lying on the golden platform.

Pusss—

The magic of correction was released and the platform turned into magical dust and disappeared.

dump!

Celdiane, who had fallen to the ground, stood there blankly, unfocused, and didn’t get up from her seat.

“Luto-kong… What are you going to do? Should I try talking to you?”

Heidiera cautiously asked my opinion.

“It seems like he’ll apologize even if he’s alone, so why don’t you go and listen?”

Lucica also looked at me to wrap up the situation.

“… ”

I was thinking for a moment,

“No, that’s fine.”

He shook his head and turned away from Celdiane.

“Now we’ve decided to live apart. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Is that so? I will respect the will of the Lord Leto.”

“What, this is Erto’s decision, so do whatever you want.”

The two of them, without any objections, obediently followed me and started walking together.

Before leaving the square, I looked back and saw Celdianne still lying there.

“Erto… ”

She was calling my name, with her face in both hands, dropping glittery things.

I averted my gaze again and turned my steps toward the podium for training.

Although things turned out differently than expected, I thought it turned out well.

Now it seemed like Celdianne wouldn’t bother me anymore.

Her job was to figure it out on her own.

That’s what it means to be a man.