Chapter 49 – If You Mess with Little Ellie, You’re Absolutely Fucked

With the situation concluded, all first-years were dismissed.

The second-years, however, were left behind in the training grounds.

In place of the initial punishment to “wipe out three generations,” a different arrangement was made.

“If your hand touches the ground, we start over.”

With their hands bound behind their backs, the second-years—including a bruised Baldwin and an enraged Shibria—were forced to hold a plank position on bottle caps.

“If your hands leave your ears, we start over. Careful now.”

They were then made to perform a “grasshopper stance,” gripping their earlobes and holding a plank with just their elbows.

“Oops, I slipped. Are you alright? Oh, the smell… wet yourself because you couldn’t handle it, huh?”

I kicked the abdomen of one who’d been begging to go to the bathroom, causing him to lose control and fall over.

“Roll forward. Roll back. To the side. No, I said to the side. Am I speaking another language? Back to the beginning. Forward roll, back roll, side roll. Oops, a little late there. Back to the start. We all share responsibility here. Forward roll, side roll… Look, I said side roll, didn’t I? Come on, again.”

For the next hour, I made them roll across the floor, hop like rabbits for thirty laps, spin with their heads down for forty turns, tumble, twist while lying down, squat, jump in place, and start over each time they failed.

After four hours of these “light” exercises, we concluded with a few promises and a mana-bound oath.

Should they break that oath, their mana would go berserk, twisting their mana veins, rupturing blood vessels, and causing their bodies to explode.

With that, they likely wouldn’t torment the first-years or abuse their authority as second-years again.

Of course, if they managed to find a loophole, they could still come after me.

I suspected they’d try something soon. They must be holding onto something that gives them confidence to keep acting out.

Frankly, I welcome it.

Next time, I’ll have a legitimate reason to beat them.

But that’s for later; right now, I need to focus on the matter at hand.

“Are you a devil?”

“Well, I made sure all the first-years were gone before starting, didn’t I? I think that’s fairly considerate.”

“Hm… Is that how it is? Very well, let’s move on. So, Eliaernes, were you truly trying to kill Shibria?”

Fabiana de Hermann, who had helped me handle the second-years, latched onto me.

The second-years, sporting deep bottle cap marks on their foreheads, were dismissed.

Silina, clearly disgusted by Fabiana’s presence, was the first to leave the training grounds, and Yurasia and Stella said they’d wait for me outside.

This left only Fabiana and me in the training grounds.

It was… quite uncomfortable.

“Of course not.”

“If I hadn’t stopped your punch—or even if I’d hesitated for just a moment—Shibria’s skull would have been smashed to bits.”

“At worst, she’d have been left in a vegetative state. Besides, the priests could have healed her with a simple prayer.”

I meant the kind of prayer that required no ordinary holy power, but the kind achieved through holy relics from the Holy Kingdom, which summoned miracles.

And Luna could perform the same prayer solo that would typically require twenty priests.

“Were you confident in controlling your strength? Because I definitely sensed killing intent.”

“I held no intent to kill.”

“From what I can tell, you have a way with words.”

“Thank you.”

“You’d make a fine con artist—you’d be running a guild in no time.”

“I’ll consider it if I’m ever kicked out of my family.”

Fabiana chuckled.

“Though I may look fine now, the hand I used to block your punch is still throbbing.”

“…I apologize for that.”

“If I’d been even a little slower, not only would Shibria’s head have burst, but so would my right arm.”

“I… sincerely apologize for that.”

This time, I meant it a bit more genuinely.

“Are you a monster?”

“I’m human.”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Good heavens. You’re a monster.”

“I’m human.”

“Are all of Eustetia’s children like you?”

“Didn’t you see earlier? I’m unique.”

“Kuhaha… actually, before meeting you—mind if I speak more casually?”

Fabiana paused, looking at me.

I nodded without hesitation.

With my approval, she continued.

“I thought all the Eustetia children were scum.”

“Are there others like that Shibria?”

“Hm? Shibria?”

“Uh, I meant Shibria.”

“Yes. There’s one in the third-year class with me.”

This, I hadn’t known.

Feigning surprise, I looked at Fabiana, who gave a small laugh and nodded.

“Not a girl, but a guy. And he’s a complete piece of trash.”

“Eustetia is seriously screwed.”

“With your strength, you could probably handle them all, don’t you think?”

“I’m already marked as a thug, so if I push any harder, I’ll end up just causing more trouble.”

“Kahaha! You sound like you’ve served in a mercenary group for years. Fascinating.”

Fabiana looked at me, her eyes shining with interest.

Her gaze was like that of someone who’d found a new toy.

I decided to voice a question that had been on my mind for a while.

“By the way, where did you come from earlier?”

“Sharing that would reveal my weaknesses. So, why don’t you take a guess?”

Just before I threw my punch, I hadn’t sensed any presence.

That’s why I threw it without hesitation—then Fabiana suddenly appeared.

It seemed like spatial teleportation magic.

But it wasn’t quite that.

It felt more like she’d swapped places with “something.”

In that case, that “something” must have been…

“A familiar?”

“Oh?”

Fabiana’s voice carried a note of interest.

But it didn’t feel like I’d given the correct answer.

I didn’t think it was right, either.

Fabiana didn’t seem the type to use familiars.

In that case, it must be…

“Is it intent projection?”

The ability to infuse mana with one’s mental image and manifest it as intent projection.

Fabiana was at the sixth rank, then.

An incredible talent.

