Ch.258258 – Human Landmine

<258 – Human Landmine>

Andersen, the grand duke’s son, was feeling burdened inside.

The number one figure of the Western Nobility Alliance.

The leader of the provincial nobility faction’s male students.

The sense of duty to stand against the children of the Empire’s three great meritorious families without backing down.

Each was a heavy burden.

But what truly made him feel pressured were the landmine lectures he had mistakenly chosen.

“From now on, jump from the 30m model tower where humans reportedly feel the most fear.”

“Excuse me?”

“Whether your legs break or remain intact, you pass this lecture’s practical evaluation as long as you land. Of course, if you believe in <Full Body Mark>, you can come down without injury.”

“…”

“If you refuse to convert to the path of faith, prove that your body is an excellent warrior without divine power!”

The <How to Use Divine Arts Without Faith> lecture that forced religious devotion every class.

“Well, today you can just sleep on the bare ground.”

“Really? We don’t have to infuse mana into trees while hanging from them to avoid being swept away by currents during heavy rain week?”

“On the contrary, today you’ll need to try your best to hide your mana. I’ve released worms that surge up and bite their prey when they detect mana on the ground.”

“…”

“By the way, these worms howl ‘KWAAANG’ when hunting prey. If you hear a worm howl, it means someone’s been detected, so you should wake up immediately and avoid the attack.”

The <Sleeping Well Anywhere> lecture where they had never once slept peacefully.

“Since ancient times, military tactics have stated that retreat is the best strategy, and there’s also a saying that hearing something a hundred times is not as good as practicing it once.”

“…Why are there six healers attending our lecture?”

“Only those who have practiced retreating well can do it properly. Those who choose the wrong escape route or have slow feet will face death in real situations due to poor study or practical weakness. To avoid repeating the same mistakes and improve, you need an experience that hurts like you’re dying, right?”

“…”

And the <Thirty-Six Stratagems of Running Away> lecture where being caught by pursuing instructors would make them scream loud enough to shake the forest.

Regardless of how terribly bad Andersen’s own lecture selection skills were, the difficulty of these damn lectures was too intense.

To the point where he desperately needed advice from seniors!

“Andersen. Isn’t this too dangerous?”

“Lady Arcadia wouldn’t understand. She doesn’t know this desperate feeling since she’s not taking the same lectures as us.”

“Just looking at Andersen’s course registration list, it seems bending your stubbornness would benefit you… but if that’s what you want, there’s nothing to be done. I hope you achieve your goals.”

While many Western Nobility Alliance students were withdrawing, the unfortunate nobles who had followed Andersen’s course registrations stayed by his side until the end.

The number of foolish ones who made the wrong choice of following Andersen was four.

Their eyes were all filled with fatigue, with dark circles covering their eyelids.

“Oh. Look at these freshmen.”

“They show some promise, don’t they?”

“Eyes worn with fatigue. Muscles developed from being forced to survive despite possessing magical power. Even the killing intent naturally seeping out from their exhausted bodies and minds. They’re like sophomores already?”

Even the juniors who had been bullying freshmen indiscriminately couldn’t approach these promising juniors carelessly.

“If we mess with these kids, won’t they reverse the situation and take revenge before we graduate or get expelled?”

“They’re a bit scary.”

“To think provincial nobles have more guts than imperial nobles. Tsk. This year’s class will have the strong coming from unexpected places.”

“Barksarr was trying to mess with the freshman class valedictorian over there too.”

“And he got eliminated by that freshman. Tsk tsk. What a disgrace to the juniors. We shouldn’t be like that.”

Juniors who could be forcibly exploited for immediate gain, but whose rapid growth rate made them fearsome in the long run!

Thanks to such ambiguous evaluation, the Western Nobility Alliance group, who had luckily remained unharmed, was finally approached by the person they had been waiting for.

“Andersen? Could you possibly be Andersen Pretzel, the second son of the Grand Duke Pretzel family of the Deutsch Kingdom?”

“It’s been a long time, Count Velvet. Should I call you Senior Velvet now?”

“Haha. Call me whatever you like. I think I heard you were enrolling this year, but I never expected to see your face at the Grand Sports Festival.”

“Arcadia would have loved to see you, but it’s unfortunate. I apologize for not bringing her along.”

“That child is clever, so she makes fewer mistakes.”

“…? That sounds like you’re saying we made mistakes…”

“It means you wisely withdrew despite your insufficient skills.”

“Ah. Are you complimenting me in front of my Western Nobility Alliance comrades, saying I’m better than Arcadia? Still, I’d appreciate it if you refrained from such comments in front of her. We’re maintaining a good relationship.”

