Chapter 19: Students (2)

“Everyone, well done on the entrance ceremony. Since today is the first day, there will be no classes.”

Mr. Fozer, who had a gentle demeanor, added that we could return to the dormitory. However, no one followed his suggestion.

Because…

“Lady Jessica! Once again, it is a pleasure to greet you! I am Finn from the Barony of Pan!”

I hadn’t yet stood up from my seat.

‘Yeah, this is how it usually is.’

Jessica von Grund, a person of noble blood who lorded over fellow nobles, not commoners.

Being associated with that unpleasant man made me unknowingly show vulgar behavior, but this was the proper image I should maintain.

‘I can’t just ignore that man… can I?’

It hadn’t even been a week since he disrupted the social gathering I hosted, and I couldn’t let it slide without any repercussions.

I longed to see the ridiculous sight of that man kneeling before me, begging for forgiveness until his hands were raw.

When that day came, perhaps I’d make him lick my shoes after stepping on his head.

As I imagined the arrogant man kneeling before me,

“But Jessica, that man was assigned to Class G, right?”

“Hm? Yes, I was there, so I’m sure.”

A man beside me, seemingly reading my mind, brought up the topic of that man.

“Then don’t you think we should teach him a lesson? Given his insolence at the gathering, he needs to be put in his place!”

When he shouted, other followers echoed his sentiments.

How could a mere baronet behave so insolently?

Not only should the man be held accountable, but his parents should also be blamed.

They boasted about making him kneel in no time, acting as if they would even behead his parents at my command.

‘Although it’s crude, considering violence might be an option…’

Even though he was a noble, albeit a low-ranking one, using violence lightly could cause problems.

However, if it was framed as an accident during a duel or training, it could be smoothed over.

If my father knew what had happened at the gathering, he would support me, so I would find a way to get out of it if necessary.

‘The problem is who to send….’

Of course, I was out of the question.

It’s not about maintaining elegance, but if I stepped in and lost, there would be too much at stake.

My defeat wouldn’t be just a personal loss.

If I lost, it would mean the daughter of the renowned martial house of von Grund had been defeated.

With the family’s name on the line, I couldn’t act hastily.

‘But I can’t send these people either….’

Considering the strength I felt from him in the hall and the calluses on his hands, his skill was likely above average.

Although I was confident in my skills, I didn’t want to engage in a fight I couldn’t afford to lose without knowing the enemy’s strength.

‘Is there anyone suitable….’

As I pondered this, a fitting candidate’s face suddenly came to mind.

‘Yes…. If peers are unreliable, I should consider a senior!’

There were those among the children of noble families I met at parties before entering the academy, some of who were already enrolled.

“Excuse me.”

As if summoned by my thoughts, a suitable person appeared at the classroom door.

“I heard Lady Jessica was here. Where might she be?”

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Raei  Translations
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‘…Today is my lucky day.’

It was proper etiquette for already enrolled students not to participate in the new student exchange, so I had been regretting not enrolling a year earlier.

Today, as I stopped by to greet Lady Jessica on her entrance day, I never imagined such an opportunity would present itself.

Even though it wasn’t a major matter, I thought I could handle this well. Just then, Jun spoke anxiously beside me.

“But, young master, is this really okay?”

“…I told you not to call me that at the academy. What do you mean?”

“That guy named Ian. What if something happens to you after beating up a freshman….”

“That’s why we’re dragging him to the training hall first.”

If we beat him up in the training hall, we could claim it was an accident during a duel.

Of course, he might protest, but the academy staff were also nobles.

It was obvious which side they would take between a mere baronet and me, who had the backing of an Count.

“Besides, considering what he did, he deserves to be treated like that.”

Honestly, when I first heard what this Ian guy did, I couldn’t believe my ears.

It wasn’t just that he spoke rudely to Lady Jessica upon their first meeting. He had also thrown a large cake at her in front of everyone.

Such behavior would be condemned even if directed at a noble of equal rank.

And he did this to a daughter of the von Grund family. He deserved whatever was coming to him.

In fact, it would be better to teach him his place now to prevent worse in the future.

“And Lady Jessica did say to teach him a proper lesson within reason.”

“Well, she did say that.”

“But I’m worried about something else.”

“What now?”

This time, it was Larry on my right who spoke with a dark expression.

“Why didn’t that Ian have his first-year followers handle the punishment? Lady Jessica could have stepped in herself.”

“Maybe she didn’t trust the first-years. And it would be unseemly for the lady to involve herself directly.”

“…That could be it, but what if…”

“What if what? You two always worry too much.”

Jun and Larry were the children of knight families who had supported me as retainers since childhood.

I appreciated their support even here at the academy, but their overprotectiveness sometimes got on my nerves.

“Besides, don’t you know my skills? Do you really think I’d lose to a freshman who just entered?”

Though it’s boastful to say, my class, B, was among the top at the academy.

Jun and Larry were also top-ranked in Class C, nearly at the level of Class B. What was there to fear from a mere freshman?

“So, stop with the needless worrying and let’s deal with this quickly.”

“Yes….”

“You’re right, it’s not good to speak negatively before we start.”

Feeling that we were finally unified in thought, I headed straight for the temporary Class G.

Upon arriving, I flung open the door to Class G, where familiar gazes of first-year students turned towards us.

“Is there a guy named Ian here?”

They didn’t seem to expect a senior to single someone out so soon after enrollment, as they casually responded.

“The kid with the katana at his waist? The one with black hair?”

“Yeah, do you know where he is?”

“He didn’t say where he was going. Probably went back to the dormitory. He left not too long ago.”

“Got it.”

Though we didn’t know exactly where he went, if he had left the class recently, we should find him nearby.

Suspecting he might be friendless, we headed towards the dormitory first and soon spotted the black-haired kid with a katana at his waist.

“Hey, you there!!”

Hearing someone calling him from behind, he immediately stopped and turned around.

Surprisingly, he had a rather handsome face.

At least, he didn’t look like someone who would do the crazy things I had heard about from Lady Jessica.

“Hey, let me borrow your face for a moment.”

“……”

Despite the sudden comment, he didn’t show any signs of confusion. Instead, he smiled and responded.

“Oh, I get what you mean. Where should we go? I haven’t prepared a place.”

This guy… did he know this was going to happen today?

No, considering what he had done, it wouldn’t have been strange if this happened sooner, so it made sense he would be prepared.

“Now you look like someone who would do something crazy. Let’s start by asking why you did that?”

“Crazy…? Well, teaching the world’s strongest sword technique, the art of drawing the sword, for free is crazy….”

“What? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Was he planning to play dumb?

Seeing him tilt his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand made me laugh incredulously.

“Why are you pretending not to know? I’m talking about what you did at Lady Jessica’s gathering.”

“…So, you guys are here because of that? Not for Baldo lessons?”

Baldo lessons?

What the hell is he talking about now?

“Hah….”

While I was bewildered, trying to understand his words, he sighed deeply, making sure we could hear it, and looked at us.

“Ah… Cute but dumb Jessica. She went to all that trouble and sent trash like you….”

“What the f*ck did you say?”

Angry at his words, I stepped forward, planning to hit him before taking him to the training hall.

“Ugh!!”

In the blink of an eye, a sharp blade was drawn and pressed against my throat, stopping me in my tracks.

‘What…?’

No one, including myself, fully understood what had just happened.

It was an incomprehensible sight, as if the process had been skipped and only the result was shown.

‘…Something seems wrong here.’

Thinking that I needed to back out of this situation, I began to retreat. He matched my step forward and spoke.

“If you run, I’ll kill you here.”

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