episode_0056

Coming out of the practice field, Darius Trevan grumbled in the Academy’s backyard while puffing on a cigar.

“Tsk!”

Spitting on the wall for no reason, he vented his frustration.

He found Iris’s testing method extremely dissatisfying.

Even if one stood in place, being asked to spar with her, a Swordmaster.

There were hardly any students who lasted more than 10 seconds. While one or two managed to endure for 10 seconds and received a B, in Darius’s eyes, it seemed like they were just buying time by resorting to tricks. Therefore, he couldn’t fathom how this method reasonably evaluated the students’ abilities.

“Good grief… I should complain to the administration.”

“D-Darius!”

Two male students rushed over to Darius, who was puffing on his cigar.

They were his friends, Hans and Kelt.

Being lower-ranking nobles compared to Darius, they were essentially his followers.

Darius said, “Hey! Perfect timing. The test is over, right? …What grades did you all get?”

“Uh… I got a C, and Kelt got a D.”

“Wow! Hah, as expected!”

Excitedly, Darius raised his cigar in one hand.

Upon noticing, the other two immediately lit their cigars taken from their pockets.

“Isn’t the testing method strange? Facing off against a Swordmaster… How can you boast against that?! Moreover, Hans, you always spar with me. But how are you at the same level as me?”

“Yeah… In swordsmanship, Darius, you’re far superior.”

Hans echoed Darius’s sentiments while puffing on his cigar.

“This test is definitely flawed… Is it even possible for someone to get an A through this kind of test?”

“Um… Well, there are some.”

Kelt cautiously spoke, glancing around.

“…Some?”

His words pricked at Darius’s pride.

He continued, “Who?”

“That… Hedy from the Marigold Viscount’s family.”

“……”

Darius clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

Normally, he would gossip or confront her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so with Hedy.

…He had clashed with Hedy several times before.

However, at that time, Hedy, due to pressure for an arranged marriage within her household and the unwanted advances from numerous men, didn’t have a favorable view of men.

Every time Darius approached her, she responded with sharp retorts. His attempts to assert dominance over her, a supposedly fallen noble, were always met with her putting him in his place. Thus, Darius could only grit his teeth and gossip behind her back.

“…Her?”

“Yeah… She’s the only one with an A.”

“And B? Who else got it?”

“Melson and Tom…”

“……”

The mentioned students were all of higher status than Darius.

Finally, Kelt mentioned the last student who got a B.

“…And Cyan.”

“Cyan?”

Darius showed interest.

“The one from the Brace Kingdom? Reappeared while I wasn’t around?”

Carefully raising his voice, Darius inquired.

As a direct royal descendant of his kingdom, he couldn’t speak lightly even in gossip.

“Oh, no… That person disappeared from the academy at some point. It’s a different namesake.”

“Well, since they rarely show up at the academy. They probably dropped out and are enjoying themselves in some other country. …So, who is it?”

“I don’t know either. Suddenly appeared among mid-term entrants, seizing the girls’ attention… Seems like someone without a lineage.”

“Someone without a lineage?”

At that moment, veins bulged on Darius’s forehead.

Someone without a lineage achieving higher grades than himself was intolerable to his pride.

“Yeah… Every time they’re mentioned, it’s without a family name. But it’s best not to mess with them. Rumor has it they achieved remarkable results in the class tournament…”

“Damn it! That’s all just rumors! How could a guy without a family background be so strong?! Probably couldn’t even afford to eat properly when he was young, trained like a beggar… Unless he had a Swordmaster as a mentor, it doesn’t make sense!”

“Hehehe!”

Kelte and Hans trembled in fear at Darius’s outburst, nodding their heads frantically like madmen.

“He must have used some trickery! They say those who grow up under humble circumstances only engage in base actions… Where is that guy?! I need to personally confirm what makes him better than me!”

***

“…Are you Sian?”

“……?”

Darius’s emotions were more heightened than before.

Following Kelte and Hans’s lead, he approached Sian sitting on a bench in front of the school… And right beside her sat Hedy.

She was the one he never bothered to notice no matter how much he taunted her.

But… to see her chatting amicably with a guy of such unclear origins.

