Chapter 60: Special Lesson

“I’ll… kill you…!”

Despite groaning in pain, Jessica’s unwavering glare was nothing short of praiseworthy.

However, willpower alone couldn’t overcome physical limitations. Soon after, Jessica closed her eyes again.

“Ah….”

As the only person who came to their rescue collapsed, a heart-wrenching sigh escaped the lips of the gay gang.

After gently laying Jessica on the ground, I turned to face the gang, who wore expressions of sheer terror.

Seeing my face alone extinguished what little hope they had left. They closed their eyes, bracing for the imminent violence.

However, contrary to their expectations, I didn’t unleash another round of righteous violence upon them.

“Somehow… the thrill is gone. I even got to hit Jessica, so I guess that’s enough.”

“…P-pardon?”

Hearing this, they opened their eyes one by one, regarding me with disbelief.

“Hey, you guys can carry those fallen bastards by yourselves, right?”

Instead of answering, they nodded so vigorously it seemed their necks might snap.

“Alright, then next time…”

“N-next time, we’ll never do anything like this again!! We swear!!”

“No, that’s not it. Next time, if you’re coming, bring more people. That way, I’ll have a greater variety of punching bags, you know?”

“…Yes.”

Seeing the guy nod weakly, I left the training ground carrying Jessica, anticipating their next visit.

Carrying Jessica in a manner befitting the bun loving lady, I returned to the S-class.

“Huh? Why are you here…?”

Upon returning to the classroom, I found Marina waiting instead of Peter, our S-class homeroom teacher.

Marina alternated her gaze between me and Jessica in my arms, then said while rubbing her face:

“…Ian, explain what happened.”

“…Nothing happened…!!!”

If I explained exactly what had happened, this woman who sees me as a thorn in her side would surely blame me.

I didn’t mind receiving detention or demerits, but I didn’t want to see her looking any more pleased than this.

“…Nothing happened, you say…?”

“…Nothing happened…!!!”

Her gaze shifted from my eyes to slightly lower, to the footprint on my chest.

“Then what’s that footprint on your chest?”

“…Nothing happened…!!!”

“I see several bloodstains on your shoulder and sleeve that don’t seem to be from your own body, but rather splattered on…”

“…Nothing happened…!!!”

“Then the Jessica student you’re holding so preciously in your arms is…”

Before Marina could finish, I hurled Jessica towards Rain.

“Ugh…! You deranged human…!!”

Perhaps because this was the second time, Rain caught Jessica much more skillfully than before.

“…I’m not holding anything…!!!”

“…Informal speech?”

Had she run out of things to nitpick? As Marina spoke with an annoyed expression, I hastily replied:

“…Nothing happened, ma’am…!!!”

“…Just take your seat.”

“Yes.”

With all elements to nitpick gone, Marina sighed and pointed to my seat.

As I quickly sat down to prevent any strange nitpicking, Marina surveyed the classroom with only three people and said with a sigh:

“First, Peter should be here, but he’s currently unable to attend due to extreme mental and physical exhaustion. I apologize on his behalf.”

“I bet.”

“…Ian, keep your mouth shut until I finish speaking.”

“I refuse! No one can take away my freedom of speech!”

“Headmaster… arguing with this man is a waste of time. Please ignore him and get to the point.”

“…Very well. Anyway, until Professor Peter recovers from his physical and mental wounds, classes will be replaced with self-study.”

“Amateur bastard… giving up on teaching just because of something like that?”

Spending a lifetime honing garbage weapons unsuited for Baldo has rotted his mind.

If Peter had learned Baldo, he’d have hopped here on one leg to teach even if his body had been vertically bisected.

“Haah… As I just said, Professor Peter won’t be able to participate in classes for a while. We could arrange a substitute teacher, but given your level, it’s better not to have one.”

“…I understand. I’ll inform Lady Jessica when she regains consciousness.”

“I could do that too!”

“Rain, please do. That’s all I have to say. Ian, stay behind. I have more to discuss with you.”

“More to discuss?”

Understanding this as a request to leave, Rain left, carrying the unconscious Jessica.

With only Marina, the unconscious Jessica, and me remaining in the classroom, Marina spoke:

“So, what do you have to say?”

“…Ian, starting tomorrow, as punishment for all your problematic behavior so far, you’ll be taking special classes in addition to the knight department curriculum.”

