episode_0058

The high-end treatment centers outside the Academy grounds had very high standards for their healers, as was appropriate for the high cost.

A middle-aged man entered the treatment room. The man lying on the bed was startled when he saw the middle-aged man and straightened his upper body.

“Ah, no. Dean, what are you doing here..”

“Oh, the patient should lie still. Do I look like someone who would be polite even in a place like this?”

Dean─ Most people who know Windelf would think so, but the man did not argue and instead leaned his upper body against the wall without lying down.

“Haha.. I didn’t do anything to deserve praise, so I shouldn’t show the dean my lucky charm..”

“No, Kenneth, you guy. Isn’t that something to be praised for? You did a good job. Didn’t you protect the students?”

“Well..”

Kenneth’s words trailed off. The incident involving Kenneth was the very reason why all the events at the Academy were canceled. If it had been just a professor getting hurt, there would have been no need to cancel the event. And there was no need to hide the fact.

“..Kenneth, you clearly said it was lower level.”

“Yes. I’ve been thinking about it ever since I came to my senses. It’s true.”

Windelf let out a deep sigh of worry. Kenneth was a professor in charge of the upper-year knighthood classes, and as a mid-level noble, he had quite outstanding skills. Of course, there were many swordsmen in the world who were stronger than Kenneth, but he was not someone who could easily be defeated by young children who had barely graduated from the academy. Especially when the target was a lower-level noble.

“I received the report in writing. Sorry, but could you explain it again verbally?”

“Of course. The student was a 4th year student, and as I said, he was a lower-class noble. I haven’t really talked to him, but I remember him as a student with average grades, nothing special. However, I would say that the atmosphere was a little different that day..”

Kenneth’s explanation continued.

That day, after class, Kenneth was walking down the street as usual, thinking about his schedule for the day. Then, he saw a boy grab another boy by the collar and drag him into an alley.

The faculty at the Academy mostly don’t intervene in these cases. They just ignore them and Kenneth was no different. However, he remembered that they had no other plans, and he followed them quietly, thinking that he would only intervene if the situation became so serious that his life was at stake.

The situation in the alley was a little different than Kenneth had expected. From what he heard of their conversation, it seemed like they had been close friends for a long time. The one who grabbed him by the collar was angry and demanding that he stop being involved with strange people these days, as they were thugs with bad reputations, while the other just listened in silence.

As the one who had been angry and had poured out all he wanted to say let go of the collar and took a short break, the other one spoke. ‘But you are second-class and I am first-class. You ignore me too.’ Kenneth, who had been hiding, could also roughly understand what he meant.

The one who brought him in seemed furious at those words, and started swearing at him, saying things like, “Did those guys say that to you?” and “Didn’t they approach you to extort money?” Even the man, who had been listening without showing any emotion until now, looked a little angry.

‘..You can curse at me, but don’t curse at your comrades.’

‘You crazy bastard… Why are you doing this? Are those punks even your comrades?’

‘I told you not to do it.’

‘Come to your senses! Do you think we, who have been with you for years, would ignore you? Do you think those punks who suddenly came after your grades would ignore you?’

‘shut up!’

One side suddenly drew their swords and ran. However, Kenneth thought that there was no need to intervene until then. The difference in skill between the two students that Kenneth had known from the beginning was obvious, and if even their sword skills were that good, there was no way that a student who was a low-ranking noble with insufficient magical power could win. If they were friends, even if they got a little angry, it would end at a reasonable level. That was what he thought.

However, the situation that unfolded before Kenneth’s eyes was completely different from what he had expected. As another student blocked the sword that was being swung with his sword in panic, his sword was cut as smoothly as butter.

Kenneth, a middle-ranking noble student, was greatly surprised. And of course, his carelessness prevented him from reacting properly, and the sword swung twice and cut his body hard, and he lost his strength and fell. It was not an instant death, but it was a wound that he would never survive if left untreated. Kenneth rushed in like lightning and attacked the lower-ranking noble.

Even though he had wrapped his sword around the maximum reinforcement he could, his sword seemed to easily cut through it. The reason Kenneth’s sword didn’t cut was because his swordsmanship was far superior to the student’s, and he avoided the blades from clashing properly. Kenneth was very careful, tightening his grip so that the student couldn’t react, and slowly pushing forward.

The student didn’t react at all to the trick that Kenneth used at the perfect opportunity. Kenneth cut off the wrist of his right hand holding the sword. He could have easily cut off his head, but he felt the need to interrogate this outrageous situation.

At that moment, the student’s remaining arm moved. The arm that was not holding the sword moved and easily pierced Kenneth’s stomach as if it were a soft cake. Kenneth, who felt the movement that was separating his upper and lower body, had no choice but to grit his teeth and cut off his left arm and neck.

That was the whole story of that day.

.

.

.

“Princess, isn’t something… a little strange today?”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

Since Agnes went to the dormitory alone, I was walking with Cosette at a reasonable distance, but today, the Academy branch was in a lot of chaos.