His pride was being scratched to the point of tearing apart.

“Are you Sian?”

“D-Darius… Let’s just go.”

“Shut up, Kelte! I’m asking her!”

Kelte didn’t dare to speak back against Darius’s outburst.

“…I am Sian. What’s the matter?”

Looking at Sian with wary eyes, she responded.

It wasn’t for a pleasant purpose that they had come, and seeing Hedy grimace beside her indicated that Sian wanted to get out of this situation quickly.

As Sian met his gaze and answered, Darius, displeased, snorted.

“You have something to tell me, so come quietly.”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“…How dare you, a commoner, answer back?”

“……!”

At the clear malice, Sian flinched, about to stand up.

“What are you doing? Who do you think you are, trying to take Sian away?”

Hedy stood up abruptly, confronting Darius.

“Ugh….”

Darius hesitated, taking a step back.

He didn’t expect Hedy to intervene. If he tried to protect the commoner, he wouldn’t be able to take Sian away to the backyard.

However…

As Sian stood up, she grabbed Hedy’s shoulder.

This time, Darius flinched.

To casually touch her shoulder, when he had resorted to violence when laying hands on her before.

Who was this guy to have gotten this close to her? He wondered.

Continuing from where Hedy left off, Sian said, “It’s okay. I’ll listen to what they have to say, even if I don’t know what it’s about. We can clear up any misunderstandings later.”

“But these guys…”

“Do you know them?”

“….”

Hedy nodded slightly.

Seeing Hedy’s expression, Sian could guess what kind of people they were.

Thanks to that, Sian began to understand the situation more clearly.

“I’ll sort this out and come back. You know my abilities.”

“…Alright.”

Their conversation fueled Darius’s inner fire even more.

After concluding the conversation, Darius turned to Sian approaching him and said, “Come with me to the backyard. There’s something I need to confirm.”

“Don’t order me around. I have no reason to obey your commands.”

“H-How dare a commoner…!”

Just as Sian replied, Darius was about to be engulfed by emotion.

“Darius! Look around. We shouldn’t cause a scene here!!”

“…!”

Upon hearing Hans’s words of restraint, Darius looked around. Due to the loud voices, curious students passing by glanced over.

Other students were still in class, and as Hans mentioned, causing a disturbance here would lead to disciplinary action.

Darius clicked his tongue and turned around immediately.

“Let’s go to the backyard.”

*

I followed them without a word.

If I kept hiding my family background, I knew a conflict like this would eventually arise.

But… a noble from the Brace Kingdom.

It felt strange.

As we arrived at the backyard, the three cornered me.

In an instant, I found myself cornered against the wall, completing the formation with three of them surrounding me.

Soon, the one who seemed like the leader among them spoke up.

“You. You said you got a B on the first-grade test?”

I confidently replied to his question.

“That’s right. Any problem with that?”

“Hah! How shameless. What trick did you pull off? You lowly scum.”

“You’ve been calling me ‘lowly scum’ since earlier. My name is Sian. If you don’t address me by my name, things won’t end well for you.”

“Tsk.”

The person who appeared to be the leader chuckled.

“Acting all nonchalant, huh? Don’t you understand the situation right now? You’re in deep trouble, buddy.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal to me.”

As I maintained a composed demeanor, the two behind the leader showed signs of tension.

Naturally.

They must have assessed my abilities keenly, unlike that guy who left during the test.

Perhaps they felt compelled to follow along because of that so-called leader.

“…Can’t grasp the situation, huh? You lowly scum.”

“If you call me ‘lowly scum’ one more time, do you think I’ll just stand by quietly?”

“Is it wrong to call a lowly scum a lowly scum? I’m curious about how you managed to get that B grade in such a lowly manner. I wonder what kind of tactics you used. How did you seduce that stuck-up, lustful professor with her high nose and voluptuous body… Ugh!”

I reacted instinctively.

I couldn’t bear to listen quietly any longer.

With the force of my fist, the leader was momentarily suspended in mid-air.

The two behind him, perhaps anticipating the outcome, looked shocked and had already turned to flee.

…I didn’t want to cause a scene like this.

But I was too angry to control my strength anymore.