chapter_0033

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
33

Mesugaki Tank Enters the Academy –
33

As soon as I provoked them,
the noble ladies’ faces twisted in disgust.

The [Mesugaki] Skill’s taunt
is something that even active knights can’t withstand.

There’s no way noble ladies
who haven’t even entered the Academy could endure it.

In fact, I should probably
commend their patience for not spewing curse words immediately.

Well, not that they’ll last
much longer anyway.

“Where did that bold
attitude from just a moment ago go?♡ Haha, it’s hilarious.♡
Acting all tough and then tucking your tail like a dog?♡”

“What did you say?”

“Less than a dog♡
Trash♡ Can’t even hold a proper argument, you’re just trash♡”

At my continuous provocations,
their small smiles vanished, replaced by anger.

Receiving their hatred, I
smiled in exhilaration.

Mad, are you? Getting angry?

Then go ahead and hit me.

Try slapping a Count’s
daughter.

Daring them, I leaned my cheek
out, and the woman at the front raised her hand and slapped me across
the face.

She must have done some
training in preparation for entering Soul Academy because she had
quite the sting in her slap.

The sharp pain spread across
my cheek.

But the smile never left my
lips.

Hey, does this count as you
attacking first?

There are too many witnesses
around to fabricate anything.

So, whatever I do from now on
will be in self-defence.

Don’t cry just because you
got hit?

Clenching my fist, I struck
the woman straight in the face.

Though I intended to knock her
out, she stood her ground even after taking the punch.

It must have hurt because
tears welled up in her eyes, but that was it.

“You!”

“You shouldn’t have done
something to deserve being hit in the first place. Right?♡”

Seemingly falling perfectly
for my taunt, the woman gritted her teeth and charged at me.

Judging by how naturally she
moved, she seemed to have received combat training from her family.

But that didn’t pose any
problem.

Do you think Possell only
taught me how to use a mace while training me into the ground?

That guy also taught me how to
handle an enemy barehanded in case I ever lost my weapon.

Compared to Possell’s punches,
yours are so slow they make me yawn.

As I dodged her punch, I took
a step forward.

First, I aimed to strike her
in the abdomen.

I targeted the side of the
abdomen where the internal organs are located.

Thud.

It seemed the blow had damaged
her internal organs as she momentarily froze.

Not missing the opportunity, I
struck her chin from below.

Did I shake her brain? The
lady standing in front of me fell to the floor like a puppet with its
strings cut.

So weak.

With skills that poor, it’s no
wonder she was insignificant even in Soul Academy.

Ignoring the lady who
collapsed on the floor, I turned my gaze to the ones behind her.

The two of them, who had
witnessed the earlier brawl, seemed intimidated and retreated
slightly.

Even though their friend had
just been taken down, they’re just standing there watching? What
pathetic little lackeys.

Not even worth dealing with.

‘Karl. Maid. Let’s go.’

“You sloppy fools. Let’s
go.”

As we left the scene, I could
hear the murmuring voices of the people behind me.

I hadn’t intended to, but I
completely drew everyone’s attention.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

It’s not as if I’ve done
anything wrong.

They were the ones who first
threw baseless insults and slapped my face.

I was simply responding.

There were so many witnesses
to the sequence of events, so how could any strange rumours possibly
arise?

Joy Partan, Lady of the
Duchess Family Partan, known as the leader of the royalist faction,
was walking down the street with her attendants.

Although she had come to Soul
Academy to take the entrance exam, the exam itself didn’t weigh
heavily on her mind.

Having spent her entire life
being groomed to match the stature of the duchess’s family, passing
the Soul Academy exam was a given for her.

Assured by several tutors
within the family that her skills were more than sufficient, she had
no worries about the exam.

Instead, her mind was entirely
occupied by one thing: the restaurant in Soul Academy, Tierra Mas.

Tierra Mas, established by a
renowned chef who had overseen the meals at various royal events
before passing down his position to his successor, was famed as one
of the top restaurants on the continent.

Despite its prices being
several times higher than similar establishments, Tierra Mas was
always packed with eager patrons, making it necessary to reserve
months in advance, even for the most influential nobles.

Having heard countless times
from her brother about how exquisite the food at Tierra Mas was, Joy
made a reservation as soon as her admission to Soul Academy was
confirmed, putting all else aside.

The competition was fierce,
with many having the same idea, but true to the Partan family’s
motto, Joy did not give up and ultimately emerged victorious from the
struggle.

She had secured a dining spot!

From the day she succeeded in
making the reservation, Joy eagerly anticipated her meal at Tierra
Mas, and today was the day her dream would come true.

How delicious would it be?
According to her brother, it was a taste one could never forget once
experienced.

For her brother, who had
developed a refined palate from eating the dishes prepared by the
family’s chef, to say such a thing, the taste must be extraordinary,
right?

Recalling her brother’s gentle
smile, Joy pouted her lips.

The brother who had promised
to join her at Tierra Mas and introduce her to its cuisine had
suddenly encountered an urgent matter.

Apparently, he had something
that required his immediate attention at the academy.

