Ch.46EP.14 – Berserk? (1)

The woman despises the ‘press.’

She dislikes those rude journalists who act as if they are justice incarnate, and finds their hypocritical standards repulsive as they treat information like power and behave like the upper class.

However, she doesn’t deny their necessity.

So she reads newspapers daily and categorizes them.

Those to be exterminated and those still to be observed.

And now, the woman has decided to spare one media outlet that she had recently contemplated eliminating.

[The virtuous and noble knight of the Silver Lion versus the lowly wizard of the Academy. Will justice prevail?]

Isn’t it admirable that they wrote such a pleasing sentence?

It was a third-rate article full of flattery for the royal family, but thanks to the article portraying the Order of the Silver Lion as the side of justice while thoroughly criticizing wizards, this media outlet would likely survive this year.

…Though next year remains uncertain.

“Your uncle is stirring up something interesting.”

“Woo?”

“Hoho, I’m not referring to those incompetent fools bound by blood. How could such people be called your uncle? No, the uncle I speak of is Ihan, the only friend this lady acknowledges. Though not of royal blood, he is the younger brother I recognize, so you must show proper respect when others aren’t watching. Do you understand, Arthur?”

“Awoo.”

“Yes, are you interested too? Your eyes are sparkling. Well, I suppose that’s understandable. I’m already looking forward to seeing what kind of bloody battle my sworn brother will engage in.”

“Woo?”

“Arthur, my son. Remember this. The bloody battles of warriors are great stimulants that dispel boredom. Sometimes I relieve stress by watching such battles. Or perhaps it would be an interesting experience to personally behead a criminal who might harm you. It’s a beneficial stress reliever for one who wishes to be king. Sometimes sitting in this position, there are too many beasts whose necks I’d like to wring…”

“Woo?”

The woman whispered affectionately to the child in her arms, but somehow the content wasn’t particularly appropriate for a child’s emotional education.

Fortunately, the child wasn’t old enough to understand those words.

And the only steward in the royal family who could point out the woman’s mistakes admonished her.

“Morally speaking, such words shouldn’t be said to a child, Princess.”

“It’s you. Still moving without a sound. Do be careful, you might frighten Arthur.”

“I think he’ll be more afraid of you in the future than of me.”

“What have I done?”

“I’m amazed that you genuinely don’t know, haha.”

“Insolent fellow.”

Albert, the princess’s steward, shook his head as if he couldn’t help it.

He wondered if it might be ethically right to separate the child from this cruel princess even now.

“You’ve been going out frequently lately.”

“I have tasks assigned by the Princess, so what can I do?”

“You’re being overdramatic.”

“It’s not dramatics. Even for me, investigating lions in the middle of the northern region is no easy task, haha.”

“Hmm.”

Her brow furrowed—Isis Elaine de Pendragon.

Normally, she would dismiss it as mere dramatics or trickery, but unmistakable fatigue was visible on Albert’s face.

Seeing the heavenly user looking so tired meant it wasn’t just an exaggeration.

“The north, what troublesome people.”

“Rather than disturbing a hornet’s nest, perhaps it’s better to leave it alone?”

“I’ve considered that too, but by nature, I prefer to burn any nest that irritates me.”

“…If only you could fix that aggressive side of yours, it would be so much better.”

“I’ve lived this way my entire life, so just leave it be.”

If something bothers her, she burns it down even if it contains honey.

Cruelty and cold-blooded efficiency that pursues only results.

This could be called the foundation of Isis’s character.

Of course.

‘She’s much better than before.’

Since Isis had been engaged in bloody political struggles with her own blood relatives since birth, her cruel nature was unavoidable.

Betrayed by trusted brothers and sisters, pursued by assassins dozens of times.

If she had a gentle nature instead, that would be a childhood environment warranting suspicion of mental illness.

Because of this, she doesn’t hesitate to see blood and has even expelled all her siblings from the palace, but recently she’s shown signs of softening.

Perhaps it’s thanks to having a ‘friend’ who pleases her more than those contemptible, unpleasant groups.

