Ch.18I Made a Mistake, So I Should Apologize (1)

The scene before my eyes wasn’t even a fight.

It was absolute, overwhelming violence.

Just like when I once counter-attacked that monster of violence in Y City.

…No, this was even more violent, casting a shadow over our entire classroom.

Thud! Thud!

Crack!

Crunch!

“Urgh… y-you bitch…!”

“Shut up. Die. Die. Die. Just die already!”

Carmilla lay on the floor, blood streaming from both nostrils.

Sitting on top of her, Miss Hoshino kept bringing down her blood-covered fists repeatedly.

She showed no signs of stopping.

Miss Hoshino was literally hitting Carmilla’s face again and again and again.

Each time, Carmilla would raise her arms, desperately trying to defend herself.

But even that was futile as Miss Hoshino persistently targeted the unprotected gaps, like someone shucking corn kernels.

…Plop.

“Gahk?!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“H-her tooth! Her tooth…!”

“That’s the third one that’s fallen out!”

“S-someone stop her…”

Carmilla’s underdeveloped baby teeth were scattered around like the blood from her nose.

‘Isn’t this going too far?’

What if she loses a molar at this rate?

Baby teeth are one thing.

Molars don’t grow back.

In other words, if she keeps getting beaten like this, she might need dental implants starting from elementary school.

Moreover, if this continues, it could seriously damage Miss Hoshino’s own reputation.

So…

“Miss, please stop now.”

“No! I’m going to kill her!”

“Urgh…!”

The classroom was frozen in terror, beyond mere shock.

As I heard hurried footsteps coming down the corridor outside, I quickly grabbed one of Miss Hoshino’s arms.

At this rate, she might actually kill someone.

But at that moment.

Click.

“?!”

“…What?”

No way, this is insane.

A “gun” of all things?

“Don’t… look down on me.”

“You…!”

Where did such a weapon come from in that small body?

While we were momentarily distracted, Carmilla had pointed a revolver at Miss Hoshino’s forehead.

“I’ll… kill you…!”

“Try it.”

“N-no, Miss!”

Even if she’s Miss Hoshino, unless she was already the S-class hero from the original story…

In her current state, she’d definitely get a hole in the middle of her head with no chance to dodge.

So just as Carmilla’s finger was about to pull the trigger.

“Grrrr…”

Before I knew it, I let out a slight trace of monster aura.

It was truly minimal.

So little that even Miss Hoshino right in front of me wouldn’t notice.

“Eek?!”

That should have been the case, right?

I thought Carmilla would only feel a slight sense of unease.

But when our eyes met, her expression instantly changed to one of absolute terror.

The face that had maintained its grit even while being beaten to a pulp suddenly began sweating profusely, her blue pupils trembling.

“U-uwaaa…!”

“…What’s wrong with her?”

She went beyond mere fear, falling into what looked like a full-blown panic state.

And as if tears streaming down her face weren’t enough…

…Drip.

“Huh? Hey, hey. Are you okay?”

“Carmilla?”

Making a mockery of her title as the youngest hero, she wet herself right in front of everyone.

***

“Barging into school and assaulting an honor student! Even causing psychological trauma! No matter if you’re the princess of the Okami family, you’ve crossed the line by far this time!”

About an hour later.

Naturally, since we’d caused a violent incident at the world’s most prestigious elementary school…

Miss Hoshino, the perpetrator, and I, her attendant, were taken to the principal’s office along with Carmilla, who was classified as the victim.

In the meantime, the nanny had come to the school as our guardian, replacing the collapsed Lord Makoto, and as you can see, the situation was a complete mess.

Inside the principal’s office, which resembled a presidential suite, the most furious person was, of course, the principal of Almighty Elementary School himself.

“Do you know what state the first-grade Class A students are in? They’re all crying non-stop as if they have PTSD!”

“I apologize, Principal.”

“Moreover, Carmilla, who has just recovered from being assaulted, is in such shock that she can’t even speak, as you can see!”

Carmilla had tissues stuffed in both nostrils and various bandages covering her face.

The only fortunate thing was that all the teeth she lost were baby teeth, so they didn’t need to be reattached.

Just then.

“Principal, I assure you that the Okami family will compensate for all damages our princess has caused to that student and the entire class.”

“Of course you should!”

The nanny, who had entered with her head deeply bowed, was like a cunning fox.

“But you know…”

“…?”

At first, she seemed to be apologizing profusely.

But then, as the principal relaxed, she continued as if it was now her turn.

