Chapter 75: Your Name Is… (4)

“So this is the place…”

Thanks to Marina’s warning, no one stopped me as I entered the teachers’ dormitory. Not that anyone could have blocked my path anyway.

Standing at the door with Silence, I hesitated before knocking.

I’d made it this far, but how exactly was I supposed to lure that old geezer outside?

I’d heard stories about coaxing moody teenagers out of their rooms, but never about dragging a menopausal old man out.

It would’ve been great if I could challenge him to a duel on the condition he return to work at the academy, but wasn’t that the very reason he’d holed himself up in the first place?

Even if I issued another challenge, Peter would never accept it.

“…Well, no other choice then.”

I wasn’t sure how things would turn out if I went through with what I was planning, but it had to be better than doing nothing.

Eyeing the lasso I’d brought for this situation, I turned Silence around so his hindquarters faced the door.

Once Silence was in position, I gave him a firm slap on the rump as a signal.

Receiving my cue, Silence immediately raised his hind legs and struck the firmly closed door with his aura-reinforced hooves.

With a thunderous crack, the door splintered. Its hinges tore away as it flew into the room in pitiful shape.

“W-what’s going on…?!”

Peter, who had been shut away, came rushing over at the sound of the door being destroyed.

“Hmm…”

Trampling over the door fragments as I entered, I soon came face to face with Peter as he burst out.

“Ugh…!”

Startled at the sight of me, Peter’s appearance had changed since we first met. His beard was unkempt, likely from not having gone out. His once-short white hair had grown quite long and disheveled, making him look every bit the vagrant.

“You’re looking rather scruffy.”

“…Don’t tell me you came all this way just to say that?”

“Of course not!!!”

I threw the lasso I’d hidden behind my back towards his neck. Perhaps due to being cooped up for so long, Peter failed to dodge, and the rope coiled tightly around his throat.

“What the hell are you trying to pull, you lunatic?!”

“Shut up and come outside!!!”

Gripping the energy-reinforced lasso, I dashed out, dragging Peter by the neck.

Naturally, Peter resisted, but his strength alone was no match for mine and Silence’s combined.

“Urgh…! W-wait…! Gack!!”

Peter winced at the sudden brightness, having been shut in for so long, but that lasted only a moment.

“Stop…!! Stop, you madman!!”

With each violent gallop of Silence, Peter’s body slammed hard against walls and the ground, eliciting pitiful groans of pain.

Despite Peter’s pleas, Silence and I didn’t slow down. If anything, we sped up as we raced through the corridors.

As we galloped along, dragging Peter’s body, I spotted a window leading to the outer entrance. To save time, I hurled Peter towards it.

With a resounding crash, Peter’s body shattered the window. He fell to the ground with a sharp cry.

He wasn’t wearing armor, but he must have instinctively reinforced his body with aura just before impact.

After leaning out the window to confirm Peter was unharmed, I calmly descended to the lower floor with Silence.

“You… you crazy bastard!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Are you really in any position to be yelling at me?”

“What did you say?!”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it? You locked yourself away in your room like some angsty teenage girl over nothing, and now you’re shouting at the guy who repelled the attackers that invaded the academy?”

“Ugh…!”

This wasn’t the first he’d heard about the intruders, judging by the lack of surprise on his face despite his obvious frustration.

Unable to offer any rebuttal, Peter hung his head in shame. Inwardly smiling at this, I continued:

“I’m probably the only one here who can talk to you like this, so listen up. Are you really an adult? If you’re not up for it, just quit. They can’t even hire a new teacher because you won’t leave.”

“…”

“Not that I care, since I’ve got nothing left to learn from you. But what about the others? What about those two who’ve been training on their own because you won’t show up?”

“…That’s-“

“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you couldn’t teach because of the shock. But why didn’t you come out even when the academy was under attack? There’s even a prince here – is this how a knight who’s sworn loyalty to the royal family acts?”

“…”

Peter’s head sank even lower, nearly touching the ground. Even someone less principled than this rigid knight would have no defense against such clear wrongdoing.

Finally, with a sigh, I shouted at Peter’s scalp, as his face was no longer visible:

“I thought a bit better of you when I saw you keep your promise… but I’m truly disappointed. Whether you come back to teach or stay holed up is up to you. I’ve done what I came to do, so I’m leaving.”

With those final words, I truly prepared to depart on Silence, when Peter called out from behind:

“Wait…!!”

Curious what he had to say, I turned back. Peter, having lifted his head, asked me:

“…There’s one last thing I want to know.”

“What is it?”

“…Why did you ride your horse all the way into the dormitory?”

“…Huh.”

I thought he might have something important to say, but it was just an inane question. If he looked closely, he should have been able to see the energy connecting Silence and me. Was he too flustered to notice?

I had no obligation to answer, but since he said it was his last question, I gave a sincere reply:

“Oh, come to think of it, your horse learned to use aura too, right? That’s why I was riding.”

It might be rare, but we could end up fighting on horseback someday.

“If you’re coming back tomorrow, bring your horse for mounted combat training. Also, Jessica’s been struggling to practice hammer techniques.”

