episode_0300

The loud crashing sound coming from one side of the student cafeteria caused all three of us to turn our heads simultaneously.

It seemed like someone accidentally knocked over a tray they were holding.

Normally, accidents like this happen often in the student cafeteria, so we didn’t pay much attention and were about to turn our heads away. However, this time, a voice that couldn’t be easily ignored reached my ears.

“…What are you doing right now, Parnoman?”

Even just hearing it roughly, you could tell that the voice was filled with annoyance, causing me to turn my head once again.

From the voice alone, I could tell that it was a familiar voice I had heard somewhere before, a character I had played a minor role as in the “Luminor Academy.”

“Ah, sorry. It was a mistake.”

“A mistake?”

“Yeah, a mistake.”

“It doesn’t seem like a mistake.”

“Why did you walk past me like that? You should have been more careful.”

In other words, it was a way of saying, “Why did you upset me?” The victim of these words was clearly emitting an aura of anger that anyone could see.

The angry woman had distinct features that were easy to identify.

Tall, slender, muscular, with a bronze skin tone, brown ponytail, and a tattered academy uniform that only roughly covered the important parts.

There was only one woman at the Luminor Academy who would dress in such a barbaric manner. Barbarian Liria.

“Liria Marasendar… Anyway, that’s a long name.”

I guess there’s no need to remember her full name. Everyone just calls her Liria anyway.

Anyway, looking at her physical appearance alone, she was a woman who wouldn’t back down compared to most adult men.

Of course, that didn’t mean she had a manly face on a muscular body.

If we had to compare, she had a female bodybuilder style, but her muscles weren’t too bulky, closer to a slim physique. Nevertheless, her healthy beauty was so strikingly noticeable that anyone could see it.

Currently, she glared at the man who had spilled her tray in front of her with an angry expression.

“Fine, I forgive you. I don’t have a hobby of tormenting the weak.”

“Weak?”

“Yeah. So, I’ll give you a chance to make up for your mistake.”

*Swoosh*

“…?”

As the man was arguing, Liria reached out her hand towards the nobleman.

Not understanding her intentions, the man stupidly stared at her palm.

“What, what is it? Are you trying to hit me? As expected, a barbaric woman like you… ”

“Give me your meal ticket. That’s how I’ll forgive you.”

“…What?”

“I forgive you for disturbing my meal time because of you. However, I haven’t eaten yet, so I have no choice but to take your meal ticket.”

“What? Why should I care about your meal situation?”

“…What?”

“Are you a stupid dog guarding your master, unable to recognize and bite anyone who comes near your master? Haven’t you learned not to show your teeth to my master?”

“…”

Ah, I remembered.

This episode was something I had seen while playing in my past life.

More precisely, it was a bonus scene that came after Liria’s summer vacation event, ‘Liria’s Land.’ It depicted Liria, who had gained rightful ownership of their land through a territorial victory, finally getting revenge on the son of the northeastern noble Ludens Viscount family who had been bothering her until now.

“So, you’re saying you won’t give it to me?”

“Yeah. Haven’t you learned not to covet the food your master eats?”

“You little… I didn’t know you’ve been thinking of me like that all this time.”

“If you really want to be a gentleman, you can just pick up the bread that fell on the floor. Licking food off the ground is what suits mongrel pups the best…”

The eldest son of Viscount Ludens could only speak his mind up to that point.

After that, as I had expected, Liria’s right arm grabbed the eldest son’s jaw and lifted him up in the air, holding his body with her face.

-Thud!

“Ugh, ugh!!”

“I’ve been tolerating your rudeness because I thought of you as a friend… but it seems you’ve been thinking otherwise.”

“Ugh, ugh!!”

“Well, then I guess I don’t have to tolerate it anymore. No matter how you look at it, it seems like my rank is higher than yours.”

-Smack!

“What is this nonsense! I, I am Panoman, the son of Viscount Ludens…”

“Right. Since I’ve rearranged the hierarchy during the break, from now on, you’ll follow my orders, Panoman. So, let’s start with you picking up all the noble grace you’ve wasted and eating it with your own mouth.”

“Don’t mess around, you bastard! If you dare to go back to the northeast, I’ll cut off your limbs and hang them at the entrance of the territory…”

“That’s a pretty scary threat. If you can, go ahead and try it.”

“Ugh! Ugh!!”

As the commotion grew, other students who had been focusing on the two of them began to move on their own. Students who didn’t want to get involved hurriedly left their seats. Students who thought it wasn’t their business just continued their meal.

Although there were students who were surprised to see the noble son with his face on the floor as soon as they entered the dining hall, it was a story that had nothing to do with us anyway.

“It seems the hero did a good job in the northeast. At the beginning of the semester, their positions were completely opposite.”

“It seems so. Shall we also start getting up?”

“…Sure, why not.”

Even the Barbarian Warrior, who was muscle to the core, and the noble son who was receiving a proper education after causing a commotion because he couldn’t accept his defeat at the Territory War, were not really worth getting involved with.

