Chapter 58: Disobedience (2)

“…What?”

Before coming to the academy, I rarely had targets for Baldo besides the occasional thief.

I’d often imagined how nice it would be to have someone volunteer as a target while I practiced Baldo alone under trees.

But now that this fantasy had become reality, I felt bewilderment rather than joy.

‘Is this guy insane?’

Apart from a slight tremor betraying nervousness, his eyes weren’t bloodshot and he seemed perfectly normal.

Yet his actions were anything but. Even an idiot should know better than to challenge me after witnessing the class assignment ceremony.

“Alright, so you want a duel? Follow me then.”

I couldn’t fathom his motives for this nonsense, but refusing a challenge is unbecoming of a Baldo practitioner.

I stood up, hand on Shadowstrike’s hilt, ready to draw at any moment.

As I moved to lead this pack of lunatics outside, Jessica blocked our path.

“W-Wait a minute! What idiotic stunt are you trying to pull?”

“Idiotic? Well, challenging me is pretty stupid.”

“Ugh…! The biggest idiot here should shut up!”

“What are you on about? I’m clearly the smartest one here.”

Not just academically, but I use Baldo – the most efficient and powerful swordsmanship. Doesn’t that make me the smartest?

Knowing she couldn’t beat my flawless logic, Jessica turned to the insects instead:

“What’s the meaning of this sudden intrusion?! Don’t you know this area is off-limits to non-S-Class students?”

“Jessica… stepping up to defend me…”

“I’m not doing this for you! I just don’t want a ruckus at the start of the semester, so shut up!”

The guy who challenged me seemed to be of lower noble rank than Jessica, as he addressed her with exaggerated deference:

“We’re well aware! But we had no choice to expose this man’s fraud!”

“Fraud?”

“Fraud? Me?”

What the hell is this bastard on about? How could a mere baronet like me with barely any money commit fraud?

He seemed to be laboring under some misunderstanding, but if I cleared it up, I might lose the chance to use Baldo. So I grabbed the back of his neck.

“W-What are you doing?! Let go!”

“Save the pointless chatter for later. Let’s head out first.”

I had to use Baldo before the misunderstanding cleared up! With that sole thought, I dragged him towards the exit by his nape.

“I said wait!”

Jessica darted ahead through a side door and spread her arms to block our path.

“Move aside, Jessica! What’s a curly-haired lady like you doing interfering with a Baldo practitioner’s business?”

“If you’re going to spout nonsense, just shut up! You there! You mentioned fraud – surely you have clear evidence to back up such a claim?”

“Yes, we do! This man missed over half his required duels due to a 3-week suspension! Yet he’s in S-Class? It’s obvious fraud!”

“Duels are just one way to evaluate a student’s abilities! And surely you’ve heard the rumors about why he was suspended?”

“Um… is this going to take long? I really want to use Baldo soon.”

“Shut up! If you’re so eager, go practice Baldo quietly in a corner until we’re done talking!”

“Sniff…”

As I obediently released my grip, the guy I’d been holding spoke to Jessica:

“Rumors are just rumors! And what happened at the class assignment ceremony must have been this man blackmailing Professor Peter through some underhanded method!”

“What bullsh*t…”

If asked what that underhanded method was, this guy definitely couldn’t answer.

The more foolish and incompetent a person is, the more they avoid problems by twisting reality to suit themselves.

If they truly believed such injustice occurred, shouldn’t they have reported it to the academy first? Why come here instead?

“Even if that were true, it’s a matter for the academy to handle, not you! Leave at once!”

“B-But still…!”

Though their leader seemed unconvinced, the group behind him hesitated, likely intimidated by Jessica’s family background.

‘This isn’t going well…’

At this rate, they might give up and leave without me getting to use Baldo.

Left with no choice, I silently circled behind Jessica and struck her nape with all my might using Hand Baldo.

“Eep!!”

As my knife hand, drawn from my pocket, struck her nape, Jessica let out a short cry before losing consciousness.

I caught her body before it hit the floor, then entered the classroom, leaving the stunned insects behind.

“Hey, you mediocre Sword Saint descendant! Watch Jessica for a sec!”

“…Pardon? What did you just- oof!”

I tossed the unconscious Jessica to Rain, who caught her with her whole body despite her confusion.

“…I had some idea, but you really aren’t right in the head.”

“Who are you to say I’m not normal when you’ve barely seen me? Besides, isn’t it sweet how I’m making sure the unconscious Jessica doesn’t get hurt?”