In fact, it’s usually a place close to chaos, with seniors and juniors running around sweating profusely, shouting and cursing here and there, and even fights breaking out, but today was a little more chaotic.

“Comrades, rise up!”

“Let’s kill all the arrogant 2nd and 3rd class guys!”

There were students running around shouting something ominous, students like us rolling our eyes and watching, wondering what the hell was going on, and then there were students who were unlucky enough to be targeted and start fistfights with them.

“No shit! I don’t care what you guys say, I’m just going my own way, what the hell are you talking about!”

“This guy is number 2! Kill number 2! The Academy doesn’t need anyone else but number 1s like us!”

The students, whose eyes looked extremely dangerous, rushed towards a man who appeared to be a mid-level noble. Even the man who had been fighting hard against the majority was startled by the number and immediately ran away, but dozens of people ran after him as if chasing him.

Such situations were unfolding here and there. Class discrimination, conflict, and fights were commonplace in the academy, but they were always happening in the training grounds, alleys, or secretly around the dormitories, where they were not easily noticed. No matter how I thought about it, it was a bit strange to see them openly fighting in the middle of the street, shouting at each other.

Did the lower-ranking nobles collectively lose their minds a little? Was the stress they received at the academy that severe? However, even the students who appeared to be lower-ranking nobles had expressions on their faces as if they had no idea what kind of crazy situation this was, so no matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like their reaction wasn’t normal.

I approached a nearby male student. Judging from his attire and his moderate magical power, I could tell he was definitely a lower-class noble.

“Excuse me, do you know what the situation is right now?”

“..Uh, that.. I don’t know exactly.. That.. These days, should I call it a religion among the 1s.. Some strange group is popular, maybe it’s those kids? Maybe.”

The man was avoiding my gaze and talking nonsense, but it was enough information. I nodded in response and slowly left the square with Cosette.

“..Princess, by any chance..?”

“I guess so? But that senior doesn’t seem like the type of person to lead such a crazy thing… I think he was probably fooled.”

It was a few months ago, but Cosette remembered it. The senior who approached us and seemed nice said something. He said that the academy was trying to eliminate discrimination and conflict.

I thought it was probably that group. However, the doctrines they actually put forth and practiced? The principles? Anyway, it wasn’t as gentle and peaceful a means as the senior thought.

There may be people who participated with great ideals like that senior. However, in my opinion, they were created from the beginning for this situation. The driving force that easily moves people is not altruistic emotions, but the anger and resentment they have experienced.

“Masked Princess You fucking bitch, stop!”

“..?”

I turned around blankly at the sudden swear words that were aimed at me. The person who had called me seemed to be a boy whose face I had never seen before, and next to him was a boy named Patrick, who I had seen in class earlier.

“Who are you? I think this is our first meeting.”

“Are you the owner of Mathias?”

The boy, who was probably the same age as me, didn’t answer my question and just blurted out what he wanted to say. Owner? When I hear it like that, it sounds right, but it doesn’t sound right either. I decided to answer his question for now.

“..Well, it’s similar.”

“See, Patrick. She’s a piece of shit. I told you Mathias almost killed me. She looked down on us so she had him bully us.”

“Growing up.. Having such a scary experience..”

Girren? I’ve heard that name somewhere. Judging from the mention of Mathias, I guess it has something to do with you, but why did you come to me?

But since I could figure that out later with those guys, I just drew my sword for now. I couldn’t just accept it when they were blatantly picking a fight like this. Girne flinched and hid behind Patrick. Patrick didn’t even have a sword.

“..At God’s side, repent your mistakes.”

Patrick slowly clapped his hands together. That was the end of it. Of course, nothing happened.

“..Why?”

No, what… What did you just do? Oh, is it some kind of etiquette before a duel? I slowly clasped my palms together like Patrick and nodded. That’s how it’s supposed to be done, right?

“How dare you insult God!!”

Patrick, who had been mumbling quietly just a moment ago, let out a loud roar. I was startled by the intensity of the shout.

Patrick clapped his hands together again with a fearsome expression. He seemed to be focused on the battle, so his hand movements seemed slow. What on earth could he mean? Was there some kind of magic or spell? While I was thinking about various things and continuing to observe Patrick, Patrick’s palms clapped together for the second time.

─Pung.

“Huh?”

Cosette muttered stupidly beside him.

But it was an understandable situation.

Patrick and Girne’s bodies literally burst apart with a small sound, like a child’s playful sound of slapping their hands together.

As if a piece of soft fruit had been thrown to the ground with such force that it burst, the bodies of the two men, who had been alive until just a moment ago, were disintegrated into such tiny pieces that it was foolish to even discuss their size, and were ‘scattered’ over a radius of several dozen meters.

The familiar smell of blood, and the blood and flesh that had splattered all over my body and was still radiating heat, told me that this was reality.