“According to my young master, wasn’t it that student who struck first?”

“W-what?!”

“!!”

Gradually lowering her voice, she pressed on.

“What do you plan to do about that?”

“That’s right. I came because my person was hurt.”

Miss Hoshino joined in without missing a beat.

“Anyway, the principal isn’t high-ranking enough, so I’ll ‘inquire’ with someone above you.”

“S-someone above me…?”

“Well, perhaps the chairman of the board, or going higher, maybe the Minister of Education.”

“Eek?!”

So this is the power of a diamond spoon that can chew up golden spoons.

No, this school was already for diamond spoon children only.

The Okami family was, metaphorically speaking, a titanium spoon, even harder than diamond.

Such an incredible family was now backing me up.

“W-wait a minute! That boy is just a servant, isn’t he?! Is the entire Okami family really going to mobilize for just one boy?”

The principal’s expression, having shifted from a position of power to one of submission, was instantly drenched in sweat.

I shared the principal’s thoughts.

For the Okami family to go this far for me, just Miss Hoshino’s playmate?

It seemed absurd, and I shook my head.

“Janghoon isn’t just a simple servant.”

But before I could respond.

“This boy is ‘my person.'”

Miss Hoshino answered, her beast-like pupils flashing.

“Miss…”

“Anyone, anything that tries to touch someone from the Okami family will surely pay the price. Just like that child who’s now a bloody mess.”

Pointing to Carmilla as an example of what happens to those who cross her, Miss Hoshino froze the entire principal’s office.

‘I guess I’ve gotten quite close to Miss Hoshino…’

For the Hoshino to acknowledge me as her person.

That line was originally a “special voice” in the original work that could only be heard after maxing out the affection meter of the traumatized Hoshino.

And in <Monster Front>, besides gift items from cash purchases, there weren’t really any ways to increase affection.

‘Well done, Kang Janghoon!’

To develop such a relationship as a ‘free-to-play’ player.

I felt proud of myself.

Meanwhile.

Glance… Glance.

“Hm?”

“Eek!”

As if someone had brought in a completely different person with the same face.

Carmilla had been glancing at me like a mouse before a cat.

And whenever our eyes met, she would immediately bow her head and tremble all over.

“She’s too scared…?”

“Kukukuku. That means she’s experienced my terror firsthand!”

Miss Hoshino chuckled at Carmilla’s state, as if she got what she deserved.

Well, it was an eye for an eye… I suppose.

While it seemed like karma, her condition was so severe that I couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.

‘But the more I think about it, the stranger it is. Wasn’t she quite defiant until Miss Hoshino started beating her?’

Or could it be…

Did she notice the slight monster aura I unconsciously released earlier?

But even that didn’t make sense—for someone who’s supposed to be a hero to be this broken by just that.

Above all, the monster energy I released was so minimal that even Miss Hoshino, with her fox-person enhanced senses, couldn’t detect it.

It was like taking a cup of water from the ocean.

To be able to sense something like that…

If that were possible, it would mean she was regularly encountering ‘something like me.’

‘…Is that even possible?’

No way.

How could this child, who just became a hero, be familiar with the aura of at least a Level 1 monster?

Moreover, if that were the case, she would have been dead long ago.

It was an absurd deduction.

So I shook my head to myself.

Shiver.

But at that moment.

‘…The Sword Monster?’

In broad daylight, and in the principal’s office of the world’s most prestigious elementary school, I sensed a presence that shouldn’t be there.

Moreover, this was similar to the monster that had attacked me just days ago, calling me a traitor… no, the monster that had nearly brought D City to ruin.

It was on a similar level to the Sword Monster. In other words, the presence of an incredibly powerful being.

And it was right behind me.

Had a monster appeared?

Convinced of this, I was about to turn around and transform into a monster for everyone’s sake…

“I apologize for being late.”

“…Huh?”

I was ready to reveal my true identity even if it meant becoming a wanted criminal.

‘A human?’

A woman gracefully settled beside Carmilla, who was trembling intensely, after passing by the three of us.

She had the same vibrantly curled blonde hair as Carmilla, but unlike her daughter, her eyes shone like gold, giving her a modest appearance.

“Hello, I’m Lazerita, Carmilla’s mother.”

She looked like an ordinary human in every way.

“Hello. I’m Yachiru, the head maid of the Okami family.”

“I’m Okami Hoshino.”

…That’s how everyone saw her.

But what was this?

Was it because I was half-monster?

Why was this human, Carmilla’s mother, emanating the distinctive stench of a monster?