Chapter 40

[Translator – Clara][Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 40. Continent’s Greatest Sword (1)

After the meeting with Aeru, the next day dawned.

It is already one day before the official opening of the academy.

For students, it was a time to prepare various items necessary for academy life, including classes.

Of course, that was for real freshmen who had a lot to learn, unlike me.

I hadn’t even bought textbooks yet.

Still, I felt I should prepare somehow, so I was about to head out when…

“Young Master, what’s going on here exactly…?”

Brian, who didn’t understand the situation in front of him, asked me.

“Sorry, I don’t have any other words to say either. Let’s just go with the flow for now…”

Originally, this situation was definitely not what I intended.

[Goodness! Are there any instructors who would come to students’ dorms this early in the morning? If others see it, they’ll think it’s a perfectly normal situation, won’t they? Ridiculous~!]

Kaeram, lying on the couch in a relaxed manner, said with a smirk.

“Of course! It’s a very ordinary situation where academic instructors bring textbooks for proper student education!”

To which Silica responded without batting an eyelid.

Even so, where does it happen that instructors directly bring textbooks to students?

And you, an academic instructor rather than an assistant…

[Shouldn’t the head be more cautious? It’s not even a forbidden relationship between a student and a teacher. If you keep acting like this, have you ever thought our master might be suspected?]

“Kaeram, you’re the one who lacks caution. Even though God Aeru has granted you vitality and complete physical manifestation, this is still an academy. It’s a place where experts sensitive to mana and spiritual energy gather. If your presence were to be exposed, wouldn’t it cause trouble for our student Cyan?”

In the ongoing argument between the two unwavering women, there seemed to be no room for intervention.

For now, I decided to observe a little more.

[Oh my! What could be so troubling? He’s not even that bad, and it would all be fine if he just swept it all, wouldn’t it?]

“That’s not how it works! If you were going to sweep everything from the beginning, why did you come here? Are you planning to make our master’s plans go up in smoke?”

A harsh laughter echoed through the spacious room.

Brian, suddenly feeling a chill, wrapped his arms around himself.

Finally, I, feeling inadequate, spoke up.

“Um, Leader. Isn’t this a bit much? It’s not appropriate for an academic instructor to come all the way to the student dormitories like this…”

In the instant our eyes met, I involuntarily flinched.

“Student Cyan, watch your words. ‘Leader’’? If anyone hears that, it could be trouble…”

Why is she suddenly using formal language again?

She, who had been walking confidently towards me, suddenly lowered her stance as she spoke.

“Within the academy, we are merely students and instructors. From now on, please pay more attention to the titles?”

Are we really drawing a line between official and personal affairs here?

I understand showing interest in the successor as the head, but isn’t this a bit much…?

“I’m not saying we should be rigid! We’re going to be together for a long time, aren’t we? We need to learn a lot and grow steadily! That’s the only way…”

For a moment, as she affectionately stroked my head with a bright smile,

Her eyes, which had been drawing crescents, suddenly gleamed brightly.

“Won’t we lead our organization excellently? Successor Cyan Vert?”

A fervent gaze burning within her fiery eyes.

Is it just me, or has this become more intense than in past lives?

Just as I began to suspect if she might have a split personality,

– Swoosh –

A shimmering mana orb flew between us.

The culprit was Kaeram.

[Where is she putting her hand?]

Her eyes held not only discomfort but also icy anger.

Ugh, I feel even more exhausted than when I fought with the mages.

Staying here would only make me uncomfortable.

Leaving the two women, who were competing like territorial lions, I quietly slipped away from between them.

“Um, sir, are you going to the tavern?”

It was Brian, now asking if I was going to drink on my own.

“Yeah. If anyone asks where I’ve gone, just say you don’t know. They’re probably too busy snarling at each other to notice.”

Indeed, they were like a simmering volcano ready to erupt at any moment, too caught up in their argument to pay attention to anything else.

I left the palace altogether through that path.

The streets of Luwen bathed in morning sunlight.

Certainly more vibrant than the dreary cities I’ve seen, pulsating with a lively energy.

Given its proximity to the borders of the three kingdoms, frequent traffic between them was inevitable.

As a result, it naturally grew into a bustling city with thriving trade and commerce.

Originally, I came out to prepare, including getting textbooks,

But since the Leader used the visit as an excuse to handle everything, my coming out became meaningless.

“….”

Peaceful.

How often have I felt such a peaceful moment in my life?

Honestly, peace was a word that didn’t quite fit with me.

It’s not that I’m negative, it’s just true.

I’ve been involved in all sorts of dirty deeds, flipping blood and overturning all kinds of dirty business.

Walking down the streets imbued with a distinctly serene feeling under this blue sky…

Well, it’s not too uncomfortable.

Still, it seemed like there was at least a minimum of humanity left in me.

On a whim, I headed to the nature park that Luwen boasts about, wanting to try something even less fitting for me.

Under the warm sunshine, the park was filled with nameless flowers in full bloom.

