CH 35

Bullying the Commoner

After finishing the exercises, a lecture on how to make a formation began.

“First, I will teach you the most basic formation, the hawk formation, in which you form a line of battle with the wings outstretched against the enemy. If the enemy forces advance, you can surround them by moving the left and right wings. Therefore, it is common practice to place highly mobile soldiers at both ends and defensive soldiers in the center who can hold their own against an attack.”

Red pieces were lined up on a large board floating in the air. The pieces, perhaps a kind of magical tool, moved on their own at the same time as Claushezade explained, drawing a downward arrow-like shape.

After he finished explaining, those skilled in defensive magic were elected to the center according to his instructions. Sheila was recognized for her mobility and became a member of the left wing. On either side of her were upperclassmen who she didn’t know, who were looking down at her coldly.

“In the event of an emergency, there is a possibility that this team will be involved. Don’t relax just because it is a class, but make sure that you have the arrangement firmly in mind. In order for the lineup to function properly, the awareness of each and every one of you will be crucial. Always remember your role and how to cooperate with those around you.”

‘Cooperation with those around you, huh…. That’ll be difficult.’

If they didn’t start by deepening their friendship, cooperation was just a pipe dream. Was Sheila the only one who felt that way?

“Next, I will teach you the sword formation. The center of the formation protrudes forward. The battlefield will be narrowed, but it is an aggressive attack formation that will break down the opponent in one fell swoop with a kamikaze-style attack[1]. The advantage of this formation is that it is strong in a war of attrition due to the high concentration of soldiers. On the other hand, it is vulnerable to attacks from the flanks and rear.”

The same board as before appeared and the pieces began to move. The pieces transformed into a long, thin formation, like a sword.

“In the case of this line-up, the person with the highest breakthrough power is placed at the front. That would be Leidyrune Centrix, who has strong magical power. After that, someone who can assist him should be placed right behind him. One who can assist him magically and one who specializes in swordsmanship in case the other person’s magic is disabled. Regress Olbrandt and Sheila Danau would be good.”

The students murmured at Claushezade’s words.

Aside from the hawk formation, only a few elite students were chosen for the sword team. The fact that Sheila, a commoner, was chosen for it was a surprise to the other students. They weren’t only surprised, but some of them were also furious and jealous, and looked at her intensely.

“Those whose names were called, please step forward.”

“――Yes!”

Sheila met eyes with Leidyrune and Regress. Although there was no change in their expressions, a concerned look could be seen in each of their eyes. Sheila nodded back at them stealthily.

Then she glanced up at Claushezade, who was checking everyone’s position. He was the same as always, still acting like an impartial teacher. What in the world was he thinking when he selected Sheila?

After the formation was finished, he checked the overall movement.

With Leidyrune in the lead, everyone moved flawlessly without any disturbance. When the auxiliary Regress went forward, there was no problem as well. However, when Sheila stood in front, the formation was inexplicably disorganized. Most of the students were taking it seriously, separating the practical training from their emotions, but a small percentage of the students were blatantly not following the rules of cooperation. That seemed to be the case with many of the lower-class nobles. Zechs’ advice at the dinner party came to mind.

She was hoping for a smooth class, but that was going to be a while in the future.

Sheila suppressed her sigh as she felt her motivation and expectations for the morning crumble into fragility.

◇　◆　◇

Sheila wasn’t subjected to any outwardly harsh treatment, perhaps because she was recognized for her abilities by Leidyrune and Regress.

However, harassment still happened in every part of her daily life.

When she woke up in the morning, she found a dead snake in front of her room. The inside of her locker was also soaked with water, so she couldn’t put on her training clothes because they were soaking wet.

There were times when her textbooks were suddenly lost. She asked Felix to buy new ones for her, but it was a very unpleasant experience for Sheila.

Since then, she had been careful to keep track of her personal belongings, so the harassment of her things had ceased, but now Sheila herself had become the target of attacks.