…If I had known that saying I didn’t want to get involved would prevent me from getting involved at all, my academy life wouldn’t have been so rough from the start.

***

About halfway through the second semester of the academy, about four weeks into the entire semester.

During the midterm exam period, when I had some free time, I was having a leisurely coffee time with Lige at the cafe owned by August’s family.

“It’s been a while since we had such a leisurely conversation, Lelis.”

“Yes, Lord August.”

“….”

Lige’s expression stiffened slightly as if she didn’t like the way I addressed her.

“Could you change the way you address me a bit… at least change the title if you can’t change anything else? I bought you coffee, didn’t I?”

“No. I am a servant of Lord Ethan, so it is appropriate for me to use honorifics when addressing nobles higher than me.”

“You were called by your name even in the Witch’s Forest, Lelis.”

“At that time, it was only temporary and I was a little more relaxed with Lord Ethan’s permission. In an academy where many people see me, it is right to be careful with my attitude.”

“There’s no one else at this table besides us. Is it that difficult to call me by my name, Lelis?”

“There is someone else besides us, Lord August. Lalang is also here with us.”

“…Uh, huh?! W-what, did you call me…?!”

It was Lalang, who was quietly hiding her presence in the corner of the table and was startled to hear her name called out.

Thanks to the sense of camaraderie as fellow “witches,” Lara was often seen sticking close to Lizzie these days. It had become so common for her to tag along whenever she met Lizzie.

“I-I’m right here…! Why do you call me by my name, Lara, instead of calling me by my name?! I’ve known Lizzie longer than Lara for a few years now!”

“Lara is not a noble, after all. Even though I am just a fake noble with the title of Viscount, I simply don’t think it’s necessary to show excessive courtesy to someone who is not a noble.”

“T-That’s… what Lizzie said….”

“Eeek…!!”

Well, it wasn’t exactly comfortable to address Lizzie as “Auguste Young Lady” even in such a formal setting.

I also wanted to just call her Lizzie casually. After all, we’ve known each other for quite a few years.

Still, it was appropriate to maintain a slight distance just in case. Even though it wouldn’t be a big deal to address Agnes, the Lady of Changeback, by her name, it would take quite a bit of courage to ask Lizzie, the Lady of Whiteback, without hesitation.

“So, what I mean is, Lady Auguste.”

“Why are you saying that? Lord Rosewood Viscount?”

“Can I ask you for the potions to be used in this semester’s final hunt again?”

“…Is this the right time to ask for that?”

“I can only make this request to Lady Auguste. She is the person I have known the longest in the pharmacy department.”

“Hmm…”

Lizzie quickly relaxed her expression at the mention of being the person I have known the longest. It’s surprisingly easy to handle her like this.

Well, she would have been lying under a tombstone, smoking a pipe, if it weren’t for me. If she has a conscience, Lizzie will surely fulfill this request.

“One hundred gold coins.”

“What? I distinctly remember it was five last time I asked….”

“If you change the way you address me to ‘Lizzie Young Lady,’ I’ll give you a 50% discount, ‘Miss Lizzie’ will get you 80%, and if you just call me ‘Lizzie’ and speak in a more relaxed tone like in the Witch’s Forest, I’ll give you up to 95% off.”

“….What?”

“Please choose carefully, Lelis. Just changing the title won’t change the relationship between you and me, right? By the way, as a merchant, I never lie….”

Lizzie was the kind of person who would even negotiate her title in such a situation, fearing she might be a merchant.

I was reluctantly considering saying a few words when suddenly someone intervened in the conversation between Lizzie and me.

“W-What potions are needed for the final hunt, L-Lelis…?”

“Just a moment, Lara. We are in the middle of negotiating….”

“One potion for stamina enhancement, one for energy recovery, one for mana recovery, and two emergency potions, Miss Lara.”

“Oh, I see…. We just need to make them before the hunt, right…? I-I can do that…. I’ll do it for three gold coins….”

“W-What are you saying, Lara?! That amount barely covers the cost of ingredients! Even if you have no concept of money, that’s not a trade, it’s just being taken advantage of….”

“B-But…. Lelis helped me last time…. Friends should be able to do this much for each other, right…?”

“F-Friends, you say….”

“Thank you, Miss Lara. Then, this time, I’ll ask a favor from Miss Lara….”

“T-Two gold coins! I’ll do it for two coins! The condition remains the same….”

“…One gold coin, and fifty silver coins.”

“Lara…!!”

Abruptly ending the reverse auction, in the end, it was decided that Liz would be sold for one gold coin and thirty silver coins, a price that didn’t even reach half of her actual value. There were no conditions to change her title.

This is what true friendship is all about. Seeing them willingly fulfill my request moved me to tears.

…It felt like I was taking advantage of their kindness too much, so by the time we left the cafe, I changed Augusta Yeong-ae’s title to ‘Miss Liz’.