Even for someone like me, who was practically a recluse in a past life, it was a place I hadn’t visited many times.

Sitting on a suitable bench, I breathed in and looked around.

Certainly worthy of being called Luwen’s landmark.

It was decorated so splendidly that it could easily evoke thoughts of a garden from the divine realm.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Traces of tourist attractions, such as fountains and statues, were scattered throughout.

Hmm…

As I looked at this peaceful scene, somehow, images of pure white flowers being stained with blood and verdant trees blazing with fire came to mind.

Imagining this kind of thing, I really am messed up.

As I was thinking I should fix these negative thoughts, I lowered my head in that moment,

“….!”

Not to brag, but I have a pretty good sense of smell.

Not the smell of food or poop, but rather, the malicious scent that emanates from people’s emotions.

Exactly in the 11 o’clock direction from my bench, under a fairly verdant tree, I saw four boys who appeared to be around my age (of course, around eleven).

From afar, they might look like mischievous little kids gathered to play, but Luwen wasn’t as harmonious a city as it appeared on the surface.

There were just three of them.

Three little troublemakers, with blood barely dry on their heads, were tormenting another boy leaning against a tree.

Judging by their demeanor, they all seemed to be students from the same academy as me.

Originally, bullying is a malicious act typical of that age.

However, this is the Royal Academy, a world of nobles where relationships can be entangled anytime, anywhere.

Once camaraderie is established among nobles, foolish actions like bullying among the same class are never done.

So, that situation can be explained in one of two ways.

Either the bullied child is not an academy student or not a noble.

In my opinion, it seems to be the latter.

Perhaps that child is also a noble.

Just a formal noble.

Occasionally, at the Royal Academy, there have been cases where teachers bring talented commoner children and enroll them in the academy to nurture them.

However, since admission to the academy is impossible for commoner children according to academy rules, teachers sometimes use tricks to temporarily elevate their status.

They are known as honorary nobles.

Nobles in status, but hollow shells without substance.

Our purebred noble lords, whose pride and dignity pierce the sky, would likely feel great discomfort just attending the academy alongside such nobodies who are nobles in name only.

From my memory, it is estimated that about five of the incoming students this year were honorary nobles.

Will I help?

Well…

Honestly, it’s not an extraordinary situation that you might see once in a while, it’s just everyday life,

It’s never really surprising no matter when you see it.

Does that mean there are many people willing to help?

Not really.

If there were many people willing to help that frail commoner friend, then such bullying wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Look at them.

There are dozens of people in this park besides me, and they all just pass by, don’t they?

They know there’s nothing good that comes from getting involved.

If those bullies come from influential families, it’ll be even worse.

It’s said that ambiguous help is almost as bad as watching idly.

Even if I step in to resolve the situation, it’ll only be temporary.

Eventually, that commoner friend will face even more relentless bullying.

It’s not like there aren’t any bystanders, they should know how to handle it themselves…

– Smack

A sharp crack that jolts the senses.

The blond, burly boy who had grabbed him by the collar had slapped his cheek.

I may have good hearing, but if he hit that hard, would it have echoed this far?

– Thud, thud, thud

A series of heavy blows reverberated.

Face, abdomen, legs, he’s pounding away with great enthusiasm.

Looks like it’s a sparring session for fighters.

Still, the friend taking the hits seemed to have quite a bit of resilience, refusing to go down easily.

“…?”

I thought a few hits would suffice, but the situation seems to be getting more serious.

A red mana orb held in the blond boy’s hand.

He was trying to force it into none other than the commoner friend’s mouth.

At eleven years old, his body was just starting to experience mana fluctuations, so it was time to gradually adapt to it.

Forcing someone else’s mana at such a crucial moment could cause a clash, and if done incorrectly, could even collapse the flow of mana itself.

Then magic would be useless, and basic actions like channelling mana into weapons would be impossible.

Isn’t that something almost akin to what you’d do to an enemy who killed your parents?

They snapped the commoner friend’s arm, drenched his face, and restrained him to prevent resistance.

It’s not just about intimidating, they’re really trying to commit harm.

The blond, devilish boy with a sinister smile.

As he was about to force the mana orb into the commoner friend’s mouth,

“What do you think you’re doing right now!?”

“…!?”

The defiant shout filled with righteousness made the boys’ gazes turn back like owls.

Just to clarify, I hadn’t even stepped in yet.

But still, the world isn’t completely heartless yet,

It was the apostle of justice who couldn’t bear injustice and stepped forward to rescue that commoner friend.

But this apostle of justice… Why does he seem familiar?

“How could students do such cruel things to each other? Aren’t you ashamed as nobles?”

The silver hair that had grown quite a bit in a year and the uniform provided by the academy suited her quite well.

“….”

Our little troublemakers seemed to have sensed that some unusual noble had appeared, so they took a step back from her.

Arin Sevellerus. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The 5th princess of the Ushif Empire.

In her eyes, which I hadn’t seen in a year, there was a fierceness that hadn’t been there before.

[Translator – Clara]

[Proofreader – Gun]