How could she call me a monster when she herself was one?

“Haha!”

Fabiana let out a hearty laugh.

“Fabiana senior… you’re 19, aren’t you? And yet, you’re already able to use intent projection?”

“Such confidence in your tone.”

“I’m certain. You probably control space with your projection, and given the speed… light? You can move to wherever light touches, can’t you?”

Four hundred years ago, there was another person who wielded an intent projection similar to Fabiana’s.

That woman was a mage who could teleport anywhere that cast a shadow, using the darkness as her medium.

Even though she was a mage, she was unmatched in urban warfare.

“Hoho… this is quite something.”

Her laughter softened, settling into a quiet chuckle that echoed through the training grounds.

“Your answer isn’t exactly correct, but it’s close. You’re almost right.”

I suppose that’s because she hasn’t fully mastered her intent projection yet.

At her current sixth rank, she could probably only move to locations within her sight and the reach of light.

Once she reached the eighth rank, she’d likely be able to teleport freely, even to places beyond her line of sight.

“Eliaernes. How on earth did you deduce that?”

“Reading lots of books has given me an active imagination.”

“There aren’t any books like that even in the Imperial Palace.”

“Silina told me the same thing.”

“What did you say to her?”

“I told her that Eustetia has them.”

“You say you’re seventeen, but listening to you speak, I’d guess you’re three times that age. You could rival some of the retainers who’ve been with me since childhood.”

Well, counting my past life, I probably am around that age.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Kuhuhu. Alright, then. Now that you and I are both short on time, let’s get to the point and wrap this up. I helped you today, didn’t I?”

“Yes. I am extremely grateful and honored.”

“So, I think it’s only fair that you do me a favor in return. What do you say?”

“Are you asking as a princess or as a student of Karela Academy?”

“What if I asked as a princess?”

“I’d drop out and flee.”

“Very well, then. As a student of Karela Academy, may I request a favor from you?”

I let out a small sigh.

Then I held up two fingers.

“One for stopping my punch, and one for backing up my testimony. I think two should suffice.”

Fabiana smirked, amused.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be very close.”

For a moment, I lost control of my expression.

I don’t know what face I made.

But I suspect it was probably a very grim one.

***

“Are you alright?”

On the way back from finishing my conversation with Eliaernes…

Fabiana’s secretary, Fremy Platz, who had been waiting outside the training grounds, followed behind her.

“No, not really. It hurts quite a bit.”

With a nonchalant shrug, Fabiana finally withdrew the mana she’d been channeling into her hand.

The moment she did, her fingers twisted with a sickening crunch.

Her wrist came out of place, and her hand was shattered.

“What… on earth…”

Seeing this, Fremy’s face went pale as she handed Fabiana a top-grade potion from her bag.

Fabiana immediately popped open the bottle and downed it, glancing at her still-throbbing hand with a quiet laugh.

“I stopped that punch before it landed.”

“I didn’t see the lead-up, but I saw the aftermath.”

“Yet look at this result.”

Despite the potion’s quick effects, her hand was still shaking, stark white from the pain.

“Fremy. What rank am I?”

“You’re sixth rank, ma’am.”

“Indeed. Sixth rank.”

Sixth rank: the stage where the upper dantian opens and one begins to touch the heavens.

At this rank, one can infuse mana with intent.

Those who reach the sixth rank become far removed from ordinary humans.

Enhanced physical abilities, resilience, and endurance—all things that distinguish the sixth rank from ordinary humans.

And yet, her hand had been broken.

By an unlanded punch.

“Kuhuhu…”

Of course, she hadn’t used her full defense.

But she had reinforced her body with mana.

At that level of reinforcement, no ordinary fifth-rank being should even be able to leave a scratch on her.

Such is the nature of the world.

But that order had been disrupted.

“Fremy. What rank would you guess Eliaernes is at?”

“…Honestly, I can’t even estimate.”

“Exactly. Neither can I. But one thing’s clear—she’s not sixth rank. Nor does she seem fifth. At best, she’s fourth. Haha!”

Fabiana flexed her hand as the pain and tremors finally subsided, casting a glance out the window.

There, a girl walked, her cherry blossom hair fluttering in the breeze.

Her face softened into a gentle, innocent expression, one completely different from what she had shown in the training grounds.

Her sweet smile, like a blooming cherry blossom, made her look harmless and endearing.

Outwardly, she appeared lovable and pure.

But on the inside, she was vicious.

The way she spoke reminded one of a mercenary who’d been fighting on the front lines for ten years.

She had a knack for manipulation.

And her method of hazing? Pure devilry.

Yet she wasn’t ignorant.

She understood her situation, status, and the implications of her words and actions, using them precisely to exploit her opponents.

Not to mention, her fighting prowess was overwhelming.

While she might not yet be the academy’s strongest, it wouldn’t take a year before she claimed that title.

Lastly…

She bore the name of Eustetia.

Which made her even more terrifying.

Fabiana knew she was a walking disaster. And today, another name had joined that disaster’s list.

Eliaernes Eustetia.

“A monster if there ever was one.”

Recalling the killing intent Eliaernes had released just before swinging that punch at Shibria, Fabiana continued on her way, solidifying her judgment of Eliaernes.

Eliaernes was a madwoman with nothing to lose.

Perhaps even more so than Fabiana herself.

“If you mess with her, you’re completely screwed.”

Hearing this, Fremy’s mental image of Eliaernes—once just a delinquent noble girl—grew significantly more dangerous.