“Special classes…? More importantly, punishment? What’s wrong with a student having a duel with a teacher?!”

How dare this ice pack meddle in the affairs of warriors?

Unable to continue speaking due to the absurdity, I frowned. Marina said:

“There has never been a precedent in Academy history of a student challenging a teacher to a duel.”

“Then I’ve become the memorable first.”

“If you don’t want your school life to become even more difficult, you’d better stop the wordplay there. Now, about the special classes…”

As Marina waved her hand a few times, a black hole suddenly appeared in the air, and several thick books fell onto the desk.

“Let me say this in advance: I won’t learn trash combat techniques like magic.”

“When did I say I’d teach you magic? Stop spouting nonsense and look at the book covers.”

“Covers?”

Wondering what she was trying to teach, I looked at the books and saw truly bizarre titles on the covers.

“Proper Chivalry?”

The other books had titles like [Learning Proper Norms from Sages] and [The Ethics of Knighthood].

Seeing titles that anyone would predict to contain content completely unnecessary for me, I tilted my head and asked:

“Did you take out the wrong books?”

“No, this is correct. This is what you lack most right now. Morality and ethics.”

“…Pardon?”

I couldn’t understand it at all. The thing I lack most, born in the land of scholars, is morality and ethics?

I, who inherited the spirit of Confucius, the greatest swordsman of China, albeit indirectly, lack morality?

“Instead of tormenting me with this nonsense, why don’t you just coolly give me some demerits and be done with it? Are you having a hysterical fit because you’re unmarried?!”

“Urgh…!!”

The moment I uttered those words, Marina’s face contorted, and with a burst of mana that shook the air, the desks and chairs began to float.

“Ah! Jessica…!”

As a result, Jessica, who had been lying on the desk, nearly fell to the floor, but I barely caught her before she hit the ground.

To think she nearly injured a student because she couldn’t control her anger. Does such a person truly deserve to lead an educational institution?

If Jessica had hit her head on the floor and her hair had come undone, her life would have ended there along with the death of her true self.

“In my opinion, it’s the Headmaster who needs moral education, not me.”

“Shut up! It’s because of your arrogant attitude that I felt the need for this education!!”

The floating desks and chairs returned to their original positions, perhaps indicating she had calmed down a bit. I laid Jessica back on the desk.

“Well, I admit I bear some responsibility for what’s happened so far.”

“Some…?”

“Yes, some. Have you forgotten? Wasn’t the root cause of all this Professor Peter attacking me without proper investigation?”

“……”

Although I had provoked him, the fact that the incident started with Peter was undeniable.

Unable to deny this fact despite her dislike for me, Marina blatantly changed the subject:

“Ahem! Regardless of Professor Peter’s case, it’s clear from how you treat Lady Jessica that there’s a problem with your manners.”

“So what, you want me to take manner lessons?”

“Yes, Ian lacks the qualities of a nobleman, as well as sociability and social skills. You don’t have many friends, do you?”

“Hah….”

Marina then spoke as if trying to persuade me, saying I should take this opportunity positively and try to develop some sociability.

However, I couldn’t accept those words because, just like on Earth, it’s not that I don’t have friends, but that I choose not to make them.

It’s not that I tried and failed to make friends.

“Then Headmaster, may I ask one thing about this class?”

“Interested in the special class? Ask anything you’d like.”

“Yes, if I take this class, who will be teaching this sociability lesson?”

“Of course, it will be me, since I brought it up…”

“Then that won’t work. A person without friends teaching how to develop sociability… even a dog would laugh at that.”

“Ugh…!!”

The moment I uttered those words, Marina’s face turned ashen, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

With my knowledge of the original work, I know that Marina had no friends during her school days!!

“Wh-what basis do you have for saying such things? That I have no friends…”

Marina was trying to act calm, but from her trembling voice alone, it was easy to deduce that I had hit the mark.

It seemed that even in this world, Marina’s mind contained no memories of joyful days spent with friends during her school years.

As if delivering a follow-up blow to Marina, who was struggling to appear composed, I continued.

Those words that someone who spent their school days lonely could never answer….

“Then, Headmaster, name three people you were close to during your school days.”

You, who spent those days studying alone in solitude, could never answer this!!!

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