Chapter 116

“Ha… hahahaha…”

Suddenly, Alfred started laughing like a madman.

He kept chuckling with his head down.

‘Is he starting again?’

I know Alfred well.

He is an important figure among the first-years.

If Oscar Peresia is the representative of the Empire, then Alfred Nabor is the representative of the Kingdom.

Establishing a relationship with him was an indispensable part of setting up relations with the Kingdom.

However,

This guy’s personality is not good, to say the least.

He is always self-centered and holds grudges for even the smallest slights.

Still, he is better than the psycho princess with a broken personality.

At least Alfred is a man who is true to his desires.

Anyway, the reason Alfred is laughing like a madman now is simple.

He is genuinely pissed off.

This is his way of venting his anger before he goes completely insane.

It’s his way of maintaining his last bit of composure.

It’s this self-control that allows him to be the leader of a group.

“…You’ve really got us, seniors. But whose idea was this?”

Finally, Alfred stopped laughing and looked up, asking.

At his words, the three people, including Riviera, naturally turned their gazes to me.

That was the answer.

Alfred looked at me in disbelief.

“You’re the notorious delinquent from the Celtrine family, right? This whole scheme came from your head?”

“Yeah. Why, don’t believe it? That you got outsmarted by someone you didn’t even consider?”

I responded with a provocative smile.

“Haha, this is amusing.”

Alfred laughed low, as if realizing something.

In his mind, I was no different from the countless pebbles scattered around.

Something that didn’t matter whether it was there or not.

But getting hit by one changes the story.

You finally notice it.

That the pebble you thought was insignificant is actually much harder and sharper than you realized.

He must have realized that.

“I thought you were a mutt, but now I see you’re a wolf pup. I’ll remember you.”

To him, that was high praise.

But it’s still not enough.

“Just a wolf?”

Ping!

I shot an arrow at Alfred.

He didn’t even blink.

He certainly has guts, fitting for a leader.

Whoosh!

The arrow barely grazed Alfred’s cheek.

Even so, Alfred stood still, guessing from my expression that this attack was just a threat.

“Attacking while talking, how cowardly.”

Only the Kingdom faction guy next to him got excited.

An inexperienced guy.

There are few attacks as commendable on the battlefield as a surprise attack.

He’s not in the same league as Alfred and Leon.

Alfred gestured for him to be quiet and spoke again.

“You’re very generous in your self-assessment. If you want to change my mind, prove it more.”

“As much as you want. First, I’ll take you down to prove it.”

“Haha, shouldn’t you fight me one-on-one for that?”

Alfred laughed, naturally provoking me.

A foolish person might fall for it, but I’m not that person.

No one knows better than I do that Alfred is hiding his true strength.

He’s meticulous.

He has lived his whole life hiding his strength for an important moment that might come.

And that hidden strength is something I can’t handle right now.

Knowing that, how could I fall for his provocation?

“Who do you think you’re fooling? I’ve got the upper hand, why would I give it up? Do you think a smart person like me would do something that stupid?”

I mocked while pretending to be arrogant.

…I’m not really full of myself, just pretending to look confident.

“Such a lack of fairness.”

Alfred shook his head.

“I’ll show you what real fairness is.”

I signaled to my comrades with a glance.

Then I said,

“You look tired. Let’s give you a rest.”

* * *

his younger brother kneeling on one knee before his older brother.

It must be a scene that has never happened in his life.

An older brother filled with indescribable complex emotions.

…But why are you feeling that way?

You didn’t do anything.

Riviera, who created the scene, tilted her head in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“Well… I thought I should be the one to end it… He is my brother… my real brother…”

“Is that so?”

Not really.

Why are you falling for that?

Handing over the final blow to a named mob is something you don’t even do in games.

“Yeah, that’s right. So let me finish it.”

“Hmm, got it.”

In the end, Riviera stepped aside, leaving only Allen and Leon.

“…What are you doing?”

Leon looked at his brother with a bewildered expression.

“Sorry… I wanted to do this.”

Allen mumbled, avoiding his gaze.

“What?”

“I wanted to beat you up once, damn it!”

Whack!

Allen hit his younger brother with all his might, without crossing the line.

“What the…?”

Leon’s body flew a bit.

Thud!

Leon fell to the ground.

Beep beep!

The casualty alarm followed.

Leon looked half-dazed.

But it wasn’t because of the pain.

It seemed to be because of the mental shock.

He was probably shocked to see this side of his brother for the first time in his life.

“Wow, that feels so good!”

Allen shouted, releasing his emotions like a soda bottle bursting.

Leon’s eyes shook, possibly from the second shock.

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

What?

Allen knows how to hit?

“Releasing a lifetime of inferiority like that is quite pathetic.”

Alfred, whose legs were bound by Elaine’s ice magic, clicked his tongue.

I turned my gaze to him.

“Pathetic, huh. Doesn’t it look like a chance to break free from inferiority and soar?”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“That’s your limit.”

Whack!

I hit Alfred’s torso hard with my wooden sword.

It was a blow with the force of executioner.

It must hurt.