“You’ve grown a lot. The boy who used to demand special treatment wherever he went now considers others’ feelings.”

“Senior, your skin is so fair and your expression so relaxed that it’s hard to believe you’re a junior. It must be thanks to your strength that sets you apart from other juniors.”

Andersen’s eyes filled with expectation.

“Senior. I remained in the competition against juniors at the Grand Sports Festival despite the risks because I have an urgent favor to ask. As a cute junior sharing the noble bloodline, I humbly request your help.”

“Hoho. What kind of indulgence are you seeking this time? Are you going to tell my mother if I don’t refill the guest snacks like when you first visited our family?”

“…That was when I was 14. Please forget about my gluttonous childhood.”

The nobles who had followed Andersen exchanged glances.

’14 isn’t that young, is it?’

‘That’s older than Oknodie is now.’

‘Be quiet. What if the grand duke’s son gets upset and refuses to help us?’

Senior Velvet asked leisurely with a chuckle.

“So, little glutton, what are you craving this time?”

“I’d like to get the final exam answers. If not for <How to Use Divine Arts Without Faith>, <Sleeping Well Anywhere>, and <Thirty-Six Stratagems of Running Away>, then at least for the required common courses…”

“Did you get tricked by a disguised senior? How did you manage to pick only such terrible courses…”

“…Are our registered courses that bad?”

“You’ve chosen the most brutal courses available to freshmen in their first semester.”

At the word “our,” Velvet looked at the barely acquainted juniors trailing behind with eyes full of pity, understanding why they were tagging along.

Those who never expected to receive such sympathetic glances from an upperclassman, especially a noble senior, felt their eyes burning and were on the verge of tears.

If only they hadn’t followed Andersen, they wouldn’t have had to endure such hardship!

“I’ll tell you.”

“Really?”

“This is why having good seniors is beneficial, isn’t it? Especially since we’re nobles representing the same western region… I should bestow favors when needed.”

Even Andersen was genuinely moved by this unexpectedly kind reception.

He had approached with nothing to lose, but to think Senior Velvet would treat them this well!

He had been ashamed to face his noble comrades who had trusted and followed him only to experience disaster, but now he could finally save face as their faction leader.

“Stop!”

If not for Oknodie’s appearance, it would have certainly ended happily.

“…Dumbbell? No, how…?”

“I stole it from a junior!”

‘I wasn’t asking why the dumbbell was floating in the air, but how you know flight magic…’

In any case, it wasn’t the first time Oknodie’s erudition had been out of sync with typical freshmen.

“Oknodie. I know Arcadia cares for you, but this is a place for Western Nobility Alliance nobles to enjoy their reunion. It’s not appropriate for an outsider to interfere.”

“It’s because of such soft thinking that you end up picking only landmine lectures!”

“What…!”

Andersen’s face contorted as if stabbed in the solar plexus.

“Oknodie, that’s too harsh!”

“Even if the grand duke’s son has cursed judgment, it’s not right to say ‘you’re cursed’ to his face. You’re not a priest!”

“My goodness, Oknodie. Show some restraint. Even though the grand duke’s son brings terrible disasters every time he opens his mouth and has the lips of destruction, calling him a walking human landmine is too much.”

“Eh? I didn’t say anything that harsh.”

“Apologize anyway!”

“I’m sorry…?”

Amid the confusion, the Western Nobility Alliance members revealed their true thoughts while pretending to defend the grand duke’s dignity, actually using their shields to strike at him!

Though she felt sorry for them, Oknodie, who believed in calling things as they were, tried to stop them again.

“Why are you so desperate to interfere with us?”

“Velvet is an angel! He said he’d share the exam answers!”

“Could it be you want to hear them too? I suppose it would be fine for you, since you’ve maintained Lady Arcadia’s dignity.”

The grand duke’s son nodded in agreement with the Western Nobility Alliance members.

“As the leader of the 981st Western Nobility Alliance, I sincerely appreciate your dedication to protecting her. I can share the exam answers with you, just don’t interfere.”

“I appreciate the thought, but you shouldn’t accept that! None of you should!”

Oknodie pointed out what these childish noble boys, relaxed after meeting a handsome and elegant noble senior after so long, had overlooked.

“What do you think he’ll ask in return for putting you in his debt? What you’d be accepting isn’t a debt to a noble family, but a debt to a junior!”

“…!”

A debt to a junior, not to a noble.

The word choice evoked terror.

Andersen and the Western Nobility Alliance members were seized by a chilling sense of reality as their warm fantasy shattered.