Chapter: 32
As soon as I provoked them, the ladies’ faces began to sour.
The Mesugaki skill’s provocation is a technique that even seasoned knights can’t withstand.
Surely, ladies who haven’t even entered the academy can’t handle it.
Actually, I should commend them for their patience in not immediately shouting obscenities.
Though honestly, it wouldn’t last long anyway.
“Where did that confident demeanor go? ♡ Hahaha. Hilarious! ♡ It’s just like a little puppy with its tail between its legs! ♡”
“What do you mean?”
“Trash, you little mutt! ♡ Can’t even handle a proper argument! ♡”
With each consecutive provocation, the small smiles etched on their faces vanished, replaced by seething anger.
Receiving their hostility, I smiled, feeling the exhilarating rush of power.
Are you mad? Are you really mad?
Then come at me!
Go ahead, slap the Countess on the cheek!
I presented my cheek as if to say, “Go on, hit me!” and the woman in front raised her hand, smacking my cheek with it.
Given she was trying to enroll in the Soul Academy, she must have trained to some extent, as her slap was quite strong.
An intense pain spread across my cheek.
Yet, a grin remained on my lips.
Hey, are you the first to attack here?
There are plenty of witnesses around, so you can’t spin this.
From now on, whatever I do will be self-defense.
Don’t go crying about getting hit, okay?
I clenched my fist and threw a punch at the woman’s face.
It was a punch thrown with the intention of knocking her down, yet she remained standing after taking the hit.
It seemed to hurt, as tears gathered in her eyes, but that was all.
“You!”
“Well, you shouldn’t have instigated me. Right? ♡”
It seemed she completely fell for my taunt, as she bit her lip and charged at me.
Judging by her fluid movements, I could tell she had received combat training from her family.
But that was no problem.
Did you think I only learned how to roll and use a mace from Possell?
That guy taught me how to deal with enemies even when unarmed, just in case I lose my weapon.
Compared to the punches thrown by Possell, yours are so slow they could make me yawn.
I sidestepped her punch, stepping forward.
First, I aimed for her abdomen to deliver an impact.
My target was the area where her innards were located.
Thud!
It looked like I managed to damage her insides, as her movements froze for a moment.
I seized the opportunity, uppercutting her chin.
Maybe it shook her brain, as the lady standing before me crumpled to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.
Pretty weak, huh?
With skills like that, it’s no wonder you didn’t have any presence at the Soul Academy.
Leaving the collapsed lady where she lay, I shifted my gaze toward the others behind her.
The two of them, having witnessed the scuffle, stepped back in fear and hesitated.
Are you just going to stand there gawking while your friend gets hurt? Pathetic little pests.
Not even worth dealing with.
“Sword. Maid. Let’s go.”
“Losers. Let’s move out.”
As I left the ladies behind, I heard a murmur of voices behind me.
It wasn’t intentional, but I completely stole the spotlight.
But hey, I don’t care.
After all, I haven’t done anything wrong.
It was those ladies who initiated the conflict with outrageous insults and threw the first punch at me.
I was merely responding to their provocations.
So many people saw the whole sequence; how could any strange rumors start?
*
The young lady Joy Partran, head of the noble faction in the kingdom, was walking the streets with her attendants.
She was visiting the Soul Academy to take the entrance exam, but in reality, the exam wasn’t of great importance in her heart.
For someone who had been educated all her life to fit the role of a duke’s daughter, passing the Soul Academy exam was simply expected.
Having received assurance from several teachers in the duke’s household that she’d definitely pass, she had no worries about the test.
Instead, her mind was filled with just one thing.
The restaurant called ‘Tierra Mars’ that exists at the Soul Academy.
Once managed by the chef responsible for the kingdom’s various events, the restaurant had gained fame as one of the best on the continent after he passed the torch to a successor.
Despite the prices being several times higher than similar places, Tierra Mars was always fully booked with eager customers.
Thus, even the most powerful nobles had to make reservations months in advance to dine there.
Having heard countless tales of how delicious Tierra Mars’ food was from her siblings, Joy made a reservation there soon after her enrollment at the Soul Academy, brushing everything else aside.
Many had similar thoughts, so competition was fierce, but Joy, following her family motto, didn’t give up and, after much struggle, achieved victory.
She successfully secured a dining reservation!
From the day her reservation was confirmed, Joy had been eagerly anticipating her visit to Tierra Mars, and today was finally her day.
How delicious will it be? According to her brother, it’s a taste one would never forget after having it just once.
If her brother, who had become picky after tasting food made by the family chef, had said that, then it must be incredibly delicious, right?
Thinking of her brother’s gentle smile, Joy pouted her lips in anticipation.
However, her brother, who was supposed to accompany her on this visit to Tierra Mars to introduce her to the dishes, suddenly had an urgent matter arise at the academy.
What can she do about it?
Sometimes, there are matters that are even more important than one’s younger sibling.