Surely this proves I’m perfectly normal.

Anyway, I should’ve done this sooner instead of wasting time.

“Well then…”

I turned back to the dumbfounded insects staring at the unconscious Jessica and Rain:

“Shall we go now?”

—
Raei  Translations
—

We left the S-Class building and headed to the main building, arriving at the dueling grounds I’d used to educate those seniors before.

Here, whatever happens can be dismissed as a training accident.

No matter how much care is taken, minor accidents like broken bones or lifelong disabilities do happen.

“Before we begin, I want to confirm something. Your goal is to defeat me and get promoted to S-Class, right?”

“No! Our goal is to denounce your despicable actions…!”

“Come on, it’s just us here. Let’s be honest. You didn’t have even a shred of that thought? You came purely to condemn my alleged wrongdoing?”

Cornered like this, the leader and his lackeys avoided my gaze, apparently feeling caught out.

“If it’s that hard to be honest, let’s speak hypothetically. If I lose, an S-Class spot opens up, right?”

There’s no system where defeating an S-Class student automatically promotes you.

But beating an S-Class student would earn high marks in the next promotion exam, practically guaranteeing S-Class entry.

Conversely, an S-Class student losing to a non-S-Class student would be a huge demerit, effectively swapping their ranks.

“Even if that unlikely event occurred, only one spot would open. Yet there are seven of you.”

“…What’s your point?”

“In short, there’s only one spot. So choose: either come at me one by one from weakest to strongest, or all attack together for fairness.”

“What?”

With only one spot and multiple contenders, this is the only way.

If they choose the former, the last victor claims the spot. If the latter, whoever lands the final blow gets promoted.

Which will they choose?

Either is fine by me. Fighting them one by one in ascending order of strength is good, but taking them all on at once is equally appealing.

I crossed my arms, waiting for their answer, when the apparent leader suddenly smirked and said:

“Trying to weasel your way out, are you?”

“Weasel out?”

“Yeah! You plan to use the excuse that you had no choice but to lose against multiple opponents!! Just what I’d expect from a coward using a technique like Baldo!!”

“…”

Life is precious and irreplaceable, the most valuable thing in this world for everyone.

Why do people throw it away so easily?

“Your silence proves I’m right!”

“…Cut the crap. If that’s what you think, come at me first. Looks like you didn’t bring a weapon, so hurry up and pick one.”

Given the location, I don’t intend to kill him, but I can no longer let him leave unscathed.

I jerked my chin towards the weapon rack. He hurried over and returned with a sword smaller than Shadowstrike and a shield.

“Sword and shield?”

As expected of a fool who dares insult Baldo, he chose such a sh*t weapon combination.

‘This f*cker looks like he’d carry an eco bag for one-night stands every weekend…’

I almost wept thinking of my poor Shadowstrike having to touch someone like him.

Oblivious to my feelings, the bastard took a step forward with a smug attitude and said:

“You’ll regret choosing me!”

“And I’ll make you regret not eating well last night.”

“What?! What nonsense are you- Here I come!!”

“‘Here I come’ is what you moan when you’re getting railed by your boyfriend, you f*ck.”

He charged forward, swinging his sword at me with all his might.

He probably thought he was swinging full force, but to me it looked like slow motion.

“Are you kidding me…”

I caught the blade swinging towards my shoulder between my thumb and index finger.

“Huh? Uh?”

Witnessing a scene straight out of a manga, cold sweat trickled down his cheek as he finally grasped the situation.

I twisted the blade with a bit more force, and it snapped with a crisp sound.

“…”

The hilt fell from his hand as he stared blankly at the sword, now broken in half.

“…Now it’s my turn.”

There’s an old saying that the mouth is the door to misfortune and the tongue is a knife that cuts the body.

If he doesn’t experience this firsthand, he’ll likely repeat the same mistake.

‘I’m sorry, Shadowstrike.’

I’m truly sorry for making you touch this bastard.

Apologizing countless times to Shadowstrike in my mind, I used Baldo aimed at his mouth.

The impact alone, even without cutting, split his lips and shattered the pearly white teeth inside as they collided with Shadowstrike.

“Oooooak…!!!”

A pig-like scream accompanied the spray of blood and white tooth fragments.

A gruesome yet somewhat satisfying sight.

“Should’ve eaten a good meal yesterday, huh?”

Now you can only eat porridge.

—