She would pass other people in the hallway, and their shoulders would bump into her or they would try to make her slip. However, Sheila was able to dodge these attacks without difficulty, which seemed to have aggravated the aggressors even more.

After school, when she was crossing the courtyard alone to go to the library for the first time in a while, water suddenly fell from the sky.

She dodged this one as quickly as she could, so she only got her shoulder slightly wet. However, the other party, too, seemed to have caught on to her ability, and they continuously poured water on her. It was probably water magic, so it wasn’t something that could be avoided. One of them hit her, and she became a wet rat.

Recently, her grades had settled down, so her supplementary lessons with Jornwerner were no longer daily. She’d never thought that it would turn into such a trouble.

‘I’m in trouble…. Thank goodness my blazer didn’t suffer any damage, but even my training clothes only have one spare left….’

At any rate, it was a good decision to equip herself with a breastplate at all times. Thanks to that, even if her training clothes became transparent, no one would notice that she was wearing a chest binder. Sheila brushed off her bangs, which were dripping with drops, and squeezed the hem of her clothes.

Perhaps because the harassment was successful, a student with a satisfied expression stepped forward from the shadows. He was one of those who had obstructed the class.

“You’re looking a little shabby.”

The one who smirked at her was an aristocratic boy with blonde hair.

Eyes that were spitefully raised were looking down at Sheila with contempt.

“You don’t deserve to be in the special course, or even in this academy. If you don’t want to suffer any more hardship, get the hell out of Steitz Academy.”

“….”

Any more than that meant that he was aware of the actions that Sheila had been subjected to. It was like a confession that he was involved in some, if not all, of the harassment she had been subjected to.

Thanks to her naturally rough nature, she didn’t have to worry too much about it, but the fact that the culprit was right in front of her made her feel indescribably complicated.

“Ah…. um, I’m sorry, may I ask your name?”

She was sure they weren’t in the same grade, but she didn’t know what grade they were in because she didn’t recognize them. Sheila timidly opened her mouth so as not to offend the other party.

However, her concern was in vain, as the boy’s willowy eyebrows shot up.

“If you don’t know me, you’re an uneducated commoner. I am Dilliam Ishmer! The eldest son of Count Ishmer, in other words, the successor!”

Dilliam’s voice echoed coldly in the deserted courtyard, as he announced himself in a high voice with his hands on his hips. His well-groomed face seemed to say, “Worship me to the fullest”. She was tempted to point it out, but she decided it was best to let it slide.

Sheila nodded her head as if nothing had happened.

“Well then, Dilliam-senpai. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t do these pranks, because it’s a hassle to go get a change of clothes.”

Dilliam looked delighted and laughed maliciously.

“What makes you think I would listen to the wishes of a commoner?”

“That’s true….”

She wasn’t discouraged, because the answer was just what she expected. If she asked that and they listened, they wouldn’t harass her in the first place.

They didn’t even acknowledge Sheila’s existence. If she wanted to stop the harassment, she had to get them to admit it somehow.

“――I understand. The clothes will dry quickly, so I take back my request to stop. Please forget about it, Dilliam-senpai. Excuse me.”

If we must show competence, a discussion was pointless.

Sheila bowed politely and was about to leave, but for some reason, Dilliam held her back.

“No, wait a minute, you!”

When she turned around, he looked genuinely surprised.

“What is it?”

“You, can’t you react a little more, like being frightened or crying when you’re hurt?!”

“It’s not that I couldn’t, but if you ask like that….”

Why was this kind of conversation going on between the victim and the perpetrator? If anything, that was the question.

She didn’t want to get angry at such unreasonable things.

Sheila stared at Dilliam uncomfortably.

Translator Notes:

1. Kamikaze attacks were a Japanese suicide bombing tactic designed to destroy enemy warships during World War II. Pilots would crash their specially made planes directly into Allied ships. ↵