Albert noticed a newspaper on the table, unusually intact rather than torn to shreds.

An article about a certain knight occupied the front page.

‘Haha.’

Albert tried to hide his pleased expression as he spoke.

“I’ve heard the news. He’s quite active. Youth is indeed wonderful.”

“…If another elderly person said that, I might sympathize, but coming from you, I don’t feel much empathy.”

“Haha, I’ve grown quite old too. But more importantly, will you not intervene, Princess?”

“Why would I?”

“Oh?”

According to her usual nature, she wouldn’t have allowed a ‘foreign element’ like a wizard to run rampant.

It could interfere with the mission she gave him.

Yet now she remains calm.

Surely the wizard must irritate her.

“As expected of my steward. You know me well.”

“So then…”

“But this time, I won’t step in.”

“?”

It was an unexpected statement, and Albert tilted his head.

Why would his mistress choose to stay quiet for once?

But through her next words.

“If I, this lady, were to step in, wouldn’t I be stealing an opportunity for my sworn brother to raise his reputation?”

“…”

“If he can build his reputation through this opportunity, it would be beneficial.”

“Haha, your concern for your brother is profound.”

Albert could finally guess his mistress’s intentions.

“That fellow takes reputation too lightly. How can he still think of remaining ‘unknown’ despite such achievements? Really.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Heheh, I just think our Princess is still a youthful spirit whose passion hasn’t cooled.”

“…What nonsense is this?”

“There’s such a thing.”

It was clear why she wasn’t intervening despite the presence of a wizard as a foreign element.

She, who acknowledges knights more than anyone else, always found it disagreeable that he remained unknown.

So she’s not interfering with the war game.

Because it’s an opportunity for his reputation to spread.

‘They say there are noble ladies who work to make unknown actors famous in theater, don’t they?’

The desire for the actor she supports to succeed.

In their specialized terminology.

‘Fan enthusiasm, haha, there’s still some innocence left in our Princess.’

Albert was pleased.

However.

“Hmm, I don’t understand why he’s acting like that.”

“Woo?”

“Anyway, Arthur, we should prepare to go out soon.”

“?”

“It will be fun.”

The problem is that what Albert called innocence would be a great calamity for others.

…The news that Crown Princess Isis would visit the Academy was delivered four days later.

*

*

*

“…Sigh.”

The boy sighed.

A boy with a somewhat gloomy impression.

His shaggy hairstyle and grayish hair that seemed somewhat dreary only amplified his external gloominess.

Moreover, his aura mercilessly exuded an unpleasantness that said ‘don’t approach me’…

He was undeniably the type of person one wouldn’t want to befriend.

However.

“Derrick? Derrick, where are you!”

“…”

“Ah! Found you!”

“!?!!”

…Recently, the boy—no, Derrick—was facing a major crisis in his loner lifestyle.

Because of a certain girl who suddenly stayed by his side and interfered.

The boy had been hiding in a leafy branch with his presence suppressed as much as possible, but it was impossible to escape the eyes of the intellectual girl with a well-suited ponytail.

“L-Lady Karin. W-why are you looking for me again?”

“I came to have lunch together. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“W-why don’t you eat with others? You have many other friends.”

“Hoho, they’re my followers. I don’t have many friends.”

“…”

Is it okay to say that so bluntly?

What a personality.

“Derrick, my neck hurts looking up at you, so would you please come down? I specially brought a lunchbox.”

“I-I don’t mind going, but p-please don’t touch my hair this time.”

“Alright, I promise.”

“T-then, okay.”

Whoosh.

The shaggy-haired boy Derrick lightly jumped down from the branch.

He came down so lightly that he looked like a flying squirrel jumping down, and the girl’s eyes sparkled.

‘His physical abilities are definitely not ordinary.’

Free movements that even a swordsmanship student couldn’t imitate.

She thought he was extraordinary when they first met, but the more she got to know him, the more his extraordinariness showed.

Well, more noticeable than that extraordinariness was…

Swish.

“Ah, you said you wouldn’t do that!”

“A woman’s heart is like a reed, you know.”

“!!”