With those parting words, I left.

The next day…

As a new day dawned, regret over my harsh actions began to creep in. But I pushed those thoughts aside as I headed to Class S.

The old man had been holed up for so long anyway. Even if he left the academy for good now, the headmaster probably wouldn’t scold me too harshly.

Unlike usual, I was the first to arrive at the classroom. Jessica came next, followed by Rain.

We all took our seats, waiting for Marina, when the sound of her high heels echoed from the hallway – earlier than usual and at a quicker pace that suggested anger.

‘…I should probably get out of here for a bit.’

With an ominous feeling, I tried to leave the classroom, but Marina entered before I could make my escape.

“…Read this.”

Marina strode in and thrust a letter at me without so much as a greeting.

As I read the letter she handed over, I realized my bad premonition had come true. I ran a hand down my face with a sigh.

“Damn…”

The letter was filled with flowery language and pointless noble posturing, but cutting through all the bullsh*t, the gist was this:

[I resign. Please do not try to find me.]

‘That crazy bastard actually ran away…’

I neatly folded the letter and returned it to Marina. With an icy expression, she heaved a deep sigh and said:

“Yesterday… what exactly did you do?”

“…He wasn’t coming to class anyway. Let’s forget the past and focus on the future-“

“There’s been a report of property damage at the staff dormitory…”

“…That guy did it. Take it out of his pay.”

“Haah…”

As Marina exhaled a sigh filled with deep anger, Jessica, unaware of the situation, stood up and said:

“You two, what are you talking about? If it concerns this class, please explain so we can understand!”

There was only one thing I could say to Jessica as she shouted:

“…Jessica. Just learn how to use a hammer at home.”

“Huh? What do you…”

As Jessica pondered the meaning of my words, she recalled what I’d said recently and cried out with a shocked expression:

“You… you crazy bastard!!!”

Ah, I really didn’t think he’d actually run away…

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Raei  Translations
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Several weeks passed after Peter left the academy, but there were no significant changes.

No information about Ganryu surfaced, and we couldn’t glean anything from the katana he left behind.

If I had to mention what changed, it would be the successful improvement of the barrier and Silence’s mastery of energy manipulation.

“You did well.”

As Silence finally learned to manipulate energy on his own, I gently stroked his neck.

Perhaps due to the deeper bond we’d formed over the past few weeks, Silence seemed to enjoy the touch.

As I caressed Silence’s neck, deepening our connection, Jessica approached from where she’d been watching.

“Yes, he really did work hard. I’ve heard that war horses suffer a lot of pain when learning to use energy, but this one endured it so well.”

Jessica praised Silence and stroked his neck just as I had, but for some reason, he seemed to enjoy it even more than when I did it.

Huh? I’m clearly the master here, so why does he seem to like Jessica more than me?

Well… I suppose I’ve only put him through harsh training all this time, offering praise but no real rewards.

In contrast, Jessica regularly gave Silence treats like carrots and sugar cubes, so it’s only natural he’d favor her.

Trying to make up for my past behavior, I gently stroked Silence’s neck and said:

“Silence, to reward your loyalty and for overcoming such difficult training, I’ll give you a new name befitting your dedication.”

“A new name? Do you have something in mind?”

“There’s a name I’ve always called you in my heart. Listen well, Silence… From today on, your name is Baldomaru!! How do you like–?!”

Before I could finish speaking, Silence used his newly learned energy manipulation to buck me off his back, cutting my words short.

“Huh? What the…?!”

My body fell limply to the ground. Before I could even process what had happened, Silence approached me and neighed furiously:

“Neeeeeiiigh!!! Neigh!! Neigh!! Neeeeeiiigh!!! Neeeeeiiigh!!! Neeeeeeeiiigh!!! Neeeeeeeiiigh!! Neeeeeiiigh!!”

Seeing Silence’s bloodshot eyes glaring at me like I was his mortal enemy and hearing his unprecedented roar, I asked Jessica:

“…Does this mean he likes it?”

“Of course not!! Are you an idiot?! Why would you even ask that?! This poor thing is so angry because you gave him such a ridiculous name!!”

Jessica pulled the enraged Silence away from me, telling me to never name my own children and leave it to my future wife.

‘That’s weird… I gave him a dignified name far too good for a mere horse. Why does he hate it?’

Is an animal’s sense of naming on par with its beastly nature?

I couldn’t just keep lying there, so I got up and dusted the dirt off my pants. Just then…

Bang!!

he door flew open violently, and Marina appeared, thrusting an envelope stuffed with what looked like legal documents at me.

“…Ian. What trouble have you caused this time?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t done anything yet…”

Marina let out a deep sigh and handed me the envelope she was holding instead of answering my question.

Even before opening it, I could guess the contents from the writing on the envelope. With a stiff expression, I asked Marina:

“A lawsuit? Why am I getting this…?”

“That’s why I’m asking you! Ian, I’ll ask again! What exactly have you done this time?!”

“Well… I’m not sure…”

How strange, I haven’t uploaded ‘that’ here yet…

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