At that moment, the ice melted, and Alfred’s body fell backward.

Beep beep!

The alarm sounded.

Alfred trembled in frustration, but there was nothing more he could do.

He was probably cursing my name in his head like a voodoo doll.

“Sorry, Elaine. You should have finished it.”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter who does it. We’re a team.”

Her attitude of valuing teamwork over individuality.

As expected of the sensible Elaine.

“Good words. I’ll remember them.”

I nodded and spoke.

“Now that we’ve done what we needed to do here, let’s move on.”

* * *

“……”

“……”

A silence fell among the professors.

They never imagined that the four second-year students, would take down the entire Royal Kingdom faction including Alfred and Leon.

This was not the scenario they had envisioned.

They had only pictured a smooth and overwhelming victory for the first years.

But as the situation deviated more and more, many professors began to feel a sense of unease.

Their expressions hardened, unlike at the beginning.

“Who… who on earth is that student?”

They were referring to Riviera.

Everyone knew Elaine’s skills.

But none of the professors knew that there was another student in the second year with such outstanding abilities.

Except for two.

One of them, with a proud expression, spoke up.

“Ah, you mean Student Riviera. She is a student in my class. A very talented and promising student.”

Professor Lapit’s mouth stretched into a wide smile.

He felt subtly pleased.

He finally understood why other professors boasted so much about their students.

Of course, Riviera was not his daughter, but she was more than just a colleague.

Having watched her grow up, she felt almost like a beloved niece.

‘Since it’s come to this, it wouldn’t hurt to disguise her as an elite student, would it?’

The more influence she had, the more cards he could use to his advantage.

“What…? Are you saying that student is from the Common Class? How could that be…”

“A Common Class student…”

The professors were shocked.

Lapit’s expression turned serious.

“What’s this? Are you looking down on the Common Class? There are many talented students who bloom late for various reasons. Students like Riviera, Max, and Al… ahem, those students are proving that. Knowing this, I have spared no effort to help their talents bloom, even if it’s late.”

In other words, he was saying that his good care had turned the pearls in the mud into shining talents.

It was shameless of him to even mention Max, who he found annoying.

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Ahem, we’re not looking down on them…”

The professors were at a loss for words.

The live performance of the Common students made their position awkward.

“Oh my, Professor Lapit. It’s admirable how well you take care of your students.”

A bead of sweat formed on Lapit’s forehead.

The woman he found exhausting to deal with had approached again.

“Haha… It’s not that much…”

“Max’s bold leadership and extraordinary strategies, Riviera’s exceptional strength, and even Allen is doing his part. The performance of the three Common Class students is truly remarkable. As their homeroom teacher, you must be proud.”

Professor Karen smiled with her eyes.

…She’s really a fox.

Thinking that, Lapit forced a smile.

“Haha, thank you for your kind words.”

“So, would you like to join me as a supervisor?”

“What…?”

Lapit’s eyes widened at the sudden suggestion.

“The Duke from the Kingdom suddenly felt unwell and had to leave. We urgently need a replacement, and I thought you’d be perfect.”

“No, I’m not really…”

“Come on, don’t be modest. Come with me.”

Professor Karen grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

Even Lapit couldn’t handle this situation and was dragged away helplessly.

“Wait, wait…”

“Yes, yes, it’ll only take a moment.”

I don’t want to be with you!

Lapit’s internal scream was only heard in his heart.

* * *

“You came this way?”

Princess Oscar said with a smile.

In front of her were Camian and Annette.

“We came here while looking for a way forward, Your Highness.”

“I see. We welcome you anytime. Will you lend us your strength?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Great, I look forward to your performance.”

Princess Oscar turned her gaze forward.

There was a sloped hill.

It was where the second-year Noble Class had desperately built their formation.

They numbered 35.

Almost three times as many, but it didn’t matter.

Everyone knew that.

“Then shall we begin?”

Princess Oscar smiled.

* * *

“From now on, it’s a race against time.”

I said as we flew on the low-altitude flight bus.

“A race against time?”

Allen asked.

“We need to quickly annihilate the first-year Noble Class with combined attacks and hide ourselves again.”

The second-year Royal Class had fortified the fortress.

The first-year Nobles had moved to attack them.

That battle must have already started.

Of course, with the geographical advantage and the Royal Class, the second-years wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.

They would actually have the upper hand.

But that’s only the current situation.

If Princess Oscar’s Imperial faction or Slane’s gang joined, the second-years would be at a severe disadvantage.

We need to cleanly take out the first-year Nobles before that happens.

“I agree.”

Elaine nodded.

“Reducing the enemy’s numbers is important, but winning the initial battle and facing strong opponents with full confidence is crucial.”

As expected of Elaine.

She understood that much.

For the second-year Royal Class, this battle was the initial engagement.

Winning decisively would boost their confidence immensely.

Their morale would be at its peak.

In such a situation, they could exhibit strength they couldn’t normally show.

That’s war.

“Got it. Increasing speed.”

Riviera increased the speed.

We flew swiftly towards the rear of the first-year Nobles.