Hmph. I’ll just have to tease him by sharing all that I ate at Tierra Mars later.
While walking with the Tierra Mars ticket in hand, grumbling to herself, Joy noticed a crowd gathering ahead.
What might be occurring there?
Upon closer inspection, she saw a lady collapsed on the floor, with another lady and some attendants tending to her.
That collapsed person… Isn’t that Lady Meiriel from the Bains Count family?
Why does she have a bruise on her cheek?
Did she perhaps fall victim to some bizarre attack?
“El?”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Could you find out what’s going on?”
“I’ll return shortly.”
After her attendant hurried off into the crowd and soon returned, the news she brought was shocking.
It seems Lady Meiriel and Lady Lucy had a spat, and Lady Meiriel slapped Lady Lucy!
And after the first hit from Lady Meiriel, Lady Lucy didn’t take it lying down and threw punches back, ultimately claiming victory over Lady Meiriel?
What in the world?
“I’ve asked a few people, and they all gave the same answer.”
As Joy expressed her confusion, her attendant added,
“So, it really did happen.”
It wasn’t surprising that Meiriel picked a fight with Lucy.
The two had often growled at each other in various social gatherings.
Joy recalled how Lucy spilled a drink on Meiriel’s face at their last gathering and had said, “Looks good on you. Thank me for it. A little grime makes it stylish, don’t you think?”
Meiriel must have been nursing that grudge and provoked Lucy upon seeing her.
What startled Joy more than their fight was that Lucy actually defeated Meiriel.
The Bains family, where Meiriel was born and raised, was known for its martial prowess.
They’re not on par with the bloodthirsty Duke Benedict’s house, but they’re still a respectable noble family.
Growing up as a knight from such a clan, Meiriel boasted martial skills usually surpassing those of ordinary men, despite being a woman.
But how about Lucy?
When Joy last saw Lucy at a social gathering, she could barely make it up the stairs without getting out of breath.
For Lucy to have beaten Meiriel?
It would have been hard to believe if Joy hadn’t seen the collapsed Meiriel.
“Is this what they call the blood of the Steel-Blooded Duke flowing through her veins?”
If she had also inherited Benedict’s robust personality, that would have been a bonus, though.
Joy wasn’t particularly fond of Lucy.
In fact, very few people among the kingdom’s nobility had affection for Lucy.
Who would love someone who pricked others with their quills like a hedgehog?
Joy herself had suffered emotional wounds from Lucy’s words in the past.
Now that she thought about it, labeling Lucy a hedgehog didn’t seem too far off.
Both have a cute appearance and those sharp spikes.
But unlike a hedgehog that doesn’t hurt if you don’t poke it, Lucy’s thorns prick even if you don’t touch her.
If anything, she might be more like a hedgehog that shoots its quills.
That Lucy, who had caused various incidents due to her unique nature, now wielded physical strength too.
How terrifying.
Back then, she’d hardly made any big waves with her weak frame, but from now on, things could change drastically.
I should do my best to avoid any entanglement with Lucy moving forward.
After all, Lucy clearly isn’t good at studying, so there’s no way she’ll pass the entrance exam to the academy.
If I just keep my distance until the exam time comes, I might avoid any entanglements.
“My Lady.”
“What is it?”
“That young lady standing in front of the restaurant, with her arms crossed. Isn’t she Lady Allen?”
…Huh?
Why. Why is she here?
Oh no. What should I do?
Should I greet her?
Should I pretend not to recognize her?
No way, I can’t just ignore her. If I act like I didn’t notice, she’ll surely think I dismissed her.
And then when we inevitably meet during the academy exam, she might unleash her quills at me!
Right! I’ll just give her a casual greeting.
I’ll say hello lightly and rush inside the restaurant without giving her time to respond.
That should be problem-free.
With that resolution, Joy approached Lucy carefully.
*
Seriously, showing up confidently at a restaurant, yet not knowing it operates on a reservation basis? Girl, do you have issues with memory?
‘Grandfather, shut it.’
One thing I had completely forgotten was that the restaurant Tierra Mars operates on a reservation-only basis.
When I think back, even in the story, when the heroine dined there, she got lucky with a reserved ticket and came by, too.
It was a restaurant that could only be visited during events, so I had totally let it slip my mind.
As a result, I failed to set foot across the threshold of Tierra Mars.
Ugh. I feel so deflated.
I had been looking forward to enjoying the delicious food here, yet I can’t even get in.
“Lady Allen.”
What’s up? Who else is going to try to pick a fight with me now?
I don’t know who she is, but you’ve messed up coming my way.
I’m extremely irritated right now.
You know, I’m like a bomb ready to blow at the press of a button.
Go ahead, try to insult me!
I’ll take the pent-up frustration in my heart and unleash it on you!
Just as I thought this and turned my head, I came face to face with a familiar face.
Joy Partran.
One of the characters I adored in the Soul Academy.
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