What could she do?

At times, there are things
more important than one’s own siblings.

“Hmph. I’ll tease him later
by talking about all the things I ate at Tierra Mas.”

Grumbling as she walked with
the reservation ticket for Tierra Mas in hand, Joy noticed a
commotion up ahead where people were gathering.

What could be happening?

Upon closer inspection, she
saw a young lady lying on the ground in the midst of the crowd, being
attended to by another lady and a few attendants.

The one lying there… isn’t
that Meryl from the Baines Count Family?

Why does she have a bruise on
her cheek?

Was she attacked by a thug?

“Elle?”

“Yes, Miss?”

“Could you find out what
happened?”

“I’ll be right back.”

Shortly after Elle, her maid,
disappeared into the crowd, she returned with a shocking tale.

It seems that Lady Meryl and
Lady Lucy had an argument, and Meryl slapped Lucy on the cheek!

In retaliation, Lucy couldn’t
stand the humiliation and punched Meryl, emerging victorious in the
scuffle.

What the?

“I asked a few people and
they all gave the same account,” Elle added as Joy expressed her
disbelief.

So it really did happen.

It wasn’t unusual for Meryl to
pick a fight with Lucy.

The two of them had often
clashed at various social gatherings.

Joy remembered a particularly
notable incident at a gathering last year when Lucy had spilled her
drink on Meryl’s face and then said, “It suits you. Be thankful
to me. After all, a mutt should look scruffy, right?”

It seems Meryl remembered that
humiliation and started the argument as soon as she saw Lucy.

What surprised Joy wasn’t
that they fought, but that Lucy had won against Meryl.

The Baines Family, where Meryl
Baines was born and raised, is renowned for its martial prowess.

It might not be on par with
the esteemed count family led by the Iron-Blooded Knight Benedict
Allen, but it lacks nothing in terms of prestige.

Meryl, raised as a knight in
such a family, was a woman whose martial skills surpassed those of
most men.

But what about Lucy?

The last time Joy saw her at a
social gathering, she was a frail woman who struggled to climb the
stairs.

And now Lucy had defeated
Meryl?

If Joy hadn’t seen the
fallen Meryl herself, she wouldn’t have believed it so easily.

“Is it really because
she’s the daughter of the Iron-Blooded Knight?”

It would have been nice if she
had also inherited Benedict’s hearty personality.

Joy didn’t particularly like
Lucy.

In fact, Lucy wasn’t
well-liked among the kingdom’s nobility.

Who would like someone who,
like a hedgehog with its quills up, hurt everyone who approached her?

Even Joy had once been
emotionally hurt by Lucy’s words.

Come to think of it, maybe
calling Lucy a hedgehog fits.

Cute appearance, but with
prickly quills.

But unlike a hedgehog that’s
safe if you don’t touch it, Lucy hurts even without physical
contact.

If we had to put it precisely,
she’s like a hedgehog that shoots its quills.

The thought of Lucy, notorious
for causing various incidents due to her unique personality, now also
wielding physical power was frightening.

Nevertheless, in the past,
even if Lucy caused trouble due to her frailty, it wasn’t significant
in scale. From now on, it’s going to be different.

‘I should avoid being
associated with Lady Lucy as much as possible going forward.

Anyway, since Lady Lucy isn’t
good at studying, she won’t get into the Academy even if she takes
the exam.

So, as long as I don’t meet
her until the exam, there shouldn’t be any problems.’

“Miss.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“The lady standing with
her arms crossed in front of the restaurant. Isn’t that Lady Allen?”

…Oh?

‘Why. Why is she here?

Wh-what should I do?

Should I greet her?

Should I just pass by
pretending not to know her?

No, I shouldn’t ignore her. If
I pretend I didn’t notice and just walk by, she’ll think I’m snubbing
her.

Then, when we meet at the
Academy exam later, she’ll definitely unleash her prickly attitude on
me.

Alright. I’ll just say hello.

I’ll give a light greeting and
then quickly enter the restaurant without giving her time to
respond.’

That way, there won’t be any
issues. Having made up her mind, Joy cautiously approached Lucy.

‘Grandfather, shut up.’

One thing I had forgotten was
that the restaurant Tierra Mas operates on a reservation basis.

Now that I think about it,
even in the game, the heroine only came here by chance after getting
a ticket to Tierra Mas.

Since it’s a place you can’t
visit outside of events, I had completely forgotten about it.

As a result, I failed to set
foot inside Tierra Mas.

Ugh. I feel so deflated.

I was looking forward to
eating the delicious food here, but now I can’t even get in.

“Lady Allen.”

What now? Who’s trying to pick
a fight with me this time?

I don’t know who it is, but
you’ve picked the wrong person.

I’m in an incredibly foul mood
right now.

It’s like I’m a bomb that will
explode at the push of a button.

Go ahead, insult me.

I’ll take out all the pent-up
frustration within me on you.

Just as I was thinking that
and turned my head, the face I saw was one I was all too familiar
with.

Joy Partan.

One of the characters I adored
at Soul Academy.

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