As soon as he came down, the girl approached him and brushed his bangs aside.

When she pushed back the hair that completely covered his eyes, beautiful golden eyes were revealed.

Beautiful eyes different from his gloomy gray hair, with a charm that could overwhelm even women.

‘Such beautiful eyes.’

Eyes so pretty that the more you look, the more you want to see them again.

And glimpses of extraordinariness too.

It was inevitable that the girl would be interested in the boy, and he was worth pushing aside boring followers.

“Derrick, don’t you really want to tidy up your hair? I can introduce you to a technician I know well.”

“I-I really don’t need to. Hair just grows back even if you cut it, so just washing it properly is enough.”

“Then how about tying it with a string?”

“Why bother?”

“…”

…But sometimes this firmly dark personality can be annoying.

The girl, Karin Alencia de Guinevere, puffed her cheeks.

‘S-she’s overwhelming.’

Derrick found the girl overwhelming.

It couldn’t be helped.

As he said yesterday, there had been no women in his life, and they were like wild beasts he couldn’t get used to no matter how hard he tried.

If he had to compare, like a lion or bear?

And with such a lion hovering around him, Derrick stiffened like a herbivore and sweated profusely, contemplating where to hide next.

But this was momentary.

While the girl constantly approaching him was one thing, what kept making Derrick nervous was…

‘The students who went training with that person are returning today, right?’

The source of the academy’s commotion.

Those foolish warriors who engaged in a war game with a wizard.

Currently, there’s abundant criticism and colorful condemnation directed at the swordsmanship students.

For foolishly challenging a wizard to a war game.

‘Hmm, it doesn’t seem like a foolish act to me?’

However, Derrick doesn’t consider their actions foolish.

If [conditions] are met, there are cases where warriors can win against wizards in a war game.

‘Hidden piece, if they got their hands on that, the possibility of winning would increase.’

But only he knows about the existence of the hidden piece in this world.

So he was curious.

That person, Ihan Turtle…

‘If he’s someone involved in the game like me? Or if he knows the original work?’

Derrick’s uncertain prediction.

That the swordsmanship instructor might be someone who knows the game, or the original work, like him…

Such an uncertain prediction.

‘If that’s the case, I can confirm it this time.’

One of the secret weapons to defeat wizards.

Evidence of acquiring the hidden piece.

‘He might have obtained the <Wizard Hunter’s Musket>.’

The hidden piece, Wizard Hunter’s Musket.

Developed by an alchemist who dedicated his life to killing wizards, this musket is different from ordinary ones with its longer barrel and stronger power.

Not only is it powerful, but it also has magic resistance.

If one obtains the blueprint for this special musket and is given time to develop it and become familiar with handling it, it’s possible to create a wizard suppression unit.

‘If it were me, I would definitely train them that way.’

It was also the only route for lower-class students to fight and win against wizards in a short period.

So Derrick placed great hope that when the lower-class students from the swordsmanship department returned, they would have acquired the ‘rare job-<Sniper>’.

If he were the instructor, and if he knew the game or original work, he would have trained the students in that direction.

Besides, there weren’t many positive jobs that lower-class people could obtain.

‘So if the students come back carrying muskets on their backs, it definitely means that person is in the same situation as me!’

Hence, Derrick was hopeful.

It would mean he’d have a ‘comrade’ who would make his life in this world, which he thought was lonely, no longer so.

As the boy secretly brightened his eyes with a small expectation.

“Hmm? It’s the swordsmanship instructor. Looks like they’ve finally returned.”

“W-where?”

“Over there.”

“Ah, finally… Huh?”

…What is that?

At the academy’s main gate.

As it was lunchtime, students using the lawn garden near the main gate could unexpectedly be the first to welcome the return of the swordsmanship instructor and students.

However, the atmosphere that suddenly pervaded was…

“…?”

Somehow like seeing something they shouldn’t have seen—an awkward expression.

Derrick…

‘T-there’s no job called <Berserker> among the selectable ones…?’

Someone wearing a bear skin.

Berserker, no—he blinked with wide eyes at the sight of the 18 students.